by Callie Croix
Becca was too surprised at what she’d just allowed to say anything or try to cover herself. At the moment she felt sexy and wicked.
She swallowed when Reid took her hands and brought her palms to rest flat against the cold glass, holding them there when she resisted. She couldn’t tear her eyes off the party below them. The young co-eds on the deck continued to laugh and drink, and she didn’t think any of them had noticed her yet. A tiny, naughty part of her wanted them to. She waited with a mixture of nerves and anticipation, wondering what Reid would do next. Moisture gathered along her labia, her clit pounding with need.
Reid stroked his hands down the underside of her raised arms and over her shoulders, the touch warm and reassuring. “You’re so sexy,” he said in a reverent voice.
That tone made her feel both cherished and emboldened. She was powerful and beautiful, even as she allowed him to take control.
He cupped her aching breasts and slid his thumbs across her stiffened nipples, sending a shockwave of sensation careening throughout her body. She arched back with a quiet gasp, pushing the mounds harder into his hands. Reid hummed in approval as he played with her nipples, squeezing and tugging until she began to writhe her hips against the scalding cock pressed tight to her ass.
In answer, he rubbed his erection over the cleft in her buttocks, one hand dropping to caress her waist and hip before firmly cupping her mound. Becca couldn’t hold back the moan of relief when his middle finger settled between the lips of her sex, giving slight pressure to her tender clit. She wriggled slightly but he stilled her by tightening his arm and pressing her forward against the glass.
The sudden contact of her skin with the icy surface made her gasp. The cold seared through her breasts and belly, yet somehow it heightened the heat burning inside her.
A gentle scrape of teeth against her nape, then Reid lavished slow, open-mouth kisses down her neck and shoulder as he languidly moved his middle finger back and forth between her legs. Becca automatically parted her thighs more to encourage him to go deeper, biting her lip at the exquisite sensations flowing through her. A distant part of her was vaguely aware that she didn’t care at all anymore about being naked, pressed against a full-length window while a group of people partied in plain view of her nakedness. All she cared about was the feel of Reid’s muscular frame tight against her and the pleasure his hands and mouth wrought.
In answer to her compliance, Reid slid his finger back and forth between her labia until the slick sounds of his caresses mixed with her quick, uneven breaths. Last night he’d talked to her during sex to ramp her need higher, but this time he seduced her without a single word, skilfully massaging her throbbing clit. The heavy silence added to the charged atmosphere somehow, allowing her to sink into the moment and relish every second.
The long finger between her pussy lips gave her clit just the right amount of pressure and moved with slow, deliberate pressure across her needy flesh. Giving in to sensation, Becca leaned her forehead against the cool glass and closed her eyes. He ran his free hand back up to toy with a hard nipple, rolling it in time to each stroke of his finger against her clit. She moaned in helpless pleasure as the ecstasy built. It was good, though not enough. She needed more, his cock inside her. She wanted to writhe between the cold glass and his hot skin while he made her come, and to hell if anyone was watching.
When she thought she’d go mad from the teasing, he shifted his hand between her legs to slide two fingers into her slick core. Her inner muscles clenched around him in relief, and his thumb slid slow and sweet over her swollen clit. She shuddered and whispered his name, her body tightening under the whiplash of sensation.
“That’s right, baby. Come all over my hand,” he whispered back.
Combined with his touch, the impassioned words launched her. The orgasm crashed through her in hard, quick bursts that shook her from head to toe. She gasped for air as it roared through her, her fingers splayed against the window to hold herself up.
Before she could catch her breath, Reid lifted her off her feet and strode to the couch. He spread the discarded T-shirt beneath her before tipping her onto her back on the cushions so that her hips were elevated by the padded armrest. She struggled up onto her elbows to watch him roll a condom over himself. Then he grasped the backs of her thighs, lifting them over the crook of his forearms as he leaned over her.
