Vince pulled her into a deep kiss that sent tingles everywhere. He kissed down her neck and then back up her body. When he reached her breasts, he pulled one of her bra cups down. His warm breath turned her nipples hard and tingling with need. He took one in his mouth.
Eager to feel more of his exquisite mouth on her, she murmured, “Take it off.”
She rose a few inches, enough for him to reach behind and unclasp it, and it joined the growing pile of discarded clothing on her floor. He spent time suckling each breast until she was writhing beneath him, hot and wet with need.
He glided down her body, teasing her once again with his hot mouth over her panties. He pulled the top down an inch and kissed the newly exposed skin. Why did they still have clothes keeping them apart? She lifted her hips and helped wiggle out of them and he tossed it to the floor.
She breathed so hot and heavy now, desperate for more. The scent of her desire rose.
He stroked between her folds. “Fuck, you’re wet, Emma.”
She looked down at him. “I want you.”
He dipped his head and kissed her, following with a long, slow brush of his tongue that made her moan. She sank back onto her pillow. He alternated with light touches and longer ones, slowly increasing the pressure. When he added his finger, it added to the sensation. She was lost, absolutely caught under his spell. She clutched at the light blue cotton sheets as he took control of her body.
He owned her. There was no other way to describe his effect on her. No one had sensed exactly what she needed before, not like this. Hell, she wasn’t sure she knew until she felt—this. He varied slow, deliberate motions with quick, driving ones. He knew when she was on the edge as he’d pull back. The next time, he’d push her a little higher. She hovered on the precipice near delirious and begged for more.
Finally, he drove her to the edge she craved, giving her no mercy as he pushed her to peak. Incoherent sounds escaped her and then she broke, shattering hard and crying out his name. Wave after wave of intense pleasure flooded through her, leaving her drifting and mindless.
As the pulsing subsided, she reached for him.
He crawled back over her body. “You taste so good. I could do that a hundred times more tonight.”
What an enticing offer for another time. “I need you inside me. Now.” She fumbled to unfasten his pants.
He stood to remove them, and her gaze followed down the path of every delicious morsel of flesh. When he removed his boxers, his impressive cock sprung out, fully erect.
She bit her lip. God, she wanted him.
He reached for his pants. “Fuck, I better have remembered the condom.”
She closed her eyes and grimaced. She might have some old ones buried in her nightstand. She reopened them to see Vince raise one in his hand.
His smile was victorious. “Got one.”
“Oh, thank God.” She reached for him. “Hurry, Vince.”
She sat up and stroked his hard length. He moaned and then tore open the condom before gliding it on.
When he finally covered her body with his, he kissed her and the taste of her on his lips sent a hot coil of heat through her. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft, guiding it between her legs. And then, slowly, slowly, he entered her. Finally.
Shit, she tightened around him. She had to adjust. With deep breaths, she attempted to relax her muscles.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “It’s been awhile. Be gentle at first?”
“Of course.”
He edged into her slowly until she adjusted to his presence. Once he was fully in, she exhaled. “I’m good.”
He moaned. “You feel phenomenal.”
With long, slow strokes, he slid in and out of her. Each stroke escalated her pleasure. Their heated bodies were slick. Soon, she clutched him, begging for more. He raised her lower body and drilled into her, each sensation more intense than the previous—too much and yet not enough. She was about to break, but no, not yet…
She wanted to feel more. Feel him from every exquisite angle. “Let me be on top.”
“Anytime.”
The decadence in his gaze as he watched her straddle him struck a new bolt of desire unfurling in her core. He caressed her breasts and stroked her sides. She leaned forward and slowly glided down on him. This was what she’d wanted and denied herself for weeks—to be with Vince once again.
And even now, she knew in her gut that once would never be enough with him.
She pushed that thought aside and lost herself in this escape, never before feeling so desired. The pressure inside rose. She chased the calling as it pushed her to some wild, unknown destination.
Vince raised his lower body, thrusting harder into her from beneath and driving her higher still.
And then she was there. “Oh God, Vince.”
He gripped her hips with rough fingers. “Yeah, Emma. Come on me.”
She couldn’t think or talk. All she could do was feel. Overwhelming sensations raced through her body sending her over into that secret darkness beyond her reach.
Crashing…
Mind-numbing ecstasy soared through her as she lost control. Quake after quake of pleasure.
“Fuck.” Vince throbbed inside her and then pounded harder. Faster. Almost feral. His fingers dug into her hips and he slammed in with one final thrust.
Then he stilled.
She leaned forward, and he pulled her onto him. Their slick bodies touched, frantic hearts pounding.
She closed her eyes and relaxed in the space where his neck and shoulders met as she caught her breath. Such comfort and bliss.
Vince rubbed her back. “This is the best Christmas I can remember.”
She’d expected this one to be miserable. It had turned around to be a damn good one and that had everything to do with Vince.
Emma nuzzled against him, drinking in his salty masculine scent. “Unforgettable.”
