Lips so fine jutted out at me, waiting for…something. My vision blurred. My ribs ached from my thundering heart. I shrugged.
I swallowed, wishing he’d just put me out of my misery. He had far more restraint than I gave him credit for. Years of military work had paid off, although, by the strain of his neck and the firm grip he had on my neck, I’d say he held on by a thread.
Suddenly empowered by that thought, wanting to push him even further to see when his wall of cool would crumble, I shot my tongue out and swiped it over my top lip, firming my spine, as if having him so close didn’t turn me into a pliant minion.
Following the path of my tongue, his eyes narrowed a second after they showed his arousal. I held my breath, waiting for his next move.
With no time to react, his mouth caught mine at the very moment he growled. His pillow-soft lips had all the ferocity of a raging storm, firm and insistent. The hand on my neck rose to the back of my skull, to angle me better.
As if Mac and Dec had never visited, we were back to where we were in the kitchen.
Delving with his tongue, I collapsed into him, unable to remain standing. His other arm came around my waist, anchoring me. I swam in him, neither here nor there, but somewhere in between, immersed in pure sensation.
I let out soft sounds of satisfaction so he amped up his assault.
“Put your hands on me.” At his command, I complied, forgetting I didn’t like to be bossed around. This was a whole other world of domination.
Ironing both hands flat over his abs and chest, I let them roam where they pleased. Damn, he had a body to die for. I hadn’t seen Dec without his clothes, but I couldn’t imagine him being as ruthlessly chiseled as Viper. He sucked in air through his nose at my touch as if I stung him, but with our vision still in line, it wasn’t pain I saw. Totally the opposite.
“You think you can take me, Red?” he forced out, his mouth moving to the apex of my neck and shoulder, biting just shy of discomfort.
Nothing more than a nod came from me. Instead, I let out a moan as he sucked on a sensitive spot which zapped pleasure hormones through every cell. I became the pleasure and nothing else.
I heard a vague snicker against my skin and then I was lifted off my feet, legs splayed around his waist and we were on the move. His mouth still suckled on the way to his room where he didn’t even bother shutting the door.
“One chance only. Do. You. Want. This? I know you’re still healing from your assault.”
I couldn’t have stopped. Not now. No way in hell. “Yes.” It left on a breathless oomph as we landed on the bed in a maze of limbs. Desperately he ripped my shirt off. A seam tore as he wrenched my arm free. Surveying my cleavage in the scrap of a bra, he smiled, and then looked from my chest to my eyes.
“Fuck, Red. You continue to amaze me.”
Chapter Thirteen
Viper
I didn’t have a clue what in the hell I was doing. My body craved the gorgeous redhead beneath me. Fumbling for the clasp on her bra, I eventually found it and pulled the hindrance off, revealing two perfect peaches for breasts atop a flat belly. A gold ring jutted from the cute button, causing me to officially lose my mind.
She wanted me. Oh, yeah! Rigid nipples and shattered breathing proved it. It took all my restraint and training as a soldier not to ravage her like a beast and have it all over in less than a minute. Breathing in and out through my nose, I centered myself, relishing in the noises coming from her as I adored her chest. Who would have known, hidden beneath her hospital scrubs and casual clothing, lay a man’s wet dream? Now that I’d thrown caution to the wind, I was all in. She writhed beneath me, hurrying me up, but I ignored it, fully in control now.
“What’s the matter, Red? You seem frustrated.” Biting down on her distended nipple, her cry let me know just how much. Mmm. If she kept reacting like that to my touch, I’d be done before we even got to the good part. Perhaps that would be best. Knock one out and then I’d be good to go for longer.
In the back of my mind, I heard whispers of being gentle. She was still extremely fragile. I’d toyed with the idea of not touching her while she sorted through her emotions, but damned if I could hold back. She had this magnet attached to her that even with my fierce restraint, I couldn’t resist. The other part of my brain told me that if she didn’t want this, she’d tell me so. Perhaps this was her way of not thinking. Just feeling. Her therapy. I’d give her what she wanted.
