Solid Steel (Unseen Enemy Book 6)

by James, Marysol

  As she traced those lines of pain and fury, Selena realized – fully and completely – what Luke must have gone through that day. What had happened to him had been a terrible, awful surprise and no amount of training would have prepared him for it. Yes, he’d been aware of what might happen, but Selena knew good and well that just because you’re aware that something is maybe going to happen, you’re not ever ready for the reality of it once it actually does. Not really.

  Under her hands was the evidence of limb literally torn from flesh – something that had changed Luke forever. Something that had been taken from him. He’d lost a part of himself that day, and somehow he’d learned to be OK with that loss. And maybe – just maybe – she could learn from him in turn. Learn how to not be whole but to be wholly OK with that.

  She looked up at him now, saw the tension on his rugged face.

  “Luke?”

  “Yeah?”

  This time, she kissed him. He responded immediately, pulling her up his body, tighter and closer. He gathered her to his chest, mindful of her stitches, letting Selena set the pace. He wanted whatever she wanted, he’d take whatever she was ready to give him. Far more importantly, he wanted her to feel back in control for the first time in a long time, to take charge of her own sexuality and desire.

  Luke wasn’t a guy who gave up control easily when he was with women; in fact, he never gave it up. He was all alpha, all bossy and ‘I call the shots, babe’. But for Selena, he’d loosen his grip on how things unfolded between them, no damn problem. He’d be passive, if that’s what she needed, he’d stay still and keep quiet. Not for long, of course, and definitely not for good… but for a little while.

  Selena felt his powerful body go slack under hers, felt his vise-like embrace loosen. Surprised at that, she pulled back a bit.

  “You OK?” she said to him.

  “Oh, yeah.” His eyes were intense, hot. “You know it, beautiful.”

  “So why –” She broke off, not at all sure what to ask. Why are you not ravishing me? Why are you not pinning me down? Why are you being so gentle?

  He understood, though and his smile was as cocky as ever. “You’re gonna do all the work this time, babe.”

  “I am?”

  “You are.” He shifted under her, loving that she trusted him in her uncertainty. “This time you climb on top of me. I’m just gonna lie here flat on my back and enjoy the fucking incredible view.”

  Excitement tightened her stomach. “Whatever I want to do?”

  “This is all you, Selena.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb, possessive and tender at the same time, the way that only Luke could touch her. “All about you.”

  “Huh.” She stared at him. “Anything I want?”

  “Yep.” His long, thick cock reared up at the look in her eyes, and she saw it. A smile broke out across her face and he almost groaned. “What have you got in mind?”

  “You want me to tell you?”

  “Nah. I get the feeling that you have a way better use for your mouth than talking.”

  “So you want me to show you.”

  “Now we’re thinking the same.” He folded his right arm and rested his hand under his head. The position flexed that amazing arm muscle and her breath stuttered to a damn stop in her chest at the sight. “Shut up and show me.”

  “Bossy,” she muttered, but she did as he said.

  She started with his lips: kissing, stroking, licking. Her tongue slid inside his hot mouth, tasting him, teasing him. Their kisses got longer, deeper, more intense and Selena felt desire pool deep in her belly and turn to liquid between her legs.

  God, just kissing Luke was turning her on almost to the point of orgasm; the man was pure, dark, molten temptation. And she wanted nothing more than to give in to temptation. Resisting him was a lost cause, one that she had zero interest in taking on.

  Slowly, she moved down his body. She skimmed his strong collarbone, ran her tongue over his defined pecs and shoulders. She kissed the line of dark hair that ran down the middle of his torso, taking her time, really taking pleasure in having this strong man under her mouth.

  When she took his rock-hard length in her hand and started stroking him, he froze. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure about any of this: it was fucking fast, what was happening between them. Maybe too fast. And he couldn’t let himself forget that Selena was all stitched up and probably in far more pain than she was letting on. She was the kind of woman who’d never admit weakness and Luke didn’t want to take advantage of that.

