Her eyes flew open. “Can we...Charlie Mike?”
He huffed. “I’ll never think of continuing the mission in the same way again.” He rolled to his back and took her with him. “How about you ride me this time?”
With a wicked grin, she leaned forward to flatten her palms on his chest. “Like this?” She rose up and then slowly sank onto him.
His hands went to her hips, then he slid them up to cup her breasts. “That works.”
She rose and sank again. Faster, experimenting with different angles. Between the impish gleam in her eyes and his hands full of soft luscious breasts, he lost control. He groaned and couldn’t keep from lifting his hips to thrust into her. Every muscle strained. Breathing ceased, vision blurred, sounds faded as his mind and body seized.
But she was still riding him, and every movement rocked him with aftershocks until he had to beg her to stop. Or, at least, it felt like begging. What he actually said was “Okay. Okay.” He couldn’t manage anything more coherent than that.
He curled an arm around her and pulled her against him. She laid her cheek on his chest, still breathing as hard as he was. He liked her breasts cushioned on him. Liked her fingers stroking through the hair at his temple. Liked how he fit perfectly around her body.
She drew in a deep breath and let it out on a long humming sigh. “Wow. That was...” She sighed again. “I minored in English and I got nothing but clichés right now.”
Clay chuckled. “You’re good at math and English? Is there anything you’re not good at?”
“I know what you’re good at.” She grinned, and then dropped kisses onto his chest.
He scoffed. “You just don’t have anything to compare it to.”
She stiffened in his arms.
“Okay, that didn’t come out right. I’ve had plenty to compare it to and yeah, this was...” He inwardly winced to admit how awesome it had felt. “More than good.”
She lifted her head and offered him a guardedly hopeful look. “Really?”
Something in his chest twisted at that expression. This conversation seemed to be going where he didn’t want it to go. He raised a mocking brow. “Yes, I really have had plenty to compare it to.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Never mind.” She tried to sit up.
He tightened his hold around her. No more teasing. This was her first time and he guessed she was worried about her performance. But she had nothing to worry about. He put a finger under her chin to raise her gaze to his. “The truth?” He looked her straight in the eye. “You were amazing.”
She studied him a moment, as if gauging whether to believe him or not, then she reached up to peck him on the mouth and vaulted off the bed.
“Where are you going?” He turned to watch her, spying the scar on her midback from where the bullet had grazed her. The sight brought up a powerful urge to go back to Paraguay and beat those kidnappers to a pulp.
“I just can’t lie still right now.” Throwing him a halfhearted smile, she reached for her robe and strolled out onto the balcony.
He laid there a moment. She was the most unpredictable woman he’d ever met. What was going through that brilliant mind of hers? He didn’t want to even think about the enormity of what he’d just done. What they’d just done. Or, maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal to her.
That was a depressing thought.
Shaking his head, he got up and padded to the bathroom to clean himself up, then stepped into his shorts before joining her on the balcony. The snowcapped mountains glowed from the lights of the city. Below them, he could hear the rushing current of the river. The town square was mostly empty, quiet. The world seemed like a peaceful place from here.
Like with women, appearances could be deceiving.
She shivered and drew the robe tighter.
“It’s pretty cold out here.” He put his arm around her shoulders and curled her into his chest. “Probably ought to get some sleep.” He brought his nose to the top of her head, noting the intoxicating fragrance of her hair.
“You go ahead. I’ll be in in a minute.”
Did she want to talk? Was she regretting losing her virginity to him? Surely she wasn’t expecting professions of love.
He put his other arm around her and rubbed her back. “No way I’m leaving you out here alone.”
She didn’t speak for a long while, and then “You really think someone’s after me? I’m starting to wonder if it wasn’t just a sick prank.”
He drew in a deep breath and gently rested his chin on top of her head. “Until we know otherwise we treat it as real.”
“I guess the question is, why me?”
“Something to do with work? A coworker, maybe? Neil said the perp has some serious anger issues. Anyone you can think of who might have a grudge? Anyone been passed over for a promotion? Seem to resent you for any reason?”
She shook her head against his chest. “No. I’ve only been there two years.”
“Probably someone who can hack into personnel files, since they found out where you live.”
“That could be anyone.” She brought her hand up to her throat.
“Come on. Come back to bed with me.” Without giving her time to object, he steered her inside, closed the French doors and guided her into the bed. Before he gave it any thought he crawled in beside her under the thick comforter and drew her into his arms.
Snuggling against him, she circled his waist with her free arm and drew a knee up between his thighs. Her feet were icy. Though she wore the robe, and he still had on his shorts, lying like this felt more intimate than when he’d been inside her.
“I wish I hadn’t lost my Mary medal,” she murmured.
He vaguely recalled, back in Virginia Beach, her mentioning a medal. “The one you lost during the mugging?”
“It was the most special thing I owned. My grandmother died not long after she gave it to me, and I’ve always thought of it as my connection to her. A way of talking to her. And—”
When she didn’t continue, he prompted, “And?”
“It sounds really superstitious when I say it out loud.”
