The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  Lifting her off her feet, he wondered how such a tiny, fragile woman could fit his body so wonderfully. He thought he heard her growl as she wrapped her legs around his waist, and his body responded to the sound by knotting in painful need.

  Shuffling toward the bed, he stopped as his shins found the bed frame. Joy’s legs slid down his body as she stood on the mattress. He took advantage of the position to grab the hem of the oversize shirt and pull it over her head. Letting his palms run down her luscious body, he savored every tremor, every tremble that his touch evoked. Her black bra was banished to the floor after Lucas removed it and tossed it over his shoulder. He buried his face between her breasts and breathed in her scent.

  Threading her fingers through his hair, Joy pulled him to her, welcoming the warmth of his lips on her skin. This was how it should be, how it was meant to be. Just a man and a woman and the love they shared. She needed to feel the heat of his skin against hers. Tugging at his shirt, she was almost frantic with want, with the need to taste, and with the need to touch.

  Lucas helped her remove his shirt, and his jeans and boxers quickly followed. Standing there, he felt no modesty, no need to hide his scars or his nudity from her. He could see appreciation reflected in her eyes as her gaze scanned him from head to toe and back again. Joy made him feel handsome, even if he wasn’t, even if he was scarred. And she was glorious dressed in nothing but those black lace panties, her navel adorned by that tiny gold hoop. Every inch of her was a work of art—dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes that seduced him with nothing more than a simple glance. He made short order of removing the last scrap of her clothing and reveled in the feel of her as he took her back into his embrace.

  She let out a small squeal followed by a giggle when he slipped his arms behind her back and her knees and dropped her to the bed. As he sprawled next to her and let his fingers explore every inch of her soft skin, all he could think was how right this felt, how perfectly her breasts fit his palms, and how wonderful it was to have her wriggling beside him as she reacted to every caress.

  Joy let her hand wander his strong arm and his flat stomach before it roamed to that gorgeous butt she had spent quite a bit of time admiring. Firm muscle greeted her palm. He growled his approval before he began to kiss his way down her neck to her chest. Could anything feel so wonderful, so loving as his lips and his tongue as they teased her breasts? Her fingers laced through his hair, holding him close, begging him not to stop.

  Just as she was marveling at what magic he could weave, Lucas’s hand moved up her thigh, leaving a trail of warmth in its path. Wanting to return the intimate touch, to make him burn the way he made her burn, Joy tried to summon her courage to stroke the part of him she ached to feel inside her. Tentatively reaching out, she slowly wrapped her fingers around his erection. So hot, so foreign, so hard. She suddenly wanted to explore every inch of him, wanted to touch, to stroke, to caress.

  Lucas almost brushed her hand away when he realized how her hesitant desire to please him was driving him close to release. Instead, he took a couple of steadying breaths so he could endure the blissful torture of those cool fingers sliding the length of him while her thumb stroked his sensitive head. His response to Joy’s touch, her scent, her feel made him so hard it was painful. Overwhelmed by a rushing need to be inside her, the urgency became agony. He needed to bury himself so deep inside her that they became one.

  Rolling on top of Joy and settling between her legs, Lucas braced himself to stop to stare into her big brown eyes. The passion and love reflected there made his breath catch in his throat. He kissed her lips, one deep kiss, then pulled back to watch the response in those beautiful eyes. “I love you, Jozsa.”

  “Szeretet. I love you too,” she replied in a husky voice. “I want you. I want you now.”

  As she wrapped her legs around his waist, he thrust inside her, granting her request with a greed he could barely contain.

  All Joy could think was how perfectly they fit, how marvelous this felt. Then he began to move and she lost all the ability to think at all. But feel? Oh God, how she could feel. The rhythm was slow, deliberate, driving her insane. Not understanding how he could maintain any kind of control, Joy thrust her hips against him, begging him to hurry, to bring an end to the torture of clinging to the cliff when what she really wanted was to jump, to fly again.

  Lucas wanted this to last, wanted to enjoy each moment and savor each divine sensation. But the more her voice cried her desire, the more her body pleaded with his, the more his control slipped away. She was too perfect. Warm. Wet. Beautifully tight. He began to thrust faster and faster, climbing to the sky then soaring through the clouds.

