Soul mates.
It might sound corny as hell. Something from a book or a movie. But it fit. Because she knew to her bones that Swanny was the only man for her. There’d never be another after him. How could there be?
“Promise me you’ll never say it again,” she said, taking a more serious, quieter tone. “Only I get to decide who’s good enough for me, and I say you’re perfect for me. Excuse my potty mouth, but I don’t give a flying f**k what anyone thinks. And if you think I’m going to hide my association with you or refuse to be seen in public with you, then I’ll kick your ass from one end of this room to the other.”
He burst into laughter again and then gathered her tightly in his arms, hugging her to his hard body. He pressed a kiss into her hair and then inhaled, squeezing her even tighter until she could barely breathe. And yet she didn’t mind. She was locked against him, where she belonged. She’d never felt safer and more secure than she did right here in this moment with him wrapped solidly around her, a barrier to the outside world where danger lurked and someone stalked her, waiting and watching for an opportunity to harm her.
“I guess this means we’re an item, then,” he said, an obvious grin in his voice.
“Damn straight we are. I know we have some things to work out. Namely our careers. But for now I vote we put that conversation on the back burner and focus on here and now and the fact that what I want most is for you to make love to me.”
“Never let it be said I denied my lady anything,” he said cheekily, tugging playfully at her hair.
“I like your attitude,” she said in a sassy voice, matching his own playfulness.
God, but she loved this. That she could be herself. The real Eden Sinclair. No cameras. No acting. No glamour or makeup. No fancy clothes. Not the supermodel the rest of the world saw. With Swanny she was just Eden. A woman with needs just like every other woman in the world. Normal. And she’d found perfection. Utter perfection. What more could she possibly ever ask for?
He rolled suddenly, reversing their positions so she was beneath him. He stared down at her, his eyes glittering with molten desire.
“Then you’ll like this a whole lot better,” he said, just as he lowered his mouth to hers.
Oh yeah. She did like it a whole lot better now that he was kissing her. Sealing their love with more than just the words. He was fulfilling the promise of so much that the word entailed with his body. His tongue. His gentle hands as he caressed the length of her body.
He seemed impatient with her pajamas. Sliding his hands underneath her top as if desperate for the feel of her skin. She arched like a cat into each touch, purring her delight as he inched her top higher until finally he ordered her to put her arms up so he could hastily yank the material free of her body for good.
Willingly, she complied, and then he went to work on her bottoms, pulling them down in mere seconds, tugging them from her ankles before sending them sailing in the opposite direction her top had landed.
Then he chuckled softly as he stared down at her completely naked body from his position on his knees at her feet.
“You cheated,” he accused. “You set me up, planned for this. No underwear? How daring, sweet, innocent Eden. You may have the face and the heart of an angel, but you have the soul of a wicked temptress. Swear to God, you’ll be the death of me yet.”
She merely grinned, then arched her body invitingly. “You just going to sit there and list all my faults or are you actually going to do something with me now that you have me naked and in bed?” She stared pointedly at his still-dressed body. “Seems to me you have a lot of catching up to do.”
“I can sure as hell fix that,” he muttered, already reaching to strip his T-shirt off, his muscles rippling with the effort.
She held her breath when his hands immediately dropped to his boxers. His c**k was bulging the material outward and if he moved an inch in either direction, his erection would spring free through the opening in the crotch.
He shoved downward and she sighed at the beauty of his male physique as he leaned back on the bed so he could work the underwear free and toss it aside. She hadn’t lied or plied him with insincere compliments. He was absolutely beautiful to her.
Yes, scars crisscrossed his body. No area had been left undamaged by his captors when he’d existed in hell. But to her they were a testament of his honor, of his will to live despite impossible odds. That they hadn’t been able to break him. How many men could say the same? How many men would even survive, much less survive with their sanity intact? And yet he continued on, still holding a job that put his life on the line on every single mission his team went on.
A movie title floated through her mind—it was silly, but she was so absorbed in her study of him and her thoughts, her admiration, that she couldn’t help but think of the words Uncommon Valor. It suited him, and all his teammates, to a T. But especially Swanny. Her man. The man she loved and God, he loved her too!
It was as though it were only just sinking in that he returned her feelings. Her love. A giddy rush invaded her veins, making her bold and yanking her from her perusal of his beautiful body. She leaned up, reaching for him, pushing herself up to her knees so that he was turned to the side, his feet on the floor where he’d only moments before stepped from his boxers. She framed his face, pulling him in to meet her kiss.
Hot, lush, she kissed him with wild abandon she would never have believed herself capable of. She poured every ounce of emotion, the depth of her love, into her kiss.
He wrapped his arms around her and fell with her, her back landing with a thud on the soft mattress, his mouth still fused to hers. She let out a soft moan when he slid his mouth down the line of her jaw to her ear, where he licked and toyed with the lobe before sucking it firmly between his teeth.
The rhythmic suckling motion only heightened her anticipation for when he’d do the same to her br**sts. And to her clitoris. An all-over body shiver quaked through her in remembrance of his mouth on her most sensitive flesh, how expertly he’d brought her mind-blowing ecstasy.
Whoa, she was getting way ahead of herself here. Stay in the moment, Eden. Savor every second. Don’t let it be over too quickly. This was a night she’d never forget as long as she lived. The night Swanny told her he loved her and then showed her his love in the most tangible way a man could show his woman his feelings.
“You with me?” Swanny asked gruffly, his head just above hers as he stared down into her eyes.