Page 91 of Disarming Caine

I lifted her, our tongues still intertwined, and carried her the few steps to the computer desk. With a swipe of my hand, I cleared space, set her down, and hit a button to raise it.

She broke from the kiss. “Lucy’s still here. We should go to the bed—”

“She won’t be up for hours.” I sealed my mouth to hers again, using more teeth than usual. Frustrated. Afraid. Angry.

How dare Parker do this to her. To us. Make her doubt herself, make me worry about her. Make us fight.

As my hands dragged up her sides, to her breasts, I breathed, “If he took you from me—”

“He didn’t.” Her eyes locked with mine, and she shifted from hip to hip, removing her shorts and underwear. “I’m still here.”

I pulled my shorts down only enough to free my cock and kissed her again, stepping between her legs. Pressed against her warmth, I cupped my hands under her ass and pulled her to me as I slid inside.

She curled her legs around my thighs and raked one hand down my lower back, moaning as we moved together. Slow. Measured. Trying to quench the fire—the rage—in my belly.

I rolled my hips, moving in and out as we kissed, pulling her with my hands to magnify each thrust. There was a desperate need to the moment, like the first night I was home, yet so different. Loving. An apology. A commitment.

She was my world. My future. And he tried to take her from me. More than once.

“Antonio,” she groaned, reaching for the far edge of the desk. She arched her back, inviting me in deeper, harder, and one of her legs eased up to my waist.

We moved as one, fighting against the memories. Making love last night had been fun and laughter, full of teasing. Pretending the shooting never happened. But this morning, we battled through it and finally made up from the arguments.

I need you.

I plunged into her and stopped. “If he took you from me, I would have chased him to the ends of the earth—”

She flexed her leg around me and I held my full length inside her, focusing on the way we fit together. Her other hand found the edge of the desk and her head fell back, hips squirming against me. The desk shook, pencils rolling off the edge and clattering onto the floor.

But I held her still with all my strength, just being one with her. “—and I would have killed him with my bare hands.”

Her tiny inner muscles quivered, slight at first, growing as the pleasure built inside her. She shot up to sitting, latched an arm around my neck, and met her forehead to mine, whispering, “I know.”

No one will ever hurt you.

I moved again, pumping furiously, her gasps stealing the air from my groans. Something smashed to the floor, but all I knew was her, and it was quickly forgotten. The connection was glorious. I drove into her, over and over, until her eyes snapped shut, the silent wail erupting from her chest.

My orgasm followed, ripping through me in an explosion of joy and relief. Joy that she was there with me. Relief that we were mostly unscathed. I slowed, easing in and out of her, and our breaths calmed.

“Antonio,” she breathed, stroking her fingers against the back of my neck.

I love you with all my heart.

“That dream I had the other night… I saw it all again when the gunshots started and I…” She leaned backward enough to see me clearly, her hand coming to rest on my cheek. Staring and blinking, not talking. Withholding things from me. Things she was not ready for yet.

I pulled her tight against me, unable to watch her confused face. I had her love—I knew I did—whether or not she could say it. She put her life on the line to protect me. It was infuriating, but it was how she showed she loved me.

She buried her face against my neck, her words so quiet I barely heard them. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”

Warmth bloomed through my chest. “You don’t have to, amore.”

That wasn’t it, but it was the closest she’d ever said. Words were not as important as actions to her. And it was about time I started behaving like I knew that.

Chapter 30

Samantha

Nineo’clockthenextmorning. My fingers hovered over the burnished brass door handle. There was still time to make a run for it. Maybe I could send an email explaining Cliff sent me out on another priority. He was the claims manager—he had the authority to cancel this meeting, right? Or I could just say I forgot.