Her Destiny by Monica Murphy Page B

care.
    “You’re teasing me.” The smile fades. “Making fun of the inexperienced girl.”
    “No way.” I let my lips drift across her cheek, toward her ear, until I’m nibbling on the lobe and making her squirm. “I love that you were so inexperienced. It means that you’re all mine.” Being with her, having her in my arms, the possessive urge that sweeps over me is hard to deny.
    This girl is definitely mine, though I’m not sure she realizes it.
    A shuddering sigh escapes her and she hangs her head down. “I’ve been with other boys.”
    I stiffen and pull away from her, curling my fingers around her chin and forcing her to look at me. “Hell, Reverie. Did you…have sex with them?” Anger bubbles up inside me and I tell it to fuck off. I have no right to be mad. We weren’t together. She was feeling lost, missing her old life. I can’t blame her.
    But I want to tear apart every one of those guys who had their hands on her, no matter how brief the interlude was.
    She slowly shakes her head, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “I kissed them, that’s it, I swear. I think…oh my God, this is going to sound so stupid but I think I was trying to kiss you out of my system or something.”
    “Did that plan work out for you?” I ask, my voice low, my thoughts turbulent. I’m quietly freaking out inside waiting for her answer and I don’t know how long I can stand it.
    “No.” She loops an arm around my neck, pulling herself into me. “I still missed you.”
    Gripping her by the waist, I haul her into my lap, until she’s straddling me, her knees on either side of my hips, slender hands gripping my shoulders, her fingers pressing into my skin, making it sizzle. “You miss me now?”
    Reverie nods, her voice soft, her eyes heavy as she stares at my mouth. “Yes.”
    It’s the aching whisper of her voice that urges me into action. I kiss her, my mouth settling on hers, our lips connecting, our bodies pressed close together. My body instantly reacts to her taste, to the way she touches me, her knees pressed hard against my hips, the eager little noises that escape from the back of her throat when I part her lips with my tongue. I haven’t kissed her in months and the rush that comes when I touch my tongue to hers for the first time since forever spurs me on.
    I’m going to have to exercise some serious control tonight or she’s going to be naked in seconds. That’s all I really want. I think that’s all she wants too but I’m not about to risk her brother discovering us like this. He’ll hand me my ass on a platter for screwing his sister on his couch.
    And I’d like to keep my ass, thank you very much.
    “Nick.” She whispers my name after breaking our kiss, bending her head so she can kiss a path of heat along my jaw. My arms tighten around her waist and I want to shout in triumph that I have her like this. “I need to go back to bed.”
    Say…what? Pulling away from her slightly, I give her a little shake so she lifts her head, her gaze meeting mine. “What did you say?”
    “I keep kissing you like this and I’ll want more.” She skims her fingernails down my chest, across my pecs and yeah, I’m instantly, painfully hard. “And I don’t want to move too fast.”
    Says the girl who came to my apartment and jumped my bones a few months ago. But she’s right. I know she’s right. We need to get through all of this, one step at a time. We shouldn’t cloud our judgment with a night of awesome sex.
    Though that sounds pretty damn good right now.
    “You’re right.” I lift her up and set her away so she’s sitting on the couch next to me once more, the both of us breathing a little too hard. My heart is racing and I feel like I’m on edge but damn it, I’m going to respect her wishes. “Go back to your room.”
    She gapes at me. “Nick. Really?”
    I need her to stop contradicting herself. She wants me. She doesn’t want me. I understand her struggle, as much as it