Rolling her hips in time, with the music and desire echoing through her, Rina let the denim skim away. Cold air touched her heated skin.
She had no idea when he moved. She hadn’t heard the creak of the bed or the tread of his feet. One second his eyes had been devouring her—she could feel their touch—the next his hands were on her, hard and demanding.
“Witch.” He breathed the single word into her ear right before his teeth raked down the curve of her neck to nip at her shoulder. A shudder coursed through her body. Passion pulsed from him, in time to the beat swirling around them, a beat of their own.
The song changed. She no longer cared.
Turning in his arms, she demanded again, “Take off your shirt.”
She enjoyed the ripple of muscle in his chest and arms as he leaned back to jerk it over his head. His skin was tanned, a dark, luscious brown, the reflection of desert sand. She tried not to think about where that gorgeous color had come from. It didn’t matter. It looked damn good on him.
He was healthy, virile, one-hundred-and-ten-percent male. And he called to a secret part of herself she acknowledged only with him.
His mouth found her again, crushing her in a way that should have left her unsettled but only made her think fuzzily, mine.
She filled her palms with him, letting her hands roam at will down his wide shoulders, over his toned biceps and across his tight abs. The valleys and planes of his chest intrigued her. Her fingernail flicked over the flat disc of his nipple. The muscles at his belly contracted and the tight center rose to meet her, eager for more of the punishment.
Leaning forward, she placed her mouth there. The scrape of her tongue against him sent a spike of need through her. Such a simple taste of him and her body was already tight with an unforgiving ache.
His hands drove into her hair, cupping her head and holding her close. She trailed her mouth up his body, scraping her teeth along the tendon in his neck on a journey back toward his lips.
Swinging her into his arms, he walked to the bed and placed her gently in the center.
His gaze was fierce and full of fire as he looked down at her, an inarticulate expression of his need for her. Quickly removing the rest of their clothes, he caressed her with nothing more than a sweeping look at her body. A tremor rambled down her spine, slow, unhurried and increasingly intense.
She arched toward him, tempting him to touch and taste before pulling out of his reach. As he watched her play with him his jaw tightened, a tic jumping just below his cheekbone. His erection swelled against the open cradle of her body and a gloriously revealing smile teased at her lips.
His hands and mouth were rough as he claimed her.
His lips sucked at her distended nipples, coaxing them tighter. Warmth melted through her, pooling at the center of her body.
“A man can only take so much,” he mumbled against her skin.
She opened her mouth to say…something, but closed it when his lips touched down at the center of her belly. His tongue dipped into her navel and a jolt of electricity blasted straight to her sex.
His breath and mouth and tongue were so close to where she wanted—no, needed—them most. But he wouldn’t go any farther. Instead, he tortured and teased her. Driving her insane. Playing at the curve of her hip, the dip of her belly, the crease of her thigh.
“There’s only so much this woman can take.” Her words were ragged and breathless.
His chuckle tickled her skin and her stomach tightened.
“Oh, I think you can handle more. You sure as hell know how to handle me.”
He climbed back up her body, his mouth finding hers once more. She let out a whimper of protest, one that he swallowed as it turned into a gasp of need. His fingers found her, wet, hot and waiting.
He thrust a single finger inside her, all the breath leaking from her body as he let out a groan of his own.
His finger slid in and out as his thumb rubbed rhythmically against her clit. Tension built inside her, his hand swirling against her sex.
She was wild and wanton, uninhibited and sexy. But only with Chase. With Chase she was free.
The pleasure he gave her was almost unbearable. If he didn’t stop soon she was going to explode in his hand. But that wasn’t what she wanted.
She wanted him, flush with her body, a part of her.
Her muscles tingled and pulsed. She recognized the signs of an impending orgasm. “Stop. No. I want you inside me.”
The words were difficult to say, but somehow she found the strength to utter them as she fought the slippery edge of release.
Rina watched as he ripped his jeans away. He reached into a bag that he’d set on the dresser and pulled out a foil packet. Rolling a condom down over himself, he quickly rejoined her on the bed.
In a single, smooth thrust he slid high and tight inside her body, the sensation exquisite. With deliberate strokes, he sent her hurtling toward the edge of reason only to violently jerk her back. Steady pressure paired with unexpected moments of stillness that drove her utterly mad.
She had no idea how long he kept her poised on the brink of orgasm, teetering back and forth between reality and abandon. Her head thrashed against the pillows, her body weeping at their connection.
Finally, unable to take it anymore, she wrapped her legs around his body, driving her heels into his thighs and holding him to her. Rina pushed her body as hard and high as it would go, taking as much of him as she could get.
“Chase.” The single word sounded like a prayer. One he answered when he thrust deep, finally breaking the unbearable tension. Sensation swirled inside her in ever-tightening circles. Her body convulsed beneath him for what felt like forever, pulsing and pulling, a keening cry breaking free from her throat.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered his own release and the whisper of his voice in her ear, “Sabrina,” sounding strangely like a prayer of his own.
Never in her life had that single word sounded so good.
