Halfway through the film, Ethan tilted his head, gesturing toward Gracie. I turned my eyes toward her—her head was resting against Ethan’s shoulder. She was fast asleep. Reaching forward, I grabbed the remote and turned down the volume, giving Ethan a shrug.
“I suppose we should turn it off and hit the hay?” I murmured. “I don’t want to mess up your schedule…”
“Schedule?” Ethan said, chuckling slightly. “You’re not messing up anything. Until that snake gets bored and leaves of its own accord—”
“You mean, because I don’t have anything of value in the cabin?” I asked, joking.
“Something like that,” he said, laughing once more. “All the rattlesnakes out here, just looking to steal your goods. It’s a real problem.”
“Sounds like it,” I giggled. We held one another’s eyes for a moment, as Gracie’s body fell further into her father’s. She sighed heavily, her slumber deepening.
Ethan wrapped his arms around his daughter and lifted her, taking her into the bedroom. I waited, simmering with excitement. I tried to quell it, to put it to rest.
We’re just going to go to sleep, I told myself. Can’t do anything else. It would overcomplicate everything. It would make saying goodbye that much more difficult.
Ethan crept out of Gracie’s bedroom and he closed the door softly. He stood, gazing at me with loving, glowing eyes.
I turned away from him, whispering, “I’ll take the couch, by the way. Shouldn’t ruin your sleep just because I can’t handle a little bit of wildlife.”
“Serena,” Ethan said, taking a large step forward and leaning against the couch. He peered down at me, as if he was trying to memorize my every line, my every curve. I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. Certainly, I wasn’t the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Certainly, when compared to his bounty hunter years, I was a nobody. Someone he’d forget in an instant.
“What?” I asked him, my brain foggy with the rush of thoughts.
“You’re going to be sleeping in the bed, and that’s that,” he said, giving me a sneaky smile.
“Never,” I said, biting my lip. “I don’t deserve it.”
Ethan brought his legs over the edge of the couch, sliding into place beside me. We were now mere inches away from one another, our noses nearly touching. I felt the heat off of him, emanating through the air.
Swallowing sharply, I remembered the way we’d ripped the clothes off of one another with the natural world around us. It had been invigorating.
“I’ll probably think about it forever,” I whispered, my voice catching.
“About what?” he asked.
“This vacation,” I said, my lips parting. They were wet, probably shiny.
I allowed my tongue to draw another line over them. I yearned to match my tongue with his, to link them up. To draw a line of passion from his neck, to his nipples, to his perfect six-pack abs, and then to the girth of his cock.
Perhaps he could see the flicker of desire in my eyes. Reaching forward, he brought his arm around me, holding me tightly against him.
“Cuddling?” I murmured, leaning my head against the couch cushion. Every breath I took, I inhaled the smell of him. I was filled with lust, drawing deep breaths. “We really shouldn’t.”
“Nobody should go to sleep without a bit of cuddling,” he told me, tucking his head closer to mine. Now, our lips were just an inch or two away from one another. I could see nothing but his head and dark hair, his blue eyes.
Biting my lip, I felt another wave of lust hit me, straight in the heart and stomach. I wasn’t going to be able to keep this up for long.
“It would destroy me, I think,” I whispered to him, knowing he would understand just what I meant.
“We don’t make it out of this life alive,” he returned, his voice growing gravelly. “And we always go alone. As horrible as it is to say that, you have to realize. This could be our last night, baby. It makes it even more beautiful, because it’s temporary.”
“You’re one of those poet bounty hunters,” I said, laughing sadly. “All the girls, from coast to coast, fell for you. I know it.”
“Only one of them matters,” he answered.
And that was that.
He moved forward, gripping my lips with his. The kiss was passionate, like a punch in the gut. He forced my lips to separate, and he slid his tongue alongside mine. My brain forgot all else except for his scent, his lips, his tongue, and his body, which began to move over mine.
Before I knew what I was doing, I was tugging his T-shirt over his head and bringing my fingers over the coarseness of his chest hair. He was ripping at my clothes, bringing my pants down to my ankles. He huffed with excitement, feeling the smoothness of my thighs as I wrapped them around his waist.
After several minutes, he lifted me from the couch. I was light in his arms, clinging to his neck and kissing his shoulders, his cheek, his ears, as he carried me through to the bedroom.
The moment we reached his bed, he slipped me atop the comforter and gazed down at my body. The glow from the fairy lights played off of my slim frame and my curves.
All time was lost after that.
Before I knew it, he was deep within me, the girth of his perfect, veiny cock filling me. I gasped, bringing my hands around his back and gripping his shoulders as he made long, slow, and passionate love to me.
I felt my G-spot begin to throb with delight, knowing he was grinding against it. His body knew my every tic, after so many hours of lovemaking.
Our cries were soft, knowing we couldn’t wake Gracie. And our love seemed strong, impenetrable, the stuff of daydreams.
Afterwards, we fell asleep in one another’s arms. My head was against his chest, and his firm, muscled arms wrapped tight around my waist and back.
For the first time in a long time, as I drifted off to sleep, I felt complete and totally safe. I felt protected. And for a flicker, during my last moment of consciousness, I knew that Ethan’s arms were the only keepers of my happiness.
And yet, at the same time, I knew I couldn’t stay there forever. Life was temporary, as was love, and childhood, and happiness. Ethan was right. I had to return to my normal life. Only then would I truly understand how beautiful my life had been in the mountains.
Only then would this remain a pure and gorgeous week—the best of my life.
Serena’s about to discover that a return to her normal life is not at all what fate had in store.
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Steal Me - A Navy SEAL/Virgin Romance (Alpha Passions Book 1) Page 20
