Smoking Holt by Sabrina York Read Free Book Online

turned a rosy red. “I— That’s not the point.”
    “It is exactly the point. If you hated it, if you told me never to do it again, I would not. On that you have my solemn vow. And that goes for everything, Bella. If you told me never to do this again,” he cupped her breast and thumbed a nipple. “I would never do that again.” He drew a slow circle. Her nipple swelled to a hard point. “Do you want to ask me not to do that again?”
    Her lips parted. Her eyes dewed. “I—”
    “Or this?” He found and stroked that spot on her nape. As he knew she would, she shuddered. “Do you want to ask me not to do that again?”
    “Holt—”
    “Or this?” He kissed her. Slowly. Softly. A light drag of his lips over hers. Maybe a hint of tongue. She tipped up her chin and followed him when he retreated. “Just say the word, Bella. Just say the word and I will never do any of that again. But know this.” He held her steady, so she couldn’t look away. “I want you. I’ve wanted you for years. I want you like I’ve never wanted another woman.”
    Her lips parted as though she would refute this claim. He did not give her the chance.
    “I would do anything for a chance to be with you. In whatever way you see fit. Do you understand?”
    She swallowed. Nodded.
    “Do you feel the same? Would you like to explore—whatever this is—with me?”
    He waited, on bated breath, for her answer.
    He hoped she said yes.
     
    Bella stared at Holt, her pulse thudding a manic tattoo.
    She got it. She totally got it. She totally understood why a woman would curl up at his feet and give him anything. Offer him everything.
    A part of her rebelled at the concept of being a slave to any man, but a greater part of her, a hungrier part of her, craved it. It whipped through her like a howling wind.
    Hunger—no, more than that—yearning for this man.
    Did she want to explore this insanity, this burning, roiling, festering ache—an ache she’ d carried with her for far too long? Yes. Hell yes.
    But the word caught in her throat. So she merely nodded.
    Heat skirled through his eyes. A little of the tension eased from his expression. But his lips firmed. “Say it, Bella. I need to hear it.”
    “Yes, Holt.”
    Before she’d finished, before the last consonant of his name escaped, he yanked her into his arms, hard against him. His mouth covered hers and he consumed her with a needy kiss.
    When he raised his head, they were both breathless. Lust sizzled through her veins. Her nipples were taut, her pussy dripping. Why she had bothered to get dressed was a mystery.
    He pressed a quick buss on her forehead. Then a longer one, murmuring something to himself as he made his way along her hairline. It sounded like, “Excellent.”
    She thought he was going to strip her then, whip off her shirt and toss her onto the bed. He looked like he wanted to . His cock certainly looked like he wanted to. But he didn’t. He stepped back and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
    “Let’s have some breakfast,” he said.
    She gaped. “B-breakfast?”
    He grinned. “ Trust me, Bella. We’re going to need our strength.”
     
    He made pancakes from the gluten-free mix in the pantry and fried up bacon while she cleaned up the mess on the patio. The whiskey bottle had leaked all over the deck and her cigarettes were a soggy mess so she got a trash bag and threw it all away. Then she made the coffee while he finished up the food. They didn’t speak, but for once, the energy between them wasn’t awkward in the slightest.
    Bella found herself stealing glances at him while he cooked, but who could blame her? While he’d pulled on his jeans, he hadn’t bothered with a shirt. And with every move he made, his biceps rippled beneath velvety nut-brown skin.
    She loved that he was so tall and muscular. He made her feel like a petite doll. She rarely felt petite.
    Normally she would never eat a whole pancake, but his were so good, she had two. And the bacon