She slowly licked her lips again and watched his eyes as they followed her movement.
“All I’ve been able to think about is you,” she confessed. “From the moment I left the ranch yesterday morning, my thoughts have been dominated by you.”
“Elena,” he whispered, and ran his knuckles down the side of her face. “I belong to you. Only you.”
Her gaze roved over his face, drinking in everything about him. “All of me belongs to you, Phantom. My mind. My heart. My body. I’m yours.”
His eyes slid closed briefly, and she watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. When they opened, his eyes burned with an emotion she hadn’t seen before. She trembled with the power of it. He dropped his head and his lips landed softly on hers, barely caressing them with his breath, then the faintest touch of his skin. Her eyes slid closed as she sighed against him. The kiss was so incredibly gentle, she felt tears burning in her throat.
His callused hand caressed the column of her throat before weaving into her hair and pulling off the band that held her curls. He smiled against her lips as the unruly mass tumbled down. “Have I told you how much I love your hair?”
She couldn’t contain her chuckle. “No. You’ve never said anything about it.”
“It’s like an extension of you. It curls around me like a lover.”
She drew in a deep breath at his words. If only he knew how much she desired him. Her heart pounded in her chest. If their weekend together had taught her anything, it had taught her she could say anything to him—that all he wanted to know was how to please her.
“Phantom,” she whispered.
“Hmm?” His voice rumbled in his chest.
They weren’t in the dimly lit B and B. They weren’t in the inky blackness and solitude of the ranch at night. Twilight had fallen outside, casting the room in shadows, turning her apartment otherworldly. “I want you.” The words tumbled from her trembling lips against his, a boldness she could only have with him, and she felt him draw in a sharp breath.
“Elena,” he moaned softly, pulling back slightly to look down at her. Passion flared in his eyes as he searched her face.
“I need you,” she said, her gaze meeting his. She saw the pulse in his neck beat faster. He trailed his knuckles down the side of her face again, but she shook her head, and he looked at her in confusion. “I don’t want you to be gentle with me, Phantom. I want to feel your desire and know that it’s as overwhelming as mine. I want you to take me. I want you to claim me. I need you to do it.”
“Elena,” he groaned. The hand that had been tenderly playing with her curls grasped a fistful of her hair and pulled. She gasped and couldn’t stop the smile that crossed her lips before his fell upon her. With him, reality always proved to be far better than anything she could imagine.
His kiss was rough and demanding, and she eagerly parted her mouth under his, granting him the access he expected. His tongue swept inside and she moaned, moving closer to him. Much to her surprise, he kept her at a distance, one hand in her hair and the other cupping her face. She wanted to feel his body against hers, craved the feeling of his muscles.
When he drew back, he nibbled lightly on her flesh until he was breathing in her ear. The rough rasp of his breath told her that he wasn’t as fully in control as he was trying to pretend, and her own breath seemed harder to catch. “Do you know what you’re asking me to do?”
“Yes. I’m yours. I want to feel you claim me the way I need to be claimed by you, and you alone.”
He growled against her ear, a deep, passionate rumble. But then she felt him pull his hand out of her curls, and she nearly pouted in disappointment. Maybe she hadn’t been clear enough. Maybe she needed to take charge and show him exactly what she wanted.
Anything she might have thought next vanished as he grabbed the plackets of her blouse with both hands. The sound of ripping fabric filled the room, followed by the bounce of several tiny buttons scattering across the floor. Cool air washed over her breasts and her nipples pebbled in reaction. She opened her eyes and smiled with satisfaction at the hunger on his face as he stared at her bare breasts.
His eyes lifted to hers and he raised an eyebrow. “I should come visit you more often.”
Her lips twitched with a smile. “I’m going to need to buy more clothes if you keep this up.” Her smile faded slowly as she saw the desire in his eyes. His expression alone ramped up her excitement.
She tried to draw in a deep, steadying breath, which made her breasts tremble, and he smiled with an animalistic hunger. Still keeping her at a distance, he lowered his head and ran his tongue lightly over her right nipple, then moved his head and lapped at her left one the same way. Her hands clenched on his arms, and she arched her back to show him just how much she enjoyed the attention.
“I need you,” he said, lifting his head to look at her. “I need you like I’ve never needed a woman before, Elena. I’m on fire and you’re my only salvation.”
His words washed over her. She grabbed the edges of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head, drinking in the sight of his muscular body. She knew what his raw power was capable of.
He hesitated, and she didn’t know why but didn’t want to wait any longer. She moved in against him and wrapped her arms around his chest, practically purring as her stiff nipples rubbed against the whorls of hair on his chest. His muscles bunched and flexed in response, and she leaned her head against his chest for a moment, listening to his rapid heartbeat. But only for a moment.
She squeezed her arms around him and tipped her head, her long curls brushing against her back as she looked up at him.
The air seemed to rush out of his lungs as their gazes locked.
His arm snaked around her waist and hauled her body up against his. “Phantom,” she gasped. She arched her body against him, feeling his need pressing against her hip from where he sat next to her on the bed, and her eyes slid shut with excitement.