He chuckled. “Nobody’s more superstitious than a sailor.”
He felt her smile. “Really? What are Navy guys superstitious about?”
“Everything. We throw a few coins in the ocean before a voyage to appease Neptune. Never—I mean never—wash a coffee mug on board ship or you’ll have bad weather. And you know that candy that comes in the MRE? We throw it out. Some guys believe if you eat it on a mission you won’t come back alive.”
She pulled away and looked into his eyes. “Okay, I don’t feel so crazy now.” Her smile flashed in the dim room, her brown eyes crinkled. “I mean, I can’t blame them. Why tempt fate, right?”
“Darn straight. Better safe than sorry.”
Her smile faded. “I will always pray that you come back safe from your missions.”
Clay had to swallow a sudden lump in his throat. He doubted anyone had ever hoped for his safe return. And he’d made sure to keep it that way. “Thank you. That means a lot.” Then he gave her a big grin. “Tell me about your medal.”
Her hand pressed against her throat. “Sometimes I think it’s her way of talking to me. When I touch it, I can hear her voice in my head giving me her wisdom, or reassurance.”
“But you don’t hear her voice anymore since you lost it?”
She tilted her head, wondering. Then her smile flashed again. “You know? I do still feel her presence.” She bent to give him a kiss on the mouth. “Thank you for helping me realize that.” With a dreamy grin she lay beside him and started caressing his chest, circling her finger around his nipple. “What about you?”
“Hmm?” he grunted, occupied with what she was doing to him and how it was affecting his cock.
>
“Are your grandparents still alive?”
“Don’t know.”
She froze midswirl and shot him a look of incredulity. “How can you not know?”
He shrugged. “My mother’s parents disowned her when she got pregnant with me. And my dad split when I was still a baby, so I never met his parents.”
“But didn’t you mention a stepfather? What about his mom and dad?”
“Never met them either.”
She frowned at him.
The last thing he wanted to talk about was his family. Feeling a bit smug, he grabbed her hand and slid it down to encircle his growing erection. “Can’t we find something better to talk about?”
“Mmm.” She jumped up and switched on the bedside lamp, then returned to peel off his shorts. “I want to see what it looks like.”
She’d never seen a penis before? Clay rose up on his elbows to watch her. “Okay.” Was that what tonight was about for her? One more new experience to cross off her list? And he just happened to be around at the right time?
And why should that bother him? So what if she was using him? It’s not like he would want anything more.
She stroked and played with him, running a finger down its length and back again, rubbing the head and along the rim. The more she studied it, the longer and harder it grew. He couldn’t help smiling at her curiosity.
Then she licked it and he quit smiling. She cupped his balls and stroked him. When she glanced up for his reaction he tried to give her a look of pleased encouragement, but it was probably more like a goofy grin. When she took the whole thing in her mouth, he groaned. His head fell back and his hips lifted as she used her sweet tongue to bring him to the brink.
“Gabby.” He said her name on a gasp and stilled her with a palm to her cheek. “Wait.”
“No, I want to watch you—it. Can I?”
“In a minute. First, it’s your turn.”
* * *
GABBY KNEW WHAT was coming—or she hoped she did—and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. A dozen thoughts flitted through her mind. Fat thighs. Waxed enough? Embarrassing? Awkward. Then Clay was untying her robe and sliding it down her shoulders, placing kisses on the skin he revealed, pulling the sleeves off, more soft kisses on her jaw, behind her ear.
Before she knew it she was naked and lying on her back and Clay was kissing her breasts, her stomach and then...there. If ever there was a time to marvel at her luck it was now, so she freed her mind and arched her back. His tongue was doing the most exquisite things to her clitoris. And the things he did with his lips and sometimes, very gently, his teeth. And when he brought his fingers into play, she traveled beyond consciousness to a place where only pleasure existed.
She wasn’t sure how many times she’d come when she heard the crinkling of a packet and then felt him crawl between her thighs and slip inside. He called her name from far away and she opened her eyes to see him smiling at her.
“There you are. Thought I lost you for a minute.”
Using her shoulder to wipe the tear off her cheek, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his throat. I love you. She had to clamp her mouth shut to keep from saying it out loud. He wouldn’t want to hear it. He’d think she was presuming, or he’d tell her it was just because he’d rescued her and was protecting her like he had in the jungle.
And who knows, maybe he was right. She couldn’t be objective about it, could she? That was the nature of falling in love. Or, at least, infatuation. No. Better to enjoy this night—and maybe tomorrow night if she was lucky, and then let him go.
He pumped into her. “Hey.”
She drew back to look at him. “Hmm?”
“Still with me?” He moved in her again and she felt the pleasurable ache, but lethargy was setting in. She was so relaxed.
“Mmm-hmm.” She held on tight to his shoulders.
“How about we let you watch next time, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
He thrust one last time and threw his head back. A vein stood out in his neck while he gritted his teeth. Then he was gathering her into his arms and turning her onto her side and pulling the covers up to her chin.
