He could see the blush rise from her chest, but she took off her shirt and tossed it onto the chair beside the fire. “The bra.” Blake licked his lips as he watched her take off the lace. Her breasts were full, and her nipples a dark rose color. “Touch yourself. Show me how you like to be touched.”
Her hand rose, hesitantly at first. He held her gaze as her hand circled each of the hardened nipples. She rolled them in her fingers, pinching them and tugging a bit. She closed her eyes and dropped her head back. The long curve of her neck was exposed and sexy as fuck. “Take off your jeans, Elise.”
When she lifted her head and her eyes opened, the only thing he saw in them was desire. She dropped her hands to the button at her waistband and unfastened it. Shimmying them down her legs, she stepped out of them. Then her hands went to her panties. “No.” He stood up. “Those are mine.” He grabbed her and pulled her into him, slamming down to kiss her deeply, completely, and controlling everything from the position of her body to the amount of air he allowed her to have during the kiss.
His hands traveled down her back, over her ass, and back up. On the way down again, his thumbs slipped under the thin strap of elastic. He flexed and ripped the material away from her body. She gasped through her surprise while he kissed her evenharder. His hands tangled in her long, dark hair. He grabbed her ass cheeks and lifted her as her legs wound around his waist. He kept them locked in a kiss as he moved them to the wall. Pushing her against the wall, he centered his cock under her, then released her lips for a second. “Condom?”
She shook her head and gasped, “Birth control.” That was all he needed. He took her lips again and thrust his cock deep inside her. The sound she made was fucking fuel to a fire that burned hot in his gut. He withdrew and slammed home again. Her fingernails dug deep into his shoulders, which fucking added kerosene to the flames that consumed him. Unable to breathe, he broke the kiss, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his neck. “God, yes.” She panted as he pistoned into her. “Harder,” she whispered.
“Hold on,” he warned her, and she tightened her arms. Dropping one arm, he placed it under her leg and then the other. “Loosen your grip.” She did, and Blake lifted her and dropped her onto his cock as the wall supported her. He growled, “I want to see you touch yourself.” She dropped one hand to her breast and rolled her nipple in her fingers. “Harder, Elise. You know you want it harder.”
She moaned and rolled, pulling at the same time. Blake was so damn close, but he saw the moment she fractured. Her entire body went tight, and then she arched, bucking him almost off his feet. Losing all control, he grabbed her tightly, hammering his way into one of the best orgasms of his life.
They gasped for air together for a few moments before he carefully let her legs down, holding her against the wall until he could wrap his arms around her waist. She stood—or rather leaned—against him, and holding her against him, he edged them over to the couch, where he lay down beside her. He draped a quilt over them and adjusted her so she was on top ofhim. Then he ran his fingers through her hair and stared at the coals of the fire.
“Want to know something?”
He glanced down at her to see her staring up at him. “Yes.”
She chuckled and lifted to her elbows. “No man has ever”—she dropped her head, her hair covered her face—“made me feel vulnerable and protected at the same time.”
He pushed her hair away. “Don’t hide from me.”
She lifted her face. “Like that. Vulnerable and protected at the same time. How do you do that?”
“I don’t know.” And that was the truth. “Most women don’t like to hand over control.”
“I wasn’t sure if I would.” She bit her bottom lip. “But I did. I really did.”
“Then there’s much more where that came from.”
“How much more?” She cocked her head and stared at him. He could see that brilliant mind working.
“Only as much as you can handle. Never more.”
She smiled shyly. “I can live with that.” She dropped her head to his chest. “Look. It’s almost morning.”
Dawn had begun to gray the edges of the windows, and Blake realized he hadn't thought about Zajac or the threats outside these walls for hours. Not good for a person who’d spent his life looking for threats. But for one night, he'd sat in the eye of the storm, laid bare by firelight and truths that were half-spoken. He nodded. “It is. You should sleep a bit.” He stroked her hair as she yawned and snuggled against him. Their bodies intertwined like they'd been made to fit together.
For the first time in years, he felt something more dangerous than anything he’d ever experienced before.
He felt hope.
CHAPTER 14
Elise slowly blinked awake and stretched, feeling the incredible sensations of Blake’s lovemaking. Her pulse kicked at the thought of facing Blake again. He’d awakened her later in the morning and carried her upstairs before placing her under her covers on her bed. After kissing her thoroughly, he’d told her to sleep. Though she’d had no intention of doing so, the soft down pillows and the warmth of the bed lulled her into a quick, deep sleep.
What woke her was the loud creaking of the stairs as someone ventured down them, and she knew by the slow pace it wasn’t Blake. Flipping the blankets away, she peeked out her door. The door to Rook’s room was open and so was the door to the shared bathroom. She grabbed clothes and headed into the bathroom. Inside, through the thin walls, she could hear Rook and Blake talking. The quiet rumble of the men’s voices was quite clear. She didn’t want to eavesdrop—Ha! Yeah, she did, but she didn’t learn anything interesting. They talked about the food, and Blake reprimanded Rook for not eating. He got on quite a tear about it. She almost felt sorry for Rook. Almost.
When the conversation went silent, she turned on the water and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Last night had beena wonderful experience. The closeness, holding hands, sharing small details about themselves, and then making love. She could feel herself blushing and turned away from the mirror that was now starting to steam up. She slipped into the hot water of the bath and leaned back, luxuriating in the way her body felt. She was sore in the absolute best way.
How long had she wished for a man to sweep her off her feet? To be decisive and take charge. Her entire life, if she were honest. She’d had to prove herself to everyone. Prove she was capable, prove she had what it took to find the answers, prove that a woman could become a damn good investigative reporter. It was sublime ecstasy not to have to prove herself when having sex. She didn’t want to be in charge or to lead in bed. Somehow, the men she’d been with in the past weren’t … aggressive. As a matter of fact, they’d been passive and, quite frankly, mousy. It had been so unsatisfying that she hadn’t had sex in years.
She frowned and lifted her fingers out of the water, counting backwards. “Good God. It’s been five years.” She dropped her hand in the water and lifted her foot to use her toes to turn off the faucet.Five years. Well, what a glorious way to break a dry spell. When the aroma of food hit her senses, she sat up and glanced at the door. Her stomach rumbled loudly. Time to get a move on.
Elise smoothed her hair as she padded down the stairs, the scent of coffee and something warm and buttery drifting up to greet her. As she stepped into the kitchen doorway, Blake turned from the stove, his dark hair mussed, a spatula in one hand, and a devil’s grin tugging at his mouth. Before she could take another breath, he was across the room, scooping her into his arms.
“Morning.” His kiss swallowed any chance of a reply. Heat, demand, tenderness were all rolled into one long, breath-stealing moment.
