by KaLyn Cooper
Her friend had been thrown into the limelight, and she’d been left in the shadows. A place all too familiar given her father’s rank and reputation in the Army flight community.
But Luke was in her arms now. The rightness, which no other man had ever made her feel, took over her body. She melded to his rock-hard chest and nestled her head deeper into the curve of his shoulder.
His breath ruffled the hair at her temple as he sighed. He feels it too.
“How long are you here?” Luke’s question seemed normal, like a friend asking a friend.
“We’ve rented the condo for a week, but we have two weeks POD.” Caroline felt his smile, not willing to move her head from where it rested comfortably at his neck. “I may stay an extra week by myself.”
“Not going to see your parents? Where are they stationed these days, or has your father retired?” At least Luke remembered something about her personal world. But then he’d met her father when the colonel had shown up unannounced to congratulate her young man. Only, by then, Luke had no longer been hers. He’d had a beautiful blonde at his side—one who’d flunked out of flight school soon after. Caroline had grinned with satisfaction.
One medal doesn’t make a man, little darlin’, her father had told her, and he’d know. His Air Medal had a IV on it for the four times the prestigious award had been bestowed upon him. His few words, and a pat on the shoulder, hadn’t curbed the pain in her heart. But it’s a damn impressive medal for a flight student. Study hard. Maybe one day you’ll earn one too.
It had taken her a near-death experience and an injured airplane during her first tour aboard a ship. The captain had pinned the blue and gold ribbon holding a bronze burst onto her uniform.
No, medals don’t make you a man.
“Dad is stationed at Fort Lewis-McChord in Washington State. He’s overseeing the new UH-60M Black Hawks. Mom’s actually in Mexico City right now. My grandfather isn’t doing well. I’ll see them for a long weekend next month.”
“Sorry about your grandfather.” Luke rubbed up and down her naked back, spreading heat and warmth through her whole body.
During vacation clothes shopping—and in a rare moment of reclaiming her life—she’d bought the backless bit of sparkling cloth. She’d liked the way the halter dress exposed her back to the waist and was short enough to show off her long legs. It had looked amazing when she’d tried it on in the upscale boutique, but wearing it here made her feel like meat on sale.
Luke ran fingertips down her spine. Her whole body shivered, and her breath caught.
It means nothing, she scolded herself. It was ridiculous to think he had any residual feelings for her, probably not even friendship any more. But she couldn’t ignore the way he felt this close, nearly heart to heart.
Heat pooled between her legs, brushed by his teasing thigh that touched her there in time with the music as he moved them both in slow circles. She was wet…for him. Her body longed for the way he’d touched her all those years ago. The way he’d made her feel…special.
No. No. No. She’d just left one bad situation and didn’t need the complication of another man.
Luke’s hand went to the back of her neck, and then he splayed his fingers into her hair. She automatically looked up at him. His normally light blue eyes were the color of sapphires, dark and deep.
It’s only the dim light in the room, she lied to herself.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.” His gaze fell to her lips.
“Help what?”
His kiss was her answer.
He held her head in place with long fingers woven into her hair. Not that she tried to pull away. From the moment his lips touched hers, she was lost in sensation. Passion coursed through her veins, pumped by her speeding heartbeat. It was as if she’d been denied chocolate ice cream for years then allowed only a tiny sample. It wasn’t enough. She wanted more.
His tongue ran along the seam of her lips, and she opened for him. He speared in and gathered hers in a favorite dance she’d long forgotten. Savoring the experience, she got lost in possibilities of reuniting with him…temporarily.
Her hips automatically pressed into his erection, seeking, wanting, needing. He was hard and ready. Oh, how it would feel to have him again. He’d slowly caress every curve of her body with his long fingers following them with kisses before he found her center and flicked her clit until her whole body couldn’t stand the anticipation a second longer. She was breathing hard at the fantasy. Or was it a memory?
Luke’s big hand filled the small of her back and then dropped lower, covering her butt. He nipped his way from one side of her mouth to the other.
“Let’s get out of here.” He pressed her body into his erection.
The reality portion of her brain smashed through. He’s on the hunt tonight for a piece of ass, just like his buddies. They probably do this every night.
She immediately stepped back. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Luke. It didn’t work out so well for me the last time.”
Caroline dodged hot, sweaty bodies on her way to the table, hoping her margarita was still frosty. She needed to cool down, from the inside out.
Chapter Two
Luke stood on the dance floor and watched Caroline’s short, black hair blend into the crowd. The white dress clung to her feminine curves and made him want to kiss every inch of her light brown skin as he peeled it off her. It wouldn’t take long either. There wasn’t much to the sparkling sheath. Her stiffly straight back was naked except for a small piece at the neck and another around her slight waist. Then there was that barely covered, oh-so-fine ass of hers.
Six years ago she’d never have worn such a revealing dress. Tonight, she rocked it.
And his world.
To think he’d almost turned down the invitation to join the BACats crew tonight. They were regulars at Mayan Nites because it was owned by his friend and Jack’s cousin, Kukulcan. When Luke hadn’t found the guys at their reserved table in the back corner, he’d scanned the dance floor. They hung together like a pack on the prowl until they found their prey. Tonight, though, he’d instantly recognized the women first and then seen their dancing partners.
