She turned her back to him, and she eased open the towel a bit. The fabric swept low, curving at her lower back, and he could see a faint scar, no wider than a pencil. It started at the base of her neck and ended at the dip of her lower back. On her hip, there was another scar, no more than six inches long.
He didn’t understand what it meant. She had scars. That . . . wasn’t terrible. He’d seen the line going down her back before and hadn’t asked. There had to be more to the story, so he waited.
He watched her shoulders raise as she took in a long breath, and then spoke. “When I was born, I had the birthmark on my cheek. I was very self-conscious about it, but my parents thought it made me special and unique, and they didn’t like the idea of me getting rid of it. I guess they didn’t realize how much it bothered me, because I’ve always been a little . . . withdrawn.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Then when I was twelve, I developed scoliosis. It’s a curvature of the spine, and instead of my back being a normal line, mine was an S shape. My rib cage was twisting around. I had to wear a back brace all day, every day, to try and correct it.”
Her head drooped and she looked so forlorn that his heart ached.
“Overnight, I went from ‘that weird kid with the cheek’ to ‘that weird kid with the brace and the cheek.’ Kids made fun of me. A lot. I started hiding out from school, and nearly failed out. My parents got me a private tutor, and I finished my schooling at home. And eventually my back got so bad that I had surgery.” She gestured at the slim column of her spine, marked with the scars. “They were able to fix most of it, but not all. I have the scars, of course. And my shoulders don’t match up.” She tapped her right shoulder. “This shoulder is lower than the other. My hips don’t align, either. They’re slightly . . . off, thanks to the surgery. They fixed everything they could, but it’s not perfect. It’ll never be perfect.” She choked on the word.
His poor, sweet Elise. Rome moved forward to touch her, and at the brush of his fingers against her shoulder, she shuddered. “You look perfect to me,” he told her. He didn’t care that her hips weren’t straight, or that she had a scar. Hell, he was covered in tattoos and piercings, all so he could look rough enough to fit in and not get his ass kicked in prison.
“That’s just it, though. My back was fixed, and as soon as I could convince my parents, I had my cheek taken care of. But every time I look in the mirror . . .” She swallowed hard.
He could guess. “You still see the girl with the back brace and the stain on your cheek?”
She nodded. “I just . . . it still bothers me, even though I know it shouldn’t. And I guess that’s why I’m shy. Because I don’t think people see me, they see . . . you know.” She swallowed. “The freak.”
Rome’s fingers touched the top of her scar at the base of her neck, and then trailed down, brushing the curve of her back. “Nope, I get it. You get told you’re something often enough, and you start to believe it. It doesn’t matter how much you change on the outside, you can’t quite let go of what used to be. I get that. I really do.”
She said nothing, but the breath she let go was shaky.
He touched her hip, the scar there. “I get the other one, but what’s this for?”
“When they put the metal rods in your back, they take bone from your hip and graft it. You get two scars for the price of one.” She looked at him over her shoulder and her mouth quirked in a half smile. “Lucky, right?”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” he said. “If you ever wanted to get a tattoo over this, you just let me know. I’d hold your hand the entire time.” He skimmed his fingers up her back again. “Not that you aren’t pretty how you are.”
She shivered under his touch, and the towel shifted a bit. “You don’t think it’s . . . weird? My shoulders aren’t even. My clothes don’t hang right.”
“Baby,” he said softly, leaning in to press a kiss at the base of her exposed neck. “The only thing I notice about your clothes is how fast I want to get you out of them.”
Her breath shuddered again. “God, Rome. You’re incredible for a girl’s self-esteem, you know that?”
“I don’t care about girls,” he told her, brushing aside another tendril of hair so he could kiss her neck from behind once more. “I care about you. Only you, Elise.”
She shuddered as he licked at the curve of her neck, and her hands trembled on the towel.
His hand moved to the front of it, pulling at her fingers where she held it closed, clutched to her. And she released it slowly.
The towel dropped to the ground at her feet, and Elise stood before him, naked.