His lips came down on hers in a wild, ravenous kiss. She opened for him instantly, allowing his tongue into her mouth and sliding her hands into his hair to hold him close. The kiss grew slower, hotter. Their tongues twined and caressed, teasing delicately while every nerve ending inside her sparked to life once more. Her pussy ached to be filled, the inner muscles squeezing around the emptiness in frustration. She wanted his weight atop her, to feel all that power shift and bunch beneath her hands as he pounded into her.
Reid broke the kiss and pulled back to look at her. His eyes blazed with raw, primal hunger, the muscles in his arms and shoulders standing out in sharp relief. The air between them crackled and shimmered with sexual energy. She licked her lips as he shifted her hips closer to him, his arms keeping her thighs spread open. The tip of his cock brushed against her entrance and she set a hand on his bulging upper arm to brace herself, preparing for a hard thrust that would seat him deep inside her.
“Fuck me,” she demanded hoarsely.
Rather than slide into her, Reid paused to smooth a lock of hair away from her cheek with the edge of his hand. Glancing up at him in surprise, she caught her breath at what she read in his face.
During sex she’d seen him gentle, hungry and rough, but she’d never seen him like this. Along with the heat, his expression held a possessive tenderness that shook her to the core. He needed her. Needed her in a way he’d never let her see before. Her throat tightened.
Holding her gaze, Reid guided her thighs up higher, folding her legs back toward her shoulders and opening her more to his body, increasing her vulnerability. Staring into his eyes, Becca didn’t even think about resisting.
With one last brush of his fingers across her flushed cheek, Reid planted his free hand beside her head and positioned his cock at her entrance. Again she set a hand on his chest, prepared for the shock of that first deep thrust. Craving it.
Rather than slam into her as she expected, Reid gently nudged the head of his cock inside and paused, watching her face. Seeing his restraint, Becca allowed herself to relax and recline fully on the couch, her open thighs braced on his broad shoulders. In answer Reid bent to kiss the inside of one of her knees then gently surged forward. Her pussy rippled and squeezed around his thick, hard length. They both groaned at the incredible feel of him filling her.
Despite her recent orgasm, her body felt sensitive all over, greedy for more of the pleasure she knew he would give. The pulse in her clit intensified with each tender rock of his hips and within moments, she could feel the beginnings of another climax building deep in her belly. She reached up to grip his shoulders and rocked against each penetration, wanting it harder, deeper.
Reid stilled her impatient movements with a firm hand on her hip. “Soft and slow this time,” he told her in a low voice, the gentle tone belying the desperate tension in his muscles, the wild heat in his eyes. “Lie back and let it build.”
Becca swallowed, startled by the emotional intensity of the moment. Reid stared down at her as though studying every flicker of reaction on her face. Her heart lurched. This was so different from the other times they’d had sex. Face to face like this, he was truly making love to her, in a devastatingly tender way she’d never imagined he would.
He continued to thrust slow and sweet, his angle and tempo calibrated to ensure her maximum pleasure. All the while he stared straight into her eyes, allowing her unprecedented access inside him. The knowledge brought a lump to her throat. He’d never said he loved her. She couldn’t do this, give h
im this much of herself and watch him walk away again. It would destroy her.
Watching his face as he rode her in gentle pulses that threatened to undo her, she felt the stirrings of panic flare deep inside. Unable to bear the shattering intimacy a moment longer, she closed her eyes and turned her head away.
Reid wouldn’t let her hide. He captured her cheek in one hand and turned her face toward him. “No, I need to see you.”
She shook her head, eyes squeezed shut. She was shaking now, afraid of breaking down completely. It was scary. “Don’t. Not like this.”
He didn’t pause, kept up with that tender rhythm while the pleasure rose. “Like what?”
“Like this. Not unless you mean it.” Her voice caught as she opened her eyes, shaming her.
Reid leaned in closer, his eyes darkening with hunger and something else she didn’t dare try to identify. “I mean it, beautiful. All of it.”
