Target in Range (Ranger Ops Book 5)

by Em Petrova

  A growl slipped from his throat.

  He slid his fingers up her torso, giving her opportunity to pull away, but she arched into his touch. Fucking hell, he wasn’t going to lose a woman he wanted to stay in his life just because he couldn’t control his libido. Sex was a sure-fire way to end things forever.

  But damn if he could control himself.

  He had to control himself.

  With a low groan, he grabbed her waist and pulled her up and off him. As soon as her backside hit the couch, he shot to his feet and took a step back. Then another. No distance was enough between them, and dammit, now he had to deal with the hurt look on her beautiful face.

  “Hell, Avery, I’m sorry.”

  Her head was bowed, her chest heaving.

  “I don’t want to damage this friendship between us. I care about you too much.”

  She didn’t respond.

  Fuck, he was a cad. How selfish of him to kiss her and then leave her sitting there, nipples bunched, lips swollen… probably fucking wet for him. Obviously wanting.

  “Say something.”

  She looked up at the grit in his voice. “You’ve got… a lot going on. So do I. It’s best not to complicate things.”

  Hell, one look into her eyes and he wanted to scoop her up and carry her to bed. His muscles locked, threatening to make a move to do just that.

  She ran her fingers through her thick brown hair. The sun streaming through the windows caught on the honey highlights.

  “I’d still like to help you with the project. If you want…”

  This was what friends did, right? Helped each other. There was no groping and stripping away clothes or moaning all night.

  Friends had coffee and helped each other with kids’ projects.

  He pushed out a breath. “I’d like that. Very much.”

  I’d like to bury myself in you more.

  She nodded. “Do you mind pointing me to your bathroom? I’d just like to…”

  Finger yourself to ease the fire I just sparked inside you?

  The thought of this beautiful woman sliding her fingers into her wet pussy while he was just a few walls away had his cock ramming itself against his fly.

  “That way. Second door.” He waved a hand. As soon as she walked out of the room, he dropped his face into his hand and rubbed at his eyes. But it didn’t erase the image of her swaying hips from his mind.

  * * * * *

  Avery took one look into the mirror and flinched. Her hair was mussed, her lips swollen and a flush covering her throat.

  Way to throw yourself at him.

  He started it, she reminded herself.

  But she hadn’t wanted it to end. She’d thrown herself at him, ready to feel those rough hands all over her bare skin. Then he’d had to tear free of her.

  “Ugh.”

  She could make excuses and leave. But that would threaten one of her only friends at this time in her life, and she felt Jess was too important for that.

  She gave herself a little shake and washed her hands. After drying them, she smoothed some wild strands of hair and tried to make her heart slow in hopes of losing the redness in her cheeks.

  After a minute or two, she felt more composed, ready to take on this project in the name of friendship.

  When she walked into the living room, Jess looked up from his seat on the couch. He got to his feet and ran his fingers through his hair. The action was pure primal male, and it had her hot and panting for him in a blink.

  Tearing her gaze from the bulging veins snaking down his forearm, she gave her best version of a serene smile. No, nothing happened at all between us. No, I didn’t want your fingers buried in my pussy and your tongue on my clit.

  Whatever this sharp attraction was, it had to be placed on the backburner. He’d friend-zoned her. And that was fine.

  Wasn’t it?

  She told her body to shut up already and deal with it. Later, in bed, she may allow herself to remember the feel of Jess’s hands on her so she could get herself off… but only once. Okay, maybe twice.

  To her relief, he smiled back. And let the breath she’d been holding trickle from between her lips.

  They stared at each other.

  Damn that electric shock she felt each time his green and gold eyes landed on her.

  “Uhh… do you have an ancestry site you prefer to start with?” she asked to break the tension mounting between them again.

  When his gaze moved over her face, she sucked in sharply at the… The only way to describe his expression was animalistic. And hungry.

  Her body responded, nipples peaking again and her body swaying, threatening to take a step toward him.

