This time, I’m going to make you scream.
His words repeated inside Bridgette’s head, making it hard to move the few steps over to the shower. Usually, overt challenges like that struck a nerve. Made her back away—distance herself from any chance of a confrontation. But the way Sam said it—gravelly tones in a low, raspy voice that ignited the desire just starting to cool in the pit of her stomach—hit a different nerve. The one she’d buried that night with Brock. The part of her that longed for more than just passing encounters orchestrated around her obvious issues.
This time, she wanted everything.
Wanted to trace every inch of Sam’s body. Feel him give himself over to her. But, more than anything, she wanted to give herself completely to him. Have him hold her close as he slid into her, their gazes locked, only his face and incredibly wide shoulders visible in her field of view. She wanted to know what it was like to have his weight pressed against her, holding her in place with nothing but his cock moving inside her.
A shiver beaded her skin with bumps. What the hell was wrong with her? Less than twenty minutes ago, she’d had her own version of a panic attack because Sam had been in that exact position—on his elbows above her, his body long and hard against hers. Yet, one quick round of sex, and everything had changed.
Not everything. Just her. Though, she doubted she’d actually changed. More that she’d stopped fighting her attraction. And it wasn’t the sex that had undone her. It had been that first kiss. As soon as his lips had touched hers, the walls she’d spent the past several years building had crumbled, leaving her exposed. It should have frightened her, but all she felt was relief.
Sam’s hand landed on the small of her back, guiding her over to the shower. That’s when she realized he hadn’t demolished the walls as much as he’d scaled them then made his way inside. Like a key fitting into a lock. Only one possible combination.
“Cold?”
She glanced at him. God, the man was gorgeous. Firm muscles beneath taut, sun-kissed skin. He wasn’t jarhead big. He was tightly strung, like a man who could move fast without compromising his strength. And she couldn’t wait to run her tongue all over his body.
Her gaze drifted to his groin. Even semi-erect, he was large. Far thicker than the other men she’d been with. Just another reason no one else had ever seemed to measure up. They’d been judged against an impossible standard.
Sam laughed. “You keep looking at me like that and we won’t make it into the shower before I wrap you around me, again.”
Her breath caught. He was serious. The way his gaze bored into hers. The firm line of his shoulders. The tension in his muscles. He was holding on but barely.
She wet her lips, groaning when he leaned in just enough to have her trace his, as well. He nodded at the tub, and she managed to scramble over the side without falling on her face. Not that she would have with Sam’s hand wrapped around her arm—as if he was afraid she’d vanish if he let go. But she considered it a win, seeing as her knees felt as if they might buckle at any moment.
Sam stepped in behind her, pulling her back against his chest before turning her into the spray. Warm water cascaded over her skin, easing the strain in her muscles—strain she hadn’t realized was there. She relaxed, leaning against him as he grabbed a bar of soap and ran it across her stomach.
He hummed against her neck, dipping down to suck at her flesh, his hand still making lazy circles across her body, leaving a trail of suds. “Christ, you’re beautiful. I love the way you fit against me.” He swirled his soapy fingers up one side then down the other, pausing at the raised scar on her left side. “Fucking bastard.”
She placed her hand over his, glancing at him across her shoulder. “What did you say earlier? Ancient history?”
“Not the same. I chose to enlist. I knew full well what could happen. What I’d signed up for. That I might not make it out alive—or that I might have to live with the kind of injuries that scar you forever. This…this was because some sick prick thought he owned you. It’s not remotely the same, and if he ever comes after you, again…”
He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. Bridgette knew how it ended. With Brock dead, his blood staining Sam’s soul for the rest of his life. Not that Sam seemed to be worried about the state of his soul. Maybe he’d lost too much of it overseas. Buried it along with Gray after their last mission. Either way, she didn’t want to think about Brock or how her work put her at risk. She wanted to live in the moment. Savor it. Have something other than regret to look back on when this assignment was over, and Sam moved on.
Sam nuzzled her neck. “Sorry. That’s not the train of conversation that’s going to lead to more of you writhing in my arms. It just guts me to think you went through all of that alone. That you didn’t feel you could tell anyone. Call on someone for help.”
Call on me.
