After Midnight: (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse) (Killer Instincts) (2 page)

Kane Woodland was the sexiest man to ever walk the earth. Granted, Abby might have had a slight bias, seeing as how the man happened to be her husband, but . . . No, he was definitely the sexiest man ever.
Hands down
the sexiest.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he locked the door of the suite and stalked over with predatory strides. Six-plus feet and a hundred and eighty pounds of pure, masculine power advanced on her, long fingers already bunching the collar of his shirt so he could tug it over his head. His bare chest, broad and magnificent, made her breath hitch. So did the sight of the thick erection that sprang up after he’d shucked his cargo pants.

She could honestly say her husband’s naked body was her most favorite thing in the world. Followed by, of course, her knife collection, and then maybe the three chocolate labs that ran amok on their compound in Costa Rica.

But Kane, in all his naked splendor, topped the list. She’d never craved anyone the way she craved him, or felt this close to another human being before. So
connected
.

As the thought lingered, a tight vise of pain clamped around her throat. No, not pain.
Guilt
. In her former life, secrets were necessary for survival, but she and Kane had taken a vow of honesty at the start of their relationship.

She’d never broken that vow—until now.

These past two weeks she’d been keeping something important from him. Something big. And each time he gazed at her with those earnest green eyes, the guilt ate away at her just a little bit more.

“Why do you look so serious?” His husky voice drew her from her distressing thoughts.

It was difficult to answer when he was standing there naked, and even more difficult to dwell on the guilt when her own arousal levels were steadily rising, tingling between her legs and hardening her nipples.

“I was just thinking about . . . nothing.” She shook her head, distracted by the impressive erection jutting toward her.

He caught her gaze and flashed a seductive smile. “I know
exactly
what you’re thinking about.”

Alarm skittered up her spine. “You do?”

“Yup.” He moved closer and thrust a hand in her hair. “You’re thinking how good my dick is going to feel in your mouth.”

Abby choked out a laugh. God, she loved how dirty he was, and truth be told, his sexual frankness got her ridiculously hot. It was a shocking turn of events, considering she hadn’t enjoyed sex before she’d met Kane. The abuse she’d endured as a child, followed by years of undercover work where sex was just another weapon at her disposal, had tainted her concept of intimacy.

Until she’d met Kane, who’d taught her it was okay to be vulnerable sometimes. To trust. To
feel
.

“You’re right,” she said softly. “That’s totally what I was thinking.” Just like that, her mind drained of all thoughts except for ones of Kane, all emotions filtering away until only love and desire remained, drawing her to him like a magnet.

He threaded his fingers through her hair, raised an eyebrow, then gave her head a downward tug.

She didn’t hesitate sinking to her knees. The fact that Kane was buck naked and she remained fully clothed made the whole encounter all the more delicious, and even though she was kneeling in front of him, she’d never felt more powerful or feminine in her entire life.

Abby leaned in and licked the tip of his cock, enjoying the immediate groan that escaped his mouth. She glided her tongue along his shaft until he was nice and slick, then curled her fingers around him and stroked. Another husky male groan echoed in the air, this one laced with frustration.

When she peered up and glimpsed the impatience glittering in his eyes, she cast him an innocent smile. “Something wrong?”

He grumbled. “What part of ‘your mouth, my dick’ didn’t you understand, sweetheart?”

Her smile turned coy. “You’re so bossy tonight.”

“You love it.”

He was right. She did love his bossiness, and truth was, she wasn’t in the mood to tease him tonight. She’d been on edge all evening, in need of a swift, explosive release to make her forget about the brick walls they kept hitting during this mission. And just because she happened to be damn skilled at interrogating suspects didn’t mean she enjoyed doing it. Times like these, when she was required to drag out someone’s pain, she found herself longing for her old line of work. In and out—find the target, eliminate him, disappear.

But she wasn’t a contract killer anymore, and most of the time she didn’t regret leaving her former boss Noelle to come to work for Morgan.

And she certainly didn’t regret her decision to open her heart to Kane.

Which made it very easy to open her
mouth
to Kane.

