He let out a deep moan that rumbled inside his chest. It drove her on, and she flicked open the button, lowered the zipper, and had him in her hand before he could move away. Not that she thought he would. He seemed content to stay right where he was with her circling and massaging his length.
“Jesus, Sparky,” he growled against her mouth as he slid a powerful thigh between her legs.
He scorched a trail of hot, wet kisses down her neck and took one of her aching breasts into his mouth. Finally! He suckled her nipple into a throbbing peak, then took the tip between his teeth with just enough pressure to cause her to toss her head back.
Eyes closed, breath heavy, she leaned back and braced herself against the counter. He took full advantage and moved to the other breast, working it with his teeth and tongue until she whimpered.
With the tip of his tongue, he traced down between her breasts and sank to his knees, his hands burning a trail over her ribs, his tongue blazing a path over her stomach, around her belly button, and lower.
“Mitchell!” She speared fingers into his hair.
His warm, moist breaths reached through her panties, heating her center as silk slid across her most sensitive spot with the movement of his tongue.
“Oh God, Mitchell,” she panted out.
“I’ve dreamed of hearing you say my name just like that,” he breathed against ground zero. “I plan to make sure you say it several times tonight.” He bit into her flesh through the panties, and a current coiled low in her belly. “And again in the morning.” The coil tightened. “And any time of the day you want.”
She thought she’d unfurl right then and there. She hung on for dear life.
He moved her panties to one side, and his breaths grew even hotter against her pulsing center. Nothing prepared her for the electrifying jolt of ecstasy that blistered every nerve ending in her body when he covered her throbbing nub with an openmouthed kiss. His incredible tongue stroked in rhythm with his lips that moved and suckled and massaged, coaxing her to the edge.
He slid two wonderful fingers inside and reached deep before flicking his fingers back and forth.
“Mitchell!” she screamed, and he smiled against her before giving those amazing fingers one more twitch.
She saw stars as she splintered into a million tiny pieces, his incredible mouth and hands and fingers milking her orgasm for as long as possible.
When her breathing started to slow, she wrapped both arms around his head and cuddled him. He buried his face in her abdomen, in the sweetest, most intimate way. So touching that it reached into her soul.
It wasn’t the action of a hardened soldier. Wasn’t the gesture of a man who could no longer feel. It was soft and sexy and so, so loving.
They stood there for a long time, before Mitchell rose to kick off his pants. She watched his every movement, watched every muscle of his beautiful male body move and shift until he was completely naked, except for protection, and reaching for her again.
Another rush of sexual heat bucked in lady land.
His gaze took a nice long trip from her mouth all the way to her curling toes, and the corner of his mouth tipped up.
“Nice panties,” he said.
“Thank you.” She gave him a shy smile.
“Yeah, not really.” Before she could protest, he took a hand full of silk in each fist and ripped them in two.
He smothered her gasp with another commanding kiss and backed her into the shower. “Let’s clean up before the hot water runs out.”
Fine by her.
She could think of worse things than soaping up Mitchell’s hard body. He stepped in after her and wrapped all six feet three of pure man around her. And Al the plumber just became Lorenda’s hero for replacing her water heater. The hot water rolled over them, but her skin still pebbled as Mitchell dropped a spray of quick, sexy kisses over her neck and shoulder. Lorenda snuggled into the nook of his neck and nipped.
As if Mitchell hadn’t already rocked her world enough, he backed her against the shower wall and hooked one of her knees over his thigh. Bracing one hand next to her head, he entered her with one long, scorching thrust, which sent a storm of pleasure thundering through her. She arched against him, her head banging against the ceramic tile as she cried out an incoherent shout of approval.
He gave her a second to adjust. Or maybe he was adjusting, because he leaned his forehead against hers. “Christ, I’m one lucky SOB.”
She let out a chuckle. “I don’t have a code for that one.”
He laughed too and drew her bottom lip between his teeth. “How about”—another nip—“Geronimo?” This time instead of a nip, he moved to her earlobe and sunk his teeth in just enough to cause a shiver to race from the top of her wet, tangled hair all the way to her tingling toes.
“Geronimo was a lucky SOB?” She laughed again as he started to move inside of her. Even under the steamy water, she shivered, and her nipples tightened to hard peaks.
“He was misunderstood.” Mitchell’s mouth closed around the beating pulse at the base of her neck, and his tongue smoothed over it while he suckled. “A misunderstood warrior who just wanted to defend his family like me.” His hand found her breast and massaged it into a molten mound of aching flesh. His strokes grew quicker and more demanding as he drove into her over and over.
She dug her nails into his shoulders. “Then it doesn’t fit, because I’m understanding you just fine.” Her words came out like a desperate whimper.
“Baby, the fit is perfect from where I’m standing,” he said with a gritty voice. Then to prove his point, he reversed the movement of his hips, adjusted his weight just a smidge, and bingo. He hit the spot that made her body sing like a bird.
She tightened and undulated around his generous flesh, and he followed her chorus in perfect harmony. He devoured her mouth with his as his crescendo throbbed inside of her.
