With no doors on the vehicle, by the time they reached the shelter of the old cabin her teeth had set to chattering. When she stepped out of the ATV her legs cramped and she collapsed on the ground. She attempted to pull herself up, but her fingers cramped as well. Her body failed her and she didn’t even have enough energy to cry out.
Yas barked and jumped around her. Focusing on the dog helped to keep her calm. A wolf howled in the distance. Rain didn’t have the energy to check how far away the animal was. A moment later, strong arms lifted her from the cold snow and carried her into the cabin.
Jess placed her on the couch, pulled off her boots. Pain shot from her toes. She thought she held it in, but she must have grunted because he apologized.
She watched dumbly while he expertly built a fire. As soon as the flames caught he walked behind her. Rain couldn’t even gather enough energy to turn and see where he’d gone. A minute later, he returned with blankets. Very delicately he undressed her. He removed every damp piece of clothing, leaving her in only her long underwear before he wrapped several blankets around her.
Yas whimpered. She looked down and found him at her feet looking up with sweet dark eyes. She wanted to tell him she was okay, but her mouth couldn’t form the words.
“Just relax. I’m going to get you some tea. You need fluids.” His voice got more remote and she heard the clanking of dishes and metal from behind.
Watching the flames, her mind drifted into oblivion. She lost track of time and then Jess was next to her tipping warm tea into her mouth and whispering encouragement. Hours might have gone by or it might have been minutes.
Her mind began to clear. Jess was under the blankets with her, his warm body helping to chase away the chill. Her nipples pressed against the soft fabric of her long johns. Trying to distract herself from how good it felt to be wrapped in Jess’ arms, she noted the last rays of sun coming through the window. “How long have we been here?”
“A few hours. How do you feel?”
“Better. No more cramping.”
“Did you know saving us would nearly kill you?” He was angry. She heard it in his biting tone.
“I knew it would be difficult to rule that many animals at one time. After the kind of exertion I’d put out all day, it was nearly too much. If we hadn’t trained all day, I don’t think my body would have given out.”
“What about your mind? Because I thought I’d lost you. I wasn’t sure you’d come back.”
“Thank you for taking care of me. I heal quickly, but I needed time.”
He moved so that his face was an inch from hers. “You scared the shit out of me, Rain.”
“I saved our lives.” Her defensive instincts kicked in. He could be a little more grateful for saving him since it had nearly killed her.
“Don’t do that again. What if I hadn’t been here? What if you’d been alone in the field?”
She pushed the blankets down so she could use her arms. He’d wrapped her up as if she were a caterpillar in a cocoon. “If I’d been alone and some idiot hunters had caused a stampede, I probably would have done exactly what I did today. Dying from a bison’s hoof crushing my skull doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”
“And then what, you die of dehydration or exposure because you don’t have the energy to get yourself back to safety?” He was furious. She didn’t understand.
“What choice would I have? You’re my teacher, tell me how I could have avoided what happened today.”
He stood up. He was in only his long underwear. They were skintight and left very little to the imagination. The thin material clung to every bulge and muscle. She couldn’t look away though she knew she should.
“We’re getting out of here in the morning. I’m calling Joshua and telling him to get you another instructor.”
She’d started to feel herself again, but his announcement took all the energy right back out of her. He was abandoning her. She had failed, and he was abandoning a sinking ship. Her heart ached. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I think I do. Thanks for trying. I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going to bed.” Her legs wobbled only slightly as she pushed off the couch. Jess reached out to steady her, but she put out a hand to ward him off.
Finding her balance, she wrapped the blankets tighter around herself and walked to the bathroom. She heard him call her name, but she ignored his request for her to return to the living room.
The hot water eased the rest of her aches and pains, but she knew there was a limited supply, so she showered quickly. Once she was dry, she brushed out her hair and wrapped herself in the blankets again.
She never looked at the living room as she and Yas stepped through to the bedroom.
Once she was in bed, the dog jumped up and spread out across her feet. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Maybe she cried because she let Jess down or maybe it was just the release of built-up tension from the strain of the day. It couldn’t last long, she was too tired to weep indefinitely.
* * * * *
The howling wind and Yas sitting up at the end of the bed brought her awake. There was no light in the bedroom, but the glow of firelight framed Jess in the doorway.
“Are you okay?” She had no idea why she asked. It was an instinct, a habit, check on everyone else before you worry about yourself.
He didn’t move. “I didn’t lie to you.”
Sleep still poked at her brain. “When? What are you talking about?”
Jess stepped closer. Yas growled. Rain sat up and patted the dog’s head. The chilly air on her nipples reminded her that she was naked under the blankets. She clutched at the covers.
“In the field today, when I said you’d make a good agent, it was the truth.” His voice hummed with intensity.
“You just don’t want to risk your life to train me. I get it. Don’t worry about it.” She wanted to feel as unaffected by the idea as she sounded, but her chest tightened with loss. It was insane, but she felt the loss of a man who didn’t care about her and he was standing in the same room.
“No.” He moved closer to the bed.
“No? No what?”
