Page 61 of Hollow State

He caught her wrists. "Slow." Bending over, he kissed her belly as he inched her sweats over her hips. He eased the fabric over the bandage with such tender care that Wynn had to look at the ceiling for a second.

She'd taken a round out of a man's shoulder in a ditch outside Kandahar and driven him four hours with her hand on the wound. She’d cared about whether that man lived or died, and she hadn’t wanted him to be in pain, but she worried about that after she'd gotten him to safety.

Nobody had ever once been careful with her. She'd never asked anyone to be. It hadn't ever occurred to her to even consider it for herself.

"Promise me you'll tell me if I'm hurting you," Darwin said in that soft, gentle voice he had.

"Promise." She found the front clasp of her bra and unhooked it, letting it fall open.

His eyes widened, and his breath hitched.

"Let's get you out of the rest of your clothes." With tender hands, he peeled her pants down to her ankles. Taking his sweet time, he pressed kisses on her skin. Leaning back, he dragged off her pants and tossed them over his shoulder.

He lay on his side next to her, fingers dancing up and down her arm. "You're so beautiful." Gently, he traced the outer edge of her nipple.

She hissed, arching her back. "Oh, God, yes."

His mouth clamped down over her other nipple and his tongue circled around it in a wild frenzy.

Threading her fingers into his hair, she drew him closer. She blinked, staring at the ceiling, gasping for air, as she clung to him, begging for more. For everything. They'd barely begun, and she thought she might explode.

His hand slid down her belly and eased into her panties.

Shamelessly, she parted her legs and raised her hips. She could've sworn he chuckled against her breast right before he drew her nipple deeper into his mouth, sucking harder.

His finger glided across her clit and curled gently—but briefly—inside her, before making another pass across her swollen nub.

He did that a few more times before she grabbed his wrist. "More," she managed as she raised her hips higher, trying to angle herself so he could go deeper.

He licked and teased her nipple while his thumb tortured her clit—slow and light pressure for a few seconds and then hard and fast. So many sensations she could barely catch her breath, much less focus on each individual pleasure.

He pulled his fingers out, rubbed them over her nipple, then popped them in his mouth. "You taste so good." He removed her panties, and eased between her legs, kissing a path from the inside of her thigh to her clit.

Heat flickered through her, hot and maddening. She slid one hand into his hair to anchor herself as her body turned electric.

His tongue touched her with a soft, teasing flick that sent a shock up her spine. She grabbed a fistful of the sheet, forgetting how to breathe for a beat. He licked her again—longer, broader—before closing his mouth around her and sucking. The pull of it shot low and tight. She swore there were stars behind her eyelids.

He eased her thighs farther apart, one palm under her knee, careful near the bandage. The tenderness of that made her chest ache. Each sweep of his tongue was like lighting a fuse. Each circle, each gentle drag, stacked heat on top of heat until her legs trembled.

Releasing her knee, he slid two fingers inside her again, slow, deliberate, and the angle just right. She tightened around him, chasing the next ripple. He stroked as his mouth worked her, patient and relentless. And she could feel herself building, the edge coming rapidly and sharp.

“I’m—” The word snagged in her throat. It hit fast, faster than she expected, a wave catching her mid-sentence and dragging her under. Her thighs trembled against his shoulders as everything coiled tight as a fist and then let go.

She convulsed, wild and out of control. She released his hair and clutched the headboard, holding on as aftershocks rolled through her body.

He kissed the inside of her thigh, the crease of her hip, then her belly, stopping to give attention to both her breasts.

Reaching between them, she palmed him through his jeans, and he moaned. "These need to go."

"They are getting a bit uncomfortable."

"Let me help." She undid the top button and tugged at the zipper.

He hissed, biting on his lower lip.

"Might be easier and less dangerous if you stand up." She'd always enjoyed sex and had never been shy in the bedroom. However, she could readily admit this wasn't always her favorite part of bedroom activities. With some men, it was more…entertaining, but with most, she avoided it.

But Darwin was different. She loved him. And everything about him excited her.