by Leslie North
Still, even with all the reasons why he should stay the hell away from the woman beside him, his instincts and his energy urged him forward. As if sensing the need rising within him, Mercy shivered. Without thinking, Vann put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, tucking her into his side.
She glanced up at him, alarm and a spark of desire flickering in her pretty blue eyes. She gave a snort of laughter. “Increasing my confidence, huh? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
Vann stared down at her, at her velvet soft skin and full lips that begged for his kiss and found himself inching closer, closer, so close he could almost taste her. “Hush,” he whispered before brushing his lips over hers, once, twice, before capturing them with his own. Yep, she tasted as divine as she looked, all lush and warm and giving.
Mercy gasped and he took advantage, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth to brush against hers. Never in his life had he felt such a fast surge of passion, such a drive, such a need for anyone.
She seemed to feel the same, arching against him and twining her hands around his neck, slipping her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, making him shiver against her. Then, as quickly as the kiss had started, she broke away. He let her go, feeling oddly bereft without her.
“I-I’m sorry,” she said, touching her mouth with her fingers. “I’m n-not very good at this sort of thing.”
Dazed and stunned by the passion pulsing through his veins, Vann blinked at her, taking a moment to process her words. “What are you talking about?”
She shook her head and curled her knees into her chest, as if to block him out. “You said earlier that I wasn’t confident in my physical abilities, my body, and you were right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”
“Lead me on?” he repeated, his mind still stuck on the fact that she didn’t know how truly attractive she was, how sensual and desirable. His goal during their time together was to build her confidence. He’d brought her to his cove to help her get in touch with her inner power, but perhaps there was more than one way to access her energy. “I brought you here to teach you a lesson, suyeta.”
She frowned, her auburn brows drawing together. “What does that mean?”
“Su-ye-ta?” Vann inched closer to her once more, drawn by some invisible cord between them. “It means chosen in Cherokee.”
Mercy gave a sad little chuckle. “And what am I chosen for, huh? Failure?”
“No.” Slowly, so as not to frighten her away, he took her hand and forced her to face him. “I brought you here, chose to show you a part of myself I don’t usually reveal. I thought we connected at the restaurant. I thought maybe this is a way for me to show you how special you are, Mercy. Especially in this.”
The air around them seemed to sizzle as he brought her hand to his chest, pressed to his pounding heart. “It’s you, suyeta, who makes my pulse race. It’s you who heats my blood. It’s you I want.”
Her fingers trembled as she raised them to his cheek. “Really?”
The word squeaked out of her small and tentative, and he couldn’t help pulling her close to him once more. They’d just met, they had a business relationship, and they barely knew each other. Yet crazy as it was, in this small cove, in this private space, Vann wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any other woman. He traced his hand up Mercy’s spine, bringing her body between his legs, pulling her closer until she could feel the evidence of his arousal pressed tight against her. “Stop doubting your abilities. Stop doubting yourself. Feel how powerful you really are.”
He spread her legs so she straddled his thighs and he could pull her tight against him then ground the hot, wet core of her over his jeans and against his hard cock. Jesus, had anything ever felt so good? A low groan emerged from his throat as Mercy’s head fell back, her eyes closing, and her expression pure abandon.
“Oh, God,” she said, her voice nothing but a moan. “That feels amazing.”
“You’re amazing.” Vann slid his hands down her back to untuck her T-shirt from the waistband of her shorts then slipping his hands beneath it, needing to feel her skin. He reached upward to unhook her bra then cupped her breasts, full and hot and damn if they didn’t fit just right in his palms. His thumbs brushed over her rock-hard nipples and Mercy bent farther back, all but begging him to suck the sensitive peaks. He did, first through the fabric of her shirt, then pulling away briefly to tug her shirt off followed by her bra to leave her gloriously bare from the waist up.
As the breeze stirred and the waves crashed against the shore, Vann rolled Mercy beneath him on the soft fleece blanket and pulled his own shirt off over his head, craving flesh against flesh. He rubbed his chest against her hard nipples, reveling in the pleasure flitting across her beautiful face. “Feel that, Mercy. Feel your power, your essence. Embrace it.”
“Yes,” she said, her tone breathy and wanton. “I want you, Vann.”
“And you shall have me, suyeta.” He took one of her nipples into the warm wetness of his mouth while reaching a hand down to flick open the button on her shorts. Slowly, he lowered the zipper until he could fit his hand inside to cup her heat through her panties.
Already she was so hot, so wet, so ready for him….
Vann moved to her other nipple as he stroked her wet folds through her panties. Mercy pressed harder against his fingers, whimpering. “Please, Vann. Please…”
“Please what, suyeta?” He nuzzled her neck, and then rose above her, his cock so hard it hurt. “Tell me what you want, demand what you need.”
“You,” she stared up at him through half-lidded turquoise-colored eyes. “Please, I need you inside me.”
Her cheeks flushed with pink and he’d never seen a more adorable sight in his life.
“Yes, suyeta.” He tugged off her shorts and panties, then his own jeans, grabbing the condom that fell from his pocket—the one he’d stowed there just in case this moment arose—and put it on before moving beside her once more. “You shall have me.”
