Page 13 of Luck Be Mine (The Defenders #3)

Past the threshold to their bedroom, he lifted a foot to shut the door.

Even alone, he wanted quiet, intimacy, and privacy.

He stopped at bedside and held her close.

The blinds let muted gray afternoon light in, but the bedroom colors were no longer foot-locker black.

Light wood dressers sat together against the wall near the bathroom.

Two matching nightstands were on either side of the bed.

There was a new sea themed quilt on the bed with shells and starfish in a blue color he couldn’t name.

“Like it?”

Frankly, he never noticed or cared. As long as there was a blanket to roll up in, he was comfortable.

But judging by Cait’s quarters in Afghanistan and this, she needed the style.

“Yes, I like it.” He leaned to kiss her forehead and stared into her blue eyes.

Wide and shiny, they sparked with nerves.

“Bathroom first, or can I take off your clothes?”

“No, and yes. I need help.”

He eased her feet to the floor and cupped her face.

Taking a raw kiss, Cait spiraled with him in lockstep.

Pulling her close, she moaned and slid her good arm around his neck.

Her breasts settled against him, and he savored her warmth and the pulsing between them.

Rocking against each other, he deepened the kiss.

Laughing softly, Cait pulled back. “Clothes, Hunter. Clothes.”

“Stop kissing me like you want to devour me.”

“No. Help me with this.” She pulled at the strap to her black arm brace. The woman was sensual and potent, reminding him of one truth. Underneath all the injury stood a sassy, strong woman, one who’d given his sorry ass a chance.

He gently brushed her fingers aside and removed the brace keeping her arm immobile. She slowly shifted the freed arm up and around his neck.

His eyes widened, and he grinned. “You’ve been keeping secrets.”

She sighed. “I’ve been working on moving this shoulder.”

“Hard?”

“Yep. But anything for you, babe.”

He took her arm from around his neck and kissed the fingers of her numb hand, then her wrist and inner elbow. “A special gift, thank you.”

A sweet blush spread across her face. Her nipples beaded, the points poking at his Navy shirt.

In the interest of fair play, he stepped a pace away from her and quickly unlaced his shoes, toed them off, and stripped his shirt.

Closing the space, he touched the hem of her shirt. He fell into the shimmer of her blue eyes. “Yes?”

“Ready.” The gray t-shirt slid easily off her torso.

He took care with her arm and tossed the shirt to the floor with his.

She leaned into him and brushed her soft breasts against the hair on his chest. She scattered open-mouthed kisses across his chest, pausing at the last to lightly stroke a scar with her tongue.

Fire zapped through him, twisting and turning through a body already primed.

He spread his fingers into the silk of her hair, falling into softness. Tilting her head, their mouths met in a kiss that blew apart the boundaries between them. Deployments were hell on intimacy, and he let go of all the stress from the job and the separation and focused on enjoying every second.

Cait sighed against his mouth. Her arms shifted around him, fiercely holding him to her. He wouldn’t let her go either. He used his lips and journeyed across her jaw to nibble on her ear. “For once, we don’t have to hurry.”

“Do you think we know how to go slow?”

“We’re gonna learn.” He eased her into a sitting position on the bed and stepped away to shed his pants and socks. Naked, he turned back and found his wife with a small smile and pleasured eyes.

“You look good, LT.” She had her arms covering her breasts. It wouldn’t do.

“You have too many clothes on, Doc.”

She grinned at him and dropped her arms.

Adoration pounded his control with a hard rattle. Beautiful, stunning, and incredible. They’d never had time to absorb their bare selves in Afghanistan, and he wanted to take the time to study her like a fine piece of art.

He shored up constraint and went on one knee to lift her foot. The red nail polish shouted defiance and perfection. He lifted her toes to his lips and nibbled.

Cait giggled. “We’re starting there?”

“Yes. We are in the worship phase. Settle back.”

“I want equal time.” She licked her lips, and his cock hardened past comfort.

Her dainty feet invited him to rub and enjoy the first squirm of tickle, the deep murmur of content, and the teasing interest in her eyes.

Repeating the action on the other foot, he moved on to her calves.

Marveling at the smooth, petal-soft skin, he took a minute to let the apple blossom scent rocket through him.

Mixed with the musk of arousal, his senses rioted with hot, furious demand.

Cait threw her head back and closed her eyes. The tiny smile signaled enjoyment, but he had much more in mind. He rose and eased her back on the bed, ridding her of the rest of her clothes in whispered commands. He liked her loose and compliant.

Careful with his weight, he lay at her side and gazed into eyes deep with trust. He rewarded her with a gentle caress from collarbone to hip and pressed undemanding lips to hers. Intent on savoring, he found patience and kept teasing with fingers and mouth.

