Heroes in Uniform: Soldiers, SEALs, Spies, Rangers and Cops: Sexy Hot Contemporary Alpha Heroes From NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Authors

by Sharon Hamilton

  Wade appeared in the doorway, slipping his phone back into his pocket. His expression was closed, but she could tell that whatever had been said wasn’t happy news. And she also knew he wouldn’t tell her what it was. “Should we eat some of those leftovers?” he asked, obviously trying to put whatever it was aside for her benefit.

  “Sure.” She started to get to her feet but he held up a hand to stop her.

  “I’ll get them. You stay there and get warm.”

  Erin watched him go, greedily drinking in the confident way he moved—totally at home in his body, totally in control. So sexy. Turning back to the flames, she debated what to do. She wanted him, badly, and knew he wanted her too, although he seemed determined not to act on it. Should she push him and see what happened? It was tempting.

  Wade returned a few minutes later carrying two plates loaded with warmed leftovers. She murmured her thanks and sat cross-legged next to him and they dug in together as the flames crackled in the fireplace. He was always quiet, but tonight more so than usual. Whatever that phone call revealed was bothering him a lot more than he was letting on. Something to do with his former teammate maybe? Cautiously testing the waters, she asked, “How did it go this morning, by the way?”

  Wade stopped chewing and for a moment she was worried she’d overstepped her bounds but then he swallowed and sighed. “Not good.”

  She made a soft sound to let him know she was listening, but didn’t push, hoping he’d continue.

  A few moments later, he did. “It was weird to see him again, especially like that. And he seemed so goddamn sincere about not being involved in any of it. He was adamant about not even knowing the attack had happened.”

  He was quiet for a minute, seemingly lost in his own thoughts as he stared down at his plate with a frown. “Do you believe him?” she asked.

  His gaze lifted to hers. “Part of me does. The evidence against him looks bad but it could be coincidental. Not that I’m a big believer in coincidence, but…shit, I have a helluva time picturing him doing it. The guy I knew wasn’t wired that way.”

  Erin didn’t want to believe a former teammate of his was capable of it either. She studied him as she finished her mouthful of rice. He seemed more upset about Schafer’s possible involvement than being pulled off the Rahim investigation. That told her just how much he valued loyalty, something she totally understood. “You’re saying it might be a setup?”

  He gave a grudging nod. “Can’t rule that out at this point either.”

  “So what happens now?”

  He shrugged. “Bill and the director were going to question him, do some more digging to see what they could come up with. If he’s clean, they’ll find out. And if he’s dirty…” He sighed as he let the thought trail off and Erin wanted nothing more than to take the plate out of his hands and wrap her arms around him.

  “Maybe he’s not,” she said to comfort him. Though how else would Rahim have found out about Wade’s travel plans in so short a time? Unless someone at Bagram had leaked the info?

  He nodded, only his eyes hinting at the torment swirling inside him. “Maybe. I hate being sidelined like this though.”

  There. This was the crux of it, and she was just glad he was talking about it so she stayed silent and let him continue.

  He shook his head. “I was so close to getting what we needed to bring him down. He was just in the critical stages of planning a big operation. If the Sec Def hadn’t been kidnapped, I would have had everything I needed within a couple weeks and been able to call a team in to capture him.”

  But if the Sec Def hadn’t been with them, Maya and Jackson would have died.

  Erin pushed the terrible thought aside and forked up another mouthful of the rice pilaf, unsure what to say. Wade was such a mystery to her in so many ways, but she knew he was a good man. He’d had to do tough things in order to maintain his cover. Things most people could never contemplate, let alone handle.

  As though the conversation had ruined his appetite, Wade suddenly set his plate aside. “And I’m sorry you got dragged into this.” He waved a hand to indicate he meant the house, the entire situation. “Having to stay here, with me, when you should be home with your family.”

