скачать книгу бесплатно
“Hope you don’t mind,” she said, needing to hear him say the words. That he wanted to be with her.
Riley laughed. “After that greeting? I’m just sorry I made you wait. Hope it wasn’t too bad.”
She’d been hot, sticky and growing more and more uncomfortable as the minutes ticked past. But now—it was totally worth it. Rachel lifted the box that was to be his welcome home gift from Hailey. “I did eat most of your cookies.”
“And here I was really counting on eating those tonight,” he said, his voice teasing, and she laughed. Riley was pure charm.
She’d never spent any real time talking with the man, but she could see why he did so well with the ladies. In mere moments he’d managed to make her laugh, show his concern for her comfort and let her know that he could rock her world.
Emotional connections were overrated, right?
“Then I guess I owe you dinner,” she told him.
“At The Sutherland?” he asked, hope lacing his words.
Nate’s single SEAL friends had made no secret of their love of the good food served at her family’s bed & breakfast.
Rachel shook her head. “No, we made sure we booked no guests tonight so Nate and Hailey could be alone together. I was planning on making myself scarce. I could take you to a restaurant,” she suggested.
Some of the enthusiasm faded from his eyes, and for the first time Rachel noticed the tiny lines of fatigue on either side of his mouth and around his eyes. He was tired and from what little she had gleaned from Nate of Navy life on a boat, the last place a newly returning soldier wanted to be was in a crowded, noisy eatery.
Riley might be one of those always-out-for-a-good-
time kind of guys, but tonight he was a man recently arrived from a faraway war who probably just wanted to sit down someplace comfortable and relax with a beer.
“How about if I stop by a grocery store and pick up a few steaks? Do you have a grill at your place?”
“If I didn’t, I’d buy one. But yes, I have a grill on my patio,” he told her with a smile. His big body already seemed less tense.
He stooped and reached for his forgotten duffel bag. The one he’d dropped before he drew her into his arms and gave her hormones a sample of what they’d been missing. The material of his uniform pulled taut as his biceps bulged under the weight of his luggage. A ripple of desire instantly reminded her how dangerous this man could be to her. She’d known it, and avoided him. But not any longer. Today she’d indulge temptation.
They began to walk toward her car, but Riley paused to twine his fingers through hers. The move caught her off guard, was so unexpected she automatically gripped his hand tightly. Her thumb began a dangerous exploration all on its own. His hand, like the rest of him, was large, the skin rough and his fingers calloused. A man’s hands. Rachel imagined his fingers stroking along her bare skin. Those big hands of his cupping her breasts. Caressing her nipples.
Everything about Riley promised a woman he’d satisfy her like no other.
Tonight she’d put him to the test.
2
IN THE PAST, A CAR RIDE to a man’s house was sometimes filled with second thoughts. Reservations. Cold feet. Right now, with Riley, Rachel could only fume about their slowness due to all the traffic. And feel utter impatience. Anticipation.
“Mind if we stop off at my apartment before heading to the grocery store?” Riley asked, running a finger between his collar and his neck.
“Ready to get out of that uniform?” she asked, which hey, sounded a lot more sexual said out loud. But she couldn’t even work up a bit of embarrassment. She did want Riley. Out of his uniform. At least his pants.
“Something like that,” he told her, flashing gray eyes in her direction. Sweet heat emanated from him. All aimed straight at her.
Rachel’s mouth dried. Her breath hitched. She leaned toward him, aching to feel his lips on hers once more.
The car behind them honked, and Rachel jumped in her seat. “Just tell me the way,” she said, unable to keep the desire from her voice. She lifted her foot off the brake and applied it to the gas.
“Turn left at the next light,” he said, pointing the way.
Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel as she maneuvered through traffic. This would have been a funny situation if she weren’t the one living it. Here she was, so hungry for a man, she hadn’t even spotted the light changing from red to green. Rachel decided right then and there that as soon as she had that man alone in his apartment, she’d do whatever she could to take his mind off food and have him focus on her.
She glanced over at Riley, who didn’t appear very relaxed. Probably wouldn’t have to work too hard to change his mind. A tiny thrill ran down her spine and settled at the small of her back.
A tightness laced his voice as he gave her the final directions. Rachel liked that. She’d done that to him. Given him that edge. Ramped up his desire. With only a kiss. But a kiss that promised so much more.
