Seduced (Surrender #3)(36)
Author: Melody Anne

“Invite me in, Ari…please?” he asked.

Her brain couldn’t process what he was saying. Invite him in? Where? She could barely even remember her first name, let alone where they were.

She gazed at him in confusion as she tried to clear the cobwebs from her brain.

“Let me pleasure you,” he said as his hands drifted up her back, then around her sides, where his thumbs rubbed across the edges of her br**sts, not quite touching her sensitive peaks.

There was a reason she needed to tell him no, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what it was.

“I see you want to finish this, Ari. Don’t be stubborn. Don’t let your pride leave us both hurting,” he said, his lips drifting along her neck, his hot breath deliciously inviting.

A horn sounded outside of the car, and it was just enough of a distraction to begin pulling her from her haze.

No. She couldn’t do this. Without a doubt, she’d regret it in the morning. Yes, her night would be passionate and her body fulfilled, but then her heart would begin breaking again, and she’d have to start the healing process all over.

Getting over a man like Rafe once had nearly destroyed her. She wouldn’t live through that kind of heartache twice.

Rafe sighed when he saw the determination begin to shine in her eyes, but to her complete surprise, he released her, then moved around her to open her door so she could exit on the sidewalk.

Stepping from the vehicle, he reached inside and took her hand, helping her out.

“I should just kiss you senseless and let your body decide,” he said as they reached the top of her steps.

She almost wished he would. Almost.

“Goodnight, Rafe.” She inserted the key in her door.

As the door swung open, Rafe gripped her arm, turning her. Her eyes wide, Ari waited for his next move.

“Sweet dreams, Ari,” he said. He leaned down and brushed his lips chastely across hers. Then he pulled back, placed his hand on her lower back and nudged her inside the door.

The door shut behind her. Ari went on autopilot as she locked it, then leaned against the solid wood and listened to Rafe’s retreating footsteps.

It took everything inside of her not to yank the door back open and call out to him.

Her game had backfired on her in a big way. He might be hurting, but she had a feeling that she was the one in much worse shape. She ached all over, and she knew the fire wasn’t going out any time in the near future.

Walking almost in a trance, Ari moved to her bathroom and drew a scalding hot bath. She’d simply try to burn the ache out. After an hour, she knew nothing was going to help. She certainly wasn’t going to attempt an ice bath. Leave that to the men.

Damn Rafe! He affected her whether he was dominating her or seducing her. She couldn’t seem to win either way.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lia

Lia woke up as sunlight began streaming in through the thin line of the waterfall, lighting up their tent.

After their lovemaking last night in the rain, Shane had lifted her in his arms, carried her inside, and gently set her down while he got their tent ready for bed. There, they’d made love again, slowly and long into the night.

It felt like coming home.

“Don’t try to pull away again.”

Lia turned her head to look into Shane’s worried eyes. He was drawing her na**d body close to his as he kissed her neck.

“I’m not going to.”

She could try to fight this all she wanted, but she was right where she wanted to be, so what would be the point?

She was in love with Shane. She always had been and always would be. Being without him took away a piece of her.

Fear that he would walk away tore at her, but Lia was tired of living in fear. She was ready to let it all go and just relax in his arms. Who knew what would happen when they got off this island? But for now, they had each other, and that was all that mattered.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said as she snuggled closer.

Surprisingly, her desire was tamped down. She was content just to lie there with him, feel the stroke of his hand on her flesh as she basked in the warmth filling her heart.

“Good. I was afraid you would retreat once you woke up. I need you, Lia, more than I can possibly ever describe.”

Oh, the rapture that his words aroused in her. They were the words she’d always wanted to hear coming from his lips. She needed him, too. She had for so long that she couldn’t remember a time she hadn’t needed him — wanted him — loved him.

“Why don’t you ever talk about your childhood, Shane?”

She felt him stiffen in her arms and worried that she’d crossed a line. He always closed up when anyone mentioned his past. All she knew was that he’d gone through hell. Neither he nor Rafe would say anything about it.

“It’s not worth speaking of,” he said as she felt him force himself to relax with a deep exhaling breath. He wasn’t able to fully unlock his muscles.

“I want to know you — know why the exterior that you present to the world is so tough, so untouchable. Please tell me,” she said, her fingers trailing across his back in a comforting way. If he could open up to her, then maybe they would have a real chance.

“You don’t want to know, Lia,” he warned her.

She could tell he wanted to speak to her, though. He needed to let it out.

“I honestly do, Shane. I want to know everything about you — the good and the bad. I promise not to ever judge. I promise to listen.”

“Do you want to know the ugly, too?”

“Everything, Shane.”

Shane hesitated as a deep sigh rose from his chest. When he began to speak, she was completely still.

“I didn’t have parents like yours, Lia. My father — well, he was…not a good man. Far from it.”

“What about your mom?”

“She was weak and pathetic. I hate to say that about my mother, but it’s true. The things she let happen to me were things a mother should never allow. She went through her own trauma, and I’m sorry for that, but she had a child to think about. If I had children, and I can’t imagine I will, I would never let someone hurt them the way that my father hurt me.”

There was so much pain in his voice, stiffness in his body. Lia wished she could take his pain away, erase the memories from his brain, and help him to heal. She did all she could, by running her fingers along his bare skin, by letting him know that she was right there with him, that no one would hurt him again.

“My mom was young and in love, bright-eyed with the world as her oyster. She was such a beautiful teenager, with dark hair and eyes, olive skin and a laugh that could bring a smile to the most wretched and the most irascible person. She met my father her junior year of high school, and she fell instantly and hopelessly in love, if you can call that love. He was twenty-one, and the typical bad boy. Driving up to their local hamburger shop, he’d taken one look at her and decided she would be his. She’d been flattered that such a handsome older guy took an instant interest in her. She’d followed him like a puppy dog, willing to do his bidding.”