Kamon’s heart thundered with excitement. He was so worried he’d blown his chance with Malia. He’d never met anyone like her, an enigma—soft and delicate like a flower, yet resilient and independent. She was so damn beautiful he felt unworthy of her. Her body was perfection and her kisses tasted like heaven.

He wanted to take his time with her, as when we would he have another chance to make love with the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, in a cave, to the backdrop of a storm. But his cock hungered to be buried inside her, throbbing to the beat of his heart. He had to force himself to go slow.

He slid her out of his t-shirt and folded it into a pillow, laying it beneath her head on the cave floor. A flash of lightning pierced the darkness around them and he burned into his memory the delicious site of her bared to him.

Kamon crawled over her body and pulled her lips into another sweet kiss as he dipped his hips, purposely brushing his hard cock between her legs that had fallen open for him. Her soft moans were music in his ears, driving him onward. Pivoting his hips, he continued to rub himself along her lower lips, until his penis slid between them and found her clit. Her silky arousal eased his movements as he continued sliding his cock along her most sensitive spot.

Her gasps echoed through the cave like a song in harmony with the thunder and pelting rain.

“Kamon,” she cried out, breaking their kiss. His name never sounded so wonderful as it did on the breath of her orgasm as he swiped the tip of his cock along her swollen clit. Her back arched and she rocked her hips, matching his rhythm.

Labored breaths rose and fell from her chest, and he eased myself to the side of her, replacing her penis with his fingers, exploring her depths.

“More?” she whispered, almost in shock. Had no man ever given her multiple orgasms before? He’d surely rectify that.

“We’ve got all night, baby.” He rolled forward and brushed his lips against hers before turning his concentration back to his fingers, dancing in her silky arousal.

Low moans purred in her throat, turning him on even more. He thought his cock would burst as he watched her writhe next to him under the direction of his hand. He slid his middle two fingers inside her, keeping his thumb circling her clit. Her body arched, coming nearly off the floor as she moaned.

Her breasts hypnotized him as she panted for breath through another oncoming orgasm. He rolled on top of her, just as she came and he thrust himself inside her. She gasped and grabbed him by the shoulders, hanging on for dear life.

Her walls tightened around him and it ripped a growl from his lungs. He tried his best to slow his rhythm, but she felt too damn good. The ache in his balls and cock drove him like an animal, the need to claim her, fill her, make her his. As he emptied himself inside her, he realized he completely forgot to put a condom on. He had a couple in his backpack. Shit.

Sweat beaded on his brow as he hovered above her, grasping for breath. She lay beneath him like an angel, a sweet loving smile on her face. He slid the back of his hand along her cheek, soaking in her beauty.

She tilted her head and brushed her lips against the back of his hand. His heartbeat slowed and he eased himself next to her on the cave floor.

What would he tell her? She didn’t stop him from coming inside her, so she must not have thought about it or been worried. Hopefully she was on birth control. If not, he’d have to deal with whatever happened.

Malia rolled toward him and kissed her way up his chest to his lips. “That was even more incredible than I ever imagined.”

A cheesy smile broke on his lips. “You imagined sex with me?”

She giggled. He loved her laugh. “Pretty much since the moment I saw you on the plane.”

“Really?” He laughed, his chest and head swelling with pride.

“I admit it. I couldn’t stop picturing you naked since the airport.” Malia covered her face with her hands and rolled the opposite direction toward the entrance of the cave.

He rolled her back to face him and removed her hands from her face, kissing the palms of each. “Would it sound assholish if I admitted to doing the same?”

She bit her lip. That about undid him. He loved how adorable she looked every time she bit that damn lip. “Nope. I like that.”

“And, I like you,” Kamon said, the words flowing from his lips without thought.

“I like you, too,” she whispered, snuggling closer against his chest.

He curled his arms around her and brushed soft kisses against her head. “But I do have to mention, we didn’t use a condom.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I’m on the shot. As a SEAL, I hope you don’t have a woman in every port. Because if you gave me anything, I’ll find you and beat you with your own fist.”

“Duly noted. And no, I’m clean,” he said with a chuckle, knowing full-well she’d probably go through with that threat if he weren’t.

