C H A P T E R S I X - - - S HA U N

Shaun wished he could bite his knuckles. His hands were wanting to move on their own, and it was getting absurd trying to control them.

She was very near, and she smelt fantastic. The man wasn't the only one who was turned on; the jaguar was nearly roaring with passion, making him squirm every time he moved too close to her. And he had no idea what her name was.

Shaun watched her walk inside one of the secondary rooms, the one where he slept, her beautiful locks bouncing on her shoulders. She needed a shower, she must have been fatigued, and her wound had not yet been treated, yet she was utterly devastating throughout.

Jerome led her to a chair, and Shaun came to a halt at the door, closing it but standing against the doorframe like an ominous ghost. Jerome probably didn't need him there and didn't protest on the grounds of adding some intimidation to the situation, but Shaun wouldn't have left if he'd been instructed to. He wasn't trying to defy the lieutenant, but he couldn't shift his body any more away from her than he had to.

She sat down hard, and her body language indicated tiredness. Shaun wanted to pick her up and place her on the bed, wrap up over her, and keep her safe until she was relaxed and everything was fine. The concept made him visibly cringe.

What’s wrong with you, man? Snap out of it.

Easier said than done.

“You want to tell me why you chose to help Jordan? You didn’t have any reason to,” Jerome started.

The woman shrugged, putting her elbows on her knees and leaning forward a bit, a sly look in her eyes that could have almost doubled for amusement if she hadn’t looked so damn worn and ragged.

“I figured I could play both sides a little. You know, keep my life interesting,” she noted with a smirk, one that Shaun wanted badly to kiss off her lips.

“Hey, we can make this easy or we can make this hard. You can tell me who you are or I can bundle you up, throw you back in the jungle for your friends to find you and see what they make of you,” Jerome said, flashing his teeth in a predatory snarl that Shaun knew all too well.

His threats were rarely empty. They’d done it before with hostages that they didn’t really need, and let their own people sort out what to do with them. Usually though, it meant freedom for the party at hand. This time, Shaun was sure that the first person from the camp to get their hands on her would make sure she never had another chance to help anyone ever again.

His hands rolled into tight fists at the mere thought of it.

“You could do that. But I bet you won’t,” she said idly, her expressive eyes sparkling with something other than exhaustion.

It was like she was almost playing with them, taunting them. It made her even sexier than before and Shaun was cursing the moment he’d ever laid eyes on her. He’d made a point of keeping his life rational, on track, and without distraction. This beautiful, impossible creature had the capability to ruin all of that. And Shaun hated it when something fucked with his system.

“How come?” Jerome asked, cocking a brow and mirroring her faint amusement.

“Well, you guys don’t look like assholes. I mean, for a bunch who mowed down a camp full of thugs, that is, but my point remains.”

“You can’t build your expectations based on first impressions,” Jerome warned with a chuckle.

“True,” she agreed, shrugging her shoulders a little. “But aren’t SEALs supposed to have a code of conduct of some sort? You know, serve with honor and integrity and what not.”

Shaun felt himself tense. She’d seen Jordan’s tattoo, and almost every member of the squad had it tattooed on them at some point during their service. He flicked his gaze at Jerome and the lieutenant remained unflappable, as he always was during missions. The way that man could keep a cool head was impressive to say the least.

“What we were in our past has little to do with what we are now,” he noted coolly.

“I doubt that, though,” she said, the smirk hovering on her lips.

Without another word, she peeled up the side of her ratty, ragged shirt. Shaun’s muscles flexed halfway because he was instinctively worried that she was going for a weapon—impossible, because they’d checked her before tying her up—and halfway because the exposed flesh on her stomach and side longed to be kissed and touched by him. He had to put serious effort into not getting turned on by the fact that he could see a tiny bit of skin that he hadn’t seen before.

You are so fucked.

She looked at both Jerome and then at Shaun and it might have been his imagination, but he was pretty sure her gaze lingered on him longer than it needed to. Her fingers peeled at an invisible edge on her side, right on her ribs, and Shaun strangled a gasp of surprise as the flesh tore back, coming off smoothly with a hint of a ripping noise scratching at his ears.

It was a cover-up bandage, wide but perfectly matched to her skin tone and with edges so fine that it would have been impossible to tell it was there if she hadn’t taken it off. Underneath it, a crisp, sharp ink figure was revealed. The United States Marine Corps logo in simple black, close to her heart.

