A Perfect Storm (28 page)

It felt more
about
her than she’d known was possible. He kept kissing her more and more, as if he couldn’t get enough, couldn’t give enough.

He was inside her, yet he didn’t thrust. No loss of control. No rush to the finish line.

Except to cuddle her breasts and stroke her skin and make her insane with those drugging kisses, he didn’t move at all.

When she moaned, he finally freed her mouth, but only to kiss her throat, her shoulder.

How the heck could that be so wonderful?

He lifted her breast and closed his mouth over her nipple again, tugging hotly, teasing with his tongue and then with his teeth.

All those remarkable, wonderful aches deepened, building up, expanding, until
she
had to move.

And when she did, Spencer helped her, clasping her hips and guiding her so that she rode him just right, pulling away and then sinking down again, getting all of him on each long stroke.

Heat rose from their bodies. They both breathed harder and faster, moved harder and faster.

And through it all, Spencer touched her, watched her, encouraged her.

Focused on her.

That was so new—and so exciting.

Her eyes closed and her fingertips sank into his shoulders. “Don’t you dare stop again.”

“I won’t.” With both hands on her breasts, he teased her nipples, his gentle touch making her wilder, hotter. “I could look at you like this all day.”

All day? No way. “I can’t…” Her thighs strained and her body clenched around him. The pleasure peaked—and ebbed. Oh, God, oh, God. “I need…”
Something.
Her thundering heartbeat rocked her body. “Spencer…”

“Shh. It’s okay. I’m going to help you.” He slipped a hand between their bodies, his fingers sliding over her wet sex until he touched her clitoris.

“Right here, Arizona?” He watched her face and smiled. “Yes. Right here.”

Crying out, she rode him hard as she sought release. He found a rhythm that sent her heartbeat skyrocketing. She tried to be quiet and couldn’t. She tried to center on him and couldn’t. Everything narrowed, spiked.

His voice rough, Spencer whispered, “I want you to come for me, Arizona.”

And amazingly enough, she did.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

S
PENCER
WATCHED
HER
FACE
,
saw the moment the pleasure overtook her, and much as he wanted to let go, he couldn’t give it up, couldn’t miss seeing her like this.

Never one to be inhibited, Arizona came with deep guttural groans, her face tight with release, her long dark hair tumbling everywhere. He felt her squeezing him tight, and he felt her wetness.

More than that, he felt her surprise.

As she eased, her cries quieted, and her body quivered in small aftershocks. Limp, a little sweaty, she came down over his chest with a moan. “Oh, my God.”

Moved by her honest response, he smiled and kissed her temple, then rearranged her a little, keeping her legs bent but stroking her spine and smoothing back her hair. It was the oddest thing, being so primed and so incredibly turned on, but content just to be with her, to hold her.

“I have no bones.”

“Mmm. Well, I still have one particular bone that I’ll continue sharing with you.”

She snickered. “I meant that I’m limp.”

“In a good way, I hope.” He kissed her temple again with affection and caring, though he doubted she knew it.

Could she recognize genuine caring? He just didn’t know.

“A very good way.” She stirred enough to run her fingers through his chest hair. “I like this.”

Damn, given the slick, snug way she still held him, when she moved her hand, even a finger, he felt it on his cock. “The release?”

“Actually, I meant your sexy, hairy chest. God, Spencer, I do love touching you.” She lifted her head and smiled at him. She had a glow about her, her blue eyes lazy, her honey-colored skin flushed a dusky rose. Almost timidly, she said, “But, yeah, the other was pretty amazing, too.”

Damn, but she pleased him. “I’m glad.”

“It was a surprise, you know? Sort of blew my socks off. At least it would have if I was wearing socks.”

Nervous chatter from Arizona?

Talking while still buried inside her sweet body wasn’t easy, but he managed. “Sometimes surprises are nice.”

She now had both hands running over his chest. “I mean, of course I knew about it. But getting that, going all goosey and tingly and that breathtaking wave of sensation, with you inside me, well, that was a big old first for me.”

Damn it, he couldn’t bear it. Hearing her talk about it was making him hotter. He caught her face and pulled her in close for another devouring kiss. He wanted to brand her in some way, to make her his and only his—and he wanted to treat her as gently as possible, to cherish her and show her that love didn’t hurt.

Love?

