Acid Rayne

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, it is necessary to exit this site.

An Excerpt From: ACID RAYNE

Copyright © NATHALIE GRAY & CIANA STONE, 2009

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Rip groaned. One push and he´d be in her. That hot, glorious flesh squeezing him. Then he looked down at her.

And his world tilted. Void of makeup, her hair slicked back, the face that looked up at him was the woman he´d known as Betty, and yet not. There was something missing. He searched her face and eyes. What was it?

Yes! The mask was gone. The deception. The eyes that stared back were lacking the look that had always told him she was hiding something. And removing that element changed her. He saw something he´d never imagined seeing in her. A kind of innocence and vulnerability. She might want him to think she was all brawn and raw sex, but the truth was, she was as much a victim of her emotions as anyone.

And that slayed him.

He stopped her in the act of guiding his cock inside her. "Slow down, Rayne. We´ve got all the time in the world."

Rayne blinked in surprise. That tone was not one she´d heard from him before. It was the gentle croon of...a lover. Not a sex partner, but a lover. Someone with emotion invested. Did he feel something for her?

Tears threatened, surprising and horrifying her. What the hell was wrong with her? She tried to look away, but Rip held her face in both hands, his eyes searching hers. Christ, he was killing her. Seeing inside to places she didn´t want revealed.

"It´s okay," he whispered, and lowered his lips to hers.

This wasn´t just a kiss of passion. Slow and tender, his tongue tasting and exploring, he took his time. It unhinged her. Excited her. Thrilled her. And scared her to death.

When the kiss ended, he reached down to turn off the water. "Let´s take this to the bed."

She nodded, not quite trusting her voice. Rip grabbed a towel and handed it to her. Cheap thing. Thin and barely big enough to wrap around her hips, but it served its purpose.

He took her hand and led her to the bed, stripping back the ancient green cover and heavily bleached sheets. "I want something from you, Rayne."

She gave him a look heavy on the "well, damn, so do I" but he ignored her as he smoothed the sheets for her.

"I want to make love to you."

She wasn´t sure who was more surprised by his statement, him or her, because he looked a bit stunned once the words were out of his mouth. Rayne wasn´t sure she knew how to make love. Fuck? Hell yeah, that she understood. But make love? Wouldn´t that mess everything up? Dull her edge? Create another layer of knots she´d have to work out later? But if not with Ripley Knight, then who else?

Yeah, who else?

Frankly, there was no one else. If there had to be a first time for everything, now was as good a time as any. And it was a sure bet she´d never meet anyone else with whom she´d want to try. She may not let it show, but she had quite the blind spot for Rip. Not only because of their mutual carnal hunger but on a level deeper than she´d ever felt for anyone. As though he knew her, deep down inside, had seen behind her mask and enjoyed what was there. Crazy.

Rip lay her back on the bed and sat beside her, his hands tracing lightly down the length of her body and back up. "Damn if you aren´t the sexiest woman I´ve ever laid eyes on, Rayne Brogan."

She smiled up at him, trying to keep the moment light with a tease. "My friends just call me Rayne."

Rip smiled in return. "How about your lovers?"

The tease went right out of her. "I don´t know. I´m not sure I ever had one."

"Then it´s time to remedy that."

"You think?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely."

"Well, what if I´m not looking for a lover?"

That wasn´t the right thing to say. She saw it in his face. "Then what are you looking for?"

"This," she said as she sat to slide her arms up and circle his neck. She pulled his head down. When their lips met, she surrendered, offering everything. Not just her body but for the first time, herself. The whole deal. And damn the torpedoes.

Rip probably didn´t understand what she meant with the kiss, but she hoped that he recognized on some innate level deeper than consciousness or verbal communication what she was offering. He must have. His response was to wrap his arms around her and pull her close, deepening the kiss.

If later she could pinpoint a moment where everything changed for her, it´d be this kiss, in this humble motel room. It´d be with this man. Her man.