Warrior's Heart: Gifts of the Ancients, Book 1

by Bianca D'Arc

  She took his face in her hands. “That’s the most beautiful thing any man has ever said to me.” She leaned in close to kiss him softly, edging into passion and wriggled closer into his arms. When she pulled back, her eyes teased him. “I think for that, you deserve a reward.”

  His eyes narrowed, but he was grinning. So far so good.

  “What sort of reward are we talking about?”

  “Oh, I think you’ll like this reward. I know I will.” She licked her lips and moved downward on the bed. Dipping slightly, she teased his cock, brushing her nipples against his rigid length. He stifled a groan.

  “You’re killing me, Cas.”

  “I haven’t even started yet.”

  This time, he did groan when she lowered her chest against his throbbing dick. She used her hands to squeeze her breasts around him, stroking him within the generous globes for a long, sensuous moment. She liked that she could turn him on so completely, so easily.

  “Cas!” He reached for her, but she scooted back.

  “So impatient.” She shook her head teasingly, moving forward again, stalking him on her hands and knees. He sat tensely and watched her approach. He’d let her play, the message was clear in his eyes, but ultimately he was in charge. That was fine with her. She just wanted to give him a taste of the pleasure he’d given her. She wanted to do this for him—and to him.

  She teased him a bit more with her nipples and her hair before finally taking him within her mouth. She liked the taste of him right away, though she’d never really enjoyed such a thing before. Then again, she’d never been with the right man before. Hal had been her dream, her ideal, for so many years.

  She’d made love to a few men, been talked into going down on less, but it had never felt this right, this perfect. What she had with Hal was so far out of the realm of her meager experience, it was almost sad. Except for the fact that she seemed to be blowing his mind, too, she’d feel very inept.

  Hal couldn’t believe the things she was doing to him with her tongue. Who knew Casey would turn out to have such a devilish side? If he’d known how hot she would be for him he didn’t know if he could have held out this long. It was a moot point anyway. Now he was where he’d dreamed of being too many times to count. The reality was a hundred times better than any of his fantasies had ever been, and he wanted to freeze this moment in time, to remember it always. She applied suction, and his blood pressure went even higher.

  “Casey.” His growling warning seemed to fire her to further exploits. She sucked harder, rubbing the lower part of his shaft with her soft, strong hands.

  “Cas, honey, I’m gonna blow.”

  She redoubled her efforts, and he couldn’t control his response any longer. Take it or leave it, he couldn’t control the jets of come. She didn’t seem to mind. No, his little Casey was licking it all up, smiling as she watched him shatter, focusing on his erupting cock as if it were an ice cream cone that she had to lick.

  And lick and lick.

  He fisted his hands in her hair, loving the way she took him, accepted him.

  “Cas.”

  He could just barely manage to whisper her name. She cleaned him with her tongue like a cat. Damn him if he wasn’t getting hard again, just watching her tend to him. It should be impossible, but he was fast learning that just about anything was possible where his Casey was concerned.

  “You taste divine.” Her whispered words drove him higher, and he used his hands to move her up the bed, taking her mouth with a savage desperation. His cock became rock hard again in a matter of seconds.

  He could taste his own come in her mouth, along with her own sweet liquor. It made him hotter than he could ever remember being, and he’d thought nothing could surpass what he’d just felt.

  He had to have her, hard and fast. Later he would have time for finesse. Right now the growing hunger in him demanded satisfaction.

  He rolled, pinning her beneath him on the big bed and entering in one swift move that left her gasping. He spared a moment to make sure he hadn’t hurt her. She was with him as he pounded into her pussy, hard, fast and nearly out of control. Everything in him drove him to claim this woman, claim her body, her mind and her soul. She was his, dammit. She was made for him, the only woman who would give him this satisfaction, this freedom, and he would give her the world in return.

