“Because it’s past and gone now and wouldn’t do anyone any good. It’d hurt them to know but not be able to go back and fix it.” The truth of it settled in his bones as he spoke it out loud. “I don’t want to cause them any hurt or regret. I just want to find happy on my own.”
He smiled down at her, his happy, and wondered if she’d understand. She could be dense about the impact she had on the people around her.
She was still hung up on the issue, though—had it between her teeth and wouldn’t give it up.
“Let it go,” he said again, putting more force behind his words. “I want to so I need you to as well. Deal?”
Defiance was still there, a fire in her eyes. But she sighed and relaxed in his arms. “Okay. But only because you’ve built so much here for yourself now. This place is good for you.”
“You’re good for me.” There, he’d said it. Out loud, directly to her. Not to the air or to Atlas; to her.
She bit her lip. “You mean that?”
He’d said it, hadn’t he? He could say the obvious but he’d rather kiss her instead. So he did. And when he pulled back, he brushed his lips over hers, teasing, until she rose up on her tiptoes and claimed his mouth with her own insistence.
She did get demanding when he teased her enough. He should tease her more often.
*
Lyn couldn’t get enough of David. Really, she couldn’t.
Kissing him was everything she could ever want and not enough all at the same time. She loved the feel of his mouth on hers, the taste of him, and the way his hands roamed over her body. He let her pull back and brush her lips against his, playing, and nip at his lower lip. He bit her back gently in kind and then settled his mouth over hers in a deeper kiss to steal her breath away.
He caught her by surprise, dipping low and hoisting her up in his arms, and she squealed. Embarrassed, she buried her face in his shoulder but he only chuckled as he strode into the bedroom.
“I like the sounds you make.” His voice was rough, deepened with a need she’d only recently started to get to know.
She clung to him as he lowered her onto the bed, coming down on top of her. “I like the things you do to me.”
“Yeah?” He smiled against her lips and pressed his pelvis into hers.
“Mmm.” She nuzzled his neck and then set her teeth against his skin.
He paused, his hands tightening on her body. “Do that again.”
She did, this time sucking a little as she bit him.
He groaned and kneed her legs apart. When he pushed his thigh higher between her legs, she let her eyes flutter shut and her head fall backward. “Tease.”
He chuckled. “Oh, this? Not this.”
His weight lifted off her then and her eyes flew open as she looked for him. But David hadn’t left, only rolled off the bed to chuck his clothes off. He gave her a challenging look, his eyebrow arched, and she smiled and pulled off her own shirt. She was wriggling out of her jeans when he rejoined her on the bed and helped pull them down her legs.
Fun. Lighthearted. She couldn’t help smiling. This was different from her other experiences with men. Those had been short, to the point, and just about the sex. With David, there was give and take, fun and moments of passion to steal her breath away. She learned about him when they were together like this, in ways that didn’t involve conversation. And she learned new things about herself, too, parts of her personality he brought out in her.
He caressed and kissed his way up her legs, bringing her thoughts back to exactly what he was doing. When he reached her panties, he ran a finger under the edge until she squirmed. Grasping both sides, he pulled those down and tossed them over the edge of the bed to join her pants.
“Pretty.” His gaze ran over her from her toes, up her legs, and lingered over her sex before traveling up her belly to her breasts and finally finding her gaze, holding steady there. “So incredibly pretty.”
Heat filled her everywhere his gaze had gone, and that was all over. She bit her lip.
His gaze still holding hers, he cupped her sex in one hand and reached up to caress one of her breasts. His touch was so intimate, comforting and compelling at the same time. When his fingers parted her, exploring and teasing her entrance, she let her eyes flutter closed and arched her back.
One of his fingers entered her and she bucked, the pleasure of his touch already driving her crazy. Then his other hand, caressing her breast as it was, shifted just enough for him to brush her nipple with his thumb. She cried out.
“Wet and hot.” He slid his finger in and out of her in a slow rhythm. “Is this the way you like me to touch you?”
She panted. If he wanted her to use words, he was a cruel man.
Then he pushed two fingers into her and she arched for him again, fisting the sheets.
He chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”