Hero By Night (Independence Falls 3)

“More,” she said, that one word riding the boundary between command and plea. Her hands moved to her breasts, squeezing and pinching her nipples, as if trying to push herself closer to release.

“Oh hell, yeah,” he said, his voice a low growl. He welcomed the help, loving the way her body responded to her touch.

He pressed the vibrator inside her, watching the first inch disappear, then another, and another. Easing it in and out, he mimicked the thrusting motion his hips would make if he were inside her. Part of him wished it was his cock making her moan, her fingers falling away from her breasts and digging into the blankets. But damn, he loved watching her.

“I’m going to make you come now, Lena.”

SHE CLUNG TO his words, wanting to believe him. Chad had stayed true to every promise he’d made her so far. He hadn’t touched her, using the low, gravelly sound of his voice to connect the pulsing sensations racing through her body to the man kneeling between her splayed legs. But it was his respect for her boundaries, more than his dirty talk, that allowed her to open up, and really, truly feel the pleasure, the stirring of an orgasm, bigger and bolder than one delivered by her fingers.

Her world had been divided for eighteen long months between the things she could have and everything else. And now, with his words inciting her senses, and the vibrations whipping her body into a frenzy, her world was a riot of rushing, blending feelings.

Her hips bucked, seeking more. And he gave it to her, quickening the pace of his thrusts.

“That’s it, beautiful, let go,” he murmured. “Come for me. I’m dying here, waiting to hear the sounds you make when you explode.”

She moaned and arched, feeling her muscles tense around the silicone penis as it shook inside her. He pulled it back, thrusting it in one last time, holding it there as she fell apart.

“More,” she pleaded, too far lost in her orgasm to know what she was begging for. She just did not want this to end. The vibrator moved in her, pulling back, then pushing forward, so deep she felt his hand against her skin. She opened her eyes, the orgasm spiraling higher and higher, propelled by his touch.

Lifting her head, gasping for breath, she clung to the sheets. Chad stared back at her as if he wanted to stay kneeling between her legs, driving her wild. Hunger, need—­it was all there in his brown eyes.

The orgasm ended and her heartbeat raced. But it wasn’t anxiety rearing its ugly head. Not this time. She’d reached the finish line. Maybe, just maybe, she was one step closer to the woman she’d been before her journey halfway around the world.

Lena closed her eyes, resting her head back on the bed. The swell of nerves that had bubbled up as she’d read the blatant need written in his expression . . . that wasn’t fear. Her world had been bookended by anxiety for months now, and it didn’t feel like this.

She felt him move away. The buzzing stopped. He’d turned off the toy. Opening her eyes, she stared at the ceiling wondering what to say to her pretend boyfriend, the man who’d delivered her first orgasm in mixed company in many, many months.

“Lena?” His voice was soft and gentle, devoid of the naughty edge that slipped in when he issued commands.

“Hmm?” she murmured.

“You’re not thinking about your gun, are you?”

She laughed, propping herself up her elbows. He’d set the toy aside and stood with his hands in his pockets, watching her with his trademark charming smile in place. “No. I’m still too shaky to handle firearms.”

He nodded, his smile fading. “You would tell me if it was too much, right?”

“It wasn’t.” She sat up, smoothing her skirts down over her legs. “It was different, but lovely.”

r /> “We need to work on your vocabulary.”

Lena pressed her lips together, searching for the right word. She glanced at the vibrator on the nightstand. “It was perfect,” she said. “For me.”

“So I get a gold star for creativity?”

“Yes.” She smiled, suppressing a giggle. What was it about this man? She’d laughed more with him in two days than she had in so long. Most ­people tiptoed around her, their expressions grim and their actions wary. Maybe she’d needed that for a while. But Chad brushed past her barriers, delivering sweet-­talking charm and humor. And the words he used when he set aside the sweet . . .

Tonight. Right now. This is for you. But know that I want you, Lena. Looking at you, the thought of giving you pleasure, hearing you cry out, it all makes me hard.

Oh yes, this man deserved a gold star.

“We’ll start a sticker chart for you after dinner.” She moved the chair and opened the bathroom door, freeing her disgruntled dog. “Good boy, Hero,” she murmured to the retriever.

“If you two are ready, let’s get something to eat and show this town you’re mine,” Chad said. “Because Lena, right now, with your I-­just-­got-­out-­of-­bed glow, you look like you belong with me.”

Chapter 7

LENA STUDIED CHAD’S fluid, easy movements as he steered his pickup down into Independence Falls. Hero sat between them on the front bench, but Chad didn’t seem to mind. He had to be uncomfortable, and not just because there was a golden retriever breathing in his ear.