Dawn of Valor

by Lindsay McKenna

  As she opened her sleep-filled eyes, Rachel stared up into the dark blueness of Chase’s intense gaze. Her breath snagged in her throat and she was unsure whether it was a moan of pleasure or a cry to tell him to stop touching her. Drawn into the cobalt depths of his eyes, Rachel felt her terror dissolving, leaving her real feelings and needs exposed for the first time.

  As if sensing Rachel’s reaction, Chase laid his hand on her shoulder, offering her a helpless smile. “Lady, I can’t sleep with you in my arms. I don’t know where dreams and reality begin or end with you, Angel Eyes….”

  The gritty words washed across her, permeating her skin, heating her blood and putting her in direct touch with an ache deep within her. Angel Eyes. The endearment moved through her like sunlight, and Rachel raised her hand, pressing it against Chase’s chest. She felt the strong muscles beneath her hand tense, and she wanted more to explore than push him away.

  “Chase…” For the first time, Rachel realized that she could die. Her optimism was gone. In its place was a terrible knowledge that she could die today—any day, before possible rescue. And so could Chase. Rachel stared up into his face—incredibly tender despite his harsh features. She would never know what it would be like to love him. The feeling struck her deeply, and she raised her hand, tentatively sliding her fingers along his beard-roughened cheek.

  He frowned, watching Rachel’s eyes. Chase saw very real fear in them, but he also saw desire—for him. Just the butterfly touch of her fingers against his flesh made him groan. Trying to separate desire from her actions, he gripped her hand.

  “Rachel, what’s wrong?”

  She took a ragged half breath. “I—I just realized that we could die, Chase.”

  Nodding, he guided her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss into the small palm. “I know.” He felt the rise and fall of her breasts against him, sensing her need of him. His own hunger sharpened as she reacted to his kiss. The wild urge to kiss her pleading lips drove him beyond his massive control. His hand tightened on her shoulder momentarily. Shadows highlighted Rachel’s clean features, making her excruciatingly tempting.

  Rachel released the breath, seeing the intent in Chase’s narrowing eyes, wanting the promise she saw in them. Life over death. As she closed her eyes, feeling the tentative brush of his lips on hers, Rachel realized what life was all about. Chase’s mouth plundered her, the terror dissolving beneath his quickening breathing and worship of her. A moan slid from her throat as she felt him begin to unbutton her shirt. His fingers were trembling…but so was she.

  Burying herself in the primal needs of life, Rachel surrendered to the building fire that extended from her thighs up to her taut, aching breasts. Her lashes fluttered as Chase pulled back her shirt, exposing her bra. Somewhere in her dizzied senses, Rachel acknowledged her womanly instincts, promising her life above death.

  The shirt came off, and so did her cotton bra. Rachel gasped as Chase’s roughened fingers caressed her breast, but it was a sound of pleasure, not shock.

  Leaning down, Chase trailed a series of kisses from Rachel’s soft, pouty lips, down her slender neck to her finely sculpted collarbones, then her small, firm breasts. Stunned by her unexpected decision, he gloried in her, wanting her more than any woman in his life. His knowledge that their lives hung in a fragile balance consumed him. If he had to be captured or die, he didn’t want it to happen before he could love Rachel. The words were almost torn from him, but as she pressed her breasts against him, all thought was erased.

  “I need you,” he rasped thickly, sliding his hand down her torso, his hand cradling her belly, asking entrance. Burying his face in her hair, he felt Rachel moan, her mouth moving insistently across his neck, jaw, and finally to his mouth. As he fumbled with the buttons on her fatigue trousers, Chase’s senses spun. Rachel was just as fiery in loving as she was at living her life. The discovery only made him want her more.

  Her trousers were next. Rachel had unzipped his flight suit, running her fingers through the mass of dark hair across his chest. Chase was beautifully and brazenly male to her excited senses. He slid out of his uniform, and the instant his warm, hard flesh met hers, Rachel sank into his arms. Chase gently maneuvered her onto her back. Lifting her lashes, Rachel stared up into his face in the shadowy light.

