Becca blushed. “He never did that either.”

Brawn growled. He reached for her knees and pushed gently to open them. “I do. Open up for me.”

“Brawn…”

“Now,” he demanded harshly. “Close your eyes if you are shy. I want you open. I want to memorize every inch and taste you. Open up for me, Becca. Now.”

Hell. She bit her lip harder and dropped her head on the bed. She opened her thighs. She knew her face had to be bright red since heat radiated in her cheeks. Brawn’s hands rubbed the inside of her thighs and caused her to shiver. His thumbs slid lower, so close to her pu**y that she had to resist arching her h*ps to help him get there but instead forced herself to breathe.

“You will learn to enjoy this, Becca.” His voice was a soft rasp. “You will open up for me every time I want you to, knowing how much pleasure I will give. You will get hot for me when I just look at you here because you’ll know what I want to do and how it is going to feel.”

Her body responded to his softly spoken words. She jerked a little when Brawn spread her legs wider apart and pushed them higher. His thumbs spread her folds open to expose her sex and she felt his breath fan across her clit. Her heart pounded, knowing he was as up close and personal with her girl parts as a person could be.

“You are so beautiful here too,” he whispered. “Keep your thighs spread wide for me, Becca. Do not startle.”

Startle? She gasped a second later and realized what he tried to warn her of. She felt his tongue tracing her slit. She could handle that but she jerked when his tongue breached her pussy, pushed in and withdrew. He growled softly, trailed the tip of his tongue higher and suddenly his lower teeth gently raked across her clit. She whimpered when his lips sealed around it and he sucked.

Becca’s stomach quivered and her ni**les grew taut. She clawed at the bedding just for something to hold on to. He lapped at the bundle of nerves, sucked and tugged on her cl*tand she thrashed on the bed. The pleasure became so raw she tried to slam her legs together, couldn’t take anymore, but strong hands pinned her open and down. He snarled, his mouth vibrated strongly and he kept doing it.

“Oh God,” she moaned. “Too much, baby. Stop. It nearly hurts. I can’t!”

He growled louder, made the vibrations even stronger and sounds came out of her that she’d never made before.

Becca felt as if her body might break. She cried out, threw back her head and felt pleasure slam her so hard she lost the ability to think at all. Waves of it crushed throughout her body, made her jerk and cry out again. He released her.

Becca panted as her vaginal muscles twitched and trembled. Brawn lifted up and crouched over her. Her eyes opened to stare into his. His intense expression was nearly frightening. No man had ever looked at her that way—with so much passion.

“You’re mine, Becca. Say it.”

She wanted to. Her mouth even opened but she realized what she was about to do. She pressed her lips firmly together and breathed through her nose. He closed his eyes and seemed to wrestle with his temper. He finally calmed, his eyes opened and he grabbed her h*ps to drag her totally off the bed. She ended up straddling his thighs where he sat on the floor. His rigid c**k was trapped between their bellies.

“Put your arms around my neck and hold on to me.”

She reached up to do as she was told and his hands gripped her ass, lifted her and adjusted until she felt the broad head of his c**k nudge her pussy. She was so wet from her cl**ax that he slid a little, had to adjust her and then he eased her down. Becca pressed her mouth against his chest and moaned as he lowered her torturously, slowly until he was buried deep inside her pussy.

Her muscles still twitched and squeezed around his cock, not recovered yet from coming and it nearly hurt. He was so thick and big that she wasn’t sure her body could handle him f**king her again so soon. Her nails dug into his skin.

“Easy,” she rasped. “Give me a minute to adjust.”

“I wish you weren’t so frail,” he snarled. “I want to take you hard, fast and deep.” He snarled again. “I want to bury myself into you so deep there’s nothing of my dick that’s not inside you and f**k you until we can’t move. But I’ll hurt you.”

