Hero by Night

by Sara Jane Stone

“Next time leave your boys at home,” Noah said. “Be my guest and we’ll shoot a few rounds. Army versus marines. We’ll see who comes out on top.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t go anywhere without Hero,” she said.

  “Noah, if you need someone to prove the army’s better,” Georgia jumped in. “I’m in.”

  Noah laughed, shaking his head as he headed back to his position between the left and right sides of the range. “Georgia, I’ve seen the way Eric looks at you. It’s not much different than the pissed-­off ‘boy’ behind the glass over there. And while Chad Summers isn’t the possessive type, I can’t say the same for your fiancé.”

  “Eric knows I can look out for myself,” Georgia said, her hands on her hips.

  Turning to the small structure that housed the viewing area, Lena left them to their argument. She opened the door, the words “not the possessive type” fresh in her mind. One look at Chad’s stern expression and she wondered if this town had sorely misjudged him.

  “I’m ready to head out,” she told Chad.

  “This is your night, Lena,” he said, his attention focused on her, not the range safety officer. “You can stay for another round.”

  She shook her head. Through the open doorway, she could hear Georgia giving the marine shit. She walked up to Chad and placed her hand on his chest. “I’m not going to give anyone a reason to question what’s between us. We’ve started enough rumors, Chad. I know you want to get up in the air, flying your helicopter over the forest. And I understand dreams. I know what it feels like to want something that is held just beyond your reach. So until you are back in that helicopter, living and breathing your dream, I’m yours.”

  She stepped closer, dropping her voice just in case Georgia chose that moment to come back inside. “You don’t need to play the part of the jealous boyfriend. I’m going home with you.”

  “I’m not the jealous type.” He raised his hand, covering hers.

  “Are you sure about that?” She stepped closer, invading his space in a way that sent her pulse racing. Hero pressed against her legs and whined. But she refused to back down. She knew what she wanted. And she’d come too far to fail now. Normal was within reach. She could feel it, brushing her outstretched fingertips. One step forward and she could grab ahold of it.

  “I saw the way you looked at the pretty pink toy you bought me,” she added.

  His sour attitude vanished, replaced by wanting. “I’m not going to lie. I want to be the one inside you. But I stand by what I said before, you call the shots, Lena. I’ll follow your lead, wherever that takes us.”

  “Chad?” She leaned closer and whispered, “No more toys.”

  She shifted back, watching his face as that flash of kiss-­me-­now tenderness slipped away, replaced by his laughter.

  “Beautiful, I’ve never been so damn happy to hear those words.”

  Chapter 14

  LENA CLIMBED INTO the truck first, sliding across the bench and claiming the middle seat. “Hero can have the window.”

  Chad held the driver’s door open, one foot on the gate, prepared to climb up. “You’re sure about this?”

  She nodded. “I’ll roll the window down for him. I think he’ll like having the wind in his face.”

  “Yeah, not what I meant.” Chad settled into the driver’s seat, securing his belt as he turned the key. They were on the main road, stopped at a red light, when she placed her hand on his thigh, and felt the muscles beneath his jeans tense.

  “Lena,” he said, his voice filled with warning as the signal turned green and he pressed on the gas.

  “You’re speeding.”

  “I’m not going to lie.” He accelerated through a yellow light. “I’m a little anxious.”

  “Me too.”

  He turned down the driveway, raced past the farmhouse, and parked at an angle that would probably leave his siblings wondering if he’d come home drunk or too desperate to care. She knew he was stone-­cold sober, so that left her with desperate—­for her.

  “We don’t have to do this, Lena.” He kept his gaze straight ahead. “You have nothing to prove to me.”

  “No, I don’t. But I have a lot to prove to myself,” she said. “I stayed locked in my home, away from everyone, for a long time. I was scared anything and everything would lead to a panic attack. But now, most of the time, I’m fine.”

  She drew a deep breath, knowing there was more she needed to say. “I might fall apart tonight. The panic might win. This is new ground for me. At least since I’ve been back. And if that scares you, or turns you off, Chad, you need to tell me.”

