Covertly Strong (The Strong Series Book 1) (24 page)

She looks up into his sapphire orbs with curiosity and surprise. “Why’d you whisper it to me?”

Nix stares down at her, locking his gaze with her beautiful eyes. “Because you are my world, Meli…” He pauses as he inhales a shaky breath. “
You. Are. My. World
.”

Tears fill her eyes. Overwhelming emotion fills her blood and courses through her veins. Her heart thumps loudly against her rib cage. A whimper escapes her throat as two tiny tears slip out, leaving her vulnerable and exposed. And she doesn’t care that her emotions are etched on every inch of her face, finally visible for him.

“Meli?” he asks with a hint of concern as he watches the liquid emotion seep from her lids.

Her hands inch up to his face, framing his cheeks as his facial hair tickles her palms.

“This is real, isn’t it? Right now—this is real?” she asks, afraid that she’s dreaming. The fear of closing her eyes and waking back up in her bed—empty and alone—is ever present in her mind.

He nods his head. “Yeah, baby. This is real. Me and You.
Us.
This is real.”

She blinks.
Once. Twice.
And then she opens her eyes.

He is staring back at her, his eyes are blazing and heated, pulling Sloan in like a magnet.

They’re lost in the love that flows between them. Their souls connect, entwine, and latch on to one other. The past, the present, and the future thread themselves through their beating hearts, creating an intangible connection that can never be broken.

“Let me love you, Sloan,” he says as his mouth reverently brushes against hers.

“Yes,”
she whimpers against his lips. She wants him,
needs him
, and feels like she will die if she doesn’t have him, right here, right now.

“
Yes?”
he asks. Her words are practically too good to be true and he’s starting to wonder if this is all just a dream.

“Yes, love me, Nix. Please love me,” she begs.

He groans, pressing his lips to hers again in a dominant display. His mouth is hard and unrelenting on hers, demanding everything she can give. His hands grabbing at her skin in possessive grasps, as if it’s the last time he will ever have this chance.

It all feels too good,
too fucking perfect
, and he refuses to let this moment pass.

He lets all of the doubt, the questions of the past, free from his mind and lives in this moment. Nix shows her just how much she means to him with his body—through every touch, every kiss, every searing display of love.

He doesn’t stop saying
I love you
as he kisses her deeply—slow, drugging, addicting kind of kisses. He doesn’t stop saying
I love you
as he removes their clothing and presses his naked body against hers or when his hands grip her wrists, holding them above her head. And he definitely doesn’t stop saying
I love you
as he slides inside her, feeling every inch of her perfectness wrapped around him.

The rhythm and pace of their connected bodies is slow and sensual at first.

Nix takes his time with her, letting her acclimate to his size. He stares down at her in awe as he slowly pulls out and slides back in over and over and over again. Their lips meet and his tongue mimics each stroke inside her core.

Her eyes fall closed and a breathy moan of his name passes her lips.

Hearing his name on her tongue is his final undoing.

His body can’t stop the strong, deep thrusts and relentless pace. He turns wild and uninhibited as his desperation for her takes over. He finally has her.
She’s here,
and they’re finally together again. Nix feels heady and high off this beautiful realization as he claims her—owns her—and has her screaming his name, begging for release.

He drives them towards the edge—keeping both of them on the brink for a maddening moment.

“Come for me, Sloan,” he groans into her ear.

Her breaths come in small, quivering pants. She whimpers at his words as her head falls back onto his pillow, and her eyes fall closed again.

He thrusts deep—pushing himself to the hilt—and circles his hips, stroking her in the most sensual way. Sloan’s back arches, forcing her hardened nipples to press against his chest.

“Eyes on me,” he demands as he presses his forehead against hers.

Their eyes are locked in a powerful embrace.

Her mouth falls open, forming a tiny ‘O’ as she finds her release. Her entire being lights up, nearly blinding Nix from the overpowering force. He pounds into her once, twice, three more times until he fills her with his climax. He buries his face into her neck as she clamps tightly around his shaft, milking every last drop from him.

Their bodies shudder and quake in sweet synchrony.

He wraps his arms around her body as he turns onto his back, leaving her sprawled out over his chest and still wonderfully connected with her in the most intimate way.

Their ragged breathing resonates in the room.

The pounding of her heart vibrates against his chest. Nix closes his eyes and smiles. His hands grip her body tighter as he savors this moment, relishing in the feel of her body against his, and his heart fills with an infinite amount of love for
her
.

And he promises himself that he’s
never
letting go—
ever.

SHE’S LYING IN NIX’S BED. Her cheek rests gently against her hand. Sloan’s eyes tenderly assess every delicious inch of the beautiful man beside her. He’s delectably naked—every perfect inch of his toned, firm body on display.

His hand reaches up and palms her cheek. Her eyes close the instant he touches her, a soft smile forming across her lips.

“God, I missed you,” he whispers gently.

Her eyes peer up at the sound of his voice. Her lashes delicately flutter as she takes in the visual of the man staring back at her. His eyes are so soft,
so warm,
and his expression too perfect. She doesn’t need him to say anything else. His eyes have already told her everything she needs to know.

The peaceful silence descends upon them as they gaze at each other.

