The Soldier's Baby Surprise (For the Baby's Sake, Book 1) (3 page)

              That statement killed the desire currently raging through her. “Excuse me?”

              “Your friend is clearly the sort that is protective. While we don’t have to go into details, I don’t want her worried when we walk out of here together.”

              She tilted her head to the side, wondering how the heck he’d figured all that out in the short time they’d been in each other’s presence.

              “Okay. But first I want you to do something for me.”

              “Anything.”

              “Kiss me.”

              Chase didn’t need any more encouragement. He lowered his head just enough to catch her bottom lip lightly between his teeth. Her breath shuddered out, and a sharp stab of desire raced through her body.

              He sampled her lips slowly, as if he wanted to savor everything. Still, it was his taste—surprisingly yeasty from his beer with just a hint of sweetness that shocked her most. His texture—smooth. The movement of his tongue against hers—silken heat.

              He made a sound, a vibration that shot fire straight to her core. Then she trembled.

              More. She needed more. But this wasn’t the place or time. However, her brain shut down as he slid his hands up her long, narrow torso, the sides of her breasts, then around to her back. One inch at a time, he drew her closer until their bodies finally met, melded.

              When she trembled for the second time, he deepened the angle of the kiss.

              Willow was drowning in a flood of sensations, of longing, of need. Her breath had stalled in her lungs, and she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t want to.

              She thought she’d been prepared for this kiss. She’d hardly thought of anything else since the moment they’d met. But there’d been no way to anticipate something she’d never experienced before. How could she have known what it was like to have his tongue play with hers? To have those hands run over her, teasing, tormenting, tempting, taking?

              And the hunger. She’d never felt anything so huge. She’d never known she could. She had to get closer. She wanted nothing more than to crawl inside him.

              Then suddenly, his hands were framing her face very gently and his mouth was no longer on hers. She felt the sudden coolness of the air in the bar between them. Desperate, she ran her tongue over her lips to recapture his taste. Then she opened her eyes and discovered that she couldn’t quite focus yet.

              Once she had, he looked just as shell-shocked as she felt. When he spoke, his voice was even deeper than the already husky tone that sent tingles down her spine.

              “Your place or mine?”

Chapter Four

             
Willow was so nervous it amazed her that she didn’t drop her keys as she removed them from her purse. After a brief stop by the booth to tell Geneva that they were leaving they’d headed for her apartment. It wasn’t before her best friend issued an outright threat of instantaneous death if Chase did anything to hurt her. Fortunately he seemed to take it all in stride and she could see his respect for Geneva in his expression. 

              A few moments later, they were inside her apartment. She turned on the lamp in the living room, before sitting her purse on the end table.

              “Would you like something to drink?” she asked.

              “Water would be fine.”

              She led the way to the kitchen, doing her best to relax as she contemplated what was getting ready to happen. It had been three months since she’d gone on a date, even longer since she’d been intimate with someone. She wasn’t opposed to dating; it was just that her last relationship had gone so wrong; she wasn’t too enthusiastic about putting herself out there again. At this point she still wasn’t quite certain that’s what she was doing now. What she felt for Chase was nothing but pure unadulterated lust. It couldn’t be anything else. She wouldn’t allow it to be.

              As she walked over to the refrigerator, she tried to get her emotions under control. She had to be as levelheaded as she could about this. Something told her that was going to be extremely difficult to do. 

              She grabbed two bottles of water, before turning to face Chase. He stood a few feet from her; legs shoulder length apart, with his hands tucked into his pockets. His intense blue-eyed gaze did something to her on a primal level. It was as if he could read her every thought.

              “Are you having second thoughts?”

              She gave a slight shake of her head. “Just trying not to overthink things.”

              “In what way?”

              “I’m reminding myself that this is only for one night.”

              He removed his hands from his pockets and started toward her. “Tell you what, how about we just focus on the here and now. We’ll worry about the rest later.”

              She rested against the counter as he stopped right in front of her. He was so tall she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. He had to be a few inches over six feet. Compared to her own five foot nine inches, he made her feel feminine. They were probably going to fit well together.

              “Do we have a deal?”

