Rachel tentatively raised a hand and laid it against his lean cheek. “If that means you won’t deploy again, and you won’t have bombs dropped on you while you’re sleeping, then I can’t be sorry.”
His voice was cautious. “You sound as if you care.”
Rachel’s heart rate accelerated. She thought her display of jealousy might have been a clue as to how she felt, but now she realized he wasn’t going to let her off that easily. If she really wanted to be with him, she was going to have to let him know in no uncertain terms.
She stroked the pad of her thumb over his lower lip, and then leaned up and pressed a soft kiss against his mouth.
“We belong together,” she murmured against his lips. “You’ve given me the courage to finally stand up for myself and admit what it is I want, and I want you. You’re the bravest, strongest, most decent man I know. I can’t imagine being with anyone else.”
Jamie gave a soft grunt, and although he lifted a hand to frame her jaw with his fingers, he didn’t kiss her back. “You’re going to have to show me,” he breathed against her mouth. “I’ve been out of my mind this past week, thinking about you. You’ve put me through hell, so if you really want me, you need to show me.”
“My parents and Dylan will be here soon,” she reminded him.
“Then you’d better hurry.”
Rachel smiled.
Sliding her arms around his neck, she slanted her mouth over his, reveling in the feel and taste of him. She’d missed this. She’d missed him. And when he gave a groan of surrender and slid his hand to the back of her head, opening his mouth to the sensuous slide of her tongue, she knew she’d won.
The kiss was urgent and hot, and when Jamie cupped her rear and pulled her against his hips, she was left in no doubt he wanted her.
“Not here,” she managed to gasp. “Anyone could walk in on us.”
“I don’t care,” he muttered. “I need to be inside you.”
“The bedroom,” she urged.
Jamie pulled away, and then grabbed his crutch, shoving it under his arm as he took her hand. “This way.”
Rachel followed him through the living room to a short hallway that opened to a guest bedroom and a bathroom.
“In here.” Jamie pulled her into the room, before closing and locking the door. “Come here,” he said roughly, and hauled Rachel against his chest.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered, just before his mouth claimed hers in a kiss so searing, Rachel actually moaned.
Her hands worked their way beneath the hem of his T-shirt, stroking over the hard, smooth warmth of his stomach and chest. Jamie broke the kiss just long enough to drag the shirt over his head, and then he was completely bare-chested beneath her questing fingers.
Rachel swiftly worked the button on his cargo shorts, and slid the zipper down.
“Take these off,” she urged, and pushed them downward.
Jamie helped her, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of both his boxers and the shorts, and shoving them down to his knees, where he tried to kick them free.
“Here, let me,” Rachel said, and bent to work the clothing over the rigid boot. Without the full cast, she could now see the evidence of the injuries he’d sustained during the building collapse, and his leg was a mass of scars. Her heart swelled with love and anguish for what he’d endured, but also with pride for his courage. She pressed a soft kiss against the angriest of the marks, and then tipped her head back to look up at Jamie. Only that brought her eye-level with his gorgeous, impressive erection, which strained upward.
She couldn’t help herself; he was impossible to resist.
Curling her hand around the thick base, she ran her tongue over him, from bottom to top. He throbbed hotly in her hand, and she drew him into her mouth, smiling as she heard him gasp. He tasted delicious, and she swirled her tongue slickly around the crest, before sucking deeply on him. He groaned loudly, and plunged his fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp as she moved her mouth over him. Reaching beneath his shaft, she cupped him in her hand, teasing him gently as she sucked him harder, deeper. The sounds of pleasure he made caused desire to jack-knife through her, and a warm gush of moisture at her core made her squirm with need.
“Enough,” he said, his voice a harsh rasp. “Or I’m not going to last.”
Rachel released him, and with a last swipe of her tongue over the glistening head, she rose to her feet.
“Your turn,” Jamie said, and drew her shirt over her head, and then reached behind her to unfasten her bra. Rachel let it drop to the floor, and closed her eyes as Jamie bent and took one nipple into his mouth, grazing the hard nub with his teeth, before sucking on it. She clutched at his shoulders, certain she would fall if not for his solid strength. With his free hand, he loosened the drawstring on her linen pants, and immediately pushed his other hand inside to stroke her intimately.