Second Chance Summer Read online

  grief-stricken girl she’d been. But he had the grown woman right here in his arms. “You belong here as much as anyone.”

  He could tell that made her feel good but was also far too serious for her, because she changed the subject. “I still can’t believe Hudson stitched you up like that. Let me see your chest.”

  Her holier-than-thou tone had him flipping her beneath him on the bed. “You’ve been the boss of me for going on two days now,” he said, making himself at home between her legs. “My turn.”

  She stared up at his mouth like she wanted it on hers. He intended to oblige her. “Doesn’t seem quite fair,” she said, “since you’ve been a pretty big dud.”

  He felt his brows rise. “A big dud?”

  “And a bad patient,” she said.

  Her hands were trapped between them. He entwined their fingers and slid her arms up over her head, holding them there while he lowered his body over hers and met her gaze. She was looking a little apprehensive and a whole lot aroused.

  It was a good combo, he decided. “So you have complaints.”

  “Well,” she said, hedging, clearly fighting a smile. “It’d be rude of me to insult your manhood when you’re down.”

  He nudged his hips into hers, and he could tell by the way her breath caught that she could feel he wasn’t down at all, but up. Very, very up.

  “Consider me corrected,” she whispered.

  He kissed her neck, nudging the strap of her cami from her shoulder.

  She moaned as his hand made its way beneath the soft material and skimmed lightly across her nipple, her entire body trembling under his touch. “Your injury …”

  “Shh.” Slowly he eased her top over her head and sent it sailing. Leaning over her, he kissed her sexy mouth and then flashed her a smile before dragging hot, open-mouthed kisses down her breasts, her ribs, a hipbone … She was making the sexiest little whimpers he’d ever heard as he got to her panties. He kissed her over them and then pulled the cotton away from her, sliding them down her legs, where they took the same flight as her top had. “Can’t get enough of you,” he whispered, and lowered his mouth to her wet center.

  She sucked in a breath, and then another. “Aidan—”

  “Shh,” he said, and continued on with his plan to drive her crazy with lust.

  It took a very gratifyingly short amount of time. When she cried out and began to shudder, he stayed with her to the end.

  Panting, still quivering, she tried to roll, giving him a push to indicate he needed to go with her. Letting her have her way, he ended up flat on his back with her on top.

  “Does this hurt?”

  “You’re killing me,” he said. “But you’re not hurting me.”

  She smiled and ran her hands down his chest, lightly over his bandage. His eyes nearly drifted shut in sheer passion at the sensation of all those smooth, soft curves lying against him. God, she felt so damn good. But her hands were headed south, her eyes on her own movements as she wrapped her fingers around him.

  “Don’t let me hurt you,” she said.

  Too late, he thought as she slid down his body. The feel of her mouth around him shattered any control he’d been managing to hold on to. He managed a single shallow breath before she began to suck in rhythm. His heart rate doubled and then tripled, and his hands slid into her hair. “Lily—”

  She didn’t stop, not even when he was gasping and choked out her name. Not wanting to hurt her, he forced his hands from her hair and ended up fisting the sheets instead. She took him all the way to the edge before he managed to sit up and pull her in so that she straddled him.

  She licked her lips like she was savoring the taste of him and then sank down on him so that he slid in deep.

  “Aidan?” she whispered against his mouth.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can’t get enough of you either.”

  He stilled and stared up at her. “Good,” he said in a fierce voice that had nothing to do with lust and everything to do with emotion. Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, to-the-soul emotion.

  “I …” Her gaze dipped to his chest and then back to his eyes. “I do feel things for you,” she whispered. “Big things. I just …”

  He pushed her hair from her face. “You’ll get there when you get there. There’s no rush, Lily.”

  Her eyes were big on his. Uncertain. Wary. “I’m just …”

  “I know. And I’m not going anywhere,” he promised. “And neither are my feelings for you.”

  Her eyes went a little misty but she nodded. And then she began to move. And oh, Lord, how she moved. He sank one hand into her hair and wrapped his other arm around her, low on her hips, to keep her in tight as he moved with her.

  Her eyes were closed now, her head back, her breathing shallow. He kept his own eyes open with great effort, watching as she tumbled over, coming hard against him, shuddering in his arms, his name on her lips.

  This sealed his fate. He couldn’t hold back, didn’t even try as he tightened his grip and came right after her.

  It took all his strength to roll to his side and pull her in close to him as he concentrated on getting his heart rate back into normal range. “You don’t even want to know how many times I’ve fantasized about your mouth on me,” he said.

  “But you didn’t let me finish.”

  “Needed to be inside you when I came.” He met her gaze. “You ever fantasize about me?”

  She blushed but didn’t look away. “Yes.”

  “Tell me.”

  “You really want to know?”

  “Hell yeah,” he said.

  “Okay.” She grimaced. “But it’s just a fantasy, okay? I don’t have a rescue complex or anything, it’s just that the way you look in your gear when you’re out there on the mountain getting ready to rescue someone, with the ropes and harness and that fierce look of intense determination you get …” She broke off and bit her lip.

  “You want me to rescue you,” he said, and smiled.

  “Not a real rescue,” she said quickly. “I don’t want to ever need a real rescue.”

  “Just pretend,” he said, liking where this was going. “In my gear.”

  Her eyes lit with arousal and amusement. “Yes, and …”

  “My ropes,” he said.

  “You think I’m terrible,” she said. “Right?”

  “I think you’re the best thing ever.” And then he proved it to her.

  When Lily stirred next, dawn still hadn’t hit, but she was violently aroused.

  Aidan was over her in the dark, stroking her body, making her feel like she could go up in flames.

  “You sure you’re up for this?” she asked, her hands against his chest.

  Instead of answering, he rocked into her.

  Yep, there was no doubt that he was indeed “up” for this as his mouth nestled along her throat.

  Her sweet spot.

  She stroked her hands over him, the two of them exchanging lazy kisses and nibbles until Aidan suddenly got serious, rolling so that he was flat on his back. Warm strong hands skimmed her thighs, settling them on either side of his hips.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Getting there.” And with that, he lifted her and thrust inside deep. “Yeah,” he said on a rough groan that gave her one of those really great body shivers. “Definitely getting there.” His hands skimmed down her arms to hers, entwining their fingers. Then he tugged so that she fell forward onto his chest. His face only inches from hers, he held her gaze, his own open and unguarded. He was aroused, but there was also affection shining from those warm brown eyes.

  And more.

  In fact, she could see anything and everything in those eyes.

  A groan coupled with a thrust from Aidan had her clutching at him as he continued to move beneath her. Not wanting to hurt him by squeezing too hard on his ribs with her knees, she clasped his hands and pushed herself upright, crying out as this seated him even deeper inside her.

  “Okay?