Page 43 of Phoenix Rising

“Woah.” Reese reached out and steadied her. Audria looked up into his eyes, and she was lost. A whimper escaped when he bent to kiss her. She tossed her glass on the deck—thank goodness it was plastic—and threw her arms around his neck, pulling their bodies together. He tasted so good, and she was swept away . . . literally, when he reached down and scooped her in his arms.

Reese tore his lips from hers, and they both sucked in much-needed oxygen. “This is a bad idea.”

Audria frantically shook her head and jerked his mouth back to hers. She didn’t want him to back out now. Tomorrow, they would have to revert to simply being coworkers. She wanted—needed tonight.

#

Reese had been telling himself for the last hour he would not kiss Audria again . . . at least while they were searching for Paige. But he discovered he had no resistance to her. She called to some deep part of his soul like a siren, luring poor, unsuspecting sailors to their demise. She was everything he’d ever wanted, and he was tired of fighting his feelings.

When she clutched him in desperation, he gave in and scooped her into his arms without breaking the kiss. He carried her into the room and stopped by the wide bed cluttered with a plethora of useless decorative pillows. He shoved enough off to make a spot to place her before following her down. She tasted of champagne and Audria, and he couldn’t get enough.

Audria frantically tore at his clothes, and he had to grasp her hands to stop her. “Easy, babe. They are all I have to wear.”

She snickered. “Oh, right. I guess you could fashion the sheet into a toga.”

That set him off, and they laughed before he sobered and ran the back of his hand down her face. “You are so beautiful.”

One thing he knew about Audria was that she didn’t readily accept compliments on her looks. You could admire her shooting accuracy or her proficiency with a knife, and she’d bask in the praise. Well, she’d need to get used to it because he planned on telling her how gorgeous she was at every opportunity.

Her fingers tugged at his shirt, so he pulled it over his head and shrugged out of the bulletproof vest. She hummed in appreciation as her hands roamed his chest. When they ventured lower, he had to stop her again. It felt incredible, but this would be over before it started. It’d been too long, and he wanted her too much.

Turnabout was fair play, so Reese lifted off her shirt and vest, leaving her in a sports bra. He almost smiled. Audria wasn’t one for lacy undergarments like Gennie. He’d never seen his ex-wife wear a bra designed to provide support while exercising. She preferred expensive lingerie that was outrageously overpriced considering the amount of fabric used . . . and why the hell was he thinking about her when he had the most incredible woman beneath him?

He focused on Audria, and it was a good thing because he barely moved out of the way before she lurched up and whipped the bra off, then her pants. All he could do was stare. She wasn’t overly endowed, but she was perfect.

She must’ve mistaken his silence because she started to cover herself. “I’m not—”

“Shh.” He grabbed her hands and moved them out of the way. “You are so damn stunning, Audria. You take my breath away.” Then he leaned down and tasted her.

She fell back to the bed, moaning as her fingers sifted through his hair. Then her talented hands unzipped his pants and slid inside his boxer briefs. His eyes rolled back in his head. So good.

He ached, needing to be inside her right now, but the one rational brain cell he had left remembered that the condoms he’d packed in his ditty bag had been ruthlessly destroyed.

“Audria, babe, we have to stop.”

“No, we don’t.”

She stroked him harder, and he forgot his train of thought. When she shoved him, he rolled onto his back. She jerked off his pants until they were both naked and straddled him. He almost lost it right there. She was no passive participant like . . . no, he would not think about his ex again. Audria was fiery and aggressive, and he was unable to form a complete sentence. “Audria. Stop. No condom.”

That seemed to penetrate her brain because she smiled. It was wicked and devious, and he almost said to hell with it. He reached for her, but she was gone.

He pushed to his elbows to see her toned rear end as she reached into the table beside the bed. She turned around with a triumphant smile, her hands filled with prophylactics.

“The room expects sex,” she explained.

Reese grabbed one, reached for her, causing her to squeal in delight as the rest of the condoms went flying, and then came down over her. He kissed the smile off her face while he suited up and slid into heaven.

Audria arched her back, her nails digging into his shoulders as they both moaned at the exquisite feeling. He couldn’t move, or he’d explode. Her inner muscles gripped him like a white-hot vice, urging him on. His vision blurred as a wave of pleasure he’d never known before threatened to engulf him.

Reese didn’t want to rush over the cliff alone, so he forced his hips to pump harder, deeper until she was screaming his name. It could’ve been hours or minutes. Time ceased to exist. Somewhere in his sex-fogged brain, he registered that she’d come twice, and if he had more willpower, he’d have tried for another. All he knew was that he was about to experience a climax unlike any he’d ever known. When it hit, it was like being blindsided by a tsunami while inside a hurricane. He was knocked into a swirling vortex of feeling. Reese’s entire body spasmed until nothing was left, and he couldn’t hold himself up any longer. Audria clutched him tightly, her legs locked behind his back, keeping him buried deep inside her.

Reese could happily stay like this forever, but he needed to dispose of the used condom. It took a Herculean effort, but he forced his legs to move as he slid out of bed and tossed it into the trash. Then he returned to her.

At first, he was afraid she was asleep, but then she smiled, her eyes still closed. Reese picked up one of the discarded condoms and joined her for round two.

#

Audria woke cocooned in Reese’s arms after the most incredible night of her life. She’d always known making love with him would be amazing, and it had been, but it was so much more. Indescribable. Mind-blowing. Earth-shattering.Life changing.

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