Scarred: A New Adult Romance (The Anderson Brothers Series Book 1) (22 page)

Her
smile broadens. “You’ve done so much in these past weeks to help heal my pain.
I thought I could never love again. That I would be too scared to be with
anyone again. Then you came along. You’ve always been there.”

I
blink.
What is she saying?

“Maybe
it was the initial attraction I had for you when we first met,” she says. “Then
you fixed my car, took me to dinner, did all those nice things for me in
between … ”

“ …
And then William came along and ruined everything.”

She
frowns. “I was stupid to think I could love him again like I did before. You’ve
been nothing but sweet to me, and I took it for granted. But when I needed you
the most, you were there. Oh God, were you there.”

I
kiss the back of her head. “I will always be there. If you want me to be.”

“Yeah,
I do … because I like you, too. A lot.”

I
smile. She shifts in my lap and faces me. Light flashes across our faces from a
car explosion in the movie. At this point, I think we’re too fixated on each
other to pay attention to it. She cradles my face in her hands and leans in
closer, slowly. She touches my lips with a feather-soft kiss. Her taste is
amazing. I don’t want it to end. But much to my dismay, she slowly pulls away.
She runs her fingers down my cheek, brushes them over my lips. I try to kiss
every one of those slender fingers.

I
want her. Right now.

But
I know I can’t have her. She’ll save herself for someone special. And I’m glad.

Chapter 22

Denise slides off me, taking my hand, and stands. Curious,
I get up from the couch. The movie still going, she leads me out of the living
room and upstairs. My throat tightens in anticipation and slight worry.

“Denise?”
I say when we reach the doorway to my bedroom. “Wait, we should—” She places
her index finger to my lips, pulls me inside, and shuts the door.

Removing
her finger, she says, “You know.”

I
blink. “I know? I know what?”

“That
I’m a virgin,” she says matter-of-factly.

I
swallow and nod. “Uh, yeah. But I’m not bothered by that. And you shouldn’t be,
either. I’m glad you’re waiting. Not many girls do that these days.”
That’s why I love you.

She
wraps her arms around my neck. “Dominick, no guy has done the things you’ve
done for me. Said the sweetest things. Cared so much. Thank you.”

I
grin, and she kisses me.

My
heart thumps, and I return the kiss.
She’s
delicate. Maybe I shouldn’t.
Part of me wants to pull away, but I can’t. I
can’t hold back how much I care about her.

How
much I love her.

I
wrap my arms around her waist and rest my forehead against hers. “Denise.”

She
looks up at me with those enticing ebony eyes. Our gazes fix on each other for
a moment, then she meets her lips to mine, this time, deeper, more passionate
than before. My mental dam breaks. I kiss those beautiful lips, tasting every
drop of her sweet, addicting taste. My hands caress her waist and up her back.
Kissing along her jawline and down her neck, I taste her sweet, flawless skin.
She breathes short, ragged breaths, but her body is relaxed. I slide my hands
down her back again and stop just shy of her tailbone. What I wouldn’t give to
grope her ass right now. Would she mind?

Then
she buries her hands beneath my shirt, her slightly cool touch caressing the
skin of my abs. Oh God, she has such wonderful hands. Every spot she touches is
electrified.
No, I have to stop or else—
I take a deep breath and reluctantly pull away. She looks at me, confused and
flustered.

“Denise.”
My voice is husky from the moment. “Th-think about what you want.” I swallow,
savoring the remnants of her taste on my tongue. “Think about it before—”

She
places her index finger to my lips again. “It’s been you all along, Dominick. I
see it now.” She removes her finger, and, before I can respond, her lips are on
mine.

Her
hands are on my abs again, and my hands are on her tailbone, then slide lower
to her ass. A small moan escapes me as I grope her cheeks. So soft. So round.
So amazing. I pull her against me, my manhood rock-hard in my pants.

I
exhale and look into her eyes. “Denise, it’s getting hotter and, well, I don’t
want you to do something you might regret.”

She
looks back at me, her expression mirroring that of a drunk’s, only she’s drunk
on pleasure. “My only regret is that we didn’t meet sooner. I want you,
Dominick Anderson.”

Shit. She’s serious.

I’m
speechless.

