Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
MOJAVE
“Mojave! Mojave, wake up!”
Rachel’s voice penetrated through the nightmare I was having and I jerked upright, my heart galloping in my ears and my breath coming out in sharp pants.
I hadn’t even considered when I laid down next to her that I’d be putting her at risk.
I whipped my head around, my eyes searching her for injury in the weak morning light.
She put her hand on my chest, her eyes worried but her tone clear and truthful when she said, “It’s okay. I’m okay. Just breathe.”
One hand grasped hers automatically to keep her close as I closed my eyes and did the box breathing my therapist told me about.
It helped. I should’ve known the nightmares would be more intense after last night.
The whole experience dredged up a ton of shit I hadn’t wanted to think about.
I got the feeling the therapist from the Vet Center was going to have a lot to say when he realized what I’d done.
With some gentle nudges, Rachel encouraged me to lay back down. I did because it was still too damn early and I wanted her to get some rest, but I didn’t let go of her hand. Having it pressed against my chest made me feel more steady than any of the other shit I was taught to do after a nightmare.
“Close your eyes,” she murmured. “I’m right here.”
I shook my head, giving her a weak smile. “I can’t sleep after a nightmare. Never could. You should get some rest though.”
Shifting to rest on one elbow, she rubbed her hand over my chest, steadying my racing heart and keeping my focus on her. “I’m good. I usually wake up early anyway. I’ve always been an early riser.”
That made two of us, though hers sounded deliberate. Mine was just a side effect of the nightmares.
I released her hand to give her more room, letting her continue to soothe me. It was relaxing, a lot like the night before in the shower. Feeling her hands on my skin grounded me in a way my other coping shit never had.
It also reminded me that the last time she’d done this, she’d been naked too. Images of her curves all wet and glistening stole my focus and when I reached for her, she came willingly, pressing her lips to mine.
When I brushed my tongue along her bottom lip, I felt her smile, pulling away just enough to whisper against my lips. “Is this genuine interest or are you looking for a distraction right now?”
“Both?” It sounded like a question because I wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear.
Part of it was because touching her distracted me from the nightmares and that disjointed feeling I always got after I woke up from a particularly rough one.
But I also just wanted to touch her. She was gorgeous and for some reason I couldn’t figure out, she wanted me too.
I didn’t want to miss out on my chance to be with her just because I had a rough night.
Her smile was sunny and bright, washing away any lingering cold I’d felt from the night prior. “Well, I guess I can’t fault you for that. Just… tell me if it gets to be too much. You shouldn’t push yourself if you’re having a difficult time.”
I resisted the urge to make a face. She was just being nice, but I hated being seen as broken or needing help. I got enough of those looks from my crew. I didn’t want Rachel to start treating me like I was fragile too.
Determined to prove that I knew what I wanted, I lifted my head to capture her lips, tangling my tongue with hers when her lips parted on a gasp.
She stopped coddling me, sinking into the kiss with a little moan that set my blood on fire, and wrapped her arms around me when I rolled us and settled between her legs.
Purposely not thinking about how long it’d been since I’d been in bed with someone, I focused on Rachel, dragging my lips away to trail down her neck and nip gently on the pale column of skin.
“No hickeys,” she murmured, tipping her head to give me more room. “It’s considered unprofessional and kids ask too many questions.”
Fair. I wanted to leave a mark, liked the idea of people knowing she was taken and happy, but I didn’t want to mess with her career. What she did was important. And there were other places I could leave marks that wouldn’t show whenever she was wearing one of those pretty dresses.
With that in mind, I slid down her body and lifted her shirt, kissing my way up her stomach and toward her breasts.
I felt her stiffen, likely the old insecurities she mentioned last night making her uneasy, but I didn’t draw attention to it.
It’d only piss me off, knowing that one of those assholes making her feel bad was probably her ex.
A happily married woman who was worshipped properly wouldn’t be insecure about her body.
Especially a sexy as hell body like hers.
Her curves were one of my biggest turn ons.
She hadn’t gone to bed with a bra on, giving me unfettered access to her body once the shirt was out of the way.
I used it to my advantage, dipping to flick my tongue over her nipple and gently draw it into my mouth.
Little moans escaped her, her fingers gently carding through my hair, and when I sucked a little harder, her back arched on a gasp.
Her noises were addictive. Breathy and quiet, but filled with lust and encouragement.
I couldn’t ask her to be louder, not with Frankie down the hall, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try and drag as many sounds out of her as I could.
It was like music to my ears, and definitely distracting enough to keep me out of my head.
All my focus was on her and those noises.
She made a little questioning sound when I moved lower, cornflour blue eyes heavy with lust watching me as I pulled her sleep pants and panties off gradually, pressing kisses down her legs as I went.
My eyes were fixated to her inner thigh when I shifted back up, the flawless creamy skin begging for a mark.
I went for it, sealing my lips and sucking steadily.
Rachel squirmed and moaned, shifting restlessly beneath me, but didn’t tell me to stop.
When I released her, there was a small bruise forming already and satisfaction filled my chest, making me smirk.
Now that the urge to mark her was satisfied, I moved on to a new goal. I nudged her legs a little wider, tracing my tongue over her folds, and nearly got bucked off for my efforts.
“Oh god!” she cried, then bit her lip to stifle herself.
Growling, I dove back in, determination filling my chest to make her moan like that again.
