Off Base(57)

He feasted on her breasts, his hand cupping her between her legs, rubbing where she was already wet from a combination of her desire and the shower water.

He backed her into the shower wall, pausing to squirt some body wash into his hands. He brought his hands back to her body, lathering her and massaging everywhere. Breasts, ass, her clenching sex. She closed her eyes, head rolling against the tiled wall. Her blonde hair trailed darkly wet over her shoulders and down her back.

She came, screaming his name, her chest heaving. He lifted one of her thighs, bringing it up to his hip, poised to enter her, but suddenly she broke away and dropped on her knees.

He looked down at her, water sluicing over her. She looked like some sea siren, her ripe mouth at the head of his cock, her blue eyes dark and heavy-lidded, begging for him to ruin her.

She took in his engorged head, rolling it past her lips. She sucked his wet cock into her mouth, as much as she could take. Her slim fingers fisted the base of him that she couldn’t swallow. He flattened one hand against the shower wall and fisted his other hand in the wet tangle of her hair.

She sucked him like she would take everything from him. His balls pulled tight and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

He tried to pull her to her feet. “Huntley, enough.”

She ignored him, sucking harder, her free hand coming up to cup his balls. He was lost. He moved his hips, f*cking her mouth. She made a moan of approval. Her tongue glided along the underside of his dick, and he was done. He came, losing himself with a cry, and her mouth took all of him, wringing every lost drop from him.

He pulled her up by her arms, feeling dazed. “Huntley.”

She stared at him, her eyes glassy, and he knew she felt it, too. That this thing between them was good. Scary good.

She scraped some wet tendrils back from her cheek. “I never really understood why women did that. I never liked it, but that … with you.” Her eyes glowed. “I loved it.”

His chest squeezed. He brushed a thumb over her cheek and turned her around, finishing washing her body and then himself, his movements brusque, perfunctory. He didn’t say another word as they stepped from the shower and dressed again.

It would have made sense to leave after that. To say good night and part ways. They both had work early the following morning. It would have made sense to kiss her goodbye and chalk this up as reckless, crazy hot sex. Instead, he borrowed her toothbrush, flipped off the light and climbed into bed beside her, pulling her close to his side.

He would worry about what made sense later.

*

Huntley woke in the dark. She blinked for a moment, knowing something was off. It took another moment for her to remember she wasn’t alone. The events of the night flooded over her and her body tingled, deliciously sore and tender from sex. Sex with Cullen. Cullen who still slept beside her.

She turned her head, her hand reaching out to touch his bare shoulder. He muttered something and tossed his head, a low wretched sound coming from him. She knew the sound. She had heard the sounds of grief working many a late-night shift in the ER.

“Cullen,” she whispered, hoping to ease him from his bad dream. A dream she was certain was rooted in the loss of Xander.

His eyes opened at his name, a soldier accustomed to waking instantly. Pain glazed his eyes. The kind of pain that he never let anyone glimpse during daylight hours. Now with his defenses down, she saw right into him. Through him. He couldn’t hide his ghosts from her.

She reached out a hand and stroked his jaw, conveying that she was here for him. She understood, and she would always be there. He never had to be alone. If he would just let—

He snatched her wrists, tense lines bracketing his mouth. He held her wrists between them, his grip as fierce as his glittering gaze.

She stared back, questioning, unsure. “Cullen, are you all right?”

He dropped his hands from her wrists. His chest rose and fell several times before answering. “I guess I am taking Xander’s death hard.”

Her pulse skittered at this admission from him. He was talking to her. Actually opening up about what was going on behind his carefully constructed barriers.

“I know.”

“I just can’t stop wondering what if. What if I had been a better instructor? Halfway through the program Xander came to me expressing doubts. What if I hadn’t pushed him to stick with it? I just feel like I failed him. My old man never wanted me to go into EOD.” He laughed and the sound was raw with pain. “He said I didn’t have the right temperament for it. He said I’d f*ck up. I didn’t listen to him.”

“He was wrong, Cullen. You didn’t fail. You did your job.” She tossed onto her side to better face him. “Xander was a human being with free will. He made his own choices, and he wouldn’t have stuck it out if he didn’t want to.”

“Yeah, that’s my f*cking ego, I guess, thinking I matter so much.”

“No.” Her voice fell hard. “It’s not ego. You were his friend. Of course you mattered to him, but you’re not God. You weren’t responsible for his fate, and I know he’s looking down at you now, wanting you to believe that.” In the darkness, she could make out the gleam of his eyes as he studied her.

“God, you’re too nice. Can there be any girl as sweet as you?”

She frowned. “I’m not sweet.”

She’d always been the sweet girl. Predictable. In fact, the only unpredictable thing she ever did was leave Georgia. Of course, she had only done that to get away from Jackson. Everyone assumed they’d get back together. Get married and have the requisite two kids. It was almost as though she feared that happening, so she ran across the country to avoid that fate.