Suddenly, he’d felt her presence. His whole body had honed in on Caroline across the club jammed with hundreds of gyrating people. She’d been staring at her green-tinged drink all alone, projecting an invisible wall of don’t-even-think-about-approaching-me, fenced into a prison of her own making. But that’s not what she really wanted. He knew her better. She wanted to belong, to fit in. She just didn’t know how.
Growing up on military bases, surrounded by thousands of horny guys who were in their prime in every way imaginable, she’d learned to emanate an air that warned them off. It was now second nature for her.
He’d smashed through that fortress before, and he’d do it again to get to her. Caroline was worth it.
Luke wove his way through the bodies bobbing to the faster beat of the new song, ignoring the smiles and come-hither looks from several of the women, and even a few men.
He had just assigned himself a mission—break through Caroline’s defenses. Again.
Finding her at the club tonight had been a long-time wish come true. Years ago they’d started something that was nice. Special. He’d been able to easily talk to her, and she had listened. They’d been good friends. Eventually, they’d taken it to the intimate level, with clearly defined parameters. The pressures of flight school had been severe, and they had both been driven to not just succeed but excel. The sex helped a lot to release that anxiety. She had been as attentive in bed as out. It had been the best sex he’d ever had.
Then that fucking bird had hit his plane.
His world had suddenly been filled with gorgeous women who previously wouldn’t give him a second glance. He’d been laid every night after that by beauties who wanted to please him, and they’d gotten very creative.
He’d had a lot of women since those early days in flight school.
But none ever compared to Caroline and what they’d shared. Ever.
And, hot damn, their attraction was still there. He’d sensed it the moment he’d drawn her into his arms. Her shiver had shaken him to his core and was unmistakably sexual. It certainly wasn’t cold in the club. When her nipples hardened, he’d been unable to resist kissing her. She tasted even better than he’d remembered, and when it came to Caroline, he remembered everything.
He wanted to sample that sweet spot between her legs that all but burned through his shorts every time they moved on the dance floor. Christ, she was hot. His cock pushed against his zipper like a heat-seeking missile, determined to thrust its way through anything to achieve its target.
The mental picture of Caroline—sun-darkened body, naked against white sheets—quickened his breath. Her unique musk had filled his senses. He remembered the taste of her saturating his mouth as he worked his magic licking and sucking her clit until she screamed his name and she came around his tongue. Then he’d slide into her soft heat as she gripped his cock with her inner muscles.
Jesus, he wanted her. In bed. Tonight.
He shot through the dense throng to their table and planted himself beside her. He crowded her with determination.
“You’re right.” Luke leaned in and spoke directly into her ear. “I was a douchebag back then.”
She spun to face him. “What?”
They were so close he could feel her breath on his lips, chilled from the frozen drink. “I said you’re right. I treated you terribly back in flight school. We’d been…” Close? Lovers? Friends? Luke wasn’t sure which word fit best. All were applicable.
He lifted a wayward strand of her soft hair and curled it around her ear, tracing the outer circle down to its lobe then following her rigid jaw line. Lifting her chin, he brushed his lips across hers, barely touching. “I’ve missed you, Caroline.”
More than you can know.
He stared into stunned, deep brown eyes.
“Why?” Her question was more of a whisper than a word, scarcely audible in the loud club.
“Why which? Why did I treat you as if you were nothing to me after that fucking bird strike?” He couldn’t look at the pain in her eyes, so he glanced around the table where their friends were coupled in conversation.
His Uncle Mark’s voice scolded him in his head. Look at her, asshole. Tell her the truth. Be the man I raised you to be.
He forced his gaze to her. “Because I was a twenty-four-year-old fucking idiot who suddenly had dazzling women throwing themselves at me for the first time in my life. The night of the bird strike, when I’d made it back to my BOQ room—” Luke saw the hurt in those big brown eyes as they both remembered. “It had been a fucking awful day. My head pounded like a son of a bitch. I was coming down hard and fast from the adrenaline high. I’d just been through the debriefing from hell for hours. I didn’t know if I was getting court marshaled and sent to the brig for damaging the damned aircraft or thrown out of flight school.”
He was pleading with her to understand, but her tight lips gave him no mercy.
“When I got back to my BOQ room, I found Sissy McCallister naked in my bed. Miss Texas, the hottest piece of ass in flight school, waiting for me.” He looked away in shame for what he’d started that night.
Reach between your legs, boy. You’ve got balls and a dick. Now man up. Uncle Mark could be harsh sometimes.
“Sissy was the kind of girl in college who wouldn’t give a geek like me the time of day. And she wanted me.” He forced himself to meet her gaze. “You and I had agreed. We were never exclusive.”
Luke tried to read Caroline’s face, but it was impossible. She’d never understand what college had been like for him. He’d thrown himself into his engineering studies and Navy ROTC, to be sure he didn’t fuck up his scholarships. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree and entering the Navy as an officer—making Uncle Mark proud of him—had been the most important thing to him back then. He wasn’t a virgin. Girls were simply farther down the to-do list. Besides, only a few had been interested in him. As soon as they realized his priorities didn’t place them anywhere near the top, they were gone.