Somehow they ended up in her bed. And lucky Geronimoette that she was, they were just getting started.
Yes, Lorenda definitely understood Mitchell better than anyone else he’d ever met.
He moved on top of her, already hard and ready to hear her say his name again. He didn’t care how—a whisper, a shout, a moan—as long as she said it in the midst of him pleasuring her.
“Oh my,” she gasped when his hardening prick pressed against her scorching hot folds.
“I promised you’d say my name several times tonight.” He guided her hand over her head and placed her fingers around the bedpost. “You should probably hold on.”
He should probably hold on too, because Lorenda had become far more important to him than he’d planned. It wasn’t about making up for his and Cameron’s lie that had screwed up everyone’s life, especially Lorenda’s. It wasn’t about keeping her safe anymore. It was about keeping her.
He kissed his way to one of her lush breasts and found her sweet spot with his thumb.
“Mitchell,” she said on a gasp.
“There’s one more,” he murmured against her skin as he kissed down her rib cage. “Only a hundred more Mitchells to go.”
Her soft skin against his was just as velvety as the girly comforter on her bed.
And just like that, Lorenda, with her pink lip gloss, sparkly sandals, and feminine clothes, used the full force of her body to flip him onto his back and straddle him.
He didn’t offer up any resistance.
And God bless girly comforters. It was soft and smooth and sexy against his back as she ground against him and ran her dainty hands up his abdomen, across his chest, and over his shoulders. Drank every inch of him in and made him want her even more. He rose up and took her soft mouth in a kiss, wrapped her up in his arms, and held on tight because she felt so perfect pressed against him, naked and needing more.
“Okay, Geronimo, maybe you should hold on to something.” She pushed him back, a wicked gleam in her fiery eyes.
The soft lamplight cast a glow over her creamy skin. Her pouty lips parted as she ski
mmed them across his, then slipped her tongue inside his mouth for a long, languid kiss. And then used those same sweet lips to spray kisses over his chest, over his abs . . .
Christ. He hissed out a breath as her lips closed around his shaft.
And if he hadn’t already thought he was one lucky SOB, he sure did now. Her hand moved everywhere her lips couldn’t reach, and that mouth . . . holy hell, that mouth was pure heaven.
When he couldn’t take it another second, he grasped her arms and hauled her up to consume those beautiful lips with a hot, hard kiss. She barely gave him a second to grab protection before she lifted her hips and slid all the way onto him. Her eyes slammed shut as a shudder racked her body.
He framed her face with his hands. “You look so beautiful like this.”
She braced both hands against his chest. Her gaze locked onto his, and she lifted to his tip and slid down again until he was buried to the hilt and pressing into the deepest part of her. She did it again, and the fires of desire burned bright in her eyes. Her speed increased, and she never looked away. Never broke that intimate bond that passed between them as her stare held his.
Of all the fantasies he’d had about her, this wasn’t one of them. He’d dreamed of making love to her, bringing her to one orgasm after another while she enjoyed each one more than the last. He hadn’t considered that she’d be the one trying to please him.
That was so like her, though.
Her full breasts bobbed in a sexy, mind-blowing rhythm as she circled her hips against him. So he lifted enough to take one nipple into his mouth, and a sexy little sound whispered through her lips.
Her breathing increased right along with the speed of her thrusts, until she was panting and wrapping her arms around his head again. She buried her face in his neck and kept riding him, her body tightening around his length until he thought he would explode.
The feel of her muscles starting to quiver and close around him again made his mind go blank. Until finally he started thinking clearly again as her heat built to a mind-altering level. She had welcomed him into her life, her family, her body. And for the first time in his life he belonged. He thought he’d found acceptance in the military. But the brotherhood he’d formed there was only a replacement for not being welcome in his town, his home, and his family.
He’d finally found his true home, and it wasn’t a house with four walls. His home was Lorenda. With her wrapped in his arms.
A thrill raced through him and wound around his heart.
With one fluid movement, he flipped her onto her back again and buried himself inside of her.
“Oh!” she moaned, arching into him.
“That’s it, baby.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he drove into her. Over and over until his name rolled off her tongue, and her orgasm contracted around him, making him follow her into that dreamy state of complete satisfaction.
He collapsed on top of her, crushing her into the soft velvet comforter. Afraid he was too heavy, he tried to move, but she wrapped her arms and her long, sexy legs around him and held him in place.
“Don’t move,” she whispered against his ear.
He never wanted to move from that spot. So he braced both elbows on each side of her head and gently threaded his fingers into her silky hair. His temple rested against the bed, and he nuzzled her ear.
It took a while for their breathing to slow and his mind to shift out of overdrive. He lay there covering her, listening to the ebb and flow of her breaths, and letting the pounding of their hearts mingle and twine together. They were one now—husband, wife, lovers. She was half of him. The better half, and he had a lot of changing to do to live up to the standard she deserved.
Finally they crawled under the covers, and he pulled her into his arms. Her cheek rested against his chest, her fingers sketching over his skin.
“I was so scared, Mitchell. I was physically sick until you finally called and I heard the sound of your voice,” she whispered against his chest.
