And yet when Mateo and the boy headed to their respective quarters for a brief nap in the brutal afternoon heat, Gage closed the door to their room, turned her into his arms, and kissed her. He cupped her face and kissed the corners of her mouth, then sank into her soft lips again.
“I want you,” he said on another slow kiss. “I know it’s not the time or place, but my body doesn’t seem to care.” He took her hand and moved it down to cover his heavy erection.
Abby’s fingers closed around him. “I want you, too. I always seem to want you.”
Gage groaned.
“It’s a bad idea,” he said, kissing the side of her neck. “These walls are like paper.”
Abby’s arms slid around his neck. “Edge’s room is next door, and he’s not in.”
Gage nipped her earlobe. “You think you can be quiet?”
The corners of her mouth tipped up. “Depends on what you do to me.”
He chuckled. “I’m going to make you come. That much I can promise.” Gage kissed her again, forcing himself to be gentle, coaxing her lips apart, then deepening the kiss and taking what he wanted. Abby’s response was immediate, her mouth softening under his, her nipples tightening as her breasts flattened against him.
Even with the ceiling fan stirring up a breeze, it was hot in the room. Gage stripped off his T-shirt and tossed it away, thought of the men in the cantina, and left on his cargo pants in case there was trouble.
Abby peeled her T-shirt off over her head, unfastened her bra and tossed it away.
“Take off the rest,” Gage commanded. She liked it when he took control, and after the way the men in the cantina had looked at her, he needed to mark her, brand her as his, bind her to him in some way.
“Unbraid your hair.”
Standing naked in front of him, she pulled off the band holding her long golden-red braid and combed her fingers through it, separating the fiery strands, spreading them around her shoulders. His groin tightened painfully, urging him to take her.
Gage ignored the demands of his body, refusing to be hurried. Not today.
“Come here,” he said softly, waiting patiently as she approached, her eyes never leaving his face. The moments dragged out, making him harder still.
“I’ve never told you how beautiful you are,” he said, trailing a finger down her cheek. “I’ve never said that I think about being inside you even when you’re not around.”
She reached out and flattened her palms on his chest. “I think about you, too, Gage. I remember the way you touch me, and I want more.”
His heartbeat quickened. He reached out and cupped a pale, ripe breast, ran his thumb back and forth across her nipple. Abby trembled as he bent his head and took the fullness into his mouth. She combed her fingers through his hair, silently begging for more.
Unzipping his cargo pants, Gage freed himself, kissed her deeply as he lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her arms slid around his neck. He carried her across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, adjusting her so she straddled him, a knee on each side, spreading her open for his touch.
Abby’s head fell back as he began to stroke her, knowing what she liked and exactly the way she liked it. She was ready for him, as she always was, her body hot and slick as he positioned his hard length and slid himself inside.
Abby moaned, and her hold tightened around his neck.
“Easy . . .” Refusing to be rushed, he gripped her hips to hold her in place and began to move, slowly at first, then driving deep, taking what he wanted, giving her what she wanted too.
Abby clung to him, her long, fiery hair shifting across her back, her body moving in perfect rhythm with his.
He wanted to tell her how good she felt, how she matched him better than any woman he had ever known. He might have, if it weren’t for the power it would give her, a power he couldn’t afford to concede.
“Hold on, baby,” he said, slamming into her faster, deeper, harder. “Stay with me.” The breeze from the ceiling fan washed over him, but it did nothing to cool his blood.
Abby arched her back, taking even more of him, and he felt her tighten around him. Fierce pleasure washed through him, hot and intense, drawing every muscle taut. His release came hard and fast, matching hers as they reached the peak together.
Long seconds passed, yet his heart still hammered wildly. Abby pressed her lips against his sweat-slick skin right over his heart, and something shifted inside him, expanded into an emotion he had never felt before. Something he couldn’t afford to feel.
Something he refused to allow.
What was it about this woman that touched him in a way no other woman had? Whatever it was, he couldn’t permit his feelings to grow any deeper. There was no place for a woman in the life he led. He had learned that lesson before.
