Read Online Revenge by Meli Raine - Free Book Online Page B

a towel casually around his hips, held in place with one fisted hand. He’s dripping wet, a sheen of water on his muscled legs. The wetness makes the fine, coiled hair that covers his body darker.
    He really should be number one on my list of things to do.
    Bzzzz.
    “Damn,” Mark says in a huff, reaching for his phone. “All right, all right,” he mutters as he reads the text. “I get it, chief. I’m coming.” He walks to me, his body impossibly warm and lusciously wet.
    A kiss on the top of my head feels so chaste. So brotherly. So soul crushing.
    Ignoring my phone, I stand and reach for his towel, pulling it off. My palms go straight for his ass.
    “Carrie,” he groans, his own hands quick to find my still-bare breasts.
    Bzzz.
    Both our phones buzz in unison.

Chapter Nine
    “Fuck,” he mutters this time, padding away from me at a fast clip. I watch as his s u n-kissed skin and toned body leaves. He returns in uniform, his black shirt perfectly ironed, fingers buttoning their way up, shirttails untucked .
    “Who irons your shirts for you?” I ask as I pass him on my way to the bathroom.
    He answers by grabbing me around the waist. This time, there’s no kiss on the forehead. The lush contours of his lips, tongue and mouth make my knees weak. I know it’s a cliché, but clichés can be real. My legs buckle and he holds me upright, passion and desire flowing between us.  
    By the time he pulls away I’ve forgotten my own name.
    I’m completely nude and he’s fully dressed. The rasp of cloth against my bare skin is uniquely sensual, making me gently rub up and down against him as he caresses my cheek. He’s careful to avoid the bruised spot where I hit the concrete last night.  
    His eyes light up with amusement as he realizes what I’m doing.
    Bzzz.
    “Fuck!” he snaps.
    “You already said that. And we already did,” I joke.
    “We didn’t fuck.”
    “Yes, we did.”
    “Carrie, that wasn’t fucking. That was lovemaking.” His voice deepens, going serious.
    Oh, God. As if I need this. As if I need to want him even more.
    “Yes,” I say, my voice tremoring. “Yes, it was.”
    He kisses me, soft and sweet. “ And I want more of that. Fucking is nice, too, though,” he banters, eyes twinkling. “We’ll have to try both and see which one we like better.”  
    I smack his chest and laugh. “ I’m slowing you down for work.”  
    He s lap s my ass and turns away to fin is h dressing, then he reaches for me. His warm arms ground me, making me feel good again.  
    “Some delays are better than others,” he declares. He’s hard against my thigh. D esire plumes through me. Again? How can I feel so much lust in one long, rolling line of arousal?
    A cold wave of shame smacks into my knees. I shouldn’t feel any of this right now. Minnie, Amy....it’s too much.  
    He can tell.
    Mark gives me a touching look, then moves his hands to my shoulders. “I’m being inappropriate, aren’t I? I shouldn’t make passes at you, or joke at a time like this.” He lets out a small sigh, then looks out the window. Sunlight highlights the shiny blonde in his waves.
    “It’s gruesome. But when you work with gruesome stuff all day, the weeks and months and years go by and it all becomes part of li f e. If I can’t compartmentalize and put the violence and death into a locked room in my head, then I’ll go crazy.”
    His words make me reconsider everything I know.
    “ I understand,” I whisper. My stomach still burns with horror.  
    “I don’t think you do, Carrie.” I look up at him with wide eyes. “And that’s okay,” he says hurriedly. “No one understands it right away.” He swallows, hard. “My mom and grandfather thought they were removing me from a life filled with violence when they got me away from my biological father.” He grunts, the sound dismissive and filled with pain. “Didn’t really do much, now, did it? Took me years to realize I’m not a depraved human if I don’t