“For what?” he asked.
“For not freaking out. For not leaping out of bed and stomping around the room. Anger scares me. I know why; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that my father’s actions when I was a kid still affect me even today. And being with Tommy didn’t help. Even when I know someone’s anger isn’t directed at me, I still get nervous. So I appreciate you not reacting when I told you about Tommy. You weren’t happy—I could tell by how tense you were. But you didn’t do anything that made me uneasy.”
“I abhor violence,” Riggs told her, not taking his gaze from hers. “Which is pretty ridiculous, considering what I did for a living before moving to Maine. But after being a POW and seeing my friends get the crap beaten out of them for absolutely no purpose, after seeing the torture that Cal went through simply because our captors thought it was fun to hurt a royal, I can’t stomach it. I can’t promise to never get angry in the future, but now that I know how strongly it affects you, I’ll do my best to keep it in check.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I’ll keep it in check,” Riggs interrupted firmly. “I’ll never give you a reason to be afraid of me. Never.”
Carlise swallowed hard and blinked to try to keep her tears at bay. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“We can turn on your phone to check it, but honestly, even though the storm is done, I’m not sure the Wi-Fi will work. I’ve got satellite internet, and it’s super temperamental. I need to check the antenna and probably upgrade it. It’s been going out more and more lately. If it doesn’t work, I’ll have to drive down the road a bit to pick up a signal.
“When we get up, I’ll let you use my satellite phone to call your mom and Susie. I’m sure they’re worried sick by now. You need to reassure them that you’re okay and make sure they’re doing all right. Then maybe we’ll take a walk with Baxter, do some laundry, read, play checkers . . . you can get some work done on the book you’re translating. Then we’ll make dinner together. Okay?”
His plans for the day sounded wonderful. Because they’d be doing most of those things together. “Okay.”
“What I find on your phone will determine how soon you should contact the police here in Newton. They aren’t a huge force, but the police chief is a good man. He’ll take your concerns seriously, honey. He’s not going to tolerate anyone in his jurisdiction being harassed.”
“But we don’t know who’s messaging me.”
“He’ll find out. He might need to take your phone for a while, to give it to the state cyberforensics people to analyze, but we’ll figure it out. We’ll get you a new one when we get to town, so you can still communicate with your mom and Susie.”
Carlise stared down at the man under her. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, giving the room a slight glow. “Riggs,” she whispered.
“This is normal,” he said with a small shake of his head and a serious expression. “This is what a man does for his woman. He protects her. He goes out of his way to make sure she’s happy and safe. He looks after her. Just as she does for him.
“You haven’t had a good example of what a relationship should look like, but I’ve got you, Carlise. If you’re hungry, I’ll feed you. If you’re cold, I’ll bring you some blankets. If you’re scared, I’ll keep you safe, and if you’re happy, I’ll do whatever I can to keep you that way.”
Carlise couldn’t speak at that moment if her life depended on it. She was overwhelmed, in a good way. How the hell had she found this man? The odds were astronomical. And yet, here she was, in his bed, in his arms.
She lowered her head without thought. Without hesitation. Without any doubts.
Her lips touched his, and he immediately opened for her. She kissed him almost desperately, expressing with her lips the words she couldn’t get past the lump in her throat.
The kiss turned passionate in seconds. What had started as a way to say thank you turned into something infinitely deeper in a heartbeat. Riggs rolled until she was under him. One leg was between hers, and she could feel his erection pulsing against her core. All that separated them was their underwear. And that was suddenly too much.
“I want you,” she panted when he pulled back to take a deep breath. His lips were swollen and wet from their kiss. Even as she watched, his tongue came out to swipe his bottom lip, and it was all Carlise could do not to pull his head back down to hers.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she replied.
In response, Riggs leaned over and reached for the small table next to the bed. He yanked the drawer open, swearing when he used too much strength and it ended up on the floor. He shifted off her and fumbled on the floor for a moment.
Carlise giggled and held on to his waist so he wouldn’t fall off the bed.
When he righted himself and hovered over her body, he had a condom in his hand. They’d never discussed protection, but she appreciated his willingness to glove up. Tommy had bitched and moaned about having to wear one. Though, she already knew she couldn’t compare the two men in any way. Riggs would come out on top every single time.
“I bought them to keep the end of my shotgun dry if I have to go out in the rain or snow,” he told her seriously. “Not because I’ve ever had a reason to use them before now.”
Carlise believed him. How could she not? He was going out of his way to reassure her, to make sure she was safe. She had no reason to doubt him. She nodded and licked her bottom lip, wanting him more than was probably normal.
His amber eyes bore into hers as he placed the condom next to the pillow, then lifted off her onto his knees and reached for his T-shirt. He pulled it over his head, and Carlise took in all that was Riggs as he knelt over her. He was gorgeous. She hated seeing the scars on his torso because she knew now how he’d gotten them, but they didn’t detract from his beauty in any way, shape, or form.
Her hands lifted without thought, and she placed them flat on his pecs, running them slowly up and down his body. Riggs didn’t move. Was still as a statue, in fact, and Carlise began to get worried. “Riggs?”
“Yeah?” he asked through clenched teeth.
She stilled and stared up at him. He really didn’t look like he was enjoying her touch. She lifted her hands uncertainly. “Do you not like me touching you?” she whispered.
“Not like it?” he asked as his brows drew down in confusion. “I’ve literally thought about nothing but your hands on me for the last week. I’ve masturbated in the shower every day as I dreamed about how you’d feel against me. I’m harder than I’ve been in years, and it’ll be a miracle if I can last long enough to put this condom on and get inside you. Not like you touching me? Impossible.”
His words made Carlise feel better, although she was still confused. “Then why aren’t you doing anything? Touching me back?”
“Because I don’t think I can move,” he admitted. “I’m afraid I’m going to lose it if I do.”
Carlise smiled and put her hands back on his chest. “That’ll just mean you’ll last longer when we get down to business then,” she reassured him.
He stared at her for a heartbeat before climbing off the bed, dislodging her hands. He shoved his boxers over his hips and kicked them off before straddling her once more.
Carlise couldn’t help but blush. She wasn’t a virgin. Had seen her share of penises. But his was . . . God, it was stunning. And daunting. He was big. Not much longer than normal but thicker than anyone she’d been with. And even as she stared at him—because there was no way she could look anywhere but between his legs—a bead of precome leaked out of the slit in the mushroomed head and dripped down his hard shaft.
“Fuck, woman, your eyes on me alone are enough to make me blow,” he admitted.