by RC Boldt
Her rosy lips parted, her tongue darting out to wet her lower lip. Fuck. He was so far gone. His fingers flew to her pants, shoving them down her legs, kneeling at her feet to pull them off completely.
“I think I like you down there,” she teased, her voice husky, laden with lust.
Raising his eyes to meet hers, he grinned. “Oh, Lee. You won’t just like me down here.” He pressed his lips to the center of her panties, against her hot core, and heard her gasp. Darting his tongue out to touch the fabric which was already damp, he added, “You’ll love me down here.”
“Uh, Laws, I …” She trailed off.
He stood slowly, noticing her sudden unease. “What is it?”
She glanced away briefly before her eyes returned to his. “I’ve never really been …”
Peering at her with dawning realization, he finished for her, “Able to come that way?”
She dropped her gaze and mumbled, “Yeah.”
He couldn’t resist the wide, predatory smile that came across his face. Oh, yeah. He was going to rock Lee’s world. Clearly, she’d been with some grade-A morons who hadn’t a clue what they were doing in the bedroom.
All the better for him. He felt like rubbing his hands together in anticipation and chortling with glee.
Okay, so yeah. That might not go over very well. And it would probably come off creepy. So he went with the good ol’ standby, instead.
One of his witty responses.
“That was B.L., Lee.”
She stared at him, clearly at a loss. “B.L.?”
Cocky grin in place, he answered, “B.L.; Before Lawson. You know, those were clearly your,” he made air quotes, “‘dark days’.”
Lee’s head tipped back in a laugh, and that was the moment it all came together for him.
Because the sound of her laughter, the brightness in the brown eyes which used to carry more of a haunted look, was it for him.
Making this woman laugh, causing her eyes light up, helping her to shove aside her haunting past? There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to spend the rest of his life making all of that happen.
C
HAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Lewis’ third law: What you need the least, you get the most of.
Langley’s take: That has been true up until recently. Now, though, I feel like what I’m getting the most of—time with Lawson and getting to know him—is something I might actually need.
~
LAWSON BRIGGS WAS GOING TO be the death of her. This man was just … so much.
Yes, he was an utter goofball, at times. Inappropriate jokes and all. But these past few months, she’d gotten to know him, gotten to see beneath the joking exterior. Gotten beneath those layers to find that he had a depth to him which had been unexpected, to say the least.
That night they’d lain beneath the stars on the roof of his home, she’d seen the Lawson who admired, respected, and loved his friends more than anything. The way he had spoken of them had resonated with her even then.
But tonight, she’d witnessed how he interacted with his family. The way the Briggs family had carried on with one another had been hilarious at times, no doubt about that. Yet amidst all of the fun, playful banter, and harassment, there was a component that couldn’t be ignored.
Love.
And now, in his bedroom, she was witnessing yet another side to Lawson. One that made her breath catch in her throat, and sent arousal pulsing through her body.
When she had confessed to not ever having experienced an orgasm from oral sex, there was no mistaking the look in his eyes. It had clearly said, Gauntlet has been thrown. Challenge accepted.
His fingers working her boycut panties down her legs drew her from her musings. As she stepped out of them, he rose to his feet, eyes canvassing her body. Finally, he stepped back from her.
“Get on the bed. Hands above your head.”
And if that didn’t send a flood of arousal through her, his next words did her in.
“We’ll see if you’re still unable to come after I get through with you.”
She scrambled to the bed, lying back on it and raising her arms above her head, then watched him. His fingers began unfastening the buttons of his shirt, working their way down until he shrugged out of it, letting it fall to the floor to reveal the undershirt beneath.
Typical Lawson, she thought to herself with a small smile. His shirt read, Thug Life? Drop the “T” and get over here already.
Pulling that over his head, it joined their combined heap of clothing on the bedroom floor. When he began unfastening his khaki pants and pushed them down simultaneously with his boxers, she felt her own breathing stutter.
Because, holy shiiiiiiit. Lawson Briggs was seriously packing.
Staring unabashedly, she remarked, hearing her own surprise, “You’ve been keeping that under wraps the entire time?”
He smirked. “What, this little thing?”
She huffed out a laugh. “Little, my ass.” Mesmerized by the thickness of his cock, the impressive length, she nearly missed him reaching into his nightstand and pulling out fabric.
Wait a minute. Was that—
“Yes.” Her eyes met his and she knew her wariness showed when he leaned over to press a tender kiss to her lips before binding her wrists together with the soft fabric. “At any moment, you want me to stop, you say so.” His gaze was serious. “I’ll stop as soon as you tell me. I promise you that.”
Slowly nodding, she swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“Trust me?”
“Yes.” Her quiet answer was instant. And it was truthful. Because she actually did. She trusted this complex man.
Lips curving into a soft smile, he moved onto the bed, pressing his body against hers, and the feel of their heated flesh together was more intense than anything she’d ever felt. When he began to trail kisses—beginning at her forehead down over her nose, barely grazing her lips—she let out a sound of disapproval. Because she needed to feel his lips on hers.
