Tactical Strike (11 page)

Instead, he trailed his skilled fingers over her labia, humming
in approval when he felt how wet she was. She was too turned on to be
embarrassed. Up and down he continued with that skimming touch, never attempting
to enter her, too far away from where she needed him so badly. Growing
impatient, Candace widened her thighs and leaned into his hand. He broke the
kiss and pulled back, and in the dimness she caught the slight grin on his lips.
Before she could snap at him to stop teasing her, he released her captive nipple
and turned her upper body around until she faced away from him once more.

He drew the hem of her shirt up and over her head then caught
her hands in his before she could touch him. He leaned in harder, pressing his
chest tight to her back as he guided her hands up and urged her upper body
forward. “Hold on tight,” he whispered against her ear, wrapping her fingers
around the top of the headboard.

She looked at him in question over her shoulder but was
distracted by the sight of him peeling off his own shirt. The drab olive cotton
rose up over his chest, laying bare all the ripped muscles of his torso.
Oh
.
My
.
God
.

His pecs and arms rippled in a delicious display of male power
as he tossed the garment negligently to the floor and looked at her with a sexy
smile. Then he came back to her, all those lean muscles pressed up against her
naked back, the fine hairs on his chest tickling her skin. She gasped at the
contact and reached out to touch him, but he caught her hand and nipped the heel
of it with his teeth.

“Hands on the headboard,” he admonished softly.

Swallowing, she twisted her head around. “But—”

“Better hold on tight, sweetheart.”

Her mouth went dry. What was he going to do to her?

With a wicked grin, Ryan hooked his fingers in her waistband
and tugged the shorts down over her hips. The cool wash of air over her naked
skin raised more goose bumps, but she didn’t protest. She’d never wanted
anything more in her life.

She lifted one knee and then the other as he slid the shorts
down her legs and over her feet. When she was completely naked, he palmed the
swells of her hips and squeezed gently. Rather than feel embarrassed over her
full figure, the reverent way he touched her made her feel beautiful, desirable.
His lips brushed the top of her shoulder, fingers wandering over her belly and
thighs toward her damp center. Candace closed her eyes and forced herself to
relax, letting the anticipation build higher with each calculated caress of his
very talented hands.

A fingertip grazed over the edge of her parted labia, right up
to her throbbing clit. She hissed in a breath and jerked when he nipped the
curve of her neck.

“I’m gonna go down on you.”

Oh
,
shit
. She barely had time for the thought to register before the
mattress shifted, and then he was smoothly sliding underneath her, raising one
of her legs to wedge himself between her open thighs. A wave of acute
embarrassment swept over her and she tried to snap her knees together. His
strong hands kept her balanced on her knees, poised above his face. “Ryan, I
don’t—”

“Shh.” He kissed the inside of her thigh and inhaled deeply,
bringing even more blood to her face. This was so much more intimate than she
was comfortable with—

She squeaked in surprise when he raised his head and placed a
tender, lingering kiss right against her flushed folds. Her knees wobbled. The
heat of his breath against her sensitive flesh made her tremble, and the first
delicate stroke of his tongue almost put her through the roof. She moaned in
helpless pleasure as he licked up the length of her sex and gently circled her
pulsing clit.

“Mmm, so soft,” he murmured against her, nuzzling deeper before
repeating the insanely erotic caress. He sounded like he was actually enjoying
it.

“Oh,
God
...”

His dark chuckle vibrated against her core a moment before he
began lapping at her pulsing bundle of nerves. Her fingers clutched the
headboard until they were bloodless while she struggled not to collapse on him.
The bristle on his face pricked the inside of her thighs, but his tongue was an
exquisitely soft, warm instrument of pleasure against her aroused flesh. A
thousand times better than in her hottest fantasies and a million times better
than her own fingers.

