Holding Her Hero

by Amy Lamont

  Thankfully, the cardboard box and hot plate theory wasn’t put to the test. Mitch’s second floor apartment had four walls and a kitchen that boasted both a stove and a microwave. But those were the highlights. The place consisted of a single room that served as kitchen, dining room, and living room all in one. A breakfast bar big enough to fit two stools divided the galley kitchen from the rest of the room.

  The furniture was minimal—couch, table, chair—all oversized and looking like they were well past new. Well, everything but the television and the shelving unit that housed it. The television was mammoth and the unit around it took up the whole back wall of his living room. The shelves not holding the TV were jam packed with DVDs. Mandy’s jaw dropped at the sight of his extensive movie collection. Moving closer she ran a finger over the spine of several DVD cases. Lots of old movies, some more recent classics, and a whole shelf devoted to Hitchcock. Her finger lingered over Rear Window and a smile teased her lips as she thought back to their first date.

  “It’s not much, but it’s home base,” Mitch said.

  Home base. Not home. Mandy knew a lot of the single military guys saw their apartments or base housing this way. Not a home. Just a place to store their stuff and catch a few hours of sleep. A small ripple of pain tore through her heart as she remembered Will returning for R&R during his tour in Iraq. He’d pulled her into his arms, closed his eyes and sighed one word—home.

  “Everything okay?” Mitch reached out and rubbed his hand down her arm. He circled her wrist and tugged her close. “Are you feeling pressured being here?”

  His worry erased Mandy’s melancholy thoughts. She smiled up at him and basked in the feeling of her body being pressed against the hard warmth of his. She looked up at him and was further warmed to find his concerned eyes fixed on her.

  “Not even a little bit. I want to be here.”

  “Yeah?” His lips tilted into an almost-smile and he leaned down to press a quick, gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled back just enough to ask, “You hungry?”

  Mandy stared at him. Or more precisely at his lips. Again, one small, simple touch from him caused a disproportionately large reaction inside her, knocking all other thoughts from her mind. She licked her lips as she imagined all the things he could do to her with that mouth.

  “Mandy?”

  “Hmm…?”

  At his soft chuckle, she finally found the strength to pull her gaze from his mouth. She met his gaze, his eyes now more blue than gray, colored with amusement. Her lips tightened at his mirth, and she held herself stiffly in his arms for a full twenty seconds before giving into his humor.

  Rolling her eyes, she allowed her body to soften, leaning more of her weight into his side. She gave his shoulder a light smack. “Fine, you caught me drooling. Can you blame me? We haven’t been really alone in…” She searched her memories of their dates over the last few weeks and then continued in almost a whisper, “ever. Is it possible we’ve never been completely alone since the night we spent cleaning Grandma’s kitchen?”

  The amusement flew from Mitch’s face, replaced by an intensity she’d never seen from him before and a soft noise that sounded almost like a growl climbed from his throat. “It’s definitely possible. I’ve been going out of my mind the last few weeks, dreaming of getting you all to myself for a whole night.”

  Something inside Mandy woke from a slumberous nap. She’d felt it too. The frustration at never being truly alone with him. But it had been a mild frustration, and a little welcome as she got used to the idea of being with him.

  Now, though, with him looking at her with an intensity she hadn’t seen from him before, she felt every one of those seconds of the last few weeks and a gnawing sensation started building in her belly. She was done with protecting herself from the man in front of her.

  Mandy slid a hand up across his T-shirt covered chest to rest on his shoulder and decided to tease. She gave him a flirtatious look from underneath her fringe of lashes. “Now that you’ve got me alone, what are you going to do with me?”

  Before she could so much as blink, Mitch had her locked in his arms, one hand pressing her firmly to him from shoulders to thighs, the other fisted in her hair. His voice came low and throaty. “I have a few ideas.”

  Mandy’s lips curved into a smile. “Care to share?”