  And she was there with him, meeting his body’s demands, matching his body’s desire. With one last thrust, Lucas gave her his essence as she contracted around him and breathed his name. Paradise came in a blinding rush as they clung together, holding each other safe.

  Chapter 21

  “A bunch of grown men drooling over some strippers,” Katie grumbled, feeding Reed a spoonful of applesauce as he sat in a highchair, bouncing with each bite. “Testosterone-induced stupidity.”

  “Not strippers,” Samantha corrected as she wiped one of Chelsea’s chubby hands with a napkin. “Just dancers. The lady I talked to said they dance around on the bar. You know, like in Coyote Ugly.”

  “Still. We’re talking about married men.” Katie shot a quick glance at Joy. “Well, at least taken. What business do they have hiring dancers for a bachelor party anyway?”

  Sitting at a Starbucks table with her friends and their children, Joy sipped her iced coffee and felt the unwelcome jealousy draping over her like a cloak. Although they weren’t held in her culture, she knew what a bachelor party was. And it was clear Lucas, Seth, and Brian were planning a hell of a send off for Chris Harris that evening. A wake, she figured. “So like a silly man to mourn the loss of his freedom,” she quietly commented before sipping some more coffee. Katie and Samantha both nodded enthusiastically at her insight.

  Did Lucas like women who danced? Would he stare at them as they enticed him in their scanty clothes? Would he compare their curves to her tiny shape? Would he realize how ugly her scar was compared to their perfect bodies? She wondered if he knew gypsies danced. They just didn’t dance on a bar for a bunch of drunken men.

  Sam gave them a sly smile. “Well, they’re in for a hell of a surprise. When that lady called to confirm the reservation, I cancelled the stupid booking. They’re not gonna have nearly as much fun as they think they’ll have tonight. That’ll teach Brian to quit forgetting his cell phone.”

  “What about Chris’s fiancée?” Joy asked. “What does she say about the dancers?”

  Katie pinched off a piece of her sweetroll and handed it to Reed. “Angie didn’t care that the guys were throwing this party for Chris. Her friends are taking her out on the town tonight. You know, we could...” She never finished her thought, but Joy could see Katie’s brows furrowed in deep thought before a wry grin crossed her lips.

  Sam wouldn’t simply let it drop. “Could what? You’re up to something.”

  “We could give them something to think about,” Katie finally replied.

  Joy cocked her head and stared at Katie. While Joy had learned to trust Katie, she still didn’t know much about the redhead’s personality. But she was rapidly discovering Katie had a wild side tucked behind that calm, cool exterior. “Go on,” Joy encouraged.

  “Seth called me a ‘ball and chain’ the other day, and it got me thinking. Guys get so used to seeing their wives that they stop really looking at them. I wish they’d realize we could be every bit as sexy as those stupid dancers. I just don’t know how to show them.”

  Sam gave an enthusiastic nod. “They see us at our worst. No make-up. When we’re tired. When we’re sick. When we’re fat.”

  “Fat with their kids, I might add,” Katie said as she smoothed her hand over Reed’s curly hair before she smiled at Joy. “I kno
w what I’ll do. I’m gonna dig out some black lingerie tonight. Make him remember why he married me.”

  “They forget we’re still women,” Sam added. “Women who want to have fun. Women who want to feel pretty.”

  Joy could almost see the gears turning in Samantha’s head. Although she’d only known Sam a short time, Joy had learned the woman had a talent for solving problems in very creative ways. Joy had a sudden urge to run away before she was dragged into some plot these two were hatching against the men. Keeping her seat out of morbid curiosity and a touch of insecurity because Lucas planned to attend a party where he knew scantily-clad women would be dancing, Joy witnessed the idea pop into Sam’s head.

  Slapping the table with her palm hard enough to make their coffee cups shake, Sam turned to Katie. “Do you still have those black leather pants you got for Perry’s honky-tonk party?”

  Katie nodded then her eyes flew wide. “Sam, you’re not thinking about us... No. No way. I’m not sure the silly things would even fit anymore.”

