Harmonized (12 page)

So he'd be gentle. At least that was his thought until she nipped his belly, and tugged him on top of her.

The moment they were horizontal, her hands were inside his pants, squeezing his ass. She rocked her hips against him. And damn if he didn't grind himself against her. Then his mouth found hers again and there was nothing in the world but this moment. Tasting and touching.

Somehow, his pants were past his hips, bunched at his knees. He was hard as iron and holy fuck! What she was doing with her hands had him damn near ready to explode.

All the sweet hesitancy and blushes were gone. Her touch was out-fucking-standing! His brain clouded and he was awash in sensation. She was squeezing him. Measuring the length of him. Putting the condom on him.

He jerked his head up in surprise. “Where'd you get the condom?”

“From my bathroom. Keep calm and carry condoms.” She laughed, then nipped his chin. “Mind if I finish rolling it on you? 'Cause I'm digging your response to my touch.”

She didn't wait for him to reply but resumed rolling the rubber down his shaft. Hannah squeezed first his cock, then his balls with enough pressure to make Niall arch his back.

Too much.

He flipped their positions, grabbed her wrists, and held her arms above her head. “You're going to kill me if you keep touching me like that.”

She batted her lashes at him. “Guess it's your turn to touch. Because my panties are still on.”

Keeping one hand around both of her wrists, he slid the other between her breasts, down her belly and dipped inside the waistband of her lace panties. She emitted a small noise of pleasure.

Her eyes were hot gold. Her cheeks flushed as he slid two fingers into her. Just short strokes, until he was coated in her moisture, then he rubbed his thumb against the part of her guaranteed to have her hips moving. She spread her legs wider and rocked harder against his hand.

She was beautiful and open and all Niall wanted to do was bury himself inside her. So when she came against his fingers and yelled, “Inside me, Marine!” He didn't hesitate.

Her panties were off and he drove himself into her in one long, hard stroke. They both shuddered and clung to each other. Her short, unpolished nails pricked his back, even as her slender legs wrapped around his hips.

Then her lips found his. Where their first kiss was all excitement and lust, this kiss was passion and more. His breath mingled with hers and Niall felt something shift inside his chest. Unwilling to examine it, he moved his hips and let the excitement wash through them both again. Hotter and harder, but not too hard, he drove into her. She panted, she arched, and when she finally came, he thought his chest might burst.

She reached beneath him and squeezed his balls until he had no choice but to let go and empty himself in a blinding roar of passion. Panting, slick with sweat, he shifted on top of her and did what he hadn't thought possible only hours before. He relaxed.

***

In the morning light, Hannah stood over Niall. Her big, tough Marine had needed something last night. If things had been different, she might have thought he could be the one. But he was just passing through town and her final semester started in a couple weeks. All signs definitely said he couldn't be anything but a night of comfort.

Dang it. She should have seen the sign last night. Hadn't she met him at Heaven's Gate, after all? But she refused to regret. It had been the most incredible night of her life. And holy schmoley! She hadn't known sex could be like that. Hadn't known the power that came from being the initiator. Why on earth had she ever wasted her time on her ex and his nice-girls-don't-ask-for-sex rules?

Her Marine had been very responsive. And he definitely didn't have a problem with her being the one to get them started. She smiled at the sunlight glinting off his short black hair.

Even in sleep, he seemed rigid and formal. She'd worried the night before that he wouldn't let go of his pain long enough to enjoy himself. And that had been a big reason why she suggested sex in the first place. He was so sad, so buried in the pain of his past that he'd been little more than a vessel of hopelessness when he'd sat down at her bar.

Her phone beeped in reminder. She'd promised her mother she'd meet her for breakfast. Mom and Daddy had something important they wanted to discuss. Probably going to try to talk her into going to grad school again. Not that she would. She had two passions, painting and being an electrician. And grad school wouldn't help with becoming an electrician and she couldn't afford to pay for a master's degree in art.

She cleared the reminder and gave herself one more minute with her Marine. Just a little more time to soak in his quiet, masculine beauty. He lay facedown tangled in her tie-dyed sheets. One leg jutted off the side of the bed, as if he were ready to jump at a moment's notice. She'd have to paint this scene. Later.

Forcing herself away from the bed, she grabbed a sticky note from her desk. Scribbling her phone number and name on a sheet, she stuck it on top of his folded clothes.

She wanted to kiss him goodbye, but then thought better of it. Instead, she ran a hand through his silky short hair and yelped in surprise when he clamped a hand, none-too-gently, on her wrist.

Niall lifted his head and blinked the hazy look of sleep from his eyes. When his gaze fell on his hand shackling hers, he immediately released her. “Sorry.”

“It's all good.” She surreptitiously rubbed at the ache. “I gotta go. Feel free to use my shower. Lock up when you leave.”

He blinked at her. Confusion in those lovely green eyes. “You're leaving? What time is it?”

“It's six in the morning. And yeah, I'm headed out. I promised my folks I'd help set up breakfast at the church this morning. Maybe I'll see you later?”

Okay, that had been slightly pathetic because she already knew he was leaving. But a girl had to try. And seeing him again would be a great excuse to put off that conversation with her parents.

Niall twisted and sat up. The sheet fell to his waist, affording her another glimpse of his incredible body. And suddenly helping at the church or talking to her parents didn't seem all that important. No. Wait. Those things
were
important. Darn it.

“It sounds cliché and gauche to say thank you for last night,” he said, his voice still raspy from sleep. “But thank you.”

He lifted her left hand and kissed the inside of her wrist, sending her pulse dancing. And sending messages to nerve endings nowhere near her wrist but much farther south.

Could you orgasm from a guy tonguing your wrist?

Before she could find out, he let go.

With the morning sunlight streaming in through her thin curtains, Niall appeared bathed in a lovely red light. It made her feel warm and safe. It also made her want to crawl back into bed with him. So she backed to the doorway. “I left my number on the sticky note on top of your clothes. If you make it back to Fincastle, give me a call.”

Niall rose from the bed sporting a healthy morning erection that had her seriously rethinking her exit strategy. Then she stopped thinking altogether when he crossed to her. Cupping her face in his hands he pressed a light kiss to her lips. It was gentle and soft and reminiscent of the closeness they'd shared last night.

All too soon, he released her and stepped back. The sadness that had been in his eyes when he had come into the bar last night returned.

Not a good sign.

Despite the knot in her belly, she kept her tone light when she said, “See you around, Marine.”

She wasn't surprised when he replied, “Good-bye, Hannah.”

Mary Behre
is the award-winning author of the Tidewater series, including the novels
Energized
,
Guarded
, and
Spirited
. The lone female in a house full of males, she is the undisputed queen of her domain, and even has the glittery tiara to prove it. When not writing, she enjoys reading, gluten-free baking, and spending time at the ocean with her family.

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