She dragged in a breath, slowly letting reality sift into her mind. She stopped clawing at his arm and looked up at him. Kit. She was safe. But Rocco wasn’t. “Rocco was in that SUV. He’s gone, Kit. He’s gone.”
She looked at the SUV sitting like a big fireball on the side of the road. And then men blocked her view. Not just any men-Owen’s team. Val, Angel, Kelan, and Owen stood like a shield in front of her, protecting her from the sight of the burning SUV.
She buried her face in Kit’s chest, giving in to sobs that ripped from her heart. A lifetime passed in the next handful of minutes.
“Hey, Kit,” Kelan called over his shoulder. “Looks like your boy is fireproof.”
“And bomb-proof,” Angel added.
“Some guys are hard to kill,” Owen said, grinning at Mandy.
Kit laughed. “I’ll be goddamned.”
Frowning, she pulled back and looked up at her brother. He nodded to something behind her. Rocco! He was walking around pockets of burning debris. His shirt was ripped. He had more cuts on his face and arm. He was searching the crowd that had gathered, his black eyes intense, focused on only one purpose: finding her.
Mandy gasped and pulled free from Kit. The movement caught Rocco’s attention. The men parted, giving him access to her. He grinned, his teeth white in his soot-stained face. She ran toward him, throwing herself into his arms. He grabbed her in a solid hold. She touched his face, his shoulders, reassuring herself he was real and essentially unharmed.
“Hold me,” she ordered him.
“I am.”
“Tighter.”
“I got you, sweetheart. And I’m not ever letting you go.” He bent and pressed his mouth to hers as his hand cupped the back of her head. His jaw pressed against hers, forcing her mouth to open. She gave herself to him without any hesitation, surrendering to the sweep of his tongue.
“Mandy,” he breathed against her lips. “I need you. Now. I want to be in you.”
She nodded, her forehead brushing his. Rocco looked around for another vehicle and was in luck to find the guys were standing next to one. He pulled Mandy along behind him as he made a beeline for that SUV. “This vehicle clear?” he asked Kit.
“It is. Why?”
“Because I need some privacy to talk to Mandy, make sure she’s not injured. I don’t want anyone bothering us. Make it happen, Kit.”
Rocco opened the back passenger door without waiting for Kit’s response. He checked the whole vehicle before helping Mandy inside. He locked the doors, then drew her toward the long back bench, pulling her shirt off as they went.
“Rocco! Someone will see!”
“No one will see. The windows are tinted and we’re too far back for anyone to see from the front.” He sat on the backseat and drew her onto his lap. He ran his hands over her ribs, her chest, her arms, then pulled her down for a kiss. He was breathing heavily, sucking the scent of her into his lungs, filling his body with her essence. She was here. And he was here. They were together.
His dick was as hard as a marble pillar, aching to be inside her. He reached up and opened the front clasp to her bra, letting it slip from her shoulders. He cupped her breasts, checking for bruises or other wounds. He knew what Asir was capable of. In Afghanistan, Rocco had seen what happened to several of the women who’d had the bad fortune to cross the bastard’s path.
“Are you hurt? Did they touch you?” he asked her.
She gave him a look that caused his heart to stop beating, then lurch forward. “I’m not hurt. But they did touch me-not in that way, but they were free with their hands. I couldn’t understand much of what they said, though I knew from the tone they used it didn’t bode well.”
Rocco pulled off his shirt and drew her close, feeling her skin against his, using his body to push away the bad memory of Asir touching her. He would replace it, here and now, with another, healthier one. One of love. He reached down to remove her boots. He wanted her naked, bare to his touch, his eyes. He wanted to see all of her, love all of her. She was barefoot. They hadn’t even let her get her shoes when they’d taken her. She winced when he touched her feet.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, trying to keep the anger he felt for Asir out of his voice, away from her.
She shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s over.”
“Yes. Take your pants off. I want you naked. Now. Hurry.”
She leaned up on her knees, bringing her belly close to his face and unfastened her jeans. He yearned to look down, watch her undress, but her breasts were so close, so warm, he let his mouth latch on to one instead. She gasped and arched into him, clasping his head. He sucked her nipple, feeling it tighten and bud against his tongue. It took every ounce of willpower he owned to take hold of her waist and lift her off his lap so that she could remove her jeans.
He kicked off his boots, pulled off his socks, and shucked his pants. His cock nearly lifted off his belly as he watched her mount his lap. His balls were so swollen-any and every movement hurt. He guided himself into her sweet sheath, then shut his eyes. He was home. She was safe. He drew a deep breath, the first full breath he’d been able to take since he’d discovered she’d been abducted.
She started to move over him, but he held her hips still. This was not a moment he wanted to rush. He never wanted to be apart from her body. He ran his hands up her thighs, over her hips to her soft narrow belly, then dragged his eyes up to hers.
“Mandy, I love you.” She didn’t answer him, other than to brush the hair from his face, and smooth her thumb over the corner of his eye. “Did you mean it when you said you loved me? Or was it just the fear talking?” he asked.
“I meant it. I love you.” She smiled.
Rocco released the breath he’d been holding, and his hunger for her broke free. He began moving inside of her, letting his hands wander over her body, holding her, touching her until her hips moved in a sensual arch, drawing him out of her, pulling him back in, taking over the rhythm.
“Rocco! Rocco, I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop. I need you. I need you to come.” She ground herself against him, pounding down on his cock, grinding against his aching balls. He spread his legs wider beneath her, wanting to hold out as long as he could. He touched his thumb to her clit, rubbing the swollen nub until he felt her body squeeze him, grabbing and milking him.
He cupped her head, pulling her mouth against his, capturing both of their cries as he erupted inside of her. Just when he thought he’d finished, he experienced something extraordinary. “God, Mandy, I’m coming again. Do it. Ride me. Fuck, yeah. Ah, sweet Christ.” He felt his balls squeeze a second burst of semen up his cock and into her. The pulses of aftershock pleasure rocked them both. Long minutes later, when they’d settled somewhat, she collapsed against him.
He tightened his arms around her, thanking God and Allah and every other deity for the miracle he held in his hands. He turned slightly, lying back against the seat, keeping their bodies connected. When Mandy finally lifted up enough to look at him, he smiled and brushed her beautiful copper hair back behind her ears.
“Rocco,” she broke the silence that held them enthralled. Her face was serious. He braced himself for what she would say. “If I’m going to live in your world, there are things I must learn. I need to know how to protect myself, how to protect you. I need to know how to spot danger, as you did in the diner that day. I need to know how to keep us safe.”
He blinked. He didn’t want this to be her life experience. He wanted so much more for her. “I wish that the world was different. I wish that I could build a haven for you where I know you’d be safe and happy. But I also know that evil moves where it will, finding the path that leads to its destination. I don’t want you to be its target again. I will teach you all of those things and many more besides.”
She studied him, considering the depth of his resolve to keep his word. She nodded, then leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “We’d best get moving. People will be worried about us.”
“Forget them.” His arms tightened around her waist, then his hands strayed to her soft buttocks, grinding her hips against his cock, still nestled warmly inside of her. “I want to stay here and fuck you again.”
She smiled, wiggling on top of him. “Then take me home. Eventually someone is going to want this SUV. And