But instead of claiming her mouth in another one of his passionate kisses, he skimmed her chin and jaw with his lips, barely tasting her. She whimpered with impatience before his warm hands slid down across her bare stomach in slow and gentle stroking. The sensual caress made her heart hammer against her ribs.
She had asked him to claim her. Obviously, he would do it at his speed and by his rules. “Tonight belongs to me,” he whispered.
Chapter 18
Phantom smiled as he saw the shudder than ran through Elena at his words. He couldn’t contain his joy. She loved him. When everything else in his world seemed uncertain, he could hold tightly to her words. I love you.
But would she still love him if she knew what he really did? When she learned who he was and why he was really in Hebbronville—could her love survive the revelation?
Everything he had told her and shown her had been the truth, to a certain extent. He was a horse rancher who was wild about his trainer. But he had an additional responsibility, a critical one, and he didn’t know what she would think if she ever learned about it.
For now, though, he knelt beside the bed, turning her so her legs dangled off the end, and her hands grabbed his shoulders. He ran his hands slowly over her back, then down her legs until he came to her boots. One by one, he removed them and slid his fingers up again until he had returned to the waistband of her jeans. Working deftly, he unfastened the button and pulled down the zipper.
Her breath rushed out as she lifted herself so he could slide the jeans off. To his delight, she wasn’t wearing underwear. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, and he looked up to see her staring down at him with a passion that rivaled his own. “Phantom?”
He closed his eyes and tried to draw in a deep breath. She was the most exquisite thing he’d ever seen. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her carefully trimmed mound, and his hands tightened around her waist when she gasped in surprise and delight.
Slowly, he raised his head, looking at her from head to toe, drinking in her appearance. “You are gorgeous,” he whispered, finally connecting his gaze with hers. She stared back at him with desire and…love. He would never get enough of it. He wanted to drown in her eyes.
“Kiss me, Phantom,” she asked so sweetly he couldn’t even consider denying her. He angled his head over hers and breathed in the scent of wild flowers. Elena. Mine. He had never thought he could feel so possessive over another person. He wanted her to be his in every possible way.
His lips moved as a whisper over hers before kissing her firmly. He ran his tongue along her lower lip, and she opened for him. One of her hands slid up into his hair, gently tugging him closer, as the other moved onto his chest. The feeling of her nails digging into his skin made him draw in a deep breath.
His need for her clamored through his body, making it hard to think straight. One of his hands slid up from her waist to cup her breast, weighing and lifting it as his other hand reached around and massaged her inner thigh, moving closer to the center of her need. He tugged her against his body, breathing heavily as he pressed his desire against her leg, letting her know how badly he wanted her.
He moved to join her on the bed, but she pushed up onto her knees, forcing him to remain standing. “You aren’t playing fair,” she said to him, a mischievous grin on her face.
He raised an eyebrow, then drew in a sharp breath as her fingers moved along his waistband and unbuttoned his jeans. “Elena,” he growled low in his throat, but he didn’t stop her. The feeling of her skin moving against his made all thoughts vanish. In the silence of the room, the sound of the zipper of his jeans sliding down seemed incredibly loud. Struggling to concentrate, he grabbed a condom from his wallet as she peeled open his clothing.
He stepped back from her by a few inches and took it upon himself to kick off his boots, quickly followed by his jeans and boxers. And then he was as naked as she was, and her eyes moved over him with hunger. When she licked her lips, he knew he wouldn’t be able to take much more anticipation.
He moved onto the bed and nudged her legs apart with his knee. She was breathing heavily as he settled himself between them. Her legs wrapped around his waist, drawing him closer to the pleasure her body offered.
“Tell me what you want, Elena.”
“I want you, Phantom. Always. I want you.”
His eyes closed for a moment, her words going straight to the heart of him. He lowered his head to her chest and drew one of her taut nipples into his mouth, scraping it lightly with his teeth before suckling on it.
“Oh!” she cried out, arching off the bed, her hands moving restlessly from clenching his hair to clawing at his back.
He moved from one nipple to the other. She whimpered and her hands slid down his back to forcefully grab his rear, making it apparent what she wanted. But he wanted to hear her say it.
He lifted his head and stared down into her desire-crazed eyes. “Talk to me, wildflower. Tell me what it is you need from me.”
She shuddered beneath him. “Make love to me, Phantom. I want to feel you inside me. I want to know that I belong to you completely.”
He swallowed hard and quickly rolled on the condom, then began to move forward, pressing into her sex. He pushed in further, her body incredibly tight around him. She moaned, her legs clenching around his waist.
Finally, he filled her completely. He stayed still for several moments, trying to gather his breath. “You feel so incredible,” he whispered to her.
“I was about to tell you the same thing.” Her sexy voice stirred his desire, and her expression full of bliss nearly made him lose control. She drew a deep breath and flexed her hips, and he slid in slightly further.
He withdrew nearly all the way, exquisitely slowly, then pressed back into her, flexing his hips and driving deep with each thrust. Her hips moved with him, matching his rhythm, and his body trembled with the strain from holding back.