Shaun wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he definitely didn’t anticipate Jerome bursting into laughter, his body visibly relaxing.

“So you know, huh?” he asked, the corners of his eyes crinkling with laughter.

“I could guess,” she admitted, further confusing Shaun.

“Know what?” Shaun asked, feeling his heart beat far too fast and hard.

He could recognize that logo anywhere, but why the hell was it on a woman they’d found in a foreign drug operation, packing away cocaine? It made no damn sense.

“You want to tell her or shall I, Miss Daniella Gutierrez?” Jerome asked, giving the woman a look and then raising his hand to settle Shaun and show him everything was okay.

“You two seem to have such great rapport, I’m sure you can explain it better. But just so we’re clear here, you’re with The Firm, right? Did you know I was going to be there?” she asked, letting out a long breath and patting the shirt back over her exposed skin.

“No, we didn’t. I don’t think that’ll surprise you much, right?” Jerome asked, getting a confirmatory nod and an eye roll from Daniella. “I called it in after we extracted you and Jordan from the scene. When I said we had you alive, our handlers were more than happy to tell us that you were one of us and that we should send you home. But we weren’t alerted beforehand, so you know what that means.”

His brows were furrowed and he felt irritation boiling in him. Daniella dropped her eyes for a moment, nodding solemnly, and the air in the room seemed suffocating, thick. The Firm had been willing to let Squad Six kill one of their own without remorse, without warning, or having them try and get her out of there alive. She would have been collateral damage and it was dumb luck that she was alive.

“Wait, what? You’re with The Firm?” Shaun piped in, standing up straight.

Bile rose in Shaun’s stomach. This was exactly like The Firm to pull bullshit like that. If he had to guess, he was willing to place a stiff bet on the fact that Ace had to have something to do with the whole mess.

“I am,” Daniella nodded, rolling back her shoulders now and slouching a bit in the chair, like she could finally take a breath that wasn’t calculated.

“Guess we all got lucky today, Daniella,” Jerome said.

“Call me Dani.”

“Fine, Dani. Thank you for making sure one of my boys didn’t get his brain blasted on the side of a Jeep. And for patching him up. I’m sure Jordan will bitch and moan about your handiwork later, but don’t mind him. He’s a big pussycat, really,” Jerome said, reaching out a hand to Dani.

She took it and they shook hands, her grip firm and sure. Shaun could see that from the way the tendons in her forearm flexed, and now, suddenly, he could look at her in a whole new light. The sureness of step and the way her body seemed to float when thrown into a mess that would have made any normal person falter, panic, and stumble was the result of years of training, muscle memory, and confidence colliding into the perfect combination.

She was a warrior, like they were. And he’d almost killed her.

“Don’t mention it,” she said, and there was a genuine smile on her lips now.

It was disarming.

“Shaun will get you settled in,” Jerome said as they released hands, with Dani looking at Shaun now for more than a simple stolen moment. “Give her a chance to clean up and check out that laceration on her head. I bet you need a good night’s sleep with some shitty air conditioning and stale rations, right Dani?”

“Sounds about right,” she confirmed with a chuckle, her mesmerizing eyes still locked on Shaun.

“I need to get a report from you as soon as you feel up to it. Apparently there’s a two-month gap between your last transmissions and the desk monkeys don’t like that. Shaun can take it, right? I’ll go check with the rest of the team and let command know you’re in one piece and of sound mind.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she noted. “If I were of sound mind, I wouldn’t be in the middle of this fucking jungle.”

“Yeah, well, that’s a brand of insanity we all subscribe to,” Shaun muttered, drawing a grin out of her that damn near lit the room up.

“It’s settled then,” Jerome said, pushing open the door and stepping out with a nod to both of them.

Being alone with her was difficult, to say the least. He hadn’t realized he’d been staring before Dani grinned a little, cocking her head to the side.

“What, soldier? Like what you see?” she asked, batting her lashes in a way that was obviously full of at least a little bit of mockery.

“Impressed to see a dead woman walking, that’s all,” Shaun gruffed, slicking a hand through his hair in an effort to do anything other than sink into her.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, the fake coyness wiped from her face immediately.

Shaun couldn’t help but grin a little at that. She was feisty as hell and he bet her reflexes were topnotch. Serious little actress, too. Her body language could go from inviting to threatening at the drop of a hat, and for once he felt well-matched. He couldn’t banter with most women at all, fearing he would hurt their feelings and cause a big teary mess as soon as he said a word. Dani, though? He bet she could dish it back twice as hard as she took it.

