Slamming his lips down on hers, he ravished her mouth and began to rock inside her. At first he started out slow, allowing her to get accustomed to his size. Then he sped up, thrusting inside her with more force, needing to claim her, to brand her, to mark her as his. That way, every single step that she took, she’d remember who she belonged to.
Breaking from the kiss, he moved toward her pulse, biting down and sucking, and then he moved down to her nipples.
“Please, Bain,” she said, moaning his name. Staring into her eyes, he fucked her hard, and then stopped. She wasn’t just any woman. This was the woman he wanted, the woman he would protect.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” In fact, he finally felt like he was waking up, as if he had been doing nothing but sleeping all of his life. “Tell me that you want me.”
“I want you, Bain.”
Her words were all he needed to hear. He saw that she spoke the truth, even if he was the one to ask her to say those perfect words.
She squeezed his hand and frowned. “What’s happening?” she asked. “Bain, you’re crying.” Tears fell from his eyes, and he didn’t try to hide it. Never from Scarlett. She needed to see the real man he was.
Slowing his thrusts down, Bain did to Scarlett what he had never done to another woman. He made love to her and let her see parts of himself that he had never allowed another to see.
Chapter Seven
Scarlett twisted amongst the sheets, her body pleasantly sore. She remembered last night and couldn’t help but smile. Never in her life had she experienced such equal measures of passion and pleasure. Bain had satisfied her in ways she never knew possible.
By the time she peeked open her eyes, she realized Bain was gone. A moment of panic settled in her gut. She rushed into a sitting position so fast, a wave of dizziness caugh
t her off guard. “Bain!”
His large frame filled the doorway of the bathroom, a white towel around his waist and toothbrush in his mouth. “Yeah, babe?”
Her nerves eased the instant she saw him. The more she fell for Bain, the more she worried he’d be killed because of his line of work. She couldn’t lose him.
“Nothing.” She tugged the sheets up over her breasts. “Why are you up so early?”
“I have another job. It came in early, and I only have two days to prepare.” He disappeared back into the bathroom. She could hear the water flowing into the sink and then the clink of a razor against porcelain.
He was so casual about murder, but she knew he was a killer and still wanted him, so she couldn’t really complain. It just felt wrong. Scarlett wondered who the unlucky victim would be this time, and if he deserved what was coming to him or not.
Bain strode into the room, his rock-hard body not easy to ignore. She watched every muscle move and shift as he tugged on a pair of black jeans. He buttoned up and then sat on the edge of the bed with a fresh t-shirt in hand.
“There’s something we have to get done today,” he said. “This friend of yours, the one who knows you went to Semenov’s, I need her address.”
“What? No!”
He squeezed her thigh. “I didn’t say I was going to kill her. But she needs to be dealt with.”
“What does that mean, Bain? I told you I’d rather take her place if someone has to pay for something. She doesn’t deserve for anything bad to happen to her.”
“Look, my boss won’t stop until I clean shit up. I still don’t know what I’ll do about you, but I know for damn sure I can’t have that girl running her mouth,” he said. Bain slipped the t-shirt over his head, the cotton clinging to his muscles. “We need to find her so you can tell her you’re alive and well. Her life’s in your hands, so make sure you give her a convincing story. I need her to recant her police report.”
“I don’t need to give her a story. I want to be here. With you.” She touched his neck, tracing her finger along the intricate patterns. “If Lisa believes me, will everything be okay?”
“One thing at a time, sweetheart. You have fifteen minutes. I’ll be getting things ready downstairs.” He seemed all business again, the previous night’s vulnerabilities long forgotten. She didn’t want to lose that gentle side of him she was falling in love with.
When he stood, he held the side of her face and kissed her forehead. The single act erased all her misgivings. She exhaled as he left the room.
Scarlett washed up and dressed in the outfit Bain had bought for her last night. She didn’t have much else to wear. She wondered if she’d ever be able to go back home to her apartment to get her belongings. Then again, what did the future even hold for her? Did Bain expect her to move in with him? Was she supposed to go back to her old life at some point? She didn’t want to pretend none of this happened, to forget Bain and all the drama. He’d come into her life for a reason. She had to believe that.
By the time she went downstairs, he was filling a large black duffel bag with guns of all shapes and sizes. She froze, the reality of her situation hitting her hard.
“Why do we need those just to see Lisa? You said you wouldn’t hurt her.”