The door slid open, Archer stepped back inside and closed it, before setting the alarm by the door. Then he turned to face her.
“If we give into this chemistry...” he said, “...will it affect your work?”
She swallowed past her suddenly dry throat and stared at the man hovering by the door. The very fact he’d asked that question signaled he’d changed his mind about waiting. “Yes.” She nodded, watching his brow furrow. “But in a good way.”
“Oh?” He lifted that brow.
“I’ll have clarity of mind,” she replied, and decided to lay it all out. “It won’t be so darn fogged with unsatisfied need for you.”
He blinked. “Unsatisfied need? For me?”
“Yes.” She frowned. “Why is that so hard to believe?”
He shook his head. “Damn, Sandy...you’re way too classy for my sorry ass.”
She held back a grin. “Take that back, Malone,” she said, tipping her head. “I’m from Queens. I’m not classy. I’m sassy.”
“That, too.” A smile tugged at his very kissable lips. “You’re also smart and beautiful and could have anyone you want. Not an old bonefrog bum like me.”
“I happen to like that part of you. A lot.” She held his gaze, letting him see in hers just how much she was attracted to him. “You’re strong. Loyal. Brash. You’ve seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer and still you put your life on the line for people. Combine all that with the silver at your temples...and you take my breath away, Archer.”
His gaze darkened to a delicious chrome hue that made her tremble.
“And I look forward to when we can act on this chemistry between us. Whether it’s now...or in the future,” she told him. “I know it’ll be worth the wait.”
She could be wrong, but she thought she heard him growl before he strode from the sliding door toward her again, his gaze and gait returning to that determination from earlier, spiking her already thundering pulse.
“I agree,” he said, stopping in front of her to brush her lower lip with his thumb. “But I don’t want to wait.”
Her heart dipped to her belly then returned to her chest, racing like mad. He was back to saying the things she’d longed to hear. “You don’t?”
Once again, they were engaged in the “pull” part of their dance.
Her favorite part.
“No, I don’t want to wait.” He shook his head and ran his hands lightly down her arms and back up. “I’m done waiting, Sandy. I want you. Right here. Right now. To hell with everything else.”
She lifted a hand to palm his solid chest while her other gripped his hip. “Good, because I want you and your bonefrog.”
He chuckled and set his forehead to hers. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Why? Is it that big?” she teased.
He choked out a laugh. “I didn’t mean that.”
“I know.” She smiled. “And I appreciate it. And you.” She slipped her hands under his shirt and brushed his hot flesh all the way to his pecs, thrilled at how his big, hard body quivered under her touch. “What about you? What do you want?” She grazed a fingernail over one of his nipples and was rewarded with a hiss of breath.
“More of that.” He pressed into her. “I love the feel of your hands on my body.”
“Roger that.”
He grinned, his gaze heated and direct. “I think it’s way past time I put mine on yours,” he murmured, skimming a palm down the front of her, brushing lightly over her breast. His wicked thumb lingered on her peak, brushing it back and forth, detonating brain cell after brain cell.
Heat rushed between her legs, and she arched into his touch. “Yes. Past time...”
In a blink of an eye, he had her pressed against the wall between the sliding glass door and kitchen, with his strong, rock-hard body. He shoved his hands in her hair and stared into her eyes. “Are you sure about this, Sandy? If you have any reservations tell me now, because once we start, it’ll be difficult to stop. I’ve wanted you for far too long.”
“I’m beyond sure, Archer,” she muttered, and rocked against him to prove it.
The last of his restraint disappeared from his gaze, leaving nothing but raw, fierce need. “Then it’s time I made you call my name.” He dipped down to drag his mouth up her throat. “Loud, soft, doesn’t matter,” he murmured against her skin, “Because I aim to hear it all fall from your lips tonight.” Drawing back, he shoved a hand in his pocket before slapping several condoms on the nearby table. “Multiple...times.”
She inhaled, and he captured her open mouth, kissing her without restraint, his hunger for her a lot stronger than she’d imagined. Sandy moaned, and ran her hands around his back to pull him in closer.
As fierce, hot, and demanding as the man, his kiss made her want to give more, to feel more, to be more. Deep and long, thorough and complete, it rocked her world and turned it upside down in the best way. Sandy’s body throbbed with a need she never knew she’d possessed. Thankfully, this hot, capable, gorgeous man no longer regarded her as the mother of one of his SEALs.
Gone was his self-discipline, his restraint. Archer kissed away her sanity, and her ability to stand. Over and over, he devoured her strength, his tongue stroking hers, his hands caressing her body, bringing it to life in a blaze of heat.
When they came up for air, she stared at him, trying to grasp onto a coherent thought, but only need for the man persisted in her head.
Dragging in air, he cracked a sexy grin and it snagged her heart. Damn, he looked delectable, with his shirt...gone? Geeze...when had she done that? He made her nuts. So did the dusting of hair across his chest her fingers were still stroking. The sight of the ridges in his abs did funny things to her breathing, which wasn’t steady by any means. Neither was her equilibrium, because somehow, she’d managed to unbuckle the top of his jeans without realizing it, too.
