Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel (8 page)

She responded instantly, her mouth going slack as she sucked in a sharp breath. Lifting his head, Ransom watched the emotions play out as he touched her, caressed her, and cupped her in his greedy palm. Each heavy breath caused her breast to swell, filling his hand, pressing her hardened nipple against its center.

Her fingers gripped his sides, her eyes on his as he massaged her. A simple make out session had turned into the sexiest round of foreplay he’d ever experienced, and Ransom’s entire body hummed, demanding more. But he knew she was reaching her limit, an excuse to stop already forming behind those gorgeous, easy-to-read eyes.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Dani said weakly.

“That’s not what your body is saying.” He squeezed her soft mound, eliciting another moan from her parted lips and relished the control he had over her, his ability to deliver pleasure with the simplest touch.

“We shouldn’t…”

“Give me one good reason, and I’ll stop everything. No more touching. No more kissing. No more of this,” he said, rolling his hips so his cock crushed against her molten core.

“We’re friends. This will complicate things.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be friends,” he surprised himself by saying. But he wasn’t going to take it back, not when he had her hot little body squirming beneath him.

Her eyes widened, ankles tightening against the backs of his thighs. “But…what about Joe? Your brother?”

Her concern threatened to shatter whatever shred of self-restraint he had left. Bending down, he swept a kiss over her lips. “They have nothing to do with this. With us.”

“But—”

“Shhh. Just let me have you, Dani.”

Meeting her hot gaze, he didn’t need her words to know her answer. His body thrumming from renewed hunger, Ransom scooped his arms under her back and stood, carrying her to his bed while she clung to him. 

NINE

SHE’D THOUGHT HERSELF NERVOUS before, but being in Ransom’s bed now…she was drowning. He was so powerful, so in command of himself and his feelings. Dani had never felt that kind of assurance, whether for herself or in anyone else. It made her feel powerless yet protected all at once.

As Ransom knelt above her and peeled his shirt off, she thought of the night she’d met him. She’d born the fresh wounds of a breakup and had agreed to go out with her girlfriends because they’d said it would help her take her mind off it. It wasn’t a girl’s night though. No, they’d been on a mission. What better way to mend a broken heart than by getting revenge? And the best revenge was finding a man hotter and with more money than the asshat who’d broken her heart in the first place. Show him that she could and would do better.

So, even though it went against her better judgment and general character, she went along with it. Both of them having had numerous boyfriends, she figured they would know better than her what the best breakup remedy was.

Although she could have just as easily gone for a sleepover with ice cream, romance movies, and a late night of man-bashing.

Then she’d seen Ransom and suddenly, their advice made perfect sense. Her friend engaged him while she downed a couple glasses of liquid courage. Then, when the time came, she was left alone to make her move.

Until that night, Dani had always waited for men to come to her. But she’d been thrown into the deep end without a floaty and was expected to swim.

She’d almost chickened out, but then she’d noticed how glum the man seemed, his head bowed and his shoulders slumped, she felt the tug of familiarity pull her closer. Compelled by his melancholy, she’d introduced herself, got him talking, and went a step beyond by asking and then accepting his offer when he invited her to leave with him.

She’d traveled many new roads that night, only to end up on a familiar one, falling into her caregiving role naturally when it turned out that he needed her help more than her body.

Which, now that she lay sprawled beneath him with the prospect of more circling over her head, was a terrifying reality that she both longed for and wanted to run away from.

Ransom’s body was all kinds of provocative. Perfection wrapped up in one sinfully tight package. He had a runner’s body, all hard muscle, but not the bulky kind. Rangy, just the way she liked it. Couple that with his towering height and she felt incredibly small beside him. As if she could get lost in his arms. It was something she longed for more than anything.

She watched as he popped the button on his jeans, a crooked smile on his face as he teased the zipper down one tooth at a time, revealing inch after inch of bare skin, ending with a hint of dark, coarse hair.

Commando.

Her mouth instantly went dry.

“Your turn,” he said darkly as he leaned forward and began removing her clothing piece by agonizing piece until she was left in only her underwear and bra.

She was thankful for the foresight to wear her best lingerie, a matching set of emerald silk lined with lace, because the way the flimsy scraps of fabric held Ransom’s attention made her feel like the most beautiful and desirable woman on the planet.

