“It’s safe, Gray. Really, trust me.” Admittedly, the Skyhawk didn’t look like much but barring the slight hiccup with the gas line, it had delivered him to Everett in one piece.
“You used a plumbing clamp to reattach the gas line?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” He couldn’t lie. She’d seen him do it. Thanks to some turbulence and a loose line, the plane had morphed into a sixteen-hundred-pound glider on the way in. A minor detail he was wise enough to keep to himself.
“I’m not getting in this thing.” She started backing out butt-first. A fast learner, he already had her boxed in, one hand on the wing, one on the plane.
“You don’t have much choice.”
“You can’t make me.” She whirled to face him when her ass bumped against his appreciative dick, giving him a thrill and halting her retreat.
“Wanna bet?” He leaned into her space. He couldn’t help himself. She’d been trying to tick him off all morning, and so far, her attempts had been highly entertaining and hugely unsuccessful. The harder she tried, the more he laughed. And the more he laughed, the angrier she got.
The two-hour ride to Everett had been epic. Hella sexy when agitated, Gray had issued one challenge after the next, both of them volleying back and forth with rapid-fire questions that got them nowhere.
She hadn’t given him anything more than he had previously.
Which amounted to a whole lot of nothing.
Fair enough, considering he’d refused to answer her questions too. She wanted to know who he worked for and what his orders were. Due to the nature of the JTT’s mission, he wasn’t in a position to share more than his former rank as a sergeant in the US Marine Corps and that his orders were classified.
It wasn’t enough to make her happy, but until they got to the JTT’s base camp near Palo Pinto, he couldn’t give her any more information. The colonel would be royally pissed when Chase arrived with Gray, but after he cooled off, he’d pull her aside and question her until she gave him what he wanted.
Given her steadfast refusal to share, Chase might not get her alone again for days.
Not an option.
She was in danger because of their mission, and he had a duty to see that she stayed safe. For that reason alone, he intended to keep her close. Real close. On the flip side, he wanted to spend some personal time with her, and if he had to work around his orders to make it happen—so be it.
With a quick glance at his watch, he did the math. They had eight hours of flight time ahead of them, two stops for refueling, and a one-hour drive to the JTT’s home base. Gave him eleven hours to convince the stubborn woman glaring at him her rules about dating military men didn’t apply to him.
“Are you getting your ass in this plane, or am I doing it for you?” Her green eyes flashed, and he dipped his head until his nose came within an inch of hers. “Because I’m more than happy to—”
Her lips on his silenced him mid-sentence, and he had to put his muscles on lockdown to keep from taking what he wanted. This was her kiss. Her chance to explore the combustible tension simmering between them.
Tentative at first, her tongue licked at his mouth, tasting and teasing, gauging his interest with every tiny flick. And fuck, yeah. He was interested. More than interested. He’d been waiting for her to kiss him all morning.
Hands finding his chest, she fisted his shirt, stepped closer, and lifted her chin. Her lips parted, and when their tongues met, he damn near caught fire. Everything about her fit him.
Her mouth and the way she opened to him, inviting him in. Her height and the way he didn’t have to do more than tilt his head down to reach her lips. Her body and the way she melted into him, his growing erection trapped between their hips.
God. She was perfect.
Pulling him closer, she moaned, the sound sliding like liquid honey down his throat, encouraging him to take the kiss deeper. No further guidance necessary, he locked his arm around her waist, tangled his free hand in her hair, and took the kiss from sweet and sexy to the next level.
Fuck. He wanted more. Needed more.
And he’d just made his intentions known.
Gray’s heartthumped hard enough against Chase’s chest to leave an impression as big as the one his cock made against her belly. One hand in her hair, he twisted her head to the side as he deepened their kiss. His other hand, he left on her lower back, holding her tight against his rigid length.
She couldn’t get free if she wanted to.
Not that she wanted to. She’d been craving his kiss all morning.
And holy shit. His lips.
Firm and demanding, he owned her mouth, his tongue making her hot enough to blister the pavement beneath their feet. It’d been a while since she’d been kissed like this. Okay, fine. She’d never been kissed like this.