  “The original plan was to make you dinner, let you get comfortable, and then have my way with you.”

  She shivered and the slight movement of her body shifted his hand from the small of her back to the curve of her bottom. She bit her lip to keep a moan from escaping before managing to continue with their flirtation. “Has there been a change in plans?”

  “Depends.” The hand in her hair moved and the sensation of his fingers sliding over her scalp sent simultaneous heat and shivers flowing through her body.

  “Depends on what?” Her voice sounded like it belonged to someone else, some wanton sex goddess.

  “On how hungry you are,” he said on another growl.

  She could feel him restraining himself. The tension in his body, the way his jaw clenched. He held himself back from giving into what his body was so obviously pushing him to do in case it wasn’t what she needed.

  A shift took place inside Mandy. She knew she wanted him, that she cared for him, but in that moment it was as if she could feel her heart opening, pulling him into her so she would always carry a piece of him. An odd mixture of feelings raced through her, at once wanting him desperately and at the same time feeling so much more. Feeling cared for in a way she couldn’t explain.

  Where she’d protected herself from him before, she knew it was time to let him in fully.

  “I am hungry,” she teased him and smiled when his jaw clenched even tighter and she heard him pull in a sharp breath. “But not so much for food right this moment. Do you think dinner can wait a little while?”

  She ran a finger over his chest and glanced at him again from beneath her lashes.

  “You sure?” His entire body stilled and it felt like warm stone beneath her hands as he waited for her answer.

  “Yes.”

  That one word set him in motion. His head dipped down and his lips hit hers in a fierce kiss as he claimed possession of her mouth. His large hand cradled her head, holding her exactly how he wanted her. Mandy’s lips parted on a gasp that he absorbed as he plundered her with his tongue.

  He tore his mouth from hers and Mandy protested with a sharp gasp, using her arms around his neck to pull him back to her. With a startled cry, she felt her feet slip out from underneath her as he swept her legs over one arm and cradled her shoulders in the other.

  “What?” The sensual fog invading Mandy’s mind prevented her from finishing her thought, but he seemed to know what she was asking.

  “As tempting as it is to drag you down to the floor right here and now, for weeks I’ve been dreaming of seeing you spread out on my bed, baby.”

  Her stomach turned a somersault at his words, and he moved with her through the doorway into his bedroom.

  Making good on his words, in seconds Mitch lowered her carefully to the dark blue comforter covering his bed. She closed her eyes as the coolness of the comforter touched her heated skin and she anticipated the heat that would cover her in a moment.

  But the heat didn’t come as she expected. Mandy’s eyes popped open to see Mitch still standing at the bedside, making no move to join her. His jaw looked like granite, and as she watched, it flexed, his mouth firmly shut as though he were clenching his teeth. His eyes were trained on her and unadulterated desire and something more, some deeper emotion, swirled through the gray-blue, keeping her pinned to the mattress. She broke the intense gaze. The rest of him remained still, hands clenched in fists at his side. The stillness reminded her of a predator about to pounce on its prey, all gathered energy and strength.

  Swallowing hard, she met his gaze again. “Mitch?”

  She wouldn’t have recognized the throaty voice that escaped her l
ips if it hadn’t come from her, but the one word broke Mitch free from his predatory stance. In a swift and seamless movement he lifted his T-shirt over his head and before it even hit the floor, his large, hard body covered her.

  A soft moan broke from her as her hands met the hard planes of his chest and she was surrounded by the scent of him—sunshine, cool aftershave and warm male. She huffed in annoyance as her explorations of his torso were interrupted as he worked her shirt up.

  Mitch’s soft chuckle broke her concentration and she looked up from the tanned chest with its light sprinkling of dark hair to meet his gaze. Amusement now mingled with the desire and affection there.

  She rolled her eyes. “I was enjoying myself.”

  This time his chuckle escaped mixed with a groan. “Believe me, sweetheart, I’m happy to let you enjoy yourself to your heart’s content. But I want to feel you, too.”

