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Tonight was not the time.
Their tongues mated lazily. He was on his side with Bryn tucked to his chest. In this position, he could play with her breasts at will, could caress the inward slope of her waist, the seductive curve of her hip. One of her legs slid between his, and his heart punched in his rib cage.
The hunger blindsided him, not blunted at all by earlier release. “Bryn,” he said hoarsely, “let me take you.”
She spread her legs immediately. A rush of primordial exultation burned in his chest. He lost the ability to speak. Softer emotions were incinerated by his drive to find oblivion in her embrace.
He tried to remember her lack of experience, wanted to be careful with her, but his control had reached the breaking point. He thrust hard and deep, drawing groaning gasps from both of them. Her tight passage accepted him more easily this time, but still he saw her wince.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was raw, his arms quivering as he tried to still the unstoppable pendulum.
She lifted her hips, driving him a half inch deeper. “Don’t stop.” She whispered it, pleading, demanding. “I want it all.”
He snapped then, driving into her again and again, feeling the squeeze of her inner muscles as she climaxed, and still he couldn’t stop. Over and over, blind, lost to reason or will.
The end, when it came, was terrifying in its power. He’d built a life on control…on dominance. But in those last cataclysmic seconds, his body shuddered and quaked in a release that was like razor blades of sensation flooding his body as he emptied himself into hers. It went on forever. He lost who he was. He forgot where he was.
All he could see through a haze of exhaustion was Bryn.
Bryn was everything.
Nine
They made it back to the ranch before daybreak, but only barely. The storm had passed on, leaving only faint flashes of light in the distance. Bryn was boneless with exhaustion. Were it not for Trent’s strong arms surrounding her, she might have fallen from the horse.
The return was no mad gallop. The horse was tired, as well, and they made the trip at a slow amble. Bryn wanted to cry with the knowledge that their stolen moment in time was over. Tomorrow, in the harsh light of day, all the problems would still exist. Mac’s illness. Jesse’s tragedy. Allen’s paternity. The letters.
Just before they reached the barn, Bryn turned and buried her lips at Trent’s throat. She felt his heart beating in time with hers. Awkwardly, she curled one arm around his waist, wanting to hold on, craving one last moment of believing that he cared about her.
Perhaps some of his hostility had been erased for good. But she was under no illusions. Trent hadn’t said he believed her. Not yet.
He helped her down from the horse and held her close for several seconds before he bent his head and kissed her.
His voice was hoarse with fatigue. “Go get some sleep. I’ll see you later this morning.”
She knew he had to tend to the animal, but she felt rebuffed even so. Was that how it was going to be? Trent being his usual aloof, self-contained self, Bryn desperate for any scrap of affection he might offer. The picture that painted made her wince. She’d spent six years proving to herself that she was a strong woman who could put her life back in order. She couldn’t let her feelings for Trent make her lose sight of the fact that she was first and foremost Allen’s mother.
She had come here to secure her son’s future. And to care for Mac. What happened tonight changed nothing.
Trent recognized the watershed moment in his life. As much as it hurt, he had to admit that Jesse was not what he seemed. Trent’s baby brother had lied to, stolen from and hurt the one woman who had always been dear to the Sinclair family. The woman who above all deserved their support and protection. But Jesse wasn’t the only villain. By their cruel actions, Trent and Mac were partly to blame.
Mac had begun the process of reconciliation. It was up to Trent to carry it through.
He decided on the front porch as neutral ground. When Mac headed off for his usual post-lunch nap, Trent lingered for a heart-to-heart with Bryn. She seemed oblivious to the gravity of the moment, and followed him outside without question.
Trent took her wrist. “Sit down for a minute. I want to talk to you.”
