Twenty-Four
TWENTY-FOUR
T HE LOW COMMAND seemed to shock her. Jackson didn’t miss the uneasy ripple that moved through her body, but she stayed still for him. It was incredibly hot to have her lie there, complacent, while he removed her bra and drew her panties down her legs.
His heated gaze devoured every inch of the naked skin he revealed. He tossed the scraps of lace to the floor and prowled up the bed to straddle her calves, still wearing his jeans. The last time they’d been naked together in that tent, it had been too dark for him to see her body. Now he couldn’t help but stare at her. She was all smooth, silky skin overlaying sleek muscle, and he couldn’t wait to explore every inch of her with his hands and mouth.
Before, it had been wild and hungry. Now he took it slow. So slow he feared his heart might pound its way through his chest. Maya watched him in silence, her eyes full of heat yet tinged with uncertainty. He knew how hard it was for her to remain passive like this. To let him look his fill while she lay totally exposed to him, allowing him anything he wanted. And, given her history with her sister, it made sense that she’d never allowed herself to be vulnerable during sex. Her show of trust now moved him.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, shaking his head in reverence. She sucked in a sharp breath when he reached out and cupped her breasts in his hands, brushing his thumbs across the hard, dusky-brown centers that seemed to beg for his touch.
“Jackson.” She reached for him, unable to stay still a moment longer. He didn’t protest or try to restrain her, merely leaned forward to take a nipple into his mouth, sliding a hand beneath her spine. Her back bowed, her body trembling under the onslaught of sensation. She locked her hands in his hair, urging him to give more, take more, demanding that he did.
She tasted of soap and the sweet musk of her skin. Delicious. He pleasured her nipples with teasing flicks of his tongue and the tender pull of his mouth, switching back and forth while her gasps and cries filled the room. She moved restlessly beneath him, almost edgy, as though the building sensations were becoming unbearable. He wouldn’t let her panic or pull away.
He trailed one hand down her belly in reassurance, over the curve of her hip and thigh, back up the inside. The texture of her body fascinated him, smooth and firm with toned muscle. The feel of her—a contrast of strength and soft femininity—was the sexiest thing he’d ever experienced.
Nuzzling her baby-fine skin, he pushed her thighs up and out, making room for his hand between them. She tensed, waiting for that intimate touch, maybe even a little afraid of it, then closed her eyes and bit her lip. The muscles in her belly and thighs quivered, the trembling becoming more noticeable with each pull of his mouth. She was more than ready.
He let his fingers drift higher, skimming the sensitive place where her thigh met her hip. She went still, seemed to be holding her breath. Rather than prolong the moment and give her anxiety a chance to grow, he slid two fingers deep inside her. She was so wet, her inner muscles closing around him.
Her breath caught in her throat. She shuddered once and lay still, waiting to see what he would do next. The pulse in her throat throbbed more visibly now. With her head turned away from him, she raised her hips in a silent plea for friction. Her hands stayed locked in his hair while he kissed his way down her belly, and he knew she was fighting her body’s instinctive reaction to close her legs in a last-ditch effort to protect herself.
But she would never need to protect herself from him.
Without a word, he continued kissing his way south until he reached the soft curls covering her mound, letting her feel the heat of his breath against her sensitive folds. She swallowed. Nervous, fighting the need to struggle.
Splaying a hand low on her belly, he added pressure with his palm, rubbing in gentle circles, anchoring her. “Breathe, Maya.”
She forced out a shaky exhalation.
“Been dreamin’ about doing this,” he murmured against her.
Her head turned and she opened her eyes to stare down at him. Her expression was guarded. “About what?”
“You lying there so quiet, trusting me with your body. Letting me make you come with my mouth.”
The look in her eyes turned soft with longing. She relaxed a little.
