Page 35 of Brant
"I want clarification," she corrected him. "You did me a tremendous favor, and seeing that actress getting in my face reminded me that I'm stopping you from-" She swallowed. "Or maybe I've not stopped you at all. If you want to be with someone-"
"I don't," he said it so swiftly that it had her staring at him. "Look," he continued. "I don't want to be with someone else."
"What do you want?" she whispered, not daring to hope that it was her, that he wanted to be with her.
"I'm attracted to you. I came back early to have a talk and found you in pain, and it flew out of my head."
"Spell it out for me," she demanded.
"I'm attracted to you." He dragged restless fingers through his already tousled hair. "I came back to tell you that I think we should have a go at this marriage thing for real."
"Do you still feel that way?"
"Yes." His eyes met hers. "What about you?"
She lifted her hands, palms out. "I am defective."
"What?"
"You heard what I told the doctor. I might not be able to have kids-" She swallowed a larger lump. "That's the reason, or part of the reason, I wasn't in a relationship for a long time."
"Define long."
"More than two years."
His brows lifted. "That's a damn long time."
"Yes." She fidgeted with the throw blanket and avoided his eyes. "You're Brant O'Keefe, and you're going to want an heir or two. I'm not a sure bet. We should stick to the arrangement."
He took her chin in his hand, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Is that what you want?"
"No," she admitted, after struggling to figure out if she wanted to lie. "But what I want is irrelevant. I should be thinking about youand what you want. You were forced to marry me because you're kind and good and you felt sorry for me-"
"Stop that," he ordered. "I'm not kind and compassionate. I'm selfish, and I felt sympathy for your plight. I don't pity you. I could have thrown some money your way, but I wanted something more. Yes, at first it was just an arrangement, but it quickly became something more. And running away from it did not solve the problem. I want you a hell of a lot. I want to make love to you, Indigo, and I'm going to." His eyes lowered to her lips and sent sparks shooting through her body. "I cannot be near you and not want to kiss you."
"Then kiss me," she whispered. Her hands lifted to settle on his chest. "I've been hoping you would ever since the night of the party."
"And I messed things up." His thumb rubbed her bottom lip until it parted. "I was so jealous, I wanted to murder that bastard. I behaved like a fool, and it staggered me." His voice had deepened. "As for wanting children, we'll wait to hear what John has to say." His head lowered until he was close enough for her to feel his breath on her skin. "I just want to taste-" He brushed his lips on hers slowly, almost delicately, as if waiting for her to stop him. When she didn't but curled her fingers into the softness of his sweater, he eased out a breath, his mouth moving over hers. She tasted like honey, he thought faintly, and he figured it was his mind going crazy. Edging closer, he used his free hand to tangle through her coils, gripping the back of herhead. Her hands went around his shoulders, a moan escaping her only to be captured by his mouth.
"Are you hurting?" he asked raggedly.
"No. Don't stop. If you do, I will have to hurt you."
His chuckle turned into a groan when she opened up to him. His tongue tangled with hers, the taste of her sending heat to the center of him. He was hardening by degrees. She snuggled against him, her breasts branding his chest through his sweater. He seized her tongue with a hunger that startled her at first.
His hands roamed restlessly up and down her back and returned to tangle in her hair, holding her still as he devoured her mouth. He kissed her endlessly, bearing her back on the cushions to stretch out on top of her. He could not stop. Her fingers dug into his hair, and then his shoulders and down his back, her body writhing beneath his. He was rock hard and growing harder. At some point, he was going to have to cease. He could not go any further, but God help him, he was starving for her.
Her sweetness overwhelmed him. Her passion went through his body like an electrical charge. Not satisfied with just her lips, he raised himself off her just enough to tug the sweater up and over her head. His eyes roamed over her breasts that were clearly revealed in the black silk of her bra. Using one hand, he flickedthe front clasp to free the flesh to his avid gaze and eased the straps off slowly, his eyes holding hers.
"You're beautiful," he told her thickly. "And I want you so much, it's making me throb." Bending his head, he fitted her breasts in his palms, thumbs flicking over the already rigid nipples. Her body arched in immediate response. With his heart slamming against his ribs and his already tormented body reacting to her passion, he ducked his head and took a nipple into his mouth.
The heat escalated. Indigo felt the jolt straight to the core of her. The tenderness in her abdomen, a leftover from the pain she had experienced not too long ago, made her insides throb. With fingers digging into his hair, she twisted her body up to receive more of the excruciating pleasure he was giving her with his mouth. He was thorough. His tongue and teeth tortured her until she could not bear it.
Switching to the other nipple, he gave it the same treatment until she was on fire. The pleasure was so much that she was feeling the heat scorching through her already weakened body.
Brant felt the control slipping away. He could smell her; the muskiness of her arousal was driving him out of his mind. The fever of wanting her was taking over his body and his mind. He could not think. Letting go of her nipple, he kissed his way down her quivering stomach.
She somehow managed to rise out of her drugged state when he started to tug down her leggings. Her mind snapped out of the sexual daze his kisses had put her in when she realized what he was doing. She was also soaking wet!
