Danger and Desire: A Romantic Suspense Anthology

by Kimberly Kincaid

  It might’ve been a mistake, considering Mac already had another woman he was interested in, but Kylie shook her head. “You might as well come in. We can sit up talking or staring at the wall until it’s time to leave in the morning.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “I’m sure,” she said.

  He looked both ways. “I don’t know. I might get busted for fraternizing in a war zone.”

  She snorted. “I’m not one of your military people. Surely it doesn’t count.”

  His lips twisted into a wry grin. “I think any fraternizing counts, but I can keep a better eye on you if I can actually see you.”

  Kylie opened the door wider.

  Mac stepped in, his broad shoulders filling the space. They were much broader than when she’d known him so long ago. Hell, he was as sexy, if not sexier than he’d been back then. Yeah, it might be a bad idea to bring him in, but she did it anyway.

  Mac knew better, but he went in anyway. He’d kissed her earlier, spinning up a whole slew of emotions he wasn’t ready to deal with. Being alone with Kylie in confined quarters was a recipe for danger to his heart.

  He squared his shoulders. All he had to do was keep his hands off her. She had someone else already.

  Mac waited for Kylie to sit on the cot. Because there was nowhere else to sit, he sat beside her. That’s when he spotted what she had in her hand.

  “That’s mine,” he said.

  She glanced at the photo with a smile. “Yeah, it fell out when I pulled your sleeping bag out of the duffel bag. Why do you still carry it?”

  He shrugged. “It’s been my good luck charm. It’s gone with me on every deployment. I’m afraid if I leave it behind, something bad will happen.”

  She smiled. “Since when did you become superstitious?”

  “As many missions and battles as I’ve been in, you tend to get that way. The one time I didn’t bring it, I got shot in the arm.” He raised the corner of his T-shirt to show her the scar.

  “Maybe you were lucky you didn’t bring it. Because if you had brought it, the bullet might’ve hit you in a much more lethal area,” Kylie suggested.

  “No, because every other time I brought it, I never got shot.” He tipped his chin toward the photograph. “Remember that day?”

  She nodded. “I remember.”

  “Do you remember when the Ferris wheel got stuck at the top?” he asked. “That’s when we took that picture.”

  She chuckled. “I remember we were up there for thirty minutes.”

  He smiled down at the picture. “We got quite a bit of necking in during that thirty minutes up there.”

  “Yes, we did,” she said. “Those were good times.”

  “They were,” he agreed. “And we were so young. I was barely out of bootcamp, and you were still in college.”

  “And look at us now,” she said with a wistful smile.

  “And look at us now,” he said. “Sitting on a cot in Afghanistan, after being shot at by bullets and rockets.” It felt good to sit close to her.

  Kylie leaned her back against the metal wall and closed her eyes. “It’s been a long day.”

  Mac pulled her over to lean against him. “Go to sleep. It will be too soon before we’re heading out of here. You need some rest.”

  Kylie peeked through her eyelids. “You do too.”

  “I’ll close my eyes,” he said, “if you’ll close yours.”

  “Deal.” She yawned and kept her eyes closed. Soon, her breathing deepened.

  For a long time, Mac sat with his arm around her, inhaling the scent of her hair. His heart squeezed tight in his chest. For so long, he’d dreamed of holding her again. Now she was with him…and yet…not. Mac had no right to be with Kylie. She had another man in her life. She’d given him up all those years ago. So, while he had the chance, he drank in every bit of her that he could. From the tips of her toes in her flip-flops, the well-defined muscles of her calves, her rounded kneecaps and the swell of her thighs, he absorbed her beauty.

  At some point, he must have fallen asleep. The next thing he knew, there was a knock on the door.

  “Mac,” Rucker’s muffled voice sounded outside his quarters. “Mac, are you in there?”

  Mac slipped his arm from beneath Kylie, pushed off the cot and opened the door a crack. “I’m here.”

  “I knocked on Kylie’s door,” Rucker said, “but she didn’t answer. Is she in there with you?”

