The end unit had two bedrooms and a small office. The entire place could fit into the guesthouse at her father’s place, but the size was perfect for her. She liked cozy and her oversize sectional sofa that dwarfed the rest of the family room. The shelves loaded with books and the collection of mismatched coffee mugs she collected from her travels.
Her dad liked shiny knickknacks and marble floors. He had money and enjoyed spending it. She didn’t begrudge him the wealth or the power. It didn’t define him. Certainly didn’t say anything about him as a dad, and he was a good one. Overprotective with a tendency to butt in, but his heart was in the right place. He wanted her happy and insisted Joel was the man for her.
She didn’t disagree.
Joel stood in front of her now and slid his palms up her shorts, skimming his fingers underneath to touch bare skin. “Do you want me to leave?”
There was no reason to play games. They loved each other and hurt each other. It was a vicious cycle, but one she couldn’t break. “No.”
“Is it too forward to say I have condoms in my duffel bag?” He kissed her cheek, then his mouth traveled to her ear.
She tilted her head to give him greater access. The man could kiss, and when he kissed her there her body trembled with excitement.
Her hands came up and she held on to his upper arms for balance. “More wishful thinking?”
“Just good planning.” He said the comment and it vibrated against her skin.
Her eyes, already half closed, popped open again. She pulled back, almost breaking contact, and stared at him. “I don’t get it.”
“Davis put them in there when he packed the bag.”
The married man with a pregnant wife was carrying condoms? “I don’t know what to say to that.”
“They were totally for my benefit. He got the briefing on you.”
The conversation was sucking some of the life out of the seduction scene. “Meaning?”
Instead of answering, Joel dipped his head and kissed her, and the seduction was back on. The rush of longing hit her so hard she would have fallen off the stool if his hands weren’t on her hips.
Even with the adrenaline and danger gone, she still craved him. The feelings kicked into high gear when she’d convinced herself they’d fade.
When he lifted his head, she traced a finger over his bottom lip. “Nice.”
“He knows...they all do now, my whole team...” Joel kissed her nose. “...what you mean to me.”
Her heart flipped. Actually felt as if it had torn loose and performed a perfect somersault. “Which is?”
“Everything.”
And that was it. The doubt fled and the need for self-preservation wavered. He had given her the words that broke open the gates and made her want to try again.
She knew in her soul he believed them, felt them. She hoped he’d follow through this time, but reality nipped at her on that one.
But none of the “what ifs” and “what about tomorrows” mattered right then. His fingers brushed the insides of her legs to her upper thighs, and his hot mouth pressed against hers. She wanted him—over her, with her, inside her.
“Come upstairs with me.” She whispered the plea against his mouth.
The kiss deepened and the room spun. One minute she was on the barstool and the next he stood with her body wrapped around his.
She linked her ankles and let her legs ride low on his hips. His erection pressed against her, and his deep breathing filled her head. When he walked, taking them across the room, the movement barely registered.
Somehow he got them to the couch. He stood hovering over it, without ever breaking the contact of their mouths or stilling his hands as they traveled all over her back.
When he sat down, her knees pressed into the couch cushions on either side of his hips. Her fingers went into his hair as his hands slipped under her shirt and up her back.
“I’m happy you were at camp.” Her lips pressed against his throat.
His head tipped back. “I hated the idea of you out there without me.”
“It’s my job.”
He cupped her cheeks with his palms and looked deep into her eyes. “I want you safe.”
Her hand trailed down his flat stomach to his lap. She could feel the heat pounding off him and into her. His erection pressed against the notch between her legs and he kept shifting, driving in closer.
When he moved again, she unbuttoned his jeans. He hadn’t bothered with a belt and as she lowered the zipper, she knew he hadn’t put on underwear either. How very practical of him.
Her hand slid over him, and her mouth brushed over his. “Take me to bed.”
Hands clenched against her outer thighs. “I thought you’d never ask.”