Exposed

by JC Harroway

  ‘Good.’ They were doing this. Finally. After all the false starts and the self-doubts.

  She struggled into a sitting position, grasping his buttocks and drawing him forward until the tip of her tongue flicked out to touch him. He jerked back as if electrocuted, and she tried not to pout. She’d have to borrow some of his infinite patience.

  He shook his head as if beyond words, his hand caressing her face in apology for his rebuttal. In two strides, he’d located his condom stash from his bag. Placing the packet on the nightstand, he joined her on the bed, where they repositioned themselves side by side.

  For long, tense minutes, he stared. His gaze roamed her face, feature-by-feature, until she feared he’d changed his mind. Feared he’d come over all performance-shy, like the last time. A second of the old familiar insecurity settled in her throat, blocking her airway. She’d fully committed to this, laying herself bare, literally. Surely she’d never survive his rejection if it came now.

  At last he slowly fed his fingers into the hair at her temples, cupping her face with his palms as he leaned closer and kissed her with agonising tenderness and thrilling thoroughness. ‘You’re breathtaking,’ he whispered, his own disarming male beauty hazing out of focus as he once again pressed his lips to hers.

  He moved above her, blanketing her in his warmth, surrounding her in the cage of his solid muscular arms and legs as if holding her together. His male scent engulfed her, making her dizzy.

  ‘I want you so badly.’ Voice gruff. He feathered his lips over her cheek and along her jaw. ‘I’ll probably embarrass myself.’ He pressed her objections to her lips with the tip of one index finger. ‘But I’ll love every second of being with you.’

  With that, he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek, and settled back on his haunches between her spread thighs. A pulse throbbed in his neck, his expression deadly serious—as if he were second from the gallows, not seconds from pushing inside her—he reached for the condom, tearing into the foil with his teeth and carefully rolling it on. His stare roamed her body, slowly touching on her at Dan’s leisurely pace until he’d seen his fill.

  But instead of making her skin crawl, she felt cherished, valued, attractive even.

  Bubbles popped and fizzed inside Eden’s chest, her breath catching in the back of her throat as she lay panting. Waiting. Helpless under his unhurried scrutiny, which turned her on almost as much as his reverent touch.

  But just like in every other aspect of his life, Dan’s patience seemed infinite. His scorching eyes settled at the juncture of her thighs. He placed both his large palms either side of her lips, his thumbs parting her folds. He paused, his eyes devouring her as he sucked his lower lip behind his teeth and pulled air in through his flared nostrils.

  She was seconds from combusting. Never had she been so thoroughly explored. Laid so bare.

  Adjusting one of her thighs, Dan leaned forward at last, his stare lifting to hers, holding fast and true as he slowly pushed himself inside her.

  She clung, anchoring herself to his forearms, which were braced either side of her hips, as the sublime stretching continued. Slowly. Savoured. Millimetre by divine millimetre. Seated all the way inside, Dan extended his neck, his eyes rolling back and his features a study in absolute contentment.

  She’d done that to him. Put that look on his face and the fire behind his eyes.

  Reconnecting their stares, he withdrew slightly, his hips sliding in a slow, steady rhythm that sent Eden’s toes curling into the bedspread. Each rasp and drag of him moving inside her magnified by his bold, fervid eye contact.

  She’d never experienced anything like it. Unhurried, methodical, but painstakingly thorough, Dan was attentive above and beyond the call of duty. All the while he thrust into her, his hand roamed her body, her legs, her breasts, her face. His voracious stare frequently returned to hers, but not before he perused her nakedness with unfettered abandon. For a man who’d been abstinent for so long, his control was phenomenal. Eden feared he was holding back, waiting for her. But she needn’t have worried. As his pace gained momentum, his thumb found her clit and she lost all reason as she began to journey with him.

  She forgot about everything but Dan. Forgot about past traumas, forgot about self-consciousness, forgot about ghosts. This was their time, hers and Dan’s.

  As Dan surged forwards, his hips battering her sex and his mouth finding hers once more, she even forgot to breathe as her chest seized, and she came around him, her whole body tensing up as the spasms of bliss racked her.

