Finding Chrissten: Legacy, Book 5 (28 page)

“No, baby, you’re not hurting me.” He ran his fingers through her hair and let out a deep sigh of contentment.

She rested her hand over his heart, feeling the steady thud against her palm. It was a strong reminder they were both alive and on the road to recovery.

“Sleep,” he told her.

As much as she wanted to stay awake and talk, exhaustion weighed her down. She hadn’t slept much last night when they got home or today for that matter. A short nap wouldn’t hurt.

As she was drifting off to sleep, she thought he whispered to her but she couldn’t make out the words. She waited for him to say something else but he was quiet. She sighed and let sleep claim her.

Chapter Eighteen

Chrissten came awake to the feel of a man’s hands on her, and not just any man, but Hank. She blinked and could make out the pale light pouring in through the window. They’d slept through the rest of yesterday and all night long.

She turned her head on the pillow and was pleased to find it no longer hurt when she moved. In fact, she felt good. Better than good. And sometime while she’d been sleeping Hank must have removed her jeans and socks, leaving her clad only in her panties and top. She must have been totally out it not to remember that.

He was staring at her, his pale blue eyes shining in the morning light. “How are you feeling?”

She curled her toes and tugged the blankets closer around her. She was warm and content and her head no longer ached. “Good. You?”

“Much better.” His voice was a sleepy rumble that vibrated through her. He continued to rub his hand up and down her spine. She arched into it like a drowsy cat. His touch was soothing. Healing.

She pushed back slightly so she could study his chest. The thick cuts were mostly healed and the rest were nothing but scars. They were reddish in color, but she knew within a week they’d fade to almost nothing. In a couple of months they’d mostly disappear. He might have a few reminders of the ordeal they’d been through, but nothing too bad.

Chrissten reached out and touched a five-inch scar on his shoulder. He groaned and she jerked her hand away.

“No, don’t stop.” He leaned closer and nuzzled her temple. After sleeping next to him all night she knew their scents were mingled. “Your brothers were here last night.”

Her head came up so fast she struck the bottom of Hank’s chin. His teeth clinked together and he groaned. “Ohmygod. I’m so sorry.”

He chuckled. “No problem. I’ll live.”

Why didn’t she remember anyone coming into the room last night? She shivered, feeling vulnerable.

“Hey, it’s okay.” As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, he rubbed her arm and back. “I was awake long before they got here. They were worried about you. Quinn wasn’t happy about us sharing the bed but he wouldn’t wake you. He was happy you were sleeping.”

Her twin’s reaction was predictable. “What about Craig?”

Hank gave a lazy shrug. The man was like a blast furnace, radiating vast amounts of heat. She wanted to crawl inside him and never leave. “He didn’t say much. He pulled the cover tighter around you, kissed your forehead and said goodnight.”

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Craig would be no problem. He was younger than her and used to her doing what she wanted. Quinn, on the other hand, constantly tried to boss her around. It was his nature to want to protect her. But she wasn’t a little girl any longer. She was a woman and she needed to have a life of her own. After all, he had Bethany. Chrissten was no longer the center of Quinn’s life and that’s how it should be.

As for her father… Well, he didn’t have any say in what she did. If they were going to form any kind of friendship, he’d have to come to terms with that.

Hank used his thumb to gently pull her bottom lip away from her teeth. “Hey, don’t worry so much. It will all work out.”

Easy for him to say. He had a home and a job. He knew what he wanted out of life. She was floundering.

He brushed his lips against hers and she stilled. She knew she should get up and walk away. She needed to figure out her life before she complicated it further by having an affair with Hank.

He pulled her into the cradle of his body and she rested her hands on his shoulders, conscious of his injuries. “We shouldn’t do this.” It wasn’t sensible in the least.

“You could be right.” Even as he conceded the point to her he continued to brush kisses over her lips, her cheeks, her chin and the tip of her nose.

Her skin tingled and her remaining aches disappeared beneath the onslaught of his gentle caresses. His hands were everywhere, stroking her arms, her spine, her neck, her bottom.

He slipped one hand beneath her top and up the front until he found her breast. She wasn’t wearing a bra so he hit bare flesh.

He emitted a low rumble of pleasure as he closed his fingers around the mound and squeezed. Her nipple puckered and the velvety tip became a hard nub a heartbeat later. What was it about this man that made her forget about Brian, about her past? When she was with him there was only room for him. Nothing else and no one intruded.

He continued his leisurely foray into her mouth. His tongue stroked and explored. Soothed and tantalized. He kissed her as though he was in no hurry, as though he could do nothing more than kiss her forever.

Which was a lie if the erection prodding her in the belly was any indication. The man was very aroused.

He eased back, advancing and retreating several times before finally removing his lips from hers. “Will you take this off?” He tugged lightly on her shirt.

Who was she kidding? There was no question what she was going to do. She wanted Hank. She didn’t know what would happen once she left this bed, so she was going to take advantage of the here and now. If the past year and a half had taught her anything it was to seize the moment.

She sat up and slowly removed her shirt. While she was at it she hooked her thumbs into her panties and shoved them down her hips, over her legs and off. She was as naked as he was.

“Oh, baby.” Hank drew her back down beside him and kissed her again. This time her bare breasts pillowed against him, the swollen nipples brushing against the crisp hair on his chest. His erection prodded her stomach and the coarse hair on his legs rubbed against her smooth skin.

Every cell in her body was on fire. She wanted, needed this man. She knew in her soul she wouldn’t be doing this with any other male. Hank was different. Special. For some unknown reason she trusted him beyond all rational explanation.

He took his time, not rushing her at all. He cupped her breast in his hand and thumbed the nipple, teasing it slowly, round and round.

