By Honor Bound

by Denise A Agnew, Kate Hill, Arianna Hart

  Annie’s heart was beating like a drum and she was waiting in an agony of anticipation for what he’d touch next. Mace’s fingers drifted down to her hips and she felt him caress the globes of her rear end. The teasing touch of his fingers made her pussy clench and throb. He spread her legs a bit more, widening her stance and making her long for him to fill the emptiness he’d created.

  His lips brushed the underside of her butt, teasing the spot where her thighs met her cheeks. A jolt of pure need shot straight to her center, pulling a cry from her.

  “Anything wrong, Major?”

  “Ah, no.” I’m just dying in a pool of lust, that’s all.

  Her legs were quivering as she waited for his next move. She could feel the cool air of his breath blowing across her wet clit, sending lightening bolts of desire through her. Without thinking, she rolled her hips back to get closer to him.

  “Patience, my dear, patience.” She could hear the laughter in his voice. He was enjoying this too much.

  But not nearly as much as she was.

  Mace massaged her calves and he trailed his hands up and down her legs. With each pass he got a little closer to the hot, screaming center of her. Her pussy was so enlarged it was like a separate, throbbing entity between her legs.

  A single finger rubbed her outer lips, and she whimpered.

  “Ready to beg?”

  Yes! Yes! Yes! “No.” Her body screamed at her, but her pride wouldn’t let her give in.

  He stood up behind her, and Annie felt the hair of his chest rub against her back in a long caress. His erection was tantalizingly close to her core, but when she tried to adjust to get him closer he moved back.

  “Not yet, baby.”

  One hand parted her curls and teased her sensitized nubbin, the other kneaded a breast. The dual sensations overwhelmed her lust-dazed mind and all she could think about was having him inside of her. Mace pulled her against him so their bodies touched from shoulder to thigh. Licking at the shell of her ear, he seduced her with love words while pinching her nipple and spearing her center with his fingers.

  “Tell me what you want, Annie.” His finger stilled on her clit as she was seconds from exploding.

  “I want you to fuck me!” Her heart was beating so fast and her blood was pounding in her ears. She’d never make it if he stopped now.

  “No.”

  No? “I want you, damn it, Mace! I want you to finish it and fuck me and stay in my body until I can’t think of anything but you!” She almost wept with frustration. His cock was so close to her pussy, and his finger was poised on her most sensitive spot.

  “No, I’m going to make love to you until you can’t think of anyone else ever again.”

  With two strokes of his finger Annie came apart in a shattering climax that left her weak and panting. Before she could come down from the stars, Mace bent her over his arm and slammed into her from behind causing another storm of explosions to rock through her body. His hand continued to tease and torment her breasts as he thrust into her, never letting her come down from the stratosphere of desire he’d elevated her to.

  “Again. I want to feel you come again.”

  Again? She’d never come so many times in her life. Mace pulled back until just the tip of his penis was inside her, then drove into her sending her senses soaring. The heel of his hand pressed against a spot below her belly button as he rocked back and forth inside of her. A tingling sensation started almost at the entrance to her womb and spread to her entire body.

  Mace thrust into her harder and pressed down a little more until she felt like she was going to explode. When he gave a nipping kiss to her neck and flicked her clit gently with his finger, she came so hard it felt like a flood poured out of her body.

  Annie sobbed with release as the strength left her body in waves. Lights danced behind her eyes as Mace continued to pound into her. If he wanted her to come again he was out of luck because she had nothing left to give.

  His hand tightened against her breast as he gave a hoarse shout then fell against her back. Their mingled gasps were the only sound in the silent room. Annie had never experienced such mind-bending sex before in her life. This man did things to her body and her mind that both thrilled and amazed her.

  “Still scared?”

  “Of the room, no.That I may never walk again, yes.”

  Laughing he lifted his weight off her. Instinctively, Annie squeezed her inner muscles, holding him in her body. “Don’t leave.”

  “I won’t.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer.

  Annie’s heart did a slow flip as he rubbed his chin over her head. The darkness wasn’t so scary with Mace holding her tight.

  “What happens if we get out of here?”

  “Not if, when.” Mace assured her.

  “Fine, what happens when we get out of here?”

  “We’ll have to go through a debriefing, probably have to give depositions about what we saw. We might even have to testify at the trial.”

  “Not that, I mean with you. Will you have to go back to the sandbox?” She was glad he couldn’t see her face. Annie didn’t want to be one of those women who pined after a service man when he was long gone, but she had to know.

  “Maybe. It depends on what happens with this whole mess.”

  The thought of Mace going back into battle and maybe dying tore her heart to shreds. How could she live without him?

  Hell, she’d only just met him and now she was terrified of losing him. Shock must be wrecking havoc on her brain chemistry, she did not act this way. Ever. She would not be some idiot woman who clung to a guy who was after a cheap fling.

  Pulling away from Mace she searched for something to cover herself with. She couldn’t see much, but her white pants were easy to find. Hopefully her bra was nearby.

  “What’s wrong? Where’d you go?” There was worry coloring Mace’s voice.

  “Nowhere. I’m a little chilly so I thought I’d get dressed.”

