A SEAL's Courage (Military Match #1)(38)

When he had her a panting, mewling heap of need, he finally lifted his head. The fingers of one hand sifted through the hair at her shoulder. His eyes filled with a tenderness that made her shiver in spite of herself.

“Jeans off, but keep your underwear on. I’ll do the same.” He narrowed his eyes in playful sternness. “And no touching.”

She let out a quiet laugh. “I promise.”

“Good. You’ll find out why we can’t touch.” He kissed her again, soft and lingering, then moved off her and rolled onto his back beside her. One corner of his mouth lifted. “You first.”

She playfully rolled her eyes, but did as he asked. She was starting to think she wasn’t the only one nervous about getting undressed. Keeping her gaze on his, she let the hunger in his eyes give her the courage to peel her jeans off. She’d never undressed in front of a man before, let alone him. By the time she tossed her jeans to the floor, she was shaking. With nerves. With an overwhelming sense of vulnerability.

“Your turn.” She offered a smile, but it must have wobbled, because he leaned over her.

“Don’t be nervous. It’s just me.” He pressed a tender kiss to her lips, then rolled onto his back.

She searched his face. “I could say the same thing, you know.”

He stared for a moment, then frowned, deep grooves forming between his brows. “Is it that obvious that I’m stalling?”

She shrugged. “Only because I understand. May I ask why getting undressed in front of me makes you so nervous? Forgive the way this sounds, but I would have thought you’d be used to this part by now.”

He drew a deep breath and blew it out, turning to stare at the ceiling. “I have a lot of scars. From the IED blast.”

She took his chin in her hand and tilted his head until she could see his eyes. “They won’t bother me.”

“I appreciate that, but I haven’t taken my shirt off in front of anyone but doctors and nurses since I came home.” He finally looked over at her, vulnerability and uncertainty written in the lines of his face. “Going slow isn’t just for you.”

She wasn’t the only one with insecurities, and seeing his made her heart ache for him. God help her. Her heart definitely wasn’t coming away from this month unscathed.

“It’s okay.” She pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder, then hooked a finger into one of his belt loops and tugged. “Now stop stalling and take these off.”

He let out a quiet laugh and gave her a two-fingered salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

He lay back. Gaze locked on hers, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. One corner of his mouth quirked upward, a playful gleam in his eyes as he slid them off and sent them sailing over the side of the bed. Then he mounded the pillows and scooted back to lean against the headboard. “Now we’re even.”

As it turned out, Trent wore old-fashioned boxers. Today’s were plain white. The tent in the front made her mouth water. The thin cotton did little to hide his erection. Instead, the thin fabric seemed to outline the shape as it lay against his belly. Despite that long-ago conversation, she had no idea what average size was for a man, but Trent didn’t seem small by any stretch of the imagination. The tip touched the waistband of his shorts. She knew from experience he was thick enough that her fingers wouldn’t touch when she wrapped her hand around him.

Meeting his gaze, though, had her nervousness ramping up all over again. Now came the moment of truth. “How do you want me to lie?”

“Whatever’s comfortable for you.” Seeming to understand, he arched a brow. “Would like me to start?”

A hot flush rose up her neck and into her cheeks. She had to be red as a tomato by now. It was one thing to watch him do it, but another entirely to know he watched her. She’d never done this in front of anyone. Ever. “How is this even a turn-on for you? I’m so damn nervous I don’t know what do with myself.”

He slipped his hand into his boxers, cupped his erection, and stroked slowly. Base to tip judging by the movement of his hand. Her clit throbbed, her core aching. Holy mother of God that was hot.

“I actually like your inexperience. With you, there’s no pretense. Your reactions are real.” His hand moved again beneath his shorts, another slow stroke, then seemed to pause at the top. His jaw tightened, a quiet hissing leaving his mouth. “I’m right here with you. All the way.”

She nodded and adjusted her position so that all she had to do was turn her head and she could see his eyes. He was right, of course. The way those blue eyes focused on hers eased the last of her nerves. The heat and hunger that filled them. The way his jaw tightened with every movement of his hand. Like he hung on by the barest, thinnest thread. It made her more than a little wet to know she affected him that way. No man had ever looked at her the way he was right now, and it flat-out awed her.

Her hand found its way into her panties, sliding into her slippery cleft. A single stroke over her clit sent pleasure shuddering through her. A soft moan escaped as every sensitive nerve ending came alive.

His nostrils flared, his chest heaving. “Are you wet?”

The little girl inside her who’d been taught sex before marriage was a sin said she ought to blush at his blatant question, but Lauren couldn’t find the will to save her life. Of all the fantasies for him to fulfill, this one was huge. She loved the thought of his body against her, but she had no point of reference for sex to even understand what it felt like. Mutual masturbation, however, was easier to imagine. Stroking herself knowing he watched, getting to watch him do the same—the fantasy never failed to liquefy her insides. Actually playing it out, though?