Reyn's Redemption Read online

  Peering up at him, she studied the firm set of his face, his tight jaw. “Reyn?”

  “Yeah,” he answered huskily.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  He didn’t answer right away, instead drawing a slow, deep breath and grunting. “I’m thinking that it’s time to change the oil in my truck.”

  Not what she’d expected.

  “Really?”

  “Yep. That and trying to remember the preamble to the Constitution. Anything to get my mind off the fact that your leg is draped over mine and that you’re not wearing any panties.”

  Oh.

  How could he sound so matter-of-fact? Now that he’d called those details to her attention, she could barely breathe. She tried to move her leg off his, but the slide of her freshly shaved leg against his hairy thigh caused a delicious shiver to chase through her.

  “Stop movin’ around, Red. You’re killing’ me.”

  “Sorry.”

  He cleared his throat. “So what were you thinking about?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Try me.”

  She swallowed hard. “The fact that all my fantasies about you weren’t half as good as the real thing.”

  “You’ve…fantasized about me?” His voice sounded hoarse.

  She propped on an elbow to look down at him, giving him a lopsided grin. “Mmm-hmm. Ever since I saw that calendar picture, you’ve starred in many of my—”

  He mumbled a four-letter word on a sigh and closed his eyes.

  “Sorry,” she whispered. “You asked.” As she settled back in the crook of his arm, she placed a light kiss on his chest, intending to keep the contact brief, chaste. But his warm skin against her lips was better than anything she could imagine. She opened her mouth and kissed him again, tasting him with the tip of her tongue.

  Reyn moaned, a feral sound rumbling like thunder from his chest. She peeked up at his face, an apology on her lips. But before she could speak, he caught her chin, rolled on top of her and brought his mouth crashing down on hers. His kiss was deep and dark and dangerous. He ground his lips against hers with an urgency that kicked her pulse into a frantic rhythm. His teeth scraped hers, his mouth bruised hers, and his tongue plunged inside to tangle with her own. For long, shattering moments, he kissed her, being neither gentle nor polite. And she answered his need with her own desperate hunger.

  Finally he pulled away and fell back on the bed. He gulped in oxygen, his head sinking back in the pillow, and his eyes squeezed closed. She watched him while she fought to control her own fractured breathing. When he finally opened his eyes, his gaze was a smoldering, smoky gray. “If we’re gonna do this, we might as well do it right.”

  She blinked her confusion at his cryptic statement as he rolled away from her and climbed off the bed. Reyn crossed the room to the bureau and dug in the shaving kit sitting on top. Pulling out a small box, he ripped open the cardboard and extracted the contents. He tossed the handful of foil packs—condoms, she realized—onto the pillow by her head and threw the box in the trash.

  “Only twelve in the box.” He met her gaze with a hot, hard stare. “Think that’ll be enough?”

  A rush of heat washed through her, scalding her cheeks and tingling in her breasts. She drew a slow breath, searching for a retort that would mask her jangling nerves. She didn’t want him to know the intensity in his eyes caused a quiver in her gut.

  “Well,” she drawled. “I don’t know. I have more than twelve fantasies about you.”

  In the pale light from the window, she saw him hike up one eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”

  Holding her gaze, he hooked his thumbs in his waistband and stripped out of his shorts. The lighthearted quip she’d been forming died on her tongue. Every inch of him was resplendent male perfection. Corded muscle and sinewy strength. Wide shoulders and lean hips. Hard planes and harsh angles. And the expression in his eyes that said he knew how to use that body in ways she had never dreamed possible.

  He stalked toward the bed and stopped at the foot.

  “In any of your fantasies, did I ever…” he wrapped long fingers around her ankle and raised her leg, “…kiss you here?” His warm lips pressed against the curve of her instep while his thumb massaged the sole of her foot. She squirmed as a crackling bolt of desire raced through her, left her weak.

