They somehow never managed time for that anymore. The freedom of those dating years had yielded to the commitments of marriage. Now whenever Troy returned home, he wasn’t on leave with nothing better to do than pay attention to her. He had training and officers’ functions while she had to get him up to speed with household things that had taken place in his absence.
They usually picked up right where they’d left off, jumping feetfirst into life together without ever taking time to reacquaint themselves the way they’d done while dating.
The Spouse’s Guide to Surviving a Deployment recommended easing into daily life, taking some time for readjustment away from outsiders and obligations. Maybe she should suggest that they take some time after his next tour of duty. She certainly wouldn’t mind spending a few leisurely days in bed with nothing pressing on the calendar.
She filed the thought away. Anything was worth a shot at this point.
“So we just stand here and wait for a fish to swim by and decide he’s hungry?” she asked.
“That’s the general idea. Relaxing, don’t you think?”
More than relaxing, she thought, with the midday sun beating down on them. “Very.”
Hiking down a wooded ridge and fishing in a fast-running stream wouldn’t have been her first choices for enjoying a summer day with her husband. Then again, she wouldn’t have thought she could become aroused while covered in bugs and drying sweat.
But the hard thighs framing her backside and the swelling erection pressing into her lower back were making her very aware of him. And when he leaned down to skim his mouth along her jaw, an openmouthed kiss that made heat pool low in her belly, Miranda found herself titillated more than should have been possible for their current circumstances.
“I can’t possibly taste good.”
“You always taste good.” He ran his tongue along the underside of her jaw, a bold stroke that wasn’t in the least wary of said bug corpses or sweat. Then he inhaled deeply. “You smell good, too.”
Chuckling, she arched her head back to give him better access as he moved his mouth down her throat, pausing to suck lightly on her pulse, which quickened its beat.
“You taste like a woman I want to eat, Mrs. Knight.”
Her sex gave a greedy squeeze at the promise in those words, and she forgot all about the icy cold water that had been numbing her feet.
“Are you planning to tease and torture me?”
“I’ll surprise you.”
“Yay. Another surprise.”
He didn’t miss her sarcasm and dragged moist hands down her wrists and along her arms, skin brushing skin, sweat combined with grime to lend an unfamiliar friction to the motion that was somehow erotic. “It’ll be a good surprise. Hold on to that rod.”
She was unaccountably stimulated by the thought of making out in this lush setting, the breeze against her skin and Troy’s hands on her. It was a daring thought—someone could happen upon them from the forest’s edge along both sides of the stream.
It was also a very unusual thought for her. She didn’t have a problem with public displays of affection per se, but she had a big problem with any behavior that had the potential to be misinterpreted or draw criticism.
But this glade seemed like another world entirely. They hadn’t seen a soul since long before Troy had steered the rental car off the highway and down a dirt path into the woods. The stream wound under the sunny sky, and while there was nothing to say more fishermen couldn’t be standing on the bank somewhere ahead, where the current flowed out of view beneath low hanging branches, Miranda didn’t think it likely.
She leaned against him, a deliberate motion that made him brace himself as she ground her bottom against his growing erection. True to form, he didn’t need an engraved invitation but met her for the next stroke.
“Feeling frisky, Mrs. Knight?” His deep chuckle found its way to all her sensitive places. “Looking to tease and torture me?”
“That’s my surprise.” Rising up on tiptoes, she caught his erection in the depression between her cheeks when she rocked her bottom again.
“So two can play this game?”
“Mmm-hmm.” And in that moment she wanted nothing more than for him to retaliate.
He did.
Sliding his fingers into the waistband of her shorts, he said, “Wonder what I can reach in here?”
Obviously a rhetorical question. He had already worked his way between her thighs with purpose, zeroing in on the knot of nerve endings that started to ache in anticipation.
“Hold on tight,” he said.
Miranda clamped a death grip on the fishing rod as her body went on hyperalert. A sigh slipped from her lips when he reached the target, pressing his thumb against that achy bundle through her cotton panties.
A wave of languid pleasure rolled through her, so intense that she was thoroughly pleased with her game. This was exactly why she’d started up Tease and Torture in the first place—to take away the pressure. They could only do so much standing knee-deep in a stream, and she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to make the most of the moment. If making out in an icy stream was one of Troy’s fantasies… She found him surprisingly scrumptious in his sweaty Tarzan mode.
Hanging on to the fishing rod, she ground against him again, smiling when his breath caught, audible proof that the tease part of her game was earning the response she wanted.
He rolled that nub again, a squeeze that made her sex grow warm and moist inside her shorts. Parting her thighs, she gave him better access, but he seemed content to stand there and fondle her with that erotic motion that turned her knees to butter.
Torture, indeed.
Resting her head back against his shoulder, she turned her face until she could reach his neck. Beneath his slightly salty skin was the familiar taste of her husband, the man who could make her respond with only a glance from those cool green eyes.
He was doing more than glancing right now.
Striking up a rhythm that matched that of her rocking bottom, he worked the throbbing place between her thighs until she wanted to laugh at the luxury of the sensation.
