Holding Out For A Hero: SEALs, Soldiers, Spies, Cops, FBI Agents and Rangers (94 page)

Miki held her breath, her own eyes locked on his face. A faint flush colored his cheekbones, his eyes narrowed in desire as he looked—simply looked—at the bounty he’d bared.

His breath coming a little faster now, he swallowed, then shook his head.

“I can’t help myself,” he claimed just before he swooped down to suckle one nipple into his mouth. He lifted the other breast in his hand, his thumb strumming the aching peak.

Miki moaned, her hands clenched on the hard strength of his shoulders. She pressed herself against him, wrapping one leg around his thigh and pulling him against her aching center. In rhythm with his thumb on her nipple, she moved against his thigh as desire wound tighter and tighter.

When he grazed one nipple with his teeth, Miki cried out. Then he did it again, this time pinching the other nipple and pressing his thigh deep against her undulating center.

Color exploded behind Miki’s closed eyes as the climax ripped through her. Her breath came in gasps. She floated, her mind numb, on a sea of pleasure as her body absorbed the delicious wonder of her orgasm.

She lay there, eyes still closed, for another three seconds. Then, she opened her eyes and looked into the face of the man who was making her feel so much. Sexy, strong, powerful. All the emotions flew through her and she grinned. Time to see what she could make him feel.

“Hup,” she said, pushing against his chest with the palms of both hands.

He frowned, but didn’t argue. The disappointment on his face, quickly hidden, let her know he figured they were done.

As soon as he shifted his weight, she slid out from under his body. Then, before he could move further, she gave a quick push so he fell to his back on the couch.

With a delighted laugh, Miki moved fast and straddled him, one knee on either side of his thighs. She liked this switch of positions. Poised above him on the couch, she reveled in the still tingling aftershocks of that orgasm.

“You don’t mind if I play for a while, do you?” she asked.

“Play away,” he growled, his hands cupping her breasts. “Consider me your boy-toy and have a good ol’ time.”

“I’m definitely planning on a good time,” she assured him. Then, as his fingers played with her nipples, she returned the favor by unbuttoning enough of his shirt so she could comb her fingernails over his chest.

“Protection,” he exclaimed with a groan. “I didn’t bring anything with me.”

Passion swirling through her like a tornado, it took a few seconds for her to understand what he meant. Then she gave a little frown, debated the loss of pleasure in the current moment, and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

Heat flashed through her, sexual awareness coupled with her own magical energy and, leaning down to take Gideon’s mouth in her own, she flicked a finger toward the end table right behind his head. A flicker and flash, then she pulled away and gave Gideon a wicked smile.

“What’s it worth to you if I can not only give you that protection, but do it without leaving your body?”

“Oh, at least an extra orgasm or two,” he joked. Miki winked, then leaned forward. Her breast brushed over his mouth, and smart man that he was, he took advantage in a way that almost made her forget what she was doing.

After a few seconds of delighted torment, she pulled back, a foil wrapped package clenched between her fingers.

“I’ll take two, thanks so much,” she told him.

His gaze flicked from her face to the condom, then over his head. “You keep condoms in the living room?”

A cold wave washed over her. That was the kind of thing that would have made Perry bitch up a storm. He’d hated it when she’d hidden condoms all over the house when they were first married. She’d thought it would make spontaneity more fun. He’d been afraid someone might run across one and, God forbid, realize they actually had sex.

Then Gideon laughed and her body warmed again. “Damn, you’re my kind of woman.”

“Prove it,” she murmured, as her body warmed again.

She eyed his still clothed body and, for the first time in her life, wished that the man she was with knew she was a witch. Because it would be so much faster to zap his clothes off with magic. But, she realized with a delighted grin, probably not as fun.

She tossed the condom to the coffee table, then rose above Gideon. One knee on either side of his thighs, she finished unbuttoning his shirt. Then she gave in to the sexy invitation of that expanse of hard, muscled flesh and ran her hands up his flat abs to squeeze his pecs.

“You must work hard to keep a body in this fine shape,” she commented absently. After all, Perry slaved five days a week at the gym to keep his pasty body trim, and her brother hit the weight room at least three times a week. “You get this body hefting a hammer?”

