Four
FOUR
T HOUGH IT HAD taken them the rest of the day to reach Kandahar, at least they’d made it there without further incident. And while the prolonged trip had seemed like a drag at first, now Maya was thankful they’d come to a large base like this, rather than the FOB they were originally headed for. The anonymity it afforded her made it that much easier to carry out her plan.
She’d almost been blown up today, and Jackson with her. Tonight she was going to ease the ache of arousal she’d been suffering with for so long. Because if Jackson thought he could say blatantly sexual things to her and then walk away without following through, he was sorely mistaken. She was about to rock his world.
She passed several groups of Spec Ops guys sitting on camp chairs around bonfires as she strode to the other side of the compound. One was strumming a guitar while the others chatted. They watched her with curiosity but didn’t comment, and she kept walking like she owned the place. This was a secure area, but she’d already gotten past the guards easily enough, and without stooping to using her blue beret as cover. She knew people who had abused their authority as Security Forces personnel to manipulate certain situations and it disgusted her. The trick to avoiding questions was acting like she had every right to be here. From her earlier recon she knew her quarry lay on the quiet outskirts of the compound: second tent from the end of the third row.
It was dark now, the faded illumination from the overhead lights throwing faint shadows as she approached the canvas tent with her heart beating fast. Her treads were quiet on the two wooden steps leading up to the closed flaps. Easing one aside, she peered in. Her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness quickly, confirming what she’d already suspected. Jackson was asleep in his bunk, and his tentmate Cam was nowhere to be seen. If she’d done her recon properly, she figured she had at least a half hour until he showed up. Plenty of time to accomplish what she had in mind.
Stepping inside, she let the flap close behind her and tiptoed over to the bunk against the far wall, heart pounding in anticipation. Jackson’s quiet, steady breathing filled the otherwise silent tent. Biting her lip to hold back a chuckle, Maya crossed to his bunk and stopped beside it. He was on his side facing her, those incredibly thick lashes resting on his cheeks. When he woke up, he was in for one hell of a surprise.
Without giving herself time to think about it, she carefully crawled onto the inflatable mattress.
The moment it shifted, he woke. His eyes snapped open and he reared onto his elbows. Frozen, he blinked up at her, while she prowled up his supine body and tried not to laugh at the look of startled incomprehension on his face.
“Hi,” she whispered, straddling his hips and leaning forward to cage him in with her hands on either side of his head. There was no way he could miss the parallel between her position and what he’d done to her that day in the hospital exam room.
“What are you doing here?” he blurted in a sleep-husky whisper.
“Came to tuck you in.”
He glanced over to the other bunk as though he was worried they had an audience. “Cam is—”
“Busy for the next little while,” she answered, adoring his sleepy befuddlement. She leaned down so her lips were an inch from his, until his breath washed over her face gently. It was scented with peppermint this time rather than wintergreen. Toothpaste? “Unless you didn’t mean it earlier when you said you’d show me how much you wanted me if we were alone.”
He huffed out a rough laugh. “Hell yes, I want you—”
That was all she needed to hear. Leaning down to close that tiny gap between them, a thrill shot through her as she put her mouth on his. Slowly. Softly. So she could feel the exquisite give of his lips beneath hers. They were warm, supple. And they parted ever so slightly under hers in silent invitation for her to taste him.
Then Jackson’s hands came up to cradle her face, taking her off guard for a second. A quiet groan escaped him as he raised his head from the pillow to fuse their mouths together. Her lower belly fluttered in response. She loved the way his hands cradled her face, the gesture hungry and possessive.
Maya settled in closer, adding more pressure and a hint of tongue as she explored his response, his flavor. He must have showered before turning in because the man smelled deliciously of soap and shampoo. She made a low sound of appreciation in her throat and deepened the kiss, caressing and sucking at his tongue. She couldn’t wait to find out if he was that delicious all over.
One of his hands moved from her face to slide into her hair and cup the back of her head, holding her close. Satisfied at his reaction and enjoying herself immensely, Maya nibbled at the corner of his mouth and down his strong jaw to his throat. When he shifted and tried to turn them over, she resisted.
“No,” she whispered against his skin. “Like this.”
