Coming Up for Air

by Karen Foley

  Not a dream!

  Panicked, she tried to jerk away, but a muscular arm restrained her.

  “Shh, sweetheart, it’s me.” The voice was warm and husky in her ear. “It’s just me.”

  Astonished and still blinking away sleep, she twisted her head to see Chance propped on his elbow behind her. Light from an outside pole filtered in through the small window of her tiny housing unit, providing just enough illumination to cast the room in silver shadow. But even in the dim light, she could make out his features. He looked tired, but there was no mistaking the heat of arousal in his translucent eyes.

  “Chance. What…? How…? What are you doing here?”

  “The firefight took longer than we anticipated. We got back about an hour ago, but I had some paperwork I needed to finish before I could come over.”

  He’d come to her straight from the battle. She frowned. “I mean, what are you doing here, in my quarters?”

  He gave her a lazy grin and dropped a kiss onto her shoulder. “Making love to you, I hope.”

  Making love to her. She struggled to stay focused while his hand leisurely explored her beneath the loose T-shirt she wore. She’d heard stories about soldiers who came away from battle with a huge rush of adrenaline that they later described as being similar to sexual arousal. Maybe it was true, because right now Chance was definitely aroused.

  “How did you know where to find me?”

  “I asked.”

  Oh, God.

  “Before you freak out,” he continued, accurately interpreting her expression of horror, “I asked your copilot, Warrant Officer Costanza. Even then, I only asked if she knew where you were. She said you’d turned in for the night, and then proceeded to tell me exactly where your unit was located.”

  Jenna relaxed, secure in the knowledge that Laura would never tell anyone that Chance had spent the night with her. “I’m glad you’re back.” And safe. “I thought you might return to Sangin or Kabul.”

  He cupped one of her breasts and she arched helplessly into his palm. When he nuzzled the side of her neck, the roughness of his beard growth made her shiver.

  “We escorted two Black Hawks back to Kandahar,” he said against her ear, “but there’s no way I could sleep in the visiting officer’s quarters, not when I knew you were here, alone.”

  “Mmm, I’m glad you came.” She shifted restlessly beneath his hand, and when his hot tongue traced the contour of her ear and bit down gently on the lobe, she turned in his arms until they were pressed together from chest to knee. It was only then that she realized he’d shucked his clothing and was completely nude. She swallowed hard and forced herself to concentrate, when all she really wanted was to grasp his thick length in her hand and rub herself against him. “I worried about you.”

  “You worried about me? Christ, lady, if you knew the hell I went through while you were lowering that medic…” His face grew dark at the memory. “I never want to go through something like that again.”

  “You did a great job covering me,” she assured him, stroking the hand on her breast. “If it helps, there wasn’t one point during that exercise where I was afraid for my own safety, because I knew you had my back.”

  He buried his face against her neck and his words were muffled. “Yeah, well I was scared shitless the entire time we were out there. I’ve never felt so powerless in my life. If anything had happened to you—”

  His admission made Jenna catch her breath. “Hey, look at me.”

  He lifted his head, his expression raw.

  “I’m okay,” she whispered.

  He searched her eyes for a long moment, and then covered her mouth in a deep, hot kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. Instinctively, she curled a leg over his hips and ran her free hand over his chest, reveling in the warm, hard muscles she encountered. He must have come straight from the showers, because he smelled of clean soap and a spicy deodorant.

  He cupped her rear end in one big hand, urging her closer, even as he deepened the kiss, licking at her mouth and sucking on her tongue until she gave a moan of pleasure. His erection pressed against her stomach, hot and hard. He completely surrounded her until she became lost in the feel, smell and taste of him. When he tugged her T-shirt over her head, she raised her arms to help him and then tossed the garment onto the floor. There was an urgency to his lovemaking that demanded a response, and Jenna complied.

  She tilted her head, welcoming the intrusion of his tongue, and used her own to explore his mouth. He tasted faintly of mint, and she used her teeth to bite gently on his lower lip, tugging on it until he gave a low growl and turned her onto her back.

