Hidden Impact (Safeguard #1)(30)

For a long moment after, she lay panting with her eyes closed, the most relaxed he’d ever seen her. And holy shit, was she incredibly sexy. He pressed a kiss against her lips. “Wait a second. I’ll be right back.”

He strode back out into the other room and ripped his duffel apart for his travel kit. Always prepared. Nabbing the condom packet, he got back to Maylin in lightning speed. It took no time to roll the condom on and toss the foil.

She’d gathered herself in the meantime, watching him with so much heat in her eyes his cock jumped under her regard. Climbing over her, he fitted his hips between her legs as she lay back, welcoming him with a murmur. He nudged the head of his cock at her entrance and waited for her gaze to lock with his. He asked because he needed to be sure. “You want this?”

If she said no, if even the slightest hint of doubt clouded her eyes, he’d get up without a word. It’d kill him and he’d need some time in the shower with his hand. But he’d do it. It was enough to see her come apart under his touch like that.

But her lips spread in a sweet smile and her arms lifted and curved around his neck. “Yes, please.”

Thank God.

He pressed inside her, agonizingly slow as she stretched to accommodate him. So. Tight. So. Good. Then she wrapped her legs around his waist, tilting her hips to encourage the fit between them. He buried his face in her neck and groaned.

He was not going to last long.

“Gabe.” She accompanied his whispered name with a nip on his earlobe.

Growling, he withdrew and slid inside her again. She threw her head back as he thrust and he increased his rhythm, desperate to get deeper inside her every time. Every sound she made, her pleasure amplified his a dozen times over and he savored every bit of it.

Her thighs, her inner muscles, gripped him with surprising strength. No fragile flower here. Her hands had moved to grab his lower back, tugging and encouraging. Rolling his hips, he plunged deeper and harder. She rewarded him by calling out in time with his strokes. Her nails pricked his skin as she unlocked her ankles and planted her feet on the bed on either side of him, lifting her hips to meet him. Her body arched and her muscles squeezed, milking him, until she cried out louder and jerked as her orgasm took her.

His balls tightened and he came hard, erupting inside her in a hot rush. He thrust deep one more time as he lost his damned mind. Shuddering in the aftermath, he lowered himself over top of her carefully.

Holy shit.

“Mmm.” She nuzzled his neck. As she shifted under him, her insides squeezed him.

His cock twitched.

Whoa, down, boy.

He ground his hips into her one more time before withdrawing slowly, carefully.

As he rose from the bed, she gave him a happy and sated smile. Her eyelids were at half-mast and she looked about ten seconds away from a nap. Good.

It took less than a minute to step inside the bathroom and get rid of the condom. He grabbed a small hand towel, wet it and rung it out, then returned to her on the bed. Her eyes widened in pleased surprise as he helped her clean up.

“Thank you.” She sounded embarrassed.

He kissed her. “Least I can do. Thank you.”

She bit her lip. Adorable. “I know we have to get ready to go in a while, but will you lay with me for a few minutes?”

Tossing the towel to the floor, he eased down next to her and gathered her against his side. Immediately, she turned toward him and snuggled in close.

His heart thudded in his chest. He liked this. Really liked it. This had been different—she was different—from his past experiences. Some women were a hundred miles away even as they lay in the same bed. Others literally got up and left, their itch scratched. No hard feelings. No strings attached. And he’d never worried about it. However they wanted to move on, he’d been fine.

But having Maylin cuddled up against him, warm and happy, was all sorts of better than anything he’d imagined. Good. Better than he deserved.

“So we’re leaving in a while for the embassy, then coming back here for the night?” She traced little patterns across his chest as she asked.

“That’s the plan.” He pressed a kiss against the bridge of her nose. He’d bet her questions were slowly filling up the inside of her head again. He was glad he’d been able to help her reset her mind. Hoped she’d ask him to do it again.

“Whatever happens, I... I’m glad we did this.” She pressed a kiss against his jaw in return.

Pleased, stupid happy kind of pleased, he wrapped his arms around her. “Me too.”

“And it’s totally okay if this is a one-time thing. It won’t be awkward, so I don’t want you to think...”

He stopped her, capturing her mouth and drowning them both for a long minute. They were gasping when he lifted his head. “Not sure what this is yet. But I want to figure it out. I don’t want it to be a one-time thing.”

She smiled and his throat tightened. Wow. She was lighting up his world.

A minute later, her light dimmed.

“What is it?” He brushed a stray hair from her cheek.

“An-mei,” she whispered.

Ah, hell.

“No guilt. Don’t. Not for a minute. I don’t want to distract you and I’m going to focus on what I set out to do,” he reassured her. “We can set this aside for now. Then once we find your sister, we’ll find our way back to here.”