Rescuing Bryn: Delta Force Heroes, Book 6

by Susan Stoker

  Dane didn’t want to grin, but couldn’t help it when his lips curled up anyway. “No, she won’t,” he agreed.

  “Right. So I like her,” Truck repeated.

  “She’s quirky,” Dane said.

  “Didn’t miss that, Fish. Again, she’s exactly what you need.”

  “I agree. She makes me feel good. Like I can breathe again.” He looked down and shook his head. “Now I gotta tell Akilah she was right.”

  “About what?”

  “She told me the night of Fletch and Emily’s wedding that when I went to where the land fed my soul, I’d find a woman who doesn’t see what’s missing, but instead sees me.”

  “Smart kid,” Truck commented.

  “I shouldn’t like it so much.”

  “What?”

  “Looking out for Bryn. Being protective of her,” Dane said. “It makes me feel as if I have a purpose again. Making sure she eats. Gets home all right. Isn’t doing any research that can get her into trouble.”

  Truck put his hand on Fish’s shoulder. “It’s the kind of men we are. It’s what we do. We look after those we love. Make sure they get what they need. We stand behind them, keeping watch, so they can blossom.”

  “What if she gets tired of me doing that for her?”

  “Sometimes you gotta be sneaky about it. Make her depend on you so much that she can’t imagine her life without you in it,” Truck said matter-of-factly, dropping his hand.

  Dane looked at the man who’d saved his life for a long moment before asking, “Is that what you’re doing?”

  “Tryin’,” he said immediately. “But I have a feeling it’ll work out for you long before it does me.”

  “Thanks for not making me feel like as asshole for wanting to protect her…even if it’s from herself.”

  “You’re not an asshole, Fish. You’re a man who’s found the purpose of his life. Life sucks sometimes, that’s no lie, but if you’ve got your eyes open, she’ll present you with just what you need. Sometimes it takes more work than you’d like, but if you persevere, she’ll show you as much beauty as you can take.”

  “You’re sounding awfully philosophical,” Dane said with a smirk.

  “Yeah. I better go drink a beer and crush the can on my head or something,” Truck returned immediately.

  “I’m heading to bed,” Dane informed his friend. “I gotta get my sleep in when I can. I never know when Bryn is gonna call me at three in the morning to tell me about something she found on the Internet.”

  “Enjoy the ride, Fish,” Truck told him. “And remember that you’ve got friends if you need ’em.”

  “Appreciate that. More than you know.”

  “I know,” Truck said. “See you in the morning.”

  “Later.”

  Dane headed to his room, his heart and mind full. He didn’t like that he lived so far from his friends, but he loved Idaho. The fresh clean air, the lack of people…and Bryn. Even though the guys were halfway across the country, he knew, without a doubt, they’d drop everything if he needed them. Just as he would for them.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Come on! Let’s go already.” Bryn wiggled in the seat next to Dane in his truck.

  She still had a hard time understanding what Dane saw in her, but she loved every second they’d spent together. After the visit with his friends, she’d relaxed even more around him. She actually liked them…and they’d liked her back.

  Having Kassie there was a surprise, in a good way. The other woman had instantly made her comfortable by asking a thousand questions about Idaho, and had let Bryn blab on and on about all the facts she’d stored up regarding her adopted state.

  When they’d gone to the bathroom, Kassie had actually admitted she was pregnant, and that was why she always had to pee. Bryn had been floored when Kassie had said no one else knew yet. The simple act of confessing something that she hadn’t told anyone aside from Hollywood, almost made Bryn cry. She hadn’t had a true girlfriend her entire life, and while she might not know Kassie well, the admission that she was having a baby went a long way toward soothing any anxiety she’d still held about the visit from Dane’s friends.

  Not only that, but Dane seemed to actually like her weird way of spouting random facts, and was doing so much better at being out in public. She liked to think it was partly because of her. They’d gone back to Dairy Queen one day and met a man named Steve. He’d been there trying to fix one of their ovens. He owned his own business, servicing industrial appliances, mostly in restaurants, and they’d struck up a conversation while waiting for their food.

  It turned out that Steve was way busier than he really wanted to be. He’d moved to the Rathdrum area with his wife and two small kids from Colorado Springs, in order to enjoy the outdoor activities the area offered, but found that he actually had less time now than he did before to spend with his kids.

  Even though Dane didn’t have any experience working in the business, Steve was desperate, and had said that even with one hand, Dane could be trained in some of the basic maintenance that didn’t take a lot of fine motor skills, and he’d be a big help, even if he only worked part time.

  So Dane was looking into licenses and what he might need to do in order to work for the man. Bryn had brought up working at the grocery store again, but had conceded that she much preferred to spend her nights hanging out with Dane, and had quickly put aside that thought.

  The only thing Bryn wasn’t happy with as far as her relationship with Dane went was that he still seemed reluctant to kiss her. Really kiss her. After their conversation at his house a couple of weeks ago, when she asked why he hadn’t kissed her yet, he’d started pressing his lips to her forehead all the time.

