I stiffened. Definitely not what I’d expected her to say. Was that a good idea? She’d clearly done some serious thinking in the bathtub, but I couldn’t hide my surprise and concern. What if she lost control again and lashed out at him?
“Don’t look at me like that. I promise I’m not mad anymore.” She paused. “No, wait. Let me rephrase. I’m not mad athimanymore.”
“Sounds like you’ve given this some thought.” I draped my arm over her shoulders, and she snuggled against me, her wet hair making my body erupt in gooseflesh.
“It’s all I can think about now I’m thinking more clearly. My mindset has shifted.” She cleared her throat. “I understand my parents did bad things, and those bad things were leaking over into Presley Acres. They obviously wanted to cause problems. DoI think they deserved to die for it? No. But at the end of the day, if it hadn’t been Dominic or Nico, it would have been Castro.”
She lifted her head and seemed to stare right through me, as if she could see into the depths of my soul. “Castro always planned to kill my parents. It was inevitable as long as he was in the picture. He’s the enemy, not your father.”
Her words hung in the air between us. I opened my mouth to speak, but there weren’t enough words to describe the depth of emotions running through my mind.
Liza stared out the window, so I gently cupped her cheek and turned her face toward me.
I couldn’t believe fate had matched me with this incredible woman. After everything she’d learned about how her parents had died and my father’s involvement, she still found it in her heart to forgive him. I saw nothing but honesty in her eyes. This woman was fucking amazing.
At that moment, I couldn’t help but share my true feelings with her. “Liza, I love you.”
And I did love her, with every fiber of my being. Her willingness to forgive spoke volumes to the kind of person she was. She would be an incredible leader for the pack, and she was the only woman I could picture by my side. Forever.
Liza’s heart beat so loudly that I could hear it. Her pheromones assaulted my nose.
“What did you just say?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
I held her face with both hands, ensuring she could see the truth of the words in my eyes. “I love you, Liza Mims. More than you’ll ever know.”
I didn’t expect her to say it back, so I kissed her gently, stopping her from responding—ornotresponding.
She kissed me back passionately. After days of trying to help her relieve her stress, I decided an orgasm might just do the trick.
A spark ignited somewhere deep within me, sending shivers of pleasure through my body as my lips moved over hers.
I broke the kiss, searching her eyes for some sign of approval or understanding. Liza’s lips curled into a sultry grin before she crushed her mouth against mine again. My tongue flicked out to part her lips, seeking entry to duel with hers.
I pushed my hands into her damp hair, gripping the back of her head and pulling her down into the kiss. Her arms locked around my neck, pulling me closer still.
Without breaking the kiss, I lifted her onto me, nudging her thighs apart. She rubbed against my groin, needing the friction, and my cock hardened on command.
The heat building between us was excruciating. I had to control myself, or I’d embarrass myself and come in minutes like a horny teenager.
Trailing my fingers down her arm to her breast, I slipped my hand beneath her robe. Her nipple was hard and stiff as I brushed my thumbs over the pink peak. Liza moaned into my mouth, the sound of her desire arousing me even more. The kiss became urgent as I slid my hand down to the hem of her robe.
“Ty, baby… wait…” she pleaded when I reached for her thigh.
She took my wrist and slowly removed my hand from her body. I sighed as she pushed away from me and sat beside me. “Ty, I…”
I let her go. I could barely breathe, and the throbbing in my cock was unbearable. The air around me crackled with sexual tension. I wasn’t sure what had made her hesitate.
“Do you want me to stop?” I asked.
She sighed, her voice coming out in a whisper. “No, don’t stop. Just take it slower. I need this…” Her voice dropped evenlower as a flush of embarrassment crept up her face. “I feel like I need a huge release.”
A sly grin spread across my face. “It’s your lucky day. You’re in excellent hands, my love. I’ll give you exactly what you need. Always.”
I kissed her again, and she pulled me down on top of her, her hands reaching for my belt buckle.
I palmed her breast, caressing her nipple through the fabric. A swift tug at the belt of the robe, and she was gloriously naked before me. Liza shrugged the robe off her shoulders and down her arms, and I tossed it to the floor.
I kissed my way along her neck, nipping gently with my teeth, then lapping at the bite to ease the sting with my tongue. Her moans were my favorite song, and I continued my trail down from her collarbone to her breasts.
