Dane - A MacKenzie Novel (21 page)

“Don’t, Cade. Just sex. It’s okay.”

“Bullshit.” His cock nudged against the
entrance of her folds, but he held himself back, needing her to
acknowledge what he needed to give her. “It was never just sex. And
I’ll be damned if this is the last time. I want you forever,
Bayleigh.”

He slammed inside of her, his control past
the breaking point. There was no way he would be able to hold back
his orgasm. She was slick and hot around him, and he hammered into
her as orgasm after orgasm rolled through her body. His balls
tightened and he pushed into her one last time as the most powerful
climax he’d ever experienced wracked his body. His knees buckled
and he managed to go to the floor without crushing her.

The wood was cold beneath his back, but
Bayleigh was hot on top of him, their breaths racing like steam
engines, and exhaustion was warring with the need. He knew they
weren’t done. It would take several hours for the drug to work its
way through her system. As soon as she came out of the doze she was
in, she’d be ready for more.

Chapter Sixteen

The late morning sunlight streamed through
the blinds, and Cade watched the play of shadows across the walls
from the trees that blew with the rising wind. There would be a
storm before long, inside as well as outside. There was too much
between them that needed to be settled.

He’d managed not to drown them in the shower
a half hour before, but it had been a close call. Hopefully,
Bayleigh would be able to rest now—completely—with no nightmares of
Carlos creeping up on her.

“I’m tired,” she muttered against his
shoulder.

He turned his head to look at her. She still
had her eyes closed, but the flush of perpetual desire had finally
left her skin, and now she was pale as the moon. Dark circles
rested under her eyes and her hair was mussed and tangled around
her face. He’d never seen her looking more beautiful. Just the fact
that she was alive was a miracle in itself.

Her announcement was so ridiculous that he
would’ve laughed if he’d had the energy. “You should be,” he said.
“I think I’m paralyzed from the waist down.”

“You’d better not be.” She tried to lean up
on her arms, but didn’t have the strength to hold herself up long.
“I’ve got to get home, and I need someone to carry me. Since you’re
the only one here, I’m voting you for the job.”

His fingers tightened against her back as her
words slammed against him. “Bayleigh,” he said. “I don’t want you
to leave. Stay with me. Make your home with me.”

She tried to roll out of his arms, but the
lethargy was too great, and he was able to stop her easily. He
pinned her to the bed and made her look him in the eyes. There was
no hiding now. He showed her everything that was swirling inside of
him. Feelings he’d never let anyone else see.

“Don’t do this, Cade,” she said, her eyes
filling with tears. “Let’s just chalk this up to a learning
experience and move on. I don’t need you to say things you don’t
mean because you think you’ve hurt my feelings. I’m fine, but I
need to move on. It’s no big deal.”

“The hell it isn’t,” he growled. “You said
you loved me, Bayleigh. Was it a lie?”

She swallowed audibly, and her gaze drifted
to his shoulder. The vulnerability that flashed in her eyes made
him want to kick himself. He’d done nothing but hurt her since
they’d met. All because of his insecurities and fears. He needed
more than anything to hear her say those words again.

“No.” The word was barely audible. “It wasn’t
a lie. I love you. That won’t ever change.”

He breathed a sigh of relief and bowed his
head so it rested against her forehead.

“You left me too soon,” he told her. “You
didn’t hear all of what I said to Declan. I was running scared,
baby, and I was trying to come up with any reason I could to keep
denying what I felt for you. It didn’t take me long to realize that
me denying it didn’t make it untrue.”

She tried to blink the tears back, her
determination to not let him see her cry obvious. He remembered
what her brother said. Bayleigh never cried. But it seemed that was
all he’d made her do since he’d crushed whatever had been building
between them with his callous words.

“I love you, Bayleigh. I mean every word of
it. And I’ll mean it forever. The thought of losing you is almost
paralyzing, and I can’t live without you.”

He leaned down and kissed her softly. Desire
was a distant simmer, and all that was between them now was the
love they had for each other. She lost the battle with her tears
and they escaped, trailing slowly down her pale cheeks.

“Marry me, Bayleigh. Make me alive again. Be
my future.”

Her arms tightened around him in a fierce
embrace, and her “yes” was barely audible.

“Though I should probably make you suffer
more,” she said, her smile wobbly.

“Undoubtedly. But if it makes you feel any
better your brother has threatened to kick my ass.”

Her laughter brought joy into his heart—a joy
he hadn’t felt in so long he couldn’t remember the last time. He
held the woman he loved in his arms, knowing that he’d be able to
face anything as long as she was by his side.

“I’ll protect you,” she whispered.
“Always.”

“Always,” he promised.

Epilogue

Brant Scott stared at the bedroom ceiling,
his heart still pounding and his cock still hard, as if he hadn’t
already had two of the most powerful orgasms he’d ever
experienced.

Darcy was curled around him, her thigh thrown
over his leg and her hand resting low on his stomach. He could tell
by her breathing that she was already asleep, and he tried not to
think about how good she felt in his arms. How
right
she
felt there.

This was a mistake. Two people thrown into a
high-tension situation who’d needed an adrenaline outlet. That was
all.

He’d known he would leave her even as he’d
given into the temptation of that tight little body. He’d put up
with her taunts, sharp tongue and dry wit until he’d had no choice
but to silence her with his mouth or go crazy. And damned if she
hadn’t matched his heat with her own, until he’d been all but dizzy
with lust, ripping the clothes from her body like an animal and
thrusting inside of her before they even managed to get inside the
house.

Christ, just the thought how out of control
it was made him want to turn her over and take her again. She did
that to him. Made him lose every shred of control he’d ever had.
And he’d vowed a long time ago that he’d never let another woman
get to him that way. His first wife had taught him that lesson well
enough.

Brant ignored the need in his body and
slipped from beneath the covers, pulling them back up so Darcy
wouldn’t get cold, and he touched her cheek once with the tip of
his finger. The regret inside him stronger than he wanted to
admit.

His clothes were nowhere in sight, and he
rolled his eyes, remembering they were still on the front lawn. He
had to get out of here. He’d already gotten the call earlier that
he was needed for another assignment. The sooner he cut ties the
better.

Darcy wasn’t a clinging woman. She’d
understand what happened between them was nothing more than
insanity, and never give it another thought. At least, that’s what
he told himself. She might be hurt that he hadn’t said goodbye, but
she’d understand. They were bound to see each other in the future,
but he knew they’d be able to get through it without too much
awkwardness.

Brant closed Darcy’s front door behind him
and began gathering his clothes, ignoring the tightness in his
chest. This was for the best, he kept telling himself over and over
again as he dressed quickly.

His Jeep sported a couple of new bullet holes
thanks to Carlos del Fuego’s men, but it still purred to life when
he turned the key in the ignition. Brant fought the urge to look
behind him as he drove away, but if he had, he would have seen
Darcy at the window, the innocence that had once shone in her eyes
shattered.

About the author:

Liliana Hart is the pseudonym for an author of more
than a dozen books. She lives in Texas with her husband and cats,
and loves to be contacted by readers.

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