Breaking Away

by Elle James

  Once the doors closed, Kylie drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Too much drama,” she said. “I don’t know about you, but I could stand another shower after being up in that helicopter, stirring up dust.”

  “Agreed,” Mac said, shrugging out of his bulletproof vest. “You can go first.”

  Kylie grabbed her backpack, carried it into the bathroom and left the door ajar.

  Whether she meant to or not, that open door was too much temptation for Mac. He turned his back and walked to the balcony door, unzipping his jacket as he went. He sat in a chair, pulled off his boots and removed his socks. Every sound emitted from the bathroom made him look.

  Chapter 5

  Mac’s groin tightened as Kylie dropped her backpack on the floor, and stripped out of her shirt, shoes and pants. She stood in only her panties and bra, looking so incredibly sexy Mac couldn’t catch his breath.

  He reasoned that if she hadn’t wanted him to see her, she would’ve closed the door. He marched toward her, stripping off his jacket, his blood pounding through his veins.

  She stood with her back to him, her hands fiddling with the clasp on the back of her bra.

  He entered the room, brushed her hands to the side and unhooked the garment. Then he pushed aside her hair and pressed his lips to the soft skin beneath her ear.

  She leaned her head back against his chest and moaned. He slipped his hands over her shoulders, drawing the straps of her bra down her arms.

  Kylie let the bra drop to the floor. Then she hooked her panties with her thumbs and shoved them over her hips and thighs. When they pooled at her ankles, she kicked them aside.

  Mac’s hands slid down her arms, down to her waist and followed the swell of her hips. He turned her to face him. His hands came up to cup her face between his palms, and he kissed her.

  Her lips were every bit as soft as they’d been when they were much younger. She opened to him, her tongue meeting his in a dance he remembered so well.

  She tugged his shirt from the waistband of his trousers and pushed it up his chest.

  Mac took over from there, yanking it the rest of the way over his head and tossed it onto the counter. He made short work of his trousers and boxers, finally standing before her naked, his cock hard and jutting toward her.

  He reached into the shower, switched on the water and waited, testing its warmth. Then he took her hand and led her into the stall, standing her beneath the spray.

  Water ran over her head, onto her shoulders and dripped off the tips of her breasts. She was even more beautiful than she’d been the last time he’d stood naked with her when they were so young.

  She ran her hands over his shoulders. “I don’t remember you being quite this muscular,” she said with a sexy smile.

  “I think we’ve both changed.”

  Her eyebrows rose.

  He amended, “For the better, of course.”

  She chuckled. “Matured.”

  “Matured is a good word,” he said. “And you’ve matured beautifully.” He tipped her head up and captured her wet mouth with his.

  Her hands came up, laced around the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, deepening the kiss.

  Mac squirted bodywash into his hand, lathered it up and smoothed it over her shoulders and collarbone. Working his way downward, he captured a nipple between his thumb and forefinger and pinched it gently.

  Her back arched, pressing her closer to him.

  She skimmed her calf along the side of his leg, wrapping it around the back of his thigh, pressing her sex against him.

  He bent to take one of her nipples between his teeth, nipping lightly, tonguing it until it hardened into a tight little nub. When he’d tasted it thoroughly, he shifted to the other breast and treated it the same.

  Meanwhile, his hands slid over her torso and down to the tuft of fluffy hair over the juncture of her thighs. He cupped her there, his finger dipping into her sex.

  Kylie moaned, “Oh, my.” She was so wet, and not just from the shower.

  He stroked her there, dipping his finger in and out. Adding another finger, he swirled around inside then dragged his fingers up between her folds.

  She drew in a deep breath and let it go against his chest. “I thought you found someone else.”

  His lips returned to hers, and he brushed them softly across her mouth. “I did. I lost her for a while, but fate brought her back to me.” He leaned back and stared down into her eyes, his pulse racing, but the answers he sought were more important than quenching his physical needs. “What about you?”

  “I lost him for a while but, like you said, fate brought him back to me,” she said.

  Mac’s heart swelled. She still cared.

  Kylie frowned. “I don’t suppose you have protection, do you?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry. I don’t usually carry that when I’m deployed.” His lips spread in a slow, sexy smile. “We don’t need protection for what we can do.”

  “So true.” She kissed him again and trailed her lips over his chin, across his chest and down his torso. The spray drummed over her shoulders as she knelt before him.

  She circled her hand around his cock and ran it down to the base, fondling him there. Then she touched her tongue to the tip of his shaft.

  Mac sucked in a sharp breath. His fingers laced through her wet hair. When she took him into her mouth, he groaned low in his chest.

  Her hands moved around to cup his ass, guiding him into her, until the head of his dick touched the back of her throat. Then she pushed him back out, caressed the tip with her tongue and then took him inside again. Settling into a swift rhythm, she had him so hard and so tight, he couldn’t hold back. He felt his release coming, jerked out of her and let loose. God it felt so good, his shaft pulsing and throbbing all the way to the end.

  But he wasn’t done with her. He soaked his palm with bodywash again and ran his hands over every inch of her body.

