Rising (Anderson Special Ops Book 2)

by Melody Anne

  They sat back quietly as he drove, listening to music and getting lost in their thoughts. Maybe he was reviewing their day as much as she was. Maybe he had as many questions about what all of this meant as she did. Maybe it would be better for her to lay it all out. She was confused.

  Steve hit his turn signal as she was about to voice a question, distracting her as she tried to figure out where he was taking her next. She hadn’t been at all disappointed in his adventures so far. He truly was a romantic man, which surprised her since he was built like a brick wall. She’d seen many men who looked like him, and they didn’t have a clue what romance was. He was a mystery.

  “Okay, I can’t take it any longer. Where are we going next?” she finally asked.

  Steve smiled, that smile that flipped her stomach upside down and made her clench her fingers together to keep from reaching out to him.

  “Do you honestly think I’d give away anything?” he asked. “You should know me better than that by now.”

  He was about to add more when a large orange sign made him slow the truck. “What is this?” he asked, scowling as he came to a stop.

  “Road closed November through March,” Erin read out loud.

  They stepped from the truck and walked closer. “It should be open. We’re not in those months,” Steve said, scratching his head as he looked around.

  “Oh, remember that huge storm we had a few days ago. A sign at a car dealership was blown over not that far from my restaurant, and there were several wrecks due to high winds. I bet the road is covered in debris,” Erin told him.

  “I didn’t even think about that,” Steve said. She took him as a man not used to having his plans changed.

  But then he turned and smiled again, quickly adjusting to the new plans. “I guess we’ll just get some more walking in,” he said as he moved back toward the truck.

  “Where are we going?” she asked. “I’m not sure my legs will carry me too far after the hike we’ve already had.”

  “It won’t be near as far, I promise. And you’ll soon find out,” Steve told her. Then he reached into the back of the truck and pulled out their backpacks. He handed hers over while putting his on, then refilled their water bladders. “Let’s head out,” he finally said.

  They moved down the road and into the woods, Steve checking his phone every few minutes, turning down one trail after another. There were some branches in the way that he easily eliminated, and the farther they got from the road, the more peaceful and beautiful it became. It wasn’t often Erin got to hear the birds so clearly and see squirrels playing in the trees. This was about as close to heaven as it got in her opinion. She could hike with him all day and night . . . and maybe even have a campout if the stars all aligned. She wasn’t sure her legs could handle it, but her mind and body certainly could.

  There wasn’t much talking as they hit a pretty steep hill, trekking up for nearly thirty minutes. There went his words of not far to go. She’d have to advise him later on what was and wasn’t considered a short distance. Erin was working up a sweat and feeling an old familiar ache in her leg. There was no possible way she was going to tell him she was hurting. The day was too good, and she didn’t want it ruined by an injury she hadn’t felt in a long time. It must be the dang trek.

  They broke through some trees, and Steve stopped. “We’re here,” he told her.

  She let out a breath of relief as the ache in her leg grew worse. She took the pressure off it, trying to put all of her weight on the left side of her body. But there was a sheen of sweat breaking out on her forehead. Dang it!

  The scene before her did take her mind off of the pain, even if temporarily. It was stunning. There was a small, secluded lake before them, with a lot of grass to the north and east. To the south there was a row of trees that made it feel as if they were in their own personal heaven.

  “I can’t believe this place exists so close to Seattle,” Erin said as she tried taking all of it in.

  “We’re a couple of hours from the city. It’s amazing all of the treasures that can be found if people just exit the freeways,” he told her.

  Steve led them to a grassy knoll where the slope of the mountain flattened out. He set down his backpack and pulled out a blanket, then held out a hand, inviting Erin to sit with him. She gladly accepted, then whimpered as she went down.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “It’s nothing. I must’ve stepped on something,” she said, hoping the pain in her leg would go away if she sat there long enough. She didn’t want this day ruined. And at the end of their time in paradise she still had to hike back out.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Yes, for sure,” she told him.

  He didn’t seem convinced, but she was glad when he didn’t push the issue. “I’ll be right back.”

  He jumped up, then walked down to the water. He kicked a couple of large rocks out of the way, and then she watched him grab the end of a rope. He tugged on it, and up came a box from beneath the clear surface. He untied the rope, grabbed a handle on the box and walked back up to where she was waiting for him.

  “What’s this?” she asked as he sat back down.

  “You didn’t think this would be an ordinary date, did you? I’m a man of many talents, and I don’t like to do anything inside the box.” He looked down and began working on the clasps on the side of the container, holding it tightly shut.

  “How did it get here? Or how did you know it was here?” she asked as he unclasped the box and began pulling things from it.