  “Love me,” she pleaded, her voice cracking. “Please…”

  Urgency pounded through Chase. Time…they didn’t have any left. Now was all that counted. He saw the desperation, the need coupled with desire in her eyes. As he covered her, a fleeting thought crossed his whirling mind. Rachel deserved to be courted, to have her first time be beautiful—to be introduced into the realm of lovemaking with delicious slowness and tenderness. Chase crushed the thoughts as they arose. They might never get back—never have that chance. As he felt Rachel open her firm, velvety thighs to him, he framed her face with his hands. He could only give her what they both needed now under terrible, uncertain circumstances.

  Rachel felt Chase’s large hands close around her face, and she opened her eyes, looking up into his, drowning in them. Trying to prepare herself was impossible. Her blood pounded demandingly through her, driving her to couple with him. Tenderness and concern burned in Chase’s eyes as he held her gaze. She felt him press against her, felt the pressure as he sheathed deeply into her. Her lashes fluttered closed, her breathing suspended.

  Chase felt her tense, and his hands grew tight against her, unmoving. But she was hot liquid silk around him, and he clenched his teeth, sweat running down his temples as he tried to stop long enough to give her time to accommodate him. Fighting to get beyond his own screaming needs, Chase leaned down, plundered her parted lips, drawing all her attention to his tongue lushly stroking her.

  Heat drove through Rachel as Chase kissed her deeply, hungrily. Her hips moved provocatively beneath him, and a groan tore from deep within him. Each stroke moved him into her welcoming confines, and he felt Rachel begin to enjoy the rhythm. In the ensuing moments before their mutual release, he tried to make it good for her, a welcoming into the world of desire. As Rachel tensed, a soft cry echoing from her throat as she arched into his arms, Chase used his experience to prolong the sensation for her. She deserved that, and more. And, as she went limp in his arms, the last of his control dissolved into a steamy fire of need, and he buried himself deeply, forever, into Rachel’s loving body.

  Minutes later, Rachel slowly became aware of their breathing, of the fact she lay against Chase’s damp, hard body. He had gathered her up in his arms, wanting to keep her warm against the coolness of the night. Slowly her senses were returning. The glow of the climax still throbbed between her legs, the sensations wonderful, slowly dissolving with each heartbeat.

  “You’re cold,” he muttered, concerned, raising on one arm and locating her shirt. Drawing it across Rachel’s back and shoulders, he looked down into her shadowed features. Her lips were full and well kissed, still beckoning him. With a gentle smile, Chase outlined them with his finger. “Lady, you’re something else. I want you all over again.” And then he laughed ruefully, shaking his head. “You’re incredible. We’re incredible together….”

  Rachel blinked, hearing the gritty tone in his voice. Reality was quickly pushing back the beauty of what they had shared. My God, what had she done? Shakily Rachel pulled out of his arms, quickly slipping on the shirt.

  “Rachel?” Chase saw the sudden uncertainty in her eyes. Her fingers trembled as she rebuttoned her shirt. “Hey? What’s wrong? Talk to me.” He reached over, gripping her hand as she reached for her trousers.

  “Don’t!” It was more a plea than an order.

  Chase slowly sat up, scowling. “Rachel, don’t do this to me…to us. We have to talk.”

  Her hands were shaking badly as she got the trousers on and buttoned them up. “There’s nothing to talk about, Chase,” Rachel whispered hoarsely. It hurt to look over at his stunned features. She saw the confusion and lingering tenderness still in his eyes. Biting down hard o
n her lower lip, she tried to gather her strewn emotions. “I—it was my fault,” Rachel blurted. “I—I was scared, I needed to be held for just a little while.”

  Biting back a curse, Chase dressed, zipping up his flight suit, then sat watching Rachel intently for several seconds before speaking. “Look, it was good between us.”

  Running her fingers through her hair, lovingly mussed by Chase only minutes before, Rachel felt defensive. Why had she done it? Oh, God, why? Was it the war? The terror of getting caught?

  “Dammit,” Chase growled, capturing her wrist, “talk to me, Rachel!”

  She jerked out of his grip, anger in her low voice. “I just did! What else do you want? You ought to be satisfied. You got what you wanted all along.”

  Shaken, Chase sat up. “What are you talking about?”

