Page 19 of Let It Burn (The Barrington Billionaires 4)
She placed her hand over his mouth. “Do you have another condom with you?”
He studied her face. “I thought you might need to talk.”
She shook her head. “Do you?”
A lusty smile spread across his face. “No, I don’t.” He rolled so she was sprawled on top of him. “I am officially shutting up.”
Andrew woke to Helene cuddling close to him and caressing his chest lightly. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing deep and steady. They’d made love twice, the second time had been less hurried and had left them both sated and sleepy. If she wanted to explore him as he slept, he didn’t mind one bit. In fact, it was a pleasure beyond what he’d experienced with other women. Somehow, despite the insanity of how they’d come together, it felt right to have her at his side. He couldn’t explain it, nor did he want to try. All he wanted was to continue to feel her hands stroke him, anywhere and everywhere she wanted. He groaned as he imagined them wrapped around his cock again.
“Andrew?” Her hand stilled.
He didn’t budge.
“Mr. Muscles, are you awake?” she asked, and he couldn’t help it, he smiled. Was that her secret nickname for him? If so, he approved.
He rolled over so his upper half was above her. “Guilty as charged.” He took a moment to soak in the simple beauty of her before kissing her briefly. The desire he’d felt for her the night before was still there, but their connection felt deeper. He was used to waking to a woman in his bed. He’d liked some enough to let them stay as long as they pleased. He’d never been the type to throw a woman out, and had never needed to. Women who chose to be with him had always understood he wasn’t the type to stay. There’d always been another deployment looming that brought all of his relationships to a natural end. His partners hadn’t asked him for more, and he hadn’t offered it. Promises were for people who believed in them, and he’d stopped promising a long time ago. His father’s lack of fidelity had shaped his view of committed relationships. Beyond the Corps, he didn’t put much faith in anything or anyone. Losing Lofton and the others had shaken even that.
The thing about Helene, the most terrifying part of being with her, was how easy it would be to believe in her. The sex had been phenomenal, but he wanted more from her. He wanted to be the one to protect her, the one to make her smile. He wanted to walk away from everything that was wrong with his life and lose himself in the goodness of hers.
She traced a small scar on his chin. “What were you going to tell me earlier?”
He ran his hand through her hair. “When?”
“You’d started to say something about when we get to Florida.”
He tapped her nose lightly. “You mean just before you told me to shut up?”
She blushed. “Yes.”
He loved the blush, loved that she could flip from brazen to sweet so quickly. “I was probably going to say some stupid shit I hoped would make you feel better about this.”
She looked up at him intently. “You don’t have to. I’m okay.”
“Okay?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sixteen with expectations that this means anything. We both went through an emotional day. Two healthy adults in their prime. It was natural for us to find comfort in each other.”
He frowned, not liking how easily she dismissed the time they’d spent bringing each other pleasure. “So, you would be perfectly okay if we parted ways when we land in Tampa?”
She tensed beneath him, but said, “Yes. I know you said you’d stay with me until you were sure I’m safe, but I will be as soon as I’m back with my family. You don’t have to meet them unless you want to.”
“I’m meeting your parents,” he said firmly.
She gave him a curious look. “You can. I just didn’t want you to think you have to.”
He wanted to shake her and tell her that she’d just given him her virginity; she had a right to have expectations. It had meant something to him, and he wanted to believe it meant something to her. His reaction took him by surprise. He sat up and looped his arms around his knees. “I’m definitely meeting your parents.”
His tone seemed to make her uncomfortable. She pulled a sheet up to cover herself. “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want you to.”
His jaw went slack, and he stared down at her in surprise. He had never been the man a woman was embarrassed to bring home. Hell, he and his brothers were consistently featured in magazine lists of the world’s most eligible bachelors. “Why the hell not?”
She held the sheet to her chest. “You and I . . . all of this . . . I understand that it isn’t going anywhere, but my parents will start hearing wedding bells just because I’ve never brought a man home before. I’m confused enough without trying to explain you to them.” She smiled and joked, “Although they might be relieved to know I finally had sex with someone besides myself.”