She wants me. She wants
me
!

And
yet, there is still one question that lingers in my mind.

I
pepper her lips with gentle kisses. “Do you love me?”

Smiling,
she stops me and places her hands on either side of my face. “I love you.”

There
is no hesitation in her eyes, her voice, when she says this, so I say, “I love
you, too.”

We
kiss, sealing that confirmation. Sealing our love.

I
sweep my hands around to her hips, hiking her oversized shirt up slightly. She
shivers as I run my thumbs along the tops of her thighs. She grips my T-shirt
collar and tugs. I pull back slightly and shrug out of the shirt.

I
look to her with need, my eyelids heavy. She leans in and feathers my torso
with her soft lips, kissing over my pecs and down my sternum. I watch her,
feeling like I’m half-drunk myself. Running her tongue over my abs, she moves
her hands skillfully over my chest.

Sweet Jesus.

“Are
you sure you’re a virgin?” I ask between breaths.

She
pauses, looks at me, and smirks. “Why? You think virgins suck at foreplay?”

“Hell
no. Then again, you’re the first virgin I’ve been with.”

She
chuckles and resumes licking my chest, trailing that wonderful tongue across my
pecs. Her lips pepper new spots on my skin—new
sensitive
spots—and the strain in my groin becomes unbearable.

I
pull her shirt up off her, and we break the kiss. I pull back and admire her
body—her beautiful, perfect body. She’s lean and built like a dancer all over.
I run my hands down her shoulders and arms, relishing the feel of her soft,
flawless skin. I move to her chest and cup her small, perky tits. She moans as
I use my thumbs to rub her nipples, which harden at my touch. My lips ravaging
her goose-bumped skin, I slide down to her midsection. My fingers graze along
the contour of her waist, down to her hips. I lick and kiss her navel, and she
whimpers.

“Dominick
… ”

The
way she utters my name makes me feel like my dick’s about to burst out of my
jeans.
I want her. I need her. Now.
I
lift her into my arms and settle her onto the bed, laying her back onto the
pillows and disheveled bedding. Crawling on top of her, I kiss every inch of
her passionately. When I reach her lips, she moans. Positioning myself between
her legs, I indulge in her flawless, caramel-toned body, starting with her neck
and running down to her chest. I gently massage one of her tits with my hand,
going in small circles. She whimpers and moans, and her whole body shudders.
Her nipple is harder than a pebble beneath my palm. I draw my kisses to her
other soft, beautiful mound, and flick her nipple with my tongue. Then I take
it into my mouth and suckle until she moans again. She runs her fingers along
my scalp, her tiny nails scratching it. Releasing her breast from my mouth, I
continue my tour of her body. I get a good look at her abs, and realize just
how tight and defined they are, like she’s been on some sort of workout
regimen. I’ve never seen a girl this fit.

“God,
Denise,” I whisper, my breath hitting the contours of her musculature. “You are
so fucking hot, I can’t stand it.”

She
mutters something in response that I can’t understand, and I’m too aroused to
try and make sense of it.

I
kiss every inch of her tight muscles, taste every bit of salt from the small
beads of sweat that form a sheen over her skin. My tongue slides lower, between
her legs, and she squirms and takes hurried breaths.

I
kiss her inner thighs while I draw one hand down between her legs. The smell of
her sex is driving me insane. My fingers graze her warm center, massaging it,
the touch of her wetness utterly amazing.

Her
body tenses, and she sucks in her breath. I kiss down the length of her long,
beautiful legs.

“Oh
God! D-Dom, please … ” she says through an exhaled breath.

I
lift my lips from her skin only briefly to shift to the edge of the bed and
reach under it for the box. With two fingers, I pull out a foil packet. Palming
it for now, I lay on top of her and shower her lips with kisses. I want her
badly, but I want to make absolutely certain this is what she wants, too.

I
plant one last kiss and pull back. “Look at me, Denise.”

Her
eyelids flutter open, and she gazes at me with aroused, ebony eyes.

“Do
you trust me? Do you … truly love me?”

Beaming,
she replies breathily, “Yes, Dominick. I trust you. I … I truly love you.”

I
sit up and undo my jeans and wiggle out of them and my boxers. Relief spreads
through me when my hard, pulsing erection is freed from its tight confines. Her
eyes widen in awe at the sight.

