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  Trigger darted a glance at Cass, only to discover she was watching him. She quickly glanced at Gabe and straightened in her chair.

  What had that been about? Was she feeling the same pull of attraction he was? Likely, she was simply thinking up new lines to confuse the hell out of him.

  They discussed how the entourage would depart in the morning. He and Cass would be in the lead car. They’d stop for gas somewhere along the way, just to give Cass a chance to step out of the vehicle and look bored—so that she was seen. If anyone was watching they’d follow their car when the two vehicles headed in different directions. While they were at the dress shops, they’d keep in touch so that they could coordinate their return to the house. Since they’d be departing from an enclosed garage and their movements inside the grounds were hidden from view by the tall wall, no one would be the wiser that there were two Elianas.

  They finished their meeting and Cass and Trigger took their leave from the others.

  They walked through the courtyard, side by side, passing the pool then arriving at the cottage.

  Trigger opened the door and waved her through. When she arched a brow, he narrowed his eyes. “I know you’re perfectly capable, but let me use some of the manners my mama taught me.”

  “You have family?”

  “You don’t?”

  She made a face as she passed through the doorway. “An older sister. My parents were well into their forties when they had me. I was a surprise. They both passed away ten years ago. My mother of the flu, my father… I think he just didn’t want to live without her.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, turning the lock on the door and shutting them inside.

  “Don’t be. My sister was older and married before I left middle school. We aren’t close. Which is a good thing, I guess, since I live a nomad’s life.”

  “Where do you call home?”

  “I have an apartment in Kalispell, Montana, but I’m rarely there. No pets or plants, or they’d all be withered and dead. How about you? Family? A girlfriend?”

  “Family, yes. My mom’s still alive, and I have a younger brother who’s studying Ag at Texas A&M. I make a point to get back to Texas at least once a year to see them. My dad was a military man. Rarely home. It killed their marriage.”

  “Do you see him often?”

  He shook his head. “He’s Navy, too, but always out to sea. We’ve crossed paths a few times, but other than the Navy, we really don’t have much in common.”

  “He must be nearing retirement.”

  “Yeah, and he has a new wife. They’ll be settling in Florida when he retires.”

  When the conversation petered out, they stood in the center of the living room.

  He cleared his throat. “Would you like a drink?”

  She shook her head. “Already had my limit. But you go right ahead.” Her gaze went up and down his body. “I imagine you can hold more liquor than I can before it affects you.”

  He held up the radio that communicated with the team in the house. “I’m done. I like to sleep light when I’m on a job.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll say good night,” she said. Then her mouth tipped upward at the corners, just briefly, and she turned to walk toward her room.

  Trigger wished he’d invited her to keep him company for a bit. It was still early, and he knew he wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon. However, he didn’t want her reading anything into his words. He’d liked learning a little about her. Her lack of close family explained a little about her prickly manner.

  He raked a hand through his hair and headed for the refrigerator. He had a bit of a sweet tooth, and he’d seen a pie earlier. Looked to be apple or peach. He hoped there was some ice cream in the freezer, too. If he had to eat alone, at least he could savor a bit of sweet. Then he’d hit the weights in the gym room. Perhaps then, he’d be tired enough to sleep.

  * * *

  Cass remained beside her door, listening as Trigger moved through the living room, heading toward the kitchen. How he could eat another bite, she hadn’t a clue. The second square of baklava had been too much for her. All that sugar left her a little jittery. There’d be no sleep for a while.

  She wondered if she should try to sneak into the gym room, but the door was all the way over on the other side of the living room, near Trigger’s bedroom door. She’d peeked inside the room earlier and had noted it had everything she needed—an elliptical, a rowing machine, weights, a treadmill. Sneaking wouldn’t solve the problem of all the noise she’d make once she was there, but maybe, he’d leave her some privacy so she could work off a little of the edge she was still carrying from their earlier encounter beside the pool. A cold shower hadn’t helped one bit.