For a moment she thought he’d argue, then he exhaled and relaxed beneath her. Jackson tilted his head back to give her more access and tightened his fingers in her hair, his other hand reaching up to press between her shoulder blades. He was clearly fighting the need to take over, so the fact that he was allowing her to take the reins made it hot as hell. For all his laid-back nature, she sensed he didn’t give up control easily.
Her breasts made contact with the hard muscles of his chest. Even with their T-shirts dulling the sensation, a shiver sped through her. Her nipples tightened to hard points against her sports bra. Every brush sent a bolt of pleasure straight to the empty ache blooming between her thighs.
Growing bolder, needing some pressure there to relieve the empty sensation, Maya sat up to peel her shirt over her head and lowered her weight onto the unmistakable ridge of his erection beneath the blanket. Jackson sucked in his breath and slid the hand on her spine down to the small of her back, his warm palm burning her naked skin. With a naughty little smile she pulled off her bra and tossed it aside, then bent to shimmy out of her pants and underwear before he could catch more than a glimpse of her. With her face nuzzling the side of his neck, she breathed him in. “Hmmmm,” she murmured, licking her way down his throat.
Like he was too shocked to move, Jackson froze in place, one hand in her hair and the other just above the cleft in her buttocks while she teased his skin with tongue and teeth. “Jesus, Maya,” he whispered. “You’re naked.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she agreed. “Now it’s your turn.”
He didn’t protest when she sat up suddenly and grasped the hem of his T-shirt, but his hungry gaze immediately zeroed in on her bare breasts poised just above his head, her dog tags nestled in the valley between them. She didn’t miss the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed. She smiled. “Lift up,” she ordered quietly.
Jackson immediately raised his upper body off the bed, allowing her to peel the cotton up his chest to expose the muscular planes of his torso to her avid gaze. Oh, he was gorgeous. With a hum of appreciation, she bent and nuzzled the pad of his pecs, pausing only to push his dog tags away and press a kiss over his thudding heart before she leaned down and settled the soft weight of her breasts against his hot skin. Tiny shocks of pleasure radiated through her body at the contact.
He shifted restlessly beneath her, lifting into her body. “Your hair,” he murmured, tugging at the elastic holding her bun in place. “Take it down.”
Amused by the command, she did as he said, adding a little shake of her head so the cool weight of her hair tumbled around her shoulders. Jackson’s stare was so hot it all but singed her naked skin. A surge of triumph swept through her. His hands trailed reverently through her hair, his fingers tangling gently in the waves, following their length to where they ended against the rise of her breasts. Maya bit back a gasp as her nipples hardened even further, eagerly awaiting the touch of his hands, his mouth.
She shook herself out of her sensual haze. This was about making him lose control, not the other way around. She would never let her guard down that far with a man.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Jackson let his hands drift down to cup her breasts. Judging by the look on his face, he didn’t mind that they were small. But when he leaned up and forward, making all those defined muscles on his torso stand out in sharp relief, and tilted his head like he intended to taste her, she stopped him with a solid hand on the center of his chest. She pressed back firmly. “Lie down.”
His lust-glazed eyes flashed up to hers and held, assessing her for a long moment before he at last relaxed and slowly complied. When he was settled, once again sprawled out on his back for her enjoyment, Maya rewarded him with a string of nibbling kisses across the broad expanse of his chest. She rubbed her face against the thin line of dark hair in the center of his chest, pausing to leisurely lick at a tightly beaded nipple. Jackson hissed in a breath and threaded his fingers into her hair, flexing them against her scalp. The feel of his hands there, holding her close and urging her on, was sexy as hell. Using teeth and tongue, she continued to tease him, nipping her way down the shallow valley that delineated his abs until she reached the hem of his boxers. His fingers contracted against her scalp.
“Mmm.” She set her hand over the thick ridge of his cock, pleased at the way his eager flesh flexed against her hold. With a soft sound of approval, she licked the smooth skin just above his boxers and squeezed the solid length of him, while her other hand slid into the waistband and tugged downward.
Jackson lifted his hips to help her, hands still wound in her hair as she drew the boxers off and grasped him with both hands. His cock was hot and hard, kicking in her grip.
