She wasn’t afraid. She knew he would never hurt her. No, she knew just the opposite was true. She’d hurt him. But she wanted this night. Wanted it more than anything in the world. Wanted to erase the awful events of that long-ago day when her entire world had been turned upside-down.
Manny returned carrying a bedspread and several pillows. She gestured to the floor in front of the fire. The carpet was soft, plush. They could make do with just the blanket for padding.
He knelt down and spread out the covers then arranged the pillows so their bodies would parallel the fire. He stretched out on his side and propped his elbow on the floor. Then he patted the space beside him.
She went to him without hesitation, nestling her back to his chest so she could face the fire. His hand rested on the curve of her shoulder, and he bent to kiss her neck as she had done to him earlier.
Goose bumps spread out over her arms and neck as desire warmed places of her heart long left cold.
She closed her eyes as his hand moved to her waist and over her hip. His lips followed. He was achingly gentle, each touch feather light, yet she felt each one to her core.
She rotated around until she faced him, sure uncertainty was carved on her face. With a shaking hand, she reached out to touch his cheek. He captured her fingers in his much larger hand and pressed the tips to his mouth, kissing them one by one.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve dreamed of this moment?” he asked. “Holding you in my arms, knowing you were mine to love.”
“Don’t let me go,” she whispered.
“Never.”
He rolled her over, his hand going behind her head to cushion her. He held himself over her, staring down at her. “I won’t hurt you, Jules. I’ll never hurt you.”
“I know.”
And she did know.
He tugged at her shirt, loosening it from her jeans. His palm slid over her abdomen, pushing the shirt upwards, over her breasts. He bent and pressed his mouth to the bruises on her ribcage, kissing the hurt with such exquisite tenderness her throat swelled and ached with unspent emotion.
She closed her eyes as he worked the shirt over her head and tugged it free of her arms. Slow heat worked its way over her body when his fingers drifted down to her pants.
He rose up, his hand falling away from her waist. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. Lord, he was so big, his chest broad, showcasing muscular arms. He was every inch the warrior. The protector of the innocent.
Only she wasn’t innocent.
A shadow hovered over her as the unwanted thought drifted through her mind. Manny must have sensed her dismay and lowered himself, collecting her in his arms.
Flesh met flesh. She delighted in the feel of their naked bodies melting together. He was hard to her softness, strength to her weakness. For the space of a few minutes, she felt so incredibly safe. Cherished.
She didn’t want to let go of this moment. She might never have this again, and she wanted it to go on and on.
She raised her lips to meet his, fusing their mouths like molten liquid. She released all the pent-up longing, all her childlike fantasies and her womanly desires.
He returned her frantic kisses, swallowing her sighs of pleasure. His hand gripped her hip, cupping her to the hardness still trapped by his jeans. She felt the scratch of denim as her legs moved with restless abandon.
“Take them off,” she whispered.
He pulled from her long enough to shimmy his jeans down and kick them away. He turned his gaze back to her, and she shivered at the intensity in his eyes.
“You’re beautiful, Jules. More beautiful than ever.”
She smiled half in amusement, half in self-conscious discomfort. She’d never looked worse, but she imagined he thought she looked beautiful because he hadn’t seen her in so long. She understood. He had never looked more beautiful to her than in this moment. Naked next to her in front of the fire.
He began at her navel, kissing lightly, raining a trail of fire from her abdomen to her breasts. She sucked in her breath when his tongue swirled around first one nipple then the other. She closed her eyes and groaned aloud when he finally pulled one into his mouth.
An unbearable need blossomed in her stomach and spread to her groin. One only he could sate. Gone was the terror and shame of long ago. This was a man she had waited forever for.
His hand parted her thighs, and he stroked soothingly over her tender flesh. His fingers performed magic, and she began to move beneath him, wanting more.
He kissed her again, his tongue delving deep into her mouth, staking his claim.
“Are you all right?”
She didn’t trust herself to speak so she nodded. His fingers pushed her hair from her forehead, tucking it behind her ears. He looked at her with such love and acceptance, she wanted to cry. How would he look at her when he learned of her betrayal?
Her breath came out in a shaky jerk.
Manny’s gaze softened even more.
“Don’t be afraid, baby. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”
She didn’t correct his assumption. She couldn’t.
He kissed her lightly, tenderly, and the aching in her heart increased tenfold.
She reached out to touch his chest, her fingertips glancing over the hard muscles and light smattering of hair. He rolled onto his back, coaxed by her hands. She followed him, eager to explore more of his body.
