Shattered (The Protectors 11)

Except he didn’t. He just stood there, his thighs flush with the backs of mine, his groin brushing my ass. I straightened, fully expecting him to turn me around and kiss me. Maybe push me onto the bed.

Something.

Anything.

But his hands didn’t reach for me. He didn’t order me to my knees to suck him, he didn’t demand I bend over the bed.

And all that actually relaxed me.

I ended up being the one to make the first move.

By leaning back against him, trusting him to support my body. His clothes felt rough against my skin, which was tingling all over. He felt solid against my back and I loved that.

I had no clue how long we stood there before he finally did something.

He nuzzled my neck.

Just nuzzled it.

It was such a simple thing, but it felt so incredibly intimate. He’d warned me that he was aggressive when it came to sex, but I’d yet to see proof of that. Yes, he’d been demanding this morning, but not in the way I would have expected.

I felt a soft kiss press against my pulse, then another a little lower. More kisses trailed down my throat and then skimmed over my shoulder. He took his time kissing me like that. Every once in a while, he’d let his tongue taste my skin, but he didn’t demand anything. When I leaned more heavily against him, his hands came up to hold my waist. He kept up the butterfly kisses, even as his hands drifted down my hips. I expected him to pull my underwear down, but he didn’t. His hands didn’t stop their downward trajectory until they reached my thighs. He wrapped his hands around the outside of my legs so that his fingers were pressed along the insides of my thighs. I automatically widened my stance for him and pressed my ass against his groin. I could feel the hardness of his cock and an image of him bending me over right then and there flashed in my head.

I wanted it, but I couldn’t deny it frightened me too.

“Not going to go that far,” Jace murmured against my skin. “Just want to touch you, okay?”

I wasn’t surprised he’d sensed my fear.

I’d been counting on that when I’d started all this.

I nodded and was rewarded with him sucking gently on the spot where my shoulder met my collarbone.

Jace used his hands to hold me in place as he began bumping his hips against mine. I let out a little moan at how good it felt. When I lifted my arm so I could reach behind me and clasp his head, Jace sought out my mouth and kissed me deeply. His fingers bit into my thighs, but not painfully.

“God, Jace,” I whispered against his lips as my body lit up with heat. “I need…”

“What, baby?” Jace asked as he nibbled at my jawline. His hands came up to rest on my chest. He was still grinding his cock against my ass and I cursed the fact that there were so many layers of material between us.

“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly.

“Do you trust me, Caleb?”

I wanted to laugh at that. Did he really need me to answer that?

Was I even capable of answering it?

I twisted my fingers in his hair and held him in place as I kissed him. I plunged my tongue into his mouth. I liked how gentle he’d been with me up to that point, but I was ready for more.

“Say it,” Jace growled right before he kissed me back.

I knew then that even though he already knew that I trusted him, he liked hearing it.

He needed to hear it.

And I needed to give him what he needed.

“I trust you, Jace. Always.”

Chapter 13

Jace

I’d told myself this morning that I couldn’t touch him again. That I’d pushed him too hard and too fast. I’d only meant to kiss him after he’d told me he wanted to leave, but I wasn’t sure what insanity had been going through my head to make me think that one taste of him would be enough.

Sex was a means to an end for me. It was a way of feeling in control in those moments where the helplessness of my situation kicked in. It hadn’t always been that way, but since my sister had disappeared and I’d been completely powerless to do anything to help her, I’d taken all those emotions and poured them into meaningless encounters with complete strangers. I was always careful about the men I selected. I was fortunate enough that I could read people pretty well, and I’d used that to my advantage when I’d searched out compatible partners. It often only took a few carefully planned words to confirm a guy would meet my needs. I was demanding and forceful, even when I propositioned them. Those who were into it ended up beneath me, their bodies becoming nothing more than tools for me to work out some of my issues. And I alleviated my guilt by making sure they got off, sometimes even more than once.