Unyielding (Tortured Love Book 1) by Ravenna Tate Read Free Book Online

done to her once, although the memories would never be completely gone. Despite that, she and Rey had enjoyed a satisfying and adventurous sex life. Maybe she could do so again?
    Now that she’d had this talk with Merrick, she did feel a little better. He wasn’t going to cheat on her, and he obviously wasn’t going to simply demand sex from her. This marriage looked a bit more optimistic now than it had yesterday afternoon.
    He was a very good-looking, sexy man, and judging by the way his gaze slowly traveled over her now, he didn’t find her hideous. Quite the opposite. Maybe this would be all right? Maybe she’d even enjoy it? And maybe, just maybe, if their sex life was good, they would find some common ground and learn to like each other?
    Her father wasn’t always right. Maybe one day Merrick Dalton would learn to love her? And maybe she’d fall in love with him?
    Right. Then when he finds out you lied, let’s see how thrilled he is with you.
    Lynda mentally shook away that thought. She had lied to protect him. No other reason. She’d been protecting everyone she knew from those secrets for years, and she had to go on doing it for Merrick’s sake. Especially now that they were married. If the truth got out, his reputation would be ruined, and her family’s company along with it. She could not let that happen.
    He gazed at her so intently, her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t tear her eyes from his face. Three years was a long time to go without sex. Sure, she had a damn good reason why she’d avoided it, but that hadn’t stopped the heart-breaking, profound loneliness. Tears threatened again as she let the emotions wash over her.
    Lynda didn’t want to be afraid any longer. She didn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat from a nightmare, or imagining that someone was in her room. She was tired of being a slave to those memories, and of living in fear it would happen again.
    Merrick wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. He lived in a world filled with security teams and chauffeured cars. She’d ever have to be alone or unprotected again. And he wasn’t going to hurt her. If she gave herself to him, at least they’d have the common ground of sex.
    And maybe … just maybe … that would be enough to send this marriage from sham to tolerable.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Lynda knew Merrick was going to kiss her before he reached for her, cupping her face with a hard grip. She felt powerless in his presence, but not frightened. Not by a long shot. Her pussy was wet and her clit throbbed. The aura surrounding this man was possessive and determined, not cruel.
    Merrick captured her mouth in a kiss so hot she was sure the bed would catch on fire. Lynda moaned into his open mouth, her body alive with sensations it hadn’t experienced in too long. A tiny voice screamed in her mind to stop, but she ignored it. She wanted this. She wanted her husband to take her, claim her, make her his own.
    His tongue pushed inside her mouth and assaulted hers, sending shockwaves of arousal coursing through her limbs, and then into her groin. He cupped her left breast, squeezing it hard, but even that pain turned into desire as she moaned again.
    When he released her mouth, he held her face and gazed into her eyes with an intense, lust-filled expression that rendered her speechless. She couldn’t stop this now if she wanted to. It was going to happen, and the part of her mind that now begged her to say something was silenced by erotic images.
    “You’re my wife.” His voice was gruff and smoky. “And I am going to fuck you.”
    The small voice screamed in protest, but Lynda nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes!”
    The triumph in Merrick’s eyes sent her hormones racing out of control until she was powerless under their force. She’d never felt this free or uninhibited. There was nothing she wouldn’t give him right now. All he had to do was ask.
    Merrick released her face and grasped her