Page 19 of D-Day

His tongue played her, teased her as her back arched and her hand twisted in his hair as he delved deep into her honeyed heat, drawing her into his magic, a heady, sexual spell of exquisite wanting.

He worked her close to release, teasing her with the promise of an orgasm until she was squirming and writhing and begging him to let her come. He sucked her clit, her hips lifting against his mouth as she inhaled sharply, jolting against him as she came undone, a soft moan, the tightening of her thighs, a slow grind upward into his mouth, and then complete, utter surrender. He reveled in it.

As his erection strained against the mattress, full and hot and heavy, pulsing with every heartbeat, he played her out before moving back up her body, pinning her beneath him, and thrusting inside. The latent ripples of her orgasm pulsed around him, winding him up, making him harder.

Her bare breasts were crushed against his chest, her knees bracketed his hips, and the urge to possess her in this most primal way crashed over him. Tangling his fingers in Helen’s hair, he held her head in his hands and slanted his mouth across hers in a hot, deep, tongue-tangling kiss.

But as her breathing quickened, escalated, so did the long, smooth pumping of his hips until that wasn’t enough. Her hands slid to his shoulders, and her fingers dug into his muscles as he surged into her, again, and again, tearing a moan from the back of her throat. His strokes came faster, longer, ruthlessly demanding, filled with an insatiable need. Their eyes met and held, hers filled with blue heat, and he watched as she gasped and arched into him when he thrust hard into her. The way she looked at him was so overwhelming, his throat got thick, and his chest tightened.

He fell so deep and got lost in the rush of emotion and sensation, lost in her. He groaned fiercely, possessively, arched into her one last time, infinitely deep. His entire body shuddered as he came, so hard and strong, he was pulled under.

His scorching release seemed to go on and on, wringing him dry and leaving him weak and devastated as he gasped for breath. He buried his face in her neck, and as he gradually recovered and his mind cleared, he became intimately aware of the woman beneath him. Reality returned with a rush of frustration and awareness of how much trouble he was in.

He shifted off her, and she clutched him. “Don’t go just yet.”

He pulled her with him as he settled onto his back, tucking her against his chest. “I’m fucked up enough to want to stay withyou all night, but I can’t. If they’re not looking for me now, they will be.”

Her gaze jerked to his as she rose and draped herself over him. She bristled in outrage, and it seemed like he wasn’t the only one with protective instincts. She scowled. “Who’s looking for you?”

He chuckled softly, tugging on a clump of her blonde, silky hair. “Relax, tiger. My team.”

“What did you do?” Her tone had become quite clipped, but her hand continued to slide all over his chest.

“I was pissed off about the whole NOC thing and you being involved, I punched Zorro.” He was walking a very thin tightrope here and he wasn’t going to come out unscathed. Best case scenario, he’d be chewed out by Joker; worse case—a mark on his record. He regretted hitting one of his brothers, but Zorro could be so…right sometimes. Damn, him. There was no one like Helen, and she was brave, and he wished just a little bit that she was a coward. Six months of agonizing over her had been arduous. A part of him wanted to put his wants first, just for one night. But he just wasn’t wired that way. He’d joined the SEALs to give himself over to something bigger and more important than himself. He closed his eyes. That was a vow he couldn’t break. Ever.

She turned toward him and sighed. “It always comes back to me, doesn’t it? Everything that’s causing you turmoil. I’m nothing but a burr under your saddle.”

“A pain in my ass? That’s for sure, lady.” He trailed his fingers over the fine bones in her face, his fingers trembling a little. He’d imagined this moment more times than he cared to admit, all the while fighting against it every step of the way. When he’d met her, he had been struggling with so much—his self-worth, where he fit into the people in his life, a hollow, empty feeling that hadn’t gone away, and a nugget of anger andresentment that festered inside him. Then there was the struggle with trust, the remnant of his betrayal on many levels still stinging, circling him right back to the whole self-worth thing. He needed to be present in every sense of the word and Helen was a major distraction. He had people counting on him, people who meant the world to him, and he had to include her because she had made it clear that no obstacle was too big or hard to overcome when it came to them. That humbled him. He had a job to do…work that was more important to him than anything he’d done before. It was easily the most personal thing he’d ever done. And the most rewarding. He cupped her face, whispering gruffly, “So, how about you cut me some slack and hightail it back home.”

A look of deep disquiet darkened her eyes, a somber, distracted frown appearing. “I can’t, Drew. I understand where you’re coming from.” He sighed and, clutching his shoulder and squeezing, she said firmly, “I do.” Her eyes searched his with riveting energy. “You value your job, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

Her tone was gentle but firm. “Then do me the courtesy of valuing what I do. My reasons haven’t changed, and if you think about the fact that if Taer and Lando get suspicious, that could derail your whole mission. I don’t want to face a battle with you every time I’m in the field. Your mission sounds terribly important that you get them to work with you.”

“It is…vital….” He was reluctant to tell her, knowing that it would only entrench her deeper, but he’d never been able to resist Helen, especially now when she was being so completely honest and straightforward with him. “If we don’t succeed, many Filipinos will suffer.”

She swallowed hard. “On what scale?”

He held her gaze for a moment, the disquiet in her eyes deepening, then he looked away, his face taut. “Astronomical,Helen.” He rubbed his thumb against her soft cheek, then looked back at her, feeling bleak. “Not only them, but Americans, and maybe other countries. I can’t be sure.”

She bit her lip, and he knew there was no budging her now. Helen leaned forward on her folded arms, her expression suddenly earnest. “Then my role could be just as vital.”

He saw the wisdom in her resolve and her arguments, but that didn’t make this bitter pill any easier to swallow. He would have to deal with her in the mix but would do his utmost to keep her as safe as he could.

“I’m sure Buck is furious.”

He stared at her, a flicker of amusement working through him. “Buck is fit to be hog-tied. He’s as convinced as I am that if you’re given an inch, you’ll take a mile.”

She met his gaze with a hint of defiance. “I won’t.”

The intense spark that she set off in him was both sure and resigned. “You will.”

“I will not.”

He gave a derisive snort as he shot her a disbelieving look, then holding back a smile, he tugged her hair again. “Don’t try that innocent look on me. You know damned well the minute our backs are turned, you’ll be up to your neck in some kind of scheme.”

“I won’t do anything without checking with you first.”

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