  Sitting beside him at dinner had been pure torture. Her gaze had kept drifting toward him. He’d probably thought she’d been checking him out the entire time, which she was; she just didn’t want him knowing that.

  He’d caught her looking once, and she’d had to force herself to turn to Gabe. Then she’d caught onto the continuing undercurrent of attraction between their team leader and the pretty Greek. After she’d noticed, it was easier to keep focused on watching the couple who thought no one else was watching them. She’d felt another stirring of pity for Eliana, but also, curiosity about what Gabe could have been thinking to encourage it.

  No good would come of their attraction. One of them wasn’t a free agent. Not like her and Trigger. If she were inclined to pursue a liaison with the sexy SEAL, no one would care.

  And now her thoughts had landed again on Trigger, and she knew there was no way she’d sleep unless she got rid of some of her restless energy. She quickly changed into a tank and a pair of workout shorts then cracked open her door to make sure the living room and kitchen were empty. When she was sure, she hurried across the space and entered the workout room, only to discover someone else had decided to have a late-night workout, too.

  Trigger set the weight bar in its stand and jackknifed up to sit with his legs spread over the bench. “Don’t mind me,” he said.

  She wished she could just back out of the room, but then he’d know her problem was him. So, instead, she brazened her way inside, lifting her chin. “You can keep the weights. I was thinking of working on the elliptical for a while, anyway.”

  “Yeah, it’s great for the glutes.” After he said that, he wrapped his lips around his teeth and closed his jaw.

  Maybe her one ouzo had been too much, because she couldn’t help giggling. “Are you saying my ass is flabby?”

  “Hell, no. I’m just saying…um, that you have a great ass. I’m sure you do lots of…elliptical.”

  Her shoulders shook, and he gave her a sheepish grin, which softened his very masculine face into something almost boyish. Damn, he’s cute.

  “You’re welcome to insult me back,” he muttered good-naturedly.

  “Can’t think of anything to insult,” she said, her gaze sliding over him. He was shirtless and wore an equally small pair of shorts, which gave her a great view of all his ridges and hollows, more so than the swimming trunks had earlier. She coughed when she realized her gaze had lingered a little too long on his fine body.

  “I’m not shy,” he drawled, holding out his arms. “You can look.”

  Her nipples tingled, and she wished she’d worn a bra with a little padding to hide the fact that the tips were hardening. “I’m not giving you a reciprocal invitation,” she said, trying to add a bit of edge to her voice, but sounding instead like she was strangling on her tongue.

  “Don’t get your panties in a wad,” he said. “And don’t get bent of shape because I mentioned them.” He grimaced and combed his fingers through his hair. “I tend to put both feet in my mouth when I’m around you.”

  She walked to the elliptical, which was across the small room from him. She’d have to turn away to use it, which would give him the freedom to watch her backside while she exercised.

  Oh, what the hell. She wanted him
to get an eyeful of her ass. She’d worked damn hard to keep it round and tight. “I think we both tend to do that—say the wrong things,” she said, giving him a crooked smile and deciding right then she was going to stop trying to grind down his attraction by continuing to give him stinging set downs.

  Whatever might happen between them would be mutual. It wasn’t fair for her to let him think otherwise. “You just keep doing what you’re doing. I’m going to work out my ass.”

  His smile was so wide she could see nearly all of his white teeth as she turned away. Her face began to heat before she took her first step.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was annoyed with listening to his movements and not being able to track them with a glance. She stepped off the machine and bent to tie a lace on her sneaker that didn’t need tying. When she glanced up, she watched as he lifted a bar filled with heavy weights and studied his chest, his arms, even his abdomen—all those yummy muscles defined by exertion and sweat. When the barbell clanged in the stand, she glanced up to his face.

  “Were you looking up my shorts?” he asked, his gaze narrowing.

  “Not your shorts,” she blurted. “I…was…”

  He sat and wiped a towel over his glistening chest. She envied the terrycloth soaking up that salty goodness.

