A Prince Among Men (Red, Hot & Blue)

by Cat Johnson

  Vicki liked the thought of him having no control around her. It had been a long time since she’d felt as if she had power over anything, forget about over a man. “What if we went to your hut?”

  Ryan shook his head. “God, I love how you think. But no, that won’t work. Wally is going back there to sleep. He has guard duty tonight.”

  “Where then? Where can we go?” Vicki realized she sounded desperate and not at all like they’d had sex, twice, only a few hours ago.

  He thought for a second. “The latrine?”

  She screwed her face up with such displeasure he didn’t even wait for her to answer that question. “All right, no latrine. I have another idea. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  He squeezed both of her arms, as if to plant her in that spot until he returned. With one last look to ensure she hadn’t moved, he took off at a hobbling run.

  Ryan arrived at his hut breathless. “Hey, Wally. You’ve got TOC guard duty tonight, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “Wanna switch nights with me? I’ll take yours tonight and you take mine later in the week?”

  “But you just had it like two days ago.”

  Ryan shrugged. Since when did Wally keep track of Ryan’s schedule like a mother? “Yeah, so?”

  Wally frowned. “So you’re telling me you’re volunteering to sit up answering calls all night in the operations center one night after we had an overnight mission even when you had guard duty just a few days ago?”

  What was with the inquisition? “Yeah, I am. Hell, Wally, it’s not like I’m out on patrol or something. It’s just sitting there next to the communications console in case a call comes in. I’ll hear it even if I do doze off.”

  “But why do you want to switch?” Wally shook his head and continued to look confused.

  Dammit, Wally. Ryan smothered a growl and came up with a plausible lie on the fly. “I…uh…slept half the day today and then got up and had too much caffeine. I know I won’t be able to sleep a wink, so I figure I may as well get it over with tonight.”

  Wally shrugged. “A’ight. Whatever. I’ll go tell Hawk about the change.”

  “Great. Thanks, Wally.”

  Great didn’t cover it. Unbelievably fantastic was more like it. An entire night with Vicki alone in the operations center while the rest of the camp slept.

  Now he just had to tell Hawk that Vicki would be sleeping on a cot in the back room of the operations center, and then tell Vicki to expect him at midnight when the shift started. Certain parts of his body started to get excited just thinking about it.

  Ryan ran—okay, more like limped at a fast pace—back outside. He found Vicki standing in the doorway of the war room watching something outside. He followed her line of sight and smiled. There seemed to be a heated volleyball game, but it was the players that surprised him most. It was the Afghans versus the Brits. The calls being shouted, half Pashtun and half proper—and sometimes not-so-proper—British were pretty hysterical.

  Vicki looked up at him in surprise. “They’re playing volleyball.”

  Ryan grinned. “Yup. And we have a golf range too. I told you, all the comforts of home.”

  “Yeah, sure.” She laughed at him like he was joking, but he wasn’t. There really was a golf range. It’s just that no one risked getting shot at to go out to retrieve the balls so they’d run out.

  “So where did you run off to before? Ryan?”

  Mesmerized, he realized he’d been staring at her tiny heart-shaped mouth, picturing what it would look like wrapped around his cock. He hadn’t answered her question, nor could he remember what it was so he could answer it now. “Hmm?”

  “You’re so tired after your mission last night you can’t even answer me. I knew I should have left you to sleep more.” Vicki shook her head.

  “Nope. In fact, I’m not feeling tired at all.” The lower parts of his body were definitely wide awake, proving his point. “Damn. I arranged for us to have tonight together, but I’m not sure I can wait that long.”

  He laughed at his own neediness until a hesitant look crossed her face. Uh, oh. Ryan frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  Vicki shrugged as her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. She was embarrassed and oh so cute. “It’s just…I mean, I love that you want me, but I keep reminding myself I’m the only woman here. It’s not like I have any competition for your attentions, you know? You haven’t had sex in so long, I could be any woman and you would still want me.”

