Heated Pursuit (Alpha Security #1)(69)
Hopefully with Rafe.
They’d made love for hours before exhaustion took told and Penny slept so deeply she didn’t think she’d moved in twelve hours. But when they woke, Rafe had been more than willing to work out the knotted kinks in her lower back with another spectacular round of love-making.
No doubt everyone was starting to wonder where they were—or maybe not.
“You’re not allowed to move even an inch.” Rafe’s voice rumbled the man-pillow beneath her cheek. “Actually, don’t even think about moving at all, because you’re not going anywhere. Ever.”
Staying wrapped in his arms for an indefinite amount of time sounded good to her. As a matter of fact, it sounded like perfection. Penny propped her chin on his chest and met his sleepy-eyed gaze with an automatic smile. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good. Because I’ll hunt you down and haul you back to where you belong. And in case you’re wondering, that’s right the hell here.” The arm that rested possessively on her hip hugged her closer. “Get that sweet ass over here.”
Penny squealed as he tugged her on top of him. Astride his still-naked body, she shimmied until the hardness of his erection brushed against her still-sensitive clit. With a groan, Rafe slid home in one tortuously slow thrust.
*
It was déjà vu as they silently dressed. In a methodical system, Rafe inspected the mags for each of his handguns before slipping them into his black combat vest. Already in place and tucked against each thigh were knives that would’ve looked lethal in any torture chamber. The thought of him needing to use any of it turned Penny’s stomach inside out.
Moments before the start of an operation wasn’t the time to purge feelings. Distractions were dangerous, and he and the others were about to walk into a virtual minefield. So Penny kept silent, unable to say a word even if her tongue weren’t stuck to the roof of her mouth.
Weeks of worry and planning were finally ending, one way or another. But for that to happen, the man she loved and the men she’d grown to care about like brothers were putting their lives on the line.
Rafe tugged his vest into place and gave the zipper a sharp tug before turning toward her. The longer he stared, the heavier the elephant sitting on her chest became. Being in his arms made it so easy to tune out the rest of the world. Watching him transform from lover to badass commando, that world came rushing back with a vengeance.
He was in front of her in two long strides, tipping her chin up with a pinch of his fingers. “If Rachel’s there, I will bring her back. I promise.”
A buildup of emotions made it hard to breathe. “I know. Just bring yourself back, too. Please.”
Penny kissed him, nearly spilling her heart out at his boots with one brush of lips. It nearly killed her to back away without telling him that she loved him.
“Stay alert while we’re gone. Stay close to Logan,” he ordered gently. “We still don’t know exactly where Fuentes has his inside man planted, and I don’t trust Collins as far as he can throw a goat.”
“Really? And here I was thinking it would be more along the lines of an adult-sized buffalo,” Penny tried to joke.
The tight press of Rafe’s mouth told her that her attempt to lighten the mood failed miserably.
When a heavy knock landed on the door, Rafe pulled it open to a waiting Trey. Dressed nearly identical to Rafe, he stood in the hall, thumbs hooked into his pockets, not looking the least surprised to see Penny walking up to his friend’s side.
“Prepare yourself for a lot of whining,” Trey warned her with a wink. “Logan’s been bitching about being left behind.”
The operator in question turned the corner. Grin in place, Logan strutted down the hall in his usual loose swagger.
“You look surprisingly okay with having to stay behind,” Penny stated, suspicious of the former Marine’s jovial mood.
Logan dropped an arm over her shoulder. “I’ll admit I was a little put out at first, but then I saw the group that’s going to be piling into the helo all sardine-like. Trust me—I’m definitely getting the better end of the deal. What do you say to you, me, and a bottle of the finest jungle wine they got on hand, darlin’? We’ll make an entire night of it.”
“There’s such a thing as jungle wine?” Penny grinned.
“You’re right. We don’t need the wine to have a good time. We just need each other.”
A low growl from Rafe’s direction had everyone—except Rafe—chuckling. He gripped her belt loops and pulled her out of Logan’s grasp and into his own, making the Marine laugh harder. “Cool down, brother. I’ve got almost nothing but the safety of your girl in mind.”
Penny rolled her eyes at the level of machismo filling the small hall and wrapped her arms around Rafe’s waist. When his gaze dropped to hers, she gently assured him, “We’ll be fine. You need to stop worrying about what’s happening here and start concentrating on what’s going to happen out there.”
“We still don’t know where Fuentes has his mole planted, and I’m about to leave you in a DEA-run facility…with Collins.” Rafe palmed her cheek, and instinctively she pushed her face into his touch. He waited a moment before leveling a look in his friend’s direction. “I’m entrusting you with precious cargo, Callahan.”