“What you’re asking…it won’t help. It will only make things worse,” he said hoarsely. “It will awaken a beast that’s been fitfully sleeping since the day I left California. I’ve built a life here…away from you…and it has taken every shred of self-control to keep from dragging you back to Colorado with me, damn the consequences! And now you show up, begging me to fuck you so you can forget me?”
Shameful, hot tears coursed down her cheeks. The truth was certainly uglier when verbalized than when hidden behind private justifications but she held his gaze without flinching. “Yes,” she admitted, not bothering to wipe away her tears. Let him see how much she hurt inside to ask. Let him know nothing she said or did came without cost. “I’m only here until tomorrow. My flight leaves a=t 10 a.m. We have twelve hours to get each other out of our systems. Then, I’m going to board that plane, sore and bruised in every way, and I’m going to forget anything ever happened between us, now or in the past. You will do the same. I will marry Scott and you will find someone you can love without restrictions. Someday, we might even be able to face one another as we should…as brother and sister.”
“You’re living in a dreamland,” he said bitterly. “There is no one for me but you.”
She closed her eyes. “There has to be. There will be. But not as long as you have me in your heart.”
“This is —”
“The only way,” she cut in, more sure than ever before. She advanced, resolve emboldening her step. Her nerves were suddenly calm, but excitement fluttered in her belly. She held his stare, murmuring with promise. “Time is wasting, my brother. And I need you. Now.”
4
The road to hell wasn’t paved with good intentions —it was paved with the promise of unparalleled pleasure.
Darkness bathed the room with the illusion of anonymity but Dillon chased away the pitch black with the soft light of the Tiffany bedside lamp. His gaze never left hers, giving her no opportunity to bail or back down. Desire and carnal hunger shone in his gorgeous eyes, beckoning to her like a siren’s call that she was helpless to ignore.
The saliva dried in her mouth as Dillon peeled his sweater from hisbody revealing a landscape of perfect male flesh that made her want to kneel before him and worship every inch. “Your turn,” he said, his voice faintly challenging as she continued to stand and tremble like a virgin on prom night.
“I don’t know if I should do this,” she said, her voice trembling. If she was with Dillon there would be no turning back, no pretending that she wasn’t aroused by the Buchanan bad boy. “This will change everything.” Was she ready for that? Could she handle the fallout?
“Of course it will,” he acknowledged in a deep rumble. “But deep down in your heart you always knew it would.” His voice traveled along her nerve endings like a caress, teasing, inviting. “Give me a chance to show you who I am. Who I want to be for you.” He didn’t wait for her answer, but simply took her mouth with his and showed her with the talent of his tongue the promise of the night. Penny clung to him as if he were a life raft, as if he were the only thing standing between her and utter destruction. Her heart thrilled and chased away the doubt that threatened to interfere with the momentous cataclysm heading their way. “That’s it, baby girl. Give in to me. I will never hurt you.”
Penny heard Dillon’s words and lost herself to the promise even though she knew she was probably heading for a fall. But that was the thing, being in Dillon’s arms was worth the danger, and intensified the thrill. She was likely going to regret going this far but she didn’t care. It was wild and reckless but as she fell into a dizzying spiral she was happy to cling to Dillon and lose herself in the moment.
She pushed away the image of Nolan and Vince, her mind refusing to allow
anything that would disrupt the moment between she and Dillon. She suffered no illusions that when the twins realized what she’d done that they would invite her back into their bed but she would just have to cross that bridge when she came to it. Dillon ‘s mouth, hot and fevered, traveled along the column of her neck nibbling along the skin leaving a trail of unmitigated desire in its wake until Penny was gasping and clutching at his solid body, eager to feel him inside her. “From the moment I saw you I knew I had to have you. I’ll never forget the sight of you in that blue dress, as the fabric hugged every delicious curve, accentuating your full breasts, and making me yearn for the first time in my life for something that didn’t belong to me. The fact that my brothers had the right to your body was more than I could stand.”
Penny closed her eyes. She didn’t liketo think about the fact that she’d sold herself to the twins even as much as she loved being with them. Their arrangement went against everything she’d ever believed in, everything she’d ever been taught. Her morals, values, the internal compass her papa had given her to navigate the world — she’d traded it all for the security of money in the bank. She often wondered what that said about her, that she’d been so easily persuaded by the twins. A sudden wash of moisture pricked at her eyes and she squeezed her eyelids shut refusing to let any tears fall. She would not cry, not when she was so close to getting what she’d wanted for so long. She didn’t want to acknowledge that deep down her arrangement with the twins bothered her deeply be cause then she’d have to admit her own hypocrisy. She was slave to the pleasure even if her c onscience screamed otherwise.
Just make love to me,” she whispered, not wanting to think or talk. “I nee d to feel you inside me.
In a swift move, Dillon swept Pennyoff her feet, shocking her with thesudden movement. His muscles strained but she ’d never felt so safe nestled in his arms as he carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently, taking time to allow his gaze to savor every inch of her exposed flesh, causing her to blush at his bold perusal. “Strip for me, Penny.” Dillon ‘s gaze burned with need . She shuddered at the pure desire she saw in his eyes. Not even with the twins had she ever felt so needed , so wanted. It was her choice to be with Dillon ; he hadn’t paid for her body nor would he. Somehow Penny couldn’t imagine Dillon ever offering a woman this typeof arrangement. She could tell by thesubtle derision in his tone when he referenced her agreement with the twins that he felt nothing but contempt for the terms. Penny s lowly reached behind to release her bra , trembling as the hooks unfastened to allow her breasts to spring free. Her breath caught as Dillon ‘s gaze widened with open appreciation at what he saw. H is voice is rough as he said, “now the panties.” Penny felt exposed with all of her curves on display ; her soft belly , her rounded hips , her full breasts — everything that had always given her fits, every aspect of her body that had always made he r feel inferior to other women —nothing escaped his gaze.