Sky smiled against her mouth. Jamie’s silky slick pussy was squeezing him again. He knew her game, but he wasn’t going to be hurried. With his balls so hard he was ready to explode with the mother of all orgasms, he realized in a blinding flash that he’d been all over her, eager as hell to fuck, but he’d forgotten the long game.

Fucking was great, but he liked her. More than liked her. Always had. Back when they’d first met in the desert, he’d never thought he stood a chance. Always figured she had someone waiting for her back home. Or that there was something going on between her and her friend Brian. He’d assumed that their light flirting in the desert was just something to pass the time and fill a lonely void.

Now, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. Wasn’t going to take for granted the fact she was here, with him balls-deep inside her. He had an advantage now. One he was about to press. Only she was wriggling beneath him, trying to distract him with her sexy, passive-aggressive moves.

Thing was, he could lie like this the whole fucking night, his body locked with hers. He wasn’t going anywhere. Neither was she.

Her mouth remained closed, her eyes open with more than a hint of challenge in her pretty brown glare.

He sifted her hair with his fingers and gently cradled her head. Then, since she was being stubborn about opening, he nibbled on her lower lip. Her eyes rolled. He bit her harder. She gasped, and he was inside.

Suctioning to seal their lips, he held back, moving their mouths together and apart, tentatively touching his tongue against the tip of hers, rubbing it again and again with every surge of his mouth and his cock. Yes, he was thrusting into her again, shallowly, but he held her legs to the floor with his body, wouldn’t let her do more than those sexy, inner calisthenics that drove him nuts.

He’d wanted to give her a sweet kiss, but she wasn’t cooperating, because now she was sucking on his tongue, and her teeth were bearing down. So, he pulled back his head and trapped hers with his hands while he slid his knees between her legs. With a smirk of victory, she quickly raised her knees, readying.

He wanted more, but maybe he didn’t know what that looked or felt like. And this, whatever they were doing, was plenty hot, even if she thought it wasn’t real or lasting. One step at a time. If she walked away tomorrow, at least he knew where she worked. He’d figure out the rest. He spread his knees and put a little space between their bodies, enough she could move—which she did instantly, undulating her hips in sexy waves to push and pull on his cock.

Sky gave her one last punishing kiss and let go of her face. He thrust his arms beneath her knees and straightened, dragging her ass off the floor, making sure he had her attention now.

Her gaze raked him from his shoulders to where their bodies remained locked. He dropped his as well, watching as he pulled out then thrust back inside. Fuck, there was no sexier sight, his dick disappearing inside her, her lovely bare vulva depressing then stretching as he pumped.

But he’d reached his limit. Strokes away from orgasm, he gritted out, “Touch yourself.”

Holding his gaze, she sucked on two fingers then placed them at the top of her folds and swirled on her clit. After two sleepy-sultry blinks, her eyes closed, her body arched. When she cupped one breast, her fingernails digging into her soft flesh, his control snapped.

Holding her thighs in his fierce grip, he hammered into Jamie’s body. Sharp, fast, snaps that beat like a drum as their flesh slapped together. “Jesus,” he ground out.

Jamie’s eyes shot open. “Sky...I’m there...there...yes!” she said, her harsh whisper edged with a moan.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me,” he said, pushing her legs higher so that her ankles wrapped around his neck. Then he bent to brace his hands on the mattress as he resumed the fast, punishing thrusts. He knew the moment she came. Her head rocked back, and she gave a thin, broken cry.

Two more strokes, and he followed, his balls emptying, his release shattering him. His arms and torso shook as he fell against her.

When he stirred again, he realized he still lay atop her body, and she’d only managed to lower her legs to his upper arms because he’d trapped her. “Sorry,” he said, moving away one arm then the other as she stretched her legs to align with his.

Her hands lay clasped in the small of his back, her expression, at last, was softened, vulnerable like he’d never seen before.

Rising on his elbows now, he brushed away the pale hairs sticking to the sweat on her cheeks. “Burke...”

She arched an eyebrow.

“How soon can you move in?”

So, maybe his question had been boneheaded. Maybe her reaction had been a little mean. The silence that stretched after they’d pulled away from each other’s bodies served its purpose.

Even though she’d laughed herself silly—until she’d noted his eyebrows dipping and realized he’d been serious—he hadn’t allowed them to retreat very far from each other. Even now, they lay side by side in his big bed, silver moonlight gleaming through the curtainless window. Not speaking. Not touching. But listening to each other’s sounds.

When his pillow made a rubbing sound, she turned her head, hoping he was ready to talk. But he hadn’t been looking at her at all. He’d slipped an arm beneath his head.

His gaze moved to her. His chest rose and fell.

“Okay,” she groused. “I’m sorry I laughed. But how was I supposed to know you were serious? We only just met up yesterday—”

“We met a long damn time ago, Jamie.”

“Two years ago. But that doesn’t really count.”