Oh, God. Determined to block that from his mind, Spencer tangled his hands in her hair and ate at her soft mouth. Not turning her to her back took great concentration on his part. He desperately wanted to be over her, in her, driving hard and deep…

His control shattered.

“My turn,” he whispered, and it took little enough for him to clasp that lush ass and press up into her. She still had her knees drawn up along his sides, her full, firm breasts pressing against his chest.

As he thrust, she moaned, clenched around him, and opened her mouth on his shoulder.

Surprised, he asked softly, “Again?”

As an answer, her short nails dug into his muscles, and she began rocking her hips in a cadence with his.

Amazing.

Holding back wasn’t easy, but no way would he cut her short. He hugged her closer so that she ground against him with each movement of their bodies, her clit on his shaft, her stiffened nipples against his chest. With her scent surrounding him, she got wetter, her body hotter, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from exploding.

Just when he thought he wouldn’t last a second more, she gave a vibrating moan and treated him to the slight sting of her sharp little teeth.
Perfect.
He let himself go with a harsh, guttural groan.

Coming was great.

Coming with Arizona was…hell, maybe life-altering. He felt a part of her, connected in an alarming way.

After what seemed an eternity, they both went lax, melting into the mattress with pounding heartbeats and labored breaths. Arizona was a warm, gentle weight on his chest, her scent spicier now, filling his head.

Seconds ticked by.

He didn’t want to move. Ever.

He didn’t want to talk, either. Not yet. Not until he’d reconciled all the ways she leveled him.

Nothing had really changed, and yet it felt as if everything had.

Sluggishly, Arizona pushed up on straightened arms and looked at him. With an amused shake of her head and a groan of near-discomfort, she unbent her legs—and collapsed again.

And even that, feeling her slim but strong limbs around him, her full breasts and now soft nipples on his sweat-damp chest…it moved him. A lot.

In myriad ways.

While trying to calm his chaotic thoughts, Spencer idly caressed her dewy skin. He could span the width of her back with one hand, and yet she had more courage than most grown men.

At six feet, five inches tall, he towered over a lot of people. His job as a bounty hunter, his demeanor of grim resolve, gave most reason for pause. But not Arizona. From their very first meeting, she’d gone head to head with him, her pride, her determination and confidence matching his in spades.

She’d been smart enough for wariness; she had a very real understanding of her own limitations. But she’d had no real fear of him.

Mostly because she thought she had little enough to lose. But also because she had real skill. Granted, the skills were limited by her size and strength, but put to the test, she’d do well under pressure or in a situation rife with danger.

He admired her.

And now, knowing she also matched him sexually…it was more than any man should have to deal with.

“Holy smokes, Spence.” She gave him a playful love bite, then rubbed her nose over his chest hair. “I’m almost speechless.”

Relishing all the tantalizing dips and curves of her body, he ran his hands from her shoulders to her ass and back again. She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

The most fearless. Most reckless.

And the most endearing.

What the hell was he going to do with her?

Unlike with other women, he couldn’t just decide to enjoy his time with her while it lasted. He squeezed his eyes shut, but he couldn’t shut out the reality of their relationship.

Complicated, difficult and important—to her, to her future and how she accepted life. How she valued herself.

He was the biggest fraud imaginable, because he’d known from the onset that he couldn’t play this game without eventually bedding her. He wasn’t superhuman, and that’s what it’d take to resist a woman like Arizona, especially while getting closer.

So he’d known, and still he’d used the excuse of trying to help her over the hurdles of emotional and physical abuse as a way to get her under him. Because he’d
had
to have her.

God, that sounded awful, even as it rang true.

And that made him a grade-A bastard.

Arizona would be the first to deny it, but she was by far the most vulnerable woman he’d ever met. She had no understanding of common courtesy, much less genuine kindness. She expected little and told herself she wanted, and deserved, nothing more.

For her, affection was an unfamiliar, even alien concept. As a grown and experienced man, he could decipher what he felt. He could deal with it.

He understood it.

But Arizona didn’t have the advantage of healthy relationships to contrast against this. Her emotional growth had been so badly stunted by traffickers that she might misconstrue sexual satisfaction for something…more.

She deserved all those exciting first discoveries that most girls started building in their late teens. Arizona deserved to have comparisons, to really know what she felt and what she wanted.

