Seven
sat at the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, head in his hands.
“You’re fucking losing it,” he muttered.
Why had he torn out of Nangarhar like that? They hadn’t been scheduled to leave for another hour, but the second he realized Caitlin wasn’t where she was supposed to be, he’d gone apeshit. On the surface, he’d come across as a stern asshole because years in special ops honed him to function in the worst of situations. But on the inside? He’d freaked out. He knew she wouldn’t have had time to go far. He knew his guys had eyes on her, too. He’d gotten to her side within forty seconds of losing her.
A litany of cuss words ghosted out of his mouth. He’d lost her. It had been short, and she’d been okay, but he’d still lost her. Owen knew it happened all the time. Hell, it had happened to him before. Difference was, those times, he’d lectured whoever it had been for disobeying orders and continued on. Today? He’d had this insane need to get her the hell out of Dodge.
But oh, that wasn’t the end of his stupidity. When that slimy Lorenzo made yet another pass at her, Owen couldn’t sit there and listen. She’d turned him down already, but the dude wouldn’t take no for an answer. The man lacked any skills when it came to reading women, and Owen had been about two seconds away from giving Lightweight a personal lesson.
A door slammed, and he rose. Was she going to try to sneak away? They were on a base for Christ’s sake. He grabbed the shirt he’d discarded and took a step toward the door, but it flew open before he reached it.
He almost winced at the anger rolling off her. Damn, but if she wasn’t the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Even angry. There was just something about this woman.
And he hated himself for thinking of her like that. Yes, he was a straight, virile man, but he was also a special operator in the military who knew how to keep his dick in his pants, even if his cock refused his orders, too.
“I got your favor right here.”
She yanked her arm back and swung in his direction. He didn’t see what she had in her hand, but he deflected whatever it was she threw at him. She yelled as she charged. Pissed off women weren’t part of his combat training, but his skills kicked in anyway. He grabbed her arm and spun her around, holding her by her midsection against his body. She kicked out, her foot connecting with the door, making it slam so hard the walls shook. She gasped out in sound of pain, and he barely had time to notice her shoes were off because the infuriated woman had managed to gain enough force when she connected with the door that he lost his footing. Owen tripped over his boots, and he landed on his back on the bed, still holding her to him. She flailed, but he refused to lessen his grip.
“Caitlin.”
“I hate you!”
All right, then. He twisted to his side and managed to turn her so that her back was on the mattress, and he rolled on top of her. He grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head.
She growled, and he slapped his halfway free hand over her mouth. It wasn’t really the best position to be in, her beneath him, writhing, but damn. What choice did he have? “Would you calm down?” he said through his teeth. Her movements were making him stir until he became excruciatingly hard.
She slowed, but her breath sawed in and out of her body, forcing her breasts to mash against him. Jesus, he did not need to be thinking about her body when she was pinned beneath him.
On a bed.
While he lost yet another battle with his wayward dick.
After several agonizing seconds, she completely relaxed, and he chanced moving his hand. When she didn’t scream, he pulled it away to prop himself up a little higher, creating some space between their heaving bodies. Though his hadn’t been because of exertion.
At least not yet.
No. He had to focus here. He looked to the side, willing his mind to work, and saw the object she’d hurled at him.
“If you get this pissed when you run out of ink, I’d hate to see how you handle road rage.”
She glared wordlessly.
“When I told you it was a weapon, I didn’t think you’d try using it on me.”
Still nothing. And he was glad her hands were secured far away from his gun.
He sighed, dropping his forehead on top of hers, losing the hardest battle of his life—resisting her. “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “I was jerk.”
The seconds ticked by, and somehow, he found himself closer to her. He was strong enough to hold himself up, but the strength currently in control wasn’t led by his external abilities, overriding the power in his arms. And he’d quickly learned that he had no mental or emotional control when it came to this woman. It was some other force within calling the shots.
“You’ve been a jerk since I got here,” she said, but there wasn’t any fire in her words.
He had his eyes closed. A last ditch effort to put some distance between them. He knew if he opened them now, he would be a goner.
“You drive me insane, baby.”
Her breath bathed his face, and his mouth dropped closer to inhale the luscious scent that was her. All her. He shouldn’t be doing this. He should not be holding her down on his bed. He knew this. He fucking knew this.