Lifting her hips, I chuckled at her need. I loved a woman who could match my own desire in the bedroom, and by the look in her heavy eyes, nails digging into my shoulders as I took my sweet time, nipping and sucking while garnering her reaction, she filled that role perfectly. Who would have thought? I guess it’s true about redheads being fiery. Well, I already knew she had a red-hot temper, but never did I guess it would play over into other areas. Damn.
“Viper!” she cried as I bit hard. Her torso rose off the mattress in want, making me snarl in response.
My towel had disentangled from my hips and lay on her thigh, so I wrenched it free, leaving myself totally naked. Rubbing against her, I needed to rid her of the rest of her clothes. With one hand, I undid her button and zipper and then sitting up so I knelt with my knees on either side of her, I dragged her jeans and panties south, revealing smooth, fully shaved skin everywhere. Not a hair to be seen. Moaning at the sight, I stilled, getting an eyeful.
“Red?”
“Hmm?”
“You shave for me?”
“Uh…” She didn’t get to answer further because I couldn’t resist kissing the baby-like soft skin between her legs. Sweet heaven. She tasted all musky and feminine. A scent I’d been deprived of for too long. Way too long.
Holding her hips down when she bucked upward as my mouth fed off her, I indulged in the delicacy, starved. She lit up like a Christmas tree at my touch, spurring me on. I was lost in my own pleasure while listening to hers.
I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t, but hell, I was leaving in two days. Who knew when I’d be back or if I would? I wanted to be reminded of this exact moment while I flew into enemy territory. I wanted to think of it while I slept.
“Yes!’ she screamed, rocketing out of the stratosphere as I worshipped her with my tongue. Her cries had my ego smirking and my loins ordering some sort of release.
Lifting myself off her and letting my gaze follow the curves up her body, it fell on her sated expression. Head thrown to the side, slight smile tilting her lips. Eyes gently closed.
Stalking to the bathroom, I fumbled in the bottom drawer where I knew a pack of condoms lay, untouched. I ripped the box, taking two back into the bedroom. Yeah, two was a little arrogant, but once wouldn’t be enough, I could tell.
Climbing up on the bed, I hovered over her. “You with me, Red?”
“Unnnhh.”
Nothing more needed to be said. I threw myself into her, getting lost, relishing in the ability she had to help me escape the brain clutter of war. We both needed the escape.
I gloried in her touch and sounds, our bodies fitting together perfectly. She took as much as she gave, making me realize for the first time ever I didn’t have to try too hard to please her. She adequately fulfilled all my desires. She had passion and fire, matching me kiss for kiss and stroke for stroke. My hands hooked onto her ass and held on for dear life as she turned us and rode me as if her life depended on it. All the while her mouth ravished my lips and neck, her hands gripping my hair, hard. Just the way I liked it. I caught and held her sensuous eyes, watching the pupils dilate further as she got closer to heaven. I hadn’t been to heaven in so long, I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. She pulled every morsel of pleasure I had and then some.
I drifted on the tide of euphoria as she came undone around me, causing me to splinter into a million tiny fragments, our pieces combining and falling back into place so that I now carried some of her with me.
How did this happen? It was just a release. Some fun before my
deployment. Right? Why then were pieces of her taking up residence in my heart?
I listened to her breathing as her head lay in the crook of my shoulder, that fiery red mane cloaking my arm. Could I go there again with a woman? My brain said no, but that’s not what was leading the race at the moment. I wanted nothing more than to be able to push her away, but she still had a vulnerability about her, even after the amazing sex we’d just shared.
Feathering my fingers up and down her back, I asked, “You okay, Red?”
“Mmm.” Again, no words, just sounds.
Laughing, I said, “Is this what I have to do to get you to remain quiet? I’ll have to remember that next time you’re giving me grief, woman.”
She lifted her head and smiled groggily. “I’ll shut up forever if you keep that up.”
