J.R. Ward the Black Dagger Brotherhood Novels 1-4 - J. R. Ward [251]
She was torn between wanting to thank God she hadn’t slept with him, and being pissed off that after all the women he’d done, he refused to have sex with her.
“How many?” she demanded, the words so hoarse they barely carried. “And tell me, was it good for you? I don’t have to ask whether they liked it. I know how talented you are.”
“Sweet…Mary,” he whispered. “If you’d let me hold you, I would. God, I would kill just to hold you right now.”
“You are never coming near me again. Now how many were there? Two? Four? A six-pack?”
“Do you really want the details?” His voice was soft, sad to the point of cracking. Abruptly his head dropped down and hung loosely from his neck. For all appearances, he looked like a ruined man. “I can’t…I’m not going out like that again. I’ll find another way.”
“Another way to get off?” she snapped. “You sure as hell won’t be sleeping with me, so are you thinking about using your hand, maybe?”
He took a deep breath. “That design. On my back? It’s part of me.”
“Whatever. I’m leaving here today.”
His head twisted toward her. “No, you aren’t.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’ll give you this room. You won’t have to see me. But you aren’t going anywhere.”
“How are you going to keep me from leaving? Lock me in here?”
“If that’s what it takes, yeah.”
She recoiled. “You can’t be serious.”
“When’s your next doctor’s appointment?”
“That is none of your business.”
“When?”
The hard anger in his voice cooled her temper down a little. “Ah…Wednesday.”
“I’ll make sure you get to that.”
She stared at him. “Why are you doing this to me?”
His shoulders rose and fell. “Because I love you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I love you.”
Mary’s control evaporated under a blast of fury so great she was rendered speechless. He loved her? He didn’t know her. And he’d been with another…Her outrage boiled over as she pictured him having sex with someone else.
Suddenly Rhage sprang off the bed and came at her, as if he felt her emotions and was energized by them.
“I know you’re angry, scared, hurting. Take it out on me, Mary.” He grabbed her waist to keep her from running, but didn’t stop her from trying to shove him away. “Use me to bear your pain. Let me feel it in my skin. Hit me if you have to, Mary.”
Damn her to hell, she was tempted to. Lashing out seemed like the only recourse for the kind of power surging through her body.
But she was not an animal. “No. Now let go of me!”
He took her wrist and she struggled against the hold, throwing her whole body into the fight until her shoulder felt like it was going to pop. Rhage stilled her easily and flipped her hand around so her rigid, curled fingertips faced him.
“Use me, Mary. Let me bear this for you.” With a flash of movement, he raked his chest with her nails and then clamped his palms on either side of her face.
“Make me bleed for you….” His mouth stroked against hers. “Let your anger go.”
God help her, she bit him. Right on his lower lip. She just sank her teeth into his flesh.
As something sinfully delicious hit her tongue, Rhage moaned with approval and pressed his body against hers. A buzz, like she’d had too much chocolate, hummed through her.
Mary cried out.
Horrified by what she’d done, scared of what she might do next, she fought to get away, but he held her in place, kissing her, telling her he loved her over and over again. The hard, hot length of his arousal pushed into her belly through the towel, and he rubbed himself against her, his body a sinuous, pumping promise of the sex she didn’t want, but needed until her insides were cramping.
She wanted him…even though she knew he’d fucked other women. Tonight.
“Oh, God…no…” She jerked her head to the side, but he caught her chin, bringing her back to center.
“Yes, Mary…” He