With her eyes on his, he pressed slow, openmouthed kisses down the length of her sensitive flesh, then gave her a slow stroke with the flat of his tongue. She gasped and grabbed his hair, as though the pleasure had caught her off guard. God, he loved that flare of shock in her eyes and knowing he was making her feel good. He zeroed in on her clit, drawing languorous circles around it until she whimpered and shifted beneath him.
“Shhh,” he soothed, twisting the fingers buried inside her. He found the hidden source of pleasure there and rubbed it while he lapped at her sensitive bundle of nerves.
A low, shocked cry spilled from her lips. An articulate sound of pleasure and need. The muscles in her belly rippled beneath his palm. He licked deeper, increasing the pressure slightly, watching her every reaction. Her trembling thighs parted farther, encouraging him to move deeper between them. His cock pulsed in near agony, straining against his jeans. She was almost there, starting that final climb to ecstasy when he raised his head and removed his hand.
She shook her head and pulled his head back toward her. “No—”
“I want to feel you come around me.” He rolled to the side to strip off his jeans and tear open a condom.
His reasoning seemed to take her by surprise. Her eyes were glazed, heavy with pleasure and frustration. He could tell she wanted to flip them over and ride him hard and fast, but Jackson was having none of that. He shook his head and lowered his voice to a soft growl. “This time I want you on your back, staring up at me.” This time it was going to be face-to-face in the light, him on top so she wouldn’t be able to hide. This time he’d get to see every expression that crossed her face as he made love to her. Because that was what he was doing, whether she was ready to accept it or not. And he wasn’t giving her a chance to overthink this.
As soon as he rolled the condom on, he stretched out over her and settled deep between her thighs. When she reached for him, he caught her hands to pin them to the mattress on either side of her head. The muscles in her arms flexed once in protest, but she didn’t fight him. She stared up at him, breathless, her eyes wide and pleading for an end to the torment he knew was every bit as emotional for her as it was physical. The molten heat in her eyes made his heart leap, and that tiny flare of uncertainty beneath it brought all his protective instincts roaring to the surface.
The throb in his groin was almost unbearable. He wedged his hips in the cradle of her thighs, bringing the scalding length of his cock against her tender folds. “Wrap your legs around me,” he said in an urgent whisper.
Shivering, she did as he told her, her expression a mixture of hope and yearning. The need twisted harder inside him, clawing for release. But Jackson didn’t tease her. Holding her hands firmly in place, he shifted his weight and slid the head of his cock inside her. Maya made a soft sound at the back of her throat and tilted her hips, the muscles in her thighs straining to pull him closer, force him deeper.
Poised above her, he shook his head, fighting a smile. “You’re not the one in control this time,” he reminded her. He wanted her to remember this for the rest of their lives. Every single detail, from the heat and vulnerability to the knowledge that he would always take care of her. That she was safe with him, even when she was defenseless. He knew that was really what unsettled her. The lack of control.
Jackson reached deep for his self-control. He vowed that after today she’d never again be afraid to let go with him. Above all else, he wanted her to know exactly how much she meant to him. She might not be ready to hear the words, but he could damn well demonstrate them with his body.
Gazing down into her wide sea-green eyes, he held back the driving urge to plunge into her and find relief from the tortuous throb in his dick, waiting as the tension around her mouth eased and the tiny lines above the bridge of her nose disappeared.
His heart thudded, the muscles in his arms trembling as he gave her the words he’d wanted to tell her for so long, praying she’d give him all of her in return. “Just let me love you.”
* * *
M AYA’S THROAT TIGHTENED at the words and her heart turned over.
He did love her. She could feel it in his touch, hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. No man had ever treated her with half the tenderness or consideration for her pleasure. And when he drove forward at last, burying himself deep inside her with one smooth, inexorable thrust, the knot of emotion she’d kept locked away deep in her heart suddenly tore loose.
