Double Threat, page 4
“What I need? I’m not even sure what I need.” God she hated admitting that.
As if he’d read her mind he said, “Talk. What did you feel when you heard the gunshots?”
Could she tell him without breaking down? Could she trust him to listen without judgment?
“Fear. Of course,” she said, dragging her gaze from his intense eyes and staring past his left ear at a spot on the wall. Her thoughts crawled inward as sensations and memories from those minutes revived.
“And?” he said.
Her gaze fell on his thigh, encased in denim. She wanted to be like that thigh. Strong. “There were a few seconds, probably after I realized what I was hearing…I thought I was going to die. That was it and I’d be dead soon. I couldn’t tell which direction the sounds came from. I felt frozen.”
“But you weren’t frozen and you took action. That’s good. What else?”
She swallowed hard. “We realized…the rest of the people in the group and I…we couldn’t get out the back door.” She shook her head then cupped her hands behind her neck. “I can’t believe that guy actually chained all those doors and no one saw him. No one stopped him.”
“Yeah.” His voice went rough-edged. “Some heads are gonna roll in security.”
“And I can’t believe that creep was willing to harm people because he couldn’t get a damn job with security!” The words came out sharp and angry and she put her hand over her mouth.
He took her hand and folded it in both of his. “It’s okay to be mad. Let it out.”
She made a small, half-amused snort. “God, I can’t believe this. I’m the freakin’ therapist, not you. I’m the one who should be analyzing you.”
“I’ve been in some life-threatening situations before. How many have you encountered?”
“Zero until now.”
“Let me guess… If you have a problem you don’t ever talk to anyone about it. Because you’d have to admit you’re not perfect.”
His fingers caressed hers and the sensation shot tingles through her palm. Hot, sensual. She would have pulled her hand away but the arousal curling through her stomach demanded more. “Rarely.”
“Damn shame.” He looked sad, as if someone had told him grave news. “How did you get to your age without imploding?”
She quirked one eyebrow, amused. “My age? How old do you think I am?”
“Thirty-five.”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out for a second. “How did you know that?”
“Think about it. We didn’t exactly grow up together but we knew of one another. I knew what grade you were in.”
She hadn’t thought of that. “Of course. And you’re twenty-nine.”
“Don’t say it like I’m the youngest baby in the woods.”
“Maybe not in the woods but in this room right now you are.”
He didn’t release her hand but his eyes narrowed a little. “Wait a minute. You’re freaked because you’re in your house alone with me and you’re a few years older. Like you might lose control and rob the cradle or something.”
She made a little sound in her throat because she was sort of surprised at his audacity. “You’re so sure I want to jump your bones.”
“I don’t mince words, Lena. I think we’ve got a connection and I don’t see anything wrong with pursuing it.”
She hesitated, unsure she knew what he meant and feeling vulnerable enough to be afraid to ask. She did anyway. “As in a dating situation?”
“As in a getting-to-know-each-other situation.”
“We don’t have enough time to get to know each other. We’ve got until when… Sunday you leave, right?”
“Yep.”
“What can we really learn about each other in that short amount of time?”
He smiled. “I’ve already learned a hell of a lot about you just today. Things that make me want to know more. And yeah, if it feels right and it happens, I want to make love to you.”
Her mouth dropped open. Men always insinuated, they always tried kissing her first. His eyes held warmth, intense interest, and the warm fluttering sensations in her body told her she wanted the same thing. His hands still caressed hers and the tingles going through her body raced over her nerve endings and made her want to sing with pleasure. Damn, this man knew how to touch a woman.
Defenses made her say, “You’re really something.”
“Yeah? What am I exactly?”
She closed her eyes and made that sound again, feeling at once inadequate and totally understood. How was that possible?
“Admit it, counselor. You feel off your game after all this happened,” he said.
Not exactly. Well, yes. “A little. I mean…”
“What?”
