His Obsession Next Door (In the Line of Duty) Read online

  The heat in his eyes licked over her and, as sparks shot through her body, she nearly lost it then and there. “Cole, please,” she said, barely able to keep a coherent thought as the man of her dreams took her to places she’d never been before.

  He gripped her legs and spread them wide. “Is this what you want, sweetheart?”

  Knowing her voice would only fail her, she gave an eager nod. A moment later he buried his face between her thighs, entirely in tune with her needs. He drew a deep breath and filled his lungs with her scent before he gave a long, leisurely lick that nearly had her exploding like a round of C4. That first sweet touch of his tongue to her sex had her hips coming off the bed. She began moving, pressing against him, her body seeking what it craved from the man she’d wanted for so long.

  As his tongue seared her and he ignited her blood to near boiling, she continued to writhe until one large hand went to her stomach to anchor her back down, taking complete control of the situation, and her body. Damned if his take-charge attitude didn’t excite her.

  Good God, there was no denying Cole was as proficient in the bedroom as he was in the field. He clearly knew more about what she wanted than she herself did. As she soaked in his warmth, she handed herself over to him, his to do with as he pleased. Taking control of her pleasures, he continued to feast on her while he pushed a thick finger inside her.

  “Cole,” she cried out. A small tremor pulled at her core as he stroked her with expertise, running the rough pad of his finger along the bundle of nerves no man had ever before been able to locate.

  As emotions and sensations ripped through her, he pressed his mouth hungrily to her swollen clit, while deep inside his deft finger moved with purpose. Her heart hammered, her entire body going up in a burst of flames. She began panting, needing him to end the sweet torment almost as much as she needed him to continue. Heat reverberated through her blood and she licked her dry lips, the world around her blurring as pleasure forked through her.

  “Oh, God, Cole.” Her sex clenched hard around his finger as he proceeded to push her over the edge. Her body pulsed and vibrated with release and Cole stayed between her legs while she rode out every delicious wave of pleasure.

  When her tremors finally subsided, he climbed up her body. Her flesh began tingling again when he took full possession of her mouth. He reached between them and gently stroked her wet slit and she knew he was preparing her for his impressive girth.

  She moaned as she tasted herself on his lips. His tongue tangled with hers, pillaging with hungry, demanding flicks, and she suspected he was slipping past the point of no return. He groaned deep and a moment later he inched back. As he pulled away from her his tortured glance moved over her face, his entire body tightening.

  “Cole?” Fearing she was about to lose him and praying he wasn’t having second thoughts again, her throat constricted and her heart raced like mad. She cupped his face and looked into his dark eyes. “What is it?”

  “I want to be inside you, sweetheart.”

  Relief moved through her. “I want that too.”

  Trembling hands brushed her hair off her cheeks, then slid gently over her bare shoulders. The small, affectionate gesture elicited a shiver from deep within. Her heart squeezed in her too-tight chest. “I don’t suppose you have any condoms.”

  She briefly closed her eyes in distress. Good God, never in a million years had she thought she’d end up in bed with Cole tonight, otherwise she would have come equipped. She suspected the same for him, because he wasn’t a guy who took chances or played with fire without protection. Which meant he hadn’t come here tonight with the intention of sleeping with her. Perhaps he’d purposely come without condoms so he wouldn’t be tempted.

  She opened her eyes and when she caught the intense way he was watching her, a tremble moved through her. “I don’t have condoms, but I’m on the pill.”

  He exhaled slowly and forced a laugh. She could feel his tension building, a firestorm of need that if left unattended, would implode upon itself. “Baby, I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, and I always use a condom.”

  As his voice played down her spine, she ran her thumb over his lips, her body aching for him in dangerous ways. “I’m clean, Cole.”

