by Vivian Arend
His heart pounded as he sat back and pulled the ring from the box, slipping it onto the hand she offered him. They both stared for a moment, the pale pink gems flashing in the lights over the headboard.
“It’s wonderful,” she said.
Maybe. The amazing part was they had each other, and he was now free to spend every bit of his energy on her. Slow, slow, oh-so-slow.
“I’m going to worship you,” Mack warned, licking her earlobe before drawing it into his mouth and sucking softly. “You’re mine.”
“You’re mine, as well,” she whispered.
“Yes, but I called first dibs.”
As a puff of amusement escaped her lips, he dragged his teeth along the side of her neck. Her laughter turned into a moan, and then he was sliding a hand under her T-shirt to press his palm to her warm belly.
“All of you. I’m going to touch and taste and tease until you know exactly how much you mean to me.”
“Mack.” It was a sound of desperation.
He pushed up the fabric of her T-shirt to reveal a pale blue bra, fine enough he could see her nipple through the fabric. If anything, he grew harder in anticipation.
Pulling her just high enough to strip away her top, Mack smiled in approval. “And look. Another present for me.”
Her eyes were soft and hooded, slightly dazed from his kisses. “You should keep looking. There might be a second part to the present.”
That was encouragement if he’d ever heard it. Mack stripped away her sweatpants and stared down with his heart pounding at the sight of her long limbs and sweetly curved body wrapped in the smallest scraps of winter blue. “I must’ve been a very good boy this year.”
“The best. And I should’ve told you that so many times.”
The hint of sadness in her voice was completely wrong. Mack glanced up, shocked to see moisture in her eyes. “Hey—”
“I love you.” The words spilled from her lips like a confession. “I have for a long time but never told you—”
He lay down and pulled her against him, squeezing her close as she inexplicably burst into tears. Quiet sobs that made her body rock and her breathing turn ragged. He caressed a hand down her back, pressing kisses to her face and lips while he muttered soothing words the best he could.
Mack held the most important person in his world until she found her equilibrium.
When she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, nuzzling under his chin like a feral kitten that had finally accepted a home, his heart felt as if it’d swollen to three times its normal size.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from.” Brooke tilted her head and met his gaze. “Maybe I do. I regret not saying something sooner. I should’ve told you how I felt a long time ago, but…I’m not used to saying it. We just don’t.”
He squeezed the hand now resting on her hip, sliding in a slow caress over her skin and warming her with his touch. “There’s nothing to regret. For whatever reason, it took us until now, and we won’t look back. Besides, we both need practice, because I could’ve said it a long time ago as well. I guess sometimes we just think people know how we feel about them.”
Her lips touched his, a prayer and supplication at the same time. “I can handle practice. I love you, Mack. So, so much.”
He used his thumb to wipe away a tear that clung to the corner of her eye. “I love you. And I’m going to love you. Thoroughly.”
He rolled her under him and this time there was no sadness as he kissed his way to her lips and took greedily. Tangling their tongues and demanding a response as he braced himself over her, her lush body cradling him with acceptance.
Brooke pushed at his shirt, pressing her bare hands to his naked torso. He broke the kiss for long enough to reach up and jerk the fabric over his head before returning to the addiction that was kissing her.
He was still going to go slow even if it killed him.
She replaced her hands, curling her fingers over his shoulders and dragging her nails down his back and the sides of his torso. Warming all of the parts in him that said she liked what she touched and wanted more.
Wanted him.
She moaned in protest as he pulled away to rest his hip on the mattress beside her. He kissed her quickly in apology, but he was on a mission, staring down at her perfect breasts covered with the finest of lace. “So pretty.”
He caressed first, just because he could. Small circles where the heat of her reached his fingertips and teased his senses with silky smoothness and sensual warmth. When she arched upward, pressing her breast into his palm, he pulled the cup back, plumping up the soft mound with the fabric underneath. Her nipple tightened and he brushed his thumb over the surface.
Brooke inhaled sharply.
He couldn’t look away. She reacted perfectly to his touch, her body arching to meet him, moving with his strokes as if she couldn’t bear to be separated from him. And when he leaned in close enough to press a kiss to the little white bow between the bra cups, Brooke clutched the fingers she’d tangled in his hair and tugged.
Laughter rumbled from inside him because where she was guiding him was exactly where he needed to go. Slowly, though. Oh, so slowly, licking and nipping as he made his way up the smooth underside of her breast to the peak.
He kissed the tip, and she squirmed.
Mack opened his mouth and pressed his tongue to the taut surface then closed his lips and sucked softly.
“Yes.”
Absolute approval, and Mack smiled. He took his time, switching from side to side, staying in control as he teased and licked. When he pulled back and blew gently over the wet surface, Brooke squeezed her fingers together and pulled his hair in retaliation.
He caught her wrists and placed her palms against the mattress. “Sensitive?”
“Greedy. I want more. I want you.”
She attempted to reach for him, but he kept her locked in position. “It’s not your turn yet. Keep your hands there.”
