Lost in the rush of sensation, lost in her, he wrenched his mouth from hers, tossed his head back in pure ecstasy, and arched into her one last time, high and hard and infinitely deep.
A guttural growl tore from his chest, and his entire body shuddered as he came, harder and stronger than he could ever remember. His scorching release seemed to go on and on, wringing him dry and leaving him weak and devastated, until he could do nothing else except collapse on top of Blair.
He buried his face against her neck, his body shuddering with the aftershocks. For a moment, there was only the sound of their harsh breathing. Then her hand began a slow, steady stroke down his spine, a calming, repetitive motion. Another kiss, this one to his shoulder. In the quiet safety of her touch, the noise in his head finally subsided. The truth wasn't a sudden lightning bolt, but a slow dawn. He hadn't been erased by his mother's lies or Derrick's blood, but he had been found. He wanted connection, openness…love. His gut twisted with it, and Blair, God, she was so sweet, so smart, so open, so goddamned real, he almost couldn’t handle everything at once.
“What do you say Goldilocks? Everything was just right. Wanting me felt so goddamned good,” Breakneck said softly, lifting himself up and bracing his elbows on either side of her, the pleasure still tingling through him, still buried deeply inside her.
She met his gaze, her body loose and yielding beneath him, her expression tender and sweet. “Everything with you feels so right,” she murmured, nuzzling his jaw, then with a soft exhale, she buried her face in the hollow of his throat. “Do you think life can recalibrate now. Give us some respite?”
He played with the loose hair on her pillow, then tugged it. “I hope so. All I know is that I wish the world would disappear for about six weeks and I can stay right here with my insatiable woman.”
She bit his shoulder. “I’m not sure you even have enough stamina for that.”
He chuckled and drew her tight to him. “I’d give it my best shot.”
38
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carlsbad, California
The hot water had done little to wash away the fatigue, but it had scoured the edge off, leaving North feeling clean, if not entirely human. He had just a towel wrapped around his waist, water still beading on his shoulders and tracing paths down his chest, when the knock came at the door. He sighed, a familiar, weary sound. "Fly, did you lose your key card, again?" he called out, padding across the plush hotel carpet, the view of the resort through the windows breathtaking.
He yanked the door open without a second thought. "Well, mate, you should at least buy me dinner?" a woman's voice, rich with a playful Australian accent, shot back with a wink.
His brain stuttered. Definitely not Fly. Standing there was a woman with eyes the color of warm honey and a smile that could melt steel. Her gaze went over him, seemingly following the path of a droplet as it slid from his collarbone down the center of his chest. North felt a slow, unfamiliar heat climb his neck. He laughed softly, a low, rusty sound. "Can I help you?"
Her eyes snapped back up to his face, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. "Um... yeah... um... right." She cleared her throat, her own composure momentarily rattled. "I was looking for Fly."
He sighed. Barely three days here and he was already hooked up. "Of course, you are. I don't know where he is. I thought he was going for breakfast." As if on cue, his stomach rumbled, a loud, insistent protest.
She smiled, a quick, bright flash of understanding. "Oh, wait. You think I'm here for Fly. Oh, no. I'm here with my sister. She's waiting in the car. She’s the one dating Fly." She leaned against the door jamb, a casual, confident move that belied the slight glassiness still in her eyes. "So, what's your name?"
North blinked, the gears in his head slowly turning, grunting, the sound laced with a dawning, murderous certainty. "I'm going to kill that little fucking bastard," he ground out, the words a low, dangerous promise.
"Unconventional and a mouthful, but okay," she replied, completely unfazed.
North ran a hand through his damp hair, pushing the long strands back from his face, and he didn't miss the way her eyes followed every single movement. “Nathaniel Locklear…Than or you can call me North.”
“That’s very sexy. Fly said he was in the military. You guys special operators?”
“He is.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re adorable,” she whispered, pulling on a strand of his hair. North let it pass. He chose who to share his power with and this beautiful woman didn’t know his way.
"What's your name?" he asked as she stepped closer, her scent a subtle mix of jasmine and musk. His heart tightened for a fraction of a second. Jasmine. That scent would forever haunt him. Then it slipped back into a regular beat. "I'm Alice, and I feel like I've fallen into the best rabbit hole. You're hungry, and we're going to breakfast. How about you tag along? Saves me from being a third wheel."
He couldn't help it. He chuckled, the sound a little easier this time. "As long as you don't mind a little blood."
She laughed softly, a warm, melodic sound. "He's always pushing buttons, isn't he?"
North shook his head, a reluctant grin finally touching his lips. "Yes. Let me get dressed."
He turned to walk toward his closet, but she slid into the room as the door clicked shut behind him. "You need any help picking something out?" she purred.
He glanced back over his shoulder to find her right behind him, her hands slipped around his waist, dropping to the knot of his towel. “Oops,” she whispered, her touch sending a jolt straight through him. He looked down at her hands, then back over at her mischievous eyes. "Yeah, sure," he said, his voice a low rumble, grunting low in his throat as she cupped him. He turned, pushed her against the wall, divested her of her panties beneath the short, flared skirt. "Maybe later."
He pushed between her thighs, entered her hard, her wet heat sheathing him.
“Oh, god, she whispered.
