by Raina Wilde
Again, he laughed.
“I’m trained to wake up at the slightest change around me, Lydia. If I could sleep through that I think I’d have to turn in my tags. ”
“I’m sorry. ” She leaned back and tried to evaluate his expression in the darkness. She was now acutely aware of the way that their bodies pressed against each other. The heat building between her legs made her reluctant to withdraw her hips from where they pressed against his. Her breathing was shallow, this time not from fear, and she knew that he could hear it.
Even though it was the last thing she wanted, she moved to pull herself away. Her behavior had been inappropriate and she doubted that Tucker would relish the idea of continuing to hold her through the night. Truthfully, she did not trust herself to lie against him any longer.
His arm around her waist stopped her when she had put a few inches of distance between them. Tucker moved forward and pressed against her once more. This time the hardening of his erection was significantly more pronounced. He removed the arm from her waist and allowed her the opportunity to move away from him if she chose.
The knowledge that he wanted her shot straight to her core. Lydia moved her hips against him and smiled when she heard his low groan in response.
Lydia reached up and pressed her lips against his. It was as if she had released a great dam that had been holding back all of his control. Tucker threaded his fingers into her hair and rolled himself on top of her. She welcomed the weight of him against her.
If she had been asked to remember, she could not have told how they came to remove all of their clothing, only that she was relieved when it was gone. Their hands and mouths seemed to roam everywhere within reach, the urgency with which they grasped at each other revealing the true extent of the tension that had been building between them.
Tucker’s mouth traced a path further and further south until it came to rest against the growing heat between her legs. Lydia cried out in ecstasy as her hands curled into the sheets at her side.
She was panting and writhing when he finally returned to lie above her. Their mouths joined again as he slowly eased inside of her. There could be no words. Her mind was completely blank of all thought, her body reacting with instinct and passion. Lydia was his. There was something deep inside of her that knew it to be true from the moment their bodies connected; something different about this moment than any she had experienced before.
The following morning Lydia awoke on her stomach with her arms curled around a soft pillow. She could feel the heat from Tucker’s body pressed against her side, his arm and a leg slung over her. She could feel his fingers tracing gentle circles on her smooth, mocha arm.
“Your skin is so soft and luxurious, ” he murmured, kissing her shoulder where her hair spilled over onto the bed. “I like it. ” He hummed. Lydia rolled over and faced him.
The cell phone that rested on the nightstand between the beds began to ring. She wondered what time it was; she would have guessed that it was not long past daybreak.
He climbed from the bed to answer it. The conversation was short but gruff. Lydia had learned enough about his tone to realize that he was not happy with what he was hearing. When he hung up, he flung the phone on his empty bed and cursed.
“What is it? ” Lydia asked tentatively.
Tucker moved back to the edge of the bed and sat beside her.
“I need to ask you to do something, ” He gritted his teeth. “and you aren’t to like it. ”
Lydia sat up, pulling the sheet around her like a shawl.
“Tell me. ” She placed a hand on his knee.
“We need you to draw Renaldo out of Monaco, where we have the support of the French military, and can take him into custody. There’s a cabin north of the border, where my team is waiting, ” He shook his head and smoothed her hair, “We need to lead him there. ”
Lydia’s heart sank. She was bait. Bait for the merciless Renaldo Jaquiennes and his band of criminals. They wanted her to lead him into a trap, but how could she guarantee its success? If the mission failed there would be no chance of convincing Renaldo that she was not a spy. If somehow they failed, Renaldo would kill her first. Tucker understood this. That was why he was so unhappy with the arrangement. However, he had trusted his team to find the best solution and this was what they had come up with. Was there really a choice? she wondered.
“I’ll do it. ” She confirmed.
Tuckered grasped her shoulders; they were still tender from the cuts of the previous morning.
“You don’t have to. ” He pulled her closer to him so that he could wrap his arms around her. “It’s going to be very dangerous. You don’t have to do this. ”
“Is there another option? ” she asked.
“Yes. ” His short answer informed her that he did not care for that option either.
“What is it? ”
“We can try to take Renaldo down here in Monaco, where he is strongest. ” Lydia realized straight away that it would be a death mission.
“Absolutely not. ” She demanded.
Tucker shook his head. “I can’t guarantee your safety in those woods. ”
Lydia cupped his face in her hands and kissed him with tender lips. Somehow, she had come to care deeply for this man in a very short timeframe.
“I’ll do it. ” She kissed him again. “You’ll keep me safe. ” There was a confidence in her words that he did not seem to share. He leaned his forehead against her own.
“What if I can’t? ” He whispered.
“If you can’t, then no one can. ” With that, they began to prepare for the day ahead.
The morning was spent making small purchases on the outskirts of the region. Sources had confirmed that Renaldo was watching Lydia’s credit card activity, though she could not fathom how he was able to do that so quickly. They left a trail of purchases that led to a town north of the border. There they made sure to let slip to multiple residents that they would be renting a small cabin a few miles west.