He groaned. “I’ve dreamed of you touching me.”
Encouraged by his response, she followed her fingers with her lips. She inhaled deeply, letting his scent envelop her senses. His taste danced a slow waltz on her tongue, warm and comforting.
She paused for a moment when she saw the evidence of his arousal. Hard and erect, yet when she touched it, it felt satiny and smooth.
“God, Jules.”
His voice came out tortured, ragged.
She smiled, enjoying her power over him. She bent to kiss him there, but he caught her shoulders.
“Don’t, baby. I won’t last if you do.”
He pulled her up his body until her head was even with his again. Then he rotated over her, his length covering hers. He supported himself with his hands so his weight didn’t crush her, but she felt every inch of him.
For a long moment he simply stared down at her, his gaze stroking over her flesh just as his hands had done just seconds ago.
“I love you.”
She stared at him in shock, too overwhelmed to respond, her heart nearly bursting from her chest.
And still he stared as if willing her to accept the words. His eyes were dark with emotion. Love. She couldn’t deny it. She didn’t want to. He loved her.
He waited silently, allowing her time to absorb his confession, to accept that he wasn’t simply going to have sex with her. Her chest tightened, painful with each breath she tried to let loose.
She lifted her hand to cup his cheek and then smoothed her thumb over the lines under his eyes, over his cheekbone and then down to his jaw. She wanted so much to tell him she loved him. Adored him. Always had. But it seemed the ultimate betrayal when she planned to turn her back on the love he offered so unconditionally.
But she could show him.
Her hands wandered down his body, over his broad shoulders and then to his chest, coming together in the hollow where she could feel the steady beat of his heart.
“Show me,” she finally said. It was all she could say.
He closed his eyes and when he reopened them, they were bright with desire. Worry for her. And love. So much love that she felt it wrap around her and invade her soul.
He nudged her legs apart with his thigh and settled his heavy erection against her opening. She hooked her ankles around his waist, encouraging him, wanting him.
He closed his eyes again and the muscles in his neck strained and bulged as he began to slowly ease his way into her body. He was so exquisitely tender, so reverent that her eyelids burned with unshed tears. Didn’t
he know that she trusted him? That she knew he’d never hurt her?
She wrapped her arms around him, wanting him closer, wanting the security of his big body so close to hers. And she hung on, burying her face in his neck, her eyes squeezed shut against the emotion building in her heart.
“I love you,” he said again, as if he knew just how much she needed to hear the words.
He slid his arms underneath her, gathering her as closely as she held him. Their bodies were meshed so tight that there was no space between them, no point of separation. They moved as one, finding their rhythm as he stroked in and out of her in long, tender thrusts.
At intervals, he paused and kissed her hair, her temple, her cheek, any part of her he could reach with his mouth. Her heart melted a little more because she knew how close he was to his release and yet he waited for her, wanting her to be with him.
And then he’d begin again, driving her mindless, bringing her ever closer to something she wasn’t sure of. But she wanted it. She wanted it more than anything.
She twisted restlessly and then arched her body up, but he quieted her with a hand to her hip.
“We’ve got all night, baby. No hurry. Just us enjoying each other. Let me love you like you deserve to be loved.”
She sighed and relaxed, willing to let him take over.
“That’s it,” he murmured.
He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. Long, hot, breathless kisses that left her panting. He ravaged her mouth and then moved down her jaw to her neck, marking her, claiming her. Telling her without words that she was his.
He moved down to kiss her breasts and when he slid from her body, she felt the loss and reached to pull him back, but again he put out a gentle hand to stop her.
“Relax. I’ve waited a long time to be able to see you this way. I’m going to take my time.”
She sighed again and stared down as his dark head lowered to her nipples. He sucked and toyed with each one in turn and then caressed the small mounds, holding them for his eager lips.
He hadn’t lied. He licked and nibbled until she was nearly crazy with desire. And when he finally lifted his head away, she thought he’d finally push back inside her again, but he moved further down her body until he was positioned between her thighs, his shoulders holding her open for him.
Tiny little shivers quaked over her skin when his mouth touched her most intimate flesh. She closed her eyes, helpless against the onslaught of such pleasure. Her fingers curled into tight balls at her sides. Her knees shook. Her legs quivered and went limp as he coaxed her higher and higher.
He kissed and sucked gently. The long swipes of his tongue made her crazy with wanting. She arched, her muscles tightening as her release built. She was so close. So very close. One more… Just one more touch…
His mouth left her and he crawled back up her body, his eyes blazing with a fierceness that made her tremble. He slid back into her in one long thrust. Their hips met and he held himself deep. Then he began to move, his pace more urgent than before. His face was tight with strain—strain she felt in every part of her body.
