As a matter of fact, Kearns was so sure he hadn’t been seen by anyone but a hysterical woman, he wasn’t going to report this. No, sir. Why should he? His reports had been coming in regularly, a guy who was doing his duty, watching her movements. She did absolutely nothing suspicious or even interesting.

So right now he’d be crazy to report the truth. I get tired of watching her do fuckall so I watch her at night when she gets naked, then go to the crap motel to jerk off. And tonight I might have gotten caught. By her neighbor. Who’s a fucking Navy SEAL.

Nope. Not going to happen.

He’d report that Isabel Delvaux, now Isabel Lawton, was continuing her boring routine. Going for walks and cooking. Cooking and going for walks.

Nothing to see here, folks, just move right along.

Chapter Five

Joe hadn’t kissed a woman in—shit. Two years? Three? The last one had been—he blanked. Oh yeah, the lawyer from hell. It had been a one-night stand because she’d scared the shit out of him with her aggression. He’d crept out the next morning with his balls crawling up into his groin out of fear.

He’d been in the freaking Sandbox so long, operating out of remote FOBs with no women but the poor souls covered head to toe in blankets, he’d almost forgotten women existed. Sex was with his fist and that got real old, real fast. So he concentrated on staying alive and he almost didn’t manage it. And man, after being blown up, whoa. That was when sex disappeared from his life.

The only women he’d seen with any regularity were the nurses who wiped his butt and the surgeon. He’d seen her exactly twice. Everyone said she was a miracle worker and his bones could attest to that. But she was fifty with a bun of gray hair and was not dream material.

So he’d sort of forgotten how great women were. Soft everywhere. Soft mouth, soft breasts, soft skin. And Isabel—he couldn’t remember a woman as enticing as Isabel.

He touched his mouth to Isabel’s, his first kiss in two or three years, and he nearly came. He tightened his ass cheeks because coming on the couch, wetting his thin sweatpants, would be super uncool.

Isabel could feel everything he was feeling. He slept commando so when he’d heard her scream he’d grabbed his gun first and then hopped into his sweatpants in less than a second and ran out the door. Barefoot, bare-chested, thinking only to get to her as fast as humanly possible.

So now he was on her couch, cradling Isabel in his arms and she could feel every single thing about him, particularly the hard-on. Which was the hardest hard-on he could ever remember having.

And the kiss was the very best he could ever remember sharing. She was so soft all over, including her mouth. He lost himself in it, forgetting everything, just diving into her, feeling her warm and open in his arms.

When he finally lifted his head, he nearly lost it at the sight of her. So amazingly beautiful, hair mussed from his hands, mouth swollen from his mouth.

“I care what happens to you,” he said. He didn’t want her to think of herself for even a second more as being completely alone in the world.

“I know,” she whispered, watching his eyes. She could watch his eyes all she wanted, she’d see nothing but the truth. She cupped his jaw and lifted her face to him again. This time the kiss was deeper, hotter and control slipped a little from his hands.

Control.

She was fragile, breakable. Joe had to have control and he usually did, damn it. Except now, when he needed it most.

He was trying to map out a strategy to get her to the bedroom though his thoughts were cloudy. Kiss her some more. Maybe ask if she wanted him to stay the night, maybe sleep on her couch, though that would be sheer hell. Sleeping on a couch while the woman he desired more than his next breath slept a room away.

But he was a SEAL. He could do that. Stay over tomorrow night, too, and the night after that. And then maybe he could convince her to...

“Take me to bed, Joe,” she murmured and it was like a lightning bolt shot through his system. He rose with her in his arms and went into her bedroom, fast.

When he set her on her feet the first thing she did was pull the curtains closed. Then she stepped into his arms.

He tried to undress them both between long kisses, hands fumbling. Isabel took pity on him finally and stepped back. Watching his eyes she pulled that soft nightgown over her head and let it drop, then stepped out of her panties.

She seemed uncertain as she watched him carefully and Joe couldn’t understand that. She was perfection itself. Long slender neck, delicate collarbones, full breasts, tiny waist, long slender legs.

“God.” He reached out a hand and hesitated a second. He had such rough hands, callused hands. Was he going to scratch that delicate skin? She took hold of his hand and placed it on her left breast. He smoothed his hand gently over that incredibly satiny skin and felt her heartbeat pounding.

She was excited. God, so was he.

A heartbeat. She was alive, in this room, with him, when she should have been in the ground these past six months. His own living miracle.

“Now you,” Isabel said, looking at his sweatpants.

God yes. He shucked them without taking his eyes off hers.

Isabel placed her palm at the top of his chest and ran it slowly down him. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered and he’d have laughed if he could have.

He blew out a breath. “I don’t have condoms, Isabel.” He could have slapped himself but it wouldn’t have made any difference. He didn’t have condoms with him and he didn’t have them in his house, either. And he wasn’t about to get dressed and cruise town for an open drugstore. No, sir.

He could lie and say that he had tons of self-control and would pull out in time and in the past that would have been true. But right now he knew he had very little self-control.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything but she surprised him. She stepped forward, right into his arms, breast to chest. She burned him all along his front.

“I was put on the pill,” she said, watching his face. “There’s been no one for quite a while and I’ve had every blood test known to man.”

Joe froze then huffed out a strong breath. Bareback.

“I haven’t had sex in at least two years,” he answered. “And ditto the blood tests. Don’t even have high cholesterol.”

She smiled but he didn’t smile back.

The idea of entering Isabel bare was making him shake. He was so excited he thought his heart would hammer its way out of his chest.

He was...dangerous. He had to be really, really careful here. He had strong hands, he had to be gentle and he didn’t know how to do that so he did the only thing he could. He walked to her bed and lay down on his back, hand out.

“Come to me, Isabel,” he whispered. If she was on top she could maintain some control.

She took his hand and moved to him. He caught one knee and gently lifted it over him. Isabel moved over him, braced herself on her hands, bent her head to his, her hair a soft curtain that closed them off in a private magic kingdom.

Joe stared into her eyes, hands roaming up and down that satiny back.

“I’m not going to last at all the first time,” he whispered. “Just so you know.”

She smiled faintly, bent down farther and kissed him.

Joe pulled his cock away from his belly, positioned it against her opening, wanting so badly to go slow, knowing he wasn’t going to manage it.

“Now, Joe,” Isabel said into his mouth and he thrust upward, hard, spilling as he entered her, his entire body shaking and sweating, coming as hard as a freight train. He jerked and trembled and kissed her and held her tight, completely out of control.