I still couldn't believe it. Jenna Lang – the tough tattooed tech, the strongest and most amazing person I knew – was sleeping in my arms. I'd been intrigued with her from the first moment I'd seen her.

At first, I'd assumed it had been an admiration of her intelligence and skill at her job, but as that first night progressed, I'd seen that there was so much more to her than that. Her strength covered a vulnerability that made me want to protect her.

My arms tightened around her as I thought about how close I'd come to losing her tonight. No matter what she said, I still blamed myself for Christophe. My stomach twisted at his name. Rage flamed in my gut as I thought of the things he'd taken perverse pleasure in seeing her do.

I brushed back a strand of her hair and let my fingers trail along her cheekbone, just above the cut that bastard had given her. Most people looked at her and all they saw were the tattoos, the piercings and, of course, the bright blue hair. I had to admit, even I'd found myself caught off guard by the outer package. Now, it was just another one of the things that made her so amazing.

And I loved who she was.

I hated what had happened to her. I hated it so much that I wanted to hit something every time I thought about all the people who had hurt her. Hit and maybe worse. I wanted to beat the shit out of Christophe, but I had a feeling if I saw any of the men who'd abused her, I'd want to do more than just knock out a few teeth.

I closed my eyes and pressed my face against the top of her head, breathing in the scent of shampoo and soap, both mingled with smell that was uniquely her. I loved the way she smelled and I felt my body responding. If she hadn't needed her sleep, I would've woken her and made love to her until we were both too tired to speak. We had all weekend though and I could wait until morning to be inside her again.

Heat flushed through me as I thought back over the last couple hours. While I wished the circumstances that had brought us to this point had been different, I couldn't deny that the time that followed had been among the best in my life. I closed my eyes, picturing her face when she put her hands in mine and told me she trusted me.

The rest of the memory followed.

The taste of her, like nothing I'd had before, and the sound as she came apart around my tongue. I'd felt her muscles trembling under the soft skin of her thighs. When she'd told me to stop, I'd been terrified I'd hurt her. The thing I wanted more than anything was to protect her, to make sure no one ever hurt her again, and the moment I'd seen her tears, I'd thought I'd failed. Then she'd said she was too sensitive after having four orgasms and I'd been unable to hold back the surge of pride I'd felt. Pride that I'd been able to make her feel something good from an act that had once caused her such pain.

I shifted and my hand brushed against the side of her bare breast. I cupped the firm flesh and she stirred, a frown appearing on her face.

“Shh,” I whispered. I pressed my lips against the top of her head. “It's okay. I have you.” I kissed her temple. “You're safe, my love.”

Slowly, so very slowly, her body relaxed against mine.

“I love you, too.”

The words still echoed in my mind. I'd told her I would wait for her to say them, and I'd meant it. Hearing her response as I was above her, inside her, had almost made me come right there. I'd always prided myself on my control, and I hadn't finished prematurely since I was a horny sixteen-year-old groping my girlfriend in the back of my dad's car. And yet, four words from this blue-haired beauty had almost done it. The memory made my cock harden, but I didn't try to will it away. Instead, I let myself remember…

Her pussy was tight around me as I told her to close her eyes. Mine stayed very open though. I wanted to see every emotion as it crossed her face, every minute change, every shift.

She was so beautiful that each time I saw her, my heart ached. As I thrust into her, determined to give her every last bit of pleasure I could, I watched her face. Watched as, impossibly, she became even more beautiful. I tightened my grip on her wrists, ever aware of how precious it was that she trusted me with this.

When she opened her eyes and I saw that the pale gray had darkened to the color of a sky just before a storm, my chest tightened. For the first time since I'd met her, there were no walls, no barriers. I could see everything she was feeling, all of the things she couldn't put into words. I understood every one, because I was feeling them too.

“Rylan,” she murmured my name as she rolled toward me. She pressed her face to my chest as she snuggled more tightly against me.

I ran my hand up and down her back, feeling the scars beneath the angel wing tattoos. It had been a long time since I'd slept with a woman in my arms. I'd had lovers over the years, but in the last four years, none I’d allow to stay. It had been sex, nothing more. Nothing like this. In fact, only one had ever come close, and even Lara had never made me feel like this. She'd been the only long-term relationship I'd had... and things had ended beyond badly.