But he didn’t tell her that. Nor did he pretend he didn’t see the truth in her eyes as he carried her to the bedroom, tumbled them onto the bed, and stripped that pretty dress from her body.
She felt for him what he felt for her and when all hell broke loose—because it would...he could already see it on the horizon—that affection would destroy her. Just like it would destroy him.
“Take me like you want me tonight,” she whispered, her fingers soft against his lips as he shed his clothes and levered down above her. “I can handle it.”
Probably. But if he let loose entirely, it wouldn’t be pretty. He wouldn’t taint her with that side of himself. Not now, maybe not ever.
“Brody, look at me...” She shifted his chin so she could look in his eyes and what he saw in hers nearly broke him. “I’m yours. Every bit of me. Always.”
She said that now, but she had no idea the shit he was capable of.
“I’m not some fragile flower. You’ve got something to work out, work it out on me. Please.”
Fucking hell. “Jenn...” He glanced away, but she jerked his face back around, her fingers digging into his jaw. That’s when he saw the tears in her eyes. Saw the full magnitude of what she was offering and how desperate she was to give it.
“Fuck me,” she begged. “Own me.”
His cock throbbed against his stomach, craving exactly that. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“The hell I don’t.” She reached down and wrapped her hand around his dick, tugging hard. He growled and ground his hips into hers.
“Keep jerking me like that, babe, and you’ll bring out the monster.”
A wicked grin slashed across her face and she squeezed him until it fucking hurt. Of course, that just made him harder and, in a second, he had her knees at her ears, his cock poised at her pussy.
“You like fucking with me, sugar?” He slid the tip of his dick inside, just to taunt her.
“I love fucking with you,” she said, enunciating every syllable, using her muscles to try and urge him in further. He resisted. Barely. Instead, he pulled out and slapped his piercing against her clit. She gasped, her eyes never leaving his. “Do it again.”
“No. This is my show, remember?” To prove his point, he shifted back and flipped her onto her stomach, the delicate nodules of her spine leading him like a trail of bread crumbs to her perfect, heart-shaped ass. Kneeing his way between her legs, he spread her open before him. The light from the hall hit her sex just right, the evidence of how wet she was for him glistening in the darkness. Fucking beautiful. Every last bit of her.
“Is that what you want?” She lifted slightly, wiggling those glorious cheeks back at him and rubbing against his cock as she did.
Yeah, he’d have her ass someday. But not tonight. Not entirely anyhow.
Still, he reached back and grabbed the lube from the nightstand, drizzling it between her cheeks and then using his fingers to make sure she was really ready for him. He was inside a second later, buried to hilt in the hottest pussy he’d ever had. But with Jenny, he’d never be deep enough.
Maybe she thought the same, because she pushed up on her hands and began to rear back with every punishing thrust. She was still too far away for his liking, so he fisted her hair, pulled her all the way up, and kissed her, swallowing the sexy little sounds she made when he slammed in hard.
“More,” she panted against his lips. “Harder.”
Christ, she was unreal, and exactly what he needed right now. Winding her hair tighter around his fist, he jerked back and her cry became a long, low moan as he bit at her pretty neck and then licked the pain away.
With his free hand, he guided her fingers to her clit and showed her how he wanted her to touch herself—hard and direct—because it wasn’t going to take him long at all. At least not once he took what he really wanted.
“More, babe? You sure?” he rasped in her ear as he withdrew and then slid in so fast, she came off the bed with a gasp and a plea.
“Dammit, Brody, please!”
He grinned into the curve of her shoulder and covered the small of her back with his hand, thumb down. With every slow, drawn out millimeter he shifted the digit downward, she melted a little more in his arms.
“Yes, baby,” she whimpered, her entire body trembling with need. “Do it.”
So he did. With every slap of his damp skin against hers, he thumbed her puckered hole, until her pussy clenched around him tight. Then he slipped inside just enough to make her launch. She pushed back all on her own, taking more of him than he’d intended to give and it was too fucking much, seeing his thumb disappear inside of her while she milked his cock like the greedy little vixen she was.
His eyes rolled back in his head and he gripped her hip tight, pounding into her as he came...and came...and came, filling her up with all he had.
The next few moments were a complete blur as they collapsed onto the bed, sweaty limbs tangled together as they fought for breath. And, in his case, sanity. How in the fuck had he gotten so lucky with her?
He brushed the hair off her forehead and pressed his lips to her heated skin. “You’re incredible.”
Her fingers floated over his stomach, dancing along his twitching abs. “Pretty incredible yourself. That was...intense.”
Sure was. “Didn’t hurt you, did I?”
She shook her head. “Told you I could take it. And, for the record, you still held back.”
Yep. “I don’t want to taint you with my kind of debauchery. Pun intended.”
She snorted. “You know I’m not a virgin, right?”
Um... “Are we talking about the same thing?” Because he really didn’t want to think about some other dude taking her in the ass.
Pushing up, she rested her chin on his chest and looked him in the eye. “I’ve never gone all the way, but not for lack of wanting.”
Well, shit. “Really?”
Quirking an eyebrow, she shoved at his side with a playful glint in her eyes. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”
He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing her palm. “I mean, I’m surprised you’d want to. And, if that’s the case, why haven’t you?”
Her eyes went soft and curled into him again. “Same reason I never let a guy go bare before—trust.”
Goddamn. He stared up at the ceiling, a confusing mix of selfish-asshole and the luckiest-son-of-a-bitch-on-the-planet humming through his conscience. She trusted him. She’d said as much and she’d proven it over and over again. Her faith in him was a gift he wasn’t worthy of to begin with and now she wanted to give him something more? He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
“No rush,” she whispered before she pressed a soft kiss to his chest. “I just wanted you to know.”
He nodded and disentangled from her carefully...humbly. He needed a second to breathe. To gather his thoughts and figure out what the hell he was doing.
Jenny’s fingers trailed along his back as he got up. “Where you going, handsome?”
“Washcloth.”
“Hurry back. I miss you already.”
He closed his eyes and the haunting darkness clouded in like poison. Could he really be this guy for her? Could he really love her like she deserved?
Or had he been kidding himself all along?
Chapter Twenty
Their hummer bumped along toward a village in the Kandahar Province with Carson behind the wheel. Troy sat shotgun and Sam and Ernie planted ass on either side of Brody in the back, their M4s at the ready. Behind them, the truck was loaded with building supplies. Not a lot this trip because they needed to show the Afghani villagers their intent first. They weren’t here to blow shit up.
“You know what I can’t wait for?” Troy said from up front. “A piece of tail that doesn’t feel like a sandpaper glove.”