Ignited (Titanium Security Series) (26 page)

He thrust again. The climax slammed into her and sent her flying, fragmenting into a thousand sparkling shards of sensation. She could hear her broken wail of release as it pulsed through her, traveling throughout her body in endless ripples. When they finally began to fade she collapsed against the wall, trembling, too weak to move. The only thing holding her up was Hunter. He was pressing soothing kisses across the tops of her shoulders, his hands and weight locking her in place.

Her eyes flew open when he began to withdraw. She was sure he hadn’t come yet. Forcing her lax muscles to cooperate she pushed up a few inches from the wall and looked over her shoulder at him.

As if he’d been waiting for her to do just that, he seized her and spun her around to face him, those strong hands curving around her bottom to lift her. Automatically she brought her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his sturdy shoulders, kissing him with every bit of longing and gratitude in her. Hunter gave a low snarl against her mouth and positioned his cock at her entrance, plunging his tongue deep into her mouth as he drove home into her body. She caught her breath at the forceful penetration, whimpered at the feel of him embedded so deep inside her and began to rock, her tired thigh muscles quivering in protest.

Hunter took her with rough, urgent thrusts, plundering her mouth as well as her body. Beneath her splayed hands she could feel the acute tension in him, his muscles quivering with the need for release. Wanting to ease him and give him the same pleasure he’d so unselfishly bestowed upon her, Khalia locked her ankles in the small of his back and began to ride him, rotating her hips in little circles. He sucked in a harsh breath and reared his head back, eyes closed, expression tortured. Fascinated, loving the sense of power it gave her to pleasure such a powerful man, she covered his face with kisses and worked him with her body.

The muscles in his chest and shoulders stood out in sharp relief, his jaw clenched tight. He opened his eyes to stare at her, his gaze glittering with possession and lust. “Khalia,” he ground out, almost a warning.

“Let go,” she whispered, circling her hips once more, squeezing the rigid length of him with her internal muscles. “Let me see you.”

His nostrils flared, his eyes darkening to a liquid amber a split second before he closed them and let his head fall back. His breathing was rough, his hands urging her to move faster, take more of him. Sliding him deep, she held him there with all her strength and made three slow, tortuous circles with her hips.

A low, shattered moan tore out of him. He arched up into her, his hands digging so deep into her ass she knew he’d leave marks, and shuddered against her as he began to come. She rejoiced in every moment of it, wrapping herself around him as close as she could, her face tucked into the curve of his neck.

The hot water drummed down on them in a soothing, relaxing rhythm. Breathing in his delicious, clean scent, she sighed when he finally relaxed and rested his head on her shoulder with a long exhalation. It took a while for his breathing to slow and finally he pulled back to look at her. With one hand he reached up and stroked the strands of wet hair that had stuck to her cheek. His eyes met hers. They were soft with satisfaction and tenderness. “You’re so beautiful.”

If he could say that while she was naked and her eyes were red and puffy from crying and what little makeup she’d been wearing was long gone, then it meant a lot. And when he smiled down at her before leaning in to kiss her lips gently, her heart rolled over in her chest.

Chapter Fifteen

Face buried in Khalia’s neck, Hunter fought to slow his thundering heart.

He’d never experienced anything like that in his life. He loved sex, always had, but this was so much more than sex it had rocked him to his core.

Sweet Jesus.
Whatever this emotional and physical connection between them was, he wanted more of it with Khalia. As much as he could have before he put her on that plane in a few hours. Being with her was the only thing that truly eased the constant bombardment of guilt and restlessness he’d felt since the night Scottie died.

She was still wound around him, holding him deep inside her and he didn’t want to break the connection. But her legs and arms were trembling with fatigue and he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable for even a moment longer.

He eased out of her and gently unwound her legs from his waist, noting the wince she tried to cover when he set her feet on the shower floor. He paused again to stroke his hands through her damp hair that clung to her cheeks and shoulders in little ringlets. Her eyes were half closed, her mouth swollen and wet from his kisses. He’d used her hard and selfishly just now, yet she still gazed up at him with that soft expression he was becoming addicted to.

“You okay?” Little late to ask now, but he still felt the need to.

She smiled, a slow, supremely satisfied feminine smile, and tilted her head. “So much better than okay.”

He was relieved to hear it but her legs were still unsteady. “C’mere,” he murmured, and drew her under the spray. Holding her against his chest, he smoothed his hands over her hair, shoulders and back. She rested her cheek against his sternum and hummed in pleasure whenever he touched her. God, he’d never felt this kind of closeness before. She seemed to like it even more when he massaged shampoo into her hair, his fingers rubbing at her scalp. She was like a kitten, purring and moving against his hands, all soft and trusting. It set off a pang inside him because he wasn’t sure he deserved that kind of trust anymore. His best friend had trusted him with his life, and Hunter had failed him.

Logically he knew it wasn’t his fault. He just couldn’t get past the guilt that said he should have done something more. That he could have done something more and Scottie would still be here.

Locking the thought down in an airtight box, Hunter rinsed Khalia’s hair and began soaping up her skin. He glided his palms over the wet silk of it, enjoying every moment of the easy silence between them and the hot water sluicing over their bodies. She was half asleep against him by the time he washed all the suds away and shut off the water. He opened the shower door to snag a towel and wrapped her up in it before scooping her up and carrying her out to the bed.