  They cuddled together when they watched TV, and he held her hand all the time, but he’d only kissed her, truly kissed her, a few times since the night she’d met his friends. And those always left her wanting more. It was starting to give her a complex, especially since he’d told her once he had kissed her, he wouldn’t stop. She liked Dane, and was pretty sure he liked her too. But she didn’t want him as a friend. Or only a friend. She wanted in his pants. Bad.

  Dane turned sideways in the driver’s seat and said in a serious tone of voice, “I want to go over what we talked about one more time before we leave.”

  “Dane, I know. We’ve been over it a hundred times already,” Bryn whined.

  “It’s important, Smalls. I know you’re excited, but the guy who’s letting us see his bunker is only doing it as a favor to someone I know. He’s not that thrilled about it. I know you have a million questions, but you need to tone it down. Don’t ask how much or how many of anything he’s got. Don’t ask where he obtained the things you might see in his bunker. He’s not going to want to tell you details about any of that in case you try to horn in on his sources.”

  “I wouldn’t—”

  “I know that. And you know that. But he doesn’t know that.”

  “I’ll just tell him when we get there.”

  “He won’t believe you. Bryn, preppers are great people. Most have normal jobs, they function in society like any other person. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t paranoid or super suspicious of people who ask too many questions about what they’re doing and why. Okay?”

  “Okay, okay. I got it. But you should know, it’s gonna kill me to keep my mouth shut.”

  Dane grinned at her. The kind of smile she loved because it filled his face. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened and she could swear she saw a twinkle in his eye. “How about some incentive?”

  “What kind of incentive?”

  Dane brought his hand up to her face and brushed his fingers across her cheek. Then he moved it behind her neck and pulled her closer to him. “I’ve been dying to take our relationship to the next level, you know that, but I wanted to make sure it was what you wanted. I want to feel your heartbeat against my chest as we make out. If you’re good today, and don’t get us in trouble with Mr.
Jasper, I’ll see what I can do about making that happen.”

  Bryn held her breath and locked her eyes onto Dane’s lips. His proposal was a bit presumptuous and even a little condescending, insinuating that he held all the power and control in their relationship, but since it was what she’d wanted for a while now, and hadn’t acted on, she supposed he was right in bringing it up. She wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to get what she’d been dreaming about for weeks.

  “Deal. On one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  She saw that Dane’s breathing had increased, and felt sexy knowing it was the thought of kissing her, really kissing her, that had done that to him. “I want a preview of what I’ll get if I behave myself.”

  Without a word, Dane’s head lowered to hers. His lips touched hers once, then again, then finally came down over hers as if he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. The hand at her neck tightened and Bryn brought her own up around his nape, holding him to her.

  The angle was awkward, as they were in his truck, but Bryn couldn’t think about anything except the feel of Dane’s lips on her own. She immediately opened her mouth, wanting more, and wasn’t disappointed when his tongue brushed against hers.

  She followed his lead, curling her tongue against his, enjoying the taste and feel of his kiss. When he retreated, she followed, brushing her tongue against his teeth and tangling with his inside his mouth. He pulled back a fraction, only to nip and suck at her bottom lip. Bryn moaned and tried to push herself harder into him.

  Dane gentled their kiss and ended it by brushing his lips against hers once more. He nuzzled her neck by her ear, and said, “For the love of God, Smalls, please be good today. I need more of that. I can’t keep away from you anymore.”

  She smiled and pulled away, ignoring the goosebumps that had risen on her skin when the warm air from his words brushed over her sensitive neck. Suddenly understanding how much power she actually had over Dane made her feel giddy inside.

  She brought a hand up to her mouth and pantomimed zipping it shut. “Not one extra question will pass my lips today. Promise.”

  “Fuck, you’re cute,” he murmured, covering her mouth with his for one more short kiss before pulling back.

  Bryn smiled as Dane sat back in the driver’s seat and adjusted himself in his pants before smiling sheepishly over at her.

  “Why do guys do that?”

  “What?”

  “Fondle themselves in public.”

  “We’re not fondling ourselves, Smalls. You got me so turned on my dick got hard. It’s uncomfortable and pressing on the zipper of my pants. So I’m adjusting it so it’s lined up next to the zipper instead of right on it.”

  “Oh.” Bryn’s voice was small and she couldn’t take her eyes away from Dane’s lap. He did look bigger down there, now that she thought about it. She licked her lips, wondering what he’d look like.

  “But most of the time we adjust ourselves when our balls get stuck below our ass when we sit, or when they stick to our skin. It’s not usually a sexual thing at all, just a comfort thing. But if you don’t stop licking your lips and looking like you want to take my pants off right here in this truck, I’ll never get comfortable, we’ll never leave, and you’ll never get to see a bunker.”

  Bryn brought her eyes up to his. “You’re big.” She wanted to comment on the other things he said, but couldn’t stop thinking about his size. “None of the other men I’ve been with looked as big as you.”

  “First, please stop talking about other men. It makes me crazy. Second—”

  “Why?” she interrupted him, not understanding.

  “Why does it make me crazy?” he clarified.

  Bryn nodded.

