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And Javier’s mood dropped a notch.
They fed each other the rest of the strawberries, the conversation drifting while Javier tried to sort through his feelings. Yeah, the nightmare had sucked. It had been the same nightmare he’d been having off and on for the past three months. He’d been lying wounded in the dirt, holding Krasinski’s hand, trying to keep him conscious, only to discover as the medevac helo went up in a fireball that it was Yadiel bleeding out beside him. But Javier didn’t think the nightmare was to blame for how he felt right now.
Then it hit him.
When they’d met in Dubai, Laura had been clear that she didn’t plan on getting married and having kids. He’d felt the same way. They’d both agreed—no strings.
But now Javier found himself wanting strings.
How was Laura going to feel about that?
She looked into the small dipping dishes. “I wish we had more strawberries. We’ve got leftover chocolate.”
Javier set his thoughts aside and smiled. “I know just what to do with that.”
Oh, yeah. She was going to like number three.
* * *
LAURA LEANED BACK against Javier’s chest in a tub of hot water, feeling languid and sleepy, little tremors of pleasure still shivering through her, her body replete, the chocolate that hadn’t been licked off her skin now washed away. “I hope you’re enjoying this as much as I am.”
He kissed her hair, one arm encircling her just above her breasts, his fingers caressing her shoulder. “You know I am.”
“How did I get so lucky?” She trailed her fingertips over his forearm.
“Hmm?” he asked.
“One night in Dubai, a man steps in to save me from two drunk Russians, and the next thing I know, I’m in bed with him.”
“Nah, not in bed.”
He was right. The first time
hadn’t
been in bed.
“The next thing I know, he’s shagging me against the wall.”
“It’s a miracle we weren’t arrested.”
True. But that wasn’t the point.
“Now, more than three years later, that same man steps back into my life and changes
everything
. I never thought I could have this again. I thought . . . I thought this part of me was dead. Thank you, Javi.”
He kissed her hair again. “Hey, all I did was open the door.”
“Oh, you did more than that.”
By some miracle, Laura felt almost whole.
He nuzzled her ear. “Well, I am pretty good in the sack—or so you’ve said.”
She smiled. “You’re very humble about it, too.”
Javier wasn’t just the most creative lover she’d ever had or the most confident, but he was also the most thoughtful. She’d seen that side of him in Dubai, but she’d come to appreciate it even more last night, perhaps because that was what she needed most this time. He’d been patient with her, getting her consent each time, making certain that she felt comfortable—and then driving her wild.
It amazed her to think that he was still holding back. If she’d just met him, she would have no idea how forceful he could be, how physical sex could be with him. As much as she treasured the gentleness he’d shown her, some part of her was begi
She hadn’t found a way to tell him yet, still afraid that she would freak out the moment she felt him thrust into her. But the ache was there.
She wanted him—all of him.
But there was still time for that. In Dubai, they’d had only three nights and two days, and that had been magical. They still had more than a week to be together, and . . .
Her pulse spiked.
More than a week.
That was no time at all.
In the blink of an eye, this would be over. He would go back to the dangerous job that had almost cost him his life, and she would stay here in isolation, waiting for the cops to catch this killer, working at the paper, fighting to get Klara back. And God only knew whether they’d see each other again.
No, she couldn’t let that happen this time.
She decided to come right out and ask. “Can we stay in touch this time?”
“Are you asking for my phone number?”
“E-mail, phone number, address—and your grandmother’s, too.”
“You want to call my
abuelita
?”
“If anything were to happen to you, I would want to know.”
“Well, it’s kind of sudden. You’re talking about taking our relationship to a whole new level.” He kissed her cheek, his voice going soft. “You got it,
bella
.”
* * *
BY SUNDAY EVENING they’d made it to number seven. Laura knew it was humanly impossible to reach a thousand in the time they had, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t try.
Javier had made love to her with his mouth, his fingers, her massaging showerhead. He’d even made them both come by rubbing her clitoris with the hard length of his erect cock. They’d tasted each other on the bed, in the shower, on the table, on the floor, and still Javier kept coming up with ideas that were new to her.
Ice cubes. Side-lying sixty-nine. A dab of minty mouthwash on his tongue.
She was just finishing the supper dishes and thinking about the start of the workweek when she heard a buzzing sound. She turned to find him standing there, one dark eyebrow arched, her blue jelly vibrator buzzing and rotating at high speed in his hand. Heat flooded her face. “Oh, my God! Where—”
“You left one of the bathroom drawers open.”
Helvete! Damn!
She reached for it.
He angled his upper body away from her and held it out of her reach. “Hold on. I’ve got a right to check out my competition. Are you blushing? You are.”
She pressed her palms to her cheeks. “I don’t blush.”
He leaned in, still holding the vibrator out of reach. “The hell you don’t. Look—your cheeks are all pink.”
She lunged and tried again to grab it from him, torn between amusement and irritation. “Give that to me!”
“You want it,
bella
?” He gri
She gaped at him, heat suffusing her face—and other parts of her body. “Fine. On one condition.”
“Sure.” He gri
“I get to use it on you, too.” The look of shock on his face made her laugh. “What’s the matter? Is the big, bad special operator afraid of a little sex toy?”
His eyes narrowed. “You got a deal.”
She hadn’t expected that.
Next time he was here, she would hide the damned thing.
He gri
She walked to her bedroom, anticipation begi
“You complaining?”
“Absolutely not.” She looked over her shoulder at him, then crawled onto the bed, teasing him with a view of her from behind. “Maybe I should just stay naked.”
“I like that idea.” He nodded, his gaze fixed right where she knew it would be.
She sat facing him and reached for the vibrator. “I’ll show you how to use it.”
“No, I got this.” Javier turned both switches on, activating both the vibration and the rotating steel balls. He ran a finger down the translucent blue shaft. “The dick part with the rotating balls goes inside you, while the part that looks like a bu