The final words came out like an order, and her eyes widened briefly before her lips twitched. “Captain in the house.”
“Captain on the bed. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know when it’s your turn to do anything other than feel.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the center of her body, breathing in her sweet scent and preparing to get drunk on her pleasure.
They’d turned a corner in their relationship she’d hoped for someday but had never expected to arrive so soon or so completely. Even the way he touched her felt different. More deliberate, more meaningful.
Definitely intended to drive her wild.
Brooke tensed her fingers against the surface of the quilt as Mack teased his way down her body, kissing and caressing, sliding her thighs farther apart until he rested firmly between her legs. He stared down at the scrap of material masquerading as panties she was suddenly glad she’d purchased.
“These are sinfully soft.” He brushed his lips over the fabric directly above her mound. A rush of pleasure radiated outward over her skin like a tingle of electricity. “I can get used to you wearing these all the time.”
“Under my coveralls?”
His cheek slid toward her hip, his lips gliding along the narrow rim of elastic on the return journey. “Definitely. No one will know but us, but every time I stop off at the shop, I’ll picture you like this. The way you give yourself to me wholeheartedly while no one else gets to see this side of you. So pretty and feminine and smart and capable.”
Brooke lifted her heel and ran her bare toes along his muscular shoulders. “Sweet talker.”
“It’s true.” His gaze met hers straight on, passion rising in his gaze. “You’re distracting me.”
“I hear multitasking is a thing.”
She wasn’t quite sure why that made him grin as hard as he did, but then she wasn’t thinking very hard because he tucked a finger in the edge of her panties and peeled them away.
What followed was an exercise in how to lose focus in the
best way possible. Mack pushed her knees higher, pressing a kiss to her inner thigh before nipping lightly. The other side got the same treatment then his tongue slowly slid upward until he was just shy of where she needed him.
He brushed his nose through her curls, hands moving under her hips to lift her to his mouth.
One lick, slow and teasing. Not enough pressure, not enough anything to do more than make her want to squirm. But she couldn’t because he had an ironclad grip on her hips.
He glanced up, a smile on his wicked mouth as he did it again. A little deeper through her folds, pausing at the apex long enough to let her know exactly where he planned to spend some time.
Brooke clutched the quilt and prepared for a long ride.
If he’d intended to continue the torturously slow pace, though, he wasn’t succeeding. It was as if every time he touched her he lost a little control. He pulled her hips closer to the edge of the bed, pushed her knees toward her head, and got down to business as if his entire goal was to see how quickly he could send her over the edge.
Pretty damn fast.
The spiraling heat from his tongue flicking against her clit sent those lightning bolts flying through her belly again, tension building at such a rapid pace that when he slid a finger into her sex, she came.
He rumbled in approval as she rocked against his mouth, licking softer but continuing to work her until the climax came off the crescendo.
When she would’ve reached for his shoulders to pull him over her, he didn’t move, just started up all over again. Two fingers entered her body, his fingertips teasing a spot inside that made her press a hand to her mouth to hold back a cry of pleasure.
He must’ve glanced up because he stilled for a second before his fingers carried on the rhythm and he spoke, a growl in his voice as if he were the one trying to keep from screaming in pleasure. “Don’t you dare try to stay quiet. There’s no one here to overhear us, and dammit, I want it all. I want your pleasure and your voice calling my name, letting me know exactly what I’ve done to you.”
Brooke gasped as he put his mouth back over her and consumed her as if she were oxygen and he were a fire. “Mack, oh my God.”
“Give it to me.”
Pressure was flaring again, but she didn’t want to go over without him. “Please, I need you. I want you inside me. I want your cock.”
His rhythm skipped for a second, then he moved. Stripping down and covering himself as she slid back on the mattress to make room. He was over her, dragging her leg above his hip as his cock nudged at her center.
His thickness poised at her core, he lifted up and caught her gaze. “I love you.”
Mack said it as if it was fact. As if the love between them was titanium strong and bombproof. His eyes said it as well as his words, and Brooke pressed her palm to his face and offered her pledge as well. “I love you too.”
He slid home.
Familiar, yet different. Heated pleasure with the cool wave of electric sensation along her nerve endings that said another orgasm was building. He moved in her, eyes locked with hers, breathing accelerating. She wrapped her legs around his firm hips, her heels pressing into his buttocks.
She clutched his shoulders as he picked up the pace. Not enough to be wild and out-of-control, but long steady strokes that made both of them moan.
“So close,” Brooke whispered.
Mack leaned on one elbow, bringing his hand to his mouth and licking his fingers. He reached between their bodies and found her clit. Teasing and stroking even as he kept his hips rocking in a perfect rhythm. A connection between their bodies that was more than just physical.
He was gazing into her eyes as the tsunami hit. Less of an explosion this time, yet more powerful and overwhelming. Her body tightened down around his, and a sound broke free from his lips. Something between a prayer and a shout. As his shoulders tightened, his hips stuttered to a stop, leaving him buried deep.
Brooke closed her eyes as another wave hit, this one with added emotional impact as she realized the whispering sound was Mack repeating “I love you” over and over again.
