The bed dipped heavily as Jared moved onto it behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Not one damn thing in that house mattered except you.” He breathed a masculine sigh of contentment as he held her. “I couldn’t sleep, either. All I could think about was how close you came to dying in that damn house.”
Mara shook her head, but let Jared’s embrace warm her. “My mom’s stuff, my pictures—all gone. I don’t even have my driver’s license or an ID.” The warmth of his strong, muscular body soothed her, and she let herself relax back against him. She could tell he was fully clothed, feeling the denim of his jeans against her legs and his T-shirt against her neck. “I don’t even understand how this happened.”
“I know what happened,” Jared growled into her ear. “The fire investigators will look the place over, but I’m fairly certain they’ll find out the wiring in the place sucked and that it was run up in the attic. The water from the leaking roof probably sparked the shitty wiring. That house should have been renovated years ago. Homes that old can become a goddamn hazard if they aren’t updated right.”
“I suppose that’s possible.” Mara sighed.
“Probable,” Jared corrected.
“I feel . . . lost,” she admitted, hating her own weakness at the moment. She was going to have to move on eventually, but for now, she was still mourning. “Empty,” she added woefully.
Jared ran a soothing hand over her stomach. “Shhh . . . I’ll help you. I swear I will. Whatever you need to come alive again, I’ll get it for you.”
I need you.
His soothing, masculine voice was pulling her out of her haze of loneliness, the touch of his hands on her body making her feel again. Leaning her head back on his shoulder, she asked in a hushed voice, “Will you make love to me?” She needed him, wanted him to make her come alive again. The adrenaline was still pumping through her body, and she needed . . . something . . . anything to make it stop.
Not just anything. I need Jared.
He groaned into her ear. “Not this way. Fuck knows I want you so bad I can’t think, but I can’t do it this way.”
“Why?” she whimpered painfully, her core clenching as his palm moved slowly, gently over her belly.
“You’ve been through hell and back in the last eight hours. I might be an asshole, but I can’t take advantage of the fact that you’re in shock, you nearly died, and you think you’ve lost everything right now,” he rumbled, his deep voice vibrating against her back.
“I have lost everything,” she murmured.
“No you haven’t. You still have me,” he answered in a graveled voice.
“Then show me. I need something to hang on to.” She moved her hips backward, rubbing her ass against his hard erection, proof that he wanted her as much as she wanted him right now.
“Mara.” His voice was a low, ominous warning.
“Please, Jared.” Her voice was needy, entreating. His clean, masculine scent surrounded her, and all she could think about was getting the hard length of him that was pushing against her ass inside her, filling her until she could think of nothing else but him. That’s exactly how it would be with Jared. He’d dominate her senses, push everything else out of her brain until she didn’t have to think anymore.
“Fuck,” he exploded.
Mara moaned with satisfaction as he easily flipped her onto her back and covered her with his hard, muscular body. “Yes,” she begged.
“Your ankle,” he growled.
“It’s fine,” she argued. “Please.” The twinge of pain in her ankle was nothing compared to the overwhelming longing that was clawing at her mercilessly.
He answered her plea by pinning her hands over her head and covering her mouth with a tortured, agitated groan.
CHAPTER 8
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Jared was doing exactly what Mara wanted: eliminating her ability to think of anything else but him. He assaulted her senses with his all-consuming kiss, taking what he wanted, but giving her what she needed in return.
His full-on invasion of her mouth had her moaning beneath him, tilting her head to give him better access as his tongue pushed past her lips and surged deeply, claiming her completely without a word spoken.
Every nerve in her body vibrated with tension as his hips rolled, and his hard cock rubbed against her saturated core. She jerked at her wrists, needing to touch him. Turning her head violently, she broke the embrace that was slowly incinerating her. “Please, Jared,” she panted frantically. “I need to touch you.”
“If you touch me, I’ll lose control,” he grunted harshly against her ear.
“I don’t care.”
“I care, dammit. I care.” Jared loosened his grip on her wrists and rested his forehead against her shoulder.
The note of desperation in his voice nearly made Mara come unraveled. He sounded . . . defeated. Realizing his big body was shuddering above her, she slid her hands free and into his coarse hair in a soothing caress. “It can just be this once, Jared. I’m not expecting forever, or even tomorrow right now. I just want you now.”