  “When we planned our date last weekend, I gathered up picnic supplies, found this place, came out here and hid it,” he said.

  She smiled in pure delight when he pulled out her favorite bottle of wine, two glasses, and several covered bowls with cheeses, meats, dressings, fruits and breads. He’d truly thought of everything for the most romantic date she’d ever experienced in her life.

  “I can’t believe you did all of this for me,” she said. She was beaming at him with joy. She’d read many romance novels in her lifetime and this man surely could be a hero in one of her favorite books. But he wasn’t in a book, he was right there with her — just the two of them all alone in paradise.

  “I’ve never gone to this much effort before on a date. It’s normally a movie and dinner. But I want to impress you, I want to show you how valuable you are,” he told her.

  Tingles shot through her arms and legs, and before she could stop herself, she was up on her knees and practically knocking him over as she threw her arms around him.

  “I feel all of those things,” she said before kissing him like she’d wanted to all day. He didn’t hesitate to kiss her back, his arms wrapping around her back.

  She shifted . . . and then let out a cry of pain.

  Steve leaned back, concern written all over his face. “What happened? Did I grab you too tight?” he asked, trying to assess where she was hurt.

  Erin pushed away and clasped her knee to her chest as she moaned in pain. “I’m so sorry,” she said with a groan. “Dang it!” She was furious with herself that she’d forgotten her old injury was acting up. It might’ve settled down if she’d just stayed still long enough.

  “What’s happening?” Steve asked, reaching out to her.

  “Just give me a second,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Let me help you,” he demanded. “I need to know what’s wrong so I can make it better.”

  Those words brought the tiniest glimmer of a smile to her pinched lips. “Always the hero,” she said before letting out a moan. “It’s my leg. I have an old injury I pushed a little far today, and it’s acting up now.” Sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead. She hadn’t sweated much that day while hiking, but a little pain and she was a hot mess.

  Steve put his hands on her leg, searching for injuries. “Did you get cut? Where exactly does it hurt?” he asked. He didn’t seem upset that their making out had been rudely interrupted. Did th
at make her happy or more upset?

  “No, no, this is an old injury.” To her horror, tears began falling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she gritted out.

  “Tell me what I can do.” This was a definite command. She liked that he wanted to take care of her. She wished she found something she didn’t like about the man, because he really seemed too perfect to be true.

  “It’s muscle spasms. When they hit me, they’re absolute torture, and I have to just suffer through them,” she told him. “I’ve had it massaged before, and that sometimes helps, but I can try to do it.”

  “Nonsense,” he said, brushing her hands aside. He ran his fingers down her leg until he felt the knotted area that was pulsing. “Holy hell, Erin, this has to hurt worse than you’re letting on,” he gasped as his fingers began gently kneading her leg.

  “It’ll go away,” she said on a choked voice.

  “The pants need to come off so I can really massage you,” he told her.

  Modesty was out the window, and she didn’t even try to fight him as he unclasped her jeans and slowly slid them down her legs. The pain was excruciating, but the feel of his fingers sliding down her hot skin sent a new sensation through her body as well. How was it possible to feel both pleasure and pain at the same time?

  He got the pants off and gently began massaging the area, going in slow passes up and down her thigh. To her amazement, the pain began ebbing. “Oh, yes, please don’t quit,” she said as she lay back and looked at the sky. Even taking an ounce of the agony away was sweet, sweet relief. Her eyes began to close as the pain lessened.

  He continued for several minutes, and as the knot loosened, he put more pressure on the area, until the pain was barely noticeable.

  “I think the knot is about gone,” he said, his voice husky.

  She opened her eyes and looked at him, noticing a sheen of sweat on his brow. It wasn’t too hot out, making her realize she was wearing a sheer pair of red panties, and his fingers were dangerously close to her core.

  He kept kneading her thigh, and soon the pain was completely gone. She didn’t want him to stop touching her so she didn’t tell him the pain was gone. His fingers clenched even tighter as he pushed on her flesh. She let it go on for several more passes before she let out a reluctant sigh.

  “Thank you, Steve. I normally have to suffer with that for at least an hour,” she finally said, her voice raspy and full of need.

  “You’re not hurting at all now?” he asked, his voice barely recognizable.

  “No,” she said, which wasn’t completely true. Now she was hurting in other areas she was sure he could fix. The man had magical hands. He was probably just as good with other parts of his body as well.

  He moved his hands lower, running them over her calves, then back up again, and over her thighs. This time moving higher, making a moan escape that had nothing to do with pain. She closed her eyes as his hands kept moving higher, over her trembling stomach and then to her sides, brushing against the edges of her breasts. She groaned again.

  “Look at me, Erin,” he said.