Yeah. She was off-kilter and out of her league and loving every damn second. She felt carefree, wild, unhindered. He pushed her boundaries, took her out of herself.
She knew it. She knew he would. And God, wouldn’t it be great if she was doing the same to him?
Sandy set her forehead against his chin. “That was...wow...I’ve been missing out.”
“So have I.” He slipped a hand under her shirt to stroke her above the curve of her hip, and goosebumps shot down her side. “But we’re not going to miss out anymore.”
She stood there trembling, as he used both hands to grab the neck of the T-shirt he’d bought earlier that day and ripped it off her body.
It was the sexiest damn thing she’d ever experienced, although the raw need deepening his gaze to a smoky shade of gray made all her good parts pulse.
“Damn, Sandy...”
Spurred on by his desire, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra, hoping he wasn’t turned off by the fact gravity had unfriended her since she’d turned forty last month. Letting her bra fall to the floor, she watched mesmerized as his gaze darkened further at the sight of her bared breasts.
“You’re so perfect.”
Perfect?
He was perfect. Not an ounce of fat on his hard, muscular torso, with definition and ridges making her mouth water.
He reached out and cupped her breasts, seeming not to notice or care that they weren’t so perky. “Damn perfect,” he murmured, dipping down to draw a nipple into his mouth and tease with his tongue.
“Archer,” she gasped, grasping his upper arms, loving the feel of his muscles rippling under her fingers.
Switching to her other breast, he caught the tip between his teeth and tugged while his hands slid down her body and unhooked her pants.
Sandy gasped again.
He released her nipple to kiss and nip his way down her body as he pushed her jeans and panties to her feet. “So damn perfect,” he murmured, glancing up at her nakedness. He caressed every inch of her as he rose to his feet, except where she needed it most.
He had her hot and tremb
ling and needing more.
Needing everything.
“Hold on to me,” he ordered before he gripped her hips and twisted them around to set her on the dining room table. His gaze darkened as her curves bounced, and a second later, her shoes and the rest of her clothes were on the floor. A sexy sound rumbled in his throat. “Gorgeous.” He glided his hands up her inner thighs, and his fingers brushed her center, finally touching the part that ached for him the most.
“Archer.” His name ripped from her throat again, this time in a voice full of hunger and need, as she clutched at his arms and rocked into his touch.
He let out a rough groan. “So wet...” His lips were hot and demanding as he captured her mouth in a fierce, hungry kiss while he stroked her again and again.
She moaned and ran her hands down his chest and abs, reveling at the feel of his body quivering under her touch. Using that hot, hard body, he pressed her down until her back hit the table. Damn, he felt so good. Solid. Hard. Flesh brushing flesh. Then he drew back, and removed his finger, and she was about to protest when he gently grasped her ankles and set her legs over his shoulders.
His inhale cooled the air around her thighs, and she watched him clench his jaw, his expression caught somewhere between pleasure and pain. And before she could blink, he leaned in and put his mouth on her, stroking her with his tongue.
She cried out and jumped. It’d been so long...decades since she’d had oral sex.
“Easy,” he murmured, placing a hand on her belly to hold her steady. “I got you.”
And he did, but good. The incredible man was thorough and commanding—and on a
mission—because he added a finger, sliding it inside her as he flicked his tongue over her aching center.
Sandy’s gasp turned into a moan, and both echoed around them. This seemed to spur him on. He upped his pace, and she clutched the edges of the table and held tight, while he continued to take her on a journey of pure pleasure. It felt so good...
She didn’t remember it feeling this good. Unable to keep still, she rocked against him while teetering on that warm, blissful edge.
“Archer,” she whispered. “I need...”
Coherent thoughts were tough to hold onto with the strong, giving, virile man in charge of her body.
He glanced at her, gaze delectably dark with a fierce hunger and determination that was nearly her undoing. “I’ve got you,” he repeated before sucking her gently into his mouth.
That was it. She was done.
All those years of wanting Archer and wondering what it would be like to be with him came to fruition at that very moment. Sandy burst, and he used his expertise to prolong her pleasure as he held her hips and gently brought her down from that warm deliciousness.
When her mind cleared and vision returned, she let out a sigh and met his gaze. Her heart knocked into her ribs. His eyes—damn, they smoldered with pure male satisfaction. Heat immediately flickered through her satiated body.
Seriously? How could he have her ready with a single glance?
“What just happened?”
Releasing her, he straightened, and a sexy, deliciously possessive grin claimed his lips. “I made you mine.”
A thrill shot through her at crazy speed. She knew he respected her and that her body was hers to do as she pleased. But his words exhilarated her too. She was also aware that his words really meant she was making him hers. That he needed to brand her—to stand out—to guarantee she’d remember him and how he made her feel.
As if she’d ever forget...
Holding her gaze, he pulled his zipper down and shucked the rest of his clothes, and when he straightened, she sat up to run a hand over his chest. His body vibrated with a tension she felt clear to her core. He grabbed a condom from the pile he’d set on the table earlier, and needing to have him inside her, she reached down to help roll the condom over the length of him.
