Never Surrender - Lindsay McKenna Shadow Warriors

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against his tall, strong body. The wooden jaguar in her palm felt as if it were burning a hole straight through her flesh. The sensation was real to Bay. The love she felt radiating out of it like a powerful beacon was just as real, feeding her heart and soul. It was Gabe’s way of loving her, of acknowledging her world of magic and possibility. Of apologizing. Bay sighed softly and closed her eyes, allowing him to guide her. She trusted Gabe with her life, and he’d never failed her. Ever.

      * * *

      “ARE YOU READY?” Gabe whispered near her ear, his hands lightly across Bay’s closed eyes. They stood in front of the master bedroom. He could feel her excitement.

      “I am. What have you done, Gabe?” Bay heard a rumbling chuckle in his chest. He’d hinted after dinner that he had a surprise for her. Gabe knew she was such a kid when it came to surprises. Bay felt his rough hands resting lightly across her closed eyes. Felt his heated body inches from her own.

      “Well,” he teased her huskily, “let’s open the door and find out, shall we?” He nudged the door with his toe, and it slowly yawned opened. “Okay,” he said, “now you can open your eyes....”

      Bay gasped as he removed his hands and settled them on her shoulders, standing quietly behind her. The room had been transformed by soft candlelight. She loved candles! And she remembered telling Gabe last year how candles created magic and transported her to the other worlds. She loved the dancing, flickering light and shadows because she could close her eyes and, in her wild imagination, see such incredible, mythical beings.

      “Ohhhh,” was all she could manage, her throat tightening with tears of joy. “This is so beautiful, Gabe!” Bay gave a cry, turned and threw her arms around him. “I love you so much! Thank you! It’s such a beautiful gift! It really is!”

      His arms encircled her, holding her gently against him. She felt his mouth against her temple, placing small kisses down to her cheek, and finally, as she raised and turned her head, she met and melded against his waiting lips.

      He kissed her tenderly, and she couldn’t stop the sweet trembling. She was so easily touched. So easily moved. Pulling away from her mouth, he smiled down at her.

      “You like it, baby?” he asked.

      “Like it?” Bay whispered incredulously. “I love it, Gabe.” She loved purples, lavender and soft green-and-blue colors. He’d seriously thought about all she’d told him because on the dresser were four candles of varying heights, in the purple to lavender range. On the nightstand were four more candles ranging from pale blue to a cobalt color. And in the master bathroom, a group of them flickered, sending out muted, soft tones of gold flames.

      They’d already showered, and although he’d kissed her, touched her, Bay wanted to love him here, in their bedroom. But this was their last night together. They didn’t need to rush. She would carry the memories of these last moments deep in her heart. It had to last her for six months until she returned home, to his arms.

      Gabe leaned down, resting his cheek against hers, drawing her back more tightly against him. “The music? Do you hear it?”

      Gulping back her tears, Bay heard soft unobtrusive classical music in the background. She immediately recognized one of her favorite classical songs, “Ode to Joy.” “Everything is so perfect, Gabe. Thank you.” She was profoundly impacted that he’d go to this much trouble for her.

      His mouth curved faintly, relieved. “I had one hell of a time finding all those pieces of classical music you like.” He laughed a little shyly, holding her close, her head tipped back against his right shoulder, eyes studying him warmly. “The guys at HQ teased the living hell out of me when I sat down to use the computer at the office. Hammer, damn him, found out I was tearing my hair out trying to find those classics on iTunes. He was ragging on me, accusing me of turning into some kind of damned sissy.” Shaking his head, he grumbled, “I’ll never live it down. Classics aren’t what SEALs listen to.”

      “You’re such a hero in my eyes, Gabe,” Bay whispered, meaning it. Bay was sure the word “sissy” had struck him like a dagger into his heart. She was sure Hammer didn’t know his father had called him that name, either. SEALs were a pack of male alpha wolves. Each was a consummate, confident warrior. And they mercilessly, ruthlessly teased and taunted one another, a constant unspoken game of one-upsmanship. “I grew up on the classics. My pa taught me all the Greek myths from Robert Graves’s books. I read voraciously as a child. My mama read me fairy tales every night before me and Eva-Jo went to sleep. I had so many dreams about the gods, goddesses and mythical beings. My dreams were in color and crammed full of excitement. I could hardly wait to go to sleep at night so that I could dream. Classical music inspires me,” Bay said, meeting and holding his gaze. She felt his heavy desire for her, felt it settle in her womb, between her thighs, so sweet with promise.

      “I’d do it all over again for you, baby,” Gabe rasped, leaning over and lifting her into his arms. “I’ll take any kind of ribbing those guys want to dish out and hand it back to them in spades. They don’t love you. I do. Come on, let’s go to bed....”

      CHAPTER FIVE

      THE FLICKERING CANDLELIGHT danced around the darkened room, making movements on the walls, shadowing Gabe’s intent-looking features as he untied her blue silk robe. It had been a Christmas gift from him last year. The silky robe clearly outlined her breasts, the nipples already firm peaks beneath the superfluous material. Gabe eased the robe off her shoulders, allowing it to whisper and crumple to the floor.

      He leaned down to capture one of the nipples. It hardened in his mouth. She moaned, arching tautly into him, tensing, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

      Gabe heard a faint rush of air from between her lips. There was a fine line between pain and pleasure, and he gauged her response to keep it in the pleasure zone.

      As her hands tightened on his shoulders, Gabe felt her strain to lift her hips and press hungrily against his thick erection. It made him feel powerful to hear the sounds caught in her throat. Bay trusted him fully. In every possible way. And as he moved his lips to the other nipple, tasting her, he heard her shallow breathing accelerate.

      She was a strong woman, and her hands, in particular, were fierce. Her tight grip on his shoulders showed him that he was pleasing her.

      As he gazed at Bay, the candlelight softened her beautiful face, made her look almost angelic. She stood naked before him, and he could feel her knees weaken beneath his onslaught. Bay was slowly opening him up to another kinder, gentler possibility, the magic between them, the magic of her affecting and changing him in good ways.

      Gabe eased his fingers slowly up her warm rib cage, felt her soft, smooth skin against his roughened fingertips. He couldn’t help smiling into her slumberous-looking blue eyes that burned with arousal. The candlelight made her flesh glow an unearthly but breath-stealing color. Golden, radiant skin beneath his exploring hands.

      Magic.

      He picked her up and carried her to the bed and then bracketed her thighs with his own.

      Gabe ran his index finger from the lobe of her ear down the length of her neck and across her proud shoulder. He devoured Bay with his eyes and his heart. He could see the faint beat of her heart near her left, curved breast. She meant the world to him. Gabe could not conceive life without Bay in it. Her flesh was radiant beneath the flickering candles. He monitored her expression, listened closely to her breath, watched the sharp rise and fall of her rib cage. He slowly curved his hands around each of her breasts. Bay’s expression tensed as she anticipated the touch of his thumbs wreaking pleasure across her taut nipples.

      Anticipation was one of Gabe’s favorite ways of bringing her to the edge, increasing Bay’s hunger for him, for craving his touch, getting her keyed and so damned close to an orgasm until she started coming apart in his hands.

      Her lips parted with a hitched breath, and she gripped his arms, waiting, wanting.... Gabe held her pleading gaze and smiled a very male smile. Leaning down, he exhaled his warm breath across the first nipple

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