I thought my heart might gallop out of my chest. “Hard. Suck me hard, Shaw. Use your teeth and make me scream before I die here.”
Those piercing blue eyes bore into me for a second, and then he dipped his head and did exactly what I asked. His mouth was demanding and rough, and I felt an intense and wanton ache building between my legs. I moved my hips restlessly, but he never even paused for breath as he shifted from one nipple to the other.
“Shaw.” I writhed. “Shaw!”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” He kissed down my stomach, flicking a glance up to my face. “You taste like sunshine, Dee. Like the most beautiful summer day I’ve ever known.” His tongue drew a circle around my belly button before he continued moving lower. “And I need to keep tasting you, because I’m fucking addicted now.”
His hands eased my legs apart as his mouth lowered to my center. He kept his eyes on mine as he pressed his mouth into me over the lace of the panties. “You’re wet for me, babe. So wet.”
I ran my tongue over my lips. “Every time I’m with you, Shaw. That’s how I am.”
Fire flared in his blue eyes. “You’re aching for me, aren’t you, Delia? Dying to come? Needing me to touch you . . . here?” He traced the outline of my folds with one finger. “Tell me. I want to hear the words.”
My throat was tight with desire, and I was afraid I couldn’t speak. “I want . . . I want . . .”
“What is it, babe? Say the words.” His breath brushed against my sensitive nerves, and I groaned in frustration.
“I want your mouth on me. I want you to . . . I want you to lick me until I come against your mouth. I want you to suck me and bite me and taste me until I can’t feel anything in the world but you.”
“Done.”
With a swiftness that robbed me of the ability to breathe, he tore the panties away from me and replaced them with his mouth, attacking me with a finesse and skill that sent me soaring into mindless, sightless ecstasy. I held his head to me, grinding my throbbing pussy against his face, needing the release that felt just beyond my reach.
And then he slid two fingers into me, thrusting in time with the motion of his tongue against my clit, and everything in the world splintered into shards of color and light and pleasure as I chanted his name over and over.
When I fell back to earth, it was with the sensation of floating and a sneaking suspicion that I wasn’t going to be able to move ever again. I must’ve actually said the words out loud, because Shaw laughed as he licked his way back up my body.
“Bet I can make you want to move again.” He sucked gently at the base of my neck, where my pulse thrummed.
“I don’t know. You go five years without anyone giving you an orgasm, have the most intense one ever known to womankind, and then see how much energy you have.”
Shaw paused, frowning down into my face. “Five years? Are you kidding me?”
I closed my eyes. “Nope. I mean . . .” I cleared my throat. “I’ve, uh, I’ve taken care of myself during that time, but I haven’t been with anyone else since Dane.” I paused before adding, “And I never was with anyone else before him, either. We were each other’s firsts. So . . .” I swallowed hard. “I don’t have a lot of experience for comparison’s sake, but holy fuck, Shaw. That was . . . incredible.”
“Incredible was the goal,” he murmured. “I didn’t know, though. Five years without sex is kind of extreme, isn’t it?”
I shrugged. “When you’ve only had that intimacy with the man you loved, running out to find it with someone who’s convenient feels, um, somehow less. Lacking. Cheap.”
Something I’d never seen there before rose in Shaw’s eyes. It was understanding and a new vulnerability as he lowered his lips to cover mine again. “This doesn’t feel lacking or cheap to me, Delia. I want you to know that. This . . . it means something.”
I smiled. “I do know. But you don’t have to make promises to me. Don’t say anything that you’re not absolutely sure that you want to say.” I wrapped my arms around him, desire sparking once again when I felt him, long and hard, against my leg. “For instance . . . I am absolutely sure that I want you to lay on your back so I can return the favor you just gave me.”
His eyebrows rose. “You sure? You don’t have to . . . you know.”
I gave him a little shove until he was exactly where I wanted him. “Of course, I don’t have to. But I want to taste you. I want . . .” I took a deep breath and went for broke. “I want to suck your cock into my mouth, lick you up and down like an ice cream cone and feel you against the back of my throat. I want to make you feel fucking good, Shaw. So lay back and shut up.”
