Chapter Six

Penny

He's avoiding me, and it's driving me insane.

Perhaps avoiding is too strong of a word to use, but even so, I can feel the distance between us, and I hate it. A distance that was not there this afternoon, and despite my best attempts to assure him that I am fine, he doesn't seem to believe it.

My tears this afternoon were not because of him. Well, they were, but not for the reasons he's thinking.

What happened today between us . . . I liked it.

I want it to happen again. My body is practically vibrating with the need to feel him again, but he keeps moving away when I step too close to him, and it's slowly getting on my nerves. Ray has no right to do this to me.

How dare he light a fire in me with his skillful hands and mouth, fan it with his body sculpted by the gods, and then do nothing about it?

I'm burning. Can he not see my nipples poking holes through the shirt I am wearing? He has to see. I've made no effort to hide them. And the pulsing heat between my legs has been present from the moment he dropped his towel and exposed his thick thighs and muscular ass.

I would never admit it to him, but I did sneak a few looks while he was dressing, and my God, the man has a body crafted to perfection with thick muscles that must've been earned by lifting heavy equipment in the garage, and I want to feel that power beneath my fingertips.

"How do you feel about steak?" Ray asks, drawing my thoughts to the present.

"Huh?" I blink at the man whose intense eyes are fixed on me. Did he catch me ogling him just now?

"I asked how you feel about steak. Or do you prefer chicken?"

Truth be told, I'm not that hungry. Not for food at least. The speed at which I devoured the cinnamon rolls earlier should be illegal, and I'm still full. The kind of hunger I feel cannot be sated by food, but I am not brave enough to tell him that. I can only hope that the man picks up the subtle clues I keep tossing his way.

"Steak is fine," I tell him, hopping onto the counter when he starts taking stuff out of his fridge. I don't straighten the shirt when it rides up my thighs, pretending I don't notice how much of my skin is exposed.

Ray's eyes drop to my legs, and I notice his Adam's apple bob wildly as he swallows back his desire before quickly looking away. "Steak it is then," he says, his deep voice carrying a rough edge to it. I watch with dazed eyes as he gathers ingredients on the counter, the thickness of his arms and those stained and calloused hands doing things to me I cannot control.

I move restlessly on the counter, biting my lip as my sex pulses hotly.

God, how is it possible to know nothing about sex one second and the next, crave it like my life depends on it?

"So, um, have you been a mechanic long?" I ask, crossing my legs in an attempt to ease the ache between my legs. It's also a sneaky way of asking about his age.

"Started learning about cars when I was fifteen, so close to twenty years, give or take. Saved up enough money to open my own place ten years ago."

Oh, he's in his mid-thirties. There is more than a ten-year age difference between us, and while I haven't actively thought about dating, never in my wildest dream would I have thought of being with someone like Ray. Older and clearly experienced.

God, he's so hot.

Snap out of it, Penny.

"Is it something you always thought you would do?"

"No," he says, taking out the steak. "My family is full of lawyers. Both my parents still practice and my older brother is a defense attorney. I'm what you consider the black sheep of the family."

"Your mom must not care if she stops to leave flowers in your home."

"Oh, they all care, but I've been doing this for a long time. They have no choice but to accept it." Ray grabs a water bottle and uncaps it before passing it to me. "What about you? What are your interests?"

"Accounting," I tell him, taking a sip. "My dad used to be an accountant, and he was great at it. Everyone loved him, and I want to be like him, so I was majoring in accounting when . . . I stopped."

Ray looks up at my hesitation. "Why did you stop?"

I shake my head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, I do."

His voice is firm, leaving no room for argument, and when I don't speak, he drops the shallots he's holding and approaches me. A few minutes ago, I would have welcomed this advance, but now that I need the space, he won't let me have it.

Ray grabs my thighs and squeezes them firmly but gently with his calloused hands, and for a second, I lose my trail of thought at the feel of his rough skin touching me. "Tell me, angel."

"I . . . my father died, so I couldn't go to school anymore."

"You're not telling me everything."

I glare at him. "Who would lie about such a thing?"

"Not about his passing, and I am sorry that happened to you, angel," he says, running his hands soothingly over my skin. "What I mean is you're lying about that being the reason you stopped going to college."

He's right. Dammit.

How is it that this man sees me so clearly?

Ray squeezes my thighs, forcing my eyes back to his intense gaze, and I slowly find myself giving in. "My stepfather," I tell him, and once the words are out, it's almost as if a cork has been popped because I suddenly want to spill everything. "He was my father's business partner and has been around my family since I was a little girl. He came into our lives when I was six or so."

Jonah was with us when I lost my dad, and he helped my mom plan the funeral. Then, before I knew it, he married my mom and moved into our home. He was nice at first, and to me, he'd always been Uncle Jonah. That was until I caught him watching me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable, his eyes unable to hide the desire in them.

