Born to Be Wild

by Donna Kauffman

  “Yeah,” she whispered. “I should. And especially with you.”

  “Why?” he demanded, feeling equal parts confusion and frustration. “You know what I’m like. You said you knew this was wrong. That you’d get hurt.”

  He dropped his hands to his sides, lowered his gaze and took a deep breath, then looked back into her eyes. “I want you, Dara. More than I could have ever imagined wanting someone. But even more, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I stood back there by the lake and had a long talk with myself. And I came to a few inescapable conclusions.”

  “Such as?”

  Her lips curved ever so slightly, and Zach felt his stomach drop to his knees. “I know you, Zach Brogan. I know what you are is more than just what you do.” She paused for an unsteady breath. “And I know that in order to experience the joy I could have with you, I have to risk the pain.” She reached up and pulled his head down to hers. “And I know I need you badly enough to take that risk again.” She kissed him hard and long, and somehow he managed to keep his hands at his sides.

  She lifted her mouth from his and looked him straight in the eyes. “There. Now we’ve discussed it. So, please, Zach, kiss me back.” Her voice dropped to a dark, husky whisper. “And this time, don’t stop.”

  Had her expression faltered even once, had he detected even a glimmer of indecision, Zach told himself he might have been able to resist. But all he found when he looked in her eyes was passion, and need, and the tiniest trace of vulnerability. It was that glimpse of her unprotected heart that touched a chord deep within him. He was feeling the very same thing, and knew that if pain was a result of what was about to happen, he would likely share in it equally.

  But his hands were on her hips, skimming the sides of her breasts, gently squeezing her shoulders then diving into her hair as he angled her mouth for his. And the instant his lips touched hers she groaned, her slender frame vibrating with the depth and force of it. And that easily, all his inner battles, the possible reprisals and any future regrets simply vanished.

  He wrapped her in his arms, fitting her soft curves snugly against his chest and hips. He immediately took the kiss as deep as he knew how, expressing the only way he could all the emotions in his head and heart. His tongue took her mouth, as his hands felt her, his hips cradling hers, and he rocked her, carrying her away with him.

  And then even that wasn’t enough. He wanted to feel her skin. And he wanted friction; hot, steaming, pul-sating friction. He wanted to feel her slide over his bare chest, he wanted to feel her long, smooth legs tangled with his, he wanted her fingers stroking him, he wanted his inside her.

  He grabbed her hips and pulled her a few inches off the ground. “Wrap your legs around my hips,” he commanded against the damp pulse in her throat. She did, and when he felt her softness press against the front of his jeans, he almost lost it again. His groan was long and rough, as he licked her neck, nipped at the soft spot just beneath her ear.

  She bent her head and pulled his earlobe between her teeth and sucked. His breath escaped from clenched teeth. He lifted his head, focusing on a tree behind her, and was moving toward it before he’d even consciously made the decision. The act of walking rubbed her against him in the most delicious, mind-numbing way, and for an instant he thought he might have to lay her down on the ground and rip the clothes from their bodies.

  “Lord, I ache, Zach.”

  He’d never get them undressed in time. And that damn tree was at least a hundred miles away.

  Her legs tightened around his waist. She rocked against him.

  He grunted and rocked harder against her, his need for her too primal to control. “Dear God, Dara. Stop. Stop it.” Even as he begged her, he trailed sucking, biting kisses down the side of her neck, pulling at her shirt with his teeth, shifting her up so he could capture the hard nipple pressing against the soft cotton in his mouth.

  She moaned and arched her back, offering herself to him so openly, it nearly brought them both to their knees. He staggered to a halt, continuing his erotic foray across the front of her shirt until he’d soaked the other side with his mouth and tongue.

  She writhed in his arms. “Let me down, Zach. I’m getting dizzy.” She gasped when he pressed her hips down against him. “Oh, God. I can’t take … much more … of this.” He pulled her up and pressed her down again, this time letting her feet drop to the ground. “Don’t stop now.”

