Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel (9 page)

“There’s a reason he’s my ex.”

“Did he dump you because you wouldn’t sleep with him?”

His outrage, at least, gave her some reassurance. “I broke up with him,” she corrected him, feeling the need to set the record straight, “but only after finding out that he’d cheated on me, which I’ve already told you about, so…” she trailed off, feeling like a fool every time she revisited that moment in time.

“What an asshole. I’m not the best guy, but I would never do that to you.”

“I know.” Because Ransom had more integrity in his little finger than Mark had in his entire body.

“But I don’t think I’m the right man for this either, Dani,” he said, pulling away. Sitting back on his heels, her spread out like a sacrificial lamb before him, Ransom raked his hands through his hair, a tortured look on his face. “What you’re offering me is a gift, and you should save it for someone worthy of having it.”

“I am,” she assured him, sitting up to close the distance.

“I’m not the man for you,” he argued, sadness darkening his eyes. He moved to climb off the bed, but Dani snagged his arm to prevent him from running.

“You may not think much of yourself, Ransom Scott, but I do. You’re worth so much more than you give yourself credit for.”

“I’m an alcoholic.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Ever since their agreement was made, she hadn’t witnessed him consume a single drop of alcohol, and neither had she seen him struggle in its absence. She was beginning to wonder if it was more of a crutch than an actual problem. But he needed convincing before he could believe it himself. “The point is, I see who you really are. You care deeply about the people in your life, even when you’re estranged. You love deep too, even when it’s not returned. You’re a man who is loyal, and I’d venture to say it’s often to a fault, but all of that is why I am so attracted to you. And the way you see me…I have no words. But I like the way I feel when I’m with you. That’s why I know that, of anyone who’s passed through my life, you’re the one I want to share myself with. You’re the only one who’s worthy of having me.”

His entire body sagged back on his heels, and all Ransom could do was stare back at her in abject silence. She could no more tell what kind of thoughts were running through his head than she could predict the weather, but Dani held out hope that he would feel the truth in her words and see that she was right. He was worth everything to her, more than was probably safe, but she couldn’t prevent herself from feeling how she did.

“No one has ever said anything like that to me before.”

“Then you’ve been with the wrong women,” she said, repeating his words back to him.

“You sure about his? About me?”

Extending her hand, she cupped his jaw and guided him closer so there was nowhere left to look but into each other’s eyes. “I have never been more certain of anything in my life. Make love to me, Ransom. Teach me everything.”

Fire blazed to life behind those dark orbs an instant before his lids dropped and his big body shuddered. Planting his fists into the mattress beside her hips, he prowled forward, forcing her to lie back until he was, once again, looming above of her.

“You want me?”

“Yes.”

“Then show me. Take me in your hand and put me inside of you so neither of us ever forget who asked for this.”

Dani’s hand trembled as she did as he told her. Taking hold of him, she practiced stroking it just like he’d shown her, and he rewarded her. Grasping her jaw, he tilted her face up to his and took her mouth in a forceful kiss that caused a fresh rush of heat to flood south, saturating her lips and inner thighs.

“My cock wants in you,” Ransom growled, voice tight. “Show him where to go.”

God, did she ever want to, but her lack of experience was holding her up. What would it feel like? Would she enjoy it? “I…can’t.”

The sound of her small voice didn’t deter him. Instead, Ransom joined their hands once again, helping her place him at her sopping entrance. He showed her what he wanted, smoothing the thick, bulbous head through her creamy folds, circling her clit and drawing out approving gasps from both of them. Dani was a mass of sensation aching to be pleased by the time he fit himself against her opening.

“You’re so ready for me, baby. So wet and plump. You’ve got me so hard I’m going to have to work not to come as soon as I get inside you.”

His words made her so hot, she felt ready to combust.

“You ready?” he asked as he leaned down to take her breast in his hand and suck her nipple into his mouth. His hips rocked forward, the head breaching her entrance, and the foreign sensation coupled with her muscles stretching to accommodate him was overwhelming.

But she wasn’t about to turn back now. Not when everything in the world seemed to hinge on the precipice of this very moment.

With his engorged shaft still cradled in her palm and his hand still wrapped around hers to guide him, she met his gaze. Her voice sturdy, she said, “Make me yours.”

TEN

“MAKE ME YOURS.”

Ransom couldn’t stop hearing her soft plea as he edged his way inside her body. She was impossibly tight, hot, and wet. Perfect. He’d never felt anything like the snug embrace that Dani provided him. If this was what heaven felt like, then Ransom could die a happy man.

She was giving him something that she could never get back: her innocence. It was astonishing to him that anyone would waste such a prize, but it floored him that she thought enough of him to spend it on him.

