“Then,” he rasped, caressing her warm, firm cheek, “it’s settled? We’re going to bed with one another? Right now?”
If he had his way about it, Aliyana would never leave his bed again. That was how strongly he felt toward her. Joy infused him as her lashes lifted, amusement gleaming in her golden gaze.
“It’s settled.” She eased away just enough to move her hands against his upper chest, luxuriating in touching him, pleasing him in another way. “I’m on the pill. I don’t have any health issues. What about you?”
“Same. Clean and no STDs. I’m good.” He saw her smile deepen.
“Oh, I’m sure you’re very good, Torres. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve had dreams of doing this, loving you, having you inside me where you belong.”
Those words fired through him and he felt his heart fill with such happiness, he could barely breathe. He’d known Ali long enough to realize that what she said, she meant. “Shall I use a condom?”
“No,” she said shaking her head. “Do you really want to wear one, Ram?”
“Not unless you want it.”
“I don’t want it.” She broke his embrace and slid her hand into his. “Show me your bedroom.”
“It’s three hours before Mazzie arrives home. What about dinner?”
“It can wait. I’m always hungry after making love.”
He enjoyed her boldness. “Same here.”
“We’re more alike than you think.”
“Let’s go to bed and find out, eh?” He saw the gleam in her eye of the huntress that she really was. “I want to be stalked by you,” he teased. The laughter in her eyes deepened, and she tossed her head, pulling him along.
“Never bedded a sniper before, huh, Torres?”
He slid his arm around her shoulders, drawing her against his side as they walked down the hall. “No, and I’m eager to find out if it’ll be how I think it’ll be.”
“Be prepared,” she warned, laughing.
He brought her into the darkened room, moving to the steel and wood dresser. On top of it was a small lamp. When he turned it on, it shed just enough light for them to see one another. “Is the light okay?” he asked.
“Mmmm, fine.” Ali turned to him, placing her hands on his chest, giving him a playful look. “I like to see your expressions, Ram. I’m a super-sensitive person, so every touch, every sound, your scent, makes me ache for you.”
Glorying in her boldness, he countered, “Come on, then, and get in bed with me. I want to slowly undress you, Aliyana. I want to get to know you, from the top of your head all the way down to your toes. What do you want?” He hoped it was the same thing.
“Slow loving is fine with me,” she said softly, “but sometimes, I want it fast and hard, too.”
“I can accommodate anything you want. All you have to do is tell me. I want to please you, hear your screams of pleasure . . . ”
She climbed onto the large, king-sized bed. It was covered with a black, velvet bedspread. “I won’t be the only one making sounds,” she promised wickedly.
He joined her, kneeling in front of her, their knees touching lightly against one another. “That’s music to my ears. I’m going to drown all of me—my heart, and soul, and body into yours, Aliyana.” He slid his thick fingers through her luxuriant tresses, marveling in the pleasure on her face. Her hair felt like cool, strong silk as he moved the strands over her shoulders. He loved how relaxed she was with him, her hands on her curved thighs, allowing him to explore her.
“Oh,” she whispered, opening her eyes, holding his gaze, “this is an equal opportunity playing field, Ram Torres.” She reached out caressing the sides of his face, her fingers trailing down the thick column of his neck, outlining his shoulders, a pleased look in her eyes.
“Now, I’m being stalked,” he said with a satisfied grin.
“Like it?” she asked, as she slid her hands beneath the red sweater at his waist, caressing his abs, feeling him tense and emit a low groan.
“I like it very much,” he managed thickly, as she pulled off his sweater. She laid it aside, assessing his broad shoulders and the dark hair across his chest.
“Do you like what you see?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“You know I do.” She leaned upward, beginning a trail of slow, wet kisses from his neck downward.
Ram damn near came as she gave him sharp, little nips with her teeth, then soothed the area with the warmth of her tongue, kissing his tingling flesh. She held his upper arms captive within her hands and he knew nothing could make him move. This was pure heaven.