  “Oh. Okay, I’ll get the flashlight.”

  “No!” She didn’t want him to see her face until she pulled herself together. “I can get dressed in the dark. We should save the batteries so I can look at your wound. Although what I’m going to wrap it up in is anybody’s guess.”

  “I’d forgotten all about it until now. Guess I was a little preoccupied.” Mace’s fingers played in her hair and she couldn’t move away. His touch was so gentle, so caring, it was killing her.

  “Well, I want to make sure it isn’t worse than you thought.”

  “It’s not. Here’s the flashlight, you can check it out for yourself.” He handed it to her and turned around.

  Clicking on the flashlight she examined Mace’s shoulder. There were nail marks in his back from their first bout, and heat shot between her legs as she remembered how they got there.

  “How’s it look?”

  Damn good. He hadn’t gotten dressed yet and his muscular butt was a mighty fine sight to behold. “Ah, you’re right, it just grazed you. It already stopped bleeding, just a little antiseptic when we get out of here and you’ll be right as rain.”

  She clicked off the light before he could turn back and face her.

  “Shh!” Mace pulled her close and crouched down in the shelter of the fallen furnace.

  Annie heard the pop of gunshots being fired in the distance. Another explosion rocked the building, dropping more debris down on them and making the room shudder. There were shouts and more gunshots, and Annie prayed they didn’t get shot at by either side.

  Two more explosions hit outside their door in rapid succession and she closed her eyes and prayed harder. Mace’s body thrummed with tension behind her, but he remained calm. Terror made her legs weak. She bit her lip to hold back the whimper of fear. If he could stay calm, so could she.

  Mace reached around her for their weapons and handed one to her. There was silence that seemed to go on for hours, but was probably only minutes. Annie’s nerves were pulle
d tight with the tension. If the fight was over, who had won?

  The quiet stretched on until Annie thought she’d scream. At least fifteen minutes later, the scream of ripping metal came from the half door. Annie aimed her weapon at the opening, was it friend or foe coming in? And would they shoot first and ask questions later?

  * * * * *

  A shaft of light speared Mace in the eye as mechanical claws tore their way through the door and into the furnace. If they were using the Jaws of Life equipment to open the door, it was probably the good guys trying to get in, but he held his weapon ready anyway.

  “Major Forbes? Are you in there?”

  “Colonel Michaels? Is that you?” Annie answered.

  Mace held her arm when she went to go towards the door.

  “You don’t know if it’s safe, and I don’t want you getting too close to those jaws.”

  Annie rolled her eyes, but stayed where she was.

  “We’ve got the building secure, but there was some structural damage to this area. It’s going to take a bit to get you out of there.”

  “No kidding, sir. The hospital’s furnace is jammed against both doors.”

  “What?”

  “During one of the explosions the furnace fell over and is now lodged between both doors.”

  “No wonder it wouldn’t open. Now we’ve got to cut through that goddamn thing too. You may be in for a long wait. I’ll see if I can get you some water bottles and MREs.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Military Meals Ready to Eat weren’t gourmet cooking, but right about now they sounded pretty damn good. A little bit of water to clear the dirt and the taste of fear out of his mouth wouldn’t hurt either.

  “Are you wounded at all, Major?”

  “No, but Captain O’Keefe is. I could use some clean bandages and some antiseptic. He’ll need new stitches when this is over, too.”

  “Who the hell is Captain O’Keefe?” Colonel Michaels did not sound happy.

  “My, ah, partner, sir. He was a patient in the emergency room.”

  Mace almost snickered. He was sitting there butt-naked with Annie between his legs and she was talking to her commanding officer.

  “God in heaven. I want the whole story when this is all over. Right now stay away from this door while we stabilize the structure and get you out.”

  Mace heard some muffled shouts and the colonel moved away. Annie handed him his pants, or what was left of them anyway.

  “These have seen better days,” she said, averting her eyes as she moved away from his embrace.

  “I’ll be glad to get rid of them. You’re going to need a new uniform, too, Major. I don’t think most nurses run around in sports bras. Too bad.”

  “I guess it’s all over.”

  Why wouldn’t she look at him? “Yeah, if they’re using machinery to get us out of here the building must be secure. I told you that janitor would let them know where we are.”

  “I mean, you and me. You’ll be heading back to your unit and I’ll be here a few more years.”

  “I won’t be over there forever you know.” The thought of losing her sent a cold stab of fear through his body.

  “Yeah, but you said it yourself, this is all just a result of the adrenaline exaggerating our hormones, or something.”

  “Is that all you think it is?” The coldness was spreading. Didn’t she feel the same way he did?

  “I don’t know what I think! All I know is I have never been in a situation like this before, and I don’t know how much is adrenaline and how much is real.”

  “If what we just shared was from adrenaline, I’ll bottle and sell it and put Viagra out of business! This is not over, babe.”

  Mace didn’t know what Annie was going to say because another explosion rocked the building. The last thing he remembered was Annie diving for him as his head rang with pain.

  Chapter Nine

  Mace opened his eyes and winced. He was in an olive drab tent and his head felt like it had been hit with a baseball bat. Where was he? Did he crash? What the hell was going on?