  His crooked smile turned her inside out when he said, “I know you are, sweetheart, what I’m trying to tell you is I am too.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?” she whispered, her body urging her to join with his before she shattered into a million tiny pieces. Trusting him implicitly, she widened her legs in invitation. He fisted her hair and they exchanged a long, intimate look. A maelstrom of sensations bubbled inside her and warned she might not be the kind of girl who could love casually. Especially not with a guy like him.

  With single-minded determination, he gripped her shoulders. His eyes never left hers as he positioned his cock at her opening. A second later he plunged deep, pushing all the way up inside her with one hard thrust that stole the air from her lungs. She gave a little whimper as he widened her, filling her in a way she’d never been filled before.

  His heart pounded hard against her chest, and the two began moving, both giving and taking as they established a rhythm. The depth of his penetration and the warm familiarity of his scent raised her passion to new, never before known heights.

  He drove impossibly deeper and his mouth found hers as he powered into her. Each plunge took her higher and higher until she could feel another spasm pulling at her core. He rammed into her, reaching a fevered pitch. When his breathing grew shallow Gemma got the distinct impression he was trying to slow down but couldn’t.

  Ribbons of heat moved through her body. She took a fueling breath to concentrate on the pleasure as she gave herself over to the erotic sensations. She gripped his shoulders, moisture sealing their bodies as one as her nails scratched his skin, leaving her mark on him, a reminder of this night. God, everything about Cole felt so good, so right. But some small, coherent part warned that he just wanted her sexually. Nothing more, nothing less.

  “Cole,” she cried out as he once again pushed her over the precipice. Completely overcome by the heat zinging through her blood, she concentrated on the bliss and dug her nails deeper into his back.

  As her whimper filled the room, Cole whispered her name. A second later he let loose a savage growl as her sex clenched around him. She could feel his muscles bunch, his release rapidly approaching as he struggled to hang on. She rode out the pulses rippling through her body and watched the way his dark eyes smoldered as he, in turn, watched her peak. When she squeezed her sex around him, drawing him deeper and deeper into her body, she could feel the blood pulsing hard and heavy in his cock. His nostrils flared and he gripped her shoulders tighter.

  “Come for me,” she whispered, urging him to let go as her body trembled beneath his.

  Control obliterated, breath rushed from his lungs and he pumped feverishly, like something wild had been unleashed inside him. He threw his head back, no longer able to fight off his climax. Ecstasy flitted across his face as he released with hard, hot pulses inside her.

  His virility and strength overwhelmed her as he held her tight, so tight it was difficult to catch her breath. He rested his forehead against hers and took heavy, unsteady breaths. With a new closeness between them, he stayed on top of her, warm contentment curling around them. A long while later, he slid beside her and rolled onto his back. She drew a satisfied breath and melted into his side, loving how natural it felt to be with him like this.

  He put his arm around her and she shifted impossibly closer, eager to spend the rest of the night snuggled in his arms. She still couldn’t believe he was here with her and had given her the best night of her life. It was abundantly clear Cole was unlike any lover she’d ever had and, the truth was, one time would never be enough with him. She wanted him again. Of that she had no doubt. She placed her hand on his chest and played with his dog tags as his heart settled back into a steady rhythm.


  She thought more about what he’d said, warning her he wasn’t the guy for her and could only give her one night of sex. She wasn’t sure what was holding him back, or what he was afraid of, but now that she knew what it took to get him into her bed, she planned to have him there again. Even if it meant unleashing her wild side on him, over and over again.

  Chapter Five

  What the hell had he done?

  Christ, hadn’t he said that when it came to Gemma there was a line he wasn’t going to cross? But not only had he crossed it, he’d jumped up and down on it, pounded it into the ground and mocked the hell out of it.

  As reality inched its way back in, everything inside Cole urged him to climb from her bed and get the hell out of there while he still could. He was about to make a move when Gemma cast him a sideways glance. She rolled into him, pinning him in place as a soft, sexy sound of contentment rumbled in the depths of her throat.

