“What happened when Ben got hit?”
“I asked Tim to cover me and I went to get him. Dragged him out of the scene.” He panted. With her other hand, she lifted his erection, swirling her fingers under the sensitive base, around his balls, spreading the moisture of her mouth.
“Did you get shot?” she asked.
“No. Everyone said it was a miracle.”
Pain and desire melded until one became indistinct from the other. The agony of the memory pierced him clear and sharp, when before it had always been a dull throbbing that never seemed to go away. She battered him with questions, and still she worked him, never easing the pressure of her finger in his ass, or her tongue and lips on his cock.
“Did you save him?”
“That day I did. He died at the hospital later. The whole thing was a waste. Just another day of waste.”
“Was that your worst memory?”
Her gaze delved deep and grabbed him by the throat. An endless depth of blue churned with emotion and demanded his truth. The walls he’d built trembled and broke in a pile of rubble around him. His body screamed and shook for release, for her permission to come. He dug in and gave it to her. “No, my worst memory was the day I got that fucking medal. The Silver Star. For being a damned hero.” He waited for her revulsion and anger and resentment. Instead, he only met her understanding and empathy. And want.
“Very good. Now, you may come in my mouth.”
Her head dipped and she took him deep to the back of her throat in one swift gulp. She sucked hard, her tongue swirling around with the perfect pressure. A cry ripped from his lips. Her teeth gently scraped the underside of his dick; she thrust a second finger in his anus, and he let go.
The climax ripped through him and he screamed her name, bucking and coming in her slick, satin heat. His toes arched and his head exploded in sensory overload as every muscle released tension. Mini convulsions wracked him from side to side, and she took all of him, massaging, then crooning to him softly. Drained emotionally and physically, he slumped against the handcuffs and heard her murmur his name. Time slowed and blurred. He caught the sweet scent of soap on her damp hands as she freed him from his restraints and rubbed his sore muscles. Settling him on the bed, she pressed kisses to his forehead as he lay against the cool sheets and let her bathe him with a damp washcloth. He basked in a cocoon of warmth and safety he’d never experienced before, after the most powerful orgasm of his life. In the comforting darkness, he surrendered while held within strong, feminine arms.
Chapter Three
Summer blinked away the tears that threatened and she bit her lip to ground herself. The man beside her roused. How would he react after the depth of their emotional scene? In a matter of hours, Rafe Steele had given her more intimacy and passion than she’d ever experienced. His strength humbled her. She shook with the need to belong to him completely, to have him fill her aching pussy.
Dear God, how can I ever go back to my old life? He’d wrecked her for all others—wrecked her for the normal vanilla sex with its nice boundaries and neat actions that barely scratched the surface of deep emotion. By giving in to his needs, his want, he’d given her a priceless gift.
She smoothed back a loose dark curl from his brow with a shaky hand. Would he hate her? Would he blame her for forcing him to tell his most private secrets? And could she blame him? She’d played hard ball and reached for things that most women didn’t try to accomplish for months. Vulnerability turned a man vicious, and she might fall victim.
His eyes opened.
She sucked in a breath at the swirl of emotion in his gaze. Recognition. Lust. Anger. Knowledge. The clock ticked. Her heart squeezed with terror at the idea of him walking away before dawn.
“Summer?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you still wearing clothes?”
She looked down at her half naked body and burst out laughing. “I got distracted.” Warmth pumped through her veins and flooded to the center of her thighs. Her nipples swelled to full attention. “Besides, I want you to take them off.”
He sat up, gloriously naked and tousled. “Thank God. That outfit is driving me fucking nuts.”
Still grinning, she slid off the bed in one quick motion. “In a moment. I want you to drink some water.”
“Anything stronger?”
“Water first.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Her fingers itched to smack his ass, but she loved the dual edge of dominance and subjugation he teetered on. He’d never take a backseat in life or in public. The idea he’d do it in the privacy of the bedroom cranked her lust to a whole new level.
She brought over two glasses of ice water and watched him drink. Satisfied he was properly hydrated, she poured two fingers of Jack Daniels for both of them and settled on the bed. The scent of man, musk, and arousal rose to her nostrils She studied his face carefully, but no resentment or embarrassment glimmered. “How do you feel?”
“Like I had the best orgasm of my life.” His eyes darkened further. “Like I want to do it again, but this time thrusting between your thighs instead of your mouth.”
She smiled. Damn, his sense of humor and honesty blew her away. “Me, too.” He shook his head as if refusing to utter more thoughts. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I can’t believe I shared all that crap with you,” he muttered. “Even my brothers don’t know.”
“I’m not surprised. Men don’t spend too much time analyzing their emotions. Women wallow, and men push it aside and get on with their life. The problem is when the stuff begins to blister.”
“Are you a shrink?” he asked suspiciously.
She laughed. “No. I’m an elementary school teacher.”
“I knew it. Pegged you for a teacher or a librarian from the first.” Questions whirled in his eyes and she waited for him to ask. “So, how does this work? Do I get to ask questions or is this just a one-man show?”
She raised a brow at his tone, secretly enjoying his masculine edge. “I have nothing to hide. If I insist on your honesty at all times, I’m certainly not holding back with you. I’ll answer any questions you have.”
“How did a nice elementary school teacher get hooked up with a one-night stand?”
She sighed. “I’ve always craved dominance in the bedroom. I was raised to believe women took a backseat to men. You know, allow them their full right to be in charge at all times. My mom spent many lessons teaching me to trick my boyfriends into getting what I want using my feminine wiles.” The memories cut deep as she remembered her parents’ own marriage. When her father asked his wife to jump, she asked how high. Summer would have been fine if he’d made her mother happy, but only rage and resentment filled the woman up, pushing away everything good. Including love for her only daughter. “My parents insisted I live up to certain ideals. Church on Sundays. Volunteer programs on weekends. I pursued a teaching degree under their watchful eye, and they even set me up with the man they expected me to marry. They were concerned I grow up with old-fashioned virtue and not become a slut of society.”
He shook his head in amazement. “Hardcore. Why can’t I imagine you just going along with their plan?”
“They were my parents. I assumed I needed to do what I was told. Most of the time I enjoyed my life, but not when they focused on Andrew, the local pastor. It was the first time I disagreed with them.”
“What happened?”
“Let’s just say they weren’t thrilled when I informed them their precious Andrew couldn’t get it up in the bedroom.”
He winced. “Ouch.”