BERLIN WATCHED GABE’S PROFILE IN the dimly lit interior of the car. Every so often, oncoming headlights illuminated his face and she could see from the set of the jaw and the tension around his eyes, he was still working through the idea that the woman who’d attacked his cousin might be carrying his child. The whole idea was somehow more horrific because of Samantha’s pregnancy. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment, reaching for her center until she figured out what to do. She couldn’t believe the idea hadn’t occurred to her sooner. It was obvious from his reaction that Gabe hadn’t considered the possibility. She wondered if Blake had.

It would tear him up if there was a child of his out there in the world somewhere and he wasn’t part of his son or daughter’s life. And it would forever tie him to his attacker. A part of him would be irreversibly connected to the woman who’d raped him. Assuming things had gone that far. She didn’t know the impact of date rape drugs on male physiology and she had no intention of Googling it. She also knew that an erection was a biological response and not an indication of consent. For all she knew, they might find the woman and still never know the truth. Unless she was pregnant with Blake’s baby. God, what a mess.

She hated it for all of them. For Blake and Samantha and the possibility of an innocent child caught in the middle of it all. Of two innocent children. The baby Samantha carried would be affected by whatever they found. So would Gabe. She could see the weight he carried on his shoulders and how much it hurt him not to be able to do something, to fix things for the people he loved. She barely knew him, but she already knew he’d do anything in the world under his power or not to protect the people he loved. That kind of devotion was a rare and precious thing. And too much for one man to carry alone.

Reaching for his hand, she laced her fingers with his. She couldn’t do much about what happened to Blake, but she could make sure Gabe didn’t feel so alone. He squeezed her hand and she saw some of the tightness around his eyes soften. It made her want to see if she could lift more of his burden, an impulse she decided not to look too closely at.

“Do you want me to drive?” she asked. Faced with the reality of what happened, neither them wanted to spend the night at the Regency. Instead, they’d gotten in the car and started for home. After six hours spent looking at video, she was practically cross-eyed but she’d find the energy to drive if that’s what he needed.

“I’m tired,” he said, looking defeated for the first time since she met him.

“I know.” She raised his hand to her lips, brushing a kiss over the backs of his knuckles. His fingers curled around hers and for a moment, she pressed their joined hands to her mouth. “I can carry the ball for a while. Let me drive.”

“Would you mind if I found a place to stop for the night? I understand if you don’t want to. I mean, I could get us separate rooms.”

She wanted to. Maybe more now than before, she wanted to find out what it was like to lay wrapped in his arms, but now it came with an emotional component that scared the crap out of her. She cared about him as more than a casual sex partner. If they made love, there would be nothing casual about it. She didn’t know what to do about those feelings but she didn’t run from things that frightened her and she wasn’t about to start.

“There’s a place,” she said, pointing to the glowing motel sign at the upcoming exit ramp.

Gabe took the exit and pulled into the parking lot, not letting go of her hand until he had to shift the car into park. She climbed out of the car before he made it to her door. Everything had been so spur-of-the-moment; neither of them had really packed for the trip. All she had was her purse and a laptop bag that doubled as a briefcase, but in all fairness she could probably organize a military coup with what she had packed in the bags. Gabe took the laptop bag from her and grabbed a black duffel from the trunk that looked like it had permanent residence there. She wouldn’t be surprised if he could organize his own coup. Together, they’d be unstoppable.

She squashed the thought as soon as she had it. She might be treading firmly into uncharted emotional territory but that didn’t mean she intended to completely lose her mind. Wanting to make things easier for Gabe wasn’t the same thing as embracing happily ever after. Not even close. He fell into step behind her, following her through the automatic doors to the reservation desk.

“We need a room with a king-sized bed, please, and a late checkout in the morning.”

Without saying a word, Gabe set the duffel on the floor beside him and plunked his credit card down on the counter. She could protest him paying, but she didn’t feel any of the money-power-sex connections that usually guided her interactions with men. Besides, he could probably expense it if he wanted.

The helpful clerk handed her the keycards and gave them information about a breakfast she dearly hoped they’d miss. In moments, they were in the elevator and on their way up to a room with a door that locked and a bed and no excuses to get in the way. She took a mental inventory of her feelings, but all she found was want. She wanted to ease Gabe’s burden. She wanted to share herself with him. She wanted to take him inside her and let him take her over the edge with nothing to hold onto but what they built together. It was a completely new feeling, but it was strong and she was ready to see where it led her. Led them. She’d already started to think in plurals instead of her normal solitary singular.