“I had you in my cross hairs,” he said, pursing his lips lazily.

She stilled for a second. She must have known as well as he did what that meant, and he bet she’d seen the sniper rifle case being hauled out from the back of the vehicle. Shaun himself still couldn’t believe he hadn’t taken the shot, though every fiber in his body was trained to act when he had a clear chance in a situation like that.

But standing a few feet from her now, hell… she could arrest him from hundreds of yards away, making his hand falter, but at this distance, she had disarmed him completely. All he had now was his wits and even that seemed to be running dry when faced with her.

“Why didn’t you take the shot?” she asked, echoing the question rolling back and forth in Shaun’s head as well.

“Guess I did like what I saw,” he said, grinning wryly.

He was almost expecting her to lunge at him for that and get in a good punch or two, but she didn’t. Instead, she licked over her lips, her gaze flicking down to the toes of her boots and for a second, Shaun thought he spied a slight blush on her cheeks. That was surprising. Apparently she wasn’t all sass, then. It looked just as cute on her as her tough attitude did.

“Careful, soldier. You’re playing with fire here,” she said, looking back up and clearing the tiny note of surprise off of her expression.

She couldn’t fool him, though. He’d seen it, and now the dynamic was changed. Shaun shrugged his shoulders, pushing the door open in front of him and motioning for her to go through.

“I’m not afraid of getting burned,” he said.

He wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not.

C H A P T E R S E V E N - - - - - D A N I E L L A

Daniella felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders as Jerome verified her concerns.

She'd taken a risk by showing them her tattoo, but she believed they'd locate it eventually. And her notion that the six fine gentlemen she found herself in the presence of weren't deranged lunatics remained solid. She doubted she'd ever get free of her zip ties if they were.

She didn't have the firm belief that all Marines or SEALs were morally upright by nature. Not at all. She knew a lot of extremely nasty soldiers who were psychopaths in camouflage and managed to avoid going to prison only because the government paid them to do heinous crimes rather than allowing them to do it as ordinary citizens.

However, she had a gut feeling about these men, and it was a huge comfort to know that her instincts hadn't been entirely destroyed by the struggle and the protracted period of being imprisoned in the filthy forest.

But Shaun was the one who ultimately persuaded her to take a gamble. She was able to have complete faith in that man because of something about him. She was drawn to Shaun even though Jerome was the one who everyone looked up to and who was the obvious leader among a bunch of powerful Alphas. He was the only reason she had been so outspoken, whether it was because of his steely gaze, his sniper-like nerves (which she had since discovered), or the fact that her body screamed with need every time she was within ten feet of him.

She needed the assurance since hoping he was good would only work for so long.

She was now imprisoned in the same chamber that Jerome had previously led her to, but the circumstances had altered. She wasn't perched on the edge of a chair, pulsating with adrenaline, ready to roll and duck or try to fight for her freedom at any moment, and Shaun wasn't keeping watch. A ragged towel was being run through Dani's hair as she attempted to dry it while Shaun balanced a laptop on his knees and sat on the second bed. Their brief shared time in the small space was almost comforting. Because Squad Six was so gentlemanly, she had been allowed first dibs on the water in the little portable shower that had been set up in the cubbyhole that they were using as a restroom. She didn't require two reminders.

Dani felt like she could think a little bit more clearly after washing the dirt off of herself. It appeared as though the fog was dissipating and she was resuming her customary razor-sharpness.

Shaun replied, sneaking a glance at her that Dani caught, "So you're saying that this Soyo man is definitely hiding something and you think there's a parallel operation someplace in the woods."

Then, she threw the towel to the side while grinning and paused for a little while with her hands in her hair. Dani felt as like she and Shaun were more involved in an awkward flirting game than anything else since they were in the middle of preparing her report for The Firm, with one other operative having to be present whenever possible.

Her skin remained a little bit too shiny and her body language much too inviting for this to be strictly business, and he kept giving her those stares that might pass for a blasted mating call. She was powerless to stop. She attempted to rationally justify it by claiming that it was because she hadn't touched another body in months, but emotionally she knew she was lying.

Dani yearned for him. She was so close to tasting how his skin would feel on her mouth. She had been engulfed in a continual pool of need ever since she had first seen him in the automobile. It was absurd and so hot that it started to cloud her judgment.

