Defying Destiny (22 page)

could tell he would have a difficult time

not touching her. His eyes were already

moments ahead of his hands and mouth as

he watched her breasts swell above the

cups of her bustier. He would give into

her demands long before she gave in to

her need for him.

“I’ll make breakfast then,” she said.

She went into the kitchen, purposely

leaving her blouse on the sofa. She’d have

him begging for her within hours. At least

that’s what she told herself.

Nash healed remarkably fast, at least

everywhere he could reach with his

tongue. His shredded forearm looked in

better condition than his slightly injured

back, and Maralee could only conclude

there was some sort of healing agent in the

man’s saliva. He had sent Rella away the

next time she had come to clean his

wounds, and Maralee decided she had

sentenced him to unnecessary pain in

healing. She knew it was selfish, but she

didn’t want another woman’s tongue on

his body, even if it were for the sake of

healing.

He was still absorbed in his books and

she thought about mentioning the similar

one owned by her family, but she hadn’t as

of yet. She simply could not come up with

a way of telling him about it, without

revealing she had glanced at his books

without his knowledge.

And then, there was her current

predicament: all attempts to tease Nash

into submission excited her, while he

remained the epitome of self-control. It

had been three days since he had kissed

her last, and his sofa was a damned

uncomfortable place to sleep. Everything

else between them was the same. They

still played with the children in the

clearing, took walks to the icy stream and

through the forest to gather firewood. Only

their physical relationship was lacking. It

didn’t seem to bother him half as much as

it bothered her. She was starting to feel

like a tramp as she tried to bait him into

taking her as his lover.

She went to stand beside him at his

desk now, her fingers itching to touch him.

He glanced up at her and smiled. “Is

something wrong?” he asked.

“No. I was just thinking if you told me

what you were looking for in those books

I could help you find it. I do know how to

read.”

“Thanks for the offer,” he said, “but no

thanks.”

“I’m bored,” she said. “You scarcely

talk to me because you’re so wrapped up

in those damn books. Maybe I should just

go back to Sarbough.”

“Is that what you want?”

“I want you to put those books away

for a little while and…and…talk to me.”

“You want to talk now?” he said in a

teasing tone. “Five minutes ago I thought

you had something else on your mind.”

“Like what?” she asked, her eyes

narrowing.

He shrugged, turning his attention back

to his book again. “The things we used to

do when you were bored.”

“You flatter yourself.”

He glanced at her, and his eyes drifted

down the front of her shirt to rest on her

breasts. She had stopped wearing her

bustier beneath her blouse, hoping to

break the stalemate between them.

Unfortunately, she was the one who

seemed to be excited by the rough cotton

of her shirt against her sensitive nipples.

He didn’t hesitate to point this out. “Then

why are you aroused now?”

She made a sound of impatience. “It’s

cold in here,” she hissed.

“I think it’s warm enough.”

She glanced down at the front of his

pants. “I’m not the only one aroused,” she

challenged.

“Can’t help it. It has a mind of its

own.”

“I bet I know what it’s thinking.”

He chuckled. “You are becoming

perceptively bold, love.”

“It’s

your

fault,”

she

accused,

frustrated to her breaking point.

“All you have to do is give in to my

terms.”

“Your terms are stupid,” she said,

crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t believe so. And it’s for your

benefit in the first place.”

“You are a stubborn man.”

“Not half as stubborn as you are.”

“Really?” she challenged.

“Really.”

She smiled at him. “Okay, you win. I

give up.”

“What?”

“You win. You don’t ever have to

mount me, but you have to touch me, Nash.

I can’t take this anymore.”

“Thank God,” he muttered and stood

up, surprising her by grabbing her and

kissing her roughly.

Apparently, he was just as frustrated

as she was. He was simply a better liar.

The fingers of one of his hands were

already fumbling with the buttons of her

shirt. He stroked her shirt from her

shoulders and it fell to the floor. He hands

found her freed her breasts and he tore his

mouth from hers to draw his tongue over

one puckered nipple and then the other.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for two

days,” he growled, nipping her sensitive

flesh and then drawing it into his mouth.

Fingers trembling, he worked at the

laces at fly of her pants. His mouth began

to travel down her belly leaving behind a

trail of hot, wet kisses.

“You smell good,” he whispered. “I

can’t wait to taste you again.”

“Yes, Nash,” she agreed breathlessly.

She didn’t even care that they were

standing directly in front of the window in

the living area. She needed him.

Immediately.

He pushed her pants down her thighs

and dropped to his knees between her

legs. His desk chair toppled over

backwards and crashed to the floor. She

leaned back against his desk and opened

herself to him, shuddering with pleasure

the moment his tongue touched her. Her

head fell back in wonder as he used his

mouth to drive her over the edge within

seconds. She emitted a shuddering gasp,

her back arching involuntarily. She buried

her fingers into his thick hair and urged

him upwards. He climbed to his feet to

kiss her waiting lips and she kicked her

pants aside before wrapping her legs

around his waist and drawing his still

clothed body up against her naked form.

