Made in Nashville: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance (18 page)

Her words attacked his heart, ordered it to open the gates. She knew what haunted him and still she was there, offering nothing but support, not judging, not condemning. It was almost too much to take, too much to believe in. He’d spent so long holding back, could he really give her everything - put his faith in her, in them?

‘Lord, I love you.’

Putting his hand behind her head he drew her towards him; his lips connected with hers in a hot rush he didn’t want to stop. It was like being freed all over again, a thrill was building inside, from his soul and outwards, adrenaline, joy, desire were all combining and culminating at once. Before he stopped to think, before he could put the brakes on or wonder whether it was the right thing, he was shrugging off his jacket and his fingers were at the hem of Honor’s blouse.

He didn’t want to move his mouth from hers. Her soft, sweet tongue rolling with his was a sensation he never became tired of. He backed them over into the living room, his hand working its way underneath her top, desperate to feel her skin under his hands.

‘Jared.’ It was more of a sigh than a word and his name on her lips in that way sent a shot of need to his groin.

He took his mouth from hers, slowly, his tongue lingering on her bottom lip. ‘What?’

She stilled in his arms and brought her hands up to his baseball cap. He swallowed and waited, knowing what she was going to do. He closed his eyes as he felt her grip the peak and slowly pull the hat from his head. He felt her breath on his face and he wanted to open his eyes but he couldn’t. The cap was like his armor. When he wore it he was the person he was now, not the boy he’d been before. He was ready to lay himself bare in every way with Honor, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t as scared as hell.

‘Open your eyes.’ Her voice was pleading with him but he was fighting tears again. So many emotions were pulsing through his veins; he couldn’t keep a hold on any of them. He felt her hands cup his face, her fingers moving upwards and towards the tawny buzz-cut that covered his head.

‘Jared, look at me.’

He looked so different without the cap. Younger, more good guy than bad boy. She ran her hands over his cropped haircut, relishing the feel of it under her fingers. She knew what this meant to him, how symbolic it was now and how much of himself he was entrusting to her. She wanted to share the same with him, because in the past weeks he’d given her more than anyone in her entire life.

He opened his eyes and she balked. Without the cap shading them, those grey eyes were like brilliant pebbles, shining for just her, full of love and longing. She ran a finger down one sideburn and brought the tip across his cheek and down to his mouth, making tiny circles on his bottom lip.

She let out a sound as he caught her finger and took it past his lip, into the warmth of his mouth, his tongue smoothing over her nail and flicking down the skin to the first joint. Her stomach rolled and she put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself. He sucked her finger in and she felt her body twist as a pang of want stirred so hard. She didn’t want this to stop tonight. She couldn’t wait any longer to be with him completely. She removed her finger from his mouth, running it down the front of his t-shirt, pressing just hard enough to feel the definition of his torso. She didn’t move her eyes from his. She wanted to see his reaction, see the burn of desire she hoped was there in him as much as it was in her.

When she reached the belt of his jeans she stopped, watching the rise and fall of his chest as his breathing accelerated. She pulled at his t-shirt, inching the material upwards until he had no choice but to help pull it up and over his head. And there was that incredible body in front of her again. She had to take a breath. Her insides were pounded by feelings so intense, they made her quake.

‘Honor.’ His voice was coated with emotion and she could feel the hard length of him pressing against her thigh. She didn’t want to rush. She wanted to savor every second.

As she traced around the letters of ‘Truth’, tattooed in black italics on his left oblique, he worked his hands under her blouse, his fingers inching up toward the lace of her bra. She smoothed her hand to the scar that ran from his breastbone to his navel and followed the line, while his fingers were skirting the perimeter of her underwire.

She dropped her hand from him and in one quick move, pulled her top off, dropping it to the floor. She had no hesitation about this moment. She’d yearned for him for so long, but now it was everything she felt before and a hundred times more - because she loved him - because he’d shared something so precious with her. His past, his failings, his fears.