  “You took advantage of our situation, Chase, and you know it!” She was trembling, her arms wrapped around her, but it wasn’t from the freezing night air, it was her reaction to Chase as a man.

  He glared at her. “We both did, Rachel. And I’m not sorry, but apparently, you are.”

  Her head hurt. Unable to hold his accusing look, she turned her head away, staring out into the darkness. “You shouldn’t be sorry at all, Chase. I never expected you to be.” Oh, why was she behaving like this? The urge to run out of the cave, and keep on running forever, struck Rachel. She was behaving like a teenager, not a mature woman. Why had she invited, even asked Chase to love her? Tears welled in her eyes, and Rachel forced them back.

  “Look, it happened,” she snapped at him. “Let’s just let it go at that. That’s the way you want it, anyway.”

  His nostrils flared with real anger. “How the hell do you know what I felt or want from you? In case you’ve got a short memory, you enjoyed it, too.”

  “You’re just like the rest, Chase. You want to marry a nice girl, but you’re willing to take any warm body that comes along in the meantime.” Her emotions in utter chaos, Rachel added painfully, “And I just happen to be the warm body this time around. So, it’s done.” Unable to remain close to him for fear of falling back into his arms, Rachel scrambled out from under the overhang. “Let’s just forget it!”

  “You’re being ridiculous, Rachel,” Chase protested. He crawled out, straightened and gripped her by the arm. “I can’t help it if I like you, can I? We aren’t school kids, either, you know.”

  Stung, she pulled from his grip, getting to her feet. “I don’t want to talk about it!”

  Just as he opened his mouth to speak, artillery shells were fired south of their position. Chase snapped his mouth shut, his attention zeroing in on the artillery. He saw Rachel jump outwardly as the first shells landed less than half a mile from them.

  “That’s our guys!” he crowed triumphantly, grabbing her by the arm. “Come on!”

  “Wait!” Rachel was jerked along, having no choice as Chase dragged her at a dead run along the grassy, wet slope of the hill. More shells landed, the explosions loud, puncturing the cold night air, like drums being beaten against them. She slipped in the dew-laden grass.

  Chase felt Rachel fall and let go of her hand, chastising himself for running too fast. She couldn’t possibly keep up. Leaning down, he kept low, hearing another barrage of fire.

  “Stay down,” he ordered, gasping. Gripping her shoulders, he added, “That’s our guys. Our lines are closer than I thought. All we have to do is reach them, Rachel. They can’t be more than five miles away.” He buttonholed her with a dark look. Rachel was shaken and pale, wincing every time a shell landed and exploded. “Can you make it?”

  “Y-yes. Chase, are you sure it’s our guys?”

  “Positive. If it was North Korean, they’d be firing toward the south, not from that direction.”

  Rachel glanced around, the night suddenly lighting up with spectacular yellow, orange and red tentacles of fire arcing outward, casting long shadows where they crouched in the grass. “Does this mean the enemy is nearby?”

  He nodded, skimming the area, looking for patrols. “Yeah, it does or they wouldn’t be peppering this place.” Another shell screamed overhead. Chase threw Rachel down, covering her with his body. The shell landed frighteningly close. He cringed, feeling rocks and dirt pelting them, the debris raining over a large area.

  As soon as the debris stopped, he rose. “Come on,” he ordered, “we’re getting the hell out of here. We’re right in the middle of a push by our troops. Ready?”

  Gripping his large, steadying hand, Rachel got to her feet. Nodding, her eyes large with fear, she followed him. Thankfully Chase shortened his stride so she wouldn’t fall again. The shelling grew more intense, the explosions pulverizing the hill they had just left behind.

  Rachel tried to steady the unraveling terror inside herself as the nearness of the shells screaming overhead and return fire by the enemy increased. Sudden light from the explosions shattered the darkness, lighting their way, exposing huge craters of freshly torn earth.

  Rachel’s lungs felt as if they were on fire, each gulp a huge, tearing effort from deep within her chest. Chase was tireless, seeming to gather strength from the run. Her legs were getting rubbery, and Rachel wondered how long it would be before she fell, unable to get back up again. How far had they come?

