A Little Harmless Military Romance Bundle (A Little Harmless Military Bundle) (10 page)

He stepped beside her and slipped his finger under her chin and turned her face to him. Bending his head, he gave her a kiss, a soft brush of the lips. It had everything in her yearning for so much more.

When he pulled away, he said, “Spread your legs a little more, then place your hands on the dresser.”

She did as ordered, and he slid the scarf between her legs. The slither of silky material against her sex almost sent her over the edge. It was barely a touch. He pulled the material tight against her.

Oh, God. She was going to come. He moved the scarf back and forth slightly as he nuzzled her neck. His cock was hard against her hip, and she knew he wanted her. But he was controlling himself, controlling her. She wasn’t an innocent by any standards, but this was beyond what she had ever tried. He tightened the scarf more, the material separating her pussy lips.

She moaned as it rubbed against her clit, pressing ever so slightly but not enough to give her relief. He only gave her so much before he was tugging the scarf away and pulling her to the bed.

“On the bed,” he ordered. He had seemed under control, but the deepening of his voice told her more. He was close to the edge, too.

Kade grabbed the second scarf. “Hands over your head.”

She complied without thinking. She wanted him to touch her again, wanted his hands on her. He wrapped it around her wrists then threaded it through her iron headboard. After completing the task, he stopped and looked down at her. His gaze slipped down her body, and she felt as if he was touching her everywhere.

In the next instant, he scowled. “Dammit. Condoms.”

She smiled. “Bedside table drawer.”

If anything, his expression turned darker.

“Oh, good lord, I had to talk.”

“It’s not that. It’s the fact that you had condoms ready. Been seeing someone?”

She rolled her eyes. “They’re the ones from Hawaii.”

He didn’t say anything as he pulled open the drawer. After grabbing one, he ripped open the package and then joined her on the bed. He set the opened package beside him. Then he settled between her legs and leaned down to give her pussy one long lick.

He smiled up at her. “Remember, don’t come unless I give you permission.”

He drove her crazy. He slipped his hands beneath her rear end and lifted her to his mouth. Then he attacked her. Over and over, he thrust his tongue into her pussy. When he took her clit into his mouth, he hummed against the bundle of nerves.

Damn
. The tension that had been simmering now shot to her pussy. She wanted to move, wanted to slip her fingers through that blonde hair and thrust up against his mouth. He held her there, not allowing her any purchase.

Soon, though, he set her down, grabbed the condom. He rolled it on as fast as humanly possible, in her opinion. He lifted her up off the bed again and entered into her in one hard thrust. Without hesitating, he started moving. Each thrust was slow but deep, but not enough to please her. The way she was bound and the way he held her, she could do nothing but allow him to set the pace. Soon his movements were not so measured. He increased his rhythm.

“It’s time, baby. Come for me.”

He thrust into her hard as he pressed against her clit. She did as he ordered, bowing up against him and screaming out his name. She was still shuddering from her release as he started moving again, squeezing that tiny bundle of nerves between his fingers. She came again, bucking against him. He followed her as she crested again a few seconds later.

A short time later, he rolled off her and reached up to untie her wrists. “You feeling okay?” he asked.

She smiled at him, cupping his cheek. “Okay doesn’t describe it.”

He smiled, that old crooked smile she knew so well, and her breath caught. In the day he had been back, Kade had been distant and hadn’t shown her the boyish grin she was used to.

“What?” he asked, as it started to slip away.

“Nothing. Just, you look good in my bed.”

“So do you. How about a little snack?”

Keep it light, Dupree
.

“Sure.” She started to get out of bed, but he stayed her with his hand.

“No. You stay, I’ll find something.”

She nodded and watched as he pulled on his jeans. “I’ll be right back.”

She held her smile until she was alone. She sat up, pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. How sad was it that she was so excited to see him smile at her? Sad for both of them. Something was bad. Something had pushed him to his limit while they were gone. He was a strong man, but everyone had their breaking point.

All she could do was support him, let him know she was there for him.

And love him until he left at the end of the week.

Chapter Nine

Shannon settled against the pillows with a sigh that made Kade happier than he thought possible.

“That was a good idea. I didn’t realize what an appetite I’d worked up.”

He chuckled. “Really? I would have thought you needed a side of beef after that.”

“Have you always been into BDSM? I’ve just never heard you talk about it.”

“Does it bother you?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t have let you touch me like that if I didn’t want to. I like sex, but not enough to do something like that if I had issues with it.”

He should have known that would be her answer. He had never met a woman so confident and straight up about her sexuality.

“I’ve always had some interest in it. But it’s a little different now.”

He could tell by her expression she wanted to ask him more. He was a little surprised by the need to control her. It almost overwhelmed his good senses. Kade just hoped he held himself in check for the week.

“Hm, I need a good night’s sleep,” she said. The patter of rain hit against the window, and Shannon was snuggled up against Kade as he pulled the sheet up. It was an image he had often dreamed of before his last mission.

He cleared his throat. “You’re not the only one.”

“And that rain is perfect. It always makes me so drowsy. I love the sound of it.”

She was already drifting into sleep. A selfish part of him wanted to stop her, keep her awake. They weren’t going to have much time together. Kade wanted to savor every minute, try and draw out his visit.

There was a very good chance he was really screwing up. He had prepared himself to resist her, resist the crazy pull she always had on him. He had thought he could do it.

