16. River

16

River

I gently lowered myself to her. My chest rubbed against her breast as I leaned over her to make sure I had condoms. It was good that I stopped and bought a box of them. They were stacked up next to my gun on the bedside table.

Shivers cascaded down her arms and legs when I began to nuzzle the side of her neck. Her breath was sweet and warm against my skin, and when she kissed my ear, I felt a jolt of longing down to my toes.

“This was a great idea,” she whispered as she tilted her head to give me better access. She reached up, caressed my neck, and tugged on my hair. I knew she wanted me to kiss her. She loved kissing, and so did I.

“Want me to stop?”

“No.” She reached up and kissed my chin. “No, I want you to kiss me.”

I knew she wished she would have kept quiet because now she was worried I’d stop touching her. When she tightened her hold on me, I knew she wanted me to make love to her .

“Kat.” My voice was a rough whisper against her skin.

She swallowed. “Yes.”

“I’m going to make love every chance I get.”

“Good, I was going to tell you the same thing.”

I didn’t move. I waited for Kat to make up her mind about what she wanted me to do. It seemed as if any worry about the consequences of our actions flew from her thoughts. There was only room for me. She stared into my eyes and pulled me to her.

It was all the encouragement I needed. My mouth settled on hers in a kiss that was warm and undemanding. But soon, it wasn’t enough for me. One taste of her sweet mouth made me crave more.

My tongue swept inside and rubbed against hers. I took my time leisurely exploring her mouth until that wasn’t enough. I tightened my hold on her, and the kiss deepened.

With a groan, I lifted my head. “Tell me what you want,” I whispered into her ear.

“I want all of you.”

I was eager and hot, as though it was my first time. I knew how to please a woman—but this was different. This was Kat. The need to be with her made me ache. I wanted to make sure she enjoyed everything.

Kat wasn’t shy with me or hesitant. She stroked my back, my shoulders, my arms. I could feel her heart pounding, and when I touched her breast, she arched against me and moaned softly.

Her legs moved restlessly against mine. I kissed the side of her neck and slowly moved lower, taking my time, teasing and tormenting her the entire time. My tongue gently tickled her collarbone, and at last, when I reached her breast, I felt her tighten around me.

I began to drive her out of her mind slowly. I had no idea her breast was so sensitive, and I enjoyed every moment as she lost a bit more control with each stroke of my tongue. I moved down; my plan was to make her wild. My tongue explored every inch of her stomach as I made my way down her body. When my hands cupped her cheeks, I lifted her so my tongue could explore her folds.

She shouted my name over and over as she orgasmed again and again. My tongue was buried between her thighs. All I could think was to please my lady.

I couldn’t last much longer. My erection was painful. It needed release. I crawled back up her slick body, taking a nipple in my mouth on the way.

I took a deep, shuddering breath and passionately kissed her. My hands actually trembled. I kissed her again—hard, quick, and then pulled away. I was reaching for a condom.

She gazed into my eyes, her gaze locked on mine. My hands moved to her waist as I rolled her closer to me. I moved between her thighs and stretched. The feel of her made me forget to breathe.

My hands caressed her back, my touch feather-light until I kissed her again. Her touch quickly became more frantic. She clutched my shoulders, demanding that I stop tormenting her.

“River.” I wasn’t sure if she shouted my name or sighed it. My hands had moved between her thighs, and I was driving her out of her mind. I knew just where to touch and exactly how much pressure to exert. She writhed in my arms, pleading for me to come to her.

I was desperate to feel every inch of her, to wrap myself in her warmth. Her breathing became more labored, and that excited me even more. I knew she wanted me to finish and stop tormenting her.

I delayed as long as I could to give her as much pleasure as she was giving me. Her response made it impossible to wait any longer. I knew she was ready.

My mouth covered hers, and I moved between her thighs and slowly sank into her liquid heat. She was so tight, so hot, I groaned from the sheer bliss. I stayed utterly still inside her, panting as I whispered her name.

She cried out my name. The ecstasy was overwhelming. Each time we made love was like the first time.

I breathed her name.

Kat wasn’t content to let me catch my breath. I knew she wanted me to give her release again. She lifted her knees to take me in deeper and wrapped her legs around my waist.

Oh, how she wanted to please me, make me as crazed as she was. She bit my shoulder, kissed my mouth, and moved to my neck.

She was panting now. I pulled back and thrust deep, and tears came to her eyes. I was staggered by the intensity of the feelings gathering inside me. My movements became more powerful, more all-consuming, and more demanding.

Even in the throes of making love, I had always been able to control my actions to set my pace. But I couldn’t control anything right now. I thrust into her again and again, powerless to slow down.

She was as passionate as me—tension built within her, ready to burst with the need for release.

I watched as wave after wave of sensation poured over her. I thought she might cry.

I kissed her, then buried my face in her neck, slow to recover. “Damn, sweetheart, you are killing me,” I whispered.

I rolled to my side and pulled her with me. I held her and stroked her, my touch tender now. Neither of us spoke, and both were content for the moment. The minutes ticked by, and she fell asleep in my arms.

She woke up once, and her hand touched me, but I didn’t tell her I was awake. She went back to sleep quickly.

I was in the kitchen heating our Mexican dinner when she walked in. She must have just gotten out of the shower. It looked like she had hastily braided her hair. She stopped and looked at me.

“Hi,” I said, smiling.

“Hi,” she said, approaching me; I wrapped her in my arms. “Are you hungry?”

“I’m starving,” she said, and her stomach growled. We both chuckled. “Me too,” I said, kissing her.

“After we eat, can you take me to get my car? I don’t want to ride to work with you,” She said, taking a bite of food.

“Why.”

“Because I don’t want the guys watching our every move, it will be hard enough going into your office and not locking the door. But for them to wait and see if I do is different. So I will drive myself. And one wisecrack from them, I’ll have to show them my martial arts moves.”

“So you want to walk into my office and lock the door?”

“Yes.”

“Knock, knock,” Gage came in through the back door. “Kat, how are you feeling?”

“I feel fine. I’m returning to work tomorrow.”

We smiled as he walked over, got a plate of Mexican food, and sat down with us. “I had a call from Cyclone, and he’s thinking someone else needs to go there as well. He said that another Army Ranger was shot.”

“What? Which one?”

“Kash Walker.”

“How bad is he,” I asked .

“They’re bringing him home for surgery. His brother-in-law Jason is a Navy Seal; he’s with him now. When Emily and Kash got together, she was raising her younger siblings. So Jason is like his son because he calls him his son.”

“Matt said they have lots of kids there. He said they are all nationalities, and he must be taking them from everywhere.”

“It’s so sad that there are people like that; it’s scary. Their mind is so warped,” Kat said.

“So, are you two a couple now?” Gage asked.

We ignored him. “What are you up to these days? Are you still dating that woman with the blinking problem? Poor thing. That has to be so annoying blinking like that. Or are those thick false eyelashes she wears the cause of that?” Kat asked.

“Okay, I won’t ask any questions. I’m just saying that if I knew, you would break the no-dating-your-co-worker rule. I would have asked Kat out long ago, and she would be at my house instead of yours.”

I looked at Kat, and we burst into laughter.

“I was going to bring over a lemon cream pie that I made,” he said with a grin.

“We would love some pie. Why don’t we have it on the deck, and the puppies can play together?”

Gage stood and looked around, then sat back down. His puppy was sleeping with Penny and Sissy.