Double Threat, page 7
Heat filled her face. “Yes. Did she counsel vets?”
“Some veterans.” He pushed aside his mostly empty plate. “She was beautiful, intelligent and she seemed competent.”
Jealousy twined around her middle and squeezed. “How long did you date?”
“Only a month. One night I dropped in on her as a surprise. Turned out she was screwing a guy who was one of her clients. I heard later she’d done it once before. When I called her on it and said I didn’t want to date her anymore, she accused me of threatening to kill her.”
Lena’s lips parted but she couldn’t squeak out one word at first. “Seriously?”
“She called the cops, they showed up on my doorstep. They did their investigation and of course I had to tell my commander what happened. It was a big friggin’ mess.”
Her stomach did a pitch and roll. “What happened next?”
“Naturally the police didn’t find any evidence. It was a she said and I said situation. The report got back to the higher-ups in my chain of command and they started their own investigation.”
“Oh no. Don’t tell me. It went in your record with the Coast Guard.”
“Yes.”
The waiter came and removed their dishes and they told him they’d take the check.
While they waited for the waiter to come back with the bill, she said, “You think the situation affects your chances for promotion?”
“Yes and no. It depends on who’s looking at my paperwork and when. Politics are politics, right?”
“You’re wondering if it’s sitting in the back of someone’s mind when they look at suitability for promotion.”
“Yep. Rumors floated around the air station for a long time and it was ugly. People like to gossip, even in the military. Things didn’t quiet down for almost a year. Luckily for me the counselor was fired a few months ago and moved out of the area. Now people don’t look at me sideways.”
She was disappointed for him. “They shouldn’t have looked at you sideways in the first place. You aren’t that kind of man. I never would have believed rumors like that about you.”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “I made it through without too many scars. My brothers, my parents and some close friends all knew the truth. They knew I’d never abuse a woman or threaten to kill her. But I learned a few things by facing all this.”
“Such as?”
“It taught me to trust my instincts when it comes to women.”
“Oh?”
He leaned in closer to her and touched her hands. A zing of pure, heated excitement danced through her skin and into her stomach. “When I saw you again after all these years, I remembered what I knew from way back.”
She didn’t think she could take another well-placed compliment. She might have a meltdown. “Teenage wet dreams?”
“Yeah, those. But more. I’d always known that you’re a damn good person, Lena. A woman with integrity, intelligence and a kind heart. Those are things I value. I know you wouldn’t lie to me about anything. How you feel.” His low voice seemed to throb in her loins, licking at places tender and needy. “What you want and need.”
She needed all right. She wanted to believe that a relationship with him could go beyond a few nights in bed. A single night, to be exact. But how could it? Even knowing what she did, that he’d dated a counselor and been treated like shit… Well, that didn’t take away the obstacles between them.
The waiter came back with the bill and Rick withdrew his touch. He paid quickly and didn’t say another word about the counselor who’d lied to him and about him.
As they piled back into his truck a few minutes later and he drove back to her house, she knew she couldn’t leave their relationship with only one night between them to remember.
Chapter Six
“Come inside,” Lena said.
Come inside. Oh yes. She wanted him to come in out of the cold, to talk more about his experiences in the Coast Guard. More than that, she wanted him to find solid, delicious nakedness between her thighs where she ached. Since they’d left the restaurant she’d found this low hum growing between her and Rick. They’d been quiet and when he took off his coat and they headed into the living room again, she turned toward him.
“What else haven’t you told me?” she asked.
“I shouldn’t have judged you. You’ve been straight up with me on every point but one.”
Annoyed, she asked, “Oh really?”
He reached for her arm and gently turned her toward him. “After everything you’ve seen…the broken soldiers…part of you thinks any soldier would hurt you. If I had to deal with all the hurt you’ve seen on a daily basis I might think the same way. I’m in the Coast Guard, so I remind you of those men.”
Her defenses went up. “Who’s trying to be a shrink now?”
“It makes sense. You’re jaded and I can’t blame you. See enough of something and after a while…” His hands caressed her forearms as he transferred his touch to her biceps. “You start believing things you shouldn’t believe.”
Lena looked into his eyes and knew she wanted his understanding. “Sure you don’t want to become a counselor?”
His mouth softened and the liquid heat in his eyes warmed her low and deep where cravings stirred. “Don’t have the patience. I’m serious, Lena. You’re a wonderful woman with a lot to give some lucky man. But think about this…soldiers aren’t the only people who suffer PTSD. It can happen to anyone. Flood. Fire. Accident. You won’t know until it hits you…then it’s just there.”
Concern touched her deeply. “You sound like you’ve had PTSD.”
“No. I’ve just seen it enough times in other people. Researched it to help a couple of guys I worked with. I’m not trained to help people the way you are but what you do is admirable, important work.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t want to acknowledge his praise—she was very unused to it.
They stood so close, and her pulse quickened as he cupped her shoulders and looked down upon her.
“I think I judged you because you’re a counselor and that was unfair of me. You’ve taught me a lot,” he said.
Heat poured into her center and desire rose higher within her. “I did?”