He wasn’t letting her off the damn hook. “Why is it important that I hash over what happened to us at the mall. Now? Tonight?”
“It’s been my experience in the Coast Guard that if a person lets their fears fester inside, their feelings, it boils up. It becomes a sore that bleeds and drains and never stops irritating. It’s an itch you can’t scratch. It mutates until the only thing left is the fear. It becomes something you don’t understand anymore and can’t put a label on it. You’re outmaneuvered and outgunned.”
“Are you happy now?” she asked, tugging her hand from his grip. “I’m bleeding all over the carpet. Are you sure you’re not the counselor? What’s your degree?”
“Life. I don’t have a bachelor’s degree yet. I’ve been thinking about some options, though. Maybe psychology.”
“You’d be good at it.”
“Thanks for the endorsement. Now don’t try to deflect. You didn’t finish telling me your experience at the mall. What else did you feel?”
“Nothing else…” Had she? She closed her eyes again. “Gratitude. Gratitude that I was alive. Glad you were there to help me.”
“I’m glad I was there too.” His voice rumbled softly, low and sincere.
When her eyes opened he sat too close but not close enough. His masculine scent was potent musk and man, a mystery and an aphrodisiac.
“You don’t have to hide anything from me,” he said.
She drew in a slow, deep breath and allowed his wisdom to wrap her securely. Warmth swept over her, a vulnerability she couldn’t ignore as badly as she wanted to pretend it didn’t exist. This wave of need was raw, alive—and as real as it ever got. Turmoil erupted inside her, along with an aching urgency to bury her fear somewhere it couldn’t nibble at her, where no one could see her as anything less than strong.
His eyes didn’t deceive her. Gone was all teasing. Understanding and a willingness to take her seriously became clear in his eyes. “What are you thinking?”
“That you’ve turned things on their head, Frasier. You’ve given me too much to think about in a short time.”
He didn’t shift back, his attention still solidly on her, wrapping her in a warm cocoon of understanding she hadn’t expected at any level.
His eyes went hot and he leaned in closer. She couldn’t mistake what he meant to do, what he wanted to do.
“Maybe we should stop thinking,” he said. “Tell me to kiss you, or ask me to leave.”
She hovered on a second of indecision, her craving for him acute, her rational side arguing until she didn’t know which to listen to.
“What do you want, Lena?” he asked softly.
She reached up and cupped his face, looked into those eyes that had offered her support when she’d needed it. “Kiss me.”
He leaned in and touched his lips to hers.
Chapter Four
Lena had imagined Rick’s lips on hers before—if she was honest, she’d imagined him naked and making love to her on more than one occasion since he’d arrived in town. If she wanted to know the reality, she could take it now. Discover the truth once and for all. His mouth tasted hers with gentleness and skillful attention. Heat climbed straight from her middle. Again and again he found her mouth but always with respectful distance, with tentativeness that both surprised and pleased her but made her want more. Kissing him became a tangle. A desire-filled confusion where her body wanted what her mind said she shouldn’t want. But she wanted. Oh how she wanted.
She slipped her fingers into his short hair, the silky coolness making her long for more. His kiss deepened, a testament to building desire. His tongue slipped deep, stroking hers with a silky rhythm that demanded more. Yes. Yes. She twisted in his arms, writhing against the sensation and moving toward it. She met his erotic kiss with her own and gloried in it for a bright moment. A deep ache started between her thighs, feral and hot with wanting. Her nipples tightened into points. They couldn’t fall into bed. It wasn’t practical. Wasn’t a good idea.
But in this second she didn’t care. She wanted control of the situation, though, so she moved to that end.
