“Did he tell you that?” Her brows drew together.
“Not in so many words. Not out loud, but I think that’s what happened.”
“I’m not sure I would have been strong enough to break up with him. I might have gone through with the wedding and spent my life living with the wrong brother.” She looked down.
“Des, stop beating yourself up. It’s over. It’s in the past. I’m here now. Plus, it’s been a long time. You might not even like me anymore. You’ve romanticized me. I’ve done the same thing. We need to get to know each other again. We’re adults now. A lot of life has happened since we last spoke more than a few words.”
He was spouting clichés, but the intensity of feelings coursing through Trent’s body brought him emotionally to his knees. This was Destiny in his arms. Right here, now. Not a figment of his imagination. She was finally his. Maybe he was crazy for thinking that, but he could sense it in his bones. He never wanted to let her go again.
And yet, he only had two nights before he had to go back to base and she had to travel all over the country for her job. He had no idea when he might see her next. He couldn’t fathom what their future was going to look like. All he knew was that she was finally in his life the way he wanted, and he would not fuck this up.
Time to lighten the mood and change the subject. “What made you decide to become a flight attendant?”
She drew in a breath, visibly shaking off her melancholy. “Honestly, I think I’ve been running. Running for twelve years. After Sean died, I had to get out of Killeen. I couldn’t stand seeing everyone all the time. The entire town looked at me with so much sorrow. Your parents, especially your mom. God. I think her heart broke more than anyone’s. Not just for the loss of her son, but she felt like she lost a daughter, too. I could see it in her eyes. I thought she was going to melt down when I told her I was moving to Dallas.”
“Yeah, I agree. She was torn up. She’s stronger now.”
Destiny absently stroked her hand up and down his hip. “She is, but she worries about you. All the time. There’s fear in her eyes whenever I see her, and I imagine that’s constant. I don’t blame her. I can’t imagine losing a son and dealing with the fact that the other one also has a very dangerous job.” Her voice dipped low as she finished, and her gaze shifted to his chest.
“You worry, too.” His chest seized. This was his greatest fear. That Destiny wouldn’t be able to handle another serious relationship with a man dedicated to the military.
“Yeah.”
“I can’t change the fact that my job is secretive and dangerous. And I won’t sugarcoat it for you, either. But I will tell you that I’m good at what I do, and I never take unnecessary risks. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure I always come home to you after a mission.” Trent knew he was getting ahead of himself. In his mind, this relationship was lightyears ahead of real time. They were going to take the time to get reacquainted with each other, but he knew in his heart where this ended.
His chest ached as he forced himself not to think about what had happened just three days ago in Kazarus. Never before had the end of a mission left lingering effects that threatened him in any way. He protected people. He rescued people. He saved lives. He usually got in, did the job, and got out. This time, things had not gone according to plan. This time, he’d come home with a weight on his shoulders. He would not let that shit touch Destiny. He couldn’t. She didn’t deserve the added worry. Hell, she didn’t deserve him bringing this shit to her door.
A lump formed in his throat. He shouldn’t even be here. He should’ve had the balls to put her off, knowing trouble might be lurking close to home.
When Destiny lifted her face, her eyes were watery. “Can we talk about something less maudlin?” She forced a smile.
He agreed, his thumb sliding to her bottom lip. He didn’t have the strength to stay away. He needed to know if they still had the same spark they’d felt in high school. So far, the answer was a resounding yes. “You mean like how I’m about to kiss you senseless until you forget the stuff we can’t change and focus on how damn good we are together?”
She shrugged. “It’s a start,” she teased.
He jerked his hand to her waist, tickled her side until she giggled and squirmed, and then he flattened her to her back, tossed a leg over both of hers, and lowered his face to take her lips.
Damn, he loved kissing her. She opened to him immediately, her tongue meeting his stroke for stroke. She tasted like a combination of the glass of white wine she’d had with dinner and the breath mint she’d picked up on the way out.
Her fingers trailed around to slide into his back pocket, and she relaxed beneath him.
Trent gripped her waist, then his hand slid up under the thin lacy thing she wore so he could palm her through the tight stretchy black camisole. He wanted more. He wanted everything. But he forced himself to stop when his thumb grazed the bottom swell of her breast.
His cock stiffened against her hip, and there was no way to hide his reaction. He wanted to inch his hand higher and cup her breast. He wanted to tug this shirt off her and yank the bra cup down so he could taste her tit. He wanted everything. But he wouldn’t let himself rush this. Not tonight.
Tonight, he would focus on ensuring she knew she belonged to him in every way. Emotionally and physically. He could make her body hum without hitting any of the most sensitive parts directly. He already was. She squirmed beneath him as he pressed his thigh tighter against her and teased her breast ever so slightly with his thumb.
When she moaned, he eased his leg back, nudged hers apart, and situated his knee between her thighs. She gasped, breaking the kiss and tipping her head back until the smooth skin of her neck was exposed to his gaze. She tugged her hand out of his pocket and slid it up his torso, gripping him hard.
He pressed his thigh against her pussy, making her shudder in a way that pleased him immensely. If she responded to him like this with their clothes on, he could only imagine how she was going to light up when he got her naked and wrapped his lips around her clit.