She wrapped herself around him, molding her body to his, holding on like she’d never let go. His mouth pressed against her ear and his ragged breaths spilled down her neck. Then she closed her eyes and let out a small cry as the world shattered and blurred around her.
He was close behind her. The moment she peaked, he let out a groan of his own and buried his face in her neck. His hips pumped against hers and then he went rigid over her, his muscles bulging underneath her fingertips.
Even as they melted into the covers beneath them, he kept himself deep inside her.
Gradually her body relaxed, the series of quakes lulling, leaving her drained, but still she held on to Manny.
His hand stroked soothingly over her hair. He murmured in her ear. Words of love and approval that she soaked in like someone starving for water.
He rolled to his side, still holding her in his arms.
She burrowed deeper into his embrace, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. For tonight she wouldn’t worry about tomorrow or what she must do. Tonight she lay in the arms of a man who loved her, and whom she loved with everything she possessed.
Chapter Seventeen
Dawn crept through the windows, bathing the living room in pale light. Manuel rubbed his eyes then raised his arm to glance at his watch.
Jules lay next to him, curled trustingly against his chest. Unable to help it, he put his arm back over her and pulled her even closer. She stirred but snuggled further into his embrace and stayed asleep.
A rush of satisfaction more powerful than he’d ever experienced surged through his veins. He bent his head to nuzzle her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. He rubbed his lips over her softness, kissing her gently enough not to awaken her.
He couldn’t remember ever being this happy, not in the last three years, for sure. As soon as the thought hit him, he grimaced. There was nothing to be happy about in their present circumstances.
They couldn’t simply ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. No hope of a picket fence and a normal existence. She was a terrorist, and he was in the CIA’s premiere counter-terrorism unit. If his superiors found out about Jules, his ass was cooked and so was hers.
It was enough to make him want to take Jules and run as far as they could, away from the CIA, away from the NFR. But he wasn’t a coward, and there were too many unanswered questions. With Tony’s help, he hoped to get some answers.
He slipped his other arm from beneath Jules and gently eased away from her. He held his breath as she stirred once more, and let it out in relief when she didn’t wake.
He needed coffee, and he needed to call Tony. He pulled on his jeans, leaving his shirt on the floor. A quick check of his pocket found the cell phone still there. A second later, the phone rang.
Manuel looked down to see it was Sanderson. Anxiety churned in his gut. Would it be another ultimatum? He briefly considered letting it ring, but if the CIA was coming after him and Jules, he at least needed to know about it.
“Boss man,” Manuel said into the phone. He tried to sound unaffected, but he wasn’t sure he pulled it off.
He heard a long-suffering sigh. “Manuel, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?”
Fuck. He remained silent, waiting for Sanderson to continue.
“I’d love to know why your fingerprints came across my computer courtesy of the Houston P.D.”
“Just a misunderstanding,” Manuel said.
“Look, it’s obvious to me you’re protecting your girl. Damn it, Manuel, you’ve put me in a hell of a predicament. I’ve got the higher-ups breathing down my neck wanting to know what the fuck is going on with a suspected terrorist on the loose.”
Manuel closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, sir.”
“You be careful, Manuel. You’re officially on your own. I’ll do what I can to keep the heat from you, and I’m sure Tony’s doing the same, damn his computer geek hide, but there’s nothing I can do if you’re apprehended, you got me?”
“Thanks,” Manuel said quietly. “I won’t let you down. I’m just trying to figure this mess out. Things aren’t as they appear.”
Sanderson snorted. “That much is obvious. Watch your back, Manuel. Your girl is bringing down a lot of heat.”
The line went dead. He clenched his fist around the cell phone and squashed the urge to fling it across the room.
He needed coffee in the worst way.
As he padded into the kitchen, he wondered in a brief moment of horror if there was a coffeemaker. Tony wouldn’t do that to him, though. He wouldn’t send him to a place that had no coffee.
After scrounging around the cabinets, he located a coffeemaker and a canister of coffee. He sniffed it cautiously, but it didn’t smell stale. Soon the aroma of the heavenly brew filled the kitchen. God, he needed three cups to make up for the last few days.
He was on his second when Jules shuffle
d into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw she had pulled his shirt on. It hung to her knees, but on her it looked adorable.
She looked nervously at him. He set his cup down on the counter