  A short gust of laughter at her conflicting demands forced its way out of his laboring lungs. He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply again, then held her against him with one arm when her knees wobbled. He wove his fingers into the hair brushing the nape of her neck and tilted her head back.

  “You’re really sure about this.” It wasn’t a question, and Zach didn’t expect her to answer. He had the answer he needed just by looking in her eyes.

  “No tree, Dara. Not on the cold ground.” He grinned, feeling suddenly strong, invincible and immortal in a way that even free-falling from the moon couldn’t match. “And definitely not with my pants on.”

  She was breathing heavily, and her laughter was a cross between a choke and a sob. “Yeah,” she managed.

  He swung her up in his arms and turned toward the two small canvas domes. “Your cave or mine, Wilma?”

  She looked at the tents, a small frown creasing the skin between her eyebrows. “Did you, ah, bring any …?” The most erotic blush he’d ever seen colored her moonlit skin.

  He grinned. “Any what?”

  She punched him on the shoulder. “You know.”

  He walked to the nearest tent, finding that even the pain due to the new fit of his jeans was a sweet ache. “Yeah, I know. And before you nail me with another right hook, yes, I did.”

  Her smile nearly made him drop her. It gave a whole new meaning to the term wanton. “Then your cave it is, Fred.”

  Zach grinned, then tossed his head back and howled at the moon. Dara’s sweet laughter filled the night air, prompting Zach to lift her shoulder height and bury his face in her stomach, nuzzling her. She shrieked, still laughing until his head dipped down just below her belly button. The sound strangled in her throat, and she clutched fistfuls of his hair in her hands.

  “Zach, what are you—? Oh God.”

  Zach lifted his head and dropped a swift kiss on her parted lips before kneeling down with her in his lap, his back to the tent entrance.

  He kissed her again. “Lady, you are one hell of a sweet, mind-blowing thrill.”

  Zach scooted backward through the small opening until he was in the center of his sleeping bag. He pulled his shirt off, then he pulled her on top of him.

  Straddling his hips, Dara let her gaze drift over Zach’s bare chest and up to his face. The circle of woven mesh fabric sewn into the peak of the dome bathed them in soft silvery moonlight.

  “Only you would have a tent with a moon roof.”

  Somehow the shared laughter right in the middle of such exquisite sexual tension only increased her need for him. It was as hot and wild as she’d imagined, but with Zach the intimacy was teasing and fun, filled with a sexy sort of playfulness that was all the more powerful for how open and uninhibited it made her feel.

  Zach’s brand of lovemaking was as free and unique as the man himself. In the small confines of the tent, Dara felt as if she were soaring high above the ground.

  She reached for the button of his jeans.

  Zach groaned, his hips lifting automatically against her. “Better be careful, you’re playing with dynamite there, sweetheart.”

  Dara laughed and tugged his zipper down. “Mmm-hmm.” She slid her hands into his pants, not in the least surprised that he wasn’t wearing anything else. She looked up at him through half-closed eyes.

  Zach gasped as her hand closed around him.

  His eyes narrowed as she lowered her head, but his wicked grin was way past daring. “Careful, that could blow at any minute.”

  “Just what are you referri
ng to sir?” she asked, her voice sultry and amused.

  With a burst of choked laughter, Zach reached for her hips and swiftly reversed their positions. He pulled her under him and lifted one knee between her thighs, then slowly pressed upward, flexing his thigh again and again until she was moaning.

  He pressed his face against her neck, nibbling, sucking and licking. “Teach you to play with explosives.”

  “Teach me,” she gasped.

  Zach was past needing to be asked. He toed off his shoes, shoved his pants down and off, then straddled her thighs. Bending low over her, he began to unbutton her blouse, placing kisses on her soft skin as he bared it. The blouse disappeared, and Zach was torn between continuing downward, or languishing for a while. She arched her back under his heated gaze, and the decision was made.

