by Anne Marsh
Not that Gray seemed to mind.
He seemed to like her just the way she was. Although he definitely had a preference for naked.
She liked him naked, too.
Someone stepped out onto the path behind her. She didn’t hear him move. One second, she was alone and the next, a big, hard body pressed up against hers. Maybe they included ninja classes at BUD/S training. Even as she recognized him, her heartbeat picked up in anticipation. Her imagination immediately kicked in, too, suggesting all sorts of naughty possibilities.
“If you give me a heart attack, neither of us is going to enjoy tonight,” she said lightly as Gray set his hands on her hips and tugged her back against him. Where else would he put his hands? He wasn’t an ask first, act second man and, as un-PC as it was, she loved that about him.
“Tonight’s my turn,” he growled.
Ooh. He was as good at being cryptic as he was at super stealth.
“And hello to you, too.” She wriggled backward and, yep, he was definitely glad to see her even if his verbal greeting left something to be desired. She could feel his mighty impressive erection through his pants, and that part of him was definitely perfect. She also liked the way he held on to her. Okay, she liked it a lot. She wasn’t going anywhere until he said so, and the feeling of powerlessness was an unexpected turn-on.
“Your place?” She prompted, when he didn’t move. She definitely wasn’t doing it on the path. Not only were they in a very public spot, but there would also be insects. Crickets or mutant jungle bugs whined from the dense screen of palm trees nearby. No way she was exposing flesh around them.
He leaned down, his mouth brushing her ear. “Last chance to back out.”
Hello. “I came out here for a reason. I’m not leaving now.”
He nipped her ear. The tiny bite stung, followed by a wave of molten pleasure that should have embarrassed her. Apparently, however, she was shameless tonight because she let out a small moan, and his lips curved upward in a smile.
Pressed up against him, she could feel the hard muscles of his thighs and chest. The man didn’t have a soft inch anywhere. Her position was both hot—and awkward. Her butt was glued against his front, and she wasn’t entirely sure where to put her hands. She settled for placing them on his forearms. He was all corded muscle there, too. She’d be a lucky woman if she could get him inside and get his clothes off. And if his heart didn’t have a soft spot for her, she was okay with that. Assuming his words were man code for don’t expect anything but sex from me. That fit her plans just fine, right? The way his erection pressed into her butt, his good parts rubbing against hers, also fit in just fine. Except...she’d have taken more if he’d been offering. More sex, more caring, more Gray. Darn it. He’d worked his way inside her heart like a SEAL on a convert op and she’d never seen him coming.
Evidently, he wasn’t done with his public service announcement, however, because he kept on talking. “Unless you walk away right now, I’ll make you open up in every way possible. I’ll take charge, own every inch of your gorgeous body, inside and out.”
Wow. “That sounds like a plan.”
Count her in. She tugged forward, and this time he let her move. The short walk to his room was strangely companionable. He threaded his fingers through hers, and she wanted to point out that he was holding her hand, which probably broke one of their hard-and-fast rules, but there was no sense in poking the bear, at least not until after she’d got what she came for. Plus, she could practically feel him gearing up to talk.
“If you ask me if I’m sure again, I’m going to hit you,” she warned.
A husky laugh escaped him, and she wondered which of them was more surprised. He needed to laugh more, to take life a little less seriously. It wasn’t all war games and death missions. He might be able to teach her about kinky sex, but maybe she could teach him something, too. That with the right person, at the right time, sex was fun. And she planned on having plenty of fun tonight.
“I want to be here,” she admitted softly. “With you.”
“Why?” He sounded genuinely curious as he unlocked the door to his room and gestured for her to go in first.
“No booby traps?”
He gave her a look. “That’s why I’m sending you in first.”
She grinned. “Glad I didn’t pick you because you were a gentleman.”
