Just This Once, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge #3) (13 page)

Without a word, he exerted a soft pull, and she stepped closer until she was inches away. His hand eased from her wrist and rose slowly to cup her cheek. The space around them compressed, laden with desire. She couldn’t break away from his gaze, although the intimacy there was almost too much to bear. His thumb dusted across the pulse fluttering in her neck as he slid his hand into her hair and fit his mouth over hers.

The embers inside flashed into flames that whipped through her. Aidan’s kisses sent her into a pleasured chaos. They were hot, wet, deep and sense-stealing. Want, need and longing surged through her with every stroke of his tongue. He tore his mouth from hers. His stubble scraped her neck as his lips traveled down. She arched into his touch, feverish with need. His hand slid out of her hair and down her back in a slow pass, caressing the curve of her bottom and tugging her into the cradle of his hips. The heat of his arousal was like a brand against her. Her hips rolled against him, a moan escaping. His lips coasted across her collarbone and down into the vee of her blouse. She was desperate to feel his skin against her and shoved her hands up under his shirt.

He took a step back, reached his hand behind his head and lifted his shirt up and off in one quick move. He paused and met her gaze, his eyes like hot embers on her. In slow, deliberate motions, he set to work on the buttons of her blouse. As each button was freed, cool air washed over her heated skin, serving only to ratchet up the heat coursing through her. When her blouse finally fell open, he pushed it off her shoulders where it fell, joining his shirt in a rumple on the floor. His eyes coasted over her before he stepped closer and slid his thumb under the clasp of her bra. With a flick, it fell open. The straps slid down her shoulders, and she shook her arms free.

Her breath hissed out when he curled his palms around her breasts, thumbing her nipples. Need arced higher and higher as he closed his lips over a nipple, licking, stroking and nipping. He gave the same attention to her other nipple as his palm stroked down her abdomen and flicked her jeans open. In the blur of the following moments, she found herself panting and gasping for more as he teased her nipples and slowly pushed her jeans down. She kicked them free and pushed him back, tearing at his jeans. He toed his shoes off, kicking them to the corner. His jeans followed hers. She started to yank at his briefs, but he moved swiftly and lifted her, stretching her out on the bed and immediately laying beside her, his palm coasting over her belly to cup her mound.

He proceeded to drive her mad by slowly dragging a finger back and forth over the thin cotton of her panties while he mapped her body with his lips. Just when she thought she could take no more, he hooked a finger over the edge of her underwear. In seconds, she kicked them free. She curled a palm around the hard ridge of his arousal. His breath hissed, but he broke free, moving between her knees, his palms sliding up her calves in slow motion. Heat notched higher and higher inside. His mouth followed the path of his palms. Slow, hot, teasing kisses marched up her thighs, the pleasure building and building. Anticipation arced so high, she almost sobbed in relief when his mouth landed on her sex. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, he pushed her further and further. He explored her folds, his tongue coasting across the nub of her desire as his fingers stroked into her channel. Her core drew tight as pleasure spun her tighter and tighter. With a stroke of his fingers and a swirl of his tongue, she cried out as her orgasm crashed through her.

He slowly pulled away. Boneless in the aftermath, she watched him stand and kick his briefs off. Naked—he was a sight to behold. Pure muscle, every inch of him hardened and scattered with scars. She knew he’d lived hard as a Navy SEAL, yet she could only guess at the source of some of his scars. He snagged his jeans, pulling a condom out of the pocket. His eyes on hers, he stepped back to the bed, rolling the condom on swiftly. The bed dipped under his weight as he leaned over her.

The heat of his body came over hers. His elbows bracketed her face. Again, she couldn’t break free from the blur of his blue gaze. The head of his cock rested against her. Her channel throbbed with every beat of her heart.

“Aidan…”

His name fell from her lips without thought.
 

“Becca.”

When she arched against him, he dragged the head of his cock back and forth through her folds. He dipped his head down and dusted kisses along her neck, his lips, teeth and tongue striking sparks everywhere they landed. Hot shivers coursed through her. In moments, with the slow nudge of him against her and his lips driving her wild, she was frantic to feel him inside of her.