  She returned the favor, touching him everywhere. Again, he grew hard and ready to take her, but he had no protection, and he wouldn’t take her without it.

  After they’d thoroughly rinsed, he turned off the water, grabbed a towel and dried her.

  Kylie rubbed her towel over him, quickly soaking up the moisture.

  When he could stand it no more, he swept her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed.

  Mac leaned over her, claiming her lips. Then he trailed his mouth over her chin and down the long line of her neck, kissing, flicking and nibbling as he went. He stopped to graze on her breasts and then moved lower, slowly.

  This was where he’d wanted to be all those years. Now, he was with her in Afghanistan of all places. Fate had played a huge part in bringing them back together. He couldn’t screw it up this time.

  * * *

  Kylie lay against the sheets as Mac trailed his mouth across her body, tasting every inch until he reached the juncture of her thighs.

  She widened her legs, giving him plenty of space to work his magic. He’d always been good about going down on her.

  Inside, she was coiled so tightly it wouldn’t take much to get her off. Mac had always been a considerate lover, making sure that he thoroughly satisfied her in every way.

  He stroked her with a finger, dipping inside her, coming out covered in her juices. He swirled that wet finger along her clit.

  She moaned and bunched the sheets in her fingers, raising her hips off the mattress, wanting more.

  “You like that?” he said.

  “You know I do,” she said, her voice breathy, unable to draw in deeply when he was doing that to her.

  “More?” he questioned.

  “Please,” she begged.

  He swirled his finger around that nubbin of flesh, and then replaced his finger with his tongue, flicking it, knowing the exact pressure that set her off every time.

  Her body tightened, her blood sizzled through her veins. Everything he did led up to one last important fli
ck of his tongue that sent her flying over the edge.

  Kylie gasped, grabbed his hair and held him there as he flicked, licked and strummed her like a musical instrument.

  He didn’t let up as she rode the wave of her orgasm to the very last throb. Kylie collapsed against the mattress, completely sated.

  Mac chuckled, climbed up her body and lay down beside her, pulling her close.

  She sighed. “How do you do that? You know the exact spot, the exact thing that makes me come apart every time.”

  He bent to nuzzle her earlobe. “Because I know you. Every inch of you.”

  Kylie nestled her head inside the crook of his shoulder, laying her cheek against his chest. She flung one of her legs over his and pressed her sex against his thigh, loving the way his hair was rough against her. God, it felt good to be close to him, skin to skin. She’d missed this so much.

  He stroked her arm, her hip and the small of her back, pressing her closer to him.

  Tired from being up all night, Kylie fell asleep, secure in his arms.

  She slept hard and didn’t wake until a couple hours later. When she opened her eyes, light still streamed through the window, but it was getting dim. It must have been getting close to the eighteen hundred meeting time the guys had agreed upon.

  Kylie reached out for Mac but the space beside her was empty. She sat up and looked for him.

  Mac stood with his back to the window, staring at her. “Yup, you’re even more beautiful than you were when we were younger.”

  She lay naked against the sheets while he was fully dressed. “Hey, that’s not fair.”

  He grinned. “What’s not fair?”

  “You’re dressed. I’m not.” She patted the bed beside her. “Come back to bed.”

  He shook his head. “No, I can’t. It’s getting close to six, and I promised the guys I’d meet up with them to talk about what to do for dinner.”

  She lowered her lashes and gave him a sexy smile. “You can send them out for food and come back for round two…”

  He crossed to the bed, gathered her into his arms and captured her lips in a long, slow kiss that rocked her world. “I like the way you think.”

  “Do you think they could stop by a drug store and purchase some protection?” she asked.

  He laughed. “No way. I’d never hear the end of it.”

  She pouted. “Such a shame.” Leaning closer to his ear, she whispered, “I would’ve liked feeling you inside me. All the way inside me.”

  “Damn, woman, you’re tempting.” He smoothed a finger along the side of her cheek and down the length of her neck.

  “Rucker looks like the responsible one,” she said, her voice catching as his fingers brushed across one of her breasts. “Why don’t you ask him?”

  “I might just do that. In the meantime, you might want to get dressed. The guys will give me hell if I open the door and they see you lying in bed naked.” He chuckled. “They already want to trade places with me.”

  She pulled the sheet up over her chest. “Not interested in them,” she said. “Now, you are an entirely different matter.” With a wink she tossed back the sheet, swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. “But if it makes you feel better, I’ll get dressed.”

  “Trust me, it doesn’t make me feel better. It makes me hard seeing you strut around the room wearing nothing but that sexy smile of yours.” He caught her and pulled her body up against his fully clothed one.

  Her skin tingled where the fabric of his T-shirt and trousers brushed against her. She hooked her leg around his and a hand behind the back of his neck. “You know, you don’t have to go out at all. You could slip a note beneath the door or, better yet, call their room.”

  A knock sounded on the door.

  He kissed her. “Too late. Grab your clothes and hustle into the bathroom, unless you want to give the guys an eyeful.” A frown settled between his eyebrows. “That second suggestion is not really an option.” He turned her around, swatted her ass and sent her toward the bathroom.

  “Mac,” Rucker’s voice sounded through the door’s paneling.