He watched her slip the straps of her bra off her shoulders and ease down the lace cups. He swallowed as she twisted the white material around her body to unfasten the hooks. She removed the bra, slowly, keeping her eyes locked on him before dropping it to the floor.

His gut was telling him to lose a little control, to act on the desire that was raging but seeing her bare before him was evoking something much stronger than sexual need.

‘Put your hands on me.’

There was a boulder in his throat. His mouth was dry and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He raised a hand but stopped, held it there, paused.

‘Please, Jared.’ She was running her hand across her breast now, her mouth slightly open, her chest rising and falling with every rapid breath. God, she was beautiful.

He grabbed her by the hips and lifted her off the floor, pressing her naked torso to his as he backed her over towards the fireplace. She caught up his mouth in a kiss so dirty he thought he’d explode.

He lowered her to the bear skin rug then dropped to his knees in front of her, breathing hard, wanting to take this slowly but not knowing if he could.

‘Lay down,’ he whispered.

She folded backwards on his command, arching her back as the pelt brushed against her shoulders.

He took her all in. Her dark hair laying out behind her on the wooden floor, her tight, turned-on breasts, her little waist and those tight jeans wrapping up the rest of her. He’d never wanted anyone so much.

He planted one hand down on the floor at her side, holding himself over her, looking into her eyes and wanting to absorb everything emanating from her. She reached up, put a hand to his hair, caressing his head then drawing him down into another kiss.

He left her lips and trailed his tongue down her neck, stopping to press his lips against the pulse at her throat, her collarbone, the top of her breast.

‘Jared.’ She twisted slightly, raising her breasts.

He didn’t need any more of a direct invitation. Her nipples were telling him everything he needed to know. He touched his tongue against the nub and she squirmed a little. Little flicks and a swirl over the center sent her convulsing under him and her hands were at his fly, feeling for the buttons. He took her hand in his while his mouth drew in her breast and he felt her fingers clench as she let out a sound that dragged at him.

He kissed lower, trailing his head down over her rib cage until he met her navel and the waistband of denim.

‘I want to feel you,’ she told him, reaching down.

‘You’re not ready,’ he stated.

He unfastened a button then slipped the zipper down, watching her for a reaction. He wanted to know how it felt, he wanted to see how it felt to her, to have him touching her.

He slipped his hands underneath her and pulled at the waistband, drawing the denim out and under her ass until her jeans were free, unrestricted and he was able to adjust his hold, pull from the hem of the legs and take them off completely.

‘Jared.’ She turned a little on the rug. Just a strip of white lace separated him from finding out how she felt on the inside.

‘You’re so beautiful.’ He put a hand to his chest. His heart was hammering so heavy he needed a second.

‘I want you, Jared.’

Her pure, sweet voice telling him that sent another shockwave over him like an earthquake off the scale. ‘Lord, Honor, you’re killin’ me.’

‘Touch me,’ she begged.

He hesitated, watched the pure white heat of need in her eyes. Putting his fingers to her panties he took a breath, then ripped straight across the side seam.

She arched off the rug a little more and he could feel himself edging closer to something he’d have a hard job holding back from.

He looked at her. Perfect, dark curls, a swirl of moisture just visible. He put his thumb into his mouth and locking his gaze with hers he wet his skin. And then he touched her, pressing his thumb on that sweet spot and listening to her cry out.

‘Jared, oh God, Jared.’

She writhed as he moved his hand. Deep, hard circles from his thumb were sending flashes of hot sparks all over her body. She wanted to scream for him to stop. She wanted to scream for him to carry on, faster, harder, further, but all she could do was let her body take over. She felt him push a finger inside her and she clawed at the floor with her hands.

‘What does it feel like?’

The sound of his voice had her moving her hips to the rhythm he was creating.

‘Hot …  it’s hot and …  wet and I want it so much, Jared. I want it so much.’

‘God, Honor, you’re destroyin’ me.’

The swirling stopped and for a second the heat lessened. ‘Oh God …  oh God!’ Her stomach clenched as she felt the warmth of his mouth inside her, his tongue pushing her lips apart and circling her center, licking, biting, teasing.