A sudden ache filled him as he realized tomorrow they’d be heading to Nong Khai and have to go their separate ways. The thought sliced his heart. He’d just found the most incredible woman and now he’d have to let her go. Would he really be able to have such a long distance relationship? She was set to take a job in Laos at some casino. He was a SEAL.

Maybe he could convince her to get a job in Vegas or something, at least that would be closer to San Diego where he was stationed and not halfway around the world. This was why he hated relationships. Too many uncertainties. Too many variables.

Why the hell was he even thinking of these things? They’d known each other all of twenty-four hours. Sure, now they let sex into the mix, but he’d had sex with a lot of women and never started thinking about life-plans in the afterglow of a mind-blowing orgasm.

That was the thing. He’d had plenty of sex. Not once had he really wanted to settle down with any of them. It would only remind him why he didn’t want to. Most were too clingy. He was a SEAL, that was his main focus, and they never understood the bond of brotherhood that took priority. He served his country first, relationships second. He knew most women wouldn’t go for that kind of mentality, so he just avoided it all together. Relieving his sexual frustrations with the Frog Hogs, those looking only to have a good time with a SEAL, gave him the best of both worlds—no attachments and no hurt feelings.

Malia’s deep breathing pulled him from his thoughts. She’d fallen asleep. Weren’t women supposed to be the ones lying awake after sex, dreaming about the future? While that sounded misogynistic, he had always thought men were wired to be the logical ones. The ones that had to make the tough decisions and be providers, be the stronghold. Women were wired to be the emotional ones. The ones who held the family together, who loved and nurtured. So why was he getting all emotional?

The “L” word floated in his mind. He couldn’t possibly be in love. He didn’t really know what love was to begin with. He couldn’t really claim to have ever acknowledged it before, except for the bane of his existence in high school, Shae Flannery. He couldn’t remember ever longing for another woman like he did that gorgeous spitfire redhead, Shae. She never gave him the time of day, but that didn’t stop him from yearning for her from afar. He’d never met another girl like her, until Malia. She had that same fiery personality. That same independent aire and grace, an allure of confidence that she could hold her own.

Shit. He needed to get some sleep as well. But laying next to a very naked Malia proved that to be quite difficult. The storm had passed and the moonlight peeking through the clouds shrouded her body in a halo of soft white light. An ache welled up in him as he stared at the rise and fall of her chest, and he longed to curl her into his arms and make love to her again.

That drove a sting of worry through him. Kamon was a one and done guy. He was the one who passed out right after sex, mainly to avoid talking to whoever he brought home. He rarely ever saw them again, let alone wanted to have sex more than one time in a night with them.

What the hell was happening to him?

Deep inside him, he knew the moment he saw her.

He remembered a conversation with his mother, where he asked her how she fell in love with his father. He’d often questioned why she would love a man who wasn’t there for her. Her answer every time was the same, she just knew, and there was nothing she could do to change that. When it happens, it happens, and you can’t help who you fall in love with. The heart does what it wants.

Maybe that was part of the problem with Kamon and his lifestyle. He knew he couldn’t be a family man. The type of man a woman could count on to come home to. His military missions were often unpredictable and without warning. He couldn’t subject his wife to a lifetime of wondering when or if she’d ever see him again. He didn’t want to cause her to share the look his mother often wore when his dad left after one of his few visits.

Yet she never stopped loving him, her dying wish to be with him even after death.

He also never wanted to inflict on a child the pain that Kamon endured, wondering why his father didn’t love him enough to stay home, that he always chose his job over his family.

Shit. Kamon swiped at a tear that slid down his cheek. Was he seriously crying? Maybe he had some weird contact buzz from the opium temple. Maybe that caused all the introspective thoughts. It was all drug-induced.

He slid out from under Malia and walked to the edge of the cave opening, staring into the night. Kamon needed to get back on the road to Nong Khai in the morning. He’d see to it Malia got to safety in the city and then be on his way. Not only did he have to complete his mother’s request, he had to get back to his SEAL team. Too much time away was making him think. He needed the reassurance of his brotherhood to affirm his decision and not let Malia influence him any further.