Her head tipped back on a guttural moan of relief. She felt him shudder, bury his face in her hair as though the pleasure of being inside her was too intense for him to bear. The lack of control over her body was scary, mingling with the swollen ache between her thighs. She struggled in his grip, caught there with no hope of escape. It was exhilarating. Terrifying. Her legs tightened around his hips, holding tight while he pulled back and plunged deep. He took her hard and fast, his rhythm demanding, urgent. Exactly what she’d wanted.
Only when she was writhing and twisting beneath him did he release her hands. She reached up blindly for his shoulders and hung on, her fingers digging deep into the muscles there, lifting into every thrust. Dios , he was strong. It turned her on even more to know he could overpower her if he wanted to.
He levered up on to an elbow to squeeze his hand between them, his clever fingers finding the aching nub at the top of her sex. She shivered at the sensations building inside her. Jackson pushed her higher, relentless in his quest, destroying her resistance. She made a helpless sound and held on tighter, shaking with need.
“Don’t fight it,” he whispered roughly, his lips right against her ear. “Not with me.”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she buried her face in his neck and let out a shaky breath. Nothing had ever felt this good. She was drunk on the pleasure he gave her, on the sensation of those muscles shifting beneath his smooth skin, his clean, masculine scent. The orgasm she’d been struggling toward suddenly built deep in her belly. Her heart burst open, spilling its closely guarded secrets to him there in the darkness. “ Te amo. Te amo ...”
Jackson moaned and shuddered in reaction. He pressed his face deeper into her hair and pounded into her, the headboard thudding against the wall, but his touch was so careful between her thighs as he took her up on the dizzying climb to orgasm. It rose up and slammed into her like a blast wave, sending her flying, leaving her helpless and clinging in his arms. She barely heard her own loud wail echo through the room, lost in the intensity of the pleasure.
It ebbed slowly. Jackson drove deep once more and stiffened, his head tipping back on a tortured moan of release, face twisted in ecstasy. She loved that he let her watch him fly apart in her arms. Those wide shoulders bunched, his whole body shuddering as his climax took him.
Maya wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as tight as she could and breathed in his scent, the mixture of lemony cologne and male musk. He snuggled deeper into her embrace, clearly enjoying the closeness. A feeling of utter contentment stole over her. It thrilled her that he was so tactile, allowing her to hold him like this and touch him at will as he recovered. She took advantage of the opportunity, exploring the ridges and hollows of his muscles with her fingertips, following the deep indent of his spine to the cleft at its base. His back and shoulders were slick with perspiration, and she opened her mouth to taste the salty essence of him.
After a few minutes, Jackson stirred and raised his head, coming up on to an elbow to stare down at her. His eyes were dark, intense. “Tell me again.”
She didn’t even pretend to misunderstand him. Setting a hand on the side of his face, she cradled his cheek in her palm and met his gaze head-on. “I love you.”
His answering smile was so beautiful it made any lingering traces of vulnerability evaporate. “You know I’d do anything for you.”
She nodded, because she did know. He’d comforted her, been there for her when all hope had seemed lost, had seen her at her worst and still fought for her, ending up taking a bullet to shield her with his own body. He’d even killed to protect her. “And I’d do the same for you.”
That smile widened, filling her with the warmth of his love. “You have no idea how unbelievably hot it is hearing that, especially since I know you can back up that claim.”
A grin tugged at her mouth. “Glad it turns you on that I can kick ass. And speaking of asses...” She trailed a finger over the strong line of his jaw. “I want to see your tat now.”
“Oh, all right,” he huffed. Sighing in mock exasperation, Jackson withdrew and lay on his stomach beside her, propping his head on his folded arms. “Go on, then. Have a look.”
Unable to resist, she pushed up on her forearm and gazed down at the muscular curves of his ass. Sure enough, high up on his right cheek were the two green footprints. And not just any old footprints, because they were set on a background of the Texas flag. She traced the design with a fingertip, unable to stop the husky laugh that escaped. A Texas boy to the core. “You were right, it is pretty special.”
