Her words pierced his soul.

He grasped her wrist and kissed her fingertips. “Ahhhh Riya, you mean the world to me.”

He could drown in the mystery of her black eyes. He kissed her. How could he not? The feel of her lips against his, so plush, so soft, felt like heaven. He slowly turned her so that he could lower her onto the bed, her arms falling above her head. He loved watching her mass of dark hair contrasting against her lavender sheets.

She was beautiful. Gray trailed his knuckles from her fingertips to the insides of her elbows, watching her undulate as he continued downwards. Inwards. Until his fingers drifted softly over the mounds of her generous breasts to the clasp, and then he slowly unfastened her bra. He moved the lacy cups aside so that he could touch her pretty brown nipples. They peaked as he caressed them.

“You’re so soft and sensitive.” His finger traced around and around. Gray smiled tightly as he watched her shudder.

“Please,” she begged.

It was his pleasure. Her breast was supple and firm, he ached as he caressed her. He thumbed one nipple as he bent his head and lashed the other with his tongue. He’d imagined raspberries, but this was so much better, it was the taste of Riya. He needed more.

He lifted her up, as he continued to torture them both. Soon her bra was gone, then he had her jeans off and was tracing the front of her silk panties when she grabbed his ears.

“Do I get to unwrap my package?” Her voice was sultry.

“Honey, holding my ears is not the way to get me out of my clothes,” he pointed out.

In a flash, her hands moved, and she was grabbing the neck of his t-shirt and pulling it over his head. Gray helped. He liked her purr of satisfaction, but he liked the feel of his skin against her skin even better. She did a slow slide along his chest, her nipples rasping against his flesh.

“My God, Woman, you’re going to be the death of me.”

“I can’t help it. I need this. I need you.”

He heard the chaotic tremor in her voice. He kissed the side of her mouth, she turned her head and captured his lips in a frantic kiss. Gray slid his hand down the front of her panties and found her swollen flesh. Riya arched up with a cry of need. He had a moment of primal satisfaction go through him as he realized how caught up Riya was in their intimacy. He had never had a woman who so equally matched his passion.

Gray parted her wet folds and relished the sounds of satisfaction that she made. He circled the nub of her clitoris and she began to shake, then she thrashed her head to the side. He pinched, and she buried her teeth in his shoulder, muffling her shriek.

As she came off her high, she laved the bite marks she had made with her talented tongue.

He levered off the bed, trying to remember where he’d left his duffle bag.

He needed the goddamn condoms.

Now!

Gray pulled out the foil package and turned to see Riya looking at him with glittering eyes. One leg was crooked up. He yanked off his belt and had his jeans stripped off by the time he was back at the bed.

“You weren’t wearing underwear.” She sounded kind of taken aback as he pulled off her panties and spread her legs so he could stare at her. “Why weren’t you—”

As he thought, when he took that first subtle taste of her exquisite flesh she stopped asking inane questions. It was a good thing, because all he was capable of was relishing Riya and praying he would be able to muster enough control so that he could give her an orgasm when he entered her. Gray caressed her silky thighs and held them open as he lavished attention on her swollen flesh. He was drunk from the essence of Riya.

Once again he felt those tell-tale shimmers start vibrating through her body. He pushed up so he could see her face as she gasped in pleasure.

“You’re beautiful. I could spend a lifetime watching you like this.”

She mewled in protest. Gray stood, and sheathed himself. He stroked his hand down the outside of her thigh. Such soft skin.

“Don’t tease.”

“I’m not, Honey.”

She reached out with her hand. “Come closer.”

He put one knee down on the bed, and positioned his cock at her entrance. He couldn’t wait a moment longer. He pressed in slowly, and felt her welcoming warmth.

“So good,” she sighed on a long breath.

Gray couldn’t even get words out to agree. He pushed in further, incredulous that the sensations kept getting better and better as she tightened around him. He eased himself down so that he rested some of his weight on top of her, her soft skin a delight against his.

Her smile was tremulous, so he pushed the hair off her face so that he could clearly see her eyes. They held so much emotion. It was as if his heart were reflected there. His gaze roamed along the beautiful lines of her elegant jaw to the rapid beat of her pulse. He peppered kisses down her neck toward her breast, as he began to move inside her.

Riya’s sighs shot through him, like lightening in a desert sky. When her nails sank into his back, he sucked her nipple deep into his mouth, gorging himself on her flavor, on her uninhibited responses.

