The kiss is nothing like the controlled encounters from earlier. This is raw need, pure animal want barely contained within human form. I kick the door shut behind us, hearing the lock engage as I crowd her against the wall.
"Gray," she gasps when we break for air. "I need—"
"I know exactly what you need," I tell her, already working the zipper of her dress down. "And I'm going to give it to you. All night if necessary."
The dress pools at her feet, leaving her in nothing but the ruined underwear and a strapless bra that does little to contain the perfect curve of her breasts. I take a moment just to look at her, to burn this image into my memory.
Reese Callahan, our fierce, competent coxswain, standing in my room looking at me like I'm the answer to every question she's ever asked.
"Your turn," she says, reaching for the buttons of my shirt with trembling fingers.
I let her undress me, savoring the way her eyes darken as each new expanse of skin is revealed. When I'm down to just boxer briefs, she places her palm flat against my chest, right over my thundering heart.
"I want you," she says, simple and direct. "Not just because of heat. Not just because of biology. I've wanted you since that first day when you looked at me like I was the most annoying thing you'd ever seen."
The confession ignites something possessive and fierce inside me. I lift her, hands supporting her ass, and carry her to my bed. She goes willingly, arms twining around my neck as I lower her onto the mattress.
"You were annoying," I admit, following her down until I'm braced above her. "Challenging everything, questioning my authority, making me work for every ounce of respect."
"And now?" she asks, something vulnerable flickering in her gaze despite the heat fever burning through her.
I trace the curve of her cheek with one finger, allowing myself the tenderness I usually keep carefully tucked away. "Now you're essential. To the team. To me."
Her breath catches. "Gray—"
Whatever she was about to say is lost as I take her mouth with mine again, pouring everything I can't articulate into the kiss. The desire that's been building since she joined the team. The admiration for her skill and courage. The need that has nothing to do with designation biology and everything to do with the woman beneath me.
Tonight, I'll give her what she needs to get through her heat. I'll satisfy the biological imperative driving both of us toward insanity. But I'll also show her exactly what happens when Gray Lockwood stops following the rules and finally, completely, lets go of control.
Because Reese Callahan deserves nothing less than everything I have to give.
chapter THIRTY-SIX
Reese
Gray's mouth trailsdown my neck, leaving fire in its wake. Every touch, every kiss, every brush of his fingers against my skin sends another wave of heat crashing through me. I arch against him, desperate for more contact, more friction, more of everything he's offering.
"Patience," he murmurs against my collarbone, the word incongruous coming from a man whose own control is visibly fraying.
"Patience isn't really an option right now," I gasp as his teeth graze the hollow of my throat. "In case you hadn't noticed."
His laugh is dark and rich, vibrating against my skin. "Oh, I've noticed."
He unclasps my bra with unfair ease, tossing it aside before sitting back on his heels to look at me. The hunger in his gaze is almost tangible, his steel-gray eyes darkened to stormclouds. There's something raw and possessive in his expression, something I've never seen from our perfectly controlled captain before.
"You're beautiful," he says simply, no artifice or pretense in his voice.
Heat floods my cheeks. "You don't have to flatter me, Gray. I'm already in your bed."
"Not flattery. Fact." His hands trace up my ribs to cup my breasts, fingertips brushing over my nipples with deliberate pressure. "I don't say things I don't mean."
Another thing I know to be true about Gray Lockwood. He doesn't lie, doesn't exaggerate, doesn't waste words on false praise. His honesty is as much a part of him as his precision in the boat.
His mouth replaces his hands, lips closing around one nipple while his fingers tease the other. But where Bo was gentle and reverent, Gray is demanding. His teeth graze the sensitive peak, just enough edge to make me gasp, his tongue soothing the slight sting before he moves to lavish the same attention on my neglected breast.
I thread my fingers through his dark hair, holding him against me as pleasure spirals outward from each point of contact. When he pulls away, I nearly whimper at the loss.
"Gray," I breathe, already knowing where he's headed. "You don't have to—"