He didn’t say it, but the unspoken thought hung between them, tightening her chest as tears gathered in her eyes.
Bridgette turned in his arms, sliding her hands up to his shoulders. “It might have been a little late, but I told you. And I’m not alone, right now.”
She slanted her mouth over his, allowing him to expend some of the energy straining his muscles. If she’d learned anything about the man he’d become it was that he felt a soul-deep need to protect the people around him. And just because he wasn’t in the military any longer didn’t mean he’d been able to shut that side of him off. It was in his blood.
Sam slid his palms along her back. He twisted them then pressed her against the wall before freezing. He pulled away, muttering something under his breath as he forced his hands to his sides.
“Sam?”
“Let’s get clean, so we can get dirty, again. Because being inside you with nothing between us…”
His nostrils flared, and his cock twitched, hardening under her gaze. She held out her hand, motioning for him to give her the soap. He arched his brow but handed her the bar, smiling when she rubbed it across his chest, covering every inch of skin she could reach.
“Damn. You are one fine-looking man. I can’t imagine how long it took you to get this ripped.”
He snorted, palming her hips as she continued down his ribs. “You’d be surprised how quickly things change when you’re busting your ass twenty hours a day.”
She paused, looking up at him. “Did you ever question yourself? Wonder if you had what it took to make it?”
As soon as the question slipped out, she regretted it. No way a man like Sam had ever doubted anything. Not with all he’d accomplished. After their unlikely reunion, she’d researched what it took to become an Army Ranger. To say she’d been humbled was an understatement. And projecting her own insecurities on him wasn’t getting them any closer to round two.
Sam gave her a squeeze. “Lost count of the number of times I told Gray we should just pack it in. Run away to some beach and drink Mia Tais. He’d always laugh and say, ‘Hell yeah, we’ll quit tomorrow.’ But tomorrow never seemed to come.”
She froze. “Really?”
“Everyone has doubts, darling. Success is pushing through despite them.” He tilted his head. “Have you been having doubts?”
She snorted, rubbing her hands across his stomach. “Don’t get me wrong. The satisfaction of putting scum like Stevens where he belongs is indescribable. But, lately, I feel like I’m just going through the motions. Doing what I’m expected to do. I used to get this rush. Now…sometimes, when I get a new case, I just find it hard to breathe.” She shrugged. “Forget it. I’m sure it’s just the stress.”
Sam grabbed her hands, holding them still until she gazed up at him. “It’s never too late to find a new passion. You know that, right? Life’s too short to spend it following a dream you no longer believe in.”
“Not all of us get a second chance.”
“You’re right. You have to make it, yourself. Speaking of second chances… You’d best get the important parts clean before I realize how much I love the thought of my cum dripping down your legs for the foreseeable future.”
She inhaled, quickly cleaning the rest of him before dropping her hand to his cock. Sam clenched his jaw as she ran her fingers up and down his length, cleaning away the evidence of their combined releases. His shaft thickened, resting hot and hard in her palm as she shifted enough to wash away the soap.
She licked her lips, wanting nothing more than to drop to her knees and make him lose control, again. “Tell me, Sam. How much would you like to see your cum dripping from my mouth? Splattered across my chest?”
The muscle in his temple jumped as his fingers flexed at her hips. “Bridgette.”
“Do you know how much I want to taste you? Watch you give yourself to me? I bet I could make you see stars.”
He stopped her from kneeling in front of him. “Soon, darling, I promise, but first…” He blew out a forced breath as his muscles tensed. “I need you. I need to feel you clenched around me, your flesh hot and wet against mine. I…”
She released his cock then claimed his mouth, moaning when he squeezed one hand between them to finish cleaning her off. Then, he spun her around, holding her body flush to his as he angled her toward the wall.
His lips caressed her neck. “Is this too close?”
She shook her head, the answer stuck in her throat as desire burned through her veins.
He chuckled. “Speechless? That’s a new one. Put your hands against the wall to brace yourself. That’s it.” He bit at her shoulder muscle once she’d complied. “Now, lift one leg and put it on the back ledge.”
He helped her move, keeping one large hand wrapped around her torso and across her shoulder as the other slipped beneath her thigh. His fingers slid through her folds, gathering her moisture then rubbing it around her clit. Pleasure billowed out from his touch, stealing her next breath as another release coiled tight in her core.
