His name became a cry as a second orgasm took her, the bliss on her face straining his tattered self-control. He fought to stay with her, to drive her pleasure home, but he was too far gone now, her inner muscles contracting around hiscock.
He shifted again, stretching himself over her, holding himself off her so as not to hurt her. Then he let himself go, driving himself into her until climax overtook him, shattering the world around him and turning everything tolight.
For a time, he rested on his forearms, his cheek pressed to hers, his heart still pounding in his chest, her fingers tracing patterns over the skin of his back. Then he took hold of the condom and withdrew from her, tossing the condom in the bedside trash before taking her into hisarms.
She ran her fingers through his chest hair. “I knew you’d be good inbed.”
Joaquin was well on his way into a sex coma, but her words brought his eyes open. “What made you thinkthat?”
“The way you dance. The way you kiss.” She snuggled against him. “You’re … incredible. I’m afraid I’m going to end upaddicted.”
“Good.” Joaquin drew her closer, taking her words with him intosleep.
16
Mia woke up to find herself in Joaquin’s arms, her face pressed against his chest, one of his biceps pillowing her head, their legs tangled together. She inhaled the spice of his skin and smiled to herself, images from last night filling hermind.
I want you to be happy. I want you to feel cherished. I want to make youscream.
Joaquin had done all of that. Okay, maybe she hadn’tscreamed…
“Good morning,hermosa.” His voice was deep and husky. “Did you sleepwell?”
“Oh, yes.” She rolled onto her back and stretched, feeling as languid as a cat, her bodypurring.
He propped himself up on an elbow, ran his knuckles casually over her left breast, his dark hair adorably tousled. “Are youhungry?”
“I’m starving, but what I really want is a shower. I get to take these bandages off thismorning.”
He nuzzled her hair. “Want some help withthat?”
“The bandages or myshower?”
“Either.Both.”
Her pulse skipped. “I would likethat.”
They gave each other a minute alone in the bathroom. Mia had peed in front of guys in Iraq, but she really didn’t want to go there with Joaquin. A little privacy preserved a lot of dignity as far as she wasconcerned.
After that was out of the way, they stood together near the counter to remove her bandages, Joaquin peeling off the dressing on her ribcage first. “I don’t want to hurtyou.”
“Don’t worry about it.” It didn’t hurt …much.
“That doesn’t look too bad. You’ve got a nasty bruise,though.”
At the sight of the graze with its tiny butterfly bandages, reality hit Mia in the face. This wasn’t a luxury vacation. It wasn’t a lover’s retreat. She was here because she was hiding from a man who wanted tokillher and possibly also Joaquin, a man who had already killed two, possibly three, otherpeople.
She fought back a pang of fear. “At least it’s notinfected.”
The bandage on the wound on her hip was more painful to remove, the wound with its many stitches looking muchangrier.
“Sorry.” Joaquin’s expression turned troubled. He tossed the bandages into the trash, drew her against him. “When I think how close hecame…”
His words trailed off, as if he couldn’t bring himself to finish thethought.
Mia rested her head against his chest. “It’s like my world is breaking apart, and I can’t seem to stopit.”
“You stopped it. Your quick reaction saved your life. You made yourself a smaller target, and you fired back. You stopped him.” Joaquin stroked her hair. “I won’t let him hurt you again.Wewon’t let him hurt you—you and I, the cops, the FBI. The bastard has the feds after him now. They’ll find him. You’re not in this alone,Mia.”