No Quarter Given (SSE 667)

by Lindsay McKenna

  “Can’t sleep?” Griff asked, reaching out and capturing her hand. Dana barely nodded. He took in her uncertainty, her mussed hair. It was the gold in her eyes that told him what she wanted—needed. Her T-shirt was wrinkled and shapeless, but the curve of her legs flowed from beneath it. He ached to slide his fingers across her thigh and feel its firm silkiness.

  “I couldn’t sleep, Griff.” The rest of her words jammed up in her throat. The mattress was large enough for both of them, and he moved to one side, gently tugging on her hand.

  “I haven’t been able to sleep, either,” he admitted. “Come on. Lie down next to me. I’ll just hold you, Dana.”

  His words were dark with promise. Dana came wordlessly, slipping into the makeshift bed. He gathered her into his arms and brought her gently against him. Only the thin barrier of a sheet separated them. Heat pooled in the area of her belly and hips where his body barely grazed hers. Griff began to stroke her shoulders in slow, light circles, easing her tension. After a few minutes, Dana relaxed, resting her head in the hollow of his shoulder.

  “I was so scared to come up here. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “You did the right thing. You followed-your heart.”

  The gentle rocking of the boat further soothed Dana, and her senses focused on Griff’s hand splayed against her back, feeling his fingers caress the length of her spine. She tensed slightly as his hand moved across her hip, but his touch remained light, not demanding, and gradually Dana accepted his intimate exploration. His hand slid along the curve of her thigh, brushing the moist juncture. A small, ragged sigh escaped her.

  “That’s it,” Griff coaxed, resting his mouth against her brow. “Just lie there and enjoy it. If you get frightened, all you have to do is tell me to stop, sweetheart. Just one word. That’s all.”

  Reassurance riffled through Dana, and she shook her head. “I—I want you, Griff. I want to share with you…”

  Nestling his head beside hers, he concentrated on her slender neck. After each small kiss, he ran his tongue tenderly over the area. “So do I. I’m as scared as you are, Dana. I’m afraid of hurting you, of doing something wrong.”

  She gazed in awe up at his shadowed features, his eyes vulnerable with the admission. Whatever fear was left in her dissolved beneath the warmth and concern in his gaze. “You could never do anything wrong,” she whispered unsteadily, tears forming in her eyes.

  He laughed huskily, and gave her a fierce embrace. “Oh, yes I could. Look what I did the first month we were together.” With his hand, he caressed her upturned face. “No, sweetheart, I am capable of hurting you again. I’m human. I want you so damn badly I don’t know if I can control myself for your sake. And if that happened—” He groaned and shook his head.

  “I like your human side, faults and all,” Dana murmured. “More than anything, I trust you, Griff.”

  Realizing the gift she’d just given him, he wanted to cry for the sheer joy of her softly spoken words. Some of the fear he was feeling abated. “The night’s ours,” he promised thickly, feeling her arch against him, a soft sound escaping her as he moved his hand downward and cupped her breast.

  The wonderful sensations of his fingers curving around her breast chased away the last of her fear. A soft cry vibrated in her throat as his mouth captured the budding nipple hidden beneath her T-shirt. The moist heat drove her into a wild mindlessness as he worshiped her like some fragile, beautiful vessel. Dampness collected between her thighs, and she sighed as Griff moved the cotton material aside. Sliding his hand beneath the T-shirt, he followed the line of her rib cage.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he rasped, tracing the outline of her small, firm breasts. Dana’s eyes were languorous, her lips parted, telling him she was enjoying his sweet assault as much as he was. Griff tried to ignore the spasms creating pain in his loins. He’d wanted Dana for so long that he felt as if he were tied in a white-hot knot. One wrong move on his part could scare Dana and make her cringe away from him. Griff broke out in a sweat, unsure whether it was out of need or fear that he would accidentally hurt her. So much was on the line. Was he capable of walking that fine line with her?

  As Griff coaxed the T-shirt off Dana and she lay naked and unguarded before him, he saw the gold of desire in her eyes. With equal deliberateness, he removed the thin sheet from between them. He could feel the heat radiating from their bodies, hear her ragged breathing and see the pleading look in her eyes.

