“Where did you get this?” she asked softly.
“I hid the flash drive in it and put it in my coat pocket. I knew you wouldn’t notice it was gone. I hoped that if we were caught, whoever got ahold of us might not find the flash drive right away. That they’d think I was being shallow or something.” Jack paused. “I was terribly afraid of what might happen if we got separated, if one of us was killed, if one of us was captured-”
That was the one thing they’d never really talked about as their situation had become more perilous or even during the short time they were on the run. In hindsight, it might have helped if they had.
“If I was captured or killed,” Caroline said.
He cleared his throat. “Yes. If I lost you I wanted something to remind me of you. And this ring is a reminder that you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
She stared at the glimmering diamonds again, because she very well couldn’t look at him. “Oh, Monty.”
Jack smiled. “I have to say, this whole ‘you being nice to me again’ thing is pretty gratifying.” Caroline took the ring out of the box. “Let me,” he said quietly, and slipped it onto her finger, kissing the top of her hand.
Despite her swollen knuckles and improperly healed broken bones, it still fit. She pulled him to her and kissed him again, more passionately this time. “Remember when you showed me how much you loved me a little while ago?”
The smile became a grin. “Yup.”
“How about you do that again?”
“I can handle that request.” Jack threw the sheet aside and rolled on top of her. “You are mine,” he said. “All mine.”
Caroline smiled. “Yours.”
He slid a finger inside her, catching her off guard, and she cried out when he bit her nipple, hard. “So long as there is breath in my body, no other man is allowed to even look at you,” he growled.
Oh, she liked where this was going. “Aren’t you a beast,” she said.
“Care for a demonstration?”
She fisted his hair and pulled him closer. “Are you going to fuck me or what?”
This time their kisses were frantic, desperate, animalistic. It didn’t take long for both of them to start clawing at each other, rolling around on the bed, biting, pulling, scratching, making primitive noises, until she was on top of him, riding his cock. He held her steady as she ground her hips against him, until it was too much for him and he rolled over on top of her on the bed. He pulled her arms above her head, their fingers intertwined, and gazed down at her with desire.
Jack slid out of her as she whined her displeasure. “I love you, Caroline,” he panted, lifting one of her legs at the knee and placing it over his shoulder. “And I’m definitely not done yet.”
He thrust into her again, harder and harder, until she knew that just the feeling of him inside her would be enough to make her come. It didn’t happen often, but she loved when it did. He was the only man who’d been able to give her an orgasm that way, because it took such a long time for her pleasure to build. It felt different. Deeper. More intimate. She screamed his name as she spasmed around his cock and he came with a loud, almost mournful groan, loosening his grip on her hair and cradling her head in his arms.
Caroline could hear him breathing heavily into her ear. They were both drenched in sweat. She laughed. “You okay, Jack?”
“I’ve missed this,” he said. “A lot. You feel amazing. Being inside you is so much nicer than when I had to do it myself.”
She giggled again, but pouted when he pulled out of her.
“It’s okay, baby,” he said. “I promise I’m not sick of this yet. We just have to take a little break. Plus I wasn’t sure if you were all that comfortable with your leg wrapped around my neck.”
Caroline buried her head in his shoulder. “That part was more than okay,” she said. “Even though I’m not all that great an acrobat. We still have about ten positions we haven’t used yet.”
“Ten,” Jack scoffed. “You must not have memorized your Kama Sutra like I did.”
“We’re going to need a shower after this,” she said. “And clean sheets.”
“Always so practical. I’m not wearing you out, am I?”
Naturally, Caroline yawned. “Of course not.”
“Want a nap anyway?”
He knew her too well. “Why not?”
* * * * *
It didn’t take much for her to get Jack to clear his calendar for the next few days. They barely left the bedroom save for breakfast. There was no reason to. Naps sometimes happened. Food was sometimes consumed. She lost track of how many hours or days they’d spent in bed.
Caroline was stroking his hair, his head resting on her upper chest. “Comfy?” she asked, trying not to laugh.
Jack kissed her left breast. “One of my favorite resting places. You make a wonderful pillow.”
“Are we going to stay in bed forever?”
“I don’t know,” he said, straightening up. “You got someplace you need to be?”
“I’d have to get dressed first. Another shower isn’t the worst idea, either.”
He started kissing her breasts again. “We’re not done in here.”
“When will we be done?”
He bit her nipple. “When I say we’re done.”
“Ooh, big bad commander gets to make all the sexytime rules now?”
“No.” Jack drew himself on top of her. “Commander gets to spend a few days making up for all those lost moments with his beautiful wife.” He nuzzled her neck. “I don’t want you dressed. I prefer you naked.”
“I wish we could stay like this forever, just the two of us.”
He kissed her shoulder. “Me too. Although I think people might start to wonder about what happened to us.”
There were only so many meetings he could put off. Decisions had to be made. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. “We’re so good like this, here in bed with nothing to interrupt us.”
“We have to get up eventually,” Jack said. “But not right now.”