He spread her thighs once more, taking a moment to lick her soft folds and taste her arousal before positioning his cock at her wet entrance. Vann drove into her in one long thrust, sheathing himself hilt deep in her warm body, groaning loud at the feel of her tight around him. It had been so long, too long since he’d been with anyone. He’d been so focused on the business, on helping his friends. Now, every fiber of his being was focused on this moment, this woman, this incredible, electric chemistry between them.
Mercy cried out at his invasion and he bent to lick the pulse point at the base of her throat, allowing her time to adjust to him. She threaded her fingers through his hair, her nails scraping against his scalp, and he couldn’t contain his shudder. She moved against him, all but purring with satisfaction. “You feel so good inside me.”
Vann sat up then, bringing Mercy with him. “Wrap your legs around me. Yes, like that. Good. Now hold on, suyeta.”
From this angle, each thrust rocked his pelvic bone against her swollen clit. Her fingers were in his hair, stroking his scalp just the way he liked. Her heels dug into his lower back and urged him on, driving him harder, faster, deeper inside her. Soon, they were both breathless and teetering on the brink of orgasm.
He kissed her long, slow and deep, savoring the connection of their energy, their cores, their essences. The nature around him—the ocean, the air, the sand, the birds calling from above—blended with the sensations of her body milking his and drove him over the edge.
A familiar tightness coiled in his gut, signaling his impending climax. He slipped a hand between them and stroked her clitoris while driving harder, faster into her.
Soon, Mercy arched against him, her head falling back and her breasts crushing against his chest as she climaxed hard around him. Vann followed close behind her, his groans echoing off the cove walls as his world shattered into a million specks of energy.
Slowly, they drifted back to earth; Mercy nestled in his embrace, her head resting a
gainst his shoulder and her breath hot against the side of his neck. Vann kissed the top of her head then slipped his fingers beneath her chin to tip her face up toward his.
She smiled, sleepy and sated. “So this is what you call meditation, huh?”
He laughed. “Not usually, no.”
“I didn’t know my body could feel like that.” She giggled. “Your body felt pretty good too.”
Stretching out on the blanket, Vann tucked her into his side. “Yes, it did. And you, suyeta, are pretty damned good at that yourself. Achievement unlocked.”
Mercy snuggled into his side and closed her eyes. “We’ll see if that confidence translates into class tomorrow.”
“That’s the point, suyeta.” Vann sighed, drifting off himself. “It’s all about confidence.”
7
“Grab the rope!” Vann yelled from the floor of the training center late the next afternoon. “You have to grab the rope, Mercy!”
Like she didn’t know that. Mercy exhaled sharply and stared at the wall beside her. She wasn’t an idiot. Logically, she knew each activity in this extreme obstacle course was meant to strengthen her mentally and physically, get her ready to face any challenge or foe. Didn’t mean the course itself was any easier. The fact she was teetering on a platform at least thirty feet in the air didn’t help either. Then there was the fact she was bone-deep exhausted. After spending the night in Vann’s arms inside that rock cove, he’d woken her up at dawn to return her to her hotel room. She’d barely managed to get maybe another hour of sleep before she’d had to rush or risk being late for classes today.
Since then, her day had been a non-stop, grueling gym class from hell.
Today was called Fit to Fight and basically consisted of a kick-your-ass workout—what seemed like hundreds of push-ups, sit-ups, and running miles on the treadmill—followed by an extreme obstacle course. Mercy was healthy and in decent shape, but this would’ve made Superman doubt his strength.
The obstacle course had started with that damned rock wall again, which she’d somehow managed to reach the top of barely then moved on to jumping from one huge red foam block to another that reminded her of being inside a demonic pinball machine. Finally, this rope net challenge. It was the final blow in an already pummeling day.
From day one here, it had been obvious heights had never been her strong suit. So, of course, her program included tests for her to pass involving her phobia.
She squeezed an eye open and peered down at her classmates, bile rising in her throat.
Oh, yeah. Just as terrifying as she’d imagined. The thick hemp rope swung past her face again, whooshing past her as it swung from the ceiling. Her objective, if she wanted to get across the obstacle, was to grab the swinging rope and hurtle herself across an open space toward a large rope net strung between two posts. Then, while hanging off the net, she had to climb over the top and drop down into a huge airbag mattress and scurry to the finish line.
“Grab the rope!” her teammates called.
“You can do it, Mercy!” Good old Hector. Always on her side.
She wanted to pass. Needed to pass.
Vann’s words from the night before rang through her head, along with images of them entwined on the blanket, his caresses, his whispered words of endearment, driving her to heights of passion she’d never reached before. In fact, given the tiny aches she experienced in her long-dormant girly places today, he’d shown her things she’d not imagined her body was capable of doing.
The rope swished past her once more, jarring her back to reality.
“Thirty seconds left!” Vann shouted, staring up at her with dark intensity.
Those eyes. God, those eyes. And those lips, and those hands, and….
“Grab the goddamned rope!” Sandy shouted this time, her yell full of impatience.
Figures the two of them would be stuck on a team again together.
If God didn’t have a sense of humor, then Vann certainly did.