She remembers how much she missed just breathing the same air as Nix. At one point in her life, he meant everything, and it seems he
still
does. Sloan leans forward and presses her lips against his—delicate and soft. Feelings of relief and happiness and utter harmony overcome her, blanketing her body in the most pleasant way.

Despite the challenges and dilemmas that will most likely face her after all of this, she still feels whole. Her world was one giant, scattered puzzle, and Nix has managed to piece it back together again. Sloan’s heart beats with sure, precise movements as her entire being reaches a seamless equilibrium.

Nix pulls her naked form close, tucking her under his arm, his chin resting comfortably on her head. A content sigh leaves his lips as his grip on her grows tighter—his fingers clutching her possessively.

Her entire body relinquishes into his hold without any question—without any doubt.

“Have you had a happy life?” he asks.

Sloan is taken aback by his question.
A happy life?

She’s not sure that ‘happy’ is the right word. She lost a large part of her happiness when her family moved from Honolulu to Naples, tearing her world in two by putting so much distance between her and Nixon. And she lost another part of her happiness when her parents were tragically killed. Her world tumbled and crashed and burned into smithereens when she received
that
catastrophic phone call. No one can ever prepare you for receiving that kind of phone call. Nor can anyone prepare you for losing your entire family at the age of nineteen.

That pivotal moment altered her life.

Her goals, her dreams, her life choices dramatically changed after that.
Everything changed.

Two months after she buried John and Marie Walker, Sloan gave up on a lot of things. She gave up on the idea of having a normal life…and she gave up on Nix. She chose to believe that he had found someone else, was living a happy life, and was far better off without her. And that belief was the final straw—the last little part of her happiness—that shattered it into a million pieces, disappearing for good.

She shrugs her shoulders in response to his question. “I’m not sure, Nix. I’m not really sure,” she answers with a lie. Deep down, she is sure, but she’d rather spare him from her pain. She knows she hasn’t really lived a life aimed towards finding happiness. She’s lived a life that has allowed her to hide behind a façade and place her focus on something that didn’t revolve around pain. “Do you feel like the world was against us or something? So many obstacles were placed in our way and all we wanted to do was be together. We weren’t asking for too much, were we?”

“No. We weren’t asking for too much. I don’t know why things happened like they did, sweetheart. I wish I had the answers, but no one does. I couldn’t control it. You couldn’t control it. We were young and life got in our fucking way. Life barreled between us and chose to give us the hard road. But you know what, baby? We never really gave up, did we? We told life to go fuck herself and found each other again. And here we are,
together
.
Me and you.
”

“Such a romantic, Lieutenant West. We told life to go fuck herself,” she repeats with an amused snort.

“I guess you just bring out the softer side in me,” he teases. “No one else but you. You’re the only woman who makes me want to be a better man.”

He tenderly kisses her forehead.

His fingers slide down to her rib cage, reverently tracing her tattoo. “Diamond Head—the first place I told you I was in love with you,” he declares as a wistful smile kisses his mouth. “Will you tell me about—”

“Please don’t ask me why my name is different,” she abruptly cuts him off, afraid that he’s going to ask the one question she can’t answer—why she’s living under a different name. “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. God, there are so many things I want to tell you. I want to tell you everything…” she trails off, her brow scrunching in frustration.

Nix’s finger erases the stress from her forehead. “I wasn’t going to ask you about that, but since you mentioned it, can I ask you three yes-or-no questions?”

“Okay,” she responds hesitantly.

“Are you in trouble?”

She shakes her head no.

“Are you really a physician?”

She nods yes.

“Is your job kind of similar to mine? Like there’s a specific reason that your name is different? A reason that might entail a certain government with a red-white-and-blue flag?”

“That’s more than three questions,” she retorts.

He chuckles. “Just answer with yes or no, sassy pants.”

“Yes.”

He nods, letting the information soak in. He’s thankful that he managed to get that much out of her, and if he had to take a guess off what little bit she
has
revealed, he’d say that she’s either FBI or CIA.

“So, earlier, when you so rudely cut me off”—he pauses, pinching the spot on her rib cage that’s covered with black ink—“I was going to ask you about this tattoo. When did you get it?”

She leans her head back, her russet eyes peering into his. “I’m not really sure why I got this tattoo…” She stops for moment, visibly lost in thought. “I think it was because it reminded me of a happy time—a period in my life when everything was right. I had you, I still had my parents, and my heart was full of love on that perfect day.”

“What do you mean you
still had
your parents?” he asks, confused.

She takes a deep breath. “I got this tattoo two days after my mom and dad died,” she blurts out. Her words come out in a quick whoosh of air, like the only way she can tell him about her parent’s death is to say it as fast as physically possible.

His jaw drops in absolute shock. “Both of your parents died?”

Sloan nods. “They died when I was nineteen.”

His breath is stolen from his lungs. Nix’s heart twinges relentlessly inside of his chest at the mere idea of this terrible tragedy. “Oh my god, Meli. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I had no fucking idea,” he declares as the shock of her parents’ deaths really starts to sink in. He tenderly grips her cheek, staring into her eyes with concern. “Will you tell me what happened?”