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  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t have any condoms.” Jon pulled back.

  Reaching out, Ali fisted the fabric of his T-shirt to keep him right where he was. “I do.”

  “Do you?” Hovering close, he looked as much amused as surprised.

  “There was a bridal shower for a girl at work last week. The party favors were condoms.”

  “I’m very happy to hear that.” Smiling, he closed the small distance and Ali anticipated the first taste of his kiss.

  Chapter Five

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  The man kissed like he seemed to do everything—with enthusiastic perfection.

  Ali tried to speculate that it was his strong work ethic combined with an overt alpha male competitive nature that drove Jon to excel. That was better than thinking his skill at kissing had been achieved through years of practice on hundreds of women.

  It was easy to believe Jon was a perfectionist. Even today when Darci had not so subtly singled out Ali and Jon to husk the corn for dinner Jon had gone above and beyond, not leaving even one strand of silk on any ear. Then, quick and efficient, he’d cleaned up their work area and dispatched with the garbage, carrying it all the way out to the trash bin. Anyone walking through the kitchen would have never known they’d husked a dozen ears of corn moments before.

  She could certainly appreciate a job well done, especially when it entailed a good and thorough kiss. With full body participation on his part, Jon treated Ali to just that. He captured and held her tightly with both hands. One large palm wrapped around her neck to cradle the base of her head, while the other clasped her hip as he pressed close.

  A low groan of satisfaction rumbled from within his chest as he tipped his head and breached her lips with his tongue, deepening the kiss. One thigh moved farther between hers, causing a delicious friction in a region she’d too long ignored. Her own sound of satisfaction mimicked his.

  Jon drew in a sharp breath in response and pulled back, breaking the kiss. “Bedroom?” He asked the one-word question from just inches away from her face.

  She could see his blue eyes narrowed with need. Could feel the warmth of his breath brush her lips.

  Swallowing hard, Ali managed a small nod. Lightheaded, she felt as if she had to try to remember to breathe or she’d pass out. Of course if she did, Jon was big and strong enough to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom.

  Deep in her Scarlett and Rhett fantasy, she had to work to not be disappointed when Jon grabbed her hand instead of sweeping her into his arms. He glanced expectantly at the selection of doors and she realized he didn’t know which one led to the bedroom.

  Good thing she’d lived there for a few years or she might have had trouble remembering where the room was herself. Taking a man she’d just met to bed was proving nerve wracking. Or maybe it was just the sex hormones flooding her bloodstream that made her woozy.

  Feeling awkward, she led him by the hand to her bedroom. It would have definitely been easier if he’d swooped her up in his arms, tossed her onto the bed, and ravished her. Ali hated having to take the lead.

  Thank goodness once they were actually in the room and she’d flipped on the light switch he took over, stepping close again. Towering over her, he gazed down at his hand as he pushed the straps of both her sundress and bra over the crest of her shoulder. He trailed one fingertip over her heated skin.

  “You got some sun today. You should have been wearing sunscreen.” Bending low, he moved his mouth over the path his finger had taken.

  That stole the reply she’d been about to make about how she had put on sunscreen before she’d left the house but it had been a long day out in the sun.

  That’s what she would have told him, if she could have gotten her brain to function. He continued slowly exposing her, pushing the neckline of the dress as well as the cup of her bra lower until the heat of his mouth covered the peak of her breast.

  Tipping her head back, Ali let her eyelids drift shut as a shudder ran through her. She felt the bulge of his muscles beneath her hands as she grasped onto his biceps, partly because she couldn’t stand not touching him and partly because she was feeling a little unsteady and needed something to hold on to.

  Electric shocks of pleasure zinged through her as he worked her nipple with his mouth. His hands didn’t remain idle. True to form, the man was an overachiever. He traversed the rest of her body with big flat palms that seemed made to cradle her curves. He moved to cup the swell of her behind.

  Cool air struck her flesh as he bunched the fabric of her dress and her lacey boy short-cut panties—a skimpy indulgence compared to the practical cotton underwear she usually bought—were exposed.

  Ali had spent most of her adult life being dissatisfied with her body. Even so, she’d happily be naked with this man, pressed skin to skin. His hard-bodied, SEAL-worthy physical excellence should have been intimidating. Instead it only made her want to rub against him like a cat would. She might even purr, if given the chance.

  He pushed the hem of her dress higher until he settled his hands at her waist and she realized that fantasy had a very good chance of becoming reality and soon.

  Holding the dress out of the way with his left hand, his right hand moved around to her belly. She tightened her muscles, holding her stomach in and trying to make it as flat as possible, but he didn’t remain there. As he moved to tease her neck with his mouth, he snaked his hand down and beneath the top band of her underwear, then down farther.

  She drew in a sharp breath as his fingers reached their goal and pressed against the nerve endings that craved attention. Her reaction made him smile. She felt it against her throat before he moved up her neck toward her ear. That, in combination with the motion of his fingers teasing her closer to orgasm, was beginning to make her weak in the knees.

