Red Zone (24 page)

For once, her face displayed all her emotions. Her fingers left his hair and slid down to his chest. She clenched her hands nervously before opening them up again to lie flat. Her right hand rested over his heart, and he knew she could feel it thumping rapidly. All he wanted to do was take her upstairs and ravish her, but he wouldn’t do it unless she gave him the okay. 

Just as he was beginning to lose hope, she shifted in her seat and leaned in to place a brief but demanding kiss on his lips. “Take me to bed, Gage,” she whispered. It was all the encouragement he needed.

Chapter 21

As soon as they were in the house, Gage grabbed hold of her hand and didn’t let go. He climbed the stairs up to his room two at a time. It took effort on her part to keep up, but she wasn’t complaining. She felt as though everything that had happened between them since her arrival had been leading them to this moment. 

Walking through the doorway into his bedroom, he immediately pulled her against him. He thrust his hands into her hair, holding her head in place and kissing her to within an inch of her life. She met every bruising stroke of his mouth with equal intensity. Fire burned through her veins. She wanted more. 

Gage didn’t waste any time removing her clothes. He released his hands from her head, only to slide them under the hem of her shirt. The fabric bunched under her arms as he pushed it up, revealing her bra. Seconds later, his lips were gone as he pulled the shirt over her head and threw it across the room. Then his mouth was back. 

He reached behind her and quickly unsnapped her bra, then worked it down her arms, making her temporarily relinquish her hold on him. Gratefully, she hadn’t needed to stop kissing him. 

Rebecca ran her palms down his chest and around to his back. She slipped her hands under the hem of his shirt and began to inch it up his torso. Gage had the most amazing chest, broad and toned with just the slightest dusting of dark brown hair. She’d been dying to explore his chest with her hands. She raked her fingernails up over his stomach, causing him to suck in a deep breath and break their kiss. 

“You’re going to kill me, woman.”

She chuckled, her breasts rubbing against the material of his shirt. Little shockwaves moved through her from where they were connected to the junction between her legs. She needed more. She wanted the feel of skin against skin. 

As if reading her mind, Gage released his hold on her and removed his shirt. She wanted to stare, to take in his body, but he didn’t give her a chance. His right hand came up to cup the back of her neck, tilting her head back, while his left arm wrapped around her waist molding their bodies together. Skin met skin for the first time, and they moaned into each other’s mouths. 

He backed her up to his bed, their mouths fused together. Rebecca couldn’t ever remember feeling so alive. It was as if all the nerve endings in her body had come to life at the same time. 

Wanting to feel more, she reached for the button on his jeans and quickly undid them. Realizing what she was doing, he reached to unbutton her pants as well. Arms tangled, and some giggles were exchanged, but they were eventually standing in only their underwear. 

Their underwear and her gun. 

Bracing her leg up on the bed, she quickly removed her gun and holster, eager to get back to exploring Gage. She made sure the safety was on and placed the weapon on top of the nightstand.

Gage smirked as he leaned in to kiss her again, wrapping her in his arms. He guided her back on the bed, his body poised over hers. Inch by inch, they worked their way to the center of the bed. Their destination would have been much easier to reach had they broken the kiss, but neither seemed willing to do that. 

His weight rested on top of her as he held her face between his hands and stared down at her. “You are so beautiful, Rebecca.” 

When his lips met hers again, they were more gentle but no less potent. What had before been a building inferno was now a slow burn. She wasn’t sure which was worse . . . or better. Every lick of his tongue, every nip of his teeth, sent her body screaming for more of him.

She ran her hands along his back, urging him, pleading with him, to go faster, kiss her harder. When that didn’t work, she wrapped her legs around his waist, lifting her hips to brush against him, hoping that once he felt her urgency, her need, he’d do something about it.

He groaned but still refused to pick up the pace. 

Finally, she had enough. She needed more. Using her self-defense knowledge, she took hold of his wrists. Exerting an exact amount of force on his pressure points forced him to release his grip on her. The moment she was free, she bucked her hips, and twisted. The result had her freed from his hold and him lying bewildered beside her. 

Rebecca immediately climbed on top of him. “What—”

She cut him off with a hard kiss.

“I’ve had enough of slow.” 

Instead of being mad, he let out a huge belly laugh. She joined him. Not that she found the situation overly funny. More that his laughter was contagious. 

Once their laughter began to die down, he grabbed her hips, grinding her against him. That action put an end to any amusement she’d been feeling. She laid her palms flat against his chest and repeated the motion. Gage moaned and held her firmly in place. 

“These,” he said, taking hold of each side of her panties, “have to go.”

Rebecca smiled, raising her hips. He happily pushed the silky material down her thighs, and she kicked them off. 

Figuring it was only fair, she reached for the waistband of his underwear and tugged. He lifted his hips off the bed and allowed her to get rid of the last bit of clothing that was between them.  

Reaching into the drawer of his nightstand, Gage removed a condom and opened it. Within seconds, it was covering him, and Rebecca had a flash of curiosity wash over her, wondering just how many times he’d done that, and with how many woman. 

He sat up, noticing her distress. “If you don’t want to—”

“No. I mean, yes. I do. Want to.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, brushing the hair away from her face and looking into her eyes. 

She nodded. No matter what had happened in his past, Rebecca knew she wanted this, wanted him. She reached out, running a hand down his chest and lower. 

He smiled, jerking his hips up into her hand. 

He pulled her down, her mouth to his as he rekindled that fire deep inside. For some reason, it grew faster than it had before. She gripped his shoulders, holding on, ready to embrace whatever came next. 

