“I didn’t mean to fall asleep—”
Dan pulled up the remaining cover to ward off the chill of the April night. “No apologies needed,” he said huskily. “Go back to sleep, Raven. Neither of us is in any shape to share the moment.”
Sleepily Chris snuggled into the crook of his arm, a new sense of comfort surrounding her. “If you’re bucking for sainthood—”
Dan gave a low laugh, settling back, giving her a reassuring embrace. “Not sainthood, just common sense under the circumstances. Go to sleep,” he ordered gruffly.
* * *
CHRIS NUZZLED LIKE a lost lamb, seeking the warming embrace of the arms that held her during sleep. Slowly she fought off her drowsy state. She was lying against Dan, her body fitted perfectly to him. Her head on the crook of his shoulder, Chris heard the drumlike beat of his steady heart in his broad chest. During the night, she had snuggled close, one arm and leg thrown across Dan’s lean, muscular body. His skin was heated and fragrant, and she inhaled his scent. Small silken hair that spread like a carpet across his chest tickled her nose, making her wrinkle it to halt the itching. Moonlight streamed through the loose-weave drapes, lending the room a muted radiance.
She felt rested, having no idea how long she had slept. And when had Dan come to bed? Chris inhaled deeply, aware only of the peace that enveloped her. Looking up, she breathed in with awe. Dan’s face was devoid of the usual tension. Lines no longer appeared at the corners of his eyes or around his mouth. In fact, he looked years younger when he was relaxed. And for a moment she felt distressed because the school was just as hard, if not more demanding, on the instructors as on the students. The responsibility that rode upon Dan’s broad shoulders was not to be taken lightly.
Reaching up, Chris allowed her fingertips to brush the bridge of his nose, which had a small bump on it. Had he broken it as a young boy? She allowed her imagination to recreate Dan’s childhood. He had worked on a ranch in Texas. Had he broken his nose by falling off a calf, or off a horse that needed breaking or by getting into a scrap with another boy? That thought made her smile tenderly as she continued to trace the planes of his face. Her fingertips returned to his strong, pliant mouth. She loved it when Dan smiled or teased her mercilessly, always drawn to the need to kiss him there.
Obeying the command of her needs for Dan, Chris leaned up, tentatively brushing her lips against his mouth. His skin was warm to the touch, inviting. Suddenly Chris felt him shift, gently lifting her and placing her protectively beneath him. Her eyes widened as she stared up into his. There were remnants of sleep in the azure blueness coupled with the warmth of his desire and tenderness. Her heart expanded and she reached up, sliding her arms around his neck, drawing him down upon her.
His mouth was strong, coaxing, stealing the breath from her trembling body. His hands freely roamed the length of her yielding body. A hunger consumed her and she arched against him, whispering an endearment against his mouth. Dan groaned her name over and over again, uttering a litany of reverence as he kissed her deeply, possessively. An almost uncontrolled fire swept through her as his fingers slid the straps of the nightgown off her shoulders. His hands moved down her shoulders, brushing the curving fullness of her breasts, tasting her until she thought she would go mad with desire. Deftly, he released her from the confines of the silken gown and divested himself of his clothes.
Her breath came in short, shallow sobs as he finally tore his mouth from her soft, swollen lips, trailing a series of branding kisses down the length of her neck to her breasts. She tensed as she felt the warming moistness of his breath lingering above her. Her fingers dug deeply into his back and she moaned his name.
His mouth settled over the hardened nipple, teasing it, provoking a fiery cauldron of raging, unchecked desire to tear loose within her. A small cry rose in her throat and she arched upward, wanting, needing all of him. Each time he teased the firm, upright nipples, it was as if an electrical surge jolted down her body to center on her aching need. A pulsating sensation began, blacking her mind, increasing her hungry need to be one with Dan. She barely felt him shift position as she wordlessly begged him to enter her to forge the union that had to take place.
