Page 17 of Vanessa’s Bravery

Cole sat still for a moment, scanning his body with his mind to see where he felt pain, but to his surprise he only felt a dull ache, no worse than if he’d cut himself while chopping vegetables for his dinner.

“Actually, it doesn’t hurt as badly anymore. But with all that blood, I mean, the injuries should have been much deeper.”

Cole inspected the cuts on his arm, and realized that they seemed only superficial, and no more blood was seeping from them. The cuts on his torso looked a little deeper, but they too had closed and were healing.

He gave Vanessa a quizzical look. “How long exactly was I out?”

“Maybe a half hour. And now that I’ve cleaned the blood off, it looks like your injuries aren’t as bad as I first thought.”

He had to agree with her, even though it had felt like the bastard was sucking the life right out of him. But if his injuries were only superficial, then… “Why did I pass out? Trust me, I’ve had worse injuries and stayed conscious the entire time.”

Vanessa leaned in. “Probably the shock.”

Her voice was a mere whisper, and he allowed it to seep into him. His injuries were suddenly forgotten, and he was fully aware of Vanessa’s body. Just like the night before, he was drawn to her as if she were a strong magnet, and he a small nail, because the power was all hers. He’d never met a woman who had such a strong effect on him. As if he was in her thrall.

“Vanessa, I owe you my life.”

Cole leaned closer and lifted his hand to her face, his fingers gently tracing her jaw line and cheek bones. “If you allow me, I’d like to buy an hour of your time so I can thank you properly.”

A breath of air rushed from her mouth as her lips parted. “How?”

“By giving you the pleasure you deserve.”

Something in her eyes flickered golden as if fireworks exploded in her irises. “Like last night?”

“More intimate than last night.”

“I don’t think it can get any more intimate…”

He laughed softly, brushed his lips over her cheek, and brought his mouth to her ear. “This time I want to lick you until you come.”

Vanessa gasped, and the sound sank deep into him, filling him with satisfaction that he could surprise the woman he had no defenses against.

“Why don’t you let me undress you?”

He reached for her leather jacket and helped her out of it. She assisted willingly, and he pulled her face to his. “Now be a good girl, and pretend you’re madly in love with me.”

“Cole,” she murmured. “Why do you want me to pretend?”

“Because I want to pretend that I love you too.”

Though right now he wasn’t sure whether he had to pretend at all. It took no effort to think that he could be in love with Vanessa. No effort at all. It came naturally to him. He could imagine all kinds of things when he was with her. As if her nearness ignited a flame inside him, a flame that showed him that he was capable of deep emotions that had nothing to do with his need for sex. He understood that both needs, the one for sex and the one for love could be separate, but they merged into one when Vanessa was in his arms. He wanted her to give him both, though he knew he had to content himself with the fact that her love was only pretend. But he could block that out, forget that this was only pretense, and find out what it felt like to have his need for sex and for love satisfied at the same time.

Cole slanted his lips over hers, exerting a tiny bit of pressure, and Vanessa instantly responded to his demand, allowing him entry. Her lips tasted so familiar, and his body responded to her taste by sending blood to his groin, filling his cock and turning it as hard as a rock. Arousal charged through him, and every cell in his body seemed to come alive. His blood pulsed excitedly in his veins, while his heart drummed in a rapid tempo as if it needed to get somewhere in a hurry.

His kiss became more urgent from one second to the next, while he took Vanessa’s top and pulled it over her head, interrupting the kiss for it. When he gazed into her eyes, he saw a golden shimmer around her irises as if a fire was burning there.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered and let his gaze drift lower to where a white lace bra covered her breasts, her nipples hard and visible through the thin fabric. “And your tits, they’re perfect.” He kneaded her firm flesh through the bra, before she reached behind her back and opened the clasp.

“Thank you.” He pulled the straps down her arms and freed her from it.

Like two ripe pieces of fruit, her breasts fell into his palms, filling them. He caressed them while he pressed his lips back onto hers and kissed her with the passion that was overflowing in him. There was so much he wanted to do with this woman, so much he wanted to experience with her.

Impatiently, he opened the button of her jeans and pulled the zipper down, then grabbed the garment by the waistband. Vanessa helped him and shimmied out of the jeans, her white panties getting caught in the action, and sliding down with her pants.

Before he could free her of her jeans, he helped her get rid of her boots. Finally, she was naked. He shrugged off the tattered shirt, shucked his shoes and pressed Vanessa down onto the sofa so she lay flat on it, spread out like a sumptuous buffet meant only for him. He swept a long gaze over her flawless body before he pressed her thighs apart and slipped in the space he’d created for himself.

Vanessa watched him, her lips parted, holding her breath, when he slowly dipped his head to her pussy without breaking eye contact. He pressed his mouth to her pussy and inhaled her female scent, before he spread her wider so he could see her pink flesh covered in dew. He licked over her cleft, tasting her for the first time, and his entire body erupted in flames.