“I want you inside of me, Nash,” she

whispered, kissing the corner of his

mouth.

He could feel her moist warmth

beckoning him through his pants. He

closed his eyes, and concentrated on his

breathing as he tried to regain some

control. “No,” he whispered finally, even

though he was grinding himself against

her.

She pushed him away, hopped down

from the desk and moved around him. “All

right,” she agreed and bent down to

retrieve her pants.

He grabbed her from behind, both

hands covering her breasts as he pulled

her up against him and rubbed himself

against her bottom.

“I’m not finished with you yet,” he

growled into her ear, before tugging the

sensitive lobe into his mouth between his

teeth.

“Oh, I thought you were,” she said.

“We’d better go to the bedroom then.”

He followed her without pause,

releasing her only when she ducked to

enter his room. She dropped down to her

hands and knees in the center of his pallet

and glanced at him over her shoulder. He

was kneeling just inside the door,

struggling to remove his clothes.

“I want you to taste me again,” she

told him, spreading her knees apart so he

could see her as well as smell her. He

didn’t refuse, just as she had known he

wouldn’t. She knew what excited him,

almost as well as he understood how to

push her over the edge. Naked now, he

kicked the door partially shut and crawled

up behind her, inhaling deeply before his

tongue found her flesh.

“Touch me too, Nash,” she urged,

wriggling with delight.

He never disappointed her. Within

minutes, he had her gasping with

excitement.

“I want you inside of me.”

He paused. “No, Maralee.”

She sighed with frustration, but did not

press him further. She moved away from

him instead and lay down on the soft

pallet. She opened her arms and beckoned

him closer. He moved to cover her body

with his. Resting on his elbows, he gazed

down at her in the dim light coming from

the partially open door. She squirmed

beneath him until he rested between her

thighs. The beckoning warmth at the

juncture of her thighs pressed against him.

He sucked a breath between his teeth.

“Are you trying to drive me insane?”

he asked.

She wriggled her hips, rubbing her

moist flesh against the tip of his swollen

cock. He gasped, his eyes drifting closed

in bliss.

“Is it working?”

“Not at all.”

She chuckled. He shifted and she

pressed forward at the same instant. When

he dipped inside of her slightly, he drew a

sharp breath. His eyes flipped open and he

looked down at her for her reaction. There

was no expression of pain on her face,

only bliss. When she arched her back and

drew him deeper inside, he knew he’d

lost. How could he refuse this glorious

gift?

She

was

both

excited

and

accommodating. Still, he had to proceed

slowly. He took possession of her body a

small increment at a time, overwhelmed

by the pleasure of burying himself within

her at long last. He wasn’t aware of her

stillness until her pained gasp alerted him

to his worst fear.

“I’m hurting you,” he said, although he

seemed unable to stop himself from easing

even deeper into her body.

“It’s not bad,” she gasped. “You are

bigger…than I…ow.”

He stopped moving, concentrating on

not driving himself mindlessly deeper. He

couldn’t stop now. He had to possess her.

“I’ll pull out,” he said, trying to convince

himself it was possible.

“I’m

okay.

Really,”

she

said

breathlessly. “I just need a moment

to…ow.” He had inched forward again

and she couldn’t deny she was hurting.

She sucked a pained breath through her

teeth, her thighs quivering as she forced

herself to remain stationary and not pull

away. He was already half way inside of

her. Surely, she could bear the stinging

pain a little longer. She had been the one

who wanted to take it this far.

He slowly retreated from her body.

His groin protested, but he couldn’t allow

himself to hurt her further. He moved

down her body to assess the damage he’d

done to her delicate tissue.

“You’re bleeding,” he told her.

“It was my first time.”

He was quiet for a moment as he

considered her words. “Will you only

bleed the first time?”

“That’s what I’ve been told,” she said.

She felt like a failure. She’d finally

convinced him to fully claim her body and

then she had balked at a little pain. It

hadn’t even been that bad.

His tongue moved to soothe the

remains of her tattered virginity. The pain

was gone in an instant and was soon

replaced by the familiar, gnawing need.

He kissed his way up her body and settled

between her thighs again, gazing down at

her in the semi-darkness.

“I know it is incredibly selfish of me,”

he said, “but I have to try again. I think the

damage to your body has been done, so it

shouldn’t hurt so much this time. I tended

your wounds. Are you in any pain right

now?”

She shook her head, but her heart gave

a little thump of anxiety.

“I love you,” he told her and guided

himself into her body once more.

He was right. It didn’t hurt at all this

time. Her mouth fell open in wonderment

as he entered her. Something that had been

missing now filled her completely. She