His voice sounded more than a little strained when he answered me. “Far be it from me to ever say no to an offer like that.”
I wriggled down his body, fisting his length through the thin material of his running shorts. “I love these shorts, because they don’t hide much, do they? I used to sneak peeks at you . . . here.” I teased him with a finger. “And here.” With my other hand, I squeezed his ass. “You weren’t the only one getting hot and bothered during our runs, Shaw.”
He grunted, both hands gripping the covers. “Nice sheets, by the way. Kind of slippery.”
“They’re silk.” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Supposed to be super sexy. I just hope we don’t slide off.”
“No promises.” He hissed in a breath as I drew a line down his shaft, the cloth still covering him. “This does give new meaning to the term hitting the silk, though.”
I paused, my brows knit together as I glanced up at him. “What’s that?”
“Uh . . .” Shaw’s throat worked as I cupped his balls. “It’s slang for, um, a jump. You know, from an airplane. Airborne. Silk, like a parachute.”
“Oh.” I rested my cheek on his stomach. “I think I like this kind of silk better.”
“No contest, babe. None at all.”
“Glad we’re in agreement on that.” I found the interior tie of the shorts, undid them and began easing them down, lifting the waistband over his stiffened cock. My mouth went dry again at the sight of it. He was long and thick, the head wide, and I could almost feel him within me. I wanted that, but first, I had to make good on my promises.
When I managed to get the shorts down to his knees, Shaw kicked them away, making room for me to lie between his rock-hard thighs. I settled down there, kissing up the interior of each leg, reveling each time I felt a nerve jump or heard him growl in frustrated need.
Finally, I took him in my hand, pumping up and down a couple of time before I rose on my knees and bent over, teasing the tips of my breasts against his groin and sucking him completely into my mouth.
“Gah!” Shaw lifted his hips and muttered several other unintelligible words. I didn’t pause, though. Humming in pleasure, I let my tongue idly circle the head of his cock as I drew my mouth upwards, ending in a tight suck and pop. I licked him up and down, taking extra time on the sensitive interior, even as I gripped him with my hand, moving in time with my mouth. Finding the perfect rhythm, I kept my eyes glued to his, letting him see how much enjoyment I was getting out of the feel of his hard length between my lips.
“You taste so good.” I spoke between licks and sucks. “Feeling you in my mouth . . . it makes me hot all over again.” Making sure he was watching, I used my free hand to reach between my own legs, my fingers sliding over the wetness pooled there. “Mmmmmmm. I could come again, just from . . . this.”
“Delia.” His voice was strained. “I want . . . I need to be inside you. I want to come with your pussy squeezing tight around me.” He lifted me by the shoulders, the muscles in his arms bulging as he did. “Let me . . . fuck.” He fell back, cursing. “I don’t have a condom with me. I didn’t . . . I hadn’t planned on anything.”
“Um, I’ve got it covered.” I laughed a little at my own unintended pun. “Literally. Sandra was kind enough to donate a few to the cause.” Yeah, my face was totally red again. I reach
ed over to the nightstand and pulled out the box she’d insisted on giving me.
“God bless that woman.” Shaw sighed. “I’ll never be able to look at her again without thinking of her condom gift, but for now, I could kiss her.”
I rested my chin on his chest. “Or . . . you could kiss me.”
“I could and I will.” He lifted his mouth to mine. “God, Dee. Roll one of those on me now, because I can’t wait one more fucking second to be buried in you.”
My hands were only shaking a little as I ripped open the package and covered him, pausing just long enough to lick the tip again. With a groan of impatience, Shaw rolled me over, holding himself on top of me.
“Are you okay? Are you ready?” He was nearly panting.
“More than ready.” I spread my legs and dragged my fingers through my dripping folds and then touched his bottom lip with the moisture. “Can’t you tell?”