  A pang of homesickness hit her as she thought of her parents and how disappointed they’d been that her leave had been “cancelled”. That wasn’t his fault though. To ease his concern, she put on a smile. “Yeah, but hey, I could’ve done way worse in terms of roommates.” She gave his leg a playful nudge with her hand.

  His eyes warmed at her words and touch. The firelight brought out the deep bronze undertones in his hair, flickering in tones of gold and orange. She wanted to run her fingers through it to find out if it was as soft as it looked. He shook his head slightly at her, looking amused. “Why’d you have to be so sweet?”

  She shrugged and countered, “Why’d you have to be so damned good looking?” It slipped out before she could stop it.

  He stilled and his smile faded, as though her words had shocked him. And if she wasn’t mistaken, the man actually blushed as he looked away. Given that they’d kissed twice, she didn’t understand his reaction. Did he really not realize how hot he was and how much she wanted him? Did he think himself so unworthy because of who he’d become and what he’d done undercover? Her heart ached to think of him living such a dangerous life the past few years, isolated so long from everything and everyone he’d ever loved. And now that he was stateside again, he had nothing and no one except two siblings he was estranged from. This was just as hard on him as it was on her—no, probably way harder.

  Even though Wade hadn’t said as much, she could tell he was struggling to find his place here again and knew the uncertainty was driving him nuts. She wanted to pull him into her arms and hold him tight, show him that he was still worthy of being loved, that he was still a good and desirable man despite that remote mask he’d learned to wear so well.

  “Sorry,” she murmured. “Forget I said that.”

  He glanced over at her, and her breath caught when she saw the molten heat burning in his eyes before he covered it.

  Unsure what to say in the tense silence that followed, she steered the conversation back to where it had been prior to her blunder. “I know you’re frustrated about your lack of involvement in the investigation right now, but since you know Rahim best, they’ll have to bring you in sooner or later in a more involved manner to get him. And my bet’s on sooner. They don’t want him out there on the loose without anyone reporting on his whereabouts and activities.”

  He nodded, seemed to relax at her words, then turned back to the fire. “I need to be the one to get him,” he said quietly, staring into the flames. “I need to finish it.”

  He’d dedicated the last four years of his life to that cause. “I understand. And you will.” They’d have to involve him heavily at some point. She didn’t understand why they weren’t doing so already. He looked so miserable she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to grip his hand and squeezing it.

  Wade looked up, his long fingers contracting around hers as the heat returned to his gaze. Then he frowned. “Your hands are still cold.” He took both of hers and rubbed them between his to warm them up. The considerate gesture and the gentleness of his touch turned her inside out. “C’mere.”

  Before she could guess what he meant, he tugged her to his side and set an arm around her back. He tucked her in close against his chest and rubbed both hands up and down her back. Erin closed her eyes and breathed him in, soaking up every bit of contact as she cuddled against him. Her heart was racing, her nipples beading tight. He was warm and hard and more than anything at that moment she wanted to feel his naked body against hers, feel his weight pressing her into the rug as he took her. She shivered.

  “You’re freezing,” he admonished, and she didn’t correct his assumption that the shiver and the goosebumps were from the cold instead of his touch. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I’m
better now.” But rather than move away, she snuggled deeper into his embrace.

  His hands stilled on her back. Just when she expected him to withdraw or push her away, he wrapped his arms all the way around her instead and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He squeezed her once, making her light-headed with the feel of all those muscles contracting around her. “I shouldn’t touch you, but you make it so damn hard to do the right thing.”

  “What’s the right thing?” she asked, certain she wouldn’t like the answer, but needing to understand. There were no rules forbidding them from having sex.

  “To get up and walk out of here before I do something I can’t take back,” he muttered.

  At that she tilted her head back to look up into his face. “Why would you want to take it back?”

  The words hung there between them as the fire crackled and raindrops pattered against the windows. Wade’s eyes darkened with longing, his gaze dropping to her mouth, and Erin couldn’t take it another second. She threaded her hands into his hair and brought her mouth to his. Wade made a low sound in the back of his throat, his arms contracting around her, and that was all the answer she needed.

