“Yes.” Her eyes cleared, but she didn’t halt her exploration. “We almost died last night.”
The blood rushed so fast through his veins, he wasn’t sure his heart muscle could survive it. “We lived.”
She kissed his shoulder, having to turn her head to do it. “Are you in pain?”
He was about to fucking explode. “No.” Was that his voice? Gritty and Southern?
“Hmmm.” She walked her fingers up his neck and beneath his jaw. “You saved me. Jumped with me right out of that boat before the missile hit.”
Oh. He shuddered out a breath. “I just did my job. No need for gratitude.” So that’s what was going on.
She chuckled and used the knee on him to give herself leverage, sliding over him, landing on top of him. “I’m not feeling all that thankful, Raider. Yet.” She nipped beneath his jaw.
What the hell? He was trying to be a decent guy, but he was only a man. And sometimes not that good a one. He allowed himself the luxury of sliding his hand through her thick curls to knead her nape. Soft skin, silky hair, delicate bone structure. “Irish? I’m about at the end of my tether here,” he murmured.
She partially lifted up. “Good. It’s about time.” Then she kissed him, her knees dropping on either side of his hips, her sex pressed against his.
His body went rigid as he let her explore him. Her kiss was sweet and gentle with just enough pressure. He enjoyed her touch, his control slipping away one chain link at a time. The kiss was easy with a hint of comfort. Of shared survival. Then she bit his lip.
The chain snapped.
And he kissed her. Hard and deep and right there with her against his body. The taste of salt from the ocean on her lips drove him on as a reminder that he could’ve lost her the night before. In an instant, he didn’t care about being gentle. Didn’t give a shit that this was a huge mistake. His mind not only changed, it stopped working against him. Against what he wanted. What he fucking needed.
Hunger burst through him with a raw edge of insanity. He twisted his hand, holding all of that thick hair, wrestling control from her as easily as if they’d been sparring. Wild and savage, he focused solely on the woman lying on him. His tongue slid over her salty lips and into her mouth, where he delved deeper than he had any right to go.
A gasp whispered from her, inflaming him beyond reason.
Her nipples tightened into sharp points against his bare chest, and her mouth opened to his, taking him from reason to lunacy faster than that boat had exploded the night before. He kissed her like he’d been roaming the desert all night and she was water.
The cold of the night before, the fear, the determination . . . all faded away.
He bit her lower lip, just enough to give her pause. Except it didn’t. She moaned and moved closer, her thighs soft on the sides of his hips. It took him a second to realize she wasn’t wearing underwear. Only Wolfe’s shirt. Her core pressed against his boxers, wet and ready.
He broke the kiss, staring up into her eyes. They had gone river-bottom green, dark, hot with desire. With need. Her lips were already swollen from his kiss, and her pale cheeks had turned a stunning pink. In his entire life, he’d never seen anything or anyone more beautiful.
And a madman had kidnapped her just the day before.
The idea snapped free any control he might’ve been able to find. “You’re sure?” he asked, his biceps undulating.
“Yes.”
She’d barely gotten the word out when he grasped her hip and rolled them over, his bigger body pressing her into the mattress.
He pressed against her, his cock hard and swollen. She moaned and arched against him, her pink nipples brushing his skin again. Flattening his hands on either side of her head, he leaned down and kissed her again, taking his time and enjoying the moment while trying to wrench some control back. They’d been nearly blown up the night before, and he wanted to be gentle with her.
A woman like Brigid needed finesse. He had that in him somewhere. “This changes things,” he warned her, his lips moving against hers. He couldn’t be who he needed to be and take this lightly. Take her lightly. There was nothing casual about Brigid Banaghan, and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. “Tell me you understand, Brigid.” He was already responsible for her on one level, and if they took this deeper, he wouldn’t be able to distance himself any longer. That might be bad for both of them.
But he was beyond caring. This was her decision. He’d already made his.
“I understand,” she breathed, tunneling her soft hands through his hair and tugging just hard enough to make him growl.
He wasn’t sure she did. “I’m not a casual guy.”
She leaned up and nipped his chin again, adding a scrape of teeth this time. “Prove it, Tanaka.”
Chapter Nineteen
Brigid let the challenge loose, knowing full well how Raider responded to challenges. So be it. “I’m tired of trying to keep my distance from you. Wherever this goes, I want to jump.” It was the truth, and she was done hiding it from him. Raider was a risk and a dangerous one.
