Free The Temptation by Cheyenne McCray Page B

scared I thought about what he said and how it applied to everyone in my life from my family and my friends.
    To Nick.
    “Give yourself a fresh start.” His gaze looked so intense, so serious.
    “What about you?” I looked at him just as unflinchingly. “Have you reconciled yourself to the horrors that you went through?”
    He didn’t look away from me. “When I started going to counseling with Kristen, I realized it was time I let go. I had to forgive myself to fully be there for her.”
    I bit the inside of my lip then asked the question that had been bothering me for six months. “Why did you move to Arizona?”
    “For Kristen.” He released one of my hands and pushed his fingers through his hair. “I had to get her away from here. All that’s left for her here are bad memories of the hell she went through. She has a fresh start and she’s been happier than I’d seen her since we rescued her.”
    “I’ve missed you.” The words surprised me as they came out but I couldn’t take them back.
    “It’s been hell without you.” He reached across the table and stroked my cheek with his fingertips. “I haven’t liked it one damned bit.”
    He stood, still gripping one of my hands, and he helped me to my feet. “You need sleep.”
    “What about the mess?” I glanced at the table.
    “I’ll take care of it.” He gripped my hand and led me from the kitchen to the stairs.
    I felt a twisting sensation in my belly as he led me into his bedroom. When we stood by the bed he took my face in his hands and kissed me. His mouth moved over mine in a kiss like I couldn’t remember experiencing before. Gentle, soft, searching. He slid his hands from my face into my hair and my scalp tingled from his delicate touch.
    He raised his head and his eyes searched mine as if he was on a quest for answers. Answers I wasn’t ready to give.
    I touched his stubbled jaws with my fingertips then brushed my thumb over his moist lips. Had we ever been so gentle with one another?
    He maneuvered me so that I was sitting on the side of the bed and he took one of my feet and removed my shoe and sock then took my other foot and did the same. He grasped the bottom of my T-shirt and pulled it over my head and tossed it.
    Goose bumps prickled over my skin that was bared and not covered by the black bra I wore. He knelt in front of me and reached for the button of my jeans. I braced my hands on the bed as he tugged down the zipper then pulled my jeans over my hips, down my thighs, and then set them aside.
    When I was left only in my panties and bra, he captured my mouth with his in another amazing kiss.
    He drew away. “I should let you sleep now.”
    I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew him closer so that he was kneeling between my thighs. “I need you.” I needed him to take me away. Needed him to make me believe that everything was all right.
    “I need you more than you can know, Lexi,” he said, his gaze searching mine. Most of the time I couldn’t read his expression but this time there was so much in his gaze that it astounded me.
    I closed my eyes. I had missed him so much… The way he felt with his arms around me…the way he touched me…his scent… I’d missed everything about him.
    He pushed aside the strap of my bra and lowered his head and nuzzled the soft skin of my shoulder and I opened my eyes. I shivered as he kissed his way to my throat and moved his lips down my breastbone to my breasts. He reached behind me and unfastened my bra and let it slide away.
    When he had set my bra aside, he cupped my breasts and lowered his head and caught a nipple in his mouth. I gasped as he sucked and licked it, sending thrills straight to my core. He moved his lips down the curve of my breast and I felt cool air on my moist nipple. He captured the other nipple lightly between his teeth and flicked his tongue over it. He moved down and teased the diamond in my bellybutton with his tongue then ran his lips over the dragon