She should expect the best, because she deserved it.

“You’ve gotten awfully quiet.”

He cupped a big hand over her backside, palming one cheek. “You wore me out and my brain is sluggish.”

Sounding far too young, she asked with forced insouciance, “Not disappointed?”

Her uncertainty stabbed like a knife. “No, baby.” He kissed her crown, then the bridge of her nose. “I’m as far from disappointed as a man could get.”

“Good.” Relief lightened her tone. “Because I liked it, too.”

That made him smile. “I know.”

“You do?”

“I figured coming twice was a positive sign.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess.” She propped herself up with her pointy little elbows on his chest. “I’ve never done that before.”

“Come with a man?”

Nodding, she toyed again with his chest hair. “By myself, well, that’s different. But the idea of getting with a man willingly…”

“I understand.” And he was very glad to be the man who shared that with her.

“You surprised me.”

The room was quiet, the gray day intimate, the tumbled sheets comfortable. He ran his fingers through her tangled hair. Everything about her, physical and emotional, fascinated him more than he’d ever thought possible. “Give me an hour or so, and I can surprise you again.”

She didn’t smile with him. “So…”

That particular serious look on Arizona had him really curious. “Something on your mind, honey?”

She chewed her lower lip, then blurted, “Jackson is pretty notorious sex candy.”

Sex candy?
Jackson?
That wasn’t at all what he’d expected, and for a moment, he stalled. While exploring the curve of her behind, he explained quietly, “You probably don’t know this, but when you’re sprawled out over a naked man after having sex with him, it’s really bad form to talk about another guy.”

Her brows scrunched down. “But I’m curious.”

Worse and worse.

He didn’t want to discourage her—not in any way—so he tried to hide all disgruntlement. “About Jackson?”

She studied him, and her face brightened with a mocking grin. “Not
that
way.” Laughing, she slugged his shoulder. “It’s just that I was thinking of him being such a panty-dropper.”

The things she said could make his brain swim. “
Former
panty-dropper.”

She looked at him in confusion. “What?”

Because it was important for her to understand the distinction, which reflected not only on relationships in general but also highlighted the difference between honorable men and cheaters, Spencer tried to explain. “Jackson is in love with Alani. You know that, right?”

“He doesn’t exactly hide his feelings about her. So what?”

“Being in love means that Alani’s panties are the only ones Jackson wants to drop from now on.”

Perplexed, she thought about that. “So a guy has to be in love to give up variety?”

He had no idea about the direction of her thoughts. But he wanted to be patient with her, and he wanted her to feel comfortable asking him anything. “What’s this about, baby?”

She veered offtrack to ask, “Why are you calling me baby?”

Leaning in to put his nose in her neck, Spencer smelled her. Touched her. Tasted her skin. “You are so soft, and so sweet. It’s just an endearment. You don’t like it?”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s okay.”

He kissed her to keep from smiling. “So what are you thinking about?”

After a long hesitation that built the tension, she blurted, “Are you going to be doing this with any other women? I mean, while you’re doing it with me?”

Jealousy? Possessiveness? He suffered both, but he hadn’t expected it of her. Pretending to misunderstand, he mused aloud, “I did offer that redhead in the bar a three-way—”

She slugged him again, not so playfully this time. “Not funny, Spence.”

The grin got away from him. “It’s a little funny.”

She started to leave him, but he held on to her, and after the briefest wrestling match where he chuckled and she groused, she gave up. “Fine.” Plopping down on him again, she snapped, “Do whatever you want. Screw whoever you want.”

“I need a few minutes first, but thanks.”

Her mouth opened, then closed. After a second, she asked, “Me?”

“I’m a one-woman-at-a-time man.” He lifted her face and kissed her lightly on her mulish mouth. “Right now, you’re the only one I want.”

“Really?”

She looked so hopeful, wearing her heart on her sleeve, not bothering to protect herself. She would protect the world, anyone she thought needed her help.

But she wouldn’t protect her own heart.

“Silly Arizona.” He cupped her face, stroked her jaw with a thumb. “How on earth could I want any other woman when you’re around?”

Her mood lightened, and she surprised him by sitting up with a smile. “Let’s go eat some cake. I’m hungry.” She eyed him from head to toe and back again. “And maybe the sugar will speed along your recovery.”