He couldn’t move away. Every time he shifted, thinking he was creating space, he was drawing nearer to her.
“Owen,” she breathed. His name leaving her mouth caused her lips to brush against his. That was how close they’d gotten.
And it wasn’t close enough.
On a strangled groan, he slammed his mouth over hers, his tongue diving in to the hot cavern of her sweet, sweet mouth.
Her moan vibrated against his chest before it reached his ears, and the sensations of feeling her acquiescence in addition to hearing it? It wasn’t dropping a flame onto gasoline. It was a bomb detonating, obliterating his senses and fueling him to take her, claim her, mark her. A feeling unlike any other he’d ever experienced before. And he’d had his fair share of women. But not like this.
Never like this.
Unable to stop his actions, Owen rolled over her fully and thrust his jeans-clad cock between her thighs. Without stopping his assault on her mouth, he released her wrists and grabbed both hands into his, lacing their fingers together, still holding them above her head. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was dry-humping her like some horny teenager waiting for the green light to go further, and he was far from that. But to move away and remove her clothes meant to stop touching her.
He couldn’t. Not yet.
So he kissed her, fucked her mouth with his tongue, as he slammed his aching cock against her over and over. If he kept this up, he’d explode in his pants, but he couldn’t find that thing in his brain that made him care. He’d resisted this woman for days, hadn’t been able to think clearly when she was around him. And now was no different. Still no reason. There was no finesse, no gentle kissing or caressing, gently encouraging her to give herself to him. He was a powerhouse that had been pushed beyond all sanity, reduced to carnal instincts. If he shifted, she could move or someone could swoop in and take her from him, and his animalistic need to keep her pinned for his pleasure blocked out all rational thought.
It wasn’t until she tugged on her arms that he pushed through the lusty fog and released her hands. Still not waiting to move away, he gipped the sides of her face the moment his palms were available as he continued to plunder her mouth. Her hands were free, so if she pushed him away now, he’d muster all his strength to rear back and away from her. It’d kill him, but he’d do it if she wanted.
He needn’t worry about that. Caitlin’s legs wrapped around him, and she thrust up as he plowed against her, her hands grasping at his bare back. That skin on skin contact, no barrier between, felt so good he had to have more, the desire finally stronger than the need to stay where he’d been the last several minutes.
His lips trailed down her throat as he pulled down the strap of her tank top, his mouth following the path he forged as he wrenched it and her bra low enough to expose a breast. He wasted no time claiming her nipple, laving and sucking it as if couldn’t get enough, and when it wasn’t enough, he shoved his hand under her and pulled her tighter against him as he devoured her.
And still he needed more.
The incoherent sounds coming from her as he feasted on her body drove him mad. Owen grabbed the other strap with his free hand and yanked it down to free her other breast. He heard material rip, and instead of cooling his ardor, the sound threw him into a frenzy of passion. He delved to the newly exposed nipple and ravished it as he shoved his hands between them and unfastened her pants. With only enough patience to unzip until he had enough room, he slipped his hand underneath her partially unzipped pants and into her panties.
The moment his finger slipped between her wet folds, she gasped and breathed out, “Yesss.”
He lifted up then, finally able to pull his mouth off her to look down at the beautiful, flushed creature below him. He panted, his finger exploring slowly. When he dipped it inside her, his head bowed, overcome with momentary weakness at how drenched she was for him. He did this to her, the knowledge a heady punch. Then he grazed her clit, and Caitlin’s knees slammed against his thighs as if she was trying to close her legs. The action had been involuntary, the confusion of pleasure controlling her limbs, he knew. But he was cocky enough to revel in the knowledge that his powerful legs between hers held her open to him no matter how her body instinctively reacted.
She clutched the arm he used to brace himself over her. Her other hand gripped his shoulder, her nails digging into his flesh. He didn’t know if she warred with herself to push him away or pull him closer, but the bite of pain she dealt him only fueled him. If she wanted to stop, he would. There was no doubt he’d respect her wishes no matter what, but no way in hell was he going to make it easy for her to deny what was happening. He moved his finger over her clit, light and fast. Her thighs kept flexing as her knees squeezed against his outer legs repeatedly, and still he watched her eyes.
Until they rolled back in her head.
He slowed his caress of her most sensitive spot, determined to drag out her orgasm. Because she was about to, he could see it in the way her skin darkened, her breaths growing shallow, her hips flexing toward him, and there was nothing he wanted in life more than to watch this woman come apart.