  Dan quickly followed, her gasped name the only word he spoke before he roared a broken cry and came inside her.

  Chapter 10

  The delicious aroma of freshly ground coffee seeped through her consciousness. Eden cracked open her eyes to see Dan shucking his jeans and climbing back into bed. His cool skin slid along hers, startling her fully roused. What a way to wake up. Sexy, practically naked Dan and fresh Arabica.

  ‘I went out for proper coffee.’ He produced a takeaway cup emblazoned with the name of some café, holding it out to her with a cheeky grin and smouldering eyes.

  She’d planned to wake early and slip from his room. Now they’d broken his dry spell together, was this over? He’d proved he wanted her, and she’d proved she could be intimate. With the right person. Surely the coffee gesture meant he wasn’t about to kick her out? She sat up, tucking the sheet under her arms to cover her breasts in a fit of frustrating renewed insecurity.

  Old habits.

  Their fingers brushed around the warmth of the paper cup, and he held her hand captive, refusing to relinquish the beverage until she’d accepted his good morning kiss. Not that it was a hardship. In fact she lingered, shamelessly taking more of the kiss his slow, sensual mouth offered.

  ‘Thank you.’ Her cheeks warmed. ‘For the coffee, I mean.’ Only Dan would forgo the tasteless sachets of instant coffee the hotel provided to fetch the real kind. For her.

  ‘You,’ he pulled back before brushing her lips again, ‘are very welcome.’

  Eden took a delicious sip from the strong brew, her mind scrabbling for suitable morning-after conversation. She needn’t have worried. Dan’s casual, undemanding smile greeted her as he brushed a strand of hair back from her face. ‘So, ready for training today, Archer? Acclimatising to the heat?’ He sipped his own coffee, his eyes trained on her, the crinkles deepening as he smiled his sexy smile.

  Wow, waking up with a playful Dan and caffeine could become seriously addictive. She swallowed past a throat thick with lust. ‘Absolutely. Bring it, I say. How about you, Dr Dan? Fighting fit?’

  He tossed his head back, a bark of laughter bursting from him. ‘Not to your levels, Captain.’

  Well, that was a major turn-on. She bit her tongue to stop herself from asking him to never call her anything else ever again.

  He tapped the end of her nose with his index finger. ‘But I’ll get there. Don’t you worry. Life in this old dog yet.’

  Ooo, banter. ‘How old are we talking?’ For the first time in months her mischievous side surfaced. Dan could take a little ribbing.

  ‘Worried you’ve just banged a granddad, eh?’ He placed his coffee on the nightstand, turning to face her as he slipped his arms around her waist and dragged her pliant body closer. Still naked, every exposed nerve ending zinged to life. Her blood hummed with remembered pleasure, and her head swam at his closeness. His warmth. His strength.

  ‘Something like that.’ She tilted her head back, granting him access to her throat, where he took full advantage, nuzzling and nibbling his way over her sensitive skin. The scrape of his morning stubble jolted straight to her core. Round two? Yes please.

  ‘I’m thirty-two.’ His voice grew husky. ‘Hardly ancient.’ His kisses swooped lower to the curve of her collarbone, the round of her shoulder and the swell of her breast. As if connected by an invisible thread, her eyes followed the glide of his lips on her skin.

  He pushed the sheet lower, exposing her
fully to his avid stare, and then took her coffee from her hand, adding it to his on the nightstand. ‘Don’t want my manly bits scalded.’ His mouth twisted with a mock scowl before he dipped his head to her exposed nipple, his warm tongue lashing the nub erect with firm, rasping swipes.

  ‘Dan …’ She couldn’t hold in the delirious moan. Who occupied the room next to his? Please don’t let it be someone on the challenge. Hotels had notoriously thin walls.

  Dan’s exploring hand slipped between her legs. His erection soared against her thigh and Eden lost herself to his morning ministrations, all thoughts of awkwardness, coffee or listening neighbours wiped from her mind.

  A loud rap echoed from the door.

  ‘Dan? You up?’ Emily’s voice penetrated through the wood. ‘Staff briefing in ten minutes.’

