Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
MCKENNA
Something’s going on. I didn’t think Heat would be gone as long as he has, but it’s long enough for me to get my head straight once again.
I’ve paced his room, laid down, and even taken a shower. All of which didn’t ease the tension swarming inside me. Still, Heat hasn’t come back yet. He said he was going to talk to his brothers about what happened tonight. Does it seriously take hours to do that, though?
By the time he walks in the room, I’m more than nervous. It’s like everything between us has changed, and even the air around Heat when he closes the door behind him is electrified.
“I’ll be right out. I gotta jump in the shower real quick,” he says, and it’s then I notice the blood coating his hands.
It should freak me out seeing it, but it doesn’t. In a strange way, it sends a tendril of excitement throughout my body, straight down to my pussy.
“Okay,” I murmur, watching him walk across the room to the bathroom, not closing the door all the way.
The water cuts on, and I can see him partially stripping out of his clothes. A brazen thought comes to mind that has me scooting out of the bed, stripping off the shirt of his I’d stolen out of his dresser, and tossing it to the side.
I suck in a breath, gather my courage, and cross the room, slipping into the bathroom. Steam already fills the room heavily, fogging the mirror.
I don’t miss any of this, but my eyes are locked on the man in the shower. The glass separating us, having him on full display is a sight I never thought could be better without clothes on. But in truth, he’s the absolute best-looking man I’ve ever seen.
Water cascades down Heat’s muscular body, tracing every ridge and plane of his sculpted form.
My mouth goes dry watching the rivulets carve paths down his broad back, over his firm ass, and along his powerful thighs.
I’ve never been this bold before, but something about tonight—about the blood on his hands—has awakened something primal in me.
He hasn’t noticed me yet, his face tilted up into the spray, washing away the evidence of what he’d been doing tonight after he left me in here. I should feel guilty for invading his privacy, but I don’t. Not even a little bit.
Heat turns, his eyes finding mine through the steamy glass. For a moment, he looks surprised, but that quickly transforms into something darker, hungrier, taking in the sight of my naked body.
“Trouble,” he growls, that husky tone of his voice spurs me forward.
I join him in the shower. Heat moves back, giving me space, blocking the water from hitting me.
“Not a good idea, McKenna,” he says warningly.
“Why not?” I’m proud my voice doesn’t sound as nervous as I feel.
“‘Cause I won’t be gentle with you if you don’t get out of this shower. Now’s not the time, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.” His eyes are dark, dangerous, filled with a hunger I recognize because it’s clawing inside me too.
I step closer anyway, the spray of water catching my shoulder. “What if I don’t want gentle? What if I want you to hurt me?” I didn’t think he’d actually hurt me. Not really.
I might be a virgin, but I knew what sex was. I knew the first time would be uncomfortable. I also knew with Heat, it would be more than pleasurable.
Something shifts in his expression. The muscle in his jaw ticks as he fights against whatever’s raging inside him. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“I know exactly what I’m asking for.” My heart hammers against my ribs, but I don’t back down. “I saw the blood, Heat. I know what you are . . . what you do.”
His hand comes up, wet fingers tracing my jawline. “Baby, that doesn’t scare you?”
“It doesn’t,” I admit. “It should scare the daylights out of me, but I feel like I know you, Heat.”
The space between us crackles with tension. Water streams down between us, but it does nothing to cool the heat building between our bodies.
Heat yanks me to him and crashes his lips over mine.
His kiss is forceful, demanding, stealing my breath away as he backs me against the cold tile wall.
My body arches into his, the contrast of the cool surface against my back and his scorching hot skin against my front making me gasp.
He takes advantage, his tongue slipping past my lips, exploring my mouth with a possessiveness that makes my knees weak.
If he weren’t already holding me up, I’d fall.
“Last chance to back out,” he growls against my lips, his hands gripping my hips so tightly I know there will be bruises tomorrow. The thought thrills me. I want his bruises. I want to be able to look in the mirror and see his marks marring my flesh, reminding me of this.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I whisper, my voice trembling with need rather than fear.
Heat’s eyes darken impossibly more. In one swift movement, he lifts me, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. I can feel him, hard and ready against me, and a moan escapes my throat.
He shuts the water off and steps out of the shower, carrying me through the bathroom to the bed, where he lays me down in the center, our bodies drenching the sheets.
“You’ve no idea what you’re asking for, Trouble, but to make it clear, the moment I get inside you, it’s done. You’re mine. Forever.”
“Then it’s a good thing I want to be yours.” It’s the truth. The bond that connects us. Drives us together. It can’t be denied, and I don’t want to deny it. I want Heat. I need him. This brings us together that much more.
Water drips from Heat’s hair as he hovers over me. I wiggle beneath him, feeling his hardened state pressing at my entrance.
“Tell me you understand what this means, McKenna,” Heat demands through gritted teeth as he rubs the tip of his cock up against my clit. “You will be mine. There will be no changing of minds. Our fates will be sealed together.”
“I know exactly what it means, Rankin. I thought I made myself clear, considering I came to you nake . . .”
I don’t get to finish speaking when his mouth crashes down on mine once again, hungrier this time, more demanding. His free hand explores my body, leaving trails of fire wherever he touches. When his fingers find my breast, I arch into him, gasping against his mouth.