“Sometimes a man needs a rock to hit him upside the head so he remembers that he doesn’t know everything.”
She grinned. “Oh yeah? You don’t hear a guy say that very often. Come to think of it, I’m certain I’ve never heard a man say that before.”
He shrugged. “Some men are dicks.”
They laughed and a warm, comfortable understanding flared and flowed inside her. She’d never felt this way with any man. She’d never wanted so much to dive into Rick’s secrets and understand everything she could.
“I’m so sorry, Rick. You may have judged me but I think I can one-up you. I think this is a case of doctor heal thyself. I’m always working hard to understand people’s motivations and help them. But maybe sometimes I need a reality check. To understand myself as much as I do anyone else. Could you help me with that?”
His grin warmed her from the inside out. “Hell yeah.”
They laughed again, and it felt right.
Her glance trailed down his wide shoulders and chest and she remembered all too well how it felt to have him inside her. She craved his strength, to know and touch all the power hidden beneath his clothing. She palmed his pectorals, enjoying the power under her fingers.
His breath hitched. “Damn, Lena. You’re driving me crazy.”
“I might have the cure then.”
And on impulse, throwing away all caution, she kissed him. She plunged into a place where nothing but loving him mattered. If this was her last chance to make love to him, she wanted it to be right.
Their lips melded and her heart pounded as his arms encircled her back and waist. God how she wanted more of their wonderful connection. She desired it with everything inside her.
Rick couldn’t wait to get inside Lena. His body wanted hers, his mind wanted her—nothing would stand in his way. She clutched at him, her touch almost frantic. Urged into his own frenzy, he picked her up and walked upstairs with her. Once there they didn’t take their time. Rick shucked his boots and made short work of his clothes, tossing pieces aside. She did the same with her clothing and when she stood naked in front of him, Rick admired her. Every detail of her smooth-as-silk skin, peach-hued and dusted here and there with unexpected freckles, made him crazy. He wanted to kiss each freckle and hadn’t the last time they made love. This time…oh yes…he wanted to very much.
She sat on the bed and then scooted to the middle. He saw surrender in her eyes but not the kind that said she gave in. The kind that showed she stayed open to him. He propped up beside her and gazed into her eyes, allowing her to see inside him. He felt a connection grow stronger, knew it would take more time to deepen but what they had here and now felt important and significant. When he kissed her, he took in everything about Lena. He cupped her face and she thrust her tongue into his mouth. He groaned, fired up by her initiative. He fell into the kiss without restraint, his touch wandering with eagerness. Making good on his promise to himself, he found each freckle on her face and tasted each one. Two on her nose. One on her upper right cheekbone. One near her ear.
“Rick.” Her voice went breathless as he acquainted himself with her skin.
She shivered under his touch and he wouldn’t back away. He tangled his fingers in her hair and tilted her head back so he could skim over her long neck. She moaned softly, once more quivering as he thoroughly devoured with lips and tongue. She grabbed at his shoulders, her entire body moving as he found every pleasure point he’d missed before. His cock thickened and the acute need to slide inside her threatened to overwhelm him. He found her breasts and cupped the left one in his palm. She wasn’t too big, a luscious rounded size that fit her petite stature. Rosy nipples invited and he didn’t hesitate to take the invitation. He brushed long licks over each nipple then teased and plucked at each hard berry. Every kiss he pressed down her torso took him that much closer to madness. She was exquisite. She was everything he wanted and needed. God, what would it be like to come home to her every night after a day working in Kodiak’s freezing winter temperatures?
He’d wanted to take his time and explore her more but when her hands wrapped around his cock, he almost came. He groaned and struggled with his desire to let go. With a clever movement, she urged him over on his back. She straddled his waist and leaned down, licking and pinching his nipples the same way he’d done to her. Each teasing stroke brought him one step nearer to losing control. He closed his eyes and enjoyed as she worked her way down his chest to his stomach, pressing kisses and licking him with teasing movements. He couldn’t help the moans leaving his throat. Moment blended into moment until all his thoughts melted together.
His cock felt like an iron bar and when she gathered his hardness in her palm, he gasped and his eyes flew open.
“Oh God,” he said.
With a wicked smile she leaned down and drew him all the way into her mouth. His breath caught. Holy Mother of Christ. The sweetness tore him into pieces as she molded him with lips and tongue. She drew him into her hot mouth and the tight, wet pressure made him writhe. All thoughts of tomorrow disappeared as she sucked him and pumped him in her fist.
“Wait,” he managed to gasp. “Stop, honey.”
She did, looking up at him with curiosity.
“Come here. I want to be inside you.”