Savoring her warm, moist breath as she moved to his chest, continuing her nipping, licking, and kissing, he felt his erection harden in two heartbeats. Aliyana missed nothing, and he luxuriated in her stalking him sensually, making the ache in his balls intensify to the point of pain. He groaned as her lips captured his left nipple, teasing it unmercifully, and he growled, opening his eyes, a staggering bolt of heat jagging downward into his lower body. This woman was too hot to deal with and he gripped her upper arms, pulling her away from him.
“Keep this up,” he said raggedly, “and I’ll come in my pants. That’s not where I want to come, Aliyana. I want to be inside you.”
“We’re on the same page,” she grated, her breathing ragged. “Are you going to hold me like this or let me undress?”
Chuckling, he released her. “You’re dangerous, Señorita Montero, but I like it . . . ”
She quickly pulled off her clothes, dropping them on the floor near the bed. Ram liked the lacy black bra and bikini panties she wore. Black only emphasized the sheen of her golden skin. He quickly pulled off everything, watching her look of appreciation as she surveyed his thick, hard erection. She licked her lips, making a furnace of response surge through him. She was like an alpha, female wolf, getting ready to devour him in the most pleasurable of ways—but he was going to capture her first!
“You’re mine,” he growled, gripping her and turning her onto her back in the middle of the bed. He heard her breathy laughter, playfulness dancing in her eyes over his sudden maneuver. Pinning her wrists above her head, he nibbled at the hard peak beneath her lacy bra, feeling her suddenly tense, a low sound of gratification vibrating in her throat. Yes, he was going to please her until she orgasmed with him the moment he slid into her hot, tight body.
Savoring the other nipple, he felt her hips clash against his. He was taming her now! He smiled when she groaned, still holding her wrists with one large hand. Sliding his other hand beneath her back, he unfastened her bra, releasing her glorious, small golden breasts with rosy nipples. Aliyana was more than beautiful to him as he straddled her hips with his legs, his thighs holding her captive so she couldn’t move. Releasing her wrists, he took the bra off.
“Now,” he warned her gruffly, “those panties are next. Get ready . . . ”
*
Ali couldn’t reply, because suddenly Ram slid his legs down to capture hers, his calloused hands bracketing her hips, his lips licking along the band of her panties. It felt as if a fire had exploded deep within her. She’d gone two years without sex and she loved orgasms—how she’d missed them! But she knew Ram’s skills would give her that mind-blowing gift. She arched upward, thrusting her pelvis, his fingers tugging the panties downward. For a moment, he got off her, just long enough to pull them off and drop them over the side of the bed. And then, just as swiftly, his thick, powerful legs moved between hers, spreading her thighs, opening her to him. His hands remained on her hips so that all she could do was enjoy what would come next. His tongue circled her belly button, lavished her rounded abdomen, heading straight for her aching lower body.
Closing her eyes, Ali gripped his thick, taut shoulders as he wreaked havoc upon her, licking her, nuzzling her with his lips, teasing her unmercifully, and fanning the ache at her swollen gate.
She wanted to plead with Ram to ease her throbbing pain, and just as she was about to, he seemed to have read
her mind. The moment his fingers brushed her opening, a low sound came out of her. She was wet, a flood of thick fluid encircling his exploration as he stroked her, finding that wonderfully swollen knot, stroking it.
It felt as if her whole body had erupted like a simmering volcano, fire blazing in circlets and outward ripples as he urged the first orgasm out of her. It was almost painful in its explosive release because it had been so long since she’d had one. A cry tore out of her, and her breath became shallow, gasping. Ram knew how to prolong and tease an orgasm until it was truly finished and she rode against his fingers as they gave her such utter pleasure.
And then, his lips finding her hard, peaked nipples, he ravished them instead. The movement caught her off guard. She was still dazed by the orgasm’s undulations and spasms surging down through her body. The white-hot pleasure of his teeth rasping teasingly against her sensitive nipples made her want him again. Groaning, she gripped his shoulders, using all her strength, pulling him upward, feeling his hard erection thrust against her.