  Ryan shook his head. “No, Vicki. That’s not true. Yeah, I’ve been here a long time with nothing but my right hand and my imagination to keep me company, but that’s not saying I’d be attracted to just any woman who strolled into the confines of that concertina wire. In fact, there have been women through here this deployment. Not often, but it happens occasionally, and I didn’t sleep with any of them. And I was in Bagram for a few days where there were plenty of women. Wally got laid, but I wasn’t even looking for that while I was there.”

  The look on her face said that the strategy of proving to her she was special by listing all of the many women he could have had sex with and didn’t wasn’t working out so well. Ryan sighed. “What I’m trying to say is, it’s you, Vicki. It’s definitely you, specifically, that I want.”

  “Why? What is it about me, specifically?”

  Oh boy. She could be a tough little thing when she wanted.

  He realized it was all his own fault for not just shutting up and kissing her when he had the chance. Now it looked as if she was going to make him work for it, but Vicki was worth the work.

  “I want to be with you because…” Ryan considered his words carefully, but when he thought about it, he had no trouble coming up with his reasons. “You’re afraid of spiders, but you’ll stand up to Hawk. You care enough about women you’ve never met that you came halfway around the world to a war zone to write a story about them. You’re so interested in the lives of soldiers you don’t even know that you take the time to read their blogs…”

  He was going to confess to her it was his blog she was reading, but he’d kept it a secret so long he had to figure out a way to tell her and not get in trouble. But right now he had a list to finish. “I want you, specifically, because you make even body armor look good—sorry, but it’s true. Because when we made love, we fit together like we were made for each other. Because you actually enjoyed eating a MRE just for the experience of it. I’m sure I can come up with a few more reasons if you give me a minute, but that’s a start.”

  “No, it’s okay. That’s enough.” She grabbed his body armor and hauled him in toward her. She stood on tiptoe and smashed her mouth against his. Kissing her, Ryan backed them both into the empty war room. He didn’t want to stop, but he also didn’t want to be seen.

  As she opened her mouth and teased him with her tongue, the kiss intensified, causing his gut to twist with want.

  He nibbled on her lower lip, taking the passion of the kiss down a notch while trying to talk his lower parts into behaving by telling them they had to wait until later. His duty in the operations center that night, and his time alone again with Vicki, couldn’t come soon enough.

  She pulled away, and as much as he missed the kiss, he was grateful Vicki had ended it. It was broad daylight and they were in the war room.

  “I just want you to know, it had been a really, really long time for me too.” Vicki stared him right in the eye, as if she needed to make the point very clear.

  Ryan kind of liked the idea of being the only man in Vicki’s bed for a really, really long time. He grinned. “Don’t worry. You haven’t forgotten a thing.”

  “I’m serious.” She smacked him on the arm. “I vowed not to date or have sex with anyone I work with, meaning reporters, photographers, editors, managing editors…”

  She hesitated on the last one, looking like the words tasted bitter on her tongue. Ryan wondered who the managing editor was that had made Vicki take a vow of celibacy against the enti
re journalism profession.

  “That was about a year ago.” She said the last and waited for his reaction.

  He raised a brow. A year. Wow. That was even longer than he’d been without sex, and he was deployed on a firebase in Afghanistan with no women. Ryan chose not to comment on that. “Then I guess it’s lucky for me that I hold none of the aforementioned occupations. Not unless you’re gonna add soldier to that list of men who are off limits.”

  “Nope. No plans for that.” She smiled and shook her head.

  “Good.” Ryan could get used to this woman. He held her tighter. “Now, let me brief you on the plan for tonight.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Vicki woke up sore and a little cranky after a restless and pretty uncomfortable, not to mention short, sleep. She was in what amounted to the back room/storage closet of the glorified tent Ryan had called the operations center.

  She’d only been banished to sleep here for one night so far, but still, she missed Ryan’s bed. She missed Ryan. Until she heard his voice coming from the outside room. Then she saw him as he walked through the makeshift door and toward her, smiling.

  “Vicki.”