  He knew in that moment that there was no going back. For as long as she would have him, he would be her willing slave. They were tied together and nothing could tear them apart, unless she wanted her freedom. It would rend him in two, but if she didn’t want him, he would go. He would leave her be, though he would never fully leave her alone. He couldn’t. She was his. He would watch over her for the rest of their lives and beyond. It was a basic need inside him, as basic as the need to push her over the edge into a screaming orgasm when he came inside her.

  They tumbled hard and fast into the most explosive climax yet, and both were breathing hard when they finally came back to themselves. He was still lodged deep within her, his weight heavy on her smaller body, pressing her down into the soft mattress. He made a move to lift off her, but her legs wrapped around his hips, holding him close.

  “Cas, I’m too heavy.”

  She licked his chest, making him jump just a little. “You’re perfect. Don’t move a muscle.”

  “I’ve got to be crushing you, Cas. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Hurt me so good,” she mumbled, licking the salty sweat from his chest with a contented purr that set his senses reeling.

  He gave up. He could deny her nothing, though he kept a bit of his weight braced on his forearms above her. Without his conscious volition, his hips surged lightly in and out of the cradle of hers, basking in the echo of the climax they’d just reached together.

  “Are you okay, Cas?”

  “Mmm, never better. You?”

  He smiled, and her gaze swept up to meet his. She was grinning like the cat who ate the canary. Only she’d just eaten him and then he’d fucked her brains out, apparently.

  Although his smile was probably just as goofy. He leaned in to kiss her.

  “I think I’ll stay right here all day, if you don’t mind.” He pushed his semi-erect dick into her softness to emphasize his point.

  “I don’t mind. Matter of fact, you can stay all weekend. I don’t have to be at work until Monday.”

  It was an invitation he couldn’t refuse. “Then consider me here.” He swooped to lay biting kisses along her neck, down to her collarbone and then lower. Unbelievably, he was getting hard again, and he wasn’t moving his dick from its preferred home any time soon. This time, maybe he’d have a little control and he could give her the slow, tender loving he’d been dreaming of. Maybe. He hoped.

  Chapter Nine

  Early Monday morning he stood on her doorstep, a well-used duffle bag in one arm, a well-loved Casey in the other.

  “I don’t want to leave you.”

  She kissed his cheek and smiled. “You have to go back to work, and so do I.”

  “I know,” he sighed, “but I really want to stay here and fuck your brains out some more.”

  She laughed. “You’re such a romantic.”

  He tugged her closer. “I’ve never been much for pretty words. For you though, I could try, Cas. Do you need me to say how much I want you? How much I need to be with you? How much I—”

  She cut him off with a smile and a single finger over his lips. “I don’t need words from you, Hal. You’ve shown me all weekend just how right this is between us. I want it too. We both have to work, and you especially, need to figure out what’s happening inside you. The Army and the rest of your men can help you with that. You need them. You need your duty. I know that about you. It’s part of who you are.”

  Never had a woman understood him so completely. He kissed her savagely, taking her mouth hard and fast, showing her without words how deeply she moved him.

  “Can I come again next weekend?”

&nb
sp; “Oh, yeah.” Her eyes turned hot. “You can come over and over again—as long as you’re inside me when you do it.”

  He hadn’t meant it that way, but what the heck? His woman was hotter than he would have thought, and she took his breath away at every turn. He kissed her again.

  “I promise I’ll come inside your mouth, your pussy, your ass and all over your tits. How’s that?”

  Her breath hitched at his dirty talk. “I think that sounds wonderful.”

  “Then it’s a date.”

  “Definitely.”

  He kissed her again, simply because he had to, then finally turned to go. He felt like he was leaving a large chunk of his heart behind with the woman in the doorway. It was okay. He knew it would be safe with her.

  Casey could hardly contain her excitement when her Friday workday drew to a close. In a matter of hours she’d be with Hal again and, if last weekend was anything to go by, he’d be inside her within moments and wouldn’t leave all weekend.