“That’s not why I’m asking for a reassignment.”
Yas jumped to the floor and lay down in the doorway.
Rain sat carefully, keeping the blanket covering her. “Why then?”
She might have asked more, but Jess’ body hovered over hers. He loomed and the air between them crackled with energy. “I can’t be your teacher because all I can think about is how soft your lips look, how the curve of your hips would feel under my palm and how perfect it would be to bury my cock deep inside you.”
“Oh.” Her nipples hardened to pebbles and the sheets felt as if they were sandpaper on the sensitive tips. Moisture pooled between her legs with every word he said. The stupid one-word response left a yawning gap in the awkward conversation.
His lips were barely visible in the dim room, but he was close enough to feel his warm breath just before his mouth brushed hers. “I shouldn’t be your instructor because I want you.”
She responded to the kiss, her mouth opened for him and he tugged on her bottom lip. Warmth spread throughout her body in spite of the chill in the room. She cursed the layer of heavy blankets between them. Every naughty thought she’d entertained and then brushed aside during the past few days bounced happily around in her head once again. He wanted her. The idea alone was sensual. Jess’ weight pressed her into the mattress.
“It’s too much of a distraction to care about you in this way. My instinct is to protect you and I can’t separate the woman from the agent.”
She managed to get her hands free of the blankets and cupped his face. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? I thought you hated me.”
A sharp, short laugh cracked the air. “I definitely don’t hate you, Rain. I pushed you harder so you wouldn’t see how much I needed you, to prove
to myself I could overcome my feelings. It nearly got you killed today. I’m sorry, but it made me realize I have to ask for a reassignment.”
His sweet admission had her body humming with sympathy and need.
She had gone to bed with damp hair and now the mass was likely knotted and nesting around her face. He pushed a wayward strand away from her cheek and kissed the spot where it had been. “I know you’ve had a rough day and you’re tired. I know I should get us out of here tomorrow and never see you again. But if you’re interested, I’d like to make love to you. I want to make you forget the terrors of the day if only for a little while and give us both a night of pleasure.”
Every word he said pushed her excitement higher. “Yes.”
His mouth devoured hers. He kissed her as if he was a starving man and she was the first food he’d seen in weeks. His tongue plunged and plundered hers. He explored her lips and teeth. When he pulled back, she gasped for air.
He kissed her cheek, jaw and chin. “I want to go slow. I want to cherish you, cher, but I’m so desperate to have you.”
She pushed his shoulders back and he moaned and moved away.
Jess sat down on the edge of her bed and put his head in his hands. “I’m sorry. I should not have come in here.”
She pushed down the covers and got out of the bed. Her bare skin prickled with goose flesh as the cold air hit her. She padded over to the dresser where she’d left a lantern. She lit the electric lamp and a warm golden glow filled the room. She adjusted the light to bring it up a bit more, then turned to look at Jess.
His head was still low, but he’d raised his eyes and they followed her in the light. “You’re naked.”
She didn’t hide from his gaze, rather she reveled in it. All week she’d wanted him, but thought him indifferent to her. Now she knew he was behaving under some code of his own. “I don’t want this to be in the dark. I want to see you and I want you to see me, Jess.”
He sat up straighter and his eyes darkened. “Turn around.”
Her heart raced and she complied with his command. She hadn’t heard him get up or move, but his fingers traced the tattoo that stretched across her shoulder blades and down past the middle of her back. His touch radiated heat along her skin in contrast to the chill in the room.
“I saw a hint of this the other night when I carried you in here. It took all of my will not to strip you down and get a better look.”
She wanted to tell him she wouldn’t have minded if he had. She also wanted to tell him to get naked and fuck her before she came just from him lightly tracing her spine. “I’ve had that for a long time.”
The flat of his palm brushed along the horn of the buffalo. She closed her eyes, imagining his hand along the red and black lines of a bird’s wing. The tattoo was made up of many different animals put together artfully to create the image of a buffalo.
“Is this a regret?”
She turned to face him. Her heart pounded. “I could never regret that ink. It’s who I am.”
His fingers traced the curve of her breast, down to her waist and up again. “Who you are? I don’t understand.”
“Maybe someday you will.” She touched his cheek and it surprised her how much she hoped that was true. She wanted someone to know her, she always had. It was shockingly clear to her, she wished Jess could be that person.
He wore jeans and the top of long underwear. She ran her hand over the silky material of the state-of-the-art thermal. His nipple pebbled under her touch. He hissed through his teeth.
“I’m freezing,” she said.
His bright smile could have lit the room without the help of the lantern. “Get back in the bed and if you want, I’ll keep you warm.”
“I want.” She didn’t know if she was shivering from the cold or the anticipation of Jess’ body next to hers.
Crawling under the covers, she watched in the lamplight as he stripped his top off and tossed it to the floor. His long johns followed and in seconds Jess McMean’s taut form hovered above her at the side of the bed.
Lean, sinewy muscle covered his chest and arms, leading her gaze down to his six-pack abs and further to where his attraction to her became more obvious. His thick, long cock stood at the ready. Rain’s mouth watered, but she remained under the covers. He had started this and she couldn’t resist letting him guide the process, at least for the moment.