She’d need a shower in the meantime, but she could trick him into joining her. “Do you know how much I love you?” she asked, kissing him again.
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell,” Jack said, chuckling as Caroline cuffed his arm. “But you’re pretty good at letting me know under the right circumstances.”
She pushed him onto his back. “Let me show you now.”
* * * * *
Jack needed to take a break. His wife was wearing him out. But why shouldn’t he take advantage? They could afford to lock themselves away from the rest of the world for a while. Doing what they did best.
Talking, of course. That was what he meant. Talking.
She’d drifted off for a bit. He’d let her nap for maybe thirty minutes at a time before waking her up again, but she didn’t seem annoyed. Which was a welcome sight. God, if he could do it he’d whisk her away to some forgotten and isolated place and keep her safe forever. But for now, he was going to enjoy fucking her. Crude but honest. He doubted she’d disagree, based on how she’d been reacting to him. He twirled some of her hair around his finger, and she opened her eyes.
“I fall asleep again?” she asked.
He grinned. “That last time was a little exhausting for you.”
“Reverse cowgirl does take more work on my part.”
Jack kissed her. “But it’s completely worth it.”
“You gonna make it up to me?”
“I could,” he said. “You might have to exert yourself a little, though.”
She peeked under the sheet. “Did you get started before you woke me up?”
He debated whether to play this one close to the vest, then decided against it. “Baby, whenever you’re near me I get hard.”
“You let me nap while you were sporting a boner?”
He laughed. “Such terminology. Why do you think I ended your nap?”
She rolled her eyes. “Clearly it wasn�
��t so we could have a conversation.”
“I’ll make you dinner later. Plenty of time to pretend to talk.” He leaned over to kiss her.
“I don’t need to talk,” she murmured. “I want to fuck.”
Jesus, what she did to him when she talked to him in that voice. He wasn’t going to try anything too aggressive but when a door opened he sure as hell was going to run through it. “Hands and knees,” he whispered.
Caroline smiled. “I’ve been waiting for that one.”
“Your second favorite position. I know. Naughty girl.”
As Jack entered her, he remembered why they’d both enjoyed it so much. She could feel the length of him and he could remind her of just how much there was. He thrust into her, gently at first, then faster, responding to her pants and moans. He wanted to make this time last, knowing the longer he took, the greater a chance he could push her over the edge. He owed her one. Many more than one.
Caroline pressed her forehead to the pillow at the front of the bed, clenching the sheets in her fists. Jack grabbed her waist, smiling as she screamed his name. He felt her spasming around him and thrust inside her one final time, shuddering as he came. He took a deep breath, unable to speak.
She collapsed onto the bed as Jack pulled out and placed a gentle kiss on the small of her back before falling over on the pillow next to her. Going to the gym was one thing, but he’d much rather increase his stamina with sex. Which meant they needed to do it a lot more.
“You slay me, sweetheart,” he finally said.
“I love you,” she panted. “Don’t you ever forget how much, you asshole.”
Jack kissed her forehead. One more catnap before dinner wouldn’t hurt. “With an attitude like that, we’re never going to get out of here.”
* * * * *
“I’m not sure I remember what the living room looks like,” Caroline said.
Jack palmed her breast. “You walked past it on your way back from the shower.”
She grinned. “On our way back from the shower. Per my recollection you had your hand on my ass. It was a little distracting.”
“I can’t help it if I want to touch you all the time. What with you being naked and sexy and all.”
Caroline giggled when he leaned over and blew raspberries on her stomach. “Stop that.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“If you motorboat my boobs we’re going to have issues.”
He started to kiss his way up to her breasts, laughing when she pushed his head away. “You have needs that have been neglected,” Jack said.
“And it’s up to you to attend to them?”
He smiled. “Pretty much.”
“I can live with that. Aside from the motorboating. Leave that trick at the bottom of the pile.”
Jack kissed her neck as he trailed one hand down the middle of her chest. “You denied yourself pleasure for so long. I’m trying to make up for it.”
She’d lost track of how many orgasms she’d had in the past couple of days, but she didn’t need a chart. The number was pretty inspiring. “I wasn’t in the right place emotionally.”
“I know,” he said. “But I feel obligated to do something about it.”
She blushed as a memory washed over her. “There were a couple of times when I slipped.”
Jack grinned. “Maybe times when you had nice little dreams about me?”
The blush became a fiery inferno. “Oh my God. I wasn’t touching myself when…you know.”
He grinned again. “No. But you weren’t exactly lying still in the bed, either.”
Caroline covered her eyes with her hands. “It’s still a little embarrassing.”
“No, it’s not. It’s sexy as hell.” Jack nuzzled one of her breasts. “Were there other times you thought about me? Be honest.”
“Once or twice.”
“And?”
“I didn’t exactly get off but I woke up with my hand in my pants.”
“That’s kind of a turn on.”
“At least once it was your fault,” Caroline said. “When you yelled at me after I ran out of Natalie’s office.”
