"It doesn't matter. He had no right."
"No, he didn't. But by then I just wanted out. I wanted him gone. Fortunately, he knew what was coming and he took off before I got the police involved. I got my divorce and got him away from me and the kids."
"Does Don know about this?"
"Oh, God no. Don would have killed him and I couldn't bear that. No matter what he did, he's still the father of my children. I wanted him gone, not dead. Only my mother knew what Cody had done. And once it was over and he had disappeared, I was okay. That's all I really wanted, was to get him away from us."
"Are you sure?"
"I got a restraining order. He can't come near me without being arrested. I haven't seen him for five years. He's supposed to pay child support. Believe me, he doesn't want to be found. He's out of our lives."
He brushed his fingers across her cheek, the gesture so gentle it made her want to cry. "But what about you?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you?"
"Mom paid for quite a few sessions with a rape counselor when she found out what Cody did to me. They helped. They helped a lot."
"That's good."
"And I don't have these panic attacks all that often. It's just that I haven't...been with anyone. I didn't know how I was going to react."
Mitch arched a brow. "You haven't been with anyone...in how long?"
She tipped her gaze to her lap, then back at him. "Since him."
He sighed again, then rubbed his fingers across his brow. "Fuck. I didn't know."
She laughed. "Of course you didn't know."
He shifted, then pulled out his phone. "I'll order the helicopter and we'll take you back home."
Her stomach fell to her feet. "What? Why?"
"Because I don't want to hurt you."
She took the phone out of his hands and set it down on the coffee table in front of them. "I don't want to go home, Mitch. I want to stay here and finish what we started."
He eyed her warily. "Greta. You don't have to do anything you're not ready for. You have nothing to prove."
"I'm not trying to prove anything. And I refuse to let him ruin me. What's done is in the past. It's been five years, Mitch. It's time I move on with my life. And I can't think of a better person to do that with. I trust you. You'll never hurt me like Cody did."
He lifted one strand of her hair and sifted his fingers through it. "No, Greta. I would never hurt you like that."
"Then don't end this night. Please."
He leaned in, pressed his lips to hers, a light, gentle kiss before pulling away.
"Are you sure this is what you want?"
Now it was her turn to lean in. "Yes." She kissed him, rimmed his bottom lip with her tongue, felt the warmth of his breath on her face. "You have no idea how much."
"You have to tell me every step of the way if it's too much for you."
She shuddered out a breath, knowing she'd made the right decision. "I will. Just make love to me, don't treat me like I'm fragile. I won't break, I promise."
Chapter Seven
Mitch stared at Greta, amazed. A woman who'd been through so much, had survived trauma and come through it so strong.
A few minutes ago she'd been in the throes of a hard, gut-wrenching panic attack.
Now, she was asking him to do the one thing to her that caused terror deep in her soul.
Part of him wanted to walk away, didn't want to be the one to hurt her like her ex-husband had. Another part of him craved to be the one to touch her, to show her that not all men were abusive assholes. Because he knew he could do it right. Someone else might not.
And she damn well deserved to have it done right.
God knows he wanted her, had since the first time he laid eyes on her at the motel. And it had nothing to do with wanting to romance the motel out from under her, and everything to do with the softness of her skin, the sweetness of her smile, the way she laughed, the way she made him feel.
He hadn't been this relaxed, hadn't enjoyed a woman's company this much in a long time. Greta was real. He knew more about her in two days than most women he spent months with. Why was that? Because they had a history together?
They really didn't have a history, though. His history was with her brother. That's who he'd been friends with all those years ago. Yet he knew a lot about Greta. And he wanted to know more.
He stood and held out his hand for her, helping her stand. "Steady on your feet now?"
She nodded. "I'm perfectly fine."
Yeah, she was, beautiful in her silver sparkly dress that showed off her curves and her shapely legs. And she'd worn her hair down tonight, all burnished auburn waves that had caught the light of the setting sun. He reached behind her and undid the clip at the top of her head, then tangled his fingers in those soft curls to bring her face close to his.
