CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #2
He fisted his hands at his sides to keep from touching her. But he had gone too long without her, and he’d missed her touch too much, so he stepped back, and his dick slid from between her lips with a soft pop.
As if understanding what he needed, she scooched back onto the bed, spread her legs, and opened her arms.
“Shit. Protection.” Eddie started to move to his bag.
“I’m on the pill, and I’m definitely clean,” she said.
“Me, too.” He shook his head. “I mean, I’m clean, too. Not that I’m not on the pill.”
She laughed and crooked her finger at him, urging him to come here.
He knee-walked across the mattress, lay on top of her, and nestled himself between her legs. He grabbed his dick and rubbed it up and down between her slick folds, then held the tip at her opening.
“I love you, Lucia.” He slid into her in one long, smooth motion and immediately felt like he was finally whole and where he was meant to be.
“I love you, too, Eddie.” She stroked her fingers through his hair, pulled his head down and kissed him.
He pulled out of her, then slowly slid back into her warmth. After a few strokes, he could already feel the tingle creeping down his spine, but he was determined to take things slow—for her—so he slowed down.
“Don’t you dare. I want all of you, Eddie,” she whispered as her nails dug into his ass and she pulled him closer. “I won’t break.”
That was all the encouragement he needed.
“Hold on to the headboard.” Even to him, he sounded bossy, but it couldn’t be helped.
Lucia didn’t even hesitate. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around the wood slats.
They stared into each other’s eyes as Eddie slid out of her, then thrust himself back inside her. Again and again, he drove himself home, and still, she pushed up into him, meeting him stroke for stroke, begging for more.
The sound of flesh slapping against flesh accompanied the passionate moans and groans of two people caught in the throes of the best sex of their lives.
He slammed into her one, two, three more times, and she cried out his name as her internal muscles squeezed him, sending electricity sparking down his spine to his lower back to set off the most powerful orgasm he’d ever experienced.
“Lucia.” Eddie ground out her name between gritted teeth, pumped into her three more times, and collapsed atop her.
Lucia loved the feel of lying alongside Eddie’s nude body. Her hand was on his chest, directly over his heart, and her head was nestled in the crook between his arm and shoulder.
They’d been insatiable for each other and had made love two more times. Lucia had never made love three times in one night. Hell, she’d never made love three times in one week. Sex with Curtis had felt obligatory, a requirement of being married to him.
Tonight, the first time with Eddie had been hurried and frantic, powerful with pent-up need.
The second time, they’d taken it slower and had shared whispered words of love and longing until they both climaxed together.
The third time, he’d taken her from behind, something she’d never been interested in trying before.
But it had been so earth-shattering, she was certain the top of her head might blow off.
Eddie was the first person she’d ever had sex with, and it had always been enjoyable.
But she’d been hesitant to try anything outside her very small comfort zone.
Lucia was no longer that naive, tentative young woman who’d kept a tight rein on her own sexual desires.
Gone was the girl who believed the things her mother said about girls being tainted if they had premarital sex.
She wanted Eddie to know she could match this new, commanding version of him.
Sex was natural and, with the right person, she realized, was one of the most incredibly beautiful things about the human experience. And Lucia hoped to have a lot more of it with Eddie.
“I’m going to marry you,” he whispered softly and kissed the top of her head.
“Is that so?” The soft tone of her voice matched the intimacy of the moment.
“Yes, that’s so.” He stroked his hand over her arm.
“Hmmm.” She sat up, intentionally exposing her breasts to him, and tapped her chin, as if considering his offer. “Okay. I’ll marry you.”
“Thank God.” He huffed out a relieved breath.
She giggled and crawled on top of him. Her legs dropped to either side of his hips. She crossed her arms on his chest and rested her chin on her hands.
“Do you remember the first time we made love?” He dragged his hands down her back and smoothed them across her butt cheeks.
Goosebumps sprinkled across her flesh.
“Of course. It was in the back of that old station wagon your mom had.” She placed a soft kiss to his chest.
“She drove that huge boat until it finally died.” Eddie chuckled. “I parked behind that cool old church because I knew how much you loved it.”
“That’s right.” She smiled. “Remember how I always said I wanted to convert it into a house?”
“Yeah, you used to gush about how pretty the stained glass was,” he said. “Is it still in use?”
“I’m not sure.” She averted her gaze to the window. “I haven’t really gone by there in a long time.”
When they were together, she’d always ask him to drive by so she could look at it.
“How come?” he asked.
“After you left, I tried going over there once, but it just reminded me of … that night, and that made me sad.” Lucia turned back to him and tried to lighten the mood. “But now that you’re back, maybe we could go see it again?”
“You bet.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek.
She let loose a huge yawn.
“Why don’t we try to get some sleep.” Eddie ran his hand over her head. “I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a wild day.”
“You need to sleep, too.” She stretched up and gave him a long, slow kiss, then started to move off of him.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He spread his hand out across her back and held her in place.
“I thought you’d be more comfortable—”
“I want you exactly where you are,” Eddie said.
“Well, if you insist.” She loved that idea, then settled her head down on his chest and snuggled against him. “Just think, we’ll be able to do this every night.”
Eddie stroked his hand over her head and down her long hair, and before long, her body relaxed and she fell into a deep sleep.
We’ll be able to do this every night … Her words rattled around in his head and kept him awake.
He’d been trying not to think about what was going to happen once Munoz was taken down and it was time for him and the rest of the team to return to Virginia.
It wasn’t fair to ask Lucia to give up the job she loved, all of her friends, and the life she’d built here just because he needed to be close to Virginia.
They’d finally found their way back to each other again, and the thought of walking away from her and Isabella turned his stomach.
As Eddie played out the options in his head, Lucia shifted with a little satisfied hum, and his decision became as clear as if someone had held up a bright neon sign.
He reached over to the nightstand, grabbed his phone, and checked the time—4:32 a.m. Was it too early? To hell with it. He opened his contact list, scrolled to Mark’s number, tapped out a text, and pressed send.
A second later, his phone vibrated with a message from Mark.
M: Thanks for waking me up, dickhead. We’ll talk.
Eddie grinned and set his phone back on the nightstand.
With that done, he was finally able to relax his mind and fall asleep.
Tomorrow was an important day, and he needed to be at his sharpest, deadliest best. Because if he failed, he could lose everything that mattered to him.