“No, it’s just…” She pushed out a rough breath, then eased away, putting a bit of distance between them.
He drew himself up, braced for impact. “Rowan, you don’t have to explain?—”
“I’m falling for you.”
The words came out in a heated rush, as if she’d been afraid she wouldn’t get them all out.
She snagged her bottom lip with her teeth, worrying it for a bit before sighing. “Hard. And in a way that feels different. Feels heavy.” She rolled her eyes as she dabbed at the edges. “I know it’s been a whirlwind, and our adrenaline’s been flowing nonstop. That all this might be the byproduct of the stress, and the fear, and the fact I’ve never met anyone like you.” She threw one hand in the air. “You freaking stepped between me and bullets, and you didn’t even blink. Didn’t hesitate.”
She paced a few steps away, as if she needed the space to breathe. “I know that’s what you do, but I’ve been around other guys like you, and they didn’t step up, which means…” She paused, breathed. “There are no other guys like you. And…”
She groaned. “And I’m rambling because I’m tired, and scared, and I really don’t want to say what comes next but…” Another harsh breath. “It’s okay if this is just a distraction for you. If you’re not drowning like me, but I’m not sure I can…” She waved between them. “That if you don’t… that I’m strong enough to walk away after it’s over.”
He didn’t wait for her to trip through more words, he just closed the distance, kissed her. Long. Deep. The way he’d been envisioning, no restraint, no second thoughts. Just heat, and skin, and those next sixty years.
She speared her fingers through his hair, scratched a line along his scalp, kissing him again when he eased back, took a breath. He responded in kind, started moving them toward the couch when she froze, locked her gaze on his.
He chuckled. “Right, words, first.” He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “Do you know what goes through my mind whenever you’re around?”
She shook her head. “That I might be slightly insane?”
“Not slightly.” He smiled when she swatted his arm. “All I can think about is how this feels like the future. That you feel like my future. But in case that’s not clear enough…”
He tugged her against him. “I’m not looking for a few nights of what I know will be incredible sex. I’m looking for the lifetime’s worth of that. If you need us to go to dinner, the movies — do actual date stuff before we take it further — then I’ll pop some popcorn, and we’ll plant our asses on the couch. Watch whatever you want. Let this play out over the next few weeks or months.” He brushed his mouth softly over hers without actually kissing her. “Or we can jump.”
He took a single step back, still holding her hand. “I’ve already leaped, so… It’s your choice.”
Rowan stared at him, lips slightly parted, breath held until a smile curled the corners of her mouth, a hint of red rising in her cheeks. She moved in close, smoothing some hair off his forehead. “Then, what are you waiting for?” She tiptoed up. “Kiss me, again, tiger, then take me to bed.”
She didn’t wait, just closed the inch of space between them, slanted her mouth over his and dove in. Held on until spots danced across his closed eyes. He sucked in a quick breath, took another step, arm extended, fingers still entwined. Rowan smiled, followed him down the hallway until he stopped halfway, pinning her to the wall while he ravaged her mouth.
She tasted too hot, too damn sweet, and he half-considered stripping them both down right there — taking the edge off with a round against the wall.
Until she whispered his name, those gorgeous blue eyes staring up at him full of promise. A preview of how his life could play out if he did this right — showed her he’d really jumped.
Rowan arched a brow when he retreated, holding his hand as he backed up the last half of the hallway, then into his room. Soft moonlight filtered through the windows and skylight, the distant thunder of helicopter blades sounding in the background, mixing with the constant crash of waves.
He stopped when his legs hit the bed, the left side of her face just visible in the muted light. Her hair hung in lazy waves across her shoulders, still damp from being out in the mist.
She swept her gaze the length of him, her smile a flash of white in the darkness. “Is there something on my face? Because the way you’re looking at me…”
Her reached out, touched her cheek, her skin strikingly soft against his palm. “I just want to memorize this moment. How the light’s shading your face. The way your silhouette fades into the shadows.” He grinned. “Maybe pinch myself to prove this is real.”
She snagged her bottom lip like she had in the kitchen, then stepped into him, fisting the waistband on his jeans. “How about I give you something worth remembering?”
“Rowan, I…”
She stopped him with another fierce kiss as she dragged his shirt over his head, then shoved his pants past his hips. She went to her knees, tugging and pulling until his jeans and boxers hit the floor. Nothing covering his skin but a single bandage on his right thigh.
She frowned, ran her palms up and down his leg. “When I think how close you came to…” She swallowed, dropped a kiss next to his bandage. “That I nearly lost this chance before it began.”
“Still breathing, thanks to you.”
“Pretty sure you’ve saved me, twofold.” She shifted her focus, blew a heated breath across his groin. “So, relax, and let me show you what’s been looping through my head for far too long.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to… Christ.”
His head fall back as she ran her closed hand the length of him, pausing to kiss the tip before repeating the caress, taking him from hot to supernova in a heartbeat. Reaching out, he gathered her hair in one hand as he watched her work his length, each pass deeper than the last.
