The Soldier's Baby Surprise (For the Baby's Sake, Book 1) Read online

  He removed his hands from his pockets and started toward her. “Tell you what, how about we just focus on the here and now. We’ll worry about the rest later.”

  She rested against the counter as he stopped right in front of her. He was so tall she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. He had to be a few inches over six feet. Compared to her own five foot nine inches, he made her feel feminine. They were probably going to fit well together.

  “Do we have a deal?”

  She blinked when spoke. Then she remembered what he’d suggested. She was more than game to try to forget about everything else outside this moment, but she needed a distraction.

  “We do, but I think we should seal it with a kiss,” she murmured.

  Before she could say anything else, he slid his hands into her hair. She closed her eyes as he brought his mouth down on hers, like a man on death row being offered his last meal.

  Sweet mercy.

  Willow’s eyes flew wide open, rendered completely speechless by Chase's unexpected, all-out fiery assault on her mouth.

  Oh, God he had an incredible mouth.

  Willow returned his assault with equal fervor, pulling at his firm lips, nipping at his tongue, and delving her own tongue deep into his mouth. She felt like a hungry child who had been denied a piece of candy then found it waiting for her on her pillow. Her lips molded so perfectly against his that she thought for a ridiculous moment that they had been made to kiss his. Far from the awkwardness usually experienced during first kisses, this one shot way beyond fumbled positioning, teeth knocking and tongue sparring. They shared something that made her thighs quiver. It was almost as if she'd been kissing him all of her life. Well, maybe not all of her life, but certainly a lot longer than half a minute. She thought she wouldn't be able to get enough of him even if she took a deep breath and inhaled him whole.

  She curled her fingers in his shirt. She felt as if the heat of his hand was burning through the material of her pants as he touched her thigh and whimpered. She tugged him closer, his hand skimming over her flesh, setting nerve endings aflame in its wake. He curved his fingers over her jeans-covered bottom and gave a squeeze so torturously possessive she shuddered. As she tugged, he pulled, bringing her softness against his hard arousal. Willow's breathing grew so ragged she was afraid there wasn't enough air in the room to satisfy her need for the necessary element. She moved her hands around to his butt, then shoved her hands deep into his back packets and squeezed his tight rear end, wanting to feel him even closer.

  He tugged his mouth from hers and trailed a hot, wet path to her ear. "God, I've been itching to touch you like this since I saw you across the bar."

  His words sent a shiver skittering along the surface of her skin, leaving her tiny hairs standing on end. Reaching around to the front of his shirt, she tugged on the hem of his shirt, bunching the soft fabric in her hands and shoved it up as she slid down. With fingers she couldn't seem to move fast enough, she popped the snap to his pants and drew the zipper down, immensely satisfied with his quick indrawn breath. His hands tightened in her hair, apparently torn between wanting to push her away and yank her closer but settling for just touching her.

  A tug on the open material and his erection sprang free from both his pants and briefs. She sighed in appreciation. He groaned and before she could get a chance to tease what she’d uncovered he pulled her back to her feet with one hand, tugged his briefs back up with his other. “Do that and I'll finish before we even get a chance to begin…”

  Then his mouth was on hers again and all thought of protest instantly scattered to the corners of her mind. He slid his hands between their bodies and began fumbling with the button and zipper on her jeans. When he indicated for her to take her heels off, she slipped her feet out of them. She emitted a startled cry as he shoved her pants down before lifting her up onto the counter.

  When he went to step between her legs, she spread them eagerly, allowing room for him between them. When the hard length of him nestled against her swollen folds through her panties, she nearly cried out in exquisite longing.

  She'd hoped the sexy soldier would be good, but for God's sake, they hadn't really even done anything yet and she was a tongue flick away from orgasm. He bent to her right breast, forcing her to put her hands back against the counter behind her. Her fingers touched something and she glanced to see that it was a dishtowel. She pushed it out of the way, arching her back as he fastened his mouth over her hardened nipple right through the material of her shirt and bra.

  Dear God…

  Her womb contracted so violently she nearly catapulted from the counter. Sensing her crisis, Chase ground against her, his hold tightening, his mouth breathing hot air through her shirt and onto her damp nipple. Willow heard a low, gut-tightening moan fill the room and realized only distantly that it was her own as she succumbed to the delicious, erotic, shivers racking her body.

  Chase pulled his mouth from her breast and rested his head against her shoulder. “If I don't take you now, Willow, I swear I'm going to burst.”

  She began impatiently pushing his pants out of the way. "So do it."

  He seemed even more eager than her as his hands joined hers. A few moments later his jeans and briefs were around his ankles. Then he went to work on her panties. Yanking them off, he tossed them over his shoulder. She lost track of where they landed when his intense blue gaze locked onto her again.

  “Are you sure you want this?”

  “I’m positive,” she stated, as she slid her legs around his waist, pulling him tightly against her. "Now…where were we?"

  She slanted her mouth against his, feeling completely in control when, after a brief pause, he groaned and kissed her back with twice the intensity he had earlier.

