by Em Petrova
He settled his hands on her shoulders, and she craned her neck to look up at him. By degrees, he leaned in, inch by inch, until their lips were a breath apart. He smelled of shaving cream and coffee. She drank in his scent, eyes closing.
He shifted his hands from her shoulders, gliding up the sides of her neck to cup her face. When he pressed his lips against hers, the air caught in her lungs.
Hard lips. Hard hands too. Both were extraordinarily tender when it came to how he treated her.
As she angled her head, he issued a gritty groan. She parted her lips in invitation, but he pulled back. “I can’t get started with you, or I’ll never stop. Get your shower.”
She didn’t move to strip off her clothes, so he did it for her, starting with her long-sleeved top, her bra, pants and underwear. He paused to take off her boots and socks as well, and when she stood nude in front of him, he simply stared at her.
That look left her with no guess as to what he wanted. Her skin was aflame from the scorch of his gaze. The bulge in his jeans was unmistakable.
He skirted around her to the door. Over his shoulder, he sent her another glance before he left her alone to shower.
In as much haste as her tired limbs could manage, she washed and toweled off. On the vanity, Alix had laid out some soft sweats and a pair of panties for her.
Weighted with exhaustion, she stumbled into her bedroom. He had the covers turned down for her. Her head hit the pillow, and she was instantly asleep.
She woke once to note that her nose was pressed against Alix’s hard chest. She nuzzled his fresh-scented warm skin and the light hairs on his chest before passing out again.
When she flipped over next time, he spooned her, an arm banded across her middle and his groin cradling her ass. She wiggled instinctively, wanting more even if her body told her she lacked the energy for steamy-hot lovemaking, and he groaned into her ear.
The next time she opened her eyes, and found Alix wasn’t in bed with her. Had she dreamed all of it? She didn’t think so.
Seconds later, she heard the door close and heard him speaking to Zack. The telltale clink of his leash against the wall told her Alix had hung it up on the peg by the door, and they’d probably enjoyed a walk without her.
Feeling left out, she swung her legs out of bed. But she only took a step before he appeared in the doorway.
He filled the doorway. Broad shoulders taking up the space between jambs, he leveled his stare at her.
She held out her arms, and he crossed the room in two steps to sweep her into his arms. He threw her down on the bed and slipped a hand under her sweatshirt, skating it over her ribs as he slammed his mouth over hers.
Need flashed like stars in her mind, and she hooked her legs on his waist. The fire between them hadn’t gone out since their last encounter. Would it always be this way? If they were in a relationship, would one or both of them go away and return to pick up exactly where they’d left off?
A moan burst past her lips as he palmed her bare breast. Her nipple pebbled under his touch, and he pinched and pulled it into a turgid peak while sweeping his tongue through her mouth for dizzying moments.
She tore off his T-shirt and worked at the fly of his jeans until his hard length spilled into her palm. He reared back to gaze at her, and she stroked him from base to tip, watching his lips quirk at the corner.
Flustered, she yanked at her own clothes. The desire burning a trail through her body left her panting.
When he poised his swollen, mushroomed cock at her pussy, she bucked upward to impale herself on him.
The slick glide made her cry out, and he answered with an animal growl. They began to move, together at first but as they were both overcome with desire and sensation, their rhythm became jerkier. They thundered to the finish with her pussy clamping down hard on his length and milking the first spurts of cum from him.
“Fuck! Viv—” Her name was lost in the roar he released.
Ecstasy shattered her with lightning zaps. She found his mouth and kissed him with all the need they’d begun this journey with, the passion it had morphed into, and the love it was now.
“Fuck, Viv,” he said in a whisper.
Her aftershocks continued to dizzy her, but her mind spun even more with the fact she was in love with Alix Broshears. She’d guessed it back in that cabin. Maybe even before. But she continued to question her feelings until she saw him today, and then all the pieces clicked into place like tumblers in a lock.
She could nearly hear the metallic clinks echo through her body as she lay in Alix’s arms.
When he stared down at her, his eyes burned. “Are you hungry?”
“Ravenous.”
“You’re in luck—I happen to make a killer trucker’s breakfast.”
Her stomach growled. “I have no clue what a trucker’s breakfast is, but I’m up for it.”
He stamped a kiss on her mouth and then withdrew from her body. “Get cleaned up and meet me in the kitchen. But before you do, I have a very important question to ask you.”
Her heart caught, and her lungs jammed with the air she tried to draw in. “What is it?”
“Bacon or sausage?”
Relief swept through her. Whatever her feelings, she wasn’t ready for big leaps forward, ultimatums or anything else resembling steps toward the altar.
“Bacon.”
“My kinda girl.” He shot her a wink, pulled on his jeans sans underwear and zipped up, leaving the button open as he walked out of the bedroom.
She watched him go. If she actually did have one of those female confidantes, she’d be burning up her phone texting her, telling her that a half-naked, gorgeous, ripped, amazing man who cooked breakfast had just climbed out from between her thighs.