With a trail for Renaldo to follow, the pair drove into the forest to wait their imminent doom. Lydia could not stop shaking. She was so nervous that when she was introduced to the nine other American soldiers, and the fourteen Frenchmen, she could not have repeated any one of their names.
Nightfall came and Lydia became even more nervous. They lit the cabin in all of its glorious splendor. The fireplace was stocked and wet logs were periodically added to create a visible trail of smoke for Renaldo to follow. The cabin itself was like a shining star in the middle of the blackened forest. Three men remained in the cabin with her, hunkered down out of the view of the windows. She was instructed to walk past the windows once every half hour or so, allowing her shadow to pass across the light from within.
When the clock struck midnight she was exhausted. Tucker was somewhere out in the woods with most of the other men, pretending to be trees or whatever invisible features they had disguised themselves as. She hated the idea of him out there. What if Renaldo’s men did not come up the road? What if they crept through the forest and came up behind the waiting ambush.
A shot rang through the night air, causing Lydia to jump up from her seat on the couch. The man who was lying on the floor at her feet pulled her ankles out from beneath her and caused her to crash to the floor.
“Stay down. ” The French soldier hissed.
“You told me to walk in front of the windows. ” She argued.
“Not anymore. ” He rolled away from her, his rifle tucked to his chest, and crawled around the edge of the couch to make a series of hand signals at the men who sat on either side of the doorway. Then he crawled back to lay beside Lydia.
Another shot rang and all of a sudden the night was filled with gunfire. Lydia covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes. She was curled in the fetal position, trying to imagine away the fire fight, when the front half of the cabin exploded in flames. Lydia screamed and the French soldier clamped a hand over her mouth. His two friends were gone, along with
the front half of the building. She did not know what would make an explosion like that but was glad when her protector muttered something about the couch taking the bulk of the blast for them.
“We have to move. ” He pulled her to her feet and they ran, in a crouched position, out through the gap where a wall used to be, and into the moonlit forest.
Every so often he would fire a few shots behind them, but Lydia was fairly certain that they were clear of the main fighting which appeared to be happening further down the trail that led to the cabin.
Suddenly, the man beside her collapsed. Lydia saw the clean bullet hole straight through his heart. She turned in time to feel the sharp sting of a bullet pierce her shoulder; another in her thigh caused her to fall to the ground. It was as if her dream had become reality, except that instead of the crunch of glass she could hear the snapping of twigs and leaves.
She saw the figure moving around the edge of her vision and she screamed Tucker’s name as loud as she could. She had no idea where he was. Dead or alive. The figure drew closer and crouched over her. It was not the gray suited man, but Renaldo Jaquienneshimself.
“My pretty American. ” He laughed. “Not pretty enough to trick me. ”
“I’m not a spy. ” She spoke in a hurried voice. Lydia shrieked when he squeezed the tender flesh of her shoulder.
“Liar. ” He spat. “You are a spy and you’re going to die like one. ”
Lydia realized that the rest of the forest had fallen silent. They had lost, she realized. Why else would the fighting have stopped while Renaldo still lived?
A single shot echoed through the trees. Renaldo’s head snapped back with a sharp jerk and he collapsed beside her. Lydia looked into his dead eyes and screamed the loudest yet.
Before she knew what was happening she was surrounded by French and American men, securing the area and checking for surviving enemies.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t take them alive. ” Lydia heard the foreign words but her brain was slow in translation. She felt dizzy and sick. Renaldo’s body was removed from her side and a medic began to staunch the bleeding in her wounds.
Lydia drifted in and out of consciousness.
Then, there was nothing but blackness.
When she awoke in the hospital she had no idea how long she had been there. Tucker slept in the chair at her side, his head lolling with each gentle snore. As soon as she shifted he snapped to attention and began running his hands over her body, as if checking to make sure she was all there.
“I’m fine. ”The weakness in her voice apparent.
“I was afraid to touch you until you were awake. ” He admitted, bringing the straw from a glass of water to her lips. “I’m so sorry, Lydia. ”
“I’m fine. ” She repeated with more force. “Is it over? ”
He nodded. “Yes. It’s all over. With his forces split the Monacan government seized control of his center of operations. Everyone else came to the cabin that night. He really thought that you were a terrible threat. ” He smoothed a hand over her hair. She could feel that it was still crusted with blood. “I’m so sorry. ”
“It’s over. That’s all that matters. ” Lydia was surprised to find that she meant it. She was no longer afraid, only weary. “What happens now? ” She was afraid that he would say that he was leaving for another mission. That somehow this would mean that it was over for them as well. Lydia waited with bated breath.
“Now, you recover. ” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I thought, maybe, I’d stick around for that. ”
“Maybe? ” she teased.
“OK. Definitely. ” Tucker smiled.
“Until I recover? ” She knew that she was pressing the issue but she wanted to know how much time she had with him.
“Or longer. ” He kissed her with slow, tempered passion. “I’d like to learn more about these other places you plan on traveling to. I’m thinking that you might need a bodyguard. ”
Lydia laughed. “You know, before I would have said that you were crazy, but I’m starting to think that you are right. ”
“Let’s just focus on getting you healthy first. ” Tucker leaned forward to kiss her with a smile on his lips. The instinctive reaction of her body warned Lydia that she had better focus on healing fast.
