She didn’t stand a chance. Would be lucky to last another minute let alone all night.
The lines around his eyes eased, the tension that had crept into his shoulders fading. “Talk about not fighting fair. Fine. Deep breath, sweetheart.”
He took a moment to stare at her, looking as if he’d put every nuance into memory before he doubled his efforts, licking and sucking as he pumped his fingers. Gasping for air, she fisted one hand in his hair, the other in the blanket, her hips rising to meet each thrust, muscles already starting to cramp.
Time blurred, the rain still tapping the window, the waves crashing against the shore when her breath stalled, and all that heat coiled in on itself. She held her breath, teetering on the edge, needing one more push to tip over, when he curled his fingers, hit that sweet spot.
She shattered.
Imploded as a wash of white light exploded behind her eyes, taking her with it. Heat sizzled beneath her skin, every nerve sparking at once as the world disappeared, nothing but Buck’s touch grounding her.
She drifted, pleasure arcing through her veins, muscles lax before she finally opened her eyes, stared up into Buck’s.
He grinned, drawing abstract patterns on her skin as he raked his gaze the length of her. “Now, that was worth the wait. But then, I always knew you would be.”
She beckoned him to her with a tilt of her head, drowning in his kiss before he shoved his pants over his hips, kicking them onto the floor.
He held up a packet, the edges tattered. “So, I have protection but…” He sighed. “It’s incredibly old. The kind that’s liable to disintegrate on contact, but… I guess I just never wanted to assume you’d want to take a chance on me.”
She cupped her jaw. “You’re the only man I’d ever be this vulnerable with. Surely, you knew that.”
“You’re not the only one who hears voices, Tier. Who has doubts. And you… God, you’re just so… And lately, I haven’t been able to think straight whenever you’re around, and…”
He tapered off, looking sexy and frazzled all at the same time. Just like she felt.
She smiled, feeling the truth all the way to her toes. “Then, I guess it’s a good thing I’ve got one of those implants. Had it switched out not long before…”
She didn’t finish. Didn’t want to give her past a chance to rear up, ruin what they’d started. Not with him staring at her as if she’d answered all his prayers. Finally quieted some of the voices.
Instead, she slid her fingers behind his head, drew him down to her. “So, if you’re still on board, still want to pound me into the bed for the next hour, stop worrying, and make love to me.”
Chapter Fifteen
Speechless.
Propped up on one elbow, staring down at her, watching her still quivering from her orgasm, and Buck couldn’t think of a single reply that didn’t sound like him shouting out ownership. Or worse…
Him confessing he was completely, hopelessly, in love with her.
Not that he’d be able to keep it a secret much longer, but he’d finally gotten a chance to love her. The last thing he needed to do was smother her with his feelings. Make her feel cornered.
Instead, he crushed his mouth to hers, drowned in the taste of her as he shifted between her legs, pushed an inch inside her. Tierney inhaled, mouth opening on a low moan. Her head tipped back, exposing the long, sleek line of her neck. He nipped at her skin, sucking at her pulse point, wanting a visual reminder of all she’d given him.
She rasped his name, the sound scratching at his control. He held still, reminding himself to go slow, to keep it soft, loving, when she wrapped her legs around the small of his back, arched into him — sank him halfway inside her.
His control snapped. Vanished with the thought of dragging it out, making it last until the sun burned off the fog. He thrust forward, sinking fully inside her, shuffling her across the bed a bit from the force. She cried out his name, the sound muffled as she mouthed his shoulder.
She clenched him tighter, clawing at his back, gripping him as if she wanted to crawl inside him.
The bed creaked, the mattress moving with them as he set up a steady rhythm, already chasing the heat racing down his spine. Tierney scratched at his skin, meeting each stroke, using her heels to take him deeper.
His breathing increased, his lungs barely keeping up as he drove into her, any chance at keeping it light crushed beneath the need coursing through him. Dots flashed behind his eyes, his release building at the base of his spine.
Time passed, the foghorn sounding in the distance as he kept up the pace, his brain finally catching up with him. He pushed into her a few more times, then stopped, chest heaving, his arms screaming.
Tierney mumbled something unintelligible, shaking her head when he dipped down, kissed her. She shifted gears immediately, pulling him closer, claiming his mouth as soon as he paused to breathe. Their ragged breathing filled the room, that year of build-up taking him to the edge.
He shook his head. “Not, yet. I need more time.”
