Whirlwind (SAI Book 2) (13 page)

“The things you do to me,” he growled, as he grabbed a condom from the box that he’d set on the table. His hands shook as he rolled the condom on, and that wasn’t something that had ever happened before.

“Fireworks are about to start.”

Leaning down, he growled, “They sure are, honey.” He caught her leg in the crook of his elbow and moved over her. As he spread her thighs, he settled his hips and attempted to hold onto his control. The first crack of an exploding firework filled the air around them as he entered her. Her tight, wet heat welcomed him as he closed his eyes and struggled for control. It must’ve been a long time for her because she was so damn tight. All he could do was keep up a slow pressure until she held every inch of him. “See, we’re a perfect fit,” he said through gritted teeth. “How are you doing?”

She swallowed and whispered, “Don’t you dare stop.”

“Not planning on it.” Finally, he let himself off the leash and thrust into Sara with abandon. Again and again he slid into her heat and felt her hips move with him. She spurred him on with harsh groans as her body gripped his. Before he knew it, she cried out and clamped down on him as her release flowed over her body.

Needing the connection, he held her tightly as he exploded. His shout was almost as loud as the boom of the fireworks. It felt like his brain had blown apart as the last of the spasms left his body. Being with Sara was the most perfect experience of his life, and the sound of the sky exploding matched his heart.

“Sex under the stars with fireworks is definitely a good idea.” Sara laughed. Slowly she ran her hand over his slick back as the sky continued to light up with a multitude of colors.

He couldn’t breathe enough to respond, so he nodded and tried to drag air into his lungs. As his breathing evened out, he rested his head on her shoulder and surrounded himself in her scent. There was not a better place in the world than this. Lifting his head, he gazed into her sleepy eyes. “The fireworks were a good idea.”

As her eyes closed, she nodded. “You can show them to me again, right after I recover.”

Seconds later, she was out. He rolled off and lay on his back as the breeze cooled his sweat-soaked skin. The last rockets went off and the sky filled with red, white, and blue sparklers as the faint sound of the national anthem played over the high school loudspeakers. The pyrotechnics that had just ended didn’t compare to what just happened between him and Sara. Rolling on his side, he studied her swollen lips as he trailed his finger over her cheek. He kissed her, gathered her in his arms, and closed his eyes. Now she was his, and he was going to make sure that she always would be.

CHAPTER NINE

Tuesday

The sun pierced her eyes as something heavy lay across her shoulders. Cracking an eye open, she saw Grady’s hand holding hers. So, it hadn’t been a dream after all. She had wild monkey sex with her neighbor. More than once.

Miracles really were possible. Kissing his arm, she snuggled closer and felt something poking into her back. Before she could move away, she heard Grady mumble something.

“I’m ready for round four…or is it five?”

Wiggling out of his embrace, she rolled over and gave him a small smile. “It’s going to have to wait until tonight.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You wore me out, and I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to walk today.”

Before she could escape, he tugged her back into bed. “Then I’ve done my job.” Burying his face in her neck, he kissed her right behind her ear. “There’s nothing better than waking up to you.”

Running her hand along his jaw, she saw how sincere he was. “Beneath your hard exterior beats the heart of a true romantic.”

“Only with you, honey.” Moving his hand down her back, he cupped her ass and whispered into her ear, “Now this is mine.”

Mimicking his moves, she responded, “And this, sir, is mine.”

“Works for me.” He rocked his hips and started to laugh. “Damn, you’re fun.”

Tipping away, she smiled. “I wasn’t sure that I was capable of having it anymore. Thank you for reminding me it’s still possible.”

The way his thumb grazed over her cheek almost made her dissolve into a mushy lump of feelings. Apparently all it took to crack her shell was one kind gesture. What a sap. Where was the woman who had held it together for the last year? Before she embarrassed herself, she scooched away. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Moving off the bed quickly, she slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. Tears threatened to erupt, and she did everything she could to make them stop. Taking several big breaths, she walked over to the shower and turned on the water full blast. If she was going to lose it, there was no reason for Grady to hear.
Sweet Lord, let me keep it together.
  Damn those pesky emotions…now wasn’t the time. They needed to stay where they had been shoved and stay quiet. 

All that intimacy with Grady had opened up a small crack, and it wasn’t something she could afford. There wasn’t an end in sight, and the only way to carry on was to keep everything locked in a tight box. Shaking, she tried to shrug off the feelings that were starting to bubble up. She grabbed her toothbrush and vigorously brushed her teeth, while giving herself a stern lecture about holding it together. Once she felt sufficiently under control, she nodded at her reflection. “That’s more like it.”

Throwing her head back, she stepped into the shower and repeated her control mantra in her head. Before it started to work, Grady stepped into the shower. Opening her eyes, she stared into his smiling face and then let her eyes roam over his body. So much for control. “What are you doing in here?”

Grabbing the soap, he turned her around. “I’m washing your back and making sure you don’t have a chance to throw up any walls.” He lathered his hands and then ran them slowly over her skin. “I know you’re spooked, so I came in here to kiss your fears away.” Bending over, he ran his mouth over her shoulder and up her neck. “We are milk and cookies. We go together.”

She let out a breath and smiled. “I prefer pie.”

“Okay, we’re pie and coffee. We go together.”

Twirling around, she rested her hands on his massive muscles. “This whole thing scares me to pieces. The only way I’ve survived is by locking everything away. Being with you is making that difficult.”

“Makes sense. I know you’ve been operating a certain way to survive the threats against you. But you have me now, so it’s time to try something new. When I say
new
, I mean opening up to me and trusting me to protect you. Once you start to believe that, then what’s happening between us won’t scare you. It will just make you happy.”