Taking a deep breath for courage, Mercy stared straight ahead at the swinging rope making its final pass back toward her. She could do this. She would do this. Just reach out, grab it and whatever you do, don’t look down….
Her fingertips brushed against the rough hemp and scrabbled for purchase, this was it. Her last chance. She’d known the Fit to Fight segment would be one of her toughest challenges, but after what she’d shared with Vann the night before—the intimacy, the energy—she’d expected to feel more confident today. The rope smacked her on the cheek this time as it flew past her, knocking her off-kilter. Wobbling and desperate, she lunged for the stupid thing before it got away from her again, but her movements were clumsy. Before she knew what was happening, she tipped forward, sans rope and tumbled off the platform, headed for what appeared to be, at the very least, a bad skull fracture against the training room center floor.
Her screams echoed as her back collided with something spongy and springy. A safety net. The thing stretched downward beneath her weight then sprang upward fast, hurling her toward the ceiling once more. Over and over she bounced until Mercy was damned sure she was going to die. Or vomit. Or both. She clutched the net tight in her palms, refusing to let go.
“Over here,” Vann said, waving her toward the side of the net once she’d ceased flying around like a ping-pong ball. “Let go of the net and roll.”
Stomach roiling, Mercy slowly did as he asked; praying she wouldn’t barf all over the man who’d made love to her the night before. As she neared the shifting edge of the safety net, Vann’s strong hands grabbed her and helped her back down to solid ground. Before the others rushed over, he ducked his head to whisper in her ear, “Okay, suyeta?”
She nodded, unable to look at him. In truth, though, she was about as far from okay as a gal could get. What the hell is wrong with me? She could memorize the rules with the best of them, recite each reason behind all the moves and tactics they were learning, and when the best time to use them would be, yet she couldn’t seem to perform any of them worth a damn.
“Right.” He let her go and moved back to stand before the entire group again. Mercy felt the loss of his touch immediately, her feet shuffling as she made her way to the outskirts of the group. Unfortunately, there were no second chances on the course, but at least their individual performances were graded separately toward graduation even though they’d been grouped into teams for the event. If she’d had to bear the weight of knowing she’d not only caused herself to flunk this lesson, but everyone on her team, she wouldn’t be able to cope.
“Good effort everyone,” Vann said. “There were a few problems, but the majority of you got through the obstacles with flying colors. You overcame your fatigue and your doubts and pushed through. That’s the ultimate point of this lesson and of the program as a whole. We want you prepared for anything you might come up against in the real world.”
Mercy felt her classmates’ stares of pity on her even though she wasn’t looking at them. Her gaze remained firmly on the toes of her sneakers. Dammit. She’d let herself down today. Let Vann down too, after he’d agreed to help her. She wasn’t sure which felt worse.
“Okay, guys. Go rest up tonight. We’ll start bright and early tomorrow with Close Quarter Combat.”
“You okay, Mercy?” Hector said, coming up beside her and slapping her on the shoulder. “That was quite a fall.”
She couldn’t hide her wince. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Take it easy tonight. You got this.” He smiled. “You okay to drive home?”
“Yep. Thanks.” She lingered behind while the rest of the class gathered their things and left. After last night, she wasn’t really sure exactly what was happening between her and Vann. They weren’t dating—Vann had made that clear at the restaurant. But they weren’t exactly a couple either, yet they’d moved way beyond mere student and teacher. He was picking up the red foam blocks they’d used earlier and stacking them against the far wall, so she walked over to help. Facing issues hea
d on always worked best in business. She figured it couldn’t hurt in this situation either. “So, about last night.”
Vann continued to work, not looking at her. “I’ve got meetings tonight.”
“Oh.” Her chest pinched with unexpected hurt. “Yeah, sure. I didn’t mean—”
“You need to rest up. You’re going to be hella sore in the morning.” Vann hoisted two of the surprisingly weighty blocks into his arms and strode back toward the wall, still not making eye contact with her. “Take care of yourself tonight. Hot bath. Good dinner. Then bed. No excuses.”
Mercy struggled with the awkward block in her shaking arms, her heart aching despite her resolve. Last night had been about teaching her a lesson; she knew that as his words rang through her head once more.
It’s all about confidence….
Guess she’d flunked in that department today too.
“Let me take that,” Vann said, snatching the heavy block from her arms. His dark gaze was as unreadable as his expression. “Go back to your hotel and rest. We’ll discuss last night later.”
“I’m flunking, aren’t I?” Stupid thing to say, she knew, but apparently, her IQ had tumbled along with her body earlier. “I’m sorry.”
“No.’ Vann gave her a stern stare. “No excuses. No apologies. We’ll get through this one way or another. Now go, suyeta, please.”
She gave a small nod then headed over to gather her things. She’d started out the day so full of hope and excitement. Now, her heart and her spirit felt like they’d been squished by a Mac truck. Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. As she headed toward the exit, she turned to wave goodbye to Vann, but he was once more focused on his work.
Alone, Mercy headed out to her rental car in the now-deserted parking lot.
Nine more days of the program. Nine more days of grueling tests and torture.
Nine more days of avoiding Vann while her body yearned for more from him.