“Thank you,” she thought she’d mumbled, but maybe not. All she knew was his warm body was snuggled beside her and his hand came around her to cup a breast, and she was happier than she’d ever been.
13
THE NEXT MORNING Gabby smiled before she even opened her eyes. She couldn’t remember when she’d slept so deeply. Still groggy, she opened one bleary eye at a time and pushed the hair out of her face. She rolled to the middle of the bed.
Nothing but cold sheets.
What had she expected? That she’d wake up in Clay’s arms and he’d smile and tell her he loved her? Yeah, and then they’d ride off on a white horse into the sunset. Your life is not a telenovela, Gabriella Diaz.
Tempted as she was to burrow back under the covers and hibernate, today was the last day of the conference and she had workshops to attend. She threw off the blankets and sat up. And blinked.
Clay, wearing only a pair of dark sweatpants with the word Navy in white letters down one side, his torso slick with a sheen of sweat, was doing push-ups on the floor at the foot of the bed.
She allowed herself a minute to watch him, admiring his bulging muscles and taut skin. The large tattoos added a dangerous maleness to his already tough persona. Then she hauled herself out of bed, grabbing her robe. She wanted to bend over and kiss his cheek, but he was concentrating on his workout, so she settled for a greeting. “Good morning.”
His jaw tightened and he grunted.
Okay, he was probably trying to count. She wasn’t a whiny baby, demanding his attention every second. She left him to it, and hopped in the shower. Maybe he’d join her.
But he didn’t. By the time she got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around herself and dried her hair, he’d donned a sweatshirt and was sitting at the table drinking coffee.
“Mmm, coffee smells good.” She smiled, pouring a cup for herself before taking the chair opposite him.
He stared at her, his gaze intense, and then it shifted away. “Can you put on some clothes, please?”
No “I had a great time last night.” Not even a “How’d you sleep?” Gabby gathered the giant bath towel closer to her. She’d purposely not gotten dressed in the hopes that they might...Charlie Mike. But maybe, despite what he’d said last night, it hadn’t been as wonderful for him as it had been for her. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to hurt her feelings. Or maybe something else was bothering him.
Good relationships—not that they had a relationship, not a romantic one, anyway—but a professional one... What had she been thinking? Oh yeah, communication. Successful relationships were all about communicating well. “What’s wrong?”
He scowled. “Nothing. You done in there?” He gestured toward the bathroom, brows raised.
So much for communicating. “Nothing? Clay, clearly something’s wrong.” She reached out and put her hand on his arm. “What’s happened? Have you learned something about my situation I should know?”
“No.” Scooting back, he got to his feet and spun, rubbing the back of his neck.
She folded her arms and waited.
He swung back to face her. “Are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine. More than fine. I’m great.” She grinned, hoping to tease him into a better mood. But he only nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
Tilting her head, she rolled her lips inward. “Clay, please talk to me.”
“Look.” He ran a hand through his hair, clearly exasperated. “I don’t do cuddly morning afters, okay? I don’t even usually do overnights. I’m not that kind of guy.”
Gabby blinked. Well. He couldn’t make himself any clearer than th
at. Turned out Clay was a very good communicator.
He grimaced. “I’ll be ready to go in thirty.” He strode into the bathroom, shut the door, and seconds later she heard the water turn on.
Wow. Her eyes stung with tears. Why should she cry? She’d known it was just sex for him.
The thing was, last night it hadn’t felt like just sex. But without any other experiences with this, how would she know? What she’d thought was an emotional connection had obviously been only in her own fevered brain. But it wasn’t as if she’d fallen all over the guy this morning expecting a marriage proposal, geez. She flung her towel over a chair and snatched a shirt and pants off a hanger in the wardrobe.
Forget it. Last night was a special memory she’d hold in her heart forever. But this morning she had workshops to—
You know what? No. She’d decided not to take life for granted anymore, hadn’t she? And here she was in another country! Maybe she’d play hooky and take that funicular up to the peak of the mountain and walk through that glacier tunnel. At the very least, she wanted to cross that old, thatch-covered bridge spanning the Reuss, eat at that famous restaurant and see the lion monument carved in stone. Buy souvenirs for her family. Maybe even look for something beautiful to wear tonight. She was going to enjoy her last day here.
But how could she enjoy it with Clay scowling at her all day?
How irresponsible would it be to go off without him? Right now, Gabby did not care. She had her pepper spray in her purse. She’d been practicing her self-defense moves. And she was only going as far as the shop in the hotel.
Without another thought, she dressed, threw her hair in a ponytail and sent Clay a quick text telling him she was going to the lobby. Then she headed downstairs. There was a dress shop on the mezzanine level...
Striding defiantly out of the dress shop fifteen minutes later—and hundreds of dollars poorer—she almost knocked over James.
“Whoa!” He grabbed her upper arms. “Gabby.”
“James.” Here was someone who liked her. Someone who actually wanted to be with her.
“You okay?” James dropped his hands and stuck them in his pockets. “Aren’t you supposed to be in a workshop in a few minutes?”
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