  He lifted a gaze that said he wanted an answer. She tried to speak but couldn’t find her voice. When she shook her head, he twisted his lips as if her response disappointed him.

  “What about here?” He slid his hand along her calf and dipped his head to kiss her behind the knee. Another flood of sweet sensation spun through her.

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Pity.” His lips ghosted over her inner thigh, and she tensed, her whole body humming, certain he was headed there.

  Instead he released her leg and moved over her, bunching the borrowed T-shirt up in his hands and stopping to dip his tongue in her navel. “Here?”

  Her belly filled with liquid fire. Her breath hitched.

  “M-maybe.”

  Splaying his large hands at her hips, he skimmed his fingers upward, past her waist, over her ribs, stopping when his fingertips grazed the bottom of her breasts. Her nipples beaded in anticipation, yearning for his touch, and a strangled sound of frustration vibrated in her throat.

  He raised his head and met her gaze. The corner of his mouth twitched, and amusement sparked in his eyes. “What is it, sweetheart? What do you want me to do?”

  She scowled at him, and his smug grin grew. With a quick, easy motion, he slid the shirt off her and bent his head to catch a nipple in his lips. He tugged gently, and pure pleasure exploded inside her. She whimpered and arched her back, offering herself and begging for more. He moved to the other nipple and teased it with his tongue.

  “Reyn.” She sank her fingers into his hair, holding his head at her breast, greedy for more of the sweet torture.

  When he looked up at her now, all teasing had disappeared from his eyes. “You like that, don’t you, Olivia?”

  She nodded.

  “Say it.”

  Licking her lips, she rasped, “Yes.”

  He moved higher, letting his body slide across hers with a slow sensual stroke. “What about this?” He nipped at the curve of her shoulder, the arch of her throat, then tugged her earlobe with his teeth. “Do you like that?”

  “Reyn,” she sobbed, her body trembling. The coil of arousal wound so tight inside her she thought she might burst. He’d barely touched her, yet he’d electrified every nerve ending, awakened every cell of her body.

  “In your fantasies,” he whispered, his breath hot in her ear, “do I ever do this?”

  Her heart thundered as he pressed butterfly kisses to the corner of her mouth, the bridge of her nose, her eyelids. His exquisite tenderness wrenched the tangled passion inside her in a new direction.

  “Oh God,” she breathed.

  “Because in the last few days, I’ve fantasized about kissing you all of those places…and a whole lot more.”

  When he gripped her shoulders, turned her onto her stomach, she felt limp. Her bones had become useless jelly, and her blood flowed like molten lava in her veins.

  Reyn’s fingertips skated over her back, then he stroked his hands over her bottom and squeezed. Something warm and wet touched the small of her back, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Feathering his tongue along her spine, he worked his way back to her nape, and kissed her with an open mouth, hot and hungry against her skin.

  “Please, Reyn…” she gasped. She was dying. Her body quaked and throbbed. She could barely breathe.

  He caught a lock of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “So beautiful,” he murmured, then plowed his hands deep in the damp tresses. “Your hair was the first thing that attracted me to you. I always was fascinated with fire…”

  She heard more in his statement than he probably intended, and with effort, she found the strength t
o roll onto her back and gaze up at him. He propped on one arm, hovering over her, then reached for her thigh with his free hand. Pulling her leg up, he settled in the cradle of her hips, nudging the center of her heat with his erection. She jerked at the intimate contact, and a fiery jolt shot through her.

  “Easy,” he crooned, sinking slowly against her, fitting his steely length intimately against her. “Kiss me.”

  He captured her lips with his, but he didn’t simply kiss her. He made love to her mouth with his lips and his tongue. When he rocked his hips against her, she rose to meet him, begging him to give her what his body promised. She ached for the fulfillment that was just beyond her reach. He covered her breast with his palm, rolled the straining peak between his finger and thumb.

  Then he was gone. Cool air replaced the heat of his body on hers. She whimpered her protest and blinked rapidly to clear her blurry vision. Beside her, Reyn ripped open a foil pack, sheathed himself and turned to face her.