She’d never seen him hesitant before. In the field training he’d been assured and determined. It was nice to see that something made Jess nervous and even more intriguing to learn that the something was her. He was actually unsure if she wanted him. Even now, after she’d walked naked across the room. Her body continued to tremble, but now she was certain that it was desire and not the cold that brought her limbs to a quivering state.
He didn’t move. She marveled at the fact that in spite of the frigid air, his cock continued to point in her direction.
“Why are you just standing there?” she asked.
“I’m giving you time to change your mind.”
Her heart sped up and she pushed to her elbows, letting the blanket and sheet fall and expose her breasts. Her nipples hardened to sensitive peaks. Her skin prickled and she longed for the warmth of his flesh against hers. “Why would I change my mind?”
His eyes darkened as he drank in the sight of her. “Maybe I just can’t believe a woman like you would want anything to do with me.”
The idea that he might walk out of the bedroom and leave her desires unquenched forced her hand. She threw back the blanket, baring herself once again to him. He didn’t move.
Rain watched him carefully. “I’m starting to get offended. Maybe you’re not really interested. What more does a girl need to do to get you to fuck her?”
An instant later his body was covering hers. The breath rushed out of her lungs and she could barely draw another. It wasn’t that he was crushing her. He took up every available space. His body fitted against hers perfectly and his shaft teased the crease at the top of her thighs. Her brain could not process enough logical thought to remember how to breathe in.
His glare evoked the fact that he hadn’t liked what she said, yet the fire in his eyes and the rigid evidence between her legs contradicted. “I’m not going to fuck you, Rain.”
She could have cried, but she remained outwardly calm. “No?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Oh.” She tried to hide her disappointment, but she heard the hallow timber of her voice. She was sure he’d heard it too.
“I’m going to make love to you so slowly and thoroughly, you’ll be begging me for more.”
Her legs quivered and her pussy tightened at the idea. “No one has ever said that to me before.”
His head cocked to one side. “Which part?”
Her face heated and she cursed inwardly at her own blush. “Make love. No one has ever told me they wanted to make love to me.”
Jess shifted his weight to one elbow and threaded his fingers through her hair while forcing her to meet his gaze. “What did they say?”
Why had she said anything? Why couldn’t she keep her mouth closed? Her cheeks were flaming with embarrassment. She wiggled her hips beneath him, hoping to expedite their pleasure and end the uncomfortable conversation.
He pressed his hips down, pinning hers to the bed. “Tell me.”
Her heart pounded so hard blood rushed to her ears. “Fuck. Bang. Have sex. Just never make love.”
His lips pressed lightly to the tip of her nose. “There’s a time and a place for fucking and banging. I’d like to think we’ll get to them some other time. Tonight is for lovemaking.”
“What’s the difference?”
His eyes took on a sadness that made her wish she hadn’t asked the question. “Oh cher. It’s criminal that you don’t already know, but it’s my honor to show you there is a very big difference.”
Jess shifted again so that he was lying beside her. He tugged the blanket out from under him
self and slid beneath, adding his warmth to hers. There was no aggression in his moves. She would have thought a man who fought and killed, spied and assassinated for a living would be angry in bed. It was not the case.
His hand skimmed from just under her breast down her rib cage to her hip. He left a trail of fire on every inch of skin he touched. Rain’s body quivered and she put her hand on top of his while he continued his exploration over her pussy to the other hip. She lifted toward him, but he didn’t stop at the place she most desired his caress.
It was tempting to force his hand, but her curiosity won out and she allowed him to guide the encounter. His caress slipped down her leg and out of reach. Calloused fingers warmed her calf and gripped her foot, pushing her knee into a bent position. He made his way back up, teased her pussy with one finger, and she gasped as the shock of his touch sent a thrill through her body.
An instant later his attention moved down her other leg as if he wanted to investigate every inch of her flesh. She had never thought of her legs as erogenous zones, but everywhere he touched burned with desire. The sensitive skin behind her knees was surprisingly erotic and she cried out as he caressed that area.
She closed her eyes and let every touch and sensation flow through her. Soft, warm lips pressed to the skin just behind her ear, she gasped and the shock shot directly between her legs. He licked and nibbled on her neck and earlobe and she was helpless except to move her head to one side and give him better access. His hand had stopped at the swell of her hip, but now slid across her pelvis and over her mound.
Rain’s breath came in short gasps and her pussy clenched with the need to be filled. When his finger slid between her full lips, she screamed.
He groaned into her ear. “So silky and wet. I can’t wait to bury my cock here.”
His words were almost as stimulating as his touch. In spite of his admitted desire to fuck her, he moved his finger in a slow circle around her clit while still kissing her neck and ear. A second finger joined the first sliding over and around her sopping slit. Her hips lifted and fell in rhythm. The tightening of her orgasm began to swell inside her. He dipped his finger into her tight hole, gathered more of her juices and spread them over her clit.
Training Rain Page 5