Chapter Ten
Out of the corner of his eye, Broshears saw a flail of arms and legs. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Vivian crash and burn—again.
He circled back to lift her off the ice. She cussed a stream of words that would make a military general proud and a mother take off her flip-flop and go after her.
“For a woman who can manage snowshoes and a dog, you can’t ice skate at all.”
He held her so they were on eye level, and she glared at him. “No kidding!”
He started to ease her to her skates, and she scrabbled at his shoulders. “Don’t put me down!”
Chuckling, he swept her legs over his arm and skated her bridal-style off the ice. He bypassed a few people lacing up skates and headed straight to the closest bench.
After he settled her on her butt, which must surely be bruised after all her falls, he said, “Why didn’t you tell me you can’t skate when I suggested this as a date?”
“Because I can skate.”
He arched a brow.
“In my fantasies. Do you know how horrible it was being the only Alaskan girl in the fourth-grade class who couldn’t stay upright at an ice-skating birthday party? Ughhh.” She dropped her face into her hands and shook her head.
“We could have gone to the movies.”
“I’ve had enough action this week without watching an action flick.”
He dropped to one knee and started untying her skates. When he glanced up at her face, she wore such an odd expression.
He offered a grin and pulled off her first skate. He reached for her other one. When the horrible offenders were off her feet, he reached for her hand. He slowly drew off her glove and enfolded her fingers in his.
Her breaths came out faster, and her fingertips brushed across his. The music in the rink vanished, and everyone around them disappeared. All he saw was Vivian.
Turning her hand palm up, he traced her lifeline.
“Are you a palm reader on top of being great at ice skating?”
“I just play one on TV,” he quipped.
“So you’ll feel right at home when you give that interview.”
He’d filled her in on the drive over here, and she’d been quiet during t
he conversation, which made him wonder if she felt contrite over her outburst when she found him on the video call.
He shrugged it off. “I’m not doing it to be famous.”
“You will be anyway.”
He plopped onto the bench beside her, suddenly thrust back in time to their moment at the airport.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“A janitor’s closet. I want to relive the airport incident.”
“Better find me a bar first. I’m far too sober to do it with you in another closet, Alix.”
He laughed, and her gaze zeroed in on his cheek where his dimple only showed when he smiled. When she reached up and stroked her finger over the divot, he smiled wider. “You’re looking at me the same way you did in that airport, Valentine.”
“Impossible. I didn’t see the real you then.” A furious flush coated her cheeks as if she hadn’t meant to say that.
Capturing her hand, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “I never realized we’d get to this place.”
She wiggled on the bench and then jumped to her feet. “How about a game of Pac-Man? I see an old machine in the arcade.”
He rolled with the change of subject. “I’m always up for healthy competition.”
She issued a tinkling laugh. “You might be able to skate, Broshears, but I was the kid at the party not on the ice. I spent my time in the arcade.” She took off, hips swaying in invitation.
Quickly, he removed his skates, grabbed both pairs and took them to the rental counter before he followed her into the arcade. Groups of teen girls giggled and moved away from him as he entered. Vivian already had some quarters fed into the machine and was selecting her player color.
He stepped up next to her and nudged her with his arm. “What if I wanted to be yellow?”
“Too bad—you get pink.” She stuck out her tongue, and he growled.
Her eyes widened. Facing forward again, she said quietly, “Not here.”
“No. We can’t traumatize the kids. But the minute I get you alone, Vivian…”
She shot him a side glance.
“You’re mine,” he finished.
Her breasts heaved as she drew a deep breath. Then the game began, and they were head-to-head eating dots and trying to avoid ghosts. When she won the first game, he turned up the heat.
“Hey! I thought you were a nice guy!”
“Not remotely.” He chomped his way through the maze, heading after her so the ghosts chased them both.
He won this game. “There. We’re even. Wanna play another round?”
She shook her head. “I was thinking about those soft pretzels.”
“With cheese?”
“You bet. My treat. C’mon.”
They ended up facing each other across a small yellow laminate table with snacks. He shifted and the table wobbled. “They must make these booths for—”
“Normal-sized humans?” she interrupted.
He cocked a brow at her. “What am I then?”
“Xtreme Ops-sized?”
He broke out laughing, watching her face lose much of the strain from her mission as well as the weeks before when they hunted down package bombs. “You know how damn breathtaking you are?”
She stopped, jaw dropped. “Alix…”
“It’s true.”
They shared a smile and continued eating.
“Tell me about where you were this past week.”
He shrugged, uneasy. “Northwest.”
“I see. How was the weather up there?”
He paused, carefully selecting his response. “Saw a few pirates.”
“Ah.” She took his meaning that they’d apprehended smugglers. “You don’t look as if you had any problems.”
“I usually have the upper hand.”
“They’re moving my uncle at the end of the week,” she said quietly.
“I heard.”
“And Geri’s bail is set high.” She nodded, swirling her pretzel in a tiny cup of cheese.
“Expected.”
“They actually were working together.” Her voice held an underlying tremor.