“Oh, really? Glad to know my anger excites you.”
“It wasn’t your anger. It was something you said. It triggered a memory.” She frowned. “Do you think it’s weird that things like that happen to me?”
“No,” Jack said, running his tongue lightly around her ear. “It means your husband is remarkably memorable. Tell me more.”
“I dreamt about us together in the Governor’s Mansion. When we did it on the floor of the bedroom.”
He continued his ministrations, working his way toward her lips. “You’re going to have to be more specific, sweetheart. We fucked on the floor a lot in that house.”
“I-” Caroline shuddered as his hand drifted down her body. “What are you doing?”
“Holding your attention,” he said, pressing a finger inside her.
“That’s not the best way to do it.”
“It’s the most entertaining way. Tell me more.”
She grasped the bedsheet with one hand, trying to concentrate. “We – it was that time I got jealous about the intern.”
“Ah, yes.” Jack slipped two fingers inside her. “I wonder whatever happened to her?”
“I don’t particularly care,” Caroline gasped.
He laughed. “Do you like being distracted?”
“You make it very hard to focus.”
He massaged her clit gently. “Just making up for lost time.”
Caroline gritted her teeth. “I can’t talk when you’re doing that.”
“Then don’t,” he whispered, and leaned in for a kiss.
* * * * *
“You look so beautiful when you come,” Jack said. “All sighs and moans and desperate cries.”
That one had been particularly intense. “And exhaustion,” Caroline mumbled.
“Do you need a break?”
“A little one.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Kind of.”
“Want me to make you breakfast?”
Caroline looked out the window. The sun was either rising or setting, she couldn’t tell. “Is it time for breakfast?”
Jack laughed. “Does it matter?”
She peered out the window again. Definitely dawn. “Shouldn’t you go back to work?” she asked. “I feel like we’ve been in here for days.”
“We probably have. I’m not quite ready to go back to work. Right now I want to spend more time in bed with you.”
Caroline grinned at him. “What exactly is it that you do, anyway?”
“I don’t like what you’re implying, sweetheart. Are you saying I’m a figurehead?”
“Essentially.”
Jack tickled her. “I do stuff.”
She tried to squirm away but he grabbed her around the waist. “Like what?” she asked.
“Commander stuff,” he said.
Caroline swatted at his hands. “That’s purposely vague. You don’t do anything, do you? Aside from the occasional meeting or speech. I’d accuse you of surfing the internet but you probably have to keep a low profile.”
Jack continued tickling her. “What exactly is it that you do, Caroline?”
She coughed. It was hard to catch her breath with him teasing her like that. “Um, I shoot things.”
“What else?”
“I sneak into enemy territory.”
“I noticed.”
“I’ve punched a few people.”
Jack bit her neck when she forced his hands to his sides. “I’m sure you’ve done more than that.”
“I can’t think of anything.”
His hands snaked up her torso, but this time he wasn’t tickling her. “Ever have sex with your husband?”
“Oh,” she said. “That. I’ve done that. Quite a bit.” She gasped as he trailed his fingers up and down her legs. “I wasn’t aware that was in my job description.”
“It is now.
”
“I feel like that might violate any number of labor laws.”
“Are you going to complain about it?”
She laughed when he pinned her down. “No.”
* * * * *
“We really need to get out of bed soon,” Caroline said. “Won’t our muscles start to atrophy or something?”
His wife kept dropping hints and Jack kept ignoring them. Of course, she was plainly ignoring them as well. “We’ve burned far more calories than we’ve consumed the past few days. I don’t think that’s an issue.”
“But you have stuff to do. And so do I.”
“You want to go back to work?”
“Gotta do it sometime.”
If it were up to him, she’d no longer be in a combat role. But that was a discussion he wasn’t ready to have yet. He had to talk to his advisors first. Make her position official. More than just a random mention at a staff meeting. “Sometime is not now,” he said.
Caroline grinned at him. “I’m sorry, the revolution has to be postponed because the commander is too busy banging his wife.”
Good. Let her think he was more worried about getting in her pants than transferring her to a different assignment. “We’ve done more than have sex the last few days.”
“That’s all we’ve done. You haven’t picked your phone up once.”
In actuality, he’d sneaked a couple of quick text messages when she was napping. “We’ve done more than that,” he said. “I made you pancakes that one morning.”
“Yes. Those were good. Then we had sex on the kitchen floor.”
Only because she’d insisted on leaving the bedroom. “We talked on the couch that one time.”
“Indeed we did,” Caroline said. “Which lasted about fifteen minutes before we almost broke the only semi-decent piece of furniture we have.”
“That couch needs to be replaced anyway. And we’ve gotten up to bathe. More than once.”
“Together,” she said.
He wasn’t going to pass up that opportunity, no. “We’ve gotten that one good night of sleep, too.”
“Because of sex.”
She was trying like hell not to laugh at him. Jack raised an eyebrow. “Are you complaining?”
Rhapsody (The Bellator Saga Book 5) Page 23