No vanishing orgasms here, thank you.
She felt liberated to know they could only touch, arouse and pleasure. The rules of her game created set boundaries, dared her to make the most of the moment when fulfillment wasn’t in sight.
Such an exhilarating feeling blocked out sight and sound and everything but the feel of his hands, the eager reaction of his body to her steady rocking, his pulse throbbing beneath her mouth. She was barely aware of the fishing pole or the rush of the ice-cold stream around her ankles. Of anything…
Until a crash resounded in the underbrush behind them, shocking the stillness. Instinct made her spin toward the sound, only remembering Troy’s hand wedged deep in her shorts when it was too late.
“Miranda!” He hung on to her while trying to pull his arm free and correct them from overbalancing.
She dropped the fishing rod, and by the time she registered the sight of a deer clearing the trees, another behind it, she’d lost her footing on the slippery rocks.
With his well-honed physical reactions, Troy twisted them away from harm, but with his hand still trapped inside her shorts, the best he could do was break her fall as they went down, plunging into the icy stream.
The water was deep enough to submerge them completely. He absorbed the shock at the bottom then managed to free his hand so they could propel back to the surface. Miranda came up gasping, Troy laughing, both soaking wet and freezing.
“Well, that’s one way to cool me down,” he said. “What do you call this—the water torture game?”
Miranda thrust dripping hair from her eyes and sucked in a frigid breath. The fishing rod had snagged on a low-hanging branch not far downstream. The deer were long gone.
So much for relaxing. “Well, you knew torture had to be in there somewhere.”
7
MIRANDA HANDLED DRYING out on the stream bank better than T
roy had expected. Fourteen-thousand-foot sky drops and deep-descent scuba dives were all in a day’s work for him. Hiking this ridge with its walkways and shallow stream had been a picturesque stroll. But for Miranda, who worked out in an aerobics class wearing flashy tights, this hike had been a trek into the wilds.
One of the things he loved best about his wife was the femininity that fueled his imagination when he was freezing his ass off during stealth maneuvers. He fantasized about coming home to her. And the reality always beat his fantasies.
He found Miranda an easy person to be around, and they shared many common interests. Not to mention that both of them had grown up in family situations that had honed their abilities to perform socially. They were kindred spirits, soul mates.
Despite differing opinions on the great outdoors.
The thought made him smile. He’d known she wouldn’t be thrilled with waking up at the crack of dawn to a change in plans. But watching the sunrise had been worth the effort.
True, he hadn’t anticipated a dip in the stream, which had left them sharing their lunch in soggy clothes, but he didn’t mind getting wet. She’d rolled admirably with the punches, too, and the only thing better would have been if the water had been warm enough to skinny-dip. If he could have convinced Miranda to give it a go. A private beach in Hawaii. A garden tub in the Egyptian Pleasure Pyramid. But a stream in the forest? He would have had to coax her out of her clothes for that. But he could have pulled it off, if he let her know how much it meant to him.
They accommodated each other. That’s just the way they did things. He remembered an entire holiday weekend spent trekking through every furniture store in San Diego to redecorate their home, along with hours spent online going over fabric options and even more hours spent on his knees measuring dimensions and arranging floor plans. He would have rather Miranda had taken care of that job while he was away, but she’d wanted his input to make sure he was satisfied with the result.
Fair enough. Their last couch had been too narrow to stretch out comfortably on when he wanted to watch football, and he’d done his share of complaining.
“Let’s swing by my mother’s,” she said. “I want to clean up before we go back to the hotel.”
“You’re that eager to talk to the senator?” Looked as though he’d accomplished the mission objective better than he’d expected. They hadn’t left the ridge yet, and already she was jumping back into the investigation.
“Well that, and I don’t want to walk through the hotel with runny mascara and slimy moss in my hair.”
Troy didn’t see anything that resembled moss, but he couldn’t argue the mascara, so after securing the fishing rods tight, he drove them back toward town and asked, “Did getting out today distract you from worrying? Are you feeling better about our investigation?”
Her expression softened. “Today was an…interesting distraction. I wouldn’t have thought of hiking and fishing myself, but I enjoyed getting away from the hotel and being alone with you.”
“But you’re worrying again,” he said.
She shrugged. “I’m going to keep worrying until this situation plays out. Will you keep my parents occupied while I try to catch Grandfather in his study and warn him about what’s going on?”
“Sure. Now will be as good a time as any.”
She dabbed away her mascara in the visor mirror. “I don’t think there’ll be a good time for this conversation, but Naughty Nuptials ends this weekend, so whatever we hope to accomplish has to happen before then. And Victoria’s working today. Apparently she and Tyler have cooked up some grand finale, so they have a denouement for their coverage.”
“Any idea what?”
“Not a clue. But I’ll bet it’s outrageous. Those two are peas in a pod. I still can’t believe she’s engaged to Adam instead of having an affair with Mr. Long-Hair-and-Studs. Adam seems so normal.”
“Normal is good.”
