Hidden Impact (Safeguard #1)

“Wait.” She pulled on his head, made him look back up at her. “Wait. I want you inside me.”


He paused. The storm in his eyes rocked her to the core.

“Please. Come with me.” This time it was important to her. She didn’t think about why, just that it was.

He rose up and fished in his discarded pants pockets, coming up with a condom. Without taking his gaze off her, he freed it from its wrapping and rolled it over the length of him. When he climbed back onto the bed, he stopped to kiss her breasts before covering her. She parted her legs, shifting her hips to help him until the head of his cock nudged at her entrance.

For a long heartbeat he held himself poised over her. Then his mouth came down on hers hard and demanding as he slid inside her, stretching and filling. She moaned into his mouth, reaching up to grasp his shoulders.

He kept on kissing her as he rocked his hips into her. Every stroke drew a moan or a cry from her and he swallowed all of them as his tongue danced with hers. Wild wasn’t the word for it. She was lost in him.

“Maylin.” He uttered her name and she tightened hearing it.

He groaned. Then he leaned back just long enough to hook an arm under her right leg, bringing it up high and opening her wider. Every thrust went deeper, stroking different places inside her until she felt herself climbing back to the edge of climax.

All she could do was hold on. “Yes, Gabe, this. Please!”

A guttural sound rolled up out of him, something between a growl and a sound even more primal. He drove into her and they both went over the edge together. Her orgasm gripping her entire body as pleasure rushed over her mind in a tidal wave.

Awareness came back to her slowly. He’d let himself down on top of her and she savored the weight of him, reaching to run her hands over his back and shoulders.

He nuzzled her neck. “I can’t resist you when you ask all nice like that.”

“Nice?” She squirmed under him until she could angle her head to look into his face. “More like begging.”

And wasn’t that embarrassing?

He must have seen the flush rise up on her cheeks. Concern in his eyes, he propped himself up on his elbows so they could look at each other without craning necks. “Hey. It was nice. And I like when you tell me what you want. Please keep telling me. Okay?”

He was so earnest, so sincere, she couldn’t help but absorb his words. Biting her lip, she nodded. The embarrassment receded gradually.

He kissed the bridge of her nose. “Good.”

Since he was leaning over her she indulged herself, running her hands over his chest and torso.

“Aw, you are too tempting.” He lowered himself down on her for a long kiss with a fair amount of caressing and hip grinding. She might have been guilty of some groping. Okay, a lot of groping. “Minx.”

“What?” She nipped at his earlobe. “I can’t help it. You’re I don’t know how many pounds of delicious muscular ubergorgeousness.”

Now she was making up words.

He chuffed out a laugh. “And you are definitely starting to fall asleep. You just don’t know it yet. Wait right here.”

She almost protested when he rolled off her, but he was back in record time with a damp washcloth. Cleaning up a little was a good idea, and then he climbed back into bed and tucked her against his side. “Nap.”

“Is that an order?” She said it lightly but she had to admit, it was a good idea. Exhaustion had snuck up on her and sleep was dragging her under faster than she’d anticipated.

He nuzzled her hair. “I’m here. You’re safe. Rest. Then we’ll take on whatever comes next.”

Snuggling in the circle of his arms, she let go and fell into sleep.





Chapter Fifteen

“So. Your car is still on the side of the road.” Lizzy was sitting at the breakfast counter when they returned to the main house.

The dark-haired woman lifted her chin at Gabe in welcome and gave Maylin a smile.

Warmed, Maylin returned it with one of her own. “Hungry? I was about to make up dinner for us.”

Lizzy peered down into her plastic cup. A metal ball inside clunked against the side. “Normally protein shakes are fine for me around dinner time, but I’m game for real food.”

“It’ll only take twenty minutes,” Maylin promised as she reached the refrigerator.

Someone had stocked it with a few more fresh ingredients. Plus the freezer had a few surprises too. She wondered if the Centurions might be hopeful she’d do more cooking to calm her mind.

Glad to.

“Need help?” Gabe stood at her shoulder.

She handed him a box of frozen shrimp, easy peel kind. “Could you dump some of these into a bowl of cold water? It has to be cold to defrost properly. Warm will spoil the shrimp. Figure about four or five for each of us. Oh, and could you start the rice cooker with about one measuring cup of uncooked rice? There should be a cup for the rice cooker, not a standard measuring cup.”

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