"Yes, I would suppose so. Every two weeks, the camp is cycled, but I continued seeing that Soyo leaves the camp with one or two guards every three days and doesn't come back till the next day. From what I could determine, they were always moving in the same direction, too, regardless of where the camp was.”

After spending more than an hour drafting the lengthy paragraph, Shaun nodded as he read it. Dani exhaled in relief when he finally appeared happy with it and closed the file, the screen's blueish brightness briefly flickering across his shirt. Not just because she was relieved it was finished, but also because it may give her a better understanding of the mind of the man she was currently smitten with.

You are only acting like that because you are horny. She chastised herself to stop.

She had her doubts that it would be that simple.

Shaun slammed the laptop down and got to his feet, giving Dani a wonderful view of his muscular, lithe figure as he marched across the room. He placed the Laptop on a metal shelf and then carried his bulky sniper rifle case across the room. Even when he realized she was observing him, she didn't break her stare; instead, she only added a mischievous smirk.

As he once again sat down on the bunk next to hers, the corners of his lips twitched upward and he slightly shook his head. Despite the fact that it felt like miles separated them, the gap between them was just a few feet. Shaun quickly got to work after opening the case, assembling the massive gun with such speed and ease that his movements were practically a blur.

When did you start using a sniper rifle?

"Do you talk about work?" she questioned, noticing that her throat was beginning to feel a little dry.

Without taking his eyes off his work, he remarked, "Nearly 10 years now."

"Explain why you left the military. I take it that you were also a SEAL? ”

"Why did you?" He questioned, casting an indiscernible glance her her.

It heightened her desire to learn everything.

"I asked you first," she remarked, her tone amused.

"What is this, elementary school?" He grunted, his brow furrowed.

He had a powerful jaw, and the little sweep of his Roman nose was curiously seductive. But his hands were far more enticing. Dani crossed her knees, straining her thigh muscles, while he maneuvered with exquisite precision, muscles tensing and knotting as he constructed the weapon. Watching him work was as sexy as hell. She's sure doing something more enjoyable with him would be much better.

The pause lingered between them and she finally gave in. Her pride wasn’t important enough to let the conversation lull.

“I left because I couldn’t watch friends die anymore,” she admitted.

That afforded her a nod, his lips getting thin. It wasn’t a simple reaction. She could see his shoulders hunch a little and a wave of recognition coil through his body, almost like an invisible hand squeezing around him before releasing. Whatever it was that made him respond that way, Dani could recognize repressed pain when she saw it.

I wonder what he’s hiding…

“Your turn.”

“I left because it wasn’t home anymore,” he said.

“Do you have a home now?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her eyes went to his ring finger, confirming for the fifteenth time that hour that there wasn’t a band there, or even a shadow of one, a tan line, anything. As much as she was intrigued by him, she would have never made a move on a married guy. Something in her stilled for the time it took for him to shake his head, adamantly hoping that he was going to say no.

“I have my brothers now,” he offered, pulling the rifle to his shoulder and leaning forward to look through the scope before lowering it, satisfied with it.

“But they’re the same kind of guys that were in the service, aren’t they?” she asked, slightly confused by his answer.

Shaun’s hands stopped, those strong, powerful fingers pausing on the smooth metal, and Dani could feel the lump in her throat get a tad tighter. She wished badly that his hands were on hers, and her jaguar purred at the thought. All of it was positively ridiculous, because she was never the kind of woman to lose her cool over a man. But Shaun? Hell, he seemed like he was worth it.

“They’re not. All of these guys, they’ve lost something. A part of themselves, mostly,” he said, training his eyes on Dani and making her world focus intensely on him while he spoke. “They’re my brothers. I’ve had others, but they’re no more. So I guess my reason is the same as yours,” he finished, the sternness of his expression lingering, brooding.

“But you could lose them again,” she said, wishing she could tell herself to shut up, but impressively failing at it.

“I could,” he agreed, smirking dryly. “But a man fights harder than anything for his family.”

The lump in her throat relaxed and she could swallow it down. The fact that he was so passionate about those he loved really resonated with her, and a big part of her got very busy pondering what kind of a partner he would be. Would he be a good father? Would he devote himself to his family like he did his crew? The answer seemed to be a resounding yes, but why she started wondering about it was a mystery Dani didn’t quite want to unravel.

Those gray-blue eyes seemed to consider her for a moment too long, rolling over her in more than simple casual interest. She’d caught him looking several times, but he had kept his tone neutral, his words careful around her since their little flirting after her identity was revealed.