Chapter Thirteen
Vince
Back in his parent’s living room, Vince sat on the couch and leaned over the coffee table. He attempted the mystery puzzle again on his own, without his nosy family analyzing his mindset.
Not that today was much different from yesterday since he still thought about Emma. What happened last night had changed everything.
Or did it?
What was going on between them was as much of a mystery as the shapes he tried to piece together.
Would he ever understand the full picture?
He had to get out of his head for a while. The best way was with a physical challenge.
He texted Angelo. Want to run the stairs this morning?
Sure. Needs to be soon. I’m working this afternoon.
Ah, Right. Angelo’s schedule at the hospital was far from 9-to-5. At least he’d had some time off on Christmas to spend with the family.
An hour?
I’ll meet you at the stadium.
Ten hundred was already well into the day for a Marine, which he learned back as an overwhelmed recruit in Parris Island. He’d spent much of the first month questioning if he’d made a mistake by enlisting. Once the initial shock had passed, it became easier to adjust to the routine. They woke early and went for a run, they kept themselves in step with cadence as they marched everywhere together, they ate quickly in the chow hall and had little sleep. All he’d wanted to be was a Marine and that had been his life for the past ten years.
What about the future? Did he have room for more than the Corps in his life, perhaps a version with Emma in it?
Vince finished his last cup of coffee but held off on eating anything heavy until after his workout. No doubt his mother would remind him of the Christmas leftovers every two hours. Which was another reason why he needed to work out.
He got his blood moving with a warmup on the front lawn before jogging to the stadium. A few clouds drifted above in the otherwise sunny day. The brisk winter air kept him from overheating. It felt great. So many of his deployments had
sent him to desert locales. The sun could scorch blazing hot on his skin during the day yet leave him frigid as soon as it went down that night. New England was known for its erratic weather patterns, humid one day and snowing the next, but he’d take that inconsistency over those long, cold, lonely nights in the desert.
That situation could happen again any time soon, which increased the yearning to spend another night in Emma’s warm bed.
Once Vince reached the football stadium, he scanned the perimeter. Nobody else was brave—or foolish enough to be out here this early at this time of year. He was sure there’d be some diehards burning off their holiday meals the same as he was, but perhaps many were taking it easy during the holiday week.
Running the stairs was one of his favorite workouts back home in Newport. Brutal, for sure. One he’d started during high school football and carried on with his brothers. The climb provided a different type of challenge he liked to conquer.
“You look like you’re ready to run away from this,” Angelo teased from behind Vince.
He turned to face his brother. “Hell no. I need to counter Ma trying to fatten me up with twenty pounds of pasta flesh.”
“Ha, and she’s loving every minute of it,” Angelo said. “When I first moved back home, she tried to feed me like I’d been starved for the past decade while in the Navy.”
“I’m surprised she hasn’t convinced you and Catherine to move in.”
“No, but she tried to get us there for family dinner twice a week. We agreed to once a week, but I often have to reschedule.” Angelo grinned. “The hospital doesn’t work around Ma’s dinner plans.”
Vince laughed. They joked about their mother’s fussing, but he loved it. He was sure both Angelo and Matty did too. After being deployed to foreign lands where the enemy sought to take him out, of course he appreciated his mother’s care—even when it bordered on smothering.
Angelo said, “You ready to go?”
“Damn straight. I already warmed up by jogging here.”
“I better get my blood flowing. Give me a few minutes.” Angelo did some jumping jacks followed by high knees. When he did some walking lunges down the field, Vince joined in.
Once they completed the warm-up, Angelo said, “Let’s go.”
They climbed up to the first set of bleachers. “Alternate stairs and seats?” Angelo suggested.
“Sounds good,” Vince agreed.
“Follow my pace. I remember the last time we were here with Matty.”
That had been a boneheaded move. Matty had stoked the competitive streak by pushing for a race and the two of them had burned out quickly.
Vince followed Angelo up the set of stairs. He kept it at a relatively slow pace as they worked up for the routine and then descended.
On the next set, Vince led them up the stadium seats, which required more of a lunge. As they alternated through the sections, his heartbeat quickened, and soon a sheen of sweat covered his skin.
They continued in this pattern all the way around the stadium, pausing at times to catch their breath or sip water. By the time they reached the final section, both of them had sweat drenching their T-shirts, despite the winter air. Vince drank almost half the water in his bottle while his heartbeat cooled.
“How did it go last night?” Angelo asked.
Vince’s mind instantly snapped back to the moment he’d slipped inside Emma. Her silky heat had tightened around him as she held onto him.
“Good.”
“That’s it?” Angelo prodded. “After all that anguish yesterday, that’s all you’re going to say?”
Vince grimaced and rolled his shoulders back. True, it was unlike him to have revealed so much, but he had been tormented by their situation.
And now—had anything changed?
“It was a great night, man. Happy?”
“If you are,” Angelo said. “I don’t need the details.”
“Good, because you’re not getting any.”
Angelo laughed. “What is up with you lately?”
