Collision Course (20 page)

“I’d do
the same thing in her place. I mean, she doesn’t know you from Adam, right?”

“Yeah.”
He blew out a breath. “I know you’re right. It’s just…”

“It’s
just you’re about out of time and you need to get hold of him. What did she
say?”

“She
assured me he’d have the message sometime tomorrow. I guess I’ll have to wait
until then. I don’t seem to have any choice.”

Casey
stood and held a hand out to him. “I think you need something to ease the
tension. A hot shower always does it for me.”

Images
of her naked and wet flashed through his mind. His brain might be otherwise
occupied but his dick sure wasn’t. Maybe she had the right idea. A shower could
help. Along with some inventive sex.

He took
her hand and let her tug him from the chair. And they never made it to the
bathroom.

His
mouth descended on hers, hot and demanding, all the strain of the day pouring
out of him, as her taste soothed him. Her mouth was like hot silk, her lips
slicker than satin, hard yet soft at the same time. Lust rushed up from deep
inside him along with a primal need to claim her. It had been the same with her
from the first, instantaneous combustion, flames consuming both of them. The
urgency broke down all barriers.

She gave
as good as she got, thrusting her tongue into his, flicking over the inner
surface before tangling with him in a mating dance. She moved her hips against
him, rubbing, creating hot friction.

Trey
pulled his mouth away, dragging in air.

“Naked,”
he gasped. “Now.”

In
seconds, their clothes were scattered everywhere and they were tangled together
on the bed, her lithe body fire beneath his touch, scorching him with its heat.
Their hunger roared in their kiss, a need to take and take and take. He wanted
to seduce her, spend long moments seducing her, but the need to be inside her
overrode everything else.

Reaching
between her thighs, he found her pussy slick and ready. When he slid two
fingers inside her, she grabbed him at once with her internal muscles.

“Now,”
he gasped, taking time to roll on a condom. “Right now.”

He drove
into her with one powerful stroke, feeling her tighten around him. He closed
his eyes for a moment, holding still, enjoying the heat of her body as she took
him in.

She
clutched his shoulders and wrapped her long legs around him, digging her heels
into the small of his back. When he lowered his head and took one hard nipple
into his mouth, tugging on it, her pussy convulsed, tiny spasms rippling
through her. She rocked into him, leveraging herself with her legs until the
tremors subsided. The rocketing beat of her heart thumped against him, keeping
time with the ragged edge of her breath.

Still he
paid attention to her breasts, sucking the other nipple, holding himself
together by sheer force of will.

“More,”
she begged.

And he
gave it to her, pounding into her, driving her up the cliff of sensation with
him. Her head tossed back, her eyes closed, every muscle in her body straining.
Her body was poised for orgasm. He could sense it. And he couldn’t hold off
much longer.

“Go over
with me,” he demanded in a hoarse voice. “Now, Casey.”

As if
his words had unraveled the last coil of resistance, her body exploded and he
came like a madman, pulsing inside her again and again. They shuddered
together, tumbling into space where a wind violent in its intensity shook them
until he thought their bones would shatter.

So
drained of energy, he collapsed forward onto her, barely managing to catch his
weight on his forearms. He lifted his head enough to stare into her eyes where
he saw an emotion so strong it pierced his heart—and matched his own. He dug up
the energy to brush his lips over hers, trace them lightly with his tongue.

And
somewhere he found the courage to give voice to the words raring up out of his
throat.

“I love
you.” He said it in a near whisper.

Her eyes
opened wider and her entire body tensed beneath him.

“Don’t
say that.” Something like panic flashed across her face.

What
the hell?

“Why
not?” He brushed damp strands of hair from her face. “Casey, it’s how I feel
about you. I mean we’ve danced around it. Talked about how fast everything
happened for us. Especially under such dangerous circumstances. I’m just the
one who said it first.”

She
pushed at him until he rolled to the side. His gaze locked with hers for a long
moment then he slid off the bed to dispose of the condom. “We’re not done
talking,” he told her as he headed for the bathroom. “So do not move.”