His words stunned her, stealing her breath and filling her with joy. The burn of tears stung her eyes.
Trapped beneath his powerful body, pinned by that hot, dark stare, Becca could only stare up at him helplessly as he unraveled her. The pleasure climbed like a wave inside her, reaching higher with each long, slow stroke of his cock. She was wide open and defenseless against him, her heart laid bare, and there was nothing she could do to hide. Not from him. Not anymore.
And she didn’t want to.
The shattering intimacy between them was more intense than anything she’d ever experienced. Drawing a shaky breath, she gripped his upper arms and let her head fall back, surrendering her body and heart to him completely.
Chapter Ten
A wild rush of possession ripped through Reid when Becca finally relaxed in his arms. While the show of trust eased something inside him, her words and the spark of sadness in her eyes when she’d said them had twisted his heart. Despite everything they’d been through, she still didn’t realize what she meant to him. He finally understood why.
She needed the words as much as he needed her total surrender.
I love you. I love you so much. The words beat at him, guided his thrusts as he made love to her, really made love to her this time. He’d never known the difference until she came into his life.
Becca made a tiny sound of distress when he slid a hand between them to find her clit, her body jolting at the additional lash of pleasure. His heart twisted harder, everything in him wanting to soothe and protect even as he needed to make her explode in his arms.
“I want you to take it slow,” he whispered, voice rough, his heart thundering wildly in his chest. His cock was swollen to bursting, the need to come a burning demand that flayed him alive with each careful pulse of his hips. She was like wet silk around him, those pure blue eyes totally unguarded as she gazed back at him. Something primal in him relished her helplessness as much as the trust she yielded.
A minute later she began to undulate beneath him, as though the sensations were too much for her to bear. Her eyes closed, her face tightening in pleasure. “Reid…”
Oh, fuck yes. “Almost there?”
She nodded and tried to sit up, but he pressed her back down, increasing the tempo and power of his thrusts. Her lips parted on a whimper of ecstasy.
“Don’t rush this,” he managed to force out between gasps. Shit, he wasn’t sure if he could hold on much longer. “Relax and let me take you all the way there.”
Telltale quivers began in her legs, spreading up to her belly and breasts. Her eyes grew glazed and unfocused. He growled in triumph and fought to maintain his steady pace rather than plunging in and out of her the way his body demanded. He savored each tiny cry of pleasure, each ripple of her pussy around his cock as he thrust and caressed her clit.
Just when he thought he’d lose the battle with his control, Becca threw back her head and called out his name as her body contracted around him. The pulses of her release dragged him over the edge with her. Reid’s head sagged between his arms and he exploded, held tight and deep inside her. When he could summon the will to move, he gently disengaged her legs from his shoulders and crawled over her. She welcomed his weight with eager arms around his back, holding him tightly while their heart rates slowed and their breathing returned to normal.
Finally he raised his head to meet her eyes. His heart went into freefall. A terrible pressure filled his chest, compressing his lungs. The shattering intensity of what had just happened hung heavy in the air between them.
He didn’t want to go through life without her anymore.
“I love you,” he blurted unsteadily. It came out before he could stop it.
She blinked and tried to come up on her elbows. “W-what?”
Reid exhaled a slow breath, willing his racing heart to slow down. “I do.” It scared the living shit out of him that he’d said it aloud, but he wouldn’t take it back for anything. He’d never meant anything more.
Brushing her hair away from her face with one hand, Becca slowly laid back again. The way she stared at him made his heart knock against his ribs. Big, tough SEAL that he was, this woman had the power to tear him to pieces with whatever she said next.
Then she smiled. Really smiled, her eyes twinkling with joy. “I love you too.”
Feeling like she’d just lifted a thousand-pound weight from his chest, Reid breathed out a sigh of relief and buried his face in her neck. “Thank God.”