And so I took her mouth and body again, keeping my demons at bay for a short while, falling asleep without nightmares for the first time in years.
Chapter Fourteen
Char
What just happened? How had I slept with Viper? And more to the point, why had I enjoyed it so much? I mean, when I’d first met him I thought he oozed that sexy, badass military guy thing, but when he’d opened his mouth, my ranking of him had gone down dramatically.
Listening to his breath as he slept while I rested my head on his arm, I had all sorts of weird emotions plaguing me. He’d proved every bit the warrior I thought he was in the bedroom, but at the same time, he’d let the rare tenderness show.
He was leaving the day after tomorrow. Going to war. Fighting for his life and others. What if he never made it home? How did I feel about that? Thinking about it made my chest feel raw.
I wanted casual. I hadn’t done anything more in ages. Why then did I want to snuggle in bed all day with him holding me? He made me feel safe. Glancing at my watch, the time read three forty-five a.m. I doubted I’d be able to go back to sleep now. Too much ran through my head. I let my eyes roam over his face, so peaceful in sleep. Gone was the hard exterior he always showed the world. Replaced by the true man. I believed when people slept, free of ego, this is who they truly were. Viper looked younger. Happier. I wondered if he was dreaming. And what it was about.
He stirred as if sensing I watched him. He didn’t wake though. Instead, he mumbled something, rolled to his side facing me, and threw the arm I wasn’t still lying on, over me.
I couldn’t move if I wanted to.
I let me eyes drift shut, relishing in the feel of a man’s warm body cocooning me, and must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, the sun was angling through the curtain and the warm mound I’d slept up against had vanished, as if he’d been nothing more than a figment of my imagination.
Sitting up, trying not to let his absence worry me, I rose and walked to the wardrobe, throwing on a robe before shuffling down the hall into the living room.
The smell of coffee hit me, so I followed it into the kitchen. I found Viper, shirtless, wearing only boxers, standing at the stove scrambling eggs. Two mugs sat on the table. I glanced from him to the table, and back again.
His eyebrow rose. “Sleep okay, Red?”
“Yeah. I guess. I woke around three forty-five but ended up falling back asleep. You?”
I knew he’d slept well. He’d barely moved all night.
“Like a baby, actually. Huh. I never sleep that well. Must have been all the sex.” He turned back to the stove, but I didn’t miss the smirk on his face. Switching off the gas, he plated the eggs and handed me some.
“Thank you. I’m not used to being cooked for. Especially after…well…you know.”
He sat opposite, his large frame blocking my view out the back window. “You’re in my home as my guest. What sort of person would I be if I didn’t feed you?”
“Still, it’s nice to have it done for me.”
I could sense a little awkwardness between us and the encroaching silence only accentuated it. Had he regretted it? I sure as hell hadn’t.
“So…” I began. “What are your plans for today?”
Chewing a large forkful of eggs, he swallowed, my eyes pausing on that mouth which had ravished me only hours before. A tingle shot down my center.
“I’ve got some packing to do. Have to call headquarters. I gotta head out to the mall to buy a few things.” He watched me intently. “You want to get out and go to the mall with me later?”
Feeling a little like a caged animal, I nodded. “Yeah. That would be great. Thanks. Just let me know when.”
“Will do.”
More silence. Shit. Talk about the morning after. Having to make small talk wasn’t something I’d done much of in the past. The fact that my insides were all over the place and my heart beat furiously had me off kilter. All I could think about was his body and the way it had felt…like steel coated in a softer glaze. I could stare at his torso all day.
“Red?”
“Hmm?”
“You gonna be okay if I go do what I have to do?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be fine.”
Had he noticed my fascination with his chest? Or his mouth, for that matter? Gah. I was seriously swooning like a teen. The guy had me all mixed up in my head. Like I didn’t know the day or time of year. Seriously, the sooner he went on his mission and I got back to work, the better.