And there was plenty of length. Thick length. Her insides pulsed in anticipation of what was to come.
He muttered a curse, breathing heavy, a sheen of sweat breaking out across his brow. “Killing me.”
Feeling inspired and empowered, she smiled and leaned in to flick her tongue over his nipple. He cursed, grabbed her hips, and positioning his tip at her center, he slowly pushed inside.
Her cry of pleasure mingled with his, as he shoved all the way in.
The man filled her so completely, she could barely catch her breath. It was amazing.
“You okay?” He stared, concern replacing some of the heat.
“Yes...don’t stop.” And to prove she meant it, Sandy wrapped her legs around him and locked her ankles behind his well-formed ass.
This drew him in even farther, and their sounds of approval blended around them.
“Damn, Sandy,” he dragged in air, “you feel so damn good.”
His gaze was deliciously dark—almost black—as he began to move. Clutching his shoulders, she rocked into him, moaning at the sensual feel of their bodies connecting. Over and over, he plunged in and withdrew nearly all the way out, holding her hips for his slow, exquisite thrusts.
There was no doubt now, he was in control. His grip prevented her from upping the pace. He was in command, and heaven help her, she loved it.
And if his vigilant, purposeful thrusts weren’t enough to drive her out of her ever-loving mind, he tested her own control when he bent down to capture a nipple in his mouth. She cried out, her eyes rolling in the back of her head as he made his way to the other. The incredible, mindless pleasure took her right up to that blissful edge again.
“Archer.” She tightened her grip on his shoulders.
“I know,” he said, voice rough as he kissed her neck and continued to stroke her with those fierce thrusts. “Me, too.”
Knowing this strong, incredible, retired SEAL commander was just as lost in the mindless pleasure was all it took to propel her over the edge along with the man who’d so often visited her dreams. But Sandy discovered those dreams were nothing compared to the real SEAL as she called out his name while he came inside her.
Reality was so much better...so much more, she thought, as she clung to his hot, hard, magnificent body, their shared release shaking through them with a consuming heat.
***
Last night, Archer had discovered heaven did exist on earth. He’d found it in the arms of the beauty curled up against him, all warm and soft and curvy. He carefully stretched out in his bed, early morning sunlight streaking through the shades, casting bright lines across the comforter covering their naked bodies.
A first for him—sharing his bed with a woman. Even during his relationship with Helen it hadn’t happened. He’d shared her condo until she’d had the abortion. After that, he’d moved back on base and closed part of himself off, only enjoying a hookup now and then. It was always time spent at the woman’s place. Never his rental, and definitely never in his bed. He refused to share his personal space or give anyone the opportunity to stake a claim on him—to forge that kind of connection ever again.
Until Sandy.
Bending his head toward hers resting on his pillow, he inhaled. She smelled like his bodywash from their shared shower last night, but mixed with the delectable, sweet scent of Sandy. It was imprinted in his sheets...and his mind. So was the feel and taste of her. A smile tugged his lips while heat skittered through his body.
Yesterday, before cleaning the table—at Sandy’s insistence—and showering—at his insistence—they’d tested the integrity of the cushion on the overstuffed armchair, deeming it worthy. He especially liked the way the she rode him when he was buried balls deep inside her sweet curves, her luscious breasts bouncing close to his face while she bucked wildly the instant he brushed his thumb over her center. Yeah, he really liked that part. She’d made the sexiest damn sounds he’d ever heard.
Ah, hell.
He let out a slow breath. He was rock-hard again. How was it possible?
He should be dead.
Sandy belonged with him.
In his space.
In his bed...at least during her time spent in New Jersey.
The woman made him want things. Made him feel things. Made him not feel things—like the ache in his shoulder. He’d barely noticed the pain the whole time he’d been concentrating on her.
“Mmm...” She stirred next to him. “’Mornin’. Is this for me?” she asked, pressing her sweet ass against his erection, effectively blowing what little brain cells he’d amassed during his slumber.
Chapter Twelve
“Every inch,” he replied next to her ear, kissing her neck while he reached around to fill his hand with one of her lush breasts. His mouth watered at the feel of her stiff peak.
She moaned, and when she pressed back against him again, he saw stars. “I can’t believe my body wants more of yours so soon.”
He flipped her onto her back to suck her nipple into his mouth, and she responded with another of her sexy-as-hell moans. “Ditto,” he murmured against her soft skin as his hand traveled south so he could slip a finger inside.
Hell, yeah.
Need fisted his groin when he found her wet. He drew back to stare down at her flushed face, and her beautiful eyes hazy with need. “Don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you, Sandy.” He skimmed a hand down her throat, over her breasts, lingering on her beaded nipples. God, she was beautiful. “Never get enough.”
A sensual smile curved her lips and caught his heart. “Ditto.” She flung his word back at him while arching into his hand.
And just like that, he was toast. A goner. She had him, but good. Truth be told, Sandy Vickers had gotten under his skin over three years ago.
Switching his attention to her other breast, he bent down to rasp his tongue over her nipple, drawing a hissed breath from her throat. So responsive. She arched up, pushing more of her sweet flesh into his mouth. And so demanding.
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