Page 40 of The Veteran

But she smiled that beautiful, peaceful smile I loved so much. “I am.”

“Good.” I peppered kisses up the length of her neck, so softly that my lips barely scraped her skin. She sighed and pressed closer, her hands slipping behind me to explore the planes of my back beneath my t-shirt. She shimmied her pajama bottoms off and I felt the heat of her sex against my leg. I grabbed her shapely ass and shifted her so that she was effectively straddling my thigh, her underwear the only barrier between us. She whimpered and ground herself against me.

“Yes, baby, just like that,” I urged. “I want to make you feel good.”

“You do.” Her eyelashes fluttered open. “You make me feel good just by existing.”

“Jesus, what did I do to deserve you?” I claimed her mouth, my cock hard as hell within the confines of my sweatpants, but I didn’t want to let her go for long enough to take them off.

Her hips rocked and she let out a husky moan. I worked my hand inside her panties and slipped a finger between her folds. She was slick and gasped as I stroked her, then drew ever-tightening circles around her clit. She shuddered in my arms, and I pushed one of my fingers inside her and crooked it.

“Oh, God,” she cried.

“Quiet, love.” I kissed her forehead. “We don’t want the guards outside to think something is happening to you.”

I moved my finger inside her tight channel. She narrowed her eyes, then pulled away and shoved my sweatpants down. I threw the blankets out of the way but then gripped the sheets as she removed my underwear and wrapped a hand around my cock. She gave me a teasing smile, then stripped off her top and panties, crawled down the bed and licked the throbbing head.

Fuck.

I sucked in a shallow breath and tried to stay calm, but then she wrapped her velvety mouth around me and all rational thought fled. I fisted the sheets to keep from grabbing her head and shoving my cock deeper into her mouth. She licked up the length, holding my gaze, and it was the sexiest fucking thing I’d ever seen. She teased me with gentle kisses until I was a panting mess and couldn’t take any more of it.

I flipped her beneath me and wriggled down until I set my mouth over her pussy and got to work, determined to drive her as crazy as she’d made me. She gasped, then clapped a hand to her mouth as I licked and sucked and stroked her. When I felt her hips buck and tension override her body, I eased back and searched for a condom in the toiletries bag on the nightstand.

“I want to make love to you,” I told her, so there couldn’t be any confusion. This wasn’t just sex. It meant something.

“I want that more than anything.” She took the condom from me and rolled it down my cock. When it was on, she lay back and spread her legs.

“Fuck.” I took in the sight of her, with flushed cheeks and beard burn on her thighs. She looked exquisite. She looked mine. “You’re stunning.”

I sunk into her slowly, savoring the delicious sensation. She intertwined her legs with mine and kissed me, making soft sounds into my mouth as I drew back and pumped into her again. My heart squeezed. I’d never felt so at one with another person. Our tongues tangled in a drugging kiss, and I made love to her in slow rhythmic thrusts, adoring the way she came apart beneath me.

I ran my hands over every beautiful bit of her, wishing I could make this last forever. I’d wanted her for so long and she felt so good. I toyed with one of her nipples and buried my face in the crook of her neck, sucking the tender skin there as I moved inside her.

“Oh!” Her eyes flew open and locked on mine as she came. The combination of emotion and pleasure I saw in them pushed me over the brink and I growled her name as I pulsed into the condom. A shudder tore through me, and I propped myself on my arms, careful not to flatten her.

We stayed in that position until our breathing had leveled out and our hearts had returned to their usual speed, then I kissed her forehead and rolled off. I disposed of the condom and lay beside her again, pulling her into my arms. She felt so right there. I never wanted to let her go. I was halfway in love with Sage, and I’d never felt quite so vulnerable. She’d seen all the ugly parts of me and hadn’t run away. Did I dare hope she could one day love me too?

SAGE

We dozed in a post-sex haze until the shrill ring of Kade’s phone woke us. He grunted and flopped his arm out of bed, reaching for the phone on the nightstand.

“Campbell,” he answered gruffly.

Whatever the person at the other end said, it made him sit up and open his eyes, so I did the same, watching his face for any indication of what the conversation might be about.

“Already?” he asked and glanced at his watch. “Has the guy from this morning been questioned yet?” There was a pause as he listened intently. “Uh-huh.” He nodded. “Thanks. We’ll be there soon.” He ended the call.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Zeke.” His face did that weird twitchy thing it seemed to do when he mentioned Zeke. “The new safe house is ready to go. It’s in an apartment building not far from King’s place.”

“That’s good,” I said. “Right?”

I, for one, was eager to get out of this cottage. In hindsight, I was amazed I’d been able to relax here for long enough to make love with Kade. I supposed the intensity of our emotions had made it impossible to think of anything else.

“Yeah.” He rolled out of bed and gathered his clothes. “The police have interviewed the man who broke in, and they’re allowing King to have a word with him shortly. I’d like to observe.”

“Can I be there too?”

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