“I’ll be right back. I’ll let the deputy know we’re ready to go home.”
Home. The word had such promise. “That sounds so good to me, Dev.”
Chapter Sixteen
As they approached their condo building, Andy gripped Dev’s hand a little tighter. She halted.
He turned, a question in his eyes.
“I’m going to take a long bath in my apartment,” she said. “And then I want to come over.” Her voice grew soft with emotion. “I want to be in your bed with you. I want to be alone with you, Dev. And whatever happens, let it happen. How do you feel about my suggestion?” She studied his dark-green eyes that had turned molten with desire for her. It was raw. Her body responded to that one, intense look. She drowned in the hope that flooded her entire body as his gaze changed to one of tenderness.
Lifting his hand, he smoothed a tendril from her cheek. “I want the same thing.”
Giving him another soft look, she whispered, “I saw it in your face.”
“Yeah,” he answered, a bit sheepishly. “Given how you’re feeling, I wasn’t sure if I should broach the topic. I know you’re wiped out physically and emotionally.”
“I guess we really do love each other. We both thought the same thing at the same time. My parents are like that.”
He managed a twist of a smile. “So are mine.”
“I’ll see you in about an hour?”
He walked the few feet more with her. “Knock and I’ll answer,” he promised, leaning over, caressing her lips slowly, tasting her, their mouths fitting perfectly against each other. Dev didn’t want to stop kissing her, but he forced himself to ease away and absorb her dreamy look as her lashes lifted and she stared up at him.
“I’ll knock,” she promised him throatily, stepping away, fishing out the card for her door. Andy didn’t want to leave but did. She smelled of fear and sweat, and she wanted to get out of her dirty hiking gear and into the cleansing warmth of a tub. Never had she wanted a man like she did Dev. Relishing the glint in his gaze, that same desire burning in his eyes, she shut the door and went into the condo.
The phone rang and she picked it up.
“Andy, this is Sarah Carter.”
Shocked, she said, “Sarah? Are you okay? What’s going on?”
“I just wanted to let you know what happened out there at the parking lot. We’ve rounded up twenty drug soldiers, we’ve got twenty bales of drugs and no one got hurt.” She then added, “Well, not quite true. Two drug soldiers were killed and the other twenty surrendered to us. The agents of the DEA, the ATF, and the FBI, plus Teton deputies, helped us. We’re processing them all right now. I figured you’d want an update.”
“Oh, yes,” Andy whispered, her hand against her throat, her heart beating harder. “Dev and I were so worried for all of you.”
She heard Sarah chuckle. “With your warning? We caught them completely off guard. Part of our force drove down the dirt road and directly into the meadow, surprising them. We also had the other team park a half a mile away, and we walked in and encircled the group. A few shots were fired. The two soldiers were killed, and the rest just dropped their weapons and surrendered.”
“Wow,” Andy said. “I’m so glad. I’ll be seeing Dev in a little bit and I’ll tell him the good news.”
“We’ll need you down here. Can you come at one o’clock tomorrow afternoon for another investigation session with one of my deputies? This is just a cleanup, after the fact.”
“Sure, no problem. We’ll be there. And thanks for calling. This lifts a lot of worry from us.”
“I know; that’s why I wanted to touch base with you. Get some rest. You’ve earned it.”
Andy hung up, her hand over her heart, her eyes closed for a moment, relief washing powerfully through her. It was over. At least, this round was. She knew Sarah and other agencies were aggressively trying to drive the drug activity out of the southern valley once and for all.
Resting her fingertips on the phone, she wanted to call her mother and punched in the numbers. She was sure her father had already told her that they were safe, but she wanted that connection with her mother right now.
Maud answered the phone after the third ring. Andy sat down and told her what had happened and that she and Dev were safe, at home and okay. Her mother sounded relieved. Her hand tightened a little on the cell phone.
“Mom, I’m falling in love with Dev.” She held her breath, waiting for her reaction.
“I think we knew it before you did,” Maud teased her gently.
“Really?”