  Jenna caught her breath as he reared back on his knees between her splayed thighs. The indistinct light cast shadows over his toned body, emphasizing the thrust of bone and muscle and making her mouth go dry. His penis stood fully erect, thick and dark against the paler skin of his abdomen, and Jenna resisted the urge to reach out and wrap her fingers around his length. Her legs still bracketed his thighs, and now he reached down and swept her panties from her hips, pushing her knees back so that he could pull them completely free of her body. He tossed the scrap of silk aside, and Jenna silently thrilled to the masculine appreciation she saw reflected in his eyes as he stared down at her.

  This was what she had wanted; what she needed.

  She lay exposed before him like a sacrificial offering. His gaze swept over her, touching upon her breasts, her belly and the place between her legs where she thrummed with desire. Her own gaze drifted from his face to his impressive erection. It would take no more than a small adjustment of his position for him to enter her, and the inner muscles of her sex contracted hungrily at the thought. Reaching out, she stroked a single finger across the blunted tip, gratified when it came away slick with moisture. Capturing his gaze, she slowly put the finger into her mouth and sucked it, tasting his essence.

  Chance’s eyes grew dark, and he lay his hand flat on her chest. Jenna knew he must feel the uneven pounding of her heart against his palm. Slowly, he drew his hand downward, and Jenna’s stomach muscles tensed beneath the heated contact. She held her breath, wanting him to touch her there. Instead, he used both hands to grasp her hips and pull her toward him so that her buttocks rested on his thighs. Then he leaned forward, sliding both hands upward, over the arch of her ribs until he captured her breasts.

  Jenna gasped, her attention riveted on Chance’s face as he gently kneaded and stroked her pliant flesh, and then rolled her sensitized nipples between his fingers until they stood out in hard little nubs. His expression was rapt, as if he’d never seen her before; as if he got intense pleasure simply from touching her.

  “Christ, you’re gorgeous,” he muttered.

  Before she could protest, he slid his hands to her back and lifted her upward, supporting her weight as he bent and took a nipple into his mouth. Jenna sucked in her breath as his hot, wet mouth drew sharply on her, and she felt an answering tug of arousal in her womb. She threaded her fingers through his short hair, letting her head fall back as he laved first one breast and then the other with his tongue.

  “Oh, God,” she panted, “that feels so good.”

  He released her, allowing her to recline back against the pillows, and redirected his attention to her sex, where she pulsed hotly. He stroked his hands along her inner thighs, his expression almost reverent, before he brushed his fingers over her softness, barely touching her.

  “Don’t tease me,” she whispered.

  She ached for him to touch her. She wanted to squirm on his lap and drag his hand to where she needed it the most, but instead she lay pliant and still.

  “Do you want me to touch you?” His voice was no more than a husky rasp.

  “Yes, oh yes.” Without conscious thought, she tilted her hips to give him better access.

  “Oh, man,” he groaned. “I’m trying so hard to go slow, to make this good for you, but I’m not sure—”

  “I don’t want you to go slow,�
� she assured him, covering his hands with her own. “I want you inside me, fast and hard.”

  His expression grew taut. She watched, entranced, as he guided her hands to his rigid length and curled her fingers around his straining cock. His skin was satiny soft beneath her fingertips, but there was no mistaking the extent of his arousal; he pulsed hotly against her palm as she slowly stroked her hand along his length. He’d pulled her so close that her sex almost touched the base of his cock, and she imagined his reaction if she pushed upward and rubbed herself against his shaft.

  He groaned loudly, and when Jenna glanced at his face, she saw that he’d tipped his head back and closed his eyes, his expression one of intense concentration. She wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and cupped him from beneath, testing his weight in her hand. But when he used his own hands to guide her movements, she complied, watching the contrast of his strong, tanned fingers over her paler ones.

