Page 70 of Duty Unbound

He exhaled sharply, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “Don’t say things like that when I’m trying to drive safely.”

“Why not?”

“Because it makes me want to pull over and show you exactly how protective and commanding I can be.”

Heat flooded through me at his words, pooling low in my belly. I shifted in my seat, pressing my thighs together to ease the sudden ache.

“The hotel’s only ten minutes away,” I pointed out, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Longest ten minutes of my life,” he muttered.

The tension built with each passing second, the silence heavy with promise. When we finally pulled into the hotel’s underground parking garage, Ethan killed the engine and turned to face me fully.

“Last chance to change your mind,” he said, his voice rough. “Once we go upstairs…”

“I’m not changing my mind,” I interrupted. “I want this. I want you.”

Something snapped in his expression. In one fluid motion, he unbuckled his seat belt and reached for me, cupping the back of my neck as he pulled me into a searing kiss.

I gasped against his mouth, and he took advantage, deepening the kiss until I was dizzy with want. His other hand found my waist, pulling me as close as the console would allow.

When we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, he rested his forehead against mine.

“Upstairs,” he commanded. “Now.”

He walked me to the elevator, his hand never leaving mine. The moment the doors closed, he had me pressed against the wall, his mouth hot on my neck.

“Been wanting to do this all night,” he murmured against my skin. “Watching you in that dress, knowing what’s underneath…”

I arched into him, fingers tangling in his wet hair. “You’ve already seen what’s underneath,” I reminded him breathlessly.

“Not enough,” he growled. “Not nearly enough.”

The elevator dinged, announcing our arrival at my floor. Ethan pulled back just enough to appear respectable as the doors opened, but his hand remained possessively on my lower back as we hurried down the hallway.

My fingers shook as I fumbled with the keycard. Ethan tookit from me, sliding it into the lock with steady hands. The moment we were inside, the door barely closed behind us, he had me against it.

“Tell me you want this,” he demanded, his body pressed against mine, letting me feel exactly how much he wanted me.

“I want this,” I breathed. “I want you. Now.”

Chapter 22

Ethan

The moment I’d realized Mel wasn’t in that limo, something primal had roared to life inside me. Screw protocol. Screw the job. Before Nova could even finish explaining that Mel would probably just get an Uber, I’d bailed out of the vehicle at the next red light, commandeering one of our backup SUVs to race back to the club.

The thought of Mel alone in that chaotic mess, soaked and vulnerable, had ignited a protective fury inside me. Finding her with that Tommy guy had nearly made me lose it, despite the fact that she’d told me they’d had zero chemistry when they’d gone out a few months ago.

Now, with her pressed against the hotel room door, those same instincts blazed alongside a desire that threatened to consume us both. Her words—I want you. Now.—obliterated what remained of my professional restraint.

I captured her mouth, swallowing her gasp as I pressed my body fully against hers. The wet fabric of her dress created amaddening friction between us. My hands found the zipper at her back, drawing it down with deliberate slowness, letting my knuckles trace each vertebra, feeling her shiver under my touch.

“I couldn’t leave you there,” I murmured against her lips, pushing the saturated fabric from her shoulders. The dress fell in a wet heap at our feet. “When I realized you weren’t with us, I nearly lost my mind.”

“You came back,” she whispered, her fingers working frantically at my shirt buttons, trembling with urgency. “No one’s ever come back for me before.”

The raw vulnerability in her voice made something crack open in my chest. I helped her with my shirt, shrugging out of the soaked fabric. Her hands immediately explored my bare chest, fingers tracing old scars and new muscle with reverence that made my breath catch.

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