  “Damn,” he whispered, then rose, wincing as he did.

  Immediately, she noticed the problem. His cock had filled, and he needed to move it to keep the seam at the center of his shorts from cutting into it.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that he should just get comfortable, but she tightened her lips just in time.

  “Uh, that’s not helping. You licking your lips.”

  Her gaze darted upward, and she realized she had in fact done that. “Sorry. It was rude.”

  “Not saying I mind,” he said, his voice softening into a throaty growl. “Just saying I’m already hard and seeing you do that…” He cleared his throat. “It made me wish for certain things.”

  Well, that was rather…direct. She stiffened.

  “I better go,” he said, dragging his towel off the bench.

  “I’m not…shocked…if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said, darting a glance at his eyes. Seeing that his widened, she looked down. “We’re…” Oh, hell, just say it. “Attracted. It’s natural, I suppose. We’re both single. Healthy.”

  “All our teeth and hair…”

  She frowned at him and realized he’d said that on purpose to get her to look at him, because he wasn’t being flippant. He wasn’t smiling.

  No, his expression looked…hungry.

  “Maybe we should address this. Up front. Get past it so it doesn’t distract us anymore.” When his eyebrows rose, she felt foolish. “This doesn’t have to be a big thing,” she added, laying down at least a minimal expectation.

  “Speak for yourself,” he said, cupping his erection.

  And she was staring at it again—and beginning to salivate. Seriously? she chastised herself. She held up a hand.

  He drew a deep breath and his mouth firmed. He thought she was putting a halt to this…thing.

  Sucking in a deep breath, she said the only thing she could think to say, “I want to see.”

  Chapter 4

  Trigger thought he must have misunderstood her. Or that she’d misspoken. His cock, however, wasn’t worried about any subtleties of language. It jerked against his shorts, reminding him it was hard and ready to go.

  “Uh, you want me to show you…?”

  She gave a quick up-and-down nod then locked her gaze with his. She was still as a statue; he couldn’t detect any breathing going on. Before he got lost in any long argument with his inner self, he went for it, carefully shoving his shorts past his erection. It bounded outward, throbbing and pulsing. Impossible to miss how hard it was.

  Her gaze slowly drifted downward then snagged on his dick. “Nice,” she said, her voice sounding rusty.

  His cock jerked, accepting the compliment.

  The moment stretched, and heat rose in his cheeks. Here he was, his dick hanging out. Now, it was all on her. He hoped this was leading somewhere, and quick. “It’s not really fair, you know,” he said, lifting his chin toward her clothing.

  “I suppose not,” she said, sounding breathless. She dragged her tank top upward and tossed it to the side. Then she unsnapped her bra and let the straps slide down her arms. It too hit the floor, not that he watched it fall.

  His gaze was on her breasts. Full, round, topped with peach-colored areolas. The centers were erect and a little longer and fatter than the eraser on a brand-new No. 2 pencil. He’d chewed off a few, but he imagined hers would taste a whole lot better. “The rest,” he rasped.

  She pursed her lips, let out a breath, then shoved down her shorts and underwear.

  Dear God. Her pussy was mostly bare—just a thin strip down the center. Pale and pink. Her delicate inner lips protruded just enough he could see their fringe. He wanted his mouth there. Now.

  “We’re doing this…?” he said, darting a glance at her eyes.

  She nodded.

  Afraid to speak because his tongue felt thick and his mouth was watering, he pointed to the workout bench he’d just vacated.

  “We have beds,” she said, pointing over her shoulder toward the door.

  “Too far.”

  She stepped toward the bench then looked at him, likely wondering how he wanted her positioned.

  “Lie back.”

  She sat then slowly lay down on the padded bench.

  He stepped between her legs and knelt. Then he hooked his arms beneath her knees and jerked her closer, hearing her gasp but not caring. He bent toward her open sex.

  Fuck, she was wet, and he wanted her all over his face.