  He moved closer and finally he was cradled between her legs, his hot, throbbing, erection sandwiched between her slick, swollen flesh. The coolness of the tile under her bottom, and his heat between her legs, snatched away her breath. When he fit the tip of his arousal into her, she was certain she'd never be able to breathe again.

  After the mad upward spiral of her desire only moments before, she thought herself more than ready for him. But the hesitant stretching of her muscles told her it was better if they took it slow.

  He slid in to the hilt, filling her in one long slow stroke, making her shiver. Then he stiffened.

  “Oh, shit!”

  She jerked at the harshness of his tone. “What is it?”

  When he didn’t answer, she looked up at his face to find a tortured expression on his face. “Don’t move.”

  She ignored his advice and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Assuming what his dilemma might be, she tried to reassure him.

  “It’s okay, if you—”

  “I’m not wearing anything,” he uttered harshly.

  Confusion filled her already muddled brain.

  “What?”

  “Protection,” he mumbled. “I don’t have a condom on.”

  As his words penetrated her brain, it was her turn to become rigid. “What?”

  She went to move and he shook his head. “Be still. I’m hanging on by a thread here.”

  Several heartbeats later, he slowly withdrew. She stifled a whimper at the sensation of loss. When he lifted his head, she saw the regret there.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve never done that before. I was just tested three weeks ago and I haven’t been with anyone in months. No issues there.”

  She gave a brief nod. “I was tested twice after my last relationship because I found out he was cheating. Even though we always used protection, I just wanted to be sure. I haven’t been with anyone since. I’m clean.”

  “Good,” he murmured as he moved away from her. She watched as he reached for his pants and came out with his wallet.

  Within seconds, he had protection on and he came back to her. Once again, he filled her with one smooth stroke. An out-of-this-world pleasure-filled sensation swamped her. She could no longer hold
herself upright. She leaned back onto her hands as she tightened her legs around his waist, bracing her hips for his next delicious stroke. Then his next.

  Every cell of Willow's body felt brilliantly, vividly alive. The tiny hairs on her arms and at the back of her neck stood on end. Her legs ached and her muscles contracted, trying to pull him in further even as he withdrew to thrust into her again. She moved her hips to grind against him, barely aware of him throwing his head back and groaning at the unexpected move. Then he snapped upright, a needy expression contorting his handsome face. A look of determination took over his features as he grasped her hips and thrust into her harder…faster, chasing every coherent thought from Willow's mind. Driving her insane with desire.

  With skillful, knowing strokes he turned her body to liquid, her mind to mush, and pushed her to the very edge of ecstasy. The pressure and tension spiraled to an exquisite pitch, and then she was falling, crying out, and shuddering as pure, carnal pleasure shook her to the very core of her being.

  Her breath came in rapid gasps as she floated back down from the intense high. She felt him tense, sensing him on the verge of climax. She tilted her hips more, taking him deeper, biting hard on her bottom lip as his fingers bit into the flesh of her thighs. She couldn't help noticing how magnificent it was, to view a man as attractive as Chase in the throes of pleasure. His entire body taut, the veins in his neck stood out in stark release, his teeth were clenched tightly together as he gave himself over to emotions he had no control over.

  Finally he collapsed, lowering his head until his temple was against hers, his arms shaking as he placed his hands against the counter mere millimeters away from hers, his thumbs covering hers.

  She swallowed hard, fighting to catch her breath. Amazingly, she could still feel him filling her. Completely erect. She was just about to shimmy her hips, to let him know she was up for more if he was, when he slowly withdrew from her.

  “That was not how I meant for that to happen.”

  Chapter Five

  Willow frowned as Chase straightened then helped her down from the counter. Did that mean he regretted what they’d just done?

  “Didn’t you like it?”

  An incredulous look appeared on his face. “The fact that you have to ask that worries me.” He pulled her into his embrace. “If I’d enjoyed myself any more than I did, I’d probably have expired of a heart attack.”

  She smiled, a sense of relief flooding her.

  “I meant that I didn’t want our first time to be in your kitchen on the counter.”

  She laughed. “Would it make you feel better if I told you I really liked it?”

  The desire in his eyes flared again. “Yes, but what I want to do is take you to your bedroom and make it up to you.”

  A full body quiver traveled through her. Chase responded by pulling her shirt over her head. The cool air of the apartment caressed her skin, making her nipples harden even more. The material of her bra was still wet from the attention he’d lavished upon it earlier. Her soft moan was in perfect time with his groan as he removed the bra. He slid his fingers over her skin.

  “You're so soft,” he stated, running his hand up her stomach, lingering over the curve of her waist, and filling his hand with the weight of her full breast.

  Arousal thrummed within her. When he rolled her nipple between his fingers, she cried out at the intensity, cried out against his mouth.

  Suddenly, she was desperate to have him against her. She reached out to undo the buttons on his shirt before pushing it off of his shoulders. His body took her breath away, all taut muscle and smooth power. Clothing gave him a deceptive leanness, she realized, slipping out of her shoes as she ran her hands over his shoulders. His abs quivered under her fingers as she traced the lines of muscle and the thin trail of hair that formed at his navel and led down to his groin.

  No second thoughts Willow ordered herself, and reached for his tempting erection.