She let out a soft laugh and wound an arm around his neck, her other hand tracing over the frog bones tattoo on his right shoulder. “I haven’t been carried to bed since I was a kid.”

“No? Long overdue then.” None of the guys she’d dated had done this? What the hell kind of dipshits had she gone out with? The primal part of him loved being the first to do this.

 After settling her against the pillows, he withdrew the towel so she could dry her hair, and slid in beside her to draw the thick covers over them both. The clock on the night table read one forty am, its bright green digital display and the light coming from the bathroom giving just enough illumination for him to see her expression in the darkness. She looked happy. Satisfaction slid through him that he’d put that look on her face.

Tossing the towel aside, Khalia rolled onto her side and laid her head on the pillow, a little smile on her lips. “You’re quite the romantic when you want to be.”

Her comment coaxed an ironic chuckle out of him. “Yeah, romance isn’t my strong point.”

She reached out and laid a hand against his chest, rubbing the spot over his heart in little circles. “That’s okay. You have more than enough of those already to make up for it.”

His heart squeezed at the sincerity in her words. She was getting to him more and more with each passing minute, and though it made him a self-centered bastard and it would hurt worse the longer he let this go on, he didn’t want to put distance between them now.

A low buzz from behind him signaled an incoming text. Khalia tensed as he rolled over to grab the phone from the night table on his side. It was from Tom. “You’re now booked on a flight leaving at oh-nine-hundred,” he told her, replacing the phone and turning back to her.

She was quiet for a moment, watching him in the near darkness. Then she inched closer to lay her hand on his chest again and he felt the tension melt out of his muscles. “I wish you could come back with me,” she said quietly.

Ah, hell, there it was. He’d been hoping to avoid this conversation, not wanting to ruin the last few hours of their time together, but maybe it would be kinder to set things straight right now. He snaked an arm around her back in a possessive move, in direct conflict with his answer. “Can’t. I’ll be working over here for the next while, at least.” He wanted to leave it at that, not have to come straight out and say this was all they could ever have.

She nodded and continued to rub those gentle circles on his skin. “So…you gonna respond if I e-mail you after this?”

“Of course I will.” Jesus, he wasn’t a total asshole, just…relationship challenged, and considering the logistics of things, couldn’t offer her anything beyond the next few hours. With a hard sigh, Hunter edged nearer and looped an arm tighter around the curve of her waist, drawing her closer. “I’ve never been much good at long-term relationships, let alone a long distance one, and I don’t want to hurt you by not being up front about that.” She’d been through more than enough shit already.

“Okay, thanks for the heads up.”

The ironic edge to her response made something tighten inside him. “Hey.” He slid his other arm beneath her neck, buried his hand in her damp hair to pull her face into his neck. She didn’t resist, snuggling into his body, her curves melding into him and her breath washing over his skin in warm puffs. Sheer heaven. “I never expected any of this to happen,” he admitted finally.

“Me neither.” She hooked a thigh over his, wriggled until she was pressed flush against him from neck to knees.

Yeah, he’d bet she hadn’t. And while he wouldn’t say it, she was the only woman who had ever tempted him to want something long term. “Just so you know, I’ve never done this before.”

Khalia pulled her head back slightly to look up into his face. “Done what? Cuddle afterward?”

“No,” he said on a laugh, then sobered. “Getting involved with the Principal on a job.”

“Oh.” She dropped her head back down. “Will this get you in trouble with Tom?”

“Dunno.” And he didn’t give a fuck if it did. Nothing on earth could have made him walk away from her tonight.

“I wasn’t planning on saying anything to him.”

“I’m pretty sure he knows already.” Hunter was betting that’s why Tom had just texted the flight details, rather than calling. It was his way of not condoning the relationship per se, but at least accepting it.

Khalia sighed softly and looped her arm around his ribs to stroke his back. Up, down, up, down, in a gentle, relaxing rhythm. He was supposed to be the one comforting her, and instead she was soothing him. He fumbled for something to say. Should he bring up what had happened in Pesh and let her talk it out, or act like it never happened?

“I’m glad you’re here with me right now,” she whispered against his skin. “I feel safe with you next to me.”

Ah, Jesus. Hunter closed his eyes as the knife twisted harder between his ribs. After tonight he wouldn’t be there to hold her in the dark when she had nightmares. And she would have them. By taking her to Pesh tonight he’d almost gotten her killed, and for what? They’d lost the cell
and
the hostage.

He nuzzled the top of her head, her damp curls catching on his stubble. “Good. Think you can sleep for a while now?” He hoped so, because she needed it. Plus it would spare them any more of this intense conversation he didn’t want to continue.

“Not sure. I’m tired, but I can’t stop thinking. Does that happen to you?”

“Yeah.” All the time.

“So how do you deal with it?”

“Depends on what’s causing it. With practice you learn to block most of it out.” He let his fingertips glide over the small of her back, exploring the delicate indent of her spine there.

She tipped her head back to rest her cheek against his shoulder. “Most of it,” she repeated slowly. “But not all of it.”

Shit.
He avoided her gaze in the dimness, fighting the urge to pull away. “No.”