Wicked Sexy

by Anne Marsh

  He chuckled and he gave her what she wanted. “Dani, you have no idea how lovely you are.”

  His tongue resumed its decadent path over her, and then she was lost, the sensations too strong, too fast.

  “Daeg—” His name shot out of her mouth, a fierce demand.

  Her thighs trembled, and Daeg’s addictive kisses sent her over the edge. For a long moment, she was aware of nothing but him as she rode out her orgasm in a wave of breathless satisfaction.

  “Hoorah,” she said weakly. Oh, yes. He was good.

  And he wasn’t done yet. Thankfully, he wasn’t done.

  “Wrong branch, honey.”

  She felt his warm laugh against her skin as he eagerly lifted her into his arms.

  11

  “BED. IT’S DEFINITELY time to try the bed.” Daeg stood and carried Dani toward the four-poster. “The night’s not over yet.”

  He held her close, savoring the feel of her, bare and relaxed, her hair tumbling over his arm. Her arms locked around his neck, hanging on for the short trip. He wouldn’t drop her. Never that.

  When he reached the bed, he tossed back the covers and set her down. “Be right with you.”

  She smiled and did a full-body stretch. He still couldn’t quite believe that they were here together after all this time.

  He snagged a condom from his wallet and tore the packet open. Hotfooting it to the bed, he grinned when Dani’s fingers helped him roll the latex down his shaft. He loved the sexy look of concentration on her face as she adjusted the fit and ran a finger along his hard length. She drove him crazy.

  When he dropped onto the bed, she said, “Gotcha.”

  In one smooth move, she was seated face-to-face with him on his lap, one thigh on either side of his. Her heat pressed against him was a happy torment. He couldn’t wait much longer. Leaning forward, she ran her fingers down his chest and mischief flashed across her face.

  “I’ve got an idea.” She rose up onto her knees so that the tip of him brushed her intimately. Yeah. He liked this idea of hers.

  “You up for a ride, cowboy?”

  His fingers steadied her hips as she teased his hard length mercilessly.

  “Dani—” he groaned, having reached the end of his patience.

  “Ten years,” she whispered. “You made me wait ten years for this, Daeg. You owe me at least ten minutes.”

  Maybe that was true. She slowly lowered herself over his erection until he was buried deep inside her, their bodies one.

  Still kneeling, she pushed up and then came back down. She repeated the motion over and over, riding him, delighting him. He got his hands underneath her to help her.

  “Let me.” The words sounded like a hoarse plea.

  “Yes.” She relaxed into his hold and he took over, pressing up into her as his fingertips stroked her intimately. As he felt their control slipping, the first heady rush of mind-numbing satisfaction overtook them. He heard his own answering cry as he climaxed and wrapped his arms around her.

  Tight.

  No way he’d let go now.

  * * *

  HE DIDN’T ROLL over and fall asleep.

  He didn’t hop out of bed, shower and make a quick exit.

  Of course, the raging storm probably had something to do with that, but Daeg still had an arm around her and pulled her close after they’d finished making the bed shake. He was gloriously, spectacularly naked, his legs tangled up with hers, and he seemed in no rush at all.

  “You,” he said, his fingers exploring a sensitive spot on her neck, “are amazing.”

  She held her tongue because asking for an itemized list of what had worked for him probably would kill the moment. Okay. Scratch that. Would definitely kill the moment. Instead, she settled for lying there, enjoying the afterglow. Enjoying Daeg.

  “You’re quiet.” His teeth nipped at her earlobe, his big hands loosely around her waist.

  “Thanks for the compliment.” Maybe he wouldn’t notice her awkwardness? “You, too.”

  The storm lent her its own version of a cover-up—a loud boom, followed by a lengthy screech. Something huge must have been blowing around and had landed nearby.

  His arms tightened. That was nice.

  There was now an eerie silence. What was happening outside? “Should we investigate?”

  She liked the way he took time to think over his answer. He didn’t rush to fill the silence with what he thought she wanted to hear.

