Britt crosses her arms over her chest, her confidence waning. “Oh.”
Jesus. Today of all days, pure temptation shows up on my doorstep, literally. The one day of the year, besides Kinsey’s birthday, that I allow myself to fall the fuck apart. Frustrated, I thread my hands through my hair, tugging on it.
“Why are you here, Britt?”
Her face colors, those blue eyes shimmer wetly, and I know exactly why she’s here. I hurt her. On purpose. Because I’m a selfish fucking bastard.
“I just…” she sighs, her gaze dropping to her feet. “I’m having a really bad day and…” Her lips tremble and she shifts from foot to foot. “And I missed you.” Those thick lashes flutter as her eyes flick back up to mine, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.
Fuck.
I close my eyes and inhale slowly through my nose. I can’t do this. I can’t let her get close again. Facing reality is too painful for Keller, for the man she needs me to be. Besides, Britt deserves so much more than a walking corpse, someone who goes through the motions of living without feeling any human emotions except anger and violence. And guilt. Lots of goddamn guilt. I dig the heels of my hands into my eyes, concentrating on staying strong. On not pulling her into my arms and kissing her until I rob her of her breath, her kind heart, her very soul, sucking them into my body, leaving her empty.
“Britt…” She takes a step toward me and my pulse kicks up a notch. “What are you doing?” Without answering, Britt steps forward again, now close enough for me to smell her sweet, citrusy, feminine scent. Close enough to feel the heat radiating off her perfect, unblemished skin. Skin I’d love to mark with my teeth and the tight grip of my fingers on her hips. The thought makes my cock harden and I curse under my breath.
“Keller,” she whispers, her soft breath caressing my neck.
“God, Britt. This is such a bad idea.” My hands are twitching, aching to reach out and pull that sinful body against mine, to do unspeakable things that would have us both shouting in ecstasy. Sinking into her tight, wet heat would make me forget about today, the anniversary, and all the bullshit that I carry on my shoulders every day. The relief would be euphoric. “I don’t want to use you, Britt.”
It’s a lie. I do want to use her. Take her flesh and pound away my guilt into oblivion. But while Killer revels in the thought of holding her down and taking his pleasure, that teeny-tiny human side, the side only Britt can bring out, hates the thought of treating her like another hole to fuck. A release. A way to forget. She’s so, so much more than that.
Britt takes the final step, closing the gap between us. She curls her hands around my neck and gazes up at me. I can do nothing but stare back at her, trapped by those stunning blue eyes. I study them, the emotions in their depths, and that’s when I finally get it.
Britt needs this as much as I do. Whatever her demons are, they rival mine in their magnitude. The pain and desperation I see in those sapphire eyes reflect what I see in the mirror every single day.
When I finally allow my mind to give in to desire, lust explodes bright white and hot, eclipsing everything else in my overworked brain. I thread my hands into the silky hair at the back of her neck and tilt her head back. “Last chance to say no, Britt,” I growl, my fingers tightening on her scalp as my body vibrates with need.
Britt licks her lips and my cock throbs painfully. “Take me, Keller. Make me yours again.”
The sound that comes rumbling out of my chest can only be described as primal as my mouth crashes down on hers. The joining is passionate, teeth, tongue, and lips, hot and wet, sliding together in desperation. One of my hands skims down her back to grip her round ass, crushing her soft groin against my rigid length. Britt moans into my mouth and I lose any semblance of restraint.
Tearing my mouth away, I bite down on her lower lip and tug on it before releasing her. “Bedroom, now,” I rasp. Britt doesn’t move, her eyes hazy with lust. “Right now,” I growl, taking her by the shoulders and spinning her to face the bedroom. I land a sharp crack across her firm buttocks, eliciting a squeal as Britt hurries down the hall. She peeks into several open doors before finding the right one.