She’d no sooner closed the refrigerator door when a strong arm caught her around the waist and drew her backward.
Jesse pulled her into his lap, turning her to face him, forcing her to straddle him, his fingers finding her, exploring her, stroking her clit. “Mmm. You are so wet.”
She held onto his shoulders, looked into his eyes, unashamed of her body’s response to him. “Giving you head turned me on.”
“Is that so?” He pressed kisses to her forehead, nuzzled her ear, taking his time, his fingers touching her right where she needed it most. “Does this turn you on?”
“Yes.” She had already been horny, but now she ached for him.
He knew what she wanted, but he didn’t give it to her, not right away, one finger making maddening circles around the entrance to her vagina.
“Please.”
Finally, finally, he penetrated her, two fingers sliding inside her.
Her head fell back on a moan, her fingers digging into his shoulders for support.
She couldn’t hold still, her hips matching the rhythm of his thrusts, his fingers working magic inside her, making that inner ache worse.
He stopped, making her moan in protest.
“I would give money for a condom.”
Ellie brushed her lips with his. “How much money exactly?”
“My whole goddamned fortune.”
“Done.” She reached into the pocket of her bathrobe, pulled out a condom—Spiral Pleasures.
He took it from her, tore it open with his teeth, reaching down between them to roll it onto his cock. Then he took hold of himself, rubbing his cock over her clit again and again until she was going out of her mind and ready to scream.
“Now!”
He raised her hips, guiding her as she sank onto him, spearing herself on his cock, taking him deep inside her.
She rode him while he drove into her from below, his hands grasping her hips, his cock filling her, stretching her, stroking her. She came fast and hard, the tension inside her shattering into bliss. He caught her cry with his mouth, pounding her pleasure home with deep thrusts and following her over the edge.
Chapter 15
Jesse ran as fast as he could, churning water making it almost impossible for him to move. He fought for every inch, knowing she would die if he didn’t get to her. He reached for her again—and again the creek took her, the child’s hands reaching skyward, her terrified little face disappearing from view.
“Jesse, it’s okay.”
He jerked awake, his heart slamming, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“It’s okay. It was just a dream.” Ellie sat beside him, her face lined with worry. “You’re here with me. You’re safe.”
He yanked off the sheets and sat up, putting his feet on the floor in an attempt to find something solid, the nightmare still dragging at him.
She scooted up behind him, wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. “Just breathe. Deep breaths.”
He fought the urge to lash out at her, to shove her away. “I’m okay.”
But he wasn’t, not really.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Breathe.” Ellie stayed with him, holding onto him, her warmth seeping in through his skin, the horror of the dream fading as he tried to do what she said.
In. Out. In. Out.
He gave her hand a squeeze. “I need to take a leak.”
He got up and walked to the bathroom, took a piss, then washed his hands and splashed his face with cold water. He didn’t want her to see him like this. He didn’t want her to see the shattered side of him.
He dried his hands and face and walked back to the bedroom to find her sitting with the lamp on. Some part of him wanted to fold himself into her, to take all the warmth and gentleness she could offer. But the rest of him wanted to grab his things and head up the hill to his own bed.
He crawled into bed with her again and lay back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling, his arm bent behind his head.
“Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes that helps. Dan had nightmares, too.”
He’d already talked with Esri about the dream so telling Ellie didn’t seem like such a huge leap. Besides, he’d already told her about his father.
Would she think him weak, a coward, a loser?
“Last summer, I responded to a call about a rollover MVA in the canyon. The vehicle, a little Honda, had been struck by some idiot who’d crossed the double yellow to pass a slow driver. The Honda had rolled into the creek and was sitting upside down in the middle. The water was running high. I got there first. I could see that there were people in the car—a mother and her kids.”
“God. How awful.”
“Standard operating procedure at this kind of rescue is to wait until ropes are in place so that rescuers don’t get swept away. We rope up, maybe create a Tyrolean traverse, then take out the survivors. No ropes, no rescue.”