Page 39 of Hollow Trace

“And I’m paying for that oversight now. Though, maybe I should hike you up on my shoulder, take you back into the room and return the favor.”

“Someone’s a poor loser.”

“Am I really losing, though?”

She laughed, the lilting sound like music. A reminder of what he thought he’d lost. What he could still lose if he didn’t have her six. “Fine. No more teasing. And yeah, I still expect you to pounce on me after you recover. I’ve slept enough, I don’t need any tonight.”

“Not true, but…”

The words morphed into a low rasp as she leaned forward, took him straight to the back of her throat. Had him back on the brink in under a second.

Heat punched through his gut, threatening to pull him under with every pass, every swirl of her tongue. He closed his eyes, tried to focus on some old training specs, anything to take his mind off the sweet feel of her mouth, how she touched him with just enough pressure he wanted to shout her name, make the damn walls shake.

Scout upped her pace, humming with seeming pleasure, obviously holding true to her claim that she wouldn’t tease him anymore. Not that it mattered.

The heat. The motion. The sexy noises.

He let his head tilt back in defeat, his hand still fisted around her mass of chestnut hair. Time faded as Scout took him to the edge, held him there for what felt like forever before hedging her bet — taking him even deeper.

He surrendered.

Tried one pathetic attempt at warning her with another firm tug of her hair — an incoherent rasp of her name — then he was coming. Spilling across her breasts as every muscle locked, cramping from the strain.

Darkness crowded his vision, all sounds fading save for Scout’s hum of approval and the distant patter of the shower against the tile. He palmed the wall, used it to help stay on his feet until the room finally misted back into view.

Scout grinned, dropped a kiss on the tip, ignoring the way he groaned. He sucked in some air, wondering if he might self-combust or collapse on top of her, before rinsing off — moving back into his arms. Heart still pounding, he wrapped her in his embrace, every sense hyper-aware as she sighed, rested her weight against him.

That did him in more than the release. More than anything they’d shared. Her trust. Her devotion. They humbled him.

Dropping a kiss on the top of her head, he cupped her chin when she looked up at him. “Christ, that… You…”

She grinned. “I know the feeling. And, can I just say, that was long overdue. Should have done that out in the carport.”

He chuckled. “It was worth the wait. But then, you always have been.”

Her eyes softened. “No more waiting. For anything. I…” The words faded as she yawned, looking as if she was a breath away from falling asleep on her feet.

He tsked, hurriedly washed off, then shooed her out of the shower, wrapping her in terry before ushering her back to the bed. He grabbed one of the other shirts Shepherd had left for him and held it out to her. “This seems like the kind of place you don’t stay naked long. Just in case.”

She laughed. “Nothing interesting ever seems to happen in the middle of the day.”

“Of course, it doesn’t.” He motioned to the bed. “Get that sexy ass into bed before I find a way to muster up one more round.”

Scout froze, gaze traveling the length of him, the blue of her eyes burning into more of a navy. “Is that even on the table…”

He moved. Hooked his arm around her waist and launched them both onto the bed, careful not to compress her ribs — aggravate any of her injuries. They bounced once before he had his mouth over hers, tasting every inch before lifting his head, grabbing a breath, then ravaging her again. Deeper. Longer. Kissing her until his lungs burned.

Scout didn’t seem to care if she could breathe, dragging him back down when he finally surfaced — kissing him as if she’d already forgotten how he tasted. Not that he minded losing himself in the feel of her lips, the way she moaned into his mouth, her body writhing beneath his.

By the time he finally eased back enough to stare down at her, take in the symmetry of her face, admire the creamy shade of her skin, his damn dick was hard again. More like a pipe between his legs. And all because he couldn’t get enough.

Couldn’t love her enough to regain any semblance of control.

Scout grinned, arching into him, nearly sinking him inside her. “Looks like it’s the only thing on the table.”

He gritted his teeth, lowering his forehead to hers. “God, what you do to me. I can’t breathe. Can’t sleep. Can’t think. Because all I want is you.”

Scout kissed his nose. “I’m yours, Quinn. Always have been, always will be.”