His eyes locked on her face, Gideon nodded.

“Sweet,” she claimed in delight. “I can’t wait to put you to work here. I’m going to love watching you in action.”

Then she slid her hands down to the snap of his jeans, and wiggled her brows. “But for now, I have other work in mind.”

Anticipation surged through her as she unsnapped his pants. Miki scooted down so she straddled his knees instead of his thighs. Her dress caught around her hips, constricting her move for a few seconds.

Doubts ran through her head, but at the sexy, entranced look on Gideon’s face, she shoved them aside. Reaching down with both hands, she crossed them in front of her and grasped the silky fabric of her dress. In a fluid move, she pulled it over her head and tossed it aside.

“Whoa, baby,” he breathed.

“What?” Miki asked, looking down. Was she scary half-naked?

Gideon pressed a hand to her hip to make her twist again. His eyes lit up, a delighted grin dancing over his lips.

“You have a tattoo? Oh my God, do you know how sexy that is?”

Miki laughed in relief. “Sexy? I didn’t think of it that way. More a declaration of independence.”

He lifted his torso to bring his face close to her hip, then brushed a kiss over the rising phoenix. Miki shivered at the sensation. He lay back and winked.

The desire in Gideon’s eyes, as well as the stirring she saw against his zipper, made her feel incredible. Sexy, powerful, and about as non-average as possible.

Miki leaned forward to press a kiss against his belly, the arrow of hair curling there tickling her nose. She inhaled his musky scent and, still pressed against him, reached between her breasts to pull down the zipper of his jeans.

The rasp of the metal teeth joined his gasp.

She rose again and grabbed his waistband in both fists. She gave a sharp tug, pulling the denim over his hips. Always glad to see a man enjoy the freedom of boxers, she watched the loose fabric slide down.

The long, hard evidence of his desire sprang free. Miki leaned down to brush a kiss over the proudly jutting flesh, but before she could do anything else, he hissed and shook his head.

“You do that and you won’t even get one of those orgasms you’re planning, sweetheart. I’m about ready to go off like a Fourth of July rocket.”

“I like the idea of getting you off,” she teased. Then, because she couldn’t hold in the absolute delight any longer, she gave a giddy laugh.

Gideon watched Miki laugh, her dark eyes alight with pleasure. As much as his body was screaming to be inside her, to find its release from the delicious torment, his heart wanted to hold onto this moment. To the sight of her, that gorgeous body almost naked above him, joy clear on her face as she laughed.

Pride surged as he realized he’d done this for her. Oh, not made her gorgeous, sexy, and exciting—that was all Miki. But he’d given her this joy. This easy, relaxed pleasure in herself, in him and in the moment.

If he wasn’t careful, she’d have him dreaming impossible dreams. Wishing for an unattainable future.

Then she leaned forward, her breasts brushing his chest and leaving little trails of fire, and took his mouth. Gideon gave himself over to his body’s demands. He lost himself in the kiss and the feel of her lush body over his. And let go of any crazy ideas.

A wild mating of their tongues, and he knew he couldn’t hold off any longer. He pulled back slightly and nodded his chin toward the coffee table.

“Condom?”

“Mmmm,” Miki hummed. She pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss, then straightened. She tilted her head to one side, as if assessing the situation. “So, what’s your pleasure?”

“You.”

She paused in her reach for the condom and rolled her eyes at him.

“Believe me, I plan on you being my pleasure too. But,” she said as she ripped open the foil package, “I was wondering... you know, how you like things.”

“Things?” he teased. He caught his breath as she shifted so he could kick his jeans off.

“Positions. I have to tell you,” she mused as she tapped the condom lightly against her mouth, “I’ve never spent this much time in conversation with a man during sex.”

Gideon’s gaze blurred as she ran her tongue over the condom. The message was clear and all he could think of was how her mouth would feel on him. Next time, he promised himself. He’d have those lips around him next time.

“This conversation is turning me on almost as much as your body,” he assured her. “And I’m thinking this first time is ladies’ choice. You tell me how you want it. How you want us.”

He watched her breasts sway as the breath shuddered through her. Good, he wanted her to know how sexy words were.

