Page 46 of Baby Daddy Protector

But not yet. Not tonight.

She shimmied out of her shorts and panties, and he couldn’t seem to take his clothes off fast enough. Forget finesse. Forget everything except being beside her, being inside her, being as close to her as humanly possible for as much time as they had left.

Once they were both naked, he picked her up again, kissing her gently as he carried her over to the queen-size bed and placed her in the middle of it, stretching out beside her. Her skin felt like silk beneath his fingertips, so warm, so soft. He kissed his way down her neck to her collarbone, then to her breasts. He took one taut nipple between his lips while he toyed with the other between his thumb and forefinger, paying homage to her gorgeous body in the best way he knew how.

Lila traced her fingertips up his back to his shoulders, stroking the short hair at the nape of his neck, and he shuddered. Her throaty laugh damn near made him embarrass himself on the spot. She arched beneath him as he continued kissing a path down her abdomen.

“You are so beautiful, sugar,” she said, her words husky with need.

He smiled against her lower stomach. “Men aren’t beautiful. We’re rugged, tough, sexy.”

“And beautiful.” She gazed down her body at him and smiled and his whole world brightened.

Bad. That was so, so bad. Yet it was also amazingly good.

Ignoring the rush of confusing emotions inside him—need, want, desperation, sadness, hope—he gently spread her thighs then traced his tongue over her slick folds. Lila gasped and slid her fingers through his hair as he pleasured her with his mouth and fingers. He selfishly wanted to make sure she’d never forget him after he left. He wanted her to remember this night together same as he would, on all the long, lonely days ahead.

It wasn’t long before she dug her nails into his scalp and called out his name softly, digging her heels into the mattress as she climaxed hard around his fingers. He continued to nuzzle her sensitive flesh as she drifted back down to earth, then he kissed his way back up her body to her lips. They shared another passionate kiss as he put on a condom then positioned himself between her legs.

Preston buried himself inside her in one long stroke, then held still as her body adjusted to his size. So warm, so wet, so tight. Heaven on earth. Heaven in her arms. Heaven that would be gone all too soon, so he’d best savor it while he could.

“You feel amazing,” he said, resting his weight on his elbows on either side of her, using his hands to smooth back the dripping wet hair from her flushed face.

“So do you,” she said, locking her legs around his waist and pushing her heels into his buttocks, urging him to move inside her. “I love you, Preston Lawson.”

His breath caught and he blinked down at her, stunned and speechless. He cared about her, more than he’d cared about anyone in a long, long time. But love? He didn’t do love. Didn’t do commitment. Didn’t do long-term because in his life, his situation, he never knew where he’d be from one day to the next—or if he’d survive.

Instead of demanding he say the words back, however, she pulled him down and kissed him, moving her hips in time with his thrusts, bringing them both to the brink far sooner than Preston anticipated.

A familiar pressure built at the base of his spine and his balls tightened. He reached between them to stroke her slick folds, circling her most sensitive flesh until she cried out and her body convulsed around him, milking him as she tumbled over the edge into orgasm again. Preston wasn’t far behind—thrusting once, twice more, before his muscles stiffened, his back arched, and he came hard inside her.

Time slowed as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over them before finally leaving them breathless and sated on the bed, her fingers in his hair and his head resting on her chest, over her heart. The steady rhythm threatened to pull him under into sleep, but he fought to stay awake. He was painfully aware he’d not responded to her declaration of love and that he needed to say something.

Not because he didn’t care, but because he did.

“Lila, about what you said. I—”

“Shhh,” she said, smiling down at him and placing a finger over his lips. “I know. You don’t have to say it back. I don’t expect you to. I just wanted you to know how I feel, since you’re leaving again in a couple of days. Something nice to take with you overseas. Just do me a favor, okay?”

He scooted up to lay beside her then drew her into his arms, kissing the top of her head and inhaling the sweet floral scent of her shampoo. “If I can, I will.”

“Stay in touch with me?” she asked, her voice tentative.

Preston closed his eyes, wincing internally. She’d told him about her past, about how she’d lost her parents in a car accident right after high school. About how her brother had enlisted in the army and gotten killed in Iraq, leaving poor Lila all alone. She still had some distant relatives in the area, but she didn’t keep in touch with them. He knew how much her request meant to her and it damn near killed him to deny her. “I’m sorry, honey, but I can’t. I wish I could. I really do. But I never know where I’m going to be or if I’ll be allowed any contact at all with the outside world.”

“I don’t need a lot. Just a phone call every now and then, something to let me know you’re okay.”

The words hung in the quiet room like a shroud until finally, he bit the bullet and manned up. “Honey, we went into this knowing we didn’t have much time. Maybe it was sweeter because of that. More intense.”

“No. The sweetness is because of what I feel for you—what I’ve never felt for anyone before. I said I love you, Preston, and I meant it.” She sniffled and buried her face in the base of his neck. “I know I shouldn’t, and I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it. We don’t know each other that well and you said upfront you don’t do relationships. I’m not asking you to give me any more than you’re willing or able to, but I wanted you to know how I felt. Needed you to know. No matter what happens after you leave, no matter what the future holds, you’ll always have a place in my heart.”

“That doesn’t sound stupid at all,” he said, tucking her words deep inside him. His chest squeezed and his heart ached, but he had to stay strong. Had to stay alone. Alone was easier, cleaner, less complicated. Then her soft sob gutted him and he couldn’t stop himself. He tipped her chin up and kissed her gently, smoothing away her tears with his thumb. “If I can, I’ll come back to you one day. I promise I’ll try.”