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He had a point "No"

He took another step, which brought hiht in front of her She could smell the shampoo he’d used and see the shine of his freshly shaven jaw He rubbed the back of his fingers over her cheek in an unbearably gentle caress "So soft," he purred "I love how soft you are Makes me want to touch more of you Taste you"

Helen shivered and couldn’t stop herself froood not to It ry forto let go the way she kneanted her to The way she wanted to She’d just rief with her presence Nothing et intimate with a man she’d known less than twenty-four hours

Could she?

What an insidiously teh on a loop over and over

"Do you think I want to hurt you?" he asked in a deep, silken tone It glided over her senses, ru part of her

He opened hisher feel what he did Another heady blast of lust sla Helen ether He’d done it on purpose She felt that, too He wanted her to knothe front of his faded jeans wasn’t enough proof

"Well?" he asked, letting his fingertips trail lightly over her mouth "Do you think I want to hurt you?"

"Never" She knew it on an instinctive, bone-deep level Not only would he not hurt her, but he’d kill anyone who tried She’d seen that, too--a brief gliiven his vow

"Then what else do you need to know, love? What else can I tell you or show you to get you to trust me? Open up to me?"

His hand continued its doard path over her jaw-line until his palainst her throat She could feel how close his ring was to her necklace Both parts of the luceria vibrated with the need to join together

"I trust you," she ed to say It was true She did She hadn’t known him for a full day, but she trusted him as she had no other person He’d risked his life for hers He’d protected Miss Mabel He’d made sure her elderly friends were fed when she wasn’t there to do it herself That was enough proof for her that he was a good man

"Then why did you back away? I can feel that you want ht More than she’d ever wanted any ht

"You don’t have to worry," he told her in that darkly sinful voice "I’ll take good care of you"

He forced aher no choice but to see it She saw herself spread out naked on the bed, covered in a fine sheen of sweat Her legs were splayed obscenely, his big hands holding her thighs wide His dark head moved between theue hot between her slick folds

A wave of dizzying lust washed over her and she reached out to steady herself Her palainst his chest, the only stability in her spinning world

Every leaf on his tattoo quivered at the contact of skin on skin and Drake sucked in a harsh breath "If you keep touching er"

Yes That hat she wanted No choices No decisions No responsibilities Only pleasure froh pleasure to wash away all of the bad things in her life for just a little while No death or blood or suffering No fire Just pleasure

"Your wish isand necklace finally connected, locking on to each other like ed through her, es slae of all the things he wanted to do to her Things she’d never considered, things she’d never even thought possible--kinky, wild things that left her quivering with a mixture of excitement and apprehension It was too s that would burn her alive

Before she could voice her worry, his er cared if he wanted too ive it to hiue into her mouth, welcomed the slippery advance and retreat that forced her to think of as to come His hand still circled her throat and she knew he could feel each desperateunder his palm

The belt on her robe was noand the tie opened for hiainst the door frame as he parted the robe and looked at her body His hold was careful, but unbreakable, and she could do nothing to stop hi his fill

Norht about all her problem areas and all the physical flaws that were too many to name But this was far from normal His hot stare, the way his nostrils flared, and the deep stain of lust painted high on his cheeks were enough to drive any self-doubt fro he’d ever seen, like he’d die if he had to look away

"So beautiful," he growled out in a voice that had her toes curling into the carpet "I can hardly wait to see you come"

A whimper fell from her lips

He held her still while he lowered his ue reached out and flicked across her hardened nipple

Helen gasped and her body arched toward him

"Just like that, love Shohat you like"

She did She used his exa hi an almost ani you want"

The da her nipple deep into hisher worow slick