Chapter 14 #2
He leaned down, mouth hovering a heartbeat away, muscles tensed as if he wasn’t sure if he should run or fight.
He pushed out a rough breath, his gaze alternating between her eyes and the door.
“I’m not gonna lie, Tier. Between the race through the forest, the firefight, and Pike trying to kill you, I’m barely holding on.
And there’s nothing I want more than to strip us both down — spend the rest of the night pounding you into that bed.
Finally showing you what you mean to me.
That you drive me to the edge with nothing more than a smile, a touch.
But if that’s not what you want, what you need, then tell me now, and I’ll find a way to shove it all down.
Hold you, instead, or sit on the chair — maybe do a few perimeter checks with Dalton. But if you kiss me…”
He closed his eyes, tightening everything until she thought he’d crack into a thousand pieces before he stared down at her again. “I can’t…”
His forehead fell against hers, his frantic breath washing over her like a cleansing rain.
She drank it in, all her reasons for holding back fading with the powerful beat of his heart. “I don’t want you to shove it all down, or sit in a chair or run checks with Dalton. I just don’t know if I can be what you need me to be.”
He eased back, his hand fisting and releasing in her hair. “All I need you to be is you. Because you’ve always been enough.”
She choked back a sob, all her fears, her doubts shaking through her as she crushed his hoodie in her hands, closed the breath of space between them. “Then, my answer’s this…”
She pressed her mouth to his, savoring the slide of soft skin against hers, the taste of promise and heat on his lips. She didn’t rush, allowing him to decide if he’d meant what he said.
If he could love the broken version of her.
Buck kept the kiss light, muscles firm against her, body strung tight, until she released his hoodie, slid her fingers into his hair. That set him off. Had him tugging her against him, his other hand landing on her ass, fingers digging into her flesh, tongue thrusting between her lips.
She moaned into the kiss, wanting nothing more than to wrap her legs around his waist, follow him down onto the bed.
Either he heard her thoughts, or they were operating on the same frequency, because he tucked one hand under her ass, lifting her as he covered the few short strides to the bed.
He didn’t pause, just continued forward, laying her across the center as he loomed overtop, breaking the kiss long enough to yank off his hoodie, toss it to the side.
Then, he was back, mouth crushing against hers, all that muscled flesh moving beneath her palms. She smoothed her hands up his chest and along his shoulders, reveling in his tightly coiled strength.
Buck pulled back, licked and sucked his way down her neck, nipping at her shoulder muscle through the tee before working his way back up, claiming her mouth again.
This kiss shattered the others. Her chest heaved, every sense dialed in. He finally eased up, stared down at her, his brown hair in a tousled mess, his eyes nearly black.
He smiled, and everything fluttered. “So, damn beautiful.”
Arching a brow, he reached for the hem of the shirt. She levered up, giving him better access, attacking his mouth as he dragged the cotton up her torso and over her head. He vanished in a sea of white, appearing a moment later, eyes wild, skin flushed.
He held her gaze for several seconds before raking it the length of her, his breath leaving him on a low moan. “Damn.”
He trailed one finger up her ribs, skirting the bruises before circling her breast, grinning until he raised his gaze, focused on her shoulder. His smile fell, the flush in his cheeks deepening. “Christ, you’re purple.”
She leaned in, nipped at his chin. “So are you. Your chest looks like someone used you for target practice.”
“Can’t be as bad as this… shit.”
He dipped down, kissed where Pike’s last shot had knocked her over, nearly punched through her vest, his touch feather soft. Tears burned her eyes, but she blinked them away, running her fingers through his hair before he raised his head and claimed her mouth.
She gave herself over to the kiss. To his hands tracing patterns along her skin, his breath hot and heavy against her neck. He took his time, discovering every inch before pulling back, kissing his way to her breast.
Her head tipped back, heat sparking beneath her skin as he sipped her nipple inside, sucking and licking before switching sides, driving her to the brink in under a minute. She fisted his hair, tried to hold him against her chest when he chuckled, eased back.
