At Close Range

by Laura Griffin

  She looked up at him as his blue eyes blazed down at her. Her heart pounded and she waited, holding her breath.

  “You’re going to be sorry you did this.”

  She felt a surge of triumph. She pressed herself against him as she rose up again, this time to kiss his lips, and he kissed her back, sweeping his tongue into her mouth and giving her another taste of victory. He shifted his thigh, drawing a gasp from her as he pressed against the juncture of her legs. She moaned, and it was swallowed by his kiss as he took her mouth hungrily, giving in to all that pent-up need she’d seen in his eyes. He tasted so good and male and earthy. His thigh was strong and thick, and her legs parted for him. They kissed and kissed, not even coming up for air, and she loved the way he kissed her, craved it. She loved the commanding way he moved, as though nothing in the world would stop him from taking everything he wanted.

  Nothing but himself.

  All this time, he’d stood in his own way. She would have been willing, and he had to know that. He had to know how much she’d looked and wondered and fantasized about him all these years. Had he done the same?

  She didn’t know, but she wanted to think so. It sure felt like he had, the way he took over the kiss. He cupped her head in his hands and combed his fingers through her hair, taking her mouth exactly how he wanted. He was feeding on her, devouring her like he’d never get enough, and all the while his thigh between her legs was a magical force that had her throbbing and grinding against him.

  “Christ, Daniele.”

  His hands slid down and gripped her hips, and before she knew what was happening, he lifted her off her feet and plopped her on the dresser beside them. She blinked at him in the dimness, and a flutter of panic went through her. Was he pushing her away now? But the intense look on his face told her that wasn’t it at all. Then he kissed her again, and she slid her arms around his neck and pulled him down, wrapping her legs around his waist as she did.

  This was unreal. She couldn’t believe they were doing this here, in some dumpy motel room in Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico. But she didn’t care about the room or the circumstances. The only thing she cared about, the only thing she needed in this moment, was him. She needed his mouth and his hands, and his hot, hard body pressed against her.

  He burrowed his fingers into her hair and pulled her head back, and the sharp sting to her scalp felt shockingly erotic as he slid his lips over her neck. His warm palm glided inside her shirt and slid up to cup her breast. His mouth closed over her, sucking her through the thin fabric, and she arched against him, wanting more.

  He stopped what he was doing and leaned back, and the simmering look in his eyes gave her a warm rush. He took the hem of her shirt between his fingers and lifted an eyebrow in question, and she melted at the notion that he was asking permission. She lifted her arms up, and he pulled the shirt over her head and flung it away.

  He stared down at her for an endless moment, and she felt a tremor of nerves because this was Scott, and he was seeing her this way for the first time in her life. He settled his big, warm hand at her waist and lifted his eyes to hers, and the raw desire there made her breathless with anticipation. For so long she’d wanted him to touch her, and now it was happening.

  He kissed his way down her body, cupping her breasts in his hands and stroking his thumbs over the sensitive tips. He squeezed her nipple and the sensation went straight to her core. She arched her spine and leaned her head back as his tongue teased her.

  “So hot,” he murmured against her skin, and she felt a giddy rush. She combed her fingers into his hair and dragged him closer, loving the heat of his mouth and the rasp of his stubble against the sensitive skin of her breasts as he kissed her. He gave a hard pull and she moaned and pressed herself closer.

  He glanced up at her, and she widened her thighs and pulled him in with her heels. She was offering herself to him, completely, no strings attached. Like one of those women she’d never wanted to be. But she wanted to be here. Right now. With him and no one else, and she didn’t care about the fallout or the consequences, or anything but seeing this through.

  He glided his lips up her body and took her mouth again as his hand settled at the small of her back and dragged her closer to the edge of the dresser, close enough to feel the hard bulge of his erection through his jeans.

  “Scott,” she whispered.

  “Yeah.” He dipped his hand inside her pants, and the warm slide of his fingers was an electric shock as he quickly found the perfect spot.

  “Oh my God.” She closed her eyes as he teased her, making soft, relentless circles that set her nerves on fire and made her dizzy with need. His fingers dipped lower, and she arched against his hand.

  “Scott, please.”

  “What do you want, Daniele?”

  He knew exactly what she wanted, and he wanted her to say it.

  She reached for his jeans and got the snap undone and the zipper down before he leaned back. Their eyes locked, for a moment everything they were doing was right there between them, and she felt a stab of fear that he was going to put the brakes on.

  She leaned back on her palms and watched him, heart hammering, and he hooked his fingers into her pants and pulled her remaining clothes off in one smooth motion, and then he was back between her legs gazing down at her with pure male appreciation in his eyes. He stroked his hand over her thigh and her waist and her breast, and she felt the fire of his touch in every cell of her body. She dipped her hand inside his jeans to curl her fingers around him, and he made a low sound deep in his chest. He kissed her and pulled her against him until she felt the hot length of him right where she desperately needed him to be. She shifted her legs. His body went rigid as he entered her, and she cried out at the sharp thrill. She moved her hips, taking him deeper, but it still wasn’t enough. “More.”

  “I need a condom,” he said tightly.

