Page 16 of Shades of You (Calypso Key #4)
Chapter Sixteen
Hunter
Brenna’s room was awash in soft light that filtered through white gauzy curtains. As I tried to focus on this gorgeous woman before me, my heart thumped like a wild drum. God, I wanted her so bad.
My dream of so many years.
But the brightness was too much. I’d thought about this moment for so long, but I’d only imagined it at night. Not in broad daylight. She stared at me as if I were someone worth wanting, her eyes radiating desire as she skimmed her hands over my pectorals. “I’ve been thinking about this, Hunter. What you look like under that shirt. I can’t wait to find out.”
“Your r-room…” I stuttered, but the words got lost somewhere between my racing thoughts and the tightness in my throat. My eyes darted to the framed beach landscapes on the wall, then to the bed with its gray-and-aqua bedding ensemble. The illumination would strip away the shadows to leave me exposed. Not just to the light, but to the woman wh o had no idea what I’d been through. And now there was no way to hide it.
“What about it?” Brenna asked, her voice a melodic tease that pulled deep within me.
“It’s so bright.” Again, I scanned the unfamiliar space. It felt charged with a heavy expectation that made my palms sweat.
She nuzzled against my neck. “Good. I want to see you. All of you.”
But did she?
Then she pulled back to study me. Our gazes held, and the longing was clear in her eyes. Her raw and unguarded face gave me courage, or maybe it was just the pure need coursing through my veins that compelled me to give in to the light and let go.
I leaned down and claimed her lips with mine, plunging both hands into her silky hair at last. Our kiss was deep, passionate, an unleashing of every suppressed desire.
But in the midst of our tangled embrace, reality jabbed at me. Damn it, I hadn’t anticipated that we’d cross this line today, if at all. I groaned. “Wait.” I stepped back just enough to look into her eyes. “I don’t have a condom. I didn’t plan on this happening?—”
Brenna cut me off with a small smile, her fingers trailing along my jawline in a way that set me ablaze. “I’ve got some,” she whispered, her breath warm against my mouth.
Relief heightened my arousal even more, and desire throbbed in a hot roll through my core. “Good thing one of us is prepared.”
Relaxing slightly that at least one problem was solved, my hands roamed over Brenna’s body. I had to see her. Touch her. Skimming her sides, I found the hem of her shirt and pulled it upward. The fabric fluttered to the floor, revealing her soft, bare skin bathed in the filtered daylight streaming through her window.
“Beautiful,” I murmured as I stared at her in the bikini top that had tormented me all morning. She’d caught me looking at least once, but the beach was a distant memory now. And it couldn’t compare to the very real vision before me.
Unable to wait another second, I unbuckled the clasp and lifted the top away. Her breasts rose and fell with each breath, and I cupped them, aching at the softness. She leaned into my touch, her eyes closing. I couldn’t resist drawing her closer, raking my mouth over hers once more as our tongues danced. She moaned against my mouth, a sound so sweet it sent a red-hot jolt straight to my groin.
“More,” she breathed. Brenna’s fingers trembled as they traced the contours of my abdomen, working their way down to the hem of my shirt. She pulled it up with a kind of urgency that matched the pounding rhythm of my heart, and I steeled myself.
The moment was here.
Taking the black fabric in my hands, I ripped it over my head and let it drop to the floor. My heart stuttered as I froze, unable to move. Unable to breathe, I stood before her.
The reminders of my past life lay exposed under her gaze—scars and bullet holes marring my skin amidst the elaborate American Samoan tribal tattoo covering my chest, shoulders, and upper arms.
I stilled completely, hyper-aware of every one of her featherlight touches. It was vulnerability unlike anything else, having her see the marks of my history—the physical evidence of my failures.
“God, Hunter,” she whispered, her green eyes wide with a mixture of shock and something I dared hope was desire. “You’re… you’ve been through so much.”
“Part of the job,” I said gruffly.
But Brenna didn’t flinch or turn away. Instead, she gazed at me as if I were some kind of warrior, not the broken man I saw in the mirror. Her acceptance was more intimate than any physical touch could be, and it sparked fierce possessiveness within me.
“Only part of who you are,” she countered softly, tracing the edges of the ink that obscured some of my scars. Others lay bare and exposed on my abdomen, on my sides.
Brenna’s gaze lingered on the jagged lines and puckered skin that marred my body. Her fingers danced across my scars with a reverence that left me breathless. My instinct was to cover up, to shield her from the ugliness of my past deeds. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to find words to explain, but she silenced me with her gentle touch.
“Shh,” she breathed, placing a slender finger over my lips. Then she slowly slid it down my chin and across my shoulder to rest on the inked skin covering my wildly beating heart. Her kiss landed softly on the bullet hole near my rib, an act so tender it felt like absolution. “Don’t,” she murmured against my skin, her breath warm and comforting. “Don’t be scared. Or worried.”
When she glanced up, her eyes held an understanding and acceptance that words could never capture. An understanding of why I’d changed shirts so fast after our dive and why I never removed my shirt in public. As if she didn’t see a man marked by violence. Her touch had the power to rewrite my history, and for a moment, I allowed myself to believe in the new story she offered.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” she whispered hoarsely, her desire fueling my own. “I need to touch you, Hunter. ”
Taking my hand, she tugged me toward the bed. The rest of our clothes fell away in a hasty trail, the urgency between us growing with each second. Standing naked before me, Brenna was a vision of perfection. Every curve, every dip of her body was a siren call, and I was utterly entranced. Hot blood roared through my body, screaming through my veins.
