Page 50 of Enticing Her Love

She didn’t bother putting on clothes to sleep in. She wanted to lie naked with him, and as she lay down, she was too far away to see much of him in the darkness, but she could tell his movements were purposeful and efficient. So different from the way he’d touched her.

When he lay beside her, he pressed his lips to her forehead for a long time before gathering her in his arms and holding her tight. He exhaled like he’d been waiting all day for this very moment, and within the confines of his strong body, she felt like she’d been waiting, too.

“Thank you for trusting me,” he whispered. “Try to rest, babe. We’ve got a big travel day tomorrow.”

She didn’t want to think about that exhausting trip or that this was their last night together. The last time she could lie in his arms. She kissed his chest, and he ran his fingers through her hair, hugging her. Why did this big-hearted, complicated man have to be her boss? She’d never met anyone like him, had never felt so safe and wanted. That sounded strange even to her, given where they’d started and the fact that this was all they’d have, but that didn’t stop her from wishing they had more time together.

SUTTON DIDN’T KNOW when she’d dozed off or how long they’d slept, but she awoke to the caress of Flynn’s hand down her hip. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, they found his, awakening the desire that was always simmering between them. He brushed his lips over hers once, twice. Need stacked up inside her as he did it a third time, rolling her onto her back and lowering his big, warm body over hers. His cock nestled between her legs. She was as entranced by the emotions in his eyes as she was by the feel of him, so good and right and familiar.

He grazed his scruff along her cheek, whispering, “Sutton,” low and gruff and greedy. Her entire body flamed. He kissed her cheek and laced their fingers together, moving her hands above her head and holding them there. He used his knees to spread her legs wider, teasing her with the head of his cock. She writhed and panted and was just about to beg for more when his mouth came mercilessly down over hers, and their bodies came together, igniting a rush of sensations. “God, Sutton,” he growled, his voice drenched with emotion.

She didn’t know how he managed to speak. She couldn’t have strung two words together if her life depended on it. But she could move, and holy mother of sex gods, so could he. Driven by something bigger than lust or greed, more powerful than urgency, their bodies moved in perfect harmony. He released her hands, pushing one hand into her hair, cradling her head. His other hand slid beneath her knee, lifting it, opening her wider for him and taking her deeper. Every thrust took her higher, brought her emotions closer to the surface, until she was so full of them, she felt them in every exhalation.

“Christ, you feel good,” he gritted out against her lips.

“Don’t pull out this time.”

He leaned up, brows slanted. “You sure?”

“I want to feel you come with me.”

“You have no idea how much I want that.” He reclaimed her mouth with renewed passion, but his thrusts were slow and deep, so different from before. Each one felt purposeful, powerful, drenched with emotion. They clung to each other, their kisses turning feverish. Their moans filled the tent as their bodies took over, thrusting, grinding, groping. Sutton sensed they were both trying to outrun the inevitable, to escape the end of what had only just begun. She closed her eyes against that reality and abandoned all control, losing herself in Flynn. She got swept up in the taste of his mouth, his rugged scent, and the weight of his body bearing down on her. Her inner muscles coiled tighter, tantalizing sensations rasping up her limbs, billowing in her chest. Their passion magnified like an inferno. His hand fisted tighter in her hair, setting off a flood tide of pure, explosive pleasure. “Flynn—” flew from her lips and “Sutton, baby, Sut—” cut from his as they rode the turbulent tides of their climaxes, until they collapsed, spent and blissfully sated, in each other’s arms.

Chapter Fourteen

SUTTON GAZED OUT the airplane window Sunday afternoon as they neared the end of the final leg of their journey home. They’d been on the go for more than twenty-four hours. It had rained on their trek out of the rainforest, and they’d waited hours at the landing site for the rain to abate so Santiago could pick them up. Sutton didn’t mind the rain. It had given her more time with Flynn, and she’d secretly hoped it might rain long enough to buy them a night at that crappy hotel by the airstrip. But they didn’t get that lucky. Their ever-efficient travel coordinator had thought ahead and had booked them on a late flight out of Ecuador. Sutton had catnapped at the airports during layovers, but Flynn had been watching over her like a hawk, and as far as she knew, he hadn’t slept since their last night in the tent. She warmed with the memory of waking up yesterday morning the same way they’d fallen asleep, tangled up like strangler figs to trees.

