by Anne Marsh
Her arms crept around him, pulling him in. “That wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.”
“Maybe.” He wished he could go back. Do it all over again with a different outcome. “But I still did nothing. I didn’t even try. Instead, I lost a man and I won’t do that again.”
“Did anyone blame you?” Her voice was thick with emotion, but her arms didn’t let go. He let his head fall back onto the couch, and soaked in the heat of the fire and her tender hold on him. He didn’t know when he’d gotten so cold.
Finally, he shook his head. “It was ruled an accident, but I blamed me.”
“Would Lars have blamed you for what happened? No way. Would you have blamed Lars if your situations had been reversed?”
No way.
“You need to let it go,” she said. “When you jump, you can’t jump with this on your shoulders. An accident is just that—an accident. You learn from it, and you go on.”
“Maybe.” He wanted to believe her. Somehow, his cozy fireside seduction had turned into an honest heart-to-heart, with him spilling his guts. He didn’t know if she minded, but he was laying it on the line here. This was his dark side, and he didn’t like that part of himself, but she seemed to understand.
He wished he was that person, the one she was seeing when she looked at him, because he had a feeling the man she saw was a bona fide hero.
“When do you go back? Your R & R, when does it end?”
The answer to her question should have been simple. And yet, he was unsure.
“I was planning to return at the end of July,” he said finally. His CO was expecting him, and he’d made his short-term status clear to Cal and Tag. There was no reason to rethink his decision, although he’d take every minute he could get with Dani. “Where’s the jerk?”
“Excuse me?” She straightened up on him and he bit back a laugh.
“The guy you booked the room for. Where is he?”
He’d bet that business just about killed her. Dani didn’t like failure. Didn’t tolerate failure. She was like him in that regard.
“We broke up.”
“And?” It wasn’t that simple. Couldn’t possibly be, or she wouldn’t be hiding out here on the island, making erotic bucket lists. Since he’d shared, however, he figured it was her turn, so he made a “give it up” gesture.
“Rick and I dated for three years. He gave me a ring six months ago and we were planning on a June wedding.”
Huh. It was June now. She’d mentioned plans gone awry on the beach the day they’d reconnected, and he hadn’t missed the “romance or bust” message the cabin screamed, but hearing her say those words still packed a punch.
“Yes, you guessed it. Welcome to my honeymoon.”
“What happened?” He leaned forward, away from the temptation that was her body, and speared another marshmallow on his stick. He was certain her seduction scenario didn’t call for him getting his hands on her two minutes after he’d told her such a sad story.
She shrugged and snagged another marshmallow. “I caught him cheating,” she stated as if she were broadcasting the weather report. “I showed up at his condo and there he was, naked, with another woman. He claimed I wasn’t enough for him in bed, so I tossed the ring at him, turned around and walked out.”
“Did the ring hit him?”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Maybe I should have tried to fix things, but it was pretty clear to me that what we had was broken, Daeg. And I couldn’t fix it.”
“He was an idiot.”
“He was.” She leaned back, removing her marshmallow from the fire in order to inspect it. It was perfect, a toasty golden-brown. He eyed his own. His marshmallow was blackened and bubbling on one side—where he’d plunged his stick straight into the heat—and raw on the other. He liked it like that, so no worries. Or, he could steal hers. He liked that idea better, so he made a grab for her stick.
“He was,” she repeated, swatting his hand away. “I get that. Now. But I spent weeks being mad and upset about the breakup.”
He wanted to hurt someone—preferably her fiancé. Instead, he settled for spearing another marshmallow onto her stick.
“So as I told you, I’m here for the summer,” she began, veering off in another direction. He wondered if she had any idea how sexy she was. Or if she’d watch him with that hot gaze of hers. “And we’ve established you’re here for a while,” she continued, oblivious to the sensual daydreams wreaking havoc with his equilibrium.
“As such.” She paused, then plunged in. “I think we should explore this. See where it takes us.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sex,” she said firmly. “I think we should have sex.” The mischievous smile on her face dazzled him. “As many times as we can before the summer is over.”
“I’m re-upping,” he warned, just in case her words were code for something else. He didn’t think so—Dani Andrews didn’t pull her punches and he respected that—but he needed to make sure.
“You’re already Mr. Wrong.” Her fingers walked up his chest. “Therefore, you’re absolutely perfect.”
He spluttered.
“Too blunt?” she asked.
“No.” He nipped her ear, kissed her cheek, and her eyes widened. Now she was the one off-balance. “You’re perfect, too.”
“Perfectly wrong,” she said, sounding delighted.
* * *
SHE’D ROLL OVER in her bed in the middle of the night and not bump her feet against Rick’s. An empty space in the bed, an empty space in her heart. She hadn’t seen it coming, either. How he’d pulled away, was no longer interested.
In hindsight, she’d missed the telltale signs. His emails had gotten shorter and shorter, the texts coming less often, and forget the phone calls. It had been all, “I’m out of coffee—can you stop and get some?” No more, “Your voice is so sexy—I just wanted to hear you speak.” Okay, so maybe that last one had been pure fantasy, but still. Rick had been all work, work, work as he grew his insurance company from a family-run business to a major player in the industry, and she’d given him the space he’d suddenly craved. Space he’d filled up with someone else.