His hands moved from the inside of her thighs to her hips,
where he cradled her bottom and pulled her closer to his decadent mouth. Despite
her initial resistance she melted softer with each stroke of his tongue, the
pleasure rising clear and bright inside her. Then he pushed a finger into her
body and rubbed against a spot that made her whimper and arch back, desperate
for more. The building orgasm rushed toward her in a powerful surge, but as if
he sensed she was close to the edge, he stopped and withdrew his hand.

Candace gasped and let go of the headboard to fist one hand in
his thick hair, but he guided it back up into place and held it there in a
silent command before he released her and softly closed his lips around her
aching clitoris.

“
Ryan
.”

“Mm-hmm,” he answered, giving her more luscious, languorous
suction before sliding his fingers back into her. The pure unselfishness of his
loving rocked her.

Helpless under the onslaught of pleasure, her back curved like
a bow in the hands of a master archer. The sensation grew endlessly, burning
bright behind her closed lids. She was beyond any thought of modesty now. She
rocked her hips against his tongue, against his invading fingers.
Please
,
deeper
.
More
.

Ryan held her steady with one hand and gently twisted his
searching fingers, increasing the friction inside her. The orgasm that had been
hovering just out of reach suddenly magnified in intensity. After a few more
strokes she let her head drop back and gave herself over to the exquisite
sensations with a long moan of surrender and relief. Mindless pleasure tore
through her in powerful pulses that wracked every muscle, leaving her limp. And
when she at last settled back into her body she was clutching the headboard like
a lifeline and gasping for breath.

Gathering herself, she bent her head and looked down at him in
awe.

Ryan gazed back up at her with glittering, appreciative eyes,
the hunger in them at odds with the gentle hands cradling and kneading her hips.
“You’re so sexy,” he said in a low rumble.

Candace licked her lips and tried to think of something to say.
She wasn’t sexy, but he made her feel like she was. And she’d never dreamed he
would be so selfless in bed or that sex could feel like that. Itching to touch
him, she released the headboard and ran her unsteady fingers through the
luxurious softness of his hair. With a low purr, he closed his eyes and rubbed
against her hands. He looked so erotic like that, all that latent strength
spread out beneath her, hair tousled, lips shiny from her release. Her touch
trailed over his bristly cheeks and down his throat to the strong shoulders and
chest. She came up higher on her knees, trying to ignore the way her legs shook
as she scooted backward down to his waist.

He seemed content to let her pet him, remaining stretched out
for her sensual exploration. The crisp hairs on his chest tickled her palms, and
when she got to his abs, he arched his torso up for her touch in obvious
enjoyment. The uninhibited show of pleasure made her stomach flip. He was so
gorgeous, and for this stolen interlude, all hers.

Still straddling his waist, she gasped and tipped forward to
lean her palms against his chest when he reached down to undo his pants. He
stripped them off with a muscular twist of his body and held them in one hand.
Meeting his hot gaze, she let her hands wander behind her, over his taut lower
belly and thighs. He raised one hand to cradle her right breast, his expression
completely absorbed as he stroked a thumb over the puckered nipple. She sucked
in a quick breath and scooted back farther until she straddled his knees.

Ryan continued to fondle her breast as she got her first look
at the thick length of his erection straining against his lower abdomen. Her
body tightened in reflex at the thought of having him buried deep inside her.
Heart racing, she reached for him and started in surprise when he closed his
hand over hers and brought it to his mouth. His eyes smoldered up at her as he
nipped the base of her thumb before soothing the little sting with his tongue.
Holding her gaze, he lowered their joined hands and guided her to his rigid
flesh.

Staring into his eyes, her breath caught at the undiluted
hunger there. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and stroked, following
his lead, a bit taken aback by how firmly he liked to be handled. A little
thrill raced through her at the rough sound he made in the back of his throat as
she pleasured him. But after a few strokes, he stopped her and fished in his
pants pocket with his free hand, tearing the condom wrapper open with his teeth
before handing it to her. “Get me ready for you, sweetheart.”

Her pulse drummed in her throat as she smoothed the latex down
over the thick length of him. It surprised her that he was letting her have this
much control. Or at least the illusion of it. She couldn’t wait to feel him
filling her.