“Deep thoughts?” Malia whispered as she leaned against the other edge of the opening across from him.

He never even heard her wake up. Fear and worry took turns punching him in the gut that he got so lost in his thoughts he was left unaware. His SEAL training taught him to be alert, on guard for anything. She’d managed to crush his ten-year singular focus in one day. Shit, how was that even possible? A woman he’d just met, halfway around the world couldn’t be “the one”.

He cleared his throat and returned his attention on the dark lagoon below them, slivers of moonlight shimmering across the ripples in the water. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Normally, I’m the one who has trouble sleeping. I’m a light sleeper, awake at the drop of a pin. Always on guard. I can’t believe I passed out on you.” She laughed and punctuated it with a sigh.

“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot. It would exhaust anyone. I’ve got military training. I’ve been through much worse.” He folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

“Cocky much?” She arched a brow and smirked. “You don’t really know much about me.”

“Well, honestly, how much combat training do you get working in a casino?”

“Right.” She nodded. “I see.”

“What?” He shrugged. “I’m just saying, you have an excuse to be tired.”

She sauntered over to him and poked him in the chest. “And you don’t have one for being an ass.”

He wrapped his hand around hers before she could poke him again. “I didn’t realize—” Before he could get another word out of his mouth, she somehow twisted her hand in his hold while she swept his legs out from under him and pinned him to the floor. Long dark waves of hair hung over her shoulders, tickling his chest as she sat on his hips. He gasped, the wind knocked out of his chest.

She leaned forward, hovering over his mouth. “That’s the problem, you see, you don’t realize what’s in front of you. Perhaps you should stop assuming and pay more attention.”

What the ever-loving-hell just happened? He blinked, staring up at her. Two could play that game. He splayed his hand against her lower back, his other hand palmed the back of her head as he rolled over and pinned her beneath him this time. “Never let your opponent have the upper hand.”

She laughed, her breasts jiggling against his bare chest, reminding him they were both still naked. “So, now I’m your opponent?”

He narrowed his playful stare. “Hey, you attacked me.”

She slid one foot under his, pressed it against the top of his foot and ankle, then adjusted her hip and rolled him back over with her leverage. Malia stared down at him. “Self defense. You grabbed me first.”

“Let me guess … YouTube videos.” He pursed his lips.

Malia glared at him as she pinned his arms above his head. He might have actually pissed her off. The fiery hue in her eyes was evident even in the shadows of darkness in the cave. Bracing her hands against his, she kicked her legs up and rolled over the top of his head like an acrobat and landed on her feet. “Guess you’ll never know.”

She turned and walked to the entrance of the cave as Kamon scrambled to get to his feet. He needed answers. She was no ordinary woman, and suddenly the casino gig felt like a setup.

He marched over to her and clasped a hand to her elbow, spinning her to face him. “Who are you?”

“No damsel in distress, I assure you.” She shrugged from his grip.

“Listen, I’m sorry if I was a dick. I wasn’t really trying to be. I’m not good at this stuff.” Regret tugged at his heart. He didn’t mean to hurt her feelings, but clearly she hadn’t been very forthcoming with him either. “I’m used to just being honest and saying shit with my teammates.”

He stepped behind her and slid his arms around her. The sensation of her bare ass pressed against his cock brought it to life, inflating like a damn blow-up lawn ornament at her mere touch.

She tensed in his hold, before slowly grinding herself against him.

He leaned forward, brushing his lips to her ear as he gripped her breasts from behind, swiping his thumbs over her hard nipples. “Do you forgive me?”

A soft moan escaped her throat. “Damn you being my weakness.”

He chuckled. “Believe me, you’re as much mine as I am yours.”

She spun in his arms and faced him. “What?”

He pressed her back to the wall of the cave as he leaned forward, resting an arm above her head as he drank in the sight of her. “Since the moment I met you, you’ve distracted me. Stole my focus. Stole my breath and thoughts.”

Her lips parted as she stared up at his face. “Believe me, I can relate.”

She gripped his cock in her warm hand and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, pulling a groan from deep in his gut. His hips moved of their own accord, threading himself in and out of her hold. He gave himself over to her. She controlled every part of him now. The problem was, Kamon liked it.