Becca felt a second of fear. He was too big, too strong, to do that and she knew it. Being pregnant didn’t help either. She wiggled her hips, trying to get away from him but he groaned. His hands tightened on her ass instead of releasing and he began to slowly rock his hips, moving gently and pleasure overrode fear. It felt good, his strokes massaging and hitting all those wonderful nerve endings and her muscles adjusted until he could move a little faster. Becca moaned. Brawn restrained himself and kept f**king her.

Brawn fought for control and won. Becca was so tight around his dick that it nearly hurt, her muscles gripped him strongly and he listened to her moans to judge what she enjoyed. His balls tightened and he wanted to come but held back. He purred, couldn’t hold back the vibrations that came from his throat and rolled his h*ps under his female. She cried out so he snarled softly and did it again.

That was the spot she loved best. He repeated it, torturing them both and buried his face against her shoulder. Easy, he ordered his body. Be gentle.

He wasn’t going to last, knew she was too hot, too tight and fisted his c**k too strongly to hold back the cl**ax for much longer. He tried to think of anything that would calm him but her moans, the feel of her and the scent of her arousal drowned him.

He released her ass, slid his fingers between them and frantically rubbed her clit. His finger moved in tune with his driving thrusts up into her. Becca screamed his name, cl**axed again and he threw back his head, roaring out as her muscles milked his cock, sucked on him and he came so hard he saw stars. He barely remembered to remove his hand from between them to cradle her in his arms as he tried to catch his breath and jets of his s**en marked her from the inside.

He opened his eyes, looked down and studied her beautiful face resting against his chest. She was the sexiest sight ever. “Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head against his skin.

“Good. You test me to my limit, Becca.”

She bit her lip and tears filled her eyes. It shocked him when she suddenly used his shoulders for support and lifted up, wiggled out of his hold and got off his lap. She stumbled unsteadily toward the bathroom and he climbed to his feet.

“Becca? Where are you going?” Brawn moved behind her, ready to catch her, but she steadied. Confusion gripped him. Why had she gotten tears and why break contact with their bodies? “I want to hold you.”

“I need a shower.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Don’t,” she whispered and refused to turn her head to even look at him. “I need some time alone.”

“Becca,” he growled, alarmed. What had he done? She’d enjoyed the sex. He’d been careful.

Becca walked inside the bathroom and closed the door nearly in his face. He reached for the handle but the sound of the lock being engaged clicked in his ear. He was astonished. She’d locked him out! Anger came next.

“Becca? Open the door!”

She ignored him and turned on the shower. Why wouldn’t she answer? Why did she want to wash away his scent and seed? He breathed fast, pain tore through him and he felt the rejection straight to his soul. She had rushed to bathe to remove all trace of their shared sex.

His fingers gripped the doorframe and clawed at it. He wanted to roar, to kick the damn door in, but he was afraid he’d scare her. She could slip in the tub again and he wouldn’t be there to catch her.

She’d refused to see him after he’d lost his temper before. The last thing he wanted was for her to be terrified of him. He breathed in and out, tried to get control, but the pain remained. He just wanted her to be his, to feel for him the way he did for her and to accept him. Instead she couldn’t tolerate his scent on her body.

His head lowered and tears filled his eyes. He’d made a mess of things, didn’t know how to fix them and could feel his happiness slipping away each time Becca pushed him away.

Brawn paced the bedroom but his attention kept going to the bathroom door. He should break the lock and go get her. He stopped pacing, snarled and knew he had to resist his urges to go get his female. What had happened?

He closed his eyes, remembered looking down at her after they’d had sex and seen tears in her eyes. A horrible thought struck and he rushed for the phone. She’d looked pained. Had he hurt her? Had he been too rough with her? She said he hadn’t but maybe she’d lied. Damn it.

The call was quickly placed and he put on his jeans. He paced until a soft sound reached his ears. His body grew rigid, all thought fled and he lunged toward the bathroom door. His control snapped at hearing her sharp intakes of breath and the soft sound of her weeping. His shoulder hit the door, the wood exploded inward and he moved with all speed to his female.