  “Move your hand, Lena,” he said. “Up my leg.”

  She obeyed, drawing her fingers up his jean-­clad thigh until they brushed the hard length pressing against his jeans.

  He turned, his brown eyes staring into hers. “Lena, I’m dying to follow you up those stairs and into your bed. Whatever happens after that . . . it doesn’t frighten me. It just means tonight is not our night. It won’t keep me from looking forward to tomorrow, or the day after that, or the week after that. I’m not going to let you down, Lena. And I’m not going to run away.”

  His mouth formed a straight line, not a hint of a smile, as he waited for her to say something. This wasn’t Chad the Charmer, using his words to send her tumbling headfirst into lust-­now-­think-­later territory. He meant what he said. The way he looked at her—­it was as if he believed in her. And he wouldn’t stop if she felt apart tonight.

  Of all the ­people in her life, how had this man become the one who believed she could crawl her way back from every attack, every setback? How had Chad Summers found the words she’d wanted to hear for so long?

  “Lena? You still with me?” His tone bordered on light and teasing. “Or should I start daydreaming about tomorrow night?”

  “You mean that, don’t you? You’ll wait if I step out of this truck, freak out, and end up on my back in the dirt with Hero lying on top me?”

  He took her hand, slowly and gently moving it away from his erection. Interlacing his fingers with hers, he smiled at her, soft and sweet. “Lena, do you know what I see when I look at you? I see a warrior. Even if you’re lying on the ground beneath your dog, you’re still a fighter.”

  “A warrior?” she repeated, turning the word over in her mind. She was proud of her strength and perseverance. But a warrior? “That doesn’t sound sexy.”

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Lena. But you’re so much more than that.” He reached out and tugged on a stray strand of hair that had fallen in her face. “I want to be the one who takes you to bed. It’s not only about our deal, Lena. Not anymore. I meant what I wrote on that note. I want my name on your lips when you come. Again and again. And yeah, that is something I’m willing to wait for.”

  “Once you have me there, in bed,” she murmured, a rush of desire thrusting all other thoughts aside, “what do you plan to do with me?”

  “Surprise.” His signature smile returned. “Lead the way upstairs and you’ll find out.”

  Raising an eyebrow, she reached across Hero and opened the door. Her dog jumped down first and she followed, leaving her bag with her revolver in the truck. She headed straight for the apartment before her courage failed her. But even if she lost it, her serene calm derailed by the feel of his body against her, hovering over her . . .

  She froze, the key in the knob. Not over her. She didn’t want him on top. Tonight, she wanted to the call the shots. She wanted to reclaim this part of her life. She wanted to claim him.

  Unlocking the door, she led the way up to the bedroom, turning on the overhead light as she entered. She grabbed a reluctant Hero by the collar and led him to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

  “Did you mean the other stuff you wrote?” she asked, turning to face Chad. Standing inside the small studio, the bed to her back, she sl
ipped off her shirt and tossed it aside. “On the receipt?”

  “Yes.” His hands went to the buttons on his flannel. “Take what you need from me.”

  Chad tossed the shirt aside, his hands moving to his belt, the same one she’d bound behind his head last night. Pants undone and low around his hips, he bent down to unlace his boots. He kicked them off, stripping away his remaining clothes.

  Those chiseled abs, his hard, oh-­so-­impressive length—­she might have a panic attack right now. And it would have nothing to do with post-­traumatic stress. She wanted to touch, taste, and explore every inch of his body.

  “I’m feeling very needy,” she murmured, kicking off her shoes. The rest of her clothes followed. “Right now, I need you to lie down.”

  He walked around the other side of the bed, his brown eyes bright with mischief. Stretching out on his back, he placed his arms overhead.

  “I’m ready, Lena.” He didn’t take his eyes off her as she knelt on the edge beside him. “Show me who you are. Before the war. After. Now. I want you.”