She crawled up his body and he drew her into a deep, lingering kiss. When he released her she wriggled out of his arms and came up on all fours. She looked like a feral creature, all claws, determined to find satisfaction. Committed to giving her what she wished, Rick positioned himself behind her. He clasped her hips and the sight of her rounded butt made his mouth water and lust flare higher. He tested the softness of her skin and slipped between her thighs. Wet and so pretty, her femininity called to him. He eased his cock between those tender folds and thrust. She cried out as he eased forward and each inch of hot silk encased him in mind-stealing pleasure. God, he’d never get his breath back but maybe he didn’t want to. He closed his eyes and plunged into heaven. Dove into a new pace that threatened to send him into space. He reached around to tease her clit. She cried out and pushed back into each thrust. He pulled tenderly on her nipples and another shudder and sweet moan came from her lips. He plunged in and out of her core until she cried out and shook in his hold, her breathless whimpers saying she’d found orgasm. He let go, unable to wait a moment longer. The sweet tightness around his cock felt better than anything in his life. He groaned loudly as he thrust with heavy strokes, pounding until she climaxed with a shriek and her body pulsed around him. He shoved into her one last time, roaring as he poured into her flesh.
* * * * *
Lena thought she’d died and gone to heaven. In fact, she knew she had. Rick had rocked her world in so many ways in such a short time her mind raced with the possibilities. She woke in his arms Thursday morning, her mind foggy from their lovemaking hours before. She squirmed a little and a long, hot bar of male erection brushed her belly. She gasped softly as a spike of pure arousal hit her. Oh man, this guy did it for her in so many ways. Last night had proven one thing to her. She was emotionally attached to him whether she like it or not. When he left Sunday it would hurt like a bitch. Like someone ripping the bandage off a wound. She needed to make some sort of clean break now before her entire world went into the crapper because she’d allowed him to get under her skin.
She shifted out of his embrace and he woke up.
He groaned. “What time is it?”
She snapped on the lamp next to the bed and then reached over to smack his ass playfully. “Time to get up.”
“Ow.” He grinned. “Kinky. Wanna do it again?”
Heat filled her face. “Um…yes. But later. It’s six. Today is Thanksgiving and I have food to get together for today.”
He rolled onto his back. “I feel hungover and I didn’t drink.”
The sight of naked, rippling chest muscles and glorious abs about did her in. “I’ll catch a shower then you can get one and I’ll feed you breakfast. You’ll feel better.”
A boyish smile touched his mouth. “Deal. First I have something I want to give you.”
He grabbed her around the waist and drew her back into his arms for a hot, drugging kiss. His tongue flirted with hers and a new coil of lust made her wet. The kiss went on and he caressed her neck and her shoulders and found every erogenous zone she seemed to have. She couldn’t stop the whimpering little moans leaving her throat as he teased and loved her. Between kisses he rolled her onto her back. He eased between her legs and suddenly his hardness slipped between her folds and slid deep inside her.
She broke from his kiss with a gasp as red-hot lust grabbed her belly and tingled hard and fast between her legs. “Oh my God. Rick.”
“Want more?” he asked softly into her neck.
“Yes.”
She drew her legs up and her hips moved with his, each slow, penetrating thrust awakening sensitive nerve endings. She arched into his movements, on fire in a heartbeat. They exploded into their lust and he moved inside her with slow, tantalizing strokes, every movement he made quicker than the last. She hung on tight, overwhelmed, delighted as the need in her rose fast and hard. A second later the wild, shivering desire broke into a thousand pieces as climax claimed her. With a growl of completion Rick flooded her with his orgasm. He rolled to the side, still buried within her.
“Oh. My. God.” She could barely catch her breath.
He chuckled. “Yeah. That was…whatever that was…amazing.”
“Think we can make it to the shower?” she asked.
They made it to the shower and once there she found she couldn’t keep her hands off him. She got down on her knees, took him in her mouth and showed him what she had in mind. Watching him come apart was one of the sexiest things she’d ever seen. By the time they stumbled out of the shower and got dressed she was rushing around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off. They resorted to eating granola bars and sipping coffee. He sat on a barstool watching her as she tried to chop veggies for a tray she’d promised to bring for Thanksgiving. He’d offered to help but she insisted he stay put. Now, with his hot gaze on her, she sort of wished she’d put him to work.
“It looks like it’s going to snow again,” he said.
“Great. As if it isn’t icy enough outside.” She heard the grumble in her voice and wondered when it had emerged. She detoured around her strange mood. “Say, why aren’t your parents with you guys for the holidays?”
“Mom’s in Arizona and Dad is in Colorado. Makes it hard to visit them. I don’t have Christmas off this year either. My mom and her new boyfriend are going on a cruise and her boyfriend is from Alaska. They’re stopping by Fairbanks so we’re going to try to see if we can manage a visit.”
She realized that she was standing there holding the knife and the vegetables wouldn’t chop themselves. So she returned her attention to the work at hand. “What do your parents think of you being in such a dangerous job?”
“Mom thinks it’s awesome but I know she worries. She even told me once, which surprised the hell out of me. She’s not one for mushy emotions. At least she didn’t used to be. I think she’s softening up.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Not at all.”
As she finished chopping and began to arrange the food on a platter, she continued the conversation, amazed they hadn’t discussed more personal things before this. But no, they’d been too busy jumping each other’s bones, hadn’t they?
“Tell me more about Kodiak.”
He grinned and looked pleased. “There’s only about seventeen thousand people there. Most either love it or hate it. It’s not a place for people who want all the conveniences in life. I really enjoy it. There’s all the salmon fishing you could want if you don’t mind sometimes coming up against a Kodiak bear.”