He didn’t laugh and her smile turned pained. He liked her joking about their intimacy even less than he’d liked her dismissing it.
They looked at each other in an awkward standoff until she said, “I hate it when you do that.”
“What?”
“Stare at me instead of sharing what you’re thinking. Whatever it is, isn’t it better to say it than keep it in?”
“Not in my experience.” Her philosophy was the polar opposite of how his family had always functioned. Most thoughts, especially those that might be controversial in any way, had always been kept silent. In his personal life, as well as his chosen profession, he was used to being told that his feelings came second to the good of the whole. “When it comes to what I actually think about most things, I do better if I keep my mouth shut.”
She moved to a sitting position, still holding the sheet to her chest. “Now that surprises me.”
“Why? Because I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve killed? There’s no talking involved in taking someone out from a thousand yards away.”
Her eyes rounded. “I was going to say because you come from a family of influence.”
He groaned. What a dumbass thing to say. She finally thinks I’m not dangerous and I say shit like that? He cursed himself for giving in to the temptation to test her reaction.
She was silent for a moment then said, “Do you really not know how many people you’ve killed?”
He met her eyes. “I know exactly how many. It’s not something a person forgets. I remember every face, every fall. I’m haunted by when I did it well and when inaccuracy made them suffer. I tell myself each was necessary, but how the hell do I know? They often don’t say why. You have to trust they would only send you in if there was no other choice.”
She laid a hand on his back. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head in self-disgust. “That’s why I keep most thoughts to myself.”
She shifted closer and rested her head on his shoulder. “You don’t have to with me. I realize it’s not the same, but running a rescue has made me familiar with the underbelly of humanity. Just like not every animal can be saved, not every person can be reasoned with. I’ve never taken a life, but I know what it’s like to stand between the defenseless and a monster who would hurt it for no other reason than they can. Monsters exists, but you’re not one, Andrew. You did what you did to defend our country. That doesn’t make you a monster, it makes you a hero.”
He turned and pulled her into his arms. “Not everyone would agree with you.”
“Who gives a shit about them?” sh
e asked, wrapping her arms around him.
He chuckled. This. This is what I’ve never had. An . . . equal. Someone who urged him to talk and then listened when he did. Someone the truth didn’t scare. It was refreshing to be with her, refreshing to be himself. He sobered. “I want to meet your parents, Helene. You can tell them anything you want about us. I’ve never been a flowers and poetry kind of guy, but I need to say something. Maybe this ends in a day or a week. I don’t know. All I know is I’m not ready for it to end now.”
“I’m not either.” She dropped the sheet and moved so she was in front of him, straddling his legs. She placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward to kiss him. Her excited nipples brushed over his chest as her wet sex slid over his quickly hardening shaft. He checked the clock beside the bed. They still had time before they reached Tampa.
Good.
He didn’t have another condom, but there were other ways they could please each other. A Marine was always prepared to adapt, improvise, and overcome. He lifted her so she was on her feet, straddled before his face, and began to happily improvise.
Chapter Eleven
It was late the next morning by the time Helene and Andrew drove their rental car down a long dirt road that led to the chain-link gate of the Free Again Rescue and Sanctuary. Helene told Andrew the code and the gate swung open for them.
She wasn’t surprised to see both her parents sitting on the porch waiting for them. She’d called them soon after the plane had landed and had been vague about the reason for her return. They sounded worried until she said she had someone with her who she wanted to introduce to them.
“Is it a man?” her mother had asked, her pitch rising with excitement.
“Yes,” Helene had said, grateful at the time that Andrew had stepped away to make a few calls of his own.
“I told you, Art,” her mother had said. “I told you she would meet someone. She just had to get out there in the world.”
She’d heard her father say, “Put her on speakerphone. Who is this guy, Helene? Why is this the first we hear of him?”
