Page 23 of Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team)

The fire? He nodded, took her plate from her and gestured for her to go first. “Ladies first.”

Her lips curved upward. “You just wanna stare at my naked ass.”

“Damn right I do.”

The view on the way to the living room was nothing short of spectacular. He was staring at her bare ass like a sex-starved maniac, nearly crashed into the coffee table because he just couldn’t tear his gaze from the entrancing sight of her sexy cheeks swaying with each step.

When they reached the couch Summer turned to face him and smoothed her apron down the back of her before sitting and crossing one leg over the other with deliberate slowness. The pose itself was unbelievably sexy but with the firelight glowing over her red hair and naked, pale skin, it was all he could do not to throw dinner aside and attack her right then and there.

She accepted her plate with a little smile that told him she knew exactly how insane she was making him and had been hoping for this very reaction. “Adam. The wine.”

Right. Wine.

He rushed into the kitchen, poured them both a glass of red from the decanter she had waiting on the counter, and hurried back.

The dinner melted in his mouth, each bite perfection not just because she was a great cook, but because she’d gone to all this effort for him. To make him happy and show how much she cared. That meant way more than the apron and heels did.

Summer took a sip of wine and gave him a slow smile. “I never believed the saying before, but your mom really wasn’t kidding when she told me the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

“That’s mostly true in my family,” he admitted, his gaze once again sliding over the length of her. From this angle he could just make out the curves of the sides of her breasts. Just enough for a handful, for each mound to fit perfectly in his palms.

Summer set her wine down and re-crossed her legs. Slowly. Giving him just enough time and just enough room to make out the shadowed flesh between her pretty thighs. The sexy, nerve-rich folds he couldn’t wait to bury his mouth against while those heels dug into his back.

She set her glass down in her lap and tilted her head a little, her eyes sparkling in the firelight. “This is way too fun.”

“So fun,” he agreed, taking another bite of steak. He hated to rush through a meal she’d gone to such care in selecting and preparing, but hell. He could barely remember to chew and swallow with her sitting four feet away, mostly naked, teasing him with every breath.

After eating he ordered her to stay put and took the plates into the kitchen. He’d clean up later while she was asleep—tucked into their bed, exhausted from the best sex of her life. But right now he had something more important on his mind.

He needed to claim his woman once and for all. With the combat deployments and their long separations behind them, nothing was holding him back anymore.

She was still curled into the arm of the sofa with her wineglass when he came out, looking like something out of a naughty pin-up calendar.

Adam went onto one knee in front of her, set her wine on the coffee table and reached one hand out to cradle the side of her face. “You have no idea how beautiful you are,” he murmured. “Or how much I love you.”

She gave him an assessing look. “Pretty sure I know that last bit, but I wouldn’t mind a reminder to refresh my memory.” She took hold of his wrist and tugged, trying to bring him to her as she tipped her face up for a kiss.

Adam answered the invitation by fusing their mouths together in a kiss so hot it left them both panting. When he pulled back finally, Summer made a sound of protest and reached for him, one hand lifting to grasp the ties at the back of her neck.

Adam shook his head and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips instead. “Not yet.” He had something more important to do before he gave them both the release they were dying for.

While she watched him curiously he slipped his right hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out the little velvet box he’d picked up at the jeweler this afternoon.

Summer gasped and sat up straight, one hand going to her chest, right over her heart. Holding her other hand in his, Adam flipped the box open with his fingers to reveal the round diamond ring.

She lifted her eyes to his, and he saw pure joy and love shining back at him. He’d never felt so complete, or so certain of anything in his life. She was it for him.

“You’re everything I could ever want and more and I want to spend the rest of our lives together,” he told her softly. “Will you marry me?”

Her answering smile was so bright it almost hurt his eyes. “Yes.Yes.” She pulled her hand free of his grip and flung her arms around his neck.

He hugged her tight, closing his eyes to better savor the moment, letting her sweet scent and the feel of her supple body pressed against his fill his senses. Then he slid the ring onto her finger and pushed her back to recline on the leather sofa, all that pretty red hair spilling over the side of it. He stroked a hand over it, drew his fingertips down her face and throat, feeling more possessive than he ever had in his life.

She was going to be his, forever.

“Stay just like that,” he murmured, reaching for the ties at the back of her neck. He undid them, then reached under her to undo the ones at her waist. The apron practically melted away from her skin at his touch, revealing her in all her naked glory.

With a rough sound of need he leaned in to lick the tight pink nipples waiting for his mouth, and took hold of the underside of her knees. “Feet on my shoulders,” he commanded in a low voice, already lifting them into position.

---