You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(79)

Theo watched her, his eyes right on her ass. “I really would feel better if she wasn’t alone here. Phoebe?”

It would be the perfect excuse. If she was bunking with Erin, Jesse would have less of a chance to get her in bed.

“No,” Jesse said in that tone that let her know he wouldn’t be swayed. “You watch out for your chick and I’ll do the same for mine.”

“She’s not…damn it.” Theo disappeared, following Erin into the west wing of the massive suite.

And she was left alone with Jesse.

Days. She only had days left with him. It would be the right thing to break it off now. She wasn’t even sure she should hold his hand, but she couldn’t seem to stop.

“Come here.” He pulled her close and his head dipped down, covering her mouth with slow, drugging kisses. “Let me take care of you. Come on. I’ll show you how I treat my queen.”

So sweet. He was so perfect and she’d caused him nothing but pain. Still, when he pulled her along, she didn’t stop, but went willingly with him.

Just a few days of paradise. That was all she had left.



Jesse checked the temperature of the shower. Perfect. It was nice and steamy. Just what he wanted. He grabbed the items he’d prepped for this private scene and placed them on the handy shower ledge. It was time to start preparing his princess for what he wanted.

Which would run completely counter to what she thought she wanted. He stepped back out into the lavish suite they would share while they were here. He wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew what was going on in her head. She thought she would be free to walk away as soon as this operation was over, but he intended to make that impossible.

He stopped. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands in her lap, her eyes on the wall in front of her, obviously lost in thought. He took a second to study her. She really was an interesting mix of the woman he’d first met and the contemplative, distant woman she’d become. The real Phoebe was under all that guilt and he intended to bring her out. She was a sensual, affectionate, passionate thing who loved with her whole heart.

He was going to make her love him. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything, more than he’d even wanted out of the prison he’d been in. That had been about surviving. It was a primitive thing, an instinct any animal had. Loving Phoebe was about living, and he was sure at this point that he was the only man walking the face of the earth who could properly love her. Only Jesse.

He knew damn well there was only Phoebe for him.

“Come here, baby.”

She turned, looking over at him. “Jesse, maybe we should get some sleep.”

Coward. Luckily, he’d figured out how to work her. “Take your clothes off and come here, Phoebe. We’re going to get this over with and then we’ll take a nice nap. I promise to have you ready for work, but this is my time.”

She stood and her hands went to the buttons on her blouse. “This wouldn’t work all the time, you know.”

But it was working now. She shed her blouse and pants as she followed him into the bathroom.

“Why can’t it work?” It felt so right to be alone with her. All the faking-his-own-death shit had kept them apart for days. He’d been worried the time would push her further from him, but he’d brazened through and before she’d known what was happening, he’d had her on his lap.

The key, he’d discovered, was simply overwhelming her with what she needed so desperately—love and affection.

And no small amount of dominance.

She frowned even as she worked her bra free. “Because real life would come into play and you can’t just order me around all day.”

Her breasts were really lovely. She was beautiful and feminine, and damn but he was already hard. “I don’t intend on ordering you around every day. I intend on being your partner. You’re smart. I’ll listen to everything you have to say and when you know more than I do, I’ll happily follow your lead. Off with those panties. They offend me.”

“They’re perfectly nice panties.” She shoved them off her hips. “They match the bra and everything.”

“But your * matches your breasts even better. God, you’re beautiful, Phoebe.” He shoved out of his jeans and boxers. He wanted to spend as much time naked with her as he could. A certain peace fell over him the minute he touched her, as though something fell blissfully into place and he was finally complete.

Her eyes went right to his cock. Even though he knew she wanted to deny him, she wasn’t going to. There was something deep inside Phoebe that couldn’t refuse his claim. “You’re a pervert.”

She could try to fight it all she liked, but she belonged to him now. “I’m your pervert. Come here.”

She hesitated for a moment but walked into his arms.

He guided her into the shower. “Relax and let me take care of you.”

She leaned back against him, letting the water caress her breasts while he picked up the soap and made long, slow circles with his hands. He soaped her breasts slowly, not wanting to miss an inch. His thumbs flicked over her hard nipples. She couldn’t hide her response to him.

But they had things to talk about. “I know you’re scared.”

She was silent, only the slight tension in her shoulders proof that his words bothered her.