CHASE WATCHED her sleep. She was so peaceful. The never-ending drive that always seemed to keep her on edge had eased. She was beautiful, formidable, on a regular day. But seeing her here, now, snuggled next to his body…trusting.
That was the difference. She’d let her guard down. Just long enough for it to devastate him.He’d never met a woman he could imagine as part of his life. And now he could never imagine his life without Sabrina.
He was in love with his wife. Who would have ever thought that could be a problem?
Most people hoped for this moment in their lives. Yet here he was, tied to the most amazing, beautiful, honest woman he’d ever met, and she didn’t want to be married to him.
She was scared. He realized that. But what scared the hell out of him was that he didn’t know how to take her fear away. And if he couldn’t do that then he’d lose her. As simple as that.
She wanted him. She even liked him. Did she love him?
He wasn’t sure.
What he needed was time to convince her. Time for the fear to ease, for her to realize he wasn’t going anywhere and their lives could be happy and satisfying.
She’d finally opened her body to him, not because she couldn’t control the sexual sparks between them but because she’d wanted him. At least it was a step in the right direction. She’d seduced him, quite well actually, instead of him chasing her like a mindless teenager in heat.
Sabrina stirred beside him, mumbling something unintelligible before settling back down again, her arm thrown possessively across his chest. The muscles beneath tightened, squeezing painfully.
He was scared out of his mind. He’d been in war, flown aerial combat maneuvers with the best pilots, had ejected from a malfunctioning plane, and watched as people around him died. He’d survived it all, even thrived on the danger sometimes.
But the thought of losing the woman beside him terrified him.
He was about to enter the fiercest battle of his life, the fight for his wife. And one wrong
move could cost him everything.
RINA WALKED up to the front door of her apartment, the medicine she’d taken a few hours before dulling her gait just a little. It tended to make her drowsy, which, on a flight, was usually a good thing. Today, she wasn’t entirely sure. Her world had already seemed a bit fuzzy, out of focus. Loose.
Chase shadowed her, his steps echoing comfortably with her own in the quiet afternoon. The sun was just starting to set, glaring directly into her eyes and making her squint. And he was there, at her back. Always.Waking up beside Chase this morning had been a double-edged sword. On one hand, the feel of his body next to hers, warm and solid had been more than tempting. Not just physically, but emotionally. She could seriously get used to having him around. But she couldn’t do that. Could not allow herself to fall in love with her husband.
It would hurt too much.
Something told her it would be so easy to do, to give her heart to this man. But they both had too much to lose, careers, reputations…pieces of herself.
The more she said it, the more the excuses sounded flimsy even to her own ears. Yes, the potential to lose everything they’d both worked for was there—that was reality. What she was having trouble believing was that the sacrifice wouldn’t be worth it.
The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if, in order to be able to call Chase her own, she’d give up a hell of a lot more than a career she wasn’t even certain she wanted anymore.
But she didn’t have to make that choice right now, today. No. There were things she needed to think about, think about with a clear head. She couldn’t do that now.
What she could do was take advantage of the fact that neither of them had to work, and her husband was standing at her front door, watching her with tempting eyes.
She could invite him in to her apartment, have her wicked way with him. It had been a line she hadn’t wanted to let him cross. But now, that didn’t seem so important. The only thing that she could think about was how to haul him inside if he wouldn’t come willingly.
“Do you want to come in?”
He stared at her for several moments. Rina’s heart was beating against her ribs by the time he finally said, “Yes.”
She turned the knob at her back, unwilling to take her eyes away from him for even a second. The door burst in behind her and she nearly tripped over the raised edge. Chase reached out for her, grabbing her elbow and steadying her. They backed slowly inside. He closed the door deliberately behind them. But instead of jumping her like she wanted, he looked away from her, taking in her space.
She saw it through his eyes—frilly maybe? Girlie, definitely. She’d spent so many years trying to build a home for her father. He hadn’t appreciated her efforts. But she did. This was the one place she felt…comfortable. Relieved.
Navy and clear crystal beads hung from a pair of matched lamps, catching the waning sunlight through her lace-edged curtains and throwing rainbows onto the jeweled boxes lined up on a corner bookshelf. A set of rose-patterned china was perfectly arranged on an antique rolling cart in the corner. It was something she’d indulged in several years ago. Something she’d never had but always longed for as a child.
She’d desperately wanted to be able to play dress-up with her mother’s clothes and jewelry, to host a tea party like the other little girls who’d streamed in and out of her life. But her father hadn’t let her have a tea set. He’d always said it would just get broken during a move. She would have much preferred having it and losing it than never having it at all.
So when she’d seen the set in an antique-store window, she’d bought it.
But now, watching Chase stare at it, his mouth slightly open, she thought maybe the impulse had been a mistake. Bright pink color whooshed up her skin. She could feel the heat of embarrassment and wished she had the power to pull it back. But she didn’t.
“Oh, shut your mouth before you catch flies.”
He turned to look at her, a calculating gleam in his eyes that made her heart stutter in her chest for just a second.