  Watching him only heightened her own arousal. As she continued to stroke him with one hand, she slid the fingers of the other hand over herself, parting her folds until she found the small rise of flesh that ached and throbbed with need. As she skated her fingertips over her slippery clitoris, she was unable to prevent a small moan of pleasure from escaping her lips.

  “Jesus.”

  Glancing up, she saw that Chance watched her through glittering eyes, his attention riveted to where she touched herself. Immediately, a hot rush of fluid drenched her fingers. Knowing that he watched her made her feel incredibly sexy. As she continued to stroke him with her free hand, she slid one finger inside herself, and then swirled the slickness over her labia, pausing to give her clitoris a little extra attention. She was so aroused…so close…

  A low growl distracted her from what she was doing and she shifted her gaze upward. Chance’s eyes were hot as he watched her, and now he took her hand and raised it to his lips, drawing her wet finger into his mouth and sucking on it. When he finally released her, Jenna felt as if he’d actually put his mouth on her there.

  Before she could guess his intent, he leaned forward so that her legs dangled over his thighs, and grasped her hips in his hands. With one easy movement, he pushed inside her. Jenna gasped at the incredible sensation of fullness; at the sight of him rising over her on his knees as he thrust into her. He looked primal and utterly masculine. Pressure gathered and built at her core each time he withdrew and surged back into her.

  “Look at me,” he rasped.

  Jenna did, enthralled by what she saw. His features were taut, his expression both possessive and tender. He moved over her and inside her, his muscles bunching and flexing with each movement. In that moment, he was pure, unadulterated male and he was all hers.

  “I want you to come,” he growled softly, smoothing one hand along the length of her body until he reached the apex of her thighs where they were joined. As he watched her face, he slid a finger over her sensitized flesh, making her arch upward with a helpless cry. “That’s it… Come for me.”

  Jenna clutched at his arms, her inner muscles tightening around the thick slide of his penis until she could feel every push and drag of his flesh inside her. She was so close that another few thrusts would send her over the edge, but when he pressed his finger against her, she lost it. Wave after wave of bone-deep pleasure crashed over her, causing her to shudder and cry out.

  As if he’d only been waiting for her orgasm, Chance gave a deep groan and plunged into her. Jenna could actually feel him pulsing deep inside her as her body fisted around him. For several long moments, all she could do was lie there, chest heaving as she gasped for breath, her heart pounding hard against her rib cage. Chance was still on his knees with her legs splayed over his thighs, his head tipped back and his eyes closed as he dragged in air.

  As Jenna watched him, she realized her worst fears were coming true—had come true. She’d fallen for Chance Rawlins. A helicopter pilot. A guy who would always put the mission ahead of her, because that was what he was supposed to do. What she was supposed to do, too. She didn’t have time to dwell on her thoughts, however. In one movement, Chance lowered himself onto her and then rolled them both to their sides until they lay facing each other, her legs still encircling his hips. He stared at her for a long moment and then dipped his head to kiss her in a soft, moist fusing of lips that made her heart ache.

  When he finally pulled back, he stroked her hair from her face and let his gaze drift over her features as if he would commit them to memory.

  “What are you thinking?” Jenna asked.

  He gave a rueful smile. “I’m thinking that you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I’m wondering how I ever got lucky enough to walk out of that bar with you back in North Carolina, and then end up over here with you.”

  Jenna couldn’t keep herself from laughing. “I’m not sure many people would think having sex in a modified shipping container is something to envy.”

  Chance chuckled and pressed his mouth against the base of her throat, where she knew her pulse still beat erratically. “I don’t know. Right now I feel like the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet.”

  “Well, thanks,” she murmured.

  “And just for the record,” he continued, using one finger to tip her face up, “I’m not just referring to the sex. I meant what I said. I think you’re an incredible woman.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re not too shabby, either,” she responded lightly.

  “Even for a pilot?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice.