Her heart pounded and her breath was shaky, but as she looked up to see the most important part of her heart staring down at her, she knew she’d experienced something amazing. A beginning she would never forget.
He leaned in and kissed her again. Soft, sweet, although that imagery was probably way off base considering the connection between them remained heavy and hot between her legs.
“Wow. That was—”
“Yeah, it was.” He kissed the tip of her nose then rolled them, putting her on top so she could sprawl as if boneless over his muscular frame.
They lay there for a while, breathing synchronized, hearts slowly returning to normal pace. Mack pulled the edge of the quilt over her, but the heat rising from his body left her warm as well as sated. Guarded in his arms, satisfaction simmering through every part of her.
It wasn’t until his stomach growled that she reluctantly pushed upright. He still held her, but his grin was back. The one that said mischief might be in store.
“I guess it’s time to check out the emergency supplies,” she said. “But I suggest you might want to do the cooking. I have no problem lighting fires in my own stove, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to push our luck here.”
They slipped out of bed and Brooke stole Mack’s T-shirt to make a quick trip to the bathroom.
By the time she rejoined him in the kitchen, Mack had also cleaned up and pulled on a spare shirt. There was a pot on the stove, flame underneath it, and a collection of packages laid on the counter.
Only it was the ziplock bag that caught her attention. “Are those cookies?”
“They’re not from the stash of food here,” he assured her. “I made them for our night away, which we’re finally getting to enjoy.”
She cracked open the bag, and the rich scent of spicy goodness filled the room. “Hmmm, snickerdoodles. Something about these makes me drool just thinking about them.”
“It’s entirely possible the old-fashioned cookies you’re attempting to make are some distant relative to these.”
Brooke eyed the one she held in her fingers, breathing appreciatively although a small trace of sadness snuck into what had turned out to be an amazing evening. “This is going to be the lamest old-fashioned Christmas ever. I never did get the baking figured out.”
“No, but you did find the Christmas music, and we’re going to have homemade gifts, and we’ll still have a special meal and time together.” He turned and brought her against his body, biceps strong as he cradled her close. “And maybe your dad will be excited that we’re getting married.”
She nodded slowly. “I know he’s grumbly, but he does like you.”
“It’ll work out,” Mack assured her before drawing her attention to the assortment of dehydrated food he’d found for them to pick from.
It was true. They’d already done the hard work for them—admitting they’d fallen in love. Whatever they did from here on, they’d do it together.
Once the storm let them return to the real world.
14
The shelter made it feel as if they’d stepped into another dimension. Mack found that both eerie and fascinating, but the most important part was they were safe and they were together. He found the music system and used Bluetooth to get his own playlist carrying through the cozy space.
No sounds carried from the storm, no vibrations, and the warmth coming from the radiant heat turned their surroundings T-shirt comfortable.
It was an idyllic place to celebrate the change in their world.
They talked about ordinary things while they ate the dehydrated meal, which was better than the rations Mack had eaten during his Air Force days. But afterward, Brooke tugged him to the couch with her, curling up next to him and wrapping her arms around his torso. Her hair spread over his chest, and he ran his fingers through it, sensual silk he wished was touching his skin.
“How do you want to do this?” she asked. “I mean, what’s the next step after the storm stops and we get out of here? Plus the bit after that where we figure out how to be together.”
“We can start looking for a place to rent.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, still petting her slowly because he could. “Part of the reason why I didn’t say anything sooner was the cheap accommodations at the fire hall. I’ve been helping my parents make their mortgage payments for the last year. They made a few unwise decisions, but they’d committed to getting out of debt, and I didn’t want to see them have to declare bankruptcy.”
She sat upright, concern on her face. “Are they okay? They’re out in Ontario, right?”
“Oshawa. And yes, I think they got behind on some payments when Dad lost his job a couple years ago. Mom’s military pension isn’t huge, but with the two of them working again, they were doing okay. Late last year, they admitted they were in trouble and I figured, with the great deal I was getting at the hall for board, I could afford to help them out.” He stroked his knuckles over her cheek, amazed that she’d agreed to be his. “I didn’t expect to meet you, but once I’d made the commitment to them, I couldn’t back out.”
“Of course not,” she agreed. “I thought you were paying off student loans—that’s where all my extra money has been going. I made the last payment at the start of the month. I was planning to ask in January if you wanted to find a place with me that didn’t involve living with my dad.”
Mack shook his head. “Stupid finances. We could’ve been together so much earlier.”
She shrugged. “You said we weren’t going to look back, so we’ll look the other direction. But I’m proud of you for helping your folks.”
The warmth came because of her words and the way that she said them, not because of any pride about what he’d done. “They’re good people and not too in-your-face. But they know about you, and they’re looking forward to meeting you.”
Brooke nodded slowly. “My dad will be okay in the apartment by himself, but are you okay staying in Heart Falls? You’re not going to get stationed somewhere else, are you? I know you’re not going back on active duty, but even civilian firefighters sometimes get transferred.”