  Dana clung to Griff’s gaze, not knowing what to do next. She needn’t have worried, because Griff leaned over, his strong, hard body warm and stabilizing against hers. It was a pleasant shock to feel his strength pressing and molding to her. He fitted his mouth to her mouth, his tongue caressing hers, making her wild with need of him. Moaning, Dana automatically drew her arms around his tense shoulders, and she pulled him across her.

  Griff’s weight felt good and right. He plundered her mouth, which was now moist and willing. Sliding his hand along her small but incredibly strong spine, Griff cupped her hips, deliberately bringing her against his hard maleness. Momentarily she tensed, and he leaned down to suckle her nipple. A quiver raced through her, dissolving the tension, and she felt like melting honey between his hands. The firm curve of her thigh met his, and he moved his hand in slow, teasing circles, approaching the juncture between them. Lightly stroking her with his fingers, Griff heard her give a startled little cry, but it was one of surprise and utter pleasure, not of pain or denial.

  “You’re so wet and hot,” he rasped unsteadily against her ear. “Give yourself to me, Dana, just melt into me. Let me give you all the pleasure you can stand. Trust me, just trust me….”

  With each loving stroke of his fingers Dana felt her thighs open of their own accord to his tender, exquisite exploration. She was a flower opening before the light, feeling her beauty as a woman in touch with the deep responses within her body. As Griff lay above her, moving more deeply into her, giving her exquisite pleasure that throbbed like white liquid heat through her, Dana’s head thrashed from side to side. Her fingers opened and closed spasmodically against his damp, tense flesh.

  “Just feel it,” he rasped against her lips, unable to believe how moist and welcoming she had become. Meeting her eyes, Griff saw her begging him for more, and he smiled. “Tell me when, sweetheart. When do you want me? You’re so ripe, so ready right now…” He caressed her intimately, feeling her arch suddenly against his hand, a gasp escaping her. Prolonging the sensation for Dana, Griff wanted to cry for the sheer joy of being able to give her the gift of the shattering climax. She fell back into his arms, her eyes dazed and filled with wonder.

  Griff kissed her tenderly and felt Dana’s trembling hand on his shoulder, asking him to cover her, to become one with her. He shook his head and rolled over onto his back, bringing her across him.

  “This is the only way, sweetheart,” he rasped, his hands fitting along her hips. When he saw the confusion in her eyes, he gently guided her against him. Dana’s lips parted, her fingers digging into his arms. “Take what you want, when you want. That way, you’ll get used to me, and there won’t be any pain—I promise you.”

  Trembling badly with need, Dana barely nodded, feeling his hard, demanding length caressing the entrance to her moist womanhood. “Help me,” she pleaded. Griff lifted her hips slightly. His lips pulled away from his clenched teeth as he barely entered her slick, heated darkness.

  Dana threw her head back as he rocked his hips against her. The sensation was explosive, and she moaned, arching her back and taking more of him into herself. He filled her, but the sensation was one of utter fulfillment, not pain. Each rocking motion made her feel as if she were deliriously flying apart in all directions. As he raised his head, his mouth finding her nipple and suckling her, fire zigzagged up through the center of her. Griff had promised her it would be good, but Dana was dazed by the pleasure he was wreaking from her untutored body. With each rocking motion, he thrust deeper, until Dana experienced th
e oneness she’d never realized could exist. Griff’s hands tightened along her hips, almost painful in intensity as she increased the ragged, urgent motion. And then, an explosion started low within her and spiraled upward like a blazing whirl of sparkling light. A cry tore from Dana as Griff prolonged the sensation. Mindless, she felt his entire body tense—felt the clean, strong power of a man completing her. In moments the beautiful song they’d created together dissolved into a quiet liquid pool of wonder. Dana lay on him, her head on his shoulder, simply absorbing the beauty of their mutual act. Only when Griff’s hand gently explored her shoulders and back and began wiping away the dampness, did she slowly start to return to reality.

  Griff sighed, feeling her begin to move. “No,” he whispered hoarsely, “stay. I want to be inside you. I want to feel you breathe. You’re so passionate, sweetheart…”

  Each caress made Dana feel more languid. Weakly she moved her hand across his darkly haired chest. She traced one of his prominent collarbones. “I don’t think I could move,” she admitted softly.

