The Hero

by Donna Grant

  “That was part of it, but not all.” He flexed his fingers, working out the bruises in his knuckles. “I’ve seen what those men can do. The thought of them laying their hands on you again makes me insane.”

  “You saved me once already.”

  “Until the vial is in other hands, Orrin is back, and the group of assassins are gone, you’re still in danger.”

  She wrapped her hands around the mug before taking a sip. “We managed a win today.”

  He smiled. He liked having Nat at the ranch. There was a tingling of exhilaration every time he thought of her there. It made him realize what he’d missed by leaving Natalie.

  And how much he wanted to change things between them.

  “You kissed me.” All thoughts of the Russians and the bioweapon vanished as he recalled how she had pulled him against her. The craving to make her his intensified the longer he was around her.

  She held his gaze. “I did.”

  “Don’t deny the passion between us.”

  “I’m not,” she replied. “But there’s no point in talking about it.”

  “Why? You wanted the kiss.”

  “It was a kiss. Leave it at that, Owen.”

  She rose and walked away. He thought of all the things he wished he would’ve said that might have had her in his arms. But once again, he was too late.

  He wanted to follow her, carry her to a room and make love to her until the sun came up. He was desperate to let go of the past and get lost in all that was Natalie.

  To have a future that consisted of more than death and loneliness.

  It would be so easy. She made it so easy to love her. He wanted—hungered—to feel her in his soul, to know they stood together once more.

  That’s when he decided he wasn’t going to give up so quickly.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Natalie blew out a breath in the steam-filled bathroom. She’d taken an extra long shower after such a grueling day. She let the silk nightgown glide over her body as she put it on. After combing out her wet hair, she gathered her clothes and returned to the bunk area.

  Natalie stopped at the bed she’d claimed and dropped her shoes. There was only the one light on at the bedside table because she liked the soft glow of it.

  She felt a prickle of awareness on the back of her neck before heat spread over her. She knew without turning around that it was Owen.

  And God help her, but she was glad he was there.

  There were soft footsteps as he padded across the concrete floor. She let the clothes slide from her fingers to the ground. Her breath locked in her lungs when she felt him come up behind her.

  She found it difficult to form a thought as she waited for his touch. He stood so closely, his shirt brushed her arm. The heat of him surrounded her, cocooning her in desire and expectation. Her blood pumped faster, and awareness sizzled around her.

  Long fingers moved her hair to one side. His head bent, lips skating along her skin. She leaned her head to the side to give him better access.

  One arm wrapped around her waist, just below her breasts. He held her tightly while his lips and tongue tantalized her skin. Her eyes slid shut, even as he molded his body to hers.

  He teased a spot on her neck that drove her wild. A breathy sigh rushed past her parted lips as he gently nipped. Her sex throbbed with need—a need only Owen could quench.

  Chills raced along her arm when his fingers caressed from her wrist up to her neck. Her head rolled onto his shoulder. She bit her lip when one of his fingers hooked the thin strap of her gown and tugged it off her shoulder.

  He continued to pull until the gown snagged on her nipple. She gasped when the silk scraped the turgid peak. Then his fingers were there, rolling her nipple between his digits.

  She wrapped her fingers around his wrist as pleasure rushed through her as quick as lightning.

  His hands were everywhere. Her neck, her cheek, her hair. He caressed her hip, cupped her butt, and massaged her exposed breast.

  All the while, his mouth was on her skin, kissing, nipping, and using his tongue to lick and lave. Her legs buckled, but he managed to keep her upright.

  Suddenly, he spun her around to face him. She clung to his wide shoulders. Their gazes locked then held while he slid the other strap from her shoulder. The silk nightie fell to a puddle at her feet.

  Owen knelt before her. He cupped a breast in each hand, teasing her nipples. Then his lips wrapped around one peak. Natalie moaned, her fingers shoving into his thick hair.

  He moved from one nipple to the other, touching nothing but her breasts—yet her entire body was on fire. For him. Hunger mixed with desire inflamed her.

  When he stood, he lifted her in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and smoothed her hands over his face. She gazed into his eyes, her fingers sliding into his dark locks once more.

  He walked to the bed then slowly lowered her. The feel of his weight on her again was delicious, intoxicating. She wanted them skin-to-skin, with nothing but the night around them.

  She sighed when his lips found hers and kissed her as if there were no tomorrow, as if they were the only two people on the planet.

  Owen was in heaven. He knew because he’d been there once before and had foolishly left. Now that he had Natalie in his arms again, he wasn’t ever going to let her go.

  Her long, slim fingers slid beneath his shirt. A groan left him when her nails skimmed his back. She’d always known how to touch him in ways that heightened his senses and had him begging for more.

  He broke the kiss long enough to jerk off his shirt before he was back in her arms. Owen braced his elbows on either side of her as he held her face between his hands.

  As he gazed into her eyes, he was taken back to a time when the future was stretched before them, uncharted and unexplored. He wanted that again.

  He needed that.