“Don’t stop,” she breathed, and grabbed his chest with both hands, her nails digging into his pecks.
For the first time since landing on his bed with her, he found his voice. “Never.” But he didn’t increase his tempo, his movements almost languid as he watched her.
“Faster,” she begged. Not only had he considered not giving her what she asked, he almost ventured away and into her pussy to prolong it even more, but then she said, “Please, Owen. Please.” Power surged in him at how desperate she was for him, and he knew then no matter what he wanted, he couldn’t deny her anything. His finger sped, moving faster over her clit as he bent closer to her, ignoring the pain of her fingernails. He wanted to be as close to her body as he could when she flew.
“Oh, God.”
“Give it to me, Caitlin. C’mon, baby.” His forehead dropped to hers, sweat slipping from his temple onto her. His whole hand vibrated inside her panties as his middle finger ghosted over her clit with lightning speed.
She convulsed and sucked in all the air around them. Owen’s mouth slammed down on top of hers, capturing her scream. Her hands fisted in his hair, her hips pumping as she rode the high, and he was so close to coming just by feeling and watching that he almost didn’t care if he got inside of her first.
Almost.
When she relaxed below him, Owen surged up and yanked her pants down. Before taking his off, he reached into the small nightstand for a condom, because the moment his dick was free, he wouldn’t stop to secure protection. He unbuttoned his pants, but the sight of Caitlin whipping her shirt and bra off momentarily stunned him.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” The naked woman on his bed blushed at his words, and he enjoyed seeing the color bloom on parts of her body he hadn’t gotten to gaze upon when she’d been embarrassed by something these last few days. Then she licked her lips, and his temporary paralysis disappeared, followed by the rest of his clothes.
He climbed on the bed one-handed as he held the condom with the other and ripped it open with his teeth. He rolled it on and grabbed her thigh instead as he nestled himself between her legs. He came over her, and she reached between them to grab his cock.
“Fuuuck.” He wasn’t going to last long. No matter how sweet it was feeling her hand engulf him, he had to knock it away and take control. He was too close to heaven to risk losing the chance to feel it. He grabbed his dick and pushed into her. The moment he was inside enough to let go, he shoved his hands under her back, grabbed her shoulders to anchor her, and pushed into her sweet body. He wasn’t fast, but he was unrelenting, not stopping until fully seated.
“So good,” she breathed.
He groaned as he pulled back and plunged into her, this time faster, harder. “Can’t go slow.” Part of him wanted to. Wanted to drag this out and make it last all night, but there was no way on this planet he’d be able to find the willpower to do that. Not this time.
“Don’t.”
He withdrew until almost completely out and plowed into her again as he took possession of her mouth. Caitlin’s legs wound around his back as he thrust into her faster, harder. Her hands clutched his face, his shoulders, scratching his back. They were everywhere she could reach, spurring him with each new touch.
Owen wasn’t sure when he passed the point of no return. You passed that the moment you laid eyes on her. That thought sent a little shock through him, but he pushed it away to focus on the now.
He ripped his mouth away and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Jesus, you’re so fucking tight.” And he wasn’t just saying that. She was squeezing the life out of him as she rocked against him, giving back as good as she got.
His name left her lips in a chant, a benediction on a sensual loop. He felt her walls clench around him, and he wanted to shout his victory at getting to feel her come around him this time.
Her pussy seized and then spasmed as she screamed, but unlike earlier, he didn’t silence her. Instead, he reared back, and fucked her with short jabs, making her breasts bounce with effort, and slipped his hand between them to play with her clit to force her ecstasy to last as long as he could.
But when she opened her eyes to look at him, he was gone. Totally done for. He grabbed her hips and held her so tightly he knew he’d leave marks on her otherwise flawless skin, but he couldn’t control his strength right now. He pushed into her with so much power, and fucked her so savagely, feeling too exposed, so fucking raw in this moment. He drilled her into the goddamn mattress and still he couldn’t get deep enough.
She clutched at him, coming again or coming still, he didn’t know and was too far gone to give a damn at this point because his cock had taken over and was on a mission to find the best release of his existence. Finally—finally—his climax slammed into him with the full force of his ministrations and he roared, spilling himself into the condom. Giving all he had to her.
And losing himself completely in the process.