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Approaching once again, he rubbed his fingertips down both arms, creating such a heated wave of tingles that the icy feeling in my blood was shoved aside.

We both remained quiet, not needing any words at this moment. My pussy was throbbing, and his cock was hard as a rock, the sensational feel of it pressing against my bottom entirely too incredible.

He pressed his face into the crook of my neck, his lips nibbling my skin. His heated breath alone was enough to provide a moment of steam. I wanted to laugh at the notion, but I couldn’t make a sound.

Every touch pulled me further into a beautiful wave of darkness, lust that refused to be satisfied. He slipped one arm around my waist, pulling me tightly against him as he’d done before, but there was a heightened meaning in what he was doing, his attempt at making me feel safe.

I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever truly feel safe again. Another wave of sadness threatened to derail the sweet, sultry moment but I refused to allow it, shifting my hips back and forth. The friction was breath-stealing, desire tearing through me like a tidal wave of energy. How could anything so wrong feel so very right?

As I closed my eyes, it seemed the electric sensations only increased, his breath becoming combustive, his needs skyrocketing. When he turned me around, cupping both sides of my face, I felt so small in his hands yet so comfortable in his hold.

“You are so beautiful, Selena. So perfect. I will never lose you. I will never let you go.”

I opened my eyes, able to see into the brutal man’s soul for the first time. There was a good man inside, the realization defying logic. But I sensed it. I felt it in my bones. He was protective of those he cared about, which I knew was more than just the woman standing bare in front of him. I suddenly wasn’t certain I could live without him.

His chest rose and fell as he rubbed his thumbs back and forth across my cheeks before rolling his hands over my shoulders to my buttocks. Without any hesitation, he lifted me into his arms, cradling me close as he walked us both into the shower, yanking the curtain behind him. As he made certain the stream of steamy water was splashing down over my head, I tipped it back, allowing the heated stream to cascade down the length of my body.

It was almost immediately soothing, but not nearly as much as the way he was touching me, as if I was a possession to be treasured. The thought was strangely fulfilling, pushing my lust to a level that couldn’t be denied.

Scattered moans slipped past my lips as I pressed my hands against his chest, lifting my gaze ever so slowly to his piercing eyes. “Make love to me, Joshua. Don’t let me go.”

“I already told you, baby. I never plan on letting you go. You belonged to me the moment you walked into that bar. And I always keep my promises.”

If he only knew what his possessive nature did to me, the sudden joy replacing the ugliness of the evening, the anger and fear. He lifted me off my feet just high enough that when I dipped my head near his, I felt strong and beautiful as he’d called me so many times. I wrapped my arms around his neck, taking gasping breaths as our lips almost touched.

Then there was no possibility of holding back, the hunger so overwhelming that I couldn’t think straight. I captured his mouth, holding our lips in place as he’d done before, longing to take the time for joyous exploration. This amazing moment might be all we had before we were ripped away from each other.

As his breath became more scattered, the powerful man issuing a series of growls, I shuddered in his hold, and it had nothing to do with being cold. He finally took control, dominating my lips and tongue. There was nothing like the feeling of being in his hold, knowing that he wouldn’t let me go or let anything happen to me.

I was allowed to be myself, free once again. I shifted my body back and forth as the kiss became an explosion of passion, pushing us both to the point of no return. The heat continued to build, the need skyrocketing, the moment of intimacy exactly what fantasies were made of.

His cock pulsed against me as he took his time exploring my mouth, sweeping his tongue back and forth. He kept us both under the stream of water, rubbing his hand up and down my back. We were almost as close as two people could be, yet I wanted him inside of me, filling me completely.

Joshua seemed to sense my need, breaking the kiss and dragging his tongue from one side of my jaw to the other. After nipping my lower lip, he brushed his mouth to my ear, sliding the tip into the shell before whispEricag, “I’m going to fuck you now, baby. You’re mine. All mine.”

I shouldn’t adore hearing his possessive words, but I did, so much so I shivered all over again as he licked down the side of my neck, issuing dark and dangerous-sounding growls. Hisheated breath mixed with the building steam, and I’d already gone from an icy chill to explosive fire burning brightly inside.

There was something about throwing back my head, opening my mouth and allowing water to slide inside that was invigorating, a reminder that I was very much alive. He kissed and licked my breasts, sucking one nipple then the other. The man knew exactly how to make me feel wanted, as if I was the only woman in the world for him.

Perhaps I was someone special in his life, but could we ever hope to share any level of commitment? The thought was ridiculous, something only fantasies were made of.

And Joshua James was no Prince Charming.

Yet at this moment, he’d become my everything.

Protector.

Lover.

Owner.

The thought was ridiculously delicious. He sucked for what seemed like endless seconds on my hardened bud before biting down. The flash of pain shouldn’t be so enjoyable, but it was powerful in its own right, as freeing as the feeling of having his cock buried deep inside my tight channel.