  He ran his flat palms over her nipples until they tightened and his mouth savored each one at great and delicious length.

  Her back bowed beneath him, her strong hands alternately holding his head to her breasts and clutching at the sleeping bag beneath her.

  “Zach … please.”

  “Please what?” he mumbled against the damp skin of her stomach.

  “Please stop torturing me.”

  He looked up, his chin resting on her navel. “Torture? And here I thought I was making you delirious with pleasure.”

  Dara’s laugh was more a sigh of disbelief. “Trade places and I could have you begging for mercy inside of five minutes.”

  “Begging sounds good.” He pulled her pants off swiftly, making her gasp as the cool night air brushed her skin. “But I plan on being inside you for a whole lot longer than five minutes.”

  “Zach …”

  He grinned up at her. “Tsk, tsk. Naughty girl, not wearing any underwear. Imagine the sort of things that could lead a guy to believe.”

  “Oh,” she panted, moaning as his mouth found her inner thigh. “I’m way past imagining.”

  Dara knew the only way she was going to get what she wanted was to take it. Which she reached down and did.

  Zach sucked in a deep breath, then released it on a shaky moan. “God, I love it when you get right to the point.”

  “It’s going to end one way or the other,” she said, hardly believing she could possibly be having this much fun while being more turned on than she’d ever been in her life. “Personally, I know where I’d like this to be,” she said, her hand circling him, “but it’s your choice.”

  In response, Zach grabbed her hands, stretched up over her, bracing his hands on hers, and, beginning with his thighs, slowly pressed his full weight against her. He was reaching past her head for his duffel bag, then almost forgot what he was looking for when she hooked her legs behind his calves and lifted her hips.

  “Yes,” he said, both to her and in response to the small box he’d finally uncovered. “Your treat or mine?” he said hoarsely. She kept rotating her hips under him, making the decision for him.

  His hands were shaking so hard, he could barely tear the packet open, then swore under his breath at having to lift away from her for the few seconds it took to roll it on.

  Her heels crossed behind his back before he’d even balanced himself over her, and he was sheathed deep inside her before he knew what hit him. The tight, hot strength of her slender body held him motionless for one long, incredible second after another.

  “Zach,” she said, her voice husky with want, “move. Move inside of me.”

  He did, starting long and slow, until her moans became cries and her cries became soft little gasps. By then he’d taken her hips in his hands and was moving deep and hard and fast, Dara matching him stroke for stroke.

  He didn’t want it to end. Like an everlasting dive off the world’s highest cliff. He didn’t ever want to hit bottom.

  He rocked back on his heels, dragging Dara with him, keeping her legs locked around his waist. The moonlight played exotic nocturnal games with her skin and her eyes.

  He suddenly knew exactly how this was going to end. This time. This first, perfect, unforgettable time.

  He slid one hand to the small of her back, bracing her against him, then slid the other one down between her legs to where they were joined. He caressed, stroked, and taunted until she went wild.

  “Yeah, Dara, that’s it. Go crazy on me. Lose it.” She started to buck against him, and he had to grit his teeth not to lose it himself. But he held on, needing to last long enough to witness what he wanted more than his next breath. “Yeah, that’s right,” he said as her gasps became little screams. “Look at me!” Her eyes flew open just as she convulsed around the aching length of him. “Now. Just … let … it … go!”

  And she did. Zach reached for her and pulled her up to straddle his lap, holding her hips while she arched back, thrusting her small breasts forward into his waiting mouth. She was still convulsing around him when he came in a pounding, crashing fury.

  TEN

  Dara wrapped her arms around Zach, burying her face in the curve of his neck. Zach’s arms were like a straitjacket binding her to him, his face pressed against her neck.

  Sound was the first sense she fully recovered, and she realized that they were both gasping and panting for breath like they’d just escaped the hounds of hell. For some perverse reason that made her want to laugh. She hugged him tighter as the first giggle escaped her lips.

