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“Not near enough,” he sighed as he reached out, pulling at a curl that fell over her shoulder. The action had her heart racing, her womb clenching in hunger. “Do you realize this is my first night home and my bed is occupied? I went to find the earplugs to drown out that crazy music and crash for a few hours. But I think the bed is going to need delousing first.”
His lips twisted with a grimace, though his gaze was rueful as he stared down at her. And he did look tired, exhausted, in fact. Raven knew he wouldn’t be likely to sleep here until tomorrow night, not if his bed was in use.
She crossed her arms under her breasts, knowing that what she was about to do was dumb. Really dumb. But if she had a weak spot, it was Reno. It was a weakness she fought continually, but a woman could only be so strong. And she didn’t have a chance against an exhausted, vulnerable Reno.
“Look, if you mean it about the ride, I have an extra room. You can crash there until you’re rested enough to delouse your bed,” she offered. Hell, she couldn’t see the man suffer. He fought for God and country. It just wasn’t right.
He tilted his head slowly, those gorgeous gray eyes of his softening marginally.
And she was softening, as well. All she could remember was the touch of his lips, his hands, the heat of that hard, corded body the last time he had been home. What he made her feel was dangerous, addictive.
“You don’t have to do that, Raven. I’ll toss Morganna out of her bed.”
“Good luck.” She snorted at that one. “Last chance, Reno. My cab should be here in the next five minutes, and if you don’t have me on the road by then, I’m taking my offer back.”
A grin quirked his lips. “You drive a hard bargain, Raven. My bag is still packed,” he said lightly. “I’ll go grab it and my keys. Stay put.”
Evidently, the lure of a quiet bed was too much to resist. She sighed as he turned and reentered the house, his tight buns flexing beneath his jeans as he moved. Damn, that man was packed from head to toe. He was definitely male candy and she had a horrible sweet tooth.
She throttled a purely female groan of frustration at the thought. He couldn’t have a clue just how hard she had lusted after his male form over the past years, or how hard denying him over the last few months had been. The only thing that had saved her from drowning in her own drool was the fact that she knew he was way more man than she could handle. That had been forcibly brought home to her just after her eighteenth birthday, nearly seven years before, when she surprised him by bursting into his bedroom in her excitement to see him. Reno was six years older than she was, a grown man, sexual and intense, even then.
She shivered at the memory. She had shuddered, eyes wide as she stared at the curvy blonde tied to his bed.
“Perv,” she had snapped before turning and literally running.
He had been naked, aroused, hard and thick and long and tight … and hard and thick and long … She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as her clit began to throb and her pussy spilled its slick juices along the sensitive folds between her thighs. She wasn’t going to think about it, she told herself fiercely. If she did, she would never get any work done tonight.
“Let’s go.” He stepped outside, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, the keys to his pickup in his hand.
This was stupid, she told herself silently. But she couldn’t stop the rush of pleasure as his hand settled in the small of her back and he urged her to the side of the street. Callused and wide, his fingers nearly spanned her lower back, the strength in them sending a thrill shooting through portions of her anatomy that she wished weren’t nearly so responsive.
He led her to the wide, double-cab, black pickup she had admired earlier. She should have known it was his, she thought in resignation. It was as strong as he was. A man’s vehicle.
Opening the door, he gripped her hips before she could do more than gasp, and lifted her into the seat. Eyes wide, surprise whizzing through her, she stared back at him, aware that her response to the action must be plain on her face. Dammit, she was supposed to be playing it safe.
“Scoot in,” he whispered as his hands slid slowly from her bare waist, and he stepped back, his hand going to the door.
Drawing in a deep breath, she swung her legs into the truck, moving in just enough for him to close the door. Her flesh tingled where he touched her, heated and ached for more.
“Dumb, Raven,” she whispered to herself as he loped around the truck. “Really dumb.”
He opened his door, tossed the duffel bag in the back, and stepped easily into the cab. He had no problem navigating the height from the street because his legs were so damned long, she thought irritably.
The truck pulled from the curb as she sat nervously, staring out the window, calling herself every kind of fool she could think of. This was kind of like the lamb inviting the wolf into its pasture, she thought in disgust.
“Thanks for the bed, Raven,” he said softly as he turned at the corner, his voice sending shivers down her spine.
That voice should be illegal. Someone should put duct tape over his lips and a sign on his body that declared him dangerous to the female sex, because that’s exactly what he was.
“Not a problem.” Liar, liar, she raged silently. There wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to get any work done with him in her house.
She tugged at her skirt as his eyes strayed to the bare flesh of her lower thighs. Dammit, she knew this skirt was a bad idea. It was sexy and fun and showed her body off to its best advantage. And Reno was definitely taking advantage of all the bare skin flashing.
She could feel his gaze flickering over her legs, her profile, and though he kept both hands carefully on the wheel, she could almost feel them coasting over her body instead. Callused and warm, rasping against her flesh as she arched to him.
She clenched her teeth, pushing the vivid fantasy back as she restrained the shiver that would have worked over her body. Flames licked just beneath her skin, sensitizing her flesh, reminding her why she didn’t have a love life. Because she knew, clear to her soul, that no other man could make her want him as intensely as Reno could. Without a touch, without a word. Hell, he didn’t even have to be in the country.
Pathetic. Stupid. Reno was so far out of her league that they didn’t even exist within the same reality. He was a warrior, a fighter; his world consisted of blood and death while hers existed within the security he helped create. And to be honest, he terrified her. The needs and desires she had when she thought of him, the fantasies that taunted her in the deepest part of night, and the sexual hunger she could feel building within her were too intense, too damned strong.