“Yes, at that first meal he shared with us. We both knew there was something good and special going on between the two of you.”
“Well, since seeing him once again, I was trying to justify so many things. My work, coming home, and that I didn’t need a relationship. I wasn’t looking for one at all.”
Laughing a little, Maud said, “I wasn’t looking for one when I met your father either.”
“Did you fight it?”
“Yes, because I had many years of school ahead of me. I had other plans. It didn’t work,” and she laughed.
Leaning back on the chair, Andy asked hesitantly, “Are you and Dad okay with us getting together to see where it leads?”
“Of course we are,” Maud said. “All four of you have what I call the delayed marriage syndrome.”
Laughing, Andy said, “Oh, come on, Mom! We’re all professionals with careers.”
“I know, I know. But that doesn’t stop us from wanting to see the four of our children happy like we are.”
Swallowing, Andy whispered, “I’ve always wanted a marriage like yours, Mom. You guys are so happy together. It shows all the time. I guess since I was a kid, I dreamed of finding someone like Dad.”
“Dev is a good man, and a good person,” Maud said quietly. “He’s sensitive, not the typical arrogant male.”
“No, he wouldn’t last two seconds around me if he was that way,” she agreed. “He’s gentle and sensitive underneath it all.”
“So is your dad.”
“I love that side of him. He’s okay with being vulnerable when most men aren’t.”
“Dev is built the same way. You have our blessing.”
Those words were sweet and welcome. “Thanks, Mom. I knew talking to you would help me see reality.”
“If things keep going right, will you two start living together?”
“I’m sure we will. We haven’t discussed it, but why not cut our financial drain? Besides, I want to be with Dev. We have to maintain a certain professional demeanor when we’re flying, but I’d love to be with him when we aren’t. I’m sure he wants the same thing.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Maud said. “What sprung this loose in you two? That brush with the drug dealers today?”
“Yes.” She chewed on her lower lip for a moment. “I had a pretty violent emotional reaction to it afterward. I agree with Dev that our five-day run to escape the Taliban traumatized me deeply. I’m still working it out. This run from the drug soldiers flattened me with the memories of the other. Dev realized first that I’m still working through that trauma. It surprised me, but he’s been there for me.”
“Doesn’t surprise me, Andy. Most of our wranglers have PTSD and we’ve seen, even five or ten years later, they still have flashbacks or horrible nightmares. That kind of trauma stays with us for a long, long time.”
“Dev admitted to me that it shook him inwardly, too. He was able to see it in me and himself.”
“Then, it’s good that you both recognized it and admitted your love for each other. Life’s too short. So now you can move forward. Together.”
Those healing words from her mother stayed with Andy after the call and taking a hot, soaking bath. She decided to wear a soft pink velour robe with a zipper down the front. She wore nothing beneath it. She didn’t want to. Going across the hall, barefoot, she knocked lightly.
Dev answered it. “Come on in,”
he invited, stepping aside.
Andy liked that he had a towel around his neck, obviously having just come out of the shower. Her whole body responded to his naked upper body, the sheen of water across the tautness of his chest, the dark red hair sprinkled across it and tiny beads of water still there. He wore gray gym trousers, his large feet bare, making him look vulnerable, more like a little boy than a man. But there was no question his male sensuality affected her instantly and in the best of ways.
“Feel better?” he asked, closing the door after she walked into his condo.
She pushed her hair, the ends still damp, into some semblance of order with her fingers. “Much better. You?”
He took the towel and dried his shoulders, arms and chest, then looped it around his neck once more. “Just got out. I feel a hundred percent better.”
“I want to lie down with you, Dev. Are you ready?” She saw his eyes gleam with amusement as he cupped her shoulders, drawing her against him. How lovely it felt to press her cheek against his powerful chest, to inhale his own, special male scent, the hair tickling her nose.
Dev brushed a kiss across her mussed hair. “More than ready.”
“Lead on, Mitchell.”
Chuckling, he pressed a second kiss to her hair. “This way . . .”