“God, Delia, you’re going to fucking kill me.” With one hard, fervent thrust, he filled me, both of us moaning in satisfaction and joy. “Wrap your legs around my waist, babe. From the very first day I met you, I’ve been dreaming about those long legs hooked around my ass while I pump myself into you.”
I did as he asked, sucking in a breath as he settled even deeper inside me. We fit together with the sort of magical perfection that made me believe in improbably things like miracles, destiny and second chances at forever.
And when Shaw began to move within me, his thrusts hard and long and intense, I felt new pleasure rising inside me like the tide responding to the tug of the moon.
“Delia.” He ground out my name just before he kissed me again, his lips hard and aggressive. “Delia, I want you. I want everything. Every moan, every whisper, every inch of your perfect body . . . I want to feel your soul when you come. I want to lose myself in you and never come up for air.”
He plunged into me one more time, my name on his lips like a prayer, and I tumbled headlong into mind-blowing pleasure, my pussy clamping on him as he emptied himself into me, both of us clinging to each other.
We fell onto the bed, and for several moments, I wasn’t sure if I would ever breathe normally again. Shaw’s heart was pounding in time with mine, but after a few seconds, he lifted his head, brushed my hair out of my face, and touched a kiss to my lips.
“Delia . . . that was . . . like nothing I’ve ever known. It was so much more . . .” He hesitated. “Like you said before. I don’t think I want to ever settle for anything less. I felt . . . connected. Part of you. Part of us.”
I nodded, mostly because the capacity to speak hadn’t yet returned. Shaw drew me closer to him, and I laid my head on his chest, my ear pressed into his heart. He ran his hand over my hair, smoothing out the tangles.
“I wish I didn’t have to go away on Tuesday. But I won’t be gone that long.” He hesitated. “Will you be okay?’
“I’ll be worried.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But I’ll be all right. I’m done letting my fear of tomorrow take away my happiness from today.”
Shaw nudged my chin with his fingers and bent his neck to kiss me again. “That’s my girl. And you’ll keep up with your training while I’m gone, too, right?”
I buried my face into his side and groaned. “Ugh! Yes, of course. But you’ll run with me tomorrow, won’t you? I still haven’t given my new shoes a good workout.”
“Uh, babe . . . today is Friday. Tomorrow is Saturday. I don’t have to get up for PT on Saturdays or Sundays, so unless you have wild objections, I’m going to stay here over night and tomorrow morning, you and I are going to break in those shoes good and proper.”
“And if I do have wild objections?” I quirked an eyebrow at him, challenging.
Shaw reached around my side and tweaked my nipple, making me shriek. “Then I’ll do my best to convince you otherwise.” He grasped my hips and rolled me to lie on top of him. “You want to tell me about those objections, or are you ready to play nice?”
Nuzzling his neck, I kissed a path to his ear . . . and then sank my teeth lightly into the lobe. “Not sure. In the first place, this convincing business sounds intriguing. And second . . .” I slid my hand between our heated bodies to grip his cock, which was just starting to get interested again. “Playing nice is never as much fun as playing dirty.”
A slow smile spread over his face. “Delia, babe, I love the way your mind works.”
Chapter Seven
Shaw
“Last day.” Derek slapped me on the back as he caught up with me, both of us heading toward the field where our class was about to complete out final rappelling exercise. “Are you flying back to Virginia right after, or you going to hang out another night?”
I grinned at my friend. “I’m catching the first flight back to Richmond, dude. I promised my girl I’d be home in time to kiss her goodnight.”
“Kincaid, man, that still sounds like bizarro world to me—you having a girl. What happened to the guy who swore he’d never get serious with any woman until after he retired from the Army?”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Mac.” I shrugged. “Plans are excellent and all that, but when the right one comes along, waiting and being sensible is the absolute last thing you want to do. I know that this seems sudden to you, but I know Delia’s the woman I want. She’s the real deal. And it turns out that being with one woman is actually a hell of a lot hotter than jumping from bed to bed.”
