My tongue thrusts against hers, showing her exactly what I’ve wanted to do to her from the moment I laid eyes on her.
My heart pounds against my ribs, my breaths exploding against hers.
When she tries to reach for my coat, I take hold of her hands and pin them above her head with one of mine. It draws another moan from her, and unable to stop myself, I move my mouth to her neck and sink my teeth into her skin. I suck hard, wanting to mark her.
My free hand moves down from her jaw until I reach the swell of her breast, and then I squeeze hard.
Christ, she fits perfectly into my palm.
Hailey gasps for air as she arches her back. “God… Carson.”
I bring my mouth back to hers, my tongue plunging deeper, my teeth biting, and my lips soothing the stings. My fingers find her nipple, and I tweak it into a hard pebble.
I want to devour her. I want to own every inch of her.
Mine.
The realization settles deep in me. It sinks its claws into me until it becomes a part of my soul.
Hailey’s mine, and she doesn’t have a choice in the matter.
This is what I’ve been struggling to come to terms with. No matter what Hailey wants, there’s no way I can stay away from her.
There’s no way I’ll let her go.
Wanting her to feel what she’s doing to me, I rub my cock against the heat radiating from between her legs.
It’s about as much as I can take before I tear the clothes from her body and sink balls deep inside her.
Forcing myself to break the kiss, I let out a growl as I move down her body, skimming my nose along her cleavage. Through her shirt, I draw her nipple between my teeth and tug at it. With another growl, I let go of her, and pushing myself up from the couch, I put a safe distance between us, so I don’t give in to my desire to fuck her.
“Wow.” Hailey sucks in a couple of desperate breaths, not moving from where she’s lying on the couch. “If you didn’t feel that,” she takes another breath, “then I’m screwed.”
My eyes burn on her as I focus on calming my own breathing.
“So?” She asks, and sitting up, she gives me an expectant look, her lips swollen from my kiss and teeth. “Am I screwed?”
I shake my head. “Not the way you think you are.”
My words draw a chuckle from her. “Yeah, maybe we should take it a little slower.” Then she teases me, “Never thought I’d have to say those words to you. I guess the saying is true. It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
She’s going to regret this the moment I tell her I’m a killer. The happiness will fade from her eyes. Her smile will disappear, and it will be replaced with horror.
When I just stare at her, she asks, “You’re okay with this… us, right?”
“Yes.”
It’s you I’m worried about.
Hailey lets out a happy shriek, and then she jumps up, and I have to catch her as she throws herself at me. She wraps her legs around my waist, and I instinctively grab hold of her ass. Her laughter fills the room, and I revel in the sound.
God, do I revel in it.
Selfishly I decide to tell her another time. I just want this for a moment longer… where I’m not a killer, and she’s not a backpacker. We’re just… us. Two raw souls beneath the layers life has piled onto us.
Hailey looks at me like I just gave her the most incredible gift.
I’ll burn in hell for this – for taking this beautiful creature and making her mine. Once she finds out who I really am, it will be too late for her.
Her smile begins to fade. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,”
She lowers her legs until she’s standing in front of me. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“I’m not.” I place my hands on her hips and tug her back against me.
“Then why do you look like someone just drove over your puppy?”
Because one day, you might hate me.
I force my lips to curve up. “Just taking in everything.”
“Oh.” She wraps her arms around my neck, then grins up at me. “Take all the time you need to process this. I’ll just stand here and stare at you.”
I move my hands up the length of her back, memorizing the feel of her. I drink in her beauty and the life in her eyes.
Will her light be strong enough to survive my darkness?
Christ, I hope so.
“Hey,” she whispers, drawing me out of my thoughts.
Needing to know how much time I have to work with, I ask, “How long do you plan on staying in Saint Luc?”
“I can stay longer than the original three months because it’s easy to travel to the other towns from here.”