Free Just This Once, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge #3) by J.H. Croix Page A

muscles under her touch. Lacing her fingers into his hair, she tugged his mouth to hers, pausing when his lips were a fraction away from hers.
    “Now,” she whispered.
    She curled her legs around his hips and arched against him. His breath hissed through his teeth before he surged into her, seating himself deeply. She gasped as he stretched and filled her. He held still for a long moment. She could feel his heart beating against her chest. Slowly, he began to move, setting a rhythm that was absolute. His steady, deep strokes drove her higher and higher until she was arching against him, need twisting her tighter and tighter in its flames.
    Her head tossing back and forth, another climax burst through her, this one deeper and more intense than the last as her channel convulsed around him. She cried out when he surged one last time into her, his body arching taut like a bow before he shuddered against her. He held still, his breath heaving as he rested above her, his weight on his elbows. As her heart rate slowed, he drew away and stood quickly. In the shadowed light, she saw him step into the bathroom and toss his condom in the trash. In seconds, he was lifting the covers and easing down at her side when she rolled out of the way. He tucked the covers around them and drew her against him.
    Becca recalled one of the things she appreciated about Aidan was he didn’t mind quiet. She didn’t have it in her to speak just now. Not while her body hummed from the aftershocks of what just happened and while intimacy feathered its way into her heart as she wondered if she’d miscalculated dangerously. She’d promised herself this would be just once. Now she’d felt what it was like to be close to Aidan, to taste what it was like to be with him, she didn’t know if once would even come close to filling the depth of her need for him.

Chapter 8

    Aidan woke during the night. Becca was curled at his side, her head tucked against his shoulder. He stroked his hand through the tangle of her silky hair, savoring the sound of her breathing. He allowed his hand to coast down her back and over the lush curve of her hip. He’d prepared himself that she might promptly send him on his way last night, but she hadn’t. Years of fantasies denied couldn’t have prepared him for what it would be like to actually make love to Becca. She’d slayed him through and through. Now he had to hope she sensed the depth of possibility between them. He knew he had to be careful and to be patient, which would force him to call upon all of his discipline. Years of rigorous military training should help him, but his heart was in deep already. He wanted to reach out and grab her, but this was Becca. She was strong-willed and independent…and guarded. It would be one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but he would be patient and move at a pace she would tolerate.
    She shifted in her sleep, her legs sliding against his. He fell back into sleep, his heart beating to the tune of her soft breathing. When he woke later, light was filtering through the gauzy curtains. He turned his head just as she blinked her eyes open. His body instantly tightened. Her blue eyes were open and unguarded—so rare for her. He could feel her breasts pressing against his side, her legs tangled loosely with his. He had no expectations for this moment because he’d never imagined it would happen. Her hand rested on his chest, sliding away when she rolled her neck to glance out the window.
    She turned back. “It’s raining.” Her voice was raspy with sleep.
    He looked past her. The curtains parted in the center and nothing but fog and rain were visible. “It is.”
    She was quiet, her fingers idly tracing his chest. He didn’t know how much he could take of her touch without acting on the lust thrumming in his body. But he’d promised himself she had to set the tone, so he called on every ounce of restraint he had.
    “I s’pose we should get up,” she said