  “Yes, she is. It was the only way I could really keep an eye on her.”

  “That’s good. We have a helicopter on standby. Can you two be ready in thirty minutes?”

  Mac nodded. “We can.”

  “Grab some chow and meet us out on the helicopter pad.”

  “Roger,” Mac replied, then closed the door and turned to Kylie.

  She was off the cot, standing, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “I’ll be dressed and ready to go in less than thirty minutes.”

  “I’ll wait outside,” he said and headed for the door.

  “Mac,” her voice called out.

  He paused with his hand on the doorknob, and then turned to face her.

  “I missed you, too.”

  After stepping outside, Mac close the door.

  What did she mean by telling him I missed you? Did she still miss him? Did she want him back? What did she mean by that? Maybe she’d only missed him for a short time after leaving him. His head spun with the possibilities.

  When Kylie finally stepped out, dressed in trousers, a long-sleeve blouse and a scarf wrapped around her head, he nodded toward her. “You might as well stay inside while I change. I want to keep an eye on you.”

  “Okay,” she said. “I can turn my back. Although it’s not like I haven’t seen everything you’ve got.” She winked.

  His pulse ratcheted upward. He remembered seeing a lot more of her as well and was wishing he could again at that moment.

  She reentered the room and stood to the side as he walked through the door.

  While she stood with her back to him, he dressed in his desert camouflage uniform and boots. He strapped on his bulletproof vest. Although, the vest would do nothing toward protecting him from a broken heart. When he was done dressing, he gripped her arm, turned her and kissed her thoroughly. He set her at arm’s length and said, “For old time’s sake.” Then he opened the door and, with a nudge, sent her through, stepping out beside her.

  They walked across the base to the mess hall and snagged a couple of fluffy biscuits and sausage patties to make breakfast sandwiches. They ate them quickly and hurried out to the helicopter pad where Rucker, Dash and Blade waited with Josh and Faaid.

  “Where’s Tank, Bull and Lance?” Mac asked.

  “The CO didn’t think we needed the entire team,” Rucker said. “Just you to escort Miss Adams and her cameraman, and the three of us to escort Faaid. We’re handing off Faaid to Intel in Kabul.”

  They climbed into the Blackhawk helicopter. Within minutes, they were off the ground and headed toward Kabul.

  Mac sat beside Kylie, his thigh pressed against hers. That kiss had awakened so much inside him. He wanted more.

  The flight was loud and not conducive to talk. He and Kylie sat in silence. He wished they were alone so he could ask her how she really felt about her new man, and to ask her if there was a chance they could rekindle that flame that had burned so brightly between them when they were younger.

  Soon, they arrived at Bagram Airfield in Kabul. Three vehicles were there to greet them upon arrival.

  Rucker conversed with the drivers and came back to Mac and the others.

  “We’re keeping Faaid on base until he’s transported out of the country. But we can’t keep civilians here,” Rucker said. “Miss Adams and Josh will be transported to a local hotel where me, Blade, Dash and Mac will provide security until you two are able to leave the country.”

  Blade and Dash escorted Faaid to the first vehicle. A secu
rity team of two climbed out, helped Faaid into the car and got in on either side of him.

  Dash and Blade got into the second vehicle.

  Mac and Rucker flanked Kylie in the back of the third vehicle. The driver slipped behind the steering wheel and drove them off the airfield and into the sprawling city of Kabul. He deposited them at the doorstep of a hotel from a major chain.

  After being in the field around small villages built of mud and stick, it seemed incongruous to be standing in the opulent lobby of a five-star hotel in the same country.

  At the desk, Mac asked for three rooms close together.

  “Just three rooms?” Dash asked.

  Mac nodded. “Rucker and Josh in one, Dash and Blade in another, and Miss Adams and I in the other. I’m not letting her out of my sight for a moment. After the rocket attack on the forward operation base, I wouldn’t put it past them to attempt another attack here in Kabul.”