Breathing heavily, Elena rocked her body against him, encouraging him to take her more forcefully. “Please. Phantom, you know what I need.”
“You’re mine,” he growled, staring into her eyes. He thrust into her with such passion and strength that her body scooted up the sheets toward the headboard.
“Yes,” she murmured. “I’m yours, Phantom. Completely. I belong to you and you alone. You have my heart, my mind, my body. I am yours. Oh!” She cried out as he began to move even faster, her bed creaking beneath them.
He dropped his head to nuzzle her neck. “Tell me, wildflower. You know what I need to hear.”
“I love you. Oh, I love you so much, Phantom. I love you!” The last word ended on a slight squeal as passion overtook her and her body arched into him.
He felt her orgasm rip around him, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He thrust faster until his entire body stiffened and a long, low moan was torn from him. They panted for air as they slowly came back into their own bodies, their skin slick with a fine sheen of perspiration.
Phantom rolled to his side and pulled Elena with him, holding her snugly against his body. He placed gentle kisses over her face, and she sighed contently. “Thank you,” she murmured, kissing his chest. Then she tilted her head backward and looked at him teasingly. “How are we going to get any work done together when we know we could be doing this instead?”
Her words suddenly brought him back into the real world, and a light frown touched his lips. “I have to go out of town for a few days, wildflower.”
Her eyes had started to droop with exhaustion in the aftermath of their passionate lovemaking but flew open to focus on him. “When?”
“I leave tomorrow morning. But I’ll be back to you as quickly as I can.” His own words startled him. He hadn’t said that he would hurry home. No, he had said he would get back to her as quickly as he could.
“Why do I have the feeling that I can’t ask you anything more about your trip?”
Phantom closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re right, I can’t talk about it. Someday…someday maybe I’ll be able to tell you everything. But right now, it’s best for your own safety.”
He could feel her eyes on him as he stood and went to her bathroom to dispose of the condom. He freshened up quickly and glanced in the mirror briefly. He hated that he couldn’t tell her where he was going or why, but it was the way life went for a Navy SEAL. Even if she was his wife, he wouldn’t be able to tell her about the mission. He swallowed hard as he realized the path his mind had been wandering.
She watched him with curious eyes as he returned to the bed and slid under the thin blanket, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Why can’t you tell me anything?”
He lay on his back and closed his eyes, wondering how to handle the conversation. “I still do some strategy work,” he said. It wasn’t the complete truth, but it wasn’t a lie either. “A delicate situation has come up, and I’m needed to handle it appropriately.” He opened his eyes to find her lying on her side, her head propped up by her hand, watching him closely. He could tell from the expression on her face that she was struggling with what to say next.
She frowned and ran a hand through her hair, brushing it back from her face. “I made a commitment to you that I will trust you. I know you aren’t telling me everything. I hope that someday you will trust me enough that you will.”
“I do trust you, Elena. It’s…complicated. The entire operation is confidential.”
“It isn’t anything illegal, is it?”
“What?” Her comment startled him, then made him chuckle. If only she knew. “No. There’s nothing illegal about it.”
“Is it dangerous?”
Why the hell did she have to ask that? He caught her face in his hands and leaned up, pressing kisses to her forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks. “I’ll be extremely careful. You don’t need to worry
about me.”
She arched a slender eyebrow. “So it is. Why can’t you tell me more, Phantom? Why are you keeping secrets from me?”
“I don’t want to, but the situation requires I be discreet. One day I’ll explain things.” When he returned from this mission—if he returned from this mission—he would tell her he was a Navy SEAL. He wasn’t prepared to break that news to her right before he left for a dangerous assignment.
“You don’t even know when you’ll be back?”
“It should be within a handful of days, maybe less. I’ll let you know as soon as I return.”
She sighed heavily, and he could see the disappointment on her face. He needed to switch the conversation to something different, anything to take her mind off the answers he couldn’t give. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you to do for me.”
Her gaze searched his face. “What?”
He gave her a mischievous smile. “Teach me how to solve a Rubik’s Cube?”
Her face relaxed and she gave him a weak smile. “Promise you won’t share my tricks?”
“Cross my heart.”
“Good. It won’t take long. Because I intend to make the most of tonight. The next few days are going to be torture.”
* * *
They only had one day on the ground to evaluate the intel from the briefing, and initially, it didn’t seem like enough time. The city of Reynosa was a bustling tourist hub with a fluctuating population of over a million, making it easy for them to cross the border and disappear. No one would look twice at a few guys on the prowl for cheap tequila and any entertainment Mexico could offer.
Reynosa was a seething, moving city that seemed to have its own pulse, its own breath, and Phantom felt unease as soon as they arrived. The area they were targeting was far northeast Reynosa, practically on top of the border between Mexico and Hidalgo, Texas. The area held many different shops and even a mall, with the heavy traffic of customers and business people creating the ideal situation for the SEAL team to blend in.
A SEAL Always Wins Page 19