“Get inside me!” she cried. “I need you now, Ram! NOW!” She heard a low rumble of agreement in his chest, more male, alpha wolf than human. He covered her with his large body, the warm hardness of him against the softer hills and valleys of her own. The moment he eased into her, filling her, stretching her as never before, she uttered a cry of relief combined with satisfaction. She arched upward against him, pulling him deeper into her, not caring if there was a momentary burning sensation as her tight walls began to expand to accommodate his unexpected girth and length.
It was a glorious sensation, one that she savored, aggressively thrusting upward, lunging against him, driving him deeper into her.
They both groaned, as Ali wouldn’t settle for anything but all of Ram inside her, where he belonged. Even in her most torrid dreams of him over the years, the real sensations eclipsed anything she had imagined. He framed her face between his hands, looking down at her, his eyes slits, burning with need, wanting her, his hips thrusting in and out of her, establishing a pace that made her sigh and then smile. Her fingers opened and closed against his powerful biceps, hard and bulging, as he took her higher and higher. The sensations of silky strokes, his increased size, the pleasure he was bringing her deep within, brought her to a second, even more powerful orgasm than the first.
Ram continued to surge in and out of her, milking that orgasm until she felt as if she’d been hurled off the edge of a galaxy, tumbling end over end, wrapped in fire, the throbbing sensations and pleasure so keen that all she could do was sob his name again and again.
And then, just as she’d reached the zenith of pleasure, his whole body went taut and he released deeply within her, a low, vibrating groan tearing out of him. His hands tightened against her face as she felt him spilling hotly into her, creating a second wave of pleasure that made her lose her conscious mind. Wrapped in fire, riding an orgasm of pleasure so sharp and deep, Ali moaned. She had no idea how long it went on, but it felt like forever in the best of ways. To be wrapped in Ram’s body, now protectively over hers, his hands cupping her face, his breath ragged against her cheek as he rested his sweaty brow against hers, satisfied her needs as a woman as never before.
As Ram eased out of her, drawing her beside him, Ali smiled weakly. She rested her head on his shoulder, opening her eyes, and gazing dazedly up into his. There was such gleaming pleasure and satisfaction in his eyes, and he was studying her with an intensity that made her heart open even more. His hand left the small of her back and he pushed several damp strands away from her cheek, brushing her flushed skin, leaning over and gently capturing her lips beneath his.
Ali had never been kissed as tenderly as in that moment. She was now drowning in a new desire—her heart’s desire—as he cherished her mouth, worshiping her, adoring her. His other arm was wrapped around her shoulders, holding her against him. He needn’t have done so—she had no desire to leave his side. Instead, she pressed herself languidly against him, letting him know how much she loved his searching, melding kiss. It said everything to her. She knew without a doubt that somewhere along the line, she’d fallen in love with him. And just the slick movement of his mouth cajoling hers, inviting her to return his kiss, told Ali that Ram loved her, too. She didn’t care if he ever said those words to her because he had unveiled his heart to her right now. It was all she’d ever need. And at this moment, Ali knew this was the beginning of a new chapter in their lives, together. Once enemies, now lovers.
All she wanted to do was be with him, touch him, kiss him, and show him how much she loved him. In a while, their bodies would recover and come back online. And then, it would be her turn to show him just how much she adored him, how much she loved and admired him as a man.
There was so much more to Ram Torres than she had ever dreamed, and Ali silently made him a promise that by the time morning appeared on the horizon, Ram would know without a doubt that she loved him with everything she possessed.
Would it be enough? Would he want something more important in his life than just being in bed and having sex with her? Because Ali wanted forever. But what did Ram want?
CHAPTER 14
December 13
Alexandria, VA
Ali groaned as dawn slowly rose on the wintery horizon. The clock on the bed stand read eight a.m. The room was chilly, and Ram held her in his arms, pressed against her body beneath the cozy, warm covers. They hadn’t gotten out of bed except for Ram to answer the door, take Mazzie, and bring her inside. Ali had gotten up, wrapped herself in his bathrobe, and walked out to the living room to greet the dog. Mazzie had leaped around, her tail wagging madly as she licked Ali’s hands when she crouched to pet her.