* * *
HE ABSOLUTELY WANTED to believe that she’d picked him. The reasons didn’t matter so much, although he couldn’t be a gentleman if his life depended on it. Laney Parker drove him crazy. From her methodical, let’s-schedule-everything-including-sex approach to life to the way she stared at him as if he was the most mouthwatering brownie on the plate and she planned on having him. Now. Maybe he drove her a little bit crazy, too.
As he followed her inside his room, he realized something else. Laney dressed up for date night drove him more than a little crazy. His awareness of her was a ten on the Richter scale, her sassy sundress begging to be stripped off as she strolled into his room with a sexy roll of her hips. Giving in to temptation, he ran his fingers down the exposed line of her spine. Her dress dipped almost to her waist in the back, a clear hint that she wore no bra. The only thing between him and all her pretty, sun-kissed skin was a handful of cotton.
He pulled her back against him and wrapped one arm around her waist. With his other hand, he tilted her chin up and kissed her. A hard, demanding kiss because if she wasn’t ready for this, for him, he needed to know. For her, he’d slow things down, kiss her until he got it right. He bit her lower lip, catching the plump flesh between his teeth. She tasted like raspberries, pink and tart where she’d slicked some sort of gloss over her lips. He licked her once, twice, then swept inside her mouth when she gasped.
But she pressed back against him, her tongue flirting with his, and when he increased the pressure of his mouth, she moaned. She moved her hands, too, stroking his arms, petting his thighs, as if she couldn’t get enough of him. And then she drew back.
“Wait,” she said.
Crap. He’d scared her. “Laney—”
She wriggled around, turning in his hold until she faced him. “So much better,” she sighed, tipping her head back. “Carry on.”
She was right.
He backed her toward the bed, suddenly grateful for the room’s small size. Five steps and her knees hit the mattress. The room’s lack of romantic extravagance was a plus. Hell, the place was downright sterile. As a resort “employee,” he merited four walls, one door, one window. He also had a twin bed, a set of plain white sheets and a navy blue comforter, none of which he’d put to much use because he’d spent most of his downtime in the SEAL camp. Frankly, the difference between this room and Laney’s bungalow was the difference between, say, Siberia and Fiji. It probably mirrored the differences between the two of them, as well.
“Can we have sex now? Please?” She tugged at his T-shirt.
“I want you to try something for me first.”
“What?”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of silk ties. Usually, he would have used whatever was handy—a cord, a length of rope, his belt. But for her, he’d wanted something special and one of a kind, because she was all he could think about. Thank God none of his team had spotted him going into the hotel gift shop where he’d picked out a pair of pink silk ties while the saleslady smirked at him from behind the counter. But it had been worth the small amount of humiliation on his part. The fabric was soft and wouldn’t burn her skin. He’d also be able to free her easily if she panicked.
“I want to tie you up.”
She made a sound, her face flushing. But she didn’t take her gaze off the ties in his hand. Then she looked up at him, her eyes glazed with a sweet, lush need. “What do I do?”
He set the ties down on the bed and then reached for the strings around her neck holding her dress together. One good tug and they parted, just like he’d imagined. The cotton slipped to her waist when
she wiggled. She liked what she was doing, or maybe she just liked turning him on, because her nipples were tight, her breasts flushed.
“Look at these waiting for me.” He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over the hard tips.
The dress hit the floor.
Laney hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties. She must have toed off her sandals because that scrap of black lace was all she wore. And, Jesus, she wore it well. The wicked black vee barely skimmed her mound. She was all shadowy curves and sweet, decadent temptation in the dark room.
“Leave the panties. Kneel on the bed and put your hands on the headboard.”
She hesitated. “I love these panties.”
So did he.
She eyed him sternly. “So no ripping or tearing. My credit card is still protesting the price tag.”
He grinned. He’d buy her a dozen in every color of the rainbow. When she climbed up on the bed, heat exploded through him at her unwavering trust. His skin felt too tight, his balls aching and his dick hard enough to hammer iron.
Reaching over her, he bound her left wrist to the bedpost.
