Special Forces: The Operator Read online

  It was her turn to laugh at him, part in humor and part in nervous anticipation. “We’ll see about that.”

  His voice was bare whisper of sound as he leaned in close. “Yes, we will, won’t we?”

  And then he kissed her, long and deep and passionately, until her toes curled with excitement and her belly fluttered with desire. He laid his hand along the side of her face, cupping her head as he kissed her, his fingers trailing across her ear and down her cheek to her jaw. They trailed away from her chin as he ended the kiss, and left her feeling strangely bereft as he flopped onto his back beside her.

  “Aww, c’mon. That’s not fair,” she muttered.

  A chuckle floated out of the darkness. “Whoever said I play fair?”

  Chapter 11

  Avi lay in the dark, listening to Rebel’s light, even breathing. He was reminded sharply of getting caught in a rip current that whisked him away from the shore, no matter how hard he fought it, and deposited him far out at sea. Rebel had swept him off his feet without warning and dragged him completely away from the safety of his usual friendly but distant relationships with the women he slept with.

  While he always offered to go slow with women—they liked having the freedom to choose—they rarely took him up on it. And furthermore, he was rarely in one place long enough for those who didn’t act fast to get a shot with him, anyway.

  But Rebel seemed to vacillate between being in an all-fired hurry to bed him and being in no hurry at all to take him up on his offer. More strangely, he was okay with her uncertainty. He found it charming. Innocent. Honest.

  Sure, he had a little clock ticking in the back of his head whispering that they only had two more weeks here. But the larger voice in his head reminded him that he would likely have other opportunities to be with her, given that they were both in the incredibly tiny Special Forces community. And, since their countries were allies, they could be assured of running into each other now and then.

  Except, lying here beside her tonight, that didn’t sound like nearly often enough. He was comfortable lying beside her like this. Really comfortable. As if this was a place he would like to be more frequently than just now and then. The two of them fit.

  She hadn’t been scared of him when he went full Special Forces on her earlier at the Iranian headquarters, barking orders and being terse. And she made him laugh like few women could. She had the dry, sharp wit of an operator and used it with laser precision. She wasn’t pushy, but she also wasn’t timid. And the longer he was around her, the more he saw her quiet beauty.

  He rolled on his side facing her and studied her profile, outlined by the faint city light creeping through the curtains. Her features were actually quite delicate. Soft, but with good bones. She was definitely not the type of women he would peg at first glance to be a special operator. Which was, of course, the point. Nobody would guess who or what she really was, and she would be able to infiltrate anywhere with impunity.

  She stirred, and he went still, hoping she would settle back into sleep. But instead, she turned her head and opened her eyes to gaze at him. “Can’t sleep?” she murmured.

  “Something like that.”

  “Can I help?”

  He smiled gently. “No. Go back to sleep. Sweet dreams.” He rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling and leave her to her rest.

  But she shocked him by rolling over on her side a few moments later and snuggling up against his left arm. Her breasts, which were smallish and firm as it turned out, nestled intimately against his upper arm as Rebel’s arm reached across his chest and settled there.

  Every cell in his body went on high alert as her cheek came to rest against his shoulder, her left leg thrown over his. She was relaxed and breathing deeply. Definitely asleep.

  By force of will, he slowly relaxed his muscles, one by one, until he was nearly as relaxed as her, at least physically, if not mentally. No way was he ever going to sleep, tonight...

  * * *

  He woke up sometime later, coming to full alertness all at once, the way he did when some threat approached.

  “Aww, rats. I thought I could get out of bed without waking you up. But you’re too light a sleeper.”

  Rebel. Talking in his ear. As in directly in his ear. The rest of it dawned on him all at once. He was in bed with her. They’d slept together. Platonically. And he’d liked it. Which meant he was either losing his mojo or this woman was doing bizarre things to his head.

  He rolled on his side and gathered her against his bare chest, the soft fabric of her shirt not muting in any way the delicious press of her breasts against his chest. Their legs tangled, and their jeans did nothing to dampen his reaction to holding her like this, body to body, in a bed and alone together at last.

  He glanced past her at the curtains. Sunlight streamed in at an angle that made him think it was midmorning. And he felt refreshed, which placed the time at around 10:00 a.m. if he had to guess.

  “Sleep well?” he murmured.

  “Better than I have in ages.”

  “Aha. Sleeping with me is the key to happiness.”

  “We’ve already established that I don’t believe in happiness.”

  “Right. Because we haven’t made love, yet.”

  She laughed and her chest moved against his in the most fascinating way. “Tell me this, Rebel. If you’re not feeling happy this morning, how are you feeling?”

  “I feel...” She paused as if it was a struggle to even express a feeling. He waited her out, though. “I feel—” she tried again “—good.”

  “Good?” he echoed indignantly. “After all that thought, all you could come up with was good? Oh, my dear woman. We have serious work to do to correct your view of life.”

  “Oh yeah? You think you can fix me? What did you have in mind?” She had the audacity to be grinning up at him in open challenge.