  The simple words conjured the image of Mitch’s large hands skimming over her skin—all of her skin. She gasped and began wriggling out of her shirt, giggling as a button went flying in her haste to help him relieve her of the garment.

  Mitch’s white smile flashed before he leaned down and kissed her. No gentle kiss, he slanted his mouth over hers, demanding entrance with a nip to her bottom lip. With a small whimper, Mandy let him in and as their mouths met so did their bodies. For the first time his bare skin pressed against her own and the feeling had her clutching his shoulders to pull him even closer.

  Mitch obliged, giving her his full weight for the few seconds it took him to unsnap and remove her bra. Once he bared her breasts, he shifted, turning onto his back and carrying her with him without taking his mouth from hers.

  As Mandy’s breasts came into contact with the hardness of his chest, she pulled her mouth from his with a gasp. Her nipples slid against him, hardening and sending jolts of pleasure from those peaks down to her center. She shifted deliberately to feel the chafe of the light sprinkling of hair on his chest against the sensitive nubs, and her neck arched at the sensation.

  With a growl, Mitch had her on her back again in seconds. He buried one hand in her hair to bring her mouth back to his while the other hand slid over her ribs and up to her breasts. She arched beneath him as his fingers found one stiff peak, teasing and pinching before moving over to the other.

  Mitch lifted his head and stared intently into her eyes before moving down and replacing his hand with his mouth. She moaned as his teeth scraped over one nipple while he lightly pinched the other. He moved his attention between each peak until she writhed beneath him, twisting as need grew in her belly.

  When the sensations grew so strong Mandy felt she could explode just having his mouth on her breasts, he moved. She whimpered as his mouth left her and began sliding lower, leaving a hot trail of kisses, licks and nibbling bites as he traveled down to the place she most wanted him.

  Mandy’s hands clutched his shoulders, her nails biting into the sinewy muscles there. Not sure if she wanted to push him down or pull him up to her, she gasped when his mouth found her center. Her back arched off the bed when his tongue delicately traced her wet folds. Her hands moved to his head, clutching his hair, holding him there as her body trembled under his control.

  “Please, Mitch,” she gasped, her eyes closing and toes curling as she felt her body building to something just out of reach.

  A low chuckle came from between her thighs. His soft breath hitting her in her most tender spot along with the burn of his beard along her thighs pushed her even higher. He leaned forward and returned to her folds, using his tongue and lips to seek out the small bud where all her pleasure centered. She cried out once, then again when he slid a finger into her wet channel, hitting her in just the right spot.

  “So close,” she said through clenched teeth, her head moving restlessly against the pillow. Another finger slipped inside her, moving back and forth and holding her for a long minute before she fell over the edge, exploding with pleasure. Her toes curled into the sheets and her back arched, her hands pulling tightly at the sheets.

  “Oh, God, Mitch.” The cry was torn from her on a long moan as the waves of pleasure rolled through her.

  She opened her eyes to find Mitch’s face over hers, a satisfied smile playing around the corners of his mouth. He held his weight from her with the arms planted firmly on either side of her head, but when she met his gaze, he eased down so their bodies touched from shoulders to knees. He leaned in and lightly traced the seam of her lips with his tongue.

  Just like that, even after having just found her own satisfaction, she was ready for more. The press of his muscular chest onto her overly sensitized breasts was almost enough to set her off again. She felt bereft for the single moment he leaned away from her to grab a condom from his nightstand drawer. The foil wrapper crinkled as he tore it open and then he was back. He was hot and hard, probing at her opening, encouraging her to bring her knees up to cradle him and give him freer access.

  “You ready, sweetheart?”

  Her only answer was a moan as she slid her hands over the hard planes of his back down to his backside to pull him in closer.

  His chuckle at her eagerness was cut off by a low groan as he slid into her with excruciating slowness. “So tight, sweetheart.”

