Gray became lost in the heat and wetness of Sky’s hungry mouth, their tongues tangling, emulating erotic movement of a man within his woman. He growled and tore his mouth away from hers. In one motion, he gently pulled her fingers from around his throbbing erection.
“Another time, baby,” he rasped, drowning in her sapphire dark eyes filled with arousal. And before she could do anything, he slid his hands between her damp thighs, moving his fingers toward that soft, wet entrance. Her back arched, her breasts pressing against him, her eyes closing as a keening sound lodged in her exposed throat. Her thigh tensed as he slid his fingers closer. She was so incredibly ready, it threw him off guard. And when she thrust her hips toward his hand, Gray understood that she was a hungry vixen ready to suck him into herself. He smiled, placing wet kisses along the expanse of her neck and sliding his finger into her.
A soft wail caught in her throat as he captured that beautiful, swollen knot of nerves just inside her wet entrance. Gray felt the tension bolt through her. He touched and encircled that knot, feeling the tightness of her body surround his finger, feeling just how small she really was. Sky wasn’t a tall or big-boned woman. She was small, almost petite against his bulk and size. It was important her body was ready to accept him. As he whispered the kisses down across her collarbone, he captured her nipple, feeling it tighten within his mouth.
Stroking her below, he felt her lower body get ready to orgasm. It was the sweetest feeling in the world to have the walls of her body contract suddenly, tightly. He heard her wail as the orgasm ripped through her. Gray suckled her deeply and felt her body writhe, her hips bucking wildly against his hand. She was so incredibly hot, so swift to respond that it nearly made him lose his focus and control.
When he slid a second finger into her, deeper, she groaned and called out his name. Within moments, a second scalding orgasm surrounded him, the tightness making him smile. Sky was mewling and gasping, the orgasm taking her away to that sweet, burning world of mindless pleasure. He felt good, able to prolong the second one.
When she finally sank against him, breathing raggedly, he eased his fingers out of her. He knew she’d be tender and supersensitive for a bit, content to hold her, feel the dampness across her skin, watch that soft flush spread silently up across her body. God, he liked pleasing Sky. Her eyes were closed, her face turned into the pillow, her ginger-colored hair spilled across her shoulders. Her lush lips were parted, a soft smile curving her mouth upward in satisfaction. She was so beautiful to Gray that he burned the memory of that one moment into his mind and heart forever.
Gray waited, stroking her thigh, kissing the silky patch of hair, inhaling her sex and scent deeply into himself. She moved sinuously against him. Yeah, she was ready for another round, no question. This time, Gray rose and placed his knees between her opened thighs. Sliding his hands around her breasts, he saw her barely open her eyes. Her lips parted, and she offered him a soft smile, reaching out for him, her fingers wrapping around his lower arm.
“Please, Gray... God, I need you inside me...now...”
He wasn’t going to disappoint Sky. After rolling on the condom, he moved his thumb across her nipples as he eased himself into her hot, wet entrance. She arched her hips upward. He wasn’t prepared for her tightness. His mind was melting; he was throbbing in agony, wanting to come. If he was worried about his size, Sky thrust her hips upward, fearlessly drawing him into her. She gasped and froze. So did he. Gray held her head between his hands, staring deep into her barely opened eyes. Taking her mouth tenderly, he slowly moved in and out of her, getting her body to accept him. Her mouth gentled beneath his. And as he slowly introduced himself to her body, her sleek fluid eased him deeper.
Her tongue tangled with his. The jolt of heat shot down to his erection, and instinctively, Gray flexed his hips, driving deeper into her. Her moan vibrated between their mouths. He felt Sky’s body begin to fully accept him, and then he thrust slowly, establishing a rhythm for them. More than anything, Gray wanted Sky to orgasm with him. He could feel her breathing change as he quickened his thrusts, felt her lower body contract. Sliding his hand beneath her hips, he angled her upward just enough, creating maximum pressure against that knot of nerves within her.
