Free The Outlaw's Dirty Dancer by Jenika Snow

They looked angry, as if they were cutting into his flesh, and disappeared under his sleeve. How far did they go? How much of his ripped, tanned flesh did they mark? For as traumatized as one would think she was after the life she led, there was a dark part of Darra, too. There was this side that wanted to feel herself beneath Brick, feel the hard tug of his hands in her hair, or his tongue and teeth moving along her body, and of those big, strong hands of his holding her down as he brought her to heights she had never been to before.
    Clamping her thighs together as everything inside of her clenched from her sudden onslaught of arousal, she knew these types of emotions were completely unjust at this specific moment. But Brick was lost in his thoughts, and didn’t seem to react to the fact she was aroused. Good .
    He didn’t say anything for several seconds, and the time seemed to stretch as she watched him try to control himself. He was clearly angry over what had happened to her, and something melted inside of her at the thought that this man felt so strongly about her past. They may not know each other very well or intimately, but he was right. There was a connection between them, and there was no trying to deny it.
      “I have lived my whole life feeling the same cold, dead feelings. That is what has gotten me through each day. I have never questioned it, or felt any remorse for keeping people at a distance. And then you came along, and all it took to shake the hard exterior that I made sure covered me was one look at you.”
    Darra didn’t respond because she didn’t know how to. He spoke these very powerful words in his deep, slightly gruff voice, and she could hear the emotion laced with his words. She knew that this had to be new for him, the same as it was for her.
    “I want to be honest, too, Darra, but I’m also afraid of how you’ll react.” His eyes seemed darker, colder.
    She swallowed all of her arousal at that look he gave her. “It can’t be any worse than what I just told you.”
    He said nothing and gave nothing away in his expression. He shifted in his seat, and the chair creaked from his massive body. “I’m not a good person, Darra, not by a fucking longshot.”
    “Brick, the fact you want to tell me, that you’re afraid of my reaction, lets me know you are a good person.” Now it was her turn to reach across the table and take his hand. He had it in such a tight fist. “How can I judge someone when I have not led a perfect life? I make my living stripping for men on top of everything else.”
    His jaw hardened at her words, but he did open his hand and let her run her fingers along his big, thick fingers. “We will talk about the whole stripper thing later.” He placed his other hand on hers. “Come here, Darra.”
    She took a deep breath and pulled her hands free from his. After pushing her chair back and standing, she slowly made her way toward him until she stood right in front of him. They stared at each other, neither moving, neither speaking, but although nothing verbally was said, there was plenty of energy being passed between them. And then Brick reached out and wrapped his hand around her waist, pulled her down until she was sitting on his lap, and curled his other hand around the nape of her neck. The hold was gentle, but very proprietary, and even the look on his face was the same way. It said, “I am yours, and I want you to fully realize that.”
    “What is it, Brick?” She kept her voice low, but they were so close, only inches apart, that the intimate space meant he could hear her just fine.
    “Nothing. I’m just memorizing every line of your face, counting every eyelash, and tracing each tiny freckle lining the bridge of your nose.” But he didn’t give her time to respond because he had his mouth on hers, and his tongue moving along the seam of her lips.
    A small groan left her, and when he tightened his hold on her nape, digging his fingers into her flesh