  Zach pulled back. “What, may I ask”—he paused for another deep breath—“is so funny?”

  She smiled up at him, wondering what wonderful thing she’d done to deserve this moment. “Well, you were right again.”

  “Not surprising. Ow!” Zach smiled and rubbed the nose she’d just tweaked. “What omniscient prediction did I make this time?”

  “Well, this was certainly … explosive.”

  Zach’s laughter joined hers as he leaned forward to lay her back on the sleeping bag, then scooted away.

  Dara leaned up on one elbow, openly admiring how graceful and at ease he was in his own body. His beautifully naked body. “Where are you going?”

  “To clean up.” Her disappointment must have shown. A hot grin slashed his features as he leaned back down and kissed her long and hard. He groped around for something next to her head.

  “Here,” he said, pushing a small box into her hands. “Hold on to these.” He rolled off her and winked at her just before ducking out the door. “We’re going to need all of them.”

  “You underestimate me, Brogan,” she yelled after him, but he was gone. She knew as she lay there, that Zach Brogan was the last man she should have fallen in love with, but somehow she’d managed to do it anyway.

  Sometime around dawn, Zach lifted his head from her stomach. He reached across her and peered inside the small box.

  “Damn. Only three left.”

  Dara giggled and groaned at the same time.

  He kissed her navel. “You want to explain that?”

  “No. I think I went numb about an hour ago.”

  He looked up at her, eyes gleaming. “Great. Then you won’t mind if I do this.” He leaned up and captured the tip of her breast in his mouth.

  She gasped and involuntarily arched against him, her body long since acclimated to his demands. She lifted her head enough to stare into his smiling face. “Have mercy, okay.” She dropped her head back when he ignored what she’d said and reached for her other breast. “I hate it when you gloat.”

  Zach laughed and laid his head back on her belly, listening to the pulsing sounds of her body. Her heartbeat steadied into a regular rhythm, and he purposely let his mind drift, his hand cupping the soft swell of her stomach below his cheek. The resting place seemed comfortable and strangely natural.

  Out of nowhere came the image of her stomach swollen with child. His child. He teased himself with the idea of what it would feel like to lie like this and hear two hearts beating beneath his cheek. His body’s instinctive response to that brief image was so instant and overwhelming, he had to shift positions. />
  Dara’s hand came to rest on his head, and she stroked a wild tangle of hair from his cheek.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked softly.

  That I love you. He paused for a second, the answer ringing so clearly in his head, he wondered if he’d said it out loud.

  “Zach?”

  His mind and body raced in opposite directions, and it took him a minute to answer. “I—” He broke off as he looked up to find her staring at him, her features all dreamy and soft. A sleepy smile curved her lips in response to his own. But it was that same trace of vulnerability he’d detected last night that had him gathering her into his arms.

  “I … what?” she prompted.

  He wasted a second concocting a story, then gave up and told her the truth. “I was thinking about you.”

  She draped an arm across his chest and nestled her face into the crook of his arm. “What about me?”

  Zach raked his fingers gently through her hair, lightly stroking her cheek and forehead, lingering on the outer shell of her ear, then resting on the soft curve of her shoulder.

  What about me? Everything, he wanted to say. He had this sudden insatiable need to know everything about her, all the important things and all the stuff nobody else would care about. Nobody but someone who loved her. Nobody but him.

  His arm tightened around her. “Tell me why you work so hard to grant wishes for these kids.”

  Dara managed to escape answering Zach’s question until that afternoon behind the waterfall. They had hiked to the beautiful spot after a morning spent going over more of the technical aspects of the trip, followed by a lazy lunch during which another packet bit the dust. Dara smiled and leaned back against Zach’s chest, letting the spray of the water raging down in front of them mist her skin, not caring that it soaked the front of her T-shirt.

  “Should have brought the other two condoms with us.” Even with his mouth pressed to her ear, he had to talk loudly to be heard over the pounding of the falls.