  Just as she thought she’d collapse, Chase jerked her down into the grass. For a brief second, Rachel saw men with rifles advancing toward them, barely five hundred feet away. Her heart banged away in her throat. She huddled next to Chase, a scream begging to be released. The soldiers came closer. Chase’s fingers dug deep into her arm, warning her to get ready to run.

  I’m going to die. The thought struck Rachel hard. Her senses were screamingly heightened, the shadows dancing around them. The soldiers were advancing directly at them, rifles held ready. Chase! Rachel jerked her chin to the left, photographing him in her memory. His features were bathed in sweat, granite hard, and remorseless as he focused on the men approaching them. I love you.

  Rachel didn’t have time to consider where that irrational thought had come from. Suddenly Chase gave a yell, leaping to his feet, throwing one hand above his head. She froze, trying to prepare herself to die. Instead, he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her upward. Stumbling, Rachel grabbed at Chase’s arm as he dragged her along.

  “Hey! Americans! Americans!” Chase’s voice thundered across the yards that separated them from the troops. Joy surged through him when he recognized the U.N. soldiers, the patches on their arms indicating they were from Australia.

  As he closed the last few yards, grinning broadly, Chase saw the officer smile and raise his hand. They were saved! Saved! He grinned down at Rachel. Her face glowed with relief as she staggered to a halt against him. Sweeping his arm around Rachel’s shoulders, Chase couldn’t remember ever being this happy.

  As he reached out, shaking the captain’s hand, Chase wanted only one thing: safety for Rachel. Somehow, in the past couple of days, their bond had fused into something so powerful that Chase gladly would have given his life to make sure she got home safely.

  Home. The word hung provocatively in front of Chase as he pumped the Aussie’s hand. Home and Rachel. God help me, but I love her. I love her….

  Chapter Seven

  “Clean bill of health, Lieutenant McKenzie.” Dr. Wells smiled, taking the blood pressure cuff off her left arm.

  “Thanks, Doctor.” Shakily Rachel tried to smile. She was sitting on a cot in a tent not far from the headquarters area for the Australian battalion. She was in shock and knew it. In the past half hour, her life had turned from certain death back into life again. Where was Chase? They had been separated earlier and sent to different tents. Perhaps they were interrogating him. He ought to have medical attention.

  The lantern suspended above them threw weak light against the walls of dark green canvas. Rachel rolled down the sleeve of her fatigues, fastening the cuff with trembling fingers. “Doctor, where did they take Captain Trayhern? He has a concussion.”
She sat on the cot, not willing to test her legs yet. Her ears ached from the continual bombardment of artillery loosing their shells of destruction northward.

  Wells tucked the cuff back into his leather case. “We’ve got two doctors with this battalion, Lieutenant. Bob Friese is checking Captain Trayhern over right now. He said he wanted to send the captain to a MASH unit by helicopter and get X rays of his head. I agree with you, he’s suffered a nasty concussion.”

  Rachel sat still as the doctor applied antiseptic to the scratch on her cheek. “He received it bailing out of his fighter,” she explained.

  “Word has it, you saved his life.” Wells, a man in his forties, smiled benignly. “And from the looks of things, you’re in shock from this experience.”

  “I know I am. Doctor, may I see Chase? I mean, Captain Trayhern, before he leaves?”

  “Of course.” Wells turned, calling a young soldier into the confines, and gave orders to have Chase brought to the tent. Just as the messenger left, another soldier entered the area, coming to attention.

  “Lieutenant McKenzie?” he asked.

  Rachel looked up at the youth. “Yes?”

  “A message for you, ma’am.” He handed it to her, performed a snappy about-face and left.

  Frowning, Rachel read the dispatch. It was orders directing her to report to another MASH unit, this time much farther away from the ever-changing front.

  “Orders?” Wells guessed, finishing dressing her scratch.

  “Yes.” She grinned lopsidedly. “They don’t waste time, do they?”

  Wells shut the sturdy medical case and straightened. He was dressed like the other doctors and nurses, in the same drab olive-green fatigues as Rachel. “Nurses are invaluable, and there’s a shortage. I’m not surprised that they’ve given you orders. I’m sure the general has been keeping an eye on this situation. We need brave women such as yourself here with us.”