Page 50 of Zain

She wanted out of the robe. His body against hers. His flesh touching her. She propped herself up onto her arm and stared down at him.

His black T-shirt stretched over his stacked chest. He bent one arm behind his head and lifteda thick, quizzical eyebrow.

She kept her hand on his pec. She shouldn’t do this. Shouldn’t touch him. But for some inexplicable reason she couldn’t stop. “I owe you a thank-you.”

The corners of his mouth dipped. “You don’t owe me shit.”

Dammit. She was screwing this up. She wanted more than to thank him. Zain did something to her. His touch brought her to life, and his kiss had detonated her. She wanted more of that. Even if just for one night. Casual sex wasn’t her thing. She’d never been about that. But she needed to feel connected to someone, needed to feel Zain’s hands on her again. She’d die if he thought she was only doing it to say thank you, though. And he surely wouldn’t want an appreciation fuck.

She slid her hand over his stubble. The short, coarse hair tickled her skin and sent a rush through her core. “Yes, I do. You saved my life, Zain. You were there when I needed you and—”

He caught her wrist and rolled into a sitting position. His fast movement brought her up to sit before him. His grip on her arm was firm and urgent. “I mean it. I don’t want to hear that. You came looking for me. At the time, I thought you showing up was trouble.” His jaw rocked. “I didn’t save you, Dana. You saved me.”

Tears burned her eyes. His words surrounded her heart. From the moment she’d learned he wasmissing, she wanted to help. Wanted to bring the wounded, tortured soldier home. But he hadn’t been what she’d thought. That miscalculation had hurt her pride more than she wanted to admit, but his risking his life for her time and again had been her biggest failure.

She shook her head. “If you hadn’t killed Rakesh and those other men, I’d be dead. If you don’t think that’s worthy of my gratitude, then you need your head examined.”

His frown morphed into a grin. He chuckled and rubbed his beard with the back of his fingers. There was a spark in his golden eyes that hadn’t been there before. She loved watching him come to life. Every emotion he expressed was like another layer peeled off an onion, and if she’d done anything this whole mission, she’d helped with that.

“Honey, if it’s your gratitude you want to give me, I’ll take it. But nothing more.”

Her stomach hardened. She curled her fingers away from his face and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Of course. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Heat blasted her cheeks, and shame kept her from looking at him. Zain’s hand caught her chin firmly. “Don’t think for a fucking minute I don’t want you. It’s not that.” Fire blazed from his brooding face. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to... be with me.”

He expelled a breath through his nose, hisnostrils flaring. “I don’t want to hurt you, Dana. It’s been a long time for me.” The confession came out softly but as loud as bullets hitting metal.

“You’d never hurt me.”

His eyelids flickered. “I haven’t been with a woman in over three years. And I don’t want to screw up our first time.”

She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, and his thumb twitched near the corner of her mouth. She brought his palm to her lips and placed a kiss on the meaty, calloused part of his hand. “I’d rather you try it out with me than anyone else.”

The fire in his eyes turned to an inferno of desire, burning its way to her loins.

CHAPTER 16

Zain shouldn’t beon a bed with her. Shouldn’t even be in the same goddamn hotel room, because nothing short of another IED would make him keep his hands off her.

Which was dangerous.

Shewas dangerous.

Her rounded, glassy eyes stared at him. Scared and hesitant. Fuck, she should be scared. He didn’t have the capacity to handle sex right now. But the last thing he wanted was for her to think that he didn’t want her.

The thickness pressing against his jogging pants confirmed his desire. If he was smart, he’d kiss her full, pink lips, get up, and walk away before he got in over his head.

“I’m sorry. Look, let’s just go to bed.” She hiked up one shoulder and gave a light laugh, as though they hadn’t just been talking about sex.

The front of the hotel robe gaped around her frame, making the smooth line of her shouldervisible beneath the terry cloth. He lifted his fingers and dragged them over the indent above her collarbone. “You do something to me, Dana.” He spoke carefully, evenly. Because if he let out every jumbled word that weighed down his tongue, she’d bolt.

She tilted her head slightly, listening raptly.

“I’ll do whatever you need to feel better right now. If that’s leave, I’ll leave. If it’s staying here, in this bed, I’ll stay here in this bed.” He let his hand move slowly to the belt around her waist. “But if we start this, you need to be damn sure.”

Her lips parted ever so slightly. She jutted out her small tongue, and something broke inside him. He leaned forward, but she surged to meet him, her mouth slanting over his.

He caught her around the waist, and she came down on top of him. Her mouth was so fucking soft and sweet. She moved to straddle him and placed her hands on either side of his face. Her warm, torturous scent invaded his nostrils, and he gripped her hips.

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