“I heard.” He sighed. “None of it was within your control, Vivian. You know that, right? Just because you knew them doesn’t mean you could have stopped them.”
“I know. I just ask myself if my father could have.”
He studied her for a long minute. “No person can stop another if their mind is truly set on an act. Like mine is.”
“What do you mean?”
He leaned over the table. “I mean that I aim to have you, Vivian. I want to make you mine.”
At the first blasts of the “Imperial March” from Star Wars on TV, Zack’s ears waved right and left.
Alix chuckled at the dog. “Seems like he’s heard this once or twice.”
“Or ten times.” Vivian drew her feet under her as she curled in her favorite corner of the sofa. Zack lay on the floor, ears waving, and Alix took up most of the furniture with his arm extended over the back.
The movie night, following date night, after a night of passion, and then breakfast, had her sitting on pins. This was all too good to be real.
She didn’t want to analyze her feelings for Alix, but here she was doing it again. Wondering if he felt the same way she did, or if her emotions could be lust and some strange bond born from him knowing her darkest secrets about her ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle.’ Maybe her feelings were a play on Alix taking care of her dog for several days.
Whatever the case, she couldn’t deny she had a…thing…for him.
As they watched the movie, she stole peeks at his profile. Strong, rugged. Any woman would be crazy to let this moment pass her by. Men like him were too good to be true.
He caught her glancing his way and captured her stare. The twinkle in his eyes spoke of sweeping kisses and blazing orgasms that rocked her world.
She didn’t know how it happened, but she ended up in his arms. Then in his lap with his tongue on her nipples. Finally, he lay her flat and lowered himself between her thighs.
Her short panting breaths rasped from her lungs. Sensation rippled through her at the feel of his hard cock pressing toward her soaked folds. Digging her fingers into his shoulders, she angled her body to receive him.
“Slow down, honey.” He nibbled at her earlobe.
Sparks of desire arced through her veins. “I want you, Alix.”
He raised his head and pierced her in his stare. “I want you too, Vivian. I wasn’t joking earlier when I said I want to have more with you.”
The words splashed over her intense passion, cooling her quite a bit. At the rink, she’d been torn between excitement and despair when he first dropped to one knee to remove her skates. The act was one ingrained in every female since she hit toddlerhood as being something she wanted for herself.
But Vivian wasn’t so sure she was cut out for marriage or wife material. So the relief she felt when he simply removed her ice skates still lingered in the recesses of her mind as important.
Then he’d leaned over the snack shack table and rocked her world some more.
I aim to have you, Vivian. I want to make you mine.
Those weren’t words spoken by a man who was joking. Alix Broshears was as serious as a hijacker on a 747.
“Alix…”
He swooped in and kissed her, stealing all words from her lips and for a while, the thoughts from her mind too. He delved his hand between their bodies and stroked her straining clit until her nerve endings zapped and her body quaked.
She pulled him tight to her and gasped through a shaking, panting orgasm and a flood of juices that surely would beckon him inside her.
Still, he held off. As if he wanted to talk.
He stared at her face. “I’ve told you twice that I want more with you, and you haven’t responded either time. I’m starting to get the feeling you aren’t where I am in this.”
Fresh from a smoldering release, her pussy still pulsating with n
eed to have his cock, and the thick length pressing at the quick of her, how was she supposed to think let alone answer?
“I can’t…focus with you about to fuck me.”
He did a pushup so their bodies weren’t touching. “Fuck you? Or make love to you?”
He climbed off the couch and reached for his boxer briefs.
Shocked, she stared up at him for five full heartbeats before she realized he was seriously ending their interlude this way.
She slowly pulled her top on and then her panties. He kept his back to her as he dressed in his jeans and T-shirt again. The hard set of his shoulders told her he was angry. She’d all but rejected him with her silence—of course he was angry.
Unknowing what to do, she brought her knees up to her chest and allowed the moments to tick by and the silence to stretch on.
Finally, he swung to face her. The granite expression he wore gave away no misrepresentation of how he felt. It was the look he wore while on a mission, when he slammed all the doors on his emotions and just did his job.
Had she gone so far as to make herself worthy of that look?
She stood and approached him. In the background, the movie played and Zack gave a small snore. She closed the gap between her and Alix, wanting to make things right between them.
He eyed her warily. “You don’t feel the same.”
“I…”
“Don’t hold back, Vivian. We’ve never held back with each other, not in the airport and certainly not after. Tell me how you feel.”
Her insides trembled. She wasn’t prepared to give him up, but if he was offering an ultimatum, she would have to step away from the man.
Spreading her hands, she shot him an imploring look. “When you say you aim to have me and make me yours…what does that mean, Alix?”
He took a step toward her and came up short. His body heat swelled out over her flesh, hardening her nipples once more. But the gleam in his eyes had her stomach dropping ten stories. “It means that I want more with you. In case you’re unaware, I’m fucking in love with you, Vivian.”
The revelation smacked her square in the chest, and she stumbled away a step. “Love me? Alix, you can’t be serious.”