She was beautiful. No matter how much she questioned it, there was never any doubt in his mind that seeing Elise gloriously naked would be memorable. He’d seen flashes of skin here and there, and he’d been intimately acquainted with the flesh between her thighs, but seeing the entire picture was different. Her eyes were wide, and her breathing rapid, her body clearly panicking despite his comforting words.
“Can I look at you?” he asked, brushing his knuckles over her cheek. “Or would you rather I turn the lights off?”
She took in a deep breath. “No, it’s okay. You . . . can look.”
He would. It was more important that she relax first. He brushed his fingers up and down her arms, trying to comfort her. She shivered at his touch, and her neck tilted, as if she were trying to get a better look at him. He leaned in and kissed her jaw. “Can I look while we lie down?”
She blinked, then nodded.
He took her hand and led her to the bed. He ignored her trembling. It’d go away soon enough, once she started feeling half as aroused as he was. Hell, he was so hard he was surprised his boxers hadn’t flown apart.
Elise sat down on the edge of the bed, her body tense. Rome sat next to her and touched her jaw, moving her face toward his. Then he kissed her, ever so gently. Her mouth was tight under his, and he licked and coaxed at her mouth, trying to convince her to open up. Maybe he should have let her have a few more beers after all—Elise was locked down and tense as could be.
But after a few kisses, her mouth softened, her lips parting under his ministrations, and he began to kiss her more deeply, licking at her mouth. His tongue slid slowly in and out of her lips, the motion a deliberate mimic of what he was going to do to her later, and she made a soft noise of pleasure in her throat. Her hand lifted, hesitated, and then landed on his shoulder.
Progress. Rome tried not to feel triumphant as she relaxed against him. His hands continued to touch and stroke her jaw and shoulders, his touch safe and soothing. He wanted her hair down, though, so he pulled it free of its bun and it slid around her shoulders like a silky, dark curtain that made him groan. “I love your hair,” he murmured against her mouth.
She gave a soft sigh against his lips, her mouth opening just a bit wider in invitation of his kiss.
That’s right, he thought encouragingly. Open up for me.
He made his kisses hungrier, more aggressive, until his tongue was openly fucking her mouth. Soft whimpers rose in her throat, whimpers of need, and she continued to kiss him passionately, responding to his touch. Elise wanted him; she was just nervous and not wanting to make a fool of herself. He suspected that part of her still waited for him to be disgusted with the way she looked, and somehow turn her away.
It was time to soothe that ridiculous fear of hers.
Between kisses, Rome buried his hands in her hair and began to speak slowly. “Been thinking about this for days now,” he told her. “My tongue inside that pretty mouth of yours, licking that gorgeous skin, on your breasts, your belly, everywhere.”
She moaned at his words, the look in her eyes soft.
“I remember your taste from the other day, in the studio,” he told her, and stopped kissing her for a moment so he could see her reaction to his words. “Sometimes I close my eyes and think I can still taste you in my mouth, your thighs against my face. Fucking sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Her ey
elashes fluttered at his words, and she gasped. “Rome,” she whispered.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Kiss me.”
His finger trailed down her neck, brushed over her collarbone. Her skin was so pale, but she was beautiful. Everywhere, she was beautiful. He wanted to stare at those gorgeous, tight little breasts, but there’d be time enough for that. “Where do you want me to kiss you, baby?”
She gave a small mew in her throat. “Anywhere. Everywhere.”
“Mmm.” He kissed her face with small, pressing, tiny kisses. “Can I kiss your neck?”
She made a soft noise of assent.
He coaxed her head back, exposing the slim column of her neck. “This looks delicious,” he told her, and pressed a kiss there.
She squirmed and laughed, surprising him.
He pulled back, a smile on his face. “What?”
“It just . . . made me think of vampires.”
Rome chuckled. “Well, I wasn’t thinking about the blood as much as I was thinking about all this lovely, smooth skin.” His thumb rubbed her pulse point. “And how I wanted to lick every inch of it. But . . . I guess I could pretend to be a sparkly vampire if that’s your thing—”
She giggled and punched him lightly in the arm. “Stop it. That’s not my ‘thing.’”