  “Kind of nice, isn’t it?”

  “You’re wonderful, Griff.”

  It was his turn to laugh. “We were wonderful. Sweetheart, you could bring a man to tears with the way you love.”

  Dana absorbed his fervent words. Finally she said, “It was so different with Lombard.”

  “He only wanted to take,” Griff said huskily, “not share. You can see the difference now.”

  There was a catch in her low voice. “You’ve shared so much with me, Griff. You took away my fear and pain.”

  “When it’s right between two people, that always happens, sweetheart.” He smiled tenderly into her eyes and saw tears stream down her cheeks. With his thumbs, he gently caught them and brushed the liquid against his chest. “I like what we share. Even tears.”

  “I want them always to be tears of happiness between us, Griff.”

  He threaded his fingers through her short, ebony hair. Dana’s face was flushed, but the soft smile pulling at the corners of her mouth humbled him. “Things won’t always go smoothly between us. You’ve already seen that. But, if we talk, if we share, we can always repair and build on what we have, Dana.”

  Lifting her head, Dana swam beneath his stormy gray gaze. Even now, he was filling her again, making her vibrantly aware of his maleness, his power. Yet, Griff’s touch, his eyes, spoke only of the tenderness he held for her. “I like lying this way with you.”

  Griff moved his hips, and saw her eyes widen with surprise, then grow sultry with pleasure. He smiled, cupping her breasts, feeling them grow firm within his hands once more. “I like it, too.” The words I love you almost slipped out, but Griff bit them back. Dana’s returning moan dissolved whatever worry hung over him about their future. “Tonight, and then tomorrow,” he rasped, arching deeply into her, letting her know his hunger for her all over again, “I want to love you until you melt into my hands with pleasure. You’re mine. I’m yours. All I want to do is bury myself in you, sweetheart. I don’t want anything more.”

  His powerful thrust sent another spasm spiraling through her, and Dana gripped his arms, arching her back in response. Physical sensation dissolved her functioning mind, and Dana, because she utterly trusted Griff with all her being, sank back into the building caldron of heat he was creating for them. The moonlight had shifted, flowing across them, outlining them, lending a sheen to their flesh. The boat rocked gently with the breath of them, lending a sheen to their flesh. The boat rocked gently with the breath of the ocean, and Dana’s breathing synchronized with Griff’s as they sought and found their way through the ancient rhythm. This time Dana felt not only Griff, but a vibrant awareness that all things moved with a flow, a pattern. She became one with him, and gloried in her strength as a woman coming to her man as an equal, absorbing his power into herself and sharing the primal pleasure with wild, hungry intensity.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dana awoke with a start. She felt Griff’s arms tighten around her for a moment to reassure her she was safe. Blinking, Dana realized that sometime in the night, she had turned over, her back against Griff. She savored the way he folded and followed her curves, providing a protective, loving sensation.

  “It’s all right,” Griff reassured her in a husky voice. “Go back to sleep.”

  The gray light of dawn was invading the sky. “I’m not used to sleeping with someone. When I woke up, it startled me,” Dana admitted. His arm was curled around her waist, and the sheet covered their lower bodies.

  “You don’t want to go back to sleep?” Griff inhaled the scent of her hair next to him, and he playfully nibbled at the nape of her neck.

  Giggling, Dana dodged his tongue and felt that familiar heat collect immediately between her legs. What had happened to her? Griff lightly caressed her shoulder and arm, and already she hungered for him as a man. “No,” she murmured. “I’m not sleepy anymore.”

  “I like waking with you in my arms, Danielle.” Griff smiled and rose up on his elbow, urging her to turn onto her back. Her blue eyes looked incredibly happy, and he leaned down to caress her smiling mouth. “Danielle. That’s who you are, you know. Not Dana, but Danielle. The name’s provocative, like you….”

  Simmering within Griff’s embrace and heated gaze, she whispered, “When you say my name, I feel different—like a whole, complete woman.”

  Moving his hand in lazy circles across her rounded belly, Griff nodded. “You survived as Dana. The rest of you—the woman you’re learning to become—is Danielle.”

  “With you, I can be both,” she whispered unsteadily.