  She clasped her knees to his side and thrust up to meet him as he slid into her to the hilt. She thought she’d never felt anything as exquisite as his long length buried inside her. Until he started to move with long, slow strokes.

  The heat began to build inside her and she dug her nails into the muscles of his ass, pushing him to go faster. But he refused, holding his steady pace, keeping her gaze prisoner with his own.

  “Please, Mitch,” she said on a gasp.

  “What do you need, sweetheart?” He moved his hips faster, still holding her gaze.

  She moaned. “You. Just you.”

  Her words seemed to cut something loose inside him. He pushed into her harder and faster. Her breath left her in sharp gasps, and her head fell back, her eyes closing.

  “Come with me, Mandy.”

  Mitch’s warm breath as he whispered so close to her ear sent shivers through her body, as his hard strokes hit her in the most incredible spot, over and over. She moved with him as the sensations mounted and pushed her right over the edge.

  “Mitch.” His name escaped her on a long, loud moan as she was once again lost in the pleasure consuming her body. This time she pulled him right along with her, his groans meeting her cries as they both found their release.

  She lay there for long minutes afterward, basking in the feel of his body weighing hers down. She traced her fingers over his shoulders, using her nails in a caressing tickle. She smiled as she felt the shiver move through his body before he picked his head up from where he’d had it tucked against her neck.

  “How you doing, sweetheart?” Mitch cupped her head in both hands and studied her intently.

  “Never better.” She bit her lip to hide the dopey grin that wanted to spread across her face. She couldn’t remember feeling this relaxed in…well, ever. Her body melted into his in boneless contentment.

  Mitch smiled and used a thumb to trace over her bottom lip. “Good.”

  “Although,” she started.

  His eyes moved immediately back to hers, and concern replaced his smile.

  “I believe I was promised dinner.” She giggled as his smile returned.

  “Well, I had intended to feed you first, but you distracted me.”

  “Oh, so it’s all my fault?”

  “I don’t know if I would say all your fault.” The last words came from him in a low growl that immediately stirred the heat in her belly. He moved, pulling her closer, and she felt his hard length growing against her hip. “Exactly how hungry are you?”

  She raised her head and claimed his lips with her own.

  “Food can definitely wait,” she whispered without breaking the kiss.

  * * *

  Mandy came awake slo
wly. She took a moment to revel in the feel of the hard body behind hers.

  “Morning.”

  She smiled at the gruff voice so close to her ear. She turned in the arms looped over her waist and opened her eyes. “Morning.”

  “Finally,” Mitch said.

  “What?”

  “Finally I got to keep you for the entire night. Kissing you goodnight and dropping you at Miss Abigail’s every night almost killed me. I’d come back here and think of exactly this.”

  Mandy’s heart stuttered in her chest. “Waking up together?”

  “Making love to you. Not having to leave you at the end of the night. Waking up with you. All of it.”

  She offered him a shy smile. When had her taciturn Marine turned so romantic? She laid her head on his chest and pulled him into a hug, her nails teasing over his bare back.

  Mitch squeezed her close before pulling away a bit. “As much as I’d like to stay here the rest of the day, I have to get to work this morning.”

  She smiled at the obvious regret in his voice. “I understand.”

  “But I will get you some breakfast first.”

  “I’ll believe it when I see it,” she teased. “I’ve now been promised food several times, but have yet to get so much as a scrap.”

  Mitch laughed and slid out from under the light cover. “All right. Why don’t you hit the shower while I get things going in the kitchen?”

  She wanted to pout over the loss of his warmth next to hers, but then her stomach let out a loud growl, causing both of them to laugh. “At least one part of me is happy with that plan.”

  Sitting at the breakfast bar in his kitchen eating scrambled eggs and sipping coffee seemed so normal. What on earth was she so worried about before? She’d put off coming here, but sitting here with him felt amazingly right.

  As if he could read her thoughts, he reached over and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I like having you here.”