“No bow?” She sounded breathless, but he could hear the laughter in her voice. She wasn’t nervous or scared. She was excited and curious. God, he loved her curiosity. Almost as much as he loved her trust. His brain skirted dangerous territory for a minute. Love wasn’t part of his vocabulary.
Was it?
“Beautiful.” He pressed a kiss against her bare shoulder as he tied her right wrist to the bedpost. “I wish you could see yourself.”
“No photos,” she said, turning her head to watch him as he stepped back from the bed. “Let me be really clear, in case that’s where you were going with that.”
His head took a right turn down fantasy lane, imagining the photos he could take of her. She’d be luscious, all her secrets on display for him, and he could take her out and look at her when they had an ocean between them once again. He’d have to convince her to give it a shot.
“I wouldn’t share the photos,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse, even to his own ears. “They’d be mine.”
“Uh-huh. Now that you have me where you want me, what are you going to do with me?”
“Sweetheart, you’re going to have to wait and see.”
Her eyes narrowed as she shifted on the bed. “Seeing is fine. It’s the waiting part I didn’t sign up for.”
“This is my night. I get to give the orders. Plus, you’re not in any position to protest, are you?”
She tugged on her wrists, but he’d learned to tie knots with the US Navy. She wasn’t going anywhere without his say-so.
“I enjoy looking at you,” he added huskily. “So I plan to take my sweet time.”
Touching her was his priority, though, so he stripped off his clothes swiftly. He wasn’t strip-show material, but she watched him with hungry eyes and damned if he didn’t feel like the king of the world. He undid her hair from its ponytail, sifting the silky strands around her bare shoulders.
Fucking gorgeous.
That was what she was.
* * *
OH, GOD. SHE’D never been so intensely aware of her body. Or her nakedness. Her knees pressed into his pillow, her fingers curled around the bedposts. Instead of feeling silly or wondering if she was doing this okay, however, she felt powerful. She could hear the harsh rasp of his breathing behind her. Seeing her like this turned him on. It turned her on, too.
He’d shocked her.
Aroused her.
And now he was actually doing it. Holy hell.
“I’m not into kinky stuff. No spanking,” she added quickly, because hello, pot. She clearly liked some kinky stuff just fine. Pain, however, wasn’t on her to-do list for tonight. Tonight she was all about the pleasure.
“Duly noted.”
He ran his hand down her spine and over her butt, as if he was thinking about what to do next. She shivered in anticipation. She had a few thoughts of her own. “You could get naked, too, just to even things up.”
“Shhh.” He tapped the inside of her thigh. “Wider.”
She didn’t hesitate. She trusted him. She loved how he made her feel, how she could be open with him in a way she’d never been before. And she hadn’t known that taking orders while tied up would make her feel so...powerful. Carefully, she slid her legs farther apart, drinking in the rough sound of pleasure he made.
He slid beneath her in a move too complex for her to figure out, possibly because her brain had short-circuited sometime between his tethering her to his bed and his getting naked. She blamed any lack of thinking on him. She only had a moment to appreciate the eroticism of his position, because he was shoving her panties to one side.
“No tearing,” he promised gruffly, and all she could do was moan. Because really? Her preserve-my-panties stance wasn’t her top priority anymore. He exhaled and she felt that, too, and jerked, but the ties binding her to the bed held her in place.
And then she really stopped thinking. He swiped his tongue from the bottom of her slit to the top in one hot, luscious stroke.
“Hold on,” he ordered and she did, fingers grabbing onto the headboard. There was nothing dignified about this, but she didn’t have a choice, did she? All she could do was feel.
And boy, did he make her feel.
He spread her wider, licking and tonguing her slick folds. His tongue traced a wicked path, traveling up then back down again. Over and over as if he had all the time in the world, while she chanted a silent more, more, more and oh, yes, please. God, he was good. Or bad. She lost herself in the sweet bliss, letting him push her relentlessly toward the orgasm of the century.