“What is your thing, Elise Markham?” he teased.
“I think . . . I like guys with tattoos,” she said softly, her hands moving over his shoulders and then gliding over his pectorals. “And piercings. Nose piercings, lip piercings, you name it.”
He groaned, his cock throbbing in his boxers. “God damn, I would love nothing more than to toss you down on this bed right now and fuck the hell out of you.”
Her breathing became rapid with excitement, and her fingernails scratched at his chest. “Why don’t you?”
“Because,” he growled, dragging his arms around her waist and pulling her naked body into his lap. “I’m going to make this amazing for you.”
“It’s already amazing,” she told him, her legs shifting on his lap in a way that made him ache all over again. “Just being here with you.”
His chest ached at her sweet words. “Hey, I thought I was the one supposed to be doing the romancing here.”
Elise gave him another sweet smile and leaned in to kiss him. She wasn’t acting terrified any longer; that was a relief.
He kissed her back, his tongue playfully coaxing hers. His hand stroked up and down her arm, and her breast brushed against his fingertips more than once. He itched to touch her breasts, but he wasn’t sure how skittish it would make her. He decided he’d talk her through it, instead.
“You have the sexiest little breasts, baby. Been dreaming about putting my mouth on those sweet nipples and tonguing them until you cry out.”
She sucked in a breath, then draped her arms around his neck. “Touch me?”
“Love to,” he murmured, and his hand slid up her stomach to cup one breast. “Mm, gorgeous.”
She stiffened in his arms, her lips parting, but her gaze remained fixed on him.
He circled her breast with his fingers, hefting the weight in his grasp. “Small but full. My favorite kind of breast. And I love these beautiful pink nipples.” His thumb brushed over one stiff peak, and he was rewarded with her soft intake of breath and subsequent moan. “You like it when I touch your breasts, Elise?”
She said nothing, only bit her lip, but her back arched and she pressed her breast further into his hand.
“I think that’s a yes,” he murmured, and his thumb grazed over her nipple, over and over again. “They’re nice and stiff, these little nipples. I think they’re just aching to be sucked on, aren’t they?”
She moaned aloud that time, her back arching again.
“Mm, that sounds like a definite yes to me.” He dragged her backward on the bed, noticing with satisfaction the bounce of her breasts as she fell onto her back. His hand immediately went to cup one breast and he leaned over her, his mouth hovering above the other breast as he drew out her anticipation. “You ever had someone suck on your pretty nipples before, Elise?”
“N-no,” she breathed. “Just you.”
“Then I’m the luckiest man alive,” he told her, and grazed his lips over the straining tip of one breast, his fingers carefully teasing and coaxing the tip of the other breast. He deliberately let his lip ring glide over her nipple, knowing she’d find that erotic, and was rewarded with another moan and a small flex of her hips in response.
He teased the tip with his tongue, circling and testing to see what she responded to. When he nipped at it with his lips, she gasped. When he flicked the underside of her nipple with his tongue, she moaned. When he teased it with his teeth, she nearly came off the bed.
“You like that?” he murmured, gazing up at her. His mouth continued to tease and play with her nipple as he waited for her response. His cock ached in his boxers; the head throbbed and he felt hard as iron at her timid responses.
She nodded again, but he wasn’t satisfied with that. He wanted to hear the words coming from her own lips. “Tell me what you want me to do, Elise, and I’ll do it.”
Her mouth worked silently for a moment. He lifted his head, not touching her any longer, and she finally responded. “Put your mouth on me,” she breathed, and pushed his head back toward her breasts.
“That’s my girl,” he murmured, and rewarded her with a delicious nip that made her shudder. His tongue flicked her sensitive nipples over and over again, and she moaned and wriggled under him with each touch. It was like she was starting to forget where she was, and the more she forgot, the more vocal she became. He loved that. He wanted her to lose utter control. He wanted to see her go wild underneath him.