She took him deep, sucking all the way to the base and moaning as his familiar masculine flavor infused her taste buds. She licked her way back up to the tip and swirled her tongue around his crown, then gripped his shaft as she tightened the suction of her mouth.

“Christ. My favorite fucking thing, looking down and seeing your lips wrapped around me like that.” With a husky sound of contentment, Kane stroked her hair and rocked his hips into her face.

They’d been married long enough for her to know precisely when he was getting close. She felt it now in the telltale pulses of his cock against her tongue, in the way his balls drew up tight and his hips moved faster, and she wasn’t surprised when he suddenly yanked her to her feet. Eager hands tugged at her clothing as his mouth slanted over hers in a reckless kiss.

He had her naked in five seconds flat. Two seconds after that, she was sprawled on the bed while Kane seductively slid down her body. He spread her legs apart and hummed in approval when his hungry gaze fixed on her glistening folds.

“So fucking pretty,” he murmured, sweeping his thumb over her. “I’ve been dying to do this ever since we got to Cairo.”

She’d been dying for it too, but they’d been too busy chasing down leads and doing the job that the Cairo police and international task force couldn’t seem to do on their own. After days of searching for the ambassador’s son, this was the first time she and Kane were actually alone.

She moaned when his lips closed over her clit. He suckled gently, and her hips shot off the bed, making him chuckle. “Heaven . . . you taste like heaven.” He always mumbled the same thing whenever he tasted her. “It won’t take you long at all tonight, will it?” Kane kissed his way down to her opening, his tongue darting out to dip into the moisture pooled there. “You’re so wet. Sensitive as hell,” he added, when the softest flick of his thumb on her clit made her entire body jerk.

Abby shifted restlessly on the mattress. She was a bundle of nerves, ready to explode at the slightest provocation, and luckily her husband knew just what she needed. His mouth found that sensitive bud again, licking in fervor as he slid two fingers inside her and pumped them in time to the ministrations of his tongue.

She came with a soft cry, instinctively grabbing his hair to keep his head in place, but there was hardly anything to grab onto. He was wearing his hair shorter these days, a cropped cut that made it difficult to tug on the sandy-blond strands, but the short bristles did feel nice scratching her palms as she clung to him, trying to prolong the pleasure. It wasn’t enough, though. It was never enough until he was inside her. Completing her.

He knew that too, because he wasted no time crawling up her body and positioning himself between her thighs. He kissed her, nice and slow, his tongue entering her mouth with skillful precision. Whimpering, Abby twined her arms around his neck and rubbed her breasts against the wiry hairs on his chest. He groaned in response, then reached down and cupped one breast, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

His eyes twinkled when she gasped. “I’ve missed this,” he admitted. “Feeling you under me, hearing you gasp.”

“I’ve missed it too.” Her words sounded stilted to her ears. Not because she didn’t mean them, but because sharing her emotions still didn’t come easy for her. She loved Kane with all her heart, would go to hell and back for him, but she couldn’t erase the years she’d spent bottling up her feelings overnight.

“Put me inside you,” he said roughly.

Without a word, she slipped her hand between them and grasped his cock, guiding it into the place they both wanted it to be. He slid in, slowly, one inch at a time, pleasure darkening his gaze once he was fully inside her. Abby closed her eyes and rotated her hips, loving the way her muscles stretched to accommodate him, the way her core tingled with each full stroke.

“I spoke to Luke the other day.”

Her eyes popped open in disbelief. “Why the
fuck
are you talking about Luke right now?” Not that she had anything against their teammate, Luke Dubois, but did Kane really have to bring him up when he was buried inside her?

Her husband chuckled. “He asked me if sex ever gets boring after you’ve been together for a while. Seems he and Olivia are still screwing like bunnies, and he wanted to know if it’s normal.”

She had to grin. “What’d you tell him?”

He moved, ever so slightly, and her inner muscles bore down on him. They both groaned, Kane’s voice growing strained as he answered her. “I said the words
boring
sex
don’t apply to us.” He swiftly withdrew, then slammed back in with a deep, hard thrust that made her cry out in delight. “I said it always feels like the first time. Always.”

