Running Fire

by Lindsay McKenna

  There was no going back. Kell cradled Leah in his arms, molding his mouth to her lips. He heard a little moan of pleasure vibrate in her slender throat, indicating that she was enjoying their kiss as much as he was. How far to go? Was he like Grant? Pushing himself on her? Was that what was happening right now?

  Yet as Kell sipped her lips lightly, inviting her to come to him, she did. This wasn’t one-way. Leah wanted what he was sharing with her. She was awake now. Kell could feel it. He eased from her mouth, breathing raggedly because his erection was so damned hard and he was in so much pain, he wanted to double over.

  Leah’s lashes barely opened. Kell saw desire burning in the shadowy depths of her eyes, felt her hands restlessly moving against his shoulders, opening and closing. Wanting. Not knowing what to ask for, but wanting it all the same. She didn’t give the normal signals a woman would if she wanted more. As if…as if she honestly didn’t know how to communicate with a man when it came to her needs.

  Staring down at her, lost in the soft curves of her, her body warm and supple, Kell closed his eyes for a moment, exerting control over himself. How far to go? How far did Leah want to go? Where did nightmares end? Dreams begin? Kell wasn’t at all sure as he opened his eyes, studying Leah with intensity, trying to read her mind.

  He moved his hand, pushing strands away from her face, holding her slumberous gaze. He’d barely kissed her. He was more just stopping her scream from ringing throughout the cave than giving her a real, hot, long, deep kiss.

  “Leah…Sugar…you’ve got to tell me how far to go here…” His voice was thick and ragged.

  Her breath was chaotic, her body tense, hungry and restless. Leah had awakened in Kell’s arms, his mouth against hers absorbing the scream that had torn out of her. Drowning in his dark, intense gaze, Leah could feel him straining to hold himself in check. Her mind gyrated. The past haunted her. But this was Kell. And this was now.

  Fragments of the nightmare hung before her. She saw the tightness of his mouth, the desire kindled in his eyes for her. Her lips moved and her throat constricted. It felt so good to be in Kell’s arms, to feel his long, hard body solidly against hers. Leah could feel his erection pushing against her belly and the sensation burned into her, making her feel wanted, desired. Not hunted. Not stalked. But desired. She could feel his hand cradling her head and neck. He was holding himself very still, asking her what she wanted. No man had asked her that before.

  “Just,” she whispered unsteadily, “kiss me?” Because she didn’t know what else to ask for. She saw his eyes change, grow warm, the hardness leaving his face. Felt his arms loosen slightly around her, making her more comfortable beside him. He guided her to his side and she missed his warmth and weight pressing against her wildly throbbing body.

  “I can do that,” Kell rasped, studying her expression, trying to get a read on Leah. There was such innocence in her expression. A kiss? That was all she wanted? Okay, that was fine with Kell. It was something to build upon, a slow, easy way to introduce her to himself in a sensual way. He moved his fingers across her cheek, feeling the softness, the velvet quality of her flesh. “Leah, if something doesn’t feel good to you, stop me. You understand?” Kell saw confusion in her eyes. Leaning down, he moved his lips against her cheek, her brow and then barely grazing her lips. “Tell me you’ll say something?” he rasped against her wet mouth. “This is about pleasure, not pain, darlin’. I want you to enjoy every second of this with me. Okay?”

  “I—will…”

  Satisfied, Kell grated, “Just a kiss…” He moved his fingers across her scalp, felt her lips open in response, her lashes sweeping closed. Kell sensed Leah didn’t really know the kiss of a man who loved her, who cherished her. She’d known Grant’s abusive hands and body, but had never experienced real love. He whispered her name against her mouth, as if it were a prayer shared between them, sliding his fingers in a light massage across her scalp.

  Barely touching the corners of her mouth with his tongue, Kell felt her arch and moan, trying to capture his mouth with her own. Smiling, he whispered, “Sugar, we’re taking this nice and slow…let me show you just how beautiful you are…” He touched her lower lip with his own. Moving his fingers from her scalp, he trailed them around her slender throat, feeling her pulse fluttering wildly beneath his fingertips. He left her mouth, moving to her ear, tasting the lobe, hearing her take a sharp intake of breath.

