by Elle James
Parting her folds, he did, strumming her like an instrument, to be plucked and played until beautiful music filled her body.
Tension built, she twisted her head back and forth. “There. Sweet Jesus, there!” she cried softly.
Letting go of her wrists, he dropped to his knees and spread her folds with his thumbs.
Erin threaded her fingers through his hair, digging them into his scalp.
His tongue slipped into her channel and he swirled around, then dragged it back up to flick her clit.
Her knees wobbled and she moaned, “Holy hell.”
In response, he flicked again and again until her world centered around his tongue and the amazing things he was doing to her body. The more he stroked her, the tighter her muscles stretched until one last touch sent her spiraling out of control. Her breath caught and held. When he would have continued his assault, she pulled his hair, forcing him to stop as she rode the wave all the way to the end. No matter how exquisite, the pleasure wasn’t enough. She had to have more.
Caesar rose, dragging his hands up her body as he straightened, sliding over the curve of her thighs, the swell of her hips and the roundness of her breasts, reminding her of the woman she was but tended to forget while wearing a uniform.
God, this was so wrong, but when she ran her hands down his back and under the elastic band of his shorts, she was past reason. His skin smooth, his muscles hard, she couldn’t get enough and pushed his shorts far enough down his legs to free that pulsing, stiff, evidence of his desire. “I need you. Inside me. Now,” she begged, her breath coming in short gasps, her body shaking with her continued release.
His hands froze and he drew in a deep breath. “I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?” She wanted to wail out loud, but her words came out in a short breathy burst.
Touching his forehead to hers, Caesar smoothed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t have protection.”
Her heart fell to her belly, though her nerves remained stretched taut. “Do you have any STDs?” she asked, her voice more breathless than she could help.
“No. Recent tests were clear and I haven’t been with anyone in a long time.”
She snorted, her hands cupping his firm, delectable tush. “I find that hard to believe.”
He smiled down at her. “It’s true. I told you, I’m not the kind of guy who leaves a girl in every port. Not my style. Plus my mother would whoop my ass.”
Her pulse nudging upward, she made a decision a sane woman wouldn’t consider. “Just don’t come inside me.” She dragged her calf up the side of his, rubbing her aroused sex across his thigh.
“Are you sure?”
She kissed him hard on the lips and said, “Please, hurry before I come to my senses.”
Caesar lifted her and she wrapped both legs around his waist. Backing her against the wall of the building, he slid into her, her juices slicking the way. Halfway there, he pulled out.
Erin tightened her thighs, digging her shoe heels into his buttocks. “All the way, frogman.”
“Aye, aye!” He thrust hard, filling her completely until his balls slapped against her bottom.
Her back pressed against the building, the residual warmth penetrating her naked skin. She sucked in a sharp breath and held it, relishing the full thickness of him inside her. This was what she’d needed, what she’d craved since meeting the SEAL.
Caesar entered her, the walls of her channel clenching around him, holding him as he pulled out to drive in again.
She closed her eyes, her head falling back, her chest rising with each of his thrusts. Fingernails dug into his shoulders and she moaned, long and low. He never knew tennis shoes against his backside could be so damned sexy.
He couldn’t believe he was there, making love to this woman, who up until now had run her life strictly by the books. Her ponytail had slipped loose and hung drunkenly down her back, strands of curly auburn hair stirring around her face, emphasizing her wild beauty.
As much as he liked the highly trained and dedicated nurse, he loved this wild and erotic beauty giving herself to him so completely. As he settled into a deep and timeless rhythm, his muscles tensed, he could sense the rise to an incredible orgasm. God, he’d love to stay buried deep inside her through his release, but he couldn’t do that. Neither of them were free of commitment. A baby would only make his campaign to woo her more difficult.
If he wanted to be with her forever, he had to show her how much he respected her, as well as how much he loved her body.
Her body tensed, her back arching as his speed increased.
