Shatter (28 page)

He rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, searching for patience.

“I don’t care whether you believe or not.” She turned toward the bed, picked up her panties, and pulled them on without removing her towel. “And I’m not going to argue with you. If you continue to insist what I’ve told you is nothing but fiction, you’re going to end up getting yourself and everyone you love killed. I’m not going to be here to witness it. And I’m sure as hell not going to stay here and be the cause of it.”

He grabbed her arm and turned her toward him, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re a
scientist
, Hali. How can you believe that these visions you don’t even understand are stronger than our own free will to choose?”

“Because they’re
ac-cur-ate
. If
that—
” She gestured toward the door. “Wasn’t that enough to convince you that I shouldn’t be near you?”

He shook her out of sheer frustration. “I have to be near you, Hali.
You
are my good future. I don’t give a fuck what your visions show.
They aren’t reality
. I am reality. You are reality. Me wanting you—that’s reality.”

Pain filled her eyes and they glistened with tears. “Mitch—”

“I don’t believe futures are predestined. We have the power to choose, and every choice changes that future.” He gripped her jaw with his free hand, willing her to hear him, believe him. “And I choose
you
. Let Fate suck on that for a while.”

A laugh huffed from Halina’s chest. Her eyes closed and her head fell forward, resting on his chest.

“You leaving isn’t what I need, Hali.” He slipped one hand beneath her hair, the other arm around her waist, and pulled her close. “I want you to stay. I need you to stay.”

She pressed warm palms to his stomach, but didn’t push him away. Mitch tilted her head back and looked into her heavy-lidded eyes. Her gaze was so exhausted, so discouraged, it broke his heart. And he wanted so desperately to mend that break.

He lowered his mouth to hers. When she softened beneath him, when she kissed him back with so much desire he could taste it, he pulled away.

“No more talk about predestined futures, Hali. This is reality, baby. No one can make the choice to change that but you or me.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Do you want to change this reality, Hali? Because I don’t.”

“I’ve always wanted you,” she whispered. “Only you.”

Mitch lowered his hand to the knot in her towel and pulled. The terry fell away, leaving them skin to skin from the waist up. He let out a moan on a long breath.

“Let’s give fate a kick in the ass, baby.” He slid his hand to her breast and squeezed until she moaned. “Make love to me, Hali,” he begged with a shake in his voice. “It’s been so fucking long.”

She pushed up and covered his mouth with hers. Open and wet. Her tongue searched for his and when they joined in a languid roll, heat rushed to his groin. He walked her backward until they reached the bed, then gripped her waist and lifted her. She wrapped her thighs around his hips, dug her fingers into his hair, and dropped her mouth against his neck, sucking.

“Ah, Hali . . .” The feel of her wanting him was a fantasy. And so different from the lust they’d shared last night. This was hotter and deeper. This was real.

Mitch slid his hands to her ass and pulled her against him. She broke the suction on his neck to groan and arch. Her hands fisted in his hair. And, oh, heaven. She felt like heaven.

He laid her back on the bed, bent to press a kiss to her belly, and trailed kisses upward, cherishing her beautiful body. Holding her head with both hands, he looked directly into her heavy-lidded eyes. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you, Hali. I didn’t say it very well last night, but it was still true. The other women were nothing but survival. I played the part for the press, for the women, for myself—to get through the night. But I always ended up empty. Alone. Without you.”

As she searched his eyes, Mitch pulled her arms from around his neck and raised them over her head, threading their fingers. Then lowered his mouth to one of her breasts.

She arched her lower back and pulled their hips together with the strength of her legs around his ass.

Mitch groaned her name against the breast he savored, more gently than he had last night. Smoothed his tongue over the still-visible teeth marks.

Her hands tried to slip from beneath his, but he held them.

“Let me touch you,” she whispered.

“I got here first,” he murmured, then closed his mouth over the nipple and sucked hard. Halina moaned.