  * * *

  Cass gasped again when he forced her legs wider apart then rolled his bearded cheeks against her open labia. His whiskers scraped deliciously against her tender flesh. Liquid slipped from inside, and he growled as he moved his lips around and around her sensitive flesh, his tongue beginning to lick between her folds and rim her opening.

  She’d had a man go down on her before. It wasn’t tops on her list of sex acts because it was mostly embarrassing—wondering whether she was still “fresh” down there, whether he thought pussies looked as weird to him as they did to her.

  Right now, she couldn’t give a damn about any insecurities because Trigger was moving on her like she was his last meal and he couldn’t get enough. The rasp of his facial hair and the startling flicks of his tongue were getting her hot down there, making her belly tighten and roll. She needed more of what he was giving, needed that big cock of his pushing inside her.

  Just looking at it, she’d known she was gone. Committed to fucking him—no matter what. If she’d seen it before, she wouldn’t have fought so hard to keep him at a distance. Maybe she was shallow, but she couldn’t wait for her curiosity to be sated. She wanted to know what it felt like to be filled by something that…substantial.

  But now, he was inserting fingers inside her, and his mouth was concentrating on the top of her folds, swirling around her clit, and suddenly, she wasn’t so eager for cock; she wanted more of this. She’d never gotten off having a man do that, but she was pretty sure Trigger knew the trick. While his fingers drove inside and twisted, he latched his lips around her clit and sucked.

  Her head banged against the bench, and her body arched. A keening sound tore from her throat as she exploded. Just that quick… She’d only been thinking he could…he might… Oh, fuck. And he wasn’t done.

  Now, his fingers withdrew but his mouth was all over her, soothing her with long strokes, licking up the fluids she’d gushed.

  Her body quivered from her breasts down to her toes. When he lifted his head and glanced up at her face, she wondered what he saw, because she wasn’t sure what had happened, how he’d done that… And so quickly.

  Hell, when she masturbated, her fingers ached before she worked he
r way into an orgasm.

  “Still with me?” he asked.

  Meaning he was willing to give her the big O and that be it? Hell, no. She wanted more. “Yes.”

  “I think I’d like that bed now.”

  She nodded. He rose quickly, held out his hand, and helped her up. A good thing because her knees were a little weak. She glanced around at her clothing.

  Trigger shook his head. “Leave it.” He pulled her hand and turned toward the door.

  Now that her need wasn’t as urgent, she could recognize the signs of his—the inability to speak long sentences, the heightened color of his face, the way the skin of his face seemed stretched over the blades of his cheeks and the edge of his jaw.

  He headed straight for his bedroom. A lamp was already turned on beside the bed, the bathroom door cracked. When he reached the bed, he fisted the bedding and dragged it off the mattress, leaving only the bottom sheet on the mattress and the pillows tumbled at the top of the bed.

  Her core tightened again. Her heartbeat thudded at her temples. Fluid once again slicked her sex and inner thighs.

  He tugged her hand, guiding her toward the bed. She got the message loud and clear and climbed to the center of the mattress before turning onto her back.

  Trigger crawled on his knees toward her, coming up straight between her legs. She widened them, making room, then sighed when he stretched over and settled on top of her. His body was hot and heavy, and right there, close enough to touch. She let her fingers do some exploring, touching his chest, his ribs, dipping into the deep hollows and gliding over the ridges of muscle. He was hard everywhere—but especially between his legs. She wrapped her fingers around him and loved the fact that her long digits didn’t meet.

  He bent toward her and nuzzled into her hair, inhaling. “Am I going too fast?” he whispered.

  Her jaws tightened, so she shook her head. His mouth smoothed across her cheek to her lips. Their first kiss was heavenly—a long, sensual, blissful medley of strokes and sucks. He tasted of her and him, and she’d never been so turned on. He took his time exploring, ending with a sexy bite on her lower lip as he drew away. On his elbows now, he met her gaze. “You’re a very sexy woman, Cassandra Locke.”