“Fuckin’ A, brother,” Blake says under his breath.
The bathroom door opens and Raven walks out in nothing but a towel. My mind clears of everything that happened tonight at the sight of her wet skin. I imagine drying her with my mouth as my eyes devour her legs and move over her towel to her arms. Her arm. The angry bruise brings me back in a violent rush.
I glare at the color on her arm. “Gotta run. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Right. Tell your girl to stay strong.”
“Will do. Later.”
Tossing my phone on the bedside table, I watch Raven put on a short pair of drawstring sleeping shorts, no panties, and a thin tank top. Blinking, I tell myself that my body can wait but the conversation we need to have cannot.
“Baby, come here.”
I make room for her on the bed, and she quickly takes her place at my side. Her cheek is pressed to my chest and her finger traces lazy circles on my abdomen. My dick responds immediately. I place my hand over hers to stop the stimulation before I forget my own name and bury myself inside her.
“Um, you’re going to have to stop that so we can talk. Shit happens to my body that short-circuits my brain.”
I feel her smile against my chest. She pushes her hand out from under mine, down past my belly button. I groan as her delicate fingers slip beneath my shorts.
“I, ah . . .” My mind goes fuzzy and my heart pounds in my chest.
Her soft hand grasps me in a firm hold and my hips jerk in response. Fuuuck.
“I know you want to talk, Jonah, and we will. But right now, I need you.”
I can’t remember what we were going to talk about, and I don’t care.
Her hand picks up its pace and pressure. My eyes fix on her forearm as her lean muscles flex with each stroke. The fruity smell from her clean hair makes my mouth water. My lips burn with the need to kiss her.
“Baby, I want your mouth,” I say, panting.
She kisses my neck, a tease with her full wet lips that has me achingly frustrated. I wrap my hand behind her neck, sifting my fingers through her hair, then grip tight. She moans.
I bring her luscious lips to mine, taking what I want. Our tongues crash together as I convert my anger from earlier into passion. The feel of her teeth as she nips impatiently at my lips makes me think she’s doing the same. My mouth is flooded with her pure, clean taste. I flex my hands in her hair as her sweet mouth moves against mine in a sensual rhythm.
She presses her breasts into my chest and her stroke quickens. I’m fighting not to roll my eyes at the perfection of her touch. Reaching down, I release my button and zipper, freeing myself for her. She smiles against my lips then sucks on my lower lip. I can’t help but imagine she’s sucking on something else, and I groan.
She breaks the kiss and locks her blue-green eyes on mine. Her eyebrows raise a fraction as if she’s asking a question. Then her hand releases me just enough to slide her hand lower.
“Mmm . . .” My head falls back and my eyes slam shut. She’s never done this before, and I marvel at her growing confidence. Her gentle play and tender touch are both teasingly sweet and erotic as hell. My stomach muscles contract as I let her explore.
Desperate to feel her, I slide a hand beneath her tank top. Her soft skin is pliable against my rough hands. I cup her firm breast then knead, rolling the tip between my thumb and forefinger. Her sexy curves push and rub against me, enticing my body.
“I want you naked,” I growl.
Pushing myself up, I straddle her knees, and pull her tank top off. She sucks in a pained breath and falls back to the bed.
“What’s wrong?”
“My shoulder,” she says with a grimace.
“Shit, baby. I don’t want to do this if it’s going to hurt you.” The thought alone is like dumping ice cold water on my crotch. “I already feel like an asshole not giving you more time to heal after last night.” I sit back on my heels and pray she doesn’t want to stop.
“I can’t explain it,” she says and pushes herself up on one elbow. “All I know is that, after everything I went through tonight, I want to feel safe and cherished. Protected.”
I look into her eyes and watch them brim with tears.
“I want you . . . I need you to love me. Please.” She’s beautiful all the time, but the vulnerability in her eyes as she pleads robs me of speech.
I lean forward and she lies back. My tongue licks at the crease of her mouth, requesting entrance. We have plenty of time for rough passion. Tonight, I want to love her at a deliberate pace.
I slip my hand beneath the drawstring of her shorts and she breaks the kiss, gasping at my contact. Her hips move in rhythm with my fingers. I brace myself above her on one elbow, mesmerized by her response: her lip sucked into her mouth, moaning. White knuckles grip the sheets as her hips push and roll against my hand.