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Reaction shuddered through him and he swore softly as he yanked her the rest of the way into his arms. She sunk her fingernails into the short hair at his nape and gave herself up to the pheromones rampaging through her system as his mouth captured hers.

* * *

To hell with Dario. To hell with being the good guy. To hell with doing the right thing.

Jared thrust his tongue into the recesses of her mouth, gathering her exquisite taste. He cradled her hips and notched the heavy weight of his erection against the junction of her thighs.

He had spent hours holed up in his office persuading himself this wasn’t going to happen again. That he couldn’t risk sinking deeper into this emotional minefield. That he’d be taking advantage of her fragility, her vulnerability and her inexperience if he took what she offered again. He’d worked late into the night, forcing himself to stay away from her. But as soon as he’d walked out onto the terrace and found the picture she’d painted of him—those damning scars etched on his forearms, the naked need in his eyes, the aggressive erection captured in bold, unapologetic brushstrokes—he’d known he was lost.

Somehow, this wild, reckless girl had seen past the facade of success and sophistication to the broken man beneath, and she wasn’t afraid of him.

She wrenched her mouth away, her body bowing back to increase the friction on her vulva. Her eager, artless response made the hunger claw at his insides.

She fumbled for his flies and her knuckles brushed the thick ridge which swelled and hardened in response. He sucked in a breath and captured her hand.

“Slow down, we’ve got all night.”

Lifting her palm to his lips, he pressed a kiss to the base of her thumb.

Her breath hitched. “You’re not going to change your mind?”

A gruff laugh rumbled out of his mouth, the surprised pleasure in her eyes humbling.

If only I had a choice.

He scooped her into his arms in answer to her question, enjoying her gasp as he carried her through the dark living room toward his bedroom.

They only had one more night. But, if they were going to do the wrong thing, he was going to make damn sure they did it right.

He made love to her as the moonlight glowed on her fragrant flesh, frantic and too fast at first, then slow and easy. He feasted on the soft sobs of her surrender as he brought her to peak countless times before finding his own release.

He held her afterward, their bodies still tangled together, the sweat drying on their skin and the musty scent of sex spicing the air as he listened to her breathing become slow and even. He should get up and carry her back to her own room, but his own limbs felt heavy and uncoordinated, too exhausted to move now the burning ache which had tortured him all day was finally satisfied. At least, for a little while.

She lay so trusting in his arms, her head nestled under his chin, her hand curled against his chest.

He tightened his arm around her slim shoulders. The unprecedented desire to wake up with her beside him in the morning scared him as his heart beat an erratic rhythm and he fought to keep his eyelids open.

CHAPTER NINE

KATIE WOKE IN the darkness dragged from dreams of heat and desire to the sound of deep, unearthly sobs. As her eyes adjusted to the silvery light, she saw Jared’s body curled in a fetal position beside her—his hands shielded his head, like a child trying to defend itself against a blow. It took her a moment to orientate herself and realize the heart-rending whimpers were coming from him.

“Jared?” She touched her fingertips to the bunched muscles of his shoulder. He flinched away from her touch. Sweat misted his clammy skin.

The whimpers turned to broken cries and her heart crashed into her throat as she made out the words he was muttering over and over again like a plea.

“Please stop... It hurts.”

She acted on instinct, not knowing whether it was the right thing to do, but knowing she had to do something. Grasping his shoulders, she pressed her lips to the rigid muscles of his spine, then banded her arms around his wide chest and leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

“Jared, it’s okay. You’re safe. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Violent shudders racked his body, the sweat dripping off him now and running in rivulets down the side of his face. She could see the pulse beating in his temple, hear the harsh rasps of his breathing and feel the screaming tension in the sinews of his arms as he wrestled with the nightmare.

Sympathy and compassion flooded her as he struggled with a terror so real and primal she couldn’t begin to imagine what horror might have caused it. The broken cries turned to heart-rending sobs, the violent shaking making it hard for her to hold on to his sweat-slicked skin. But she struggled with him, trying to soothe, trying to help him break free from the chains of memory, whispering the same reassurances again and again.

“It’s okay, Jared. I’m here. I’ll keep you safe. You can wake up now.”

He surfaced at last with a savage jerk and then stilled. His body went limp and she loosened her grip. They lay for a moment intertwined on the bed, his shoulders lifting and falling as he gulped in lungfuls of air, her hand pressed to his heart, absorbing the ferocious beating as it slowed.

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