by Shayla Black
Now he fumbled his way to the balcony door because what he was about to do did require privacy. He wasn’t going to quiet her this time. He wanted to hear her scream for him.
Somehow he managed to get the door open, managed to get them inside. All the while their tongues mated, sliding against each other in a frenzy of love and euphoria. He let his every sense be inundated by her. Her sweet scent, peaches and arousal. Fuck, all he had to do now was smell damn peaches and he would get hard. The feel of her curves pressed to his, her breasts against his chest. The sound of her mewling cries. He loved it when his badass woman turned into a sweet kitten in his arms.
He moved to the bedroom, his cock jumping every single time he took a step. The friction of his erection against her core threatened to undo him.
Her fingers slid against his scalp. She wasn’t even trying to hold on to him, just explore. She trusted him. The knowledge flared through his system, arousing him as surely as the feel of her bare skin against his. She knew he would never drop her, never let her be hurt.
When his knees made contact with the side of the bed, he let himself tip forward, sending her down gently. He straightened and ripped his shirt over his head. He didn’t have time for a slow strip tease. He needed to be inside her now.
With shaky hands, she fumbled with the button of her slacks. A sweet desperation marked her expression, very likely mirroring his own. They needed each other, needed this act of passion to place the stamp on their words. I love you. They’d said it with their mouths, and now their bodies wanted to put an exclamation point on the confession.
His hands trembled, too, as he undid his belt and the fly of his khakis. He toed out of his shoes because he was not making love to her with shoes on and his pants around his knees. This was too important. Besides, once he got her into bed, he was keeping her there.
“Let me do it.” Holland scrambled off the bed, chucking her slacks to the side. She was down to her pretty bra and panties, which sported a wet spot. Yeah, he’d done that to her.
She dropped to her knees and finished dragging down his zipper. “I don’t think it’s Naval policy to go commando, Captain.”
He took a shuddering breath as she pulled his khakis down, freeing his cock. “Good thing I don’t have to pass inspection, then, isn’t it?”
“Oh, you pass inspection.” She leaned forward and took the head of his cock in her mouth.
He watched it disappear behind her plump lips with a groan.
Dax loved how she went after what she wanted. He’d been with women who played shy. Maybe some actually had been, but for the most part it had been a game to get him hot. They would pretend to be innocent and sweet, like they’d never sucked a cock before. Not Holland. She dove in with gusto, minus the silly games.
“Fuck, that feels good.” He slid his fingers around the crown of her head, guiding her to take more. Her mouth was like hot silk, encasing him. He wanted to feel the back of her throat.
She whirled her tongue around, then eased back. “I love how you taste. I want every part of you, Dax. Everything you have to give me.”
He was fairly certain they were talking about more than simple oral sex, but that was part of the mix. He’d never let her bring him to climax this way, simply let her play and increase his arousal before climbing between her thighs.
“Sweetheart . . .”
“Please, Dax. I want to do this. I want to feel you come in my mouth.”
He damn near did right then and there. Even more, he couldn’t refuse her. “All right, but it’s my way the rest of the night. Now take more. Take it all.”
He gently fucked her mouth, in and out, forcing his way in inch by solid inch. As he did, she cupped his balls. Pleasure radiated up his spine, making his eyes roll back. So good. She felt so damn good. And when she dropped to her knees, it felt like he’d earned her. Holland wouldn’t get intimate with anyone for fame or money. She would only do it because she wanted to. That was the best rush of all, knowing he’d made her want him.
Made her love him.
Even as her mouth worked him, his blood heating to a boil, all he could think about was how much he worshipped her and would forever. Yeah, she was good at giving head—but that was part of the love, along with sex and comfort. She was all that to him, wrapped up in one beautifully strong package.
They would be better than his parents. He would be a better man. He would be the best husband in the world for this precious woman.
Her tongue worked the underside of his dick, sending a crazy thrill up his spine. When she gave him the barest edge of her teeth he hissed, the sensation elevating his pleasure.
“More.” He tightened his grip on her hair.
She rewarded him with a groan that played along his skin and vibrated up his flesh, urging him to shove his cock deeper into her mouth.
She sucked him hard, working his dick to the back of her mouth with pliant lips and an active tongue. She swallowed around him and he couldn’t hold back another second. He gave her what she’d asked for. He let go and came with a hard moan, thrusting into her mouth and releasing everything he had. Through a haze of ecstasy, he watched as she sucked him down.
Electricity sizzled over his skin. His whole body felt alive. She did that for him. No other woman could. But it was more than mere desire. He ought to know, because he’d felt it a million times. It was more than just pleasure. He’d experienced that, too. This . . . only love could feel this big and life changing.