  He gave a rough shake of his head that didn’t match her question about his preference of ancestry sites. “I don’t really have a clue. I’ve been so busy I haven’t given it a lot of thought. What are my options?”

  She gestured toward the computer system. “Why don’t we start with a search? Or is this thing too high-tech for a simple search? I’m afraid it will tap into the Pentagon.”

  With a chuckle, he dragged up a second chair to the desk. Within minutes, they were combing through information. He typed a name, and it took Avery a second to look away from his hands and at the screen.

  “That’s my dad.” When he turned his head to look at her, her stomach leaped.

  “I see.”

  “I didn’t grow up with him in my life. He took off before I have any memories of him. I’m a little nervous about what I might find on him, to be honest.”

  “Would you like me to do the reading on him?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not that much of a wimp that I’d run from him. I mean… I storm bunkers and take down radical fundamentalists with thoughts to start their own militia. I can look into my own father, right?”

  A smile spread over her face. “You really are the real deal, aren’t you?”

  He grunted. “I guess. All right, let’s see what we find.” He opened a search window, and an article popped up. As he skimmed it, she watched his face for a hint of a reaction. His face was a mask, and she wasn’t able to tell if he’d discovered the right man or hit a dead end.

  As time passed, she gave him some hints on keywords to search, and pretty soon they’d found Jess’s paternal grandparents too.

  He gaped at the screen. “Wow.”

  She inched to the edge of her seat. Excitement threaded through her. “I’ve never done this before. It’s kind of fun. I might go home and look up my own history.”

  To her surprise, Jess pushed away from the desk. “Let’s go grab a bite to eat and come back for more later. If you’re up for it, that is.”

  Was this guy serious? He had to know how much she liked him. Even after he’d pushed her away, she was still here.

  But only as a friend, and that was the way it should be. It was all so complicated for her right now, anyway.

  She stood. “Thai food?”

  He shot her a crooked grin. “I’m up for it. Let’s go.”

  As she reached the front door, she felt a fleeting brush of fingertips over her spine as he guided her out of the condo. She felt the tingle of his touch all the way to the restaurant.

  Over two Thai beers, light and cool, and plates of curry, spicy and filling, they chatted over everyday topics and steered clear of work. Avery was good with that, especially since she’d dwelled enough on her situation for one day. She’d been so stressed out that the few times she caught herself having a good time, she had to stop and think.

  She could keep on feeling the nonstop guilt or allow her mind and spirit a reprieve. So she just sat back and listened to Jess talk about his mom and brothers growing up, letting her mind relax. Soon enough she’d be mulling over her situation again, right?

  After they returned to Jess’s place, they researched long into the night. She hardly remembered moving to the couch and didn’t realize she’d dozed off until she woke. Startled, disoriented. A blue glow came from ac
ross the room, and the clock on her phone said it was past three in the morning. Jess still sat at the computer, eyes fixed on the screen.

  She sat up. His devotion was… touching. For his sake and Madison’s too, she hoped the project was a success. He hadn’t told Avery so, but she knew he had his hopes riding on this bringing his daughter back into his life.

  Moving slowly across the living room, she reached out a hand and rested it on his shoulder.

  He looked away from the screen and gave her a small smile. “Guess it’s late.”

  “I’m sorry I fell asleep. I thought I’d just sit down a moment, but the couch was comfy.”

  He pivoted his chair to face her. That brought his head to her waist level and when he gazed up into her eyes, she took a step closer to stand between his knees.

  Silence ticked by the seconds. Then he bowed his head. Of their own will, her hands came around his nape, and she gathered him to her so he rested his head just beneath her breasts.

  “God, Avery. I don’t deserve the way you look at me,” he grated out, muffled against her shirt.

  The heat in his voice made her shudder, and he wrapped his arms around her middle and held her. When he looked up into her eyes, it was all over for her. A quiet rasp left her lips, and he shot to his feet, yanking her in and crushing his mouth over hers in the same movement.

