Commanding Her Trust by Lili Valente

didn’t change anything. Blake didn’t want her, not really. If he did, he wouldn’t have written asking her to change her tattoo. He would have written asking to see her again, to see if they could reconnect, go back, or at least start over. He hadn’t known she was married. She’d kept her maiden name. Erin Perry was the name she was known for and certainly sounded more like it belonged to a lingerie model than Erin Sakapatatis.
    No, Blake didn’t want her back. He was clearly up for a weekend fling, but what Blake truly wanted was his freedom. Whatever it was he still felt for her, he wanted those feelings gone, and he thought modifying her tattoo was the way to make that happen.
    Who knew, maybe it was. Maybe the connection between them would finally be severed when they no longer sported matching ink.
    The thought made her sadder than she’d been since the day Scott walked out of her apartment with her baby in his arms.
    “I’m okay.” She sniffed, wishing she had a Kleenex. Seconds later, Blake plucked one from the bedside table and pressed it into her hand, reading her mind again, the way he always did.
    The small act of compassion was nearly enough to get her tears going again, but she pressed her lips together, fighting for control.
    “Listen, I meant what I said,” Blake murmured in that deep, sexy voice of his. “I don’t want to hurt you, and I really don’t want to make you cry.”
    “I know.” Erin wiped her nose, breath rushing out when she glanced up to see Blake’s eyes tight around the edges. “You look scared.”
    “A crying woman is a scary thing.” He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Especially you. I can count the times I’ve seen you cry on one finger.”
    “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I wasn’t much of a crier back in the day.” She sighed, remembering the tough nut she used to be.
    Of course, it had only been a smokescreen, a front to hide how scared and sad she truly was. Her years in Carson City had been fraught with fear, every minute lived under a dark shadow, except those moments when she and Blake would steal away and escape into their own world.
    “It’s all right,” she said, swiping the tears from her cheeks with her fist. “I cry all the time now. It’s no big deal.”
    “Sounds like a big deal to me.” His brow furrowed. “What’s been making you cry? Your ex?”
    “Let’s not talk about my ex,” Erin said, tossing her Kleenex to the floor behind her. “In fact, let’s not talk at all.”
    Before Blake could say a word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. And then another kiss and another until he groaned into her mouth and rolled on top of her, crushing her into the mattress with his weight.
    Slowly, all her fears and worries vanished in the wake of the heat that flared between them. Erin wrapped her legs around his hips, a moan bursting from her lips when she felt how hard he was beneath his blue-and-white-striped pajama bottoms.
    He captured her bottom lip, suckling it deeper into his mouth, raking his teeth over the sensitive skin as he pulled away. Her breath rushed out and her nipples pulled tight. She’d never realized she enjoyed being bitten so much. But she enjoyed everything Blake did to her, even the stuff she was sure she hated.
    Like it or not, he’d been right to make her wait. She was even more eager to have him now than she’d been last night, and when she finally came, she knew it was going to blow her mind. And probably her heart, too, but she wasn’t going to think about that now.
    She wasn’t going to think about anything except how amazing Blake made her feel.
    “I can’t believe we’re still in our pajamas with the sun that high in the sky,” she said, reaching down to run her fingers under the waistband of his pants. “I think it’s time we got out of them.”
    “I couldn’t agree more,” he rumbled against her lips, making them tingle.
    Soon, they were pulling at