Page 37 of Dangerous Devotion

He inched closer. “You can hide from other people behind the walls you keep up, but not from me.”

“You didn’t like me from the start.”

“I didn’t dislike you. I was suspicious of a stranger turning up at the Blackout base without warning.”

“You didn’t want to be my partner.”

His lips quirked. “If I recall correctly, you’re the one who bent Con’s ear as soon as I left the room so you could complain about beingmine.”

She let her hand fall from where his still rested on the curve of her cheek.

He glanced at her lips. Damn, he wanted to taste her again. To claim that small rosebud mouth over and over until she was burning for him. Then to strip off her clothes and worship every inch of her throat, her bare breasts.

And reach between her thighs and stroke her pussy until she bucked into his hand.

He arched a brow at her, waiting for her to make the next move. The room was dimly lit thanks to a lamp he’d switched on when he performed his cursory sweep of the space. Soft shadowsstroked over her clear, perfect skin and showed him the torment playing across her features.

“It’s been a long day. And we have rules to follow.” Her words only amped up the tension buzzing between them.

“Any rules, you place on yourself.”

“Come on, AJ. Would Con approve of us getting into bed together?”

“Pretty sure I already said I plan to do more than get in bed.”

She dragged in a shaky breath.

Seeing that things wouldn’t go any further and he wasn’t the sort of man who pressured a woman, he dropped his hand from her cheek and stepped back.

As he started to turn away, she locked her fingers around his arm. With a strength he didn’t know she had, she tugged him around to face her.

Her stare centered on his mouth. “I do want to...” She struggled for a heartbeat, then snapped her stare up to his. Her eyes burned. “I want you.”

A smile teased his lips. “Took ya long enough to come to that conclu—”

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with a raw need that had him hard and aching in a blink. Pulling her tighter against him, he kissed her in return, holding nothing back.

He plundered her.

Nibbled her plump bottom lip.

Delved his tongue back inside her mouth until she was quaking in his arms.

Sliding his hand up her ribs, he cupped one breast. It was a small handful, filling his palm to perfection.

He groaned, and she let out a quiet noise of need that shot his pulse rate higher. He withdrew from the kiss to watch herface as he swiped his thumb across her hardened nipple. It shrank to a tighter pebble for him.

She touched him too, running her palms over his chest and back up to curl around his shoulders. “I want to see you…again.”

Their stares locked. Everything that passed between them since their hurried changing session in the last hotel pushed them toward this point.

Gripping the hem of her top, he watched her eyes for consent. Darting her tongue over her bottom lip, she gave him a flick of her lashes that made his cock surge.

He pulled her top over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Christ, he needed at leastonemore barrier before they reached this moment, but now they were at the point of no return.

Gently, he skimmed his fingers up her torso and cupped her breasts. She panted. “AJ…”

He dipped his head and laved one hardened nipple with his tongue. A slow lick made her head fall back and a louder moan burst from her lips.

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