“Maya—” His voice cut off abruptly as her cheek brushed against the thick length of him. She wanted to taste him so badly. Drive him out of his mind with pleasure. A long, low groan tore from his chest when her tongue stole out to lap at him. The salty tang of him exploded on her tongue, increasing the insistent throb between her own legs. Hungry for more, she parted her lips and took the swollen head into her mouth, wrapping her tongue around that sensitive spot beneath the ridge.
“Oh, Jesus, Maya...” His back arched, head rolling back in ecstasy.
Oh yeah , just like that. Exactly like that. His husky plea, her name on his lips, sent a shiver through her.
His hands bunched in her hair, a little less gently now that his control was fraying, his fingers rubbing against her scalp in a drugging caress that made her eyes close in enjoyment. The muscles in his belly were rigid and his breathing was erratic. She sucked him slowly and firmly, working him with her mouth, wanting to make him writhe. And even that wasn’t enough. She wanted to hear him moan in release and know she’d pushed him past any resistance into pure need. But she wanted him inside her when she did.
Without releasing him, she reached beside her for her pants beside the bunk. A few fumbling seconds later she had the condom. Giving him one last luxurious suck that made him hiss out a breath, Maya sat up to tear the packet open. Jackson let go of her hair and wrapped his hands around her waist instead. He licked his lips, breathing unsteadily as she smoothed the condom down him and quickly straddled him. Before he could do anything more than grasp her hips, she stood his erection up with one hand and eased down on his length, taking him in. He was hot and thick, the delicious stretching sensation making her clit throb. She ignored it, focused solely on her objective. Watching his face, she sank down until he was fully embedded inside her.
His nostrils flared, eyes glittering with raw hunger as he stared up at her. He reached up to touch her breasts, but she blocked him. With a frustrated sound he gripped her waist again, but the sound dissolved into a groan as she began to ride him. “Baby, just...” Jackson reared up, both hands splaying over her back to hold her close as his mouth latched on to one of her sensitive nipples. He did it with such absorbed hunger that she let him for a moment.
No man had ever touched her the way he did, with such care for her pleasure. For just a second, her control wavered under the temptation to give in to the warm pull of his mouth, his caressing tongue. It felt too good. Though she ached for more, she pushed at his shoulders and tried to lean away. Jackson held her tight, keeping his mouth right where it was.
Sensation swelled, sending a trail of fire from her nipple to her pulsing core. His mouth was hot, his tongue like warm velvet against her sensitive flesh. A tiny gasp escaped her as the pleasure bloomed hotter. She rocked faster, using her hands on his chest for leverage as she pushed him toward the peak. He sucked at her with an erotic greed that made her heart squeeze.
Unable to stop herself, she clasped the back of his head with one hand and held him close for just a little longer, reveling in sensation. It would have been so easy to forget herself, lose herself in the moment and forget her purpose here. Her body wanted the release he offered.
No.
With effort, she drew away from his mouth and shoved at his shoulders until he once again lay on his back beneath her. His dark eyes glittered with frustration, those strong hands wrapped around her pumping hips, his fingers digging deep. Having the sheer leashed power of him beneath her and at her mercy made it even better. She picked up speed and his head rolled back on the pillow, eyes squeezed shut, lips parting in ecstasy.
Two seconds later, footsteps sounded outside the tent. Jackson went rigid, his fingers biting into her hips to hold her still. A boot hit the first stair outside the tent. Maya paused, turning her head toward the tent flap. She had every intention of finishing what she’d started, and let Jackson know it by squeezing him with her inner muscles.
“Cam, hold up,” Jackson called out, his voice strained with need and arousal.
“Huh?”
“Hold up,” he repeated roughly, staring defiantly up at Maya the whole time.
“Uh, okay...” Cam’s other foot hit the top step, then the stair creaked but no further sound came. Was he sitting there, waiting for the okay to come in? She smothered a laugh.
Meeting Jackson’s annoyed gaze, Maya again tightened around his captive flesh, wanting to push him beyond the end of his control. More than anything she wanted to see him let go, surrender to the need she sensed burning in him. He felt so good inside her. Too good. It made her yearn to give in to sensation, find out if he could make her climax. Instead she ignored the urge and circled her hips. “Gonna come for me?” she whispered, her voice a wisp of sound in the stillness.
