Slowly, moving through layers that reminded Sloan of scuba diving from a great depth and heading toward the surface above her, she floated toward the light. She stirred, feeling happiness threading through her heart. And then, she felt Dan’s lips caressing hers, his palm against her cheek, worshipping her awake. All her yearnings, all her dreams from years before, had dissolved in last night’s lovemaking. This was real. Dan was here with her. He held her against himself, his large, hard warm body cradling hers. She felt his cock stirring against her belly, and she languished in the emotional heat that he was sharing with her.
She smiled up at him, feeling drowsy and sated. Her body was humming with a level of pleasure she’d never experienced before. He smiled down at her, moving a few strands of hair away from her cheek, nestling them behind her ear. “Can I wake up like this with you every day?” she asked.
“I’m open to anything you want, Sloan.”
“From now on, I want to live with you, Dan. I want the right to know you in ways we’ve never had a chance to have. What do you want?”
Dan always admired Sloan’s fearlessness on any topic when she decided to confront something. As a special-ops soldier, she had done it all the time. Now, he was seeing all those years she spent as a medic and soldier flavoring their relationship once again. “I want you,” he growled, sliding his fingers across her cheek. He saw it was affecting her; her eyes half closed, arousal in them. Twisting his hips, he watched her lips part, a soft sound slipping between them.
“Mmmm, you really know how to make a girl feel good, Malloy.”
“I want the chance to make you feel good every day,” he growled, nipping her lower lip. “And I’m talking about more than just having sex with you. I want to be clear about that.”
She sighed and nuzzled into his neck, kissing him and then licking his salty flesh, feeling him tense, knowing he liked what she was doing to him. Lifting her head away just enough to catch his burning gaze, she whispered, “But we can still have as much sex as we want? Whenever we want?” She watched his grin deepen.
“Like I said, I want you in any way you’ll share with me. If you want sex three times a day, every day, it will be my duty and honor to provide it to you. Fair enough?”
Her brows moved upward, and she stretched languidly against him, her hips grinding suggestively into his, watching his expression grow primal. “There’s never been an argument about us being good in bed together.”
“Or,” he rasped, “anywhere else. We aren’t that vanilla.”
Moaning, her hips pressed against his, feeling his cock rub suggestively against the opening of her channel, she became lost in the heat he was building rapidly within her. “No, we’ve never been vanilla,” she agreed with a sigh.
“Okay,” she breathed, firmness in her tone, “we’re both too easily swayed by the great sex we share, Dan. I need to talk to you and not be so damned distracted.”
He propped himself up on one elbow, giving her a lazy look. “I kind of like the way we’re communicating with one another, baby.” He cupped her breast, stroking his thumb across her nipple, watching her react. “I could touch you all day, every day, Sloan. You’re that sexy to me.” He dropped his hand from her breast and slid it across her thigh. “Let’s live together. It’s a good place to start, don’t you think?”
She gave him a dark look, feeling his palm cup her cheek, moving his fingers beneath her thigh, his fingers so close to her wet entrance. Scooting away from him, she whispered, “This is serious, Dan.”
He stopped caressing her, seeing the frustration come to her expression. “I’m listening,” he told her patiently, absorbing her slender body, those pert breasts with pink, hard nipples.
“Our issues aren’t about sex, Dan. They’re about a lot of other things.”
“And I want to work on those with you, Sloan. I think you’ve seen me trying to make the changes you need.”
Nodding, her expression softened. “It’s like a day and night difference, Dan.”
“I think,” he rasped, laying his hand on her knee, stroking it gently, “that nearly dying did it.”
“I think almost dying has reset you. I’ve never been so thoroughly loved by you before. I always knew that man was in you, but I never saw it, or experienced it, until now.” She saw his brows dip, the building heat in his eyes, replaced with sadness.
Dan sighed and sat up. “Come here, we do need a serious talk right now.” Sloan came and sat on his lap, nestling beneath his right arm, laying her head on his shoulder, her hand slowly grazing his chest. This felt so damned good to him, so right that his throat tightened.
“Sloan, I need you like I need oxygen to breathe when I’m scuba diving. I want you in my life. I want to live with you. I want to fight with you. I want to make up with you. I want to have damn good sex with you. I never realized how important you were to me until I left you. I’ve had four long years to think about what I’ve done.” He moved his hand across her shoulder, cupping her arm, holding her upturned gaze. “I told you before, I don’t know what love is. Maybe you can teach me what it is, over time. I care for you, Sloan, more than any person on this earth. Earlier, I tried to tell you how much I cared by how I had sex with you.”
“You did. I felt and saw the difference, Dan. And it was wonderful. You were sharing emotionally with me this time, not just taking something away from me as you did before.”
“Good,” he rasped, relieved. “I told you before, I’m going to make hellacious mistakes with you, but it’s not from lack of trying to be the man you really deserve.”
Sighing, she nuzzled his jaw, caressing his broad shoulder. “You were brought up without much love, Dan. No one taught you or gave you those tools, or showed you what love, affection, and care were all about.”
“Can I get them, Sloan? Is it possible?”
Her heart wrenched because she heard the concern, the worry in his voice that he was somehow lacking. “It’s entirely possible,” she promised, her voice catching as she fought back tears. In her mind, she could see that little boy abandoned by his mother.
“You don’t lack anything. You have a heart that can be taught love in every respect. You have to give yourself time. I know how much of a Type-A competitor you are, and you aren’t good at patience.” She smiled and kissed his jaw. “No one taught you that, did they?”
He shook his head. “No…”
“Well, there’s a part of us that automatically knows what someone else needs. It’s called having a heart. Compassion. And love is part of that, too.” She searched his eyes, seeing relief come to them. She could feel how desperate he was to convince her that he loved her but he didn’t see it in himself. Most men did not. If Sloan hadn’t taught herself to be self-aware, to watch how she dealt with herself and the world around her, she would have never grown out of the unhealthy relationship she’d originally agreed to with Dan in the first place. Those four years had opened her eyes, and she’d seen her shortcomings, her unhealthy shadow of herself. And she’d fixed it. As soon as she felt good about overcoming that hurdle, Dan walked back into her life. She knew a test when it happened, and there was no mistake in them crossing paths again. Dan didn’t see it this way, but that was all right.
“So? Will you be patient with me, Sloan?”
“I would give anything to share time and space with you. Yes, I’ll be patient because you know what? When you love someone, you stay patient because you know they’re trying the best they can.”
“I won’t be perfect. I worry about disappointing you again.”
Laying her head on his shoulder, she caressed his neck and whispered, “There will be times I’ll disappoint you, too, Dan. It happens in a relationship where two people’s hearts are invested in one another.”