by Bianca D’Arc
“These extended shelves were designed for loaded duffel bags and equipment boxes. We’ve repurposed a lot of the original designs in these barracks, but there were some things that were just better left alone.” He reached up easily and stuck his whole arm into the high space, dragging out a plastic zippered bag that held the promised blankets. Another reach brought out a matching bag that had two pillows inside.
“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you.”
As she took the bag of pillows from him, their eyes met…and held.
“You know… I mean that in a lot of ways,” she added quietly.
“You don’t have to thank me. Especially now when my actions might’ve sped up the inevitable.”
“You mean, those guys coming after me?” She tilted her head to one side, trying to understand him. He was a bit more complicated than the other men she knew.
Jeff nodded. “Maybe if I hadn’t come to see you so soon, you’d have had more time in your normal life.”
She thought about that for a moment, then shook her head slightly. “Or, maybe, they would’ve come for me at a time when you weren’t able to be there to help me. I think, possibly, you pushed up their timetable, which probably meant they weren’t as prepared as they would’ve been otherwise. I think you did the right thing.”
He stepped closer, and she let the bag of pillows in her hand fall to her side. “You’re very understanding.”
“Sometimes, I see future events. You know how that is. It makes you realize that some things are fated and some can be changed by our actions. You changed things for the better in my case. I truly believe that.” He was standing so close now, she had to tilt her head up to look into his eyes.
The moment stretched, and the world around them grew quiet with anticipation. Rose could feel that something important was about to happen…maybe.
“I hope you don’t think I’m crazy…” He stopped his words with a slight shake of his head and a rueful expression. “Forget I said that. The whole world is crazy for me ever since Iraq.” He refocused on her, looking deep into her eyes as his expression grew more serious. “Thing is, I feel something when I’m around you, Rosie. Something almost…electric. When we touch, I feel tingles shoot up my arm.” He put actions to his words, placing one big hand on her shoulder.
She felt the tingles he described, radiating from where his hand rested lightly on her shoulder, reaching down from that point, shooting happily across her skin and into her bloodstream. It was a potent feeling. A positive feeling. Something she’d never felt before with a man, but that she wanted to know more about. A lot more…
“I feel it too,” she whispered, needing honesty between them.
A smile lit his eyes from within. “I know this is all happening really fast—”
“Not fast enough,” she chided, reaching up to drag his head toward hers. She initiated a kiss that set off an explosion of fireworks in her blood.
Maybe she was being too forward, but it didn’t feel like it. Being around Jeff—kissing him—felt like the most natural thing in the world. The more she was with him, the more she wanted to be with him. Not just talking, though that was nice, but in more intimate ways. She wanted to know what it felt like to make love with him.
Crazy as it seemed, she had a real feeling that it wouldn’t be just sex with him. No, it would mean something to both of them. How serious they could be, if they gave themselves a chance to find out, she didn’t know, but she already felt that Jeff was a significant part of her life. Whether that was just the disruption and drama they’d already been through, which was something she would never forget, or something longer lasting, she had no idea. Only time would tell.
Or…if she was really lucky, she might get a vision that would reassure her about the next step she felt bound and determined to take, but that wasn’t likely. Her foretellings were mostly for other people. Seldom did she receive a glimpse of her own future, unless she was somehow involved with the person who starred in her vision.
But she couldn’t think about that now. Not when her lips were finally on Jeff’s and he was warming to the kiss that she’d wanted for a while. His arms came around her waist, drawing her close. His lips pressed firmly, taking control, his tongue dueling with hers in an incredibly sexy way that made her insides squirm with desire. Jeff certainly knew how to kiss. Hubba hubba.
Smiling at her own thoughts, she kissed him back, running her hands over the muscles that had made her want to touch ever since she’d seen him. He had rock-hard biceps that drew her hands, and his shoulders made her want to grab on and never let go. She could feel the faint ripple of his abs against her as he moved with her toward the bed, but she wanted to see them. She wanted to run her tongue over him and lick him like a lollipop.
She felt the edge of the mattress with the backs of her legs and didn’t protest when Jeff lifted her into his arms then placed her down on the bed as if she weighed nothing at all. He was so strong, he made her feel delicate.
When he would have stood, she refused to release him. She locked her fingers together around his neck and tugged him toward her, onto the bed. He didn’t resist for long but followed her down onto the mattress, kissing her the whole way, caging her with his much bigger body, his arms on either side of her head, his legs surrounding hers. She felt enveloped in his warmth, and desire shot through her system like wildfire.
He broke the kiss to look deep into her eyes.
“Do you want this?” he asked in a rough voice that sent shivers straight down her spine. “Do you want me?”
She didn’t have to think twice. “Yes,” she whispered back, lifting up to match her lips to his once more.
Jeff kissed her back with all the enthusiasm she could have hoped for. His kiss stoked the fire that had been burning steadily since the moment he’d walked into the shop. She’d been attracted at first sight, but what she felt had deepened and become bolder as their time together drew on.
