His strong arms held her as she fell limply to the mattress, ravaged by aftershocks like nothing she’d ever felt before. She lay shaking, swamped with luxurious warmth, engulfed in his arms, his hips nestled between her legs, their hearts thumping to the same frantic beat.
“God, baby,” he said against her neck, his words drenched in emotion so thick, she knew he was as lost in them as she was. He showered her with kisses as he rolled them onto their sides. “You’re trembling.”
“It’s a good tremble,” she said shakily.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
She shook her head, trying to catch her breath. “Just the opposite. I feel better than I ever have. Is your leg okay?”
“What leg?” He smiled as his lips covered hers in a kiss as sweet as the heavens.
“We’re going to do that a lot,” she said giddily. “You might as well tell your friends that your nights are spoken for, for the foreseeable future.”
He laughed. “I think I can handle that.”
She breathed deeply, feeling euphoric. “I know I don’t have anything to compare it to, but if you’re that good with one leg, I might not have survived you with two.”
They laughed and kissed, lying tangled up in each other as their breathing calmed. She went to get cleaned up in the bathroom, and when she came out, her breath caught in her throat at the glorious sight of Grant sitting up against the headboard, naked and beautiful, the sheet bunched up by the foot of the bed. She was so glad he wasn’t hiding his leg or self-conscious about it. Emotions piled up inside her, right beside the burgeoning desire throbbing between her legs. How could she want him again so soon? How much time did guys need to recover before doing it again? She should have googled that. She bit her lower lip to try to quell the urge, but it didn’t help.
“You okay, beautiful?”
Crash jumped onto the bed and curled up beside Grant.
“Better than okay.” She put on her underwear and picked up his briefs, dangling them from her fingers. “Want these?”
He shrugged.
“Okay, then.” She tossed them over her shoulder and crawled onto the bed, petting Crash, who was purring loudly.
“Time for this one to go.” He picked up Crash and set him on the floor, and in one swift move, he shifted Jules beneath him, grinding against her panties.
“Why, Mr. Silver, aren’t you frisky tonight?”
He ran his hand down her thigh. “Are you too sore to go again?”
Her heart skipped. “No. I was wondering how long you needed before you could do it again.”
“Apparently only minutes with you, baby.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “You have no idea the beast you’ve uncaged.”
As he lowered his mouth toward hers, she said, “I can’t wait to find out.”
Chapter Twenty
GRANT AWOKE TO the feel of Jules’s soft body draped over his side, her warm breath skating over his skin. He didn’t want to move. He’d never felt anything like what they’d found in each other’s arms. Knowing he could make love to Jules without any major issues or mishaps had bolstered his confidence and unleashed an unexpected rush of emotions. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been holding back until he’d been buried deep inside her, and his heart had nearly exploded. Their intimacy had washed away everything that had come before it. He felt changed. He waited for the tension that normally riddled his body in the mornings to settle in and the underlying anger he’d grown so accustomed to, to poke its ugly head into their morning. But neither came. Instead, he was filled with fierce determination to get his life in order.
Through the window, the sun was just starting to overtake the dusky dawn. His thoughts turned to the things he wanted to do. The first of which was his beautiful girl, followed by a trip to see his parents to work that shit out, and a call to Saul’s doctor to get him a new prosthesis and the medical attention he needed.
Jules sighed sleepily, and he pressed a kiss to her warm skin, finally understanding how feelings for the right woman could change a man’s life. How the hell did his buddies concentrate on missions with their loved ones at home waiting for them? He had the strangest thought. If he hadn’t lost his leg, would he have ever given in to the attraction he’d felt toward Jules before he’d left for his next mission? Or would he have kept her at bay, off-limits, keeping himself from getting tangled up in a relationship and knowing she could never be a one-night stand?
Was this the bigger, better thing Jules had talked about? Fate? A silver lining to a harsh situation? Or was he just the luckiest guy on the planet that he’d somehow captured the attention of the most loving woman on earth?
She lifted her face toward his, her sleepy eyes and sweet smile setting his heart into overdrive.
“Morning, gorgeous.” He pulled her up for a kiss, ready to take on the world for her. Crash jumped off the foot of the bed. Sneaky little thing. He hadn’t even known the cat was there.
“Did you sleep?” she asked softly.
“I did,” he said with surprise. “Through the night, actually. I can’t believe it. I never sleep.”
“That’s because you don’t usually have me in your bed.”
“Time to rectify that.” Grant ran his hand down her back and over her ass. “From now on, wherever you sleep, I sleep, because man, I slept hard.”
“Hard is right.” She eyed the tented sheet excitedly, her cheeks pinking up. “Do you always wake up like that?”
“Only since you paraded around in that Halloween costume.”
“Mm.” Her thigh moved over his thigh. “Maybe I need to wear that more often.”
“I like what you’re wearing right now.” He rolled her onto her back, moving over her. “Are you sore?”
“A little.”
“Then I’ll give you a break from my insatiable desire to make love to you and kiss that soreness away.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I promise to be gentle.”
He started to move down her body, but she grabbed his arms, bringing his eyes to hers, and said, “I’m a genie finally free from her bottle and ready to enjoy everything I’ve missed. I don’t need a break, so save some energy for after you kiss that soreness away, because I want to try out that shower chair.”
“Careful, Pix. You keep that up and I might never let you leave.”
TWO ORGASMS AND one very sexy shower later, Grant sat next to Jules on the bed as she put on her boots, and he sent a text to Brant telling him he’d be late for work. She’d used his toothbrush, and her wet hair hung around her face. He pocketed his phone, making a mental note to pick up a toothbrush and hair dryer for her. He pushed to his feet and helped her up, drawing her into his arms.
“I’m not ready for our morning to end. Do you have time for breakfast? I make a mean omelet.”
“Sure. I have a little time, but I still need to change my clothes and dry my hair before work.”
“Okay.” He kissed her, and Crash rubbed against his leg, meowing.
“Someone is jealous.” She picked up the cat and rubbed noses with him. “Don’t worry, Crash. I’m not taking your daddy away.”