He dropped his forehead to hers, fighting the urge to go too damn fast. “I don’t think I can let you go, Red. God help me, but I don’t think I’m strong enough to watch you go.”
“You don’t have to. I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.” She kissed his cheek. His chin. And then finally, she slid her lips over his waiting mouth. Beneath him, she rolled her hips. Her body sucked him in to the hilt. “Make love to me.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. They were in perfect sync, locked together as one. One thrust turned into another until the quickening of her muscles turned their movements frantic.
“Rafe.” Penny’s ragged sigh urged him harder…faster.
The unguarded warmth shining at him through her eyes broke his hard-fought control. Her body erupted, muscles clamping down on his cock like a vise. Rafe thrust deeper, intensifying the strong pulses with each stroke. He quickly roared his own mind-boggling release. Slick from sweat, he continued to rock their bodies together.
It took forever to come down from the high, and even when the last pulse eased away, the euphoric feeling stayed behind. The ghost of a smile on Penny’s face flipped something in his chest.
His former self would’ve backed away from the unknown and then created a thousand-mile distance. The Rafe Penny had somehow created now molded her against the side of his body and held on tight.
The truth was a warm glow of energy that filled him from the base of his core outward. His body, heart, and soul no longer belonged to him.
They were hers.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
A few short weeks ago, Penny would’ve never imagined being cocooned in Rafe’s arms, much less the safe feeling that came with it. And it was more than knowing she was physically safe that turned her insides into a warm pile of goo. It was the knowledge that she could be herself and be enough—with the right person.
Hopefully with Rafe.
They’d made love for hours before exhaustion took told and Penny slept so deeply she didn’t think she’d moved in twelve hours. But when they woke, Rafe had been more than willing to work out the knotted kinks in her lower back with another spectacular round of love-making.
No doubt everyone was starting to wonder where they were—or maybe not.
“You’re not allowed to move even an inch.” Rafe’s voice rumbled the man-pillow beneath her cheek. “Actually, don’t even think about moving at all, because you’re not going anywhere. Ever.”
Staying wrapped in his arms for an indefinite amount of time sounded good to her. As a matter of fact, it sounded like perfection. Penny propped her chin on his chest and met his sleepy-eyed gaze with an automatic smile. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good. Because I’ll hunt you down and haul you back to where you belong. And in case you’re wondering, that’s right the hell here.” The arm that rested possessively on her hip hugged her closer. “Get that sweet ass over here.”
Penny squealed as he tugged her on top of him. Astride his still-naked body, she shimmied until the hardness of his erection brushed against her still-sensitive clit. With a groan, Rafe slid home in one tortuously slow thrust.
*
It was déjà vu as they silently dressed. In a methodical system, Rafe inspected the mags for each of his handguns before slipping them into his black combat vest. Already in place and tucked against each thigh were knives that would’ve looked lethal in any torture chamber. The thought of him needing to use any of it turned Penny’s stomach inside out.
Moments before the start of an operation wasn’t the time to purge feelings. Distractions were dangerous, and he and the others were about to walk into a virtual minefield. So Penny kept silent, unable to say a word even if her tongue weren’t stuck to the roof of her mouth.
Weeks of worry and planning were finally ending, one way or another. But for that to happen, the man she loved and the men she’d grown to care about like brothers were putting their lives on the line.
Rafe tugged his vest into place and gave the zipper a sharp tug before turning toward her. The longer he stared, the heavier the elephant sitting on her chest became. Being in his arms made it so easy to tune out the rest of the world. Watching him transform from lover to badass commando, that world came rushing back with a vengeance.
He was in front of her in two long strides, tipping her chin up with a pinch of his fingers. “If Rachel’s there, I will bring her back. I promise.”
A buildup of emotions made it hard to breathe. “I know. Just bring yourself back, too. Please.”
Penny kissed him, nearly spilling her heart out at his boots with one brush of lips. It nearly killed her to back away without telling him that she loved him.
“Stay alert while we’re gone. Stay close to Logan,” he ordered gently. “We still don’t know exactly where Fuentes has his inside man planted, and I don’t trust Collins as far as he can throw a goat.”