  Sam’s entire face glowed with excitement. “I’m sure they will. And do you think we could scare up something like that for Joy to wear? Maybe some hip-huggers? A mini-skirt?”

  “Wear where?” Joy finally asked. She had not a clue as to what Sam and Katie were planning.

  Sam just kept smiling. “To The Place. We’re gonna crash that stupid party.”

  * * * *

  Joy held up the embroidered jeans that seemed to be missing an awful lot of material in some very important places. “They’re a bit...skimpy.”

  The women had spent all afternoon learning a dance that Joy was afraid would be a tad too suggestive. Her feet hurt from the red boots Katie gave her to wear while they practiced. She was tired and she was hungry. And now she had absolutely no idea how she could be seen dressed in those scanty jeans. “I can’t wear these.”

  “Sure you can,” Katie encouraged. “You’ll look great in ‘em.” She shuffled through a few more things hanging deep in the closet before pulling out a pair of black leather pants. “Damn, those look small. I hope they still fit.”

  “Oh, stop it, Katie,” Sam said as she tugged and pulled, trying to wiggle into her own pair of jeans. “You’re just as skinny as you were before you had Reed.” Joy could hear Sam take a deep breath before she yanked the zipper closed. “They fit, but I can’t breathe.”

  Katie gave Sam a quick visual appraisal. “But you look great. You’re not even showing yet. Good thing in those hip-huggers.” Katie snapped her fingers and pointed at Sam. “You know, I think I have a sleeveless denim top that will go great with those. You can tie the tails up under your boobs.” After a short search in a bureau drawer, Katie threw a shirt at Samantha.

  Joy turned her attention back to the jeans she held. If she could even fit in the skimpy things, she was afraid to wear them. Her entire stomach would be exposed, navel ring and all. Wondering for a moment if they would even cover her butt, she dropped them on the bed. “I can’t wear these.”

  Katie immediately picked the jeans up and handed them back to Joy. “At least try them on. Come on, Joy. We’re all in this together.”

  With a heavy sigh, Joy nodded, put the jeans down, and pulled off her skirt. Sliding her legs into the pants, she had a hard time fighting the urge to keep trying to pull them up when they stopped at her hipbones barely covering her bikini panties.

  My butt is hanging out here!

  “You look great in those,” Sam said as she stared back at Joy from Katie’s big mirror. “I love the belly-button ring.” With a chuckle, she added, “Won’t be long before that innie is an outie.”

  Joy self-consciously let her shirt drop to cover her bare stomach.

  Katie buttoned her black leather pants. “Kinda tight,” she grumbled. “And I forgot how warm they are. I’ll need some of Reed’s talcum powder or they’ll stick to my skin.”

  “But they’re mucho sexy,” Sam said as she turned around to face them. “We need to get Joy a good shirt. A tank top or a halter.”

  “No,” Joy blurted out. While she was every bit as angry at the men as Katie and Sam were, she’d never been out in public in anything nearly this...this...sparse. How could she show so much skin to so many people? How could she possibly stand on a bar and dance the steps they had practiced all afternoon? How could she find that kind of courage?

  What if Lucas didn’t like the way she looked?

  Sam came over to Joy and put a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Katie and I can be kinda bossy sometimes. It wasn’t fair to railroad you. We’re just wanting to give our silly husbands a good show. You know, let them know we’re not exactly over the hill yet. Lucas probably doesn’t think of you as that...domestic.” Her lips formed a small smile. “Not yet.”

  “She’s right, Joy,” Katie chimed in. “I mean you and Lucas haven’t been together as long as we’ve been with our husbands. He hasn’t seen you at your worst yet.”

  Knowing she was being gently played to get her to dance with them, Joy gave in nonetheless. Whether she realized it or not, Katie had hit a nerve. Joy still felt she came up lacking when comparing herself to Lisa Clark’s long legs and lush curves. If a quick dance atop a bar would attract Lucas’s attention and keep it away from that bleach-blond hussy, she would give it a try.