He shook his head and scanned the club. Typical scene at Mayan Nites. The place was saturated with pheromones.
Finish it, boy. You owe her that, the uncle who had taught him about life demanded.
Luke looked at her, patiently waiting for him to continue his confessional. “I was the envy of every man in flight school, and yes, I enjoyed every nanosecond of it. I’d never had the spotlight before. The attention went to my head…and my cock.”
Caroline rolled her eyes and huffed out a short breath.
He cupped her face in both his hands. “You were my friend before all that, and I acted like you weren’t even there afterward. I’m sorry I treated you that way. You didn’t deserve it. You were always special to me. You still are.”
Luke inched his face toward her tight-lined lips. She didn’t pull back. Her eyes were far from trusting, but the anger was now gone, replaced by what he hoped was anticipation.
He dropped his pinky finger to her neck and checked the spot where her blood raced. She was breathing rapidly.
“I.” He pressed into her closed lips.
“Am.” This time his kiss was gentle.
“So.” He kissed her briefly.
“Very.” Another tender kiss.
“Sorry.” He poured all his regret into this one kiss, hoping, begging for forgiveness.
Caroline’s moan couldn’t be heard over the reverberating music, but Luke felt the vibration just before she melted into him. Her surrender was something to celebrate. She had released the bonds he’d tied around his pain for what he’d done to her.
She was right. Things hadn’t worked out well for her last time. He’d do his best to assure they parted on much better terms this time. He broke the kiss but moved only a fraction of an inch away.
“I promise you I will never ignore you again.” He barely touched her kiss-swollen lips with his. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.”
He’d have her once again, if for no other reason than to give her the multiple orgasms he’d denied her back then by leaving her for those other women. A different kind of make-up sex, certainly. But had his life not turned into superstar status, he and Caroline would have stayed together for…who knew how long. What Luke did know for sure was that he owed her, and she was there now. Redemption was possible.
He’d like to see if anything was salvageable from their previous connection. Sure, sexually they had taken off and soared on a regular basis together, but that wasn’t a solid relationship. If it had been, he wouldn’t have been able to walk away so easily. He wasn’t sure if they could rebuild anything stronger now, or if that was what he wanted.
“How about a walk on the beach?” Luke caught the flash in her gaze and added, “Talk only. I’d like to catch up, and it’s too noisy in here.” He dropped his hands from her face and took one hand in both of his.
She looked around at her friends, who had all paired up with his buddies, and then her gaze landed on the dance floor.
“Would you rather dance?” Having Caroline bumping and grinding against him wasn’t a bad place to go either. Truth was, though, he’d rather have her alone.
“No.” She shook her head. “Beach sounds nice.” To the others, Caroline spoke loudly, “Headed to the beach. Wanna go?”
“We might join you later,” Sarah yelled across the table and then returned to her conversation with Terrance “Too Tall” Larkin.
Chloe, who was planted on the lap of Jeff “Rock Star” Lennon, slid them a glance and gave a short shake of her head. “We’ll see you back at the condo later.”
Lisa glanced from Caroline to Craig “Mikey” Michaelson then back to her friend. Luke almost missed the slight nod, but it was there. Then he saw resolution and determination cross Lisa’s face as she suggested, “Come on. Let’s go to the beach.”
Wingman. Or, in this case, wingwoman. Smart. But Luke already knew these women had far-above-average intelligence. A necessity in order to be selected for the Navy flight program then fighter jets. Plus, they had traveled the world together. Being cautious in a strange country just made good sense. With all the Americans who passed through Cancun, he sometimes forgot he was actually in Mexico, not the United States.
Luke exchanged a glance with Mikey. They both understood what had just happened, and they were fine with it. Mikey tipped his head toward the private door near their usual table, grabbed Lisa’s hand, and headed that direction.
The familiar evening breeze was forceful, promising rain very soon. Hand in hand, they headed down the beach toward the hotels and condos. Cancun’s nightlife district filled the point of land where the Hotel Zone that lined the narrow peninsula ended and the bridge to the mainland began.
Glancing at the ocean, he saw Lisa and Mikey rush to the water’s edge. Of course the SEAL would head to water. Luke loved the ocean, especially in the Caribbean Sea, but preferred dry land. They stayed closer to the stucco buildings that rose twenty stories from the sugar-white sand.
Walking in silence for a long time, they occasionally glanced at the inky ocean that reflected a moonless, starless night. The impending storm rode on the strong wind that tousled her hair, but they both ignored its threat.
“What happened—” Caroline started to ask at the same time Luke spoke.
“How was—”
They both laughed. This had happened so many times before in their previous relationship.
“Ladies first.”
“Were you injured badly?” Caroline shook her head. “Of course you were. You were hurt enough for the Navy to discharge you.” She stopped and faced him. “Are you all right now?” Hesitantly, she raised her hand to his face and ran her thumb over his cheek.
