Killer Countdown (Man on a Mission 6)

Carly didn’t know why, but that statement only made her laugh harder, because she felt the same way. She hid her face against Shane’s chest, but she couldn’t hide her reaction from him any more than he could hide his from her.

When they were all laughed out, she reluctantly let him go. He disappeared into the bathroom and returned a minute later, minus the condom, the shoulder holster and the rest of his clothes. And Carly caught her breath at the sight. He was lean, but muscular, without a spare ounce anywhere. And he was already semiaroused again.

She had just enough self-control to try to keep things light. “You know that swimsuit competition you mentioned last night? You’d win hands down.”

He grinned and sat on the bed next to her, then reached down to cup her cheek with one warm hand, his smile fading. “If I’m assuming too much, just tell me,” he said quietly. “But if I have a choice, that was merely the appetizer. I’m hungry for the main course. And dessert, too.”

She breathed sharply, because her appetite for him had only been whetted, not sated. She’d never been shy about expressing what she wanted, either, and something about the way he said it appealed to her. Not cocky. Not assuming. Just a statement of what he wanted...if she wanted it, too.

And she did.

“One of us is overdressed for dinner,” she replied, letting her eyes do the asking.

He smiled slowly, the smile that made her tummy quiver. He drew her up into a sitting position, his hands stroking over her bare back. “How does this thing come off?”

“This thing, as you call it, cost me four hundred and ninety-five dollars on sale,” she chided.

His eyes never left hers, but his hands slid lower. “It’s gorgeous. How does it come off?”

“Keep going,” she breathed. “There’s a zipper at the waist.”

The dress had a built-in bra because there was no way to wear one otherwise. And since Shane had already dispensed with her pantyhose and satin undies earlier, once her dress and half slip were gone, she was as naked as he was.

“Hang on a sec,” he told her when she grasped a corner of the comforter and sheet to pull them down. He grabbed something from the middle of the still-made bed, and when he dropped them on the night stand, Carly saw they were condoms.

“How many did you bring?”

“Six,” he admitted. “There are three more in my pants pocket.”

“Six?” she repeated in a stunned question.

He shrugged lightly. “Condoms can tear. Especially if you’re impatient.” He cradled her face in his strong hands, tilting it up for his kiss. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you,” he whispered when he raised his mouth from hers. “I figured I’d have one mishap. Maybe two. I had to make sure I didn’t run short.”

Helpless laughter overcame her. Again. “Oh, I do like a man who plans ahead,” she whispered as her arm curved around his neck and pulled him closer.

* * *

Shane surfaced from a pleasurable dream in the early morning hours to find it wasn’t a dream after all—Carly was sprawled across his chest. She slept with the abandon of a child—completely oblivious to her surroundings, and to the slight movements he made to arrange her more comfortably in his arms.

Light from the bathroom spilled into the bedroom, allowing him to see her face clearly. Must have forgotten to turn the light off the last time, he thought, letting himself be distracted momentarily from his contemplation of Carly. Then his focus returned to her.

Two more used condoms had joined the first in the bathroom trash basket—and neither had been wasted. He’d made love to her the second time for more than half an hour. Wanting—needing—to make it up to her for the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am of their first time. He’d used his mouth on her, and she’d gone crazy. A suspicion resided in the back of his mind that maybe no one had ever done that for her before. Their loss, he told himself now. Because Carly wasn’t just multiorgasmic, she was generously multiorgasmic. He’d brought her to completion with his mouth, then slid into her tight sheath while she was still spasming and she’d come again for him. Higher. Harder. And she’d taken him with her, gasping his name in a way that still echoed in his mind.