Page 16 of Collateral Damage

Only what could not.

Wade nipped at the silky skin of her inner thigh as his hands worked off the pair of barely-there panties that were the last thing keeping her from him. As soon as they were gone his mouth was on her, and the sounds she was giving him changed in an instant.

Gone were the soft sighs and sweet gasps, replaced by ragged pleas as she begged him not to stop.

And said another man’s name.

A name he gave her.

He forced himself not to listen, not to hear the lie he made her tell. Instead Wade focused on the only honesty he could give her. Show her.

The pleasure he could provide.

Her hands forked into his hair and held tight, as if she thought he might move away before she’d had enough.

“Relax, Sweetheart. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

Her grip eased, the small display of trust digging under his skin. Making him even more positive that in a different world this night could have led to more.

Thatshecould have been more.

“You taste so fucking good.” He lapped at her clit, settling into a steady rhythm until she rocked against him, the soft skin of her thighs brushing his cheeks as they pushed against his neck. When her whole body went tight he sucked, pulling the hardened nub between his lips.

She came apart almost immediately, her sharp cry piercing deep into him. Cutting with the sweetest sort of blade.

And it only made him want to bleed more.

He kissed his way up her boneless body, careful not to leave any marks on her fair skin. It was a rule he lived by.

Never leave a trace.

He’d never wanted to. Especially with women. His past held a long list of nights similar to this one.

Similar but not the same. Not even close.

None of those women made him want to stay. Made him want to risk one more night.

Not like this woman did.

Her hazel eyes were open and focused when he found them. “What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”

She barely shook her head, the fingers of one hand tracing a line along his jaw. She pulled in a breath, the parting of her lips leaving him hanging, waiting for the words that would come out.

But none came. Instead she pulled him close, her arms reeling him in as easily as that first, tentative smile. When he thought she might be just another woman. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Her mouth was so sweet, her lips so soft, her body so welcoming. There was no way this was, or would ever be, just another woman. Not to him.

Shouldn’t be to any man with half a brain cell in his head.

Wade leaned up, pulling back just enough so he could look into her eyes. “Whoever he is, he’s not right for you.”

Clarity. It’s what she said she wanted from tonight. He was happy to give it to her. It had nothing to do with the fact that thinking of another man being in this same spot heated a place deep in his chest. A spot Wade didn’t think existed.

He just wanted to help her.

She gave him another barely-there nod. “I know.”

The two words brought him an unnerving amount of relief. He could never have this woman. Not in any way that mattered. She might not be with the man she was here to forget, but there would be more.