Law felt something break inside him.

Fuck this. He was done pretending he wasn’t in love with her. He was done acting as if this scheme was just something he’d agreed to in order to help Dominic. He was done lying to himself that he didn’t need her.

He’d spent a lifetime being the badass, being the guy who didn’t feel a thing. He was fucking done with that, too.

Law stormed across the room and did what he’d been dying to since the moment he’d seen her. He wrapped his arms around her and offered her his strength. “Don’t cry, baby. I can’t stand it when you cry. I’m here for you. I’ll make it better.”

Chapter Seven

Kinley knew she should pull away, but Law was so warm, solid, and strong. She felt so in need of human comfort. The minute the door had closed behind them, she’d stared at the photos they’d stuck under her nose and seen her life laid out for her. Then the wedding, the abduction, the interrogation, the kiss, the mess her life had become—all crashed down on her.

The fact that she’d been alone and crying her eyes out only magnified her sense of loneliness. Until Law had arrived and given her someone to hold on to, an anchor so that she wouldn’t continue drowning in shock and sorrow, confusion and hopelessness.

Sheer need propelled her into his open arms. She’d spent a solid week getting to know him. He might have used a different name, but she’d learned about the goodness of his heart. Yes, and his goodness deep down had her clinging in his embrace.

Then the memory of their kiss made her lift her face to him and silently beg for another.

Law’s mouth descended, slanting across hers, claiming her lips and giving her blessed moments of respite. Kinley didn’t have to think. She didn’t have to worry. His kiss obliterated everything else. She only had to feel.

Her heart raced as she breathed him in—a hint of his aftershave, the mint on his breath, the masculine scents of leather and coffee and man that seemed uniquely Law. She ran her palms up the muscled slab of his torso, covered only by the thin material of his T-shirt. Everything about this man was hard with the exception of his lips.

And his words as he broke their kiss and cradled her face in his hands, his mouth just over hers. “You’re so fucking sweet. You shouldn’t ever have to cry. Jansen doesn’t deserve to have you in his life.”

Law sank his hands into her hair, sweeping it from the loose bun she’d created to keep it off her face. He tugged at it, lighting up her scalp. He forced her head to tilt up, and his mouth closed off any protest.

As his tongue traced the seam of her lips, she felt a tug in her womb. He held her still as he explored her mouth. She parted her lips wider for him, unwilling to let go of this heady, consuming feeling. She’d been kissed before, sloppy brushes of lips in awkward embraces that had made her shudder with discomfort. Kinley felt none of that with Law. Everything about being with him was completely different. Totally arousing. His gentle comfort and rough insistence created an intoxicating demand she fell into and hoped would never end. He held her as though she was precious, as if he savored her. His kiss made her feel hot and happy and restless for more.

Kinley wasn’t about to end this embrace with the same regrets as the last. This time, she clutched him tight and slid her tongue along his. He growled into her mouth, and she felt the sound vibrate just under her skin.

Encouraged, Kinley moaned and opened wider for him to deepen the kiss. Law didn’t hesitate to take advantage of her offering. For the first time, she felt her feminine power. Always, she’d waited, allowed life to come to her on its terms, never even asking for what she wanted. But as Law kissed her, she suddenly understood the “more” she’d been yearning for in the bridal suite. She ached to make him growl and moan. To sweat and burn. To make him hungry for her—like he was making her hungry for him. Kinley gloried in simply feeling.

She pressed her chest to his. Law stood so tall that he towered above her and nearly had to bend in half just to kiss her, and she loved feeling petite.

Then a kiss wasn’t enough for him anymore. Law surrounded her, pressing her against the pantry door with an indrawn breath and a groan. Again, he seized her mouth. Kinley’s nipples sparked to life, and her head reeled as he took the kiss even deeper, leaving her dizzy and feeling out of control.

She’d always been the good girl. Her mother had taught her that she had to be the responsible one because her father and sister just didn’t have it in them. After her mother’s passing, the never-ending job had fallen to her. She’d taken care of her family because it was her nature.

But this wild gush of emotion felt natural, too. It felt right to be with Law.

It was probably stupid. She would likely regret the hell out of it because he would ultimately use her passion for him against her to coerce her to cooperate with Dominic’s plans. But right now was for her. Kinley wasn’t thinking about what anyone else would think or say. For the first time ever, she was living in the moment and refused to stop because she wanted to feel adored, like a beautiful, desirable woman just this once.

Suddenly, he lifted her like she weighed nothing. She gasped. No one had picked her up since she was a child.

“I need you higher, baby. Maybe you should always wear those heels of yours. Have I told you how fucking gorgeous you are? Have I told you that I’ve been hard for you since the minute I laid eyes on you? My cock has been in hell.” He stopped, his eyes flaring. “Shit!” He let her slide down gently, making sure she was balanced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t talk to you that way. I should be gentle.”

No way was she ready to stop yet. She pulled on his shirt with a little whimper. Didn’t he understand? She didn’t want to think or talk or be gentle. “Don’t you dare. You can’t kiss me like that then ignore me again. Not yet.”

She couldn’t face that possibility or all the other crap on her plate now. She wanted to forget, at least for a while. Just a few kisses. Just for a few precious moments. Then she could return to the real world where no one wanted her and figure out how to cope as everything fell apart.

“I don’t know how to be gentle with you, like I want to be.” He smoothed her hair back, staring down at her. His eyes were so blue…

“Just be you. No more lies. No more pretending.” She wanted that more than anything. She wished that she could simply be Kinley, without the everyday responsibilities that caused her to shove down her wants and needs for everyone else. She could be herself and Law could be the tenderly rough soldier who took her to a place where only they mattered. She wanted to be free, even if it was temporary. Even if it wasn’t real.