Becca tried to fight the urge to cry as she sat in the tub with warm water from the shower raining over her. Brawn had slipped up with his explanation. He’d told her how he wanted to have rough sex and he’d had to restrain himself. It just brought everything into focus and she knew she had to end it.

It hurt. She had fallen in love with Brawn too fast, had known better but her heart hadn’t listened. He’d been honest from the beginning when he’d stated that he’d never want a human. He liked his strong, durable Species women. He could f**k them any way he wanted.

Her hands cupped her stomach. The baby was the only reason Brawn was trying so hard to make it work with her but she’d made that mistake before. She’d married a man she’d loved who had wanted her for the wrong reasons. She’d thought everything with her husband would work out, that he’d love her back, but he hadn’t.

Her shoulders shook harder as she fought the urge to cry. The pain of her marriage had nearly killed her from the inside out a day at a time but she’d kept hoping she could save it, that Bradley would love her if she just tried harder. She’d been young, stupid and na?ve. She wasn’t any of those things anymore.

She might love Brawn but he only wanted the baby. She was sure he’d try harder than Bradley had to make it work between them but she knew better than to hope. She’d been there and done that. The pain would be much greater by the time it ended. A life without Brawn in it…having to face the day when he’d be in someone else’s bed, touching another woman… Sobs racked her body.

Memories surfaced of some of the attempts she’d made to save her marriage. No matter what she’d done she always felt as if she disappointed Bradley. For their first-year anniversary she’d gone all out to liven up their sad sex life. She’d made a dinner and lit candles all around their room. She’d met him at the door in high heels, garter belt and black silk.

Bradley had taken one look at her, frowned and told her she looked like a whore. He’d been pissed and had spent the night on the couch. He’d gaped at her as though she were a stranger and she realized that they actually were just two people who’d ended up together but shouldn’t have been. She’d been pathetic and she’d never be that woman again. NEVER!

It had been an endless and vicious cycle of Becca feeling like a disappointment to Bradley until the day he died. Now there was Brawn. She wasn’t what he wanted or needed either. They had nothing in common, were from two different worlds and the only thing that bound her to Brawn was the baby growing inside her womb. She couldn’t survive that kind of heartbreak again, of being in a relationship doomed from the beginning.

She couldn’t stop the tears that fell. She lost all control when the sobs hit. She pressed her mouth against her arm to muffle the sounds as she just let all the pain pour out.

The sound of the door breaking was so loud it made her gasp. Brawn tore the shower door open. Shock stilled her tears as he fell to his knees beside the tub.

Two strong arms gripped her around her back and under her knees, hoisted her up and he held her tightly against his chest.

“I’m so sorry, beautiful,” he rasped. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t smell blood. Tell me where it hurts.”

It took her seconds to recover. Brawn held her where he’d yanked her out of the shower and sat on the bathroom floor with her. He nuzzled her head, held her even tighter and rocked her a little on his lap as if it would comfort her. He thought she was injured. That sank in.

“I-I’m not hurt. Put me down.” She sniffed, freed an arm from the tangle of his to wipe at her tears and wished for a tissue. She lifted her head and saw fear in his gaze. Worry. He was certain he’d caused her physical harm. “Brawn, I’m not hurt that way. I’m really okay. I’m getting you soaked. Let go.”

“No.” He managed to straighten with her in his arms, something only someone very strong could do, and carried her out of the bathroom. “I’m so sorry, Becca. I tried to be gentle.” He thought he’d hurt her sexually and he sounded guilty and torn up over it.

“You didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.”

“Becca,” he rasped, “you are crying. I hurt you.”

He laid her down gently on the bed, tore the blanket a bit to cover her and came down on it next to her. His arms wrapped around her to gently ease her onto her side and he spooned up tightly around her as if his body could protect her.

It was sweet, it made her love him more and she gave up trying to stay in control. Why couldn’t he love her? Things would have been so perfect if he could. Hot tears spilled and she buried her face in the bedding, crying again. Damn hormones!

“I’m here, beautiful. I’ve got you,” he crooned. “It will be okay.”