Dax smiled as she pulled back and stared up at him, wearing the sweetest smile, like a cat that had stolen all the cream.
He grinned back, then lifted her up and tossed her on the bed.
He wasn’t done with her. Not even close.
* * *
Holland woke hours later and couldn’t help but stare at Dax. He was spread out on his back, the sheet clinging to his hips. Even in the moonlight she could see all the muscular cuts of his torso. His face appeared so peaceful in repose.
She felt as if she struggled against a storm of anxiety.
She’d almost lost him again. After he’d made love to her for the second time, he’d fallen asleep. Holland had risen and paced. That was when she’d noticed the text on her phone from an unknown number, likely an untraceable burner phone. Whoever had sent the terrible message had probably already dumped the phone.
Next time it’s for real.
Simple message. Nothing that pointed to any particular incident. Hell, if she were another woman in another situation, she might convince herself someone had texted her by mistake.
But she knew the truth. The Russian mob or whoever the admiral’s enemies had been could get to Dax. They could kill him.
She’d thought about it all afternoon. After visiting her uncle, she’d considered going straight to her bosses. She’d actually started driving to work before she realized she would be putting all her coworkers at risk. Yes, they were law enforcement and risk was part of the job, but first she would have to convince them she wasn’t simply love struck or paranoid. She would have to sell her murky conspiracy theory.
If she did, they’d all be ass-deep in something dangerous—and whoever had threatened Dax would only come for him harder. Even if she couldn’t convince her peers that she was onto something, every one of them would be vulnerable to a threat they wouldn’t see coming simply because they’d heard the truth.
As her uncle had shown her the incriminating pictures of the admiral with Amber Taylor, all Holland could think of was how disillusioned Dax would be if he saw how rough Hal Spencer had been with the girl, the way in which he’d left her bruised and battered. What was the point of putting him through that now? His dad was gone.
If she told him everything she’d seen and learned today, he’d be hurt and angry but he still wouldn’t believe his father had killed himself, at least not when and where he had. And Dax would never stop looking for the admiral’s killer.
What wa
s she going to do? How could she distract him from this case and keep him safe? If she didn’t find a way, the violence that had taken the admiral could also take Dax. Even the thought made her crazy. She couldn’t lose him like that. Not when they’d finally come together.
What did she owe justice? Certainly not the life of the man she loved. Her uncle seemed to think that Admiral Spencer’s death had been a suicide. Should she risk Dax’s life to go after the people who might have driven his father to it?
She leaned over and kissed Dax’s forehead. How could such a good man come from such a flawed and selfish one?
“Hey, we never ate.” He chuckled as he turned over and dragged her into his arms. “Well, we never ate the pizza I brought.”
“I put it in the fridge a little while ago.” She hadn’t been at all hungry since she’d realized the Russian mob could make good on their threat. “Do you want me to heat up a slice for you?”
Holland wanted to make him comfortable and happy before she told him—somehow—that she would no longer be investigating any further and that he shouldn’t, either. Not tonight, but tomorrow. He had to work tomorrow, and she would do everything possible to make sure whoever was watching believed that she had dropped the case.
Tomorrow night, she would make him see that not digging up these old bones was for the best—for everyone. They needed to let the past rest so they could have a future.
He gave her a sleepy smile. “Nah. I just want to lie here with you. How late is it?”
“A little past midnight. Dax, I love you.”
“I love you, too. I like saying it. I’ve never said those words to any woman but my momma and sister.” He turned on his side, propping his head on his hand. “You’re the one for me, Holland. You’re the one I want to keep safe, the one I trust.”
God, she prayed he still trusted her tomorrow. “I feel the same way.”
But she had to put his life first. Even if he got angry with her and they had a horrible argument, she would make sure he stayed safe. She couldn’t do any less.
They would make it through this.
He leaned over and kissed her with a groan, his big body rubbing against hers.
She had to smile despite the dark thoughts in her head. “How on earth are you hard again?”
It didn’t seem possible but the man had the stamina of a rutting bull. Thank god.
He kissed her again, deeper this time. “This is all for you, sweetheart. I’m always hard around you. I don’t need to eat or drink or sleep. I just need you.”
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back, reveling in the way his big hands felt on her body. She understood. She’d never gotten so hot so fast for anyone before Dax. It was like the man knew how to touch her, to kiss her, to arouse her like no other.
The minute he touched her, she softened, her heart beating faster. When he lowered his head and sucked a nipple in his mouth, Holland let all the bad stuff drift away. She would convince him somehow that dropping the investigation was all for the best and they would move on together. She would be good for him, and when he had to go back to his ship, she would wait for him to come home again.