He held her prisoner, pumping deep and swiftly. Sky’s breathy groan, her hands gripping his upper arms, told him she was going to come any second. Gritting his teeth, holding back, Gray buried his head beside her neck and shoulder, driving powerfully into her. And then he felt her contract, felt the rush of heat and scalding fluids surrounding him, and he was lost. A ripping, burning heat tore down his spine, ignited in his tightened balls and exploded out of him. He gripped the covers on either side of her head, heard Sky cry out, felt her meet and move against him, prolonging the pleasure for both of them. Sweat popped out on his wrinkled brow, his eyes tightly shut, his breath jammed in his throat as her sweet hips swallowed him whole, milked him and made his entire body go limp.
Gray swam in a world of heat, light and edgy pleasure that caused an intense throbbing in his lower body. He released the covers, pulling Sky close to him, hearing her breathe just as raggedly as he was. Her heart was racing against his heart, her hands moving restlessly across his back.
She felt so damned good to him. She fit him like a tight glove. Her small, slender body lay juxtaposed against his tall, lean, muscular frame. Every cell of protectiveness bled out through him and into Sky. She was trembling in his arms, soft little sounds in her throat telling him how good she felt, how much he’d been able to give back to her.
Raw, beautiful feelings flowed like the colors of the rainbow throughout his sated body. She was warm and soft beneath him. Her curves fit his angles. Their hips were fused. Nothing in Gray’s wide array of sexual experiences could compare to this one time of loving Sky, which unlocked him body, mind and heart. Nuzzling her slender neck, the pulse beneath his lips, Gray groaned and slowly eased off Sky. He got up, got rid of the condom and came back to the bed. Drawing Sky into his arms, he wrapped his body around her, their legs entangled with one another, and he held her close. He held her in his heart.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
GRAY LAY AWAKE a long time into the night as Sky slept trustingly in his arms. He’d pulled up the covers, tucked her in beside him, her head resting on his shoulder, her brow against his jaw. He stared up at the darkened ceiling.
Sky lay on his left side, her arm draped across his belly. He felt each soft, shallow breath she took. Absorbed the moistness of her breath as it caressed his neck and chest. His brow wrinkled. Gray had never wanted a woman like he’d wanted Sky. Not even in his marriage. The joke was, he waited on Sky and had been patient. Something he’d never done before. SEALs were meat on the hoof for a certain kind of woman who liked bedding a real warrior. There was danger involved, and the woman scented it like a wolf did his prey. At that time in his life, Gray had liked the competitiveness of the chase between himself and the woman he wanted. It was all about conquering her, giving her pleasure, listening to her cries as she orgasmed and then walking away, satiated and fulfilled. Except his heart had never been in play with those one-night stands. He’d given his heart to Julia, and she’d been torn out of his life. Now Gray was giving his heart again. And he couldn’t stand a second loss.
Gray closed his eyes, inhaling Sky’s sweet scent, her silky hair tickling his cheek. He tried to logically understand what had just happened. Why he’d approached Sky differently. Saw her differently. Was it her tragic story? No, he didn’t think so. Did he feel compassion for her? Absolutely. But that wouldn’t make him think about sex and bed with her in the same sentence, either. Their connections were their shared military and PTSD experiences.
Gray admired Sky’s courage in the face of what had happened to her. She was a fighter. She didn’t give up, and she didn’t give in. She’d come further faster in her healing process than he’d seen with other men who
wrestled with PTSD, too.
Sky felt so damn good in his arms. Her belly, that soft, rounded part of herself, could carry another human being. Gray absorbed the sensation of her breasts against his chest. Her left leg was crossed over his. Soft strength. Yeah, Sky had that in spades. Her beauty was natural and needed no makeup. Her honesty felled him.
He lifted his hand, sliding his fingers through the clean silk of her hair. Sky stirred, moaned a little, nuzzling beneath his jaw in her sleep. He cupped her head, leaning over, kissing those sleek strands. Gray allowed his hand to trail across her naked shoulder and skim down her arm until his hand covered hers across his belly. Had he ever felt this content before?