That long-lost but familiar sensation of sensual power flooded his body as she whimpered. He growled and moved his torment to the other breast. He released one of her hands and caressed his way to her stomach. Used his knee to push one of her legs to the side. Edged his fingers beneath the band of her panties and slid his hand over the heat between her thighs.

He released a long, heavy breath of pleasure against her breast. “Oh, Hali.”

She was soft. Smooth. Hot. Wet.

Perfect.

She lifted her hips into his hand with a deep sound of need in her throat. “God, the feel of you touching me . . .”

The pleasure overflowing in her voice made him think of all the years she’d gone without sex. Without intimacy. Without release. If she was going to have to suffer through visions when this was over, he was going to do his damnedest to make the pleasure worth the pain.

“Magic,” he whispered. “We are magic together, baby. Always have been.”

He slid his fingers over her swollen soft outer lips and squeezed them together while making small, gentle circles to massage her hidden clitoris. Her indrawn breath, the way she rocked her hips to the motion, shot adrenaline into his blood. One of her hands dropped to the bed and fisted the comforter as she arched her back and closed her eyes.

“Mi-itch . . .” she whispered in a broken voice, revealing her rise to the edge of orgasm.

“Quaid made you a necklace,” he murmured against her skin. “Thinks it will help stop the visions. Do you want to try it?”

“No,” she breathed. “I want to learn . . . to use them.”

Mitch grinned. “I’m at your beck and call to help with that.”

His heart took up too much room in his chest as he watched pleasure twist through her body, tighten her nipples, and wash over her face. He wanted this to last. He wanted to watch her like this for hours. And even though they didn’t have hours, he slowed his hand, stroked his fingers along the slick strip leading to her heat, and basked in her sounds of growing pleasure. Then slipped a finger inside her, drew the wetness out, and gently, so gently, stroked the warmth over her clit.

She strangled a cry of pleasure. Mitch repeated the motion as he leaned back to watch the erotic sight of his sun-darkened hand moving between her creamy, pale thighs, his big fingers disappearing into her, then drawing out, her hips rocking against his hand.

“Christ, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, following the motion of her hips with his hand, letting her lead herself to orgasm using his touch.

And when she reached that peak, Mitch took over with quick strokes that stiffened her body just before the sensation broke with hard spasms of an intense release.

A new surge of warmth coated his fingers and a voracious hunger hit him low in the gut. Halina’s dark lashes lifted in a languid sweep, but couldn’t stay open. It made him smile. Made his heart flood. He leaned down and kissed her. The looseness of her mouth, the lazy, languid, sexual way she stroked his tongue with her own set him on fire.

“When do the visions come, love?” he whispered against her mouth, then laid a trail of kisses down her neck.

“About five minutes into relaxing,” she murmured, her voice thick.

Mitch smiled against the curve of her breast on his travels lower. “Then you won’t be relaxing just yet.”

Her fingers combed through his hair on a sigh and a barely audible, “God, I’ve missed you.”

Emotion slammed his chest so hard he couldn’t breathe. His heart sizzled with a burning, painful pleasure. He moved lower, slid his hands beneath her ass and lifted her sweet spot to his mouth.

“Oh . . .” Her stomach muscles bunched and she made a half curl, grabbing his head with both hands. Mitch stroked her with his tongue, pulled the sensitive swell between his lips, and sucked. Her unique and sweet taste filled his mouth, and he swore they were in an equal state of pleasure when Halina’s eyes closed and her head fell back on a whispered, “Mitch . . . you’re
so
good . . .”

There were about seven steps between good and mind-blowing, and Mitch intended to explore every damn one.

 

Halina shuddered again as Mitch moved up her body. She was limp after her second orgasm, her mind completely warped in the most delicious way. He’d ditched his pants, rolled on a condom, and lay half on top of her, half on the bed, all that warm muscle stretched against her body.

She stroked her hand along the arm stretched across her waist. Turned into his kisses along her jaw and took his mouth with hers. His lips were full, soft, and perfectly shaped. And had the most sensual ways of moving. But she was ready to feel him inside her, filling her.

Lowering her hand from his arm, she circled his erection with her fingers and smiled at his groan of pleasure.

