by Elle James
Rucker took a few moments to remove his boots and socks and unbutton his pants. He rose to his feet and stood over her to shuck his black trousers and boxer briefs.
Nora’s gaze swept him from his eyes to his toes. Not one part of him disappointed. He was a study of beautiful masculinity with his firm, well-defined muscles, taut abs and his magnificent erection.
Nora smiled up at him. “What are the chances, a Delta Force guy carries a condom in his pocket to the field?”
He grinned. “I can’t vouch for my teammates, but I carry a survival kit with me everywhere.” He bent to retrieve his trousers, dug his hand into one of the cargo pockets and fished out a slim, credit-card-sized pouch. From it, he pulled out a WWII P-38 can opener, fishhook, razorblade, needle and thread and one foil-packaged condom.
“I get the feeling you were a Boy Scout somewhere down the line.”
“If by Boy Scout, you mean a horny little bastard, you would be correct. However, I’ve never used this particular item of my survival kit.”
“Until now.” She reached for his hand and drew him down to her. “I hope it doesn’t have an expiration date on it.”
“Me, too,” he said and kissed her, long and hard.
Nora wrapped her calf around the back of his leg, raising it up to clench around his thigh.
“Hold that thought. We’re not done yet,” he said. “I want you as hot and ready as I am.”
“Oh, baby, I’m there,” she moaned.
“Nope,” he said and scooted down her body, performing a mini version of the foreplay he’d exhibited on her body up until then. When he reached the juncture of her thighs, he slowed the assault on her senses and spread open her thighs.
Nora’s breath caught and held as Rucker parted her folds and bent to touch her clit with the tip of his tongue.
Her back arching off the ground, Nora swallowed the cry of pleasure rising up her throat. The man knew exactly what pleasure center to tap to make her entire body light up like a Roman candle.
When he flicked it again, she grabbed for his hair and threaded her fingers into the short strands.
Her senses pulled tight like the string on a guitar, there to be plucked and strummed by a master player.
And Rucker was the one, playing her like a master.
He swirled his finger around her opening
When he licked her there again, she jettisoned to the top of a giant wave of sensations. She rode it all the way back to shore, her body thrumming with her release.
If she’d hoped making love with Rucker would get him out of her system, she was completely wrong.
She grabbed him by the hair and urged him upward. If anything, she wanted him more than ever, seriously doubting she could ever get enough of this brave, Delta Force soldier.
Chapter 13
Rucker climbed up Nora’s body and kissed her.
Her body writhed against his, still in the throes of passion.
Leaning up on one arm, he tore open the little foil packet.
Nora took it from him and rolled the condom over his hard shaft all the way to the base. For a few moments she fondled him before she guided him to her entrance.
He poised there, the tip of his cock barely touching the slick channel. Gathering his control, he slipped into her, slowly filling her.
Her hands rose to cup his ass, her fingers warm against his naked skin, increasing their pressure, urging him deeper.
Once he was all the way seated inside her, he gave her time to adjust to his girth, letting her stretch to accommodate him.
Calling on every ounce of control he could muster, he moved slowly in and out, not wanting to hurt her.
Her fingers dug into his flesh, urging him to go faster, setting the pace to a swift steady rhythm.
Rucker liked the way she wrapped around him, how wet and warm she was and how she wanted him to go faster and faster.
She raised her knees, planting her heels into the ground, lifting her hips to meet him thrust for thrust.
The more he pumped and the faster he went, the tighter his body grew until he burst through the ceiling of his control and shot his release. One final thrust and he buried himself deep inside her velvety softness.
Her fingers squeezed, released and squeezed again until she drew in a deep breath and let it go in a long sigh. “Wow.”
When he could breathe again, he chuckled. “Wow?”
“Uh huh,” she said with a sleepy, satisfied smile. “That’s all I have. Words can’t convey the depth of what I’m feeling at this moment.”
He dropped down on her and kissed her, then rolled onto his side, taking her with him.
Nora nestled her head into the crook of his shoulder, a hand resting on his chest. “I should really feel guilty or regretful for making love with you…but I just can’t.”
“No regrets here,” Rucker admitted. “Unless what we’ve done gets you in trouble in any way. Then I’ll only regret that it got you in trouble. I could never regret loving you.” As soon as the word loving came out of his mouth, he realized what he’d just said. Loving you. Was that what this was?
Love?
For a man who’d sworn off falling in love, he was tumbling down that rabbit hole so fast he couldn’t keep it from happening.
This woman. This amazing nurse and compassionate human being had stolen his heart. After everything that had happened…after tonight, how could he let her walk away?
He held her close while he could, unsure of what the next day would bring. Eventually, they’d have to go back to the base and back to being the officer she was and the enlisted man he was. “We really are between a rock and a hard place, aren’t we?”
She closed her eyes and nodded, her cheek rubbing against his chest. “Pazir has gone so far to protect us, he’s really put himself and his family in a bad place.”
“I wasn’t talking about Pazir and getting out of here without the Taliban finding out it was Pazir who picked us up on the road.”