Once Mazzie was fed, they left her out in the main living area where her doggy bed was located, and went back to bed. Around midnight, they’d gotten up and eaten a snack with Mazzie sitting next to them, expecting handouts.
Afterward, they’d come back to bed, their hands restless, and their bodies wanting more of the pleasure they had created and shared earlier. Exhausted, they finally fell asleep around three a.m., after their last, unforgettable lovemaking session.
She felt Ram’s arms release her, and she tipped her head back on his shoulder, looking up into his drowsy, half-open eyes. She grinned and slid her fingers upward, nudging several strands of short hair off his unlined brow. He looked absolutely satisfied. The man was a stallion. He’d come three times last night. Three! That amazed Ali, but hey, she’d had a total of six orgasms in one night, a new record for her. They had explored and pleasured each other, and it was reflected now on their relaxed, tension-free faces.
“You look absolutely satiated,” she laughed, feeling the prickle of his stubble beneath her fingertips. “Like an alpha wolf who’s had his fill.”
Grunting, he muttered, “I don’t think we can do two days in a row like this, do you?”
“Wanna bet?”
He caressed her cheek. “All bets are off when it comes to you, mi tesoro. I’ve never been so well pleased.” His smile suddenly disappeared, seriousness gleaming in his drowsy green eyes. “Thank you, Aliyana. Thank you for who you are, and for pleasing me more than any woman ever has. You’re so incredibly special to me.” He cupped her cheek, kissing her long and deeply.
Ali languished in his arms, drowning in the power of his mouth; the warmth and tenderness he shared with her that was so much a part of him. Already, she could feel his erection springing to life, pressing urgently against her belly. Slowly, their mouths separated and she sighed, opening her eyes, absorbing the joy radiating from his face. “All bets are off, Torres. You know that.”
Chuckling, he released her and sat up, the covers pooling around his waist. He tucked her in to keep her warm from the chilliness in the room. “How about if I get up and make us coffee and breakfast? I’ll get the condo warmed up, too.”
“Good idea,” she grumped. “I’m a Tucson desert rat and I can’t handle this cold winter weather like
you can.”
“Hey, Nogales is in the desert, too,” he laughed, playfully caressing her rump.
Ali gave him a feral look. “Keep that up and you’re not leaving this bed.”
“Oh,” he crooned, moving his large palm around on her cheeks, “you’ve got a very nice ass, Ms. Montero. No question about it.”
Snorting softly, Ali pulled herself into a sitting position, her black hair an ebony waterfall tumbling forward over her shoulders. “I don’t think there’s any part of me you don’t like, Torres. I need a hot shower.” She saw a gleam come to his eyes as she slid off the bed, the wooden floor cool to the soles of her feet. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m sore. I need a break. We’re not going to go at it in the shower. No way!”
He grinned and stood, stretching fitfully, his arms above his head. “Maybe another time?”
“Another time,” she agreed, picking up all her clothes. “I didn’t bring any clean clothes with me. They’re back at the apartment in Artemis.”
There was a dark-blue, terrycloth robe hanging off a hook behind the bedroom door. Ram walked over, picking it up and then helped her on with it. “There. Go get your shower.” He patted her rear lovingly while leaning down to kiss her smiling mouth.
Ali had just gotten out of the shower when Ram knocked and cracked open the door, clouds of steam began to escape from the stall. “Coffee?” he asked.
Groaning, Ali pulled the towel around her body, tucking the end in between her breasts. “Oh . . . please . . . thank you.”
Ram slipped in and shut the door. He handed her a bright-red ceramic mug filled with steaming coffee. In his other hand was a big, long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of his white socks that he laid on the counter. “Clean clothes. Will these do for now until we can drive back to Artemis to get your luggage?”
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