She was kissing him back. Slowly at first then with more passion, with a need he hadn’t expected.
Desire surged within him. Noelle wants me, too. He’d never expected to find the passion hiding behind her fear.
His heart thudded in his ears. He was so close to having her. Only the thin scrap of lace she wore shielded her from him. When he’d first seen the black bra and that tiny bit that passed for her panties, lust had surged through him.
He wanted to touch every inch of her then.
He freed her wrists so he could explore her body. He’d make it good for her. He’d give her so much pleasure. Enough to chase away any nightmares that ever dared to whisper through her mind again.
When he let her wrists go, her hands immediately curled around his shoulders. He kissed his way down her throat. Her pulse raced beneath his mouth, and Thomas had to lick that spot right there. She moaned lightly, and his teeth grazed over the flesh. He wanted her so much his whole body seemed to flash molten hot.
“Thomas?” Desire was in her voice, and he loved the sound of his name on her lips.
His hand was on her rib cage. He wanted that bra gone. He wanted—
Her.
“Thomas...no, we’re partners.” Confusion fought with the desire in Noelle’s husky voice. “I— We can’t.”
Oh, they could. They could do it so well and so long, but Thomas stilled at her words. His head lifted. He met her stare, and he knew she’d read fierce hunger in his eyes.
Her hands seemed to burn against his skin. He was so close to the thing he wanted most. So very close.
Thomas pulled away from her and rose to his feet. His jeans were still a little damp, but he pulled them on. Staying naked with her sure wasn’t an option then. He turned his back to her as he yanked up the zipper.
“I...I didn’t mean to let things get so far.” Her soft voice came from behind him.
He sucked in a deep breath, then glanced over his shoulder at her. She’d sat up and her hands were now curled around her folded knees. Damn. Noelle was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “You were having a bad dream.”
Her brows rose at that.
“I kissed you to try and wake you up.” Only she hadn’t been sleeping, not really. He thought maybe she’d had more of a flashback than a nightmare. Thomas cleared his throat. “I’m the one who didn’t mean to let things get this far.” Not yet. He had plans for Noelle, and those plans hadn’t included this pit stop at a rundown shack in the middle of nowhere.
“I don’t remember the nightmare.” Her gaze dropped from his. “But then, I never do.”
He turned to fully face her. The fire crackled behind him. “Maybe it’s good to get a few things out in the open now.”
Her chin lifted as her eyes found his once more.
“I want you.”
“We’re partners—”
“It’s a temporary assignment, and we both know it. Mercer doesn’t plan to keep you in the field. He wants you in the EOD main office, working up your profiles. This is a one-shot mission for us.” So the normal rules weren’t applying. When it came to Noelle, Thomas had no rules. “I want you,” he said again, “and unless I’m mistaken, you want me, too.”
She didn’t speak.
His jaw locked. He’d felt her desire, tasted it. He knew—
“I do,” Noelle said, the words so quiet he had to strain in order to hear them.
His heart seemed to stop at that admission.
“But I know better than to take everything I want. Especially when what I want can be dangerous to me.”
“You can trust me,” he growled. He wasn’t a threat to her. Damn it, yes, he knew the stories that circulated about him at the EOD. That the Dragon was a cold-blooded killer with ice in his veins and that he killed without remorse. That isn’t me. He needed Noelle to see him for the man he truly was.
Her body tensed. “I can’t trust mys