His dick was so hard now that it pressed uncomfortably against his jeans. It was going to be disappointed tonight though. His jeans were not coming off.
“Jesus, Trent…” she breathed. She wiggled against him, lifting her hips to make better contact with his thigh.
He watched her, loving how alive she was in his arms. Her chest rose and fell. Her head was tipped back still, her eyes closed. Her mouth was open, and she breathed heavily.
When she arched her chest, he almost lost his resolve. Damn, her breasts enticed him to the point of pain. He glanced at their full swell cupped by her tight shirt. He couldn’t wait to find out what her nipples looked like.
Truthfully, he was doing very little. Simply holding her, his thumb sliding back and forth beneath her breast, his thigh pressing against her heated pussy. But she squirmed as if she were close to orgasm.
He couldn’t take it another second. He wouldn’t take her clothes off, or his own, but God, he also wasn’t about to leave her writhing like this without release. He lifted his self-imposed boob ban and slid his hand up to capture her swollen breast in his palm, molding it roughly while flicking his thumb over her nipple.
She whimpered, her hips lifting and lowering rapidly against his thigh. She’s the most gorgeous woman on earth. Raw. Open. Sexy as hell. Even with clothes on, he was mesmerized.
He released her breast, pulled his thigh back, and dropped his hand to cup her sex.
She cried out incoherently.
He gripped her pussy through the denim, pressing his palm into her clit. Her damn jeans were wet from her arousal. The heat against his palm was enough to unman him. He rubbed her frantically, his gaze on her face as her breath hitched over and over.
The grip she had on his side would leave bruises on a normal man. He didn’t have enough body fat for that, but he loved how she was so unaware of the demands she placed on him without words.
&n
bsp; “Trent,” she screamed. Her entire body went stiff a moment before she pulsed against his hand. She thrust against him and he swore he could actually feel the waves of her release even though he was probably imagining it.
It was the most amazing thing he’d ever experienced.
Chapter 7
Destiny couldn’t breathe. It was like all the oxygen had been sucked from the room the moment Trent had cupped her breast and taken control of her body.
She was still gasping for air as she turned to putty and melted into the mattress. His hand finally slid from her sex to her waist, and his lips landed on her neck to nibble a path toward her ear. “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed, Des. Thank you.”
She released an uneasy chuckle, dropping her head finally and opening her eyes to meet his gaze. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
“Did what?” he teased.
She swatted at his biceps as her cheeks flamed. “I’m not normally this easy.”
“What do you mean? You still have your clothes on, don’t you? I don’t think you’re easy at all.” His face was filled with mirth. He wasn’t displeased. That was for sure.
She groaned. “Not that kind of easy. I mean I don’t come like that. Ever. It takes a bit of effort.”
“There was effort. If I recall, I kissed you until you melted, then I tormented your breast until you squirmed, then I pressed my thigh against your pussy until you needed to grind against me to increase the pressure, and then I—”
She slapped her hand over his mouth. “I was right here, Trent. I don’t need the naughty play-by-play. I get it. You made me come through my jeans. That’s pretty crazy shit.”
He wiggled free of her hand, kissed the corner of her mouth, and then licked the curve of her lips before drawing back. “It was fucking sexy, and I’m going to enjoy doing that to you often now that I know how easy you are,” he teased.
She felt a bit embarrassed. She scrunched up her face.
He laughed. “Do you think I can do that in the car, or while we’re in line to buy movie tickets, or under the table at a restaurant?”
She pressed against his shoulder. “Stop. Jeez.”
He sobered, and when she met his gaze again, she swallowed back a lifetime of emotion.
“Like I said, it was beautiful, Des. Don’t be embarrassed.” He stroked her face, brushing back a lock of hair. “If it makes you feel any better, I promise that if I let you touch my cock right now through my jeans, I would come even faster than you just did and lose my man card.”
She grinned. It was a good idea. But when she started to lower her hand, he gripped her wrist. “Not a chance, gorgeous.”
“Why not? It’s only fair. You made me come. Let me return the favor.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Not this time.”
She furrowed her brow, confused. “Trent?”
“I didn’t walk into your bedroom intending to go that far. Hell, I didn’t really think through the fact that we could practically have sex without removing any clothes. I should have. The sparks between us have been tingling on my skin for the past two weeks. I should’ve realized it would be this way. But I’ve already pushed you further than I should have. I said we wouldn’t have sex, and then I lost my resolve and you gave me a precious gift. There is no quid pro quo though. I never want you to feel like our orgasms need to be even. They won’t be. Not ever. So, don’t keep a tally because I’ll make you lose track of how far ahead you are so fast you won’t know how many digits are between us. Got it?”
She couldn’t breathe. What on earth did he just say?
He read the shocked, confused expression on her face. “You heard me. I will never take without giving. Never. And you can’t possibly grasp how fucking hot it is to watch you come. Sure, eventually we’ll have sex, and it’ll be amazing, but in the end, I’ll come once and spend the rest of every single time we’re together making you come so many times you can’t think straight.”