He held the bags, and waited while she unlocked the door and then they were inside with nothing between them but the walls they put up themselves. She expected to be nervous. Everything felt so raw, so exposed, but when he dropped the bags and pulled her into his arms, it felt like coming home to a place she’d never been to before but always secretly suspected existed. He fitted her to him, one arm wrapped around her waist while the other hand cupped her head, and cradled her against his chest. She felt the steady beat of his heart through the thin cotton of his shirt and the small fractured parts of her life started to align themselves with the rhythm.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and felt the muscles of his back bunch under her hands. For a few moments cast outside of normal time, they stood together, somehow growing closer simply because of their proximity. He breathed and her heart beat. She pressed her lip to the narrow triangle of bare skin at his collar and his pulse hammered under her lips. With every moment, with every tiny connection, they wove themselves together until it was the easiest thing in the world to tip her head up to kiss his lips.

He met her, teasing and tasting, making promises with his tongue she knew he’d keep. His hand tightened in her hair and when she gasped, he caught it with his mouth, stealing her breath and giving her his in exchange. She stretched up on her toes, grateful for the extra height her heels gave her so she could tangle her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to her. He leaned down, wrapping his arms tight around her waist and when he stood again, he lifted her off the ground, holding her so they were eye to eye. In that moment, her entire world coalesced into the point where his gaze met hers, where she could lose herself in the depths of his eyes and find herself all over again.

And then his lips found hers again and nothing mattered but getting as close to him as she could, as quickly as she could.

“I didn’t know,” she said, not sure how to articulate her feelings. She was covering ground she’d never covered before and the only thing she was sure of was the need to give him her honesty. She still didn’t know if she could give him all of her, although it was getting harder by the moment to figure out how to hold anything back. But whatever happened between them, she would give him truth.

“I know,” he said, and then his lips claimed hers and they melted into each other.

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HE’D KNOWN IT would be different with Berlin. Everything was different with the carefully control petite powerhouse. But he’d underestimated the way she made him feel, the emotions she’d brought out in him. She’d taken his feelings of helplessness over the situation with Blake and somehow soothed them without solving or dismissing anything. Being with her simply made things easier than being without her and that was completely new territory.

When he held her and she molded herself to him, it was as if pieces that had been knocked out of place righted themselves. As if he was somehow more whole with her in his arms. And then she’d kissed him and more and mine went to war in his head, each asserting its dominance until he needed to codify both. She was his and he needed more of her. As much as he could get. As much as she would give him.

He kissed her, catching her sigh with his mouth, meeting her tongue with his while he tried to melt into her. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of kissing her, of feeling her tongue slide against his, of tugging her bottom lip between his teeth and breathing in her answering sigh. She yielded without dissolving, softening enough to fit herself to him, filling his sharp planes and empty holes while at the same time staying strong enough for him to lean against. The contradiction intoxicated him and he found himself drunk on her kisses.

When he pulled back long enough to look into her dark, wide eyes, he saw himself mirrored there, all the heat and want and need he felt staring back at him. His cock throbbed with the beating of his heart and he ached to bury himself inside her but not until he watched her come apart with his name on her lips. Lips that were bruised and swollen from his kisses.

Working his way along her jaw, he nipped and teased her tender flesh, laying a trail of kisses down her throat to her collarbone. Reaching between them, he unfastened the buttons on her jacket before sliding it off her shoulders and tossing it onto a nearby chair. The blouse underneath it was silk and feeling the heat of her skin through the whisper-thin fabric was almost more intimate than if she’d been naked. Almost. He scraped his teeth over the pulse beating at the base of her throat while his hands slid over her curves, memorizing every inch of her with his touch.

He stroked her back and she curled into him like a cat, so he did it again, losing himself for a moment in the feel of the silk moving over the warmth of her body. When he reached her waist, he tugged the blouse free from her skirt, letting his fingertips stray under the hem to brush her naked flesh. Kissing his way from one collarbone to the other, he slid the tiny buttons through the silk, baring inch after inch of her creamy skin to his mouth. He kissed his way to the gentle swell of her breast before dipping his tongue under the lace edge of her bra to skim the puckered rim of her nipple. Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him in place, and his cock swelled harder in response to her demands.

Shifting them so he could sit on the bed, he pulled her to stand between his legs, caging her legs with his thighs. Pressing his lips to her sternum, he made quick work of the rest of the buttons before slipping the silk from her body

“My God, you are beautiful,” he said, reaching around her for the catch on the back of her skirt. “Someday soon, I’m going to bend you over and take you from behind with your clothes still on.” He could picture it, laying her out flat on the desk, pushing her skirt up over her hips and sliding the damp lace of her panties to the side so he could sink balls deep inside her. “But tonight I want you naked. Bare to me so I can taste every inch of you.”