They hadn’t known each other long in terms of hours and minutes, but in that short time, she felt like she had lived through some of the most stressful moments of her existence. Jeff had been there, at her side. Protecting her. Encouraging her. Seeing her through the tough moments.
They’d lived more than the mere hours together. They’d experienced more than most couples did in months or even years of dating. They’d faced danger together, and she’d learned more about the way he handled a crisis than she had ever expected. That told her a lot about the man. It spoke to his character and the deepest parts of his psyche.
At this moment, she felt she knew Jeff better than any man she had ever been with. Not that there had been many. Her gift made her extremely selective. Too often, she’d meet someone, and a vision would reveal some unseen facet of their lives or character that warned her off. The few men she had been intimate with had all been good guys, but nobody had sparked her fire the way Jeff did just by meeting her gaze. And none had ever been called upon to put himself in danger for her sake.
Jeff hadn’t hesitated. He’d waded in and helped free her from an untenable position. He’d saved her life. What she felt was gratitude, yes, but more than that, she felt the undeniable pull of him. As if he was one pole of a magnet and she was the opposite, drawn to him by an invisible, irresistible force.
Not that she wanted to resist. No, Rose was perfectly happy where she was. Thank you very much. The only thing that would make her happier was if there were fewer clothes between her body and his.
As if Jeff heard her silent wish, he lifted away to tug off the T-shirt that kept her from seeing and feeling his incredible upper body. Then, it was her turn as he helped her lift off the borrowed shirt she wore. She was bare beneath it, and he didn’t waste any time, his hands going to her breasts, cupping and shaping, learning her curves and what she liked.
His touch was gentle, and the calluses on his hands were just rough enough to remind her that he was a Man with a big, bold, capital Mmm.
Chapter Five
Rose wasn’t wearing undies for the simple fact that she’d had to wash the ones she’d worn that day, and they were drip-drying in one corner of the large bathroom. Casey had talked about getting some supplies for her tomorrow, but for tonight, Rose was going commando in her borrowed clothes. Of course, now, it looked like she wouldn’t even need clothes to sleep in, because she planned to be butt nekkid with Jeff for as long as he’d stay with her.
She hoped he could stay all night. She had plans for him. Rose felt herself smile as his head dipped to nibble his way down over her collarbone, heading toward her breasts. Yes. Just what she wanted, right now.
He licked her nipples—first one, then the other—before closing his mouth over one as his hand stroked its twin. She had to bite her lip to keep from moaning too loudly. She wasn’t sure how soundproof the walls in this building were, and she didn’t want everyone to know what they were getting up to. Not on her first night here, at least.
She supposed, if she wanted more with Jeff—and all indications were, at the moment, that she wanted much, much more of this—they would have to figure out whether or not they would go public with his teammates. Since there was talk of getting her some kind of temporary job with the unit, she wasn’t sure how that would work. Maybe they’d have to keep things quiet…or maybe not. She supposed they’d cross that bridge when they got to it. For now, she was going to enjoy these moments with Jeff with every fiber of her being.
Something about being shot at earlier in the day made his lovemaking all the more sweet. It wasn’t just that, of course. She wasn’t that shallow a woman. At least, she hoped she wasn’t. But she’d been attracted to Jeff from almost the first moment she’d seen him, and while the shared danger may have accelerated things a lot, she was reasonably certain that, if their relationship had been allowed to develop in the usual way, they still would have ended up in bed together. He was just that…magnetic.
He drew her to him, and she felt almost powerless to resist.
His hands roamed lower, under the loose waistband of her borrowed sweatpants. Going commando had its benefits as his fingers found nothing but skin underneath. He took full advantage, sliding his hands over her hips then lifting her as he cupped her ass, and his strong forearms lowered the waistband of her sweats down, over her hips. She felt the cool air of the room against her heated skin and the warmth of his hands shaping her, stroking her, delving lower and then…between her legs.
Yes.
She kicked her feet to help him take the sweatpants off the rest of the way, and they ended up flying across the room. She didn’t care. All she wanted was for them to be gone. Once they were, it was his turn.
She pushed at the waistband of his pants until he got the message. Jeff lifted up and shucked his pants and underwear in a swift move that left her mouth watering. He was built big all over, and she knew with a single glance that she was going to enjoy being ravished by this sexy, sweet man.
His teammates might laugh to hear him described as sweet, but he’d been nothing but kind and understanding to her, except when he’d been being heroic. She admired him so much. She might even be halfway in love with him, if she was being honest with herself, not that she’d tell him that. Not so soon, anyway. She didn’t want to scare him off.
Jeff came back to her and took her in his arms. Then, he rolled so that she was on top. Yummy. Just where she wanted to be.
She dragged her body over his, being sure to touch every interesting inch of him with every interested inch of her. His hands gripped her waist and dug in gently a few times when she stroked him. He liked that, she could tell from the way he shivered and tempered his strength.
He was such a good man. She wanted to treat him with all the tenderness she could muster while ravishing him within an inch of his life. Mutually exclusive ideas, usually, but somehow, for them, in this intimate moment, it worked.
“I’m not into waiting,” she whispered to him as she lowered her slick pussy over his hardness. Her lips were within a breath of his, and she could swear she saw flames dancing in the backs of his eyes for a heartbeat that stretched out into forever.