She nodded, sending her damp ponytail bouncing along her shoulders. Without her makeup, she looked fresh and gorgeous, the way she looked in bed. “Just unexpected.”
“Maybe she’s turning over a new leaf.”
“I couldn’t say.”
“Why else would she choose Adam?”
“She said she’s in love, remember? Dinner at my parents?”
Troy wouldn’t forget that dinner anytime soon, or her family’s reaction to the engagement announcement. His own family would have erupted into a clamor he couldn’t have heard a siren blast over. Miranda’s family had fallen so silent even he’d been unnerved.
He had to give Adam a lot of credit for the way he’d addressed that silence, calmly informing everyone that his changing work situation had forced them to consider carefully how best to approach their relationship. He’d explained they were both committed to being together.
Adam had fielded every one of the family’s objections without alienating anyone. He hadn’t won them over yet, either…except perhaps for Victoria’s mother, who apparently recognized how happy her daughter was.
And Troy, too, who only cared how the situation affected Miranda. She seemed content that her future brother-in-law didn’t have long hair or any visible studs. That was good enough for him. Add that to the fact that Adam had managed to get across that their engagement wasn’t negotiable without having the senator call security, and he’d earned Troy’s respect.
“You should talk with your sister, find out why she’s suddenly ready to settle down. If it’s love at first sight, then maybe Laura is right about miracles around here.”
“I suspect they’ll need one. Marriage isn’t just about love. It requires a lot of work and commitment.”
Something about that bothered him. Troy wasn’t sure what, her tone perhaps, which struck him as resigned. Or maybe it was the suggestion their marriage didn’t come as effortlessly as he thought it did.
“Adam may turn out to be a good influence, Miranda,” he said to keep her talking. “He’s already gotten your sister to commit. Think about how your parents would feel if she ran off to live with him.”
“That’s a plus, but I can’t say I would have been surprised. What does surprise me is that Victoria hasn’t left already. She’s talked about moving away for as long as I can remember.”
“She must have stayed for a reason. My guess is your family.”
“Perhaps, but if that’s the case, then why isn’t she more involved? Relationships take effort and a good deal of give and take. She could help my father’s campaign. As it is, she only shows up when the family has to put on a happy face for the press. Mother spends a lot of time running interference with Grandfather because she’s never around.”
There it was again… Relationships take effort and a good deal of give and take.
Did she really mean too much effort?
Shifting his gaze from the road, he found her staring contemplatively out the window, her features etched in delicate lines, her expression closed. She looked lost in thought, and he decided against an interrogation.
“Falling in love might be just what Victoria needs to settle down and save your mom some grief.”
“We can hope.”
“Yes, we can.” And not only for her sister to come around, but for Miranda to open up and talk to him. In an effort to convince her, he slipped his hand over her knee, using touch to bridge the distance. “Love makes people do crazy things.”
“We’re in love, but we didn’t do anything crazy when we got married.”
He gave her knee a squeeze. “I’m going to have to disagree with you there, Mrs. Knight.”
“What was crazy?”
“You were to marry a man who spends more time away than at home.” The truth in that statement cut too close, and Miranda must have known because she slipped her hand over his and squeezed back.
“That’s not crazy. What you do is a part of who you are, Troy, and I love everything about you.”
“Maybe it’s that simple with Victoria and Adam. He n
eeds to accept his job offer and doesn’t want to leave her behind.”
“Touché.” She inclined her head, a gesture that let him admire the way her damp hair glistened in the sunlight streaming through the windshield. “I’ll try to keep an open mind.”
And so would he because she’d just given him a big piece of the puzzle with her talk about marriage and commitment and work.
He just needed to figure out where it fit.
WHILE MIRANDA FRESHENED up to meet with her grandfather, she considered her best approach and decided straightforward was her safest choice. She fully expected his explanation to be a simple one. If she was entirely honest, she needed it to be. She wanted his guidance on how to proceed, so they could put this whole business behind them without any major explosions or long-term consequences.
If her mother chose to resume relations with Laura’s mother, she’d know best how to handle the situation. Miranda didn’t have a problem with that, so she couldn’t figure out why she felt so stressed.
Yes, they were dragging up past history and potentially painful secrets, but it felt like so much more. Was she just raw because of everything happening in her life? Or was performing damage control forcing her to deal with uncomfortable emotions.
Like guilt. Victoria didn’t need any more trouble right now. She’d already reached her quota for the week with her impromptu engagement.
Yet Miranda couldn’t ignore her responsibility, either. She saw too many potential pitfalls where Victoria had chosen not to look. If she’d just been able to go to her mother…but Victoria and Laura were right on this point. They shouldn’t raise questions they couldn’t answer. Not about this sensitive subject.
No, Miranda had landed smack in the middle of this situation without many choices. But she knew what she had to do, and while hurrying down the back stairway toward her grandfather’s study, she told herself she could handle this. She could pretty up her explanation so she wasn’t throwing Victoria to the wolves.
She knocked on the door, then after a brief pause heard him call out an invitation. Slipping inside, she tried to shake off her nerves.
Pillow Chase Page 9
