His hand tightened over hers, his thumb pressed to her knuckles. “Ask me to stay, Maren. If that’s what you want, say it.”
“Stay,” she whispered. “For as long as you have the time off.”
He lifted her hand, turning it so his lips pressed the inside of her palm. “I’ll stay,” he murmured against her skin. “But only if I get to stay in your bed with you in it and I’m inside you. And tonight? Those glasses stay on while I fuck you.”
CHAPTER 12
AS Maren prepared for bed, she ruefully acknowledged how strange it was for her and Steele to be acting almost like they were a permanent couple. Cozy dinner. Nice conversation. And now he was in the shower and she was climbing into bed to wait for him. It was a given that they’d make love and even though they’d had sex twice now, she was still nervous as she propped herself up against pillows, keeping an eye on the bathroom door for him to make his appearance.
She fidgeted with the sheets and then glanced down at her pajamas. It was pointless to have worn anything, but it seemed a bit much to be naked when he got out. Which was ridiculous because he’d made it clear they were having sex. But she wasn’t quite brazen enough to act like a siren temptress. Though she had left her glasses on. It gave her a tiny—okay, maybe a huge—thrill that he had a thing about her wearing her glasses.
A moment later, the door opened and Steele walked out with just a towel wrapped around his hips. His hair was damp and moisture still clung to the light smattering of chest hair. He paused when he caught her staring at him, and for a minute they simply stared at one another.
God, but the man was gorgeous. Not in a pretty, polished way. Not at all. He was rugged. He bore scars. He wasn’t what she’d consider a truly handsome man with perfect features. His face was hard and when he wasn’t smiling he looked absolutely intimidating. But when he smiled and those ice blue eyes warmed? He had a devastating effect on her. She couldn’t imagine a woman alive who could resist that smile.
“You checking me out?” he asked in amusement.
She nodded, not at all abashed.
“Too bad I can’t return the favor. Can’t see much of you in those pajamas with the sheet pulled up around you.”
“I can fix that,” she said huskily.
Her inner temptress was coming out. Forgotten were any inhibitions about waiting naked for him. She grabbed on to the temptress and embraced her full-on. Between the two of them they were going to seduce this mouthwateringly gorgeous man.
She rose up on her knees, letting the sheet drop. She tugged the top over her head and then lay on her back to shrug out of the bottoms. When she was done, she sat back up and faced Steele.
“Better?”
“Much.”
He let the towel fall to the floor at his feet, revealing a very rigid erection. It strained upward, nearly flat against his taut abdomen.
“That looks painful,” she said with a raised eyebrow.
“You’ll make it all better,” he said as he advanced toward the bed.
He planted his fists onto the bed and leaned toward her, fusing his mouth to hers. Then he pressed forward, taking her down onto the mattress beneath him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, anchoring him to her, and kissed him back.
“You taste so damn good,” he muttered. “Don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you. And getting to fuck you when you are wearing those glasses . . . definitely top five on my list of fantasies.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she said lightly. And then she laughed because it totally fit his personality that he kept referring to a list of the things he fantasized about. Probably had his entire seduction of her mapped out to the nth degree.
“Didn’t say that. Not a bad thing at all. I can think of worse things to be addicted to.”
“I kinda like being someone’s drug of choice. It’s good for my ego. People usually aren’t very happy to see me since they only come around when they’re hurt or sick. Until recently, that’s the only time you ever saw me.”
“I can safely say I’ll never cringe at the thought of seeing you. Especially if you’re naked and I’m inside you when I’m seeing you.”
“You’re not inside me,” she whispered.
“I can fix that,” he said, echoing her earlier words.
“Mmm, why don’t you get right on that then.”
He reached for a condom, lifting off her long enough to roll it on. Then he spread her thighs and settled between them, positioning his cock at her opening. He hesitated, though, sliding a finger inside and stroking through her wetness.
She sighed when he hit a particularly nice spot. Then he rubbed his thumb over her clit, and her entire body tightened in pleasure.
“You’re really good with your hands,” she said. “But you’re even better with your mouth.”
He arched an eyebrow and amusement simmered in his eyes. “Is that a hint?”
“It’s a fact,” she returned.
He chuckled. “In that case, I’ll have to prove you aren’t wrong.”
He shifted downward, his hands sliding down her sides to her hips and then down to cup her ass. She squeezed her eyes shut and arched upward as soon as his tongue lapped over her clitoris. He nuzzled gently, licking, sucking and lightly grazing the sensitive, quivering flesh.
Then he pressed his tongue over her opening and licked upward in one long swipe.
Her knees went weak and her legs started shaking. He licked back down and then circled her opening, lightly rimming it before plunging his tongue inside her, tasting from the inside out.
“Steele!”
“Delicious,” he purred against her skin.
The low vibration of his voice sent shivers of pleasure through her belly. He toyed with her clit, circling and flicking it lightly with his tongue until it was rigid. Each swipe of his tongue sent her closer to orgasm, until her entire body was coiled into a tight knot.
“Inside me. Please, Steele,” she panted. “I want you now. I’m so close and I want you inside me when I come.”
“And I want to be inside you when you come. Tight like a fist around me and then when you get wet and silky? Never felt anything better,” he growled. “Want to see those eyes all cloudy with desire, those glasses perched so cute on your nose while you go wild for me. Only me.”