He rolled his hands down my stomach seconds later, taking his time and brushing the tips of his fingers over my bare mound before opening my legs. As soon as he slid one hand between them, he fingered my clit, flicking it back and forth ever so slowly. Within seconds, it was overly sensitive, which only served to increase my needs.

“Oh, you’re going to drive me crazy,” I managed, blinking several times as sparkling light flashed in my periphery of vision.

“Good. That’s what I plan on doing every single day.”

“For the rest of my life?” I rubbed my palm down his chest, struggling to be able to wrap my fingers around his cock but all I could do was tease him, drawing the tip of my middle and longest finger across his sensitive slit.

“Absolutely. You have no idea what I can do.”

His statement made me laugh. “I think I’m beginning to learn. I bet you even cook.”

“How did you know?”

“I sensed it.”

He rubbed his lips under one breast then the other, before lifting me from my feet. “You’re learning too many things about me. Slide my cock inside, baby. I need to feel your wet heat.”

I’d never liked when a man called me baby before now, but every time he said the tiny little word, I was thrilled, my pulse racing. Was this what they called true love or merely lust?

I did as I was told, pressing the tip past my swollen and aching folds. He had no plans on being any more patient than I was, rolling onto the balls of his feet and driving the entire length of his cock deep inside.

“Oh, my God.” I reached out, realizing I’d grabbed the shower curtain, yanking two of the hooks free from the bar. I couldn’t help but laugh, the moment surreal. I was fucking what most would consider the man of their dreams in my cramped shower.It was one of those moments I hoped to remember for a long time to come.

“You’re so fucking tight. Wet and hot. I love that about fucking you,cherie.” His accent seemed more pronounced, his voice husky and the words whispered. “And you’re a wild one.” Chuckling darkly, he glanced at the curtain, and I could swear he was debating yanking the rest down, which I’d kill him for. I wanted to keep the heat and steam, to bask and broil in his hold and under the steamy water for as long as the tank held out.

I was lightheaded, shifting against him. He pulled out, using the power of his thigh muscles to plunge into me several times. When he pressed me against the tile wall, I shivered audibly, fisting his long curls as he’d done to me time and time again. I tugged hard, exposing his neck and the powerful cords that had attracted me from day one.

His soft laugh continued before yanking one arm over my head, giving me a stern look when I didn’t want to give up the other, but he was impossible to refuse. After he wrapped one hand around both wrists, he held my gaze, studying me intently as he continued fucking me. Everything about the moment was entirely different, as if he was reminding me that I was his but there was more. As if we were becoming one.

I knew that was silly, another fantasy that wouldn’t be fulfilled, but it was comforting nonetheless. I was thrown by how sensational the vibrations were, more intense than before. I pressed my knees against his hips, taking shallow breaths as he took his time in making love to me, the electricity crackling to the point I could almost hear it. Or maybe I was still hearing the remnants of the storm, tree limbs hitting the house.

A sly smile curled across his lips as his actions became even more forceful, driving me into the wall, the thudding sound echoing in my ears. The man was going to push me to the point of no return, my body reacting almost violently to the series of red-hot sensations.

“You’re going to… make me… come,” I managed, licking my lips and tasting salty beads of perspiration from the explosive heat.

“Good. Then I’m going to do it all over again.”

“You’re so bad.”

“You crave the darkness.”

The sultry tone and gravel in his voice was even more of turn-on. All I could do was nod at that point, the whispers of a climax turning into a solid roar as vibrations took over. “Oh. Oh. Oh…” I tugged against his hold for no other reason than I wanted to touch him, but he was having none of it, holding me firmly in place. The orgasm ravaged my system much like the man was doing to my body, taking me to new heights of pleasure. If being lost in the passion was possible, then that’s exactly what was happening.

“Good girl. I love to see your face when you let go. You’re so fucking beautiful.”

I laughed, the powerful prickles of heat driving me into another wave that pushed me all the way into pure ecstasy. For a few seconds, there was no sound, no light, and nothing else that mattered. Only when I came down from the plateau did he begin to fuck me like the wild animal he was, his movements more jarring than before.

But dear God, I loved what he was doing to me, allowing my unbridled self to come out and play. He was relentless in his savage fucking, pounding my back against the tile. The steam was everywhere, filling the tub and bathroom, sweat pouring off the powerful man’s face. All I could think about was licking it off. It seemed he had something better in mind, crushing his mouth over mine, capturing every moan that rushed up from my throat.

He wouldn’t stop, the vibrations so intense that I couldn’t breathe, the kiss as if he was sucking all the air from my body. I wiggled in his hold until he finally let go of my arms, startling me as he switched positions, forcing us directly under the stream of water.

I sensed his muscles tensing and squeezed my muscles. Yet he continued, his stamina whipping me into a moment of pure exhaustion. Absolute elation.

And as he started to fill me with his seed, erupting deep inside, I realized that in falling hard for the monstrous man, I was losing part of my soul.

How long would it be until I lost my heart completely?