Chapter 6

6

Striker’s lust grew as Shannon slid her shirt over her head. His fingers itched to touch, but he wanted to take this slow. Maybe he shouldn’t have stripped as soon as he stepped into the room but the need to be pressed up against her had driven him.

When she pushed her pants low and kicked off her shoes, his heart started racing. He tugged his underwear off, then reached for his cock, stroking the length once. Her eyes grew wide when her gaze dipped. Pride surged, and he stroked his cock again.

He drank her in, noticing how thin she really was. Worry hit him hard. Was she thin because she was naturally thin, or was her father such an abusive jerk he didn’t let her eat? Did the asshole pester her into looking a certain way? Already the man sounded like a total jerk. Later, after he’d shown her how much he desired her, he would get to the bottom of it all.

He stepped close and slid one finger between her breasts, his body getting even hotter. She was the most delectable woman he’d ever met.

“I want to remember this for a long time,” Striker said.

“Then let’s take it slow.” Shannon’s voice slid over him like warm honey, increasing his desire.

His lungs wouldn’t work. He sucked in shallow breaths only to need more air. She ran her fingers over his abs and his pecs, then over his shoulders. It was like he was back in high school trying sex for the first time. He barely had control of himself.

Shaky hands touched her shoulder, and his throat was drier than sand.

He sat on the edge of the bed, and Shannon leaned in, her tongue tracing a path up one side of his neck to his ear. He let his head drop back as he relished the feel of her hands and tongue on his body. Lust pumped hard. Every touch was like fire licking against his flesh. Every sound from her was music to his ears.

By the time she had kissed from his neck to his pecs, his ears were ringing. When she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him so he was lying on the mattress, his whole body shook with anticipation.

He stretched out, and his eyes stayed on her, drinking in the passion on her face. When she covered his mouth with hers, begging him to open, electricity shot from his lips to his spine. She kissed him like she meant it. When she ended the kiss, her lips dipped lower, teasing his flesh from his pec to his abs. Then she traced a lazy path lower, ramping up his excitement. When her chin bumped into the tip of his dick, he gasped.

She sat up, her cheeks flamed rosy, and the fire of lust filled her eyes. Need surpassed his ability to think and take things slowly. He moved fast, flipping her before he pressed her to the bed.

She opened her legs, and he moved his hand lower. When she arched up, he slid his finger over her mons to cup her pussy. Heat raced up his spine, and his balls pulled tight. This was better than any fantasy he’d ever dreamt up. She was perfect for him.

“Striker, I need you in me.”

He grunted and removed his hand. Instead of moving between her legs, he kissed down her neck while his hands roamed over her sweet body. Slowly, he made his way from her lips to her breast, licking and sucking on one nipple before going to the other.

“Touch me, please,” she cried out.

Striker’s muscles clenched as desire heightened. He slid his hands down her body to her pussy. She lifted her hips and curled in, moving so his fingers were at her opening. He took advantage of her move and dipped into her wet heat. The moan from her drove him to push deeper. This woman was a wildcat, and he wanted to have her wrapped around him.

He stroked into her delicious heat, realizing he would be happy to be trapped inside her forever. He teased her breasts with his other hand and his lips. She shivered as she moaned and writhed on the bed. She was putty in his hands. His lust grew even more as he witnessed her coming undone. Power filled him, and the thrill of watching her close to orgasm took over.

He kissed lower, tracing her ribs with his tongue, noticing how incredibly soft her skin was against his. She was perfect, and he wanted to stay right here and kiss her over and over again. The desire to taste her increased, and he moved down her body, kissing over one hip, then paused. The scent of her was nearly overwhelming. He ran his hand across her skin, sliding one finger along her opening before pushing in. Wet with desire, she moaned as she pumped up to meet his touch.

The explosion of heat that swamped him threatened to take his breath. No other woman compared. Maybe Shannon was the best woman he’d ever been with, or maybe he was full of crap. She made everything different, that was all he knew. Either way, Shannon was better than the rest. No question, this woman was a league above what he’d had before.

He lifted and met her gaze. Lust showed in her eyes, and her lips were parted, her cheeks pink. He’d done that, made her look all desirable and sexy. Pride surged through him.

He adjusted, then slid his tongue over her slit. She lifted her hips and reached down, pressing against the back of his head. He chuckled, thinking that her moans were the best sound he’d ever heard. He could spend a lifetime wrapped in her arms.

Shannon grunted as she put more pressure on his head, keeping him where he was. Sweet as honey and feisty too. He liked how she demanded with her hands while pressing up with her hips. No way would he disappoint her.

He wasn’t into delaying gratification too much. He wanted this woman writhing in his arms. She was close too. He licked then slid his tongue in where his fingers had been. She gasped but tugged on his hair. He chuckled again and moved up, sucking her in.

Her muscles were tight, her back arched with the roll of her hips. Shannon whimpered, her words jumbled together as she begged. She was falling apart in his arms, close to shattering.

Then the twisting of his hair became more insistent, and he figured she was close to orgasm. He was going to grab the condom from his pocket when she hooked her legs behind his back and held him there. She stiffened in his arms, then cried out as she started to pulse against his tongue.

He’d been hard before, but her orgasm made him rock hard, and he wasn’t sure he could breathe. He moved fast and slid in, shoving deep on the first thrust. She clutched him close and held on. He didn’t want to hurt her, so he braced himself and didn’t put all his weight on her body.