“You hide this side of yourself well, Captain…Carden.” He reached for her, pulling her soundly into his arms and trapping her exactly as he wanted…as she wanted, too.
Rina fought conflicting emotions: an unsettling feeling of exposure—something told her he saw much more than she’d ever intended to reveal—and the undeniable urge to rip the man’s shirt off so she could feel his body against her own.
Ripping sounded more fun so she went with that.
Threading her fingers through the buttons at the front of his shirt, she let her fingertips play. She enjoyed the contrast of his smooth, heated skin and the roughness of his hair. His own hands worked inside the pockets of her jeans, cupping her ass and pulling her tighter into his body.
He was aroused. But then so was she. Nothing more than the simple anticipation of what was to come and she was already hot and slick with wanting him. She could feel the slippery sensation between her thighs as she shifted in his embrace.
Unbuttoning his shirt, she let it slip from his shoulders and fall to the floor at his back. She didn’t wait for him to reciprocate but reached between their bodies and pulled the hem of her own shirt up and over her head. Her bra followed, dropping between them with a muffled plop.
His hands were everywhere, plucking and pulling, soothing and caressing. Sensations shot through her, overloading her nervous system and sending her into pleasure meltdown.
Unsnapping her jeans, he pushed them down her legs and knelt between her open thighs. He snagged the edge of her panties to pull them down as well. Resting her hands on his shoulders, she let him take her weight as he discarded both.
She watched as he rose, his eyes traveling the entire length of her body, worshipping. She’d never had anyone, any man, look at her with that unnerving mixture. Part need to devour, part drive to possess, part absolute adoration. It was intoxicating, and possibly addictive.
She could easily crave this every damn day.
Taking his hand, Rina tugged and took a step toward her bedroom. He resisted, shook his head and said, “No.”
Instead, he coaxed her over to the couch and pressed her onto the fluffy cushions. It looked delicate, old, with its carved claw-foot legs and curved back. But its look was deceiving—it was actually very comfortable. The faux velvet wrapped around her body, softly caressing her skin. She would have much preferred the feel of Chase as he slid inside her.
She reached for him, pulling at the waistband of his jeans, hoping to catch him off balance and topple him down with her. But he didn’t. The man was sturdier than he looked—and he looked pretty damn sturdy. Instead he reached over her. She heard a rustle but couldn’t twist her head far enough to see.
“Somehow, I never pictured you as a crystal type of girl.”
Chase brought a line of the beads she’d strung onto wire before hanging around the bottom edge of her lamp. It had been a fanciful touch that had made her happy.
“I should have, though. You like to hide it, don’t you? Behind the precise lines of your uniform and the regs that you let govern your life. But I should have seen beneath all that.” Chase moved the crystals back and forth above her body. Sunlight flashed into her eyes. “So pretty.”
His fingers touched her skin, softly gliding across the rainbow he’d reflected there. He traced the glowing patch of color as he shifted it across her body.
She gasped as he grazed a distended nipple and she arched her back for more. Instead, he moved the crystals closer, letting the tiny knot at the end touch the very tip of one breast. The cold contact and the scraping sensation as he trailed it in a widening circle across her body sent her up in flames.
He’d barely touched her and yet, she knew if he pushed inside her at this precise moment she’d fly apart in his arms.
Grabbing the crystals, she startled him enough that he let go when her hands wrapped around the cool glass. Flinging them to the floor, she reached again for the waistban
d of his jeans. This time she wouldn’t let him elude her. Quickly working down the fly, she pushed her hand into the opening, relishing the way his erection jumped as she got closer.
Looking up at him with a mischievous grin, she wished she hadn’t been so hasty in throwing the string of crystals away. She could reach behind her and grab another but…she had a better plan in mind.
Pushing the denim and boxer briefs to the floor, she sat up, pulling her feet beneath her, and urged him onto the cushions beside her. He settled back easily, watching her, waiting to see what she’d do.
She didn’t disappoint either of them when she dropped smoothly onto him, impaling herself on his erection, inch by preciously slow inch.
He groaned as she melted over him, thrusting hard and deep inside her when she didn’t move quickly enough for him. She relished every movement as strong and urgent fingers gripped her hips and rocked them both together.
Unable to do anything but hang on and enjoy the ride, Rina wrapped her arms tight around his neck as he buried his face in the valley of her breasts. His mouth latched onto one nipple, not in a smooth and soft caress but with the biting edge of teeth.
The room began to fade to black around her, bursts of light shooting through her peripheral vision before creeping in to take over everything. Her eyes closed and her body shuddered on the first tremors of an orgasm. She spasmed again and again before Chase finally joined her, throwing back his head and thrusting so high her knees left the cushions.
In the back of her mind she thought, This is the only time I’ll enjoy flying, before collapsing onto his chest. She was utterly boneless, unable to move or think.
Pulling her tight against his body, Chase’s damp chest rose and fell beneath her in a rhythm that matched her own labored breaths.
Finally, after who knows how long, he lifted his head and looked into her sleepy eyes. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For letting me in.”
Aw, hell was the only response she could think of.
Afterburn Page 15