A mischievous thought ran through her mind, egging her on. Maybe she could make the unflappable soldier play again…

“Can I try it?” she asked, pointing at the rifle.

That caught him off guard.

“Why?” he asked, an automatic reaction.

“I’ve never held a real sniper rifle before. Assault rifles for me, mostly. Never had the sureness of hand, I guess. I’d like to know what one feels like,” she said.

“It’s heavy,” he warned, indecision evident in his voice.

“I won’t break,” she purred, catching herself when she heard the flirty tone, but not apologizing for it.

He smirked, shaking his head with mild amusement. At least it was working. He stood up, taking the rifle in his hands, and Dani scrambled to her feet as well. He gave the gun to her and he hadn’t been kidding, that thing was heavy as hell. Dani sucked in a breath through clenched teeth as she hauled it up to her shoulder, pressing the butt against the muscle firmly while her hands gripped it with expertise that couldn’t be forgotten once learned.

Shaun slipped behind her and she had to catch herself from yelping when she felt his strong hands around her and the heat rising from his chest and body licking around her back and ass. It was all she could do to keep from rubbing up against him. He adjusted her grip slightly and that same electricity whirred through her again that she’d felt when they’d touched in the car, and she almost dropped the rifle.

He secured her hands around the heavy gun, his chest against her back now. Leaning forward to press her eye to the scope, she felt his hot breath on her neck as he spoke into her ear, his voice low, growly.

“You need to lean into it, but be ready for it. The kickback’s like getting hit in the shoulder by a mule. It’s the hardest, rawest thing you’ll ever feel,” he whispered, and she was more than sure that he was talking about more than just the gun.

“I can handle it,” she said, her body vibrating with need against him.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his massive hands now sliding down from the gun, around and tracing down her arms.

Dani bit down on her lip so hard she was afraid she’d draw blood. But she couldn’t taste the telltale tang of copper in her mouth, despite the slight hum in her ears and the very familiar feeling of adrenaline starting to snake through her veins again.

She could tell herself that it was the battle, the hormones still riding high. She could even try to convince herself that it could have been anyone, and that Shaun was at the right place at the right time. She could try. But she would be wrong.

“Yes,” she said, pulling back from the scope slowly, tilting her head to the side only slightly.

His lips were right there, inviting, delicious. He grabbed the rifle from her, holding it up while she looked into his eyes, feeling a bit like a deer getting stared down by a wolf, even though she was supposed to be the hunter here.

“Good,” he said finally, with almost an eon passing between her words and his in Dani’s mind.

Then, he crushed his lips to hers and she moaned into him readily, parting her lips and letting his tongue lash into her mouth. It was like kissing fire, so brutal that it burned wherever it touched her, but so hot that she couldn’t tear herself away. Her whole universe spun around on itself, changing and tipping, and she was gladly falling right along with it.

But a part of her was beginning to wonder if she really could handle it.

C H A P T E R E I G H T - - - D A N I E L L A

Shaun entirely removed the gun from Daniella's hands and laid it down on the bunk, leaving it there. Daniella hardly noticed it at the time. She received the impression that he had never just casually abandoned his pistol in that manner or been too distracted to take attention to his tools.

She almost pulled herself up and closer to him as her body pivoted to face him and her hands around his neck. As his hands gripped her ass and dragged her into his arms, Dani had to hold back a giggle as he snarled into the kiss. Everything trembled in reaction to the deep sound, which flowed through her like a strong current.

His waist was encircled by her legs as he shoved her back against the concrete wall, the chilly surface shivering against her slippery, moist flesh. She was lowering her chin into Shaun's hand as he held her head motionless and violated her mouth, and she enjoyed every second of it. She mewled into the crushing, violent kiss, all raw passion and want, as her claws scraped at his strong neck, making him grunt.

He rasped, "Fucking hell, you're so hot," while moving his other hand up her side and massaging her tits to make her bounce against him.

Dani couldn't get enough of him and felt like she was drowning in her juices. Shaun merely leaned back a little to rip off his shirt as her hands pulled at it, urging him to do so. His mouth was back on hers immediately after, claiming it as if it belonged to him and him alone.

In answer, she remarked, "You're not too bad yourself," which elicited another strangled hiss from him.

Without showing even the slightest sign of tenderness, Shaun spun around and tossed her down on her little bunk. She desired it just that way. By the time he had finished taking off his belt buckle, she had kicked off her loosely fastened boots, giving her the opportunity to properly appreciate his physique.

