She smiled, her eyes still closed, and let him have his way.
On the way to the bed, he said, “I will not hurt you.”
“I know.” She kissed his throat, her mouth open, her tongue hot. “I trust you, Reyes.”
Lowering her to her feet, he gently dried her.
She laughed at his caution. “Take off your boxers.”
Every day, in some new way, she astounded him. “Not yet.” If he did, it’d be over.
Frowning, she poked his chest. “No more playing, Reyes.” Then in a more plaintive voice, she said, “I need you now.”
“Get in the bed.”
“Bossy much?” She crawled in as she said that, stealing his breath in the process.
“Horny much, actually.” He went to the nightstand to dig out a rubber, then sprawled out beside her. Reminding himself to use ultimate care, to utilize every ounce of gentleness he possessed, he took her mouth in a deep, wet, tongue-dueling kiss while palming her breasts. Every inch of her enticed him, her silky skin, her firm bottom, the taste of her, her scent.
He kissed her throat, down to her breasts, where he concentrated for a while on getting her back to the edge, then down to her ribs and her stomach. He kissed every bruise, every small scrape, and everywhere in between as he slowly progressed down her body.
Probably guessing his intent, she made small, desperate sounds of need.
Carefully parting her thighs, he looked at her, seeing her pink flesh swollen and wet. She definitely wanted him. Whatever pain she felt, it wasn’t hindering her.
“Reyes?”
There were no words for all the things she made him feel. Without forewarning, he licked over her, into her, and didn’t even mind when her hips lifted. Sex had a way of obliterating aches and worries, and given how Kennedy moved now, she wasn’t feeling, either.
Lifting her thighs over his shoulders, he settled in to sate himself on her taste, licking her, prodding with his tongue, nibbling with his lips. Even when she quickly spiraled into another climax, he couldn’t get enough. He closed his mouth over her clitoris and suckled until she cried out, her entire body straining.
Seconds ticked by, maybe even a full minute, and his senses returned in a startling rush. Damn it, he shouldn’t have pushed her like that. He was supposed to be pampering her.
Dreading the discomfort he might see on her face, he rose up and found her resting boneless across his mattress, her thighs sprawled, her arms out and limp, eyes closed and cheeks damp.
“You’re mine.”
Her eyelids fluttered. “What?” she whispered.
No, he didn’t want to get into explanations right now, not when he was strung so tight. He grabbed the condom and rolled it on. “If anything bothers you, if your head hurts—”
“Reyes.” She smiled up at him. “Have you ever known me to be shy?”
“A little.”
She pressed a warm kiss to his mouth. “Not with sex.” She stroked a small, warm hand over his chest.
“The bruises—”
“What bruises?” she whispered, kissing him again, and this time her lips were open, her tongue bold.
Hell, he was a goner. Slowly he moved over her, giving her time to adjust her legs in whatever way was most comfortable for her. Gripping his shoulders, she hooked her uninjured leg over his hips.
Reyes slid one hand under her sexy behind, tilted her hips and pressed into her in one long, smooth thrust.
Heaven.
It was a good thing she’d already come twice because, after all that, he was on a hair trigger.
While he kept up an easy and steady rhythm, Kennedy seemed content to kiss him senseless while stroking his back. Just when he knew he couldn’t hold back a moment longer, he pressed his face into her neck and growled a powerful release. And even then he was aware of her, of how precious she was to him, how delicate. And how strong.
She’d fought a kidnapper from her past who’d had the vilest of intent. She’d persevered through injuries and fear. And she’d stolen his heart, irrevocably.
Plus, she gave him the best sex he’d ever had.
“Somehow,” she whispered near his ear, “it keeps getting better.”
He couldn’t yet speak, but he kissed her shoulder, then rolled to his back to relieve her of his weight. She should have been crying, or at least sleeping, after her ordeal.
Instead, Kennedy immediately snuggled into his side.
They rested like that for a bit until he thought to ask, “Did I hurt you?”
“Of course you didn’t. You never would.”
No, he wouldn’t.
She yawned. “But I am crazy tired again.”
He made himself man up, but it wasn’t easy. “Give me two minutes.” Leaving the bed, he disposed of the condom, cleaned up and found the pills his dad wanted her to take.
He carried her one with a bottle of water. At first he thought she was already asleep, until she opened her eyes. She’d removed the band from her hair and now it tumbled over the pillow. She rested one hand on her stomach and the other, palm up, by her head.
Liking the way she smiled, Reyes sat on the side of the bed and offered her the medicine. When that was done, he straightened the bedding, turned off the light and stretched out beside her. “I’ll keep you warm, okay?”
“Yes.”
Holding her close with one arm, he asked, “Why were you smiling?”
“I was just thinking how funny it was that today should have been one of the scariest since I escaped traffickers, but with you, it was also one of the nicest.”
Damn, she knew how to level him.
I love you. The words burned in his throat, but saying them aloud would be a commitment. Before he did that, they had a lot to work out, most especially his career. He wanted her to know that one day he would comfortably retire. He wouldn’t go into his old age fighting bad guys. He’d have money in the bank, a nice house... She wouldn’t have to worry about growing old with him.
Her career was another matter. He was so damned proud of her, but he knew his limitations, and he couldn’t imagine letting her go off on her own without protection. Not with her past, and not with his awareness of the dangers in the world.
Would she rebel against that?
He had dozens of concerns, but voicing them would start another long conversation when what she really needed was sleep.
When he realized her breathing had deepened, he knew she’d already nodded off.
They’d make it work, he told himself. He didn’t know if Kennedy loved him, but she cared. She liked being with him. She loved the sex.