Never Surrender(3)

"Don't worry," Maya said in a cheerful tone, looping one arm around Candace's waist and giving her a squeeze. "Us girls will keep you so busy over the next few days, the time's gonna fly by. He'll be here before you know it and then you guys can work everything out."

"Yeah," Candace answered as they approached the restaurant entrance. She just hoped their time together here would bring her and Ryan closer together instead of pushing them further apart.





Chapter Two



Candace's eyes flew open in the darkness when the mattress shifted and a warm, naked body pressed to hers. Her heart rate shot up as she rolled away, then a low, masculine chuckle penetrated the roaring of blood in her ears, an instant before that distinctive, spicy scent registered.

Ryan. As the wave of alarm receded, relief and joy took its place.



       
         
       
        

"Hi," he whispered, sliding one arm around her to draw her close.

Excitement punched through her. She rolled into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling against his mouth as he kissed her. "Hi. Am I dreaming?" She cuddled in closer and held on tight, squeezing her eyes shut. He was here, safe and sound, and this one embrace soothed all the emotional bruises she'd been feeling.

"Nope. Want me to prove it?"

"Mm-hmm." God, he felt good. No surprise, he was already fully erect and hot against her abdomen. Arousal stirred, warming her from the inside out.

He brought his mouth down on hers and the kiss changed from slow and lazy to hungry in a single heartbeat. It felt like a year since she'd last held him this way, rather than months. He tasted like toothpaste and felt like heaven.

When he raised his head a minute later, she was breathing faster and her entire body tingled, crying out for more. "I can't believe you're really here," she whispered, running a finger down the side of his cheek, over the short, neatly-trimmed beard.

Her handsome, proud warrior. In the last picture she'd seen of him a few days ago, the beard had been wild and bushy after spending almost two weeks out in the mountains.

"Things settled down a lot so I managed to get leave a few days early. Found a flight that got me in an hour ago and drove straight here to surprise you." He leaned back slightly, his grin flashing white in the soft moonlight coming through the blinds that covered the window above the headboard. "So are you surprised?"

Her heart squeezed. "Yes, I'm so glad you're here." She had been tired when she'd gone to bed, but not so tired she should have missed the sound of the door opening or him coming into the room. He did have crazy stealth powers, however.

He huffed out a laugh and bent to find her mouth with his once more. "Missed you, Ace."

A pang shot through her. She'd been so worried that the tension inside her would ruin this moment, but everything else seemed to fade away when she was in his arms.

"Missed you too." She pulled him down and kissed him, craving the chance to lose herself in him, and sighed as everything inside her melted. Running her hands over his bare back, she frowned in concern and pulled her lips away from his. "You've lost weight." More than he normally did during a deployment. He was all muscle and bone now, not an ounce of fat on him.

"I'm all cut and chiseled for you, baby. Enjoy it while it lasts." He nuzzled her neck.

The teasing, seductive tone didn't sway her. Worried, she took his face in her hands. "You okay?" He obviously hadn't been eating his normal rations for a while. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" 

"No, I'm fine. Now stop worrying and just kiss me, woman." He grabbed her hands and raised her arms to pin her wrists on either side of her head.

The sexy, dominant move made something low in her belly flutter. She relented and let everything else go, heart beating faster as the anticipation and desire continued to build inside her.

Her body had already come alive beneath his, craving him because it knew exactly what he could do to her, and she wanted it right the hell now. It usually took her a little longer to catch up with his physical intensity the first time after they'd been apart, but maybe … maybe right now this was enough to mend their bond that had been tested and strained with this latest deployment.

Pushing all that aside, she focused on the feel of Ryan on top of her and the delicious heat spreading through her body. She tugged against his grip on her wrists and he released her, but before she could move he looped something around them and secured it to the base of the headboard.

She gasped and craned her neck to see what he'd done, catching a glimpse of his webbed belt a moment before he cupped her cheek in his hand and turned her face back to his. In the pale moonlight his mahogany eyes seemed black, and they glittered with a raw hunger that made her breath catch.