  Except for that dinner. Mark had made her promise to have dinner with him tonight. She’d admitted that Hal was coming to spend the weekend with her, but he’d been firm.

  He wanted to see them both. Together.

  She almost dreaded what her big brother might have to say about the obvious change in their relationship. It was hard not to blush when she thought of the intimacies Hal and she’d shared and the shocking, exciting things he’d promised to show her. She just knew Mark was going to go ballistic, and she was dreading the inevitable confrontation.

  She’d asked Hal to meet her at Mark’s rather than see him before and chance being late. She knew the moment she saw Hal, she’d want to make love to him and she didn’t want to go to her brother’s fresh from Hal’s bed. It was too soon for that.

  Too new for her to be able to bluff her way through. It would be written over her face, and she didn’t want to tempt her brother’s temper any further.

  Hal would be waiting for her at Mark’s when she got off work. She’d brought clothes to change into with her to the office that morning and before leaving, she took a few moments to change and freshen up her hair and makeup. She didn’t want to be too obvious. She just wanted to look nice when she saw Hal again for the first time since spending that amazing, orgasmic weekend in his arms.

  Hal’s cell phone rang while they were finishing dinner. He frowned and moved into the kitchen to take the call with some degree of privacy. They wouldn’t be calling him on this phone if it weren’t important.

  When Hal picked up, Jeff’s voice came on the line, harsh with suppressed emotion.

  “You’ve got to get out of there now, Cap’n. Someone’s coming for you and your woman. They’re already on their way.”

  Hal wasted no time, moving back into the dining area and capturing his friends’ attention, his phone to his ear. He knew he was frowning, and apparently both Casey and Mike knew something was up from his body language.

  “How long do we have?” Hal asked Jeeves.

  “Not long. Ten minutes, tops.”

  “Casey and Mark are here. Who do they want? And who are they?”

  “Don’t know who. I can’t see them. They want you and the girl. Her brother should be okay if you can get him away from you both.”

  That decided him. “I’m heading for base.” He snapped the phone shut, already on his way out the door. “Mark, you’ve got to go. Just to be on the safe side don’t come back here this weekend. Hit a hotel or go to your parents’ place. I’ll call you on your cell when the coast is clear.”

  Mark stood, concern on his face. “What’s going on?”

  Hal stopped in his tracks. What could he say to this man, his best friend? Mark didn’t know what had happened to him in Iraq and it would take too long to explain. Instead, he went for broke.

  “Do you trust me?” The steel in his eyes communicated itself to his best friend.

  Mark nodded with barely any hesitation, and Hal was touched. “With my life.”

  “Good,” Hal said, moving now, “because that’s exactly what you’re doing. I don’t have time to explain. Someone’s coming here, looking to harm Cas and me. I can keep her safe, but if you get in their way, they’ll kill you. I need you to trust me. Get out of here. We don’t have much time. I promise you. I’ll keep Casey safe.”

  “You do that, and keep in mind you have some explaining to do when you’re both safe.” Mark hugged his sister quickly then went to the door and paused. “I’m heading to Mom and Dad’s. Call me there when you can. I’ll keep my cell charged and with me at all times.”

  Hal nodded once, taking Casey’s hand. She stood and gathered her purse. It amazed him how calmly she was taking this. She hadn’t questioned him, though he was sure she had a million of them rattling around in her mind.

  He locked the door behind them and took the driver’s seat in her car. The countdown in his mind told him they had about a six-minute head start on whoever was coming for them. He had to make the most of that time, but he also had a few things he needed to say to Casey. He sped off down the street and headed for the highway that would take them to the ferry.

  “I’m sorry, Cas. I never would have come near you if I knew they’d try to use you to get to me. I don’t want you hurt because of me.”

  “Never mind that, Hal. Tell me who’s after us and how can I help?”