When he found her clit, he wrung a new cry from her. She had no control, and he had it all, but she didn’t feel powerless, didn’t enjoy what he was doing to her any less because he was doing it for her.
“Gray—” She gasped his name, but she had no idea what came next. He did, though. He kissed her again and she trembled, reaching, trying to fall over the edge and succumb to the pleasure.
“Relax,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
He braced her thighs with his hands, anchoring her. With him, she wouldn’t fall. It was hard to let go, harder not to. He licked and kissed, suckled her clit, and she surrendered. Sensation took over and she rocked against him, searching for more because she wanted everything this man would give her. And then she spasmed, her whole body clenching and holding on to him as she fell over the edge into that dark abyss of pleasure.
When she finally remembered where she was and her heart stopped pounding in her ears, he’d moved behind her.
“We’re not done yet,” he said, spreading her trembling thighs wider, and she closed her eyes in anticipation. The wet ache started up again, her body responding easily to his commands as he angled her forward, easing between her legs and parting her with his fingers.
He notched himself at her opening and pushed in. And then in some more. She inhaled sharply at the fullness. Still sensitive from the orgasm he’d just given her, she felt each thick, fantastic inch filling up her body.
“Slow or hard?” he gritted out, and all she could think was now and more.
“Hard.” He’d already tortured her enough.
“You got it.” He drove into her, stopping only when he was buried deep inside her, the tip of his cock bumping against her cervix. Then he pulled back, coming out of her only to drive inward again, finding a rhythm that drove her crazy. She waited for each thrust, soaring higher and higher with each new stroke. Heat filled her as she surrendered to the crazy-hard rhythm of sex, the bed squeaking and groaning as he slammed into her, and she arched back to take him harder, deeper, more.
“Now.” He reached between them, pinching her clit.
“Wait.” She didn’t want to lose this sensation, the near-mindless bliss as they took each other.
“Yes,” he hissed. He drove into her again, nipping at the curve of her throat and she lost it, coming aga
in, clenching around him and holding him tight. Like her pleasure was the permission slip he’d needed, he hammered into her hard, coming with her as he whispered her name over and over as if it was his passport to someplace special he couldn’t wait to be.
12
HE DIDN’T WANT to untie her. He did it, anyway, because Laney trusted him and leaving her bound to the bed, while fun for him, would probably scare the crap out of her until she figured out the hitch knots came undone easily. The pretty pink ties were silky smooth, the material running through his fingers like water. And that was part of the game, wasn’t it? She could slip away from him just as easily.
“You okay?” He rubbed a thumb over her wrists. The ties had left faint marks. He pressed his lips against her pinkened skin. The gesture wasn’t smooth, and he was definitely tipping his hand, but he did it, anyhow. As strong as she was, the bones of her wrist felt delicate, pale blue veins visible beneath the skin.
“I thought you weren’t a fan of the post-mortem,” she murmured sleepily. He’d worn her out, or maybe that was the multiple orgasms. Leaping on top of the covers and beating his chest seemed too caveman-like, so he settled for tucking the ties away in the pants he swiped from the floor. Souvenir. Something to remember her by when she’d left the island and he’d completed his mission here. She’d go home—and he’d go find himself a new battlefield.
“You were beautiful,” he whispered roughly.
“That was one hell of a fantasy, and you’re amazing.” She shifted, burrowing in and getting comfortable. He was losing her to the bed. “When can we do it again?”
His dick voted for now as she settled her butt against his front and inched closer. But she hadn’t been talking about the sex being amazing. At least he didn’t think so. She’d said he was amazing. It made him feel good, better than good, but it also meant it was time to retreat. Things were getting too personal between them. Making Laney’s sexual fantasies come true was great, but he couldn’t give her anything else. He was all body, no heart. And she deserved more. He didn’t know how to love someone—let alone say I love you or commit to any future more than a week out. All of which meant he needed to pull back, put some space between them and act like a Boy Scout—hands off.