Betrayal hit her like a knee strike to the solar plexus. He was leaving her. She wasn’t prepared for him to leave. This was their last night together. He owed her nothing, so why did it hurt to think of them apart? He had gone well beyond the call of duty for her. She had always known she’d go her separate way once she recovered. Why did the deep pit in her stomach feel the same as when Betsy Thomas, her childhood friend, moved away? Her emotions were swinging from the rafters, a combination of dependency because of her injuries, a flare-up of her PTSD, and her gratitude, all mixed into a frothing mess.
“Why wouldn’t you tell your brothers? They’d be so proud of you.” She tried to sound calm and cheerful, but her insides were twisting into tornado proportions.
He snorted. “Are we speaking of the same Neanderthals that I grew up with?”
“Did Sten disapprove?”
“No, he thinks it’s great. But he appreciates my reasons for not telling the family. Growing up, Sten would try to protect me from my brothers when I’d get lost in my own world.”
Lars gave her a rueful grin, but he couldn’t mask the hurt in his eyes.
“An imagination is a dangerous thing?”
“If you’re a Jenkins male… You value focus, goals, and discipline.”
Danni felt a sudden tenderness for the little boy who couldn’t be imaginative and, most likely, had been ridiculed for not being manly enough. She wanted to hear about his flights of fancy. What did he imagine? Sailing on pirate ships? Exploring jungles? Or was he only allowed to be a marine at the Jenkins house?
“There sure are a lot of rules for being a Jenkins male.”
In the last seventy-two hours, she’d experienced a reality shift bigger than the San Andreas fault. She never considered him as remotely intellectual or sensitive, just another oversexed, macho Jenkins male. But she had learned that Lars Jenkins, swaggering stud, was capable of sensitive feelings. And if that wasn’t enough for one girl to digest, he also was RJ Phillips, a bestselling author whose imagination wasn’t allowed to flourish in his family, but, somehow, he succeeded on his own.
Damn him for shattering her well-defended assumptions. She didn’t want to like him. Double damn. It definitely was problematic and far more complicated than lusting after his hot body.
“But when do you find time to write? You said you’ve been busy as a soldier.” She refused to look away from his perceptive gaze. “You have time to write but not enough time for a long-term relationship.”
“To clarify—what I’ve always said is that I’d never ask a woman to endure the stress associated with an operator’s lifestyle. I’m sure you’ve heard about it from Sophie. What woman wants a man who disappears with barely any notice? And when he returns, he can’t share where he’s been or what he’s been doing? It takes an incredible woman to tolerate the stress. And we always had the example of my mom, who lost Dad when he was on a mission. She did a fantastic job, with Uncle Harry’s help, but I’ve seen the tears and anger and pain from the loss. I’ve never met anyone strong enough to believe I’ll always come back, and yet know there’s a chance I won’t.”
For a second, their eyes met. His eyes filled with longing, like she might be that woman, before he quickly looked away.
“There is a lot of downtime in the military, but you can only play so many video games before you burn out, but never tell Reeves I said that.”
Reeves was an insane gamer.
Like two playful conspirators, they grinned at each other. Their eyes locked in amusement when suddenly their gaze shifted to something more potent—a sexual current arcing between them like two ion rods. Danni found it hard to catch her breath or gather her strength to look away.
She finally lifted her ankle to distract herself from throwing herself at him. She wanted to experience being intimate with Lars Jenkins, despite knowing that she’d be joining hundreds of notches on his bed or belt.
“You need another ibuprofen? Getting uncomfortable again?”
She shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. The man didn’t miss much. And he read her too well to miss the smoldering need in her eyes. She wanted to kiss him, undress him, touch every sculpted muscle, fill herself with him to prove that she didn’t need him, and this insane attraction was totally physical.
She fiddled with the ACE bandage, trying to convince herself why this was such a bad idea. She was too vulnerable. She needed to be more in control of her feelings to be able to walk away unscathed if she ever had sex with Lars.