  Stroking her fingers through his silky-soft hair, she kissed him with all the hunger and need he created inside her. Her tongue caressed his, tasting him as she ran her hands down his neck and shoulders to explore his ripped chest. One of his hands slid up to cup the back of her neck while the other palmed her ass and pulled her tight to him.

  Frustrated by the fabric in her way, she grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and impatiently peeled it up over his torso. Wade released her only long enough to yank it over his head and toss it aside, and she couldn’t bite back a moan at the sight of him. His bronzed skin glowed in the firelight, stretched over taut muscle. A few small scars dotted his torso. A dusting of dark hair covered his broad chest and thinned to a trail that bisected his defined abs and disappeared into the waistband of his jeans…right above the thick ridge of the erection straining the fly.

  She placed her palms on his chest, felt the muscles contract and the heavy thud of his heart as she petted him. Leaning in, she nuzzled the side of his neck, reveled in his quick intake of breath as she licked him. Wade slid an arm around her hips and hauled her up to straddle his lap. She settled in and resumed her exploration, ignoring the commanding tug on her hair as he tried to urge her mouth up to his. A heavy, drugging throb of arousal pulsed inside her, but she was too hungry for more of him to stop what she was doing.

  Big, callused hands slid over her sides, down her stomach to the hem of her shirt. She kept going, shrugging out of her shirt, but paused when she saw the look on his face. He was staring at her breasts, encased in her white lace bra, his expression a mixture of awe and molten hunger. Her nipples beaded tight, tingling in anticipation of feeling his hands and mouth on them. She sat up and reached behind her to unfasten the bra, thrilling at the way his eyes devoured her every move. And when she slipped the bra off and dropped it to the floor, the rank male starvation in his gaze as he stared at her naked breasts sent a surge of primal feminine power through her.

  With a low, nearly inaudible growl, he cupped her breasts in his hands. Erin sucked in a breath and arched her back, loving the contrast of his roughened hands on her skin. He squeezed her gently, his thumbs brushing over the hardened centers, sending ripples of pleasure through her body. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he leaned forward to take a nipple into his mouth.

  Heat and need swept through her, growing more urgent by the second. She squirmed, reached one hand down to find the button on his jeans as she held his face to her breasts and struggled to breathe. His mouth was a delicious torment, pushing her need higher. She struggled to release his jeans, gasped as Wade sucked and tormented her sensitive flesh with his tongue.

  He lifted his hips to help her pull his jeans and underwear down, releasing one of her breasts only long enough to twist his body to the side and yank the jeans down his legs and off. His erection sprang free, dark and thick against his abdomen. Erin let out a needy moan and wrapped her hand around his hot, hard length, still holding his head close. At her touch he tensed all over and groaned, releasing her aching nipple to press his hot forehead against her breast.

  He was breathing hard, his breath hot against her, his whiskers prickling pleasantly. One big hand moved up into her hair and fisted there. She tightened her grip and gave him a slow stroke. His spine arched, his head tipping back to reveal the exquisite agony on his face. Erin’s heart squeezed. It’d been a while for her, but even longer for him and she didn’t want him to have to wait a moment more for this.

  Ignoring his firm hold on her hair she scattered kisses over his tightly clenched eyelids, down his nose and over his cheeks to his mouth. She slid her tongue past his lips to tangle with his as she stroked him, enjoying the hitch in his breathing and the way his muscles twitched. The man was dying for more, and yet fighting the pleasure at the same time. She didn’t want him to fight it, and told him so with a soft sound of reassurance as she trailed her mouth over his jaw and down his throat, his chest.

  When she reached his abdomen every muscle in his body was rigid, tension pouring off him in waves. He released her breast to slide both hands into her hair and seemed to brace himself as she slid her mouth lower. She leaned down to hover over the head of his erection, pressing a soft kiss there that made him hiss and contract his fingers in her hair. The tiny sting only heightened her arousal.