  Raising her hand, she trailed her fingers over his chest, outlining his perfect abs. Who was she? A woman who’d kept her desires and wants locked away, afraid that any little sound or movement would set off the internal alarm she’d carried home from Afghanistan.

  But not tonight.

  Her hand moved lower, wrapping around his cock, and her gaze followed. His hips lifted to meet her touch, a silent request for more, as Chad let out a shaky exhale. She looked up at his face, continuing to stroke him. The charismatic smile had slipped away, replaced by a rough, almost feral expression. He looked as if he was barely holding on to his control.

  “Do you know what I want?” she said softly. “I want to feel you pressed against me.” Her free hand moved between her legs, stroking her slick, sensitive clit. “Here.”

  Chad let out a low groan.

  “Drives you wild, doesn’t it,” she said. “Having the tables turned?”

  “Beautiful, you can talk dirty to me anytime.” His body remained tense, his hips glued to the mattress. “But two can play at that game. My hands stay where they are.”

  “Good,” she murmured.

  “For now,” he added. “But just say the word and I’ll take over. I’d start by spreading your thighs.”

  She slid her knees across the bedspread, opening up to him as his words teased and toyed with her senses.

  “That’s it,” he murmured, his focus on her fingers as her hips rocked into her touch. “Get close. But then I want you to stop. When you come, I want to be inside you, Lena.”

  “Yes.” It was part cry, part whimper.

  “Get there,” he said, the rough edge to his voice highlighting his struggle to hold back. “To that point where you need me.”

  Need—­the way he’d said that one word, as if it came from a place so elemental, so basic, it couldn’t be denied.

  “Now,” she said. “I want you now.”

  If he said another word, she’d tumble into an orgasm. She took her hand off his cock, looking around the small space like a wide-­eyed teenager who knew the next step, but was too overrun with wanting to think straight.

  “There’s a box of condoms in the nightstand,” he said, his teeth clenched tight.

  She found the box, quickly removing a strip, tearing one off. Returning to her perch on the bed, her legs trembling, not with fear, but desire to leap into the next moment. She covered him and settled one leg on either side of his hips. Holding him with one hand, she guided him inside, feeling every inch.

  “Wow,” she murmured, leaning her head back.

  “Don’t close your eyes,” he said. “Please. I need to know you’re right here with me.”

  Lifting her head, she met his intense gaze. She began to move, riding him at her pace, taking her time, savoring the slow build to the end.

  Anxiety waited on the perimeter, making way for a rainbow of emotions. Desire chased by reckless, wanton abandon as her hips rocked faster and harder, craving the physical rush of sensations.

  “Chad,” she cried. “Oh God, Chad.”

  In that moment, as she floated off into orgasmic bliss, staring into his wide-­eyed, wild gaze, touching him, feeling him beneath her . . . in that moment, she felt at home with her feelings. That sensation might be as fleeting as her orgasm, but she’d take it. For now, this was enough.

  HEARING HER SCREAM his name, watching her let go of the control that boxed her in and also kept her holding on, he wanted more. He held back, unwilling to barrel toward the finish line now that she’d come.

  Slowly, the sexy chant of “Chad, oh God, Chad” faded and her movements slowed. She smiled down at him, her long hair falling forward, obscuring his view of her breasts as she pressed her palms against his chest. Keeping his hands on the headboard, he fought the urge to move his arms and brush it away.

  “Your turn,” she murmured, her fingertips tracing light, teasing circles around his nipples. “Are you ready?”

  He thrust his hips up into her, reminding her of his hard, aching cock buried deep inside her. “What do you think?”

  “I think I want to hear you scream my name now.” Sitting up, she started to move, running her hand up to her breasts, covering them, teasing them. Every moment brought him closer.

  “Stop holding back,” she ordered.

  “Lena,” he growled, wanting more—­everything she had to give. “You’re so damn beautiful.”

  She drove him wild, offering everything she could, pushing the boundaries without breaking apart. He took it. Letting go. He lost himself in her beauty, in the roaring, demanding lust, in her—­and something more—­something that tugged at his heart. His last thought as he came, calling her name . . . what would happen when she left?

