The Missing

his arms so that he wasn’t pressed so tightly against her, but Taige slid her hands down his sides to his hips, trying to pull him closer.

    Her misty gray eyes had gone dark. She said his name, and her voice was so throaty and hoarse, if he hadn’t already been hard, that sound would have done it. Her nails bit demandingly into his sides. Gently, Cullen pressed his lips to hers. “Why are you rushing?” he murmured.

    Then he moved down, pressed a kiss to her shoulder. He cupped her big, warm breasts in his hands and watched, fascinated. Her skin was shades darker than his tanned hands. He pinched her nipples gently, and she moaned, a sexy little sound low in her throat. Cullen lifted his gaze, stared at her as he did it again, rolling her nipples between his fingers. Then he dipped his head and kissed one, taking the hard flesh into his mouth and sucking on her. Beneath him, Taige bucked. She brought her hands up, fisted them in his hair. His name escaped her lips in a shaky sigh.

    Wanting to feel her bare body against his own, he shrugged out of his shirt. He loved the way she tasted, salty and sweet. He could hear the rough catch of her breathing, and when he slid a hand down her side, over her hip and between her legs, for a second, she stopped breathing altogether.

    This was new. This was different. As often as he’d touched her, kissed her, this was different. Cullen hadn’t ever had her completely naked before him. The curls that covered her sex were darker, tighter. He shifted to his side and lifted up so he could watch as he touched her. She was wet. Silky wet and hot when he pushed one finger inside her.

    She tensed up, and Cullen might have pulled away, but then she reached down and wrapped her fingers around his wrist, holding his hand still as she rocked up, riding his finger. Her lids drooped closed, a soft sheen of sweat gleaming on her skin. He almost came right then, as she rocked up and down against him, whimpering under her breath.

    He added a second finger, pushing it and then drawing it out, staring first at her face to make sure he wasn’t hurting her and then, because he couldn’t not watch, he stared between her legs, watching as he touched, staring at the pink, wet folds, watching as she rocked against him like she wanted him to touch her as badly as he needed to touch her. She whimpered, tugged on his wrist, reached for him.

    The sight of that, her slender arms lifting up for him, was too much. Cullen pulled away from her long enough to tear open his shorts and shove them down. His hands shook as he tore the rubber open, and they shook when he put it on. He stared at her the entire time, shifting his gaze from the wet heat between her thighs to her pretty, flushed face, and back again. He couldn’t decide what he wanted to see more of, and if his dick didn’t hurt so much, he might have just kept on staring at her.

    But he did hurt. He settled between her thighs and looked up. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said softly.

    Taige smiled. “I don’t care if you do.” Then she reached for him, and he went into her arms and kissed her.

    Her body went stiff under his as he pushed inside. He knew he was hurting her. Tears formed in her eyes, and he tried to slow down, but she was so hot, so wet and tight. “Want me to stop?” he gritted out through his teeth.

    “Don’t you dare.” She slid her hands down his back and cupped his butt, pulling him closer, and Cullen lost it.

    He shoved inside her, hard and fast and he couldn’t stop himself from doing it again and again, even though he knew it was hurting her, knew she wasn’t feeling the same thing he was feeling, but he couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he muttered against her lips. He kissed her, and he could taste the salt from her tears, and he hated himself, but he still couldn’t stop.

    It ended too soon for him. He came hard and fast, and when he sank down against her shuddering body, he knew he had totally fucked it up. “God, Taige, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, feeling sick inside. He lifted up, almost afraid to look at her.

    She had a shaky smile on her lips. A smile. “Sorry for what?” she asked.

    “I . . . I hurt you.” Blood rushed to his cheeks and he stumbled a little as he said, “I didn’t—I couldn’t . . . You didn’t like it, did you?”

    Taige shrugged. “I didn’t not like it.” She bit her lip, something she did when she was nervous, and the sight of it