  She couldn’t lie still against him, her hands needy, gripping him, releasing him, as if she didn’t understand what her body was asking of her. Kell knew she wasn’t a virgin, but dammit, she behaved like one. Untrained. Her own body hidden from her sacred womanhood.

  Moving the tip of his tongue around the outer edge of her ear, lightly nipping her lobe, he felt her tense, her hips reactive, pushing hard against his.

  Clenching his teeth for a moment, Kell throttled his urge. She was whimpering, her body making ancient, unconscious moves, her hands not knowing, but somehow searching for him, asking for more. Much more.

  Kell moved back to her mouth, opening his eyes, looking down into her drowsy green ones. Yeah, Leah was hot. Really hot. Bothered. Needy. He could feel her quivering and tensing, her hips urgent against his. Did she really want just a kiss? Kell didn’t know and he wasn’t going beyond what she’d asked for. He didn’t dare. To take Leah without her express permission was to take control away from her. And dammit, he wasn’t going to be that man. Her body was sacred to her. To him. If she wanted more, she’d show him, somehow, someway. Give it voice. And Leah might be a neophyte at making love, but Kell was going to be content to cherish her mouth, kiss her senseless, let her know how a real man should treat her.

  He cupped her cheek, angling her mouth so he could take their kiss deeper. She was bold, unafraid, and he smiled to himself. After all, Leah was a warrior woman. Not someone who flew a desk. Her lips were hungry, wanting, strong and demanding against his mouth.

  Her hand slid up the column of his neck, fingers curving around to his nape, pulling him against her. Oh, yeah, she liked this. Just as much as he did. Kell slowly slid his tongue inside her mouth. For a moment, she quieted, as if not knowing what to do next. It told Kell plenty.

  He started all over again, easing from her mouth, her irregular, moist breath sporadic against his cheek. Moving his tongue to one corner of her mouth, he teased her. She liked it, moaning, pressing her breasts against his chest. Then, the other corner. He kept his hands away from her breasts, though he was burning to touch them, to tease her and pleasure her.

  Just a kiss.

  As Kell moved his tongue to the other corner of her lips, Leah automatically parted them more, turning her mouth toward his. Yeah, she got it, and she liked it. She was a fast learner. He felt pleasure thrum through him, her enjoyment everything to him as he slid his tongue along her slick lower lip.

  A whisper of a cry vibrated through her throat and Kell lavished her lower lip. She trembled against him, her fingers digging into his shoulder. Nothing gave him pleasure like feeling his woman respond naturally, openly to him. There was no guile and no manipulation with Leah. A woman who knew her body could employ artful teasing and knew how to set a man on fire. Leah was completely unaware of her own body’s needs and wants. She had no idea of how to pleasure her man.

  He could feel her frustration building within her, the mewling cries trapped in her throat. His erection was killing him. He was going to have to do something about it after this was over. He’d never sleep the rest of the night. Hell, he wasn’t going to sleep with her in his arms, anyway. It was like holding a wild woman who was artless, hungry, and she had no idea what she was triggering within him, or what he was generating within her.

  As Kell left her lower lip, he moved his tongue gently inside her mouth once more, and this time, felt her respond, not stiffen. He groaned as her small pink tongue shyly touched his in return. A deep, ragged tremble rolled through him as her tongue became bolder, more curious, more hungry for the new pl
easure she’d just discovered.

  He captured her, splaying his fingers against her jaw, deepening their connection, moving his tongue provocatively in an ancient rhythm against hers. All of a sudden, he felt a violent tension release within her and she tore her mouth from his, her back arching, her body pressed hard against him, groaning.

  Oh, hell!

  Kell held her, realizing Leah had just orgasmed. He could feel the rippling sensation tearing through her, heard it in her panting breath, her palm flat against his chest, keening sobs tearing out of her.

  He eased his hand down her back, cradling her hips, pressing her against his erection. She bucked against him, gasping. He could feel her panic, her confusion coupled with the raw pleasure undulating wildly through her lower body. He felt her surprise over the gift her body had just given her. Yeah, a woman’s body was one hot fire to handle. And simply by kissing her, emulating the rhythm of sex against her tongue, she’d orgasmed.