"Don't move."

Those two husky words, spoken in that dark velvet voice, sent a shiver of anticipation rippling through her. He'd always had a dominant edge to him but he didn't let it out as often as she'd like and it thrilled her that he was doing it now.

Next thing she knew, a wave of cool air hit her as he rolled away and yanked the covers completely off them. His low, appreciative groan reverberated through the stillness when he saw her naked body stretched out before him, his for the taking. "God, I've been dreaming about this for months. Wanna just eat you up," he murmured.

"Yes, please."

He chuckled, his beard tickling her neck as he leaned in to settle his mouth against the spot between her neck and shoulder that always lit her up like the Fourth of July. She shivered and bit her lip. Already hard from the cool air, her nipples beaded even tighter, her toes curling as that wicked mouth nibbled and sucked on that sensitive spot.

Her eyes closed and she consciously relaxed, surrendering to the moment and whatever he had planned for her. Being restrained this way was exciting and a little unsettling, but being unable to move forced her to just let go and enjoy whatever this sexy alpha male did to her.

His rumble of approval at the way she relaxed brushed over her senses like a caress, then the warmth of his hands began to glide over her body. The combination of that possessive touch, mixed with the nip of his teeth and the stroke of his tongue had her wet and trembling within minutes.

More, she urged him silently, arching her back. She'd been fantasizing about this for months, the things he would do to her and the things she'd do to him when he was finally home again.

Those big, strong hands cupped her breasts, squeezing gently while his beard pricked and tickled her feverish skin, his mouth coming ever closer to her tingling nipples. He made a low sound in the back of his throat and carefully took one bud between his teeth, holding it prisoner while he lashed his tongue against it.

Candace groaned and strained against the bonds holding her prisoner, desperate to push into his mouth. Ryan responded with a deep chuckle and sucked the captive nipple between his lips. Pleasure streaked through her, molten and intense.

Sensation spiraled outward, connecting to the incessant throb between her legs, increasing the empty ache. She moved her legs restlessly, trying to open them wide enough to wind around his hips and pull him to her. More. She needed more.



       
         
       
        

Ryan ignored her and the whimper that left her lips, clearly intending to drive her out of her mind. He licked and sucked at the first nipple, then switched to the second while his free hand coasted down her belly to the rise of her hip.

His fingers glided across her skin like the stroke of velvet, trailed over the length of her thigh and back up the inside, stopping just short of where she wanted them. He knew her body so well, knew exactly how to make her ache, how to make her go blind with pleasure.

When he decided she was ready.

She groaned in frustration and raised her hips, but he just curled a hand around one and stilled her. "Ryan … "

"I'm still hungry," he whispered against her breast, holding her gaze for a long moment before planting a trail of hot, wet kisses down the center of her body, pausing at the top of the triangle of dark blond hair between her legs.

She was so wet and swollen already, dying for him to stop tormenting her.

Releasing her hip, he reached up both hands to play with her sensitive nipples, the warmth of his breath against her mound making her heart pound and her throat go dry. "Have you missed feeling my tongue between your legs, sweetheart?"

"Yes," she gasped out, not even bothering to deny it. Deployments were long and lonely. She'd touched herself many times while imagining it was his hands, his mouth on her skin instead. He made her so damn desperate, seemed to revel in destroying the control she prided herself on.

His teeth flashed white as he grinned. "Then lie still and be a good girl while I make you come."

Oh God …  Her hands clenched into fists, the breath leaving her in a pained groan when the heat of his mouth settled against her aching core. His lips covered her swollen folds, that warm, wicked tongue flicking, teasing.

One strong hand locked on her right hip to hold her still as he crouched between her legs, his tongue driving her to the brink of madness. Soft, wet strokes around and against her swollen clit that made her tremble, then thrusting inside her to momentarily soothe the empty ache before withdrawing and repeating it all over again.