Read Online Savin' Me by Alannah Lynne - Free Book Online Page B

boxes to the guest room, then they arranged the
living room furniture to take advantage of the exceptional view her
upstairs apartment had of the river.
    While Kat refolded and stacked the used
newspaper for recycling, Erik broke down the empty boxes and
carried them to the recycling container outside. When he returned,
he didn’t see Kat, so he followed the sounds coming from the back
of her apartment.
    As he approached the end of the dark hallway,
she burst from her bedroom, rounding the corner at a fast clip.
They collided, hard.
    He threw his arms around her waist to keep
her from stumbling back. In the process, every perfect curve and
dip of her body molded against his. The heat of her palms pressing
against his chest was like a sizzling brand, as she gasped to catch
her breath.
    “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t hear you
come back in. Are you all right?”
    No, he wasn’t even close to being all
right.
    Through the filtered light of the living
room, he watched her eyes go from wide with surprise to a
heavy-lidded forest green as he continued to hold her tight. With
each labored breath, his chest brushed against her breasts. His
palm rested on the small of her back, and he fought the need to
pull her tighter against his jerking, straining erection.
    “Fuck.” What was supposed to have been a
muttered curse came out sounding like a plea.
    Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. Her
body melted further into his, and the pulse in her neck fluttered
wildly.
    All the way to the dumpster and back he’d
lectured and coached himself like a parent would an unruly
teenager. Come in, make sure she didn’t need any more help, then
get the hell out before something like this happened. But right
now, primal instinct was in control, overpowering his good
intentions and his word, demanding he take what he wanted.
    He thrust his free hand through the hair at
the nape of her neck and yanked her head back, careful not to hurt
her, but forceful enough to let her know she wasn’t going anywhere.
Surprised by his aggression, her eyes snapped wide and her mouth
dropped open, giving him the access he craved. His assault on her
mouth was as ferocious as a lion attacking its prey.
    Rather than push him away, she accepted him
fully by wrapping her arms around his neck and dragging him even
closer. He backed her against the wall, wedged a knee between her
thighs, and with a feral growl, deepened the kiss even further
while she rode his knee.
    And it still wasn’t enough for either of
them.
    Their tongues clashed, twisting and tangling,
frantic for even deeper contact. His hand snaked up her side until
he reached the swell of her breasts. He used his thumb to tease her
taut nipple, and she arched her back, pressing her body more firmly
into his grasp.
    His heartbeat pounded in his ears as his body
stretched tight as a rubber band about to snap. He wanted to eat
her alive, and if he didn’t stop now—which was already way beyond
the promised boundaries—he wouldn’t stop until he’d stroked her,
eaten her, and buried himself in her warm, wet body.
    It was one of the hardest things he’d ever
done, but as his words—no touching—thumped inside his skull, he
forced himself to pull back and draw in a deep, shuddering
breath.
    Her eyes screamed don’t stop. But he
had to; this wasn’t right. He’d given his word that he’d behave,
and although he may have a reputation for being a lowlife
scoundrel, he always kept his word.
    Of course, when he made that promise he
hadn’t counted on extenuating circumstances making it impossible.
But he could still walk away at this point and not feel like a
total sack of shit. The look in her eyes, her response to his touch
all told him that one day soon he’d strip, lick, suck, and fuck her
senseless.
    But it wouldn’t be tonight.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice raw and
choppy. “When I made that promise, I hadn’t considered the
possibility of you literally falling into my