“Now. Please…”

At her soft plea, he finally surged inside her, seating himself deeply. She moaned in relief. He started to move slowly, the pull and slide of his strokes quickening the need within. His eyes never broke from hers. Heat twisted inside her with each thrust. Tremors began to build within as he kept up his steady pace. He stroked his hand into her hair as her channel began to convulse around him. Her climax moved in slow motion through her, rippling from her center outward. When he surged into her once more, calling her name as he threw his head back, pleasure pierced through her.

His head dipped forward, falling into the curve of her neck. He rested against her as pleasure eddied through her, soft shudders running from head to toe. When her breathing slowed, she felt him lift his head and dragged her eyes open to find his waiting. He brushed a kiss across her lips and slowly untangled himself from her and stood. Once again, he held his palm out to her. She pushed up and placed her hand in his. He tugged her up and led the way into the bathroom. With nothing other than the nightlight on, they showered quickly.

Aidan was quiet, which suited her because she didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected this—this intense feeling, this intimacy that overtook her with him. She needed to think her way through it, but she couldn’t think with him so close. She fell asleep curled up against him, his heartbeat strong and steady under her palm.

Chapter 16

Aidan stroked his palm over the soft curve of Becca’s hip. She was sound asleep against his side, her legs tangled with his. She was all lush curves and warmth and so damn tempting. The gray light of dawn filtered through the curtains. He guessed it was another misty morning based on the quality of light. He lifted his head to glance at the clock. Becca’s ferry left Bellingham at ten this morning. It was just past six. He let his head fall back onto the pillow. He had all kinds of feelings about her leaving for Alaska, but he needed to keep them to himself for now. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t try to keep her from going because his sole reason was selfish—he wanted her here, close to him. He needed to count the small blessing she offered last night. She’d said aloud that her whole ‘just once’ idea hadn’t worked out and seemed open to the possibility of more.

He rolled his head to the side. In sleep, Becca’s face softened. Her dark hair was rumpled around her head. She shifted against him, the curve of her breast brushing against his ribs. His body was on edge, as it always was around her. Her alarm suddenly beeped loudly, and she woke with a start. She reached blindly to the nightstand and roughly turned it off. With a groan, she pushed her hair away from her face. She slowly turned her head and opened her eyes. In the unguarded moments of dawn, her blue eyes were open and free of their usual shutters. He simply looked at her, his eyes memorizing her face—her heart-shaped pink mouth, the subtle angles of her cheekbones, her porcelain skin and her bright blue eyes.

Her palm rested on his chest. She idly traced a circle with her index finger. He wondered if she could feel the pounding of his heart. After several quiet moments, she leaned up on her elbow. “I have to get up.” Her voice was raspy with a tinge of rue.

He nodded. “You do. You said you wanted to leave before eight.”

She brushed her hand through her hair and eyed him. “Wanna stay for breakfast?”

“Definitely.”

Her smile was slow, but it was like the sun coming out. His heart clenched. He leaned up and caught her lips in a kiss. He forced himself to pull away. If he let loose the reins of his control, she’d miss her ferry this morning. Her eyes held his for a long moment before she sat up and kicked the covers off.

She snagged a blue robe hanging on the back of her bedroom door. She tossed it over her shoulders and tied it as she looked down at him. “Salty or sweet?”

His brain went immediately elsewhere. She let out a laugh.

“What?”

“I’m talking about breakfast. Is it more clear if I say omelets or pancakes?”

He grinned sheepishly. “Sure is. I’ll take an omelet. I’ve never been much of a pancake guy.”

She arched a brow. “Figures.”

He shoved the covers off and stood. “What do you mean?”

“Pancakes are more frou-frou. You’re a manly man.” She grinned and turned away, her robe swirling behind her. As soon as she pushed through the door, Oscar rushed at her and then to Aidan.

He searched out his clothes and tugged them on before following her into the kitchen. While she started coffee, he rummaged through the refrigerator, pulling out eggs, milk, feta cheese and a lonely red pepper. She leaned against the counter and watched him get the omelets ready.

“I meant to cook for us,” she said.

He shrugged. “I got it. I can whip up omelets fast. You’re about to head out on a long trip. Let me cook.”