  She shocked him with her no nonsense attitude. He shook his head, smiling in satisfaction. She certainly was game and nearly as calm and gung ho as one of the guys in his unit. He grabbed her hand and gave her a smacking kiss.

  “Jeeves didn’t know who it was. We were closely watched by several foreign governments on our way home. A couple of the locals saw what Rick did to save my life and rumors started flying. They hustled us out of the country after that, but not before we’d raised some interest. I heard later that several requests were made through the State Department for us to be moved to a few different countries in the region, not all of them friendly.” He watched his rearview mirror carefully. “It seems we’re hotter than I thought.” He sat up straighter, revving the little car’s engine, speeding down the highway.

  “So what can I do to help?”

  He pushed the little car to its limits and headed for an off ramp. “For now, just hang on.”

  The ride that followed was the most harrowing of her life.

  He went across three lanes of traffic to take the off ramp at much higher speed than recommended. Once off the Long Island Expressway, he sped down one of the North/South parkways that would take them to the shoreline and then to a ferry that could bring them to the island.

  But they never made it. The bad guys had a faster car and more than one. Double-teaming them, the black cars boxed them in and forced them off the road into a ditch. After that, it was lights out for both of them.

  Chapter Ten

  Casey awoke to a sick feeling in her stomach and a raging headache. She remembered hitting her head on the dashboard and then had a foggy memory of the pinch of a needle in her arm. She looked down and saw a little red mark where it looked like someone had injected her with something, and her head felt groggy. Her mouth was dry and felt like it had been stuffed with cotton, and she realized with some alarm that she was tied to the chair she was sitting on with duct tape around her wrists and ankles.

  The sun was coming up, rosy through the small porthole that showed the horizon, so she knew at least one night had passed since they’d been captured by the bad guys. She also realized she was on a boat of some kind. That porthole, the rocking motion and the slight sickness in her stomach were all the proof she needed. She’d never been a good sailor, though she loved the ocean.

  Hal was nowhere to be seen, and she instantly worried about what they might be doing to him. She sat there, trying to think of a way out for what seemed like hours. She could hear muffled voices through the thin walls of the boat. She couldn’t figure out what they were saying. Some of it sounded like another language. So far, she�
��d seen no one on this boat, and she wondered what they’d do to her now that they had their real prize.

  They’d wanted Hal, and they’d apparently gotten him. She remembered seeing the airbag deploy. Hal had been covered in blood and unconscious when she slid into darkness after him.

  Undoubtedly, they were holding him prisoner too.

  She sat, thinking through her options, what few there were for a good couple of hours before she heard a loud commotion on deck. Gunshots rang out. Moments later, Hal pushed his way through the small hatch that had kept her isolated in the small cabin.

  “Hal.” She kept her voice to a whisper though she felt like shouting.

  “Are you all right?” He moved fast to rip through the layers of duct tape that held her to the chair. He spared a moment to kiss her soundly, and she could feel the relief in him.

  “I’m okay. You?”

  He shrugged. “Good enough for now. I’ve taken out the crew, but we need to get off this boat. They’ve got others in the area and if we take the boat, they’ll follow it and hunt us down.” She headed for the door close on his heels. “The crew of this tub is supposed to check in with the speedboats every half hour. I made sure they’d just checked in before I took them out. That gives us a half hour at most before the speedboats move in to see what’s wrong. We need to be well away before then.”

  He talked briskly as he brought her up on deck, avoiding the areas where he’d hidden the bodies of the crew. He headed for the rail at the far end of the boat where the speedboats would have the least visibility. He’d studied their movements for a few hours before making his move. For one thing, he needed the light of day to make his escape a little easier on Casey. For another, he had to gather his strength.

  That knock on the head from the accident had hurt him more than he liked and whatever dope they’d injected into him had made him sick.

  “I think I should warn you, I’m not a good swimmer.”

  He kissed her quickly. “I’ll be with you, sweetheart. We’ve got to get off this boat. There’s no other way.”