  He lowered his head and kissed her gently. Her hands roamed over his back and shoulders. He ached to be inside her, to feel her heat surrounding him once more. But he refused to rush it.

  He wasn’t going to take anything for granted. This might be his only night with Natalie, and he was going to make love to her as she deserved.

  Kissing down her neck to her chest, he slid down her body, touching her with his hands, lips, and tongue so that his scent was branded on her.

  He shifted to one elbow and flattened his palm on her stomach before he caressed to the junction of her thighs. He parted the blond curls and glided his fingers into her.

  She moaned, her back arching. His cock jumped, demanding that he take her right then. He held on to his control and closed his eyes as he felt her slick, wet heat.

  He pumped his finger slowly within her. Her chest heaved, and her hands clenched the covers. He’d never seen anything so beautiful.

  He could still remember the first time he’d brought her to orgasm. It had been a gorgeous sight, but it was nothing compared to the striking woman who lay in his arms now.

  He removed his finger from her body and swirled it around her clit. A cry fell from her lips as her legs fell open. He looked up to see her watching him with hooded eyes. Her legs trembled as her nipples hardened beneath his gaze.

  She rocked, grinding herself against his hand. He moaned, his balls tightening.

  “Owen,” she called breathlessly. “I need you.”

  He settled between her legs and grinned. “Not yet, baby.”

  Natalie wasn’t able to string a coherent thought together once his tongue touched her. He knew just where to lick to make her cry out and have her hips rocking.

  He knew the right amount of pressure to apply to make her shiver. With just a few swipes of that amazing tongue of his, Natalie felt the tightening low in her belly.

  The climax rose up, swallowing her quickly. She shouted Owen’s name as her body tensed, then jerked with the force of the orgasm.

  She cracked open an eye when she felt the bed dip, and watched as Owen yanked his jeans off.
Natalie held out her arms for him, her body still convulsing from such a strong climax.

  “I love watching you peak,” he said as he placed a kiss on her nipple.

  She smiled at him. God, how she’d missed being in his arms. Even at a young age, Owen had been a good lover. But he’d honed his skills in their years apart.

  She pushed at his shoulder as she sat up, rolling him to his back. She straddled him. His smile was sexy, his gaze darkening. As if she would forget one of his favorite positions.

  She rose up on her knees and took his cock in hand. Natalie wrapped her fingers around him snugly. Then she stroked his long shaft until he groaned.

  As soon as he did, she halted. His eyes narrowed, but one side of his lips was still curved in a grin.

  “Tease.”

  It was her turn to smile. She guided him to her entrance so that the head of his cock slid inside her. His large hands were suddenly on either side of her hips.

  He attempted to push her down, but she refused. She raised a brow then shook her head at him. She was going to do this at her speed, because all too soon, Owen would take over. It’s what she wanted. She craved his dominance in bed, for him to show her he was in control.

  But for now, she was all his.

  Gradually, she took him deeper inside her. She felt her body stretching for him, and it made her legs shake. When she had taken half of him inside, she straightened until just the tip of him remained.

  The only warning she had was a slight tightening of his fingers before his hips rose and he plunged inside her. Her head dropped back as her eyes closed.

  He felt so good. She wanted to stop time and relish the moment. Then he began to thrust, and she once more lost all train of thought.

  Owen watched her, his desire heightening with each second. Nat’s long, blond hair fell behind her in a thick curtain. Her exposed neck made him itch to kiss and lick it. Her hands were braced behind her on the bed so her breasts were thrust out.

  He held her hips still as he plunged deeper. Her soft cries were growing louder with each minute. His gaze lowered to the sight of his cock entering her. It was an erotic picture that nearly tipped him over the edge.

  The sight of her breasts bouncing made him groan. He cupped them, tweaking her nipples. That caused her to moan low in her throat.

  He’d denied himself any kind of relationship throughout the years, but in his dreams and fantasies, it had always been Natalie. Now that he had her in his bed, he wanted to savor every second.

  He flipped her onto her back and rose up over her. His hands were braced on either side of her head. He pulled out then thrust back in, hard and deep.

  Her eyes rolled back in her head, and her nails sank into his back. It made him smile. He set a driving tempo that had sweat glistening over their skin in short order.

  Their breaths were harsh, their moans loud. Her ankles were locked tightly around his waist. He plunged harder, deeper.

  Natalie opened her eyes. He got lost in the green depths as their bodies joined in a dance as old as time. All that he wanted was in his arms. It was never clearer than in that moment how much Natalie was a part of his past, present, and future.

  There was no use denying it. He’d done that for long enough. If he didn’t grasp what was before him, he’d end up lonely and alone.

  That thought made his heart skip a beat. The idea that the tragedy that brought them together might be the last time he saw her was sobering.

  He stopped moving. He touched her face before he kissed her passionately. Her arms came around him, holding him tightly. Only then did he begin to move again.

  She tore her lips from his on a cry as he buried himself deep. Their bodies rocked, one sliding against the other. He felt her legs tighten around him and knew she was close to peaking a second time.

