Her fingers curled, digging into the warm flesh as if to keep him with her just a moment longer. His quick catch of breath signaled a change in the air, a breach of a barrier that shouldn’t be forgotten.
But it was too late.
Her mind cried out with joy as his body rolled against hers, sweeping over her to take control. He was the same Zach she remembered. His familiar scent and bulk enveloped her. Her need exploded deep inside. For this moment she would let go of the past, not worry about the future and do the one thing Sadie never did: enjoy the present.
For the first time in five years, she felt his lips against hers. Not the barely there brush from the mill, but a full meeting of lips that conveyed passion and want. Sadie’s palms found the bare skin of his shoulders, tracing muscles bulked by years of true labor. For long moments his lips distracted her. It wasn’t the tentative touch of new lovers, but the eager reunion , the rediscovery of each other.
Just as her hands traced sinewy muscle over his ribs, he dipped down. The heat radiating from him blanketed her, left her aching for more. She wanted freedom—freedom from her clothes, from her fear, from the secrets that stood between them.
The tips of his hair, much longer than the last time they were together, brushed her cheeks. It tickled, lightening her mood a little. She smiled against his lips. Her hands automatically burrowed into the silky strands, and she savored the thickness, the new weight that signaled his complete return to civilian life.
Her hands in his hair ramped up something for him, because his movements took on a frantic edge. A powerful purpose that plunged her into heaven.
He stripped her of her nightgown, then panties. His thighs settled between hers as he assumed possession. Then he traced her ribs with his palms, reminding her of the first time his hands had explored her body.
Time coalesced in a surreal effect, mixing this moment with a night five years ago when Zach had introduced her to an ecstasy she’d only ever dreamed of before. Now, as then, he touched every part of her as if committing her body to memory. Fingers kneading her muscles. Nails stimulating her skin. Palms controlling her hips.
From somewhere deep inside her a whimper erupted. His hands tightened at the sound, keeping her from lifting against him. The inability to move only ramped up her need. Her core melted in liquefied heat.
Suddenly his warmth receded as he crouched between her thighs. It took a moment of disoriented disappointment to realize he hadn’t left her. Then he pressed his open mouth to her thigh. She tensed. Each sucking kiss brought him closer to the apex of her need, but never close enough. Her gasps filled the silence.
Just when she’d thought he would end her suffering, his mouth moved to her belly button, then out along her ribs. This time her breath caught, then she giggled at his touch. He growled, his approval obvious as he rediscovered every spot that made her laugh, sigh and moan.
Finally he stretched out over her once more. He buried his hands in her hair. The long strands wound around his fingers, and he took full advantage, tugging until her chin lifted. Sadie wanted to weep as control and guilt swept away from her. All she could do was enjoy.
His kiss against her neck was firm, demanding. This time there was no stopping her hips from lifting, her hands from clutching him to her. His mouth worked its magic while his other hand guided his hardness to her. The stretch right to the edge of fullness made her wince. It had been so long.
Too long.
But her nails dug into the cheeks of his ass, pulling him into her with devastating effect. Her entire body exploded into tingles as he moved within her. It was exactly as she remembered, and so much more.
His body demanded her response. She gave him her all. Hips clashing. Skin rubbing. Breath mingling. Until the night erupted into a million points of light and emotion.
Cementing her to him...forever.
* * *
Zach’s eyes opened when he heard the click of the bathroom door the next morning...then the unmistakable turn of the lock.
In the military he’d trained himself to be instantly alert upon awakening, but the habit wasn’t always beneficial in civilian life. For instance, at the moment, his clear mind began to play last night over and over and over again. Which wasn’t what he wanted.