Over time, his behavior toward me changed. He once walked in one me in the shower, and thank goodness for my quick reaction, I was able to grab a towel when I heard the door knob turn. He played it off like he didn't know I was in there, but I know that was not true.

"He wanted you?" Ray says, his eyes hardening and turning icy.

"Yeah," I whisper. "He grew possessive, and it scared me. At times, he would get jealous when I had friends over, and he slowly banned them from visiting me."

He convinced my mother that I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, and she believed him over her own daughter. Why wouldn't she? This was my new dad, and she was convinced he only wanted the best for me just like my real one had.

"How did he stop you from going to college?"

"My mom was still so depressed, so she left the handling of finances to him, and he stopped paying my tuition. I was going to get a job, but he imposed a curfew on me. Before I knew it, I wasn't allowed to leave home."

The house that once held my favorite memories became my prison.

I couldn't leave or meet anyone. My friends took him at his word when he told them I had no interest in leaving the house or meeting them, that I was still too distraught over my father's death.

All that made me feel helpless, but I didn't feel real fear until Jonah "accidentally" groped my ass one night before quickly apologizing, and I knew deep in my soul the man would one day take what I was unwilling to give him.

"I ran away from home this morning," I tell Ray. "I was in my bedroom when I noticed his car pull up in the driveway. I figured he must've forgotten something because he left the car running and ran into the house, and . . . I didn't think. I just grabbed my purse, phone, and the closest shoes I could find, ran out, got into the car, and drove off."

I can still feel how hard my heart was hammering in my chest. I almost crashed the car when I saw Jonah standing on the front porch with his hands in his pockets, watching me drive off. The look on his face was bone-chilling and promised to punish me when he caught up with me.

"Why do you believe I can't protect you from him?"

"He . . . Jonah is a bad man. He will do anything to get what he wants."

"And he wants you," Ray says, nudging my legs apart and stepping between them. I suck in a sharp breath when I feel the press of his hardening shaft against my inner thigh, but it's his intense eyes that steal all the air from my lungs. His eyes look hungry, heated, and hard all at once. "I see why he would want you. You're beautiful, Penny." He traces the back of his hand over my cheeks and down to my collar, parting the shirt with his strong fingers.

"Ray," I whimper, leaning into his touch, and I realize that I can't breathe.

"I'm not a good man either, angel. The things I want to do to you are downright dirty," he rasps, wrapping his hand around my waist and yanking me closer to him, pushing his erection hard against my thigh. My breath catches in my throat when the tip of his erection brushes my naked sex, the friction sending a storm of heat licking up my spine. "I want you to know that I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect what's mine . . . And make no mistake, Penny. You are mine. I want you. Tell me you want me too."

"I . . . I want you too," I whisper, my fingers curling in his T-shirt and rocking gently against his erection, any shred of dignity I had a thing of the past. Christ, I want him. He makes me feel safe, and above all, comfortable enough to express my desires.

His face is close to mine, and I get the overwhelming urge to lean in and kiss him. To press my lips against his hard ones until we're breathing the same air, until his heart is beating in tune with mine.

"We shouldn't baby," he says, his Adam's apple bobbing wildly when his eyes drop to my lips. "After what happened today, we need to be careful. I won't hurt you again."

"You didn't—"

"I was careless."

"And you gave me a choice, multiple chances to back out, and I didn't." I stare at him pleadingly. Scooting closer even so there is barely any space between us, I beg, "Please don't taint such a precious moment with regret. I wanted to be with you. I want to be with you now."

Please!

I expect him to deny me.

I'm scared that he will, but he doesn't.

Ray slides his hand under the shirt, up my thigh, and to my back, gripping my butt cheeks in his massive palms and sending a wet rush of heat between my thighs, causing the sensitive nub between my leg to throb.

Need grows in me as I rock my hips, working my sex over his erection like I'm in heat, and maybe I am. I don't want to wait. I can't handle any more teasing from this man. At this point, even his deep voice tortures me.

Unlike the first time, I don't wait for him to kiss me. I don't want him to overthink this moment, not when I am burning with the need for his touch.

With a desperate whimper, I surge forward and kiss him, offering my lips for him to take me. And he does.

Ray brings his left hand to my nape and combs his long fingers into my hair before grabbing a fistful and tugs hard. I gasp at the move, causing him to deepen the kiss. The stroke of his tongue against mine is intimate. It's so erotic and hungry. His need matches mine.

I bury my fingers in his shirt, pulling at the material as he works his mouth hotly over mine. I rock hard against his erection, crying out when he brings his free hand to my tit and kneads it firmly. "You're mine," he rasps against my lips. "I will do everything it takes to protect you."

My head spins when his lips leave mine, but I haven't had enough. A deep, guttural noise leaves his mouth when I lean up and kiss his neck, tonguing his Adam's apple while I run my fingers over his tattooed arms to the muscles of his shoulders.