Rick certainly hadn’t seen her when he had been there. He’d looked at her, obviously, but he hadn’t seen her. She’d dropped a fortune on expensive lingerie and he hadn’t blinked. Daeg Ross, on the other hand, saw her. He noticed the little details and watched her as if he was a starving man and she was a feast.
She took a deep breath. “This isn’t going to turn into anything long-term. Just so we’re perfectly clear.”
“Got it. We can’t pick up where we left off ten years ago.”
“No. We can’t.”
“But we can have sex,” he said cheerfully, “since you asked so nicely.”
Kiss him.
Don’t kiss him.
She’d made her choice. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she leaned into him, licking the sticky marshmallow from the corner of his mouth. He stilled beneath her touch, all that muscled hardness and masculine power beneath her palms. He tasted good, wild and sweet.
“Dani?” Her name was a rough growl.
“Hmm?” she whispered back.
He took the roasting stick from her hand and dropped it on the table. She didn’t move, just waited for him to come to her.
“Give me a second chance,” he said against her mouth. “Give us a second chance.”
She wasn’t a risk taker. She evaluated other people’s risks, and he was one risk she wouldn’t be able to manage. Odds were high that eventually he’d run because he wasn’t the kind of man who stuck around. Oh, he’d do it nicely—he’d be mustered up, called away on a mission—but he’d leave in the end. She studied his dark eyes watching hers.
This would be just sex for as
long as it lasted.
Her actuary professors had hammered the lesson into her: two risks were always better than one. It spread out the risk. If she got into bed with Daeg Ross, he could be disappointed. She hadn’t wanted to believe her ex’s claim that she was a boring lover, but it was a possibility. Just a small risk there, she believed. The bigger risk was that one night wouldn’t be enough with Daeg.
“A second chance at what?” she asked, since she needed to be sure.
His hand cupped her cheek, stroked a teasing path along her jaw. “At this. Us. Kissing you.”
“Okay,” she said and he blinked. Maybe he’d expected convincing her to take longer, so she explained. “I’m going to let you seduce me because it’s safer that way.”
“Wow.” He drew back.
She slid her arms up around his neck. He wasn’t getting away from her now. “It’s a risk-management technique,” she assured him. “Offset one risk with another risk.”
“I’m a risk?”
Using those terms, it didn’t sound sexy at all. She’d give him that. Still, he was smiling that naughty, knowing grin of his. So maybe he wasn’t too put off.
“Uh-huh.” He knew it, too, given how he was leaning into her, closing the small space between them.
Oh, yes, he was good. Her heartbeat was racing and she was trying not to pant. This was her seduction. She was in charge here.
“You’re—” Daeg’s lips feathered over hers and she forgot how to think. His mouth covered hers, and she realized that ten years had only made him a better kisser. He kissed her with a whole lot of demand and heat, his hands buried in her hair, urging her on.
“I deserve this,” she said finally, tearing her mouth away from his with a gasp.
“Yeah? You want Mr. All Wrong?” There was laughter in his voice again, which was okay. She felt happy, too.
“Absolutely.” She smiled at him.
His fingers caressed her sensitized skin. “What do you deserve?”
This was the part where she was supposed to come up with something scintillating and deliciously naughty. Yet she was empty. All she could do was stare into his deep, dark eyes.
“What do you want, Dani?” That raw voice of his made her body soar.
“Why?” she asked. “Are you going to give it to me?”
“Anything,” he replied. “All you have to do is tell me what you want. What you fantasize about.”
What she was fantasizing about was right in front of her. And if she was being honest, she’d never entirely forgotten Daeg Ross. Now, here he was, ready to indulge in a summer fling. It seemed the perfect means to prove to herself that she was unpredictable and exciting. No-holds-barred sex with Daeg—really, really hot sex—was exactly what she wanted. This wasn’t happily ever after—but it was happily right now, and that was more than enough.
“Okay.” It was funny how a life-changing event could be boiled down to two syllables.
He smiled. “So that’s definitely a ‘Yes, Daeg, ravish me right here and now’?”
“I don’t want to talk anymore,” she said, curling into his side. She let her hand drift over his stomach. Bold. Daring. That was who she wanted to be tonight. He didn’t seem to mind her initiative, either. On the contrary, he shifted closer until her hand was brushing his erection. She’d imagined how he would feel, but the thick, hard length of him was better than any fantasy.
“May I?” Her hand bumped against the waistband of his sweats.
His masculine groan was sweet satisfaction for her. He sprawled on the love seat like a big, predatory cat, waiting for her to touch him. She stroked him through the fabric of his sweats, tracing the long length. She took her time, because he was right. They had an entire night. Even if the storm stopped, it would be crazy to attempt the roads in the dark. Her soldier would insist on waiting until daylight. It would be safer, and he wanted her safe.
