Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Speechless.
Propped up on one elbow, staring down at her, watching her still quivering from her orgasm, and Buck couldn’t think of a single reply that didn’t sound like him shouting out ownership. Or worse…
Him confessing he was completely, hopelessly, in love with her.
Not that he’d be able to keep it a secret much longer, but he’d finally gotten a chance to love her. The last thing he needed to do was smother her with his feelings. Make her feel cornered.
Instead, he crushed his mouth to hers, drowned in the taste of her as he shifted between her legs, pushed an inch inside her.
Tierney inhaled, mouth opening on a low moan.
Her head tipped back, exposing the long, sleek line of her neck.
He nipped at her skin, sucking at her pulse point, wanting a visual reminder of all she’d given him.
She rasped his name, the sound scratching at his control. He held still, reminding himself to go slow, to keep it soft, loving, when she wrapped her legs around the small of his back, arched into him — sank him halfway inside her.
His control snapped. Vanished with the thought of dragging it out, making it last until the sun burned off the fog. He thrust forward, sinking fully inside her, shuffling her across the bed a bit from the force. She cried out his name, the sound muffled as she mouthed his shoulder.
She clenched him tighter, clawing at his back, gripping him as if she wanted to crawl inside him.
The bed creaked, the mattress moving with them as he set up a steady rhythm, already chasing the heat racing down his spine. Tierney scratched at his skin, meeting each stroke, using her heels to take him deeper.
His breathing increased, his lungs barely keeping up as he drove into her, any chance at keeping it light crushed beneath the need coursing through him. Dots flashed behind his eyes, his release building at the base of his spine.
Time passed, the foghorn sounding in the distance as he kept up the pace, his brain finally catching up with him. He pushed into her a few more times, then stopped, chest heaving, his arms screaming.
Tierney mumbled something unintelligible, shaking her head when he dipped down, kissed her. She shifted gears immediately, pulling him closer, claiming his mouth as soon as he paused to breathe. Their ragged breathing filled the room, that year of build-up taking him to the edge.
He shook his head. “Not, yet. I need more time.”
He dipped his shoulder, rolled her on top. She caught her weight on his chest, legs straddling his, still fully entwined. She bit at her bottom lip, head thrown back as she pulsed around him, a deep flush laced across her skin.
He watched her climax, wondering how he’d ever survived without her. How he’d ever thought he could love her and not be consumed by it.
That this one night changed everything.
Tierney slowly opened her eyes, her pupils blown wide, an easy smile shaping her mouth. She sucked in a few quick breaths, staring down at him before frowning as her focus shifted to his torso.
Her eyes widened, some of the color draining from her face. “Christ, Buck, your ribs.”
He grunted, pushed up into her. A reminder he hadn’t finished. That they weren’t finished. “Really not thinking about my ribs right now, Tier.”
“Well, you should be. God, I’m probably crushing you—”
He levered up again, cut her off with a rough kiss. “All I feel is what you’re doing to me. How fucking desperate you make me.” He shook his head. “Once isn’t going to be close to enough, so find a rhythm before I find one for us.”
She dragged her gaze to his, her body caught between his chest and his thighs. He gave her a bit more room, helped her slide along his length, the angle pushing him a bit deeper.
He must have hit that same spot because she inhaled, eyes squeezing shut, the muscles in her neck cording as she moaned what sounded like a cross between his name and yes. She shuddered a few times, finally wrapping her arms around his neck, rocking her hips in an effort to ride him.
He let her lead, loving the way her eyes glassed over as another orgasm burned to life. He knew the exact moment she gave herself over to it. Her breath hitched, every muscle strung tight before she tipped her head, body spasming within his embrace.
He watched her writhe in his arms, her skin dotted with sweat, the scent of rose soap mixing with their combined arousal.
She swallowed, and he leaned forward, nipped at where he’d left the blemish.
Need raced along his spine, every pulse drawing him under, and he had to clench his muscles in order to hold off his release.
Tierney let her forehead fall against his, her breath cooling his heated skin. “God, Buck…” Her voice sounded rough, gravelly, lower than usual. “I need…”
He smiled. “Me, too. Hold on because I’m gonna take you there one more time.”
He gathered her close, rolled her onto her back again, his weight barely balanced on his elbows. She gasped as she stared up at him, sinking her fingers in his hair, holding his head to hers.
