N. Walters - Finding Chrissten

She lifted her free hand to her mouth and rubbed her fingers over her bottom lip. He sucked in a breath. Every muscle in his body ached to hold her. Shit, he had it bad.

“I liked it.” She sounded breathless, like she was confessing some deep dark sin.

The corners of his mouth drew upward. He knew he had a big shit-eating grin on his face and didn’t care. “Me too.” He rubbed his fingers over hers. “Want to try it again?” Please, please, he almost begged aloud. He managed to keep his mouth shut and give her time to consider his proposal.

“We really shouldn’t.” She took a deep breath and released it. The motion caused the front of her robe to gape slightly. His eyes were drawn to the wide V of the robe, the soft flesh, the hint of a curve from her breasts.

“We really should.” It would be so good. He licked his lips in anticipation.

A light blush covered her cheeks again and it struck Hank that Chrissten was still very innocent in spite of her experience. She’d never been courted by a male, never been made to feel special. No, she’d been brutally beaten and raped.

Fury melded with his very soul and he knew he’d never rest until Brian had paid for what he’d done to Chrissten.

As though sensing his anger, she drew back slightly. He forced his rage back, concentrating on only Chrissten and the present. Plenty of time to deal with Brian later.

“This is wrong. Nothing can come from this. I’m mated.” Her words were blunt, her voice toneless. He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“There’s nothing wrong with us sharing a kiss. You didn’t give anything to Brian. Not freely. This is your choice. No one else’s.”

He wanted her to choose him, to want him as much as he wanted her. Unrealistic? Probably. No, definitely. But he didn’t care.

“One kiss,” he coaxed. “What can it hurt?”

She licked her lips again and he barely suppressed a groan. If his body got any hotter he was going to burst into flames. He wanted it to be his tongue stroking her lips, delving inside to taste her heat.

He waited, his heart pounding, his chest hurting as he sucked in much needed air. Beads of sweat broke out on his brow. He resisted the urge to swipe them away.

“Chrissten?”

Maybe he should leave. She didn’t need him here pressuring her. And that’s what he was doing. Disgust filled him. What the hell was he doing? She deserved better than this.

“I should go.” He started to push himself off the floor.

“No.” Chrissten threw her arms around his neck and held on. Hank froze, crouched in front of her.

“Tell me what you want.” He placed his hands palms down on the mattress on either side of her, partly to help keep his balance and partly because he wanted to be as close to her as possible without touching her. This was her show. It was up to her to do the touching.

Chrissten stared into Hank’s pale blue eyes. They were filled with an enticing combination of determination and lust. He’d been ready to leave her in spite of the fact he was aroused.

She could smell the combination of heat and musk rolling off his skin. See the flare of his nostrils as he breathed. His pupils were dilated and a muscle beneath his left eye began to pulse. It was late afternoon and already a shadow covered his jaw making him appear even more male, more intimidating.

He fascinated her.

She’d forgotten just how wide his shoulders were. But she did remember the roughness of the pads of his fingers when he touched her so gently. The combination gave her shivers. The good kind. Not the scary kind.

The muscles in his arms bulged beneath his shirt. She suddenly wished she could see them. See every inch of his beautiful masculine body.

What did she want? He’d asked her that but she wasn’t sure of the answer. Or rather, she was sure but she wanted something she knew she couldn’t have. She wanted him.

But she was mated to another male. Yes, it had been against her will, but that didn’t change the fact Hank had to be able to smell Brian’s scent on her.

“How can you want to kiss me?” She blurted the words out.

He cupped her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over her lips. “How can I not?”

In that moment, she was lost to the sense of wonder, of possibility. She leaned forward and parted her lips. Hank met her and their mouths joined. Oh yes. It was even better than she remembered.

He tilted her head to one side to get a better angle and deepened the embrace. He nibbled on her lips before stroking them with his tongue. She did the same, tasting him, learning the shape of his mouth. His lips were firm but surprisingly soft for such a hard-looking male.

Hank was a study in contrasts. He was around the same size as her brother yet appeared larger because his shoulders were so much broader. His build was heavier, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on the man. He was all hard, sleek muscle.

She brought her hands to his shoulders, wanting to touch him. Thick shoulder muscles bunched and rippled beneath her palm. She should be afraid. But she wasn’t.

Her breasts ached and her core throbbed. She was aroused. Completely and utterly aroused. And by nothing more than a kiss.

The terry robe felt confining and she almost ripped it off. Only caution and a glimmer of common sense kept her from doing so.

Hank slipped his tongue past her lips and delved into her mouth. He touched her tongue with his, encouraging her to play. She dug her nails into the fabric of his shirt. That didn’t satisfy her so she shoved her hands into the collar of his shirt and found hot, firm flesh. This was so much better.

Hank groaned when she sank her nails into his skin. His kiss became firmer, more demanding. She met him stroke for stroke. He was better than chocolate cake, better than anything she’d ever tasted.

His hand brushed aside the collar of her robe. She froze as his hand cupped her breast. It was like a cold shower, bringing her back to reality. She couldn’t do this.

Hank pulled his mouth from hers. “Shhh,” he whispered. “Don’t be afraid.” He gave her breast a gentle squeeze before withdrawing his hand. Her nipple puckered as if reaching for his touch. A chill washed over her skin and she tugged the robe back in place.

Hank was studying her, but it wasn’t anger she saw in his eyes, or disappointment. It was concern. For her. Was this guy for real?

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair of me.” She wasn’t a tease. She, better than most, knew males didn’t need much encouragement when they were aroused.

He frowned. “Fair has got nothing to do with it. I’m the one who’s sorry.” He rubbed his hand over the top of his head. The hair was so short it didn’t disturb it at all. “That went further than I intended.”

No way was she letting him take all the blame for this. She was the one who allowed this to happen. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“No, you definitely should have done that.” The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and his eyes took on a definite twinkle. “And I hope to persuade you to do it again.”

He was teasing her. Chrissten was shocked. Hank had a bulge in the front of his jeans that had to be uncomfortable, yet he was teasing her. Where was his anger, his rage and accusations?

It struck her that she was expecting him to act in the same manner Brian would have. And that wasn’t fair to either of them. Nothing about this situation was fair.

But that was life.

“I…” She didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t sound totally stupid. Hank made her forget all the perfectly good reasons she couldn’t get involved with him, with any male.

The thought of being with any other male, having him touch her, was abhorrent to her. Hank was special. She knew in her heart that she could easily resist any other male.