  “Beautiful,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. “I’m worried that you’re not in any kind of condition for this.”

  “You mean physically?” She kissed his stomach, ran her tongue over the amazing muscles there, her hand pumping now. “Or emotionally?”

  “Physically, for sure.” Luke gasped as her mouth reached his straining cock. “Emotionally, I don’t know, but maybe.”

  She paused, looked up at him, her dark eyes sparkling. He met her gaze, loving how close those soft lips were to his hardness. Good God, he’d give anything for her to take him in to her mouth, but he had to be sure first. She had to say it.

  “Selena.” His eyes were blue flame in his face. “You sure?”

  She smiled, a beautiful, hot smile; the smile of a female looking to drive a man insane with desire. Her head lowered and she held his eyes. As he watched, she licked the tip of his cock, a delicate, teasing flick of her tongue.

  “Yes.”

  That was all she said before she sucked him in to her mouth. Luke’s back arched up and off the bed and a harsh curse escaped his heaving chest. Dear sweet Christ, she felt good. Hot and wet and tight and so damn hungry for him… just as he imagined her sweet pussy to be. And at that thought, Luke’s cock pulsed and lengthened even more. She gave a moan of satisfaction, loving his helpless reaction, and she took him deeper, harder.

  Selena felt Luke’s hand on the back of her head now. He wrapped her curls around his fingers, tightened his hand in to a fist. He didn’t try to guide her, didn’t take control, but the slight pressure told her what he wanted. Her pussy fluttered at the gentle dominance, loving the rolling movement of his hips under her mouth. He was slowly but surely losing control, losing his mind, and she wanted to take him all the way over.

  She moved up and down, using her lips, her tongue, her hand. She listened to his breath come faster and harder, heard his breath turn to gasps and then groans and then grunts. She sped up her movements, wanting nothing more than to see and feel this man come for her.

  Luke was seconds away from losing it and no fucking way he was doing this on his own. Utterly abandoning his plan to just stay on his back and let her take full control, he gripped her head hard, held her in place. He breathed deep and slow, trying to not thrust in to her throat and just let go.

  Selena swirled her tongue around him and his fingers tightened again.

  “Stop,” he commanded, his voice gravel. “Don’t, babe.”

  She released him, stared up at his face in confusion. “Why?”

  “Because,” he said, “I’m gonna make you come too.”

  She watched as Luke flipped on to his side, then shifted around until his head was at her waist. When he lifted her top leg and wrapped it around his shoulders, she went weak with lust. And when his mouth moved to her throbbing, aching clit, she gave a small scream.

  “Now get back to what you were doing,” he muttered. “Just ignore me down here.”

  As if, she thought as his mouth descended on her pussy, lapping and kissing her. But she was damned if she wasn’t going to hold up her end of this whole thing, so she rested on her uninjured side and took Luke in her mouth again.

  Luke didn’t know what was better: having his cock in her sweet mouth, or having her sweet pussy in his. She was so wet, just soaked with desire and want, and that goaded him on. He
rubbed her clit with his thumb as he fucked her deep with his tongue; in response, her whole body jerked and she gave a long, throaty moan around his cock. The vibrations pushed his pleasure up to another level and he took her taut little bundle between his lips, sucking hard.

  Selena felt the wave of sensation rise surprisingly quickly and her leg tightened around his body, pulling him in tighter. He made a sound of satisfaction and slid his arm around her hip, tugging her closer and holding her in place.

  She tore her mouth away from him, gasping, her hand still pumping his length. “Luke… Luke.”

  He didn’t answer her, not with words, anyway. His thick fingers were inside her now, stroking her most secret, sensitive flesh even as his mouth stroked her burning clit. She was shaking and crying out, her cries rising and falling with the movements of her hips.