I licked and sucked, thrusting my tongue inside her hot channel a few times before giving attention to her clit.
She had to grab a pillow and put it over her face to muffle herself and her hips started moving, rocking against my face like she couldn’t help herself.
When the pitch of her moans changed, I knew she was getting close. My cock throbbed, wanting to be inside her, but I wanted to focus on her first. This gorgeous woman deserved to be worshipped properly. I wasn’t stopping until she came on my tongue.
“Mojave,” she moaned, shifting the pillow away just enough to whisper, “Don’t stop. Keep going. Oh, god, keep going, keep going, keep–”
Her sultry words cut off on a silent scream, her neck arched as her channel fluttered with her release. I dove in for more, fucking her through it with my tongue, until she was forced to put the pillow back to muffle her moans because she couldn’t stop the noises she was making.
Fuck me, she was the sexiest woman I’d ever met.
Her body finally went lax, her chest heaving as she pulled the pillow away, eyes wide and incredulous as she demanded, “Where did you learn to do that?”
Huffing out a laugh, I claimed her lips in a quick kiss before asking, “Condom?”
“Bedside drawer,” she replied, still fighting to catch her breath.
Without leaving the cradle of her thighs, I reached for the nightstand she’d gestured to, pulling open the top drawn and snagging the unopened box of condoms from the top.
I cocked my head at them, curious, and Rachel’s already flushed cheeks darkened considerably as she admitted, “They were a gift from a friend after I got divorced. She wanted me to get back out there. I… hadn’t gotten around to using them yet. ”
I couldn’t judge her for that. I would bet good money that her dry spell wasn’t nearly as long as mine was.
With that in mind, I ripped open the box, snagging a condom from inside.
Eagerness made me a little clumsy, but Rachel helped, rolling it down my length and making me groan deep in my chest. There was just something about this woman touching me that chased away the darkness and made me feel whole again.
RACHEL
My body was still tingling from the first release when Mojave shifted to line himself up at my entrance.
I hadn’t been with anyone since well before the divorce.
Scott had said he was turned off by my weight and when I realized he only ever slept with me when he’d been drinking, I put a stop to it completely.
I didn’t want to be with someone who was disgusted by my body.
I didn't have to worry about that from Mojave. Each time his eyes swept over me, it was with hunger and appreciation. He didn’t avoid certain parts of me, or make comments like Scott had. His touch was almost reverent, and it did a lot to reassure me that he found me attractive.
After such an explosive release, Mojave’s length tracing over my folds made me gasp, sensitive but still hungry for more.
I ran my hands up his arms and around his back, urging him closer until he pushed inside me with a quiet groan, slowly and with a lot more care than I expected.
It nearly brought tears to my eyes, how careful he was with me.
He somehow always made me feel precious, no matter what we were doing. Even in this, he wasn’t in any hurry.
Stifling a moan, I wrapped my legs around his hips when he bottomed out, dragging him down for a kiss to muffle myself.
I wasn’t used to having kids in the house during moments like these and trying to stay quiet was an exercise in self restraint.
The pillow had been a necessity when Mojave went down on me, and I needed something else to muffle me once he started moving.
He didn’t pull away or start bucking his hips right away. His thrusts were more of a slow grind, stealing my breath away and making me tingle. His arms slid under me, holding me close, like he needed the connection just as much as I did.
It somehow made it better, and my body tightened around his in response.
It made him grunt, his hips bucking like he couldn’t help himself, and when that made me gasp, he did it again.
I realized belatedly that he was listening to me, using my sounds to guide his movements.
Like he wanted to find the exact right angle to make me moan.
When he gripped my thigh and pulled it a little higher, changing the angle, and my back arched, he picked up the pace, dark brown eyes focused intently on my face as he made my body sing.
His jaw tightened, his expression strained as he fought his own release, but his entire focus was on me and my pleasure.
“Yes, yes, there!” I encouraged, keeping my voice low, but unable to hide the desperation in my tone.
I felt myself standing precariously on the edge of release and I was almost ecstatic that my encouragement didn’t cause him to speed up or change the angle.
He kept going until I was keening and he had to dive back in for another kiss to keep me quiet.
That slight change in angle was enough to make me explode.
I bit back a scream, clinging to him as explosions wracked my body and made me lightheaded.
It only took a few more thrusts before Mojave joined me, burying his face against my neck to muffle his moan as he rode out the waves of his release.
When he collapsed on top of me, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, clinging to him and breathing heavily.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever been so well taken care of during sex before.
Like his entire focus was on me and his own pleasure was secondary.
I wasn’t even sure what to do with that information.
Mojave eventually moved to clean us up, and I noticed his movements were sluggish and he looked tired.
He barely made it through pulling on the sweats before he collapsed back into bed with a groan.
Despite him saying he normally didn’t sleep after nightmares, he was wiped out.
I almost wanted to feel smug about that.
Running my fingers through his hair, I smiled when he tried to force his eyes open to look at me only to have them drift shut again a moment later. “Get some rest. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
He responded by reaching across the bed to drag me back against him, burying his face against my hair and letting out a long breath.
He went lax a moment later, breaths deep and even, but his grip around me didn’t falter.
I smiled to myself, resigned to staying put for a little while.
If me being close helped him get some rest, I was happy to do it, at least until Frankie woke up.
Then I’d need to move to spare him the overeager attention of a little girl first thing in the morning.
But at least for a little while, I was glad he could get some rest.