“How did you get started on your first book?’
“You have to understand. Sten and I barely knew our father. My one clear memory is of our dad laughing so hard, holding his stomach, because Sten and I had picked all my mother’s flowers to give her a bouquet. We didn’t know they were her prized lilies. By the time I was nine or ten, I begged my Uncle Harry to tell me endless stories about my dad and his life as a marine. It was my way of trying to have a dad, to make him real to me.”
He ran his hand over his head. “I’d always liked English classes, and when I had some downtime on a mission, I started this story about an early marine recon team involved in a rescue mission. I took some of Uncle Harry’s stories, some from fellow marines, and turned it into a book. It was more of a lark to send it to an agent. I just wanted feedback, but he took me on, and I went on from there. But I was afraid that the stories would hurt Mom, or bring back pain, so I didn’t tell them at first. Then it got to be a habit.”
“It must have been so hard.” She reached for his hand to comfort him.
His eyes shot up to hers, sparks flying between them with the touch. He was an incredible man, and she had this one last night with him. She’d return to Seattle, and he’d be off to New York and then to rejoin his unit. Tonight would be the only chance for anything between them. Could she handle the one-night scenario? The lesson learned from her failed wedding was that, despite all your best efforts and intentions, plans for the future could disappear in a flash. You had to embrace the moment.
And she wanted to embrace a naked Lars in this moment.
With the tip of the finger, she traced the long scar on the back of his hand, something she had wanted to do since he told her the silly story about Ninja Turtles. “Does Sten have as many scars as you do?”
His voice was husky. “You’ll have to ask Izzy.”
She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed the scar, dragging her tongue along the thickened skin. “You weren’t allowed to cry when you got this, were you?”
He sucked in a breath, his chest expanding before her eyes. “Cry? Not in the Jenkins manual.”
Shifting closer to all his heat, she traced the scar over his eye. “I’ve wanted to kiss this one for a long time.”
“Danni, do you know what you’re doing?”
She stared into his eyes, wanting him to see her need. “I know exactly what I’m doing. Do you?”
There it was again. The low grumbly laugh that made all her female parts shift into high alert.
“I know what I want to do. But you’ve just been through a horrendous experience. And you’ve been very clear that this”—he pointed between them—“isn’t what you want.”
“It’s a woman’s privilege to change her mind.”
His angular cheekbones flushed bright red, making his eyes glow brighter. “I just want to make sure that this isn’t something you’ll regret. What about Hardy?”
She followed a path along his cheekbones and then down to his lower lip. “I’m Alex’s bodyguard. Or I guess I was his bodyguard. Nothing else. We pretended to be together to try to bring out his stalker. Who knew it would bring out the cartel?”
“I didn’t think you were with Hardy…” He grabbed her finger and kissed it before taking it into his mouth and sucking it. “I wasn’t sure if I was just hoping.”
She tried not to squirm from the restlessness he caused with the heat and moisture from his mouth.
“I’ve never wanted a woman as I want yo
u.” His husky rumble voice made Danni purr.
“You were pretty obvious.” His message that this was sex, and only sex tonight, was received loud and clear. He wanted her. Nothing else. She ignored her better sense and reminded herself that tonight was about embracing the moment.
His eyes shone brighter with lust. “I want to make sure you’re totally on board since I’ve had a lot of time to think about all the ways I plan to get my revenge for what you’ve put me through.”
“What have I done to you?” Danni traced his eye scar with her tongue, bringing her close enough that his hot breath with a hint of cool mint washed over her face.
“What have you done to me? Driven me crazy with wanting you. Only you and no other woman on the planet. Only you, Danni.”
Thrills went through her. What woman wouldn’t respond?
“Bring on your best, Lars. I’m asking you real nice.”
And there was the low sexy rumble that sent her into a tailspin of need.