She broke away, her breathing quick, her entire body flushed. His eyes were hot and she knew what he wanted. She left his arms only long enough to rise to her feet. She held out her hand and he took it as he stood. He towered over her, a big man with a gentle heart. She knew it deep inside, despite his bluster, even when he sometimes spoke bluntly. With her heart pounding, she tugged him up the staircase. Lit only by a nightlight halfway up, the staircase rose to the bedrooms. Yeah, the room where she planned to give her all to him. To show him her biggest vulnerability and, if she was fortunate enough, to understand his. He followed without protest and when she flipped on the light the brightness dazzled. She withdrew her hand from his long enough to switch on the much warmer glow of the bedside lamp and returned to turn off the glaring overhead. Shadows would cover too much. The room felt cool and the scent of crisp, fresh sheets comforted.
She didn’t give him a chance to change his mind. She stripped off her boots as she stood by the side of her antique four-poster. She peeled away her clothing piece by piece and stood in her pale pink cotton bra and hip-hugger panties. Nothing sexy or ornate—but she hadn’t planned to bring home a sexy man who lit her on fire.
“Here we are,” she said, knowing she sounded detached and maybe cynical.
Rick stood like a rock, his fists at his sides, his tall body fully clothed. His gaze burned with interest and fascination, a combination of wonder and innocence she’d never imagined on a man’s face before. “God, you’re beautiful, Lena. So beautiful.”
Her eyes burned, tears threatening. No man had ever called her pretty or beautiful and at one point she never would have believed it.
“The way you say that…” Her throat went tight.
He moved closer until he cupped her face in his big hands. “The way I say it?”
Her vision blurred as tears she’d fought slipped down her cheeks. “I almost believe you.”
“Sweetheart.” His voice was rough and low but tender. “Believe me.” He kissed her forehead, her nose, his thumbs brushing her cheeks in a featherlight caress. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever seen. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want. We can stop here and now if you wish. I leave it in your hands.” He peppered her face with kisses so tender she almost sobbed, her emotions gathering intensity as his tenderness overwhelmed her. “Whatever you want, it’s yours. Tell me what you want. You’re in control.”
She trembled on an edge, heady with a need to plunge into the deep end and never surface. Not if this man could be there with her. She stepped back to pull down the comforter and sheets and slide onto the bed. She stretched her arms above her head, touching the pillow.
“I want this now with you,” she said. “Take off your clothes.”
With the same deliberation she’d taken, he removed his clothes piece by piece, tossing his sweater on a chair, unbuckling his belt and unfastening the button and zipper on his jeans. She sucked in an excited breath. Yes. That’s what she liked, to have him do what she wanted, to have total assurance anything that would happen would be under her direction.
As he revealed the most gorgeous male body she could imagine, her mouth watered. Carved from stone, Rick had the body of a swimmer and yet the demeanor and command of a soldier. He had wide shoulders, molded pectorals and crisp hair that spread downward over his ridged stomach. To her eyes…perfection.
He pulled down his briefs and stepped out of them. God have mercy. His erection was thick and long and an answering desire warmed between her legs and ached to know what it would feel like to have him deep, so deep inside her.
He lowered to the bed beside her. His clean, musky scent teased her nose and she drew it inside. She shivered as the heady reality of what they planned hit her full force. As his body touched hers his heat reassured. Her fingers brushed hard chest muscles and the delicate tickle of masculine hair teased her palms. God, he was powerful in a way that penetrated her senses. Yet he didn’t kiss her, waiting perhaps for reassurance she wouldn’t flee. Eager to feel more of his hardness, she moved, undulated. Her fingers spread, she reached to explore rippling stomach muscles. He drew in a quick, harsh breath, body shivering against hers. Her power over him sent a rush of hot moisture between her legs. She drew in a breath, heartbeat quickening, pulse galloping to match. This wasn’t enough and yet it was everything.
“You’re so strong,” she whispered in awe.