“I knew you’d like it,” he said smugly, pulling her to him and rolling them so her cheek was pillowed against the firm pad of his pecs. His arms encircled her, his fingers stroking through her hair and across her shoulders.
Maya sighed in bliss and closed her eyes, soaking up the tender affection he lavished upon her. “You’re gonna turn me into an addict with all this lovey-dovey stuff,” she murmured, feeling relaxed enough to float away.
“That’s my plan.” He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering there for a long moment.
They were quiet for a while, enjoying the peace of the moment and the new closeness they shared. Letting him see her softer side wasn’t scary at all anymore.
“I didn’t think men like you existed,” she admitted hoarsely with a slight shake of her head.
“What, decent ones?”
She nodded, even though he was so much more than decent. She loved that he was as humble as he was brave and caring.
His arms tightened, bringing her even closer. “We do. Just like sexy ass-kicking female Security Forces superheroes exist.”
She raised her head to frown at him. “I’m not a superhero.”
His hand drifted over her bare back. “Are too. You’re my hero, anyway.”
The man killed her when he said things like that. She huffed out a breath and poked a threatening finger into his chest. “Don’t you dare make me cry.”
He grinned. “No, ma’am. Wouldn’t dream of it.” With one hand he pulled her head back down to his chest, sighing when she snuggled into him.
God, she could really get used to this. Only she wasn’t sure if she should let herself get used to it. He hadn’t said anything about what he wanted in terms of a relationship with her. Love didn’t fix things like logistics, distance and separations during deployments.
“So, what are you doing next week?”
The sudden question threw her and it took her a moment to mentally recall her schedule. Next week she had more therapy sessions scheduled, and she’d planned on getting her resume ready for submission. Nothing she couldn’t push back until later if it meant spending more time with him. “Nothing. Why?”
“I made you a promise. I still want to take you to Kauai.”
She closed her eyes, the memory of that conversation while in their cages not nearly so sharp and painful anymore. “I’d love to go there with you.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and searched for something light to say. “I’d even put out while we’re there.”
He laughed against her hair. “I’m relieved to hear that. Know what else?”
She shook her head, tilting it back to see him better.
“I love you too.”
Though she’d already known that, for some reason hearing the words out loud made them more real. Irrefutable. Despite herself, a pleased flush crept up her neck and into her cheeks. She hid her face against his chest. “I already promised to put out,” she teased.
“I know. But I’ve been waiting a long time for you to be ready to hear me say that to you.”
Maya kissed his naked skin, running her hand over the taut plane of his abdomen. What had she ever done to deserve a man like him? “I don’t...I’m not sure how this is supposed to go. I’ve never done this before.” She was so afraid of screwing it up.
“Me neither, darlin’. But don’t worry, we’ll figure it out together.”
Knowing he would be there for her filled her heart so full she was afraid it might burst. And she felt ready to open herself up to him even more. Because there was something else she’d never done that she was suddenly desperate to.
She rolled over to lie atop him, her breasts pressed against the hot skin of his chest, bracing her weight on her forearms so she could see his face. He reached up to sweep a lock of hair back from her cheek, and the gesture made her throat wobble. “I love you. So much,” she whispered.
His tender smile bolstered her courage. “I know you do. But I’ll never get tired of hearing you say so.”
Good, but she had to get this out while she still had the courage. “I’d like to...show you.” God, why was it so hard to say what she wanted?
But somehow he understood.
The hand on her face stilled, his expression turning serious as he realized she was asking for the chance to make love to him, take away the regret she’d felt from her first time with him. His eyes heated, and she realized he was already hardening against her abdomen. “Baby, you never have to ask permission for that.” His voice was a sensual purr, the vibrations of it echoing in the pulsing flesh between her thighs.
Her heart leaped in relief. “So that’s a yes?”
His strong, capable hands slid into her hair as he shook his head. “That’s a hell yes.” Jackson lifted his head and drew her down into a deep kiss.