| |
––––––––
CLARISSA GROANED AS the alarm clock blared at five a.m. the following morning. Or, oh five hundred, as Blake and his team called it.
Blake reached over and hit the snooze button, pulling her close.
They’d finally made it to dinner last night, where she’d met the rest of his team. She was sure she’d turned ten shades of red when one of the guys asked what had kept them. Blake was a perfect gentleman, saying only that he’d gotten her settled. She sensed they all knew something was going on with them though.
And the fact that he’d slept in her room last night?
She blushed furiously just thinking about facing them all on the flight home. “Hell. I never minded waking up early so much in the past,” Blake grumbled, kissing her bare shoulder as he spooned her from behind. She could feel his hardness against her bottom and felt heat rising within her core. “But that’s because I didn’t have you in my arms.”
He’d kissed and pleasured her again last night before they’d fallen asleep, but they hadn’t had sex yet. Clarissa wasn’t ready, and Blake hadn’t tried to pressure her at all.
But feeling him behind her right now?
She had to admit it was arousing as hell. Would she ever feel his thick length penetrating her, his powerful body moving atop hers? It was tempting to imagine spreading her legs as he slid into her body, joining them together as lovers.
But the reality was, they were flying home today. Maybe she’d be in California a day or so, but her life was in Texas. She was already more wrapped up in Blake than she could’ve imagined—both literally and figuratively. His forearm rested between her breasts, and it was both possessive and protective the way he held her so close.
She didn’t jump from guy to guy though, having one-night-stands or anything even close to that. And as attracted to him as she was, it would hurt to sleep with him—as in, let him make love to her—only to fly home days later.
She awkwardly tried to sit up with her wrist splinted, clutching the sheet to her breasts. She shouldn’t have reason to feel shy—he was wrapped around her naked body right now. But the intimacy of the shower and last night in the dark felt different now that it was day.
And they were leaving in an hour. She needed to dress and get ready, not spend a leisurely morning in bed with Blake. He helped her to sit up, his gaze heating as the sheet slipped below her bare breasts.
Blake flashed her an easy grin. “Last night was good,” he said. “Better than good—amazing.”
“Yeah,” she agreed with a shy smile. “It was.”
“It kills me that we have to get up and leave right now. I’d much rather stay here in bed with you.” He stood up, stretching. His cock jutted out in front of him, but Blake didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest. Such a man, she thought as he sauntered toward the bathroom.
He was beautiful in the morning light—all muscles and strength, not an ounce of fat on him.
She flushed as she wondered how many women he’d spent the night with. He’d told her that he and his buddies went to bars and the beach to meet girls. Was she anything special to him? Not that it mattered, she told herself. They’d part ways at the end of the day. They had to.
She heard the shower turn on and felt a brief pang of sadness. They were in a hurry, she rationalized. Of course they couldn’t spend the morning gently touching and pleasuring one another. Not that she’d touched him at all. Blake had insisted last night was all about her, and she’d been too exhausted and overwhelmed to do anything but bask in his attention.
He came back out a few minutes later, a towel wrapped around his waist. “I’ve got to check in with the team.”
She nodded.
“I should’ve asked if you needed my help again. I figured we’d just distract one another in the shower—not that I wouldn’t have loved the company.”
“I’ll be okay. I’ll just skip washing my hair this morning anyway. We have to leave soon.”
Blake dressed quickly as she moved into the bathroom, already feeling a sense of sadness wash over her. It took her longer than him to shower and get ready, thanks to her wrist, and he’d already packed his gear when she walked back into the room.
“We’ll grab some food quickly and then catch the flight. The guys have already eaten.”
“Oh. I’m slowing you down, aren’t I?” she asked.
“Not at all. I’m here to see you safely home.”
She nodded, looking around the room. Looking anywhere but at him. Of course he still thought of her as part of his mission. He’d found her and rescued her after all, and they were still here on foreign soil. She’d be part of his job until they made it back home.
“Hey,” he said, walking closer. He cupped her cheek with one hand as tears smarted her eyes. “Why the tears?”
“I just feel overwhelmed with everything. It’s silly. We haven’t even left yet, and I already miss you.”
His eyes softened. “Who said I’m going anywhere?” he asked, thumbing a stray tear away. “We’re flying back to the States together, remember?”
“Well yes, but only for a few days. I have to fly home to Texas at some point.”
“So, I’ll come visit you in Texas. Or you can come visit me. Aren’t you off for the summer or something? Maybe you can do some research in California instead of Colombia. Take samples of the Pacific if you want.”
“Yeah, maybe.” She let out a small laugh but shrugged helplessly as a few tears slid down her cheeks.
“Hell, sweetheart. I don’t want this to end just because we’re leaving. I mean, the mission I’m happy to be done with, but you? I never thought I’d meet anyone like you.”
“This is crazy though,” she protested.
“Why?”
“We hardly know each other. We just met a few days ago.”
He pulled her into his arms, his lips at her ear. Blake’s strength and heat surrounded her, and she could feel the hard planes of his chest, the muscles in his arms, and his thickening erection as he held her close.
“I know you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met,” he said, his voice gravel. “I know what you sound like when you come. What you look like in my arms. And I know I won’t be happy until your body is beneath mine, and I’m buried inside you as we make love under the stars.”
She gasped, and he softly kissed her on the tender skin behind her ear.
“You’re mine, Clarissa. You may not know it yet, but one way or another, we’ll work this out. We’ll be together. Because I don’t have the strength to let you go.”
