Ravyn's Flight

by Patti O'Shea

  Ravyn nodded, not trusting her voice. His towel had parted as he’d removed the boots and she had gotten an eyeful.

  He advanced toward her, all masculine grace and power. She loved the way he moved, loved the sight of all that bare, tanned skin. She loved his strong face, his dark hair falling over his brow where it had started to dry. But most of all, she loved the way he looked at her. Not just with desire, but with tenderness.

  Damon put the gun down on the stand next to the bed. She sat in the middle of the enormous mattress, just out of his reach. “Slide over here so I can get a look.”

  Ravyn shook her head. “You come here,” she told him, her voice thicker than usual.

  He raised both eyebrows, but didn’t argue. When he sat facing her, he softly clasped her arm. Ravyn watched him study the wound, noticed his brow scrunch in puzzlement. She knew what he saw, she’d examined it herself after she’d showered this morning.

  Damon looked up at her. “Your arm has healed so much, that if I didn’t know better, I’d swear it’s been at least a week since you took the barb.”

  “I know. Maybe we should put some of that salve on your injury too.” It stunned her that she sounded halfway normal.

  He reached out with his other hand, his index finger tracing a circle on her skin around the wound. The hardness of his hands, their strength, contrasted with the gentleness of his touch and Ravyn shuddered.

  “Did that hurt?”

  “No.”

  His eyes found hers, his gaze sharpened and then he smiled. His hands moved to her legs, his thumbs rubbing the inside of her knees. Ravyn could feel her world narrow to this man and the bed they shared. She leaned into his chest and whispered a kiss across his mouth. Damon turned his head, keeping the contact and tightened his hold on her.

  His taste, his scent, his heat surrounded her. Ravyn took his hands, moved them so that she could go up on her knees and get closer to him. She gasped against his lips as his callused fingers trailed across the nape of her neck. As close as she was, it still wasn’t near enough. She shifted again so she straddled his thighs. His hands slid to her hips, squeezed briefly and then he went still.

  Damon’s grip tightened, keeping her from her goal. He broke their kiss. “Ravyn, no.”

  “No?” she asked, surprised.

  Ravyn opened her eyes and looked at him. Damon wanted her, she had no doubt about that. His skin held a flush of arousal; his eyes were dark and hot. A surreptitious glance downward told her just how excited he was. He’d left her hands free and she slid them from his shoulders to his pecs and flexed her fingers.

  “Stop that,” he said, sounding anything but resolute.

  She stilled, but didn’t move her hands away from his chest. “Why, Damon?”

  “You know why. I can’t let you make this decision while you’re caught up in the moment.”

  It was then, her eyes locked on his, that Ravyn stopped fighting her emotions and let herself fall all the way in love with Damon. Later, she told herself, she’d worry about the ramifications, but for now, she just allowed herself to feel.

  “Honey,” she said, “I decided before I got hurt. But you’re right, I don’t want to do this if you aren’t sure. We both need to go into this with our eyes open.”

  He growled, there was no other word for it and Ravyn found herself on her back, Damon beside her. Startled, she laughed before his mouth covered hers. “Trust me, sweet pea,” he said when he finally let her up for air, “I’m very sure.”

  “But,” she started, stopping when he put a finger over her lips.

  “It’s always been up to you. I made my choice before we ever talked about birth control. So, if you’re sure...”

  Ravyn smiled. “Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?”

  He laughed, she presumed at the absurdity of that statement coming from her. After all, she’d been the one to press him to talk more. His chuckle cut off when she reached for the knot in his towel. She, who had never been bold with any man, found herself taking the lead. As soon as she loosened the towel, he tossed it off the side of the bed. Ravyn stared, transfixed at the sight of him. Suddenly she felt self-conscious, unsure. She looked up at Damon, her eyes holding a mute plea.

  “It’s okay,” he assured her, his voice quiet. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of everything.”

  His kiss was gentle, his tongue stroked the inside of her mouth lazily, as if they had all the time in the world. She could feel the restraint he exercised, realized how difficult it must be for him to take it slow, but she trusted him absolutely. Ravyn let herself relax into him.