              She blinked when spoke. Then she remembered what he’d suggested. She was more than game to try to forget about everything else outside this moment, but she needed a distraction.

              “We do, but I think we should seal it with a kiss,” she murmured.

              Before she could say anything else, he slid his hands into her hair. She closed her eyes as he brought his mouth down on hers, like a man on death row being offered his last meal.

              Sweet mercy.

              Willow’s eyes flew wide open, rendered completely speechless by Chase's unexpected, all-out fiery assault on her mouth.

             
Oh, God he had an incredible mouth.

              Willow returned his assault with equal fervor, pulling at his firm lips, nipping at his tongue, and delving her own tongue deep into his mouth. She felt like a hungry child who had been denied a piece of candy then found it waiting for her on her pillow. Her lips molded so perfectly against his that she thought for a ridiculous moment that they had been made to kiss his. Far from the awkwardness usually experienced during first kisses, this one shot way beyond fumbled positioning, teeth knocking and tongue sparring. They shared something that made her thighs quiver. It was almost as if she'd been kissing him all of her life. Well, maybe not all of her life, but certainly a lot longer than half a minute. She thought she wouldn't be able to get enough of him even if she took a deep breath and inhaled him whole.

              She curled her fingers in his shirt. She felt as if the heat of his hand was burning through the material of her pants as he touched her thigh and whimpered. She tugged him closer, his hand skimming over her flesh, setting nerve endings aflame in its wake. He curved his fingers over her jeans-covered bottom and gave a squeeze so torturously possessive she shuddered. As she tugged, he pulled, bringing her softness against his hard arousal. Willow's breathing grew so ragged she was afraid there wasn't enough air in the room to satisfy her need for the necessary element. She moved her hands around to his butt, then shoved her hands deep into his back packets and squeezed his tight rear end, wanting to feel him even closer.

              He tugged his mouth from hers and trailed a hot, wet path to her ear. "God, I've been itching to touch you like this since I saw you across the bar."

              His words sent a shiver skittering along the surface of her skin, leaving her tiny hairs standing on end. Reaching around to the front of his shirt, she tugged on the hem of his shirt, bunching the soft fabric in her hands and shoved it up as she slid down. With fingers she couldn't seem to move fast enough, she popped the snap to his pants and drew the zipper down, immensely satisfied with his quick indrawn breath. His hands tightened in her hair, apparently torn between wanting to push her away and yank her closer but settling for just touching her.

              A tug on the open material and his erection sprang free from both his pants and briefs. She sighed in appreciation.              He groaned and before she could get a chance to tease what she’d uncovered he pulled her back to her feet with one hand, tugged his briefs back up with his other. “Do that and I'll finish before we even get a chance to begin…”

              Then his mouth was on hers again and all thought of protest instantly scattered to the corners of her mind. He slid his hands between their bodies and began fumbling with the button and zipper on her jeans. When he indicated for her to take her heels off, she slipped her feet out of them. She emitted a startled cry as he shoved her pants down before lifting her up onto the counter.

              When he went to step between her legs, she spread them eagerly, allowing room for him between them. When the hard length of him nestled against her swollen folds through her panties, she nearly cried out in exquisite longing.

              She'd hoped the sexy soldier would be good, but for God's sake, they hadn't really even done anything yet and she was a tongue flick away from orgasm. He bent to her right breast, forcing her to put her hands back against the counter behind her. Her fingers touched something and she glanced to see that it was a dishtowel. She pushed it out of the way, arching her back as he fastened his mouth over her hardened nipple right through the material of her shirt and bra.

             
Dear God…

              Her womb contracted so violently she nearly catapulted from the counter. Sensing her crisis, Chase ground against her, his hold tightening, his mouth breathing hot air through her shirt and onto her damp nipple. Willow heard a low, gut-tightening moan fill the room and realized only distantly that it was her own as she succumbed to the delicious, erotic, shivers racking her body.

              Chase pulled his mouth from her breast and rested his head against her shoulder. “If I don't take you now, Willow, I swear I'm going to burst.”

              She began impatiently pushing his pants out of the way. "So do it."

