Paula Graves - Forbidden Touch

He sounded so serious, she thought, miles from his usual self. "You don't owe me anything."

He sighed, "You want me to leave?"

"No." She stretched a hand out to him. "Sit with me."

He closed the distance, taking her hand. He stared at their clasped hands for a moment, then lifted his gaze to hers, his eyes dark with questions. She moved closer to the edge to make room for him next to her.

His body felt warm and achy as he settled in beside her. She ignored the twinges of pain from his bruises and scrapes, focusing instead on the electric feel of him next to her. The pain started to fade away to nothing.

She leaned into his body and he shifted, sliding one arm around her to tuck her against his side. She laid her cheek against his chest and listened to the thud of his heartbeat, steady and a little fast.

"You look like you could use a good night's sleep" he said in a half whisper.

She smiled, "Such flattery."

He smiled back. "I guess I should stick to being the strong, silent type, huh?"

She smoothed a wrinkle in his shirt. "Big, tough Marine."

He didn't answer, drawing her gaze. A frown creased his forehead as he stared at the far wall.

"Why did you join the Marines?" she asked.

His chest rose and fell in a deep sigh. "Because becoming a nuclear physicist just wasn't in the cards."

"Seriously."

He ran his hand over his chin, his palm rasping against his beard stubble. "I was tired of being everybody's mistake."

She pushed up to look him in the eye. "You're not anybody's mistake."

"My father would've told you different"

"Your father thought you were a mistake?" She hid her reaction to the pain emanating from him in bleak waves, afraid he'd close up if he knew he was hurting her.

His smile was terrible. "Ever heard of Alton Sinclair?"

"The billionaire guy who left his money…" She trailed off, gazing up at him with dawning understanding. "You were-"

"-the bastard son he used to shaft his legitimate heirs."

"So you really do have a trust fund." she murmured, remembering something he'd said the first day they met.

He looked away. "I tried to give it back to them. But when they wouldn't even meet with me, I just said forget it. They don't care enough to meet me, why should I care whether they can afford a new vacation home or this year's Porsche?"

His bitterness burned like fire along her nerve endings, but she gritted her teeth and held on. "Your father must have wanted you to have it-"

His bleak laugh made her shiver. "He didn't want me to have it. He just didn't want them to have it."

"He could have given it to charity."

"But that wouldn't punish his kids enough" He sighed again, his breath stirring her hair. "Just proves he never even bothered to get to know me. I mean, if he thought his other kids were screw ups…hell, I messed up a lot as a kid, too. I was so angry at everything. Always in trouble."

"Did you choose the military or was it chosen for you?"

He looked down at her smiling. "A little of both."

"So the Marines straightened you out?"

His dry laughter rumbled against her cheek. "I'm a beach bum, baby. Do I look straightened out to you?"

She sat up. "You're not a bum, Maddox. You're a hero."

"Iris. I'm not-"

She pressed her fingers to his lips, shushing him. "I'm not even talking about what happened in Kaziristan, I'm talking about what you did for me." She traced the curve of his lower lip, fire smoldering inside her. "I didn't know what to do or who to go to, but you were there for me, and you didn't have to be. That's not the act of a bum."

He kissed her fingertips before tucking her hand to his chest. "You have a low threshold for heroism, baby." He started to get up from the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to settle in the chair right over there and let you get some rest."

She caught his arm. "I thought you were going to show me what you wanted to do with me."

He settled on the bed, his gaze intense. "Iris-"

She angled her chin at him. "I know you want me"

He cupped her jaw. "I do." he admitted.

She licked her lips. "Then what's wrong?"

"Just because I want something doesn't mean it's right." He smiled wryly. "Usually, it's just the opposite."

She cradled his face between her hands. "Not this time." She bent and touched her mouth to his.

He kissed her back. Lightly at first, his lips soft and curious. But when she touched her tongue against his lower lip, he curled his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close to him, until her breasts flattened against the hard wall of his chest.

He dropped his hands to her hips and pulled her into his lap, parting her thighs until she straddled him. Heart racing, she slid closer, until the hard ridge of his erection pressed into her softness. A low whimper rose and died in her throat as his hips shifted upward in response.

"Are you sure about this?' he murmured against her throat.

"Yes." she whispered.

He slid the hem of her robe upwards, baring her skin to his touch. His thumbs stroked her inner thighs, sending white-hot need racing up her nerve endings. His hands moved slowly up her legs, until his fingers brushed the silk of her panties.

She bit her lip as his face grew still and focused, his gaze following the movement of his hands against her flesh. His intensity was both exciting and unnerving, and she trembled wildly when one thumb found her center and began to stroke her through the fabric.

He lifted his gaze to hers, "Do you like that?"

She couldn't find her voice, but her wobbly nod made him smile. He started to withdraw his hand but she caught it in hers, holding him in place.

With his free hand, he tipped her chin, forcing her to look at him. 'This isn't a race, baby. Slow down."

She let go of his hand, her heart galloping in her chest.

His eyes narrowed. "You've done this before, right?"

"Yes." she said quickly, then added, "once."

"Prom night?'

She chuckled, "College boyfriend."

"Just once, huh?" He didn't shift his gaze from hers, but he ran his hands soothingly over her shoulders and down her arms, his fingers leaving a trail of fire that branded her through her silk robe. "Either it was so memorable you didn't want to risk being disappointed with the next time, or…" He dropped his hand to the knotted belt of the robe.

"Definitely the latter." she admitted, her gaze following the sinuous movements of his fingers as they untied the sash.

Maddox murmured in a tone of amused contempt. He tugged at the belt and pulled it loose. The edges of her robe fell open, baring her flat stomach and the hollow between her breasts.

"Yes." She took a swift breath through her nose as he lifted one hand to the lapel of her robe and pulled it aside, uncovering her right breast. He grazed his knuckles over her nipple, sending a sharp ache shooting through her.

He looked up at her quick intake of breath. "Can you feel what I'm feeling, too?"

She didn't know if the heavy ache between her thighs was all her own or something she was sensing from him. Little twinges of pain from his scrapes and bruises flickered in and out of her consciousness, but the other sensations flooding her, swallowed them up like sharks feeding on minnows.

She felt hot all over. Her skin prickled, perspiration glistening on her bared skin. She touched the center of his chest and felt his heart racing in cadence with her own, his breath rapid and fierce. A feral restlessness settled in the pit of her belly, tight and hot.

"I don't know." she admitted, meeting his gaze, "I don't know what's you and what's me."

A low growl escaped his throat. He lifted his hands to her shoulders and pushed aside her robe. Dipping his head, he covered one nipple with his mouth and suckled lightly. She threaded her fingers through his hair and held on, shaken by the electric pulses racing through her body where his lips touched.