She scored her fingers down his flesh until she gripped his ass, her heels dug into his thighs and she undulated upwards, her efforts eager and a little uncoordinated.

“Help me,” she begged.

Gray changed tactics, and gently licked her delicate skin, continuing his smooth thrusts even though her body tempted him beyond bearing.

“We have all the time in the world,” he soothed.

“We do?”

He moved his hand and trailed it along her side, down past her waist, to her hip. He curved around and clutched her smooth flank, sinking deep and finding that perfect spot that had her head arching back in the pillow.

“Gray,” she cried. Her head thrashed.

“I have you.”

He’d lied, he couldn’t wait.

Her body was music that he couldn’t resist. He needed her, and he had to make this perfect for her.

Some part of him noted the sting of her nails, but it was just one more layer of sensation that flavored his pleasure. He clenched his jaw and stared at Riya, taking note of her desperation. He smiled, knowing what was coming.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

He waited until her beautiful onyx eyes were fixed on his and then gave that final thrust. He saw that dawning look of comprehension as she cried out her release.

Thank you, God.

Pleasure so acute that it was pain gathered at the base of his spine, as he took flight, and his woman watched him. Her joy in his ecstasy was incandescent, and he felt her body shudder in bliss again.

It took them a matter of seconds to find just the right position to get comfortable for a morning nap. It would have been faster, if they didn’t have to accommodate a needy Siamese.

Beautiful blue eyes. But they weren’t all soft and romantic anymore. What was going on? Riya pulled the sheet up around herself and sat up in bed. The sun streamed brightly through the slats of her bedroom blinds and Gray was looking all SEAL-y.

“What’s wrong? You’re the one who came in last, if the alarm wasn’t set, it’s on you, Tyler,” she defended herself in a teasing voice.

Gray didn’t say anything, and she realized his eyes were almost gray, like his name. Like they were filled with storm clouds.

“Gray?”

Slowly she scooched up against the headboard.

He caught her hand in his then pulled her arm straight and turned it over. His voice was tight as he asked. “What in the hell happened to your arms? It’s the same on both sides. Who scratched you so badly?”

“I’m fine,” she rushed to reassure him.

“Who?” His voice was sharp.

“Gray, nobody did anything to me. I did this to myself. I was itchy. I scratched.”

“You scratched yourself raw? You broke the skin?” Gray clearly didn’t believe her. “Tell me what really happened, Honey.” His voice alarmed her, but his touch was exquisitely tender as he traced her damaged flesh. With her free hand, she pulled the sheet up higher up her chest, Gray saw her movement.

“Don’t hide yourself from me. Are there other marks? How did I miss them earlier?”

“Calm down. That’s the worst of it.”

“The worst?” His voice rose with the question. He tugged at the sheet, and his gaze swept over her body. “Where, where else?”

She drew the sheet down farther, so he could see the tops of her knees. “Here. I don’t know why it flared on my joints.” She then pointed to her ankle. “I’m such an idiot.”

“What are you talking about? These really do look like you might have scratched here. These look like the size of your nails.” He traced the welts on her left knee that showed clearly in the afternoon sun.

“I told you I did it, why would I lie?” Riya pulled up the sheet again. Before she could put her arms under the cloth, he took her arm.

“This looks bad. Was it an allergic reaction? Did you see a doctor?” He closely examined the worst scratches where she had drawn blood. He looked pale. “You really hurt yourself, Riya.”

“You don’t see a doctor for a psychosomatic problem. It was all in my mind, and I’m not even itchy anymore.”

His eyes shot to hers. “Explain.”

How embarrassing.

“It’s not a big deal, and it’s stopped.” She leaned sideways to grab the bottle of moisturizer off the nightstand. “I just needed this.” She bent her head and mumbled. “And you home.”

“What did you say?”

She didn’t answer.

“What do you mean psychosomatic? Talk to me.”

“Can we have this talk after I’ve put on my clothes?”

She pulled at the sheet, and he caught her. “Stop just a minute, will you? I need to understand what’s going on.”

His voice sounded funny so she looked up at him. He looked really confused, like he couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. Her shoulders sagged. She didn’t want to have to be more specific, because then he would have to admit what a fool she’d been.

“Gray, seriously, it’s nothing,” she choked out.

