wiped over a more tender area, and his muscle twitched.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
His hand gripped her own, and she stared at him. Two bright green eyes burned back at her. Her insides tightened.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. His thumb rubbed across her knuckles. Her pulse sped up.
Rem leaned in a little closer.
“You smell good,” he said. His words were simple but seemed to carry more meaning behind them.
She blushed and turned away. “I’ve been sleeping with your things.”
A low rumble filled the cave, and she looked back at him in surprise. His eyes burned so brightly it was hard to even look at them for too long.
“Jenna,” Rem said. His voice was low and hummed through her body. She could feel her nipples tighten at his nearness.
“Yes?”
Rem groaned. This was the worst time for this shit, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from closing the distance. He needed to be near her, to feel her. Every instinct in him was calling for him to make the claim that was his to make.
Jenna gasped in his mouth as he pressed it against her own. Soft. Just like he remembered it from before. The woman who kept herself hardened to life was as soft and warm as he expected.
He rose to his knees and leaned in further, his hand twisting her thick, curly brown hair between his fingers to deepen the kiss. She turned her head and kissed him back with the passion he’d been missing all this time.
Her hands floundered for a moment before resting on his chest. Her fingernails scraped against his t-shirt and made him ache for her. He leaned in closer and groaned when her body was flush with his. She stilled, and for a moment, he thought she might push him away but was surprised when she wound her arms around his neck.
Rem delved into her mouth with his tongue, tasting her minty toothpaste. She was sweet, never pushing too hard and still driving him to the edge with small things.
Her fingers scraped at the back of his neck, and he nearly lost himself when her tongue darted out to meet his own. They moved together, sliding around one another, feeling the intimate act as it was meant to be, as a part of their very souls.
She pulled back, her breathing labored. He grunted when she peppered kisses along his mouth and nipped at his bottom lip. Never in his dreams did he picture her as being so open with her affections. It made him ache for her more than ever.
He took a deep breath and relished the scent of her in the air. She wanted him. His heart soared. All this time he’d never been sure, but there it was, the truth. Jenna wanted him, and she was meant to be his. His mate, his bond, his Vestal.
The realization struck him hard. He pushed against his instincts. This couldn’t happen, even if the Horatius Group didn’t exist. He wasn’t the man she needed. There were things she couldn’t know about him. Things that she should never know. He wouldn’t let her be tainted by the Group and would stop at nothing to keep her safe.
Rem pulled back, his heart ripping apart in his chest as he looked down at her now-foggy glasses. A sad smile came to his lips, and he reached down to run a gentle finger over her swollen mouth. Life had never played fair with him.
“We can’t,” he said quietly.
The moisture from her glasses cleared, and she stared up at him, still somewhat dazed.
“Can’t what?” she asked innocently.
Rem raised a brow and waited for the blush that swept over her face. She moved away from him.
“I wasn’t… We weren’t…” She stumbled over her own words, grasping for something.
Rem sighed and stood. The more distance he put between them, the better it would be. As it was, he wanted nothing more than to plant himself between her thighs and make her moan his name.
He gritted his teeth at the throbbing length in his pants and turned around quickly to cool his fevered body.
“They will know,” he said and glanced over his shoulder to see if she understood.
Her face was red as she
Learning to Kill: Stories