  Apprehensions surged inside him and he sucked in a breath, questioning the intelligence in his actions. He’d been greedy. A total selfish prick. But he’d been so goddamn hot for Gemma that common sense had packed a bag and headed south while another part of his body, one that evidently lacked in moral judgment, had ended up calling the shots. Fuck. Hadn’t he warned himself that one touch, one sweet taste of her mouth would only draw him in deeper to a place he had no intentions of going?

  Except when she pressed her body against his, offering him up a night of casual sex, coherent thought fled. It was all he could do not to bend her over right there on the dance floor and take her fast and hard. Speaking of fast and hard. He should have at least tried to slow down. She deserved better than hurried sex from him. But no, he’d been so hot for her for so long now, he’d lost complete control and went at her like a rutting animal. He shook his head, disgusted with himself in so many ways.

  Gemma trailed her fingers over his chest. He grabbed her hand to stop her exploration. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  Passion-imbued eyes blinked up at him and everything inside him tightened when she said, “Hurt isn’t the word I’d use.”

  “I didn’t mean to…” he began but closed his mouth when she pressed a soft finger to his lips.

  Her blue eyes lit and her plump, well-kissed lips turned up in a smile. “Cole, seriously, it was…amazing.” Her glance leisurely traveled the length of his body and lingered over the thin sheet covering his still-hard cock. “In fact,” she admitted, those too-honest eyes of hers blinking up at him, “no man has ever brought me to orgasm before.”

  While a part of him puffed with male pride, there was another part that didn’t want to feel anything except physical fulfillment. This thing between them was just supposed to be about sex. He let go of her hand and shifted uncomfortably on the mattress.

  She sucked in a breath and he wondered if she too was remembering and savoring every detail of their climax. Gemma was right about one thing, it was amazing. Totally fucking amazing.

  “Most times I have to finish the job myself,” she confessed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me?” he croaked out. The thoughts of her masturbating in her bed all alone, running those soft, sensuous hands of hers over her supple body, almost had him rolling on top of her again and going for round two.

  “Nope. You’re the only guy who has ever really explored my body, really gauged my reactions to your touch. Although I must confess that I haven’t been with many guys.”

  A burn prowled through his blood at the thought of her in bed with another man. Oh, this is not good.

  “And not only did you bring me there once, you brought me there twice.” She gave a lazy, cat-like stretch and when her silky hair fell over his chest, he didn’t miss the deep ache still in his core. Here he’d thought one night with her would assuage his need. Except it didn’t. In fact, it just added a whole new set of problems.

  As he considered the ways she affected him and had so easily gotten under his skin, unease hit like a sucker punch. He cursed under his breath.

  He couldn’t dispute the fact that having sex with her had created a new intimacy between them, a warmth he’d never felt with anyone, and, the truth was, he had no idea how to deal with those kind of emotions. Fuck, he never should have gone so far with her. The fact that he was the first man to bring her to orgasm—twice—did something to him, something he feared there was no coming back from.

  “Why are you telling me this?” he asked between clenched teeth.

  She shrugged and her voice was breezy when she said, “I’m just thinking, if it’s this good, maybe we should do it again. You know, just two consenting adults having a little fun. Where’s the harm in that?”

  He pushed his fingers through his hair. As much as he would like to fuck her again, he began, “I don’t think—”

  Before he could finish her phone rang. She glanced up at him, and he rubbed his temple and said, “You’d better get that.”

  She pulled an irritated face. “It’s probably my mother.”

  “Or your date,” he said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice as a strong surge of possessiveness cut through him.

  “You don’t like him?”

  Unable to help himself he bit out, “Do you?”

  She began marching her fingers over his chest again, then grabbed his dog tags to examine them. “If I liked him, do you think I’d be here, in this bed, with you?”

  “Then why did you come here with him?”

  She let loose a long sigh. “My mother, of course.”