At her disgruntled sound, blue eyes met hers, a smug smile on his face. “Patience, grasshopper.”
“You’re teasing me,” she complained.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
His trail of kisses continued down to her breasts, his tongue flicking the tip of one nipple before sucking it gently into his mouth, her body arching into his touch.
“Laws,” she breathed.
He continued to work her nipple with his tongue, flicking the tip of it before moving to her other breast, paying it the same homage. When his hand slid down her side, caressing as it went, only to end up with one of those long, tapered fingers tracing her slick folds, her breath hitched.
“You’re killing me.”
“I’ve only just begun.” That was his only response before he made his way down her body, easing her legs farther apart to settle between them. Watching his gaze drift over her body, the look in his eyes—a look of unbridled lust, hunger—nearly undid her.
The moment she saw him notice her scar, the puckered flesh just barely above her hip bone where the bullet had ripped through her, his expression appeared to tense before softening. Leaning forward, without any hesitation whatsoever, he pressed his lips against it.
Raising his eyes to meet hers, he whispered softly to her, one corner of his mouth quirked, “Just kissing it, making it better.”
Before she managed to form a response, he shifted, lowering his head closer to her core where she knew he would find her beyond wet. And the moment he placed his lips over her clit, her eyes closed, mouth parting on a silent gasp. Because holy shit. It didn’t feel like anything she’d ever experienced in the past.
At. All.
This felt like pure euphoric bliss mixed with a strong sense of urgency. The way he wrapped his lips over her clit and applied a gentle suction, all the while sliding one of his long fingers inside of her …
“Laws,” she breathed. “Don’t you dare stop.”
She felt him
chuckle against her but she didn’t care, her body arching into his touch. All she cared about was his mouth and tongue continuing their decadent torture, that his finger continued its slow slide in and out of her.
When he added a second finger, stretching and working her into more of a frenzy, while he sucked harder on her clit, she felt the telltale signs of her impending orgasm near.
“Laws … I’m—” She broke off in a loud gasp as her body tensed, clenching at the blond curls atop his head, arching, riding his fingers as her orgasm crashed over her. Once the waves of her orgasm had subsided, her body relaxed, and she opened her eyes to find him watching her with satisfaction and desire.
“Well done, Briggs.” Her voice sounded husky to her own ears.
He chuckled softly. “Oh, we’re not even close to being done, Lee.” Rising up over her, bracing himself on his forearms, he whispered against her lips, “Not even close.”
When their lips met, his tongue sliding inside to meet her own, she tasted herself and, if anything, it turned her on even more. As they kissed, his tongue slid against hers in long, languid strokes. Raising his head, he reached for the nightstand, and she heard the telltale crinkling sound of the condom.
Glancing over, she caught sight of something else in the nightstand drawer. Before he could close it, she stopped him. “Wait.” When his questioning gaze met hers, she tipped her head in the direction of the drawer. “What’s that?”
“This?” He plucked the soft, black fabric from the drawer. “You seem intrigued.” His voice was deep, raspy.
Studying his expression, she glanced back at the blindfold. “A bit.” Giving him a teasing look, she said, “That means I get to tie you up, blindfold you sometime soon, right?”
Dropping the blindfold back into the drawer, he pushed it closed. “Lee,” he whispered, dipping his head and nipping gently at her lower lip, “I’ll let you do just about anything you want to me. Guaranteed.”
Well, now. Anything? The possibilities were endless …
Leaning back from her, he came to rest on his knees between her legs, and his heavy-lidded gaze met hers as the condom dangled from his fingertips.
“May I?”
It was that question, the way he posed it, combined with everything else that caused her to have a sudden revelation. This was nothing—he was nothing—like she’d ever experienced before with a man. Even with him restraining her, he always offered her an out. And even though she hadn’t refused anything, she knew deep down to her very soul that this man would defer to her. Regardless of his wants, he would ensure her comfort. And that was something she’d never before experienced.
The fact that he was asking her, even when he was clearly in a serious state of arousal, spoke volumes. Because, even as she glanced down to where his thick cock stood proudly, jutting out toward her in anticipation, she knew this man would stop, wouldn’t go any further if she so deemed it.
He was someone who would put her before himself. Which was why she voiced the next word.
“Yes.”
Leaning down, and moving her hair aside so that his lips brushed against her earlobe, he whispered to her, “I’m going to love your body, Lee.” A soft kiss was pressed where the bottom of her earlobe met her neck. “Every single inch of it.” The feel of his hard pectorals against her breasts, his hard cock pressing against her stomach, made her hips instinctively arch into him.
“Laws.”
“Yes, gorgeous?” His lips trailed down between her breasts. “What do you want?”
“You,” she answered breathlessly. “Inside of me. Please.” She didn’t even care that she was practically begging. She ached for him, was so unbelievably wet for him.
“You want this?” He pressed his cock against her, letting her feel the velvety softness of it. “You want me to slide in deep, to work my hard cock inside of you?”
She groaned aloud at his words as they sent a rush of arousal through her, felt herself get even wetter. “Yes.”