There was nothing she had control of now. Her limbs were flailing, numb. She was coming apart and when she did he was going to feel the whole thing. She was leaving her body, here on the bear skin rug, and floating higher, soaring out of the room and up to the stars, reaching and climbing until finally she was there.

‘Jared! Oh my God!’ She closed her eyes and felt her toes splay, every part of her longer, fuller, more sensitized. She clasped his head as he brought himself back up to look at her, pulling him hard, wanting his mouth on hers.

She kissed him, pressing her lips hard against his, wanting to taste her own scent, share the intimacy. When she drew away she felt like someone different, someone completely liberated. She was someone who’d been living such a restricted life, too scared to let loose. Now she’d broken free.

She sat herself up, went onto her knees as he shifted back, mimicking her position. Running her hands over his broad shoulders, she stopped to trace a finger around the tattoo of the Confederate flag on his upper arm. She couldn’t wait any longer to see all of him.

‘Stand up,’ she ordered.

‘What?’

‘Stand up,’ she repeated.

The authority in her tone had him on his feet. He was defenseless here and he wanted to be. This was his moment, with his girl, the only girl, the one girl who had taken in everything he’d told her and thrown it down because she loved him and believed in him.

He watched her crawl forward on her knees and then she was parting his legs, running a hand up each denim-covered leg, driving him crazy. When she reached the buttons she didn’t waste any time, she ripped the fly open and dragged down the jeans until the only option he had was to lose them. He kicked them across the floor and looked down at her, kneeling naked and perfect in front of him.

She inched forward, her dark bangs falling over her face as she took her eyes from his and focused on what was in front of her. He was tight and hot, a ball of heat. He’d never felt so pent up, so desperate, so emotional. He closed his eyes the second he felt her tongue touch the tip of his penis. She was so gentle it was making him crease inside. She took him in and his hands were in her hair, stroking her curls as her mouth danced around him.

‘Honor.’ He didn’t have the strength to say anything else. He was barely holding it together now as waves of a warm, prickly sensation folded over him. Every motion brought something a little more intense, took him a little nearer. He didn’t want to lose it yet. When he came, he wanted to be inside her. As that thought struck he took her head in his hands and pulled her away.

‘Did I do something wrong?’ She got to her feet, a concerned look on her face.

‘Yeah you did. You did too much too darn well.’ He took a breath, framed her face with his hand then quickly he moved. He lifted her up, pressing her against his length until they connected. She let out a gasp and clung to him, her fingers digging into his back.

‘I love you,’ she whispered, looking into his eyes.

‘With all my heart,’ he responded, edging her down a little and earning a sigh.

He carried her to the couch and with every step he lowered her on to him a little further until she thought she couldn’t take anymore. He was so solid, yet so gentle and tender in his motion she wanted to cry out for it. Her body slipped down onto the rugs and cushions and finally every inch of him was inside her. She felt him tuck a hand behind her bottom and pull her closer as she cried out.

‘D’you feel that?’ he asked, moving slowly back then bringing himself into her again.

‘Yes.’ Her voice was husky in response, new sensations travelling over her.

‘Tell me how it feels,’ he begged.

She felt him push harder, a little faster and she reached for him, pressing her fingers into his shoulders again, scratching the skin.

‘It feels …  like …  I don’t want you to stop. Like I want to feel it forever.’

He thrust his hips, filling her each time, rocking her into a rhythm like no other, each time taking her back to that knife edge between pleasure and pain.

‘Don’t stop,’ she pleaded.

‘I can’t stop.’ He let out a guttural groan as she bucked against him, matching his pace, pushing herself on to him, feeling every motion as he brought her closer to the point of no going back.

‘I can’t …  Jared …  I can’t.’ She was losing to her body again. She was out of control and falling hard and fast.

‘Let go,’ he begged her. ‘Let go with me.’

‘Fall with me,’ she whispered.

He cried out and she pressed her lips to his as her wave crested at the same time and she dropped, splashing down into the water, rolling up towards the shore, her heart racing and her emotions shot to pieces.