A few minutes later she claimed a parking space in front of his building. Traditional stucco with a nod to San Diego’s Hispanic roots. Riley had that duffel bag out of her car and over his shoulder before she’d set the parking brake, and another tiny thrill rippled along every nerve ending of her skin.
A dramatic courtyard filled with palm trees and flowering bushes greeted them, but Riley ushered her to the stairs. That action told her how desperate he was to get her alone. They took the stairs together, and Riley had the door opened and closed behind her in a blur.
Rachel leaned against the hard wood door. The warm stale air of his condo should have blasted her into reality, made her question why she was alone with Riley.
“I’ll get the AC on,” he offered, even though he didn’t move.
And she didn’t want him to. Her hand curled around his shoulder. The muscles rippled beneath her fingertips. “Kiss me, Riley,” she demanded, not even caring that she was showing all her cards. She wanted him so much.
The duffel bag dropped to his feet. And with not one bit of hesitation he hauled her up against his strong chest. His lips met hers and if she’d entertained any question that the passion on the pier was a mere moment of sentimentality, it vanished.
Rachel wanted his clothes off. Now.
She attacked the buttons of his uniform, but she got lost when the rough palm of his hand trailed up the side of her bare arms. Her skin showed goose bumps, and she craved more of his touch. Him. Riley’s fingers drew at the thin strap of the navy cotton cami top she’d worn to combat the San Diego heat. When she’d dressed this morning, she hadn’t realized how thankful she’d be later for the easy-access clothing.
The kiss they shared went on and on. His lips, his taste, his sandalwood scent … she couldn’t get enough of him.
With the straps out of his way, Riley shoved the cami down to her waist. He filled his hands with her breasts. She moaned, breaking that amazing kiss, and his lips touched her neck, his tongue circling beneath her ear. The sensations sent tiny flutters of want through her body.
“Mmm, that feels so good,” she told him.
Riley’s fingers stroked the bare skin of her waist, her belly, shooting delicious shivers to the core of her. He found the button of her jean skirt, took care of the zipper, then pressed the clothing down her thighs until it pooled at her ankles. Only a scrap of teal lace kept her from total nudity. Never had she wanted to be out of something more.
Riley apparently felt the same way. His thumbs crept beneath the elastic and soon her panties dropped to the tiled floor of his condo.
She couldn’t wait for what he’d do next. Riley had all the promise of a fantastic lover, and Rachel was ready to experience it.
But she got … nothing.
No fingers. No hands. No lips.
Her eyelids fluttered open.
Riley stood before her. He just stared at her. His gray eyes intense.
“What are you doing?” she asked. The moment stretched between them. Not uncomfortable, but a little awkward.
“I’m looking at you,” he answered.
“I can see that. I mean, why?” Sometime after college she’d gotten past feeling flustered while standing bare-ass naked in front of a man. The way she saw it, if he didn’t like her rounded belly and B minus cup size, he could pull up his pants and go home.
But this staring thing of Riley’s had her feeling disconcerted. “Riley?” she asked, her voice unsure.
His gaze slammed into hers, and she gasped. Pure hunger was there for her to see. To savor.
He swallowed. “Since I was deployed it’s been … months and months of nothing but men. I want to study you, Rachel.”
He leaned closer. “Smell your hair.”
His fingers slid down the side of her breast. “Touch your soft, soft skin.”
Her eyelids fluttered as his mouth captured her nipple.
“Taste you,” he murmured against her lips.
Rachel wanted it, too. Had she ever wanted a man this much? His gentle words alone were all the seduction she needed.
He made an impatient sound. “Hell, I’m probably not explaining this right.”
Shaking her head, she gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. “No, it’s all right. I think I understand.” And it was hot. He was making her hotter for him. If such a thing were actually possible.
He softly caressed her lips with his. The gentle friction caused her toes to curl. “But I need you to just stand there. If you touch me or kiss me back, I’ll have to take things fast,” he warned her, his breath warm against her cheek.
Riley’s hand was between her thighs now. She took a tiny step, opening herself to him, inviting him to explore the most intimate part of her body. Rachel sucked in a breath at that first almost hesitant brush of the curls between her legs. She kicked off her shoe and ran her toes up his calf and higher, frustrated by the material separating him from her.
His hand dropped, and he met her gaze once more. “Can you do that, Rachel? Be still while I take you in?”