She didn’t want to play it safe anymore.
“Kiss me,” she demanded, and he pulled back.
Disappointment stabbed at her, but he searched her face. “You sure this is what you want?” he asked.
“No more talking,” she reminded him. “Remember?”
“Got it.”
He kissed her, a long, hot kiss that made her ache. She wanted this man. Better yet, he clearly wanted her.
* * *
DANI’S TANK TOP slipped down nice and easy when he hooked a thumb under a lacy strap and nudged. That inch of revealed skin made him want more. He wanted everything off, but the rules of the game they were playing demanded slow and sweet, so he stroked his thumb over the skin he’d uncovered.
He wanted her.
All of her.
Wanted to lay her down on the rug in front of the fireplace and know every secret she was hiding beneath that slip of a shirt. “No more talking,” he agreed. She tilted her head back. The heat from the fire had dried her hair into waves and he reached out, capturing a curl. The fine hair clung to his finger, wrapping around him.
She looked as if the move delighted her, and he wanted to tell her that she didn’t need excuses anymore. All she had to do was ask and he’d be there.
He kissed her again, and this time he pushed the lacy top all the way down, exposing her to his greedy gaze. The thin cups of her white bra hugged her breasts, creating a luscious line that he traced with his fingers. All the time in the world, he reminded himself. That was what they had. The storm outside was no match now for the one building inside the cabin.
She pressed her breasts into his palms. “Daeg—” His name was a throaty demand. He liked this, the lush, anxious anticipation as he held her, and then worked the tank top down until the soft cotton was bunched around her waist.
“More?”
“Please,” she sighed.
He undid the front clasp of her bra and her breasts tumbled free into his hands. He gently eased her back on the love seat, the fire casting a warm glow over them. For a long moment, he just enjoyed the sight, running his hands down her sides. Soft and yet strong. The feminine muscles beneath those curves were so very pretty.
“Daeg?”
“Shh, let me look a little. You’re so beautiful.”
Truthfully, he didn’t deserve this woman, but she made him laugh, made him want, aroused and seduced him, so he’d make sure she enjoyed every minute of this night. He tucked a cushion beneath her head.
“Watch,” he ordered and her eyes darkened. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
He lowered his head, brushing his cheek against those soft curves. Trailed kisses, openmouthed ones, over her breasts. His tongue made a path his fingers followed.
“Tell me what you want.”
A small moan escaped from her as his fingers found her nipples.
“Or do you want me to guess, Dani?”
He rolled, pulling her effortlessly on top of him.
“Your leg,” she gasped, bracing her hands against his shoulders.
He wasn’t thinking about his leg. At all. Instead, he pressed up against her and the telling heat at the juncture of her thighs.
“Believe me, my leg’s fine.”
He drew down her yoga pants and panties. He wanted her naked. Now.
* * *
DAEG’S CALLUSED HANDS moved over her hips and thighs, ruthlessly baring her to his gaze. Her clothes dropped carelessly to the floor, he reversed their positions again, placing her on her back.
“Let’s see if we can heat you up some.”
His strong hands stroked every inch of revealed skin as he rose up onto his knees.
“Are you going to strip for me?” She wanted him naked, but she wasn’t in charge here and that realization was its own erotic thrill.
He chuckled and pulled his shirt off. That still left him w
ith too many clothes on, in her opinion, because the ridge of his erection demanded uncovering. When she reached for him, however, he captured her hands with his, threading his fingers through hers. The rasp of his rough palms against hers was an erotic friction that sent heat shooting through her belly.
“Impatient? I like that. And it’s only fair because you make me lose all reason.”
Good.
A particularly strong gust of wind tore at the cabin’s roof and she was startled.
“We’re safe, I promise. Focus on me, on what we’re doing.” Reassurance filled his voice, as rock steady as the big body before her. Yes, she was safe with him. In the literal sense. Her virtue, thankfully, was clearly at risk.
“You sure the roof will hold up?” She pressed up, nibbling at his neck.
“Uh-huh.” His scorching gaze roamed over her body. “Although I think it could come down right now and I wouldn’t really notice....”
He moved with grace, shifting backward, easing her thighs apart. “Let’s try this.” His voice made her shiver.
Excitement and anticipation had robbed her of any words, instead, another moan escaped her lips.
“I’ll take that as permission.” He grinned and slipped her legs over his shoulders. A now-burning need for him had her tensing, pushing aside any fleeting embarrassment. She was right where she wanted to be with the only man she’d wantonly desired.
“You’re so beautiful—” His hoarse voice and intense look reassured her. He obviously liked what he saw.
He lowered his head to touch her intimately and she was ready. When finally, finally, he put his mouth on her, she stopped thinking altogether. He kissed and teased her, each erotic stroke of his tongue sending her higher and higher. So good, so good, she thought as he cupped her backside and increased her pleasure.
The wicked sensations continued. He made her writhe. She’d never experienced such outright bliss. She placed a hand on his head to encourage him and felt the soft rasp of the military cut beneath her fingertips.
More.