His expression grew dark and he shoved back the covers. “Fine.” He stalked to the bathroom and came back moments later with her first aid kit.

“You’re making too big of a deal about this.”

He sat down beside her and tugged on her arm, and examined her elbow. “No I’m not, this could get infected. Especially when you’re cleaning the cat box. You need to have this covered up.”

The atmosphere was tense while he took his time smoothing antibiotic cream on her wounds. She hated it.

“Now, will you tell me why you were scratching.” He asked evenly. She looked at his face and tried to read his expression, but he was avoiding her. Gray didn’t do that. He was always careful to meet her eyes, it was like he understood she needed to see his expression clearly to understand where he was coming from.

“Will you please look at me?” He continued to minister to her. His concentration intensely focused on her arm. When she hissed in a breath, his gaze shot up and met hers. He looked anguished.

“My God, Gray. What’s wrong?” How could he be so upset? It made no sense. It was only a scratch.

He didn’t respond, he just stared at her, and she saw such hell roiling around in his eyes.

“Gray, talk to me.”

“I just hate seeing you in pain, it tears me up inside.” Riya had to strain to hear him.

Her mind started going through all of the moments she had been with him like a fast rolodex, until she stopped on that moment in front of the church when she’d slipped. Yeah, he’d been concerned, but it wasn’t this level of distress. This was over the top, and it had to be in reaction to something that had happened recently. Was it because they’d just made love? Was he regretting it? That didn’t make sense in the slightest. He was obsessed that she was injured? Why all of a sudden? It was totally out of proportion to the situation? What had…?

“Gray, was a woman hurt on your mission?”

His eyes widened.

She lifted her hand. “I don’t want any details. I’m not trying to pry, I know that’s not how we can operate if we’re going to be a couple. But I needed to understand why you were acting like you were.”

Gray ripped open the bandage and tenderly applied it to her skin, then heaved off of the bed. “I’m reacting the way I am because I don’t want the woman I care for to be injured, or in pain, or to risk further damage on my watch.”

Riya saw the way he was clenching his fist. He stalked over to her dresser, Einstein had to run to avoid being trampled. Gray was oblivious. That meant he was really upset. She took a deep breath. Somehow she needed to fix this. She fought back her panic.

Think.

She took a deep breath.

Truth.

She needed to come clean.

“I was sad,” she blurted out.

Gray tilted his head. “Huh?”

“I was sad because I was missing you. I was worried about you being on a mission. I didn’t figure it all out until today that that was the reason I was so itchy. Gray, it wasn’t a big deal. It was all in my head. Sad and worried makes me scratch myself.”

He went stock still.

His voice was a low rumble. “So I was the one who caused this? It was because of me?”

Oh, shit.

He sounded like a wounded animal.

“No, of course it’s not your fault,” she cried. “It was all me.”

He marched over and rested his fists on either side of her hips. “Don’t lie. Don’t sugar-coat this, Riya. You were hurting so badly, that you tore at your skin until you bled!”

Her hands shot up and cupped his cheeks, she barely noticed the sheet slipping down her body. “This is not your fucking issue.”

“Bullshit.” His breath was hot.

She could feel tears building. This was big. This was monumental. She needed to diffuse this. He needed to think, not feel.

“Do I look like her?” she asked calmly.

She could see Gray’s immediate understanding. “No, you look nothing like her,” he answered slowly.

She didn’t say anything, just let him gnaw on that for long moments. She noted that his shoulders relaxed the tiniest little bit.

“But Riya, ultimately it was because you worried about me that caused you to hurt yourself.”

She nodded. “But I finally figured it out. I’ll get it under control. It was a gut reaction because I care so deeply.” She gave him a small smile. “Ring a bell?”

He sat back on his haunches. “Maybe.”

She stifled a giggle.

“Are you going to laugh at me? Because I might have to retaliate.”

She sighed in relief. Crisis diverted.

Riya lunged at Gray. “I need a hug.”

Aw, hell.

Where were the tears coming from? He was going to go SEAL-y again.

“Don’t you dare go crazy again, these are tears of relief. You scared me.”

He stroked her back.

She felt a shudder go through his big body.

“I reserve the right to care too much in the future,” he whispered.

She hiccupped, trying to stem her tears.

“Like now. Just let it out, Baby, I’m home now. The only scratching is on my back, got it?”

She snorted.

“Got it.”