Opening his eyes, he stared hard at the ceiling. No. Never. Oh, he’d felt wrung out and drowsy after good sex, but this experience was different. He held women in his arms before and after sex, but his heart wasn’t in the mix. His mind was on other things, like when to leave or the training coming up for his team. With Sky, he wanted to wake up in the morning and watch her slowly awaken. See those glorious blue eyes of hers reveal how she felt toward him. A half smile curved one corner of Gray’s mouth. He remembered Kell Ballard, his LPO for his team, telling him that one day, the right woman would come along, and he would fall like a tree to her feet and never get up again because he was in love. Gray remembered scoffing at Kell’s teasing, saying love was a hyped-up thing found in romance novels, that it didn’t really exist in real life. Love always died anyway.
Gray moved his hand slowly up the velvet smoothness of Sky’s lower arm. When he’d turned fourteen, his father, a Marine captain in black ops, was killed in Iraq. He saw his mother become a ghost of her former self for several years after his death. Saw what love did to another person who had lost their mate. And he had repeated the family curse by losing Julia to a drug runner’s bullets. By the time he went into the Navy at eighteen with the intent of becoming a SEAL and following in his father’s black-ops footsteps, his mother had rebounded. He remembered one time, coming off deployment, going home to visit her. He was in his twenties and matured far beyond his years. They’d talked one night after dinner, and he asked his mother if she would ever think about getting married again. Isabel had smiled a little and shook her head. She told Gray that his father was the love of her life. That there would never be another man like Jacob. And she’d compared all men to him, and none would measure up. She was a widow to this day and seemed at peace with her lot in life. Gray had found no such peace.
Was he built the same way? Was Kell Ballard right? When the right woman came along, he’d know it? That his heart would fly open like his mother’s had with his father? His mouth quirked. When he laid eyes on Sky, he’d felt emotions twisting through him, so alive, bright and scalding that it took his breath away. Gray had no experience with this kind of love. His feelings for Sky were so damned special, almost ethereal, as if they might disappear because they were so sacred to his heart.
Gray closed his eyes, absorbing the softness and warmth of her naked body against his. He wanted to wake up every morning with Sky in his arms. Could it happen? A desperation wound through Gray’s chest. He couldn’t read Sky’s mind or heart. But he’d been with enough women to know when a woman was committed to him wholly and without any agendas. Sky had initiated this. She had come to him. And God help him, he’d more than welcomed her with open arms. He wasn’t sure who wanted the other more.
Gray was almost afraid to wake up tomorrow morning. How would Sky react to tonight? It complicated everything, especially since they worked together, and Sky had intense issues to work through. All he could do was wait and see what tomorrow morning would bring.
* * *
GRAY AWOKE SLOWLY, feeling drugged. He automatically reached out, trying to find Sky. When his exploring hand met nothing but the coolness of the sheet beneath his hand, he opened his eyes. Light was peeking in around the curtains. What the hell? He raised his head. The clock on the dresser read 0700.
He was late! Gray leaped out of bed, scowling. The drowsiness and good feelings of being sexually satiated disappeared. The door to the room was closed. He had left it open last night. Frowning, he grabbed a quick shower, shaved and put on a set of clean clothes. By the time Gray left the bedroom, a half hour had passed. The wolf pups were used to being fed at this time. He entered the living room. There was soft music on in the background, and Sky was nowhere to be seen. Inhaling, Gray could smell coffee that had been recently made. Where was Sky?
His heart cringed in fear as he quickly poured himself a cup, pulled on a denim jacket, threw on his baseball cap and headed outside. The sun was coming over the peaks to the east of the valley, the sky a light, clear blue. To his right, he saw all six families trundling to the wrangler dining room, where breakfast would await them. He turned his attention to the wildlife center and strode in that direction, hoping to find Sky feeding the pups.