“Not only are you sexy, handsome, and brave…you’re smart too. How in the world did I get so lucky?” When he tightened his hold, she rested her head against his chest and felt the steady beat of his heart.

“I’m fairly certain that I’m the lucky one.”

Holding him tightly, she tried to believe that she was going to live long enough to show him how much he meant to her. “Thank you.”

***

Sara sat at her computer and read the email again. It still said the same thing, and she couldn’t believe it. Was this even possible?

Jumping up, she ran to the window to see if Grady’s truck was still in the driveway. After she confirmed it was, she flew out the door and across his lawn. Skidding to a stop at the front door, she pressed the bell. Hopping from one foot to another, she was about to burst. When she heard his heavy footsteps, she tried to keep it together. The door swung open and she started to cry. The excitement was too much.

Grady pulled her into the house and closed the door. “Are you okay?”

“They want me,” she yelled. Twirling around, she let out a loud whoop. “They really want me. It’s hard to believe.”

“Who wants you, and what do they want to do with you?”

Flapping her arms, she tried to take a breath. “I just received an email from Top Shelf Productions. They’re interested in my graphic novel.”

Opening his arms, he picked her up. “That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she squeezed. “I self-published the first one and I thought it was doing okay, but to get an email like this is amazing. I never thought a traditional publisher was an option.”

“When and where do they want to meet you?”

“Next week in San Diego at Comic-Con.” Giving him one last kiss, she slid down his body. “I’m going to go look up flights right now.”

“Give me the days so that I can let Ruby know that I’ll be out of the office.”

“You’re not coming with me. You have work to do.”

“You’re not traveling by yourself. No way, Sara.”

Stepping back, she crossed her arms. “Funny, that didn’t sound like a request. It sounded more like an order, which I’m sure isn’t what you meant.” The mulish expression that crossed his face almost made her laugh.

“I’m not letting you go alone. So please invite me, and if you could pretend that you want to be with me, that would be great.”

“I do want you. But you have work, and I’m sure you can’t just take time off whenever you want.” When he stepped forward and wrapped his hands around her waist, she shivered. To have this man want her the way he did was overwhelming. Amazing, but overwhelming. “Are you sure?”

“I’m a partner, so I manage my own schedule. Also, I can meet with Max in the San Diego office. I’ll make it into a working vacation.”

Tugging him down, she kissed him soundly. “Thank you for coming with me. Just think, we can join the mile-high club. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.”

He picked her up, took her over to the couch, and was about to sit down. She scrambled out of his hold and stepped away. “I can’t sit on that couch.”

“Why?”

Because you and Angelina were on that couch.” Shaking her head, she started to move toward the door. Before she got too far, he caught her hand. “It feels weird to be in here. I think of this house as hers.”

“What in the hell are you talking about?” he roared. “I’ve lived here for two years and only dated her for six months. This is my house, and you should feel comfortable here.”

Wringing her hands, she glanced around. “I know it sounds weird. But I feel like it has bad juju. We watched her lose her mind for a month, and I unfortunately heard a lot of your relationship.” Stepping backward, she moved toward the door. “I should get home.”

“We are milk and cookies, Sara.”

Before she moved outside, she gave him a small smile. “I know. I just want to do it at my house.”

“Okay. For now.” He stalked over and gathered her in his arms. “We can paint the house or do whatever you want so that you feel comfortable.”

“Or we could just hang out at my house. Thus avoiding the bad juju.”

Leaning down, he kissed her soundly. “I have to get to the office. But we’ll be talking about this later.”

“Have a good day.” He pressed another kiss on her and then released her. “We’re watching
The Bachelorette
tonight. We missed it yesterday because of the Fourth of July. So come by if you want.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

She blew him a kiss and skipped down the walkway. Before she made it to her house, she heard her phone. Hopefully Sammy didn’t have any more bad news.

***

Grady sat in his office and finished the initial analysis for the refinery in Bolivia. Word was getting out about their success, and they were starting to receive regular inquiries. Lance and Kyle were taking the assignment along with Harris. What they experienced in Ecuador would help them be more efficient for the next op. Also, Bolivia had fewer refineries, so it should only take them a little over two weeks. Just as he was about to finish, Ruby waddled in. Standing quickly, he went around the desk and helped her into the chair. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be here?”

“I still have seven weeks. Don’t worry. I won’t go into labor in your office.”

“Maybe you’ve forgotten that I’m a trained SOF medic. Yours would not be the first one I delivered.”

“I didn’t forget. I just never really considered it an option.” Placing her tablet on her stomach, she opened a document. “I want to give you an update on what’s going to be happening in the next couple of weeks.”

“Before I forget, I want to let you know that I’m going to San Diego next week with Sara for Comic-Con. She’s going to give me the dates, so once I have them, I’ll pass them on.”

“I like her, Grady. I got a chance to visit with her yesterday at the party, and she’s a doll.”

“Yeah, I think she’s pretty special.”

Snorting, she gave him a get-real look. “You are smitten. The way you look at her tells everyone how hard you’re falling. I hope you don’t do that denial thing and miss an opportunity at a terrific girl.”

“No denial on my part. I have to solve some things for her, and then we’re all systems go.”

“Are you talking about the mafia being after her and wanting her dead?”

“Uh…yeah.” Scratching his head, he wondered why Sara told them. “I’m surprised that she said anything. She’s been very circumspect about the whole thing. I had to get Lance to do a full check on her before she told me anything.”