Their movements were like poetry, her moans music. She fit him perfectly, and he never wanted to let go.

Her legs came around him, trapping him. The roll of his hips met hers, and it was like they were dancing. He gasped as she clenched her muscles, tightening around him.

Sweet heaven of being with her mixed with the hell of knowing it wouldn’t last. He didn’t want her to walk away, but how could he keep her close? She lived here, and he was in Georgia .

His brain fuzzed, and any rational thought was dashed in a wave of lust. They came together, his hips meeting hers, thrust for thrust.

He was falling, tumbling down from the place he’d been, unable to resist her allure. When he walked away, he’d never truly leave. Shannon was fire and passion with a dash of gentle loving, and he was hooked.

The need for air grew, but his desire to keep kissing won out. She ripped her mouth from his and drew in a long breath. The swirl of passion was too much. He cried out, his orgasm so close it sizzled up his spine.

His body was on fire, and Shannon stoked him higher with every move. Everything before paled in comparison to life with Shannon. All that mattered was her lips, her skin, her body. The desire to get closer won over his need to pump hard and he held her tight, rocking with her as desire, heat, and emotions twisted together.

Moving with her in a beautiful rhythm had him at the edge. She cried out. The sound grew louder before she turned her head and clamped down on his shoulder, her scream muted by his body.

He shouted her name, praying this wasn’t the last time he got to be with her like this. This was more than just sex. He didn’t know what, but this surpassed all the other intimate encounters he’d ever had. He’d experienced more than just an orgasm with Shannon. It was like he’d experienced heaven.

When he could breathe again, he lifted and stared down at her. She was beautiful, even with her split lip that they’d busted open from kissing too hard and her black eye, which was swollen.

He swiped away the blood with the sheets. “I was too rough.”

“No, you weren’t. That was exactly what I needed.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Maybe he could get her to stick around for a few days. What if he had someone like this at home? He would change a few things. One, he’d look for a different job in the Army, something he could do without having to deploy so often.

Shannon adjusted, and they snuggled together. The perfection of the moment made him want to stay wrapped in her arms forever. Her warmth was addicting, keeping him in place. He needed to toss the condom and was about to get up when he brushed his hand over her waist. A shriek was followed by laughter as they wrestled and tickled each other. She had him pinned down, her fingers tickling his waist; then he flipped her, and she wiggled so much it was like she was a fish jumping around. Her face turned red, and he figured his had too. Then he let up and looked around at the wrecked sheets and Shannon’s hair spread out over the bed. He sighed, wishing he knew her better. Why couldn’t this woman have come into his life earlier?

Shannon rolled to the edge of the bed and stood, taking the sheets with her. Naked and unashamed, she stepped over the sheets and only glanced back once as she made her way around the bed.

Striker sighed and reached for the condom, not finding it. Where had it gone? He glanced around, searching, but didn’t see the rubber. He guessed it must have gotten lost in the sheets.

He moved fast and picked Shannon up. She screeched, then started laughing. He carried her to the bathroom and remembered his injured arm as pain twisted through him. He’d forgotten about the pain and the injury while they’d made love. He’d forgotten about a lot, like the army and his responsibilities there. This wasn’t his real life, but he wanted it to be. What if there was more, what if…?

He set her down, still laughing. Then her eyebrows pinched tight, and worry filled her gaze.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I forgot about my arm,” he said.

“Does it hurt?”

He shrugged, downplaying the pain. “It’s not bad.”

She cradled his arm in her hands and stared at the cut. It was a little red but not too bad. He’d experienced worse in battle. Heck, he’d suffered worse in training.

Her head came up, and she met his gaze. “It hurts more than you’re letting on.”

Maybe it did. “No.”

“I hate that you got hurt for me.”

He cupped her face, trying to relay the intensity inside. “I’d do it again. No one should hit you. Ever.”

Her cheeks turned pink and she glanced away. “I’m not used to anyone actually caring for me.”

“Well, get used to it because I’m not going to stop caring.”

“I bet you say that to all the women you hop into bed with.”

He wrapped his arms around her shoulder and pulled her close, stroking her hair as he planted kisses on the top of her head. His emotions couldn’t be easily explained. Maybe he didn’t know exactly why his heart sped up or his breath caught when he looked at her, but the tugging tenderness towards her still filled his heart and his mind.

“There’ve been others, I won’t lie. I’ve messed around some, and I love having a hot woman like yourself to share my bed. But that has nothing to do with why I care about you.”

She said nothing as the seconds ticked by, emotions flitting over her face. How could he get her to see she was special ?

“Then why do you care?” Shannon asked.

The question was hard to answer. “I don’t know. Should be simple, but it’s not.” He was drawn to her and wasn’t sure if he could ever stop wanting her. But putting a reason on it didn’t feel right. His emotions were there, and he knew they were real, but it was like trying to explain why the sea was green sometimes and blue other times. He didn’t know, it just was. Voicing a reason would make it where the things he felt could be taken away, and he didn’t want that. “I just do,” he said. “And nothing’s going to change that.”

Not even me leaving.

He would leave soon, and months would pass before they met up again. But now, when she was insecure about his feelings, about him in general, didn’t seem like the time to bring it up.

His heart squeezed. If he got too involved, it would be disastrous for him. But it was too late to pull back now. His heart was already set.