Page 95 of Freeing Lark

Lark’s heart gave a little flip and her smile widened. “Was that your way of telling me I’m worth the trouble?”

His eyes held hers, the teasing fading into something warmer. “Believe me, you’re worth every bit of trouble you’ve brought into my life.” His hand drifted down the column of her neck before he gently buried his fingers in the thick hair at the back of her head. “And I wouldn’t change a damn thing.”

With a tightening grasp in her hair, he pulled and positioned her head just so for his kiss. He kissed her with a possessiveness that took her breath away.

For a moment, she could do nothing but cling to him, fingers curling into the skin of his biceps as the world seemed to narrow to the warmth of his mouth and the solid presence of him beneath her hands. There was something different in the way he kissed her now—less guarded, less restrained. As though he’d finally stopped fighting what had been growing between them.

She answered him with equal certainty, sliding her hands up around his neck. His fingers remained fisted in her hair, holding her close. The initial sting of pain transformed into pleasure as his tongue moved insistently within her mouth. When he finally pulled back, they were both breathing harder. With her lace-clad breasts creating friction against his exposed torso, their tips were achingly firm and desperate for his touch.

“Still think I’m ruining your peaceful life?” she panted.

A crooked smile appeared. “Definitely.”

Lark studied him for a moment. This man, who had spent years surviving things she couldn’t imagine. This man who had walked into danger for her without hesitation. The same man who could make her feel protected simply by holding her hand.

“I don’t want to be trouble,” she admitted quietly.

“You’re not.”

“You sure?”

His gaze didn’t waver. “Lark, you’re the first thing in a long time that doesn’t feel like a problem I need to solve.”

Her throat tightened. “What does it feel like?”

Cormac’s expression softened. “Like home.”

The single word settled between them. Lark blinked rapidly, fighting the sudden sting behind her eyes. She’d spent most of her life feeling like she didn’t belong anywhere. And somehow, this gruff, stubborn man had managed to make her feel as though perhaps she’d finally found somewhere she did.

She leaned forward and kissed him softly this time. “Then I guess we’re both in trouble,” she whispered.

His arms tightened around her. “I’ll never shy away from trouble,” he murmured.

The rest happened quickly, deliberately, with neither of them willing to stop long enough to breathe. Each time he paused, Lark answered. Each time she hesitated, he waited.

Soon there was nothing between them but warmth and skin and the steady thud of two hearts that seemed to have forgotten how to behave. He enveloped her in feelings so intense they left no room for anything else. His hands touched every inch of her burning skin, and soon her lace underthings were sent flying.

She lay naked before him, and he devoured her with his intense blue eyes as if he couldn’t wait to chow down. And he did just that. His hot mouth found her breast, his tongue rolling the stiff nipple. Desire shot delicious ripples through her core. She squeezed her legs together in an attempt to get the friction she needed.

“Nuh-uh, little bird,” he murmured as his hand found her thigh and slipped between her legs. He applied pressure, pushing them open. “You will not close yourself off to me.” His fingers found her soaking core sliding through her slit before he added, “Or my touch.”

A gasp escaped her lips as he thrust two fingers inside. Holy hell. That was hot. He was half hovering over her, lips and tongue still teasing her breast while his fingers did their thing. Her hips moved, meeting each forceful thrust. Faster. Riding the edge of an incredible wave she was afraid would drown her.

“Give it to me,” he growled, sucking her nipple into his mouth while his thumb found her clit. “Now, little bird.”

Her whole body strained, obeying his command. Poised and trembling on the edge of something she’d never experienced before until that blinding moment suddenly engulfed her. She threw her head back, her entire body arching into the carnality of the act as a scream ripped from her mouth.

Lark had spent most of her life believing intimacy was something expected of her. Something owed. Something performed because it was part of the role she’d been assigned.

This wasn’t that. Cormac wasn’t asking anything from her. He wasn’t trying to possess her because of her family. Wasn’t trying to dictate who she was or how she should act.

He was simply demanding.

Demanding her pleasure. Demanding her wants and needs. Demanding she trust in his control. Because when she gave in to that demand, exquisite pleasures awaited her.

He wanted her. He wanted her pleasure. Wanted her screaming for him. And he’d succeeded. She’d experienced her first orgasm that wasn’t self-induced, thanks to him. And he had only just begun.

He pulled his fingers from her body and, with his gaze locked on hers, placed them in his mouth. “I’ll taste you properly next time,” he declared. “But right now I need to be inside you. Please tell me I can fuck you,” he requested with just a hint of vulnerability beneath the need and want.