She stood. “I’m not looking to leave. I’m looking to get back to work.”

“No. The doctors said one full week of no strenuous activity.”

“So is that why you haven’t f**ked me? Because it’s always so f**king strenuous?”

“That’s what you’re so pissy about?”

She pushed the chair aside—using her injured arm, fully aware that he’d notice her little act of defiance. “Yes. Why haven’t we had sex in six days?”

“Because you have a bullet wound.”

She cocked her head. Devin braced himself for the barrage of bullshit she was about to spew. “Last I checked, I didn’t get shot in the pu**y; I got shot in the arm. And since you’re not into armpit f**king, there shouldn’t be a problem.” Her gaze dropped to his crotch. “Or is there?”

He laughed. Goddamn, she was a piece of work. “No problem on my end.” His eyes made a very slow, very hungry pass up and down her body. “You lookin’ to get f**ked?”

“Yes!”

“Then strip.”

“Right here?”

“No, out in the damn courtyard. Yes, right here.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless that’s a problem?”

Keeping her eyes locked on his, she dropped her sweatpants. No underwear. Then she unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it aside. No bra.

Yes, his hot, sexy woman did want to get f**ked.

Too bad he wasn’t going to oblige her.

“Very nice. Now walk down the hall nice and slow so I can see every jiggle of that fantastic ass of yours.”

Liberty turned. She spread her legs and bent forward, dangling her head between her feet, exposing her pu**y and that sweet little ass**le. “Remember when you f**ked me like this? And I braced one hand on the floor so I could play with your balls as you rammed into me? You f**ked me so hard I nearly passed out. Let’s do that one again.”

He growled, “Get your ass into the bedroom. Now.”

She sashayed off. Sashayed. G.I. Jane never sashayed.

When Devin reached the bedroom, Liberty was spread out on the bed, her vibrator in her right hand. “You priming the pump?”

Her husky laugh zinged straight to his cock. “No. I’ve been making do with Slim, here, oh, a couple . . . three times a day since I’ve been left to my own devices.”

Own devices. She cracked him up. But he kept the smile from his face. “That right?” Devin kicked off his boots. Yanked off his T-shirt. Watched those silvery eyes focus on his fingers as he unhooked his belt, lowered the zipper and shed his jeans and boxers. “You and Slim wanna give me a show?”

“No. I want the real thing.”

He reached in the drawer and pulled out a neckerchief.

Liberty’s eyes zoomed to the silky black fabric. “What’s that for?”

“For fun and games. Right arm up by the headboard.”

“But I don’t need fun and games, Devin. I need you to f**k me.”

He crawled across the bed and stopped to kiss her with brutal possession. “I’ll give you what you need. Now, arm up.”

She sighed dramatically, but she obeyed.

After he tied her, he started to touch her. First with his hands. Featherlight caresses all along her supple body. Taking time to marvel at the softness of her skin and the strength beneath it. Her graceful neck, her strong shoulders, her luscious chest, her compact rib cage. Then he moved on to her taut belly, her rounded hips, her muscular thighs, defined calves and the delicate tops of her feet.

Then he let his mouth have a turn. Kissing. Licking. Sucking. Paying particular attention to the spots he sometimes overlooked in order to focus on the obvious body parts that made her scream and cream for him. The ripped musculature of her forearms, biceps and triceps. The bend in her elbow. The valley between each one of her fingers. The stubborn jut of her chin. The outer curves of her br**sts.

He rolled her over to properly worship her backside. From the sexy sweep of the nape of her neck to her shoulder blades and the curve of her spine. The tempting dimples above her ass. The soft arc of flesh where her hips flared into her thighs.

As he teased and explored, her breathing grew shallow.

He looked up, expecting she’d have her eyes closed. But they were open and focused on him.

“Don’t treat me like I’m fragile.”

“I’m not.” He kissed the swell of her breast that covered her heart. “I’m treating you like you’re precious.” He kissed her again. “Because you are so very, very precious to me, Liberty.”

“Devin.”

He looked up at her again, seeing a combination of fear and hope on her face. “I love you. Been wantin’ to say it to you again. But this is better.”

“What?”

“Showin’ you that I love you. Every inch of you. Because I know every inch of this beautiful body. I know where to touch you to make you sigh. To make you moan. To make you cry out. This body knows me. It knows my intent every time I’m naked with you. But today I want your heart to know my intent. Because, baby, I want to prove to you that if you give it over to me as easily as you do your body, I’ll cherish it.”

“You . . .” She swallowed hard. “Have a way with words.”

“They come easier when they’re spoken from a place of truth.”

“So how long will you continue this erotic torture? Until I beg?”

He traced the sharp edge of her jaw. “This isn’t about power.”