He paused, waiting. "You're sure."
"Yes."
"I'm going to undress you, touch you, taste you, fuck you. We're going to do this all night long. I'm going to make you come over and over again, Greta. But I will not hurt you. I know exactly what the word no means. Use it if you need to."
She shuddered a breath, her eyes glassy with passion. She nodded, then licked her lips.
He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. She had an amazing mouth, warm and inviting, her taste sweet. He wanted more, wanted it now, but he tempered his need, remembering that this was her first time after being treated badly by someone who should have cared for her. He was going to take things slow, starting with the kiss. He explored her lips, her tongue, letting her set the pace, letting her tongue dance with his, letting Greta see that she was going to be the one in control tonight. Because that's what she needed. And when she leaned against him, laid her hands on his shoulders, he stepped back, holding on to her hands to guide them both to the sofa. He sat, and let her fall softly on top of him, their lips still connected in a wild dance that made him hard and needy.
She broke the kiss, her lips wet and puffy, her hair in wild disarray. His cock twitched at the way she looked at him, her eyes targeted on his. She pulled off his tie and discarded it on the back of the sofa, then went for the buttons of his shirt, taking her time with each button until he was forced to clench his jaw. She had straddled his lap, her hot pussy in contact with his erection.
She knew it, too, and rocked against him as she undid the buttons, taking glances at his face every time she undid a button.
"You trying to torture me?" he asked.
"I'm torturing us both." Finished with the buttons, she pushed the shirt off his shoulders, pulling at the sleeves until the shirt was gone. Then she went for his belt. At least she was starting to pick up the pace. He was afraid he'd grind his teeth down to the pulp if she didn't hurry up. Once his belt was undone, she released the button
on his pants, then reached for the zipper, sliding down his legs so she could pull the zipper down. Her knuckles stroked his shaft as she drew the zipper open, and he groaned. Greta's gaze snapped to his and her lips lifted in a smile.
He reached for her hips and gently raised her to a standing position so he could drop his pants, then his boxers.
She stared at him, from his legs to his cock to his abs to his chest and finally back up at his face.
"You're magnificent," she said in a whisper.
"And you're still dressed."
She grinned. "I can fix that." She turned around. "With your help."
"Gladly." He drew her hair to the side, unable to resist planting a kiss at the nape of her neck. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo, something sweet and floral.
She shivered.
He drew the zipper of her dress down, and she pulled it off and let it drop to her feet, leaving her wearing only tiny black panties.
She turned slowly, and he sucked in a breath at how beautiful she was.
Not model thin or gym sculpted like so many of the women he dated. This woman was real, with full breasts, full hips, and fit from working for a living.
She cocked her head to the side. "I've had two children, Mitch. Be kind."
"I think you're gorgeous." He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him for a kiss, letting her know with his mouth and his tongue how very attractive he thought she was. She sighed against him, then whimpered when his erection slid between her legs to tease her panty-clad pussy.
The scent of her arousal filled the air around them, a heady scent that drove him to near insanity. He had to taste her, to touch her, to get her spread-eagled on his bed and show her that she could be pleasured without being hurt. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her through the living room and down the hall into his bedroom, leaving the light off. The drapes were open, the moon casting plenty of light on the room. He deposited her on the bed and went to the doors, opening them to let a breeze in, then came back to her.
"Scoot to this edge of the bed, babe."
She did, without hesitation, showing her trust. He liked that. He reached for her panties and she lifted her hips, allowing him to slide them down her legs and off.
Bare, she was beautiful, a tuft of curls covering the top of her sex. Otherwise, her clit and pussy lips were full and plump and glistening with the sweet cream he intended to lick from her. His balls tightened at the thought of everything he wanted to do with her tonight. It was the patience that was going to be difficult, especially when she leaned back on her elbows and stared up at him with a half smile, expectation and fear spread across her features.