“Love me,” Brea murmured. “I want to love you.”
“Good answer.” He reached around to drag her nightgown up her backside.
Then with a seductive slide of his palm over her hip, he whisked the cotton up her body and flung it across the room. She tugged at his shirt, pulling it over his head as he bent to help her out of her modest white panties. The instant she stood naked in front of him, he removed the gun from the holster at his waistband with one hand and reached between her legs with the other. When he set the weapon on her nightstand with a soft thump, she gave a startled jump.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Pierce cupped her possessively and skimmed his lips up to her ear. “Tell me. As much as I want to lift you onto the bed and fuck you, something made you tense. If you’re worried about your dad, I’ll make sure he won’t hear us.”
Brea didn’t know how he’d manage that since she was prone to screaming whenever Pierce touched her, but that wasn’t what worried her. “I was just thinking there’s never been a gun in my house.”
“I don’t go anywhere without one, especially now.”
He was being practical, and she had to stop being squeamish. The world wasn’t full of good people, rainbows, sunshine, and glitter. Monsters like Montilla existed. She’d seen what he was capable of. The worst possible thing would be for him to find Pierce unarmed. If that happened, history would repeat itself, but worse. Pierce wouldn’t survive Montilla’s captivity a second time.
“I’m glad. I want you to be safe. And I should get used to the idea of defending myself in case I have to.”
He nodded before he brushed his lips over hers. “It would make me feel so much fucking better if you would.”
She nodded. “I’ve also never had sex in this house.”
“Oh, I know. And I’m going to fix that but good.”
Despite everything, anticipation wound a hot trail through her. “Want to know something? I’ve never even had an orgasm here.”
Pierce raised a dark brow. “You don’t masturbate?”
“Of course not.”
“C’mon. You never rubbed one out in the morning? Your fingers haven’t done any walking late at night? You must own something that requires batteries…”
“No. I always thought self-pleasure was a sin.” And the few forbidden times she’d put her hand down there experimentally, she’d been so self-conscious she’d stopped long before climax.
He slanted her a downright dubious stare. “Who convinced you of that?”
“It’s the way I was raised. Corinthians tells us: ‘Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?’”
Pierce scoffed. “Since it’s attached to my body, it’s mine. Think of masturbation as self-maintenance.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Isn’t everyone happier after an orgasm? Granted, giving yourself one isn’t as much fun, but in a pinch…” He shrugged. “And I’d feel a lot better if I knew you were making yourself feel good while I’m gone.”
She tsked at him. “You’re kidding. You want me to…”
“Get yourself off?” He bulldozed forward, backing her onto the bed, then followed her down. He draped half of his enormous body on top of her, his big palm still unerringly covering her sex. “Hell yeah.”
Her breath caught. “Why?”
“Couple of reasons. I’m hoping that good self-maintenance means you’re less likely to look at another stiff dick and wonder if his would make you happy.”
“I would never think that. I love you. I only want you.”
“Uh-huh.” He started to rub her mound in slow, seductive circles. “But I also like to see you smile.”
Her breath caught. “You make me smile.”
“But if I’m not here, I want you to be as happy as you can be.” He plucked her hand from his shoulder and settled it over her damp folds. “Let me see you thrill the hell out of yourself.”
She stiffened. Touching herself was already foreign, but having him watch her, too… Brea risked a glance up at him as she tried to inch away.
His stare was patient, his grip firm. “Do it for me.”
He wasn’t budging until she’d learned this “skill.” She wasn’t sure why it was important to him until she realized Pierce was trying to make sure she could take care of herself as much as possible in his absence. Like the gun safety classes he’d insisted on, which started tomorrow. Like the self-defense sessions she’d found at a church in Lafayette over the next four Monday nights. Like his friend Matt, who would be here on Thursday.
This was one more way Pierce was doing his utmost to make sure she would be all right without him.
Brea tried not to think of the ramifications and focused instead on the moment. “You really do this?”