  “Seems fine now. If the cabin becomes damaged, we’ll have to act. But so long as it’s in good standing, we’re safe where we are.”

  “All right.” She stroked a hand over the strong forearm draped over her middle. “I can live with that.”

  “Good.” Amusement filled his voice. “Because I don’t have a direct line to the storm this instant, otherwise, I’d pass your feedback along.”

  She laughed and they dozed companionably for a short while.

  Her question wouldn’t let her sleep, however, and eventually she gave up. “Daeg?”

  “Yeah?” He sounded alert, so maybe her soldier didn’t plan on sleeping much tonight.

  The question was out of her mouth before she could consider its implications. “It was okay for you?”

  * * *

  SLEEPY VULNERABILITY LACED Dani’s voice.

  Daeg had only planned on resting, not sleeping, just in case the storm picked up again. He pulled the cover over Dani’s shoulder while he thought about how to answer her.

  Her question bothered him.

  Who had made her doubt how sexy she was in bed? Slow anger built as he considered possibilities. He’d lay money on her ex, seeing how she was fresh out of a long-term relationship.

  Perfect.

  If she hadn’t figured out how much she turned him on from what they’d just done, he hadn’t done something right. And now he’d have to cobble together the words to tell her how good she’d been.

  How good they’d been together.

  Sex, he could do. Emotions? Not so much. However, this was important.

  “You were perfect,” he finally said. “What happened here was far more than okay. You got that?”

  Her sleepy mumble said maybe she did, or maybe he’d accidentally hit on the right combination of words. He hoped he had. He really did, because Dani was someone special and she deserved to know that. He tucked her against his chest and stared at the ceiling. The fire was dying down now and the wind was picking up again.

  It was going to be a long night.

  12

  QUIET.

  Daeg couldn’t hear any wind crashing into the cabin. And there was no rain slapping against the roof. Yesterday’s storm had passed and right on schedule. For a few minutes, before he opened his eyes, Daeg assessed the situation. Listened first for sounds then judged the approximate time. Ignoring the bigger problem.

  He looked down. Yeah. He hadn’t dreamed it. He’d had the hottest sex of his life with Dani Andrews.

  He’d trained for many things, many outcomes. What he hadn’t trained for were the feelings that came at him now.

  Or the memories. The chemistry between them had been explosive. He’d known the sex would be good—they’d reconnected instantly on the beach—and nothing about last night had disappointed. She’d set him on fire with her kisses, and one touch had led to another, and...yeah. It had been good.

  Unforgettably good.

  She’d been open, vulnerable, charming, holding nothing back. Had her expectations for them changed since the deed had been done? He had to admit that now that it was morning, he didn’t know what he wanted and that scared him even more.

  She’d said no strings and he’d agreed. He’d made his short-term status perfectly clear. Still, what i
f she’d changed her mind? He didn’t kid himself that he’d been so amazingly talented in bed that she’d wake up and decide to drag him off to Vegas for a quickie wedding, but maybe she’d be clingy. Or needy.

  Ready for more action, if he was lucky.

  Focus, soldier.

  He sat up, carefully shifting her off his arm. When she grumbled sleepily, he arranged the duvet over her and she drifted back to sleep. Her halo of tangled curls made her seem angelic. Her lips parted and she let out a tiny sound, more snort than snore. He smiled. She definitely looked safe. Mission accomplished.

  So he could get a move on. Job done. Time to go.

  He ignored the pull of desire that demanded he stay in bed with her and grabbed the flashlight, flicking it on.

  An inch of water covered the cabin’s floor.

  Relief filled him as he shoved out of the bed, because it was only an inch and he knew how to lead an evac. He didn’t know how to handle a morning after wrapped up in the arms of Dani. He grabbed a towel and covered himself. There was rustling from the bed as he worked the lock on the front door. Didn’t matter now that they had water; they’d have to go, so there would be no more sleeping for her.

  Or anything else.