  The heady taste of man and desire flooded her brain, and she wiggled closer. The hardness of his body and the way he smelled drove her wild. Her panties grew damp as he pulled her roughly against him and drove his tongue into her mouth.

  She scrabbled for a grip on his shoulders, and he lifted her as if she weighed no more than a piece of paper. He turned for his bedroom, and she didn’t stop him no matter how much her brain was telling her she’d probably regret it. Each pace he took sent new shivers through her body. Her pussy clenched with anticipation.

  As he strode to his bed, she broke the kiss long enough to look into his eyes. “Don’t start something you can’t finish,” she whispered.

  A noise in his chest made her nipples bunch with hunger. “I can fucking finish.”

  She locked her thighs around his hips, and he took a step to the bed. When he laid her down, covering her with his chiseled body, she let out a moan. Angling his head, he kissed her like he meant to set her on fire. Her body was already bursting into flames, but she wanted the inferno. She yanked him closer.

  Kissing him, tugging at his clothes as he ripped her top off and cupped her breasts. The burning need inside her was stealing all her thoughts. She couldn’t slow down. She had to feel him inside her.

  She pushed on his chest, and he rolled into the covers, staring up at her with dark desire written on his rugged features. Straddling him, she put her hands on his bare, muscled chest, learning each inch of the hard work he’d put in right down over his six-pack abs.

  He reached around her and with a flick of his fingers, unhooked her bra. It fell into his hands, and he tossed it away before clamping his fingers around her needy nipples.

  Electricity shot through her, and she tossed her head back on a cry.

  “Christ, you’re beautiful. Tell me I’m not fucking this up.”

  “Only way you can fuck this up is if you don’t make me come.”

  A grin stole over his face. “Don’t you worry, baby.”

  He threw her down on the bed again and centered himself between her legs. Denim against denim wasn’t enough for her, and she went for his waistband as he lowered his mouth to her throat, spattering kisses along her collarbones and then the tops of her breasts. When he took her nipple into his mouth, sweet torture claimed her senses.

  * * * * *

  The ripe cherry of Avery’s nipple on his tongue drove Jess closer and closer to the brink of insanity. There was no going back now—she’d made sure of that when she’d told him he’d fuck it up if he didn’t make her come.

  Challenge accepted.

  He pulled on her sweet, succulent nipple with his lips and tongue. Then moved to the other. Back to the first one.

  She guided him, her throaty moans driving him forward. He was battling not to focus on her hands at his fly. A single wrong brush of her fingers and he’d lose the game.

  When she slid the zipper down and dipped her fingers into the elastic of his underwear, he caught her wrist in a hard grip.

  She sucked in a gasp, eyes flaring with excitement.

  “You like that? You like it rougher?” He saw something break in her eyes and her pupils dilated.

  He closed his fingers around her wrist and jerked her hand up over her head, pinning it to the bed. Her breasts jiggled with the action that was just how he played in bed, but so many woman got turned on by it. He should know better than to use it on this woman.

  Except it was him, the real him. And he was through pretending he didn’t want her the way he damn well pleased and to hell with the consequences.

  With one hand still locking hers to the bed, he leaned onto his knees to pinch her nipple.

  She writhed under him, silent for now. But he could see she wanted to cry out in pleasure.

  “Tell me what you like, baby. Do you like this?”

  “I need…”

  “Need it gentler?” His breath caught and held as he waited for her answer.

  Her eyes drilled into his. “I need more.”

  “Jesus.”

  He tweaked her nipple until it stood out in a sharp peak, rosy red from the blood flow he’d brought to it. Then he strummed his fingers across her chest to the other nipple. When he was done with it, she had her head thrown back and her lips parted in a silent O.

  He released her hand and gripped her waist as he lowered his lips to her smooth belly. He didn’t exactly kiss a path down to her jeans—he placed nipping bites over her skin. Shit, he might be too rough, too anxious to be inside her to go easy.