Good question. The answer most likely had something to do with Emma and wanting to see her again. He’d left right after a quick breakfast this morning. Although he’d told himself it was so he wouldn’t push into her space, a part of it was that he needed some distance as well. He sensed himself growing closer to her, and he needed perspective.
Before he’d left, he said he’d talk to her later.
Vince groaned. “Wish I had an answer.”
Angelo nodded with an ah-ha kind of expression. “It’s obvious by the torment on your face. You want to see her again.”
Vince swallowed. As a Marine he should be better trained not to broadcast his feelings. Hell, he’d been damn good at it. But Angelo had known Vince his entire life and could read things that most others would miss.
“I do,” Vince admitted. “But I’m debating it.”
“About?”
“Whether it would be a bad idea.”
“How?”
“Because I spent the last two nights with her.”
Angelo arched his brows. “And that’s a problem why?”
“I’m leaving next week, and she doesn’t want a relationship. So once I leave…” He turned his palms up. The most likely outcome was that this would end.
Wherever he was deployed, would he be haunted by Emma? Remembering the taste of her, the touch of her skin, the sound of her cries?
“How do you feel about that?” Angelo asked.
Vince blinked, staring at his older brother. “Wow, you clearly have been living with a head doctor. Now you’re asking about my feelings?”
“Ha, Cate’s a neuroscientist, not a shrink. So what is it? What do you want?”
Vince shrugged. That was another good question. “I guess that the best outcome is I walk away. We all know that relationships in the military are hard. And in my field—” He swallowed. O’Brien’s wife was a widow and his children were without a father. Vince’s ribs tightened. He forced himself to exhale. “We’ll each go our own way.”
“If that’s what you both want.” Angelo’s tone noted his skepticism. “But I don’t think that’s the case.”
Vince scowled as his brother’s words hit too close beneath the surface. “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” he teased. “I’m glad I didn’t pay money for those words of wisdom.”
Angelo chuckled. “Family discount.”
Emma
Emma walked to Karine’s catering shop late in the morning to help with a lunch order. Emma had the week off between Christmas and New Year’s. Since it was a busy week for Karine and Emma didn’t have much going on, she offered to help out when she could.
She couldn’t keep a smile from her face when she pictured the night before. It was a cool fifty degrees, but her mood was as bright as the blue skies overhead.
As soon as she pulled open the door to the shop, Karine looked up from behind the dessert-filled counter where she was stirring a wooden spoon with vigor in a stainless steel bowl. “Hey, Emma. You’re looking happy this morning.”
Emma shrugged. “I had a good night.”
Karine paused and arched her brows. “Is there a reason for that smile on your face?”
Emma glanced away, unable to keep the grin from her lips. “Maybe.”
“Please tell me this means your dry spell is over?” Karine resumed stirring.
Emma laughed and pulled her gaze to Karine. “Yes, and it was well worth the wait.”
“I’m glad to hear that. You’re young and beautiful. You shouldn’t let that dumbass-who-should-not-be-named keep you from enjoying your life any longer.”
“I don’t plan to.” Emma stepped behind the counter and washed her hands.
Karine tilted her head. “Interesting.”
“What’s interesting?”
“Wasn’t Vince the last guy you’d been with?”
Yes. Karine called it. It was probably better not to analyze that and add any more questions after last night. “W
hat do you want me to start with?”
Karine directed her to platters of finger sandwiches and deli meats. “Can you wrap those up? And pull together a bag of condiments?”
Emma put an apron on and moved into action. Before she’d even finished wrapping up one platter, Karine asked, “What happens now?”
Emma’s shoulders tightened. “Nothing.”
“Nothing? What do you mean nothing?”
“Just because we slept together doesn’t mean anything has changed.”
“Of course it changes things. You’ve wanted each other since you first met. You may say you’re ‘friends.’” Karine raised her fingers for air quotes. “But I call bull.”
Emma pursed her lips. “Even if we’re remotely interested in it being anything more, it can’t happen.”
“Why not?”
“He’s leaving Newport next week. I’m staying here. No point speculating about anything else.”
Helping Karine only took a few hours, which meant Emma had the rest of the day to herself. What was Vince doing? When she’d asked him this morning, he joked that he had a date with a puzzle that was giving him a bad rep. He had to claim a victory by the end of the day to reclaim the title of puzzle master in his family.
Should she text him? She pulled out her phone.
No. They’d spent so much time together lately. She put the phone away.
Screw it. She typed Claim your victory yet?
Seconds later, he replied. Barely fifteen minutes ago. It was a tough contender, but I came out on top.
Congrats! Is a celebration in order?
Yeah. You up for a drink later? Maybe a bite?
Emma stared at the words and her heart thumped. She hadn’t technically meant with her, but the wild buzzing sensation through her body indicated her excitement.
Sure.
She dismissed the sudden anticipation that rose with a one-shouldered shrug. What did they have to lose? His time left in Newport was running down, so they might as well enjoy it while it lasted.
Chapter Fourteen
Vince
Vince: One Night with a Marine: A Second Chance Military Romance (Anchor Me Book 2) Page 12