  When he straddled her again, he gripped her chin and angled her head up, forcing her to look at him.

  His eyes were the color of storm clouds, dark and turbulent, and his gaze penetrated deep into her soul. He held her with that piercing stare as he entered her with a swift, sure stroke.

  Pleasure and pain roiled together as he filled her, and her head lolled back. A cry wrenched from her throat, and Reyn muffled the sob with a deep, plundering kiss. He laced their fingers and raised her arms over her head. For several seconds, he didn’t move, giving her a chance to accept his invasion.

  Finally, he pulled out. Slowly. When he glided back inside her, a low growl of satisfaction rumbled in his chest. She felt his groan as much as heard it. The vibration echoing through her body with ripple effect, spreading sweet sensation through her.

  He kept the tempo slow at first, milking every bit of pleasure from the friction of her body gripping his. She read the burden of his restraint in the tension tightening his jaw, the tremor of controlled power in his muscles, the lightning in his eyes.

  With a deft hand, he reached between her legs and rubbed her gently. Just a few strokes of his fingers sent her over the edge. She clung to him as she entered the maelstrom. Dizzying sensations and blinding light caught her up and battered her with wave after wave of pulsating bliss.

  With a roar, Reyn plunged deeper and shuddered as he joined her in release. He collapsed on top of her, panting and trembling. Or maybe she was the one shaking. Twined with his body, still filled by his heat, it was hard to tell where he began and she ended. He rested for a minute before he lifted his head to look down at her, his expression inscrutable. Sighing, he cradled her head between his hands and kissed her.

  Fiercely. Deeply. Thoroughly.

  Her heart took wing, and she knew she was lost.

  “Damn it.” His harsh tone startled her.

  “What?”

  His face was a mask of sincerity as he grumbled, “We only have eleven condoms left.”

  Relief bubbled from her in a laugh. “Damn.”

  He smiled at her then, and her heart nearly stopped. She loved him. She knew it for certain when he gazed at her like he was, with devotion and tenderness glowing from his eyes.

  “Wait here,” he told her and kissed the tip of her nose. Carefully disengaging himself from her, he crossed the floor to the bathroom, and she savored the view of her lover’s naked body.

  Her lover. A thrill swirled in her gut.

  She heard the water running and snuggled down in the sheets to rest, totally sated, and at the same time aching for more.

  Loving Reyn was a little bit scary. She still had a long way to go to get him to open his heart and soul to her, to share his deepest self with her. And he had an apartment, friends and a job in Atlanta that he’d return to in a matter of days. But the sexy fireman of her fantasies had managed to steal her heart.

  Olivia sighed and pushed the nagging thoughts aside, remiss to spoil the blissful moment. She’d worry later about the repercussions.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The squawk of a blue jay outside his bedroom window woke Reyn early the next morning. Though not particularly well rested, he felt more relaxed than he had in days. He squinted the morning into focus and discovered a fan of red hair under his cheek, his arm draped over a slim waist. Awareness brought him fully awake and fully aroused in the blink of an eye.

  Olivia. He’d made love to Olivia last night. Not just once but many times, in many ways, each time better than the last. Damn, just remembering made his body ache for her again.

  He forced the scintillating thoughts aside long enough to recall the events that had led her into his bedroom and had weakened his resolve to stay away from her. Wet clothes. Her tears. Her body trembling with fright.

  Someone had tried to kill her.

  Reflexively, his arm tightened around her, a protective response to the idea he’d almost lost her. He pulled her closer, snuggled his body behind hers so that her smooth, silky skin touched his from cheek to toe.

  With a sexy, contented purr, she roused, stretching her lithe body like a cat. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she flashed him a sleepy smile. “Mornin’.”

  “Hey.”

  She turned to face him, nestling against him and stroking a hand over his chest. “What time is it?”

  “Early.”

  “Good. Then there’s still time before I need to go.”