And then a thought hit. I hadn’t freaked out since yesterday. I hadn’t dwelled on my assault. Viper had taken my mind off it. He’d given me the reprieve I’d needed. He’d been the bandage on my wound. I wasn’t sure what would happen when he left, but for the time being, I felt…okay. More than okay.
***
We arrived at the mall at three p.m. I hadn’t seen much of him at home, as I’d gone to my room and he’d been busy preparing for his departure tomorrow. As I’d sat in silence, the fears I’d been experiencing surfaced a little. Each time my mind tried to return to the darkness, I pictured Viper’s complete surrender to me the night before. I hated that I’d loved it. Something else swam through my blood, something separate from my attack. I felt uneasy about his leaving, and I couldn’t be sure if it was that I was going to miss him, or something more. Whatever it was, it sat haphazardly on my chest.
We’d agreed for me to be dropped over to Mac’s apartment tonight because Viper had to be out of his house before the sun rose in the morning. Not a word more had been spoken about our tryst other than his mention of sex at breakfast, so I figured maybe it had just been a one-off thing between two people who had chemistry, and who needed the reprieve it brought.
Still, disappointment at that thought weighed me down. Viper must have noticed as we walked through the mall.
“You’re quiet,” he offered.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
You. I couldn’t say that. If he did only want something casual, I didn’t want to put pressure on him. He needed his head in the game for what he had ahead of him.
“Wondering if I need to buy anything to take to Mac’s.” Lie.
He eyed me a moment too long, probably seeing right through me with his military instincts, then he simply nodded and we kept going.
He purchased personal items while I browsed, not really into the whole shopping thing, but it was nice to get out. While he paid for his purchases, I stood outside, people watching. I liked to do it sometimes, wondering what others’ lives were like. What jobs they did. I tried to figure it all out by their appearance. Silly, I know, but fun.
“We need to get you a new cell.”
I jumped at his closeness. I hadn’t heard him approach.
“There’s a store not too far from here. I should be able to transfer my old number, hopefully.”
We ambled along the mall to the cell phone store and browsed at the handsets until we were served. I’d opted for another iPhone for its simplicity. Explaining that I’d had my other stolen they set about transferring my old number and getting me set up.
Viper sat patiently, watching the front o
f the shop as if on guard while I took care of business. After half an hour we were back out in the mall.
“You hungry? Viper asked.
“No. I’m fine. I’ll grab something later.”
As we approached a drug store, he paused. “I’ve just gotta grab a couple of things in here and then we’ll head home.”
“Okay. I’ll wait out here.”
Eying me as if he wasn’t sure whether to leave me or not, he gave a sullen nod and showed me his back.
Odd man. One minute he could be ‘almost’ sweet and the next he turned back into his snarky self. My emotions tumbled everywhere.
I began people watching again for a while, when suddenly from out of nowhere, I got thrust forward as a guy plowed into me from behind. He was running through the mall with a friend. I felt my balance falter, then I began falling. Slowly, but yet too fast for me to stop it. I tried to correct my balance, but it proved too late. I hit the shiny mall floor with a thud, jarring my already sore arm. Pain seared from my fingers to my shoulder. For a moment I remained still, sore and in shock. My purse strap remained around my shoulder, but the pouch was an uncomfortable lump under me. My spare, tiny purse I’d packed to take to Viper’s proved a blessing after my other had been stolen but right now, I cursed it.
A large hand gripped me and pulled me up. “Shit, Red? You okay?”
Viper.
Was I okay? Apart from being startled and in a fair amount of discomfort, I guess so. Bracing myself against him, I turned when the guy who hit me yelled from several yards away. “Sorry, Ma’am.”
Viper pivoted, and before I knew what happened, he’d strode toward the guy, pushing people out of the way.
I called out to him, “Viper. It’s okay. I’m all right.” He either didn’t hear me or chose to ignore my plea.
I watched on, helpless, as the guy who rammed me focused on the giant, scary dude who looked like he could blow a gasket at any second. His eyes widened as he turned to flee, but Viper reached him first, gripping the guy’s arms to spin him around.
The Lost and Found Series Page 43