  “No.”

  “Damn it, Daniele.”

  “I’m on the pill.”

  He leaned back and looked down at her, his face taut. “You sure?”

  “Yes,” she gasped, and tipped her head back as he pushed into her again. And again. The next thrust was fierce and deep, so deep she saw stars. Before she knew it she was shaking and coming apart in his arms.

  “Oh my God, Scott.”

  She clutched him and churned her hips. It was too much, too good, and she couldn’t stop herself from climaxing. She gripped him against her as her body quaked and trembled. He held her through it, held her tight against his chest, and she could hear his heart pounding against her ear, and she knew he wasn’t finished but she didn’t know why he’d stopped.

  He kissed the top of her head. “You all right?”

  She nodded against his chest, not looking at him, embarrassed that she’d gone off so impossibly fast. It had been a long time for her, much too long, apparently, and all she needed was a naked man and about three seconds of penetration.

  But he wasn’t naked, she realized, looking down at where their bodies were joined.

  “Hold on to me,” he said as he pulled out of her and kicked his jeans away. He gripped her waist and picked her up and walked her the few steps to the bed, then dropped her onto it. The mattress sank with the weight as he knelt between her knees and leaned over her.

  “Are you—”

  He cut her off with a kiss that was even hungrier than before, and his hand glided up the inside of her thigh, making her shiver.

  He pulled back. “Done with you? No.” He kissed her again, propping his weight on his arm as he settled between her legs. Her body was still quivering as he slid into her with a rough thrust that made her gasp.

  “You like that?”

  She nodded.

  “Say it.”

  “I love it,” she said, and he did it again.

  His strokes were slow and deep. She glided her hands over his body and reveled at the hard muscles of his arms and shoulders.

  She gazed up at him, and she felt a
wave of disbelief because this was Scott, naked and inside her, and gazing down with those blue eyes that were smoky with need for her. For her. The intense way he looked at her made her feel like she was the only woman alive, and she knew now why she’d shied away from this all these years, why she’d tried to deny her feelings for him, even to herself.

  He had the power to crush her.

  She held on to him as he shifted her hips and started a steady rhythm. He was so hot, and so amazingly good—which shouldn’t have surprised her at all because he was good at so many things. She inhaled the warm, musky smell of his skin as he moved over her. They fit together perfectly, and she loved the feel of his flesh against her as he moved into her again and again with the same insatiable need that she felt, too.

  Dani pulled him closer, wrapping her legs around him, and he quickened the rhythm as the need grew. It was all so much, so much heat and friction, and yet still not nearly enough. She found herself racing him, trying to keep up with his relentless pace as he drove into her, and she felt the tension building inside her all over again, and she could feel the same tension in his arms and shoulders as she clung to him.

  “Daniele.”

  She clutched him tighter.

  “Come on, baby.”

  “I can’t,” she gasped. She couldn’t do it again, not so soon, no matter how much she wanted to, and she gripped him closer, burning and shaking with the intensity of it.

  He murmured something against her forehead. She knew he was waiting for her, and she wanted to get there so desperately, but she couldn’t, and she was nearly sobbing from the frustration of it.

  “You can. Come on.”

  She gripped him tighter as he reared back and gave a deep thrust.

  “Daniele.”

  Her name was a command, and it sent her flying over the edge, and she came all over again in a blinding explosion of pleasure, and this time he was right there with her, and for an endless moment there was nothing but light and heat and ecstasy.

  His arms collapsed, and his weight crushed down on her, pinning her against the mattress as they gasped for air. She felt shattered. Annihilated. Every inch of their bodies felt fused together, and she didn’t want him to move, even though she couldn’t breathe beneath him.

  He pushed up on his arms, and she knew the shocked look on his face would stay with her forever.

  He rolled onto his back and gazed at the ceiling. He cast a sideways glance at her, but she couldn’t read it. She had absolutely no idea what he was thinking right now. Suddenly the fused-together feeling vanished, and a yawning chasm was between them.

  Nerves swept over her. What had they done? What had she done?

  She stared at the ceiling and tried to catch her breath as reality rained down on her. She’d done exactly what she’d always told herself she wouldn’t. She’d thrown herself at this man she cared about. And she didn’t know if his stunned reaction was because he’d never expected her to do it, or he’d never expected himself to let it happen.

  Panic washed over her. Her pulse started to race for reasons that had nothing to do with sex. She had to salvage this. She had put them on some sort of normal footing again.

  He rolled over, caging her in with his arms, and she stared up into those gorgeous blue eyes, and her heart skittered. This was Scott, naked and looming over her in bed, and she didn’t know what to say.

  “You still hungry?” Her words surprised her. She had no idea where they’d come from.

  He looked surprised for a moment, too. Then he looked suspicious, as if she’d asked him a trick question.

  “I could eat.” He dipped his head down and nuzzled her neck, and a shiver of relief spread through her as his mouth traveled down to her breast. He cupped it in his hand, kissing her as she squirmed under him.

  “How about pizza?”

  He stopped and looked up at her. “Pizza’s good. If anything’s open.”

  “I’ve got one in my room.”