              He seemed even more eager than her as his hands joined hers. A few moments later his jeans and briefs were around his ankles. Then he went to work on her panties. Yanking them off, he tossed them over his shoulder. She lost track of where they landed when his intense blue gaze locked onto her again.

              “Are you sure you want this?”

              “I’m positive,” she stated, as she slid her legs around his waist, pulling him tightly against her. "Now…where were we?"

              She slanted her mouth against his, feeling completely in control when, after a brief pause, he groaned and kissed her back with twice the intensity he had earlier.

              He moved closer and finally he was cradled between her legs, his hot, throbbing, erection sandwiched between her slick, swollen flesh. The coolness of the tile under her bottom, and his heat between her legs, snatched away her breath. When he fit the tip of his arousal into her, she was certain she'd never be able to breathe again.

              After the mad upward spiral of her desire only moments before, she thought herself more than ready for him. But the hesitant stretching of her muscles told her it was better if they took it slow.

              He slid in to the hilt, filling her in one long slow stroke, making her shiver. Then he stiffened.

              “Oh, shit!”

              She jerked at the harshness of his tone. “What is it?”

              When he didn’t answer, she looked up at his face to find a tortured expression on his face. “Don’t move.”

              She ignored his advice and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Assuming what his dilemma might be, she tried to reassure him.

              “It’s okay, if you—”

              “I’m not wearing anything,” he uttered harshly.

              Confusion filled her already muddled brain.

              “What?”

              “Protection,” he mumbled. “I don’t have a condom on.”

              As his words penetrated her brain, it was her turn to become rigid. “
What?
”

              She went to move and he shook his head. “Be still. I’m hanging on by a thread here.”

              Several heartbeats later, he slowly withdrew. She stifled a whimper at the sensation of loss. When he lifted his head, she saw the regret there.

              “I’m sorry. I’ve never done that before. I was just tested three weeks ago and I haven’t been with anyone in months. No issues there.”

              She gave a brief nod. “I was tested twice after my last relationship because I found out he was cheating. Even though we always used protection, I just wanted to be sure. I haven’t been with anyone since. I’m clean.”

              “Good,” he murmured as he moved away from her. She watched as he reached for his pants and came out with his wallet.

              Within seconds, he had protection on and he came back to her. Once again, he filled her with one smooth stroke. An out-of-this-world pleasure-filled sensation swamped her. She could no longer hold herself upright. She leaned back onto her hands as she tightened her legs around his waist, bracing her hips for his next delicious stroke. Then his next.

              Every cell of Willow's body felt brilliantly, vividly alive. The tiny hairs on her arms and at the back of her neck stood on end. Her legs ached and her muscles contracted, trying to pull him in further even as he withdrew to thrust into her again. She moved her hips to grind against him, barely aware of him throwing his head back and groaning at the unexpected move. Then he snapped upright, a needy expression contorting his handsome face. A look of determination took over his features as he grasped her hips and thrust into her harder…faster, chasing every coherent thought from Willow's mind. Driving her insane with desire.

              With skillful, knowing strokes he turned her body to liquid, her mind to mush, and pushed her to the very edge of ecstasy. The pressure and tension spiraled to an exquisite pitch, and then she was falling, crying out, and shuddering as pure, carnal pleasure shook her to the very core of her being.

              Her breath came in rapid gasps as she floated back down from the intense high. She felt him tense, sensing him on the verge of climax. She tilted her hips more, taking him deeper, biting hard on her bottom lip as his fingers bit into the flesh of her thighs. She couldn't help noticing how magnificent it was, to view a man as attractive as Chase in the throes of pleasure. His entire body taut, the veins in his neck stood out in stark release, his teeth were clenched tightly together as he gave himself over to emotions he had no control over.

              Finally he collapsed, lowering his head until his temple was against hers, his arms shaking as he placed his hands against the counter mere millimeters away from hers, his thumbs covering hers.

              She swallowed hard, fighting to catch her breath. Amazingly, she could still feel him filling her. Completely erect. She was just about to shimmy her hips, to let him know she was up for more if he was, when he slowly withdrew from her.

              “That was not how I meant for that to happen.”