He looked away and shook his head. When he closed his eyes, she stared at his profile, knowing she’d disappointed him in some way, but being here, with him, was confusing as hell for her. She’d been hot for him for a long time—he’d been her fantasy.

When she was alone in the dark and finding it hard to sleep because her body was wound tight—and, simply put, she missed sex—it was his image she pulled from her memory as she teased her own body into orgasm. So, maybe she understood all too well why he felt as though they had a relationship, she’d been having sex with him in her head for two years.

Hell, she remembered when they’d first met. He hadn’t made such a great impression...

Jamie swung out of the Hummer as gracefully as she could, given the fact she carried fifty pounds of combat gear. With Tessa leashed and running at her side, she raced to the concrete block wall encircling a home where intelligence said suspected members of the Taliban might be holed up. She’d been assigned to augment a Delta Force/SEAL team combined task force. Her assignment to this new group had come after the last dog handler the Army provided their task force was injured and medevaced to the States.

She’d only met her Delta teammates the day before when she’d been briefed. Some of her teammates were familiar with her, which helped, since being a woman was already a problem. Being untested would have ensured they’d delegate her to the rear of the action.

Her Delta Force team approached the compound from one direction, following a crummy, paved road from the north. The SEALs had been in place for several days, using conceal and cover techniques in the surrounding hills to monitor the compound until they confirmed their target was inside.

That confirmation came last night when Omar Fayyad stepped outside in the moonlight to light a cigarette. Her team had assembled last night. They’d left before dusk to make the forty minute trip to the compound nestled in a sparsely populated farming community near Kandahar.

The SEALs were already deep into the mission, their instructions to neutralize the guards outside the walls before they arrived. Noting the white-robed corpse propped against the wall, Jamie assumed they were now moving to “neutralize” those roaming inside the courtyard.

Two heavily camouflaged SEALs positioned beside the wall darted glances her way, then locked on her.

“Shit the handler’s female,” one of them said into his mic, frowning in irritation.

She didn’t bother delivering a set down. She knew these high-T guys weren’t used to working with women embedded in their unit, but they’d just have to suck it up. She shifted her backpack and knelt beside the two warriors. “Nice to meet you, too,” she said, under her breath, knowing her words were going out over the radio to the rest of the team.

The one crouched beside the asshole wasn’t frowning, but his expression was set in grim lines. “We’re getting ready to begin the sweep soon as our team clears the rest of the guards. We were told you’re experienced operating under heavy fire...”

She nodded. “I’m MP. I’ve worked with Delta Force and infantry units. Walked patrols. Not my first rodeo.”

The grumpy SEAL handed her a headset. “Stay behind us.”

She shook her head then donned her mic. “Not how this works. Or is this your first rodeo?”

His buddy made a sound she wasn’t sure was a grunt or a chuckle, but then her headset crackled. Terse voices sounded. Men called one by one to say they’d eliminated the guards surrounding the compound. Then, “All clear, move in! Go, go, go!”

Grumpy SEAL glared. “Stay behind us until we’re inside and need you.”

A more reasonable command. “I’ll have your six,” she said, keeping her voice cheerful, grateful for the irritation he aroused because her jaws were tight with tension. They always were before a battle.

His disgusted grunt was easy to decipher. “Cover your ears.”

As both men hunched and covered their ears, Jamie tucked Tessa’s face into her armpit and mirrored their actions. An explosion sounded, white rock and dust rained down on them.

Grumpy pushed up and ran toward the new opening in the concrete wall, Less Grumpy on his heels. Once they were moving, Jamie was glad of the fact they led the way. Shots in rapid bursts sounded everywhere around them. With her pea-shooter M11, she was seriously outgunned. But she wasn’t there to trade shots with insurgents. She was there with Tessa to make sure no surprises awaited them inside the large house. Her dog was trained to track humans but also to find explosives.

Crouched, they ran from the wall to the shelter of a pump house in the interior yard, bullets digging into the dirt behind them.

Jamie kept her hand on Tessa’s harness and her back to the well house, while her partners traded fire with a man shooting from a second-story window. Less Grumpy ducked beside her and tugged a grenade from his belt. “Cover me,” he said, pulling the pin, but keeping the lever depressed.

“Tessa, platz!,” she said, pulling her lead to place the dog in a “down-stay” beside the well house wall, while she bent just beneath the edge and took deep calming breaths. She wouldn’t fail him, even if her nerves were stretched taut.

“Now!” The SEAL darted away from the well house.

Jamie rose and popped off shots, forcing the shooter to dodge behind the window casing. She fired one shot after another toward the shooter above them while Grumpy kept watch for any movement around them. Ten feet from the house, Less Grumpy drew back his arm and lobbed the grenade through the window. Shouts were heard from inside. At the three-second mark, a loud explosion burst, a brilliant flash visible through the upstairs window.

And they were off again, jogging toward a side door of the house. After clearing the entrance, Grumpy stood to the side and gave her a nod.