  She wrapped her arms around him, held on tight. He burned her wherever their skin touched, but she wanted that heat, craved it. She ran her hands across his back, tracing a path over his shoulder blades and spine. One heavily muscled thigh nudged between her legs and slid upward, taking the skirt of her night slip with it. Ravyn gasped, breaking the kiss, as he pressed against her core. Her eyes opened at the gentle stroke of his fingers against her jaw. It took a moment for her to focus. She darn near dissolved at the look of untempered need on his face.

  “Okay?” he asked.

  “Yes. Don’t stop.” Ravyn slipped her hands beyond his waist and tugged him closer.

  His thumb traced her bottom lip and Ravyn opened her mouth, pulling it in, laving it with her tongue. She smiled as she felt Damon shudder. He pulled free, planted a quick, hard kiss on her lips and then his hands swept down her sides. He came up underneath the thin night shift, cupped her bare bottom, pressing her even more tightly against him.

  Ravyn rocked against him, his hard length hot against her belly. Suddenly even the thin material of her nightgown was too great a barrier. She wanted it off. She reached for the fabric bunched at her waist, but couldn’t move it, not with his body so close to hers. “Damon,” she said impatiently, knowing he would understand what she wanted.

  He smiled slightly and eased back so he could help her draw it up and off. The slinky cloth caressed her sensitive skin and she caught her breath. When she would have squeezed herself against him once more, Damon held her away. Ravyn’s murmur of protest died in her throat as he raised his eyes back to hers. There was such reverence in his gaze that she felt tears gather.

  “Do you have any idea,” he said slowly, “just how beautiful you are?”

  Ravyn would have shaken her head in denial, but she couldn’t doubt his sincerity. She brushed a kiss to his chin and her heart seemed to expand until she thought it would burst from her chest. She watched him as he continued to drink in the sight of her. In a detached sort of way, it amazed Ravyn that she didn’t feel self-conscious as he looked his fill. It aroused her to know she pleased him, to know he couldn’t tear his gaze from her. A part of her wanted to take the time to study him as well, but the awe she saw on his face held her mesmerized.

  His hand trailed up her rib cage, cupped her breast. For a moment they were both still and then he ran his thumb over her crest. Ravyn tightened her hands in his hair before pulling his mouth to hers. She nibbled at his bottom lip, nipping, then soothing with her tongue.

  Ravyn lost herself in sensation. His hands and mouth seemed to be everywhere at once and she couldn’t keep her own hands immobile. She touched every inch of his body she could reach. Well almost. There was one part of him shyness kept her from stroking. She didn’t realize how crazed that made him until he raised his head from her body.

  “Damn, Ravyn. Touch me.”

  “I am.”

  He growled. Taking her wrist, he guided her to where he wanted her caress. He stopped short, releasing her within a hair’s breadth of his goal. “Please.”

  As much as he needed to feel her touch, she knew he was leaving it up to her. That he wouldn’t force her to do anything she was uncomfortable with even if it killed him. She closed the gap he’d left, running the backs of her fingers up his length. His body shook by the time she reached his tip. She turned her hand, curling her fingers aro
und him, and glided back down.

  His groan started deep in his chest and rumbled to the surface. It amazed Ravyn that arousing Damon raised her own level of passion. She gave him a small push and he took the hint and lay on his back, one arm behind his head so he could watch her. Ravyn knelt beside him and tried different amounts of pressure, different ways of touching him. He had a smile on his face as she experimented, and she realized he took almost as much pleasure in her discovery as in her caresses. She continued to gauge his reaction to everything she tried until she felt she had a good idea of what pleased him most.

  She could see the sweat on his body, feel the tenseness of his muscles and Ravyn knew he kept a tight leash on himself for her. It humbled her to know he cared so much. She smiled back at him and leaned forward, brushing her hair across his groin. She heard him suck in a breath and her smile widened. The thick curtain of hair hid her from his view, and he jumped in surprise when she pressed her lips to the crown of his erection.

