Page 47 of A Sudden Response

When he cursed softly as he moved away from her, Joe leaned up and brushed her lips against his, unable to help herself. She knew that she shouldn’t be doing this, but she couldn’t help herself. Years of holding back, pretending that she didn’t want him, need him, shattered with that first kiss last week and any hope of holding back what she felt for this man was gone.

This was probably going to wreck everything, but at the moment, she didn’t care. She needed to hold him, to touch him, and be with him more than she needed her next breath. It wasn’t fair that the one man she craved was the one she couldn’t have. He was her best friend, the person she counted on, needed, and loved more than anyone on this earth and she was going to lose him over this.

His mouth crashed down on hers, forcing her head back onto the pillow as he devoured her mouth. When his tongue slid into her mouth and tangled with hers, she moaned. He released her hands as he kneeled between her legs, putting space between their chests. She cupped the back of his neck to keep his mouth right where she needed it, afraid that he was going to put a stop to this.

He reached between them and grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it up along with her sports bra until her breasts were bared. She let out a moan of pleasure when he cupped one of her breasts and gave it a gentle squeeze. When he ground his erection against her, she suckled his tongue.

She wrapped her arms around him, loving the combination of warm skin and solid muscle. Her hands slid down his back and beneath the waist of his pants and onto smooth muscle that flexed erotically with each shallow thrust.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Eric said, panting as he moved his mouth to her neck and reached between them to pull her damp panties to the side so that he could brush his fingertips teasingly over her slit.

“Yes, we should,” Joe said breathlessly as he slid a finger deep inside of her.

“Yeah, we should,” Eric said tightly as he struggled to undo his belt. When he couldn’t get the belt off with one hand, he unzipped his pants. The sound of his zipper being pulled down in the dark room was one of the most erotic sounds she’d ever heard.

“We can’t let this wreck what we have,” Eric said, sounding desperate as he removed his finger and replaced it with the large tip of his erection.

“It changes nothing,” Joe said, sliding her hands up his back to fist them in his hair and pull his mouth back to hers as he slammed into her.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she sucked in a sharp breath. Never in her life had she ever felt this full. She knew that he was large thanks to all those times they went skinny dipping, but this was incredible. He stretched her almost to the point of pain, but she wanted more.

As he moved, Joe grabbed the back of her knees and pulled her legs up and to the sides, opening herself up more for him. This time, when he slid back inside of her, he was buried to the root. He let out a growl of appreciation as he slowly swirled his hips in a way that had her whimpering and pleading against his mouth.

“Shhhh,” Eric whispered quietly against her lips, reminding her that they weren’t alone. They were surrounded by other bunkrooms and the break room was right down the hallway.

He pulled away to kiss his way to her ear. “Do you like that, Joe?” Eric asked, deepening his movements.

Beyond words now, Joe nodded as she licked her lips and moved her hips against his, desperate for more. If they got a call right now, she was pretty sure that she would die.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined doing this to you,” Eric whispered against her ear, his warm breath fanning her sensitive skin and sending a shiver throughout her body that caused her nipples to tighten impossibly further.

“Have you ever thought about me fucking you, Joe?”

“Yes!” she hissed quietly. She’d thought about him, from her first time to the last time. It was Eric’s face she pictured when she had sex. He made her feel safe and loved and she needed that.

“If there wasn’t a very real possibility that we’d be interrupted, I’d show you all those things I’ve imagined doing to you over the years,” Eric promised before returning to her mouth.

She wrapped her arms around him as he quickened his thrusts, but when the bed began making the telltale sounds that would give them away, he slowed his pace once again. The kiss, on the other hand, was out of control. He didn’t hold back and neither did she. She couldn’t get enough of him. She loved the way he teased and dueled with her tongue.

It wasn’t long before he was swallowing her screams and biting back his own. She felt him harden impossibly further before she felt him come inside of her. It was the first time she’d ever felt a man come inside of her and she couldn’t believe how good it felt. She was even more surprised when it set off another orgasm.

“Shit,” Eric groaned as he continued to thrust inside her until she stopped squeezing him and her legs dropped back onto the bed while they focused on catching their breath.

“What the hell are we going to do now?” Eric muttered against her neck as she wrapped her arms around his sweat-slicked back, wishing she had an answer.

CHAPTER 20

He’d never been more relieved to receive a call from dispatch.

They’d fucked up.

Why after all these years had he finally given in to his body’s demands and taken her? He knew just how badly he was fucking up when he did it. She was his best friend, the only woman that he’d ever loved, and he’d just ruined everything.

Every time he’d toyed with the idea of fucking her, he’d always thought that he’d work her out of his system. It was just leftover hormones from when he was a kid and first noticed her, he’d always told himself, but he’d been wrong. If anything, having her just made it worse.

He wanted her, now, tomorrow, and always. The way his body felt let him know that it was going to be a long time before he grew tired of her. That was a problem because he didn’t know if could give her up. He needed her in his life and as great as the sex was, and there was no question in his mind that it was the best sex he’d ever had, he’d gladly give up the chance to touch her again if it meant that she wouldn’t leave him.

His chest tightened just thinking about it. He needed her in his life, always. Their friendship came first, and he wasn’t sure ifthey’d survive taking the next step, but thankfully, dispatch gave them a chance to step back and focus on something else at the moment. It also gave him a chance to figure out if he could do this.

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