He had waited so long for this moment.
Now he had to reel it back a notch if he was going to make it last longer than a nanosecond. Because he sure as hell had zero intention of falling short in the bedroom.
He wanted to make her come, give her the release she craved and deserved first. Then, only then, would he give himself permission to take her over the edge again after he filled her with his cock and moved inside her.
Still sucking her nipple, Caleb looked up at Hannah. Her eyes were closed and her parted lips whimpered alongside tiny gasps of air. She was close. Oh, so fucking close.
Gently, he kissed his way back up to her mouth, and sealed his to it, then lifted her into his arms. Her tongue danced alongside his and she pulled the rest of his shirt free from his pants while he carried her the last remaining steps between the door and his bed. He ended the kiss long enough to allow her to yank his shirt over his head and toss it away.
“That’s much better,” she said, her eyes gleaming hot and her hair a wild tangled mess of sin in the making.
She pressed her bare breasts against his chest and his cock grew harder and the blood vacated the last functioning cells in his brain. “Jesus, Hannah. Slow down, or I’ll lose it before we start.” He tugged a condom out of his pocket and moved to rip the package open.
Hannah stilled his hand. “I’m on the pill.”
An inner chorus of hell yeahs screamed inside his head. What would it be like to slide inside her with no barrier between them? Just the awesome sensation of her surrounding him? He grew even harder. “You still trying to make me fall short of the finish line?” he rasped, shucking his pants and underwear in one quick movement.
She wiggled against his hard on. “Absolutely not. Besides, according to my memories, I have no doubt that you’ll stay the distance.” Hannah stroked his chest, and tweaked his nipples one by one. “I’m not the only one who’s sensitive.”
His erection jerked. Air rushed through his ears. Heat flashed low. Holy hell and back again. If he didn’t get a huge grip he might just prove her memory wrong.
“Yup, you got me there.” He lowered her onto the burgundy satin duvet. “But you’ve got more places to tickle.” He traced his fingers along the inside of her thigh until he reached the delicate scrap of fabric covering her sex. “Like here...” he moved one finger along the inside seam of her wet panties that had molded to her and did little to hide her arousal.
“Caleb.” Her legs spread to accommodate his touch. “For the love of Pete. Quit stalling.”
“This isn’t stalling.” He eased his finger under the elastic, parted her folds, and dipped into her wet heat. “It’s called making the moment last.” God she was hot. Ready. Slick with need. But still he wasn’t going to rush and lose control.
She touched his cock and clasped her hand around the length, stroking in return. “Mmm. Yes.” Hannah teased the tip, then swirled the bead of moisture over his cock head. “By all means. Let’s make the moment last.”
His balls contracted. Sweet mother of God, restraining himself might kill him if she kept touching him like this. “Excellent,” he said, pulling her panties off as he played with her beautiful, tight nipple. “Then we’re in total agreement.”
“Oh, yes.” She squirmed on the bed and her fingers tiptoed down his shaft, inch by excruciating inch. “Total. Agreement.”
He groaned. Here was the naughty girl he remembered and man did he love the way she played. “I wish all negotiations were this fun,” Caleb said, then slipped two fingers inside her slick heat until they were buried to the hilt. Her clit pulsed against his palm.
She released her grip and clutched the duvet. “Oh my...” Hannah writhed against him, and he quickened his movement.
Caleb joined her on the bed, laying beside her as he pumped his fingers in and out of her, mimicking what he planned to do later. “That’s it, babe,” he urged. “Let yourself go.”
“I... I can’t.” She closed her eyes, raising her hips to give him better access.
“You can.” He kissed her neck, then lower still until he sucked one of her sensitive nipples into his mouth, instinctively knowing her body’s reaction, feeling it clamp around his fingers until she spasmed again and again, calling his name.
Before the last waves of her orgasm subsided, he moved over her, bracing himself. “Look at me,” he said, wanting her to see more than the man making love to her. Wanting her to know who she truly belonged to when he entered her for the first time since they’d reunited.
She opened her eyes, passion and something deeper glowed in her answering gaze. “Caleb,” Hannah said, then wrapped her arms around his neck. “Be with me.”
He pushed his cock head inside her slick, wet folds. She felt so good. So fucking right. “I will.” And when she lifted her hips to welcome his first thrust, Caleb buried himself to the hilt, finally bringing himself to the one place he wasn’t sure he could ever leave.
Chapter Eleven
Hannah hadn’t expected to see such an array of emotion crossing Caleb’s handsome face when he’d asked her to look at him before entering her. Nor had she expected how easily they moved together, as if they’d never been apart. And like they had been made for each other, perfectly matched and whole in their union.
Kissing her, he held her wrists above her head and drove into her again and again. Her hips rose and fell in unison with every thrust. Their mouths fused, their tongues tangling and dancing in tandem with their intimate union.
The erotic movement of his pelvis against her sweet spot as he took her harder, faster, deeper sent exquisite sensations through her core, each one building upon the other. Never had she felt more alive and fully aware of herself.
It was as if in the taking, he had released her from a self-imposed exile.