She chuckled and kissed his hair-roughened cheek, reminding him that with all that had happened, he hadn’t had a chance to shave for her. Before they left he’d make sure he did, so he could go down on her again without all the stubble pricking her tender skin. His cock twitched at the thought.
Becca stroked a hand through his hair, her touch gentle and soothing. “All it takes to get you to admit it is a near-death experience, huh?”
Although she meant this morning and he was thinking of the chopper crash, she couldn’t have been more right. “Better late than never?”
“At least you finally said it, so yes.” She grew quiet for a moment, then her hand stilled in his hair, and he could feel her tensing beneath him. “Do you think anyone saw me?”
Holding back a chuckle, he raised his head to find her chewing her lip. “I think only two of them.”
Her eyes widened. “Two? Oh God… How am I going to face them if I see them on the way out?” A deep flush hit her cheeks, making him laugh.
He kissed the tip of her nose to ease the blow. “It’s okay. I doubt they’d recognize you with your clothes on anyway.”
A reluctant bark of reluctant laughter escaped her and she swatted his shoulder. “You’re a bad influence on me.”
“Yeah, and proud of it. I love it when you let go like that. It’s hot.”
Her lips tipped up in a gentle grin as she trailed a finger across his jaw. “So…that wasn’t just pillow talk a minute ago when you said you love me, right?”
His heart skipped a beat. Gazing into her eyes at that moment, he’d never felt so happy in his life. “No.”
A slow, tender smile was his reward. “Good. Because I don’t think I could let you go.”
He grinned, feeling like he’d just won the biggest lottery jackpot of all time. “Even though I’m rough around the edges and piss-poor at communicating?”
“Yep. And even though your job scares the hell out of me.” Her expression grew serious. “But part of the reason I fell in love with you is because you’re a hero, so it wouldn’t be fair to hold it against you now. I just don’t ever want to see you running after an armed gunman again.”
“Can’t promise that. Especially if it’s to protect you.” He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe, and too bad if she didn’t like it.
At his words, she shook her head. Her voice held a teasing note. “I never knew loving a hero would be so hard.
Good thing you’re definitely worth the trouble.”
Goddamn, he loved her. His chest felt overly full, his heart suddenly too big for his ribcage. “C’mere.” Reid slid his arms beneath her and rolled her into the curve of his body. He held her tight, nuzzling the top of her head while her cheek pressed against his heart. A sense of completion he’d never imagined swept through him. “Just a matter of time before they find whoever’s behind all this. When you go home you’ll be safe. And you’ll have your parents there.”
She nodded a little, her cheek caressing his chest. “Can’t wait for them to meet you.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.” He really was. It made things a lot more official between him and Becca. He liked that too. “Your sister coming to stay with you as well?”
“She wanted to, but I told her I’d have my hands full with mom and dad.”
“Are they a handful?”
He could feel the smile form against his skin. “You’ll see.”
Reid held her for a while longer, stroking his fingers through her hair until he noticed goose bumps all over her back. “Cold?”
“A little. More tired than anything. You sure know how to wear a girl out.”
Chuckling, he lifted her upright and set her on her feet. He followed her into the bedroom, stopping in the bathroom long enough to dispose of the condom, then slid into the sheets beside her. This time she draped herself over him with a contented sigh and settled right into sleep.
* * *
Reid woke just after dawn with a single purpose burning inside him. It was time to lay it all on the line. No more waiting.
Coming out of the master bathroom after a hot shower, he crossed to the bed where he’d left Becca sleeping, an almost painful tension swelling in his chest. She was still curled up on her side facing away from him, all that long dark hair spilling down her back to where the covers kissed the swell of one shapely hip. Admiring the view and wondering how in hell he’d been so lucky to find her, let alone win her over, he paused to pick up his jeans and grab something from one of the pockets. He closed his fingers around the small metal object, cool against his suddenly damp palm. Shit, his heart was knocking against his ribs like a scared rabbit in a cage.