His touch sends electricity through my body, making my nipples harden against his palm. Heat’s mouth leaves mine, trailing hot kisses down my neck, and I tilt my head to give him better access. My body feels like it’s on fire, every nerve ending heightened and sensitive.
His rough touch on my sensitive skin sends ripples of pleasure through me. I’ve never felt anything like this before—this raw, overwhelming need. His weight on top of me feels right, like he was meant to be here, between my thighs, claiming me.
“I can feel how hot and wet you are already, Trouble,” Heat whispers against my neck, his breath hot against my skin. “You have no clue how hard it’s been over the last days, to not take you as I’ve wanted to. It’s taken all my effort not to fuck you.”
I shiver as his teeth graze my pulse point. “No more waiting. Fuck me, Rankin. Take what’s yours.”
He pulls back slightly, his eyes searching mine. Even in this moment of passion, I can see him checking, making sure this is what I want. It only makes me want him more.
“It’s going to hurt, McKenna. I don’t have it in me to be gentle with you. Not now,” he warns, positioning himself, teasing my entrance with the head of his cock.
“I don’t care.” I don’t. Whatever pain comes with this moment will be worth it to finally have this man inside me.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he growls, dipping his head back down, his teeth grazing over my shoulder.
I run my fingers through his wet hair, tugging slightly when he sucks a mark right where I know will be visible to anyone who looks. The pain blends with pleasure in a way I never expected, making me whimper.
“Heat,” I gasp as he thrusts deep, breaking through the barrier, filling me full of him in one swift move.
Heat stills and lifts his head. “What the fuck?”
“Um, I probably should have told you.” I stare up into his heated, hungry eyes.
“You should have.” He growls. “Trouble, you damn well should have told me that you’ve never had a man inside you before.”
“I didn’t think to tell you.”
I shift beneath him, adjusting to the size of him inside me. I thought it would hurt. That it would be painful, but in truth, having him fill me as he is, it’s exhilarating. “Will you please fuck me now?”
“You’re gonna pay for not telling me, baby.” The coarse tone, gravelly and deeper than I’ve heard before.
Heat moves, pulls back until he’s almost completely withdrawn before thrusting back in, filling me so completely that I cry out. The initial feeling of pleasurable pain is already fading, replaced by waves of pleasure I’ve never experienced before.
“Fuck, baby, you’re so tight. Feels so damn good, the way your pussy is squeezing my cock,” he groans, his rhythm steady but unforgiving. “Should’ve known you were untouched. Should’ve taken my time with you. Should’ve gone with my instincts and told you to wait.”
I wrap my legs tighter around his waist, drawing him deeper. “We have time for slow later.” I gasp as he hits a spot inside me that makes stars explode behind my eyelids. “Right now, I need this.”
Heat’s mouth finds mine again, swallowing my moans as he pounds into me relentlessly, his thrusts nearly punishingly hard.
His hands seem to be everywhere—gripping my hips, tangling in my hair, squeezing my breasts.
I’m overwhelmed by sensations, my body responding to his every touch like it was made for him.
In a way, I was. The fates saw to it. The first time he kissed me, we both knew the truth. Only for days we’ve ignored it.
At least it wasn’t weeks, months, or years.
“That’s it, baby,” Heat growls against my neck. “Take all of me. Take my cock like a good girl.”
I dig my nails into his shoulders, leaving crescent marks on his skin. The feeling of him moving inside me is overwhelming, my body stretching to accommodate him. I’m drowning in sensation, every nerve ending alive and singing.
“Heat,” I whimper, feeling myself tightening around him. “Something’s happening—”
“Let go, Trouble. I’ve got you,” he commands, his voice rough as he drives into me harder. “Come for me. Come all over me.”
The tension snaps, pleasure exploding through my body in waves that make me cry and claw at Heat’s shoulders, breaking skin.
Heat’s growl is primal as I feel him tense above me, his own release triggered by my body’s reaction.
He bites down on my shoulder—hard enough to leave a mark but not break skin—as he empties himself inside me, his hips jerking with each pulse.
The sensation of him filling me sends another wave of pleasure rippling through my body.
“Fuck,” he pants against my neck, his weight pressing me into the mattress. I don’t mind. I want to feel every inch of him against me, on me, in me.
We stay this way for several minutes, our breathing gradually slowing, our bodies still connected. It’s something I’ll never forget.
Heat finally lifts his head, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that makes my heart skip.
“You should have told me, McKenna,” he says, brushing wet strands of hair from my face. His voice is gentler now, but there’s still an edge to it. “I hurt you.”
“I wanted you to hurt me,” I whisper, still holding onto him for dear life. “Everything we just did, I wanted. More than you could ever imagine.”
Heat studies me for a long moment, his eyes scanning my face as if searching for any sign of regret. When he finds none, his expression softens slightly, though that dangerous edge never fully disappears.
“You’re something else, you know that?” He rolls to his side, taking me with him so we’re facing each other, still intimately connected. I can feel him softening inside me, but he makes no move to withdraw. “You’re unlike anyone else, McKenna.”
I trace my fingers over his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart beneath my palm. “What can I say, I like being different from others.”
“No shit.” He chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest. “You sure you’re good with what just happened? There’s no going back now.”
“More than sure.” I give him a beaming smile. “Question is, are you?”
“Damn right, Trouble, you’re mine. I ain’t ever letting you go.”