He was a fool to love her. He worked for her. He’d made a promise to keep her safe. Shit, he was leaving soon. He wanted to go. He wanted to fight and do the job he’d been trained to do. And he knew she wouldn’t be waiting when he returned. She’d be off to another city, charming another audience, and doing what she loved.
Even if he asked to join her, find her when he had downtime, he’d have to trust that she would still be his when he returned. And he’d have to force himself to lock the worry and what-ifs away while he served…
Impossible.
His tongue glided over her clit, and he focused on the feel of her bucking hips, the taste of her—
“Dante!” she screamed. “Dante, please.”
He kept his finger buried inside, but he pulled his mouth away from her clit. “You’re asking so nicely—”
“Dante, make me come!”
“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured. He repositioned his tongue on her and claimed her in earnest as he thrust his fingers in and out. This was only the first orgasm he planned to give the woman he loved tonight. But he wanted to set the bar high. If he could make her scream his name like that, so loud the whole damn floor had probably heard her, then just wait until he buried his cock inside her.
…
Ring! Ring!
The familiar, high-pitched sound was like an exclamation point at the end of her orgasm. Chrissie leaned forward and pressed her forearms into the mattress. She could feel Dante moving between her legs. He’d stopped the supposed “lesson,” the one she’d been leading with her loud, wild cries, and was pushing himself off the floor.
She lifted her head and saw him pick up the phone. Studying the lines of his bare chest, she was pretty sure she needed him more than the person on the other end of that call.
“Mason, what can I do for you?” Dante said into the phone. His brows drew together as he listened to her manager. Then he nodded. “I’ll bring her down. Right away.”
She stood and looked around for her T-shirt. “What did Mason want? Are my parents fighting again?”
“He wasn’t calling about your family this time,” he said, his gaze fixed on her. “According to your manager, your label was expecting another song by the end of the day. They’d set up a call to hear what you’d put together. Mason’s been looking for you and, well, he’s not stupid.”
“The call,” she murmured as she sa
nk onto the bed. How could she have forgotten the deadline for the song or the scheduled conversation with her label?
Because you killed it out there on the stage. And you left wanting one thing…
Dante. She’d pushed aside everything but her desire to make love to this man.
He ran his hand over his face. “Do you want to go and call them? I told Mason I would bring you down to your trailer in the lot. He’s there waiting for you. He said the people in Nashville understood your crazy schedule. They’re waiting up for you.”
“I haven’t finished it yet,” she said, closing her eyes. She’d been too busy in bed with her bodyguard.
“Do you want me to stall?” Dante sat down beside her on the bed.
“No, I need to go and talk to them.” She had an idea for a song. It had been percolating for a while, but she’d pushed it away, knowing it might break her heart to set the words to music.
“You don’t have to, Chrissie,” he said firmly. “You’ve had a long day—”
She looked up at him. “This is my job. My career. I know it’s a far cry from saving lives, but this is what I do. It matters to me, to my family, and to my fans.”
He took her hands in his. “I get it, honey. I do. But if you’re not ready—”
“I have an idea.” She pulled free from his hold. “I’ll tell them about it tonight. Promise a special reveal. I can’t let them find out I’ve been distracted.”
“You’ve been working your ass off,” he said, following her to the door.
She glanced over her shoulder and offered him a smile. The pained look in his dark eyes suggested he could see past the forced grin. “No, I haven’t, Dante. I’ve been taking time for myself. And while it’s been fun, I need to get back to work.”
“Fun,” he repeated, his jaw tightening as if she’d threatened to come at him with one of his Navy SEAL tricks, maybe an open-handed slap across the face…