by Maya Banks
He kissed her temple, her cheek, the side of her head, and then he touched his lips to the side of her neck and nibbled at her ear.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
“So are you,” she whispered next to his ear.
He slid his arms underneath her, gathering her closely against him. Her breasts molded to his hard chest, their bodies entwined, her cradled in his arms. His hips rose as he withdrew and then he drove inward again, his body going flat against hers.
He held her several long moments, silent as his body drove into hers. Then his hold around her tightened and he rolled, carrying her with him. She gasped in surprise when she landed atop him, arms and legs sprawled.
She righted herself and planted her palms against his chest. She wiggled her hips experimentally and was rewarded by a strangled gasp from Steele and his grip tightened at her waist.
“Now this I’ve definitely fantasized about,” Steele murmured. “Number three on my top ten. You on top, riding me hard.”
“I’ll do my best to make the real thing better than fantasy,” she said cheekily.
Steele let out a grunt. “Already there, babe. Fantasy has nothing on the real thing. My imagination is good, but not this good.”
She grinned and leaned down to kiss him, letting her breasts brush over his chest. Her nipples instantly hardened, and it felt so good that she did it again, rubbing the tips over his hair-matted chest.
She began slow, rotating and wiggling just enough to cause a hitch in his breath. Then she leaned forward and lifted her hips so he began to slide out of her. When she was barely clutching the tip of his cock, she glided back down, taking him whole.
It was heady having so much control over such an intimidating man. He was completely at her mercy.
Realizing he hadn’t yet used his mouth on her breasts—and it was something she was looking forward to a lot—she leaned into him, offering her nipple. It brushed tantalizingly over his lips and when his tongue shot out and rolled roughly over the sensitive peak, she gasped.
She offered him her other nipple and stilled so he could fasten his lips around it. He sucked strongly, licking over the tip as he held it between his teeth.
She began to tremble and realized he’d been right about her having multiple orgasms. She wouldn’t have thought it possible to recover that quickly after such an earth-shattering release, but already she was fast climbing up that ledge all over again.
“Please,” she whispered. “I want your mouth on me when I come.”
He reached up and palmed one of her breasts, molding it in his hands as he sucked the nipple into his mouth.
She moaned again, arching into him.
“I can’t last a minute longer, Maren,” Steele warned as he tongued her nipple.
She lowered her head until her hair streamed down over them both. “Come with me, then. Let’s go together. I’m so close.”
Even as she spoke, she writhed restlessly atop him, her body on fire. She needed relief. She itched, burned, from the inside out.
He clamped his hands over her ass, squeezing and molding the cheeks with his hands as she rode him. He powered his hips upward, driving into her, so she wasn’t doing it all on her own. Then he reached one hand up and delved into her hair, twisting the strands around his fingers until his fist rested against her scalp. Then he yanked her downward to claim her mouth and kissed her until they were both gasping for breath.
“Help me,” she pleaded.
Her strength was fast giving out. She wanted nothing more than to sprawl onto his chest and stay there for the rest of their time together. But then neither one of them would get off.
“My pleasure,” he murmured.
He wrapped his arms around her and rolled until he was atop her once more. He stayed firmly embedded inside her and when she landed on her back, he went even deeper. She moaned raggedly and let out a satisfied sound that made Steele tighten all over.
“You make me crazy,” he said against her lips. “You feel better than I could have ever imagined. Taste so sweet. So hot and wild. Silky soft in all the right places. You’re beautiful, Maren. Don’t ever doubt that.”
She hitched her legs higher up his back and spread herself wider so she could take him even deeper. She felt wild and insatiable. It was fiercely satisfying. Bold. Wanton. She gloried in her newfound confidence. But there was something about seeing the desire in Steele’s eyes and hearing from his own lips that he found her beautiful that was a huge ego booster.
He began to move faster and harder, his hips slapping the backs of her legs. Her entire body shook with the force of his movements. His gaze connected to hers and his blue eyes glittered in the low light of her bedroom lamp.
“Come with me this time,” she whispered. “I’m almost there.”
He groaned loud. “God, I’m there too. Can’t hold on another second.”
With a muffled shout, he surged deeply within her again and his entire body shook and spasmed against her. His hips twitched powerfully and his arms slid underneath her back, like steel bands around her, holding her tightly to his muscled frame.
Her orgasm was violent. Shattering around her like glass on concrete. It was almost too intense for her to bear. It bordered on pain and then it was the most pleasurable sensation she’d ever experienced.
She lost focus. Couldn’t see. She could only feel. And hear the sounds of a satisfied male just inches away, pressed into her body.
She inhaled sharply, savoring the scent of sex and musk and male sweat. Then she kissed and licked his shoulder and then nibbled her way to his neck. He tasted wonderful. Everything about him was sexy. His scent, his taste and the way he felt against her. Inside her.
He was still pulsing within her, his hips still moving, slower than before, but each movement over her sensitized tissues elicited a tiny spasm that quivered through her belly.