Jamie knelt outside the door. She unclipped Tessa’s lead, held both sides of Tessa’s face, then released her, giving the hand signal for her to begin her search.

Tessa shot like a dart through the doorway, her nose already moving, searching for the scent of explosive materials.

Less Grumpy stayed beside Jamie, which irked her, but she kept quiet, moving with the SEAL. At each new entry or turn, Tessa glanced back, checking with Jamie who signaled her to continue her search, then moved again.

Operations like these stretched nerves. The gunfire continuing outside was muffled, cottony. Her own breaths and pounding heart were a distraction she could ill afford.

They met another set of SEALs coming from the front of the house, dark camouflage-clad figures, weapons raised, bodies balanced on bent knees, ready to react in a second to hostile fire.

Since it looked like the first floor was clear, Jamie caught Tessa’s attention and gestured toward her chest. The dog raced to her side and sat.

“Downstairs, clear,” came a voice in her ear.

“Heading up,” came another.

Without having to be told, Jamie indicated to Tessa and watched as the dog leapt up the steps and disappeared down a hallway. Part of the team remained below. Jamie, accompanied by her SEAL escorts, moved upstairs, weapon ready, ears attuned to every sound. When she turned the corner, Tessa sat in front of a door and scratched.

Jamie called out to her and waited for her to return to her side. The SEAL team moved past her. Grumpy placed a mirrored plate on a telescoping arm beneath the door, his demeanor changing, his posture stiffening. Just as the dog had indicated, the SEAL gave away the fact danger waited inside the room.

“Move down the hallway,” Less Grumpy said, tugging on her arm.

She felt no reluctance doing as he said. Her part was done. She snapped the lead on Tessa’s harness and moved toward the staircase. As she turned away, she saw a flash, felt a powerful push of air hurtle her toward the stairs. She hit the rail and scraped for a handhold as she began to tumble down the steps, hitting one step with her hip, the next with her opposite shoulder.

A yelp sounded, muffled and distant, but she still held the lead. She released it, hoping the dog could get her footing. Suddenly, a hand clamped on her arm, stopping her freefall.

Her glance met storm-gray eyes. He shouted—she knew because his lips moved—but she couldn’t hear his words. Groggily, she turned her head, trying to locate Tessa. She lay on her side at the bottom of the stairs, but as Jamie watched, the dog rolled to her feet, her stance shaky.

The hand on her arm bit harder. “Go, go, go!” she heard, at last, along with chatter in her ear as sound returned, roaring. The team was evacuating the house. More charges had been found. One SEAL was down...

A hand closed around hers, and she realized her chest was tight, her breaths jagged.

“You okay, Jamie?” Sky whispered. “Where’d you go?”

She drew a deeper breath and reached with her free hand over the side of her bed. Her fingers sank in warm fur. A wet nose nuzzled the underside of her forearm. “That house... near Kandahar...” She drew a deeper breath and wiped a hand over her face. “No doubt, you’ve seen worse action, but that was it for me. For Tessa. We went into retraining, but she was never sound again. That was the last time we went out. Because I didn’t have a lot of time left on my contract, I didn’t get another dog.”

“The whole op was a cluster fuck. We needed to bring him in alive, but that stun grenade I tossed killed him before we even made it inside. His people had fried his hard drive and their phones. We didn’t get squat from that raid.”

“I don’t think I ever said thanks for stopping my fall.”

His hand tightened. “You could have broken your neck,” he said, his voice gruff.

“Yeah, well, other than muzzy hearing for a few days, and a ton of bruises, I was lucky. Luckier than your friend.”

“Franco had a few burns and a broken arm. They didn’t even bother shipping him out.”

She glanced his way and found his gaze resting on her face. “I’m sorry about laughing...before.”

Sky gave her a crooked smile. “I’m sorry I rushed you, but I feel like we’ve already wasted so much time.”

“I don’t want to waste any either, but I’d also like to think this through.” She tried to offer a smile, but her lips felt stiff. “Don’t you worry that we’ve built this up in our minds? That maybe we’ll be disappointed?”

He raised their clasped hands and turned them to place a kiss on the back of hers. “Baby, I haven’t been disappointed so far. How about we hit PAUSE...just for the next few days?”

She nodded, relief filling her. In a deliberate move to change the subject, she said, “Do you know I used to call Franco ‘Grumpy’ and you ‘Less Grumpy’?”

His teeth flashed in the shadows. “In my mind, I called you ‘Diana’—you know, from Wonder Woman. Until I learned your name. I like Jamie.”

“Diana?” She grinned. “I should have chosen cooler nicknames, but I love Sky—suits you.”

His smile widened. “It’s not some SEAL handle. My name’s Skylar.”

Jamie rolled toward him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Skylar, I like the sound of that.” With his scent all around her, his warmth against her, she liked how he made her feel. No clanging alarm bells sounded in her head. Maybe, she could get used to this.