  “Jessss. I need you to touch me.”

  He jerked his head up, away from her stomach. Pink marks rose in the wake of his harsh kisses, along with red tracks from his beard stubble.

  She made a noise of wanting, and he couldn’t stop himself from tearing open her jeans and delving his hand into her panties.

  Her. Very. Wet. Panties.

  “Fuck,” he bit off.

  She pushed at her jeans, trying to get them down her hips so he could touch her.

  He had to touch her.

  When he yanked them off her, her panties came too, leaving her bared to him. The perfume of her musky desire shredded the last of his control.

  He dropped his mouth to her pussy and drew on her clit. She came off the bed, hips rocking in the air as he found her hardened pearl and sucked.

  She issued a rough moan that had his cock even harder. Maybe the hardest it had been... yeah, ever.

  Stealing a look at her face, he watched ecstasy play over her features. The moment he saw her stomach dip and her mouth open wide, he almost came himself.

  With a gentled stroke of his tongue over her clit, he toyed with her, bringing her down from the height he’d built her up to.

  She shook in his grasp. As she was just learning this new side of his lovemaking, the soft kisses and swirls of his tongue dancing over her clit, he inched his fingers over her soaking seam.

  Without warning, he drove his fingers inside. Hard. Deep.

  And with a mission to make her scream.

  * * * * *

  Avery wasn’t going to make it through the night if he kept making her heart palpitate this way. She’d die right here in Jess’s arms on his bed, and damn if she cared.

  She threw her legs wider apart to give him total access. Each thrust he made into her pussy with his thick fingers sent her up the bed a bit more. Each time he withdrew his fingers, her pussy clenched to keep them inside her.

  He released a wild groan, and she grabbed at his hair. When she sank her fingers into the short, thick mass and tugged, he shot her a grin.

  He doesn’t mind rough play either.
/>   The realization sent her into a new fit of fever. She pierced him in her gaze.

  “Fuck me. Now.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His Texas drawl was all honey and promise, a complete juxtaposition to his jerky movements as he climbed off the bed and dropped his jeans and underwear.

  She held her breath.

  His cock bobbed on his washboard abs, purple with need and slightly arcing. She pushed up to lean on her elbows, eyeing Jess as she cupped his heavy balls in one hand.

  He growled.

  She ran her thumb over the base of his cock. “Get a condom.”

  If he minded her order, he didn’t let on. He reached into his bedside drawer. In his hurry to get one out, the box flew out of his hand. Condoms scattered on the floor.

  “We’ll use ’em all up later,” he said with a crooked grin that had her senses going haywire and her heart fluttering too.

  When he reached for her again, she was shocked that he flipped her onto all fours with her ass up to receive him.

  Leaning over her, he whispered in her ear, “Hold still while I enter you, baby. I don’t want to come yet.”

  She trembled at his dark command and closed her eyes, waiting for him to move.

  He glided his cock in hard and fast, hitting all the right spots along the way. She twisted the sheets underneath her and cried out. He rocked into her fast and then slow. Her mind barely caught up to the pleasure before he was pulling out of her body again and flipping her over.

  When he cupped her ass and lifted her up to meet his thrust, she made the mistake of looking into his eyes… right as he slid home. Damn, her heart really was going to give out.

  He slowed his pace and fucked her with a torture that had her pussy clamping down with a force that threatened a wicked finish.

  Jess’s gaze burned down into hers, and she lost herself on a wave.

  “I’m coming,” she cried out.

  He claimed her lips, cutting off all sound as bliss sent her tumbling.

  * * * * *

  Every hard clench of her pussy around Jess’s length, he ground deeper and clenched his jaw harder. Her body was so soft, so damn sweet, her curves filling his hands perfectly.

  And hell if he was remotely finished with her.

  Capturing her gaze, he churned his hips. Her cry cut off, and he caught her hands in one of his own and pinned her to the bed again. “Put your thighs around me.”