He found her mouth again and kissed her roughly, not as gently as before. His breath was ragged and each breath blew hotly into her mouth.
He let out one last groan and then went still inside her. His hips were pressed solidly to hers, arms wrapped around her, holding her against him. He lowered his forehead to rest on hers and nibbled delicately at the corner of her mouth before peppering kisses over the bow of her lips.
“Fantasy had nothing on the real thing,” he said in a lazy drawl.
He sounded like a completely satisfied male. His eyes gleamed in triumph. Then he grimaced and regret shadowed those formerly satisfied eyes.
“Need to get rid of the condom,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
As if she were going anywhere.
She lay sprawled on the bed, her entire body humming in satisfaction. She was deliciously drowsy but she didn’t want to fall asleep because then her night would be over. They still had a few hours yet and she wanted to make the most of them.
She watched as Steele rose from the bed, enjoying the view of such a perfect male specimen in the nude. His muscles rippled as he turned to dispose of the condom. He was still hard, even after his release. And so beautiful he made her teeth ache.
When he turned farther, she caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his left shoulder. She hadn’t noticed it before. She’d been too focused on everything else. Now, curious, she leaned forward, straining to see in the dim light.
He turned back after tossing the condom and cocked his head to the side.
“What’s up?”
“Your tattoo,” she said in a low voice. “I was looking at it. Didn’t know you had one.”
He paused but then nodded. “Yeah.”
When he didn’t say anything further, she sat up, trying to get a better look.
“Can I see?”
He sat on the edge of the bed and then turned so she’d get a better view.
She stared in earnest, absorbing the intricate pattern. A dove with wings outstretched as if landing, talons extended and curled around a blazing arrow. Clutched in the
beak was a long-stemmed rose, and a single teardrop was falling from the eye of the dove.
Below the blazing arrow were two words. Never forget.
She reached her finger out to trace the edges of the design. There was something remarkably sad and tragic about the tattoo. A knot formed in her throat and she glanced up to check his reaction.
“What does it mean?”
He was quiet for a long moment, his gaze fixed on a distant focal point in the room.
“Just something I don’t want to ever forget,” he said quietly.
Sensing the subject was a sore one and also closed, she let it go. Instead she knelt up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She pressed her cheek to the top of his head and held him tightly.
He reached for one of her hands and pulled it to his mouth, kissing the inside of her palm.
“Like being here with you,” he rumbled. “It’s nice. The quiet. You wrapped around me. Me being able to touch and smell you. Never thought it would happen.”
“All you had to do was ask,” she said against his head.
His body shook with silent laughter. “I was convinced if you had any clue how lascivious my thoughts were that you’d have my balls. And since you’re usually in a position of power patching up our wounds, I really didn’t want to piss you off.”
She smiled. “So tell me, Mr. Badass, we’ve got a few hours until you pull out. What are we going to do with them?”
He swiveled in her hold, wrapping his arms around her as he dragged her onto his lap. He molded his mouth to hers and thrust his tongue past her lips, delving deep.
“I promised you multiple orgasms,” he said against her mouth.
“Mmmm, so you did.”
“I’m a man of my word. I never go back on my word.”
“I can see that.”
“Then know you’re going to have many more orgasms.”
“God, I hope so.”
He chuckled and kissed her again. “I like your enthusiasm.”
“Know what I want?” she asked.
“What’s that?”
She leaned in until her lips brushed over his ear. “I want to taste you. You may have fantasized about how I taste, but I’ve had just as many fantasies about having your cock in my mouth and making you wild for me.”
His entire body went rigid. He stiffened, his grip on her almost painful.
“I didn’t think I could get any harder,” he muttered. “Jesus, Maren. If you had any idea how long I’ve wanted my dick in your mouth.”
She grinned. “Does that mean I get to fulfill my fantasy?”
“Oh hell yeah,” he breathed. “I’m all yours. Do with me whatever you want.”
CHAPTER 6
MAREN was awake the moment Steele slid from the bed. One minute she was snuggled deeply into his arms, her head resting against his shoulder, and the next she was wide awake as he slipped away.
Her heart was heavy with regret. She so wanted to hold on to this moment forever. She didn’t want it to end. She’d savored every single minute with him, but now he was preparing to leave, and things would go back to the way they’d been before.
She would barely exist in his world. She would return to being ignored. No words and definitely none of those earth-shattering smiles she’d enjoyed for the past several hours.
“Steele?” she whispered.
She’d sworn to herself that she wouldn’t say a word when it was time for him to go. She’d sworn she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. Wouldn’t humiliate herself or make herself vulnerable. That hadn’t lasted long at all.
He turned just as he finished pulling his pants on. He walked to the edge of the bed and sat sideways, pulling up one leg so he faced her.
“You heading out?” she asked in a low voice.
Regret flashed in his eyes. Maybe he was as reluctant as she was to end their time together. She would keep that thought, even if it made her delusional.
“Yeah,” he said just as quietly. “Time to meet the team and get the girl home.”
“Be careful,” she said lightly.
“Always.”
