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  She couldn't continue the sentence, and the policeman's face was grim.

  "You know, when you're in law enforcement for as long as I've been, you see things that stick with you for years, sometimes an entire lifetime. They are awful things, heartbreaking images that find their way into your worst nightmares. Most of these involved cases where women were terrorized and ultimately destroyed. In the majority of those instances, the guilty party was the husband or boyfriend of the victim."

  He laid a hand on her shoulder. “I was wrong in this case, and for hurting you I am truly sorry."

  Rachel absorbed his words and nodded. “I understand. You were just doing your job."

  The door opened again and the doctor strode into the waiting room with an unreadable expression on his face. She immediately feared for the worst, and she needed Petersen's help to get to her feet. It took all of her strength to form the words. “How is he, Doctor?"

  The other man's face softened, and his smile cast away all her doubts. “He'll be fine."

  She let out a sob of relief, impulsively leaping forward and hugging the doctor. She released him, happy that they both survived the terrible ordeal. “Can I see him?"

  The doctor checked his watch. “He's still out of it, but he should be in his own room by now. Let's go up and see how he's doing, shall we?"

  Together, the three of them left the room.

  Epilogue

  Two Weeks Later

  Rachel stroked Lucian's hair as he slept soundly in her bed. Her hand shaking, she caressed his beloved face and wept at the thought of how close she'd almost come to losing him. The morning Lucian returned from Mexico, Ethan had called him with an “emergency” tale that was similar to the one he gave her. He waited for him at the apartment before hitting his son multiple times with a baseball bat and hiding him in a closet. By the time Lucian was rushed to the hospital, he had lost a lot of blood. Luckily, he made it through.

  Lucian stirred awake at the sound of her crying. “No, baby. Don't."

  He stroked her neck, trailing his hand down until the gold heart she wore was in his hand. “There's no reason to cry now, Rach. I'm here, you're here, and we're free."

  She broke down in his arms. “But what he did to you was so awful ... what he did to me..."

  He held her tenderly as she cried out her lingering fear and anger over what they both went through courtesy of Ethan. When she recovered he caressed her soft lips with his finger. “I'm over it. There's nothing that can be done about the past. All I can do now is move on and live my life, and I want to do it with you."

  Rachel climbed on top of him, kissing him deeply. “That sounds like a plan."

  His eyes were clouded with passion as he moved his hand to cover her breast, his thumb skimming over her nipple and making it stand up beneath the satin and lace slip.

  "I think this calls for a celebration."

  She gave him a worried look, torn between concern and arousal. “Are you sure?"

  Lucian's voice was a low growl as he pulled her down for another scorching kiss, his cock jerking against her bare thighs. “I'll let you be the judge of that."

  Rachel's body stiffened at the contact, and he broke away to look into her eyes.

  "Christ, I'm sorry. I didn't think about how this might be for you, pressuring you to make love so soon after ... what happened. I'm not him, Rach. I swear to you, I will never be like him."

  His voice cracked with emotion, and his vulnerability made her fall even deeper in love with him. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, her hands trailing seductively across his chest. “I know you're not him, baby. I don't blame you for what he did, not for one second. You are Lucian Drake and I love you, and I know that you would never hurt me."

  "Damn straight,” he groaned as her fingers closed on his dick. With effort, he continued talking. “I've been thinking that maybe we should take a trip together, go somewhere nice and get some rest. What do you think?"

  "I'd like that,” she muttered against his sleep-warmed skin. She rained kisses on his face, turning her head to whisper softly in his ear. “I want you to lie back and enjoy."

  Her great desire to command his pleasure showed in her face, and Lucian shuddered in anticipation. She opened her nighttable drawer and pulled out a black satin blindfold, letting it dangle from her fingers for him to see. “Put it on.” Her voice was firm.

  Licking his lips, he took it from her hand and slipped it over his eyes. She heard his breath catch at the temporary loss of his sight, his powerful throat working as he swallowed hard in excitement. Her sex pulsed as she stared at him lying in wait for her to touch him. He's in my bed, and under my control. I'm going to make the most of it.