  “Daeg?” His name was a muffled question.

  “We need to leave.”

  He swung the door open and stepped out onto the porch to survey the scene. The worst of the storm was over. A quick glance at his wrist said six o’clock. The sky was overcast, but there was more than enough light to see the water lapping over the cabin’s porch and the damage littering Sweet Moon’s parking lot. Plenty of mess, but again, nothing he couldn’t drive over or around. He eyed the Jeep and decided the vehicle was still operational since the water was only halfway up the wheel well.

  Dani sat up when he stepped back inside, a sleepy smile on her face as he sloshed toward her. She’d pulled his T-shirt on at some point during the night. The neck was too large, sliding down her shoulder and exposing the pale lines from her bikini straps. She looked imminently delectable.

  Focus, soldier.

  “There’s room for one more.” She swept back the duvet with an impish grin, making space for him, and his T-shirt rode up around her waist, giving him a flash of creamy thigh. He wasn’t sure she was wearing panties.

  Hell.

  She looked at him hopefully and he had to stop this.

  “We’ve got water,” he said, and her expression froze. He should have led up to the reality check. He couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or mad or something else altogether.

  “Right,” she said and crawled to the edge of the bed. His T-shirt fell around her, giving him a clear view of her chest. He wanted to reach over and cup her full breasts, thumb the nipples until she was moaning against his mouth. And from this angle he could clearly see that she wasn’t wearing panties. He bit back a groan.

  “So we have to get going,” he said desperately.

  She nodded thoughtfully, collapsing back on the bed. “Because otherwise we’re going to float away on an inch of water.”

  She wasn’t taking this seriously. He didn’t know whether to laugh or argue, because he liked this new, playful Dani, but the water was still there.

  “How many steps on the porch?”

  “Three.” She didn’t open her eyes.

  “And how much clearance between each one?”

  “Six inches or so. I get it. There’s at least two feet of water out there, all of it itching to come join us inside the cabin.”

  He opened her dresser and pulled out shorts and a T-shirt. Maybe he should let her do it, but he was in a rush and he liked choosing for her—so he sorted through the lacy bits and then added panties and a bra to the pile. Her underwear drawer was all pretty thongs and cute boy shorts, but nothing practical for what might end up being a swim back to town. Hell, Dani herself wasn’t as practical as she liked to pretend.

  She liked surprises.

  He grinned at the sensual memories of last night. Yeah, and he’d enjoyed surprising her.

  “Get dressed.” He dumped the clothes on the bed and she groaned, pulling the duvet over her head.

  “I can’t tempt you back into bed?” The covers hid her voice, but the sensual invitation was clear.

  “We need to go.” He heard his own voice and wanted to wince. No fun, that was him. Sure, part of him wanted to crawl back into bed. The rest of him was just plain confused. Town was the smart plan. Town was what they should do.

  “Right.” She appeared from under the duvet and grabbed her clothes. “Are you up for driving today, or am I doing the honors?”

  He tested his knee. Sore, but he’d do.

  “I’ll drive.”

  “Okay.” The covers rustled as she pulled on her panties and shorts beneath his tent of a shirt. He turned away. He wasn’t looking. Much. Still, when she whipped off the shirt, dropping it on the pillows, he could see marks he’d put on her breasts. He ran a hand over his jaw. Rough stubble. Yeah. Definitely his fault, like so many other things.

  “You want me to carry you into the bathroom? To save your feet getting wet?”

  “I won’t melt,” she said.

  She disappeared into the bathroom and he settled for getting dressed and loading up the Jeep. He’d sort out his feelings and what had happened between them in that bed later, he promised himself. Keeping Dani safe was his number-one priority, and he wasn’t losing anyone else. This hasty evac was simply a retreat from the rising water—and, just possibly, from the unexpected emotions she stirred in him.

  No. This was tactical, practical, strategic.

  He told himself that again as he secured their things in the vehicle, and then once more as he drove Dani down the road.

  Problem was, he didn’t even believe it himself.