“Yeah, you keep telling me that. And nothing against your lady, buddy, but for me, variety is the spice of life. However, the good news is that with you out of the game, that’s all the more ladies for me, which is why I’m staying here through the weekend.”
“Have fun with that.” We fell in with the rest of the class, coming to attention when called and listening to the sergeant give us our final instructions for the helicopter rappel, which was the last part of the course. A small group of family members and other interested onlookers were gathered on the other side of the airfield to watch; I knew that some of the soldiers taking part today were stationed here at Ft. Campbell. There were probably a bunch of wives and husbands among those onlookers, and for the first time, I wondered how they felt, seeing their spouses do something potentially dangerous. I thought about Delia, hundreds of miles away, but fully aware of what I was about to do. She’d been calm all week, but she had texted this morning to specifically request that I call her as soon as I could after this part was over, and I was safely back on the ground.
I was among the first to climb onto the helicopter, which rose two hundred feet in the air before we took turns swinging out onto the rope and making our way to the field. The staff sergeant smacked my air assault wings onto me with a grin.
“Congratulations, sir. You’re now air assault qualified. HOOah.”
I shook his hand and jogged a little bit away to watch the rest of the men and women finish. Nothing remarkable happened until the final group. Derek had gone up in that one, and the first two soldiers made it without issue. But when McTavis swung out, a sudden and strong gust of wind knocked into the copter. It shouldn’t have made a difference. He should have been fine. But he wasn’t.
For one horrifying moment, he appeared to be falling loose, dropping toward the ground, and then I realized he was actually dangling from the rope. My breath caught in my throat, as the entire crowd watching with me gasped.
Derek’s body was still attached, but he was thrown against the copter with a thud. Sirens began going off, and within moments, emergency services swarmed the field. I tried to push through the crowd to get closer, but the MPs didn’t let anyone through. I clenched my jaw and waited as they slowly lowered him down, the EMS working fast to get him onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.
One of the soldiers who’d been in the group with Mac, and thus on the ground when everything went wrong, trotted over to fill us all in.
“He’s unconscious. They think maybe he banged his head against the copter when he hit. And
something with his spine, too, from the initial fall.” He shuddered. “Fucking terrifying.”
“Fuck me.” The lieutenant standing next to me stared up just as I did. “What the hell? What happened?”
“It was the wind,” someone said, and I heard a few murmurs of agreements.
“No way. Either he didn’t tie off right, or that D-clip was defective.” The lieutenant shot me a sideways glance. “Heads are going to roll somewhere. Do you know who it was?”
“Yeah.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “He’s a buddy of mine. I’m going to find out where they’re taking him and head over there.” Nausea rolled in my stomach.
“They’re heading to Blanchfield, here on post.” Another guy leaned forward and caught my eye. “Do you need a ride, sir?”
“No, thanks. I’ve got a rental car.” Derek and I had been sharing it since we’d gotten here. I turned to launch out for the parking lot, and the lieutenant caught my eye again.
“Good luck, sir.” He was sober, as we all were. This shit wasn’t supposed to happen. We were supposed to finish the course, have a drink together and go home.
Instead, I was heading to the hospital to see if my friend was going to live or die.
* * *
Delia
“What time does Shaw get home?”
Sandra turned to me from her seat in the pedicure chair next to mine. Colin was playing at a friend’s house, and we’d taken advantage of her rare afternoon of freedom to get mani-pedis together. Sandra was just along for the ride, she kept telling me, but I wanted pretty toes for when Shaw got home. I had plans for him tonight, and I wanted to look my absolute best.
“His plane lands in Richmond at seven, but by the time he gets off and drives the hour down here, it probably will be closer to nine. I thought about driving up there to meet him—I figured we could get a hotel room for the night—but he wasn’t sure whether or not one of his friends was flying back with him.”
“Yeah, that could be awkward.” Sandra smirked. “Three’s a crowd and all that.”
Hitting the Silk: A Career Soldier Military Romance Page 8