SEALed with a Kiss. Jill Monroe

closed and he groaned at her touch. Rachel smiled, loving what she was doing to him. She caressed him again, then tenderly gripped his shaft, moved down, then back again to the tip.

      He wrapped a hand around hers. “No more. I’m in a bad way for you, Rachel, and I don’t want to come like this.” He tugged her resisting fingers from his cock. Riley reached for a drawer of his bedside table, pulling out a condom.

       Finally.

      Meeting her eyes once more, Riley reached for her thighs. He roughly dragged her to him. She needed this, needed him. She balanced on the edge of the mattress, and he stepped between the circle of her legs. Riley began to probe her with the tip of him. “Are you ready?” he asked, his voice tight, the muscles of his neck strained.

      Hell, she’d been ready an hour ago. Rachel’s back hit the comforter, and she hooked her legs behind his back.

      He plunged inside her.

      Rachel almost came right then, the feel of him inside her, filling her … amazing. He gripped her hips, thrusting hard.

      She rushed to meet him, her concentration solely on the man bringing her so much pleasure. Rachel bucked as his fingers rubbed her clit. “Now, Riley. Faster.”

      He drove into her, his movements quick, his body strained. Rachel’s skin heated, and her breasts turned achy. Warmth built and built inside her. Riley touched just the right spot—inside and out—and she exploded. Waves of pleasure crested through her.

      Riley reached for her hips again, steadying her and thrust into her welcoming body. He tensed, his pushing becoming chaotic, until he moaned deep from his chest. “Rachel,” he said as he slumped against her, his head at her breasts.

      She closed her eyes for a moment. Enjoying the weight of a man on her body. Of him. Of Riley. The sound of their harsh breathing filled the small bedroom. Slowly her heartbeat returned to normal.

      Surely some sort of self-recrimination should hit her now. She braced for it.

      But nothing happened.

      No worries, no rebuke. In fact, Rachel felt great. She stretched her arms above her, loving the languid laziness assailing her.

      Riley lifted his head, his gray eyes meeting hers. “Ready for more?” he asked.

      “So soon?”

      He smiled. “I have nine months to make up for.”

      “You were only deployed for six,” she reminded him.

      “Yeah, but I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you,” he told her. That was about nine months ago.

      Then the doubt slammed her.

       3

      RILEY WOULD HAVE LAUGHED at the shocked expression on Rachel’s face if he hadn’t been so surprised by his own admission. Instead he sneaked a quick kiss on her sweet mouth. It invited another. And another.

      He could kiss this woman all damn day. So many things to explore.

      The sexy fullness of her lower lip.

      The scent of honeysuckle that still lingered in her hair.

      The way her so, so soft skin warmed beneath the barest touch of his fingertips.

      Yet he’d only sampled a hint. There was way more to be discovered about Rachel. And Riley wanted to learn it all.

      Except he hadn’t eaten in hours. As much as he hated to leave his bed, and the sexy woman snuggled next to him, they had to do something about food.

      “Ready for those steaks?” he asked against her lips.

      He felt her tense beside him. Rachel’s eyelids flew open. There was something about her green eyes that got to him. He’d felt it at that initial SEAL speed dating night.

      She didn’t see him. She saw through him.

      And that was the reason he’d avoided her even though he wanted her like crazy. Every time a woman attempted to delve beneath the surface, what he allowed her to see, she was always disappointed.

      Because there wasn’t much. That old adage of what you see is what you get could have been dedicated to him. He liked it that way. Eliminated any complications. Apart from that twinge in the gut he felt when he clued in to a woman’s disappointment when she realized she wasn’t getting much more.

      That’s why there was something comforting about dating the superficial and shallow. Quick smiles and good times. Riley didn’t need a person scrutinizing him. Making him feel exposed.

      SEALs respected another man’s boundaries. As long as a man did his job on his Team, no one bothered him. Certainly none of his friends gave a shit about his feelings.

      That was the thing about soldiers … they liked their armor.

      But Rachel was the kind of woman who’d want to learn things about him. Understand him. Hell, he didn’t even want to know himself. Look at him—less than an hour with her and he was already thinking deeply.

       Must be lack of food.

      With a more forceful kiss to her lips he then jumped out of bed in search of his shirt. He found it crumpled on the floor, and smiled at the memory of Rachel Sutherland ripping it off his body. Rachel. Yeah, even sporting the small scratches on his back, he still found it hard to believe she was the person who gave him a great welcome home. Before his deployment, the woman had barely noticed him.

      Naked, he walked to the dresser and pulled out some clothes. Forget his uniform, he only wanted to wear shorts and a T-shirt anyway. After buttoning up his shorts he turned to find Rachel leaning against the headboard, the sheet pulled tight over her breasts.

      Even that was sexy.

      Her long blond hair was a mess, and he was tempted by the overwhelming urge to sink his fingers into the softness and send his T-shirt to the floor to join his uniform.

      Then his stomach growled. Food first. He’d need it for tonight. His night with Rachel. Riley glanced back her way, wanting to catch her tugging her shirt into place or sliding her skirt up her legs. There was something very sexy about watching a woman dress, knowing he’d be doing the undressing later.

      Rachel still rested against the pillows. If anything, that sheet was tighter across her body. Had she gone shy on him? Women were known to do that. Some mixed up signals they’d gotten along the way about men thinking they were only good for bedroom acrobatics. He’d have to remember to mention she was smart later.

      “You planning on going to the grocery store in just the sheet? Not that I’d mind, but the other customers might be a little shocked.”

      She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Actually, I was thinking I would head back to The Sutherland. I’ve probably given Nate and Hailey enough time alone.”

      Riley made a scoffing noise. “I don’t think a month would be enough time for those two. I was thinking we’d at least give them the weekend.”

      “Oh,” she said, and the sheet slackened.

      Not enough.

      Then she smiled at him. A slow warm smile just for him. For a moment, he had trouble breathing.

      A genuine smile from this woman was rare. Riley knew … he’d watched her long enough during the SEAL date nights. He’d sneak a peek, fascinated, as she outlined expectations of the men’s behavior. Rachel didn’t take any guff from the sailors clomping through the Tea Room. She didn’t care they were SEALs, they were going to follow her rules. And they’d respected those rules of hers to the letter.

      But he’d also caught the easy grin she’d give a man down on his luck, and then steer him toward a beer, a meal in the dining room or a particular woman taking advantage of The Sutherland’s SEAL night. But she’d never turned that smile