Strong hands closed around her hips. “Come here.”

He lifted her atop him with ease, all those glorious muscles
flexing, and she only had a moment to balance her weight with her hands on his
shoulders before she felt the head of his cock probing her entrance. Pushing up
higher on her knees, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and eased down on him
slightly. Ryan groaned and tightened his grip, lowering her onto him nice and
slow. The delicious stretching made her internal muscles ripple around him,
clenching and releasing with unexpected pleasure. She hadn’t thought it would
feel so good, especially since she’d already come, but her body still craved
more. Staring down into his shadowed eyes, she rocked experimentally, attempting
to be graceful and smooth despite the way her thighs quivered with fatigue from
being poised over his face earlier.

“God...so good...” Ryan surged up beneath her in a
heart-stopping motion and tipped his head back on a raw moan of pleasure.

The breath caught in her throat. Jesus, she was getting hotter
by the moment from just looking at his face while he moved in and out of her
body.

One of his hands slipped between her legs to caress her labia,
and when his fingers touched the edge of her clit, a shocked moan of enjoyment
boiled out of her. Ryan froze. She opened her eyes and looked down at him,
wondering why he’d stopped. He felt incredible inside her, the pleasure
increasing with every stroke.

His eyes gleamed, one side of his mouth curving in a satisfied
smile. “Can you go again?”

What? As in...come again? Fifteen minutes ago she’d have
laughed out loud at the thought of having sex with him, let alone the ridiculous
notion of having multiple orgasms. But now, with her body still hot and melting
for him, hell, maybe it was a possibility.

She stared down at him, her thighs shaking more noticeably now.
“I-I don’t know—”

A startled squeak escaped her when he suddenly lifted her off
him and swung around behind her. “What are you doing?”

He pulled the pillows from the head of the bed and tucked one
beneath her chest as he pushed her down with a firm hand on her upper back.
“Getting you comfortable.”

Before she could protest, her hot cheek touched the cool
pillowcase. He brushed her hair away from her face and leaned down to kiss her
temple as he moved in close and spread her thighs apart with his knees. She
tensed at first in objection to the submissive position but eventually gave in
and allowed him to place her as he wanted. He felt so good against her hips and
spine, hot and solid, sure in his movements. One big hand smoothed down her back
from shoulders to buttocks, almost a gesture of reassurance. Or maybe one of
possession.

His breath was warm against her jaw as he nuzzled her there.
“All right?”

She nodded and closed her eyes as a delicious lassitude spread
through her. Then his scalding erection brushed against her hip and she squirmed
in anticipation. Ryan moved in tight until his thighs cradled hers, then guided
himself into her body with a slow, firm stroke.

Yes
. She groaned in helpless
pleasure and widened her knees even more, surrendering to him completely. His
hands held her securely in place as he remained motionless, immobilizing her.
Forcing her to concentrate on the feel of him filling her. Every thick, hard
inch of him.

Firm lips brushed her temple and pressed a line of moist,
beguiling kisses down the side of her neck to her shoulder. She struggled to
hold back a moan.

“Go ahead, Ace.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear,
pausing to let his fingertips trail over the edge of her jaw. “Take me.”

The seductive whisper held the edge of a taunt and sent a
shiver racing over her skin. The submissive position should have made her feel
weak and vulnerable, but it didn’t. Just the opposite. She’d never felt so
sexual, so powerful before. And the angle. My God, the friction was incredible
as she leaned back and took him deeper inside, her body gliding sweet and slow
over the length of him. Her fingers curled into the bedding, every sense focused
on the devastating pleasure he gave her. When one of his hands traveled up to
play with her hardened nipple, she let out a feral growl and pushed backward,
sharply, impaling herself on his rigid cock.

“Christ,” he moaned, squeezing her nipple. “Mmm, do that
again.”

Then his other hand circled her hips to stroke those talented
fingertips between her open thighs, and she thought she’d die from the sheer
bliss of it. The banked fire inside her suddenly burst into flame, creating an
unquenchable need.