He shook his head. “No, this is for both of us. If you’re not comfortable with it, and you don’t enjoy it, then we both lose. Take your time a little exploring my body. I took my time with yours, remember?”

She flashed a small smile as she put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up. “I doubt I’ll ever forget what you did that night. I didn’t know I could feel that way. I honestly never expected to feel pleasure. Rockets went off, and it was my first time. Everyone warned me it would hurt, but you ...”

“It did hurt.” Gripping her upper arms, he walked her backward into the dark bedroom.

“For a second. I can’t remember anything but the pleasure. I want that again. And I want to give it to you.”

Using one hand, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. “Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with, Rose.”

She put one hand on his chest and pushed. He sank back onto the bed, his heart skidding to a halt as she removed her top and bra, allowing her heavy br**sts freedom. She robbed him of all breath as she dropped onto the end of the bed and crawled over his body. The sheer unexpected attack, the erotic image of her moving like a cat, arching her back, her lithe body rolling from side to side as she crawled up and over him, sent his temperature soaring and lust rolling off him in waves. Her br**sts trailed invitingly over his legs, leaving her heart-shaped bottom swaying with enticement.

The sensual brush of her hair against the inside of his thighs sent another rush of heat through his veins. Rose did the unexpected. She ran her hands over his thighs and bent her head and kissed the inside of his leg. Again his c**k jerked in anticipation. Her hair brushed his sensitive erection, electrifying his nerve endings. He closed his eyes as her fingers sank into the heavy muscle of his thighs, kneading deep. He felt the featherlight touch of her soft lips sliding over his legs. The contrast between the two sensations was extraordinary, or maybe it was simply that she seemed to be totally immersed in her exploration of him.

Rose took care in kissing her way up his legs and over his hips, using hands and mouth to memorize every detail of his body. His h*ps bucked against her involuntarily, but she didn’t speed up, in spite of the evidence of his body’s hunger. She’d stated she was a perfectionist, and he believed her. She didn’t leave one square inch of his hips, groin, or legs unattended. By the time he felt her breath bathing his cock, he was on fire.

Her tongue seemed a velvet rasp over the mushroom head, a small lick, not tentative, and then ... He held his breath, fingers bunching the comforter into his fists in an effort to lie still while she played. She needed this, a sense of control and knowledge. He had taken exquisite care to explore her body, to learn every inch of her erogenous zones, and clearly she was repaying him with a bonus.

He watched her through narrowed eyes. She was so damn beautiful. She had a look of intense concentration on her face. He gasped as she nearly swallowed him. Her mouth was hot and tight and silky smooth. There was no way to catch his breath, with the sensations rocking him. And then she was doing that slow licking, moving over the base of his cock, down lower, massaging with gentle fingers, committing his body to her memory, taking in his reaction as she used tongue and fingers.

No one had ever made him feel so important—or so turned on. The explosion was building to gigantic proportions, and she hadn’t even really paid all that much attention to his cock. Her hands slipped under him, fingers massaging and kneading his butt. At the same time, she leaned down and engulfed his thick, hard erection again. She did something with her tongue, flicking and teasing along the underside, where his most sensitive spot was, and he couldn’t control his reaction.

His h*ps bucked again, this time a little more wildly. She didn’t grab the base of his shaft to stop him; she simply cradled his butt in her hands and urged him into her. She pulled back several times but seemed eager—more than eager—to keep exploring her ability to bring him pleasure. And she was damned good at it for an amateur, mostly, he was certain, because she was so enthusiastic. She wanted his pleasure, and to know that she could give it to him.

Where the hell did you learn this? Because if there was a book floating around, he was going to read the thing.

Silly man. I’m just following your example. You’re the teacher; you did this to me, our first time together, remember? Her voice was almost as much of a silken caress as her lips.

She was back to licking. Sometimes her lips slid up and down him and then she’d make slow circles designed to drive him insane. He closed his eyes and let the small explosions behind his eyelids carry him on a gathering tide of ecstasy.

Rose wasn’t mechanical; she was loving him, just as he had done to her their first time together. She wanted this experience for him, not for herself and, he realized, that was her secret. She was giving herself to him in the same way he had given himself to her. Fully. Without reservation. He had made the commitment to her that night, giving her not only their son but his unswerving loyalty for life. As simple as it sounded, he had tried to show her, without words, that he would love her and stand for her. The act had been physical, but the way he had gone about it had represented so much more.

Rose had understood him. He felt the buildup from his toes, burning up through his legs, the fire spreading downward from his belly until the feeling centered in his groin, like the gathering of a volcano. Her mouth was smooth, hot silk, wet and wild, moving, not just in a steady bob but spiraling up and down, her tongue sometimes flicking, sometimes using flat, broad strokes that sent his pulse rocketing.

“Sweetheart, I’m not going to be able to hold on.” Already his hands had shifted from the comforter to her hair, gripping harder than he wanted, but he could barely think, his teeth clenched, breathing hard to try to slow down.