  Kell took a deep breath, holding Leah tightly against him, allowing the sensations to roll through her until finally she quieted, her breathing growing raspy. Just a kiss.

  He released her, moving his hand across her hips, smoothing the rumpled T-shirt against the damp skin of her back. Taking Leah onto her back, his arm beneath her neck, still holding her close, he smiled down at her.

  “Helluva orgasm you just had,” he growled. Strands of hair clung to her damp brow and cheek. He saw the confusion, undisguised pleasure, in her widening gaze. Her mouth was soft, parted, slightly pouty from the intensity of their shared kiss.

  Kell lifted his hand, smoothing the strands behind her ear, grazing her cheek in a soothing motion. It was too dark to see her skin, but Kell would bet the farm she was flushed in every part of her luscious, hot body. He moved his hand across her belly, allowing it to stay there. Claiming her. She was his whether she knew it or not.

  “What—what just happened?” Leah managed, her voice sounding light-years away to her. Every single cell in her lower body was tingling, clenching, unclenching, and she felt a golden river of fluid and heat rushing through her channel, dampening her thighs. She stared uncomprehendingly up into Kell’s glittering eyes, saw a very pleased male smile on his mouth.

  “The most beautiful gift a woman can give her man, darlin’. You had an orgasm from what I could tell.”

  His large hand splayed out across her belly felt comforting. She placed her hand over his. “I—I’ve never felt anything like this before, Kell. Not ever…” Leah sighed, sinking into the heat glowing deep within her, feeling satisfied, released and utterly confounded by her body. Oh, she’d heard from women friends in college who would talk about their orgasms, but she was too ashamed to ask them what it really was. Or what it meant. The way her body was now glowing, the pleasure radiating through her, Leah now understood why they were all smiling when they talked about experiencing an orgasm. This was the most wonderful physical feeling in the world!

  Her mind canted back to the past, to Hayden. She’d never experienced this with him. Ever. All Kell had done was kiss her and her body had blossomed in response.

  “We have a good connection with one another, darlin’,” was all he’d say, and Kell shared a tender smile with Leah, holding her exhausted but radiant gaze.

  “We must,” she whispered in awe, her voice growing weary. “I feel as if someone pulled the plug on my energy, Kell. I’m so tired. Does an orgasm do this to you?”

  Kell remained nonreactive to her question. Obviously, Leah hadn’t ever had an orgasm until just now. He knew that not all men knew how to coax an orgasm out of a woman. It required physical knowledge on the man’s part, an understanding of a woman’s body. Plus, many men were in a hurry. And women were slower to come online sexually than men. Grant must have been like that, in a hurry, not caring if he pleasured Leah. Not concerned for her trust in him. And now, he knew Leah trusted him wholly, on every level. If he’d had any question about whether there was something good and powerful between them, it had just been answered in the most intimate of ways.

  “Yes, it can make you feel tired, Leah. A good kind of tired, Sugar. Go to sleep. I’ll be here. I’ll hold you.” She gave him a soft, drowsy smile, her eyelids beginning to droop.

  “I’ve never been kissed like that, Kell. Not ever… Thank you… It was wonderful…”

  Her voice trailed off and he watched Leah’s lashes close. In two heartbeats, she was asleep. And so damned beautiful, her face utterly relaxed, her lips well kissed. By him.

  Kell shook his head, never having experienced a woman who orgasmed over a simple kiss. It surprised him. And he’d been right in his initial assessment of her: Leah was one hot, fiery woman, completely natural, trusting him with her body, with her heart and with her soul.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “WE HAVE TO TALK,” Kell murmured, holding Leah’s gaze. He’d just come back in as night had fallen and eaten a meal with her.

  She’d looked incredibly beautiful this morning as she slept, no tension in her face when he’d left before dawn to head to his hide for the day. The soft, vulnerable beauty of Leah sleeping hovered in his memory all day.

  Kell had stood there for a moment, feeling emotions he’d never felt for another woman before. Now, tonight, his emotions were twisted and his mind was filled with hard choices. Did Leah want a relationship with him? It wasn’t his call to make. Leah had to be heard and Kell had to know where she stood.