Caesar palmed her breasts, pinching the tips, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger.
Erin squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her lip, her head tipping back as her body grew rigid with her release.
Dios, she’s beautiful.
At the last moment, when he was on the verge of losing all reason, he pulled free and dropped her feet to the ground. Angling a few inches, he shot his wad to the side.
Her hands curled around him and finished what had started inside her. When he was spent and the tremors slowly subsided, he cupped her cheek and kissed her. “Like I said….you’re amazing.”
“Ditto.” She leaned against him, her naked body fitting him perfectly. “But now that it’s over, I have to ask myself, what have I done?”
He tipped up her chin. “You followed your heart.”
Erin snorted. “That’s not all I followed.” For a long moment, she pressed her cheek into his chest, her arms locked around his waist.
Caesar cupped her ass. “I wish we were in a soft bed where I could hold you the rest of the night, and make love to you into the light of the morning, mi amor.”
“You know that can’t happen,” she whispered, her breath warm on his skin.
“Not here. But when we get back to the States.”
“Not even then.” She shook her head. “What just happened…should not have.” She pushed away until his hands dropped to his sides.
Standing in the shadows, her naked body tinted indigo blue, she’d never been more beautiful or desirable. But the hard set of her jaw and the tears welling in her eyes made his stomach knot. He pulled his shorts up over his still-stiff erection, afraid she was about to break his heart.
“We can never let this happen again,” she stated, her voice wobbling at the end.
“Erin—” Unable to stop himself, he reached toward her.
But she backed away. “No. Don’t touch me. It only makes it harder for me to say this.” She bent to gather her clothes, slipping the shorts up her legs and the T-shirt over her head. “What happened here was wrong.”
“No, it wasn’t.” He stepped closer, careful to keep his hands at his sides. “I have no regrets. What we did was true, honest and beautiful.”
Her hands dropped to her sides and her shoulders sagged. “And against every rule in the books.”
Caesar tilted his head, his eyes stinging, his chest aching with his growing admiration for this woman. If he wasn’t mistaken, he was falling for her and that would make their situation so much more difficult. “After what we just shared…you could walk away and never look back?”
“Don’t you see?” Her chin jerked up and her eyes flashed. “I have to. You don’t really love me. We had sex. Nothing more, nothing less.”
He’d had sex with women before. But none had captured his heart like Erin. She was warm, caring and dedicated to her work. “We didn’t just have sex. You’re wrong.”
“Am I?” Her lips twisted. “As soon as you redeploy, you’ll forget I exist.”
How can she say this? “You don’t know what’s in my heart.” He gripped her arms. “I’m not that kind of guy. I don’t want any other woman. I want you.”
“I’m sorry.” She straightened and stepped free of his hold. “Maybe I don’t want you.”
Her words stabbed him in the heart. “Do you really mean that?”
&n
bsp; She bit her bottom lip and looked away. “Yes.”
He didn’t believe her for a moment, but he’d let her go this time. She was scared. He could tell by the way she held her hands together to keep them from shaking. This brave nurse, who saved lives and risked coming to a war-torn country to help others, was afraid. Afraid to give her love only to have it thrown away or stomped on. Somehow, he had to convince her he wasn’t a player and that he was worth the risk. He wouldn’t betray her trust.
Erin wadded her bra and panties in her fist, turned and ran back to her quarters as if the devil himself were chasing her. Blood pounded in her ears. How could she have let the SEAL make love to her? Was she stupid? Did she want to lose her commission?
Back in her RLB, she threw herself onto her bed and cried. Her breasts stung with beard burn and her nipples remained puckered from his tongue teasing and flicking across the tips. Her thighs ached from riding the SEAL and her sex still throbbed from his wide girth stretching her so incredibly tight. She pressed a hand to her throbbing mons her fingers curling around herself and she missed him already. Why did being an officer in the military have to be so hard? Why couldn’t she fall for another officer, instead of a SEAL who would probably never be stationed anywhere near her again?
