I sighed at the feel of Ward’s cock in my palm—hot and hard, the skin velvety soft. No briefs or boxers, Ward was a commando man. It suited him perfectly. There was nothing civilized about him. He was all raw, primal man, wrapped in a body so damn sexy and so damn hard all over, he stole my breath just by existing.

My heartbeat thundered, pounding through my body like a drum. A sense of power rolled through me at the sound of his ragged groan when I slid my palm up and down his cock. Stepping back, I knelt down between his knees, swirling my tongue around the tip of his cock and catching the drop of pre-cum there. I flicked my gaze up to find his eyes on me, dark and intent. He slid a hand into my hair, the rough edge to his touch akin to striking a match, scattering sparks over my skin and making me hot all over.

Another swirl of my tongue and then I drew him in my mouth, every hard, thick inch of him. Just like the rest of him, his cock was glorious. It pulsed as I drew him into my mouth, letting my palm get wet and gripping him loosely as I slid up and down with my mouth. With a rough tug, he reached for me, lifting me swiftly.

“Hey, I wasn’t done,” I muttered, my voice husky.

I collided with his smoky gaze. He shrugged. “Can’t wait,” he growled.

In a matter of seconds, he was shoving my jeans and panties down. Before I could form a thought, he was stretching me out on the couch, every inch of me bare to his heated gaze. Leaning up, I yanked at the hem of his T-shirt.

“This needs to come off,” I demanded.

He grinned, his eyes flashing. Reaching behind his neck, he lifted his shirt up and over in one fell swoop. He stood before me as my eyes greedily soaked him up. His chest was all muscle, a dusting of dark hair on it. His jeans hung open at his hips, his cock still damp from my mouth.

Ward was utterly un-self conscious. Not that there was any reason whatsoever for him to be self-conscious. He was a specimen of beauty, every inch of him honed to hardness, so damn sexy and so damn glorious. My mouth went dry just looking at him.

He shoved his jeans down, kicking them free along with his boots. He leaned over me, trailing his fingertips down across my breasts, the subtle touch sending hot shivers through me. He meandered down over my belly, pausing just above the apex of my thighs, his eyes on me the entire time.

I would have done anything he said just now. That was how bad it was. I was a slave to the need between us and to the power he exuded.

Without a word, his gaze searing into me, his fingers slipped through my curls and dipped into my core. I moaned. Hot and slick, I was so needy for him I was beside myself. His knee sank onto the couch between my thighs, nudging them apart slightly. He sank one finger inside of me, knuckle deep. A ragged moan escaped my lips. Another finger joined the first. My hips rolled into his touch as he fucked me with his fingers.

“I want to watch you come apart right now, to come all over my hand,” he murmured, his words rough, making my pulse pound even harder and sending hot shivers through me.

Even his voice was a turn on for me, every word he uttered making me wild with need inside.

“More than that though, I want to feel you come all over my cock.”

His silver-smoke gaze held mine as he drew his fingers out and sank them inside again. I cried out, my pussy clenching. I was already on the edge when he teased across my clit, just enough pressure to push me a little closer to the edge but not enough to take me over.

He curled his fist around his cock, stroking it lightly as his fingers drove me wild. Hunger coiled inside as I saw another drop of pre-cum roll out, glistening on the tip before it dripped onto my belly.

“I suppose we should discuss protection,” he said, his words nudging my eyes back to his. “Since you’re pregnant, we don’t have to worry about that, but I don’t know how you feel about it. I’m clean. I’ve never in my life had sex without a condom.”

“Me neither,” I murmured, this conversation feeling suddenly intimate.

“So?” he drawled. “Your call.”

The idea of Ward being bare inside of me made me hot all over. That was saying something since I was practically on fire already. I swallowed. “There’s no need.”

He held my gaze, sliding his fist up and down his cock as he stared at me. Without a word, he slowly withdrew his fingers from where they’d been buried inside of me. Levering over me slightly, he dragged the thick head of his cock through my folds. I was dripping wet with need. With every pass, his cock slid across my clit, nearly pushing me over the edge.

“You want this, don’t you?” he murmured, teasing me relentlessly. “You’re so fucking wet.”

“Ward, please…” My voice came out in a ragged, breathy plea.

“Look at me.”

My eyes slammed into his, the look there alone tightening the pressure gathering inside of me. With his eyes locked to mine, he dragged his cock over my clit again as my hips bucked into him.

“Please,” I begged.

I didn’t even recognize myself. Ward turned me into a mess of need and desperation, nothing but desire driving me. Desire for him to claim me, to bury his cock inside of me and fuck me so hard, I might, maybe just for a few moments, be satiated.

He didn’t rush. Oh no. With his smoky gaze locked to mine, he dragged the head of his cock through my slick folds again, teasing my entrance and then passing up over my clit, sending yet another spike of pleasure shooting through me. I cried out and only then did he sink inside. In one swift surge, he filled me completely.