Exhilaration dizzied her. Excitement skimmed along her nerves. Her clit pulsed and tingled, the ecstatic blend of pain and pleasure growing more intense with every mind-blowing stroke of his shaft.
Though the sensations threatened to overwhelm her, she never wanted them to end. She loved the way he filled her, loved the power of his possession. Possession fueled by deeper, more visceral needs left unspoken but fully comprehended by the melding of their bodies.
She could feel every inch of him inside her. His length expanding, throbbing. His very heartbeat pounding in rhythm with hers. And when he rose to send home his final thrust, she joined him, stars bursting behind her eyes.
He flowed into her with great shuddering movements, calling her name and claiming her as his own.
###
Hours later, and after two more rounds of intense lovemaking, Hannah slipped out of Caleb’s bed and padded to the en suite bathroom. Checking the mirror, she detected the faint bruising at her collarbone where he had spent an inordinate amount of time teasing her with his tongue and mouth. That smudge, along with a few grazes of whisker lines on her torso and legs, appeared to be the remnants of the passion they’d shared.
Easy enough to hide from the world with a few well placed pats of foundation and powder, but the feelings swirling through her mind were a lot harder to ignore.
She opened the shower door and turned the handle. Water sprayed from the rain shower spout and when steam began to rise from the floor, Hannah stepped inside. The heat poured over her and she bent her head back let the water flow through her hair.
As she scrubbed shampoo into her scalp, she considered the ramifications of their night. Would this lead to more with him? A commitment she could count on? Nothing had been promised. Nor would he lie to her by offering her a fake deal. Not to mention she had insisted she was ready to accept the moment, and not worry about what came later.
He cared. She believed that with all her heart. Otherwise she would never have slept with him in the first place. Or the second. Or the third. Or the fourth. She smiled and rinsed her hair, then grabbed a bottle of bath gel and squirted some into her palm.
Even now her body tingled in s
pecial places, remembering his hands and his body and every incredible, amazing way he had brought her to orgasm after orgasm. But she didn’t dare mistake his tenderness in the bedroom for him backing down on his stance about remaining in the military.
At least not for him. Not for sure. Still, he’d been 100 percent hers when he had made love with her. So maybe, just maybe, they could have a chance at a real future together, too. As long as Steven remained unable to resume control of his businesses, she had some time on her side. Though she truly hoped for his full recovery, a selfish, small part of her hoped that he wouldn’t want to go back to work full-time when that day arrived.
She finished lathering every sore muscle and let the water wash off the suds. She’d have to make the most of every second available between now and when the time arrived for Caleb to make a decision that would impact all of their lives.
After grabbing a towel from the heating rack, she dried quickly, then returned to the bedroom with her hair damp and the soft white terry cloth draped around her body. She borrowed a blue and silver Cowboy’s football jersey from Caleb’s mahogany dresser drawer and tugged it over her head before walking to his side of the bed.
He looked so peaceful when sleeping. A hint of the boy he once was curved his lips into a playful grin. A very satisfied, gee-I-got-mine grin that mirrored her own. His lashes, dark and lush, swept across his high cheekbones. His bare chest rose and fell in even breaths as he slumbered. The sheets bunched up below his waistline and she gazed at the power pack of abdominal muscles one by stellar one.
Her stomach did a little tilt and whirl. He really was a beautiful man. Perfection carved in flesh and blood that easily rivaled any statue of the male form. Bathed in the first rays of morning light, his desert sun bronzed skin tantalized her, making her want to run her fingers along the smooth surface that covered the hard planes of his body.
She swallowed hard, then glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. Five o’clock and Jason would be awake in less than an hour. Time to hang up her sex kitten heels and put on her practical mom sneakers.
Sighing, she turned to go.
“Don’t leave.” Caleb tugged her back with a quick jerk on her shirt’s hem. “Please.”
She fell onto the bed and into his waiting arms. “I’ve got to get ready. Jason will be up soon.”
He rolled on top of her. “It’s only five. No reason to rush off for at least thirty minutes.” His skimmed his hand along the T-shirt’s hemline. “I thought you were a Tennessee Titans’ fan.”
She shrugged. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. I couldn’t find my dress. I figured this old rag would do until I went back to my room to change.”
“Rag?” He narrowed his eyes and slipped his palm under the shirt, caressing her bare skin and inching up her torso. “I’ll have you know that this rag is an original autographed jersey from Emmett Smith. Only the world’s greatest running back.”
Her nipples tightened. Oh no. No way was she going to lose herself to his touch again. Not when she had a city council meeting to go to later this morning and a rendezvous with the construction foreman at her boutique. “I’ll be more than happy to give it back to you as soon as I get dressed.”
“I prefer you naked.”
“That goes both ways.” His dog tags dangled from his neck and she caught them between her fingers and her thumb. “Why do you insist on wearing these when you’re not on active duty?”
He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers before answering. “They remind me of where I belong and that what I do matters.”