On the other side of that coin, the man was everything a woman could want: brave, strong, romantic. Hell, he’d taken time to show her the sunset and compare her to its beauty. If that wasn’t romantic, Erin didn’t know what was.
Burying her face in her pillow, she wept for what she couldn’t have, and what would never be. They were two very different people, so close, but worlds apart. And she wept even more, knowing he could well be the very best thing that had ever happened in her life.
Chapter Three
‡
Caesar had just returned to his quarters when Lieutenant Reed Tucker ducked his head in. “We’ve got a mission. Meet in the ops tent in fifteen.”
Irish glanced at him, glowering. “There went my plan for having dinner with Lt. Baumer.”
“Like that was going to happen.” Caesar grabbed a towel, shucked his tennis shoes and dug his toes into flip-flops. He’d had a similar idea of hanging out by Erin’s building and following her to the mess hall at dinner. Anything to spend more time together after their crazy coupling in the shadow of the supply building. He regretted they wouldn’t have more time with each other tonight.
But that was the nature of his world. Tonight, they were on Uncle Sam’s dime and time.
He hurried to the shower building, ducked beneath the trickle of water and washed off the sweat and dust he’d accumulated on his jog. Not that the cleansing made a difference. By the time he dressed in his uniform and body armor, he was sweating all over again.
“At least we won’t be sitting around tonight polishing our weapons.” Similarly equipped, Irish slapped his armor-covered chest. “Let’s go get some action.”
They were the last two to enter the ops building, and they stood at the rear of the room as their commander briefed them on the mission.
“Early this morning, a German convoy was attacked by the Taliban. Two Germans were killed and four were taken hostage.” The commander pointed to a position on the map. “Intel just arrived that the soldiers are being held in a small village in the hills north of Fayzabad. Our state department wants us to get them out alive.”
He explained the plan, gave them the coordinates, and they collected the weapons they’d need to accomplish the directive.
The men exited the building and headed for the flight line and the waiting helicopters.
As Caesar strode toward the aircraft, he pushed his troubles with Erin to the back of his mind, his thoughts focusing on the mountains and the task he had to complete. He almost didn’t feel the hand on his arm until pressure jerked him to the side.
Irish stood beside the path, waiting for the rest of their team to pass before he leaned close to Caesar. “Nacho, you got company.” He tipped his head toward the gap between buildings.
Lt. Erin McGee moved in the shadows, wearing the shorts and running shoes she’d had on earlier when they’d made love. Her hands rested on her hips as she paced back and forth.
“Go on, I’ll catch up,” Caesar said, but he couldn’t rip his gaze from her agitated movements.
Irish took off, chuckling. “Lucky dog.”
Making sure none of his teammates saw him, he ducked into the shadows and stood in front of the nurse who’d been on his mind all too much lately. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” She glanced down at her tennis shoes, gnawing at her bottom lip.
The move made Caesar want to do the same.
“I heard you were headed out.”
“Yeah.” When she didn’t say anything, he glanced over his shoulder at the tail end of the group headed for the landing pad. “I have to go.”
“I know.” Finally, she glanced up. “Even though everything about…you and me…can only be wrong, please come back safely.” The last words came out in a rush, and she flung her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his.
She hadn’t put on her bra and he’d bet she wasn’t wearing panties. His cock hardened as he pulled her shirt from the waistband of her shorts. He slipped his hands inside and up her naked back. Madre de Dios, she felt so damned wonderful.
He wished he wasn’t wearing that damned armored vest so he could feel her breasts smashed against his chest. Instead, he cupped them in his palms, pushing up her shirt to capture one in his mouth. He sucked hard, nibbled the tip and sighed. Madre de Dios, she feels so damn good.
He raised his head and stared down into her eyes. “I have to go.”
“I know.” She kissed him again.
