“I’m not an enforcer. What did they do to you?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s your turn. How did you get here?”
If they were going to have a question and answer session it damn sure wasn’t going to be one-sided.
“I’ve known where you go at night for weeks.”
“That doesn’t explain how you got in.”
“It’s my turn,” he said with a shake of his head. “What did the enforcers do to you?”
Ravyn snapped her lips shut and stewed for a moment before accepting that she’d started this little game, so she had no choice but to play along. It was becoming more difficult to focus on either of their words with his arousal steadily pressing into her, staying still was almost becoming impossible.
She sighed, a little more from frustration than irritation that she was about to talk about something she’d never talked about with anyone other than Cree before.
“They stole money from me. Every month they came into my bookstore demanding payment for protection. They’re public servants who earn a salary based off my tax dollars. I didn’t owe them anything more. When they grew angry at my continued refusal, they burned my store down.” But not before beating the crap out of her and permanently injuring Cree.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. It was visible through the low-clipped beard, and her fingers moved again as she thought about touching him there.
“No. I’m definitely not an enforcer.” This was the third time he’d told her this, and still she had doubts. There was definitely something this guy wasn’t telling her, and at the same time there was no denying his body was making her feel things she hadn’t wanted to feel in a very long time.
“Then, what do you want with me? Why do you insist on following me talking about how you’re trying to protect me?”
“Because I am.” He turned his face away from her and cursed when he moved, pressing his erection against her panty-covered mound and then groaning.
Dammit, she felt like moaning too, but instead closed her eyes to the rush of sensation filling her body. It wasn’t a foreign sensation, because she was more than familiar with finding her own pleasure. But there’d never been a man who could give her this feeling. The only ones she’d ever had—four years ago—were in and out by her insistence. So, why this guy and why now? Maybe because he wasn’t like any man she’d ever known. Whether that was good or bad, the jury was still out.
Something wasn’t right here, outside of her not trusting everything he said. And it wasn’t just that he’d somehow managed to break into her private and supposedly secure location. No, it was more than that, something that had been simmering on a slow boil between them since the first day she’d noticed him.
“This is a, um, strange way of protecting me.” Her words were a low whisper, but that was okay since his face was only inches away from hers now. He’d leaned in closer after moving over her and she just lay there, not doing a damn thing to stop him.
His expression appeared tight, almost painful, as he held his body still over her. She wondered what he would do if she moved at this moment? How would it feel? Would they both combust? It was foolish and Ravyn didn’t tout herself as being a foolish person, but she’d never been in this position before. She’d never felt this aroused and had a hot guy between her legs at the same time.
“I’m gonna do better,” he said and then shook his head. “Damn! You’re so hot down there.”
He wasn’t lying. Her vulva felt swollen and the crotch of her panties were damp with all the essence that had dripped from her since he’d been on top of her. His voice sounded so tortured, but she didn’t know how to stop being aroused. She moved only the top half of her body, trying to inch away from him, but his knees trapped her lower body and the movement only succeeded in rubbing her throbbing juncture against the hard bulge in his jeans.
“If you don’t want to get fucked right here and now, I’d suggest you not do that again.”
“That’s not an option.” She had no idea when she’d made that decision or why, but the words tumbled out of her mouth without a second thought and now her body protested, with her nipples hardening to painful peaks and her thighs beginning to tremble.
“I’m going to move off of you,” he said, but his face was going lower, until his mouth was right at her ear. “It’s going to feel like I’m sliding over you, my dick easing over your pussy, but I’m gonna get up. I promise. And then we can finish talking about the dag—”
Before he could finish that last word his body was moving. It seemed of its own volition, because he cursed under his breath and she could swear she felt his arms tremble as he continued to lean most of his weight on them. Her legs spread a little wider. There wasn’t much room before they were bumping against his knees, but as they spread he eased down farther, groaning as the action pressed his erection farther between her legs. Encouraged, she wiggled her hands and almost smiled with glee when he released them.
With quick motions she brought her legs up to press against his groin and extended her arms forward to chop against both sides of his neck. That was supposed to send him reeling back in pain, at which time she would roll from beneath him and get to the dagger he’d so helpfully reminded her of, but it didn’t work out that way.
Steele was even faster than Ravyn thought she was. He moved his arms to wrap around her waist, rolling over onto his