I was teetering on the edge of detonation already, my nerves so sensitized, it bordered on painful. Ward held still inside of me, his gaze locked to mine, searing me with its intensity. It felt so good to have him bare inside of me, no barrier between us. He drew his hips back slowly before seating himself again, the slide of his cock in my channel sending sparks of heat flying inside.

I couldn’t break free from his silver smoky gaze. The intimacy of the moment was shocking. My entire body was vibrating, while my heart thudded hard and fast. He drew back again, this time surging inside quickly and then holding still. He lifted a hand, brushing my tangled hair away from my forehead. I soaked in the feel of him stretching me, bringing me to the brink, pleasure spinning and coiling tighter and tighter. It felt so good to be held within his gaze and encompassed within the sheer power of his presence.

His eyelids started to fall, his words slurred as he spoke. “So fucking good. You feel so good.”

My hips arched into him reflexively, the vibration in my body impossible to withstand. The moment I moved, he drew back and finally gave me what I needed—hard and fast, his hips pounding into me.

Every beat of every thrust stretching me and filling me. Never once did his eyes break away. His hand slid down over my breasts, giving a gentle pinch to my nipple before his touch trailed over my belly, his thumb pressing over my clit. Pleasure exploded, shattering into pieces inside of me. I flew apart, lost in the throes of a climax so intense it ruined me.

With my pussy clamping down around his cock, I dimly heard him cry out as his body went rigid and he sank into me once again, the heat of his release filling me. He held still for a beat, his muscles taut as he looked down at me. He slowly eased down, rolling us over so that I rested atop him with his cock still buried inside of me. I lay still, my breath gusting as I felt his heartbeat pounding against my own. His palm slid down my back in a slow pass, coming to rest on the curve of my bottom.

There was something about being held by Ward, even when relaxed he felt so strong. Held tight against him with him buried inside of me, I felt as if nothing could get to me. All of a sudden, it hit me. I was pregnant, and Ward knew.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I tensed.

“Don’t start thinking yet, Zanna,” he murmured, his voice a rough whisper above my head.

I flushed to realize he could sense I had started to worry. I laughed softly, the tension easing as I lifted my head, resting my chin on my hand.

Sweet hell. There should be a law against men looking as sexy as he did. With his black curls tousled, the shadow of his beard, his chiseled features and those eyes…fuck me, those eyes. He could seduce a woman with nothing more than a look.

I didn’t dare tell him he could probably make me come just by looking at me. I had some pride.

He opened his eyes, a subtle glint in them.

“Well I’m sure you’d agree, we might have something to talk about,” I said, feeling bashful all of a sudden.

His hand slid up and down my back in another slow pass, giving my ass cheek a squeeze. He shrugged, his shoulder lifting against me. “I suppose, but we could relax now and talk later.”

“Are you going to take me back to my car tonight?” I asked.

He grinned, one of those ridiculous grins that made my belly flip. “No. You’re staying.”

“That wasn’t a question. Were you planning to ask me if I wanted to stay?”

His grin stretched to the other side of his mouth as he shook his head. “No.”

“I don’t usually take orders,” I countered.

He held my gaze, that silver flashing again. “Sometimes you do.”

I flushed straight through, recalling our last night together when he ordered me to turn around on the bed and arch my back—because he wanted to see “your sweet ass and your pussy.”

I hadn’t hesitated. I hadn’t even questioned it. That was only one of several times he ordered me around that night.

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my composure. “Fine. Sometimes I do.”

I didn’t really want to leave tonight. The idea of curling up beside him and falling asleep, well, that would be heaven.

He didn’t give me much of a chance to contemplate this. He shifted to slide out from under me, lifting me into his arms from the couch. In a matter of seconds, he was carrying me into the shower. With the water running down over us and steam cocooning us, I was rinsing the water out of my eyes when I heard his palm land on the tile wall beside me. His other palm slapped on the other side, and I stood in a cage of his arms. With his curls damp and water running in rivulets down his magnificent body, my channel clenched.

“So let’s make one thing clear,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“You’re mine.”

* * *

The following morning, I insisted Ward drop me off at my car early. I didn’t want to run the risk of anyone from the crew noticing us arriving at the station together. He hadn’t offered much on the point, but had gone along with it. Afterwards, I drove over to grab some coffee at Firehouse Café and headed home to change my clothes.

As I got ready to leave again, his words spun through my thoughts again. You’re mine.

What the hell? I didn’t even know what to think about that. I was annoyed with the part of me that savored his streak of possessiveness. I mean, good grief. I wasn’t the kind of woman who needed a man to take care of her. While I couldn’t deny the force of my attraction to Ward—even I knew that was pointless—I was starting to think it had to be hormones. Dr. Jenkins had warned me to be prepared for the influx of hormonal changes, which would affect me in a range of ways. So this crazy, out of control desire must be that. I’d let it ride, but I wasn’t about to let him think he had a claim to me just because I was pregnant and he happened to be the father.

The more I thought about it, the more apparent it became I needed to keep my boundaries clear. Otherwise, he’d dominate his way right into my life.