“Please,” she whispered, her arms winding around his neck.
He paused, his breath coming in ragged pants. “I’m going to hurt you.”
Her body was on fire. His pulsing cock pressed against her pussy lips, his hard chest crushed her breasts, and every inch of her skin needed him to touch, bite, strike, scratch.
“Yes. Do it, Mick.”
He picked her up, and there was one brief moment when she was held, suspended, his gaze boring into hers, his mouth beautifully loose with unbridled lust. Then he impaled her—there was no other word for it—stabbing into her so hard and fast she couldn’t breathe.
Right away he began a hard, punishing stroke, his thick cock plunging into her over and over. Pleasure spiraled, pain soared: his big ramming cock, his fingernails digging into her ass as he moved her up and down on his heavy shaft as if she were nothing more than a doll. And all the while he growled like an animal sprung from its cage. He fucked her like an animal. Mindless. Primal. Heat and pleasure and pain.
Her nails dug into the back of his neck, and all she could do was hang on to him while sensation took her over completely. She was helpless against what he was doing to her. Helpless against the waves that threatened to drown her as she started to come.
“Yeah, baby . . . Ah, Christ, baby girl . . .”
The words turned into a low muttering, then a thunderous growl until he threw his head back and yelled, bucking into her so hard it shook her all over, her climax shattering her to the core, her mind reeling.
“Mick!”
Pleasure and pleasure and pleasure, drowning out the pain. She clung to him, helpless in his arms. Rendered helpless by this pure need for him. For whatever he wanted of her. She wanted him to ravage her just like this. Wanted to be flesh to his flesh, and nothing more. It felt pure to her in some way she would never be able to explain.
The beast had been unleashed. And met the wildness inside her. And it was perfect.
* * *
“HEY.”
They were still panting, her arms and legs wrapped around him so tightly he could feel her heart beating against his chest. He could feel the warmth of every luscious curve of this girl’s body. His girl.
They were covered in sweat. He could smell it, their pheromones seeming to blend together perfectly, the perfume of sex. And beneath it something metallic . . .
“Baby, you’re bleeding,” he said, bringing his hand up to see the red spots on his fingertips.
“Hmm, what?” she asked sleepily.
“My nails must have scratched you when I grabbed your ass.”
“No big deal. I liked it.”
“I know you did. But let’s get you cleaned up, baby girl.”
He picked her up and carried her, still wrapped around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder in a show of utter trust that made his chest ache.
“I’m going to need to put you down for a sec.”
He unwound her legs from his waist, then her arms from around his neck, and sat her on the edge of the old claw-footed bathtub while he ran hot water in the stall shower.
“Come on. I’ve got you,” he told her as he helped her to her feet, held her close against his side and took her into the shower, the water cascading over their bodies.
“Mick?”
“What is it, baby?”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Get ready to hear it a lot. ’Cause it’s true. I’ve got you, Allie girl. My girl.”
She laid a soft kiss on his chest, her hands slipping over his back under the hot water. She looked up at him, her gorgeous golden-brown eyes glowing, the pupils wide. Water tipped her black lashes.
“Am I, Mick? Am I your girl?”
“You know how this works. Safe, Sane and Consensual. Do you want to be mine? Do you want to belong to me?”
His heart was like a hammer in his chest. Why did this feel so important? But hell, nothing had ever been as important as Allie. That was what he’d been running from since he was eighteen years old.
“Only if you want me. Really want me, Mick. Do you?”
He bent and kissed her sweet mouth, her cheek, her forehead, pulled her hand to his lips and brushed kisses over her fingertips.
“Allie. My baby girl. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. And everything I ever will. God help me if I’m ever too stupid to see that again.”
She blinked up at him. “I’m a little spaced. Or maybe a lot. Can you tell me that again when I have my head on straight?”
“Until you get sick of hearing it.”
“I never will.”
He put his hands into her hair and kissed her long and hard, ignoring his split lip. Their tongues were wet, tangling, joining them together. Their arms were so tight around each other he could feel every bone in her lovely body.
His.
“Let me take care of you now,” he said, grabbing a big sea sponge, lathering it with soap, then turning her around so he could clean the small wounds left in her buttocks and hips. He ran the sponge over her skin and she sighed, pliant in his arms.
He’d never thought to see her like this, so completely submissive. So spent and loose and relaxed. He loved the fire in her. Loved her in this state even more because of that. He understood it meant more.
“Can you stand on your own, baby?”
“Yes.”
He took the sprayer wand and used it to wet her hair, then squeezed some shampoo into his palm and began to work it in.
“Oh, that’s nice,” she said, her voice a quiet sigh.
He massaged her scalp, working up a good lather before rinsing it out, then doing the same with the conditioner, working it through the ends of her long hair, then rinsing again.
She was waking up a bit more by then. She turned to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and he winced.
Her brows drew together. “Let me look.”
He turned around and she laughed. “Boy, did I scratch the hell out of your neck and shoulders.”
“Good girl,” he murmured, smiling to himself.
“The skin opened in a spot or two.”
“Just wash it off for me.”
She did as he asked with gentle hands, pausing to stand on her toes and kiss the sore skin.
No one had ever treated him this way. Hell, he wouldn’t have allowed it. But this was Allie. And he couldn’t help but show her every side of him. Driven animal. Sensual being. Man who loved her.
Fuck.
He did. He loved her. Always had. Still did. Always would.
But . . . it was too soon to tell her. They needed to spend some time simply being together. See where it took them. Get to know each other all over again, like they’d talked about.
They had all the time in the world now, didn’t they?
The water was growing cooler. He shut the shower off and reached out to grab a thick, white towel from the rack, pulled it into the shower with them and wrapped Allie up in it before he stepped out and found another rolled up in a basket on the floor for himself. He slung it around his waist, helped her step out onto the white bath mat and dried her carefully: her slender arms, her long legs, the sleek curve of her shoulders, the rounder curves of her beautiful breasts. She stood quietly, letting him do it while the steam wrapped around them, keeping them as warm as the soft New Orleans air.
He slipped the towel between her legs to dry her there and she pulled in a small, gasping breath. Their eyes met. She smiled, stood up on her toes to kiss him and reached down to grasp his cock in her hand. Two long strokes was all it took. He grew rock-hard in an instant, tearing the towel from his waist with one hand while with the other he drew her in tight. He grabbed her and sat her on the edge of the tiled counter and spread her thighs. Her legs wound around him.
“Yes, Mick. Come on.” She reached between them, taking his cock in her soft hand again, her fingers feathering over the head.