Smiling
at her reaction, I tear open the foil packet and sheathe myself. Returning to
my position atop her, I rest the lower half of my body between her legs. “I’ll
go slow. I promise.” My lips returning to hers, I run my hand down the side of
her thigh, lifting her leg slightly as I slide inside her in a careful, gentle
push. I let out a long, slow groan against her mouth. She’s so damn tight. She
breaks the kiss and cries out, and I refrain from pushing further. I kiss the
side of her neck reassuringly.

“I
know,” I whisper. Even though she’s scared and in pain, she trusts me. She
loves
me. And I love her. Maybe one day
I’ll marry her. I’ll be a better man to my wife than my father could have ever
been to his and his children.

Denise
digs her fingernails in my back, and I push further, little by little. Her
tightness clenches around my pulsating length, causing me to breathe a little
harder. If this is what a virgin truly feels like, then my God, nothing can
ever compare to this perfect moment.

Slowly,
gently, I grind my hips against her, and our bodies rock in a steady rhythm.
Louder, she moans, and her hips press against mine, meeting force for force. I
bury my face in her chest as I go a little faster. Harder. Our bodies are
sweaty and slick. She reaches down and grabs my ass, her nails digging into my
cheeks.
Fuck, those nails.
It drives
me closer to release. The pain makes me plunge deeper into her tight depth.

She
lets out a painful cry, but one that’s also tinged with pleasure. I kiss her
mouth, and she wraps her arms around my back, pulling me into her. Faster, we
move, with hurried breaths and loud cries. Then, her body twitches, and I feel
her heat rush over my dick. To feel her reach that point of pleasure—that point
of absolute bliss—makes me shudder and let out a low groan. We ride out our
orgasms until we finally collapse from sheer exhaustion.

Chapter 23

I open my eyes to muted sunlight that fills the room.

Is it morning already? Did I really sleep away that wonderful
night?

I look at the beautiful girl sleeping peacefully in my arms,
a hint of a smile upon her lips.

My girl.

I kiss her forehead, and her eyelids flutter slightly, but
she doesn’t awaken. I watch her as I mull over last night. The night she became
mine. The thoughts make me kiss her more, run my fingers across her shoulder
and down her arm. I caress her cheek, her face, run my thumb over her lips. I
can’t stop touching her. I love her so much that it hurts. I close my eyes for
a moment, only to open them again when my bliss is interrupted by the urge to
piss.

Damn it.

Carefully peeling myself away, I gently wriggle my arm from
around her, replacing the spot where my arm touched her skin with more of the
blanket, and my head with another pillow. Finally free, I slip on my boxers and
hustle to the half-bath. Finished with my business, I open the bathroom door to
find Chris standing there in his Magic Touch Auto Detail polo work shirt and
jeans.

Fuck! It’s Monday?

“Dom? You still here?” Chris asks, eyeing me curiously.

I widen my eyes. It
is
Monday. “Holy shit! It’s finals week. What time is it?”

“Uhh … 9:20?”

I slap my forehead. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” I missed my circuits
final. I gotta make it up somehow.

Chris furrows his brow. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

I look at him and exhale. He hadn’t heard us last night?
Maybe he and Adrienne were too busy doing their thing to notice. “Is Adri still
here?”

“Nope. Left about an hour ago. Wait, is Denise still here?”

I shift my gaze to anywhere but him. “Yeah, man.”

His mouth makes a very refined O.

Not wanting to risk waking Denise, I head for the stairs,
motioning him with my head to follow.

“Duuuuude!” Chris exclaims in just above a whisper when we
reach the kitchen. “So I
wasn’t
hearing things last night!”

I reach for the fridge’s door handle, pause, and stare at
Chris, horrified. “You heard us?”

Chris nods, smirking. “So did Adri. These walls are thin,
after all.”

I grimace.

“It’s about damn time you finally put those condoms to use
again.”

“Not a word,” I say.

Chris shrugs innocently. “Yeah, yeah. My lips are sealed.
But I can’t deny what I heard up there, and it sounded pretty damn good.”

Grinning slightly, I open the fridge and grab the milk.
“Yeah, it was good. Real good.”