She twirled her finger around his nipple. “I know. But getting away from the Taliban seems to be a whole lot easier than working anything out between you and me. I’d rather not think about it right now. I’ve dealt with enough trauma for one day.” Nora yawned. “What was it you said about rest being another way to recuperate and rebuild our stores of energy?”
He laughed. “Is that what I said?”
“Yup.” She yawned again. “I’m going to take your advice.”
“About time,” he said, smoothing the hair back from her face. “Sleep, sweetheart. We’ll figure things out in the morning.”
She leaned her head up. “Are goodnight kisses too old-fashioned?” she whispered.
“Goodnight kisses never go out of style,” Rucker said and sealed her lips with his.
“That’s good, because I could never get tired of them.” She kissed him again, laid her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes. In less than a minute, she slept.
Rucker lay for a long time, loving the feel of her in his arms, the way her naked skin felt against this, the warmth of her breath on him.
Why did what they had between them have to be so complicated?
He knew he couldn’t go to sleep without getting dressed. They would need to be ready to go in a flash should the Taliban come knocking on Pazir’s door.
Yet, he lay for a long time, stocking up on memories of his time with Nora of how she’d made love passionately and with abandon. How she felt beside him.
Somehow, he had to make it work between them. This night together was only the beginning of something great and beautiful. He refused to let it be the beginning and the end wrapped up in one night’s passion.
As the gray light of morning lightened the covered window, he rose, dressed, pulled on his boots, his bulletproof vest and pressed his radio communication earbuds into his ears. If his people chose to find him before he called for extraction, he wanted to know they were there.
He woke Nora with a kiss. “Hey, you mi
ght want to get dressed before Gulpari shows up with breakfast.”
Nora rubbed her eyes, pushed up on her elbows and blinked. “What? Where am I ?”
“Good question,” Rucker said. “We need to ask that one when we see Pazir.”
“How will we get word to your guys for a pickup?” she asked, slipping her arms into her bra.
Rucker had thought about that all night. His radio headset was short range. What he needed was a phone. But he couldn’t use anything Pazir might have without leaving traces of his connection to the base and the people who were rescued by a lone driver in a beat-up truck.
They needed to get to a larger town with an electronics store where they might find a burner phone.
Nora pulled her T-shirt over her head and stood to dress in her uniform trousers. She had just laced her last boot when Gulpari burst through the door, carrying a bundle of clothing. She pressed a finger to her lips and pointed to the window.
Rucker’s pulse leaped. “Taliban?” he whispered.
Gulpari nodded, crossed to the window and ripped the covering off. It was small, but they could fit through it.
Pazir’s wife shoved the bundle she carried into Nora’s arms. It contained what appeared to be two blue burqas that would cover them completely from head to toe. “You must go. Quickly.”
“You’ll have a harder time of it fitting through,” Nora said. “You should go first.”
When Rucker opened his mouth to disagree, Nora held up her hand. “No time to argue. Just go.” Already, she was dragging one of the blue burqas over her head.
Rucker wasn’t happy about going first. It left Nora at the mercy of whatever men were at Pazir’s door.
He shoved his rifle through the opening and dropped it quietly to the ground. Then he pulled himself up through the small window, squeezing his shoulders through first. Next, he dropped down headfirst to the ground, catching himself with his arms.
Pazir’s wife shoved the other burqa through the window after Rucker. It landed on the ground beside him.
The male voices near the front of the home grew louder. A door banged open, and the voices moved into the home.
“Nora,” Rucker whispered through the window. “Hurry.”
“Too late,” she said. “I’ll meet you outside as soon as I can.”
“I’m not leaving without you,” he said.
“You have to,” she said. “Go. Now.”
Rucker caught a glimpse of men dressed in the black garb and black turbans indicative of Akund’s men as they stormed into the hallway outside of the room Nora was in.
Rucker grabbed his rifle and ducked low, pressing his back to the wall in case the men looked out the window.
The voices sounded loud. He heard Pazir answer and the soft voice of Gulpari. All of the voices faded as if leaving the room. Rucker waited a moment then eased up to the corner of the window and dared to look inside.
His heart sank to the pit of his belly. The room was empty.
He quickly slipped the burqa over his head and tucked his rifle beneath the voluminous folds. Then he walked toward the front of the house, peering through the mesh window the head covering provided.
He squatted low to the ground and peered around the corner.
Half a dozen men in black stood by the gate, each holding an AK-47.
Pazir spoke with their leader. Gulpari, dressed in a blue burqa and carrying her baby, slipped past the men. Behind her was another woman dressed in a burqa.
Nora.
Rucker held his breath, waiting for her to make it past the men.
One of them called out to the women.
Gulpari turned.
Pazir spoke to the man who’d called the women to a halt. He jerked his head toward Gulpari and barked an order.
She nodded, moved closer to Nora and took her hand. Together, they hurried down the street and away from the group of men.