  Gripping him in both hands, she let her tongue play gently around the swollen head, absorbing the shudder that passed through him before she finally parted her lips and took him into her mouth.

  “Erin. Jesus,” he groaned, his voice sounding strangled. The man was strung so tight she kept expecting him to snap. She couldn’t wait to find out what happened when he did.

  Humming in approval, she took him deeper, wanting to drown him with pleasure until he exploded, and looking forward to finding out what it took to push him there.

  Danger Close: Chapter Thirteen

  Wade was dying. Had to be.

  He couldn’t think, could barely breathe at the feel of Erin’s hot, wet mouth wrapped around his cock. It was everything he’d ever imagined, and ten times as intense. Her gentleness, the sincere enjoyment she seemed to take in giving him pleasure all but destroyed him.

  He fought back the urge to fist her hair in his hands and fuck her mouth until he exploded, but it was a monumental effort and one he was going to lose in the next few seconds if she didn’t stop. He was so fucking primed he was ready to come and he’d barely touched her yet. Tugging once on her hair, she made a quiet negative sound and kept sucking until his eyes damn near rolled back in his head.

  “Sweetheart, stop,” he panted, shaking, desperate to hold onto his control.

  She lifted that mesmerizing green gaze to his, and the heated desire there made his cock throb even more. Lifting her mouth from him for a moment, she whispered, “Want to make you come.”

  Christ, she would, in about two more seconds. “Not yet,” he managed, his voice shaky as hell as he urged her upward and dragged her into his arms. He buried his face in the curve of her neck and held on, trembling all over as he struggled to push away the urge to come. He wanted to please her first. It’d been a long time for him but he still remembered the rules—ladies first, and that was even more important with Erin. He wasn’t good with words, never had been, so this was his chance to show her what he felt for her. He didn’t want to ruin it.

  “It’s okay, baby,” she murmured against his temple, stroking his back so gently it made his throat tighten. “I want you to let go.”

  He eased back and met her gaze. The hunger was still there, but tenderness too, and it turned him inside out. She deserved so much better than him fucking her like an out of control animal on this rug in front of the fire, but at that moment that’s what he wanted to do more than anything. He lifted an unsteady hand and brushed the hair back from her flushed che
ek. “I want to let go together,” he rasped out, shaken by his need for this woman he barely knew, yet some part of him protesting being vulnerable while she maintained control.

  To get out of his head, he cupped the back of her neck and kissed her again. She opened with a tiny sigh and eagerly met the stroke of his tongue. Wade eased her onto her back and nuzzled her jawline, the side of her neck, then trailed down to her breasts. Her nipples were deep pink and hard and he couldn’t resist taking them into his mouth again. She gasped and arched her back, both hands sliding into his hair to urge him on. He didn’t need the encouragement though. There was no way he could get up and walk away from her now.

  He undid her jeans and tugged them down her long legs as she raised her hips to help him, leaving her in nothing but a thin scrap of black lace that barely covered her mound. As the spicy scent of her arousal hit him, Wade bit back a groan. When he slipped a finger beneath the edge of the lace and found the damp heat of her arousal, his cock surged against his belly. Impatiently he pulled her panties off and flung them aside, raising his head as he got to his knees to better admire the view.

  Erin smiled a little and parted her legs. Wade swallowed at the sight of those pink, glistening folds exposed to his ravenous gaze. Knowing she wanted him was one thing. Seeing and feeling it were even better.

  Trailing one hand down her side to her hip and over her thigh, he watched her face as he stroked his fingers across her wetness. She hummed in pleasure, her body moved restlessly on the rug, primed and ready for more. He grabbed a throw pillow and eased it beneath her head to make her more comfortable, her tender smile at the gesture making his heart squeeze. With the few functioning brain cells he had left, he suddenly remembered the all-important issue of protection.