His lips coaxed one nipple and then he took it into his mouth and sucked, hard. She moaned again, her hips flexing, and he released it with a pop, then moved over to her other, giving it the same attention. She had such pretty breasts, and thanks to his mouth, both peaks were upright, pointing and hard and cherry red. It was a gorgeous sight. “Look at how beautiful you are,” he murmured, teasing her nipples with his fingers again. “Look at how flushed your nipples are. I bet your pussy’s flushed, too.”
She moaned at his words, her eyes closing. But her hips flexed again, indicating that she liked his words very much.
“Is it, Elise?” he asked, his voice low and soft. “If I touch you, am I going to find you wet for me? All juicy and pink and ready to be tasted?”
Elise whimpered at his words. “Please, Rome.”
“Please what, baby?” He brushed a hand down her soft thigh, then rested it on her knee. It was her call as to what she wanted him to do. He’d do whatever she liked, as long as she gave the signal it was what she wanted.
“Please touch me,” she begged, and her knee fell to the side, exposing her to him.
His beautiful, sweet Elise. Rome groaned, his cock nearly spurting. He reached down to his boxers and squeezed his dick to try and get his own raging desire under control. He wanted to make her scream with pleasure before he even thought of crawling between her legs.
“Touch you here?” He brushed his fingers over the curls of her pussy. She was wet, her curls dark with her juices. He wanted to bury his face there, but that might be too much, too soon. He’d let her drive for a bit instead.
“Yes,” she said, her voice so soft it was practically inaudible. But she followed it with a nod, and when his hand pressed on her thigh again, she let her legs fall open even wider.
Rome groaned. She made a beautiful picture, all soft and willing underneath him, her face flushed with excitement and a hint of shyness. He’d never seen anything as lovely as Elise Markham in that moment. He ran two fingers along the inside of her thigh, watching her tremble, and then he slid them down to her pussy. Using the same two fingers, he pressed into her folds, testing to see how wet she was.
Not quite as wet as he’d like, but getting there. He knew she was nervous; he’d ma
ke it even better for her, then. He wouldn’t take her until she was dripping for him.
Using his fingers, he coaxed the moisture from her center and slicked it back and forth on her sex, wetting it. She moaned and pushed her hips against his hand, but he kept his rhythm slow, languid, and on pace. He wanted to drive her crazy, and keeping the pace too slow for her would soon have her wild with need. And as he moved his fingers back and forth, sliding over her pussy, he talked to her.
“I wanted you the very first time I saw you, Elise. When I walked into the lodge at the Daughtry Ranch and I saw you there, all sleep-tousled and gorgeous, my cock was hard for you. You remember what I called you?” He dragged his fingers around her clit, teasing it out of its hood and making it protrude for him. He couldn’t resist giving it a quick lick, and was rewarded when a shuddering gasp escaped her.
“Bo Peep,” she breathed. “You said I looked lost.”
“You still feel lost, baby?”
“Not with you,” she said, and he felt his chest ache again.
“That’s a good answer,” he told her in a husky voice. “Deserves a reward, don’t you think?” And he put his mouth on her clit and sucked.
Her legs twitched and she gave a small cry of surprise. Then she moaned again, her legs falling open wider. “Rome,” she breathed, and he ground his cock into the bed at the sound of his name on her lips.
“I’m here, baby,” he told her. “I’ve got you.” And his mouth returned to her clit, sucking on the little nub and flicking his tongue over it.
Her hips worked again, the small, soft cries of pleasure erupting from her throat beautiful to hear. He slid a finger down to her core again, and she was slick, her juices coating his fingers.
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” he told her, and gave her clit a quick, teasing lick as he slid a finger inside her.
She whimpered, and he nearly did, too; she was incredibly fucking tight. If he was going to make this good for her, he needed to loosen her up. He went to work on her clit again, lapping and sucking at the small nub of flesh, and gently stroking his finger in and out of her core.