His gaze caught hers in the dim bedroom. He smiled, a soft grin with a smoldering gaze, and she was a goner. Without responding to her praise, he gathered her close and kissed her. He mated his mouth to hers with slow, drugging intensity and the moments went on and on until one kiss blended seamlessly into another. Heat rose under her skin so fast she couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted it now, wanted to feel and feel until the violence earlier faded from her memory. She ached to the core, hungry and needy. She writhed in his arms as he cupped her left breast and lashed it with his tongue. As he moved to the other breast and suckled her, he tenderly plucked the other nipple between finger and thumb. Heat ignited between her legs and she moaned and twisted under his touch. He released her long enough to come up and over her, straddling her hips. With deliberation he kissed her neck, working one tender kiss into another, and she shivered in delight. He cupped her breasts as he kissed her collarbone, his thumbs teasing her nipples. Pleasure sang through her as he worked his way down her shoulders, teasing with light kisses, plying her nipples with tender licks and quick tugs. Restless, she moved, wanting so hot and fierce she could feel the heat growing unmercifully.
“Rick.” She moaned his name but couldn’t think what to ask.
He made his way with slow deliberation down her rib cage, caressing and kissing until he teased her bellybutton with his tongue. He parted her thighs and angled her open so that her knees were bent. She opened her eyes and matched her gaze to his. A carnal light blazed in his eyes as he touched her folds. She knew she was wet and the sensation of his gentle touch testing her made her groan softly. He smoothed his touch over her clit. She lifted her hips in reaction as another moan left her throat. With a smile, he lowered his head between her legs and tasted. She gasped in delight as he caressed her feminine folds with his lips and tongue. Gently he inserted one finger deep into her core, his tongue fluttering softly over her tender flesh. Lena couldn’t keep still as long-buried needs raced to the top.
“Rick. God that’s…oh God.”
She shivered again as bliss danced through her body. He teased and tempted her with every touch, his tongue pleasuring her with sweet caresses. One more caress and Lena came apart, quivering with delicious ecstasy as climax claimed her.
He climbed up her body and with a satisfied smile he said, “Sweetheart, please tell me you’ve got condoms around here. Because I really, really want to be inside you.”
“I’m on the Pill, and I’m safe.” She frowned. “You’re in the military and they test you, right?”
“Yes. I’m safe too.” He settled between her thighs and braced himself on his forearms above her. His smile was gentle and hungry all at once.
As his erection inched the slightest bit between her folds, she gasped in pleasure.
“All right?” he asked.
She locked gazes with him, stunned by the connection she felt, which went far beyond physical. “Never better.”
She cupped the back of his head and brought him into a sultry kiss, mouths mating in a passion that set her on fire. He moved forward a small increment, his cock sliding inside another inch.
She lifted her hips, maddened by the tease. “Rick, are you trying to torture me?”
His eyes blazed with need. “Yep.”
As they fell into another kiss, she groaned at the overwhelming sensation of his cock thrusting a little more. He retreated slightly then worked himself back and forth, filling her a little more and a little more. It was the most exquisite sensation she’d ever felt. As he stretched her, the fire built inside her. She clutched at his biceps, the muscles taut. She twisted beneath him, urging him to move faster. Hot flares of pleasure coursed through her body as he sank deeper and deeper. His breathing was rough as he maintained control.
He sank inside until he was completely buried within her. He began to move, each slow thrust driving her to another plateau. She tingled, hot desire threatening to blow her apart. Lifting her hips, she met his rhythm, ready to reach the peak as fast as she could. But he wouldn’t allow it.
He whispered in her ear, “Slow. Nice and slow.” And he did, slowing his thrusts to a maddening in and out, in and out that caressed sensitive places inside her she hadn’t known existed until now. “Easy, sweetheart. Oh God. That’s it.” His voice, liquid with a husky tone that added to her arousal, went on as his thrusts picked up pace. “Oh man, you feel so good.”
She went wild, her legs wrapping around his hips, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she reached for the stars. Time melted until it seemed an eternity she endured the amazing pleasure that came every time he made a slow thrust. Finally she couldn’t stand it and orgasm shot her into the stratosphere. She moaned loudly, stunned by the sheer beauty of it.
