His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(53)
Author: Shayla Black

Every muscle in her body grew taut. Bailey couldn’t breathe. Would he dare to just— She had her answer a moment later when he cradled her breast in his hand and feathered his thumb across her beaded nipple.

Her breath caught on a gasp.

“You’re aroused.” He didn’t even ask, just stated fact.

Oddly, Bailey was a bit relieved. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe not.” He shrugged. “But there it is. I want you. You want me.”

“I’m not ready for sex.” She shook her head.

Holy crap, did he think that barely twenty-four hours after he’d kidnapped her, she was going to just spread her legs and welcome him inside her body? She’d always been shy about that sort of thing. She’d had one fumbling lover back in high school. Intercourse had always been something she could take or leave. But already she knew Joaquin would be nothing like that.

He nodded. “I respect that. I understand it. It shouldn’t even be the first thing on our agenda right now.”

God, he’d finally thrown her a bone, and she was taking it. “Exactly.”

Joaquin leaned closer, and she could smell his woodsy, musky scent. It made her weak-kneed and somewhat dizzy, especially when he murmured in her ear. “But it doesn’t mean I’m not thinking it. It seems impossible for me to concentrate on much else when I’m around you.”

His words were like a touch right over her most sensitive spot. How could one sentence make her pussy throb? “We still have to figure out exactly who’s after me and how we’re going to stop them.”

“I’ve got a team working on that. I’m hoping we can run the sketch of ‘Uncle Robbie’ through some federal databases today and see if we get any hits. Until then, we need to deal with one another. I need you to be honest.”

“As it pertains to the fruit loop looking for me, I will. But I don’t see why I should have to confess whether or not you turned me on.”

“Well, if I wanted to force-feed you some reality, I might remind you that in life-or-death situations, our ability to trust in one another’s honesty might well determine whether we live to see another day.” He shrugged. “But I’m willing to admit that it’s about more. I like you. I want you. I intend to take you to bed. Not before you’re ready,” he assured her. “But I’ll make damn sure we get there.”

Who the hell did he think he was? “Do you push every woman you meet this hard?”

“No. It’s something about you. We share a high-voltage, almost chemical attraction. I’m not denying it.” He thumbed her nipple again. “Why are you?”

As a fresh flare of tingles filled her, Bailey jerked away. “I didn’t come here to screw, so get that out of your head.”

Joaquin dropped his hand and stepped back. Immediately, she missed the warmth of his touch. Her body ached. Her nipples tightened in distress at his loss.

His jaw firmed, and he didn’t look pleased. “I didn’t come here to screw, either. I came here to save your life and figure out who wants Tatiana Aslanov enough to leave a string of dead bodies. We’re still waiting on information from our investigation so we can solve the case. Until then, I don’t have much else to focus on beyond how much I want you.”

He’d been nothing but starkly honest. She’d been evading his questions and refusing to be completely honest. “Joaquin, can you understand this last day has been a lot for me to take in? I don’t know what’s going on half the time. I don’t know you. I don’t know my surroundings. I barely understand what happens inside these walls.”

Some of the steel left his stance. He stepped close again and held an arm out to her, motioning her to step into his embrace. Bailey needed his comfort and understanding too badly to refuse. Callie had been a lovely balm to her, a kindred spirit, not to mention a kind soul. But the other woman’s comfort didn’t soothe her the way Joaquin’s did.

Bailey stepped into his embrace and wrapped her arms around him. With a little sigh, she closed her eyes and rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. To others, it might seem stupid to look to him for comfort, but Joaquin was so solid—a protector. He’d risked so much to save her. While he’d been open with both himself and his desires, she had freaked out and clammed up. The realization made her feel more than a little ashamed.

He stroked a large hand down her hair. “I know this has been a lot for you. If there’d been more time, I would have convinced you more gently that you were a target and that you needed to come away with me for your safety. I regret that I scared you initially and that I didn’t stop to think about how difficult this must be for you. I’m sure being even remotely turned on by the guy who dragged you from your bed in the middle of the night seems foolish. You may even be berating yourself.”