Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

touch that Daniel had believed in getting things over with as fast as possible, not in trying to find a solution.
    Had she used Daniel? She frowned, turning the question over and over in her mind. They’d been a convenience for one another, but she’d felt affection for him—loved him. She hadn’t had the same level of physical attraction for him that she had for Lev, but he’d been a good man and she’d loved him for the way he treated her—never as an outcast. As his equal. As a partner. She’d never had that before and there would always be a special place in her heart for him.
    Lev lowered his head and brushed kisses up her leg, tasting each raindrop. “Keep your thoughts with this man, lyubimaya moya .” He brushed a kiss across her tummy.
    “You sound just a little jealous,” she observed.
    His warm mouth continued to move over her stomach and his teeth gave a little nip of reprimand. The sting jolted through her body, straight to her center, sending a flood of heat spreading through her body. His tongue swirled over her skin, a velvet rasp of pleasure.
    Rikki could barely breathe, her lungs burning while her heart hammered out of control. She took a deep breath and her breasts brushed against his bare chest. Instantly her nipples peaked, and her breasts felt swollen and achy, so sensitive that when he looked up at her, tiny sparks of electricity ran from her nipples straight to her womb. She touched her tongue to her lips, trembling with the unfamiliar sensations.
    How could he make her body come alive this way? One look. One touch. She reached up to touch his heavily muscled chest. The pads of her fingers absorbed the texture and feel of him, that exquisite heat flowing from him to her. Her eyes searched his, seeking reassurance. She was so nervous.
    Before, having sex had been a bodily function; now it was a necessity—she knew instinctively that once she experienced it, she would always crave it.
    Lev could see how nervous she was, there was a touch of fear in those mysterious eyes, yet there was hunger too—and trust. He dropped his head to swirl his tongue around her belly button. “We won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with, Rikki, and if anything hurts or doesn’t feel good, you tell me.”
    Her fist bunched in his hair. “This thing with you, it’s growing fast.
    Too fast. If we do this and you change your mind, I don’t know, Lev. I’ve 195

    got a good life. I am happy just the way it is. I don’t want to be left behind a mess.”
    Wanting you. Craving you. Needing you.
    He caught her thoughts. She was frightened. His courageous Rikki, frightened of making love with him. She’d given her body to Daniel because that was what couples did when they committed to each another. He had no doubt that she would have remained loyal to the man, but she was committing more than her body to Lev, and that was terrifying to a woman who needed absolute balance in her life.
    “It’s okay,” he whispered against her soft skin. “You’re safe with me.”
    He meant it. She was so innocent. So bright. She had a core of steel running through her, yet she was fragile and vulnerable—too much so.
    Those who loved her recognized that. He didn’t remember innocence or brightness or vulnerability, but she somehow gave it all back to him. He’d read her file and knew she was capable of violence, knew others had misread her inability to cope with the sounds and the environment around her. She’d needed help, and no one had given it to her until Blythe and the others had stepped in. He would always— always —protect and watch over them for that alone. Because this woman ...
    He kissed his way up her narrow rib cage to the underside of her breasts, pushing the thin tank top up as he went so that it bunched just over her nipples. He felt the tremor that ran through her and his heart responded with a strange melting sensation. His body was thick and full, more so than it had ever been. He felt an urgent demand for relief, but he knew it was his soul making love to her. His soul needed her brightness and innocence. He knew he was as bound to her as she was to water.
    The center of his left palm pulsed and ached, sending a chain reaction through his body so that his erection grew fuller. He was grateful he wore no clothes, because already the blanket was bothering his skin. He threw it off, lifting her to pull it out from under her, so he could shove it away from him, so there were only the