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So why was she firmly in his lap? Why wasn’t she freeing herself from that compelling, possessive hold and bidding him a firm, curt goodnight that would make Warren proud?
Warren.
What would the man she’d let assume a huge role in her life think of all of this?
Take control. Keep control…
But she’d relinquished it to Noah King.
The fingers between her thighs moved, demanded her attention. A helpless shudder ripped through her, powerful despite the tsunami-proportioned orgasm that had flattened her moments ago.
She looked into steady, hot blue eyes and forced down a swallow.
“I won’t lie to you, Noah. The ghosts are real and present. But they won’t be a problem between us. I won’t let them.”
He opened his mouth, and she placed her fingers on his lips. “Please. Trust me.”
His eyes darkened, and he stared at her for several heartbeats before he nodded. “Tell me one thing.”
She exhaled. “Okay.”
He touched the side of her head, then gently probed her mouth to graze his forefinger over her tongue piercing. “Did these come before or after your ghosts arrived?”
“The piercing was before. The hair was much later. Six months ago.”
“And the tattoo?”
“Definitely after. I needed something to hold on to… a reminder that my journey wasn’t complete… when the temptation to just give in became overwhelming.”
He uttered a single, explosive curse, his eyes burning with anger and determination that shortened her breath.
“What will the rest of it say?”
“I’ll let you know when I find out.”
Slowly, he removed his hand from her wet, sticky heat. Her face flamed when she caught a glimpse of just how much she’d fallen over the edge. The scent of her soaked sex drifted up and swirled around them, weaving a potent spell of arousal.
Keeping his gaze on hers, he circled her parted lips with the wetness on his fingers. She tasted herself, the essence sweet and musky and heady in a way she’d never have anticipated. Over and over he coated her mouth, his movements slow and erotic.
Then, pulling his hand away, he leaned in close until his mouth brushed hers, until his own lips glistened with her juices.
“I’ll make you another promise, sweetheart. For the next seven days, I promise to fuck you so hard, so completely and thoroughly, that every bad thing in your existence will become a distant blur. You will have no room to think of them, much less let them attempt to interfere. You’re a magnificent, incredible creature, Leia Michaels. Somewhere along the line, someone’s attempted to make you forget that. With every fuck, with every orgasm, I intend to remind you of your sheer glory.”
His mouth crashed onto hers, ramming the words home so forcefully, they were branded on her skin… on her psyche. Heforced them down her throat with his tongue, imbedded them into her body with his hard hands and didn’t relent until she gasped for breath.
Tears spiked the back of her eyes, brimmed underneath her lids when he reluctantly released her, picked her up and strode into her bedroom.
With gentle hands, he laid her on the bed, pulled her pants off and tucked the heavy sheet around her. He turned to walk away and she stared at his retreating figure, unable to fathom the swirl of emotions whizzing through her. “Why?”
He stopped at the door and slowly turned around.
“I told you, you deserve nothing less.”
12
“Ready?”
Leia checked her skis one last time. The wind whipped up her hair, the air frigid and bracing, reminding her she was alive.