His heart thudded almost painfully inside his chest as he watched her lie there beneath him, her body his to take, his to enjoy, to tease and pleasure and…love.

Her soft mewl was a cross between pleasure and pain. Bringing her legs up higher around his hips, he regretted that he had to be the one to hurt her, but he was selfish enough to keep going. She wanted him and he wanted her, and this was the price they had to pay to be together. Stomach dropping as she clenched around him, her hands gripping tight to his back, Ransom framed her head in his hands and pressed his lips to hers as he pushed the rest of the way inside.

Once he was fully seated, he waited, holding himself still to allow her time to get used to the feel of him. He wasn’t being arrogant, but he knew he wasn’t a small man, nor was he the gentlest. But he was trying. He couldn’t even imagine what it must be like for a petite woman like Dani to be impaled by something so hard and unforgiving, but given some time, she’d come to enjoy it.

He’d make damn sure of it.

Her body shook with fine tremors, a light sheen of sweat dotting her brow. Settling his forehead against hers, Ransom kissed the tip of her cute, upturned nose. “Okay?”

After a moment, her hand skated along his ribcage, coming to rest on his shoulder blade. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

Relief flooded him, and Ransom began to move, keeping his pace slow at first while he studied her face, watching for any signs of discomfort.

But she only met his gaze head on, holding her bottom lip between her teeth as her back arched and her hips rose to meet his increasing thrusts. Her sweet, delicate moans spurred him to go faster, dig deeper. Before he knew it, Ransom was pounding into her with abandon, craving every throaty sound she had to offer.

And she gave them willingly, freely.

Her body bounced and jiggled in all the right places as he took her hard and fast, and Ransom couldn’t resist leaning down to capture the creamy swell of her breast in his mouth and sucking the tiny rosebud nipple with the same ferocity he fucked her with.

She shouted as her pussy clamped down, milking his cock with each pulse of her orgasm. Releasing her breast, Ransom rose up on his hands and didn’t bother hiding his satisfied grin as he watched the remnants of her orgasm fade.

Dani was a delicate beauty, her heavy lidded eyes still molten, her body liquid fire as he took what she had left to give. He sunk down into her, pulling more saccharine noises from her bow-shaped lips, before feeling the familiar tingle take root in the base of his spine.

Grabbing her leg, he hooked it over his elbow, spreading her open wide, and fixed his gaze between their joined bodies to watch as he plunged deep. The erotic sight of her cream coating his dick was too much. Diving over the edge, Ransom shouted his release as his balls drew up tight and he came hard, spilling inside her with such force that it’d be a wonder if he didn’t tear right through the condom.

When the last drop of cum was spilled, Ransom collapsed, drained. His body stripped of every ounce of energy, he lay there with his face buried in the crook of Dani’s neck, her soft, flowery scent fresh in his nose as he tried to calm his racing heart.

The feel of her hands lightly stroking his back was incredible. Nurturing, as he’d come to see her. Of all the women he’d ever met, ever spent any time inside of—including Joe— Dani topped them all.

“Ransom, you’re crushing me,” she said, her voice strained.

Cursing, he gathered what little strength he had left and propped himself on his forearms, reluctant to leave the sublime cradle of her curvy little body. Words he’d never intended to utter flirted the edge of his tongue as he peered down at the woman who’d given him the most precious part of her. While he maintained that he was undeserving, it wasn’t something he could give back, nor would if he could.

Dani’s trust and faith in him was shockingly, extraordinarily overwhelming. And it was his undoing.

“You’re mine now, Dani. You’re the only woman I’ve ever allowed in my home, in this bed, and after tonight, you’re the last one I want in here.” He lifted her hand, flattening her palm over his heart. “I may not be any good for you, but you’re damn well perfect for me.”

Tears flooded her eyes, raising his concern.

“Are you okay? Was I too rough?”

He moved to leave her comforting embrace, but her arms cinched tight around his back, forcing him to stay. Shaking her head, she struggled to get a handle on her emotions, all the while Ransom worried that he’d done or said something wrong.

Had he taken her too hard? Had she changed her mind? Did she hate the idea of belonging to him? He didn’t know what he would do if he spilled his heart out only to have her run crying from his bed.

Because even though he promised her, no matter what, that they would remain friends, he wasn’t sure he could uphold his end of the deal. He knew once he’d had a taste of her, it would never be enough, and now he was facing the possibility that it
was
enough for
her
.

Taking a shuddering breath, Dani swiped a rogue tear from her cheek. “You w-were perfect. Everything was p-perfect. Better than I e-ever im-mag-ined,” she hiccupped.

Smoothing his thumbs across her reddened cheeks, Ransom snuggled up against her, uncertainty edging his voice. “Then what’s wrong, baby? Why are you upset?”

“I-I’m not,” she said, a bubble of laughter mixing with her hiccups. “I’m hap-py.”