  “You did not just challenge me,” he murmured.

  “I’ll bet you a kangaroo I just challenged you.”

  Grinning widely, he dipped his head and lifted her hair, kissing her neck just behind and below her ear.

  “What are you doing?” she exclaimed as he sucked on the spot. Hard.

  “Giving you a hickey so you have to wear your hair down today to hide it.”

  “Stop!”

  “Too late.” He pulled back to study in satisfaction the pink spot that was rapidly darkening.

  “You are such a jerk!”

  He laughed openly now, and pulled back the neck of her turtleneck to kiss his way further down her neck.

  “Don’t you dare give me another hickey!”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it. You have such soft, delicate skin. I would never harm it.” He slipped his hands underneath the hem of her shirt and eased his palms up her ribs, reveling in how petite she actually was.

  She had plenty of opportunity to protest or pull away from his hands, but she did neither. He had never been accused of being shy before, and he wasn’t now, either. He slid his hands upward until they cupped her breasts, rubbing the pad of his thumb across the sweet little buds, delighting in how they beaded up instantly.

  “Mmm. So responsive. You know what that means, right?”

  “Huh. Whuh?” she mumbled incoherently.

  “Yes. That. It means you’ll achieve sharp sexual pleasure quickly and easily. Oh, sweet Rebel. Do you have any idea how many orgasms I’m going to be able to give you? Sex with you is going to be nothing short of amazing.”

  As he continued to tantalize her nipples, she made a faint sound that might have been protest, except at the same time her back was arching, thrusting her breasts more fully into his hands. Nope. Not a protest. Merely a sound of pleasure wrung from the back of her throat.

  He’d had enough of her shirt blocking his view of her, and he impatiently pushed the fabric up around her neck. He stille
d, captivated by the sight of her breasts. “Ahh, Rebel. So beautiful. Why do you hide yourself from everyone?”

  “It’s not like I’m going to run around topless,” she muttered indignantly.

  “You could if you wanted to. I know all the best topless beaches in the Mediterranean.”

  “Of course you do.”

  He leaned forward to kiss the gentle valley between her breasts, breathing reverently against her skin as he murmured, “I’m not ashamed of enjoying women. I love to look at a beautiful body, and love even more making love to a beautiful woman.”

  Her back arched up sharply as he laved his tongue lightly across one of those oh, so sensitive nipples, and then he did the same to the other one. He pulled the eager little bud into his mouth, tugging at it with his lips and then lightly with his teeth.

  She cried out, and her whole body moved restlessly against him this time. He ran his palms from her ribs along the length of her arms, and she realized what he was doing and helped, tugging her arms free of the sleeves and shucking the shirt over her head.

  He gathered her in his arms again, relishing her warmth and satin softness against him. What the hell had he been thinking to declare that he wouldn’t make love to her until she demanded it? He must be some sort of mad glutton for punishment. As it was, his groin was in enough pain at the moment to double him over in any other circumstances.

  Her palms smoothed across his chest, measuring the width of his shoulders and looping hesitantly around his neck. He let her explore his body at her own speed, but it was torture holding himself perfectly still for her. She tilted her chin up and kissed him lightly, tentatively. And still he didn’t move, other than to tilt his chin down to give her better access to his mouth.

  Her tongue sipped at his lips, and then her mouth opened against his. He couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He swept his tongue inside her mouth and kissed her voraciously, sucking at her tongue and inhaling her very essence into him.

  Her entire body writhed against his, seeking more hungrily.

  “What do you want, Rebel?” he asked against her lips. Damn. Was that his voice sounding so out of breath?

  “I want you.”

  “I’m right here. You can have me.”

  “Can you take your pants off?”

  “I can and I will.” He rolled away from her and wrestled down the stubborn denim, which seemed determined to cling to his legs this morning. Finally, he kicked them free. And while he was at it, he got rid of his underwear, too. His erection sprang free, and he nearly groaned aloud in relief. He was still in pain, but now it was pain with the prospect of some relief in the foreseeable future.

  He liked where this was heading. He rolled back to gather her close and was stunned to realize she’d gotten rid of her jeans and underwear, also. Oh yes. He definitely like where this was heading.

  “What’s your pleasure?” he murmured.

  “I’m not sure I understand the question,” she replied.

  “What do you like to do in bed?”

  “I’m, umm, not sure.”

  “Well, what have you liked in the past?”

  “Not that much, actually.”

  He laughed under his breath. “Outstanding. Your previous lovers have set a low bar I’ll be able to crawl over on my belly.”

  “Are you making fun of me?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Good heavens, no. I’m pleased to have the honor of showing you how magnificent sex can be.”

  “Magnificent, huh? This I have to see.”

  “Are you asking me to make love to you?” He wanted there to be no misunderstandings between them, no room for recriminations or regrets.

  She froze in his arms and stared up at him for a moment that stretched out agonizingly long for him while he held his breath. Finally, she murmured, “I guess I am.”

