“I need you,” he growled. “I know you just think of me as a mission. It kills me that you think that, but I realized that it doesn’t matter if I get to have you.”

She pulled away and looked up at him. His eyes were full of ferocity, but there was something else. A deep sadness was there, too.

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him softly. “It started that way, I’m not going to lie, but…” She looked down, but he touched her chin, tilting her face back upward.

“But what?”

God, he was gorgeous. Not only gorgeous, but laying it out there for her. Showing her his vulnerable side.

“But I… I want you, too, David. It scares me.” She bit her lip, and his eyes moved down to her mouth.

“I won’t let anything hurt you, Alex. Not even this. You can trust me.” He touched her face, smoothed his hand down her hair. “I won’t let you get hurt.”

Alex wanted to say “But, you’ll laugh if I tell you what I want,” or even “You’ll leave in a week to make love to other women,” but her words caught in her throat. The look on his face was genuine, and she knew, somehow, that he meant every word. It was impossible, she knew, but she couldn’t help but believe him.

“Okay.”

He swept her roughly into his arms, pressing her to him and kissing her with such ferocity, she forgot everything else but the sensations of that moment. Her tongue found his, danced with his, and he moaned.
His hands moved downward, over her back and then between her legs, caressing her inner thigh. One moved up slowly, sliding under her skirt. He breathed in sharply. “You’re not wearing underwear.”

“No. I’m not.” She grinned wickedly. “What are you going to do about it?”