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Instead of answering hi over his He was lost So very lost

He was spilling into her before he could even think to lide releasing h it all she touched him, caressed him, made soft sounds of acceptance and pleasure

He slipped his fingers between theain as he stroked the taut nub of flesh He wouldn’t leave her until she’d gained as much pleasure as he had

She cried out as he thrust again And then again, all the while gently stroking her clitoris She went hot and liquid around hiid

"That’s it, baby Come for me"

She writhed uncontrollably, her behind lifting froain and then touched his hand to stop his gentle manipulation He withdrew and then lowered his body to hers and rolled to the side so he could hold her close

She lay against him, naked, her limbs twined with his Her chest rose and fell rapidly and her breath huffed out over his neck And he thought that, in thisso perfect So fucking beautiful that it made his teeth ache

This wasn’t sex This was so so deeply emotional that he couldn’t even find words to describe it He’d missed her with every cell and now she was finally here A part of hi could co the feel of her skin against his pal to inhale her sweetness all over again

"Did I hurt you?" God, don’t let him have hurt her He never should have pushed her into this, but he’d been helpless to stop it

She kissed his shoulder and snuggled deeper into his embrace "You were perfect, Nathan So very perfect"

CHAPTER 18

PAIN splintered through Nathan, and he ca another dreaain, a thin blunt object srab for his arm and breathed away the sensation and in the process bu form She lay beside hile at her feet

She flinched and made a low sound of distress and it was then he realized it was she as drea her captivity, and he was still so closely linked to her that he felt everything she was experiencing

His gut tightened in rage and his throat knotted at what she’d endured His hands shook as he turned and pulled her into his arot no response, he called to her with his ot you No one can hurt you now Wake up and look at ht here I have you

She caradual climb to consciousness Her eyes flew open and her breath exploded from her lips in harsh puffs

"Grace," she croaked

Nathan frowned "Grace?"

She scrambled to sit up in bed Her hands shook Her entire body shook She raised her hands to wipe away her hair but then buried her face against her palms and rocked back and forth

Distress radiated from her like a beacon Her shoulders started to twitch and he realized with alar

Her es of her captors and then he saw a beautiful, dark-haired woman Taller than Shea Toned and tanned Just as quickly as he caught the ie, his mind went completely blank Shea had slammed the link shut and closed herself off from him

It stunned hier built before he could call it back It felt like a betrayal Like she didn’t trust hihts were irrational But he couldn’t turn theht she was justified in her caution

He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now She shut hi So he sat there, feeling like an idiot as she wept into her hands

Then the decision washerself into his arht that for a moment he couldn’t breathe

"I’m sorry," she choked out "I didn’t do it to hurt you"

He eased his ar to co on?" he asked softly

"I just didn’t want you to see It was so overwhel and I couldn’t shut it off, so I shut you off instead"

His hold tightened around her "That’s bullshit" He took another breath and tried a more tactful, sensitive approach "You and I are quite a pair, aren’t we, Shea?"

She pushed up to face him, her eyes drenched with sadness and shame "What do yousoft at the sight of her tears "We both try to hide from the other and yet we have a more intimate connection than any two other people on the planet You can’t hide this from me any more than I can hide my scars from you Why would you demand to see hed and then her lips turned up into a rueful half smile "I kneould upset you and I didn’t want to be the cause of that"

He leaned forward and kissed her nose "How about you let ht it upsets me The idea of you in those bastards’ handsto hide it fro that involves you, I want to know about Are we clear on that?"

She smiled "Crystal clear"

"Good Now coainst hirily They’d just made love a few hours earlier and yet he still ached His need for her defied logic He couldn’t explain it any ht it

Already he was as hard as a rock, his dick straining upward, tenting the sheet that covered his thighs He pushed i any barrier between thehs so that his erection rested against the blond curls that covered her tinyatop hi over her shoulders Her eyes were sweet and sleepy looking, but when he cupped her breasts, her pupils flared and her eyes went more black than blue

He loved the feel of her pluer hands He rubbed his thu nubs

Unable to resist, he stroked over her shoulders, down her back then around the curve of her waist and then over her hips and underneath to her buttocks He couldn’t get enough of si her