He kissed her back, long and hard. With his team waiting, he couldn’t linger. When he finally set her a few inches away, he leaned his forehead against hers. “This isn’t over.”
“It has to be,” she whispered, trailing a finger along his neck.
“No.”
She opened her mouth to argue.
But he pressed his finger to her lips. “Hasta luego.” Caesar touched her lips in a brief kiss. “I’ll see you later.”
He left her standing in the shadows and ran to catch up to his team, his lips tingling from that kiss. His fingers aching with the memory of her skin against his.
As the moon edged up over the horizon, a dozen SEALs boarded the helicopters piloted by the 160th Night Stalkers and flew north toward the mountains and the reported Taliban stronghold.
The flight was conducted in silence; each man knew what had to be done and conserved his strength for the fight. When they neared the LZ, the pilot signaled to Tuck who then nodded and circled his finger.
While Big Bird checked the magazine on his high-powered sniper rifle and the clip on his nine-millimeter handgun, Caesar nudged Irish, with his boot waking the SEAL from his usual power nap. The man went from out cold to fully functional in a second.
Caesar, along with Irish, Swede and Fish checked their M4A1 rifles with the SOPMOD upgrades, ensuring functionality and sufficient rounds to accomplish their mission. Checking the strap on his helmet and feeling for the Night Vision Goggles on top, he was confident everything was in place.
The team fast-roped to the ground one hill over from the village. They’d hike in from there, steal into the village, free the captives and get the hell out before any alarms could be sounded.
That was the ideal scenario. Invariably, the enemy put up resistance.
The SEALS would be ready. Tuck took the lead, the rest of the team fanning out in a V as they moved up the dry desert hill and hurried over the ridge to the other side.
On a rise with a clear view of the village, Tuck held up his hand to stop their progression. He pushed his NVGs over his eyes and studied the buildings below.
The rest of the team followed suit.
Caesar spotted a man on top of the building overlooking the road leading into the hamlet. He touched Tuck’s sh
oulder and indicated the sniper’s position.
Tuck nodded, pointed to Big Bird and then to the roof. He then pointed to Caesar and Irish to take the lead. They would take out the man on the rooftop with Big Bird as backup with protective fire.
Big Bird set up his position, mounted his rifle on a bipod, extending the legs and settled his belly to the ground, pressing an eye to the sight.
Assuming the lead, Caesar hunkered low to the ground and kept as close to the shadows as possible. When he neared the walls of the village, he tossed a pebble out into the road to distract the man on the roof. Then he ran for the wall and pressed his body against the mud and straw stucco. Moving along its base, he worked his way to the back corner, farthest away from the guard on the roof and waited for Irish.
When the six-foot-two man reached him, he cupped his hands. Caesar stepped onto his locked fingers and was lifted up to the top of the wall. Laying flat over the top, he glanced over an empty courtyard. When nothing moved, he reached a hand down to Irish who grasped it and scaled the wall.
Caesar slid over and dropped to the ground on the other side, careful to land softly. He slipped his NVGs in place and hunkered low, looking for movement. After a moment, he pushed the NVGs off his face and approached a ladder on the outside of the structure leading up to the top. Handing his rifle to Irish, he pulled his knife out of the scabbard on his belt and clamped it between his teeth.
One quiet step at a time, he eased up the ladder to the top of the building, and stepped onto the roof.
The sniper sat on his haunches, a rifle in his hands, his head tilted forward. Asleep.
Caesar eased up behind him and reached for the man’s head with one hand, his knife in the other.
Before he could grab the man’s Lungee turban, the sentry woke with a jerk and swung around his gun.
Caesar kicked the weapon out of his hand.
Crying out, the guard threw himself at Caesar.
Dodging the attack, Caesar yanked him around and locked his arm around his neck, cutting off his air. He held the smaller man off the surface, feet dangling until his struggles ceased. Then he dropped the man to the rooftop, removed the magazine and the bolt from the man’s weapon and tucked them into a pocket.
