“Never too tired for you. Come here.” He slides his arms around me. “I missed you so damn much.”
“Same,” I murmur as his mouth descends on mine, firm and hot, demanding. His tongue pushes between my lips, and I moan as it thrusts against mine, as he deepens the kiss, his hand cradling the back of my head, his lips bruising.
Letting me feel how much he missed me.
My eyes sting and I have to pull back to gather myself. It’s the fright I went through, probably, the sleepless night I spent at his side, waiting for him to move, checking every five seconds he was still breathing, despite the paramedics’ reassurances his pills couldn’t kill him.
He’d been so unnaturally still. And I’d been so frigging scared.
“Hey…” He cups my cheek. “Where did you go?”
“Maybe… maybe we should wait. Until you feel better.” I swallow hard. “If anything happened to you…”
“Cos… I’m fine.” He strokes his thumb over my cheekbone, over my nose, my lips. He leans in, kisses me. “I have an idea. How about you undress for me?”
I give him a doubtful look.
He leans back and starts stroking himself, his fingers curling around that big, flushed hard-on I’ve been fantasizing about over the past few days, the memory of having it inside me taunting me. “Work it for me. Then come here and ride me.” He winks. “So you won’t have to worry I’ll tire myself.”
The doubt leaves me, replaced by a rising wave of arousal so strong I whimper. My belly tightens, my pussy clenches on nothing, my nipples harden and ache.
I grab the hem of my blouse and lift it off my head, letting it fall to the floor. I’ve never stripped for anyone before, and despite the amazing sight of Merc stroking himself on the bed in front of me, laid out like a buffet of sexiness, I’m jittery.
Reaching back, I fight with the clasp of my bra. It won’t come off. I bite into my lower lip, frustrated.
Real sexy, Cos. Way to go.
“Cos.” Then he’s sitting up, letting go of his hard-on, dark splotches of red on his cheekbones. “What the hell happened to you?”
I blink, lost, still fumbling with the clasp. “What do you mean?”
He kneels and tugs on my arm, then lifts my hand and traces his fingers over my wrist. “Who did this to you?” He sounds angry, his voice sharp, but his touch is gentle.
Looking down, I find a ring of bruises on my skin.
Oh shit. Just like I forgot about my sister, I also forgot all about Steve and his shoe-in-the-door maneuver, his insistence he was doing me a kindness by offering to take me back, his violent grip on my arm.
That’s how it is with Merc: When I’m close to him, the whole world fades, falls into shadow and disarray.
“It’s…” I shake my head. “My ex.”
Merc’s fair skin flushes dark. A vein starts thrumming in his neck. “Your ex. You never talked about an ex.”
“That’s because he’s a worthless asshole.” I feel my skin heating, too, under his pissed off gaze. “He kicked me out some months ago.”
“You want to go back to him?”
“No, God, no. Never. He thought he could come by Lin’s place and take me back. Grabbed my wrist, tried to drag me out. I called him names, and Lin helped me close the door in his face.”
“Good. Is he coming back for you?” His other hand curls into a fist. “I’ll rearrange his goddamn face.”
“No. I don’t think he is.”
His eyes glitter. “Look, I know this is more complicated than you signed up for. Hell, more complicated than any sane person would sign up for. It’s not fair to ask you to stick by my side through this stupid hunt.” He unclenches his hands, reaches for mine. “I can’t hide from anyone, much less from you, how I feel, how you make me feel. I never could. I don’t even need my music when you’re here. My mind goes quiet. The world stops spinning.”
Oh, Merc… He’s showing me his thoughts, unafraid to be vulnerable with me, giving me the power over him, and I love him for it.
For everything he is.