* * *
SKY TURNED AS she heard the main doors to the center open and close. The puppies had just been fed and were racing around her, leaping over her thighs as they frolicked. Her heart bounded in her chest. Gray looked incredibly handsome, dangerous and powerful. Her body automatically contracted with heat, reminding her once more of his skill in loving her.
His gaze found her. She smiled and waved in his direction. As he drew near, she noticed turbulence in his eyes, but he had his game face on. There was relief in his expression as he came closer. He opened the door and stepped inside with his cup of coffee.
“I decided to let you sleep,” she told him. She had awakened at 5:00 a.m., and to lie there propped up on her elbow, watching Gray sleep, had made her almost weep with joy. In sleep, he was utterly vulnerable to her inspection. She’d wanted to lean over and kiss him awake, make love with him once again, but she’d been too scared to do it. Sky wasn’t certain how Gray would feel toward her this morning. Trying to tamp down her nervousness, she added, “The pups are fine.”
Gray licked his lower lip. “I’m making breakfast,” he offered, sipping his coffee. The wolf pups raced toward him, leaping up, yipping and cavorting around his cowboy boots.
Easing to her feet, Sky felt achy in all the right places. No sex for a year made her body stiff and sore, but Sky didn’t regret one second of it. She pushed her damp hands against her Levi’s. “I’d like that,” she said softly. Picking up the food supplies, she walked out with Gray, shutting the door behind them. As she stored the food and bottles, Sky sensed his presence nearby. How she wished she could read Gray’s face.
She walked out with him, the coolness of the morning surrounding them. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her down coat. Gray walked easily beside her.
“Do they teach all SEALs to have expressionless faces?” she wondered out loud, giving him a quick look. “Or does it just come naturally? You come out of the womb like that?” She saw his mouth curve upward. Enough that it gave her hope.
“It’s taught, yeah,” Gray murmured. “Why?” He looked down to see her blushing. Gray forced himself to keep his hands at his sides. He could still smell her scent, and it made him become hard all over again. Did Sky realize the powerful effect she had on him?
Sky looked across the street and saw the wrangler dining room filled with the families. “I...um...I was trying to see how you were feeling this morning about last night. With me...”
He opened the door to their house for her. If nothing else, Sky confronted issues head-on. She had a set of invisible titanium balls. That was probably why she was so far along in her own healing process. Gray closed the door and shrugged out of his coat and cap. He took Sky’s jacket and hung it on a peg next to his.
Turning, he said, “I woke up missing you this morning, Sky.” Gray owed her the truth, no matter how scared he was of her answer. Or her possible rejection.
“Really?” The word was blurted out, and Sky cringed inwardly. She sounded l
ike a starstruck tween in the presence of her favorite rock star. Gray’s expression warmed. Instantly, her body responded. Her nipples tightened against the soft cotton bra she wore.
“Really,” he murmured, smiling a little. In that moment, Sky was excruciatingly vulnerable. There was turmoil in her eyes, but when her lips parted, every cell in Gray’s body screamed for contact with her once again. “Is that okay?” He tilted his head a little, holding her unsure, nervous gaze.
Sky stood very still, feeling the heat radiate off Gray. He was so tall, confident and sure of himself. All the things she presently wasn’t. “I guess I sound terribly immature,” she whispered. “Surprised.”
Gray shook his head. “Sky, you’ve been through a lot. Our making love last night probably wasn’t in either of our game books.”
She shook her head, staring down at her boots for a minute. “No, it wasn’t, Gray.” Lifting her head, she met his hooded stare, feeling that same powerful and bubbling connection that always surrounded them. “But I’m not sorry.”
“Neither am I.”
The silence thickened.
“I’ve never been here before,” Sky admitted hoarsely.
“Where?” Gray frowned, not clear on what she meant. Her cheeks were a dull red now. And he saw the confusion in her blue eyes.
“I’ve never had a relationship with a man I had to work with.”
Gray hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his Levi’s. “Is that what has you spooked?”
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