Sam hummed. “God, so fucking wet. I can’t believe I get to have you like this. Bare. All that slippery fluid covering my skin, burning me like a brand across my flesh. I could lose myself in you and never want to be found.”
He dipped two fingers inside her then swirled them around her nub. “I want you to come for me. I want to feel you contract around me, hear you shout my name. I want you to give me everything.”
He nudged her sex with his cock then thrust hard, once again, filling her to the edge of pain, while his finger kept rubbing her clit. Dots raced across her vision as her orgasm quickly gained strength, taking her to the brink in a matter of moments.
Sam set up a steady rhythm, making her body shimmy with every upward stroke. When he’d made it obvious he planned on pounding into her in the shower, she’d imagined something more primal—her ass in the air with her hands braced on the edge as he took what he wanted without any kind of romantic connection. But the way he held her against him—his arms surrounding her, his lips pressed against her neck—it shifted something inside her. And, for the first time in years, she could imagine a future with more than just her job as her focus. That there was someone she trusted enough to help shape how the rest of her life played out.
The thought intensified the heat rolling through her body, perching her on the edge—so close to going over but not quite able to fall. She clamped her hands around Sam’s arm, digging her nails into his flesh as every muscle clenched tight.
“Now, Bridg. Scream for me.”
He thrust hard, flicking his finger across her bud at the same time he bit her shoulder, again. Her breath locked in her chest, squeezing to the point she thought she might pass out, before careening her over. Sam’s name sounded around them, though she wasn’t convinced she’d actually shouted it or if she’d merely yelled it inside her head. Everything dimmed, collapsing into Sam’s skin against hers, his cock exploding inside her.
Bridgette sagged against him, her chin resting on his arm, her legs shaking. Sam’s choppy breaths raked across her ear, her name mixing in with the gasping pants. She let herself fade, confident he wouldn’t let her fall, when he dropped a kiss on her shoulder.
“Easy, darling. I’ve got you.”
She blinked, but opening her eyes seemed far too strenuous.
“Bridg? You still with me?”
She forced her eyelids apart, this time. “I hope those muscles aren’t just for show, because I’m not sure I can move.”
He chuckled. “It’s okay. I’ll move us. Let’s just clean off, first.”
She groaned. “That sounds like moving to me.”
“I’ll do all the work.”
He eased free, and she had to bite her lip to keep from begging him to take her, again. To chase away the empty feeling that clung to her like a shroud. The one he’d lifted for those precious moments they’d been together.
Sam balanced their weight, covering her in soap then rinsing it off. He moved his arm between them, and she assumed he was cleaning himself before he placed the soap on the dish then shuffled them forward. The spray shut off, instantly cooling the air and beading her skin with goosebumps. She shivered, burrowing against him in the hopes of sharing his heat.
Sam shoved back the curtain then lifted her out, wrapping her in the towel they’d left on the counter. The terrycloth felt oddly rough against her flesh compared to Sam’s skin, and she wondered if he’d agree to spend the rest of the day holding her on the bed, naked.
“Penny for your thoughts, darling?”
She jumped, looking up at him. God, had he somehow gotten sexier? Or was she finally seeing him—without the blinders of her past?
She smoothed her hands up his arms and across his shoulders. “I…”
How could she say that she felt as if she’d just jumped down the rabbit hole and emerged as someone she didn’t recognize? That she was pretty sure she’d fallen in love with him, again? That she didn’t want whatever was taking shape between them to end on the steps of the courthouse next week?
Sam frowned, palming her jaw. “Hey? You okay?”
She tiptoed up and kissed him. More sex she could handle. All these feelings…
He responded, lifting her against his chest then carrying her into the other room. He placed her on her feet just long enough to remove her towel then picked her up and laid her gently in the center of the bed. He took the time to fan her hair out behind her, trailing a single finger across her shoulder then down her arm as he straightened, the lethal gleam back in his eyes.
He swept his gaze the length of her. “Comfortable? Your hair not bunched beneath you?”
“Fine, why?”
“Because it’s about time I made love to you. And it’s gonna take the rest of the afternoon.”