  “Good point,” Dash said. “I’d gladly give you a break and take your spot,” he said with a grin.

  Kylie raised an eyebrow. “I think not. I know Mac. I don’t know you, nor do I think I trust you.”

  Mac laughed out loud. “Good call. He’s not known as Dash for nothing.”

  They got their room keys and headed up to the second floor on the back of the building. Mac inspected all three rooms and chose the one with a balcony overlooking a garden. Two of the rooms were side by side. The third was across the hall. Close enough that if he needed his teammates, all he had to do was call out.

  As they stood outside their doors, Rucker asked, “So, what do we do with the rest of the day?”

  “I don’t know about you guys,” Mac said, “but I’m going to catch some Zs.”

  “We didn’t get much sleep last night,” Dash agreed. “What do we want to do for dinner?”

  “If any of you go anywhere, you should let us know,” Mac said. “You could pick up some food and bring it back here.”

  “We can do that,” Rucker said. “It wouldn’t be a good idea for you two to venture out.”

  Mac nodded. “We had no plans to. Walking around the city would leave Kylie exposed to anyone who wanted to take a shot at her.”

  “Exactly.” Rucker turned to Dash. “See you at 18:00, outside our doors. You and I can go out, get food and bring it back, so Mac and Miss Adams don’t have to leave, and risk being shot.”

  “I like that idea,” Mac said.

  “So do I,” Kylie agreed.

  “18:00,” Dash echoed.

  Mac and Kylie entered one room. Rucker and Josh entered the one across the hall. Dash and Blade entered the room beside Mac’s.

  Once the doors closed, Kylie drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Too much drama,” she said. “I don’t know about you, but I could stand another shower after being up in that helicopter, stirring up dust.”

  “Agreed,” Mac said, shrugging out of his bulletproof vest. “You can go first.”

  Kylie grabbed her backpack, carried it into the bathroom and left the door ajar.

  Whether she meant to or not, that open door was too much temptation for Mac. He turned his back and walked to the balcony door, unzipping his jacket as he went. He sat in a chair, pulled off his boots and removed his socks. Every sound emitted from the bathroom made him look.

  Chapter 5

  Mac’s groin tightened as Kylie dropped her backpack on the floor, and stripped out of her shirt, shoes and pants. She stood in only her panties and bra, looking so incredibly sexy Mac couldn’t catch his breath.

  He reasoned that if she hadn’t wanted him to see her, she would’ve closed the door. He marched toward her, stripping off his jacket, his blood pounding through his veins.

  She stood with her back to him, her hands fiddling with the clasp on the back of her bra.

  He entered the room, brushed her hands to the side and unhooked the garment. Then he pushed aside her hair and pressed his lips to the soft skin beneath her ear.

  She leaned her head back against his chest and moaned. He slipped her hands over her shoulders, drawing the straps of her bra down her arms.

  She let the bra drop to the floor. Then she hooked her panties with her thumbs and shoved them over her hips and thighs. When they pooled at her ankles, she kicked them aside.

  Mac’s hands slid down her arms, down to her waist and followed the swell of her hips. He turned her to face him. His hands came up to cup her face between his palms, and he kissed her.

  Her lips were every bit as soft as they’d been when they were much younger. She opened to him, her tongue meeting his in a dance he remembered so well.

  She tugged his shirt from the waistband of his trousers and pushed it up his chest.

  Mac took over from there, yanking it the rest of the way over his head and tossed it onto the counter. He made short work of his trousers and boxers, finally standing before her naked, his cock hard and jutting toward her.

  He reached into the shower, switched on the water and waited, testing its warmth. Then he took her hand and led her into the stall, standing her beneath the spray.

  Water ran over her head, onto her shoulders and dripped off the tips of her breasts. She was even more beautiful than she’d been the last time he’d stood naked with her when they were so young.

  She ran her hands over his shoulders. “I don’t remember your shoulders being quite this muscular,” she said with a sexy smile.

  “I think we’ve both changed.”

