Read Online Staking His Claim by Lynda Chance - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lynda Chance
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feel earlier when he held her out by
the barn. She sucked in a small, shaky breath.
He pushed open a door and moved through the
threshold of what Elaina knew had to be his bedroom.
In this room, as in the kitchen, the
moonlight came in through the windows, illuminating the space
around them just enough to cast a sensuous spell between them.
He moved to the large bed that dominated the
room, and sat down on the side, bringing her between his spread
thighs. Her hands fell lightly to his shoulders and she felt his
tensile strength under her fingertips.
His palms began a smooth glide up and down
her body, going from the outside of her thighs, over her hips, to
the indent of her waist and back again. He dragged air deeply into
his lungs, breaking the silence of the night.
He made no move to deepen his caresses and
she stood in front of him, her body shivering softly as she waited
expectantly for his next move.
Her breathing fractured from his nearness as
she continued to wait. Helplessly, her body swayed toward his and
she put her lips against his ear and softly kissed him. His body
tightened against hers. The oxygen stalled in her lungs and she
asked, "Why aren't you doing anything?"
His hands gripped her hips more tightly and
the air hissed from his lungs. "I'm fighting myself," he answered
her with distinct mockery, cold sarcasm directed at himself. "As
you so eloquently reminded me, you're a virgin and I'm still too
damn old for you." He anchored her to him, his grasp restraining.
"I keep telling myself not to start this, not to start something
with you that you won't be able to handle." He sucked in a lungful
of oxygen. "But it's not working. I'm losing the fight. You're
standing sweet and compliant in my bedroom; I don't have the
strength to do what I know I damn well should." He pushed her away
from his body, but kept his fists manacled around her upper arms.
He focused on her eyes watching him in the darkness of the
room.
"Why the change of heart?" she asked
softly.
"It's not a change of heart. I haven't
changed my mind. I'm just trying to give you a fighting chance,
baby."
"What's got you so worried? You weren't
worried before."
He let out a sound of self-directed
criticism. "All I could think about before was that I couldn't have
you. Now I can and I'm worried you're gonna hate me
afterwards--hold it against me."
For the first time since she had known him,
he was showing her a side of himself that wasn't one hundred
percent confident. "Why? Why would I hate you?"
"Because I'm not giving you a choice. I'm
rushing you into bed--intimidating you to get what I want." He
sucked in a breath and his shoulders tightened under her hands.
"Tonight I learned you've been through hell and back. And right now
I'm finding out that I'm such a fucked-up bastard, that apparently,
I don't give a shit."
His hands clenched in a restraining hold that
spoke eloquently of his intent to proceed.
A tiny smile played around her mouth. "You're
not a fucked-up bastard. I had a choice and I made it. I'm here,
aren't I?"
"You keep thinking that, sweetheart. You keep
thinking you had a choice." He looked deeply in her eyes, gave her
a layered look filled with conflicting emotions. "I don't think you
understand how this is gonna play out. There's something about
you--something that makes me lose control. I haven't even had you
yet, but already I want the next time and the next time and the
next time after that. This shit isn't going to just go
away--you're addictive, baby."
"But you're saying that you're willing to let
me walk away right now? To drive me back to the house?"
His jaw clenched and his lips flattened into
a distinct snarl. "If I have to, yeah," the words rumbled from his
chest with menacing heat.
She ignored the threatening anger in his
voice and focused on the content of his answer as she continued to
beat the point home to him. "So you'd let me go if I thought it was
the right thing for me?"
" Yeah. I just said that."
the barn. She sucked in a small, shaky breath.
He pushed open a door and moved through the
threshold of what Elaina knew had to be his bedroom.
In this room, as in the kitchen, the
moonlight came in through the windows, illuminating the space
around them just enough to cast a sensuous spell between them.
He moved to the large bed that dominated the
room, and sat down on the side, bringing her between his spread
thighs. Her hands fell lightly to his shoulders and she felt his
tensile strength under her fingertips.
His palms began a smooth glide up and down
her body, going from the outside of her thighs, over her hips, to
the indent of her waist and back again. He dragged air deeply into
his lungs, breaking the silence of the night.
He made no move to deepen his caresses and
she stood in front of him, her body shivering softly as she waited
expectantly for his next move.
Her breathing fractured from his nearness as
she continued to wait. Helplessly, her body swayed toward his and
she put her lips against his ear and softly kissed him. His body
tightened against hers. The oxygen stalled in her lungs and she
asked, "Why aren't you doing anything?"
His hands gripped her hips more tightly and
the air hissed from his lungs. "I'm fighting myself," he answered
her with distinct mockery, cold sarcasm directed at himself. "As
you so eloquently reminded me, you're a virgin and I'm still too
damn old for you." He anchored her to him, his grasp restraining.
"I keep telling myself not to start this, not to start something
with you that you won't be able to handle." He sucked in a lungful
of oxygen. "But it's not working. I'm losing the fight. You're
standing sweet and compliant in my bedroom; I don't have the
strength to do what I know I damn well should." He pushed her away
from his body, but kept his fists manacled around her upper arms.
He focused on her eyes watching him in the darkness of the
room.
"Why the change of heart?" she asked
softly.
"It's not a change of heart. I haven't
changed my mind. I'm just trying to give you a fighting chance,
baby."
"What's got you so worried? You weren't
worried before."
He let out a sound of self-directed
criticism. "All I could think about before was that I couldn't have
you. Now I can and I'm worried you're gonna hate me
afterwards--hold it against me."
For the first time since she had known him,
he was showing her a side of himself that wasn't one hundred
percent confident. "Why? Why would I hate you?"
"Because I'm not giving you a choice. I'm
rushing you into bed--intimidating you to get what I want." He
sucked in a breath and his shoulders tightened under her hands.
"Tonight I learned you've been through hell and back. And right now
I'm finding out that I'm such a fucked-up bastard, that apparently,
I don't give a shit."
His hands clenched in a restraining hold that
spoke eloquently of his intent to proceed.
A tiny smile played around her mouth. "You're
not a fucked-up bastard. I had a choice and I made it. I'm here,
aren't I?"
"You keep thinking that, sweetheart. You keep
thinking you had a choice." He looked deeply in her eyes, gave her
a layered look filled with conflicting emotions. "I don't think you
understand how this is gonna play out. There's something about
you--something that makes me lose control. I haven't even had you
yet, but already I want the next time and the next time and the
next time after that. This shit isn't going to just go
away--you're addictive, baby."
"But you're saying that you're willing to let
me walk away right now? To drive me back to the house?"
His jaw clenched and his lips flattened into
a distinct snarl. "If I have to, yeah," the words rumbled from his
chest with menacing heat.
She ignored the threatening anger in his
voice and focused on the content of his answer as she continued to
beat the point home to him. "So you'd let me go if I thought it was
the right thing for me?"
" Yeah. I just said that."
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