ginia Military Institute.”
“Your school, right?” When he nodded, she shook her head. “Wouldn’t work. She hates authority more than I do.”
“Where’d you go to college?”
“I did community college nights and weekends, worked it around a handful of jobs, and then commuted to George Mason in Fairfax for the final two years. After that I went to the academy.”
She sipped her coffee. “So, how long were you married?”
He met her gaze as if she’d touched a nerve.
“You fiddle with your ring finger as if you expect there to be a ring.”
He looked at his hand, shaking his head. “Karen and I were married for seven years. She died of pancreatic cancer five years ago. About six months before you and I met at Quantico.”
They’d been together at Quantico, but they’d never really had a conversation about anything other than work, and when alone, they got naked so fast words only got in the way. “I’m sorry,” she said.
He raised his coffee to his lips. “So am I.”
She quickly chased away an awkward silence, saying, “You were one of the best instructors at Quantico and you do a good job of keeping up with me.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“It is.”
Riley braced her hands behind her on the counter. Less than six feet separated them, but there was a pull. She wanted to touch him. Kiss him. Last time she’d gotten in too deep with him. This time could be different. This time she could enjoy him and find a way to walk back to her life with her heart intact. She was older. Wiser.
She moved to a chair and sat, taking time to unlace her boots. “You finally get those boxes unpacked in your office?”
“Not yet.”
She pulled off the first boot and went to work on the second. “You haven’t committed to the job yet, have you?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m in it for the long haul, but it’ll take some time getting used to not living like a nomad.”
She bet the corner office had a paycheck to match. “It looks like a sweet gig.”
“It’ll be different. I’m looking forward to settling down.”
She yanked off the second boot. “You’ll adapt. I have faith.”
“Thanks.”
Hesitating a breath, she rose and met his gaze. He was watching her and she knew he wanted her. And God, but she wanted him.
Damn. Shoving aside doubts, she crossed to him but stopped inches short. He stared at her but made no move to touch her. She slid her palm up his chest and around his neck. His hands rose to her arms as she pulled his face toward hers. She was tall, but reaching his lips meant rising on tiptoe. Her lips touched his first, and she allowed herself a light kiss, half hoping that touching him, tasting him, wouldn’t be as good as she remembered. She drew back, gently biting her bottom lip.
“You taste nice,” he said.
She moistened her lips. “You, too.”
He stared with an intensity that excited and unsettled her.
She lowered from her toes to flat feet and moistened her lips again. “So, did I just really embarrass myself?”
His fingers tightened gently on her arms as if he feared she’d back away. “No.”
She searched his face. “I promised myself I wouldn’t kiss you. I swore. And now here I stand. I’ve tossed my cards on the table and you’re simply staring.”
He tugged her toward him until her breasts skimmed his shirt. Carefully, he pulled her hair free and watched it fall around her shoulders. “I like seeing it loose.”
“If you say soft or vulnerable, I’ll punch you.”
He smiled. “Sexy. Does that adjective work?”
The deep, smooth timbre of his voice made her hot. “I go out of my way not to be sexy.”
He shook his head. “You haven’t done such a good job, as far as I’m concerned.”
He leaned in, traced her lips with his thumb, and kissed her, gently at first. But the touch set her body on fire. It had been so long since she’d really wanted a man that the sensation was a little unsettling. She kissed him back, not caring about anything but touching him.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, pressing her against his erection. “I’ve wanted to do this since that first day I saw you in the woods,” he said. “God, you were fierce.”
“I was covered in dirt, scratches, and sweat.”
“I was hot for you as you climbed up that mountain after Carter. Amazing.”
She laughed, feeling playful. “Then it’s been a while for you, Mr. Bowman. That wasn’t one of my prettiest moments.”
“You’re confident. And that’s sexy as hell.”
She leaned into his chest and kissed him on the lips. He threaded fingers through her hair. She moved her hand along his flat belly to his erection.
He groaned, and his hand tightened around the strands of her silky hair.
Her hand slid down the front of his pants, savoring the feel of his erection. When he muttered an oath, she pressed harder.
He clutched her hand. “Where’s the bedroom?”
She pulled him down the hallway and closed the door behind them. He pinned her against the door, caressing her breasts as he kissed her. Breathless, he pulled her toward the bed as he sat on the edge. She straddled him. He sucked in a breath, his hands on her hips. Fire blazed inside her.