  “Go where?”

  She grunted as if the answer should be obvious. “To work, of course.”

  “Not today. Not with a killer after you.”

  She stiffened and raised her eyes to meet his. Her expression said everything she didn’t. For a short time, she’d forgotten the horror of the night before. And as much as the killer’s attempt on her life scared her, neither did she want to stay away from work. The conflict inside her played out on her face, and he shared her frustration.

  “I’m getting close to figuring this whole mess out. Until then I want you to stay here, where I can protect you.”

  She groaned. “As nice as it would be, staying here in bed with you all day, I won’t hide. I have a job, and I—”

  “Call in sick.”

  “Reyn, I—”

  He silenced her with a kiss. His intent had only been to distract her from her argument, but the minute his lips touched hers, he was lost. Heat slammed into him like a backdraft, knocking the breath from him, scorching him. His body remembered too well the incredible things they’d done together the night before, and he wanted more.

  Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, wove her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

  Sliding on top of her, he parted her lips with his tongue, and she welcomed him inside. Her legs twined around him, and his naked body pressed against her heat. Rational thought fled, and within seconds he drove himself home, sinking into her with a moan. He couldn’t get enough. Even as many times as they’d done this last night, he still needed more.

  He tried to move slowly, to be gentle, certain that she must be sore this morning. But she set a quicker pace, urging him on. In the early morning light, he watched her face, something the dark room had all but hidden from him last night. Her face was free of makeup, flushed with passion, beautiful. His.

  Oh God. He hadn’t had sex with her last night, he’d been branding her. Staking his claim to her. He was her first lover, and that honor filled him with a sense of pride and possession. The emotion that swelled in his chest sharpened his senses, heightened his pleasure, intensified every nuance of their joining.

  Sex had never been this good with any other woman. But he’d never made love to another woman as he had with Olivia. With every fiber of his being. With more than his body. With his whole heart and mind and soul. He wanted her again. He wanted her forever.

  And it scared the hell out of him.

  Coward.

  He pushed aside the taunt hissing at the edges of his mind and roared his satisfaction as he clim
axed. Thoroughly spent, he shifted as he sank back toward the bed so that he didn’t crush her. Exhausted but sated, he lay motionless, catching his breath, trying hard to ignore the little voice that wouldn’t be silenced.

  You can’t make her happy. You’ll let her down. You’re still a hopeless coward.

  Olivia’s fingers massaged his scalp then glided down his nape to his back. She sighed contentedly.

  “Wow,” she murmured. “What a way to start the day.”

  “Mmm.”

  She remained silent for another moment. The only sound in the stillness was the whisper of her breathing in his ear, the gentle patter of the continuous rain out his window.

  Then she stirred, pressed a light kiss to his cheek, and spoke. “I’m falling in love with you, Reyn.”

  His heart slammed against his ribs, and icy fingers clawed him inside. Every muscle tensed. Every nerve screamed.

  The demon cackled and sneered. Now what are you going to do, coward? She’s falling in love.

  Panic surged through him, seared him. He rolled away from her with a jerk, lurched off the bed. He needed distance. He needed to think. What had he done? He’d let his guard down. Let her get close. He’d slept with her, for crying out loud!

  “No,” he groaned, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes.

  Way to protect her, moron. Now you’ve set her up to be burned. Now she’ll be hurt. Now she’ll hate you when you prove yourself unworthy, when you fail her like you failed your mother.

  “Reyn? What—”

  “No.” He spun to face her, aimed an accusing finger. “I told you not to fall in love with me. I warned you not to get too close.”

  “I-I know, but…that was before last night. Before we made love.”

  He saw fear flicker in her eyes, and his chest tightened. He should have known, should have seen what was happening last night. He should have stopped before things went too far.

  Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t too late. If he could somehow undo some of the damage, break some of the bonds that had formed. He drew a shaky breath and growled, “We didn’t make love. We had sex. It was just sex.”