She snagged her bottom lip, his low gravelly voice washing over her, then inched closer. “You kissed me on top of that roof.”
His eyes crinkled a bit around the corners. “When that pipe cracked…” He swallowed. Hard. “Am I crazy or is there something…”
She flexed her fingers against his jaw, his previous scruff more of a full-on beard, now. “Special?”
He chuckled. “I was going to say magical, but that makes me sound crazy, just like you said.” He blew out a slow breath. “It’s not as if I haven’t always thought you were smart, and fierce, and so damn beautiful it made it feel as if the world had stopped spinning. Stood still so I could just drink you in. And I’d been working up the courage to ask you out when things went sideways here. Then, I only ever saw you a few times on rescues, and…”
His voice faded as if he wasn’t quite sure how to finish the statement.
She brushed her thumb the length of his jaw. “You were working up the courage?”
“Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but the looks, the intelligence, the skill… It’s a bit intimidating. But when I ran through that waterfall, saw you standing there, it was like the universe gave me a kick in the ass. Made me wonder what the hell I was waiting for because we only get so many second chances.”
Some of her doubts eased. “Is this the part where I confess, I’ve been crushing on you since the day we met? That rescue in Clatsop a couple years ago?” She held his gaze. “But you always seemed so determined. So focused. I figured a guy that put together had to have someone waiting at home.”
“I believe the phrase most women use is, too military for anything serious.”
She frowned. “Is that even possible?”
“You tell me.”
“I think you’re the right amount. Any less, and I’d be dead.” She tilted her head to the side, judging his reaction. “I’m not asleep, this time. And, at least for right now, there aren’t any men with guns. It’s just us, so…”
That was all the encouragement he seemed to need as his fingers slid back along her jaw, curling around her hair as he stepped fully into her — pinned her to the counter, his mouth slanting over hers.
Definitely magical.
Her stomach trembled as everything sped up, jumped into overdrive from the simple press of his mouth on hers. She groaned, and he reacted. Tilted her head back, deepened the kiss. Drew it out until black dots flickered behind her closed eyes.
He finally eased up long enough to tug her against his chest, walk them backward. He stopped when he reached the couch, kissing her again. Longer. Harder. She lost herself in his touch, the way he moaned as if he couldn’t get enough of the way she tasted, only to realize they’d made their way onto the couch. That she’d gone from standing to straddling him.
Rowan inhaled, pulled back, her hair falling around them, heart thrashing. She glanced at his leg, grunted, swatting at his hand when he tried to drag her back. “Are you high? Your leg.”
Bodie twisted his hand in her hair, led her back without even tugging. “What leg?”
Another several minutes lost in his mouth. In the way his fingers moved across her back, finally resting on her ass. She sucked in a deep breath, wondering if she’d ever wanted a guy like this. If she’d ever been this far gone.
She nuzzled against his hand as he palmed her cheek. “Bodie.”
He laughed. “Trust me. My leg’s fine. I’m not in pain.”
“But you will be, once the endorphins wear off. You need a few more days, especially if you insist on running and kicking people’s asses.” She shifted, settled beside him. “Covering me when bullets start flying. That’s insane, by the way.”
“You mean, the same way you’ve taken all the risks to keep me and my buddies alive?”
She leaned against him, kissed her way across his jaw. “You’re worth it.” She pressed her lips to his, stayed that way for another ten minutes before easing away, running her thumb along his mouth. “I…”
He shushed her. “We don’t have to rush this. Take it any farther until you’re ready. Especially if I get to keep kissing you.”
Her chin quivered. “It’s not that I don’t…”
“This is new territory for me, too. And you’re worth fighting for.” He grabbed the blanket like he had last night, laid it over them. “Sleep. I’ll hold you.” He kissed her temple. “No nightmares for either of us. Okay?”
She burrowed against him, heart still tapping triple time, insides jumping. She didn’t believe in fate or love at first sight, but this…
This felt like something worthy of her faith. The kind of beginning that ended with the rest of her life.
Chapter Twelve