She twirled the tie of her robe around her hand as she watched him. “I didn’t know you were much of a cook.”

“During my early days in the Navy before I got through SEAL training, one of my base duties was working in the kitchen. The main chef was a piece of work, but he was a hell of a cook and a tough taskmaster. I bitched about it at the time, but now I’m glad. I’ve been cooking for myself for years. It’s nice to enjoy what I make.”

“Well, I guess I’m in luck this morning. I’m just a so-so cook. If you don’t mind, I’ll run Oscar out really quick while you cook.”

“Go for it.”

She yanked on clothes and took Oscar out briefly before returning. After she fed Oscar, she poured coffee for them both while he finished cooking. The next hour passed quickly. They dawdled too long over breakfast, which left Becca rushing around. Oscar shadowed every step of hers, following her around the apartment. She finally stood by the door. She’d insisted on tidying the apartment before she left, so he chipped in and ruthlessly cleaned behind her with her chuckling along the way.

“Can’t help it. Military habits die hard.”

Next thing he knew, he was carrying her suitcase downstairs. She carried Oscar’s bag in one hand with his leash held in the other. He tossed her suitcase in the back of her small hatchback. The shop had only just notified him two days ago that it was ready. He’d made arrangements to have it delivered to her. It looked good as new. Somehow he’d held his feelings at bay through the morning and figured he needed to keep his cool now. She clucked for Oscar to hop in on the passenger seat. He hopped in without hesitation.

Becca looked up at Aidan, her glossy hair falling away from her face, the blue of her eyes bright in the gray morning. The mist had stopped, but the air was damp and chilly. “Well, that’s it then. I, uh, don’t have much time.”

“I know.”

“I’ll call you. Thanks for helping me this morning. I, uh…”

Words only knotted him up inside, so he did the only thing he could think to do. He stroked his hand through her air and dipped his head. He caught her lips in a swift kiss. He allowed himself to dive into the warm sweetness of her mouth for only a second. Her tongue tangled with his before he forced himself to ease back, brushing his lips softly against hers.

He took a definitive step back, stroking his hands down her arms. “Call me when you can. I’ll be in touch too.”

Even though there was so much more he wanted to say, all he did was see her into her car and watch her drive away.

Chapter 17

Becca leaned against the railing on the ferry. She’d been on the ferry for two days and every moment she could, she was outside on the deck. The Inside Passage was more stunning than she’d imagined. The mountains rose tall on either side of the ferry. They were so close, it was as if she could reach out and touch them. They’d passed by glaciers whose otherworldly, translucent blue glowed brightly as if the glaciers were alive. The ferry was filled with an assortment of people—some were Alaskans who traveled the route often for work, while the rest were a wide variety of tourists. Oscar was accompanied by many other dogs, all of whom were allowed out for walks at every stop and were allowed to take scheduled breaks on the lower ferry deck. In addition to dogs, some travelers had cats, and there was a goat, a rabbit, and a pet turtle taking the trip.

While it wasn’t as fancy as a cruise ship, the ferry served good meals in a cafeteria and even offered entertainment in the form of movies and a few other options. At the moment, Becca lifted her face to the sun and took a deep breath of the ocean air. Beyond the spectacular beauty of the area, they’d seen an abundance of wildlife—a few moose had been nibbling on the edge of a field in Ketchikan, a lumbering brown bear was sighted on the outskirts of another town they’d passed by, and a pod of orcas swam in the distance at one point. Birds were in abundance, including seagulls, eagles, puffins, loons and more.

She was relived for the constant presence of natural wonders because it helped her manage the distraction of Aidan in her mind. When darkness fell and she was alone with her thoughts in her small cabin, her mind ran laps. She’d never meant to fall for anyone.
Ever again.
She’d gambled she could have just one night with Aidan, and it would wipe the slate clean of Kyle’s claim in her memory. In that, she had succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. If she never had sex ever again, she would flush every time she thought of Aidan. She hadn’t lied to him when she said they’d play it by ear when she got back, but part of her hoped she’d regain her footing again. She’d find the part of herself that had no trouble keeping men out of her life, the part of herself that didn’t feel vulnerable at the thought of what Aidan saw when he looked in her eyes, the part of herself that was in command of her life.