  * * *

  DANI COULD DO the math. Daeg’s rush back to town represented the second time Daeg Ross had kissed her—and run. They’d both agreed last night that their getting together was a little summertime fun and nothing more. She’d meant it then and she meant it now, so his cold feet made no sense.

  Unfortunately, she’d have to sort Daeg out later, since Deep Dive was clearly already the island’s command center. Four all-terrain Jeeps were parked in front of the shop, along with two police cruisers, lights flashing, and an ambulance. The doors opened and closed, people coming and going with purpose, navigating around the supplies stacked on the porch. The ocean beyond was still gray and agitated, but some boats were already back in the water. Men in orange slickers moved around, getting ready to ride to the rescue, while down at the end of the dock another boat brought in a bedraggled group of survivors. If Daeg hadn’t come for her yesterday, they could have been looking for what was left of her today.

  “Thanks. I really mean it,” she said awkwardly when he turned off the motor and faced her. Some things needed to be said, even if they were ignoring what had happened last night.

  He raised a brow and smiled at her. “I’ll give you a ride anytime.”

  She smiled back. Her hero wasn’t comfortable with thanks. “Thanks for coming. For making sure I got out of my car okay and back to Sweet Moon.”

  She wasn’t going to thank him for the sex. She had her limits.

  “No problem.” He flashed another smile.

  “I’m going to head on over to the shelter.” She pulled a plastic bag of pills from her purse. “Reunite Mr. Ramsey with his Friday. Better late than never.”

  “You want me to walk you over there?”

  She stared at him for a split second. What kind of an offer was that? Did he want to spend more time with her, spin this thing out, or was he merely being polite? “Two blocks.” She pointed down the street. “I’ll be fine on my own.”

  “If you’re sure.” His gaze swivel
ed to the busy dive shop. “Cal and Tag need me on deck.”

  “Heck of an introduction for Deep Dive’s search-and-rescue services.” While she was mentally rehashing last night, other people were waking up to devastation. For the first time, she took a really good look around the sea frontage. While the dive shop had weathered the storm just fine, some of the other local businesses hadn’t fared as well. She spotted multiple broken windows, two roofs half blown off, and the vice mayor’s boat was now parked inside the flower shop. Debris littered the beach, too. Mounds and mounds of broken, battered objects and vegetation.

  She hopped out of the Jeep. Last night’s storm surge had left the sidewalk covered in sand and she sank in ankle deep.

  He came around the vehicle, all long-legged grace. “Let me know if you have any trouble with your car insurance company, okay?”

  Right.

  Her car.

  That had disappeared somewhere into the Pacific Ocean. She eyed the beach, but her sedan wasn’t sitting there washed up on the shore. She laughed at herself—as if anything about this storm was going to be that easy. No, she’d have to call up the insurance agent and explain that the whole blasted car had washed away while she’d stood there and watched.

  “Daeg—” What came next wasn’t clear. He braced a hand on the Jeep’s hood, bending his head toward her.

  “We’ll be doing recon for a week or more.” His knowing gaze swept the beach. Storm damage had always been an after the fact for her—numbers on a piece of paper. What had happened here, though, was plenty real—affecting real people, people she knew and had grown up with. The storm’s effect could have been worse, but it was still hard to imagine the total consequences of what had occurred. Although the buildings were still standing and the people still breathing, there was also a whole lot of starting over to do. Never mind that she was starting to think she might want to do some of that starting over, too—but Daeg seemed remote, entirely concentrated on completing his original mission and getting her back to town.

  Mission accomplished, as he liked to say. A stream of folks passed by; a few waved at her.

  “Hey.” Tag came out onto the porch. His flight suit was unzipped to reveal a V of white cotton, but his feet were dressed for business in a pair of steel-toe boots. “We want to put the bird up and do an aerial survey. We’ve also got locals trapped in the northwest quadrant of the island. We’re debating ferrying them into town or dropping supplies. You want to weigh in?”