Andy liked that his bedroom wasn’t dark or broody or had nothing but dark colors so she could barely see anything. Surprised that there were gossamer light-blue curtains, translucent almost, drawn across the huge picture window, allowing in soft light. The drapes were drawn back, a light blue to go with the cream on the walls. She saw a photo of him in his flight gear standing beside the open door of the Army Black Hawk, focused and obviously ready to get on with another black ops mission. Smiling to herself, she liked the look of the eagle about him. Her heart swelled with love for this man who never talked about his own heroism and courage in combat. She’d seen he was given a Bronze Star with a “V” for valor, to demonstrate his bravery under fire. That and a Purple Heart. He had two of those. But he was always humble about them, and unless she prodded him, he wouldn’t have divulged that he’d earned those medals. He was a man who was comfortable in his own skin, not needing praise from the outside world.
Closing the door quietly behind him, they walked to the side of his king-size bed. Andy liked the old-fashioned, pale-lilac chenille bedspread. The headboard was made of light blond oak, plain and simple. It spoke a lot about Dev as she swept her gaze around the room. On the oak dresser were framed photos of his parents, both smiling. Two more that were probably of his teammates in the military. She wondered if those men were the ones who’d died in the crash he barely escaped from himself. At some point she would ask, but not now.
Hanging his towel over the back of a nearby chair, Dev drew her against him, holding her gaze. “It’s been awhile since I loved a woman,” he admitted.
She moved her hands slowly up and down his forearms, the sprinkle of hair increasing her keen yearning for him in every way. “It’s been two years for me. I’m clean and no, I don’t like condoms, and yes, I’m in my ‘window’ to love you and not get pregnant.”
“Same here, except I can’t get pregnant.”
Laughing, Andy nodded. “You’re good, Dev. Really good.”
He became serious, searching her gaze. “We need to be communicating with each other. Tell me if I cause you any discomfort or pain. Or if you don’t like something I’m doing.”
“Always.” She slid her hands up to his face. “Let’s go slow this first time?”
“Yes,” he agreed. “Now, come here. I’ve been dreaming for months of doing just this,” and he leaned over, sliding his arms beneath her legs and lifting her into his arms.
Andy smiled and wrapped her limbs around his neck as he carried her over to the bed. “You’re sweeping me off my feet,” she teased, caressing his cheek, then kissing it.
Laying her upon the bed, he joined her after pushing his gym shorts downward, falling around his feet and nudging them away. She stared at his erection and gave a nod, pleased. He pulled the zipper open where she sat, revealing her nakedness. Easing forward, he nipped her slender neck, hearing that happy sound vibrate in her exposed throat. The trust Andy gave him, the surrender of her body to him, made his eyes burn with unshed tears. He swore silently to her that he’d make this first time beautiful for her. His heart widened with such a rush of feeling that it caught him off-guard.
Guiding Andy onto her back, beautiful and naked, he straddled her, his knees beside her flared hips. He slid his mouth against hers, feeling her fuse with him, her moan deep and vibrating through him, hardening him.
Her hands ranged over his shoulders and back, memorizing him in a slow, delicious exploration. Strangling the desire with steely control, he took her willing mouth once more, gliding his lips against hers, feeling her smile beneath his kiss, feeling her enjoyment of everything he was doing with her. Leaving her wet, hungry lips, he lifted his leg, his knee opening her curved thighs. Brushing his fingers lightly against her core, his fingers instantly became soaked. She was so turned on. So ripe. So ready for him.
Andy was overwhelmed with the pleasure he’d been giving her. His continued caresses moving wickedly into her entrance, she absorbed his male scent and that taste that spun her into a dark, starving need of Dev. He placed himself against her entrance, slowly rubbing against her, teasing her. She instantly reacted, groaning out his name, her hands settling around his narrow hips, trying to pull him forward, trying to get him into her. He placed his elbows near her shoulders, his hands framing her flushed face, drowning in the glistening diamonds reflected in her half-closed eyes.