She slid her fingers up his chest and around his neck. “If you’ve wanted me all this time, you’ve certainly done a good job of hiding it.”
“Good to know.” He kissed her again, this time more deeply, moving his tongue into her mouth and exploring. Her mind swirled, brushing aside any thoughts or worries that lingered from the day. It was just him. The two of them.
He stroked her breasts, teasing her nipple under the soft cotton fabric until it hardened. She moaned, dizzy with desire.
As she reached for his belt buckle, he touched her face, allowing his calloused thumb to trace her jawline and then her lips. She unfastened his belt, but before she could free him, he leaned into her, pulled her under him, and kissed her as he pushed her against the bed. As rumpled sheets and blankets pressed into her back, she was vaguely aware that she’d not made her bed today and nearly laughed at the absurdity of the thought; she was thinking about an unmade bed when she was ready to give her body to a man who had proved before he could leave her when the sun rose. She should have been leery of lowering her guard again, but she wasn’t.
He reached for the end of her shirt and tugged it over her head. He traced the flat midline of her belly, an intense expression on his face, as he reached for the hook between her breasts and unfastened her bra. He pushed the bra aside and held her breasts.
“Beautiful,” he murmured. He leaned down and kissed her, and she savored his touch as he teased the tips of her nipples until they were hard.
When he drew back and reached for the buttons on his shirt, she was breathless. As he unfastened the shirt, she undid the button of her waistband and wriggled out of her pants. She settled on the bed, watching him as he shrugged off his shirt and pants. His body was lean, corded muscle and just looking at him made her hot.
When he lay on top of her and kissed her again, his erection pulsed against her. She dragged her fingertips hungrily along his six-pack, arching her breasts and belly against him. Just as it had five years ago, being with him like this simply felt right.
His hand cupped her breast, teasing the nipple into a hard peak before he pulled his fingertips over her flat belly. It was as if he remembered what excited her. When those fingers dipped lower and began to circle in a maddening, exhilarating pace, she hissed in a breath, knowing she’d not last long at this pace. She shifted, spreading her legs.
Neither spoke as he positioned himself and pressed the tip of his erection against her moist center. When she spread farther for him, he met her gaze and pushed inside her. She drew in a breath as her body expanded, and for a moment, neither moved. Slowly, he began to slid
e in and out of her, testing and teasing her. She traced her hands down his sides and grabbed his hips, goading him to move faster.
Bracing his hands on either side of her head, he looked down and watched as he moved in and out of her. The raw desire on his face left her breathless.
“So sexy,” he whispered. “I’ve imagined this moment dozens of times over the years.”
In the darkest parts of the night, when she felt most alone, she’d also dreamed of him.
He moved faster. Sweat glistened between her breasts and on his back. The desire in her built, heating with each thrust, and when his fingertips touched her pulsing sex, she all but exploded under his touch.
A moan escaped her lips and her fingers dug into his back. “Oh God.”
“Not yet,” he whispered.
His fingers slowed for a moment and when she whimpered in protest, a devilish glint sparked in his eyes. She’d prided herself on absolute control, and now she had none.
He rose and kissed her taut nipple, gently capturing it between his teeth. He licked, suckled, taking his time as if he savored every taste.
When she thought she’d go mad, he began to move faster. Coherent thought vanished in a whirlpool of sensation that pulled her deeper and deeper until it overwhelmed her. Her body exploded with a riot of sensations. Bowman pushed faster and faster until he released.
He collapsed against her, his heart beating hard against her chest. He nestled his face in the crook of her neck, and for a moment neither moved as they struggled to catch their breath. Only as her heart slowed did her mind clear.
He gently rolled off her, closing his eyes for a moment, but already her mind buzzed and she wouldn’t allow herself to nestle close to him. Sex was one level of intimacy but cuddling more so. A gentle breeze blew over her naked skin as she searched around for her T-shirt.
He traced those fingers over her spine, and this time the touch surprised her. “You’re running away,” he said.
“Not running. I don’t want to crowd you.”
He grabbed her hand, halting her slide off the bed. A gentle tug and she faced him. He’d tucked his other hand behind his head, staring at her with an unvarnished curiosity that made her want her T-shirt all the more. “You aren’t crowding me.”