Stolen Life (Beauty in the Stolen 2)

I want to take care of her to mend what I’ve broken. I can’t fix the hurt I’ve caused in her heart, but I hope she’ll understand why I had to treat her like dirt. I deal with mean motherfuckers. I don’t want them to know how important Cas is to me. I don’t want to put her life at risk more than I already have.

A knock sounds on the door. Leon pushes it open with one hand, carrying a tray in the other.

“I brought her some tea,” he says.

I nod, signaling for him to enter.

He stirs three lumps of sugar into the tea and hands her the mug. “Here you go, Cas.”

“Um, thanks,” she says, giving the tea an uncertain look, like it may be poisoned.

Given how hostile Leon has been toward her, who can blame her? I know my younger brother, and I know what Cas has done tonight has earned his respect.

Leon shoots me a questioning look over Cas’s head.

I nod again to tell him she’s fine. Going down on my haunches in front of her, I drag a thumb over her knee. I’ve disinfected the cuts but left them open to heal faster. The fear of losing her, the terrifying knowledge of what could’ve happened, makes my voice thick. “Have you eaten?”

She shakes her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“I’ll get some soup,” Leon offers.

I give him a terse, grateful smile.

“How’s your heart?” I ask when he’s gone.

“Better,” she says. “How did your business meeting go?”

“Cas.” I hesitate, choosing my words carefully. I don’t want to drag her deeper into my shit, but she deserves an explanation. “The guy you met this morning, Oliver, is the owner of the casino on the Zambian side of the border.”

“I know. He launders your money. Shona told me.”

Straightening, I drag my hands over the silky strands of her doll-perfect hair. “Oliver is dangerous. Most of the people I deal with are dangerous. I don’t want them to know you mean something to me. It’ll put you at risk.”

She regards me with a pensive gaze. “Do I?”

I rub the strands of her hair between my fingers. The first time I saw her, I was dying to feel the silky texture. I was dying do this, to wrap her hair around my fist and reel her in for a kiss. Our mouths are only a hairbreadth apart, but maybe this isn’t the moment. It doesn’t prevent my cock from thickening. “Do you what?”

“Do I mean something to you?”

I don’t hesitate. “No.” I drag my gaze over her beautiful face, caressing every line with my eyes. “You mean everything.”

She needs that tea, but I need this more. I need to know she’s alive and safe. I take the cup from her hand and leave it on the side table. Pulling softly, I drag her closer by her hair and seal the truth with a kiss.

Like with every kiss, I part her lips and learn the contours of her mouth. Every kiss feels like our first kiss. I brace one hand on the backrest of the sofa and lean closer, inhaling the clean scent of her skin. She smells like me, like my brand of shower gel, but tonight I don’t want to wrap her up in my scent. I want her to smell like orange blossoms. I want her for who she is. Perfect. For me. She was made for me, for here, for this.

“I want you,” I say into the kiss, because I have to be sure she’s up for this after what she’s been through.

She wraps her arms around me and deepens the kiss. She makes me come undone in every possible way. She makes me weak, but she also makes me strong. She makes me a better person, and the man I want to be.

“Ian.”

A soft sigh leaves her lips. I flip us around, sitting down and dragging her over my lap with her thighs straddling mine. Holding her eyes, I pull the robe open, unwrapping her like a gift. She grips my boxers and moves them down to free my cock. Her fist is around me before I can bite out a groan. Her nipples graze my chest, the hard tips teasing my skin. I cup her head and claim her lips, letting her do the rest. I want to be gentle with her. I want her to have it at her pace.

I hiss when she slides a fist over my cock, catching the pre-cum at the crest to lubricate the length. While I’m eating her mouth like her lips are my favorite meal—which, after her pussy, they are—she aligns my cock with her slit and sinks down over me. The feeling is exquisite. Right.

Spreading my legs, I let her take me, use me, do whatever she likes. She slides up and down, gripping my knees behind her for support. The position arches her back and gives me a prime view of her perfect breasts.