He roamed his hands all over her body. Sometimes they were soft and gentle, at other times strong and passionate. She gasped and all thought left her mind as his fingers disappeared between her legs. 

“Are you ready, beautiful?” he whispered against her lips. She nodded, and he slid inside her. 

Finally making love to Rebecca had Gage on a high unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It was even better than winning the playoff game the year before, and that had been amazing. This was mind-blowing. He’d always enjoyed sex, but it wasn’t really anything he thought about beyond that. With Rebecca, it was . . . different. She was different.

As he moved inside her, he allowed himself to ride the wave of emotions coursing through him. The way her breasts grazed against his chest, his hands digging into the flesh of her hips. The feel of her riding him. 

He had no idea how long they stayed in that position, with her on top. The woman had stamina. She was driving him to his peak faster than he ever thought possible. Sure, they’d been dancing around each other for weeks, but that was all the more reason to make it last. He was exactly where he wanted to be. He didn’t want it to end anytime soon.

Lifting her up, he lay her beside him on the bed, and crawled on top of her. She was breathing heavily from her exertion, her chest rising and falling rapidly. He couldn’t resist the urge to take one of her nipples in his mouth. 

She held tight to his head, holding him to her chest. Her head was thrown back, her mouth open. He could have stayed in that position all night. 

The thought of feasting on her body for the rest of the evening spurred him on as he switched his attention to her other breast. Once again, he could have her in his bed for much more than just sleeping. He could wake up with her, having made love to her as he’d dreamed about since the first day he’d laid eyes on her. Just the thought had his body responding with excitement. Rebecca rolled her hips, drawing his attention lower. Lifting her lower half off the bed, he gave her what she wanted and thrust back inside her. 

She appeared stunned by his abrupt movement but recovered quickly. Her hips rocked in time with his, as he moved his lips up her body until he captured her mouth again. The feel of her tongue darting enthusiastically into his mouth had him holding her tighter. 

Much to his dismay, the slight pause in their joining did nothing to stop the growing need for release building inside him. With every movement, every kiss, every touch, he drew closer. Hiking her legs higher on his back, he reached between them. 

Gage knew the moment he made contact. Her breath hitched, and her nails dug into his shoulders. Every little thing about her was driving him to the brink. He just needed to get her there first. 

Time seemed to stand still as Rebecca’s body stiffened, and her cry rang out, reverberating off the walls of his bedroom. Watching her find her release was a beautiful sight. Her cheeks flushed. Her hair splayed against his pillow. 

She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze. They were so full of emotion, so unclouded by the usual mask she wore. What he saw in their depths sent him over the edge he’d been teetering on as he reached his climax. 

Once his breathing began to return to normal, he eased himself down next to her. She turned her head to look at him, and he brushed several strands of hair from her face. There was something about Rebecca Carson. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but he knew it was something. She made his pulse race just thinking about her, and if what they’d just done was any indication, they were more than compatible sexually. 

“What are you thinking?” she asked, rolling onto her side. 

He smiled, still running his fingers along her temple, unable to break the connection just yet. “I was thinking about you. Us. I hope this wasn’t a one-time thing. I’m not sure once is enough for me.” He kept his voice light, playful. He didn’t want her to realize the seriousness of his thoughts.

“Oh,” she said. “Um. Well . . .” 

He loved seeing her flustered.

“No. It’s not a one-time thing. Not if you don’t want it to be.”

“Good,” he said, leaning in to give her a soft kiss.

Rebecca sighed. She placed her hand on his chest before gliding it up to the nape of his neck. With the additional leverage, she pulled herself closer. The movement reminded him that he needed to go clean up, and he reluctantly broke the kiss.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, giving her one last peck on the lips before climbing off the bed and walking into his bathroom. 

Cleaned up, he strolled back into the bedroom. She was lying on her back, gazing up at the ceiling. He took a moment to watch her without her knowledge. She truly was a beautiful woman. The way she cared about her sister. The way she put everything into her job. All those things were part of what made her who she was, and they all appealed to him. 

“Hey,” she said, catching him staring. 

“Hey.”

“Everything okay?” she asked as he slipped into the bed. 

He pulled her back into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. He rubbed his hands up her side and down to her hip, feeling the soft skin as he thought of all the ways he could enjoy his time with her. 

“Everything’s great.” He kissed her forehead, hugging her closer. 

Something had begun to dawn on him. Rebecca was one of the most persistent people he’d ever met. He couldn’t imagine she’d give up until whoever it was had been caught. Once the stalker was no longer a threat, he had little doubt she would pack up her things and return to Knoxville. Return to her old life. Without him. 

Unable to hold her close enough, he rolled them over and kissed her. He needed to be with her, feel that connection with her again. No matter what he had told himself over the years, that no woman would ever get his heart, no woman would ever tie him down. He was beginning to realize that, just like everything else when it came to this woman, he wanted her to do just that. 

Chapter 22

The sound of Rebecca’s phone buzzing roused her from sleep the following morning. Gage’s warm body was nestled up against her back, his breath fanning the nape of her neck. She was relaxed. The last thing she wanted to do was move. 

Sex with Gage had been amazing. While she’d always thought her previous sexual encounters were good, what she’d shared with Gage had put her other experiences to shame. 

Her phone buzzed again, and she reached for it. At some point, Gage had picked up their clothes and laid them on a bench at the foot of his bed. He’d removed her cell phone from her belt, and placed it on the nightstand next to her gun. Her gratitude to him for that small gesture increased. She wouldn’t have to leave his warm bed to answer her phone.