Page 66 of Silent Comrade
Another nip of her ear came with a hint ofpain, followed by a lick to soothe the skin. “Good point. Don’tmove.” Air cooled her back. Britt froze for a minute, then glancedaround. He had disappeared.
A minute later, Al exited the bathroom withhis cell phone and laid it face-down on the kitchen table. “There.Should be fixed.”
“What?”
“No digital feed from inside the apartmentright now. No one can see or hear us.”
That was a good thing. Right? She turned andleaned her hip against the sink, studying him as he stood next tothe table, legs slightly bent as he balanced on the balls of hisfeet. Always ready for the mission.
Was his interest real?
A check at the boxer-briefs answered thelast question. No doubt at all. Her mouth went desert-dry.
His eyes narrowed. In three strides, he wasin front of her, not quite touching but so close.
“Can I kiss you?” His head cocked to oneside, like he heard the tiny whimper that welled up in herthroat.
Her head swam. The guy was still asking her,like he wasn’t sure of her answer?
Through a lust-clogged brain, self-doubt,and anxiety, Britt realized something amazing. Even in thismessed-up situation involving military dudes and power plays, whereshe was a glorified pawn, where her future rested on finishing upcollege while in danger, this man gave her something she didn’thave: control. A choice.
Fixated on his mouth, she decided to put itto the test. “What if I said no?”
He took a step back, hands up. “I wouldstop. Immediately.”
“What if we were past kissing?” Stopping wasthe furthest thing from her mind, but Britt needed to be in controlof something in her life right about now. This might not be asecure situation, but she needed to feel secure in her owndecisions.
“Past kissing? As in, while I’m lickingevery inch of your body? About to be buried deep inside of youuntil you scream?”
Oh, God. Heated liquid pooled at herpulsating core. “Th-that. Sure.”
“No questions asked. It would be difficult,but I would stop.” He licked that lower lip, making her own tonguejealous. “If you don’t want this—us—then I will step away. Noquestions asked. No hard feelings.” He grimaced. “Maybe ‘hard’isn’t the right term.”
No kidding. “So.”
“This is your call.” He rolled a hand into afist, then released it. Twice.
“I do want this—us.I just needed to know—” Her cheeks warmed. Since when was Brittafraid of open communication with a partner? She glanced at hiscareful, neutral posture. She couldn’t make full eye contact. Itwas too much.
She was afraid of open communication becausefor the first time in years, she had allowed herself to connectwith someone on a level that made her feel vulnerable. The flipside of connection was her fear of abandonment.
The part where she had almost died thisweek, twice, amplified her fear. Nothing was certain in her world.Nothing except the two people standing in her apartment, facingeach other.
His voice bridged the space between them.“You’re safe, Britt. No one can see us. No one will come in here.No one will hurt you. I will see to it.” The words came out like apromise wrapped up in a terrifying threat.
Not a threat to Britt, though.
He hadn’t moved. Hadn’t imposed his size andhis will on her. He tipped his chin and raised an eyebrow, invitingher to make a first move.
Her breathing sped up. Fine by her.
Britt closed the space in a gasp of air andtook two fistfuls of his shirt, drawing him easily down to hermouth. The brush of her lips against his was meant to be a warm-up,a taste, to see if they were on the same page.
The page exploded.
Britt burned. Her mouth tingled as she stoodon tiptoes in her booties, wanting more.
Al growled low and snaked a corded armaround her waist. With his free hand, he cupped the back of herhead, lightly trapping her in the sweetest of prisons as he archedher back and nudged her lips apart with his.