Rucker released the breath he’d been holding and backed away from the corner. He slipped to the rear of the house and pulled himself up over the wall, dropping to the ground on the other side.
Quickly, he headed the same direction Gulpari and Nora had gone, hoping to intercept them out of sight of Akund’s men.
Rucker moved silently on a road parallel with the one Nora and Gulpari had taken. When he passed an alleyway, he glanced to the other street, hoping to catch a glimpse of them.
What he caught sight of were several trucks loaded with more men dressed in black, wielding automatic weapons. The trucks stopped in the street, and the men jumped down and spread out.
Holy hell. Had Abdul Akund brought his entire army to this little town? If so, what were the chances of getting himself and Nora out alive?
Nora moved quickly beside Gulpari as the new mother led her away from the home she and Pazir had brought them to.
How had the Taliban discovered they might be in this small town? Had someone linked the truck to Pazir? For that matter, how had they found Pazir? He’d left his home near the base and moved a long way from there to escape the heavy-handed influence of the Taliban. Yet, here they were, knocking on his door.
“Were they looking for us?” Nora asked Gulpari.
Gulpari’s head turned right then left as if she was looking for anyone who might overhear them talking. “Yes. Abdul Akund, their leader, is angry that someone stole from him.”
“Do they know Pazir was the one?”
She shook her head. “No. They only knew he’d moved here, the truck carrying their prisoners had headed this way, and they want him to help find the one who betrayed them.”
Holy shit. If they found out that Pazir was the one… Hiding Nora and Rucker had put them in grave danger. Hiding them now was their only option. If they were found out now, they’d be dead.
“How did they find you?” Nora whispered.
The woman snorted softly. “Taliban is everywhere.”
Then it was only a matter of time before word got back to the Taliban about the truck and who’d taken it. The Taliban would put the pieces together.
Oh, sweet Jesus. Nora bit down hard on her lip. All Pazir and Gulpari wanted was to live in peace, raise their son and be left alone.
The sound of trucks behind them made Nora turn to look over her shoulder.
What she saw made her blood run cold and fear wrap a tight fist around her heart. Several trucks loaded with armed men stopped in the middle of the street. The men dropped down and spread out.
Gulpari ducked right into an alley. Nora followed. She had to get back to Rucker and warn him. But going back would put her in the paths of the men fanning out across the small town.
As they neared the next street an arm reached out from an alcove and grabbed Nora’s burqa, yanking it and her into the alcove.
She swallowed a frightened scream and fought to free herself from her captor.
“Nora,” a familiar voice said into her ear. “It’s me.”
Gulpari had stopped as soon as Nora had been pulled away from her.
Nora called out to her, “I’m okay.”
Gulpari stepped into the little niche. “We are not safe.”
“What about Pazir?” Rucker asked.
“He will meet us on the south edge of town,” Gulpari said.
The baby squirmed in her arms and gave a tiny cry.
“They’re looking for us, not you,” Rucker said. “Go to your husband. We’ll go another way.”
“But how will you get away from here?” she asked.
“We’ll find a way. You and Pazir have done enough for us. You need to get somewhere safe. If you can get word back to the base, let us know you are safe.”
She bowed her blue covered head and said, “Peace be with you.” Then she turned and hurried away with her baby.
“I feel like we should do something to protect them,” Nora said.
“We will. We’ll provide a distraction to give them time to get away.”
“I wish I could see your expression,” Nora
said. “You’re kidding, right?” She touched his burqa, feeling for his bulletproof vest beneath. “Do you have more of those hand grenades you haven’t told me about?”
He chuckled softly. “Sorry. Fresh out of those. But I have some C4 and a remote detonator.”
Nora grinned. “Do you always come so well prepared?”
“Only when it counts,” he said. “Now, we just need to get to one of those trucks they left parked in the street.”
Nora stared at him in his burqa. If they weren’t in such dire straits, she’d laugh at how the burqa fit over him. The garment emphasized his broad shoulders and the hem barely came down below his knees. Which meant his black trousers and boots were plain to see. “You will not be able to slip past those men in that getup. On the other hand, I’ll have no problem.” She squared her shoulders. “What do I need to do to set the charges?”
“No way. You’re not stepping out into that street with all those men carrying guns. They’ve been known to kill women and children. They don’t care.”
“You can’t do it,” Nora said. “They’ll know immediately that you’re not a woman beneath that burqa. How did you make it this far without being seen?”
“I took the road less traveled…the back alley.” He looked around. “Tell you what…I’ll create another distraction so that you can plant the explosives without drawing attention.”
Nora frowned. “I don’t like the sound of that. You’re going to put yourself out there to be shot at.”
“I’ll be fine. But I can’t really run in this.” He shrugged out of the burqa and stood there, dressed all in black, carrying his rifle with his handgun strapped to his hip.
She gave his body an all-encompassing glance. “Damn, you make it hard for me to walk away.”
“I know. You think I’m sexy.” He winked, fished in one of his vest pockets and came out with a lump of what appeared to be clay, and a plastic device with an antenna on it.