He started off slow, varying his speed by how she reacted. A gasp, and he increased his pace. A soft purr, and he slowed it down, gave her a chance to catch her breath.
His arms had started shaking by the time her breathing caught, rasping free in shuddered gasps. She looked up at him, bottom lip snagged between her teeth, pupils fully dilated. She whispered his name, that single word pushing him over the edge.
He increased his tempo, shaking the bed, tapping out the rhythm against the wall. Tierney clung to him, gaze locked on his, hips rising to meet each thrust. He clenched his jaw, finally pushing onto his hands, needing the extra leverage to take them both over.
Sweat beaded his skin, muscles screaming from the strain when she tilted her hips, changed the angle.
He snapped.
Fire sparked beneath his skin, all that pressure reaching the tipping point. One last thrust, and he broke, emptied inside her, his vision blurring into black. A dull roar sounded in his head, the room a wash of gray, but he was still aware of Tierney’s body warm and languid beneath his.
He stayed rigid above her for a few more seconds before collapsing on top, praying he wasn’t crushing her into the mattress. His arms ached, his chest tight, but for the first time since the car bomb, the voices had dulled. Faded into the heat still thrumming beneath his skin.
Tierney held him close, her head tucked against his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his back. She didn’t talk, just breathed in shuddering rasps.
Buck sighed, finally finding the strength to open his eyes to stare down at her. Tears dotted her cheeks, a warm flush colored her skin. He had a moment of panic, of wondering if he’d been too rough, loved her too long when she opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
She hummed, squeezing him tighter. “Promise me something?”
He chuckled. “Anything.”
“That it’ll always be like that.”
He tilted his head. “Not sure I can promise that because, it’s only going to get better. And you know I’m a man of my word.”
Her eyes teared, a few slipping down her cheeks. “Any better, and you’ll kill me.”
“You’re too tough for that.” He brushed his thumb across her jaw. “Happy tears, right?”
She nodded, closing her eyes as he dipped down and kissed her.
They lingered for a while, bodies still entwined before his arms protested. He eased out, smiling at her huff.
He dropped a chaste peck on her nose as he rolled to one side, swinging his feet off the edge of the bed, warring between wanting to clean up and wanting to pass out. “Oh, sweetheart, I intend to ravage you again before the sun rises, so…”
She glanced at the dark window. “That’s only a few hours away.”
“Guess you’d better rest up, then.”
“Or, you carry me into the bathroom and take me against the shower wall and we can sleep after.”
Buck stilled, glancing back at her over his shoulder, wondering if he’d imagined her reply when she smiled, sweeping her gaze the length of him, looking as if she wanted to devour him whole. He stood, spun, scooping her into his arms before heading for the ensuite.
She laughed, the easy sound warming his chest. While he knew she still needed time to process Pike — that whoever set her up might still be a threat — right here, right now, she looked lighter. As if she’d allowed him to shoulder some of her burden.
Tierney leaned against the counter, watching him as he turned on the taps and gathered a couple more clean towels out of the closet. She placed her hands on his chest when he moved in close, tracing the bands across his torso. “Talk about damn…”
He gathered her close, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. The way her hips flared out, how damn hot it would be to feel her ass cushion every stroke as he bent her over the counter.
Taking a deep breath, he wasn’t sure he’d make it to the shower.
Tierney eased back, arching a brow. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but the answer’s yes.”
He closed his eyes, warring between wanting to pound into her, and needing to show her how much he cared — that it wasn’t just about the sex — when she tiptoed up and kissed his eyelids. He snapped them open, gazing into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.
She smiled. “I know I still have trust issues, triggers, but those all fade away where you’re concerned, so…” She glanced over her shoulder, followed his gaze down to the upper swell of her ass. “If you’ve got something else in mind…”
His heart kicked up, and he moved, spinning her around, snaring her gaze in the mirror. Grinning, he applied gentle pressure on her back until she hugged the porcelain, legs spread apart, all those curves nearly taking him to his knees.
He moved between her legs, smoothing both hands up her back, across her shoulders, then down again, skimming the sides of her hips. “So fucking beautiful.”
Tierney shivered, lips curved up, watching him in their reflection. She arched a brow, wiggled her ass…