  Jenna met his eyes. “Especially for a pilot.” She hesitated, wondering how much she should tell him. “I guess it’s always been easier for me to just lump all pilots into the same category.”

  “By easier, you mean safer.”

  Jenna chewed her lower lip and nodded. She didn’t like acknowledging how narrow-minded she’d been. “Yes. I was afraid that if I got involved with a pilot, I might end up falling for him and then where would I be? I know better than anyone what kind of life a military pilot leads, and it isn’t exactly compatible with the white picket fence and two-point-five kids.”

  He pulled back just a little and stared at her so intently that Jenna grew uncomfortable and averted her gaze.

  “Is that what you want?” he finally asked. “A house in the suburbs and a family?”

  “Yes. No.” She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling of the little room. “I don’t know. Eventually, I guess that’s what I’d like.”

  Chance propped himself up on his elbow with his head on his hand and looked at her. “I’m not so sure.”

  Jenna turned her head on the pillow. “What do you mean?”

  He shrugged. “I just think that if you had that kind of life, you’d be bored to tears within a couple of years. Don’t get me wrong. I want a family someday, too. But I can’t see myself ever giving up flying. It’s in my blood. It’s who I am. And it’s who you are, too.”

  Jenna snorted. “Yeah, well, my father never gave up flying but that didn’t mean he was happy. He made my mom miserable. The closest I’ve ever seen him to happy is when he’s in the cockpit of a helicopter. I don’t want that.”

  Chance traced his finger in a lazy pattern over her stomach. “I think your father battled a lot of demons,” he finally said, his tone careful. “He gave everything he had to that war. He must have been scared shitless, but he kept drawing on whatever reserves he had to keep going back into battle to save those men. He gave that war everything he had, and in the end, maybe there wasn’t anything left for anyone else. Maybe not even for himself.”

  Jenna smiled at him, but she could feel the edges of her mouth wobbling. “I suppose next you’re going to say that in spite of all that, he really does love me.”

  To her surprise, Chance gathered her in his arms and pulled her against his chest, pressing his lips to her temple.

  “Of course he does,” he rumbled softly against her ear. “How could he not?”

  15

  WHEN JE
NNA WOKE UP the following morning, Chance was gone. She’d known he would be; there was no way he could stay and risk anyone seeing him leave her housing unit. Still, she lay on her narrow bed and ran her hand over the spot where he had lain just hours earlier. Her pillow still bore the imprint of his head, and so she buried her face against the cool cotton and breathed in his scent.

  Glancing at her bedside clock, she saw it was just past 5:30 a.m. Her alarm wouldn’t go off for another thirty minutes and she was content to lie there and recall the night she’d spent with Chance. He hadn’t actually said that he loved her, but he’d implied it.

  Hadn’t he? He’d stated that of course her father loved her, as if he found it impossible that anyone—including himself—could not love her. Or was she reading too much into those words? Groaning, she turned on her side and bunched the pillow beneath her head. She no longer knew. He’d certainly acted as if he loved her.

  And if the sex last night had been great the first time, it had been off-the-charts amazing the second time, when Jenna had woken Chance up by planting warm, damp kisses against his skin, starting at his jaw and working her way down the length of his body. By the time she’d reached his hips, he’d been wide awake, as evidenced by his growing arousal. She’d filled her hands and mouth with him and hadn’t stopped until he’d lifted her away and turned her onto her stomach beneath him. Even now, she was deliciously tender from their lovemaking, and her muscles ached from the unaccustomed demands he’d made on her body.

  Had he returned to the itinerant officers’ quarters here on Kandahar, or had he already flown back to Kabul? He’d said he wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, but realistically she knew that might not be possible. They’d talked about seeing each other again, as much as they could until their deployments ended. They hadn’t talked about what would happen when they both returned to the States, where she would rejoin her unit in upstate New York, and he would return to North Carolina. Military relationships were hard enough without the added difficulty of distance and future deployments. She just didn’t see how they could make it work, but Chance had been determinedly optimistic.