She slowly shook her head. “That’s a lot of pressure, Trent. I don’t usually orgasm more than once.”
He lifted both brows and slowly smiled. “Oh, baby, those days are over.”
Chapter 8
Trent had expected them to at least remove some layers of clothing before they eventually fell asleep, but that wasn’t going to be possible now. The temptation would be out of control. He finally did release his grip on her to let her use the bathroom, and then he did the same. When they returned to the bed, he hauled her fully clothed body against his chest, spooning her back from behind, and kissed her neck. “Maybe tomorrow night you can change into a T-shirt or something, but not tonight.”
“’K.” She didn’t argue. She relaxed into his embrace, her fingers dancing lightly along his forearm. “Just so you know, uh, that was… I don’t come like that. I mean…”
“Des?”
“No one else has ever made me come without my help,” she finally blurted out.
He flinched. “Seriously? Not even Sean?” He regretted that question the moment the words were out of his mouth. He should never bring Sean into their bed. It was crass. He didn’t need—nor did he want—to know the details of her sexual relationship with his brother.
She jerked free of his grip, sat straight up, and twisted around to stare down at him.
“I’m so damn sorry. That was the stupidest thing I could have said. Please don’t answer. I swear I won’t mention my brother in our bed ever again.” He felt like an ass. His heart was pounding so hard. He’d give anything to take back his words.
Destiny stared at him strangely though, and finally she licked her lips and took a breath. “Chill. It’s okay. Let me clear the air.”
He shook his head. “Nope. No air clearing necessary. Not another word.”
She leaned over him, her hand landing on his arm as she met his gaze, obviously intent to say whatever was on her mind. “Trent, I never had sex with Sean. We never made it past second base. Every time we made-out, we just fumbled around. He never saw me naked. I never saw him naked.”
Trent stopped breathing. He couldn’t believe what she said. His brother had proposed to Destiny without sleeping with her?
“I realized much later that our awkwardness stemmed from the fact that though I loved him, he was more like a brother than a boyfriend. The physical connection wasn’t there. I was too young to know that at the time. It took me several years to figure it out, and then I had a new problem.”
Trent couldn’t speak. All he could do was lift a brow.
“I was so enamored with another man, that I couldn’t let my guard down and fully share myself with anyone.”
“Another man?” he asked, his brain broken.
She smiled and poked his chest. “You, stupid.”
Right. Duh. “You’ve had sex though, right?” he asked, his voice cracking.
“Yes. I’ve had sex. Just not good sex. Not sex with someone I loved. Not sex with anyone I could fully relax with. Nothing like what we just did.” Her gaze was penetrating, and the weight of her words melted his heart.
She was so totally his. If it weren’t absurdly too soon, he would tell her how he felt right this second. Instead, he grabbed her and pulled her close, chest to chest this time. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled her vanilla scent.
“Now that I’ve shared nearly every detail of my sexual experiences or lack thereof, could you please maybe not bring up the past again? Let’s leave previous lovers out of our bed, yeah?”
“Absolutely.” He held her tight for several more minutes and then finally loosened his grip and turned her around so that he spooned her again. He ran his hand up and down her arm, enjoying the feel of her.
He slept better than he ever had in his life.
Chapter 9
Thin rays of sunlight were filtering between the slats of blinds when Trent next opened his eyes. For a fraction of a second, he felt so peaceful. He was still holding Destiny in his arms as she softly snored.
But then reality crept in when he realized what had woken him up. He squeezed his eyes closed and willed his ringing phone to be in his imagination.
It was rare for them to get called out on a mission so soon after returning, but it wasn’t unheard of. He was also over two hours from base. He would have to haul ass if they needed him back.
Stifling a groan, he eased himself away from Destiny’s warm body and slid off the other side of the bed. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and then tiptoed from the room before connecting. He noted Libby’s bedroom door was closed as he made his way down the stairs.
“Zip?” The voice belonged to Duff.
“Yep,” he whispered, not wanting to raise his voice until he got out of earshot. Finally, he spoke normally when he hit the ground floor and noted he was alone. “Talk to me.”
“Problem.”
Typical, to-the-point Gruff Duff. Trent rubbed his temples with one hand and inhaled slowly. “We always have a problem. What’s new?”
“Most of our problems are on the other side of the earth. Not this time.”
“Please tell me this doesn’t have anything to do with blowback from Kazarus.”
Duff sighed. “Sorry, man. Intel says Onur planted someone in the U.S.”
“Fuck.” Now he ran a hand over the top of his head. He didn’t need this problem. “Do we know who?”
“Yeah. His brother, Farid Demir. He landed in New York last night. Wasn’t even on a watch list. No one expected this.”
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. “I’ll be back there in two and a half hours.”
“Negative. Stay there. Lie low in Dallas for the rest of the weekend. Don’t change your plans. We’ll get a better fix on Farid’s location before you get back to base Sunday night. Deal with the threat Monday morning. Just called to give you a heads up. Stay diligent. Maybe don’t go clubbing tonight.” Duff chuckled, his deep burly voice ringing in Trent’s ear. “Enjoy your woman. You deserve some downtime.”
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