Free Greed in Paradise (Paradise Series) by Deborah Brown

body. Nimble fingers trailed along my sides, tracing patterns along my arms before sliding up my cheek and softly around my lips. I stirred, and stretched like a lazy cat, smiling, not wanting to leave the warmth of the dream. My eyes opened slowly, taking several seconds to adjust to the predawn light filtering in through my windows. I see the figure lying next to my body and jump, but before I could scream, a hand clamped over my mouth.
    “Shh, it’s me,” Creole whispered in my ear, nibbling on the lobe. A sliver of light from the full moon shined across his face through the window.
    I hissed, “You’ve got a lot of damned nerve! This is my bedroom, get out.”
    “No, I’m being a gentleman.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “Besides, I came by to check on you.” He wrapped his hands in my shirt and lifted me off the pillow, giving me a slight shake. “I heard about Key West. Where was your Glock?”
    “We were back on the Overseas Highway before the bullets flew.” I was extremely grateful Fab and I didn’t end up in the middle of a drug war. Creole’s lips were now a tight hard line. “I had it holstered to the small of my back. And if it gives you peace of mind, I’m not leaving it at home anymore.”
    He pushed me back against the pillows, pulling the sheet down a little. “Whose is this?” He fingered the white men’s dress shirt I slept in these days. He threw one of his long legs across my lower body in case I thought about taking flight.
    “Mine.” I had donated all old shirts once worn by the ex-boyfriend.
    “When are you starting range practice again?” He pulled me hard against his side so that my head rested on his shoulder.
    “I booked time with my instructor for next week.”
    He wrapped his fingers in my hair, pulling my face up to look at him. He pressed his mouth over mine. “I just worry about you,” he said against my lips.
    It felt so good to be trapped like this, powerlessly and breathlessly waiting for his next move. I didn’t have to wait long. His mouth slammed against mine, and his tongue slid into my mouth. He tasted so good. I surrendered willingly.
    When he broke the kiss, I moaned. His head tipped, and then moved down again. “I want you,” he growled in my ear. He pulled me back across him and I turned to face him, my head in the middle of his chest. “But not like this. Our first time is not going to be ambush sex.”
    I looked up at him. “You’ve given this forgone conclusion some thought, have you?” One more kiss and I could be naked in a hot second.
    He held my face in his hand. “I want a real date. During-dinner foreplay,” he said, and bit my lip. “Something intimate, for two, and then I’ll fuck you breathless.” He kissed me again. “It’s going to take hours, not some stupid quickie, although I wouldn’t be adverse to that in the future.”
    I struggled to breathe.
    He rolled me over and on to my side, wrapping his arms around me and drawing me into the protective curve of his shoulder. I ran all the what-ifs through my mind and how it might affect our family if we got together only to break up.
    “Shh.” He patted my head. “You’re thinking too much.” He hooked his leg across my hip, pulling me closer, if that was possible.
    After a while I snuggled against him and fell back asleep.
     
    * * *
     
    “I have to leave,” Creole whispered and pulled me to the end of bed. He buried his hand in the hair at the back of my neck, rolling me over, kissing me. Softly at first, his tongue skimmed my lips, forcing them open for a ruthless kiss.
    One more, this time gently, he put his lips to mine before leaving the bedroom, my mouth still tingling from his previous kiss. I looked at myself reflected in the mirror, lips reddened and swollen, face flushed, and my hair a wild mess.
    I whispered at the top of the stairs, “What are we going to say?”
    He looked amused. “About what?” He half dragged me into the kitchen, enjoying my