Page 14 of Pursuit of Honor

Inside, Piper didn’t hesitate. First, she flicked on the light switch. Because she wanted to see him when their clothes finally came off. Then, hands shaking with excitement, she started to tug at her dress, but then she remembered how difficult it had been to zip it up the first time. Face flushed with heat, she turned her back to him, pulling her hair away so he would have better access to the zipper.

“Would you like to help me undress?” she asked him shyly.

The response was a kiss to the back of her neck. She shivered at the sensation of his mouth on her delicate, sensitive skin. And then, she felt him unzip her expertly with a single downward movement. Her dress pooled at her feet. Piper stepped out of it, moving into his arms again.

She was so wrapped up in the pleasure of his kiss that she barely noticed their clothes melting away. The lamplight was still on and she could see his hard, naked body in the golden glow. Muscular, with one arm covered in tattoos, the other bicep inked with a single tattoo of an anchor.

When he caught her examining it, he said, “What can I say? Guess I’m a Navy cliché.”

“I like it,” she told him.

“I like you, too,” he said, motioning to her body. Which no longer had a stich of clothing on.

She blushed as she watched him take her in, desire blazing in hie gray eyes, turning them from flint to the color of embers burning among ash.

Somehow, she managed to retrieve a condom from her underwear drawer beside the bed, giving it to him with a shaking hand.

Law took the wrapper, got the condom out, and sheathed his hardness with the latex. Piper watched him do it, finally having the courage to look at the full length of his manhood. He was hard with arousal, his magnificent erection making her mouth water. Arousal made the place between her legs throb, liquid heat gathering.

She lay down on her back, biting her lip as she lifted her knees and spread her legs, silently inviting him to join her.

“Are you as nervous as I am?” he asked.

“You’re nervous?” she asked in surprise, reaching for him until he was on top of her. The delicious weight of his hard body pressing down on her reignited her desire.

“Are you kidding? You bet your ass I’m nervous,” he said with a laugh. “Any guy with half a brain would want to please you. I want to make sure you have a good time.”

“I’m already having a good time,” she told him, not caring that this was the fastest she had ever gotten into bed with a man. She’d spent so much of her life apologizing for who she was and what she wanted. Always second-guessing herself because of other people’s judgement. Well, she wasn’t doing that tonight. Tonight, she was going to enjoy being under Law’s gorgeous body. Tonight, she was going to surrender to her desire and show him exactly how desperately she had wanted him since they met.

He grinned. “Good. So am I.”

Blushing, she shamelessly wrapped her legs around him, his hard erection slapping insistently against her inner thigh. Even though she was nervous, he was making her feel bold enough to let him know what she wanted. Despite her anxiety, she found that she could blissfully live in the moment and let her body react to sensation. Let her body lead instead of being held hostage by her mind overthinking all the time.

Law thrust into her, and she gasped, stunned at the force of the pleasure spiraling through her body. She hadn’t expected it to feel so good that quickly. Needing to steady herself against the initial onslaught, she wrapped her arms around him, holding his hard body to hers as he started rocking. Law rocked into her slowly at first, as if he was holding back so that she could get used to having him inside her. She was so wet that he didn’t need to worry, but she felt so safe knowing that he was trying to make sure she was comfortable with him.

Moaning, she arched her back, showing him that she wanted more.

His pace quickened. His slow, steady thrusts became demanding. Hard and relentless as he filled her with so much pleasure that she started panting. Her entire body trembled as ecstasy overtook her. And then, she went over the edge, climaxing with a cry of his name. When he collapsed on top of her, his breathing too heavy to speak, she knew he had found the same pleasure that she had. Suddenly, it felt like the ecstasy had made their bodies one. Law kissed her damp forehead, the affectionate gesture making her even more aware of his hardness on top of her. Even more aware of how hard his heart was pounding. Because she could feel it pounding as their naked bodies entwined. They held each other tightly, with Piper desperately trying to get air before the post-climax euphoria stole her breath away entirely. She had never experienced anything so intense and she didn’t want the intimacy to end. But she knew this would be her one and only night with him. Piper would have to relish the moment and find a way to hold the memory of it even after he left her for good.

Chapter 6

Law had anticipated it, but it was still interesting for him to feel zero urge to get out of bed. Typically, at this point with a woman, he’d be out the door. His inability to connect, pushing him into leaving before things got too serious. With Piper though, he didn’t want to leave. Ever.

Now that he’d finally found the strength to roll off her, Law could stare at her all he wanted. Drink his fill of her. She was lying on her side, gazing at him with a faint, satisfied smile on her face. Covered in a glimmering sheen of sweat, Piper seemed to glow from within. She was that beautiful.

“Haven’t shared a bed with someone in a while,” he admitted, discovering it was impossible to play it cool with her.

“Same here.” She paused. “Though I find that hard to believe. Doesn’t a guy like you get a lot of girls?”

Law laughed, though he didn’t feel much amusement. Probably should have been good for his ego that he could charm a lot of girls, but getting into bed with someone wasn’t the same as developing a connection with them. Which was something that felt both inevitable and out of reach with a girl like Piper. Inevitable because on some level, it felt like he’d finally met a woman who would be open-hearted enough to want to understand him completely. Out of reach because, of course, it was just his luck that the moment he finally found his dream girl, he’d have to return to his ship.

The impossible had started to happen over the weekend, and he was about to lose it just as quickly as he’d gotten it.

“Here’s the thing, I rarely stay long enough to get to the bed sharing stage,” he confessed.

“One-night stand kind of guy?”

“I don’t want to be that guy anymore. I want to be the person I’ve been running from.” He grimaced. “That probably doesn’t make sense.”