He rose, gripping her knees and spreading her wide as he positioned himself over her. He thrust forward, planting himself deep on the first thrust. Her hands flew to his shoulders, her fingers digging in as ecstasy engulfed her. Rising, sharp, overwhelming.
He began plunging, back and forth, hard and then harder still. Fast, forceful. His hips slapped against hers as his body came down over her. He covered her completely, his face buried in her neck as he continued to pump in and out of her. His teeth grazed her skin and then he sank his teeth gently into her neck, his tongue immediately soothing the love bite.
“Not going to last,” he breathed. “You feel so damn good, Maren. I could do this forever.”
She smiled dreamily as she ran her hands up and down the muscled wall of his back. She let them drift lower, feeling his buttocks rise and fall over her.
“I could too,” she whispered. “You’re very good at it, Steele.”
He chuckled against her neck and then kissed a path to her jaw before finally claiming her mouth again.
“Come with me,” he whispered. “Let’s go together.”
She closed her eyes and hugged him tightly to her. He slid his arms beneath her, holding her just as tightly to him. Tangled legs and arms, bodies joined, undulating. Hot, breathless. Kissing, gasping, soft sighs of pleasure.
It all ran together in a hazy blur as her orgasm crashed over her. She felt suspended in air and then began to slowly drift downward, floating back down to the bed where she lay beneath him as his chest heaved against hers.
“Steele?”
“Yeah.”
“Next time I want on top. I’ll even wear my glasses.”
His body shook with laughter, and then he kissed her nose. “You got it.”
CHAPTER 13
MAREN was draped over Steele’s body, warm and lush, her soft breathing signaling she was sound asleep. He made no effort to move her. He liked the feel of her in his arms, covering his body like a blanket.
He toyed with her hair, twining it around his fingers before gently tugging it away from her face so he could see her soft cheek. Her eyelashes rested against her skin, a shade darker than her light blond hair. She moved up and down with the rhythm of his own breathing and her legs were tangled with his.
Gently, so as not to awaken her, he slid the glasses from her face and set them on the nightstand so she’d rest more comfortably.
They’d finished their last bout of sex an hour earlier, and Maren had drifted into sleep after riding him long and hard. He’d loved every minute of having her atop him, head thrown back, hair flowing down her back, her breasts pushed forward so he could touch and taste. As promised, she’d left her glasses on, perched precariously on her cute nose while she fucked him senseless.
God, he was losing it. Thinking about her cuteness. Her nose and glasses for Christ’s sake. He glanced down, watching as she slept deep. Secure. Like she knew she was protected, and she damn well was with him.
He remained awake, though, savoring the still and quiet that had descended. And he liked having Maren in his bed. Or rather her bed. He leaned his head forward to press a kiss to the top of her head and left his lips there a long moment as he inhaled her scent.
He was in deep shit.
He didn’t have time to ponder that particular revelation because his sat phone went off.
Goddamn it. Not now. Anytime but now.
Maren stirred and lifted her head with a frown. “What’s that noise?”
He sighed. “I have to take that. Sorry.”
She started to slide off him but he rolled, gently setting her aside before he reached over her to where he’d put the phone on her nightstand.
“This better be goddamn important,” he growled into the phone.
“Steele, it’s Sam. Sorry, I know you’re taking downtime, but I need you for this. Rio and his team already drew a mission.”
Steele’s lips tightened and he glanced sideways to where Maren was lying on her side, head propped in her hand as she silently watched him.
“Give me the rundown,” Steele said.
“How soon can you be here?” Sam asked. “Don’t have time to get into it now. I have more calls to make. Are you going to contact your team or do you want me to call them in?”
“I’ll call them,” Steele said shortly. “I’ll be there in twelve hours.”
He laid the phone aside and then turned to Maren. “I’m sorry. I have to go. Sam needs me.”
She didn’t quite quell her disappointment. Her eyes dimmed even as she nodded her understanding. He wasn’t any happier about the interruption than she was.
He leaned down, tucking one finger underneath her chin and lifting so her lips were even with his. He kissed her lingeringly, savoring the sensation of her soft mouth against his.
“This isn’t finished,” he said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “Be careful, Steele. I’d rather you not come back because you need medical attention. I want you to come back because I’m irresistible.”
He grinned. “I think that’s a safe bet, although if I end up hurt, I won’t turn down your medical expertise. You can kiss it and make it better.”
“Deal,” she said.
Though he knew he had to get moving if he was going to make it back to Tennessee when he’d said he would, he was reluctant to leave her bed. He hesitated, watching her, tempted to roll her back over and slide deep inside her.
And then he thought, why not? He had no idea how long he’d be gone—and he had every intention of returning so they could address whatever it was between them—and there was always the chance, on any mission, that he wouldn’t make it back.
He leaned into her, wrapping his arms around her and rolling until he was atop her. He made a grab for a condom, only to not find them where he’d left them.
“It’s okay,” she whispered as she smoothed her hands over his face.
Still, he hesitated. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “It’s been a long time for both of us. I’m clean. You’re clean.”
“The idea of being inside you without a condom is right up there in my top three fantasies.”
She laughed softly. “Well, since I’m pretty sure we’ve already knocked out the rest of your top five, you may as well take out the third. You’ll have to think of new fantasies while you’re gone so we can work on those when you get back.”
He slid inside her and groaned as she went wet and silky around his cock. His jaw tightened as he fought off his impending release. Two seconds inside her and he was ready to erupt.