“I’m yours, Rosie. Do whatever you want.”
With his complete surrender, she felt her feminine power increase. She’d never been given carte blanche by a lover before. She would not abuse the privilege, but she definitely wanted to explore the boundaries…with Jeff. And only with Jeff.
“First time, fast,” she told him. “To take the edge off.”
“You keep talking like that, I’m going to come, right now,” he warned her playfully.
“Then, I’d better get moving,” she replied in a saucy tone she’d never used before. It felt right to play with him while they were intimate. More right than anything that had come before with any other man.
She put actions to her words and slid down over him. She wasn’t concerned about possible consequences. Casey had confided that all the men had been checked over by a team of doctors when they got back to the States and had been getting regular batteries of tests every week. They all had absolutely clean bills of health, so whatever was going on with them wasn’t caused by anything the medical professionals had been able to find. She couldn’t catch anything from him.
And, for her part, Rose was on the pill, so she wouldn’t get pregnant. She’d had her supply in her pocketbook, which thankfully, had come through the ordeal with her. She had her I.D., some money, mascara, eyeliner, plus a few other cosmetics, her keys, and some other odds and ends, including her pill case.
Those details taken care of, Rose settled over him, taking his hard length into her willing body. Long and thick, he fit all the empty places within her—both physically and somehow…spiritually. It felt as if this wasn’t just a joining on the physical plane, but a more esoteric mingling of energy and spirit, as well. She couldn’t describe the feeling that flooded into her when they joined for the first time.
It was like some giant gong had been rung in the ether, and the reverberations shook the air around them with silent waves of recognition. Rightness. Unity on a basic level she’d never before experienced.
“Wow.”
They both spoke in unison, then their eyes met, and they smiled.
“If that’s the beginning, I can’t wait to find out how this ends,” Jeff said, gasping a bit as she squirmed to get more comfortable with him inside her.
“All in good time,” she teased gently, feeling powerful and ultra-feminine.
She tried to hold back, but once she started moving, she was lost to sensation. The feel of him within her, his warmth beneath her, reaching up to surround her… It was all just a bit too much for her to handle. She rode him hard and then came hard, much too soon. But Jeff was ready. He lifted her and rolled gently, keeping them joined as he took over the rhythm that she had momentarily lost to pleasure.
He stroked her deep and hard, raising her passion once more, to an even higher peak than the first. She came again, crying out his name, not caring who heard, though she had little breath left to make much noise. Jeff was potent and powerful. Commanding and coaxing as he wrung every last drop of pleasure out of her willing body.
This time, he was with her, clutching her hip and shoulder, gripping just a little tighter than he probably should, but she didn’t mind in the least. She might have marks later, but she’d wear them proudly. He wasn’t really hurting her. She’d just driven him beyond control, and that put a smile of glee on her face, even as he released her and began smoothing his fingers over the slightly abused areas.
“I’m sorry,” he said over and over.
She shushed him with gentle motions. “It’s okay. I’m okay,” she reassured him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, looking deep into her eyes, even as his breathing rasped in and out of his chest. They were both coming down from a height of pleasure, but she was touched by the immediacy of his concern.
“Very sure.” She pushed at his shoulder until he collapsed besid
e her on the bed, then she snuggled into his side and put one hand possessively over his heart. “You rocked my world, my friend.”
He laughed out loud and put his hand over hers. “No, sweetheart, you rocked mine.”
“Let’s agree to mutual rocking of worlds and leave it at that. For now.” Her tone promised more rocking of worlds to come, and he didn’t disagree.
As they lay there, catching their breath, Jeff stroked her skin and counted himself lucky. He hadn’t expected any of this, but he was happier than he had any right to be at the moment, with this lovely, talented woman in his arms.
Thinking about her gift made him wonder. Maybe she would be willing to answer some of his questions now, though he wouldn’t push. Her gift was something he wanted to learn much more about, but she had to be willing to discuss it. He wouldn’t try to take what she didn’t want to give. Still, he was tempted to ask a few basic questions and see how she responded…
“So, how does your gift work?” he asked, figuring his usual boldness was better than pretend timidity. “Are you able to call visions of the future to you when you read your clients at the shop? Or is that just sleight of hand, and your gift is less obedient than that?” Jeff asked, running his fingers idly through her soft hair.
He loved her wavy dark hair. It was just as luxurious as it looked, and he felt privileged to have that intimate knowledge. He never would have expected her to jump into bed with him so quickly, and he sensed she wasn’t normally so impetuous, but he was grateful. Even if this was just a knee-jerk reaction to the danger they’d faced earlier, he would do everything in his power to make sure this wasn’t a one-time thing.
Something about Rosie called to him on a very basic level. Something compelling. Something that made him want to stake a claim and make her his own…forever.
The thought made him pause, but she was talking, so he didn’t have time to focus on the way that last word had made him jolt inwardly. He’d have time to think about the ramifications of his instincts later. For now, he wanted to learn more about their shared gift, and he made himself pay attention.
