Razor's Edge (26 page)

One side of her mouth lifted in a half smile. “I almost believe you.”

“That's because I'm right. I'm not going to make you go through the kind of grief Reid and I've had to suffer.”

She closed the remaining few inches between them and laid her head on his shoulder. Her arm snaked around his waist, and she gave him a tight hug. “I'm so sorry you lost them. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to keep going every day.”

It was easier with her around. He didn't understand why that was—whether she distracted him or kept him busy enough that he didn't have time to think about it, or if there was simply something magical about her that drove away all the bad stuff. Either way, he was grateful for the bubble of comfort she provided.

Tanner wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. He didn't want her to pull away just yet, so he cupped the back of her head to hold her in place while he steadied his pounding heart.

His whole body rejoiced at her nearness, his skin heating and tingling wherever she touched. Her scent filled his head, shoving out all rational thought. He knew he shouldn't be this close to her; he just couldn't remember or care why.

Her fingers stroked his chest. Her breath tickled his neck. Her breasts cushioned his ribs as his breathing sped up.

He felt her head shift slightly, rubbing his fingertips against her scalp. A second later, her lips brushed his neck, the touch so light he wasn't even sure it had really happened. She probably hadn't meant to do it. It was just an accident created by the ill-timed movements of their breathing.

Tanner held his breath, praying for a repeat of the accident. His body was rigid, his muscles tense.

Nothing happened—no more strokes of her mouth on his skin.

Disappointment roared inside him, and only then did he realize how much he had wanted her touch. He knew he shouldn't, but the why seemed inconsequential in the face of so much need. He could never want something that was bad for him as much as he wanted Roxanne.

She pulled her head away, and he had to fight the urge to force her to stay right where she was. He liked her here, plastered against him, close enough he could feel her breathing and know she was safe. But in the end, he couldn't hold her captive, so he moved his hand, letting her silky hair slide between his fingers.

Instead of stepping away as he'd expected, Roxanne tilted her head back and looked at him. Her eyes had darkened to a rich hammered bronze, and her glossy lips were parted in invitation. Her gaze scoured his face, but she said nothing. She simply looked at him with some kind of longing he couldn't translate. Was it for him? For Jake's return? He couldn't tell, so he kept staring, trying to puzzle it out.

What if she did want him? They'd already decided that their being together was a bad idea. But right now, that decision seemed like the mistake.

Tanner didn't dare move. He felt trapped between what he wanted and what he knew was right. His noble intentions were swiftly fading as each second ticked by.

She licked her lips, drawing attention to her glossy mouth. He gritted his teeth until his molars ached from the force of his restraint.

“I want to kiss you,” she admitted, “but I promised myself I wouldn't make a move on you again.”

He thought that was a seriously fucked-up idea. “Why?”

“You made it clear you didn't want me.”

“Never. I've wanted you from the moment I saw you.”

A slight smile curved one side of her mouth, and that crooked smile nearly drove him to his knees. If it hadn't been for the fact that he'd take her down, he wouldn't have been able to find the strength to stay standing. “Maybe. But you're trying to be good. Do the right thing. Unfortunately, my impulse control isn't so well developed. If you don't let me go, I'm afraid I'm going to ruin all those good intentions of yours.”

That sounded like a fine idea to him. Who needed good intentions when he had Roxanne in his arms, sweet and eager?

He couldn't shed the heat building inside him. His breathing sped and his heart was struggling to cool his blood, but it wasn't working.

She was so fucking pretty. So soft. And her mouth was begging for his. She didn't know he'd killed his brother. She looked at him like he was a hero, not a failure, and he liked it. She made him forget all the bad stuff. When he looked at her, his whole world shimmered with warmth.

Warning bells were gonging in his head, but he didn't give a shit. He knew it was against the rules to get involved with her, but they could be careful. No one would have to know. After the hell he'd been through, he deserved something good in his life. Didn't he?

She seemed to think so, and right now, that was enough for him.

Tanner lowered his head until their mouths met. He felt the moist slide of her lip gloss as she opened to his kiss. Her whole body seemed to melt in his arms, and she let out a soft, womanly sigh of pleasure.

Her arms tightened around his neck as her kisses became more greedy and desperate. His tongue swept inside her mouth, and, instantly, her taste filled his head, shoving all rational thoughts away. She was so sweet, like vanilla. They moved perfectly together, anticipating the motions of the other as they struggled to get closer.

The MCC was cramped, with barely any room to move, but he had to find enough space to feel what he'd denied himself last night.

Tanner put his hands on her ass and lifted her from the floor. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he carried her back to the small kitchen. All the windows were covered. The doors were locked. No one could see in. They were alone, and no one was going to stop him from taking what she wanted to give.

He set her down on top of the table and started kissing his way south. She flung her head back, baring her slender neck to his mouth.

Bruises lined her throat. A dark, feral rage bubbled inside him, and he had to tamp it down for fear of scaring her. Instead of going hunting for the asshole who'd hurt her, he gently kissed each one of those bruises, silently willing away her pain—not that she seemed to be feeling any pain now.

She was breathing hard. Her face was flushed. Her fingers were working the buttons on her shirt, undoing them to make way for him. He loved it that she wasn't at all shy, but threw herself into the moment with abandon. A woman like that went straight to a man's head.

As soon as the buttons were free, she stripped the shirt off and tossed it behind her. Between kisses, he caught a glimpse of her white lace bra and the way it lifted her breasts toward him, as if offering him a treat.

Tanner groaned at the sight. He stared down and traced one finger along the edge of the lace, watching as her nipples beaded up against the thin fabric. She shivered at his touch. He slid his finger beneath the strap and eased it down over her shoulder.