  With a lot of effort, she opened her eyes and found herself gazing into his lust filled face. He hovered over the top of her. “Will the pain come back?”

  “It shouldn’t,” she said, not recognizing her own voice.

  “Good, because all I’m thinking about right now is pleasure.”

  “Me too,” she said. And then they stopped talking. He leaned down and took her mouth, his tongue sliding along the edges of her lips before moving inside, possessing her fully and instantly just the way she wanted him to.

  He took caution not to put any pressure on her leg as he lay beside her, never breaking their kiss as he lifted a hand and rubbed it across her side and stomach, then flitting across the top of her core. She moaned against his mouth.

  His fingers finally pressed over her breast, her nipple hard, pushing up toward him through her shirt. He rubbed his palm against her aching chest, and she arched against him, trying to align her core with his.

  She reached her fingers into his hair, clasping it tight as she held him against her. She wanted him inside her, deep, deep inside. The only other time she’d had sex she hadn’t felt this need, this desire, or this ache. She knew this time would be different.

  “I want to make love to you,” Steve said as he wrenched his lips from hers. “Open your eyes. Tell me you understand what I’m saying,” he demanded.

  She barely cracked her eyes open, looking into the fire burning in his, making her want him even more.

  “Yes, yes please,” she gasped as his fingers squeezed her nipple through her clothes.

  “I’ve wanted this for too long,” he said before his lips found hers again. This time there was more heat, though it seemed impossible they could continue on like this without bursting into flames.

  Erin couldn’t breathe as he kissed her while his hands roamed her body. Just when she didn’t think she could feel anything new, he took her to a whole other level, causing her to groan and reach for him, wanting something she didn’t know existed.

  He broke from her lips and she moaned her disapproval until he kissed his way across her jaw and down her neck. He broke away long enough to pull off her shirt and bra in record time. Then his mouth was on her nipple and she let out a cry as he sucked hard while reaching lower and slipping his fingers inside her panties.

  “Damn, Erin,” he groaned as a finger slid inside her wet heat. “So hot, so wet, so fucking tight.”

  She reached down, her body taking over, letting her know what she wanted to do, even if she wasn’t experienced. She ran her fingers over the bulge in his pants and gasped at the pulsing hardness she felt beneath the denim.

  He let out a groan against her nipple before he kissed his way to the other side, sucking her other breast deep in his mouth as his tongue flicked across the pebbled skin over and over again. She squeezed her fingers against his pulsing arousal, making him clamp down hard on her nipple, sending a surge of heat straight to her core as his fingers pumped in and out.

  “Please, please, please,” she begged, not even knowing what she was begging for.

  “Too soon,” he groaned.

  “No!” she cried. “Please. I hurt.”

  Those words seemed to spur him into motion. He pulled away from her, making her feel instantly cold. She reached for him, but he didn’t go far. He pulled out several condoms from his backpack tossing them on the blanket before he practically ripped his clothes from his perfect body. He was all muscle, mass, and sweat — and she wanted him bad.

  She watched in fascination as he ripped open a foil packet and slid the rubber over his hardness. She wasn’t sure they’d fit together. But she was going to certainly try. She reached her arms out for him, wanting them to be one.

  But he didn’t lie on top of her. Instead he bent down and ran his tongue over her thigh, where he’d so smoothly rubbed her earlier. He reached up and tugged on the side of her panties, shedding them in seconds, leaving her completely bare before him. Before she could think of being shy, he bent forward and connected his mouth with her core.

  She’d been right, he was magical with the rest of his body. His tongue swirled and dipped while his lips hummed and sucked. With only a few swipes she felt herself falling over the edge of the cliff, screaming out his name as her body pulsed with release.

  He gentled the massage of his tongue as he drew out her orgasm, nearly making her pass out from the intense pleasure. She’d never thought anything could feel so good. He didn’t stop until the last shakes left her body. Only then did he move over her, his large body hovering, his face above hers.

  “You’re stunning,” he said, making her crack her eyes open.

  “I feel good,” she told him with a beaming smile. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

  “You’re about to experience another first,” he said. She’d told him she didn’t have much experience, and he hadn’t mocked her. Instead he was m
aking sure this wasn’t only memorable, but the best.

  She clung tight to him as he positioned himself over her. “Yes, Steve, I want you now,” she told him, feeling new stirrings in her core as he pressed against her. She wondered how she could have such an amazing release and still want more.

  He pressed against her, his teeth gritted together as inch by beautiful inch he slid inside her wet heat. Her body stretched to accommodate him, and there was a tiny flicker of pain, but the pleasure far outweighed any discomfort.

  It took only seconds, and yet time stood still as he fully sank within her body, then rested as they both adjusted.