His Risk to Take Read Online Free Page B

against the hallway wall. His arms shot out to rest on either side of her head, his gaze burning a path from her breasts down to her bare legs and back up again. Her skin felt bathed in fire everywhere he looked. Her nipples puckered for his attention. Goose bumps broke out along her arms. She couldn’t take it a second longer.
    “Are you going to spend all night looking? Or are you actually going to do something about it?”
    He took another step closer, bringing their bodies flush, growling deep in his throat at the contact. She watched as a transformation took place in him. Gone was the man concerned for her safety who’d cooked her an omelet. He’d been replaced by someone raw and assertive. The change should have intimidated her, but she couldn’t deny feeling a rush of excitement. Anticipation. “You might get away with running that smart mouth to other people. But you won’t get away with it here. If you continue to challenge me with every word out of your mouth, I will fuck you repeatedly until you learn to play nice.”
    Part of her screamed in offense, the other half wanted to beg him to do it. In this moment, with a thousand sensations pouring through her, the latter half won hands down. “You’d better get started, then.”
    “You’re going to regret that.”
    His mouth descended, hard and punishing, on hers. Her desperate moan collided with his as he forced her lips open and licked into her mouth. Ruby immediately went light-headed, her balance deserting her. She clutched the front of his shirt to ground herself, give herself the leverage to return his kiss, but his mouth dominated hers, rebuking her for challenging him. She fought back, pulling him closer to suck his tongue, bite at his lips. He sunk his hands into her hair, tugging just enough to let her know how close to the edge she’d pushed him. Finally, he pulled away for breath, air racing in and out past his lips.
    When he spoke, his voice sounded raw. “What changed your mind?”
    “Does it matter?”
    “Yes.” He leaned in and nipped the underside of her jaw. “It damn well matters.”
    Heat pooled between her legs, stealing even more of her breath. She couldn’t think of anything but the truth. “Maybe I just decided to live in the moment.”
    Troy pulled back to study her, scrutinizing her expression. Base hunger clouding his features, he shook his head once. “No.”
    “What do you mean ‘no’?”
    Using his teeth, he scraped a path up the side of her neck. “I mean, when I sink my cock between those insane thighs, I need to know you’re not going to regret it afterward.” He palmed her roughly through her panties. “I need you right there with me, loving every second of me riding you. Knowing I’m going to do it all over again within the hour.”
    She bit back a moan as he applied pressure right where she needed it. “You’re turning me down? It doesn’t feel like it.”
    “I’m not capable of turning you down,” he said on a pained laugh, gaze devouring her breasts. “I’m going to take you to my bed and pleasure the fuck out of you. But the panties stay on. It’s nonnegotiable.”
    Her entire system rebelled against his words. How could he touch her, kiss her like this, and refuse to take it all the way? It didn’t make sense. Men didn’t have that kind of willpower, did they? She certainly didn’t have that kind of willpower. “W-what? Is it too late to give a different answer about why I changed my mind?”
    “Yes. But don’t worry, baby.” Before she could register his intention, he’d swung her up into his arms. “Even with your panties on, it’ll still be the best sex of your life.”
    He laid her down on the bed of his darkened bedroom, illuminated only by the light filtering in from the kitchen. His body came down on hers, pressing her into the mattress as their mouths met in a heated exchange of seeking tongues and matching groans. Desperate to feel his hard chest against her breasts, she