“You’re the playboy of the trio, aren’t you?”
“That’s what I’ve been up until now,” he confessed. “No more. Not with you.”
God, everything he said was reaching into her and locking her heart to him. “Are those just lines you use on women? Do you just say anything that will get you into their beds?”
“Who cares what happened in the past, baby? I sure don’t. Yes, I was a man-whore, as my brothers like to call me, but I’m done with that.” Justin’s gaze mesmerized her. “I’m here. I want to get to know you more. I want to see where this goes. I think you would be good for me and for my brothers, Shelby. I also think we would be good for you, too.”
Hopeful shivers spread out through her. She welcomed them. Impossible. It won’t work. Can’t. But God, what if he’s right? “Say Alex and Brandon are willing to try the Wilde way. What then? I grew up believing I would fall in love with men who were willing to share me. You and your brothers grew up believing you would each have a woman who would be yours alone, right?”
He shrugged. “We grew up believing in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. Guess what? We changed. We learned. We can do the same when it comes to you and your dreams, Shelby.”
“I wish I could believe that as much as you do, Justin, but I know how this goes. Wilde girls are taught when we’re very young how the outside world works. If you were from another town like Wilde, where my kind of family is the norm or at least accepted by the community, it would be easy to hope. But you aren’t. Alex and Brandon are not.” Her heart dropped in her stomach. She was trembling, trying her best to keep her head, to trust her logic and keep her heart in check as she tried to convince him what must be. “Let’s say we start dating. Things rock along good for a while, but then what if Alex or Brandon wants to bring another woman into the mix? Hell, you might decide to do the same. Even if it seemed selfish of me, I could never stand for that. Next thing you know, it all blows up in all our faces. Can’t you see, Justin? What you propose won’t work. It can’t.”
The expression on his face was a mystery to her. It looked part pained and part confused. He didn’t say a word at first, which made her want to run to her room and shut the door just to get away. She’d confessed more to him than she’d ever done to anyone else. Justin knew about the video. Before now, she’d never told a soul about that, not even Jessie or Charly. Why had she opened up to him so easily?
Justin feathered his fingers on her cheek. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.”
“Is it?” Even though she was a trained submissive at The Masters’ Chambers, she’d been void of any real connection for such a long time. In truth, she’d given up on it altogether. The monthly munch at the club, and Friday and Saturday nights at TMC had been her life since the video. She couldn’t believe how wonderful he was being with her, perfect even. “This scares the hell out of me. You scare the hell out of me.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips tenderly to hers. She inhaled his scent of leather and wood and felt her heart skip several beats as the kiss turned more passion-filled, more possessive. His tongue didn’t wait for an invitation. It plowed into her demanding surrender. When he released her mouth, she tasted him on her lips—strong and masculine, the perfect combo to get her need ramping up even hotter and faster.
“Shelby, don’t be scared. Trust me. Everything is going to be okay. You’ll see.”
She was buzzing from his latest lusty kiss. “I want to believe you, Justin.”
“Then just do it,” he said in a tone that hinted of an even more dominant side to him than she’d seen so far.
Everything about him was disintegrating her. “Okay. I will. Please don’t let m
e down, cowboy.”
He smiled, and she blushed seeing the same blaze of attraction he’d shown for her at their first meeting. Could she be in love with him already after only meeting him the other day at the ground breaking? Maybe. It was certainly more than she’d felt for anyone ever before. Of the three Champions, Justin seemed to be the one who was quick to act, to pounce, to conquer. He’d inserted himself into her life without hesitation from the get-go and hadn’t let up. He certainly wasn’t letting up now as he moved his lips over her neck, creating a cluster of shivers inside her core. The more he licked her neck and moved his hands up and down the sides of her body, the more she let go of the vow that had held her heart safe. Bit by bit, her walls came down.
Could she have her dream, her real dream? She wanted a family, not like the outside expected for most, but one like she’d known her whole life. She and her siblings had been surrounded by such love. She’d let go of that hope some time ago. Was it safe for her to grab onto hope again? She might get the future she’d always dreamed of, a life with men who loved her and were willing to share her.
Alex Champion’s presence in Wilde had chipped away at her doubt. When Justin had gone back with her to her office to help her sort the bags, another round of chipping had occurred, but her wall had remained standing. After Alex had taken her to Elko on the most amazing date she’d ever been on, her wall began to crack. Making love to him had brought down some of the fortress that had been her heart’s protection, but still some of it remained. When Brandon had jumped in to keep her safe from Dirty Byrd, another section of wall crumbled into dust. And now, with Justin kissing her and caressing her with such passion, the whole invisible structure vanished, turning into nothing more than a faint memory.
She was open and vulnerable. All of her. Body, mind, and heart.
When he clasped her face with his fingers, he planted kisses and licks on her neck, tempting her even more. His hands left her face, moving down her front until he was cupping her breasts through her top and bra. Her nipples began to tingle in response, and she felt the craving grow inside her for the feel of his touch against her bare skin.
As if reading her mind, he helped her out of her cotton top, pulling it over her head. She looked into his dark eyes, which appeared dangerous and hungry to her, and squeezed her legs together, hoping to quell the pressure that was already building inside her as much as she could.
His lips curled into a gorgeous, wicked grin, and then he bent his head down onto her bra-covered breasts, suckling her through the fabric. Instinctively, she arched her back, pressing her chest into his greedy mouth.
“Fuck this bra,” he growled, and in a flash had it off of her. Then she watched him scan her upper half like an MRI machine. “My God, you have the most beautiful breasts I’ve ever seen, Shelby.” He cupped her mounds and then began massaging her gently. “Are you okay, baby?” he asked in a way that told her he was keeping his own desire reined in.
She nodded. What would happen when he unleashed all his hunger on her fully? A tremble rolled through her, imagining what that would be like.
Justin kissed her again, deeper and more demanding than before. She melded her body into his, pressing her bare breasts into his shirt which covered his rock-solid chest.
He ripped his mouth from her and stared straight into her eyes. Their gazes between each other never faltered. She held her breath, wondering how far she could go down this path. Something intense was happening here, something that was wrapping her up tight for him. She didn’t want to question it. Couldn’t even if she wanted to. She lowered her stare to his lips, the most beautiful lips she’d ever seen on a man in her entire life.
“Please, Justin. Kiss me again,” she begged.
“My pleasure, baby,” he said, his eyes darker and more dangerous than before. “But any more and I won’t stop. I’ve sampled you now. I’ve got to have all of you, Shelby.”
Trembling, she nodded, sending him her silent surrender.