  “Stop,” he ordered, reaching for her.

  “You didn’t like that?” Ravyn had been sure he would.

  “Too much, sweet pea, too much.”

  He guided her over his body. Ravyn gasped at the heat of him between her legs and arched back. His hands on her hips kept her from doing more than subtly rocking. With a groan he choked off before it could fully emerge, Damon loosened his grip, and sliding his arms up her body, pulled her down to his chest. Kissing her, he rolled until she was on her back and he was above her. For a moment, they froze, staring at each other. His eyes were so dark with arousal that she could see only an outline of green. She brought a foot up, sliding it from his ankle to the back of his knee. The coarse hair of his leg tickled her toes.

  “I can’t wait any more, Ravyn.” His voice was soft, gentle despite the gruffness, the huskiness.

  She knew he was giving her one more chance to change her mind and love for him surged through her body. “I don’t want you to wait.”

  The feel of him slowly entering her left her gasping. Ravyn gripped his biceps and tried to remain relaxed. She’d led an active life, she doubted she still had a physical barrier for him to breach, but the strangeness she felt as he sank deeper had her fighting the need to tense. She heard him murmuring reassurance as he inexorably joined their bodies.

  When he stopped, her gaze flew to his in surprise. His eyes were tightly shut and sweat all but dripped from his brow. Some instinct had Ravyn bringing her legs up and wrapping them around his hips. With a groan, his entire body went rigid. “Damon?”

  He rested his forehead against hers and looked down at her. “Just don’t move,” he grated out.

  Okay, she thought, she could do that. But as the minutes passed, the only sound the raggedness of their breathing, Ravyn began to wonder how much longer he wanted to wait. The minor discomfort she’d felt had dissipated, leaving her burning for him. It became more and more difficult for her to remain still.

  She pressed kisses to his chin and jaw line, her legs tightened around him. “Honey, please,” she urged, “please.”

  Ravyn watched him study her, then his lips quirked up at the corners and he rocked just a little, as if testing the waters. He must have been satisfied with her response because he didn’t hesitate any longer. He stroked into her, his pace measured and unhurried. At first, his hands guided her into his thrusts, but, as she caught his rhythm, he let go.

  There were no words to describe the feelings within her. This didn’t just involve her body, but her heart, mind and soul. All of her felt joined to all of him. Just Damon, only Damon. She moaned as the sensations wound tighter inside her. As if waiting for that signal, Damon’s movements became firmer.

  She lost herself in him. In the intense exultation of his body moving within hers, in the slightly salty taste of his skin as she pressed her lips to his shoulder. She could see only him, smell only the scent of their arousal in the air. Neither of them was capable of forming actual words, but the sounds he made, the sounds she heard coming from her own mouth, pushed her to the edge. Everything conspired to bring her to fever pitch.

  She rode the swell of excitement as it continued to build. Then the wave broke, bringing her into a shore of such intense pleasure that all Ravyn could do was hang on to Damon and moan his name. Even lost in her own sensations, she felt him thrust harder. Once, twice, a third time and then he, too, reached the paradise he’d brought her to.

  For a long while, they both remained still, gasping for breath. Ravyn mumbled a complaint when Damon separated their bodies, but she subsided as he pulled her against his side. Her head rested on his shoulder, his arm firmly around her waist, keeping her close. His hands were gentle, stroking her with such care that she smiled. Her fingers slipped from his chest to his stomach, but she didn’t have the energy to move them any farther.

  “Damn, sweet pea,” he said, his voice low, “that was incredible.”

  Lost in lassitude, Ravyn slowly opened her eyes. “Yeah,” she agreed, her voice still husky, “it was.”

  He kissed her then. A kiss so soft, so gentle, so full of feeling that tears of emotion welled in her eyes. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he pulled back and silence enveloped them again as they continued to hold one another. His hand absently stroked up and down her arm and Ravyn sighed and settled herself more comfortably against him.

