Read Online Surrendering To Her Sergeant by Angel Payne - Free Book Online Page A

sizzled. Her senses reeled.
    So much for the damn balcony being
safe.
    He didn’t stop unbuttoning her at a
few holes. The pearl discs fell free beneath his fast twists until
her shirt fell open, revealing her waist and the top of her hips.
He smoothed the flesh with his long fingers before following the
same path with his lips, nipping at her skin, wetting it enough so
when the wind moved in after, delicious tingles washed through her.
She swallowed hard, struggling not to be riveted by the sight of
his dark head against her bare flesh, fighting not to love
it.
    Before she could get a grip on herself
and move, he rose and covered her again. His body fitted to hers.
His mouth delved into hers. He didn’t waste time on subtle pretense
with the kiss now. His assault was full and consuming, a hot
barrage designed to melt her mind. The next moment, she knew
exactly why.
    “It’s still right, sunshine.” He
grated it against her mouth. “Goddamnit, it’s so right.” He lifted
a hand and gripped her cheek, compelling her to stay focused on
him…to witness the steel blades of determination in his beautiful
gaze. “I refuse to let you deny it this time.”
    Her breathing faltered.
Conflict whipped at her soul. Saying no wasn’t going to be as easy
as deleting a text or ignoring a phone call this time. Or God help
her, even thinking about Bella and her implied claim on the man.
Bella wasn’t here right now. She wouldn’t be for hours. The
caterers were prepping the meal in the kitchen. The terrace was
pristine, the house was being readied. There was nothing to think
about, to surrender to, but this stolen gift of time with the man
who’d stalked her thoughts and haunted her dreams since last fall.
Ethan. Ethan. His
effortless strength. His single-minded passion. His primal need for
control.
    I refuse to let you deny
it this time.
    She sifted her fingers in his hair and
gazed deeper into his eyes. “This time,” she repeated, “I don’t
want to deny it, either.”
    His mouth twisted in sinful
satisfaction. She struggled to dredge up the slap he should get for
the look, but all she felt was joy that she’d pleased him so. His
shadowed stare swept to her lips again, as if considering another
brutal kiss. Instead, he dragged her back inside without a word.
The second they cleared the door, he made a sharp left into the
villa’s wine room. The space was Bella’s idea of a tribute to her
name, with décor that looked like Caesar’s Palace had been invaded
by Bernini’s ghost: marble statues, velvet couches, dark tile
floors, chilled air—not that Ava even noticed the latter. She
burned for his touch again already. Yearned to get her hands on him
in all the same ways, too.
    He couldn’t pull her in, slam the
door, and trap her back against it fast enough. The dim lighting of
the room, compared to the brilliant sunshine on the balcony,
temporarily blinded her. She didn’t care. She found him with her
hands. Learned his sculpted beauty in a whole new way as she
scraped her hands beneath his T-shirt and over his back while he
fused their mouths again. When he groaned in approval, she traveled
her fingers around, sliding down over every hard ridge of his
eight-pack. By the time she got back to his waist, he let out a
harsh grunt before simply tearing off the shirt. The silencers on
his dog tags clunked as he tossed the shirt aside then advanced on
her again.
    His hands, rigid and tight, felt
amazing on her shoulders. His kiss, hard and consuming, turned
everything outside the door into unreality, unimportance. He shoved
her shirt off next, unhooking her bra as he did so it fell to the
floor, too. In the aftermath, she stood still, letting her lungs
heave, watching the shadows of the room play across his face as he
took in her bare, erect nipples.
    “Beautiful,” he finally grated. “More
incredible than I could have imagined.”
    “You too,” she whispered back. “Oh,
Ethan…”
    He stopped her by pressing a