She sighed and squirmed. Her numb hand lay at her left side, but her right hand stroked his arm, sending heat crashing across his skin.

He leaned closer and traced her lips with his tongue.

Her mouth opened to him. They’d kissed like this before…

but not like this – as if every emotion hung by a fuse ready to explode across the senses.

He eased back, staring into sultry eyes. “Cait?”

“Shh.” She lifted her head and molded her lips to his. Intimacy enticed and surged as the sensation of her exploring and tasting his mouth curled his toes. He swept a gentle hand from neck to hip, then returned to one perfectly round breast and covered it with his hand.

She dropped away from his mouth with a deep sigh leaving him space to move in. He took a nipple in his mouth, rolled and tasted the bud between his lips, tension riding his hard body.

Her moans and sighs led him to abandon her breast. He skimmed his mouth across her stomach, along her left hip, and to the hand laying at her side. Her gasp made him pause. Her eyes closed, emotion tight in her face. He skimmed his mouth on a return journey and focused on kissing her again.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She lifted her lips, begging for another kiss.

He kissed her eyelids instead. “Honey, tell me.”

Her ragged breath came in a soft puff against his mouth, and she opened her eyes revealing anguish there. “It been so long since we were last together, and in between, I almost died.”

He kissed her hard to stop the words. “Shh, we made it back, and we’re going to celebrate. I’m so glad you took a chance on me.”

“As if I wouldn’t, but I don’t like my scars. I want them to disappear.”

He stopped her again with another wet, deep kiss. “Scars. Let’s see if I can count them. Bet I have more than you.” He shushed her when she tried to object and gently pushed back the hair at her temple. The two-inch scar needed tender loving care. He gently kissed his way down the fine line. “One.”

She shook her head, laughter escaping her mouth. “You do have more, but I’m still in injury anxiety. I want to be sexy for you.”

“Sexy? Honey, you step near me, and I can’t think. That’s sexy.” He skimmed his mouth along her chin and across her soft neck, gratified to hear her moan again.

“Two, three, four…” he counted. A kiss for each scar on her reconstructed shoulder followed. “You know what I remember most about our time together?”

She shook her head. Skin and nerves came alive as she stroked her fingers across his back.

“You laying on top of me, in the mountains and in your bed. Your trust breaks me.”

“I don’t want to break you. I want to love you.”

“You do. I feel it. I hope you do, too.”

“Of course, I do.”

“No more scars talk. I’ve got you beat, and I seem to remember somebody kissed all of mine, so let me return the favor.” He put action to words and found her remaining scars then made his way back to her mouth. “Let’s start over.”

He let go of the leash a bit, partly because he needed for her to understand how much he wanted her, and partly because his body was winning against his self-control.

Cait brought him back to her. She lifted his hand and kissed his fingers. “Let’s go. I had a little attack of confidence. I’m back.”

“We’re gonna have a talk about that later,” he growled at her.

“Hunt!”

He didn’t contemplate what the kiss would say. Instead, he took her mouth with a voracious need. No hesitation, she responded with matching fervor. Her tongue traced his lips, and he opened to her, only her. He cupped her breasts, molding them, savoring the soft mounds.

“God, this feels so good.” Her hand slid against his. He shifted to taste the opposite nipple, steeped in a quiet world that fit only the two of them.

He celebrated the soft skin on her side and slid gentle fingers between her legs. Wetness, sweet and pure, coated his fingers.

Cait pressed back against his hand. Sweet temptation demolished his patience.

“Are you okay to go further?”

“Yeah.”

“Shift your legs, honey.”

She complied, whispering to him as she did. “Now, Hunt. Please.”

He understood the power rushing over her because the need had him targeted, too. Careful to keep his weight centered, he eased into her. She wrapped her right leg around his waist. Enveloped in her warmth, he didn’t stop until he was deep, drowning in the pulse of her.

“Thank God,” she muttered. “I missed you.”

He sank into every curve, every throb. “Ready for more?”

“Yes. Yes.”

She caught his rhythm. He stayed tuned for pain signs, but she rocked against him in counterpoint to his stroking. Sensation built one layer after another. He lost track of everything but the shining end flying at them in a too intense burn.

They tipped into completion – breath gone, stars flashing, and a sense of wonder uniting them.

Cait tightened around him prolonging the moment. He sank into the pleasure, holding her close. Minutes passed before he could find his voice. “Are you all right?”

She sighed. “Better than.”

He withdrew and shifted off her, satisfaction lulling his body.

“My turn next time,” she whispered in his ear before kissing his neck and laying her head on his shoulder.

“Yes, ma’am.” He pulled her to him, skin to skin, and held on.