“You’re so beautiful, Dani,” his deep voice rumbled as he traced a line down the center of her stomach and circled her belly button. “I hardly know where to start.”

The throbbing ache between her legs intensified as he traced lower, closing in on that central part of her that craved his touch, at the same time her temples pounded and her heart careened in her chest like a bird trying to escape its cage at the implications of what would happen next.

She bit her lip, torn between telling him to stop and waiting to see where he would go next.

Tucking a finger beneath the waistband of her panties, he stroked the sensitive skin just above her pubic bone, teasing and tantalizing her senses, turning her into a quivering mess.

Dani hardly knew what to do with herself.

“I’ve been thinking about this moment since the morning I woke up to find you in this room wearing my shirt.” The heat in his eyes flared, stealing her breath. “Tonight we’re going to pick up where we left off.”

His words were both ominous and thrilling. Dani smiled faintly, catching his attention. Concern flattened his expression.

“What’s wrong? Have you changed your mind?”

She didn’t know how to answer that. Was she sure she wanted to have sex with him? Yes, absolutely…but maybe not tonight? But her body was all kinds of twisted, yearning for more, feeling as if she’d burst if she didn’t get some kind of relief and soon. How could she deny herself the pleasure she so obviously thirsted for? How could she deny him when he was being so kind and patient and caring? When would she ever find a more perfect moment, one unimpeded by roommates and nosey neighbors and a hundred excuses that leaped up one after another like an internet pop-up window? All things that had occurred whenever she and Mark had come close to doing the deed. At some point, she’d begun to wonder if the universe was trying to warn her, and now she knew that had to be the case, because as soon as she’d told him she wanted to wait, he’d moved on without her.

Good riddance. She was so grateful she hadn’t slept with him because he didn’t deserve her or the gift of her body. She only regretted having wasted so much of her life on a hopeless cause. Which was what landed her in a bar on Halloween night in search of someone to help her banish those unwanted memories and affirm that she was worth
something
.

Then she’d found Ransom, and he’d been more than she ever could have anticipated. He made her revisit that time, compare and contrast, and she couldn’t come up with a single excuse not to be with him in the most carnal way two people could be together. Yes, he was broken. Yes, he came with baggage. But didn’t everyone? The man she saw hiding behind those fathomless dark eyes was more genuine, more spiritual, more honest, more manly, and more worthy than any man she’d ever come across.

If anyone was worthy of sharing her bed—or his, as it was—it was Ransom Scott.

“Will we…” She glanced away, regrouping, before meeting his gaze once more. “Will we still be friends…after?”

Falling down over top of her, Ransom’s hand fit between them, between her breasts, to cover her pounding heart. With tenderness in his eyes, he said, “You’re the most interesting, gentle, truly nice person I’ve ever met, Dani. I can pretty much guarantee that no matter what happens, I will always be your friend.”

It was hard to disguise true sincerity, and Ransom’s voice rang true with it, easing Dani’s worries and settling her mind. Slowly, her body caught up and began to relax, each muscle softening until all the fine tremors had been worked out completely.

Holding his steady gaze, she whispered, “Okay, let’s do it then.”

And his body rolled with laughter, shaking his shoulders and revealing all of his perfectly even, white teeth.

Puzzled by his reaction, Dani frowned, but Ransom just kissed it away. “You are an enigma, but I have a feeling I’m going to have fun trying to figure you out.”

“Then you should start now, while the evening’s still young.” While she still had some shred of courage left in her.

His brow crooked up at the challenge. “Any particular place you want me to start?” His hand shifted between them, covering her breast. “Here perhaps? Or here?” he asked, sliding south over her hip and between her legs, pressing against her cleft.

The shiver that tracked through her was from pleasure this time.

Threading her fingers through his thick, black hair, she pulled his head down instead of pushing him away. “Here,” she murmured, then lifted her head to glide her tongue inside his mouth, stealing a single, perfect kiss.

His moan of approval gave her incentive to deepen the kiss, to savor it. She had a lot of practice making out, and was glad for it now. Every little sound he uttered emboldened her to press further, to risk more.