  “Coming,” Mac responded. “Go on,” he said to Kylie.

  She snatched her shirt, bra and trousers from the floor and ran for the bathroom, closing the door in time for Mac to open the outer one.

  Kylie dressed quickly, her pulse pounding through her veins. She couldn’t wait to see Mac again. She had a sudden, irrational fear that she would open the bathroom door and he wouldn’t be there. Finding him, out of all the military personnel the U.S. had sent to the country, already seemed to be a minor miracle. Maybe she’d dreamed it all.

  After she was fully dressed, she ran a brush through her hair in an attempt to tame the wild tangles left over from going to sleep with damp hair. Giving up, she pulled her hair back in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck.

  With a quick glance at her reflection, she sucked in a deep breath and opened the bathroom door.

  The room was empty.

  Her breath caught and held in her throat as she raced across the room to the door leading into the hallway. Without slowing to press her eye to the peephole, she yanked open the door and ran into Mac’s back.

  “Oh,” he said and turned. “There you are. Blade, Josh and Rucker are heading out in search of food. Anything in particular you might like to eat?”

  She shook her head. “Josh knows what I like. I’ll trust your selections,” she said to Rucker. “As long as it’s not raw.”

  “That leaves our choices wide open.” Rucker glanced from Kylie to Mac and shook his head. “You probably don’t care as long as we get out there and get back.”

  “You got that right,” Mac said. “In the meantime, we’ll remain holed up in our room until you return.”

  “It’s a tough job…” Dash started.

  “But someone has to do it,” Mac finished.

  Dash snorted. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll stick around and provide backup for you guys. I thought I’d stake out the lobby and circle the building to look for any potential dangers. I’ll have on my earbud headset.” He touched a finger to his ear. “Mac, you might want to keep yours on. If anything happens, I’ll be able to relay information to you quickly.”

  Mac nodded. “I’ll put it on as soon as we go back into our room.”

  “We’ll have ours on as well,” Rucker said. “If we see anything, we’ll relay the information to you. Any questions?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Take care of yourselves and remain alert,” Rucker said. “Ahktar’s men play for keeps.”

  Mac led Kylie back into their room and closed the door. He crossed to his bulletproof vest and fished in one of the pockets for a small headset and pressed it into his ear.

  “Comm check,” he said and waited. “I read you loud and clear. Hurry back. Getting hungry here.” He glanced across at her. “What do you want to do while we’re waiting for our food to arrive?”

  Kylie rubbed her arms. “I don’t know.” She tilted her head toward the television. “We could see if there’s a news channel.”

  “It could be fun guessing what they’re saying,” he said. “Or we can sit and talk.”

  She glanced toward the bedroom. “I’d suggest going back to bed, but…”

  His lips twisted. “Without Rucker and Blade as backup, it might not be a good idea.”

  “We could make out?” she suggested, batting her eyelashes.

  He growled and stalked toward her. “Excellent idea.” Scooping her up, he carried her to the couch, sat with her in his lap and nuzzled her ear. “I’ve missed this.”

  “Me, too.” She leaned her head back to give him better access to her neck.

  She hoped the guys would take a little longer finding their food. Making out with Mac was more important. Who knew when they might run into each other again?

  Chapter 6

  Mac tasted Kylie’s skin from her earlobe to the base of her throat where her pulse beat strong and f
ast. He couldn’t get enough of her.

  All too soon, she’d leave on the next plane out of Afghanistan. Then what?

  His arms tightened around her. He didn’t want to let go. Not now…not ever.

  “What next, Kylie?” he murmured against her skin.

  “My breast,” she answered, her voice breathy as if she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs.

  He chuckled and raised his head. “No, I mean what’s next for us?”

  She sighed and leaned her forehead against his. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

  “I know how important your career is to you,” he said. “I would never want you to give it up for me.”

  “And I know how much you love being a part of the team.” She took his face between her palms and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Where does that leave us?”

  “Between a rock and a hard place,” he said with a grin, shifting his hips so that she could feel how hard she made him. “But really. Do our careers leave any room for a relationship?”

  “I guess it depends on what you consider a relationship?” she said. “If you want a woman who stays home and bakes cookies for all your teammates, I’m not your gal.”

  He laughed out loud. “I remember how you baked cookies. You forgot them in the oven, set off smoke alarms and had the fire department out to douse the fire.”

  She frowned. “I’ve gotten better. I only burn one of four trays of cookies now. I call that progress.”

  He kissed her lightly. “I don’t need a chef to bake my cookies. I need someone to love whenever we can get together. I haven’t found too many woman who can deal with an absentee husband and father. Delta Force soldiers are on call and can be deployed at a moment’s notice. I can’t ask anyone to put up with that kind of uncertainty. It’s hard on a marriage. I’ve seen too many Deltas divorce after less than a year of marriage.”

  “Those women didn’t understand what they were signing up for.”

  “And you do?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I have a clue. My career has been much the same. Once I got the gig of war correspondent, I’ve been on call 24/7. I could fly out at a moment’s notice. Not too many men can deal with a wife who’s never at home to greet him after a hard day at the office.”