She smiled down at him, her smile shakier than he was used to, and then she reached behind her back, unfastened the skirt and shimmied it over her hips. He spread his legs long enough for it to fall to the floor and for her to step out of it before catching her between his thighs again. She stood in front of him wearing nothing but a few scraps of what looked and felt like very expensive gray lace and a pair of heels so high they made her legs look a million miles long. Fixing him with her gaze, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she unhooked her bra and let the lace fall away, baring gorgeous small breasts topped with dusky red nipples he couldn’t wait to get in his mouth.

“So fucking beautiful,” he said and had the pleasure of watching her skin flush a delicate pink.

He loved the idea of tipping her off-balance enough to make her blush. He could make that his new mission in life, and then he wrapped his lips around Berlin’s nipple, drawing the taut peak deep into his mouth. Her back bowed and she let out a hungry whimper and he decided making her make that noise was a better use of his time. She tugged on his hair, pulling him closer, demanding more of him, and he gave it to her, suckling her hard until her hips rocked against him and needy little cries fell from her lips.

“On the bed,” he demanded, watching her swollen nipples pebble tight in the cool air. “Leave the shoes on.”

She nodded. “Whatever you want,” she said, crawling toward the headboard and he wondered if she meant it. He wouldn’t push her now—not when there were so many things he wanted to do with her—but he had a feeling before they were done with each other, they’d both be re-evaluating their opinions on relationships. That is, if they were ever done with each other. He had a hard time picturing it from where he stood, looking down at her almost naked body spread out before him like a promise.

“Hands over your head. Grab the headboard and don’t let go.”

“God, you’re bossy,” she said, but she hurried to comply, curling her fingers around the single metal bar.

Thank goodness for innovative design. He wanted her so much—he was so damn hard for her—if she touched him he wouldn’t be able to take the time he wanted to make love to her.

“Calling me God is optional but appreciated,” he said, moving quickly past the idea that he really was making love to her. That was the very last thought he intended to share.

“I’ll remember that,” she said, arching her back and spreading her legs wide, revealing the edges of her sex bisected by a thin, almost insignificant strip of lace and proving once and for all who was really in control of the situation.

“That’s it.” He settled himself between her legs and went to work with his hands and mouth, determined to turn her into a polytheist before the night ended.

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IF HE DID that thing with his mouth again, she was going to lose her mind. She’d barely managed to keep a grip on the headboard for the first orgasm; she wouldn’t survive a second.

“Please, God. I’ll call you whatever you want,” she said, surprised she had enough breath left to form the words. “Just get up here and fuck me.”

Raising his head from her aching sex, he grinned like a man given the keys to the kingdom.

“Anything?” he asked, his lips hovering over her swollen clit. Even his breath on her sensitive sex was enough to drive her closer to the edge. When she hesitated, his tongue darted out and flicked the tight bundle of nerves and she gripped the headboard hard enough, she was sure she left dents.

“Yes, yes—anything!”

He licked into her, one long, smooth stroke with the flat of his tongue, and her hips thrust toward him, proving her body and mind were moving in two different directions where Gabe and his sexy mouth were concerned.

Gently biting her trimmed mound, he worked his way up her body, pausing to suckle her on the way. She was calling uncle. He won. She would do whatever he wanted. He grabbed a condom from the nightstand, halting his onslaught just long enough to sheath his long, hard length, and she chewed on her lip in anticipation, the pain somehow making the pleasure bearable. Like the salt in cookie dough that made the sugar taste sweeter. Nibbling the tender skin of her neck, he stopped at her ear. With his hands pressed to either side of her head and his cock riding the slick seam of her body, he ground himself against her, sending her teetering on the edge of another orgasm.

“Call me Aquaman,” he whispered against her ear, laughter just below the surface of his voice. “But the new hot one, not the old geeky one.” He thrust again, his cock splitting her sex, so close to where she needed him but still holding back.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” she said, exasperation warring with desire and the desire winning. “Take me, Aquaman.”

The words barely left her mouth and he was moving, sliding inside her in one smooth stroke, filling her. She gave up on the headboard, wrapping her arms and legs around him, desperate to get him closer, to keep him from letting her go again. Keeping his gaze locked with hers, his eyes deep pools reflecting the hunger that was driving her, he started to move, thrusting into her with enough force to drive her up the bed.

It wasn’t enough. She opened for him, sliding her legs higher up his back, taking him deeper and it still wasn’t close enough. She’d never get close enough.

“Please.” The word fell from her lips like a prayer. “Please.”