I want you to.

He knew she felt the tightening in his entire body, but did she know what to expect? “Not this time, Rose.” He felt like a saint, trying to protect her.

She did that strange little flicker with her tongue and moaned, sending a vibration through his cock. He was lost, fireworks going off. He heard his own harsh groan as the world around him exploded. He should have pulled her head off him, not down onto him, but the pleasure was too intense to do anything but go with it. He realized he was holding her there and instantly tried to release her.

Rose didn’t fight him, but she coughed a few times before sitting back, wiping at her mouth and down the front of her. Her hands went to support her br**sts, now full and hard. She winced a little as if they were hurting her. She looked satisfied and very pleased with herself.

“I think I managed to do that mostly right, at least up until the end.” She surveyed her body, making a face. “This is kind of a messy business, isn’t it?”

He wasn’t certain he could find his voice. He reached up to touch the hard little bead of her nipple, dripping now. He brought his finger to his mouth and licked at the little droplet. “You taste so sweet, Rose.” He rubbed at the remaining evidence of his desire for her, using her shirt to clean off her br**sts. “I think things got a little out of hand.”

“I’ll have to practice a lot more to get that right.”

He shook his head, his smile welling up. She made him happy, even when she was still treating him a little like a science project. “You can practice all you like, Rose. I don’t mind.” His body was still shaking with the shocking pleasure.

“It’s actually quite arousing to know I can make you that excited.” She reached for her bra. “But all that activity made my milk come in, and I hurt. I’m going to stand in the hot shower and see if that helps.”

“I can help,” he offered, afraid of offending her. She looked so tempting with the milk leaking from her br**sts. All he had to do was latch on and relieve the pressure for her. Everything about her was sexy, even the milk in her br**sts. He felt a twinge in his c**k all over again when he shouldn’t be able to move for hours.

She leaned forward to brush a kiss along his chin. “I think that might make me all the more excited and needy,

Kane. I want you, and my body isn’t ready yet. The hot shower is as good as it’s going to get for me right now.”

He pushed himself up on his elbows, glancing at the clock. He wouldn’t mind joining her in the shower, just to watch her. He was seriously in danger of becoming addicted to her—especially after what she’d just done. He knew if he insisted she would allow him to suckle the excess from her. He liked the idea of her wanting him, but he didn’t want to leave her needy, and he couldn’t finish anything he started.

“Rose.” He stopped her from scooting off the bed.

“That’s the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you.”

“I was telling you how I felt.” Her gaze held steady on his.

“I was listening. I think you were very articulate.”

Her slow smile rewarded him. “You could use a little cleanup yourself.”

He was off the bed immediately, his hand removing the bra from her and tossing it aside. He cupped her br**sts, supporting them as he walked her into the bathroom. “You take over the support while I take care of your clothes and get the temperature just right.”

Rose nodded and stood, holding her aching, burning br**sts in her hands. She’d never felt so hard and unattractive as in that moment. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had loved telling Kane with her mouth what she couldn’t say out loud. There was no other man for her. Everything about him was perfect for her. He’d showed her nothing but respect from the very beginning. And as far as she was concerned, he was the hottest man she’d ever seen.

His hands were gentle as he stripped away her jeans. She was a little embarrassed over her soft belly when she was so used to having a tight body. She wanted him to see her at her best, and unfortunately, she was feeling awkward, uncertain, and her br**sts hurt like hell. The need pulsing between her legs didn’t make her happy either.

She stepped under the hot water and leaned back against him, letting his hands support her br**sts and keep her upright while the heat penetrated her skin and allowed her milk to run free. The relief was gradual but felt like heaven. She was conscious of Kane holding her close to him, his body like the trunk of an oak, hard and solid, an anchor in every storm.

She closed her eyes and just absorbed him. There was something about Kane that under any circumstances made her feel safe—and cared for. The way he looked at her made her feel alive, aware at all times of herself as a woman—not just as a soldier.

He glanced at his watch and, although he showed no signs of hurrying or being impatient that she took her time under the hot water, she had the feeling that he was growing anxious. As soon as they turned off the water, he handed her a large bath towel and then dried off. She followed his example at a much more leisurely pace.

He was fully dressed in combat night gear by the time she was dried off.

“What are you doing?” Rose frowned, watching him shove weapons into every conceivable loop and hidden pocket. “You don’t look like we’re settling in for a cozy evening.”

“I’ll have to go out and check on the two idiots outside. They’re hatching a plan to kidnap some girl from a village. I need to know if they’re really going to go through with it. If Fargo leaves, Carlson will make his try for you tonight, no matter what.”

Horrified, Rose wrapped the towel around herself tightly. “They’re going to do what?”

“That was the plan. It seems the booze isn’t keeping them warm enough at night. They’re bored and restless, Rose. Neither one of them has the discipline necessary for an assignment like this one. Whitney studies humans, and he enjoys throwing them into the very situations he thinks they should rise above, but he knows their natures work against them.”