“I want you so bad, Hunter.” Her voice was thick with need, and my body answered with an almost unbearable throbbing. She reached into the nightstand drawer to pull out a strip of condoms and laid them atop the nightstand.
“I want you more. So much more.” My deep voice was barely more than a growl, but at least I could speak again. I covered her mouth with mine, the weight of my desire tightening my arms around her. She was so much smaller than me, delicate even. And for a moment, fear laced through the haze of my lust—fear of hurting her. But Brenna met my gaze squarely, her eyes blazing.
“Then show me,” she challenged, reaching down to rub the hard length of me. A soft gasp escaped her as she did.
And in that breath, all my hesitation was obliterated. I walked her backward until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed, then raked the covers back. I pushed her onto her back. Crawling on top of her, I pinned her in place with my knees on either side of her legs.
I stared at her. She was ethereal, yet all mine. My hands began their worship of her body, tracing the swell of her breasts, drawing from her sharp intakes of breath and quiet moans that stoked the fire within me. I lowered to her breasts and ran my mouth over one in a long, leisurely swipe.
“Yes,” Brenna gasped, her fingers tangling in my hair as I took one hard peak into my mouth, teasing it with my tongue before moving to lavish the same attention on its twin. Her back arched off the bed, pushing herself deeper against my mouth, seeking more contact, more of the pleasure I was determined to give her.
Her skin tasted like salt and sunshine. And dreams realized. Her hands never left me, roaming over the ridges of my shoulders and down the muscles of my back. Each touch ignited another spark within me, and I gave myself over to the fire. I slowly moved down her body, making each kiss a promise. She trembled beneath me.
At last, I lowered my head between her legs, and with the pent-up desire from over a decade of dreams, I tasted her.
Brenna’s response was immediate, and a strangled cry escaped her lips as she clutched my head, guiding me with urgent hands. Her body writhed, and the room filled with the sound of her pleasure. I settled in, gripping the milky skin of her hips as she writhed. This was everything I’d ever dreamed of and more. She went wild with abandon, giving herself over to what I was doing to her. When her climax tore through her, she screamed my name. I drowned in every second of her sweet surrender.
As I climbed back up her body, her hands pushed against my chest, trying to roll me over. “Your turn,” she panted.
But I shook my head, locking eyes with her as I refused to let her move me. “Later.”
I grabbed the foil packet and ripped it open, then slowly rolled it on as she stared at me. My skin was hot, on fire as I positioned myself at her entrance.
I entered her slowly, hyperaware of her every reaction—every hitched breath, every flutter of her lashes. Slow. So agonizingly slow. Despite my size, she urged me deeper, wrapping her legs around my hips and pulling me into her warmth. The sensation was overwhelming, an exquisite pressure that had me gritting my teeth to keep control.
“More, Hunter. I need more,” Brenna begged, her nails digging into my back as if she could pull me even closer.
Her words were my undoing, and at last I gave in completely, driving into her with a wild rhythm. Every fear I had about hurting her melted away with her encouragement, with the sheer pleasure that painted her face. Our bodies moved together, passion building until it bordered on pain—the kind of pain you’d beg for, just to feel alive.
Sweat glistened on Brenna’s skin, and the air in the room felt alive. Every breath I took was laced with the salt of her sea-kissed flesh. She was wild and untamed beneath me, her passion matching my own fierce hunger.
And then her hands shoved against my shoulders—suddenly, forcefully—and I rolled off to lie flat on my back. Brenna went with me, then loomed over me like some gorgeous goddess claiming victory. She pinned my arms to the bed, her small hands surprisingly strong, her eyes blazing with a fire that could melt steel.
“My turn,” she said in a deep, husky voice I couldn’t get enough of.
It was a command, one I gladly obeyed. Her hips moved with a rhythm that was primal, harder and faster, as if she were racing against time itself. Her hands fanned out over my pecs, tracing the whorls of my tattoo, then the edges of my scars. I was completely spellbound.
“Oh my God, Brenna,” I groaned.
The sight of her, taking everything I had to give and demanding more than I ever thought possible, sent a shudder through me that was so intense it almost hurt. Everything else fell away. There were no feuding families, no past mistakes, just Brenna and me and this all-consuming blaze between us.
I slid my hand between her legs, my fingers finding her tender flesh. I circled once, twice, building her pleasure until she was teetering on the edge. Then, with a few well-timed strokes, I sent her tumbling over. Her body clenched around me, and the world fractured into a thousand stars as we both shattered, our climaxes ripping through us in a maelstrom of sensation that left us gasping, clinging to each other as if we could somehow anchor ourselves in the eye of the storm we’d created.
Slowly, the world came back into focus, our breathing slowing as we returned from wherever we’d been flung. I pulled Brenna into my arms, her body still trembling slightly against mine. Her head rested on my chest, and the rapid beat of her heart slowly synchronized with my own. Our limbs entwined in a tangled mess of satisfaction and contentment.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice hoarse with lingering desire and a trace of concern. I brushed a damp strand of hair from her forehead, needing to see her face, to reassure myself I hadn’t been too much for her. “Did I hurt you?”
“Maybe a little, but I loved every minute of it,” she murmured against my skin, her lips tracing a path along my collarbone. “How about you?”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever felt better than I do right now.”
I marveled at how something that had always seemed forbidden could feel so undeniably right. With Brenna in my arms, every doubtful thought was drowned out by the undeniable truth of what had just happened. We were two pieces of a puzzle that the universe had stubbornly kept apart, now finally interlocking in a way that felt like… destiny.