Brielle was more than a little surprised when the tension drained from Caleb’s features and he stepped forward to close the last bit of distance between them, wrapping her in a hug. She hugged him back, not sure what to say.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, resting his chin on the top of her head. “It was wrong of me to unload on you like that. But when I came around that corner and saw Harrington’s guards holding you at gunpoint, I can’t put into words how hard that was on me. I nearly lost it.”
Brielle closed her eyes, breathing in his scent, once again amazed at how being in his arms calmed her down. “And I’m sorry I ran off like that. I know it isn’t much of an excuse, but part of the reason I did was because I knew you would be there if I got into trouble. It probably doesn’t make you feel any better, but knowing you’re there for me makes me a whole lot braver than I normally would be.”
Caleb pulled back, gazing down at her with an unreadable expression. “I don’t know about all of that. You seem like a pretty brave woman all on your own. But if it helps, just know that I’ll always be there for you. For as long as you want.”
Brielle couldn’t help but wonder if Caleb realized the significance of that promise. Regardless, the words had meant more to her than she could bring herself to admit.
Wanting him to know, without saying it out loud, she did the one thing she knew he’d understand—without the need for any words at all. She kissed him.
It started rather tame, as a gentle touch of her lips to his. But Caleb was Caleb, so it definitely didn’t stay that way for long. One second it was all chaste; the next second there were graham crackers and peanut butter on the floor, and her butt was on the kitchen counter.
Not that she was complaining.
She pulled the cocktail dress she still had on from the party up so she could spread her legs and welcome Caleb between them, reveling in the low growl that erupted from his throat as she wrapped herself around him.
“Damn, you taste so good,” he murmured, his tongue capturing hers.
With a sexy, animalistic growl, he moved his hands down to her butt, pulling her so tightly to his body that she could feel every flex and chiseled plane of all those delicious muscles. Felt his hard-on grinding against her core through her barely there panties. It thrilled her beyond words to know he was a turned on as she was.
Her hands worked with a mind of their own, unbuttoning his dress shirt and shoving it off his shoulders. Only then did she break their kiss, leaning back to take him all in. As she admired the way his shirt now hung from his muscular arms, she couldn’t help thinking there was nothing in the world sexier than a half-dressed man.
She took her time tracing her fingers back and forth across his chest, lightly scraping her nails across his skin. The sensation of muscles tensing and rippling under her touch was mesmerizing…as were the sounds of pleasure he was making.
Brielle leaned forward, kissing his neck before moving her mouth downward, trailing soft kisses across his chest muscles. Caleb’s skin was so warm—almost hot—that she couldn’t help moaning.
“Damn, woman,” Caleb growled, his fingers coming up to tighten into her hair. “Do you have any idea what that sound does to me?”
She lifted her head to smile at him. “Why don’t you tell me? Or better yet, maybe you could show me.”
Brielle barely felt the tug when Caleb reached down and ripped her panties off. The remnants of them disappeared into one of his pockets, and then his fingers were on her, tracing slowly up and down her folds, making her fully aware of exactly how wet she was.
“Should we move this upstairs?” he asked, his eyes smoldering as he gazed down at her. “Or I could run up and grab a condom if you’re comfortable right here.”
Her first instinct was to say, get me upstairs now. But truthfully, she liked where they were right then and hated to interrupt the moment with a mad dash for a condom.
She cupped his jaw. “I’m on long-term birth control, get myself checked every six months, and have never had unprotected sex with anyone. If you’re clean, I’m okay without the condom.”
His eyes blazed vivid blue for a moment before the color disappeared again. “STAT has us checked between every mission, even though werewolves are immune to all disease. Still, I haven’t had unprotected sex in years. It’s just not something I do. But if you’re okay with it, I wouldn’t mind changing that rule for you.”
She gazed at him, sliding her hand around to run her nails along the back of his neck and up into his disheveled hair. “I want to be with you that way. To really feel you inside me. All of you.”
Those eyes of his flared even brighter, and this time, they didn’t fade, even as he reached down to unbuckle his belt and slacks, shoving everything down in one quick move. She guessed that answered the question of whether he wanted her like this.
Brielle watched in fascination as he wrapped a hand around his thick shaft and stepped closer, teasing her folds with the head and coating himself with her wetness. When he slid across her clit, it was like someone had touched her body with a live wire, and she caught her breath. Something told her that, if he kept doing what he was doing, she might come just from that.
But he only teased her for a few more seconds before slowly sliding into her. The feeling as he buried himself deep was as amazing as she remembered, yet it was even more glorious having him bare like this.
More real.
More intimate.
She wrapped her legs around his bare hips, so happy that she hadn’t taken her dress off. Being dressed and half-naked at the same time was a heady aphrodisiac.
Caleb started slow, his hands on her hips keeping her steady. But his pace soon picked up, the height of the granite island ensuring the tip of his cock nudged her G-spot with every thrust. She pulled him in for a kiss, even though it was damn hard to focus on his lips when she was bouncing on the counter and gasping for breath. But still, it was the feel of his fangs against her tongue that helped pushed her over the edge. Then again, she supposed the fingers she slipped down to tease her clit didn’t hurt. The fact that she could scream without worrying about scaring the rest of his teammates was a definite plus, too.
She was mid-orgasm when Caleb buried his face in the crook of her neck and let loose a long, low growl. Then he was coming inside her, his fangs almost breaking skin in the most perfect way she’d ever imagined. The sensations of his heat pouring into her at the same time he claimed her with his mouth was enough to push her climax back up to a second peak, and she would have fallen off the counter if he hadn’t been holding her so tightly.
It took a long time for the tremors of her orgasm to fade away. It was hard to describe how amazing it felt to be able to stay like this, Caleb still deep inside, her legs wrapped around him.