She stole a glance at him, sitting beside her reading. She didn’t know how he was functioning, but it seemed like he was always self-possessed and in control. After how close they’d gotten, she’d thought, or hoped, they’d remain close as they traveled. But from the minute Santiago’s plane had appeared in the distance, it had seemed like Flynn flicked an internal switch from playful and sensual rainforest lover to distant boss. Or maybe to a protective travel partner, the way he was watching over her, but they were definitely back on their own sides of that invisible line between boss and subordinate. He wasn’t gruff or mean. He was just appropriate. She knew it had to be this way, but she hadn’t expected it to leave her numb with longing for him.

The announcement to stow their belongings and prepare for landing rang out. Flynn got up to put his book in his small backpack in the overhead compartment, his gaze drifting her way. She didn’t have anything to stow, and shook her head. She was too tired to read and too numb to write in her journal. She had no idea how that had happened so fast. And with Flynn of all people. A week ago, she’d wanted to be as far away from him as physically possible, and now she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms. She couldn’t stop thinking about their last kiss, which they’d shared just before seeing Santiago’s plane. Afterward, Flynn had said, How does it feel knowing this rainforest will forever hold our secrets? He’d said it matter-of-factly, like he was sealing their deal. She’d somehow managed to keep the sting of that agreement locked down and had replied, I hope it’s better at keeping secrets than my sisters are.

She gazed out the window again as Flynn settled into the seat beside her, telling herself that once she got some rest, she’d feel different.

“Glad to be almost home?” he asked.

“Yeah. It’ll be nice to get back to Port Hudson, where the biggest threat is a speeding car that I can see coming from a hundred feet away.” Instead of a six-three protective sex god with heart-slaying ninja skills.

Brows knitting, he nodded and placed his hand over hers, leaning in so close, she could practically taste him. “I’m really glad I got to know you, Steele. You’re an incredible person and a talented reporter.”

He squeezed her hand, blue eyes pinning her in place with the hungry look she’d come to crave. Finally. She readied for the kiss she’d been dying for, but in the next second he released her hand and sat back, leaving her reeling.

Oh no. Nonono.

She had never pined after a man before, and she was not going to let him turn her into that kind of girl. It was time to reclaim her…whatever it was that made girls stupid. If Sutton knew how to do one thing well, it was faking it until she made it. Hell, that was how she’d gotten through her first six months as a reporter.

Gathering willpower like a shield, she said, “It’s about time you realized that.” She forced a victorious grin and looked out the window before the hurt could wipe it away.

FLYNN WATCHED SUTTON thumbing out a text as they waited for their backpacks to appear on the conveyor belt. She’d gone into the rainforest a bright-eyed, snark-mouthed glamour girl, and she’d come out looking like an unkempt Jane who had gotten ravaged by Tarzan. She’d washed up and put on clean clothes at the airstrip, but that glimmer of heat had remained in her eyes for too damn long. Thankfully, she’d finally gone back to having a stiff upper lip. He’d needed her to, because looking at her doe eyes on the plane had nearly done him in. As much as it sucked to leave behind what they’d had, it had to be done.

“Family checking on you?”

“Andi.” She pocketed her phone. “I wish our bags would come out. They’re taking forever.”

“Got a date?”

“Yes, with a hot shower and clean sheets.” She eyed him. “Are you itching to pitch a tent in your backyard?”

“Something like that.” He spotted their backpacks and snagged them off the conveyor belt, handing Sutton hers and shouldering his own. “I’ve got my truck. Do you need a ride?”