The look in his eyes changed instantly. The glittering hunger retreated behind a wall of cold determination. Before she could even guess what that meant, he flipped them and she suddenly found herself beneath that powerful body, at his mercy instead.
* * *
B REATHING HARD, MUSCLES bunched in an agony of need, Jackson stared down into the shocked depths of Maya’s eyes. Even in the dimness he clearly saw the flicker of unease as she realized she was no longer in control. In those first few seconds he watched the knowledge sink in that he was stronger and could force a response out of her if he chose. The primal part of him wanted to. She was as turned on as him; he could feel it in the slickness between her thighs and hear it in the little gasps of pleasure she tried to hold back. What the hell was this? A sexual power trip? Because he didn’t appreciate being on the receiving end of it. And he hated it more that he couldn’t stop his physical reaction to her.
As much as he fought the pounding hunger, his body wouldn’t allow him to stop. Not now. He was too close, too on edge and he’d wanted Maya for months. He’d be a goddamn idiot to pull out now, and he knew she’d disappear once he did.
That didn’t mean he was ready to go down without a fight first. If she was hell-bent on unraveling him completely, then he was taking her there with him.
Her hands were flattened on his shoulders as though to push him away. The wary edge in her expression ate at him. The aroused glitter in her eyes was now locked behind a blank wall. If she hadn’t been so wet, if penetrating her sultry flesh hadn’t been so easy and he hadn’t caught those telltale sounds of pleasure earlier, he’d have been convinced she wasn’t even turned on. He shifted his weight and she sucked in a breath, her body going rigid as though she was about to fight him. As if she was afraid of feeling the pleasure. Screw that.
Uh-uh , sweetheart. You wanted this , you’re getting it. Every last fucking inch of me. Until she cried out his name and came around his cock, whether Cam got an earful outside or not.
Braced on his forearms, watching her eyes, he pulled back slightly then pushed forward. Her gasp of startled pleasure was the sweetest music to his ears. But before he could do it again, she’d wrapped those toned legs around his waist and clamped her hands on to his back, holding tight as she swiveled her hips in a slow circle calibrated to make him lose his freaking mind.
Jackson bowed his head and fought to breathe. Christ, she fought dirty. And she was fucking strong for her size. He started to pull back; she followed, gripping him even tighter. Jackson bit back a curse. No matter how he tried to twist away, she wouldn’t let go. There was no way he could dislodge her without truly hurting her and he’d rather die first. He stilled, breathing roughly, so frustrated he wanted to scream.
Why? Why was she doing this? He shook his head once, a tight movement of denial, of defiance. She stared up at him, just as implacable. A low growl of warning rumbled up from his chest. He was a heartbeat away from losing it and pounding into her until he exploded. And then she’d not only have won whatever fucked-up contest this was, he’d have lost his only chance with her. Because he knew in his gut that once this was over, she’d walk away for good.
He wasn’t letting that happen.
As though his futile efforts at resistance amused her, Maya laughed softly against his ear and nipped the lobe, sending sparks of sensation tearing across his skin. “Just let go,” she whispered, a seductive, be-guiling caress over his pleasure-drenched senses. Her scent enveloped him, tangerine and vanilla and warm, aroused woman. She drew him closer, her wicked tongue playing at his ear while those erotic hip circles shredded what was left of his control.
“Wait—”
“Uh-uh,” she breathed, and swiveled her hips once more in a devastating arc.
Fuck. Fuck. It was too good. He couldn’t stop it.
With a muffled curse, Jackson fisted one hand in her hair and drove deep. He barely heard her quiet gasp as he plunged into her body, the pleasure spiraling out of control. Burying his face in the curve of her neck, lost in the heady fragrance of her scent, he clenched his jaw to keep from shouting out as his orgasm slammed into him. Wave after wave coursed through him until it felt like he was being wrung inside out.
He shuddered against her, every muscle locked and straining until the pleasure finally began to ebb. Sucking in precious oxygen, Jackson couldn’t hold back the low groan that escaped as he let his weight settle atop her and kept his face against the perfumed skin of her neck.