  Even though she was still sleepy, his sexy voice sent a shiver down her spine and put a smile on her lips at the sound of her name coming from his. “Hi.”

  “Hi. Did you sleep at all? That other guard didn’t bother you, did he?”

  Mmm, she liked he was so protective. Vicki shook her head. “No, he didn’t bother me. What time is it?”

  “Midnight. I would have come earlier, but I had to wait for the shift to end for the guy I’m replacing.”

  “Did you get to sleep at all?” she asked.

  Ryan shook his head. “Nah. I had to help the guys with some things, and then I did some stuff on my computer until it was time for duty.”

  All these soldiers must need far less sleep than the normal person. At least, less than she did. She slid farther over in the narrow bunk. “Do you want to sit down? You must be ready to drop.”

  “I’m okay.” Ryan grinned mischievously. “Actually, parts of me are pretty wide awake.”

  She glanced down and took note of the clearly defined outline of one of those parts through his camouflage pants and felt her cheeks heat. It was the memory of the vast pleasure that one part in particular had given her that had her thinking, against all better judgment, they could actually have sex here in this public building on the narrow, uncomfortable cot.

  Ryan did sit, perching on the edge of the metal rack that was masquerading as a bed, making her wonder if it would hold their combined weights or if they would both end up on the plywood floor. He leaned over and touched his lips to hers. Vicki went from wondering to hoping the cot would support them, because she really wanted him.

  She’d never been into kissing in the past. But after being with Ryan, Vicki realized that was because she’d never really been kissed before. Ryan attacked kissing the way she imagined he did everything in life—full-out and with all he had. He captured her face with his big, rough hands, making her feel cherished and safe. His lips could be gentle one moment and demanding the next. Either way, Vicki could tell one hundred percent of Ryan’s concentration was centered on kissing her, and she loved that feeling.

  He kissed her that way now, and although she had wanted to ask him another question about their privacy, she was having a terrible time pulling back from his captivating kiss.

  She finally managed it, only to have him lean in and follow her.

  “I want more.” He chased and easily caught her lips with his, taking possession of her more than willing mouth again.

  Vicki wanted more too, and even though he didn’t seem to be worrying about it, she had to. Worrying came naturally to her. “Won’t other guys stop by here? And don’t you have work to do or something?”

  “I’ll hear the radio if any calls come in.” He brought his hand up again to wrap around the back of her head as he pulled her in for another kiss.

  She was starting to forget her list of concerns as he devoured her mouth. Vicki pulled away one more time, finding it even harder than the last. “What if someone comes in?”

  “It’s midnight. No one is coming in for a good eight hours. I may be good, but I think we’ll be done by then.” He flashed her that sexy, heart-melting smile and she was done too. Done fighting. Done worrying. Done denying her body what it craved so badly.

  “Okay.” Her voice came out sounding husky.

  After he moved from her mouth to nibble on her ear, he slid his hands lower. He moaned when he discovered she wore no underwear beneath her sweatpants. “God, I love how you sleep commando.”

  She giggled until he slid one finger inside her and her breath caught in her throat.

  “Mmm, and I love that you’re wet and I’ve barely touched you.”

  A year of no sex tended to heighten the senses, she guessed. Or a man who knew exactly how and where to touch her.

  “I want to touch every part of you. Kiss every inch of skin. Taste you.” As talented as Ryan’s hands were, he wasn’t too bad in the verbal department either.

  While her heart pounded, he slid her sweats down, and his body followed the path. The cot creaked beneath his weight as Ryan did all he had said he wanted to. He tasted her, feasted on her with both tongue and teeth. He worked her clit with his mouth until a body-wracking orgasm had her writhing beneath him. She was shaken and breathless and so sensitive she had to pull his head away from her throbbing flesh.

  His eyes were mere slits as he looked up at her. “I wish we could both be totally naked, skin to skin. I want every inch of me to touch every bit of you.”

  “We can’t. It’s too risky.”

  “I know. But I can do this.” Raising the hem of her T-shirt, he nuzzled one breast, then the other, teasing, tasting each sensitive nipple in turn.