  He began to plunge in long, hard thrusts that he knew always sent her over the edge. As her cries grew louder, he watched the pleasure cross her face.

  As soon as her body tightened around his cock, his orgasm rushed through him. He thrust once more, burying himself deep as his seed emptied inside her.

  He gathered her in his arms and rolled to the side with their bodies still joined. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest, matching the wild beat of his own.

  With their legs entwined, a bubble of ecstasy surrounded them. The time was theirs. Nothing and no one were going to interrupt them.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Natalie was determined not to make a big deal of her night with Owen. The thing was, it was huge. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so nervous. It was silly. Especially since this wasn’t the first time they had slept together.

  But it was the first time in years.

  She was glad she’d woken to find him gone to take the truck to hide it again. His absence allowed her time to think. Unfortunately, that thinking only made things worse.

  A little thrill of excitement filled her stomach when she spotted him on one of the cameras. He let the alert sound, which meant he hadn’t hidden from the cameras like before.

  He was giving her time to prepare for his return.

  She smoothed her hands over her hair and jumped up, looking around. A glance down at her jeans and shirt made her wish she’d chosen something different, something … sexier, maybe. She looked helplessly at her duffle bag of clothes.

  “It’s fine,” she told herself. “I’m fine. No reason to be anxious.”

  None at all.

  Except that she’d slept with the man she wanted to keep at arm’s length.

  “Way to go,” she mumbled.

  The door to the base opened and Owen came down the steps. He paused when he saw her, a sexy grin tilting the corners of his lips. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Could he be any more gorgeous?

  “I got food,” he said and held up the bag.

  She grabbed the bag, suddenly famished. Only then did she realize she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday at noon. She smiled when she saw the breakfast burritos and quickly gobbled the first egg, bacon, and cheese burrito slathered with picante sauce before reaching for a second.

  “I didn’t want to wake you when I left,” he said after he swallowed his bite.

  She shrugged and put more picante sauce on her burrito. “It’s fine.”

  “I didn’t want to leave that bed.”

  Despite telling herself not to gaze into his chocolate eyes, she did just that. But she didn’t know how to respond, not when she was still so mixed up about it all.

  “Do you have regrets?”

  She swallowed and looked away before she stood. “No. We have needs that must be met.”

  “Needs? That’s how you’re going to handle this?” he asked, a hard bite to his words.

  “There’s nothing to handle.” She had expected this reaction, but it didn’t make it any better. “We’re consenting adults.”

  “Consenting adults.”

  Him repeating her words wasn’t a good sign. Especially when his eyes began to narrow. A sure signal that he was getting frustrated or angry—or both.

  “That’s right. You don’t have to worry about me having any expectations,” she replied.

  “Expectations.”

  She inwardly winced. There was no denying the thread of anger in his voice now.

  “I want more than last night. I want you,” he stated.

  Shit. There went her appetite. It was all out on the table now. The very thing she’d tried to avoid. She should’ve known better with Owen.

  He was Mr. Confrontation. If there was an issue, he wanted it talked about right then. There was no putting it off. The problem was, she wasn’t sure how she felt about their night together.

  Had it been great? It had been wonderful. Beautiful. Earth-shattering.

  But that didn’t mean she wanted a relationship with him. No matter how great it was to be in his arms, it was what happened outside of sex that reminded her how things would be.

  S
he dropped the last half of the second burrito onto the paper and wadded it up. “Please don’t.”

  “Is this because I left you after graduation?”

  “It has something to do with it, yes.” Natalie blew out a breath. Confrontation, here she came. “I’m in a good place.”

  His eyes hardened a fraction. “And you don’t want me in it.”

  “It took me years to get over you, and then came my disastrous marriage and subsequent divorce. I don’t want any man,” she declared.

  She cleared her throat, giving herself a moment to calm down. The words had come out easier than she expected. She hurriedly—and brutally—tamped down any emotion that favored Owen.

  It didn’t matter that he’d touched her so tenderly or brought her such ecstasy. Owen Loughman was bad for her in every way. He’d destroyed her world with one act. It had left her with a scar. It was one only she could see, but it had shaped her life and every decision.

  For once, she was being selfish—callous even—by thinking of herself. She wouldn’t put her heart out there again to be trampled upon as if she meant nothing.

  She didn’t trust love or the entanglements that came along with relationships. She hadn’t lied. She was in a good place, and intended to remain there.

  No amount of charm, seductive drawl, or mind-numbing kisses would change that.

  He might know how to play her body to perfection, but Owen was horrendous at handling affairs of the heart. He’d once been selfish, thinking only of himself, uncaring about how his actions would affect her.

  It seemed only fair that he was getting a taste of his own medicine.

  “Perhaps we turn the subject elsewhere. Irina Matveev,” he said tightly.

  She was excited to have a change of topic. It wasn’t as if she could walk away from him. Not now, at least. Her life depended on him. It was better if they could move past things. “What do you have?”

  He pointed to the conference room. “Maps of the part of downtown Dallas we’ll be in.”

  She rose and walked into the room to see the table covered by maps and detailed plans of multiple escape routes.