“You don’t care that I’m too rough?” He tugged on her hair, seeming to hold his breath as he waited for her answer.

“How would I know what’s too rough for me?” Nothing he did felt overly forceful or physical. Every touch felt just right. Kinley peppered kisses up his neck, across his jaw, clutching his T-shirt in her fists. “Please…”

“Baby, you asked for it.” His growl resonated in her ears low, sexy.

Then she was in the air again. He picked her up, wrapping his arms around her waist. She had to hang on to his shoulders as he turned and walked toward the huge island in the middle of the kitchen. He set her on the sleek black granite countertop and immediately stepped between her legs, making a place for himself there.

“I was a soldier. Special Forces. You can’t imagine the things I’ve done. I didn’t go to college. I don’t deserve you, Kinley, but I fucking want you. So bad.”

She had the urge to wrap her legs around his lean hips and get as close as she could. Her whole body felt like it was softening, warming up, aching to be even closer.

He pulled her in, aligning their hips, making it impossible to mistake just how hard Law was. His penis nearly pressed out of his pants, he was so erect. And big. Feeling just how much he wanted her made Kinley restless. She writhed to relieve the ache as her heart tried to beat out of her chest.

Law Anders truly, genuinely wanted to have sex with her. He wasn’t paying her lip service. As far as she knew, men couldn’t fake erections. He actually desired her.

And she wanted them.

Oh, god. She’d just thought the word “them.” As soon as she had, a vision of herself in the middle of Law, Dominic, and Riley had seared into her brain. They would surround her, maybe even crowd her. They’d boss her around…but in her fantasy world, they would also adore her. Because they were all so big, she would feel small and feminine against them. Their hands would explore her body, caressing and stroking her. It might not be love, but she could hold onto the memories during the long and lonely days that were sure to follow her into her future.

What was she thinking? How could she have sex with three men? The notion was ridiculous. Scandalous. And so arousing that she could barely breathe.

Law captured her lips before she could think another word. His tongue surged in, and he made love to her mouth—deep, ferocious, lacking all restraint. Kinley was lost.

He slipped a hand down her neck and shoulders, curving his palm over her breast. His touch seared her. She melted into him, giving herself over to the delicious burn.

Law kissed her neck, nipped at her ear. “Do you know what you want? Where you like to be touched? What gets you hot? Just tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”

“I have no idea what I like besides your kisses.” Beyond that, Kinley had no way of knowing. She’d spent her high school years studying and trying to be the perfect daughter. When college had come, her mother had fallen sick. As she’d slowly wasted away, years had passed. All she’d known then was duty—to her family, her schoolwork, her community, then her mother’s legacy.

Never once had she ever simply let go and explored.

“Dear god, you’re a virgin?”

They both pulled away, shocked at the low, masculine voice cutting through their thick passion.

Dominic Anthony stood not three feet away, watching. He’d taken off his jacket and now stood dressed in a button-down shirt, gray form-fitting slacks, and designer loafers. Open at the throat, the white dress shirt contrasted with his olive complexion. Dominic stood as tall as Law, but he was built leaner. With jet black hair, fathomless dark eyes, and a jaw that had been cut from granite, everything about him screamed savage.

She remembered what California Mike—no, Law—had told her about him. Dominic was the idealist. He’d left behind a pampered upbringing to protect and serve his country. He’d loved his sister and wallowed in guilt because he hadn’t stopped her murder. Because Dominic was also a protector, he couldn’t forgive himself for not saving Carrie. He wanted a woman he could share with his friends because he’d found a part of his family, and now they were all waiting for the woman who would complete them.

“I came to check on you, to say I’m sorry for bombarding you with so much at once,” Dominic croaked out. “It’s not your fault that Jansen is a murdering asshole. But I really need your help.” He swallowed “I need…”

He watched her in Law’s arms, and Kinley couldn’t miss the loneliness and longing as they carved themselves into his face.

Without thinking, Kinley reached a hand out to him to help him…somehow. Immediately, horror flooded her. Dominic would likely reject her. He wanted a woman for them all, but not her. She had to stop remembering what “Mike” had said about the man and use her head. Dominic had orchestrated her abduction. She shouldn’t care if he hurt.

She started to jerk her hand back, but Dominic grabbed her like a lifeline, his fingers threading through hers as he used the grip to drag himself closer.

“Goddamn, I shouldn’t do this, but you’re too sweet.” Dominic’s feral snarl zipped right to the moist folds between her legs. And they curled around her heart. “Tell me to stop. Tell me to walk away. I need you to because I fucking can’t. And if I stay, something is going to happen. The fact that you’re a virgin won’t matter at all. Knowing you’re innocent just makes me want you more. It makes me want to stake a claim. That is not what I came here to do, damn it.”

Right. Dominic had come here to smooth talk her into aiding his justice against Greg Jansen. He didn’t really want to get close to her, not logically. But Kinley could also tell that he didn’t have the strength to walk away from her. The knowledge made her swell with power and need. For whatever reason, he desired her. He needed her to ease the hurt he bore like a scar.

She pulled on their joined hands, and Dominic didn’t hesitate. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing against her everywhere as his lips crashed over hers.

He dominated. Where Law cajoled, Dominic simply commanded. He took full control of her mouth, his tongue surging in. She melted. As he devoured her, Law’s fingers moved from her waist to her hips to her thighs. Fingers tickled across her skin, dipped into her panties, then thrust inside her swollen, slick folds.