  Much more of this and she’d fall right off her new cork wedge-heeled sandals. As if sensing her unsteadiness, Jon supported her with one splayed palm flat against her back. With his hand braced low, near the base of her spine, he held her firm and close—not that she had any intention of going anywhere. Not with what was going to be one hell of a climax hovering just out of reach.

  Her breath came faster, in gasps tinged with tiny sounds she couldn’t control. When he drew her earlobe between his teeth and groaned, the orgasm broke, sending waves of pleasure pulsing through her. The heat of his mouth against her ear pushed her to another level of need. One that would only be satisfied by having him completely.

  When she could breathe again, she said, “Bed.”

  Jon’s gaze shot toward the bed and let out a short breathy laugh as he pulled his hand out of her underwear. “My thoughts exactly. Those condoms nearby?”

  Still not standing all that steady, Ali maintained her grip on his arms. He didn’t seem to mind. She sure as hell didn’t. “In the nightstand drawer.”

  “Mmm. Perfect.” He glanced down at her dress. “I want you naked.”

  The words sent her heart fluttering. “Okay. You too.”

  “Not a problem.” He grinned as he tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the dresser. As Ali feasted on the view of the bare chest she’d fantasized about for most of the day, Jon reached for his belt. “Memories of tonight are going to have to last me a very long time. I’m not letting anything get in my way.”

  The intensity of that promise had her hands shaking as she reached behind her to unzip the dress. Jon paused in unbuttoning his shorts to turn her around.

  Her back to him, Ali felt the mass of his body behind her, the motion of his big capable hands maneuvering the tiny tab of the zipper slowly down, loosening the fabric until it fell away from her body.

  It all combined to twist her overwhelming need to have him. All of him.

  Her dress hit the floor with a soft rustle and she stood before him in nothing but her good lace underwear and her not so nice everyday-wear bra. She could only hope he was too distracted to notice that small detail. She also vowed to go sh
opping immediately for nicer undergarments now that it seemed she was indeed the one-night stand type.

  His touch set her on fire as he unhooked her bra clasp. She sloughed off the offending bra as he ran his rough palms down her sides to settle on her hips. He leaned low and nuzzled her neck while the heat of the skin of his chest pressed against her back.

  These were the kind of things dreams were made of. Ali realized there was no way she was going to let herself feel bad about giving in to her desire for this man. Maybe she’d feel the full weight of her decision tomorrow or the next day, or in a week or a month after he’d deployed, but not now.

  “Get on the bed.” His words, spoken low and close to her ear, set her heart racing at a new level. Jon dropped his hold on her. She missed his touch—both steadying and unnerving at the same time—but turned to watch him finish getting undressed.

  Blindly, she moved toward the bed, her eyes on him the entire time as he kicked off his deck shoes and pushed his shorts down his thick thighs. Then his boxer briefs followed and the erection that she’d seen outlined by the cotton before was bared to view.

  Ali crashed into the edge of the bed. She reached out to catch herself, landing on her hands rather than her face, which made the clumsy move slightly less embarrassing. With such a distraction in the room, it was no wonder she couldn’t even manage to walk. She pushed up to right herself, but he was behind her in a flash.

  “No. Stay just like this.” He prompted her to stay in her current position with the touch of one hand against her back.

  Standing while she bent over the edge of the mattress, Jon hooked his fingers beneath her underwear and tugged them all the way down her legs.

  When they were around her high platform heels, she stepped out of them, noting he made no move to take her sandals off. He did however take advantage of her position by bending low and laving her entrance with his tongue, plunging it inside her channel.

  She was happy she was leaning on the mattress as his tongue moved to tease her more and her knees weakened.

  Then, he pulled away. “This drawer here?”

  Ali swallowed as he asked about the condoms and the reality of this crazy encounter felt even more real. Still, she answered, “Yes.”

  The fact the rubbers were colored and fruit-flavored and had cutesy little stickers with the bride and groom’s names on them seemed extra ridiculous in her current situation, but he didn’t comment. He suited up fast and was back behind her, hands braced on her hips in what seemed like seconds.

  Then what she’d been imagining—his plunging inside her—was no longer just in her imagination. She heard his hissed intake of breath as he pushed deep. He held there for a moment, not moving, possibly not breathing, before he set a steady rhythm.

  When she’d been expecting for him to let loose, had expected him to move hard and fast, he did the opposite. Jon moved slow and steady, taking her thoroughly and with intent. She’d never been a huge fan of this particular position, but she had to begin to reevaluate that opinion. Jon seemed to hit just the right spot with every downward stroke, before pulling back in an agonizingly slow dance that sent tingles up her spine.

  She didn’t want to interfere with his cadence but soon found herself rocking back against him. The result was his motion speeding, but Ali had nothing to complain about as the sensations rocketing through her increased.

  They were coming closer to the crescendo with every stroke, but she didn’t want it to end.

  With every fiber of her being she knew he would get dressed and leave her the moment he was finished. Instinct told her Jon was not the kind of man who snuggled and spooned after sex. She wished he were.

  Breathing hard, he pushed in deep and held and she waited for it to end, but it didn’t. Jon wrapped his arms around her and then reached low. One press of his finger on just the right spot had her hips tipping forward to push harder against his touch.

