His hands slid up her body to cup her breasts, and when he pinched her nipples, Mia literally saw stars. It felt so good. So damn good.
As the pressure continued to build, she could barely stay upright. Her knees wobbled, her thighs spasmed involuntarily, and eventually she collapsed on top of him, her breasts crushing his chest. Jackson wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as she grinded against his cock. He stroked her back, squeezed her ass, and then, before she could blink, he rolled them over and took control. Plowing into her again and again, hips pistoning, flesh slapping flesh, until finally he let out a hoarse cry and climaxed, emptying his seed inside her.
Mia didn’t come, but she felt sated nevertheless, suddenly realizing that an orgasm wasn’t what she’d needed tonight. No, she’d needed to drown in Jackson’s endless well of strength, to bask in the soothing comfort and endless support he gave so freely.
God, he made her feel safe. Like as long as he was around, everything would be okay.
They lay there in a tangle of arms and legs for so long that Mia’s eyelids began to droop. Jackson’s even breathing and the gentle way he stroked her hair were liable to lull her to sleep, and so she planted a kiss on his shoulder and sat up reluctantly.
“I have to go.”
He let out a drowsy groan. “Wish you could stay,” he mumbled.
“Me too. But I have to drive Danny to school tomorrow morning and then go to work.”
Without a shred of enthusiasm, Mia got dressed and located her purse, which had been kicked under the bed somehow. Jackson stayed completely nude as he followed her out of the bedroom, and his hair was rumpled in the most adorable way, bringing a smile to Mia’s lips.
After a tender kiss goodbye in the front hall, she stepped into the late-night air, shivering when the cool breeze snaked its way beneath her hair. A moment later, she was on her way home, a rush of tranquility floating through her body and her heart feeling fuller and lighter than ever before.
Chapter Fifteen
Three weeks later
Mia pried her eyelids open as two very loud, very male voices snapped her out of slumber.
And either she was crazy, or those voices were actually belting out the lyrics to “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch”.
“What the…?” She sought out the alarm clock, registered that it was eight a.m. and grumbled in disbelief.
Unbelievable. This was the third time this week that Danny had woken up before her, thanks to Mr. Early-Bird Ramsey. Clearly she needed to revoke Jackson’s sleepover privileges, pronto. She didn’t care that the two guys were bonding. Didn’t care that her brother, it turned out, was amazing at background vocals. Her mornings were sacred, and their noisy renditions of Jackson’s favorite oldies songs weren’t welcome in her holy ritual of sleeping in until the last possible second.
When it became evident that they weren’t about to shut up, Mia dragged herself out of bed and staggered to the bathroom, griping under her breath the entire time. Fifteen minutes later, she was showered, dressed and annoyingly alert.
The yummy aroma of bacon and eggs greeted her when she entered the kitchen. Danny stood by the stove, flipping the strips of bacon sizzling on the pan, while Jackson was at the fridge, his big body hunched over as he searched for something on the bottom shelf.
“Ahem.”
Mia cleared her throat, prompting both guys to glance over at her.
“Mornin’, sugar.” Jackson greeted her with a huge smile.
Argh. She wanted to stay mad at them, but the sight of the tall, bare-chested SEAL instantly distracted her. He was also barefoot, and his jeans rode dangerously low on his hips. He was so damn gorgeous she had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t a mirage. Men this sexy didn’t exist, did they?
They do, and he’s one of them. Just shut up and enjoy it.
She took her brain’s advice and just stood there admiring Jackson for a moment. For some reason he hadn’t shaved or gotten a haircut these past few weeks, so his hair was scruffier than usual and his face sported a full dark beard that gave him a feral vibe.
“C’mere and gimme a kiss,” he urged when she hadn’t budged from the doorway.
“Gross,” Danny announced.
“Oh shut it,” she told her brother, then crossed the small space so Jackson could brush his mouth over hers in a sweet kiss that made her heart skip a beat.
Mia ran her fingers over his beard growth, smiling up at him. “You keep looking more and more like a mountain man.”
Danny chimed in with his agreement. “Yeah, you totes do. Seriously, dude, what’s with the beard?”
Jackson’s expression became veiled. “Just prepping, is all.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Prepping for what?”
Shrugging, he headed back to the refrigerator. The sculpted muscles in his back flexed as he reached for something on the top shelf. “There’ve been some rumors around the base.”
His tone was gruff and careless, causing Mia and her brother to exchange a wary look.