Somewhere in his cartwheeling mind, Dev realized she was such a sexual, sensual woman, so well hidden in their day-to-day work, but now, unveiling herself to him for the first time. Gritting his teeth, his hands closing more firmly around her face, he nudged his throbbing erection deeper into her, watching her eyes grow cloudy with urgency, her pleading whimpers tearing from her parted lips. Oh yes, she felt like a hot, tight, wet glove beginning to envelop him. Dev wasn’t going to tease her; rather, he wanted to slowly open her, get her channel to widen and accept his girth and length. Her body relaxed as he eased another inch into her. Her cries of pleasure began, and she sobbed his name, the tightening of her channel constricting around him as he began to rock and give her pleasure. He felt her tearing apart as he lavished her with that ancient, rocking motion.
In moments, she cried out, her hands tight and almost painful against his shoulders as her lower body jerked, the orgasm overwhelming her. He kept stroking her slowly, increasing her gratification as it bloomed within her. Dev allowed her all the time she wanted to enjoy the depth and beauty of the intense orgasm as it flowed through her. He silently swore Andy would always come first, before him.
Another vibrating, low growl tore out of him as the release exploded through him. He stiffened, surging his hips against hers, fusing with her, unable to move, drowning in the scalding satisfaction throbbing between them. She kept her grip around his hips, thrusting into him, continuing to twist and rub against him. Dev fell against her, his head next to hers, breathing harshly, sweat running down his drawn features.
A smile drifted across Andy’s mouth as she weakly enclosed him with her arms, needing this. Needing Dev. Nothing had ever felt so right as now, with him covering her, his weight like a heavy, warm blanket against her panting body. Their sweat mingled and small rivulets combined, tickling down across her skin here and there. He felt so wonderful, made her feel loved and protected by him. She leaned over, her mouth claiming his, tasting his lips against hers, sharing the intimacy with him as he moved his mouth urgently, making her moan. Threading his fingers through her hair, drawing her to him, his mouth claiming her swollen lips. She inhaled him, body, heart and soul.
* * *
Andy had no idea what time it was, only that it was dark. She was warm, cossetted against Dev’s body, her butt and back against his fro
nt. Most of all, that strong, hairy arm across her waist, holding her close as he snored softly above her head, made everything feel so right. So incredibly wonderful. The sweet feeling of love flowed from her to him and she closed her eyes, never having felt like she belonged to someone as much as she did Dev. That hole in her heart began to close for the first time in her life. That sensation, that deep awareness told Andy that she had a partner for life in him. He wasn’t a man who would ever walk out on her in a crisis. They’d already been tested twice now. The tenderness and care in how he loved her, wanting to be sure she was pleased first, touched her in ways she couldn’t even give words.
Moving her fingers slowly down his forearm, she felt him stir. Dev moved, repositioning them so that he was able to slip one arm beneath her neck, settled her against the length of him as he eased her on her back. She lifted her lashes, drowning in the burning love she saw in his dark-green eyes as he silently absorbed her. Sliding his hand across her shoulder, down the length of her arm, he captured her hand, pressing a kiss to her fingers as she curved them around his large knuckles.
“I love you, Andy,” he rumbled, holding her hand against his chest.
“I know you do, Dev.” She reached up and caressed his cheek, feeling the stubble create tingles along her opened palm. “I love you so much . . .”
“I have something to tell you,” he said, his voice still thick with sleep.
“What?”
“It was on the second night of our run for freedom after the crash. Do you remember we found a couple of caves about a quarter mile from the top of one of those mountain ridges? It was getting dark, we were freezing and our teeth were chattering.”
Wrinkling her nose, she said distastefully, “Oh, I remember everything about it. It’s never far away from me. Those caves were a godsend. We were so weary, our legs knotting and cramping constantly. It was one, long climb the whole day to stay ahead of the Taliban.”
He kissed her fingertips, one at a time, holding her slumberous gaze. “And we settled on the second cave because it had a little pool of water.”
Wind River Protector Page 25
