“I thought there would be more camo.”
He couldn’t help it; he chuckled. The woman was pure, bubbly joy even when she wasn’t trying.
“And MREs stacked in the corner.”
That had him laughing more, and he felt her body relax.
“You don’t have much of a life outside the team, do you?” She tipped her face up to his.
He stopped. How to explain Blackout to somebody on the outside? Hell, some days he woke up questioning how the hell he’d become a dead man walking—a ghost.
He shook off the questions rolling through his mind. Now wasn’t the time for such a discussion. Tonight was about Izzy, about making sure she felt safe and cared for.
Clasping her hand, he gave it a slight tug. “Come sit down.”
There was a chair in the corner. Not a metal folding chair, but not high-end comfort either. Still, it served as a place to sit.
To his surprise, she didn’t head for the chair. She sank to the edge of his bed instead.
His gut clenched at the memory of her on his bed, warm chestnut curls tumbling over his sheets and her lips parted in anOof bliss.
He perched beside her, close but not touching.
“You read?” She gestured toward the thrillers and military histories in stacks next to the bed. He read during the boredom between missions or to wind down after the more stressful ones.
“Yes.”
“Like, you read actual books.”
He snorted. “Are you suggesting I can’t read because I have all this?” He waved a hand down the front of his body, pointing out the toned machine he’d built his body to be.
Though he caught the way her eyes dipped over his chest, she only smiled in return. “And you apparently have a thing for soft sheets. That much I remember.”
He barely controlled the growl building in his throat. “Then I didn’t do a good enough job distracting you. As for the sheets, after sleeping on dirt and rocks, good thread count becomes a top priority.”
For a long minute, neither spoke nor moved. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was loaded with something he couldn’t guess was coming. Until it did.
She inched her hand along the mattress. Her pinky bumped his.
Christ, he shouldn’t be feeling that hard tug on his heart from such a small touch.
She settled her pinky over his for a beat. Then in a swift move hereallydidn’t see coming, she jumped off the bed and plunked into his lap, straddling him.
Unable to take this slow, he cupped her beautiful face. Their breaths mingled as their foreheads met. His eyes slipped shut.
In the same moment, in sync, they moved. He crushed his mouth to hers, and she kissed him with a desperate force that sent him reeling.
He sank his fingers into her hair, trapping her mouth to his. The taste of her, the feel of her soft curves pressing against his, left him aching for more. So much more.
But he forced himself to hold the caress, lips unmoving on hers.
Izzy was having none of it. She threw her arms around his neck and parted her lips on a throaty moan.
He plunged his tongue inside, sweeping the interior, gathering her groan as he clutched her tighter. Her breaths came in rapid pants. Her nails dug lightly into his shoulders as she rolled her body against his.
“Honey. We don’t have to do anything. I brought you here prepared to tuck you into my bed.”
A faint bead of wetness slicked her plump bottom lip. “I want this, Hudson. I want you.”