“I know, baby. I’ve got you.” Resting his weight on his elbows, he cradled her head to his chest as he moved inside her.

The contrast between the tender gesture and his punishing strokes slayed her, and she felt her body tighten in anticipation one more time. His body tensed, and she knew he was fighting to hold on for her. Sliding his hand from her head to her back, he pinned her to him, raising them both until she straddled his lap. The position pushed him deeper inside her and ground her clit against him. Her legs wrapped around his waist limited her movement, but she didn’t have to move. He gripped her hips hard enough that she’d bear his marks in the morning and lifted her until his cock almost slipped from her body before letting her sink down on him, taking every inch. It only took a few thrusts before she felt her body tighten and her climax whip through her like a spool of wire coiling and uncoiling.

“Coming. Oh God, I’m coming.” She breathed out the words, needing him to know, needing him to race over the edge with her.

“Fuck, Berlin. Now, baby, come now.” He pulled her down onto him and her body spasmed, tightened around him as he swelled inside her. She felt the moment her climax triggered his and they fell together.

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WAKING UP WITH a woman in his arms was always a little awkward. There was the moment between sleep and waking where he had to remember where he was, and then there was the early morning dance to get ready. Morning intimacy was different from night time intimacy.

Waking up with Berlin cuddled in his arms, her hair spread out in a purple-tipped fan over his chest while she played human octopus with her arms and legs, felt like the world had suddenly straightened on its axis and everything was exactly where it belonged. He came awake slowly, feeling her steady, even breathing against his chest and for a few moments, he just held her and watched her sleep. She looked so relaxed and so young. Too young for all the pressures she carried around with her every day. Not that he expected her ever to give up trying to manage the world. He pitied anyone who stood in opposition to her. The woman was a force of nature.

She carried that same kind of passion into bed. She met him hunger for hunger, need for need, taking and giving pleasure as easily as some people breathed. His feelings for her—he had feelings for her—had morphed so quickly from fascination to something stronger, something much more enduring. Something he was unwilling to give a name to, but something he couldn’t deny any longer. He just had to figure out how to admit what he was feeling to himself before he even considered sharing it with her.

He felt her stir in his arms and watched as she moved from sleeping to waking, her breath hitching as she shifted against him. She wrapped her leg around his hips, brushing his already thickening cock with her thigh and moving thinking to a lower spot on his priority list.

“Good morning to you too,” she said, grinning up at him. “Been up long?” Her eyes lit up and she bit the tip of her tongue, clearly tickled with her play on words.

“Very funny.” He caught her leg behind the knee, hoisting it higher and opening her to him. He slid his hand up the back of her thigh, cupping her sweet ass before dipping his fingers between her legs to tease her sex. His fingertips came back slick with the evidence of her desire and he bit back a groan. “You’re wet for me.” His voice sounded hoarse but it barely reflected the need he felt for her.

“You’re hard for me,” she said, reaching between them to wrap her fingers around him.

“Fair point,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and rolling until she was underneath him.

He fitted himself between her legs, and watched her eyes go wide as he thrust against her, the length of his cock riding the cleft of her sex. She hooked her legs around his waist, digging her heels into his ass, and it took every bit of control he had to keep from sliding inside her bare. He wanted it with an irrational need. He never had sex without a condom. It was a rule he didn’t break. He wanted to break it with her, but even his lust-addled brain knew that was a bad idea.

They’d gone through the small stash of condoms he kept in his duffel the previous night. Unless she was holding out on him and had some tucked in her laptop bag, they wouldn’t be having sex again until they hit a drugstore. That didn’t stop him from torturing both of them, dragging the head of his cock over her clit as her eyes drifted closed in pleasure. He felt like she’d closed a door between them and he wanted it open again. He wanted to know what she was thinking, to understand her.

“You feel so good,” she said as he thrust against her again.

“Look at me,” he said, opening his mouth before he vetted his words. “Why do you assume all men cheat?” He felt her stiffen underneath him and knew he’d made a mistake. But if he wanted a relationship with her—he could at least admit that much to himself—he needed to understand where her prejudice came from. Although a compelling argument could be made for choosing a different time to go after the truth. The only time he was sure she wasn’t hiding from him was when they made love, so maybe his timing wasn’t that screwy after all.

“You’re not turning into a chick on me, are you, Aquaman?”

The nickname gave him a way out and made it clear she had no intention of talking about it. That was okay. Despite what his brother and sisters thought, he could be a patient man when he needed to be. Berlin was worth waiting for.

“Not a chance,” he said, pinning her in place with his hips, the evidence of his manhood front and center. “I need a shower. Take one with me and I’ll show you how I can breathe under water.”