Chapter 31
There was an electricity beneath Hoot’s skin he’d never been so aware of before. His pulse thrummed in his fingertips the instant he touched her. But that was nothing compared to being buried deep inside her.
She was tight, but she yielded to him. With her legs wrapped around his waist, he slid deeper. “So tight,” he uttered.
“That’s because I’ve never had a real man like you,” she quipped.
He wanted to growl at the thought of other men with her. “Don’t,” he rasped and thrust again, watching as her tits bounced. “Ever mention…” Another thrust, deeper, and she cried out. “Other men when I’m inside you again,” he demanded.
“Noted,” she replied breathlessly.
He slammed his mouth down on hers, kissing her unrelentingly as he moved inside of her.
He wanted to memorize every clench around him.
The ease of movement due to her slickness.
The way her tongue baited his. The intoxicating smells from their fucking that filled the room.
The soft, silken caress of her skin wherever it brushed against his.
And those whimpering sounds she emitted as their bodies moved together.
At this rate, he wasn’t going to last long. She felt too good. Too warm. Too wet. Too… everything. He wasn’t wrong when he’d said she felt like home. Being inside her like this only cinched it.
“Come for me,” he demanded through gritted teeth.
“Not gonna fight it,” she shot back through gasps.
“Good,” he groaned with another thrust of his hips, which she arched up to meet. They were both actively fucking the other. Moving together in a rhythm as old as time. Their bodies straining together, striving to reach the ultimate pinnacle.
He could feel his balls tightening. Too soon. He needed her to come. Now. With that singular thought guiding him, his fingers found her clit.
“Cormac,” she panted as he rubbed her. “It’s too much.
“Never,” he snarled, pushing her harder. Further. “Come. Now,” he ordered.
She did.
Her entire body seized around his cock. Tiny muscles clutched at him as she shook through her release. He held on as her pussy rippled and her orgasm rolled on.
“That’s it, little bird. Come all over my cock,” he bit out through clenched teeth. Her husky cries surrounded them, and electricity raced up his cock. He slammed into her, hard, then held there, surrounded by her slick heat.
He growled, grinding against her. Then his growl became a roar as he poured himself into her.
He was blind to everything. Deaf to everything. Everything except Lark and her body accepting all he gave it.
Only the pain registering in his shoulder made him drop back to earth. He pulled out of her and rolled to her side with a groan. She was instantly hovering over him, her features a mask of worry. She cupped his jaw. “I’m fine.”
She growled. The little bird actually growled. At him. He wanted to laugh out loud, but refrained. “Really,” he assured. “I’m good. Just a little twinge.”
Without a word, she dropped her eyes and inspected his wound, peeling one corner of the bandage up. He looked too, worried he might have overdone it and ripped a stitch. Thankfully, there didn’t appear to be any further damage.
“Told you,” he teased.
“Stubborn,” she scolded, but then kissed him. When she pulled back, she was smiling. It was his turn to cup her cheek since he couldn’t stop himself from touching her. A startling amount of tenderness for her built inside him. And when she gave him that smile… a smile that was meant for him alone…
Hoot had faced bullets, explosions, and missions where one wrong move could end his life. None of them had prepared him for Lark looking at him like that.
Her kiss lingered on his mouth, soft and tentative, yet somehow more dangerous than anything he’d encountered in the field. He brushed his thumb across her cheek, studying the woman who had somehow slipped past every wall he’d spent years building.
She’d never looked more beautiful than she did at this moment. Her brown hair was tousled around her face, her cheeks still flushed, and those green-gray eyes held a soft, dreamy warmth that made something deep inside his chest tighten. She looked completely unguarded, utterly at ease in his arms.
He brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek, marveling at how different she seemed from the woman he’d first met on that island. She was still snarky and spirited, but softer now. And somehow, knowing she’d trusted him enough to let him see this side of her made her even more precious to him.
Something inside his chest tightened.
He kissed her again, slower this time, letting the moment stretch between them. Her hands settled against his shoulders, careful of his injury, and he felt the tenderness in the gesture as keenly as the desire.
For once, Hoot didn’t think of missions. Didn’t think about PSG, Calloway, or the unanswered questions surrounding Bullet’s death. He thought only about her.
He drew her closer, resting his forehead against hers when they finally broke apart. “You’re dangerous, you know that?”
She gave him a mischievous smile. “I thought you liked dangerous.”
“Usually I know how to handle it.”
“And me?”
His mouth curved. “Still working on that.” She laughed softly, and the sound settled somewhere deep inside him.
Hoot realized then that this wasn’t simply attraction anymore. Somewhere between the spilled espresso, the island, the nightmares, and the chaos that had followed them, Lark had become something far more important.
And that scared the hell out of him. Because wanting her was easy. Letting himself love her was the dangerous part.
Hoot, still reeling from the direction his thoughts had taken, suddenly noticed the mischievous gleam return to her eyes and knew he was in trouble.
“I’ve been thinking,” Lark said.
“That usually worries me.”
She gave him an indignant look. “Rude.”
“Accurate.”
She laughed and shifted closer, her confidence growing by the second. “My turn,” she announced.
He arched an eyebrow. “Your turn?”
She threw a leg over his hips until she was straddling him. He gripped her hips, appreciating the view in this position. “To be on top.”
For a second, Hoot simply raked his gaze over her body. Pert breast. Soft stomach. An apex covered in a triangle of hair between strong thighs that promised good things for him. Then a slow, amused smile pulled at his mouth. “Well, that’s one way to keep a SEAL on his toes.”
Lark’s smile turned downright wicked. “And here I thought SEALs were supposed to be prepared for anything. I’d hate for all that fancy training to go to waste.”
“The training prepared me for a lot of things.” His expression softened. “You just happen to be the one thing I never saw coming.”
Lark’s smile softened, then turned mischievous. “So basically, I’m your personal blind spot?” Hoot’s eyebrow lifted. She shrugged innocently. “Good to know. I’ll be sure to exploit that information responsibly.”
He let out a low laugh. She grinned and quipped, “What? I said responsibly. I never said I’d behave.”
He shook his head, laughing softly. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Absolutely.”
She leaned down and kissed him, and Hoot’s laughter disappeared beneath the warmth of her mouth. He drew her closer, letting her take the lead while his hands settled securely at her waist.
For once, the man who was accustomed to being in control decided he didn’t mind surrendering it. Not when it was because of Lark.