He had a robust, sturdy build like a wall. His physique was made up of tight, gleaming creases and dips, thick, bulging muscles, and almost no fat. His shoulders were very broad, which made up for his narrow hips even more. His eyes were flaming, and his chest rose and fell quickly.

Her stare, which she could see flashing with the gold of his beast, must have been doing the same thing as the large cat clawed at her, pleading to be let out, she realized. But at this moment, she preferred having his body to herself.

He started ripping off her tank top and unhooking her bra in a move that was almost solid, so she put her fingers to his zipper and unfastened it. When her clothes were stripped off, she didn't feel shy, the desire to hide herself, or the urge to know what he actually thought of her body. He had it all painted on him, as obvious and unambiguous as the rules of nature. He throbbed for her, wanting her as much as she did.

As soon as she saw Dani's thick, lengthy cock break free, she groaned breathlessly and started drooling. He had pushed down his boxers and camo trousers just enough. His fingers tangled in her long hair as he smirked and made fists in it. She felt the barely contained want to take more of him as soon as he could overtake her, but he didn't push her toward him. Then, sucking every last bit of pre-cum, her tongue skimmed over the velvety head of his cock.

It was scrumptious. She almost sobbed as she widened her mouth and drew him in very slowly. As soon as she could, she wanted him completely inside of her, but she also wanted to take her time with it. to savor this opportunity, which had come her her after months of preparing, stressing, and overanalyzing everything she did. that she wouldn't have to worry and could follow her desires without worrying about the repercussions.

Shaun was so enormous that she was afraid he would tear her in two. She struggled to get him in her mouth and kissed him while seeing some of his spit drop over his palm and grab the base of his cock with his free hand. He eased gently and comfortably into her mouth, giving her time to get used to the sensation of him in her mouth and throat. He stopped moving slowly though as her claws bit into his thighs and she almost dragged him onto her.

Shaun pushed into her lips with a groan, plunging deep into her throat. Dani rolled her eyes back in glee, giggling slightly but savoring every moment. He continued to do it, driving himself deeper into her as she gasped and spat around him, seeking more. Wide veins pressing against her tongue and hefty balls straining to unload into her let her feel his pulse in her lips.

He hissed and jerked away from her as though she had stung him when she sucked on him, creating a vacuum with her mouth. Dani raised her head, her reddened lips parted.

She pleaded with him, shocked to hear a real appeal in there, "Don't stop."

She didn't make any requests. She was prepared to get on her hands and knees for Shaun, though, if it meant getting more.

She was, however, ready to go on her knees for Shaun if it meant getting more from him.

He stated in a gruff, direct voice, "I want all of you.

Dani struggled with the belt when he took down his trousers on her, but she didn't make much progress until Shaun's body fell on her and his hands assisted where hers failed. She immediately opened her legs for him as he took off her underwear and pants, enjoying the way his eyes lit up as he gazed at her dripping sex and her voluptuous figure laid out for him like a feast.

She said "Fuck me," which was equally a plea and a demand.

Shaun responded, grinning cruelly, "Ask me politely," as he lowered himself and stroked his tongue up the length of her leg, moving ever-closer to her crotch.

She shivered, her body responding furiously to him, her back arching and her hips thrusting. Dani wanted to place her hands in his short hair, but he wouldn't let her, gently swiping her hands away while he did the same to her other thigh, driving her insane with need.

"I said ask me gently, baby," he hissed, and the sound alone made her whimper.

How could she beg for anything when she couldn't even speak?

"I..." she faltered, her thighs shaking despite the fact that she'd just had a taste of him thus far. "Please, Shaun. Please fuck me, please," she pleaded, feeling something crack in her that she was relieved to see shatter.

She may have been willing to reveal a more vulnerable aspect of herself for the first time ever since she trusted them so much. The person in authority and on top always needed to be the one winning and not always on guard. It took everything she had to resist bolting up and running away as soon as the words had left her mouth since she was giving herself up with her heart on a sleeve.

She was steadied and pressed down on the bed by Shaun, who placed his hands on her hips. While his tongue lapped and laved around her clit, he buried his face in her pussy, making her groan. In contrast to the violent, jagged way he had previously fucked her mouth, this time he ate her out slowly and sensually while her body twisted beneath him. Shaun reached up, put a hand over her mouth, and let her to shriek into his palm as a long howl released from her mouth as he sucked her clit between his enraging lips.