Maya surprised him by making a quiet humming sound and then kissing the side of his jaw, her hands smoothing gently across his slick shoulders as though she savored the closeness. And goddammit, but that unexpected show of tenderness from her almost undid him. Lying naked and tangled in the cradle of her arms was so much sweeter than the release she’d just given him because he knew she rarely showed this tender side of her. He cuddled even closer, until his body touched every inch of her skin it could, and nuzzled the soft skin just below her ear. His only satisfaction was the goose bumps that broke out beneath his lips.
She stiffened, her fingers stilling on his back for an instant. Then she sighed and relaxed once more, running her hands up his shoulders and neck to thread into his hair. Her fingers stroked through it gently, and it seemed like she was enjoying petting him. Jackson all but purred his satisfaction.
Her quiet chuckle gusted against his temple. “ Dios , and on top of everything else you’re a cuddler too?”
He didn’t know what to make of the wonder in her tone so he nodded. “You’re not?” She felt pretty damn cuddly to him right now. He never wanted to move again. Why hadn’t she let him please her?
“No. But you do tempt a girl.” There was a wistful note in her voice.
Dammit, why? Why would she deliberately deny herself the pleasure and affection he was more than willing to give her? Couldn’t she tell he was dying to? It didn’t make any sense. Frowning, he lifted his head and met her eyes. “So? What about you?” For emphasis, he rocked gently against her where they were still joined. She’d been right there with him before he’d rolled her beneath him. Had the position freaked her out? She had to want to come. Hell, he wanted to make her come. Needed to.
She put a hand on his shoulder to push him up. “I’ll take a rain check.”
What the fuck? She was seriously going to walk away from the orgasm he was freely offering? The rain check comment was bullshit. They both knew the moment she walked out of this tent she’d be gone forever. “Hey, what—”
“I gotta go.” She pushed at him again, avoiding his gaze and making his gut sink. “Cam’s outside.”
“Cam can wait,” he said tightly.
She pushed harder, her jaw set. “Let me up.”
Everything in him warned not to let her go.
Though moving was the last thing he wanted to do, he reluctantly eased off her and withdrew, immediately missing the warmth of her body. She climbed out of bed without another word and gathered her clothes.
Staring at the gorgeous silhouette of her body, Jackson tried to think of what to say or do but came up blank. He had no fucking idea what was going on in her head. He was sure he’d seen the heated arousal in her eyes, heard it in those breathless little gasps when he’d had her nipple in his mouth and flipped her beneath him to drive into her. She’d been hell-bent on holding back. Had someone hurt her in the past? Abused her, maybe? The idea filled him with anguish. His gut said pushing her right now would only distance her further, when he wanted the exact opposite.
Biting back more protests that he already knew would be futile, he flopped down on to his back and drew the covers over himself as she dressed. It was hard to not say anything. The tense silence was like sandpaper on his skin. He caught only flashes of that smooth golden-toned skin as she hurriedly dressed and laced her boots. Lying alone in the rumpled blankets with the evidence of her unfulfilled arousal drying on the condom and his inner thighs, he felt cold. He felt...used.
She didn’t look at him until she was securing her hair into a bun at the back of her neck. Her closed expression gave him no clue as to what she was thinking or feeling. “See you.”
Pissed off and at a loss about what to do about it, all he could say was, “Yeah.”
Without another word or even a backward glance, Maya strode to the tent flaps and stepped through with a calm, “Hey.”
A second later Cam stepped inside, rubbernecking Maya’s retreating figure. Jackson blew out a long breath, and his buddy turned around to gape at him with a stunned look on his face. “So, I didn’t see anything,” he blurted, hands raised in self-defense.
Jackson was too tired and annoyed to manage a laugh. “Nope.”
Cam crossed to his bunk and sat down, his boots landing with a thud as he tossed them onto the wooden floor. A moment later the covers rustled, and then all was still. “Night.” Jackson could hear the grin in the bastard’s voice.
“Night,” he grunted, and scrubbed a hand over his face. What the fuck had just happened? Why had Maya sought him out—and here in the so-called “secure” confines of the Spec Ops area—just to fuck him and get him off without getting anything out of it in return? Except power or control, or whatever the hell she’d been after. For the first time that he could remember, he was completely out of his depth with a woman. Wasn’t that a kick in the ass?
Though he’d just had the best orgasm of his life, he’d never felt less satisfied.