  He blinked at her. “In your room.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “I picked it up while you were gone.”

  A shadow moved over his face. Was it the reminder of how he’d ditched her and lied about it? Or how she’d failed to follow orders?

  He sat up and looked down at her, and the sight of his bare chest took her breath away. Then he stood, and she was pretty sure she’d never be able to breathe again.

  Dear. God.

  She’d always known he was well built. But knowing it and actually seeing his glorious male perfection were two different things. He was all broad shoulders and sculpted muscles and narrow hips.

  “Hey.”

  She jerked her gaze up from the most droolworthy part of him.

  The side of his mouth curved into a smirk as he gazed down at her. “You sure you want pizza?”

  “Yes.” She sat up.

  “I’ll get it.” He grabbed his jeans and stepped into them. He retrieved the keycard off the floor. It had been tucked into the waist of her yoga pants when she’d stormed over here in a snit. “This yours?”

  “Yeah.”

  He slipped the card into his pocket. Then he leaned over her, pressing his palm against the headboard as he looked down at her body. He stared without hesitation until she felt a blush sweeping over her skin. Then his gaze met hers.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  Her heart squeezed. What did she say to that?

  “Stay right here.” He kissed her forehead. “I mean it.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Scott returned to find that she hadn’t followed directions at all. She’d turned on a lamp and was searching through his backpack again. And, worse, she’d put on clothes.

  “Hey.” He tossed the pizza box on the bedside table. She’d folded the covers back, he noticed, which at least gave him some hope about what they might be doing later.

  She turned around and planted her hand on her hip. The sight of her in only his rumpled T-shirt made him hard all over again.

  “I wasn’t kidding earlier. You could really get in trouble here, Scott.”

  “Tell me about it.” He eased up behind her and slid his hands down her thighs, then back up again. He couldn’t get enough of her. He couldn’t look at her and not want to touch her.

  “Unlawfully removing evidence from a crime scene is a serious offense.”

  “I know you’re right, and I have a confession.”

  She tensed. “What?”

  He slid his hands up to her breasts. “It turns me on when you talk cop.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I. Maybe you should arrest me.”

  “Don’t patronize me.”

  He pressed his cock against her. “I’m not.”

  She went lax, and he slid his hands down her body. Suddenly she spun around behind him and shoved him against the wall, pinning his arm behind his back.

  “I’ve taken down stronger men than you.”

  He snorted. “I doubt it.”

  She wrenched his arm higher.

  “Ouch!”

  “That hurt, tough guy?” She sounded like she was enjoying this, although not nearly as much as he was.

  “Seriously, that hurts, Dani.”

  She loosened her hold a fraction, and the next instant he had her up off her feet. He tossed her onto the bed and then dropped on top of her, pinning her to the mattress as he caught most of his weight on his arms. She bucked beneath him, making his shirt ride up around her hips.

  He grinned down at her. “This your idea of a takedown?”

  She bucked and pushed, which only made his shirt move up around her waist, and he was grateful now that she’d turned on the lamp.

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Nice view.”

  Her cheeks flushed. She went still and pretended she didn’t see him gawking at her.

  “I’m really not joking, Scott. I’m trying to help you here. You could get in trouble.”

  He heard
the fear in her voice. She was actually worried about this, about him, and he felt an uncomfortable pinch in his chest. He was used to being the one to protect people, not the other way around.

  “Don’t worry about me.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. The concern on her face got to him. But what got to him even more was the hazy look in her eyes when he spread her thighs apart with his.

  “Scott . . .” she whispered.

  He kissed her.

  He didn’t know what she wanted to tell him, but he was pretty sure he didn’t want to hear it. He just wanted to touch her and taste her and hear her say his name as she clenched him inside her body. Suddenly the playfulness was gone as she fumbled with his zipper, and he pulled his shirt off her as she freed him from his jeans. He shifted her hips under him and entered her in one hard stroke, and she made a little squeak.

  “Sorry.”

  She kissed him, twining her legs around him and pulling him close as she somehow managed to match his pace again. It was crazy. Desperate. And much too rough, and he had to force himself to slow the fuck down before he hurt her. But she pulled him even tighter, gripping him to her as he felt her begin to shake and come, and he wanted to draw it out, to keep it going, but as she clenched around him, he felt himself start to lose it. She gasped his name and scraped her nails down his back, and that was it, game over, and he came inside her in a powerful rush.

  For seconds or minutes he was numb. Completely. Then he was dimly aware of the soft, feminine scent of her hair against his nose. Damn it, he was crushing her again.

  He pushed up on his palms, worried until he saw the blissed-out look on her face. He eased out of her and rolled onto his back, hauling her with him.

  “Hey,” she murmured.

  He shifted her hips, settling her right where he wanted her. She tucked her head under his chin, and he closed his eyes and waited for his heart rate to come down from the stratosphere.

  She sighed. “That was fast.”

  “You’re blaming me?”

  “Yeah.”

  He was too wrecked to care. His mind was totally gone. Sex with Dani had deleted everything—fatigue, hunger, gunshot wound. The only thing with any sensation at all right now was his dick, and it was singing.