  Rachel leaned over him and traced his lips with the tip of her tongue, loving the way they trembled with the contact. She penetrated his mouth, and he moaned at her boldness. Breaking the kiss, she gently captured Lucian's earlobe between her teeth. She sucked on the delicate flesh, knowing that it was one of his weaknesses. She raised her head.

  "I'm going to make you come so hard..."

  She deliberately trailed off, smiling at the slight groan he gave in response. Her hands glided over his body as she alternated between nibbles and kisses, careful not to touch his cock and balls. His hands clenched on the bed beside him, and Rachel was delighted by his reaction. She played with Lucian's chest hair as she swirled her tongue around his nipples, lightly biting at the skin.

  Lucian arched up to her, his hands closing on her thighs. He wasn't supposed to touch her yet. Rachel stopped touching him, chiding him softly, “Do you want me to stop?"

  He shook his head no, and she moved his arms back to the bed. She moved down his body, raking her fingernails down his chest and abdomen as she went. Rachel stroked his muscled thighs, staring at his gorgeous erection. It stood to attention, throbbing with every touch she delivered. She ached to climb up and slide it into her pussy, but she held back because she knew their pleasure would be greater with the wait.

  Rachel pulled away from Lucian and rose from the bed. She stripped off her lingerie as he turned his head on the pillow, trying to hear what she was doing. She returned to him and pressed her naked breasts to his cock. He jerked at the contact, his chest pumping like bellows. She pressed his dick between her mounds and flicked the sensitive tip with her tongue, and his throaty yell broke the silence. “Oh, fuck!"

  Giggling, she released her hold on him and moved back up his body. “Patience.” She straddled him, pushing his cock flat against his stomach before trapping it between her pussy lips. She moved her hips back and forth, rubbing her moist folds over his hard length and gasping at the contact it made on her clit with each stroke. Her voice was raw with passion. “You can take it off now, and I want you to lick and finger my pussy as I suck you."

  Lucian removed the blindfold from his eyes, and the look he gave her was filled with heat as he silently brought two thick fingers to his mouth, wetting them. Breathing hard, she moved into position, taking his swollen cock into her hands as she presented her pussy to him in a silent demand. He slid the thick digits into her, and Rachel let out a breathy moan of pleasure as she moved against them. He fucked her fast and hard with his fingers, hitting all the right spots as his tongue took her higher. She opened her mouth wide to take his cock inside, tightening her lips around him, his groan vibrated against her sex and intensified the sensations he generated in her.

  Rachel lost herself to their loving exchange, her heart filled to bursting. Only Lucian made her so free, so loved. She raised her head and pulled away to straddle him again, desperately needing his cock inside her. He reached down to angle it for her, and she brought it to her core. She cooed as her pussy accepted him, his dick sinking in all the way. He brought his hands to her hips, guiding her on him. She rode him gently at first, remembering that he was still sore, and Lucian whispered that he was okay. Before long, they were making love at full speed, their control melting away.

>   He grunted loudly, his grip tightening on her ass. She knew he was very close as a result of her teasing, and she moved faster on him, her own climax quickly approaching.

  Rachel exploded with her orgasm, crying out from the hot rush of sensation. Lucian followed her, and their bodies strained together in triumph. The air was cool on their sweaty skin as they continued to embrace, sharing tender kisses in the afterglow. His voice was a deep rumble when he spoke, his breath stirring the damp tendrils of hair on her forehead as he held her close.

  "Ethan was a truly evil bastard, but I'm still glad that he led me to you."

  Emotion swelled within her, and she wordlessly leaned down to kiss him again. They were together despite everything that had threatened to tear them apart, and they had won. As they clung together on the bed, Rachel looked forward to writing a new chapter—not for a romance novel, but for her new life with Lucian.

  About the Author

  Aurora Black is a self-proclaimed “passionate woman of the world in an ingénue's clothing,” who made her erotic literary debut in late 2006 with Phaze. She got her start at Literotica, where she learned the basics of the writing trade and gained the confidence she needed to turn professional.

  An erotica writer by day and sultry jazz singer at night, Aurora uses her vivid imagination combined with (glamorized) life experiences as material for her works.

  Living in exotic Europe has made an everlasting impact on the Detroit area native, and she writes to express the deepest (and sometimes darkest) parts of her soul along with her great love of the written word. Like her characters, she pursues her dreams with everything she has.

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