She’d already waited years for him. At least this time she’d know he was coming home to her.
Holland rolled over, covering his body with hers. “My turn.”
“We’re taking turns?”
She could hear the smile in his voice and grinned. “You’ve had most of the turns tonight, babe. You’ve kept me on my back all night. I want to be on top.”
He watched as she straddled him. He was already hard. Such a beautiful beast. She reached down and took his shaft in her hand. He liked a firm grip. She knew because he’d told her so. Her man liked to talk during sex. He liked to tell her how beautiful she was. It was time to pay him back for that, too.
“Do you have any idea how hot you are, Captain?”
His lips curled up. “I do not, Special Agent. You should tell me.”
“It’s easy to see you’re suffering from low self-esteem because no one ever told you how gorgeous you really are.” He’d had whole magazine articles devoted to his body, but he needed to hear it from her. The compliment would mean more to him because it was coming from the woman who saw deeper than his surface and still loved him.
She saw past the glorious abs and handsome face and knew what an amazing man he was on the inside. Loyal and brave and good. God, she hoped he was forgiving, too.
“Gee, Kirk. No one has ever once told me I’m attractive.” He clasped his hands around her thighs and playfully leered her way. “No one who mattered, anyway.”
They were in sync. She pumped his cock in her hand. “You are simply stunning, Captain, and I can’t think of another man I could possibly want in my bed.”
“Now, that’s a good thing because no other man is ever going to get into this bed. Not without crawling over my dead body.”
She fought off a shiver and tried to focus on the positive. “Possessive, huh? Well, it so happens I like your body alive. I like your body hot, too. And I definitely love this part of you.”
Holland was already damp and aching and ready for him.
“Sweetheart, I need to go grab a new box of condoms. We’ve worked our way through the last one.”
If she was in, she was going all in. “Dax, I’ve had my birth control shot so unless you’re hiding something from your last physical, I think we can agree we’re planning on being monogamous.”
His eyes flared and she felt his dick pulse in her hand. “I’ve only had sex with you since my last physical. I don’t want to ever have sex with anyone except you again, Holland. You’re the only woman for me.”
She rubbed her aching flesh over his cock, loving the way his erection teased her clit. Even after making her scream his name over and over just hours before, she still felt the flare of awareness zing through her body. “I liked what you did earlier.”
He skimmed his hands over her hips. “I did a lot of things. You’re going to have to be more specific. Was it how long I ate your pussy? Or the way I sucked on your sweet nipples?”
He liked to talk dirty. How would he like to hear it from her? “I liked being out in the open, watching everyone walk around the Quarter and not a one of them knew that you were fucking me with your fingers and I was coming all over your hand.”
His eyes slid shut briefly as arousal overtook his face. “Sweetheart, I’m more than willing to fuck you anytime and anyplace. I’m ready now. I want to watch you ride me and those gorgeous breasts bounce. I definitely want to feel you all around my cock. I’ve never had sex without a condom before.”
That surprised Holland. He seemed like a man who could have had sex any way he chose with anyone he wanted, but since she’d really come to know him, she believed him. He took care of his partners and himself. But they didn’t need those barriers between them anymore. And one day, they wouldn’t need a chemical, either. One day, they would start a family.
For the first time in her life, she truly believed she could have a family of her own. Yes, the prospect terrified her, but the idea of never holding a baby who looked like Dax was even worse. She would sacrifice the past so they could have a future together.
She slowly lowered herself down his steely erection, loving every inch of the sensation. He was so big as he filled her up, stretched her. Even after all the times they’d made love, she still felt her eyes widen when he started to press in.
She lowered herself down slowly, wanting to draw it out. Up and down, taking him a little deeper with each pass.
“Tease.” He growled the words but did nothing to rush her.
“That’s because it’s my turn.”
Like he could talk. Dax was king of teasing. He could make sex last for hours. He would push her almost to the edge and then bring her right back. He’d repeat the process over and over again until she thought she couldn’t take another second. Then he would slide ov
er her sweet spot and send her whirling.
She took him slowly, finally bringing them completely together only to stop and let herself savor every inch of him inside her.
His big, hot hands roamed up to cup her breasts and he sighed. “I love being inside you. You feel so right.”
Everything about him was right.
Holland rolled her hips. Dax filled her up so deliciously. Up and down, she rode his cock while his hands explored her body. There wasn’t a place he didn’t touch as though he wanted to mark her as his for all time.
She was. She couldn’t imagine another man putting his hands on her. She leaned over, never letting up on the rhythm of her hips. Lowering her mouth to his, she kissed him long and slow, tangling their tongues together.