  With a growl, Chase reached down to pick her up.

  “Put me down,” she said in sudden alarm. “I'm too heavy.”

  “I'll put you down all right,” he said, lifting her with ease. “Which way to your bedroom?”

  “Down the hall, first door on the left,” she replied.

  The second door led to her guest room which also doubled as a mini office. She held on tight as he followed her directions. The instant they entered her room, she was grateful she’d cleaned up the room. A heartbeat later, he laid her on the bed and leaned over her before she could react.

  She gave a gasping laugh. “That feels amazing,” she managed, as she reached for the nightstand next to the bed to turn on the lamp so that her room wasn’t so dark. One click and it gave off the perfect amount of light.

  “You think that's nice, just wait.”

  Every touch, every brush, tantalized her. His tongue tracing over her collarbones, the slide of his hand over the curve of her hip. And then his mouth and hand met at the soft swell of her breast and her body bucked against him. “Careful,” Chase murmured, setting his hand over her wrists to pin them in place. Suction, liquid warmth, the scrape of teeth against her excruciatingly sensitive flesh—the arousing constraint made her focus on sensation and sensation alone. Willow could feel the hot coil of tension tightening down low, down where she was still crying out to be touched.

  Chase shifted to her other breast, lingering until she was moaning. Her body arched like a bow against his mouth. He raised his head to look at her, his eyes dark with passion. She could see just how much he wanted her. Letting go of her wrists, he licked his way down her belly, then lower still. He put his mouth on her, inhaling her scent, and she cried out.

  If there was a next time she’d make him slow down, but not this time, she thought feverishly. This time she had no patience for finesse. She clutched at his shoulders as if to increase the slick, soft friction. He moved one hand up to her breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers, and still drove her wild with lips and tongue. Any whisper of shyness was over. She couldn't stop moving her hips, moaning out her pleasure at each new sensation.

  When he pushed a finger inside her, pleasure fired out to every nerve in her body. Dimly, she heard herself crying out, felt her hips bucking, and still it continued tightening in intensity until she felt she couldn't bear any more. Finally, it faded enough so that she could breathe.

  Chase moved up the bed to fasten his mouth over hers, and that quick, demanding arousal returned. But it wasn't about her now, it was about him. She knew what to do.

  Willow searched for courage and dropped her hand down to find him hard and pulsing. Her touch tore a ragged sound from him and she felt an immediate thrill. She could arouse him. She could make him lose control. Reaching between her thighs, she found slickness and spread it over the head of his erection. Then she returned to stroking him up and down, noticing when he quivered, when he groaned.

  Chase's breath hissed in and he kissed her, hard. Willow felt a surge of adrenaline as he positioned himself between her thighs. Her breath caught in her chest.

  Chase looked down at her, his eyes almost luminous in their color. A moment later something smooth and hard and warm rubbed against her clitoris, making her gasp, then traced the cleft below it. And then, with a push of his hips, he slid in to fill her.

  A heartbeat later he froze.

  “Damn it! Woman, you make it hard for me to think rationally.”

  Before she could ask what was wrong, he withdrew from her, climb out of bed and left the room. She lay there stunned, trying to figure out what had just happened. As she went up on her elbows, he returned to the room. He stopped at the foot of the bed, opened a condom and put it on.

  Then it dawned on her what he’d forgotten.

  Again.

  “You aren’t the only one,” she stated. “I didn’t think about that either.”

  Which was strange for her. She was a stickler for protection. When she was dating she believed in sharing the responsibility f
or it. She always kept condoms on hand herself when she was involved with someone. That was part of the problem. She hadn’t been involved with anyone for a while so there hadn’t been a need for any. The last three condoms she had, she’d give to Geneva months ago.

  “Well, it won’t happen again,” he stated as he tossed another condom package on the bed next to her.

  Desire filled her again. It was nice to know that he was already planning another round. He pulled her from her thoughts as he rejoined her on the bed. A moment later, he filled her with a slow, smooth thrust. She moaned as sensations swamped her. He held still a moment, as if he needed to gather himself, before he began to move.

  She let go with the shock and the pleasure and the glory of it all. She'd never known this: this urgent heat, this driving hardness, and this jolting sensation. It hadn't been this way with anyone before now. There was had never been this amazing surge that left her reeling. That drove her to wrap her legs around Chase's waist and grab him and tell him now. Now.

  And then she was shuddering, gasping, arching even as Chase groaned and spilled himself inside of her.

  * * * *

  Chase bit back a groan of agony as his cell phone alarm went off. He’d set it after making love to Willow for the third time. While it’d been difficult to decide if he wanted to reach for her again that third time in a row or wake her early again, before he left, he’d gone with the first choice. He didn’t regret it either. He’d made unhurried, passionate love to her before pulling her into his embrace and falling asleep.

  Still, he wished he did have another condom. He’d love to take her again before he walked out the door. But three times should get him through the next six months, until he saw her again—and he did plan to. He’d decided that after the first time he’d been intimate with Willow. No way could he just accept one night with her then walk away. There was a lot of chemistry between them and for once he wanted to explore it.

  Now he just had to see if it was something she wanted.