Now it was her time to swallow. Apparently even the meager touch of her foot against his pant leg was too much. Heady. Rachel had a hard time finding the words, so she nodded. Have some gorgeous, sexy man explore her body … how could that be a hardship?
But what Riley was doing felt more like savoring. Relishing. He breathed her in. Tasted her with his lips. His tongue. He licked her breasts. Circled the tip of each with his tongue until it became a fine point of need. Her skin grew warm, craving another run of his hands on her arm, her hips. Her thighs.
“You are so beautiful,” he groaned against her neck. And she felt it. He made her feel powerful and desirable.
When his fingers delved between her legs, finding where she was hot and wet for him, her knees grew shaky.
“Come to my bedroom,” he said.
Again she nodded. He bent and lifted her into his strong arms. It was like something out of a movie, and she had no plans to remain a passive viewer anymore. Rachel gripped Riley’s head and brought his lips down to hers. He stopped, leaned against the wall when her tongue touched his.
“I’m going to drop you if you keep that up,” he warned.
“No you won’t,” she said, and brought her lips back to his.
He shoved off the wall with his shoulder and walked down the hall to his bedroom. He dropped her in the center of the bed, reaching for her immediately.
Rachel waved him off. “No, I want you naked.”
“I can do that while I’m kissing you.”
She shook her head. “I want to watch. It’s my turn to look at you.” To emphasize her point, she scooted to the pillows, crossing her arms beneath her head as if she was ready for a show. And she was.
With his gaze never leaving hers, Riley reached for the buttons of his shirt. A woman didn’t grow up along the beach and not see plenty of nearly nude male flesh, but Riley was in a class of his own. A man might look great in a uniform, but once those dress whites were off … not so great.
Riley’s uniform hid an amazing body. He was a large man, but not bulky. Lean, his arms and legs roped with finely honed muscle. Skin she wanted to explore. Taste.
Show over.
Rachel scrambled to her knees, bringing her eye-to-
eye with Riley. She ran her hands over the broadness of his shoulders. She wanted to see what her touch did to him. Watching his eyes darken, she stroked the tightness of his biceps, the flatness of his abs. She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest, loving the feel of him. Rachel rested her hands on the waistband of his boxer briefs.
When he was completely naked, she lowered her
gaze.
His penis sprang up, hard and ready for her hands. She gently stroked the tip of him with her thumb. Riley’s eyes closed and he groaned at her touch. Rachel smiled, loving what she was doing to him. She caressed him again, then tenderly gripped his shaft, moved down, then back again to the tip.
He wrapped a hand around hers. “No more. I’m in a bad way for you, Rachel, and I don’t want to come like this.” He tugged her resisting fingers from his cock. Riley reached for a drawer of his bedside table, pulling out a condom.
Finally.
Meeting her eyes once more, Riley reached for her thighs. He roughly dragged her to him. She needed this, needed him. She balanced on the edge of the mattress, and he stepped between the circle of her legs. Riley began to probe her with the tip of him. “Are you ready?” he asked, his voice tight, the muscles of his neck strained.
Hell, she’d been ready an hour ago. Rachel’s back hit the comforter, and she hooked her legs behind his back.
He plunged inside her.
Rachel almost came right then, the feel of him inside her, filling her … amazing. He gripped her hips, thrusting hard.
She rushed to meet him, her concentration solely on the man bringing her so much pleasure. Rachel bucked as his fingers rubbed her clit. “Now, Riley. Faster.”
He drove into her, his movements quick, his body strained. Rachel’s skin heated, and her breasts turned achy. Warmth built and built inside her. Riley touched just the right spot—inside and out—and she exploded. Waves of pleasure crested through her.
Riley reached for her hips again, steadying her and thrust into her welcoming body. He tensed, his pushing becoming chaotic, until he moaned deep from his chest. “Rachel,” he said as he slumped against her, his head at her breasts.
She closed her eyes for a moment. Enjoying the weight of a man on her body. Of him. Of Riley. The sound of their harsh breathing filled the small bedroom. Slowly her heartbeat returned to normal.
Surely some sort of self-recrimination should hit her now. She braced for it.
But nothing happened.
No worries, no rebuke. In fact, Rachel felt great. She stretched her arms above her, loving the languid laziness assailing her.
Riley lifted his head, his gray eyes meeting hers. “Ready for more?” he asked.
“So soon?”
He smiled. “I have nine months to make up for.”