"Need it," I whimper, the place between my legs pulsing wildly and begging for relief.

"Fuck, baby, you're trembling," he breathes, dipping his hand between my legs and letting out a pained sound when he finds my sex slick with arousal. "And wet too. You're practically dripping all over my kitchen counter."

"Hmm," I hum dazedly. "Want you."

"Fuck!" he curses out, drawing his hands away from my body and dragging me off the counter before he spins me around so his front is pressed against my back. "You want me to eat this pussy like I did back at the garage, don't you?"

God, yes!

"Please."

I feel him drop to his knees behind me and pushing my legs apart. He presses a hand to my back, pressing me down against the counter until I'm arching my back. There is barely any warning before I feel the wet press of his tongue against my trembling sex. I cry out and drop my head forward, as pleasure shoots up my spine. My knees nearly buckle when his finger enters me. It's uncomfortable at first, but the feeling is quickly overridden by the pleasure that rocks me when he rubs the tip of his tongue over my clit.

Moisture runs down my thighs as he laps at my sex, his thick digit making obscene noises as he slides it in and out of my sex in slow torturous moves. He licks at my pussy, making deep growly noises at the back of my throat as he does so, but I lose it when his mouth closes over my clit with light suction. My orgasm slams into me with little warning, my channel closing tightly around his calloused finger as a rush of heat licks up my body. I come with a sob, black stars exploding behind my eyelids as he draws out the orgasm with his sinful mouth.

It lasts for ages and leaves my legs shaking.

"Perfect. You're so fucking gorgeous, baby," Ray says gruffly, getting to his feet. My brain is so fogged, I don't hear him take out his cock, only feel the press of his thick shaft against my pulsing sex. "I could spend an eternity buried between your legs, lapping up your arousal and losing myself in your intoxicating scent." I whimper when he rubs his shaft over my sex, gathering moisture at my entrance. I have to grip the edge of the counter to hold myself up before my weak knees give out. "This pussy, it's a fucking dream, angel."

And then he's entering me.

"Oh!" I cry as he sinks his thick shaft into my sex.

Unlike our first time in his garage, I know what to expect now when he pushes his cock into me. It's a tight fit, and it hurts a little as he enters me slowly, but it fades away when he drops his mouth to the curve of my neck, kissing my skin gently as if to apologize for the slight discomfort that is quickly fading away, giving way to intense heat.

"You're so fucking tight, baby, fuck!" he growls, his breath heavy against my skin when he fills me. He gives me a moment for my body adjust to his size before he starts moving, grinding slowly into me.

"Oh," I whimper at the intense ache between my legs. His fingers move between my thighs and find my clit, rubbing the swollen nub in tight circles as he starts thrusting faster into me.

His thrusts are rough, driving my toes off the floor with the intensity of it all. I have to grip hard on the edge of the counter to keep myself up. A sob climbs up my throat when his free hand grabs my hair, pulling me back against his chest as he slams hard into me.

"Mine!" he growls as he ruts me like he is possessed, his drives turning feverish and breathing ragged. I whine his name as I feel myself edge close to another climax. "So fucking hot. I'm going to flood you with my seed, breed you, and leave you swollen with my baby. Make you mine forever."

"Yes!" I cry, heat licking up my spine as he rubs my clit in fast strokes and slams hard into me, sending me right over the edge. My lips part on a scream as an orgasm tears through me, threatening to sink me into the ground. My body shakes from the explosion, my sex clenching tightly around his shaft. Ray isn't too far behind as he tightens the hold in my hair, thrusting his cock harder into me until he jerks hard around me a second before he fills me with his hot seed, and I moan at the sensation. He grunts hard as he presses his cock into me, faster and harder until I have milked him to his last drop.

His body loses tension and he drops against my back, bracing his arm on the counter as he does so. I drop my cheek to the cool countertop and close my eyes even as tiny spasms continue to rock my body.

We don't speak.

What is there to say?

Our bodies did all the talking for us. Said everything we needed to and then some, so we stay there locked in an embrace, the sound of our heavy breathing filling the room. Ray brushes his lips over the side of my neck, the motion carrying a sense of affection this time, and I realize that I could fall for this man. If I haven't already.

"I have been told I make amazing steak, and my baked potatoes are to die for," he whispers into my ear, his voice deep and rough, sending a warmth settling in my heart. When I'm not thinking of how hot he sounds against my ear, his voice is soothing.

"Now I wouldn't want to miss that."

Ray chuckles, the sound warm and comforting. "Let's clean up and continue with dinner."

Now that I've had what I was craving from the moment I saw him walk in with only a towel wrapped around his waist, I realize I am hungry after all. As we slide into some kind of rhythm, I forget the fact that I am a runaway.

Everything else outside of this moment with this man becomes an afterthought.