He
expected to find her in the middle of dressing but she hadn’t moved, thank god.
She had the covers tugged up to her waist, an arm across her eyes. The muscles
in his stomach knotted. He had a sudden bad feeling, on top of the one already
circling his system.

He
slipped into bed beside her, situating the covers over them both, and spooned
his body around hers. She was stiff and resistant at first, but he wrapped his
arm around her and wouldn’t let her pull away. Whatever she was chewing on,
he’d get it out of her.

“Honey,
I have no idea what the problem is, and I can’t fix it unless you tell me.” He
cradled her against him and stroked her arm, trying to soothe her. “I can’t say
I’m in the best shape to solve problems at the moment but I’ll do my best. So
tell me. What’s wrong with me saying I love you?”

The
silence stretched out for so long he wondered if she ever planned to answer
him.

“Casey?”

“I don’t
want you to say something you don’t mean.” The words sounded as if they’d been
dragged out of her. “Why can’t we keep things the way they are?”

He
tamped down his anger. “This
is
the way they are. It’s is how we feel.
Or at least I thought so. What’s the problem? You don’t think I mean it?”

“Oh,
sure.” She still hadn’t looked at him. “You mean it now. But then you’ll move
on, it will be over and I’ll be left here to pick up the pieces. You don’t have
to give me fancy words to get me to have sex with you.”

The
bitterness and pain in her voice shocked him. Someone had done a number on her
and he had to pay the price. It really pissed him off.

“You
must not have a high opinion of me if you think I use those words so you’ll let
me fuck you.” His anger made him deliberately crude and she jerked in reaction.

“You
don’t understand.” Her voice was flat but he heard the edge of pain in it.

“So make
me.” Things had somehow fallen off the edge here, leaving him baffled. “Casey,
listen to me. The day you got me to spill my guts, share with you what a mess
my life had become, you told me I could trust you. Remember?”

“Yes,”
she said at last.

“Then
I’m asking the same from you. Believe me when I say I love you. Tell me what
happened to make it so hard for you to accept. Jesus, you’d think I offended
you. That bites.”

“I’m…I’m
sorry.” Casey chewed her bottom lip. The bad memories of Paul Marsden hovering
beneath the surface bubbled up in bursts like the explosion of a geyser. No
matter how she battled them, the pain never seemed to go away. Could she open
herself up to T.J. and relive past memories again?

She
turned her stiff body against the warmth of his, his hand stroking her back,
her hip, her shoulder. Even under his soothing touch, she couldn’t make herself
relax. Not when T.J. wanted her to open a door she’d kept shut for so long.

He
kissed her forehead and her nose, brushed his mouth against hers. Murmured to
her. Everything an effort to show the depth of his feelings for her, but could
she trust it?

“Come
on, baby.” His voice was warm, affectionate, promising. “Get it all out so we
can deal with it.”

But
could she? Deal with it? Could
they
? Or would he listen to her and
suddenly see her in a new and unfavorable light? The way Paul had, with flaws
she hadn’t even known she possessed?

Still,
he had made the decision to trust her with his life, something far more
critical than her heart. Her feelings for him were so strong, unless she
smothered them to death, she’d have to take a chance here.

She
shifted in his arms and curled into him, resting her hand on his chest and
closing her eyes. She could get through it if she didn’t have to look at him.
Little by little, she managed to get out the entire story—how they met in
Afghanistan, their instant connection–or so she had thought—his lies and
deceitful promises and the abrupt, painful ending. T.J. didn’t say anything for
so long she wondered if she’d turned him off with her story. But when she tried
to push away from him, he tightened his grip on her.

“I have
to say, men like Paul Marsden give the rest of us a bad name.” He blew out a
breath. “Have I had flings in my life? Of course. I’m a healthy, red-blooded
male. Have I ever lied to a woman? No. Not for any reason. And here’s the most
important thing.” He tucked his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up
so she had no choice but to look at him. “Have I ever told another woman I
loved her? Not in this lifetime. I believe it’s something you should say only
when you mean it.”