  He closed his eyes, pushing the questions away. Right now, he had her and he’d take whatever she was willing to give.

  “Chad?” she murmured. “Still with me?”

  “Yeah.” He opened his eyes, struggled to get his ragged breathing under control. “I’m with you.”

  Slowly, she broke their intimate contact, moving to the edge of the bed. “Do you need me to go get Hero to help calm you down?”

  He reached over, grabbed a pillow, and tossed it at her. “I don’t need your dog, Lena.” Slowly, he lowered his arms, allowing the blood to return to his hands. He patted the bedside next to him. “I want you.”

  He watched her chest rise as she sucked in a deep breath and held it, her fingers curling into the pillow he’d tossed at her.

  “But maybe you should go check on your four-­legged friend?” he said, offering an out. One look at her white knuckles and he knew cuddling pushed the limits.

  The familiar sound of his cell phone filled the studio apartment. Chad sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

  “I’d ignore it,” he said, retrieving the phone from the pile of discarded clothes. “But—­”

  “Your brother is still in the hospital,” she said, freeing Hero. “I understand.”

  He nodded, touching the screen before raising the phone to his ear. “Chad here.”

  “Hey, it’s Eric. Glad I caught you.”

  “What’s up?” He moved to the kitchenette, his brow furrowed with concern. “Did Georgia make it home all right? When we left the range, she was still there.”

  “She’s in the kitchen making dinner right now,” Eric said. “I’m calling with some good news. Luke took the job and he can start tomorrow.”

  “So we’re green-­lighted to fly?”

  “Yes,” Eric said. “I know it’s short notice, but I could use you on the harvest site north of town. I thought you could take your new copilot for a test flight tomorrow and then head over there and check out the site, talk to the crew chief.”

  “Yeah, I can do that,” h
e said, trying not to sound like a kid who’d been offered the freaking keys to the candy store. This was it. His dream, his dad’s dream, transforming into reality. “Tell Luke I’ll meet him at the helicopter bright and early.”

  Chad ended the call and turned to face Lena. She’d slipped her dress on while he’d been on the phone, and Hero sat by her side.

  “I guess this means the plan worked,” she said, her left hand reaching for her golden retriever.

  Her words thrust his dream aside, his present, Lena, shifting to the forefront. He wasn’t ready to let her go. “Yeah. It worked,” he said. “How about we celebrate over pizza?”

  She smiled and her hand fell away from the dog. Yeah, he had a hunch she wasn’t ready to walk away from their deal yet either.

  “We wouldn’t want everyone to think you’d fallen into your old habits as soon as you found a copilot,” she said.

  “Not when we’ve come this far.”

  Lena nodded, glancing at the window.

  “We can grab a pie to go,” he said, knowing it would be too dark by the time they reached A Slice of Independence to sit outside. And a crowded restaurant might be too much for one day. “Cheese, pepperoni, or the special.”

  “Put on your pants, Chad.” She nodded to his clothes. “And then we’ll negotiate.”

  He obeyed, pulling on his clothes. “I like it better when you tell me to take them off.”

  “Me too,” she said. “Me too.”

  Chad followed her out the door and down to his pickup. She was still his. But someday their little game would end.

  Chapter 15

  “HOW LONG DO you think we can keep this up?” Chad asked, his stride slow and lazy despite her rushed steps down Independence Falls’s Main Street.

  After seven days helicopter logging at a remote job site, her pretend boyfriend had returned home ready to kick back and relax. Lena had the day off, her work schedule still limited to the Friday through Monday overnight security shifts, but she also had plans.

  “As long as we need to.” Lena glanced at her watch. Georgia and Katie would be at the nail salon right now. They could get started without her. Lena had no intention of parting with her hard-­earned dollars for a coat of polish delivered by a nosy stranger. But she’d promised she’d meet them there to talk about Georgia’s wedding plans.