A sudden cold feeling crept along her spine and settled at the base of her neck. She held his indigo eyes with hers, giving him a steady look that belied the fears she had for him, for his life, at bay. “You matter to me. And to Jason. You belong wherever you choose to stay.” And God, she so desperately wished he would choose her, this life, and the future they could build together. But his identity was wrapped up in his service to his country. Asking him to give it up was a major deal. He’d have to come to the conclusion that she was worth staying state side for this time all on his own.
“That’s good to know.” Caleb brushed her hair from her temples with one hand and continued exploring her body with his other one, his eyes resolute and nowhere near readable. “Because right now I have every intention of staying in this bed and making love to you one more time before our little guy wakes up.”
###
A shadow crossed Hannah’s pretty face and she bit her lower lip. For a moment, Caleb thought she might push him away. He wouldn’t blame her if she did. Because he knew damn well what she meant when she’d talked about his choices. But he had time on his side. A scant amount of time, but he’d made convincing her that he was worth a shot his primary mission while he was home. He rarely failed once he set his mind to something.
He kissed her pouting lips, coaxing her with the best weapon in his arsenal against getting caught up in mushy pillow talk.
“You know you do.” He teased her nipple into a taut point. “Stay a little longer.” He wanted to lose himself in her and avoid all personal bullshit exploration that included discussing his mixed up feelings about the future.
She sighed and released his dog tags. “I want a lot of things. This thing between us can’t just be about sex. This isn’t all about fun and games. I need more than that from you.”
“I’ll give you everything you deserve. I promise.”
“I’m afraid to believe you.”
“Don’t be,” he said, then moved his hips to position his cock between her thighs. Right now he’d promise to hitchhike to the moon and back for her if only to bury himself to the hilt in her sweet, welcoming sex. “Trust me.” He meant to keep his promise. He just didn’t know how. He didn’t know what the hell to do about the way she turned his brain to mush and fucked up his ability to think straight.
“I do,” she said.
Caleb pushed between her folds and slowly moved inside her. This was where he yearned to be all the time. With Hannah. Making love morning, noon, and night. Feeling the heat of her drawing him deeper and deeper.
He stroked, binding her to him with his body, unable to articulate the emotion taking root in his heart. Only able to show her that he could be the man she deserved now. Where that would lead, he didn’t know. Because he couldn’t examine the future without questioning everything that had driven him to leave Sweetbriar Springs. He’d been sure that the only way to make his mark in the world, and fuck his father royally for screwing around, had been to stick with the Marine Corps. The Marines had given him a way to channel his anger into something positive and showed him that what he did mattered. If he couldn’t get her to change her mindset about being with a military man, could he turn his back on Marines? Was he no different than his father when it came right down to it? Would returning to serve a fourth tour of duty be like abandoning his family just as his father had abandoned him?
Chapter Twelve
Hannah had expected Caleb to spend more time with her after the night that they had made love. But between his ongoing business concerns and her days being monopolized by overseeing her boutique’s restoration and running her business from her makeshift office at his mountain house, they had barely had a moment to speak other than during their dinner and bedtime rituals.
Afterward, they each went to their own rooms. Alone. An awkward tension permeated their polite goodnights and see you in the morning. Almost as if he regretted what had happened between them. Now the weekend loomed. Mother’s Day was around the corner and she’d long ago planned to take Jason to see Caleb’s parents. Though she had no regrets about her decision. She might have chosen to do something different had she known Caleb would be along for the ride. Still, despite her misgivings, she thought he needed to see his father in a new light if only to prove to him that the reasons he’d used to stay in the military no longer existed.
She tucked in her blouse, then smoothed h
er hands down the sides of her pencil skirt. No matter. The day would either prove to him that the past no longer had any bearing on his future. Or not. Much depended upon what happened between Caleb and Steven.
A nerve jumped behind her sternum. Part of her wanted to back out. But that wouldn’t be fair to Jason or his grandparents. She grabbed her cell phone from the counter, checked her messages and her heart sank low. No babysitter today. The stomach bug that had been flying around Sweetbriar Springs had claimed another victim. Plus, she had a huge breakfast meeting with the mayor in an hour.
“Shoot.” She texted her sitter back and assured Lori Catherine to take it easy and get better soon.
Hurrying out of her bathroom, Hannah ran straight into him. “Sorry,” she said, her pulse accelerating more from his close proximity than from the five billion thoughts racing through her brain about coordinating the logistics of childcare and attending a meeting at the same time. “Got to get Jason ready to roll.”
“Don’t you have a meeting this morning?”
“Yes. But I have to bring him with me.” Hannah stepped out of his steadying arms and turned to move to Jason’s room. “Lori C’s sick. My parents are in New York City with Michael, so I can’t call them. I’ve got to get him dressed, load diaper bag with toys and food, double check my iPad to make sure his favorite cartoons are saved in my video file.” She ticked off her mental to-do list, increasing her pace.
“Whoa. Slow down.” He joined her at the door. “There’s no reason for you to take him with you.”
“Sure there is,” she said. “No childcare means I’m a package deal today. It’s not like I haven’t done this before.”
Caleb put his arm across the door to halt her progress. “Leave Jason with me. I’ve got this.”
“But you have stuff to do, too.”
The Marine's Red Hot Homecoming Page 10