To her shock, he leaned forward and kissed her long and leisurely. It was a slow, sensual kiss. Nothing like the heated, breathless kisses of the hours before. It was a sweet kiss, a gesture that showed tenderness and regard.
Her heart seized and a knot formed in her throat.
Damn it, she was not going to make an idiot of herself by getting all emotional. They’d had one night of sex, for God’s sake. It wasn’t like he’d put a ring on her finger and proposed. Or like he’d professed his undying love for her.
He’d been very clear that he was having sex with her to get her out of his system. It didn’t get less romantic than that.
“Take care of yourself, Maren,” he said.
“Always,” she said, echoing his cocky response.
He touched her cheek and then rose as she pulled the sheets higher up her body. He looked down at her a long moment and then his lips firmed, almost as if he were resolving to leave. Then he turned and strode out of her bedroom. In the distance she heard her door open and close and then silence descended until she could hear every creak, every little noise outside her windows.
She closed her eyes and rolled into the space Steele had occupied. It was still warm from his body heat. It still smelled of him. She buried her face in the pillow where he’d rested his head and inhaled deeply.
It had been the best and worst night of her life.
The best in that she’d never had sex with a man who equaled Steele. She never would.
The worst in that it only clearly outlined everything she’d never have.
Sometimes it was better not to ever live the fantasy. Because when reality descended, it outlined in stark detail just how much the real world sucked. The whole adage about how it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?
Complete BS.
In this regard, it was likely far better to have never had scorching-the-sheets sex with Steele than to have had it, tasted it and know she’d never have it again.
She closed her eyes, knowing she really needed to get up, shower and head to the clinic. The locals would be stirring and waiting for her to open. She faced another day just like all the other days. Illness, broken bones, minor injuries, checkups and cuts and wounds to stitch.
Another day in paradise.
The problem with that was that she’d spent the night in paradise. Now she faced the drudgery of her normal life. And now that she’d had a taste of utter perfection, the reality waiting for her was depressing as hell.
CHAPTER 7
THE KGI teams, all three of them, gathered in the war room of the Kelly compound for the post-mission report. Now that Christina Westlake had been delivered safely to her family and his own team had gotten the care they needed, Sam had called a meeting to get the rundown on the clusterfuck that was the extrication of Christina Westlake from the hands of Matteo Garza. Ten days had passed, but the mission still occupied Steele’s thoughts, and not because it hadn’t gone exactly as planned. It had everything to do with Maren and the unforgettable night they’d spent together.
Using that night to get her out of his system? Hell, she was further under his skin than ever. He couldn’t sleep, because she was there as soon as he closed his eyes. Her scent, the way she’d felt against him. The way it had felt when he’d slid into the tight clasp of her body.
He shook off thoughts of her—she was more of a distraction than ever—and took in the other occupants of the room. He surveyed the newest team with a keen eye. He had a lot invested in them. He’d been responsible for the majority of their training while his team had been on “administrative leave” for several months.
They were good. They had a long way to go, but they were led by the youngest of the Kelly brothers, Joe and Nathan. Twins who’d served in the army until recently. Both had been discharged under less-than-ideal conditions. Joe had been inj
ured but had returned home to heal. Nathan, however, had been kept a prisoner and tortured for months. His journey home had taken much longer and had come about in a highly unorthodox—and unbelievable—manner. Shea—now his wife—was a telepathic empath who’d reached out to him in his darkest hour and had saved him. Literally.
It was still hard for Steele to wrap his head around, but he’d witnessed the extraordinary abilities of Shea firsthand. He knew it wasn’t bullshit. Just as he’d witnessed her sister Grace’s amazing healing abilities.
The Kellys attracted all kinds, but they were good people. The very best. Steele wouldn’t work for them otherwise.
He stared at the two newest recruits, Skylar Watkins and Zane “Edge” Edgerton. They, along with Nathan and Joe Kelly and Swanson, or “Swanny” as he was called, all made up the third KGI team.
Steele led his team, and the other team belonged to Rio. It was an adjustment to have another team that shared missions with them. Steele wasn’t altogether sure he liked it. True, KGI was now able to take more missions than before, now that they had the extra team, but Steele was reserving judgment until he knew how much the new team was going to infringe on his team’s action.
Steele didn’t have a family to spend down time with. He had no wife. No loved ones. When he wasn’t on a mission, he retreated to his farmhouse. Until P.J. and Cole had hooked up, his team hadn’t had outside emotional ties either. They spent time with family, but for the most part, the team was their family. It was what made them perfect for the team. Their first loyalty was to KGI and to one another. Having no emotional baggage enabled them to give one hundred percent to their clients.
Already Steele sensed a deep thread of camaraderie within the new team. They were close knit. They’d trained together sixteen hours a day in the beginning. By the end, they were spending every hour of every day together. Steele firmly believed in the mantra Live and die by the team. It was something he had pounded into every one of his team members and a philosophy he’d tried to enforce on the new team as well. By the looks of it, he’d at least been partly successful.