Inwardly, he snorted. Yeah, he could resist her. He’d been in New Orleans for less than forty-eight hours, and he had already crumbled.

“You’re thinking too much.”

Her breath tickled his chest. “What?”

She lifted her head and looked up at him. “You’re thinking too much. Right now, your head is turning over all the things you’re worried about.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “Don’t worry about it. Let it go.”

“Aren’t women supposed to get all talkative after sex?”

“If you don’t do it right. Apparently, you haven’t been doing it right.”

Her sassy tone made him chuckle. How could he stay out of her bed? The woman had just submitted to him, and now she was messing with him. If a man could resist her, he had to be stupid or gay.

“Or maybe I had the wrong partners.”

“I have to agree with that. Listen, I know you’ve got a lot on your plate. There is no pressure here, not right now. Let’s just take it one day at a time. If you can handle that, Seal?”

Her tone was flirtatious, but there was a hint of steel beneath it. He had been preparing for a long, drawn out discussion of why he hadn’t contacted her. Instead, she offered him nothing but understanding.

“I am more than up to the task.”

“Good.” She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the nose then on his mouth. She lingered there, giving him a taste of her, tempting him. She pulled back, a smile curving her lips. In the soft moonlight, there in her room with the rain hitting the window, he knew he was still in love with her. His heart lurched at the thought, but he brushed the worry aside. One day at a time was what she wanted. That was what he would give her.

“You get some sleep,” he said, trying to keep a lid on his emotions.

“You betcha.” She chuckled, then settled back down and snuggled close to him.

He wanted this, wanted it more than he had ever wanted to be a Seal. It scared him a bit to know that. From the time he entered the Navy, he had wanted to be a Seal. He had questioned that in the last few months, but other than trying to protect her, he had never thought of giving up on Shannon.

Again, he shoved the thoughts aside and decided to do as ordered. A good night’s sleep was what he really needed to get his head back on straight.

* * * *

Kade came awake with a shout. His heart was beating out of control, his body slick with sweat. He had been having these nightmares since he got back, but they hadn’t been quite this bad. This one had been vivid, almost real to him.

Each time, he saw Forrester’s face as he was shot, as the life seeped from him.

With a shake of his head, Kade stood and stretched. Shannon grumbled and settled deeper into the pillows. He brushed her hair from her face and noticed his hand was shaking. He wanted to touch her, to love her again, but he was too raw to handle that now. He needed to get his head out of the dream and back onto the day. He went into the bathroom and splashed his face with some cool water, then found his jeans and pulled them on. Even through the closed blinds, he could see the first stirrings of the sunrise. There was one thing about a good bout of healthy sex. He had finally slept through the night. When he unlocked the door, he heard someone moving around in the kitchen. He had a feeling it was Mal. He didn’t want to really deal with his friend without some coffee. Unfortunately, the coffee was, of course, in the kitchen. He could smell it brewing.

Kade squared his shoulders and walked to the kitchen. He found Mal there, frying some bacon.

“About time you emerged from her bedroom,” he said without turning around.

He didn’t sound mad, but he knew better than to trust that. Mal could be his deadliest when he was cool.

“Look. Mal…”

He trailed off when his friend turned with a smile on his face. “What are you, stupid?”

“Not following you, mate.”

“Get some coffee before you fall down.”

He did as ordered, watching Mal as he forked up the bacon and put it on a plate. Next, he pulled out some eggs and started cracking them into a bowl.

“See, I know you don’t remember after we were evac’d out.”

Hell, he could remember up until the moment he was shot. Then nothing until he woke up in the hospital.

Mal nodded. “You were completely out of it there for a while. But I remember. Once I came to, I was by your side.”

He had sort of known that. Each time he had surfaced, he had seen him there by the side of his bed. "And?”

“You know the most amazing thing about being out of your mind after an injury? You don’t know what you say.”

It took Kade a second to figure it out. Then it hit him.

“I said something.”

Mal nodded without turning around. "Over and over. You wanted to talk to Shannon.”

“Shit.”

“I was pretty pissed right then.” He glanced back at Kade. "But, then, you were injured, and I couldn’t beat the shit out of you. I wanted to, believe me. Especially since I figured out that you might have used the wedding to get her into bed.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

Mal stopped mixing the eggs and faced him. "Come on, Kade. I know you as well as you know me.”

“And you know I’m not a slut like you.”

Mal chuckled. "Yeah, you are, but it stopped about a couple of years ago. I realized then how many times you came back to New Orleans with me.”

Kade couldn’t help the heat that crawled into his face. Damnit, he was blushing.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The moment he said it, he knew he sounded like an idiot.

Mal shook his head. "Son, you have got to lie better. Anyway, I realized a long time ago you had a crush on her. I ignored it for the most part because, when you have sisters like Jocelyn and Shannon, well, you’re used to it. Jocelyn was always so serious, but with Shannon, well, she’s got that soft heart of hers. All the guys loved to get her sympathy.”

“If that’s what you think attracts them and keeps them coming around, you’re living in denial.”

“Okay, I know it had to do with the way she’s built. I’m not blind, but I can pretend. She’s my sister.” Mal jerked a shoulder. “Anyway, I worked through my anger. It’s hard to be pissed at a guy who had his knee all fucked up, and well, knocked stupid. Stupider. I guess I should ask your intentions, but that would get me smacked around by Shannon if she found out.”

“I’m not truly sure of my intentions.”