Page 38 of Protected

He must have made some extra efforts to wash up this evening because he smells a lot like soap and just a littlelike his natural scent. He’s as hot as a radiator as he devours my mouth, his tongue eager and presumptuous and his entire face somehow involved in the kiss. His nose, his jaw, his beard.

Hisbeard.

I dig my fingernails into the back of his neck and arch up, trying to rub myself against the bulk of him. He’s still braced on his knees, so he’s too high up. I grind against nothing, whimpering in frustration.

He pulls back abruptly, his warm eyes searching my face and checking to make sure the sound I made wasn’t from anxiety or discomfort.

“How are we going to manage this?” I ask. “You’re so big I can’t even get a good dry hump going!”

He shakes with silent laughter and pulls me up in a quick, awkward maneuver that ends with him lying on his back beneath me and me sprawled on top of him.

Giggling helplessly, I rearrange so my legs are on either side of his hips and I’m leaning forward on his chest. This position allows me much better access to his body, and he’s not as at risk of bonking his head on the bunk every time he moves.

He slides me up his body to kiss me again. Since my back is shorter than his, I have to grind against his belly instead of his groin. That’s just fine with me. Every part of his body is warm and firm and natural.Real.

We kiss for a few minutes—deep and urgent but not rushed—until my pussy pulses and Deck’s hands have become more and more assertive. He’s got them under myT-shirt now, spanning my back and sliding down to cup my bottom over my cotton panties.

For no good reason, I hear Trisha’s sassy voice in the back of my head.There’s something about a man whose hands can span your waist. Or your ass.

The memory distracts me so much I break out of the kiss, straightening up so abruptly I bang the top of my head against the upper bunk.

“Ow!” I rub my scalp with a frown.

Damn Trisha. Somehow even interfering withthis.

Deck is frowning and puzzled, peering up at me in the low light of the lantern that’s still illuminated. When I stay in position, absently massaging the sore spot on my head and purposefully clearing my mind, he lets go of my butt and turns his palms upward.What?he signs.

I shake my head. “Nothing. A random, stray thought that has nothing to do withus.”

What?

“I told you it was a stray thought. Don’t be pushy.”

He starts making the same sign again, so I grab his hands to stop him.

He resists, and we have a silly fight over his hands that ends up making him shake with silent laughter and me collapse in giggles.

He wraps his arms around me in a quick, tight hug but then lifts my shoulders so I’m sitting on top of him again. He points toward me and shapes his fingers into anOand aK.

“I’m okay.” He’s so serious I can’t bring myself not to give him a real answer. “I got kind of insecure for aminute. Are you… You really think we can do this and not have it turn into a mess, right?”

I… Yes.Neither one of us knows the sign forsure, but his response is clear and without hesitation nonetheless.

“Because it’s not like it would be back in the old world. Just starting out. There are real stakes to everything now. Life and death. Not only what Logan would do if we have a bad breakup. In other ways, anything complicated could get in the way of our safety and security. You might be strong enough to make it on your own if everything falls apart between us, but I’m… I’m not.”

He nods, obviously understanding what I’m attempting to express. He thinks for a moment before he reaches down to the floor where he dropped the pen and pad. He scrawls out,We can waitfor this.

I stare at the words. Stare at his broad, familiar face. Stare at the words on the piece of paper again.

Then I whisper, “I don’t want to wait.”

His expression cracks in visible relief.

Call me wishy-washy if you must, but it makes me giggle again.

He smiles, amused and affectionate, and pulls me down into another kiss. This one is lighter. Gentler. Pleasurable but not so intense. I kiss him back, rubbing my body against his until all the arousal from before builds back up. Even stronger now.

This time when I rear up again, it’s to pull off my T-shirt so he can get his hands on my body more easily. I’m too enthusiastic with the motion and bang first my elbow and then my head against the top bunk.

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