  “Because I’m finding that I’m possessive when it comes to you, and I can’t stand the thought of anyone else being with you and doing the things to you that I’m dying to.”

  “But if I hadn’t been with them, I’d be a virgin. I’d be even more shy than I am now, and I’d have no idea what to expect, which would make me reticent to sleep with you. Besides which, I wouldn’t know the first thing about making it good for you.”

  “Smalls,” Dane said, shaking his head. “Take my word for it, okay? It’s not that I care that you’ve been with other men…okay, that’s a lie, I do care, but only because I want to be only man on your mind when you’re thinking about sleeping with someone.”

  “You’re the only man on my mind when I think about having sex, Dane.”

  “Good.”

  “What’s the second thing you wanted to say?”

  “I’ll fit. I might be bigger than what you’ve had in the past, but women’s bodies are built to be able to take any size cock. I’m not just going to shove myself in, I’ll make sure you’re ready for me, and you can’t imagine me not being inside you.”

  Bryn’s mouth opened and shut then opened again. She wasn’t sure what to say in response to that. Finally, she simply said, “Thank you.”

  Dane laughed and leaned toward her, propping himself up on the seat with his good hand. “Kiss me, Smalls. Then we’ll go take a look at this bunker you’ve waited so long to see.”

  She did as he asked, copying his position, leaning on her hands and stretching her face up and touching her lips to his in a chaste kiss.

  “Now, buckle up and let’s do this.”

  She did as Dane asked and settled back on the seat, her mind switching gears from kissing and making love with Dane to their destination.

  “How did you hook up with this guy again?”

  Dane pulled out of the parking space in front of her apartment and turned left to head through town. “I have connections from my time in the Army. Basically, I know a guy who knows what seems like everyone. I contacted him, and he arranged for us to visit this prepper. From what I understand, Mr. Jasper wasn’t that thrilled about our visit, but he was talked into it with the promise of a shipment of materials that are usually only available to people in the government.”

  “What materials?”

  “Stuff that he can’t simply order on the Internet.

  “How long is our tour gonna last?”

  “No clue. I figure probably about as short as the guy can make it.”

  Bryn nodded; she’d expected that. “Can I take pictures?”

  Dane snorted. “I’d have to say no on that one. We can play it by ear though.”

  “Do you think he’s dangerous?”

  “Not really,” Dane replied immediately. “But I don’t want to test him either. You remember how we talked about the different kinds of men in this area? How some are harmless and only want to be left alone to do their thing, and the others could actually be dangerous because they’re against the United States and all it stands for?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. I’m fairly certain this guy is the first kind. But I don’t want to do anything that might make him decide he doesn’t like us being in his space, or to become the second kind.” He looked over at her intensely. “Just play it smart, okay?”

  “Hey, I’m the smartest woman in the state. I can do that.” She was rewarded when Dane chuckled at her response. She was getting used to making fun of her intelligence rather than putting herself down because of it.

  They made small talk as Dane drove through the back roads surrounding Rathdrum. Bryn was lost within a couple of turns, but Dane continued on as if he knew exactly where they were going. And he obviously did, because twenty minutes later, he pulled onto a gravel driveway between two large hills.

  He stopped the truck in front of a house that had seen better days. It was brown with wooden siding. Bryn could see marks on it from where the snow in the winter had piled up, leaving behind a white residue. The porch, if it could be called that, looked as if a stiff wind would blow it over. But she couldn’t deny the land around it was beautiful.

  They stepped out of the truck and Dane came around to her side to take hold of her hand. She studied their surroundings as t
hey headed to the door of the house. The grass was long and there were wildflowers everywhere she looked. Large trees surrounded the property, throwing their shade over the house. There was a garden planted off to the side and Bryn could hear a stream gurgling in the distance somewhere.

  The sound of a shotgun being cocked brought her out of her happy Snow White place, where everything was singing birds and happy dwarfs, and into the present with a thud.

  “Stop right there and identify yourself.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The voice was hard and angry and Bryn froze. Her mouth dried up and she wouldn’t have been able to say a word if her life depended on it. Luckily, Dane wasn’t as affected.

  “Dane Munroe and Bryn Hartwell. We’re here to see the bunker.” His explanation was short and to the point. Bryn squeezed his hand and was relieved to get a squeeze in return. He didn’t take his eyes off the house, but he didn’t look especially worried either.

  A man stepped out from behind a fence at the side of the house. Now that she looked more carefully, Bryn saw a hole had been cut out in it…just big enough for the barrel of a rifle.

  He was tall and slender, a few inches shorter than Dane. He was wearing a worn pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. His arms and face were tan, as if he was used to working outside, and his dark hair was oily, slicked back away from his face, and looked like it hadn’t been washed in a couple of days. His eyes were narrowed, making it hard to see what color they were. His nose was crooked, as if it’d been broken several times. It was hard to tell exactly how old the man was, but if Bryn had to guess, she’d assume somewhere in his fifties or sixties.

  “Mr. Jasper, I presume,” Dane said calmly, holding up his left arm and raising the hand holding Bryn’s, to show him he didn’t have any weapons.