Chapter Fifteen
Lars’s soft, lush lips gently kissed her as his broad hands slid down her arms, generating heat wherever he touched. The tender touch enticed her more than any roughness would. He tasted her lips one at a time, tantalizing her with his tongue, nipping with his teeth. He licked each corner of her mouth, then slowly sucked on the curve of her lower lip. His gentle caresses sent her heart into a wild, frenzied beat. She had expected him to be like—this Viking descendant and macho marine plundering her mouth in a fierce and possessive way.
Wanting more of the sensual Lars, she wrapped her arm and her cast around his neck and playfully nibbled, grazing her teeth over his full lower lip. Following his lead, she sucked his lip into her mouth.
His low growl sent primitive signals to every womanly cell in her body.
Already a pool of craving, she swung her leg over his and straddled his lap, needing his strong body against her. She pushed forward to rub her breasts against his broad pecs. She inhaled the musky odor of his maleness as she took his ear between her teeth and bit it.
His body tightened around her as he crushed her to him. With only sweatpants on, she could feel every detail of the hard ridge of his erection swelling beneath her. She licked inside his ear, thrusting her tongue in and out before taking the lobe into her mouth.
She was entranced by the way his hot body discharged boiler heat. She captured his angular face between her hands, his stubble rough against her palms, and kissed him, her tongue insisting on entrance. Sliding along his. Demanding his mouth. She didn’t want to be the only one going up in flames. He met her, drawing her tongue into his moist heat, building the intensity until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.
His paw-like hand fisted in her hair as he pulled her back to gain access to her neck, making her vulnerable to his powerful embrace. He rained kisses along her neck, sweet kisses that sent shivers throughout her before he pulled hard on her delicate skin, marking her as his.
She relished the excitement of belonging to this man.
“You taste so good.” He smacked his lips and grinned at her. “I can’t wait to taste every inch of you.”
His words set her insides on fire. Her face heated, embarrassed by how quickly this man could make her burn for him.
“You don’t taste too bad yourself.” Her retort came out sharper than she wanted.
“Hey, what is it, sweetheart?” His voice and eyes softened. “Are you having second thoughts?”
God, was he insane? One touch and she’d be a goner.
She avoided meeting his eyes. “No, are you?”
“Are you kidding? I’m trying not to attack you.” He slid his fingers beneath her shirt to cup her breast. “I want to savor every minute that I’m given the gift of touching you.”
His words captivated her. No other man had been sweet and tender in the heat of passion. She pressed her breast deeper into his calloused palm, his roughness against her softness, making her desperate to meld with him into a molten conflagration. She ground her hips against his hardness.
He kneaded her breast before his thumb teased her already tight and peaked nipple. “I’m not sure I have control not to take you on a rough and wild ride.”
“Okay.” Her heart lodged in her throat at the idea of wild and rough with Lars.
She could feel his chest vibrate with laughter. “Okay? Okay to what?”
She wanted this complicated man who could laugh and joke in the throes of passion. The man who protected and tenderly cared for her while she was injured. The sensitive boy who grew up to be a marine and a writer to fill the void of his father.
“Everything. I want everything with you. Now.” She felt greedy and frantic to be one with him.
He tugged her T-shirt up, lowered his mouth to one aching nipple, and sucked. He slipped his hand inside her sweatpants to cup her, his fingers finding and stimulating her clit with gentle flicks.
“God, you’re soaking.” His dark, rumbly voice heightened her desire.
He pressed a finger, and then two, inside her, using the moisture to stretch and stroke her.
She already hovered on the brink with one touch.
“I want to get you off with my tongue. I want to watch you come, all stretched out in front of me.” His words, coupled with his two large fingers setting a languorous pace, edged her closer to falling off the cliff.
All her focus was on the sensations that he elicited from her. With one flick of his thumb as his fingers thrust, she went rocketing off. Lost to everything but the white light glittering before her eyes.
