“She told me to go. She told me something bad was coming. She told me danger was close — closer than I could ever expect.” I felt the hot tears sliding down my cheeks, dripping off my chin, a stream of salt and grief I could not stop, not even if I tried. “I didn’t listen. Why didn’t I listen? Why didn’t I go? Why didn’t I leave town, like they asked?”
“This is your home,” he reminded me, shaking me lightly.
“It doesn’t matter! It was Eliza’s home too, and she’s dead! They killed her!” A crack split my voice again as devastation sluiced through me, unrelenting. “Ikilled her! I’m just as culpable as the person who drove that knife through her heart!”
Graham’s arms vanished from my waist, but only so he could grab my face between his hands. The callused pads of his fingers moved swiftly beneath my eyes, wiping the endless flood of tears away as soon as they materialized, as if he might stem the flow if he kept at it long enough. I felt soft pressure at the hinge of my jaw as he tilted my face up to look into his. Leaning down, he rested his forehead against mine.
We were close enough to share the same breath, close enough — under normal circumstances — to make my heart palpitate with a heady mix of trepidation and anticipation as I prepared to put some necessary distance between us. But right then, the last thing I wanted was distance. I had no strength left to bolt. I had no energy left to fight — not against him, not against myself, not against my own feelings. Not when he was there, right there, holding me together even as I felt myself coming apart at the seams.
He was strong.
He was steady.
He was…Graham.
My Graham. My light in the dark, my hope for better days. And in that moment… I could really use some freaking hope.
I didn’t think twice about it. I didn’t let myself think at all. I just acted — pushing up onto my toes, I planted my mouth against his. He froze, going totally still. I felt his soft intake of air, felt the surprised jolt that shook his whole body like a volt of raw electricity. His hands tightened on the sides of my face and, for a split second, I thought he was going to set me back on my heels, pushing me away with placating words.
Until he groaned and kissed me back, his mouth melting against mine, somehow soft and hard at the same time, gentle but firm. I slid my hands up his sides, under his t-shirt, feeling warm skin and hard muscle, and he pulled back an inch.
“Gwen, you’re upset. Maybe—”
“Please,” I whispered.
Hell, I begged. I could hear the desperation in my own voice, that one word so full of longing it was impossible to deny. And he didn’t. Not for another second. His mouth slammed back down on mine, all traces of soft and gentle gone, replaced by fierce and wild. His tongue spiked inside my mouth, tasting me like he’d been dying for it, and I moaned, it felt so damn good.
I pushed at his t-shirt, impatient for more skin, and he was all too happy to help. Reaching one arm behind his collar, he broke our mouths apart only long enough to whip the shirt over his head and toss it aside. I didn’t watch to see where it landed. I couldn’t — his head came immediately back down, lips claiming mine in a bruising kiss that made me gasp. His hands found my waist, sliding along the bare skin between my sports bra and fitted yoga pants, and I shivered at the sensation.
He felt the shudder of pure desire tremble through me and a growl moved in his throat as his searching hands divided paths, one circling around to the small of my back, the other sliding upward to palm my breast. My nipples were hard from the arousal that thrummed through my bloodstream like a potent drug. Even through the thick spandex fabric, his fingers felt utterly fantastic.
I wound my hands around his neck, kissing him deeper as he worked my nipple, tracing the rigid peak, then tugging sharply on it in a way that left me gasping and clutching at his shoulders to keep from falling off balance. My knees nearly gave out beneath me when he rolled his fingers, toying with me expertly. His mouth left mine to lave my neck, his tongue exploring the sensitive skin beneath the hollow of my ear in a way that made my breath catch.
“Fair’s fair,” he muttered against the sensitive lobe of my ear, fingers poised at the zipper at the front of my sports bra. In one smooth tug he pulled it down, baring my breasts to him. The straps slid over my shoulders, the bra falling to my feet as I arched my back. I felt the kiss of air against my nipples a second before Graham bent down to capture one in his mouth. I nearly screamed as his tongue circled; Ididscream when his teeth clamped down and tugged sharply, sending a shot of arousal straight down to my clit.
Shoving my hands into his hair, I held him close as he worked one breast, then the other, driving me wild with lashes of his tongue. His hands found the elastic waistline of my yoga pants and,whoosh, like magic, they disappeared down my legs, tangling on my running shoes. His mouth left its dizzying task as he fell to his knees and jerked the sneakers off my feet, one after another, then tossed them clear across the room. My pants followed an instant later, leaving me in nothing but my white cotton thong.
On his knees, he looked up at me, hands sliding up the bare skin of my legs, landing at my hips. His eyes were burning with so much passion, I lost my breath. His voice was sandpaper, rough with grit.
“You are so fucking gorgeous, Gwendolyn, it almost hurts to look at you.”
My lips parted on a sigh.Graham “Lifeguard God” Graves thought I was gorgeous.Somewhere deep inside me, a gawky, gingery, preteen girl was doing cartwheels of joy.
He got to his feet, barely giving me time to blink before he stooped again and swung me up into his arms, sliding one under my knees so I was cradled against the warm skin of his chest. He stalked toward the sleeping alcove, wearing nothing but his jeans and motorcycle boots, each step making my heart pound a little harder.
Was I really about to do this?
He tossed me onto his king-sized bed without preamble. I bounced as I landed and I saw his eyes on my bare breasts, glowing bright with need as he reached for the button of his jeans.
Hell yes, I was about to do this.
I got on my knees and crawled toward the edge of the bed, toward him, unable to tear my eyes from his as they worked the zipper. He shoved down his jeans, bringing his underwear along for the ride. His cock sprang free, already fully erect, and I felt a lightning bolt of pure feminine appreciation strike directly between my thighs. Seeing Graham in all his glory for the first time — and there was alotof him to see — stole every thought from my head. (Well, every thought exceptholy-shit-I-need-him-inside-me-right-this-freaking-instant-or-I-may-die-of-unfulfilled-desire.)
“You on the pill?” Graham asked, eyes so hot on mine I thought I’d have third degree burns as he leaned over me on the bed. His left hand planted against the mattress as his right slid beneath my pony tail and wrapped around the back of my neck. I felt his thumb brush my pulse point, which was thundering madly.
“Yes,” I breathed, craning my head back, offering him my lips.
He took them, his mouth greedy and demanding, his kiss nearly bruising as he moved us deeper onto the bed. His hand left my neck and, a second later, I felt a sharp tug at the crown of my head. My hair tumbled free of its tie, auburn locks cascading down in a cloud of waves around my head and shoulders. Graham growled as his hands slid into it, fisting in the length.