Page 72 of A Warrior's Heart

And then he was kissing me again, his lips firm but his touches soft. He kissed along my jaw, then down my neck, his fingertips skimming my bare sides. I swallowed hard and arched my back, grinding against him. I had never felt so alive. So aroused. I didn’t know what to do with the feelings coursing through me.

But Malik did.

He gripped my lower back and kissed from my neck to my chest. And then he brushed his lips across my nipple. I jolted at the unexpected sensation and dug my nails into his shoulder. His orange eyes flickered to mine before he did it again.

“More?” he asked, his voice rough.

“Gods, yes. More.”

He latched onto my nipple and sucked it into his hot mouth. A strangled cry escaped me as I clung onto him tighter, seeking more of the sensation. As his tongue began to flick against the tight bud, I whimpered, never feeling anything so incredible in all my life.

Along with the sparks of pleasure, I also felt slightly frustrated. Antsy.

“Tell me what you need.”

“I…” My breath snagged in my throat as he swirled his tongue again. “I need…more.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” I trusted him with my whole heart.

And I loved him.

Deeply.

Malik returned his lips to mine and kissed me softly. His hands traveled down my stomach, the skim of his fingertips leaving a trail of excited tingles in their wake. When they reached my trousers, I stilled.

“Do you wish for me to stop?”

I breathed deep, inhaling his familiar, comforting scent. “No.”

He untied the strings holding my pants together and let the flap fall open. My cock ached, and when his long fingers came around me, I gasped and arched up into his hand. He suckled my nipple back into his mouth as he slowly stroked me.

A brief, unwelcome memory flashed through my mind, but I reminded myself that this was Malik with me. No one else.

His hand stilled on me. “We don’t have to do this, Troy. Say the word, and this ends.”

“But I don’t want it to end,” I said, blinking back tears. He didn’t realize how much I wanted—needed—this. “Please don’t stop touching me.”

Malik nuzzled my jaw and started a slow pace with his hand. “Look at me.”

I met his heated, lustful stare. Beneath the desire, though, I saw tenderness. Patience.

“Don’t look away,” he murmured. “I want you to know it’s me touching you. I want you to look into my eyes as I make you fly.”

I slid my fingers through the back of his hair, our gazes locked. The hard callouses on his hand added a nice texture to his grip, made even better when he spit on my cock, smearing it around my tip with his thumb, then stroking down to my base and back up again.

My lungs burned as I fought to breathe. Heat exploded in my chest and radiated throughout my entire body. I braced my arms on his shoulders and thrust up into his closed fist.

“That’s it,” Malik purred. “Take what you want. All of it.”

Right then, I wanted his lips. I captured them in a desperate kiss and grunted as a blinding pleasure hit me like a tidal wave. I didn’t recognize the sounds coming from me as I bucked into his hand, my heart pounding so hard and fast I thought it might shoot from my chest. My release coated his palm and splashed on his abdomen as wave after wave of intense pleasure crashed over me.

I slumped against him afterward, unable to move as I struggled to catch my breath.

Malik cupped the back of my head and kissed my temple. “I’ve got you.”

His words made tears spring to my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them from flowing down my cheeks. Why I cried? I didn’t know. I wasn’t sad or upset. I wasn’t afraid. But I sobbed against his neck, my cries broken and hoarse, as if all the pain I’d held inside my heart over these years finally broke free.