“Careful, baby. It’s loaded.”

“Hope so.” She rolled him backward, opened her thighs, and straddled his lap.

“Can’t wait, Hali,” he rasped, his expression tight with a mix of pleasure and pain. “Need you.”

She pushed up on her hands and rocked her hips, placing his head at her entrance. Mitch clasped her face in both hands. “Look at me while I fill you.”

His eyes were so hot. So filled with emotion. Fierce emotions she couldn’t read beyond lust and affection. But she didn’t need any more than that.

She lowered her hips, sinking onto him, even as he lifted to meet her. He pressed tightly into her body, his size stretching her and exciting every nerve. With her bottom lip between her teeth, she took him deep. The level of excitement on Mitch’s face was its own thrill. Watching him on the edge of control was pure ecstasy and she rocked and moved just to see it intensify.

He lowered, pulling out of her, the sensation a delicious drag until he thrust upward again. Something deep inside her shot sparks of pleasure through her pelvis like a mini-explosion. Halina sucked air against the burn of the pleasure now and pain lingering from the night before.

She squeezed her muscles, gripping his length. Rocked into him, wanting more. Bit the side of his neck on a groan.

“Fuck, Hali,” he rasped, lust tight in his voice, but sweet emotion flooded his eyes. “Nothing has ever felt this right.”

Her mind and heart were so tangled, she only knew this overwhelming bond developing with him. Stronger and even more rock solid than it had been when everything between them had been so right.

His cock hit that place again and pleasure exploded through her.

“Yes,” she breathed. Eyes falling closed, head dropping back.

They moved together as if they’d never been apart, their rhythm erotic, sensual perfection. Mouths and hands taking in every part of each other. Communicating more through their eyes and their touch than they ever could through speech. The passion peaked within minutes. Their bodies damp with sweat, thrusts growing intense.

Mitch whispered, “Ready to come, love?”

“Yes. Please, yes.”

He put one hand on her jaw, bringing her gaze back to his. “Focus, Hali. The papers, Washington.”

A stream of darkness cut through her pleasure. Reality encroaching on this rare moment of bliss. But she nodded.

Mitch slid his hand down her neck, over her breast, dipped his head, and took the nipple into his mouth, sucking, licking, finally biting down, shooting the sting of lust straight between her legs.

“Come for me, Halina.”

His words gave her that final erotic push. The orgasm broke hard, a crash of exquisite pleasure smashing through her body. Her mouth opened on a scream, but her throat closed around it. The muscles along her spine contracted and she arched. Fingers and toes curled until they cramped.

“Oh, fuck yeah.” Mitch’s throaty murmur rippled across her skin just before he lunged deep, his muscles going rock hard beneath her hands. That guttural sound of supreme pleasure and satisfaction rolled deep in his chest and pushed more ripples of excitement through Halina.

Her lungs finally released and she gasped for air, but the pleasure hadn’t finished ravaging her yet. A backlash of delicious spasms shook her exhausted muscles and they contracted and flexed and continued to rocket sparks of ecstasy everywhere.

In the long moments afterward, Halina lay against his chest as Mitch’s hands caressed her back, his nails scraping softly, shoulders to hips, as he pressed kisses to the top of her shoulder.

Halina wished time would stop. But it didn’t. And eventually, Mitch pulled back, took her chin between his fingers, and tilted her head so she was looking directly into his eyes. His fiery, intense, dangerous eyes.

“God . . . Hali.” He was still breathing heavily. “Hasn’t . . . been that good . . . in seven . . . years.”

Words of love, of apology, of regret . . . pleas for forgiveness . . . they all rode high in her chest as the desire to hold this perfect moment overwhelmed her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her hands combing through his thick soft hair, willing herself to hold them in.

She managed to keep them all back . . . except . . . “I’ve missed you so
damn
much.”

Hearing the words aloud, barely even a whisper, words that didn’t begin to describe her years of aching loneliness, words describing a reality she knew she’d have to live again, tore her open and tears spilled over her lashes.