  Luke felt her whole body tense in anticipation and he knew it wouldn’t take much more to shove her over the edge. He gave it to her, his fingers fucking her deeper, reaching for the very heart of her, his mouth fused to her hot little button. And Selena came hard for him, came on his fingers and on his mouth, and it was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen or tasted.

  Selena ground her pussy against Luke’s mouth, beyond care or shame, and he stayed with her. He kept pushing deep inside her until her inner muscles stopped clenching and releasing on his fingers, making sure that she rode out the undulating waves of orgasm for as long as possible. Then he gently withdrew, but not before giving her sex a final long, hard lick. She shuddered, breathing hard and still trembling with aftershocks.

  Her grip on him had loosened, but she tightened her fingers around him again. Watching her come had turned him on even more, and drops of pre-cum beaded the tip of his cock. She sucked them off, loving his salty-sweet taste and now it was Luke who shuddered and tensed right up.

  “Your turn,” she murmured.

  “Not in your mouth,” he ground out.

  “I don’t mind,” she said. “Do you want to?”

  Take-charge, bossy Luke was back in force now, and he wasn’t interested in keeping quiet about what he wanted. Hell, no.

  “No, I don’t want to come in your mouth.”

  “So how do you want to come?” She smiled up at him. “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want to mark you, beautiful.” He groaned as she pulled him back in to her mouth and he thrust up, forcing her to take him deeper. “I want to mark you and make you mine.”

  She pulled back, smiled again. “Yes.”

  “Damn.” Her surrender and submission kicked up his arousal to almost unbearable heights. “You sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “God. Selena.”

  She squeezed him now, her hand moving faster. Luke wanted to watch, but it was all too much and he shut his eyes, the tension building and building.

  When she twisted her wrist and thumbed the end of his cock with every stroke, that was it… he was done. He made a noise in his chest and his throat, a sound he’d never heard come out of himself before. It was dark and primal and desperate and Selena knew it was finally happening. He was out of control and she loved it.

  He covered her hand with his and she moved closer, eager for him to mark her. When he came, his seed landing on her stomach and the scar on her chest, she felt nothing but fierce joy. God, the heat of him… every jerk of his hips and splash of white liquid was burned in to her memory, in to her flesh. He may be declaring her as his, but she was making him hers, too. She was claiming and keeping him.

  Luke gasped for air even as his rational brain kicked in. He opened his eyes, sat up and turned so that they were face-to-face now. He lay down, took her in his arms, felt his release wet and sticky on her golden skin. She snuggled in to his side and his heart constricted at her softness.

  “You doing OK, babe?” he asked quietly. “Did I hurt you?”

  Selena gazed up at him with a hazy, sweet look that he was rapidly becoming addicted to. “Did it look like you hurt me?”

  “Hmmmm...” He pretended to consider that. “Well, you were moaning a lot. Maybe you were in pain?”

  She slapped him lightly on his chest and he laughed.

  “That wasn’t pained moaning, you jerk,” she said in mock-outrage.

  “No?”

  “Nuh-uh.”

  Luke ran his hand over stomach, over her hip, over the right side of her chest, confirming his possession of her. “So, you’re OK? Like, for real?”

  “Yeah, handsome.” She kissed him. “I’m OK for real.”

  “But you need a shower.” He glanced down at the bandage. “And we need to change that.”

  “Yeah.” Selena sat up. “You want to shower first?”

  “You’re kidding me, right?” His blue gaze was incredulous. “We’re showering together.”

  “You are so bossy,” she said.

  “You like it?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, nobody pushes me around.” She paused. “Well, Griff tries, but he doesn’t get too far. Besides him? Nobody even makes an attempt.”

  “Yeah, ‘cause they know you can get out your gun and shoot ‘em in the balls if they piss you off.”

  “You think I won’t do that to you?”

  “No way, babe.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Totally.”

  “Huh.” She looked at his face, loving its tender roughness. “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because I can do this to you.”