  Her eyebrows rose.

  He amended, “For the better, of course.”

  She chuckled. “Matured.”

  “Matured is a good word,” he said. “And you’ve matured beautifully.” He tipped her head up and captured her wet mouth with his.

  Her hands came up, laced around the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, deepening the kiss.

  Mac squirted body wash into his hand, lathered it up and smoothed it over her shoulders and collarbone. Working his way downward, he captured a nipple between his thumb and forefinger and pinched it gently.

  Her back arched, pressing her closer to him.

  She skimmed her calf along the back of his leg, wrapping it around the back of his thigh, pressing her sex against him.

  He bent to take one of her nipples between his teeth, nipping lightly, tonguing it until it hardened into a tight little nub. When he’d tasted it thoroughly, he shifted to the other breast and treated it the same.

  Meanwhile, his hands slid over her torso and down to the tuft of fluffy hair over the juncture of her thighs. He cupped her there, his finger dipping into her sex.

  Kylie moaned, “Oh, my.” She was so wet, and not just from the shower.

  He stroked her there, dipping his finger in and out. Adding another finger, he swirled around inside then dragged his fingers up between her folds.

  She drew in a deep breath and let it go against his chest. “I thought you found someone else.”

  His lips returned to hers, and he brushed them softly across her mouth. “I did. I lost her for a while, but fate brought her back to me.” He leaned back and stared down into her eyes, his pulse racing, but the answers he sought were more important than quenching his physical needs. “What about you?”

  “I lost him for a while but, like you said, fate brought him back to me,” she said.

  Mac’s heart swelled. She still cared.

  Kylie frowned. “I don’t suppose you have protection, do you?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry. I don’t usually carry that when I’m deployed.” His lips spread in a slow, sexy smile. “We don’t need protection for what we can do.”

  “So true.” She kissed him again and trailed her lips over his chin, across his chest and down his torso. The spray drummed over her shoulders.

  She circled her hand around his cock and ran it down to the base, fondling him there. Then she touched her tongue to the tip of his shaft.

  Mac sucked in a sharp breath. His fingers laced through her wet hair. When she too
k him into her mouth, he groaned low and slow.

  Her hands moved around to cup his ass, guiding him into her, until the head of his dick touched the back of his throat. Then she pushed him back out, caressed the tip with her tongue and then took him inside again. Settling into a swift rhythm, she had him so hard and so tight, he couldn’t hold back. He felt his release coming, jerked out of her and let loose. God it felt so good, his shaft pulsing and throbbing all the way to the end.

  But he wasn’t done with her. He soaked his palm with bodywash again and ran his hands over every inch of her body.

  She returned the favor, touching him everywhere. Again, he grew hard and ready to take her, but he had no protection, and he wouldn’t take her without it.

  After they thoroughly rinsed, he turned off the water, grabbed a towel and dried her.

  Kylie rubbed her towel over him.

  When he could stand it no more, he swept her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed.

  Mac leaned over her, claiming her lips. Then he trailed his mouth over her chin and down the long line of her neck, kissing, flicking and nibbling as he went. He stopped to graze on her breasts and then moved lower, slowly.

  This was where he’d wanted to be all those years. Now, he was with her in Afghanistan of all places. Fate had played a huge part in bringing them back together. He couldn’t screw it up this time.

  Kylie lay against the sheets as Mac trailed his mouth across her body, tasting every inch until he reached the juncture of her thighs.

  She widened her legs, giving him plenty of space to work his magic. He’d always been good about going down on her.

  Inside, she was coiled so tightly it wouldn’t take much to get her off. Mac had always been a considerate lover, making sure that he thoroughly satisfied her in every way.

  He stroked her with a finger, dipping inside her, coming out covered in her juices. He swirled that wet finger along her clit.

  She moaned and bunched the sheets in her fingers, raising her hips off the mattress, wanting more.

  “You like that?” he said.

  “You know I do,” she said, her voice breathy, unable to draw in deeply when he was doing that to her.