Worth the Fall(66)

Her hands fanned out over defined pecs and smoothed along the backs of his arms. Strength and power vibrated from him. A soldier, a fighter, yet so gentle and controlled he could brush tangles from a three-year-old’s hair. She made her way back down, over his ribs and then his abs. So warm and soft.

When she brought her eyes up to his, she found him intently watching her. The look.

Moving her hands to the bottom edge of her shirt and holding his hot gaze, she peeled it over her head inch by inch.

“You’re killing me.” His eyes licked over her body like flames. Down her neck, over her breasts, stopping at the heat between her legs.

He groaned and sat up, pressing his hips against her core, then dragged his chocolate-brown eyes back to hers, never wavering. Like now he was looking past her body, seeing deeper.

Her hands went naturally around his shoulders and their lips met and held. A million sensations ran through her.

Matt’s fingers splayed hot against her lower back. His other hand sliding up her back to her neck, bringing them even closer as he went. She made a small sound of distress and still his mouth didn’t move.

Finally he traced her lips with his tongue, gently at first, then forced them apart. Their mouths met and melded with a blinding hunger, loving and tasting for what could have been hours. Overcome with hunger and need.

They parted, breathless, eyes locked. Abby forced air into her lungs, unable to look away.

“What is it, baby?”

She couldn’t move. Could barely breathe, his face so close to hers, then even closer when he speared his fingers into the hair at either side of her face. She was captured by him. Lost in him.

“I can’t breathe when you look at me like that.”

“Like what?” He traced her cheek with his thumb. “Like I love you? Because I do. More than I ever thought possible.”

Everything in her dropped. The ground disappeared from beneath her and she was falling through open sky toward something dark and unknown. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

“Don’t say anything,” he whispered against her lips. “You don’t have to say anything.” He feathered kisses along her cheek, down her neck.

Matt’s arms around me. Not falling.

The sensation of him hard between her legs, his mouth on her neck, combined with the words of love murmured in her ear made her dizzy. And so hot she was shaking with need.

The incredible strength in his hands as they moved over her back added another layer—from her neck to her bottom, up her sides, into her hair.

She gasped when he fisted her hair and pulled, arching her back. One hand came up to cup her breast and he dropped kisses all around, licking and teasing. A wild sound of pleasure escaped when he ruthlessly sucked her hard against the roof of his mouth.

“I could make you come like this.”

Yes. He could. The thought sent her spiraling.

She surged against his erection and then she was. Coming. He wasn’t even inside her and her body flushed with hot waves. In a languid free fall, she floated. The sensation continuing until every ounce of energy drained out of her.

She dropped her lips to his shoulder, laved his salty skin with her tongue, the absolute only part of her able to move.

When she recovered enough to raise her head, he adjusted her until he was at her entrance. With his big hands engulfing her hips, she pressed down, taking him in slowly and eliciting a tortured groan from Matt. She rocked onto his hard length, pushing him farther, inch by inch.

Seated as deeply as he could go, their bodies as close as they could get, Matt stopped. He caught her face in his hands, an almost desperate look in his eyes.

“Abby, look at me,” he commanded. “I love you.” He followed the words with his mouth, a gentle brush of his lips over hers. “Know it.” He placed hot, open-mouthed kisses along her shoulder. “Believe it,” he whispered, circling the shell of her ear with his tongue.

With one hand cradling the back of her head, controlling the kiss, and his other on her bottom, he rocked against her in the most exquisite rhythm. Just enough pressure, exactly where she needed. He was inside her, surrounding her, his body and words combined were too much. She squeezed her eyelids closed against the force of emotions, but she couldn’t shut him out. He wouldn’t let her.

Love overwhelmed her. The emotional tide took over and tears ran down her face. He drove into her and brought them over the edge together.

—

RPGs tore through the trees, exploding vines into rings of fire. He fumbled with the comm again. “This is Mountain One calling for immediate extract. Over.”

—

Green foliage surrounded them; the jungle canopy above pressed them into the black dirt below. The stench of burning flesh, and screams. In seconds the jungle had turned into a fiery hell. The sound of rifle fire was nearly constant.