  Slowly the memories started to come back to him. He and Annie had been trapped in the furnace room. The wackos had been taken care of and they were waiting to get out. What happened next?

  A pain shot through his heart as he remembered Annie telling him that their time together was over. Bullshit! He’d change her mind, by God!

  Flipping back the light cover over his legs, he tried to get out of the cot. As soon as he sat up, a wave of dizziness dropped him right back down.

  “What do you think you’re doing? You lie right back down there this instant, Captain!” Annie came running to his side and straightened the covers over him.

  “You’re here. I was going to look for you.” Mace grabbed her hand and held it tight. She wasn’t getting away from him if he could stop it.

  “Of course I’m here. Where else would I be?” Her blue eyes shined down on him and she caressed his face with her free hand.

  “What happened?” Mace looked around the tent, he was next to a heavily bandaged man who looked like he had gone ten rounds with a heavyweight boxing champ. There was a nurse in a camp chair next to him, holding his hand in her sleep.

  “Apparently we missed one of the bombs,” Annie explained. “The explosion rocked the already weakened area where we were and that section of the building collapsed. You ended up with a concussion.”

  “Was anyone else hurt?” Mace searched her for signs of injury. She looked fine. Hell, she looked more than fine.

  “No, everyone had gotten out by that point. If you hadn’t gotten the civilians out of the café though, it would have been a different story. The entire cafeteria is rubble.”

  “Did they catch the bastards responsible for it?”

  “The ringleaders are in custody, that’s all I know. There’s going to be some sort of investigation to find out who is behind all of it, but right now things are still pretty chaotic.”

  “What time is it? I’m so disoriented, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going.”

  “You’re not going anywhere, mister. It’s a little after noon. You’ve been out for a while.”

  Mace let out a low whistle. “I think I was safer in Iraq.”

  Annie looked sick at his words and tried to pull away, but he held her fast.

  “Are you hungry? I could get you a sandwich if you’re not too nauseous to eat it.”

  His stomach growled with hunger at the mention of food. “Guess that answers that question. How about you? Have you eaten?”

  “Yeah, I got something while you were unconscious. Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

  She pulled away from him and slipped out the tent flap without a sound. Mace rubbed his temples as he watched her leave. Would she come back? She’d seemed awfully skittish around him. Their conversation was awkward and stiff. Was she just hanging around because she felt guilty?

  Could she be the one trying to run away now that things were over? They had done things a little back-ass-wards. He normally at least bought a girl a drink before he slept with her.

  Hell, he hadn’t even slept with her; he’d screwed her brains out in a supply closet! No wonder she was hell bent on getting away from him. They’d let their raging hormones loose before they had gotten to know each other. What a shock she felt awkward around him now.

  He might not know a lot about women in general or Annie in particular, but he did know that she wasn’t the type that hopped into bed with every GI she met. There was something very innocent about her, and he just bet she had no idea what to do about him now.

  Well, Mace knew what to do, and as soon as he could get out of bed without his brain falling out his ear, he was going to do it. His beautiful Annie deserved a Prince Charming, and he was going to make sure she got one.

  * * * * *

  Annie knew it was damn cowardly to avoid Mace when he couldn’t even get out of bed, but when Colonel Michaels told her to go home, she ran like a rab
bit. There was no way she could be around Mace without wanting to either jump him or cry all over the place.

  When the support beam came down on him, her heart went stone-cold with fear. She’d been chased, shot at, and almost blown up and that didn’t touch the terror she felt seeing Mace buried under a pile of rubble. That sort of gut-wrenching fear didn’t come from an excess of hormones and adrenaline.

  In some bizarre twist of fate, Annie had fallen head over heels in love with a cocky helicopter pilot in less than twenty-four hours.

  Anne Catherine Forbes, who had never so much as kissed on the first date, had not only had the best sex of her life with a guy she’d only just met, she’d tossed all good sense out the window and fallen in love with him. And she’d do it again in a heartbeat.

  Unlocking the door to her tiny apartment, Annie dropped her keys on the table by the door and stumbled to the bathroom. First she was going to take a shower, then she was going to sleep for the next three days. By then Mace would be back with his unit and she wouldn’t have to worry about running into him and bawling her eyes out.

  She knew all about the military brush-off. Meet a woman in one station and dump her before you go to the next. Well, she’d save Mace the trouble. She wouldn’t be clinging and whining when it was time for him to leave. He could go on his way with no empty promises about getting together again when he came back.

  Turning the water on as hot as she could stand it, Annie stepped under the spray and let the stinging needles work out the lump in her throat. She’d be strong and send him off with a smile instead of tears. Even if it killed her, he wouldn’t know her heart was breaking.

  Annie let her tears mingle with the hot water as it ran down her face. How could something this devastating happen so fast? She’d found her heart and lost it all in the same day.

  * * * * *

  A knock on the door woke Annie from her exhausted slumber. A bleary-eyed look at the clock told her it was ten o’clock in the morning. She’d slept for almost twenty hours! No wonder she felt like her head was stuffed with socks.