  She wanted to touch him too. Craved the feel of his lean muscles beneath her fingers. “Can you at least take the body armor off?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, I think I can do that.”

  At least now she had the freedom to run her hands over his broad, firm back as she nibbled on one of his earlobes. The action had him sucking in a breath. She made a try at getting his belt off, but her valiant effort didn’t yield the results she wanted.

  “Now, Ryan. Please.” Vicki was frustrated by more than his uncooperative, Army-issue belt.

  He grinned, but his eyes held no humor, only need as he quickly undid the buckle himself. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Vicki watched as he unbuttoned the fly of his pants. She barely resisted the urge to lick her lips in anticipation. “You don’t ever have to wait for me to ask.”

  The sound he emitted after hearing that could only be classified as a growl. He halted short of unveiling the one thing she was waiting for most. “I’m tromping on enough rules already. I at least want to make certain you want this before I take you.”

  She reached for him and touched his wrist. “Don’t worry. I want this. I want you.”

  “Who am I to deny a lady what she wants?” Ryan’s voice had a gut-twisting, raspy quality to it. He freed himself and slid on what she assumed was another stolen condom procured from Wally. She didn’t care where it had come from as he lowered his body over hers.

  He was inside her in an instant, sliding in easily just like he had their first time together. She was more than ready. Judging by the hardness and the size of him, he felt the same.

  The cot shook with their motion as he rocked against her, rubbing her still-sensitive spot with each thrust. Vicki shook too, beneath Ryan. He hit her in all the right places, stoking the fire that she’d banked and ignored for the past year. She felt the tension building, felt herself ready to topple over the edge. Grabbing his ass cheeks, Vicki pulled him in deeper. As if he knew what was coming, Ryan throw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. She held him deep inside of her as her muscles spasmed and gripped his cock.

  Just as he’d done
that first morning when they’d made love, he waited for her to almost finish, like he was savoring every second of her climax. When the pulses slowed to nearly a stop, he thrust fast in time with the aftershocks of her orgasm. Finally, with a low groan, he came himself.

  A light sheen of perspiration glazed Ryan’s face. His arms shook as he held his weight over her. Still basking in the afterglow of her own pleasure and that of watching his face when he came, Vicki raised the hem of his tan uniform T-shirt and clasped her lips around one taut nipple.

  She tasted the salt on his skin. A moan that sounded as if it stemmed from pure pleasure rumbled from deep within Ryan’s chest the moment her tongue darted out to tease his chest. The sound cut straight through her until it tugged at parts lower, parts that again demanded attention even though her heart rate had barely recovered from the last time.

  Vicki kissed across his chest, enjoying the feel of his strong, hard body beneath her hands. Leaning in to nibble once more on one dark, pebbled nibble, she halted when she saw the small round bruise and the imprint of teeth marks on him. “Oh my God. Ryan, I did that to you.”

  “Yeah, you did.” He didn’t sound upset by it, but more proud.

  “I’m so sorry.” Horrified, she glanced at his face and found him grinning.

  “I’m not. I liked it. Feel free to bite me while you’re coming anytime.”

  “I bite when I come? I didn’t know.” Surely she would have noticed that before on one of her boyfriends in the past. Though maybe this was a new development brought on by Ryan and having inappropriate sex in a war zone where they had to be quiet.

  He nodded. “Yup, you do. Don’t worry. Those kinds of war wounds don’t bother me one bit.”

  She smiled. Yeah, good sex was messy, and sweaty, and yeah, sometimes painful, in a good way. She and Ryan, so far anyway, had some really good sex.

  With a sigh, Ryan pushed himself off her. He swung a foot onto the floor and stood. “As much as I hate to, I’d better get dressed.”

  “Do you have to leave?”

  “No. I’ll be right here until the morning, but I think I better get my pants on at least.” He touched her face before beginning to refasten the buttons. “Hawk said this morning that he feels a big one coming on. He’s hardly ever wrong.”