  “I can’t believe your brother could frighten off all the guys. Not as beautiful and passionate as you are,” he said a long time later.

  “Believe it,” she assured him calmly. “I almost never got asked out, and when I did, there was never a second date. Somehow, Alex always managed to be outside when they’d come to pick me up. I guess there was something about him dressed in fatigues with a knife strapped to one thigh and wearing his Spec Ops beret that scared the boys off.”

  “Your brother is Spec Ops?”

  “Sure, I told you that.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  Ravyn shrugged, her shoulder sliding pleasantly along his skin. “I meant to. I was curious if you knew each other.”

  “I don’t remember meeting anyone named Verdier.”

  “Verdier is my dad’s last name. Alex is a Sullivan.”

  Ravyn felt Damon stiffen and she circled her fingers lightly on his stomach to soothe him.

  “Your stepbrother,” he finally said in a tone she couldn’t decipher, “isn’t Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Sullivan, is he?”

  “You do know Alex,” Ravyn said, thrilled.

  Damon carefully freed himself, sat up and dropped his head into his hands. “Shit,” he muttered, “I’m a dead man.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Of all the people in all the world, why did Ravyn have to be related to the colonel? Without much effort, Damon visualized the man’s reaction when he found out about the two of them. It might be a blessing to be killed outright. It would be a damn sight better than being made a eunuch. He winced at the thought.

  Somehow Damon couldn’t quite reconcile Ravyn’s beloved brother with the man he knew. The colonel made an arctic winter feel warm. It seemed beyond comprehension that the Alex who doted on Ravyn and the rigid, remote Lieutenant Colonel Alexander M. Sullivan were one and the same.

  Movement caught his attention. He turned in time to see Ravyn crawl under the blankets and pull them up to her chin. She appeared more than a little ill-at-ease and uncertain. Damon immediately put his worries about the colonel’s reaction out of his mind. He’d deal with that when the time came. Ravyn was more important. Getting under the covers himself, he shifted so he faced her. “Come here, sweet pea.”

  She hesitated and his heart skipped a beat. He wanted to close the distance between them himself, but refused to force her in any way. She didn’t move, just looked at him and his pulse rate picked up. With a stunning burst of clarity, he realized he felt something akin to desperation.

  When he didn’t think he could stand it any longer, Ravyn eased over until she lay beside him. Damon couldn’t
help it He reached over and touched her. He put his hand on her hip and ran it down the back of her thigh to just above her knee. His fingers continued to gently knead her flesh as she stared at him. Apparently she reached a decision. Ravyn smiled tentatively and cuddled into him. Something inside Damon relaxed and he wrapped his arms around her. He kept his hold loose even though every instinct he possessed urged him to clasp her tightly to him.

  “You don’t like Alex,” she said, sounding sad.

  “I don’t dislike him, but it’s hard to be friendly with someone who hates you.” Damon held his breath. Please, he thought, don’t let her pull away because of this.

  “Why would Alex hate you?”

  “For one thing, my brother married the woman he was seeing.”

  “Your brother is the poor sap who got stuck with Lara?” She looked abashed as what she said appeared to sink in. “Um, sorry, I didn’t mean it quite that way.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “To be honest, I’m not sure what Royce sees in Lara myself.”

  “You can’t? She’s very beautiful.”

  “No, she’s not. Well, I suppose she’s attractive enough if you don’t notice how cold her eyes are.”

  Ravyn rested a hand on his chest just below his dog tags. “I didn’t think things like that mattered to a man.”

  “They do to me.” Damon had been chased by too many women who were interested in his family’s money, not in him. Avarice had marred the beauty of more than one woman in his view, but he didn’t share that with her.

  “Why else do you think Alex doesn’t like you?” Ravyn asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

  Damon grimaced. Well, hell, he’d known the time would come when he’d have to tell her about his greatest failure. He let go of her and rolled onto his back, unable to watch Ravyn’s regard for him seep out of her eyes. He put an arm behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. His other hand fisted at his side.