For some crazy reason, I reach out and put my hand on his chest. Even through the thick material of his plaid button down, I feel his steady heartbeat. The sensation sends a wave of relief through me so powerful that I want to drop to my knees in relief.
“OK now,” he manages. He takes my hand from his chest and presses a gentle kiss to my palm. With his other hand, he reaches for his buttons, undoing his shirt.
Brennon’s chest is broad, just like the rest of him. But it’s tanned from hours of work in the sun and covered with a dusting of hair that makes my mouth water. From his strong shoulders down to the happy trail just under his belly button, he’s beautifully sculpted everywhere. But I don’t think this is the body of a man who works out in a gym for hours each day. No, this is a body earned from working outdoors and caring for his cabin out here alone in the mountains.
He turns slightly and raises his arm. That’s when I spot the small surgical scar along his pec. It’s only an inch or two long. He grunts out the word, “Repaired.”
“They repaired the hole?” I ask.
When he nods, I take my fingertips and run it over the line. “It took a lot of bravery to survive this.”
He shakes his head, something flickering across his face. He doesn’t know his own strength. “Ashamed,” the word is a soft whisper.
“Why?” My fingertips trail over, circling around his nipple. He shudders at the sensation but doesn’t stop me.
He frowns and I can feel the concentration it takes for him to explain to me, “Not…good…man…before.”
“You’re a good man now,” I reassure him. Maybe he was the asshole billionaire everyone accused him of being before. But he’s not that man anymore. I know that from the way he defended me in front of Andrew. I know that from the way he fought to become my husband to save me from a terrible marriage. I know that from the way he teased his friends here on the mountain. “Brennon Abernathy is a good man.”
I press a kiss against his chest at the same time I flick my finger across his nipple. The resulting growl in the back of his throat has me smiling against his skin. “I’d like to move this conversation to the bedroom.”
I don’t have to tell Brennon that twice. He scoops me up into his arms and carries me to his bedroom. He sets me on the bed gently, pushing me back. I stare at him and watch the emotions that flicker across his expression. Lust and hunger and something I can’t define. Something that could look like affection.
“Just consummation,” I remind both of us. It’s all this. All it can be. When our marriage is over, I’ll make his family pay for what they’ve done to my father, and he’ll hate me then. He’ll hate me for destroying the legacy of the company he worked so hard to build.
He doesn’t say anything in response as he buries his face in the side of my neck and presses soft kisses to my skin. When we’re through, he won’t touch me with such tenderness. He won’t touch me at all. The thought fills me with pain.
“Kiss me,” I whisper, wanting to feel his lips against mine. I want to memorize everything about this moment. About the way he makes love to me so slowly. The way he kisses me gently, the warmth in his eyes, and the way he cups my head like I’m precious to him.
I nudge his shoulder and when he pauses, I roll him onto his back. He’s so big and strong, but he goes easily when I push him. He’s letting me be in control, and I love it. I press kisses to his chest, where his shirt is still open from my earlier exploration. “You know, there was a really cool scene on page ninety. Something she did to him.”
He groans and I lick his nipple. He shudders again, and it makes me feel powerful to know I can make this burly man shiver. When I suck the hard tip into my mouth, he spears his fingers through my hair and groans.
Beneath my body, I feel his hardness surge against my thigh. If it hadn’t been for my years of reading smut, I wouldn’t even know this was an erogenous zone for a guy. It makes me wonder what else I can do to please Brennon.
After a long moment, I blow on his nipple and turn my attention to the other one. I give it the same attention, delighted when I feel him angle his hips up to grind against my soft body. His hands move to my ass where he kneads and squeezes my cheeks until I’m humping against him. I’m not sure which one of us comes first. I just know that suddenly I’m riding him through our clothes and whispering his name as I come.