Page 45 of Legacy of Danger
Leaning back, she looked up into his dark, shadowed eyes.
Then he brushed his lips over her forehead. Just the lightest press of skin against hers.
The muscles of his back clenched into iron rods beneath her hands.
A headache flickered across her temples, followed by that cocoon sensation. A bubble of safety. She wanted more.
His rough palms brushed over the wool coat as he encircled her frame. Not too tight. But present. Solid. Safe.
A low growl came from his throat, triggering a frisson straight down her body into her pelvis.
Okay. Maybe not completely safe.
But not scary.
His lips descended again, this time sweeping over her temples and cheekbones, leaving behind tingling, hypersensitive skin. "Mariah." His hoarse voice sent her heart into another pattering rhythm. "Can I kiss you?"
"Yes," she breathed.
The virtual cocoon warmed several degrees as he bent his head down. She stood on tiptoes to meet him. She had wanted only a tiny taste. Mostly to make sure she was okay.
The second their lips touched... heck, she was more than okay. Her internal BTUs went from zero to spontaneously combusting.
His arms tightened around her as he slowly kissed her. He changed angles, drawing shudders and sighs from deep inside of her. A wave of headache came and went again. Must be the cold air.
The headache was a distant memory when he nipped at her mouth.
And when his tongue lightly traced the seam of her lips?
She stepped back.
He froze, his dark gaze locked onto her face.
Then she reached up and laced her fingers behind his neck, stretching to reach his mouth again.
With another guttural sound, he clasped her flush to his chest. As he swept his tongue across her lips again, she opened to him on a sigh. A throbbing between her legs grew, and she pressed harder against him. The friction created a little sparkle of stars at the edges of her vision.
"I want...," he breathed. "Christ, Mariah."
Another gentle onslaught of kisses stole her breath. The rasp of his stubble against her cheek turned her insides to warm liquid. And when her tongue tangled with his, she actually wobbled. But she knew that she wouldn't fall. Not with his arms around her and his solid frame supporting her.
"You're amazing," he whispered as he nipped over her lips.
As he rocked his pelvis against the cradle of her hips, his erection hardened. His fist tightened on her wool coat, like he wanted to tear it to shreds. Given the size of his hands, he could probably do it, too.
Breaking off the kiss, he lifted his head. "Shit."
One by one, though, the stars faded away, leaving two individuals standing on cold asphalt pavement in the hospital parking lot.
Air rasped in and out of his mouth. His nostrils flared.
"This isn't a fling," he said, as if talking to himself.
When he stepped away, a wave of vertigo made her stumble. Vaughn grabbed her elbow, steadying her. But he didn't pull her back into his embrace.
And she felt empty because of it.
"This isn't a fling," he repeated. Although he stared at her, it was as if he looked through her.