Tierney shook her head, tried to tug him against her. “Buck…”
He captured her lips, stealing part of her soul as he took her back onto the bed, his massive form hovering over her. “Easy, sweetheart. I’ll get you there. But I need this to last because… you… this… us…”
She shifted one hand to his cheek. “Pretty sure this won’t be your only chance to love me.”
“God, I hope not. But if I’ve learned anything these past few years, it’s that life changes in an instant. So, I’m going to treat every time like it might be my last. Make sure you never doubt how much I want you.”
His confession soothed the hard edges time hadn’t softened. Made her fall a bit more.
She brushed some wispy strands off his forehead. “You don’t fight fair.”
He leaned down, kissed her as if he’d already forgotten what she tasted like. “Fair won’t have you coming so hard you don’t know whether to scream or cry, so… Relax. This is going to be epic.”
Tierney inhaled as he kissed his way down her body, laving every bruise, every cut until he settled between her thighs, the sheer width of his shoulders splaying her apart.
He hummed, smoothing his hands along her abdomen and thighs, finally dipping between her legs. “Christ…”
He leaned down, repeated the path with his tongue, taking her from excited to bursting in one pass.
She pressed her head into the mattress, hand landing in his hair, nails scratching his scalp.
He repeated the deep caress, arching her back off the bed as heat punched her low in the gut, then billowed outwards.
Buck grinned against her flesh, keeping the next few licks light as he teased her with a hint of penetration. Her chest tightened, her lungs barely working as she fought off the orgasm already burning beneath her skin.
He tsked. “Someone’s got a hair trigger.”
Tierney pushed onto one elbow, staring at him down her body. “Do you know how long it’s been?”
His lips quirked, the lines around his eyes deepening. “If it’s anything like me, too long.”
“Exactly. Add to the fact that it’s you touching me…”
She didn’t stand a chance. Would be lucky to last another minute let alone all night.
The lines around his eyes eased, the tension that had crept into his shoulders fading. “Talk about not fighting fair. Fine. Deep breath, sweetheart.”
He took a moment to stare at her, looking as if he’d put every nuance into memory before he doubled his efforts, licking and sucking as he pumped his fingers.
Gasping for air, she fisted one hand in his hair, the other in the blanket, her hips rising to meet each thrust, muscles already starting to cramp.
Time blurred, the rain still tapping the window, the waves crashing against the shore when her breath stalled, and all that heat coiled in on itself. She held her breath, teetering on the edge, needing one more push to tip over, when he curled his fingers, hit that sweet spot.
She shattered.
Imploded as a wash of white light exploded behind her eyes, taking her with it. Heat sizzled beneath her skin, every nerve sparking at once as the world disappeared, nothing but Buck’s touch grounding her.
She drifted, pleasure arcing through her veins, muscles lax before she finally opened her eyes, stared up into Buck’s.
He grinned, drawing abstract patterns on her skin as he raked his gaze the length of her. “Now, that was worth the wait. But then, I always knew you would be.”
She beckoned him to her with a tilt of her head, drowning in his kiss before he shoved his pants over his hips, kicking them onto the floor.
He held up a packet, the edges tattered. “So, I have protection but…” He sighed. “It’s incredibly old. The kind that’s liable to disintegrate on contact, but… I guess I just never wanted to assume you’d want to take a chance on me.”
She cupped her jaw. “You’re the only man I’d ever be this vulnerable with. Surely, you knew that.”
“You’re not the only one who hears voices, Tier. Who has doubts. And you… God, you’re just so… And lately, I haven’t been able to think straight whenever you’re around, and…”
He tapered off, looking sexy and frazzled all at the same time. Just like she felt.
She smiled, feeling the truth all the way to her toes. “Then, I guess it’s a good thing I’ve got one of those implants. Had it switched out not long before…”
She didn’t finish. Didn’t want to give her past a chance to rear up, ruin what they’d started. Not with him staring at her as if she’d answered all his prayers. Finally quieted some of the voices.
Instead, she slid her fingers behind his head, drew him down to her. “So, if you’re still on board, still want to pound me into the bed for the next hour, stop worrying, and make love to me.”