Page 7 of A Soldier's Pledge
“I’m too heavy to carry.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re light as a feather.”
“Excuse me, I think you’ve had too much wine, dude. I’m five foot eight. Iamnot a feather.”
“You are to me.”
She was about to answer when his lips covered hers. His tongue teasing until she let him in. He tasted like wine and sex and smelled like pure man with a hint of his citrus aftershave. All she wanted was his hands on her—everywhere—right now. He deepened the kiss, and somehow a soft moan escaped. His chuckle against her lips sent a sizzle of electricity to her core.
The urge to be snarky was quickly tamped down when he nipped at her lips as he pulled back. “Why are you stopping?”
“Do you want to have sex in the hallway? I kinda thought you’d prefer the bed or at least the couch. But hell, woman, I’ll take you against the wall if that’s what you want.”
Damn, one kiss and her brain turned to mush. “Bed, now. Chop, chop, detective. I need you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
***
If he’d realized that cooking for his woman would trigger this tigress, he’d have offered to cook for her months ago. Playful, sexy, demanding. If the wall around her heart wasn’t down, it was crumbling, and he was going to bulldoze right through it.
He contemplated tossing her onto the bed but changed his mind. Instead, he slid her down his body so she’d have no doubt how much he wanted her. His Goddamn pants were on the verge of busting open. If they got any tighter, he’d be a soprano for a few days.
“Mmm. Is that for me?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
“No, but I want to hear you say it. Tell me how much you want me.” He liked this Anna. It just might be time to start up a personal catering business, and by personal it would be Anna only.
“Oh, I want you, woman, from the top of your head to the tip of your toes and everything in between. Touching you, kissing you, breathing in your scent. You drive me crazy. I can’t think of anything but having you.”
A spark of mischief gleamed in her eyes. It was all the warning he had. She reached for the collar of his shirt and then ripped it open. Buttons pinged as they bounced across the wood floor of her bedroom. The zipper of his jeans dug into his most sensitive skin, and he groaned. These pants had to go, or he was sure he’d have a permanent scar. They needed to be naked.
It was taking too long. He loved that she was taking the aggressor role, but he couldn’t wait another second. He pushed her backward onto the bed and shrugged out of what was left of his shirt. After ripping open his jeans, he kicked them across the room. Her urgency was contagious, and he needed to be buried deep inside her.
Her eyes caressed his body as they traveled its length, and she licked her lips when she got to the proof of his arousal. As the pink tongue slid along the smooth skin of her lips, it left a trail of shiny wetness. With another groan, he’d reached the limit of his endurance. Enough teasing.
“Up, woman, you need to get out of that dress. Unless you want me to tear it off of you?”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
She hesitated for a moment, and he thought she was going to tell him to go ahead, but some of his old Anna was still in there. Scooting to the edge of the bed, she stood up and pulled the dress over her head. He’d expected a bra and panties, what he got was nothing. Five foot eight inches of sun-kissed skin and nothing else. Holy shit.
“Damn. You were naked all through dinner?”
“Not naked. I was wearing the dress.”
“You might as well have been, and I wasted it.”
“Nope, but you’re wasting it now,” she said and put her hands on her hips and posed. Yup, there was going to be a lot more cooking in his future.
Tossing the pillows and the comforter to the floor, he picked her up, slid her onto the bed, and followed her down. The time for words was over.
He’d really wanted to go slow, planned to make it a tender seduction, kissing and worshipping every inch of her body. With actions if not words, he would prove how much he loved her. He hadn’t said the words yet, but it was the truth, and his heart knew it. Before tonight he’d have sworn she wasn’t ready, but now he wasn’t so sure. Still, he didn’t want to push her away either. But he also didn’t want to scare her away. So instead he loved her with his body, hands, and mouth. Cherished every inch until she begged him for release. Then he pushed her further, poured out his love for her with every kiss, every lick, every thrust until they saw stars. Then he started all over again.
***