  Dan reluctantly pulled his mouth from Eden’s breast, his fingers still working methodically between her legs. ‘Meet you down there,’ he called, his eyes fixed on Eden where she writhed beneath him. Smoke filtered across his irises, turning the hazel to grey. ‘How quickly can you come, Archer?’ His tongue swiped his lower lip as reared back to watch the movements of his working hand. ‘Duty calls.’

  Eden sucked in a breath as he filled her with two plunging fingers, his mouth returning to torture her nipple.

  Under Dan’s talented hands? Very quickly, as it turned out.

  * * *

  Two days later, Dan lowered his aching body down to the ground, taking his place around the makeshift campfire that crackled, spitting sparks into the desert air. At night, the temperatures in the mountains dropped to a few degrees above freezing, despite day one of the Ruby Challenge dawning to a spectacular, blue-skied, Nevada day. They’d hiked awe-inspiring scenery today, passed the turquoise Dollar Lakes, through the aspen forests and up to the rocky Liberty Pass. Dan had stopped regularly, snapping shots of the breathtaking scenery with his bulky camera.

  The four-day expedition began with the Ruby Crest Trail, which traversed the backbone of the Ruby Mountains in Nevada’s remote north-eastern corner. The challenge would take them through glaciated canyons and rocky, rugged high country via the eleven thousand-feet climb of the Ruby Dome, the range’s highest peak.

  Dan’s gaze found Eden’s across the campfire. Her hair was askew, her cheeks ruddy and he knew she had two huge blisters on her heels, because she’d come to Emily earlier to ask for some bandages. But her umber eyes glowed. With excitement? A sense of achievement? Or simply the camaraderie that comes from sharing a hot chocolate around the campfire after a long day of hiking?

  Eden’s lips twitched as she lowered her mouth to the lip of her tin mug, blowing across the surface of the drink. Her knowing, secret little smile sent blood pounding in his groin, reminding him he still had some energy, despite the miles walked today.

  Eden licked chocolate from her top lip and his cock surged. For the last two nights, she’d snuck down to his room at the hotel, the thrill of bumping into someone from their group clearly fanning her excitement because he did little more than press her up against the closed door of his room and delve inside her panties before she came around his fingers, her cries swallowed by the frantic fusion of their mouths.

  Not that she was alone in her enthusiasm. His own eagerness leading to one or two embarrassingly brief couplings. It had been years since he’d had carpet burns, but his knees and elbows definitely bore the evidence of his own impatience to pound them both to oblivion.

  That she’d even come to him at all was a complete revelation. After the night of the road accident they’d stumbled upon, he’d all but given up hope of them ever crossing the battleground of obstacles that seemed to be strewn between them. Her astounding display of candid bravery three nights ago had brought him to his knees, humbled by her show of trust. He’d burned to get his hands on her, every muscle in his body strung taut with the effort of standing there, not touching her. But it had been worth the wait. She’d met him halfway. Given herself over to their attraction, just as he had. Without regret.

  Dan dragged his attention away from her, tuning back into the conversation around the circle. A hard ball settled in his gut—talk had turned decidedly serious. Dan checked out Eden, his heart surging into his throat. But like the other team members, she listened as the leader, Steve, told the story of how he’d lost his leg in Afghanistan. He’d clearly told this tale a thousand times, because, although his expression was sombre, he joked regularly throughout the telling, even claiming the blade prosthesis he wore had improved not only his dance moves, but also his bedroom skills.

  The anecdotes continued. Not in a threatening ‘let’s move around the circle spilling our worst moments for the group’s entertainment’ kind of way. Instead, the periods of silence after each person spoke lasted differing lengths of time and were punctuated by a random person commencing their own tale.

  Not everyone contributed. But as the numbers who’d yet to speak dwindled, tension coiled inside Dan and he had to sit on his hands to stop himself from rising to sit beside Eden. To be there for her, certain this bonding session would bring out all her worst fears and insecurities.

  With every tale recounted, she shrank, crouched smaller and smaller into herself. She didn’t look at him again. But the fear, the uncertainty was etched into the drawn pinch of her beautiful face.

  He almost faltered. The burn in his chest so great, it stole the frigid, desert night air from his lungs. But when the next pause arrived, she glanced at him—a small wobble dancing on her luscious, full mouth.