  He rolled on to her then, without a word or any warning, and before she knew it, Selena was under him. He held both of her wrists gently in his large hand, his other arm was caging her head. She gasped, stunned that he’d actually managed to get the jump on her, and decided to blame the post-orgasmic bliss and lethargy.

  When he kissed her, she melted under him. Completely, totally, fully melted. Turned to goddamn goo, went limpid and languid, and Lord, he knew it. He felt it. His grin was cocky and triumphant and as much as she wanted to smack him, she couldn’t argue with what he did to her. She moaned, arched in to him, begging with her body for more and he gave it to her… he kissed her until she was a shuddering mess.

  Far too soon, Luke raised his head, pulled away. “So. Shower?”

  “Yes.” She’d have agreed to anything he suggested right at that moment, if it meant that he’d keep touching her.

  He got to his feet, all huge muscles and predatory grace, extended his hand. “Come on, babe.”

  They walked to the bathroom and when they got there, Selena looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were bright. Yeah, she looked like a woman who’d just been loved right and come hard and who’d adored every single goddamn second of it.

  And I did. No arguing with any of that.

  Carefully, slowly, giving her time to know what he intended, Luke reached for the bandage. She froze and he stopped right away.

  “You want me to leave?” he said. “Is this too much, me seeing all of you at once?”

  “No.” She shook her head, thinking about what they’d just shared. He’d seen her at her most unprotected, her most unguarded. She’d given him almost all she had, and she was OK with giving him just a little bit more. “I just – I reacted automatically. I wasn’t thinking.”

  He studied her. “So you ready?”

  “Yeah. It’s OK.”

  He peeled the bandage away gingerly, trying to not jostle her or pull on her stitches. He threw the soiled piece of gauze in the garbage, then looked down at Selena, seeing her totally naked for the first time.

  Her left side was also completely flat, also missing the nipple. The scar on this side was a bit thinner than the one on the right, but it was angrier, redder. He lifted his eyes to her face, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was looking down at herself, examining the
stitches.

  “The doctor said I got eight stitches,” she said quietly. “That I’ll have another scar on my chest.” She glanced up now, her eyes full of hurt. “I guess I can add it to my collection, huh?”

  Luke wrapped his arms around her, surprised yet again at the gift of her vulnerability. Fuck, she’d been through enough – more than enough.

  The fact that she’d gotten hurt made his blood boil; the fact that she now had yet another scar marring her golden skin made his heart ache. She was just so damn gorgeous, and she didn’t see it. She couldn’t see it, not yet, but he was bound and determined to open her eyes to it. To get her to see herself as he saw her.

  “You OK, beautiful?” His voice was lower than usual as he pushed down on his anger at Diana Keeler, at cancer, at the unfairness of fucking life. “You OK with me being here right now?”

  “Yes,” she whispered against his chest. “Stay with me, Luke. Just – just keep telling me that I’m…”

  “What?”

  “I’m not ugly.”

  He tipped her head back, almost glared at her. “You’re not, Selena, not even close.”

  She bit her lip, nodded.

  Luke turned on the shower, checked the temperature, got in first. Then he turned to Selena, helped her to climb over the bathtub edge.

  “Careful,” he said in his gruff voice. “Don’t get your stitches wet. Keep your side away from the spray.”

  Selena sighed as the water hit her tense body. Slowly, she relaxed in his embrace, wondering at how comfortable she felt with Luke. She felt like she’d known him for years, like there was nothing she couldn’t tell him.

  She’d looked for this her whole damn life and she’d given up on it long before she’d lost her breasts. She’d thought it just wasn’t going to happen for her.

  And now here it was, all hard blue eyes and messy dark hair and strong, steely arms. A tough, rough man with hurts and traumas of his own. A tender, gentle man looking past what she was missing, not even seeing what she was missing. Luke saw what was there, not what wasn’t, and he trusted her to do the same with him.