“Okay…Then why are you crying?”

She rolled her eyes, as if he was completely obtuse for not understanding what she was trying to say. “I never thought…that you would want m-me.”

“Of course I want you.” Still lodged inside of her, he rocked his hips, his slowly thickening cock evidence of just how much that was true. “I think this speaks for itself, don’t you?”

“Your penis doesn’t count,” she argued with a huff. “Those things operate on pure instinct. But you…I had hoped, but I never thought…You really want me? For keeps?”

So that’s what she was all emotional about? “Yeah,” Ransom said, chuckling. “I want you, Dani. For keeps.” Then he moved inside her, demonstrating just how much he meant it.

***

DANI WOKE UP TO the feel of Ransom’s lips on the back of her neck. His soft touch tickled, making her giggle as she squirmed in his arms.

“What are you doing?”

Curling his arm between her breasts, his fingers took hold of her chin and tilted her head back to accept his kiss. “Good morning.”

“Mmm, morning already?” Dani asked with a sigh. Stretching her limbs, she felt the delicious stretch of sore muscles and smiled. Ransom had made love to her several times throughout the night. She’d no sooner fall asleep, happy and sated, when she’d feel him reach for her again, then slip into the cradle of her body.

He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, and she was glad for it. No one had ever made her feel so desirable and she could easily see spending every night of forever repeating the act. He was so good to her, too good.

He pecked her lips once more before rolling away, and Dani instantly missed him. “Go get cleaned up while I get started on breakfast.”

“You cook?”

Stepping into a pair of gray sweatpants, he shot her a devastating smile. “I clean too.” With a parting wink, he left the room.

Add too good to be true to the list. Dani laid back and stared at the ceiling and reviewed the previous night. Every touch, every caress, every impassioned word whispered between them came back to her with stunning clarity. She had really done it. She’d given herself to Ransom and, even better, he’d claimed her as his afterward.

She had never expected such an outcome, but she was over the moon because of it. So much so that she could hardly contain the giddy pleasure ricocheting around her insides, screaming to break free. So she unleashed her glee in the form of flailing arms and legs, throwing her head back and forth as she beat her limbs against the mattress and squealed with delight.

She couldn’t wait to tell Ashlyn how she’d spent her night!

“If you wanted to break the bed in some more, you should have called me. I’m game for another romp or two to get the blood flowing.”

“Ransom!” Dani shot upright, a furious blush burning up her throat and across her cheeks. She was probably red as a tomato, and Ransom’s glorious smile confirmed it. “I thought you were making breakfast.”

“I was, but then I heard what sounded like a herd of elephants in here and came to rescue you.”

“Oh!” Poo on him for making fun of her anyway. Grasping a pillow, she lobbed it at his head, withholding a smile at his smooth, throaty laughter. “I’m going to grab a shower.”

“Need someone to wash your back?” His brows waggled suggestively.

“Apparently, I just survived an elephant attack. That’s more than enough adrenaline for one day, don’t you think?”

“Just to be safe, I think I should at least stand watch.” Breaking away from the door, he prowled toward her with a feline grace that got her all hot and bothered.

That back scrubbing was sounding mighty fine all of a sudden. “Well,” she said, melting into his arms and allowing him to back her up into the bathroom, “I can’t argue with that logic. But I think it would be safer if you stayed close by.”

His eyes twinkled with mischief as he stepped into the tiled shower with her and cranked the water on. “Baby, I plan to be so far up in you, you’ll need the Jaws of Life to make me leave.”

She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, but if it meant feeling him move inside her again, it was a game she was more than eager to play.

Hitching her leg up around his hip, she reached down and boldly took him in her hand, then guided him to her entrance.

“Tell me again that I’m yours.”

Driving up into her, Ransom lifted her off her feet and pressed her back to the cold tile wall. “You’re mine, Daniella.”

“Again.”

“Mine. Every sexy inch of you belongs to me.” His thumb found her clit and plucked the tight bundle of nerves as he pounded inside her. “Now tell me who you belong to.”

“Oh, God, you! Ransom, I’m yours!” she shouted as she splintered apart.

“Fuck yeah, you are.” His orgasm followed on the heels of hers. At the last possible second, he jerked free of her warmth and took himself in hand, jerking his hard length and spurting hot jets of cum all over her stomach and thighs, bellowing his release so loud it echoed through the room.

The hiss of the shower filled the space, drowning out the noise of their thundering hearts as they held onto one another, struggling to control their breathing and the realization that there was no turning back now. One night of passion had invariably led to an unknown, intertwined future that neither of them had planned for, nor knew what to do with.

It left Dani in that strange in-between state of bliss and uncertainty, wondering when, if ever, Ransom would decide to break her heart.