  “You’re going to have to say it, love. I want utter clarity between us.”

  She exhaled hard. “Fine. I want you to make love to me—for us to make love together.”

  “You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. And when would you like this blessed event to occur?”

  “Right now, of course.”

  “Again, my heart sings to hear that.”

  “Then why are you still talking?” she demanded, starting to sound a bit chippy.

  “You didn’t expect me to fall on you like some slobbering drunk, did you?” he asked, half laughing.

  “Uhh, no. I guess not.”

  He swore under his breath. “Just how awful were your former lovers?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll let you know when I’ve got someone to compare them to.” She was sounding distinctly annoyed now.

  “Are you telling me to get busy?”

  “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  “Are you demanding sex with me, then?”

  “Yes!”

  * * *

  Rebel wasn’t sure if she was chagrined that he’d gotten his way and made her demand sex, or relieved to have finally given in to him and to her desire.

  Avi surged up over her on one elbow, the humor fading rapidly from his eyes, leaving them dark and intense as he stared down at her. Truth be told, he was more than a little intimidating when he looked like this. He was no teenage boy or horny college kid. This was a man full grown. A warrior.

  He lowered his mouth slowly, slowly toward hers, almost as if to ensure that she wanted this, too.

  She briefly considered bolting, but then curiosity about what she’d been missing all these years overtook her trepidation. She waited in nervous anticipation of what came next.

  He kissed her again, but this time, he wasn’t messing around. He was done with laughter and joking, and he kissed her like he meant to sweep her off her feet and make her forget her own name.

  His whole body was restless, moving against hers as his mouth slid across hers. His teeth captured her lower lip, and he bit her just shy of painfully. He pushed her gently onto her back and then he kissed his way across her jaw, down her neck and down to her chest.

  Oh good. She’d liked what he did before a lot. Except he didn’t stop at her chest. One of his palms was planted over her sternum as his mouth continued its downward path. He swirled his tongue in her belly button and she lurched at the not quite tickle that shot bolts of pleasure between her legs.

  He kissed his way across her lower belly, and her abdominal muscles clenched so hard they almost hurt. She pressed her thighs together tightly against the burst of sensations exploding in her core.

  But then Avi’s hand was on the back of her knee, sweeping up the back of her thigh in a sensual glide that stole what little breath she had. His fingers plunged between the tops of her thighs from behind, and she opened her legs in surprise at the unfamiliar caress from that direction. And then his mouth continued its downward course, all wet heat and probing tongue and sucking pressure that made her lady parts engorge with lust.

  “I’ve never...this is...oh my.”

  “Easy, Rebel. Just relax and enjoy. I want to know every corner of your body. You don’t need to have any secrets from me. I find all of you beautiful.”

  Apprehension about where she jiggled and where she carried extra fat and where she wasn’t proportioned like a fashion model fell away in the face of his gentle exploration.

  He was thorough, kissing his way down the inside of her thigh and rolling her over on her stomach to kiss his way up the back of her leg. He massaged her rear end until she stopped clenching it in embarrassment, and then his fingers stroked between her thighs, coaxing them open once more.

  The tip of his finger eased inside her tight passage and she gasped at the sensations that shot through her core. His finger eased a little deeper, and she was suddenly aware of how damp and pulsing and ready she was for him.

  She turned on her side to face him. Sh
e gripped his erection in her fist, reveling in the velvet over steel hardness of him. He was a large man and well-endowed, and she frowned in sudden worry.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.

  “I’m not sure...you’re, umm, generous in size... I’m not...”

  He laughed low, sounding a little amused and a lot delighted. “Never fear. It will all work out.” He very gently eased her onto her back once more and his palm cupped her core.

  His finger stroked slickly across the pearl of her desire, and then eased into her once more. He kissed her mouth in rhythm with the slow, easy glide of his finger, in and out, in and out.

  “We’re not trying anything until you’re nice and relaxed and nothing will hurt. There’s no rush. So just enjoy.”

  “I am. Believe me.”

  “Mmm. I can feel it. What will happen if I stroke a little faster? Like this.”

  What happened was she practically exploded. Her hips lurched and he laughed into her mouth. “Like that?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “How about this?” A second finger slid inside her while his thumb found the bud without and rubbed across it lazily with every stroke of his fingers.

  She did explode then. A shower of shimmering pleasure broke over her and she cried out as it singed through her entire body. “What was that?” she blurted.

  “An orgasm if I’m not mistaken.” His voice was utterly deadpan, and she opened her eyes to glare at him. Unholy humor glinted in his eyes.

  “Smart aleck. Are you always so smug?”

  He laughed aloud, then. “I’ll let you know when I achieve maximum smugness.” And then he proceeded to give her no less than three more orgasms with his magic fingers.

  She was panting and starting to feel a little wrung out when he finally murmured, “Now you’re ready for me.”

  He shifted until he lay between her legs, the heaviness of his erection at her damp, pulsing entrance. And then the smooth, blunt heat of him was there, pressing slowly and inexorably into her.