“I know.” Her hands drifted down to his tight buttocks, squeezing hard. “Now stop talking and start fucking.”

His laughter tickled her face. “Yes, ma’am.” He lowered his head and kissed her as he started to move in earnest.

Each hurried thrust brought her closer to the brink again. She kept her eyes open this time, fascinated by Kane’s expression, fueled by it. His green eyes were hazy and gorgeous and hid absolutely nothing. Not his emotions, not his passion.

Seeing his raw need and naked pleasure was all it took to send her toppling over the edge. The orgasm seized her muscles and surged through her veins, leaving bursts of ecstasy in its wake as it traveled through her body. Kane’s mouth stayed glued to hers when he came, and she swallowed his moan of release, stroking his back as he shuddered inside her.

“Goddamn.” Sounding blissful and sated, he eased his muscular body lower so he could rest his head on her breasts. “Jeez. Your heart is pounding like crazy against my ear. You good, sweetheart?”

She sighed happily. “I’m more than good.”

Abby wasn’t sure how long they lay in that position, but she didn’t mind it one damn bit. It was rare for
her
to hold
him
—usually he rolled them over and spooned her—but she kind of liked having her big, macho husband draped over her like this, his warm breath heating her nipple. She petted his hair, more content than she’d ever been in her life.

Eventually Kane shifted so he wasn’t crushing her, sliding even lower and nestling his blond head against her belly. She listened to his even breathing, felt him drifting off, and the joy dancing inside her slowly faded into unease. Every soldier she’d ever known always slept with one eye open, and Kane was no exception, for the most part. But when it was just the two of them, he allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep, trusting her enough to do so.

The glaring evidence of his faith in her gnawed at her now, signaling the return of that unceasing flow of guilt.

Swallowing, she gently moved his head and wiggled out of his embrace. When he rumbled with discontent, she brushed her lips over his forehead in a reassuring kiss. “I need to use the bathroom,” she whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

She left him on the bed and made a beeline for the private bath. She’d stashed her duffel there when they’d arrived, and her gaze instantly sought it out. Taking a breath, she knelt on the tiled floor and unzipped the black canvas bag. She rummaged around for her toiletry case. Unzipped that too.

A second later, she held a pink cardboard box in her hands. She stared at it. Read the exclamation-mark-riddled text.

Instant results!

Easy to use!

99% accurate!

Abby bit her lip. Shit. She couldn’t do this.

No, she didn’t
want
to do this.

It was so much easier to remain oblivious, to only worry about the hypothetical. She couldn’t be pregnant unless the test told her so, and if she didn’t take the test, then she could continue to live in ignorant bliss.

Gulping, she walked over to the sink and ran a small washcloth under the warm water, then cleaned herself up. They hadn’t used a condom tonight. She was on the pill, but a quick Google search had revealed that the stomach bug she’d caught six weeks ago could have decreased the effectiveness of it. She hadn’t realized she was so late until a couple weeks ago, when they’re returned from a job and she’d glanced at the calendar, shocked to discover she’d missed a period without even noticing.

But maybe stress was the culprit for her MIA period. That was a possibility, right? It didn’t mean she was knocked up.

Not the end of the word if you are. You’ll be a great mother
.

Her breath hitched. God, it had been ages since she’d heard her adoptive father’s voice in her head. It had once served as her compass, her subconscious taking on Jeremy Thomas’s deep baritone whenever she was in a jam, voicing the advice she knew he’d dispense.

This time, she wasn’t sure she agreed with it.

A great mother?

How could that ever be true? She was a former assassin, a woman who’d once used her body as a weapon. And even if you could erase her past, her current line of work wasn’t exactly conducive to child rearing, either. She was a mercenary—and she
liked
it. She liked the missions, the danger, the adrenaline high. Isabel Roma, Abby’s closest friend, would probably quit her job in a heartbeat to have Trevor Callaghan’s kid, but Abby wasn’t Isabel. She wasn’t kind and warm and
motherly.

She was ruthless and cold, without a single maternal bone in her body.