Needing to feel more of his hot flesh against her, she began shoving at his pants, working them down his thighs. Due to her confining position and subsequent limited mobility, she wasn’t able to make much progress, but Ransom picked up where she left off, shucking the stiff material off and casting it to the floor.

Dani didn’t dare look down. She could feel the hard, long, thick part of him pressed against her most sensitive part. As if it spoke to her core, she felt her body quicken and flood with moisture in response.

“Feel what you do to me.” Ransom took her hand and pushed it between them, wrapping her fingers around his penis and squeezing. “I
ache
for you, Dani. Just the feel of your hand on me makes me want to come all over you.”

Oh my God
. Searing heat licked at every inch of her skin, making her blood pulse in her veins. She allowed him to guide her, pumping his shaft as he made sounds that only added fuel to her fire. As they stroked him together, she marveled at how something so hard could be so soft and smooth, like velvet in her palm.

And she was surprised to realize that she wanted more.

Restless energy threatened to consume her, and like any good lover, Ransom picked up on it right away.

Releasing her hand, he set to work divesting her of her undergarments. Once he had her bare, he sat back on his heels and looked his fill.

It took everything Dani had in her not to cover herself, so exposed she felt under his intent stare.

“I knew you were beautiful…” Ransom shook his head, and when he continued his thought, his tone was nothing short of reverent. “I’ve never seen a woman more perfect. You’re ravishing.”

“You speak like a poet,” Dani remarked, her fingers twitching with the need to hide. She’d never been on full display for anyone. The way Ransom viewed her was wonderfully intimidating.

“I spend my life talking about art, so when I find myself starting down at a living representation of it, how can I help but wax poetic?”

Oh hell, if he had started with that line, she would have skipped the pleasantries and ripped her own clothes off then thrown herself at his feet. Could he possibly be any more perfect?

“I need you to kiss me right now,” she confessed, her voice wobbly.

“It will be my pleasure.” Covering her with his body, Ransom took her mouth the way she imagined he would take her body: slow and languishing.

With no clothing left between them, there was nothing to keep his body from hers. Nothing to preserve her modesty…or her innocence.

As Ransom continued to lavish her with affection, Dani agonized over when and if to tell him her secret. The one she’d hidden from even her closest friends and had held close throughout every relationship to be sure she gave it away at the right time and to the right person.

Without breaking their connection, Ransom reached for the night table, pulling open the top drawer and retrieving a handful of condoms. Dani gulped as she watched him ready himself for her, tearing open the foil wrapper and reaching between them to roll it on.

Panicked inducing thoughts began to set in. Would he see her differently? Would he still want her if he knew? But even if she didn’t say the words, there was no way to keep him from finding out. So she had to come out with it before it was too late. Right?

The thick tip prodded her entrance, gliding through her slick heat and circling, dancing, pushing, and retreating. The pain of needing him so badly warred with her fear of never having ventured so far before, and in a brief moment of clarity Dani knew that it was exactly why the moment was right.

Such passion couldn’t be denied, and shouldn’t. Life was made for those wondrous and memorable first times, and this was exactly the kind she wanted to look back at and remember fondly. The kind she couldn’t possibly ever regret.

“Ransom,” she said, a plea in her voice. She had to tell him before things went any further. He had a right to decide if she was what he truly wanted for himself, just as she had decided he was what she wanted for her.

“Mmm,” he hummed into the side of her neck as he swirled his tongue over her raging pulse.

“Before we do this, there’s something you should know.”

That gave him pause. Lifting his head, his penis poised to enter her, he gave her a pensive look. “You’re not a man are you?”

Teasing her? At a time like this? A broad smile cracked across her face. This was exactly why she had to have him, if only to preserve her memory of having someone so utterly amazing to share such a momentous occasion with.

“No, I’m one hundred percent woman,” she assured him. Her smile faltered as she wrestled with her nerves. With a heavy breath, she decided to just spit it out. “I’m a virgin.”

“A virgin,” he questioned, doubt kitting his brows together.

“Yes.” She searched his eyes, looking for any sign that her confession changed anything. But he was as unreadable as a government contract.

His mouth opened, shut. Opened again. His gaze straying, then returning. “How is that possible? You’re so…”

“I’ve just never found the right person,” she offered, hoping to ease his obvious discomfort.

“But your boyfriend…”