She retaliated by reached down and wrapping her fingers around his cock. He groaned and thrust his hips forward, pushing himself deeper into her grip. She liked knowing he wanted her as much as she wanted him. It made her feel connected to him like she’d never been to anyone else.

His hand left her breast and slid down her belly. It continued on its downward trek until his fingers were sifting through her pubic hair and finding the hard kernel of desire at the apex of her thighs. He lightly brushed her clitoris and she jerked violently. She was already wet and ready for him.

He groaned and pushed his fingers inward, over her slick folds. He didn’t stop until two fingers were buried deep in her core. Her vagina contracted around him.

“If you want to stop it has to be now.”

Her heart felt as though it was being squeezed tight. Even now Hank would stop. He always put her needs ahead of his own. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Thank God,” he muttered, making her laugh. “Hey, that’s no laughing matter, sweetheart. I’m in desperate need here.” He grinned at her and she shook her head in mock disappointment. Really, he was totally adorable and he’d be totally aghast if she told him that.

He removed his finger and rolled until he was lying on his back. He patted his thighs. “Come here, Chrissten. I want you to be in control. Take me. Ride me.”

The covers had fallen away from them, giving her a perfect view of his delectable body. His biceps bulged with muscle and his forearms were thick and corded. She loved his hands. They were so big and callused, making his touch even more sensual. His chest was broad and lightly furred with crisp dark blond hair, his abs rock hard and his torso lean.

His cock rose up toward his bellybutton, long and thick, a blatant reminder of his extreme masculinity. Blue veins ran from base to tip, pulsing with the same beat as his heart. The sac below his shaft was heavy and hung between his spread thighs.

She reached out and ran her fingertip over the bulbous head of his cock. The skin was so soft and slick. A bead of liquid seeped from the slit and she rubbed her finger over it, spreading it around the top.

His legs tensed and the muscles in his arms bulged. “You’re killing me.”

She didn’t answer. There was no need. She climbed on top of him, took him in her hand and guided him into her. An image flashed in her brain, one of her on her hands and knees with Hank taking her from behind. Claiming her. Mating with her in the way of their people.

It was then she suddenly realized what was different. She no longer smelled Brian’s scent on her. Now that he was dead it had dissipated from her skin, leaving only her own unique scent. She was truly free.

She sank down on his cock, pushing downward until she was seated on his groin. His cock pulsed hard and heavy inside her, setting off mini explosions of pleasure. Sex with Hank was an incredible experience, maybe because it was more than sex for her.

Hank cared about her. He wanted her. It was enough.

Hank was close to coming but he grabbed the sheets to anchor him, wanting to prolong the moment, even though he knew it wouldn’t last nearly long enough. His need for Chrissten went beyond civilized boundaries and crossed over into the dark possessive side of his nature. With every breath he took he inhaled the sweet womanly smell of Chrissten. It was no longer tainted with the dark spices of Brian. She was well and truly free of the bastard.

His instinct was to claim her. Now. Before some other male did.

He fought the compulsion. She deserved much better than that. She deserved to choose her mate. Or to remain single if she wished. She’d already had too many choices taken from her.

She looked so incredibly beautiful sitting on him, her long golden hair flowing down her back, her eyes slightly glazed with passion. The bandages on her wrists and several pale scars were the only physical reminders of her ordeal. The mental scars were another thing altogether. They tended to go deeper, to fester. He didn’t want that for her.

Her hands rested on his chest as she rose and fell on his cock. Every time he squeezed back inside her slick pussy he thought he would come. She surrounded him like slick, warm honey, gripping and releasing him in a rhythmic dance of pleasure.

Her breasts swayed as she moved and the red-tipped mounds hypnotized him. She had beautiful breasts, full without being too large. And her nipples, which were normally like velvet, were puckered into raspberry-red nubs, beckoning him to taste.

He pushed himself up onto his hands and took one of the delectable nipples into his mouth. Chrissten gasped and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him closer. She continued to ride him, slowly circling her hips, moving an inch or two up or down at any given time.

Her wetness surrounded him, her body a feast for his senses. Her sweet perfume coated him, her sighs and moans were music to his ears and her skin was spicy and warm against his tongue. He kept his eyes wide open. He could watch her forever. She was so graceful, so incredibly beautiful.

He wanted her flat on her back. He longed to taste her now that her scent was free from Brian’s taint. But this wasn’t about him. Not this time. This was about Chrissten. She needed to understand that she could trust him. No way did he want to do anything that might frighten her. She was still so fragile.

He wrapped his hands around her ribcage to anchor himself. She was still too thin. Whether she knew it or not, Chrissten needed time to recover. She was on the right road but she wasn’t there yet. He’d seen signs of the intelligent, independent woman she was and knew she would be a force to be reckoned with when she was one hundred percent. He couldn’t wait to see her that way.

The sound of their ragged breathing filled the room. Beyond it were the sounds of the city coming awake. Hank heard footsteps in the outer hallway. They didn’t stop outside his apartment door.

He didn’t care who was up and about as long as they stayed out of his place and far away from this room. He released her nipple and kissed his way over to the other, giving it the same treatment. He licked and sucked, nibbled and tasted.

“Hank.” His name was little more than a breathy sigh. He loved the sound of it on her lips.

“Hmm,” he replied. He didn’t want to release the sweet nub he was sucking on to answer her. It tasted better than candy.

“More.”

He gave her nipple one final pull with his lips and let her go. He dropped his head back to the pillow, gripped her hips and began to thrust. He pulled her down to meet him with each arch of his hips.

She was whimpering now, making soft, sexy sounds that had his balls pulling up tight against his body. “Come for me,” he commanded. She had to come soon. He couldn’t last beyond one or two more strokes.