The Safe Bet (Hidden Truths #1)(40)

She sucked in a breath and eyed the man before her. He was toned and beautiful, rugged and strong.

She was going to break her rules. Damn her plans.

Michael’s eyes smoldered with lust as he shoved his boxers off, freeing his hard length. “Are you on the pill?” he asked with a throaty voice.

“Yes, but I always use protection.”

He gripped his shaft, barely taking his eyes off her as he grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer. After, he unrolled it down his hard shaft and placed a knee on the bed, his hand above her shoulder. He slowly lowered himself over her, his hand sliding to her smooth center. She was so damn wet. She moaned and bucked her hips when he slid two fingers inside of her.

He rubbed his thick fingers there for a minute until her nipples hardened with want. Then he positioned himself on top of her, and she released a pent-up breath as he eased into her, resting his hands on either side of her body.

He held himself up and looked into her eyes as he edged himself inside of her—it had been so long since she’d had sex—it was almost painful at first. She inhaled a sharp breath, but then relaxed against him as she took every inch of him. He fit inside of her like she’d been made for him—at least it sure as hell felt that way at the moment.

Their breathing became more rapid as their bodies moved together. The feelings of pleasure he elicited with each and every touch, with every thrust, had her spiraling out of control.

It was ecstasy.

Sex with Michael was sheer bliss—a precipitous climb that resulted in the most amazing orgasm she had ever experienced.

Once her desire was satiated, he began to move faster, which heightened her already raw body to feel entirely new sensations.

After a few more minutes, he groaned and bowed his head in release.

He rolled to his side, a lazy smile on his face, looking drunk with satisfaction. He pulled her against his sweaty body, tightening his grip on her waist.

“Oh, are we done?” She drew her eyebrows together into a false pout. God, this was so not like her—and it felt so damn good.

“Give me a few minutes, and I promise you there’ll be more.” He pressed his mouth to hers and lifted her on top of him.

*


Kate woke a few hours later to find the bed empty. They’d had a marathon of sex, and she must have fallen asleep after. Sex with Michael had proven spectacular and addictive.

The night had been amazing—what she needed to take her mind off the heavy stuff.

But, when she had decided to sleep with him—well, more like her body had told her mind to pull over and let it drive for a while—she knew that she would need to accept him as he was.

And that meant accepting that he would be rid of her soon. Maybe he was already done with her, which should’ve been fine—she didn’t want anything heavy, either. Hell, maybe she needed to rethink her rules. Maybe casual sex was the solution to staying out of a serious relationship while she was building her career.

But thinking about Michael sleeping around created an unwelcome tightness in her chest, and that was a pretty strong indicator that Kate wasn’t really up for casual sex. Sleeping with Michael had been incredible, but now her heart would pay the price.

She stepped out of his mammoth bed and retrieved her silk tank top and shorts from the floor, wanting to find him and assess his mood.

She walked down the hall in search of him.

Michael was standing out on his balcony, dressed only in a pair of sweats despite the slight chill of the September night. Her breath caught in her throat as he turned toward her. In spite of her drowsy soreness, she found herself growing hot with desire just looking at him.

She doubted any woman would ever get enough of that man. He was gorgeous, and yet there was so much more to him than that. But he didn’t want anyone to see—he didn’t want to let anyone on the inside. Those emotions trapped inside of him—she’d felt them, with every thrust. It was like he was sharing himself with her in the most pure and honest way he could since they’d met.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Michael was hurting. But why? Because of what happened when he was in the military? The people he lost?

The shadow of the moon was cast down on him, making him look somehow unreal. His chest moved with each slow breath. She noticed for the first time his slight dusting of chest hair and the dark trail of hair at his navel. His five o’clock shadow from yesterday had grown even darker.

“Are you okay?” she asked upon approach. Her shoulders sagged a little as she rubbed her arms, feeling a bit cold, and waited for him to reply.

“Yeah.”

She closed the gap between them and rested her hand on his forearm. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not great at sharing a bed.” He looked away from her and fixed his gaze on the hotel across the street. Was he worried about the nightmares?

“Michael, I always tell my half-brother—well, brother, I mean. I hate when people call him my ‘half’ as if he is less of a brother because we have different moms . . . A brother is a brother, right? Well, I always encourage him to talk about what he’s going through when deployed—he shouldn’t keep things locked up.” She raised her right shoulder and released a breath. “Sorry, I’m rambling. I’m nervous. But maybe you could try talking about—”