  He pushed back onto his pillow and swallowed his guilt. Less than two hours ago he’d promised her mother he’d keep a protective eye on her. He was pretty sure climbing into her bed and putting his mouth and hands all over her wasn’t what she had in mind.

  “She insisted I needed to attend this function with the right guy on my arm, and apparently, because Douglas is a successful surgeon, he fit the bill.” She frowned. “But she’s never gone so far as to set me up before.”

  Cole’s gut tightened as her words resonated inside him. He drew back from her both physically and emotionally. Everything inside him warned that he wasn’t the kind of guy her mother wanted her parading around town with. Sure, he was good enough to watch over her from a distance, he just wasn’t the marrying kind.

  When it came right down to it, he was a working-class soldier, a soon-to-be ex-soldier, who couldn’t give her the things she was accustomed to, material things the men attending her benefit could provide. Which was why he’d used discretion and walked out of that ballroom without her in his arms. To Gemma, a night of casual sex with an old crush might be fun and games, but she had a reputation to uphold and he didn’t want to do anything to dishonor her. Taking her to bed had certainly dishonored her brother’s wish, however. Once again, he couldn’t help but feel he’d failed Brandon.

  Christ, he never should have let lust overrule sensibility and climbed between the sheets with her. Angry with himself, he tossed the blankets off. “I have to go.”

  Gemma glanced at the clock. “It’s one in the morning. Where do you need to rush off to at this time of night?”

  “I have to get Charlie. He’s with Jack.”

  He threw his feet over the mattress and her next words, not to mention the soft, cautious way they were delivered, caught him by surprise. “Why did you come tonight?”

  A long pause and then, “Because it was important.” He neglected to tell her why it was important or how much he hated her being with another man. Christ, he was in trouble where she was concerned, which meant he needed to put as much distance between them as he could.

  With renewed purpose Cole climbed from the bed, dressed and slipped out of the hotel room. Gemma didn’t say anything as she watched him go and he didn’t dare glance back. One look, one tiny glimpse at the well-fucked woman sprawled across the mattress would surely have him changing his mind and crawling right back into bed with her.

  Battling his conscience, Cole left the hotel swift
ly and jumped in his truck. He took Gemma’s panties out of his pocket and stuffed them into his glove compartment. He made his way to Jack’s. After evading his friend’s shrewd glance and fearing everything about him screamed he’d had the best sex of his life, Cole gathered Charlie and drove home. Once there he stripped off the suit and jumped into a cold shower. In an effort to wash away Gemma’s scent, as well as memories of the way they fucked, he grabbed the bar of soap and scrubbed his skin raw.

  But the second he hit his bed all his mind wanted to do was think about how sweet she tasted, how warm and wet she was when he pushed deep inside. Goddammit he loved how her body had readily opened to his. He thought about how they had moved together, in sync, like they were meant for each other. He’d never ridden bareback before and everything from the feel of skin on skin, to her softness wrapped around his hardness, to the way he’d splashed his seed high inside her, had generated a new kind of need inside him.

  Cole punched his pillow, unable to get comfortable as his cock tented his blankets. He shifted from side to side and spent the rest of the night tossing restlessly, all the while cursing himself for not having more restraint where Gemma was concerned. He was a soldier for Christ’s sake, a bomb expert at that, which meant he was disciplined, cautious, a guy who made rational decisions with his head—the one on top of his shoulders. He should have stayed away tonight. He should have left Gemma in Douglas’s hands. At least if she fell for the successful surgeon, her mother would be happy. And a married woman would remove any temptation for Cole.

  He finally dozed off near dawn and when early morning sunlight lit a column along his floor, Cole climbed from his bed and went to his window. He peered through the curtains and, when he looked into Gemma’s empty condo, he couldn’t help but wonder when she’d be back. The only way to put her out of his mind was to go for a run, then head to the abandoned base to help the guys design the obstacles. He pushed away from the window and made his way to the bathroom. Another cold shower was definitely in order before he began his day.