He caressed her hair. “I had to go back and try to help those kids.”
She nodded. “How do you think the fire started?” Her warm breath prickled his skin.
He drew in a weighty breath. “Good question. Tomorrow I need to talk to my dad.” Mitchell also planned to find out why the scouts had disappeared in the middle of the night. It was time for Mitchell and his dad to work together, whether they wanted to or not. If they couldn’t put their differences aside and compromise for the greater good, someone was going to get hurt.
That someone might be Lorenda or one of the boys. And that was something Mitchell couldn’t let happen.
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning—after enjoying coffee in bed and another hot shower for two—Mitchell toweled off his hair and decided to bring up a touchy subject with Lorenda. Maybe with her being all naked and vulnerable and satisfied, she’d actually listen to reason.
“So I was thinking, Sparky.”
A towel wrapped around her, she stood in front of the mirror and brushed through her wet hair. She turned to look at him, still brushing the ends.
“I know you think Bart is harmless.” He ran the towel over his chest, and her eyes followed.
Ah. Not a bad strategy. Maybe she’d agree to what he was about to propose. He ran the towel over his arm, then down the other, making sure to flex his tattoo at the opportune moment. Worked like a charm, because her eyes hung on that ink. The brushing stopped, and the tip of her tongue traced the line of her mouth.
“But I’m not so convinced.” He toweled and flexed some more.
“The scouts showing up at the lake and then disappearing does raise some questions.” Her eyes moved from Mitchell’s ink to his chest. Then lower. “But I can’t imagine that Bart arranged all of that on purpose or had anything to do with the fire.”
Mitchell draped the towel around his waist. “Remember how my dog tags went missing? I found them at the scouts’ campsite.”
Her forehead crinkled. “We swam to that side of the lake before the scouts showed up. Maybe you dropped them.”
He shook his head, and droplets of water sprayed his shoulders. “They disappeared from our tent. Had to have.”
She started brushing again. “No one could’ve gotten into our tent without us seeing them. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
Yeah. The explanation was that Bart was much creepier than anyone suspected, and why Lorenda couldn’t see it bothered Mitchell.
“It’s entirely possible Trevor snuck them into his pocket and dropped them. He wanted to wear them pretty bad.”
Mitchell hauled in a breath. “You should put the music program on pause until you find another location.” He flexed his ink again, proud at the way he stressed the word pause.
She pulled her gaze away from his tattoo, and her eyes narrowed.
“I’ll try to help you find another place. I’ll even—”
“No.” She turned back to the mirror.
“Sparky.” He stood behind her so they both faced the mirror. “It would be temporary.”
“No.” Her voice was even firmer that time.
He ran open palms up her arms, and her soft skin pebbled. His head dipped and pulled a sweet earlobe between his lips for a taste. “It’s for your own safety,” he whispered against her ear, then planted a soft, openmouthed kiss behind it. She shivered, and her head fell back against his chest.
She melted back against him and rubbed her magnificent ass against his crotch.
Christ.
“The answer’s still no,” she said, eyes closed. Voice breathy.
“Bart’s got something to do with this. I know it, Lorenda.” He rarely called her anything but Sparky. Hadn’t since they were teenagers, but this was serious.
Her lids popped open. “You’re overreacting. Yes, he’s a little peculiar, but in a pathetic, harmless kind of way.” She stepped away from him and started brushing her hair again. “But even if what you sa
y is true, I’d rather be at the school where I can be close to the kids.”
Mitchell had considered the kids, and he couldn’t come up with a solution because it was the only elementary school in town.
“I can’t let the music students lose momentum when they have a concert to get ready for.” She put a hand on her hip and stared at him through the mirror.
“Damn it, woman. You’re willing to put yourself in danger for a free after-school program that is meaningless to most of the town?”
Probably a poor choice of words. But every instinct he had told him to stay on alert.
First, her eyes flew wide. Then she slowly lowered the brush. Next she turned to face him with a look as hard as granite.
“That came out wrong.” He tried to explain.
She held up a hand to silence him. “Don’t start pulling your alpha-male-warrior crap with me.”
Definitely could’ve chosen his words more carefully.
“I’ve put my dream on hold long enough. I’ve been on my own my entire adult life.” Her voice escalated, and her usual easy-going, softie demeanor evaporated. “You are not going to start making decisions for me on day two of our marriage, which is not even for real anyway.”
Well, hell. It was only day two of their fake marriage, and they were already having their first fight.
He stepped in front of her. Fingered the edge of the towel that was tucked and holding the whole thing in place. “Last night was very, very real, Sparky. At least it was for me.”
Her eyes flared, turning a deeper shade of blue. But it shut her up, which was fine by him. He’d gone and ruined a perfectly good sex marathon by opening his stupid mouth and making her dream seem trivial. Which was not at all what he’d meant.
He flicked the tucked piece of terry cloth free, and the towel fell away. He stepped into her, then put one hand at the small of her naked back and the other in her hair to pull her against him. “It doesn’t get more real than this.” He smothered her mouth with his.
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