She fell on his chest. Her heart thrashed in loud knocks against her ribs as she struggled to catch her breath. She was out of her league. Lars Jenkins was dangerous. He had her already needing him, her body and heart craving his touch. No one made her want like this.
Lars lifted her easily into his arms.
“You can’t be comfortable with your legs in that position.” He walked toward the bedroom. She was a tall woman and wasn’t used to the ease with which he carried her, as if she were a lightweight.
She was very comfy right where she was, thank you very much. She leaned into his heat, her head resting on his chest. The sound of his rock-steady heartbeat was reassuring. She felt safe in his arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt safe and cherished. Lars was an experienced lover as he just proved, but that didn’t mean a future was on the horizon. She reminded herself that this was one night. It would be so easy… As if she’d ever think about committing to a man again. This was what she wanted. One night.
With his hand wrapped warmly around her, he squeezed her thigh. “What’s going on? You just stiffened in my arms like an ironing board.”
She wasn’t a fool to give up this amazing night. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to think about tomorrow. She wanted her one night. “You were right about the position. My ankle did a twinge. No biggie.”
“I’m going to make you very comfortable.”
He lowered his head and took her lips in a searing kiss as he slammed the door shut with one foot. Closing down her thoughts, she focused on experiencing all the ways Lars planned to make her “comfortable.”
He carefully laid her on the giant bed and then joined her, pulling her against him. He engulfed her in another fierce kiss. His tongue thrust deep into her mouth, claiming all of her as he lifted her shirt to expose her.
She wrapped one leg over his, pressing herself against him, tucking his rigid erection against her softness.
He sealed his mouth over the curve of her neck as his large hand cupped her breasts, teasing each nipple erect before he put his hot mouth on her nipples. He shifted between each breast from circling with his tongue to sucking hard.
Danni couldn’t lie still. She squirmed against him with each pull on her sensitive nipples.
He drew back, gazing into her eyes. “Let me love you, sweetheart.”
Like she could ever say no to this incredibly sexy man staring down at her w
ith his eyes bright with lust.
He stretched her T-shirt over her head, threading her cast gently through the sleeve. Then moving to the end of the bed, he tugged her sweatpants off, careful of her ankle. He was so strikingly aware of her, treating her like she was special to him.
He gripped her hips to draw her down closer to the edge of the bed, then he took pillows and placed them under both ankles, exposing her fully to his potent gaze.
“You’re gorgeous. All this blonde hair.” He ran his finger over her entrance, tantalizing but not touching her where she wanted his mouth. He bent and kissed along each calf, then thigh, driving her crazy with need. His light kisses and nips had her trembling in anticipation.
He knelt at the end of the bed and grasped her hips, and finally put his mouth on her. She sank back into the pleasure. His teeth grazed over her already sensitized nerves. She whimpered, lost in—overcome by—the sensation. Her legs began to shake. When he thrust his tongue into her as he flicked her with his thumb, she exploded, grabbing his hair, not wanting him to stop. He stayed with her, his mouth gently licking her as the waves subsided. She couldn’t open her eyes; she was undone by how easily he could shatter her, bring her pleasure.
She could hear him kicking off his boots, unzipping his jeans. She didn’t have the strength to open her eyes. But with the expectation of finally seeing a naked Lars, she found the will.
Her body throbbed and ached to be filled by the sight of him towering over her, sheathing his long, hard length in her. Lars Jenkins was a well-put-together man in every part of his body. And she wanted him, all of him.
Her heart slammed against his ribs as he stared down at her. His defined pecs were covered in curly blond hair that thinned to the line where his erection jutted out proudly.
“Do you know what you’re doing to me, stretched out all pink and soft? So womanly. So ready for me.”
She would never forget his rumbly, sexy voice, his eyes full of desire. She would never forget this night.
Mission: Impossible to Protect (The Impossible Mission Romantic Suspense Series Book 6) Page 10
