Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents 2)

But it was hard to stay gentle when he wanted her so badly that his hands were starting to shake. His arousal pressed against the front of his jeans. Heavy, hard, aching—for her.

“Don’t be a tease this time,” she whispered. “If you want me, it’s just about me. Not about owing anyone anything. Just me. Just you.” The blanket fell from her shoulders. Veronica’s arms rose and wrapped around him. She pulled him closer, and closer was exactly where he wanted to be.

Just me. Just you.

The kiss became deeper. Hotter. He forgot about the chill from the rain, because the woman was burning him up. Her soft fingers pushed up his shirt.

Jasper was only too eager to toss that shirt across the room. Then his hands went to her shirt.

Go easy. Go easy. The mantra was repeating in his head.

“You don’t have to,” she whispered.

He frowned at her. What was she saying?

“I like you anyway—you don’t have to be easy for me.”

The mantra hadn’t just been in his head, and the woman was about to shred his control.

He lifted her shirt, carefully, then tossed it to the floor. She wore a black bra, one that wasn’t covered in lace, but was just as incredibly sexy as it pushed up her beautiful breasts.

He stared at her a moment, savoring the view, and then he had to touch that tempting flesh.

Her bra hit the floor.

His fingers curled around her breasts. Veronica gasped and arched toward him. Her nails bit into his arms. He liked that bite.

A lot.

He lifted her into the air, carrying her easily.

“Jasper?”

Five steps, and he had her at the bed. He lowered her onto the covers. The mattress squeaked beneath them. The rain kept falling. The thunder echoed across the sky.

He pressed a kiss to her breast. Stroked her with his hands and he loved the way that she arched into his touch. Her breasts were so sensitive, and they tasted so damn sweet.

While he kissed her flesh, his hand slid down between their bodies. Her shoes were gone, kicked away, and he wanted her jeans gone, too. He’d fantasized about having her naked beneath him, and that fantasy was about to become all too real.

As long as his control would last.

He wanted to devour her. Jasper couldn’t ever remember wanting a woman so badly. His heart raced, a drumbeat that shook his chest and echoed in his ears.

His fingers pulled down her zipper, yanked open the snap. Then his fingers were pushing inside that opening, and caressing her through the thin silk of her panties. His eyes locked on her face, on the pleasure that whispered over her beautiful features. Her eyes had gone even brighter with that pleasure.

She was warm and soft beneath the silk. He couldn’t tell where the silk ended and she began.

“Jasper, I need you.”

He was desperate for her.

She lifted her hips, shoved down her jeans. He pulled away from her, only long enough to ditch the rest of his own clothes and grab the protection that he’d—optimistically—put in his wallet earlier.

In seconds, he was back, pushing his body between her legs, letting his hands and mouth caress her flesh and loving the soft moans that spilled from her mouth. He wanted her ready for him, wanted to make this as good for her as he possibly could.

It has to be good. She has to want me.

He positioned his aroused flesh at the entrance of her body. His fingers twined with hers, and he pushed her hands back against the bed. Then, slowly—will keep my control, will keep—he began t