The ball
of tension inside her began to unwind. “I hear you, T.J. But…” She wet her
lips. “A few days ago, we hadn’t even met. And now? It’s all happened so fast.
And we know almost nothing about each other.”

“I know
what I need to,” he told her in a soft but firm voice. “I know you’ve had some
bad life experiences. You’ve been hurt by some assholes. You’re smart and sassy
and kickass.” He grinned. “And you shoot a mean gun.”

“But—“”

“I want
to explore what we have together, because I think it’s real. Casey, you can
date someone for a year and never know them. Time isn’t the only important
thing. Enough with the buts, okay? Let’s take a chance here.”

She let
out the breath she’d been holding. “Okay. All right. A chance. We can take it
from there and see what happens, right?”

“Sure,
but I can tell you my feelings won’t change. Everything else is window
dressing. Now.” He sat up, tugging her with him. “How about that shower?”

They
stepped under the hot spray with the best intentions. But it seemed the two of
them couldn’t get naked without at least a minor explosion of need. The moment
T.J.’s hands began smoothing lather over her skin, all the tiny nerves beneath
the surface came to life and sparked.

This
time, everything seemed to be in slow motion, an easing of the senses from full
rest to a luxurious slide up the mountain of desire. Pulling the stands of her
wet hair to the side, he pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. He massaged
the soap into her breasts, pinching her nipples lightly. His body pressed
against hers, the thick length of his cock come to life and nudging the cleft
of her buttocks.

With an
effort, she wrenched her eyes open and dropped to her knees.

“Casey,
wait,” he protested.

“Ssh.
It’s okay.” He’d given her so much, seen so well to her satisfaction, she
wanted to give the same thing to him. “Close your eyes, please.”

Scooping
some of the lather from her body, she wrapped her fingers around his shaft,
gliding it from root to tip, up and down, feeling the pulse of the vein along
the underside against her touch. Sliding her hand between his thighs she cupped
his balls and gave them a light squeeze.

He
leaned against the wall, a low moan rumbling up from his chest.

“Jesus,
Casey. You have the touch of an angel.”

She
wanted to tell him she wasn’t any angel but she could only focus on pleasuring
him. She stroked, squeezed and rubbed every inch of his groin area. Moving
closer, on her knees, she placed his cock between her slick breasts, pushed
them together and rocked her body, creating skin on skin friction.

T.J.
thrust his shaft between the mounds of her breasts and she pressed them harder
against him. Suddenly he stopped, reached for her arms and pulled her to her
feet.

“What…?”

“No
talking,” he told her.

Scooping
water into his hand, he sprinkled it over her face, washing the soap away a
moment before his warm mouth pressed against them. His tongue invaded while he
touched her everywhere—her arms and hips and between her thighs. She went
liquid as his clever movements drove her up the slippery wall again, her
muscles, once so lax, now quivering with anticipation.

When he
slipped his fingers inside her, his thumb rasping her clit, she felt the orgasm
building with a slow, delicious glide. Before she lost control, she reached
between them for his cock and gripped it, her hands moving in the same rhythm
as his. Only their uneven breathing broke the steady sound of the water raining
down on them as they drove each other higher.

The hot
liquid of his semen spilled onto her as she poured into his palm and they
tipped over the wall together, shuddering and leaning against each other for
support. Casey couldn’t imagine how they managed to stay upright but somehow
they stood beneath the water sluicing over them until they could breathe again.

They rinsed each other off, still shaking as they dried
their bodies before stumbling toward the bed. The last thing she remembered was
falling asleep in his arms.

*****

“You
have a huge problem.” The thick voice growled the words.

Charles
Bennett tightened his hand around the burner cellphone, one of many he carried,
and wished his fingers were around someone’s neck instead.

“Don’t
put everything on me, Tobias. You’re the one who spoke without thinking to
begin with. If you hadn’t opened your big mouth, none of this would be
happening.”