  “I know,” Leah said, holding his somber gaze. The penlight threw a grayish light around them, enough for her to see him, but not much else. “What happened last night was my fault.”

  Kell scowled. “There’s no fault in this, Leah. At least not from where I stand.”

  Struggling, she said, “If I wasn’t having nightmares, if I wasn’t screaming, giving away our position—”

  “And you think that’s what caused our kiss?” Kell saw the desperation and confusion in her eyes. Over what? Them? Kell didn’t know, but he was going to find out.

  He watched Leah deflate, all the fight going out of her. She was reacting emotionally, not thinking clearly. Hell, he’d had all day sitting and doing cover surveillance to think through everything from beginning to end a thousand times regarding her and last night. He’d felt gut-wrenching emotions, and had looked at everything with a knowing and realistic eye.

  Leah pulled her knees up against her chest, leaning back against the wall. Her voice was strained and soft. “The kiss…I won’t ever regret that, Kell.”

  “There’s no fault in me wanting to kiss you.”

  “You kissed me because I was going to scream. By doing that, you absorbed the sound of it. You could have put a hand over my mouth but I think, unless you tell me differently, that you thought it might upset me even more? So you kissed me instead.”

  He gave her a patient look, silently applauding her logic. It was faultless. “I was afraid that if I put my hand across your mouth it would have scared you even worse.” He held her unsure gaze. Lowering his voice, he said, “I did kiss you to absorb the sound, but it’s more than that, Leah, and I have to be honest with you about that. That kiss had been coming from the moment I met you.” Kell saw desire in her eyes, knew his touch had gone far deeper, reaching inside her in so many more ways than he’d first realized.

  Leah dragged in a deep breath, holding his calm, penetrating gray gaze. Kell was so damned open. Honest to a fault. She had to respond to him on that level and not as she might have in her past, when Hayden had lied to her all the time. She was just too gullible, too stupid, to realize it at the time. “I wanted to kiss you, too, Kell.”

  There, the truth was out. When she’d tried truth on Hayden, it had gotten her beaten. Kell simply looked at her, and she saw one corner of his mouth hitch upward into that lazy smile of his. It warmed her heart, fed her soul. This was a man who was utterly fearless when it came to emotional high stakes in life.

  “Thanks for admitting it, Leah. I expected it of you, and you didn�
��t disappoint me.”

  “I’ll never lie to you, Kell. It’s not my nature to lie. But I think you know that already.”

  “Yes,” he said, resting his elbows on his knees. “Now, I’m going to tell you where I stand, Leah. And I need to hear where you’re at in all of this with me.” He opened his hands. “I wasn’t looking for a relationship. When you dropped into my life, it changed me.” His drawl became more evident as he went on. “There is something about you that touches my heart. I’ve been wrestling with it for days now, trying to understand what was going on between us. I wanted to kiss you for some time, but kept telling myself it was wrong to think in that direction. I know you’re a warrant officer. I know the UCMJ. I never thought I’d fall for a woman officer.” He gave her a wry, amused look. “But I have.”

  “What does that mean?” Leah asked, her voice barely a whisper. Her pulse was bounding, she felt vulnerable and was unable to shield herself from Kell in any way.

  “It means I want to continue what we have. I have no idea where it’s going, Leah. I’ve always followed my heart. I know I want you. I like what we have. I want to build on it, see where it leads us. I’m not the kind of man that does one-night stands. I’m in for the long term with a woman or it’s a no-go. And I have to know what you’re thinking and feeling. If there is an us or not.”

  A quiver moved through Leah as she sat there digesting his words, her heart wide-open, wanting him in every possible way. “I’m so screwed up, Kell. I’m just not a good bet for a relationship.” Hayden’s words came back to her. He’d always said she was damaged goods. That no man would ever look at her if she divorced him. Leah had believed him. Until now.

  He frowned. “Who isn’t?” And then, more gently, “It doesn’t matter to me, Leah. I know we haven’t had much time together, and it’s been a pretty stressful, intense time for us at that. There’s no one in this world who is perfect. We’re all wounded, Sugar. It’s just a question of where, what kind of wound and how much you let it run your life. I want a relationship with you. What do you want, Leah?”