THE END
Raised from the Flames
While visiting her family for the holidays, her parent’s home went up in flames, and Sabrina lost everything—and everyone—she held dear.
Fast forward four years, while vacationing alone on a beautiful Caribbean island, Sabrina finds herself face to face with the man who saved her from the burning wreckage, a man she’s bean searching for since that dreadful night.
But Sabrina’s chance encounter with her hero Charlie Thompson is anything but how she had imagined it. The handsome firefighter has grown cynical about his work and has turned to counting those he failed to save rather than those who survived due to his efforts.
Can Sabrina show Charlie what a beautiful gift life can be? Can her passion for the life that he preserved help him to remember why he became a fire fighter to begin with?
And is their hot and steamy vacation romance strong enough to change their lives after they’ve returned home?
Raised From the Flames
Sabrina Maxwell lay back on the towel, covering the pale sand that cradled her curvaceous body in an embrace warmed from the midday sun. She ran a hand down the smooth fabric of her solid black, one-piece bathing suit. Sabrina closed her eyes and let the gentle cadence of the Caribbean waves breaking on the beach lull her into a peaceful nothingness. She would not have said she slept, but rested somewhere between a dream state and reality. A smile crossed her angular features. The sweet enjoyment of relaxation finally began to settle over her and she decided to make the very best of this unconventional vacation.
Months of planning had gone into this island getaway with Lilly Hendrickson, Sabrina’s best friend and fellow nurse. They had scrimped and scavenged for the first vacation that either of them had taken in over a year. In the vast expanse of the Canadian countryside the March weather would be bleak, at best. Here in this small island town the heat of even their coldest months was enough to drive Sabrina to shed her clothing and live on the edges of the clear blue-green water. Her curly dark hair was pulled irreverently into a high bun in an attempt to stave off the effects of the humidity. After two days on the island, Sabrina had given up any hope of controlling the frizzy mop that faced her in the mirror each morning.
Lilly’s hair had not been the least affected by the island climate. In fact, her golden waves had been little less than fabulous prior to her emergency departure the night before. Lily had been forced to abandon the vacation in order to return home to assist after the birth of her sister’s twin boys. The premature babies had come as a very early surprise shortly after their arrival in the Caribbean. Sabrina had counseled Lilly to return home to be with her family. Promising that she would not take the abandonment to heart, she had stayed on to finish out her vacation alone, knowing full well that Lilly felt poorly enough about the change of plans without including the guilt of requiring Sabrina to abandon her vacation as well.
Sabrina was determined to make the best of it, if only to reassure her friend when she finally returned home in a little over a week. The truth was that she was actually enjoying the slow rhythm of the Caribbean lifestyle. Her fast paced nursing schedule left very little time for simple relaxations or hobbies. Sabrina was enjoying this chance to simply savor the life that had been so gloriously preserved just for her.
Memories of her near death four years before flashed in the back of her mind, but the sharp edges of those thoughts were now dulled by the serenity and thankfulness which professional counseling had helped her to achieve. Four years ago Sabrina had lost everything that she had held dear. In a blaze of fire on Christmas Eve, Sabrina’s childhood home had burned to the ground, destroying every precious inch of her parent’s home. They had told he
r that the smoke inhalation had taken her parents lives before the fire had ravaged their bodies; that their deaths had been painless in their sleep. Sabrina, trapped on the second floor, had awoken to the sound of the windows bursting in the heat. She had survived long enough for fire fighters to arrive—barely. She had been told that one man had carried her unconscious body, wrapped in a fireproof blanket, down the blazing staircase and out of the home only moments before the entire building had collapsed.
After her extensive recovery, Sabrina had spent nearly a year trying to track the heroic fire fighter down to thank him for saving her life, but she had been unsuccessful in all of her attempts at contact. Her therapist felt that expressing her gratitude to the man that had saved her life would be the final step in the healing process that would enable her to put the trauma of the past fully behind her.
According to the Fire Chief, the man had been transferred to a larger city shortly afterward. The Chief refused to divulge any personal or location information without permission from the man himself. Sabrina was only given his name, Charlie Thompson, a name so common that her search was effectively driven to a halt.
Sabrina continued to lie in the sun for half an hour before the tightening of her sensitive, mocha skin guided her back toward the elegant resort. She savored the bright colors of the décor that enlivened the lobby and social spaces, enjoying the way her coral, floor-length, sundress seemed designed to live in this room. Enormous bouquets of local flora stood in hand painted pots that flanked the entrance. The walls and paintings seemed to burst with life and energy in a way that the neutral design of her quaint home would never achieve without this picturesque tropical backdrop. With a grin she dug through her bag for her room key, walking blindly through what she thought was an empty lobby.
The luggage that stood beside the check-in counter took her out at the knees. She would have landed face first on the cool tile floor if the stranger beside it had not caught her efficiently around the waist and, allowing her a moment to untangle her legs and skirt from around his suitcase, set her with purposeful care back upon her feet.