  Once she made the decision to dance, Joy felt as if some shackle had suddenly released her. She felt...free. “I’ll do it. I just don’t want a shirt that shows my scar. What have you got?”

  “Just the thing,” Katie replied with a snap of her fingers. She reached back into her closet and pulled out a top covered in red sequins. Twirling the hanger, she said, “It’s all front. Just a couple of ties in the back. Seth wouldn’t let me wear it.” A naughty grin crossed her lips. “At least in public.”

  Joy took the garment from Katie and held it up to her chest. A triangle. It was nothing more than a sparkling red triangle with the top pointing to her throat as the sides expanded to just below her breasts. “It sure won’t cover much.”

  “Sure it will. Just enough to get Lucas’s attention.” Sam finished knotting the loose ends of her denim shirt just below her breasts. “So you’ll show them a little of your back.” She giggled as she looked Joy over. “And a bit of ass.”

  Turning her back to the women, Joy pulled her peasant blouse over her head, popped off her bra, and tried on the sequins top. After knotting the tie around her neck, she pulled the ribbons that held the garment together across her back. Katie stepped up and helped her tie them.

  “Perfect,” Katie said.

  Joy turned to gaze at herself in the mirror. Tight jeans. Bare belly. Red sequins hiding her scar but not much else. So different than the image usually staring back at her. What in the hell was she thinking?

  How can I go out in public dressed like...this?

  “You look great.” Katie finished tying on a shirt that appeared to be nothing more than a big blue bandanna strategically covering her chest. “We can start out with the cowboy hats.”

  “Yeah,” Sam added. “And pull the brims down so they don’t know it’s us.”

  “After we dance for a little bit, then we can throw the hats at ‘em,” Katie continued the plan.

  “Joy, flip your hair around when you dance,” Sam said as she unbraided her own hair. “Guys love long hair.”

  Katie reached up to twist one of the long, red curls covering her head. “This stuff’s getting too unruly, all it does now is frizz. But your hair is gorgeous, Joy. Let it down.”

  Joy obediently tugged off the scrunchie holding her hair in a thick ponytail. The dark locks spilled over her shoulders. As she gazed in the mirror, she wondered at the transformation. She no longer felt shackled to her heritage. In embracing Lucas, she had grown beyond the circle. Her culture remained an important part of who she was, but Joy was ready to become so much more.

  That person staring back at her was a new Jozsa Kovacs. She actually felt se
xy and more than a little naughty. Lucas would notice her. No doubt about that. “Do you two think you could teach me how put on some make-up?”

  * * * *

  Lucas sat at a table, nursing a beer, spinning a cardboard coaster, and feeling like he was wasting his time. The evening hadn’t turned out at all like he expected. No male bonding. No helping Chris see how lucky he was. Just a bunch of bored stiff guys drinking too much and waiting around for something to happen. What he really wanted to do was go home to Joy.

  Brian and Seth were sullen and in a pout because the dancers they’d hired to entertain Chris had yet to show. Chris was drinking far more than he should as he continually related the story of proposing to Angie O’Riley for anyone close enough to listen. Three times of hearing the sappy recounting of the midnight hot-air balloon ride had been enough for Lucas. And then there was the waitress—Lisa Clark.

  The woman just wouldn’t let up. She grumbled and complained to anyone close enough to listen, making rude comments about the decline of their fair town since the gypsies had arrived. Lucas had finally grabbed his beer and headed to a table to get away from her before he laid into her for her bigotry. If he started in on her, he’d end up getting kicked out of the bar. Now, she was collecting empty glasses from the tables and staring holes through him.

  Most of the men were playing pinball or pool, and a few appeared ready to leave. Lucas was just about to make his own excuses and head back to Joy when the lights dimmed and hillbilly-rock music suddenly blared through the enormous speakers by the stage. “Great,” he grumbled. The strippers must have finally made it. Brian and Seth probably wouldn’t let him leave until the show was over. He hoped it would be mercifully quick.

  Glancing at the stage, he was surprised it remained dark and empty. Not until he heard the first stomp of a booted foot on the bar did he realize that Brian and Seth had hired real dancers instead of silly strippers.