His mouth followed in the bra's wake as he dragged the lace across her nipple, baring her breast completely. As much as he wanted to move slowly, her noises of encouragement were driving him on, spurring him to take more and more.

He palmed her breast, lifting it to his watering mouth. Her skin was so soft here, so smooth and feminine. She fit in his hand just right, making him wonder how well the rest of them would fit. The thought drove him wild, and he covered her nipple with his mouth, licking and sucking to see what she liked best.

The scent of her skin filled his head, mixed with a heady dose of arousal. He'd been with her like this only twice, but he knew without a doubt that he'd always remember the way she smelled right now, so sweet and hungry for him.

He sucked harder, drawing a low moan of pleasure from her mouth. She hooked her ankles around his hips and pulled him closer, until he was settled between her thighs, feeling the heat of her mound sinking through their clothing.

His cock surged toward her, eager to be free of all the fabric. He wanted to feel her naked skin, slick from her arousal, sliding against him.

Her hands gripped his shirt, tugging it up. He let go of her nipple long enough to strip out of the garment, then bared her other breast to his mouth. Her eager noises of appreciation told him she liked what he was doing. No way was he stopping now.

Roxanne's fingers moved between them, stroking his erection through his jeans.

Lights exploded behind his eyes, and he had to dig deep for the self-control it took to stop himself from losing it right there. He hadn't been with a woman in months—too long for him to have the kind of patience he needed to play it cool. He was running hot, dying for more of her, while drowning in what he'd already experienced. She overwhelmed him, filling his senses and stimulating him to the point of insanity.

“I need you,” she whispered as her fingers tugged at the waistband of his jeans. The button popped open easily. The zipper slid down. A second later, her silky fingers were on him, stroking down his cock.

He groaned at her breast, and her hand tightened.

“Now, Tanner.” There was no hesitation in her voice. No question. Just the demanding confidence of a woman who knew what she wanted.

Tanner thanked God that he was the object of that want. He wasn't going to fuck it up by losing control before he'd had the chance to give her what she needed.

He tugged her hand from his pants and pushed her back until she was lying on the table. It was bolted to the floor, nice and secure. He could drive hard and deep inside her and not worry about any furniture malfunctions.

He wasted no time undoing her jeans. He slid them and her panties from her slim legs, knocking her shoes off as he went. His hands were poised at his waistband, ready to shuck his own jeans, when he caught sight of her. His whole world went still.

Muted sunshine from the setting sun flowed in through the RV's curtains, casting golden swaths of light across her skin. Slender muscles lent a feminine strength to her body that left him speechless. Strong but delicate, she was a woman to be cherished for her rareness. And she wanted
him
.

Tanner couldn't stop himself from touching her. He splayed his hand across her stomach, feeling the muscles beneath his palm flutter in reaction to his touch. Goose bumps rose on her skin. Her nipples were red and puckered from his mouth, and a pink flush spread out over her chest and shoulders.

His hand slid down, reveling in the feel of her skin against his. What little hair she had covering her mound was dark blond, and with her legs wrapped around him like this, she couldn't hide the shiny proof of her arousal.

He cupped her there, feeling her wet heat against the heel of his hand. His fingers slid between her labia until he found her engorged clit. He barely brushed it, but the touch was enough to make her arch her back off the table and suck in a breath.

She was so responsive, so sensitive. He couldn't help but do it again and watch as her lips parted on a heavy sigh.

She looked up at him, her golden eyes half-lidded and luminous with desire. He'd never had a woman look at him like that before—with such utter need. “Now, Tanner. Please.”

He couldn't deny her—not when she looked at him like that. He wanted to give her the world.

Tanner shucked his jeans, and the condom from his pocket went on in seconds.

She sat up, looped her arms around his neck, and kissed him as if he were the only man on Earth. He lifted her up enough to align their bodies and then let her sink down. The moment her tight heat slid around the head of his cock, he was lost.

Her sweet sigh of pleasure reassured him even as it drove him further out of control. Sharp fingernails bit into his shoulders, setting his nerve endings ablaze. His entire spine was on fire as he laid her down on the table and set a hard, fast pace.

He didn't want this to end, but he wasn't going to last long, not with her mouth on his, and her sexy little cries filling his ears. His usual stamina was AWOL.

Tanner forced himself to slow the pace and stood upright. She tried to follow him, but he pressed one hand between her breasts, pinning her to the table.

Roxanne opened her mouth to say something, but he didn't want to talk—not now, not when he was so close to the edge. Words were beyond him.

He covered her lips with his finger. She sucked it into her mouth and gave him the most wicked, knowing stare.

A wave of lust hit him so hard, his heart nearly exploded from the pressure. Sweat cooled his back. He grabbed her hips and pulled them to the edge of the table, which drove his cock deep inside her, locking them together.

She gasped, and her eyes fluttered closed in pleasure. Her body went languid as her arms sprawled over her head and her back arched. She made one slow, undulating rotation of her hips, which Tanner felt all the way to his toes.

He wasn't going to survive this. She was going to kill him with pleasure.

He couldn't bring himself to care what happened to him, so long as he got to hear her climax, to feel her pulse around him as he sent her spinning.

Roxanne tugged at her nipples while he thrust inside her. She kept her gaze fixed on him, telling him she wasn't thinking about anyone else—just him.

Her sexy show turned him on, and he took mental notes, watching how she pleasured herself so that he could do it the way she liked next time.

If there was a next time.

The unwelcome thought was cast aside. It had no place between them—not now.

A searing wave of sensation trickled down his spine, and he stopped midstroke, waiting for it to pass. Roxanne apparently wasn't willing to be patient. Her hips bucked and her breathing sped until she was panting. She grabbed his arms and held on tight while she ground herself against him.