As he snaked up her body and let his cock to brush against her slit, he grinned and murmured, "Shh, baby." When he plunged inside her, Dani absolutely believed him when he said, "We're only getting started."

As he gently filled her up by splitting her in half around his cock, her claws sank into his large, strong biceps. By making his thrusts gradual and keeping his hand on her mouth while he sank into her inch by inch, he gave her time to become used to him. By the time he slipped his entire length inside her and bottomed out, her body pressed rigidly against him.

He pulled his hand off Dani's mouth and placed his lips in its place as she gasped for air. While dragging him into her, she inhaled him as her hands slipped around his chest and began to grind against her. His body was quivering indescribably, and she could tell he was just as nervous as she was.

They had a passionate kiss that matched the intensity of their fucking. She was forced to pay attention to everything that was happening, to each instant and sensation, as if she knew she would want to remember this for the rest of her life. Before her nails sank into him and scraped at his wonderful ass, her palms were flat against his buttocks, drawing him even closer to her as he dove in and out of her.

The tremendous yearning she had been experiencing ever since their first contact had turned into an inferno that was obliterating everything in its path. Desire so raw it left no room for anything else to engulf her, her core throbbed and pumped.

Between feverish kisses, she exhaled, "Fucking hell, Shaun," her fangs nibbling at his lips. "Don't you fucking dare stop!"

He vowed, perspiration pouring on his body, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Dani gasped for air as Shaun seized her lower lip between his lips and chewed on it, slowing down his strokes to an almost excruciating grind. However, he wouldn't give up and simply gave her more motivation, so when he kissed her again, she completely fell in.

Her body buckled as the orgasm erupted through her, whipping her head back and twitching frantically under him. Her nails must have been digging into Shaun so forcefully that she was unquestionably leaving scars because there was a violent and hardly restrained snarl coming from the back of her neck. The only thing that counted at that specific moment, though, was how they felt, thus none of it mattered.

She scratched Shaun's back with her nails while crying into his shoulder. Shaun roared, and his thrusts quickened once more until he was brutally smashing into her. Dani threatened to be entirely destroyed by her climax as she grabbed on for dear life while biting down on his neck and ripping her teeth into the skin. Every cell in her body was painfully aware of Shaun and the unparalleled pleasure he was giving her, and she could see stars behind her eyes.

His cock was squeezed between her pussy's lips as she teased, milked, and demanded that he give in to her peak as well. His waist was encircled by her legs, drawing him into her and engulfing him in her warmth. Dani smiled widely as Shaun let out a deep, booming roar that seemed to rock the environment around her.

When he exploded into her, she sensed that his movements were becoming more jerky and thought she might almost start sobbing. Her wobbling, heaving, and little frenzied state were caused by the intensity of what was the closest thing to a spiritual experience she had ever had.

Shaun's scent was so overpowering that she felt as though she had taken a bath in him, and they were both saturated in perspiration. Dani gently licked along Shaun's neck, enjoying the way he shook as she got close to the area behind his ear, causing him to complain once again and eventually move away from her. He took a moment to wait before kissing her and grinning at her with a mixture of passion and tenderness. She immediately missed him when he left her after pulling away.

They both fit on the cot, Dani curled in Shaun's arms, their bodies so close that there was barely enough room for air between them. Her back was to his chest, and his heart's powerful, regular beats were so calming. On what seemed like the first time since she'd left New York for this assignment, she felt her eyelids becoming heavy and her body relaxing.

"That was..." she began after a time, unable to find words to convey how she felt.

But how can one define perfection?

"Yeah," he acknowledged, smiling at her hesitancy and inability to articulate what they had gone through. "You got ta make sure I can locate you when I get away from this hellhole. I'm not sure I'm done with you."

Those words slashed straight through her. Dani's teeth chewed on the inside of her cheek when she realized she'd have to leave the forest the next day and return to the base for her debriefing. Dani had totally forgotten that this was intended to be a bit of fun, something to blow off steam, between taking up his gun and ending up in bed with him.

She was tying herself in knots in an effort to keep in mind that she had only just met this man and had no prior knowledge of him other than the fact that he was both scary and seductive—the ideal combo.

She leaned back against him once more and gave him a feeble grin as she vowed, "I'll try," blocking out the grim prospect of their future together.

She could take in this moment for what it was for the time being. Be damned tomorrow.