  Leaning against her back, he laid his cheek against her hair. “Come with me.”

  “I don’t know if I—”

  “Try.”

  Something about him made her want to please him, to do exactly as he asked, and the way he worked her with his hand while gently rocking inside her made it easy to comply. She gyrated in time with his motion as her muscles bore down and the feeling of impending release built inside her.

  As her mouth opened so she could draw deeper breaths, he groaned behind her. “Yes.”

  The intensity of that single word spoken close pushed her over the edge. He pumped hard and fast and followed right after. They came together with her clasped tightly in his arms.

  He stayed like that, his weight crushing her into the mattress, them both fighting to recover their breath. She didn’t know how long the moment lasted. Not long enough was the only thing she was sure of when he untangled his arms, braced against the mattress and pushed off her.

  Ali lifted her head in time to see him pad, naked and gorgeous, across the carpeted floor toward the bathroom door. She’d expected to see his hot tight little butt cheeks, and she wasn’t at all surprised by the wide expanse of his back muscles that narrowed to his waist. What was a shock was the tattooed set of angel wings that covered the skin from his shoulders nearly all the way down to the dimples on his lower back.

  She wanted to ask him about them. Wanted to trace the ink with her finger as he stretched out nude next to her in bed. Craved him over her, inside her, while she raked her nails down his back. Instead, she decided to cover up her own nakedness.

  What to put on was the question. Not her clothes from that day. It was late enough she could put on her pajamas, but that might look as if she assumed he would crawl into bed with her for the night, which she had a feeling could force him out the door even more quickly.

  Deciding that a T-shirt and the shorts made out of sweatpants material that she wore on the treadmill would look comfortable and casual without setting any expectations, she yanked open drawers and pulled the items on. One glance in the mirror told her that her hair was a mess. She tugged at the elastic band holding it up and it tumbled to her shoulders. She fluffed it as best she could, turning just as Jon emerged from the bathroom.

  For a loss at what to talk about after what she’d just done with a man she didn’t know all that much about, she said, “Nice tattoo.”

  “Thanks.” A crooked grin tipped up the corner of his mouth. “Just don’t let it fool you. I’m no angel.”

  “I wouldn’t assume that for a moment.” She forced a smile as she stood awkwardly next to the dresser while he bent to retrieve his underwear.

  When he reached for his shorts next, she was pretty sure he was leaving. They’d already gotten what they’d both wanted. She had work in the morning. He probably had some SEAL duties early too. Why would he stay?

  All of those good reasons still didn’t make her wish he would stay any less, proving she wasn’t wired to do one-night stands. She was an all-or-nothing kind of gal. Given Jon’s profession and imminent deployment it was clear that if those were the only two choices she was going to end up with nothing.

  But like he’d said, at least they had the memories. His to keep him occupied during what she assumed would be a long sexless deployment. Hers to console herself with during her own lonely nights.

  While she’d pondered the situation, he’d finished getting dressed. He glanced her direction as he slid the end of his belt through the buckle. “Walk me to the door?”

  With her heart pounding harder at the thought of saying goodbye than it had before their sexual encounter, Ali forced herself to sound casual as she said, “Sure.”

  He led the way back to the front door, glancing at the back of the house along the way. “About that back entrance . . . If you go to the hardware store and pick up a chain, you can install it pretty easily yourself. Or call Rick. I’m sure he’d help you.”

  This was the kind of talk she could get from the guy working at the hardware store. It wasn’t what she wanted during th
e last moments she would spend with the man who’d just been inside her.

  Though it was sweet that he was concerned for her safety. “Okay. Thanks.”

  Jon turned to face her fully. “I’m going to be gone very soon and for a long time.”

  She read between the lines. He was telling her not to expect a post-coital phone call before he left. “I know.”

  “It’s fighting season over there. I can’t afford to be distracted.”

  And now he was saying, in his roundabout way, for her not to expect an email or letter while he was gone either. “I understand.”

  “And even when I’m home, the schedule, the hours, the demands are insane. It’s the kind of shit that breaks up marriages.”

  Jeez. She got it. Most men would probably just say goodbye and disappear. She didn’t know if she respected him more or less after this run of preemptive excuses.

  “Jon, I knew what I was getting into when I invited you in.” She managed a smile and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “I mean, before you broke in.”

  He didn’t laugh, but instead shook his head. He surprised her when he reached up and cupped her face with both palms. His gaze was intense as it met and held hers. “I’m screwing this up badly. What I’m trying to say is, Ali, you’re the kind of woman who could easily be a distraction if I let you.”

  That wasn’t what she’d expected. She managed to say, “Oh.”

  “If I want to come home alive, I can’t let you.” His words as much as his touch sent a flood of warmth through her heart, just when she should be locking that organ down tight before it got broken by this man who was telling her he was going away and she’d never hear from him again.

  His lips covered hers before she was forced to come up with a response she didn’t have, and she was relieved.

  Getting lost in his kiss was too easy considering this was goodbye forever. She tried to memorize every nuance of this last moment they’d have together. The feel of his hands on her. The intensity of his tongue plunging against hers. Even the rough scrape of his stubble against the skin surrounding her lips.