Page 77 of South of Justice

“Is all this for me?” he said, gliding up and down her slickness.

The feel of his blunt fingers working their magic against her clit made her almost speechless with desire, but she managed to contain it long enough to give his chest a little shove. “Hey. It’s been a long time, okay?”

He smirked. “For me too. I almost came when you wrapped your hand around it.”

“Mmm,” she said. His cock was still jutting out above the waistband of his underwear. She gripped it again, massaging the tip with her thumb. “You mean when I did this?”

He sucked in a breath and dropped his head back against the wall. His big hand closed around hers, stopping her from continuing her exploration.

When he looked at her again, his eyes grew serious. “I don’t have a condom.”

She gave a quick shake of her head. She’d had an IUD for years. “It’s okay.”

Climbing off him to kick her pants away, she straddled him again, bracing her hands on his shoulders. He dropped his hands to her hips, angling her so her pussy was pressing right against his cock. They were both panting now, partly in an effort to keep quiet, but they both held their breath as she lowered herself down onto him.

They expelled those breaths simultaneously in a heavy sigh. He leaned forward, wrapping his hands around her lower back and pulling her all the way down onto him.

She gave an involuntary gasp and wrapped her good arm around his neck, pressing the side of her face against his. “Oh my God, Ryan,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Am I hurting you?” he said, right in her ear.

She shook her head, even though he was hurting her, a little. But the pressure felt better than the pain. “You feel incredible.”

His grip on her waist was tight and damp with sweat. “You feel pretty damn incredible yourself.”

She nestled herself closer to him. “I just hope we’re driving tomorrow and not walking.”

He laughed and she could feel the vibration of it in her own chest.

Slowly, she eased herself off him, then back down again as he lifted his hips to meet her. They formed a rhythm, still tightly gripping each other’s bodies, their movements both urgent and steady. He was taking sharp breaths and exhaling slowly, like he was trying to slow himself down.

As she got used to the sensation of him moving inside her, their rhythm picked up pace. His fingers dug into the flesh of her hips, pulling her flush against him, again and again. Her arm was still hooked tightly around his neck, her cheek against his, their bare chests pressed together. She felt so close to him in that moment—this man she barely knew, this man she shouldn’t trust. Somehow, that only made it hotter.

One of his hands slid up her back to grip her braid, and she knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. Neither was she. He was hitting about three different spots inside her, so when she came, it was almost painfully intense. She lifted her hand from around his neck and gripped a handful of his hair and sunk her teeth into his shoulder.

He groaned, his abdomen tensing. Then he released inside her with a shudder that she felt travel through his whole body.

He crushed her against his chest and held her there. She could feel his heart thumping in his chest. Hers was beating just as hard, right against his. Like they were both trying to knock something down in there.

He was still breathing hard, his hand hanging onto her braid like it was a lifeline. Ripples of pleasure continued to spread through her. She hadn’t come that hard in…maybe ever.

They stayed that way for a long time. His arms wrapped tightly around her, her cheek resting against his jaw. His breath washed over the skin of her neck. He smelled like soap and under it, his own warm male scent. That moment felt so perfect, so right, she never wanted it to end. She wanted the rest of the world to just blow away and leave the two of them there like this forever.

FORTY-FOUR

Gates sat alonein the kitchen of the safehouse, the old oscillating fan ticking back and forth above him. The boy was asleep on the couch, and Ryan and Lucía had retreated to the bedroom to… Well, he knew what they were doing, and it wasn’t something he wanted to contemplate.

He’d seen the way Lucía had watched him during the boat ride back. Not with thanks. With calculation. She hadn’t asked him anything directly, but her eyes had.How did you get here so fast? Why did you have supplies ready? Why are you always one step ahead?

He could feel her questions like pinpricks against his back.

Ryan hadn’t said much either, just kept one hand on the kid, the other close to his sidearm. Protective. Guarded. Watching Gates like he was still trying to decide if this was a trap he’d just walked into willingly.

Fine. Let them wonder.

Gates didn’t need their trust. He just needed a little more time.

He turned his attention back to the device in his lap—a matte-black satellite communicator, smaller than a paperbackand far more dangerous. The screen glowed faintly, casting green light across his face. He typed without hesitation, fingers quick and efficient.