  Griff kissed the tears away, tasting the salt of them. “Sweetheart, I like you any way you want to be for as long as you want it that way.”

  A tremor fled through Dana, and she held his serious gray gaze. “What will happen to us after I graduate, Griff?”

  His hand stilled against her belly. Dana was incredibly small, yet strong in surprising ways. “What do you want to happen?” he asked, fighting his own fear at what her answer might be.

  Placing her hand over his, Dana sighed. “We’ve gone through so much in such a short period of time, Griff. What we have is good…wonderful. And we’ve seen each other at our worst and at our best.”

  “And still, we’ve managed to keep what we have alive and well.”

  Reaching up, Dana cradled his cheek against her hand. She felt the stubble of his beard prickling her palm, hotly aware of small but delicious sensations as never before. “What I want… what I wish for, Griff… is that we keep what we have.”

  “And build on it?”

  “Yes.”

  Relief flooded through Griff. “I want the same thing, sweetheart.”

  “What will we do when I graduate?”

  Caressing her wrinkled brow until it smoothed out, Griff kissed her gently. “Let’s take it one step at a time.” He held her gold-flecked azure gaze. “I’m not losing you. Not to orders, not to a change of stations. Understand?”

  His commitment stirred her belief that no matter what happened, their relationship would survive. “Yes, I understand.” Dana sought his embrace, and pressed herself against him, her voice muffled against his chest. “Still, I’m afraid, Griff.”

  “So am I. We’ll be afraid together, okay?”

  Dana managed a partial laugh. “I like being scared with you, Griff Turcotte.”

  “Seven weeks, sweetheart. We’ve got seven weeks together.” Kissing her long and hard, drowning in the sweet warmth of her welcoming mouth, Griff wanted a hell of a lot more than that. He wanted a lifetime with Dana—not less than two months.

  ***

  “This should be the happiest day of my life,” Dana told Griff. She had just graduated with honors from the sixteen-week flight course. On her uniform, above the left breast pocket of her summer dress-uniform was a new set of gold wings. Her mother, Ann, had proudly pinned them on her. Griff stood between them, a crowd of nearly three hundred family members of the
graduating class milling around them on the parade ground after the ceremony.

  Ann Coulter slipped her hand around her daughter’s arm, giving her a small squeeze. “I’m sorry Molly wasn’t here to celebrate with you and Maggie. I know how close the three of you have grown over the years.”

  Griff saw the pain in Dana’s eyes. “I heard from a friend of mine, Lieutenant Cameron Sinclair, who’s a test pilot instructor at Patuxent, that she’s hanging in there and learning to be a flight engineer,” he said.

  Ann smiled at her daughter. “See? I told you Molly would pick up the pieces and move on.”

  “You did, Mom.” Dana hugged her mother tightly, fighting back the tears. Hadn’t they both picked up the shattered fragments of their lives and moved on to something better, more positive? Sniffing, she took a handkerchief from Griff, who stood protectively at her side. A fierce love of him welled up through her.

  Maggie came over to them with her parents and three older sisters. It always amazed Dana that Maggie’s sisters had gone into the service, too. As Maggie so aptly pointed out in their plebe year together at Annapolis, her family could trace its roots back to the famous line of Celtic warriors descending from Queen Boudicca. Dana had spent many holidays with Maggie’s family, who were fiercely close, and she knew the other sisters well. Caitlin, the oldest at thirty, had copper hair much the same color as Maggie’s. Although dressed in civilian clothes today, she was a major in the Air Force. She flew the huge C-130 cargo transport planes all over the world and exuded a quiet confidence that Dana hoped someday to possess. Next to her was black-haired Calista, whom everyone called Callie. At twenty-seven she was a Navy intelligence officer stationed at the Pentagon. Callie resembled their mother a great deal, Dana thought: small, dark-haired and with flashing blue eyes. Dana liked Callie’s quiet intensity. And auburn-haired Alanna, one year older than Maggie, was a radar officer aboard a Navy sub-hunting airplane, a P3. Dana hoped that she, too, would be assigned to flying a P3. If her grades stayed up, she had a good shot at it. Who knew? Perhaps she would be flying with Alanna! The thought made her grin. Keep it all in her extended family, she thought happily.