“I want to be on top,” she told him softly. Gideon sent up a prayer of thanks, since there was nothing he loved more than watching a woman take her pleasure from his body.

But all he said was, “Perfect. Then next time we can do it against your entryway wall.”

She paused, eyes huge, in the act of unrolling the condom over his straining flesh. “Wall?”

“Yeah, I’ve wanted to have you there since that day you talked about bondage and red velvet.”

Miki’s delighted laugh gave him hope of some hot and wild wall sex.

Then, as she finished sheathing him and moved into position, he finally shut up. He had to, because the sight of her over him, the concentration on her face as she lowered herself on his body, it completely short-circuited his brain.

Gideon gave over to the pleasure of her tight body clenched around him, moving in a sweet, slow pace. Not sure how long he could hold out, he reached up to curve his fingers over her breasts, teasing and tormenting until she hurried her rhythm.

Her breath came in pants now, and seeing she was close, he let himself fall back on the couch pillows. His hands clenching her thighs, he pumped into her. When he felt her orgasm squeeze around him, Gideon lost all control. It was as if all of the lights in the house started flickering and he’d swear, he could hear fireworks. He bucked twice, shouted his pleasure, and exploded.

In the rush of pleasure, he heard warning bells in the back of his head. The kind that signaled dangerous emotional ground, a point of no return. But he easily ignored them.

At least, as he nuzzled Miki’s neck and breathed deep, he told himself he did.

There’s a New Witch in Town: Chapter Eleven

Three days of good loving, and Miki realized she’d reached new levels of intimacy with a man. New positions, more open communication. The trust to give and take direction without fear of failure.

In other words, home improvement projects.

“Did you ever consider selling off part of the property?” Gideon asked as he knelt in the rust-ridden clawfoot tub to squish a tile to the wall. “You know, a piece here or there while you get the house ready for market. It could even help finance the repairs.”

“Part of it?” Miki glanced out the window at the breathtaking view of the mountains. “No. I’ll admit, this house is a nightmare and I won’t be sad to see it go. But I’ll miss the view, the gorgeous sight of those mountains when I do.”

Gideon glanced up at her, then out the same window. He pulled a face, but didn’t say anything.

“After so many years of city living, the quiet out here is nice,” she went on. “There isn’t much traffic or noise. I love it.”

She shrugged. “Who knows what the new owners will want to do, though. Any of the land-hungry developers from California would pee themselves to get a hold of this land. I have to admit, even though the townspeople are hostile, rude, and unwelcoming, at least they aren’t all greedy and grasping for each other’s property, ya know?”

He mumbled something, then went back to his tile squishing.

“Besides, I think I’ve actually got the repair costs covered. With my brother’s help, I’ve been selling off all the furniture I got as part of the divorce settlement. You’d be amazed at what people are willing to pay for used furniture on eBay.”

Gideon grunted. Miki gave a deep, contented sigh.

Who knew home repair could be a romantic undertaking? It probably ranked somewhere between folding laundry and pulling weeds on Miki’s previous list of what to do with a guy for fun.

But with Gideon? Sloppy jeans, one of his old tee shirts and her hair in a ponytail were the look du jour. And she was rocking it.

“You ever want to hire on as a handyman’s assistant, you just let me know,” he said as she handed him another tile.

“Please, I come from a family of overachievers. They wouldn’t disapprove of the handyman part, but a Lansing assists no one,” she said with a laugh.

Gideon nodded his understanding.

“It’s hard living up to a legend. Or a family that lends themselves to acting like they should be legends,” he said.

“Exactly,” she agreed. “I guess you’ve been there, huh? Your dad seems like he was a big deal. I saw the monument to him in the park the other day.”

Even though he’d said he was already an adult when it happened, it had to have been devastating to lose a parent. As hard a time as she had with her parents, Miki couldn’t imagine life without them. Without that hope that someday, somehow, they’d all be on the same emotional page.

“He was one of the best mayors Rossdale had. Of course, I’m probably biased,” he said with a chuckle. “He really cared about the town, about making it the best it could be. But he was careful, too, to always keep in mind what Rossdale was about. Why it’d been formed...”