  His cheeks twitched. Hoping to convey his unspoken support, he held her stare, demanding nothing of her and accepting everything.

  Her gaze steadied, and he held his breath. The depth of pain in her dark eyes sucked him in until the cold ground beneath him, the group huddled around the campfire and the very air he breathed disappeared. Nothing but her remained.

  The words tumbled out in a rush, as if she’d kept them locked inside for too long. ‘I worked for the UN’s Gender Advisory Team in Kosovo, supporting local government in promoting gender equality in all areas of society.’ Eden placed her drink on the ground next to her, hiding her hands under her folded elbows. ‘That day, we were transporting a group of rural schoolgirls to an education forum in the capital. Part of the visit included the parliament buildings, but there was an unplanned protest outside.’ She paused, her throat constricted around a swallow that seemed too big for her delicate neck. ‘Someone threw a petrol bomb, hitting the bus we travelled in.’ Her voice broke.

  Dark impotence coiled inside Dan’s belly, clawing at him, spurring him to act. If he couldn’t touch her soon, he’d explode.

  ‘My colleague and I managed to drag fourteen girls from the bus before the flames beat us back. Another six had fled unaided, but eight were killed.’ She looked down, her stare captive to the flickering flames of the campfire as she fell silent.

  He’d known it would be bad. Could only imagine the horror she’d experienced. No wonder the nightmares were real enough to wake her, drenching her with sweat and wracking her small body with trembles.

  As the conversation moved on, Dan looked away. She’d hate any trace of pity, and he couldn’t trust his expression right now. Not that he pitied her. She inspired him. Brave, dedicated, fighting to make the world a better place. A place of equality. A place of fairness. A place of humanity. He bit the inside of his cheek as he battled the urge to cross the camp and worship at her feet.

  Fuck it. He was done pretending—to her, to the group. He stood, unfolding cramped legs and rounded the outskirts of the circle, slotting himself beside Eden. Her stiff hand was cold in his. He held it firm, warming the frigid fingers between his palms. She surfaced from her reverie, the memories clearing from her eyes as she focused those dark, velvety pools of hers on him.

  No words passed. No sympathies. No platitudes. Just like when he’d told her about Megan, and her response had been perfect. All that he wanted to say crowded his mind, pounding
at his temples until all he could do was swallow back the words and focus on the astounding woman he’d been lucky enough to meet.

  When the group disbanded, two small clusters of stragglers remained scattered around the circle of light and heat. Their quiet conversations faded, until it was just her and him.

  ‘I missed you today.’ Dan’s low confession broke the spell that existed between his stare and Eden’s. The rhythm of his heart pulsed to the tips of his fingers. He wanted to draw her into his arms, to crush her to him until he could feel every piece of her connect with every piece of him.

  She smiled, her features silhouetted in the glow.

  He chose words without levity, knowing her extreme vulnerability still cloaked her, as delicate as spider silk. ‘I wanted to walk with you, but you’re too fit for me, Captain.’

  Her pupils, barely visible in the glow from the fire, dilated. She liked him using her title. He’d remember that. His thoughts veered off into inappropriate territory. A constant state of affairs around this woman. He wanted nothing more than to sleep beside her, sharing body heat. Sharing breath.

  Not strictly true. He wanted more of Eden. Always. But he’d evolved sufficiently to overcome most of his more Neanderthal urges. After the rawness of her confession, he’d doubt she wanted anything other than to be alone. A depressing thought. One that spoke volumes about the depth of his growing feelings for her.

  A shard pierced his lungs, white hot, vaporising his breath. Yes, his attraction to Eden was strong enough he’d overcome the soul-deep certainty he was still married to someone else, but shreds of that feeling lingered. Perhaps it would never fully abate. Her confession had awoken the images he’d spent two years trying to banish. Images of his wife dying while he watched, helpless.

  Eden’s cold fingers curled around his, drawing his mind back from the precipice. ‘Time for bed?’ Her eyes sparkled as she lifted them to his, reflecting fire that came from within and had nothing to do with the embers glowing in the centre of the circle.