“How bad do you want it, Lee?” His voice was raspy, and with her wrists bound above her head, at his mercy in the most delicious way, it sent another flood of arousal through her. She could hear the urgency, the desire in his voice.
Bending her legs at the knees, she dragged one leg up along the back of his own before tightening it against his ass, pulling him closer to her.
“If you slide a finger inside of me right now, you’ll know how badly I want it.”
She both felt and heard him release a small groan against her collarbone before his tongue darted out to taste her, eliciting a shiver.
“Is that so?”
He shifted again, leaning back from her to rip open the condom packet, tossing the wrapper to the small wastebasket nearby. As he placed the condom at the tip, she silently whimpered because she wanted to be the one to do that. To slide the condom over his impressive length.
“Next time, Lee.” His words startled her, making her realize that she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. Before she could respond, she felt his tip prod gently at her opening as he braced himself on his strong forearms above her.
“Are you sure you want this?” He paused. “Are you sure you want me?”
The second question, the way his tone changed ever so slightly, caught her, tugged at her heart. Because she heard that discreet, underlying question. Did she want him?
Wrapping both of her legs around him to tug him closer, she gave him an answer she hoped would erase any doubts or uncertainty from his mind.
“Absolutely.”
Instantly, his mouth was on hers, his soft lips and tongue driving her mad, their tongues warring. He pushed inside of her slowly, inch by inch it seemed, allowing her to adjust to his size. She felt the delicious stretch of her body as it worked to accommodate him, heard his labored breathing as he held himself in check, not wanting to hurt her, not rushing her. When he finally sank deep inside of her, as deep as he could go, his body stilled.
Breaking their kiss, her voice came out in breathy pants. “Don’t you dare stop now.”
“You sure you’re okay?” he murmured against her lips, shifting slightly, which elicited a groan from them both.
“You need to move,” she demanded, her hips tilting upward in an attempt to urge him on.
“You want this?” His voice was guttural as he slid nearly all of the way out before thrusting back inside of her. “Like that?”
She couldn’t offer more than a moan in response as Lawson began a rhythm, thrusting in and out of her in maddening fashion, the friction sending delicious shivers throughout her body. His hands gripped her hips, fingers clenched as his thrusts became frenzied, and she felt herself tighten in anticipation of the release she knew was ahead. The pace of his thrusts, how unbelievably deep he felt inside of her pushed her closer to the edge.
Teeth lightly abrading her earlobe, his voice was barely audible above their labored breathing when he murmured, “You’re getting tighter.” He paused as if he had to catch his breath. “I want to feel you come all over me, Lee. Want you to tighten all around me, make me wet with your—”
“Laws.” It was all she could utter in that moment. Between his words and the delicious thrust of his cock, the combination pushed her over the edge. She felt her inner muscles clench and release around him, rocking her own hips to ride out her orgasm.
“That’s it,” he breathed against her neck before giving two final, deep thrusts as his own release overcame him.
And as they laid there in his bedroom, allowing their breathing to even out, there was only one thought that ran through her mind.
Lawson Briggs had officially ruined her …
In the very best way possible.
C
HAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Beckhap’s law: Both beauty and brains equates a constant.
Lawson’s take: When you get someone with both, you’ve hit the lottery. That’s how I feel about Lee.
~
“CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING?�
�
He posed the question as they sat snuggled up on the small rooftop deck of his house, Lee sitting between his legs, back against his chest, listening to the sounds of the ocean’s lapping waves. The sky was just beginning to show the slightest sign of the impending sunrise.
“You’ve had your way with me multiple times, Laws,” she answered drily. “Pretty sure you can ask me anything at this point.”
Lightly resting his chin on top of her silky hair, he fell silent. Because he wasn’t so certain she’d appreciate his question.
“Can I ask what made you leave the military?” When she didn’t immediately answer, he hastily added, “I see the way your eyes light up when Pearce mentions anything about being a PJ. I’m just curious.” He paused briefly before softening his tone. “You don’t have to answer.”
He felt and heard her loud exhale of breath before she finally spoke, her voice subdued. “It’s a long, ugly story. And, to be honest, I’m afraid you’ll look at me differently because of it.”
“Lee,” he backed away, his hand sliding to the side of her face to turn her to meet his gaze, “not possible.”
The look in her eyes and the sad excuse for a smile she gave him made his heart ache. She looked away and he wrapped his arms around her once again.
“You know that I was part of the whole beta testing of integrating women into Special Forces. I’d always had it in my head that I wanted to be a PJ. Not like I had anything holding me back at home … if you could even call where I lived a home.” She gave a humorless laugh.
They had talked about their upbringing earlier as they laid in bed, and she had confided in him about her childhood, about Regina. It had only made him want to hold her closer, protect her from any harm—regardless of the fact that he knew she could easily fend for herself.
“I met Brent and …” She shook her head, trailing off, and letting out a long sigh. “He was the first guy to ever really pay attention to me. The first guy to tell me that I was impressive, and … well, attractive. God, it’s so pathetic actually admitting it out loud.” She bent her head, legs sliding up, and wrapped her arms around them.
