Page 224 of Pumpkin Spice Promises

When I eventually sat on the edge of his bed, my fingers moved toward my prosthetic.

For the briefest moment, an old instinct surfaced and I looked at him. Three nights ago, removing it in front of Beau had felt like standing naked beneath a spotlight. Tonight, I wasn’t showing him anything. I was getting comfortable. The difference nearly made me cry.

I removed the prosthetic and set it beside his nightstand. Beau’s gaze met mine and the desire in his face didn’t change.

Neither did the tenderness.

I waited for the flicker of hesitation, that tiny shift I'd learned to recognize in a man's face when attraction gave way to something else. Curiosity. Discomfort. Sometimes pity.

Beau only held out his hand. “Come here, sweetheart,” he said gruffly, desire the only emotion swirling in his navy eyes.

My throat tightened as I swallowed the emotion burning it’s way up my throat. “You don't have to be careful with me.”

“I know.” His brow furrowed.

There was no speech about how beautiful I was. No promise that he didn't care. No pretending the leg sitting beside his nightstand wasn't there.

He still wanted me.

I slid my hand into his and let him pull me closer. My balance shifted without the prosthetic, and instinctively, I caught his shoulder, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt tense at my touch.

His hands settled at my waist, searing hot through the thin fabric of my dress. “Okay?” he asked.

I nodded and whispered, “Promise you won’t look at me differently?”

His expression softened. “Carson.” My name was a breathless groan from his lips. “I promise.”

Something moved across his face then, but it wasn't pity, it was understanding how much hurt I had carried all these years. He lifted my chin, forcing me to stare into his dark eyes.

“Watch me love you.” His fingers caught the hem of my dress as he eased us back against the bed. I wanted to get this part over with, I wanted to skip to the good part, the one where the man I was in love was on top of me, but Beau moved slowly, enjoying and savoring every moment.

For one ridiculous second, my heart hammered harder over that than it had when I'd taken off my leg.

I lifted my arms, encouraging him to keep lifting the dress higher, to fully expose me to his hungry gaze.

Beau drew the dress slowly over my body and then over my head before letting it fall beside the bed in a heap of rust colored material. His navy eyes darkened as they skimmed over my matching brown lace bra and thong, and his warm callused hands skated across my skin touching every bare inch of skin he could. I held my breath, waiting for him to close the inch of space between us, the need to feel his lips on mine overwhelming as desire blossomed throughout my body for him.

“Beau,” I whispered interrupting his perusal of my body. “I need you.”

He eased me back on the bed as a hungry glint darkened his eyes. His shirt was off a second later, and his jeans were in a pile beside my dress a moment after, which left him in a pair of black boxer briefs that molded to his muscular thighs from years of hard work. I couldn’t help but stare at the bugle that was at my eye level, excitement coursing through me as I realized this was really happening.

“You’re beautiful, sweetheart, every goddamn inch of you,” he murmured huskily as he eased himself on top of me, caging me between his strong arms. His hard cock rested between us, and I wished we had already stripped of every pesky piece of clothing so I could feel him.

He pushed his body against mine and finally kissed me. One of his hands moved, pushing up beneath one side of my bra, finding the softness of one of my breasts. He squeezed it, and I couldn’t stop my moan at his touch. I pulled away from his lips for a much-needed breath of air. Then I raised myself up enough to undo my bra from behind.

I pulled it off, and watched the hunger intensify in his eyes. The desire for me and all of me, plain as day.

Beau bent down to look at my breasts, and then he took one of my nipples into his hot mouthing, eliciting another moan from my lips. I pushed his boxer briefs down and grabbed hold of his cock. It was huge, and rock-hard. I began to jerk him off gently, wrapping my fingers around the soft skin as he groaned in approval. His lips pushed against my nipples harder, one after the other.

I felt one of his hands on my other breast, massaging it. That hand then left my breast and slid down my body, blazing a trail as his callused fingers touched my skin. Just as I was about to demand more, he was pushing into my panties. I felt his touch there, tentative yet confident, as the tips of his thick fingers teased my wet pussy, just grazing my clit.

He spread my pussy lips and pushed two thick fingers inside. I let out a slight cry of pleasure as his fingers moved up to my clit, pushing at it again and again. Driving me mad with desire.

His kisses moved down further, lingering on my tight abs until he reached my panties. Beau kissed me through them, causing me to writhe in pleasure beneath his strong body.

No one had ever touched me like this…

His teeth skimmed my skin as he bit the top of my panties. I tried to help him as he tugged them down my body, but he wouldn’t let me move.