Free Under His Care by Kelly Favor Page A

ready to have a real relationship,” she said. “All you’re interested in is making me do things, treating me like a plaything, knowing that I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.”
    “That’s not true,” Easton said. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about us since the last night we were together. And I know that I’m ready.”
    “I wish I could believe you,” she said, sadly. She looked in his eyes and found that her resistance was truly failing. His intensity, his seduction, his physical presence was breaking her down.
    “You can believe me,” Easton said, and then he grabbed her by the waist with his strong, insistent hands, and pulled her into him so that her breasts were pushing into his muscular chest, her stomach was against his, and she could even feel his hardness pressing into her through his pants.
    He kissed her, and his lips were burning hot, and she couldn’t stop him—didn’t want to stop him, as a matter of fact.
    It had been too long without him, as though she’d been wandering forever in the dry desert, and his kiss was the first real drink of cool water she’d had in so long.
    She drank him in just as he seemed to drink her in, as his tongue entered her mouth, as his body’s closeness to hers relieved her of some primal need that was beyond her own understanding.
    Easton’s hands slipped down beneath the waistline of her pants, his fingers tugging at her panties, touching the skin of her hips as he continued kissing her.
    And then she remembered. She remembered all of the reasons why this was such a bad idea, not the least of which was the fact that she might be carrying Easton’s child.
    Kennedy pulled away from him, even though every cell of her body cried out for more, wanted more, needed him desperately. “Please stop,” she moaned.
    His eyes studied hers, not understanding. “Kennedy, you need to hear what I have to say.”
    “No,” she replied.
    “From the second I met you, I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” he continued.
    The admission silenced her. She truly didn’t know that he’d been consumed by her the same way she’d been consumed by him, from the moment they first met one another.
    Easton stared at her, and for the first time since they’d met, Kennedy felt that she was finally seeing the real Easton Rather—the man beneath all of the walls and defenses and armor. His eyes were vulnerable, the cockiness was gone, the arrogance had been replaced by confusion and desperation—desperation to make her understand.
    “My whole life,” Easton continued, “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said. “I know that sounds crazy, because I refused to accept that fact, even when my mind kept repeating it over and over again. I didn’t want to believe in you, Kennedy, because then I’d have to risk everything for you. And I was afraid,” he said, swallowing, his eyes tearing up as he spoke.
    “What were you so afraid of?” she asked.
    “I was afraid that I wouldn’t be worthy of you,” he said. He smiled bitterly. “And maybe I was right about that part of it. Maybe I’m not worthy of you, because you’re the smartest, sexiest, most amazing person I’ve ever met in my life—and you’re fearless, and you take risks that nobody else would take.”
    Kennedy had to laugh at that. “I think maybe you’re exaggerating my accomplishments, Easton. I’m like—the most afraid person in the world.”
    He shook his head, and his gaze was filled with love for her. “You don’t see yourself, Kennedy, not like I see you. That’s part of why I love you, why I’m so amazed by you.”
    “Then why did you let me go that night? Why did you treat me so badly when I told you I needed you to just care for me a little?”
    He nodded his head, acknowledging the question, and his jaw tightened. “I screwed up. I can admit that now. And if I could take it back, I would. Believe me, I’ve had a lot of hours to reflect on the way I treated you since you started