Page 52 of Hidden Attraction

Chase’s chest was overflowing with emotions he couldn’t name. From the first moment, he felt very protective of Alyssa—that much had stayed the same. But now, there was more to it.

Her body, pressed close to his, relaxed bit by bit, going from rigid to pliant. Her breaths came in rhythmic intervals, and her tears had dried up. God, he hated seeing her cry. But a woman shedding tears for others wasn’t a weakness—it was strength, and he was damn glad to be beside her when she needed someone most.

He trailed his fingers over her arm where it draped over his chest. Her silky skin rose to his touch, breaking out in goose bumps.

Twisting toward him, she buried her fingers in his shirt. Her grip made his heart surge with that same brand-new feeling he had no words to define.

He stared deep into her eyes. “Alyssa…baby.”

Her breath caught. “Yes?”

“The way you’re looking at me right now…”

“Is it the same way you’re looking at me?”

His eyes slipped shut for a brief moment as he committed her fierce expression of desire to memory. When he left this safehouse, when he walked away from Alyssa forever, he wanted to remember this moment.

His hands were already moving upward to cup her face the instant he opened his eyes. His mouth was already dipping to claim hers.

Heat shot between them, running along an electric current. It began as a low hum and slowly built as he pressed his lips more firmly to hers.

The sound she made edged under his skin and drove up his desire ten notches.

He rolled her beneath him. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around him and dragged him down on top of her.

“Baby, wait,” he whispered against her lips. “You’re not yourself. You’re fragile right this minute. I won’t take advantage.”

He pushed away a fraction, but she followed him, surging upward to keep the kiss going.

Christ. This amazing woman wanted him—a rough, scarred SEAL with a lot of darkness inside him. From the very first time he ever set eyes on Alyssa, he’d appreciated her smarts, her skills and her devotion to the making the world better. Now he was seeing her in a new light.

She was soft, giving, tenderhearted and so damn invested in every person who crossed her path. He saw it when she talked about Kennedy, and after learning about the fate of the Red Cross director’s son.

Her lips parted on a cry of want, and he couldn’t stop himself—he plunged his tongue into her mouth and tasted her.

Sweeping his tongue over hers again and again, he hardened to full mast. His cock throbbed at the base, the sensation blasting upward to encompass the swelling tip. Passion flooded his veins, and he swirled his tongue in slow strokes that had her melting into the caress.

“I need you, Julian.” She shoved both hands under his shirt, stretching her warm fingers along the planes of his back. When she pressed the blunt points of her nails into his skin, there was no holding back his growl.

She yanked off his shirt and reached for his fly.

He stopped her with a hand over hers. “Not so fast.”

But he stripped her with quick movements that grew jerkier with every inch of flesh he bared. He took one beaded nipple between his lips and sucked lightly while tracing a circle around the other until it shriveled to a tight bud.

“Julian!” She arched into his mouth, urging him on. He sucked harder and plucked at her other nipple, then switched places, trailing a heated kiss across her chest to worship all of her.

When he skated his hand over the dip of her waist, spreading over the flare of her hip, he felt the hum of need inside her. In one smooth glide, he slid down her body and parted her thighs.

Her sweet pussy was slick with juices. Eager for a taste of her, he darted his tongue over her folds. For a heavy, pulsing moment, their gazes locked…

And he lowered his mouth to her pussy.

As he tunneled his tongue into her slick folds, that feeling in his chestconsumedhim. With a growl, he cupped her ass, lifted her to his mouth and plunged his tongue inside her channel.

“Julian!” She dug her fingers into his shoulders, begging for more.

For long heartbeats he tongue-fucked her with juicy passes and her cries grew louder.

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