“Now,” she murmured throatily against his ear, “please, Dan, now. I need you....” An explosion rocked her as he thrust deeply into her body. A cry of joy fled from her lips, and their hearts and breaths melted into a rhythmic oneness. Sensation dissolved into light as they joined in their fiery union. Then a spiraling explosion rocked her, leaving her breathless and satisfied in its wake.
Gradually, ever so gradually, they both floated back to earth in each other’s arms. Chris nuzzled Dan, aware of the dampness of his skin against her own. She inhaled deeply, loving the natural masculine scent of him. Their hearts pounded in unison, and she arched against him as he ran his hand down the long curve of her back, coming to rest on her hip. Dan kissed her eyes, nose and then her mouth. His eyes were wide with spent passion and wonder as he gazed down at her. Their noses and mouths almost touched, the moisture of their breath intermingling on the pillow they lay upon. Chris closed her eyes, savoring his nearness, his love. She realized that she was in love with Dan McCord. Searching his guileless blue eyes, Chris marveled at his depth of kindness and tenderness. Had she ever known any man who possessed such wonderful sensitivity? No. “You’re so special,” she murmured throatily, reaching out and running her fingers through his tousled hair.
Dan returned the smile, kissing the tip of her nose. “No way, Raven. You’re the special one.”
“Two special people, then,” she whispered, leaning forward to rest her lips against his strong, loving mouth.
He ran his tongue across her lips, watching her eyes widen as the fires of passion returned to their incredible violet depths. “You have the most beautiful mouth, too,” he said, tasting the salt from it. “So responsive and loving....” He molded his mouth against her lips, delighting in her responding fervor. She was just as courageous in returning love as she was at flying. There was no fear in opening her heart to him, and it left him breathless with wonder. Despite the harshness of her life up to this point, her ability to trust and love him without restraint was a miracle. And for Dan, she was a wonderful new miracle in his life. All that, and more.
He moved up on one elbow, lingering above her, a glimmer of wonderment mirrored in his eyes. Her black hair was in disarray, making her look as if she were a wild, spirited animal. It did nothing but accentuate the sensuousness he had been aware of since the day he had met Chris. “You are all woman,” he told her quietly, pulling up the covers and then gathering her back into his arms.
“Coming from you, that means a lot,” Chris whispered. She placed her leg across his long muscular thigh, delighting in the hardness of his body. Chris closed her eyes, completely satiated. Another miracle had occurred: her heart no longer felt shredded and torn. She reached across Dan’s chest, seeking, finding his hand and covering it with her own. “You’re a healer,” she whispered, her voice becoming inaudible as she fell into the returning folds of sleep.
Dan lay awake for a long time afterward, holding the woman he fiercely loved within his arms. Her breathing became softened and shallow, signaling that she had found a corner of peace in her sleep. Dan gently stroked her black hair, loving its silken texture as he absently moved strands of it between his thumb and forefinger. Chris had stunned him with her ability to love him so fully, so selflessly. As much pleasure as he had given to her, she had returned to him. He was amazed that the woman he held and the professional pilot were two entirely different people. When flying, Chris’s voice was devoid of any emotion, her mind on the business at hand, her intelligence and ability to fly the plane first and foremost. And there in bed, she had removed those barriers and allowed him complete access to her heart and soul. She was warm, willful, pleasing and desirous, all at once. Her voice shook with emotion, her body was a sensitive, calibrated instrument highly attuned to each of his grazing, meaningfu
l touches. Her eyes danced with joy, shining with passion for him alone. Dan drew her near him, placing a kiss on her temple. “I love you, Raven,” he whispered into the night. “You’ve stolen my heart, and I don’t want a day to pass without loving you, honey.”
8
THE SECOND TIME Chris awoke, the melodic song of birds roused her from sleep. Drowsily opening her eyes, she realized Dan was sitting on the edge of the bed watching her, a slight smile touching the corners of his mouth. She was trapped between his body and his right arm, which rested near her waist.
“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are when you sleep?” he asked, tracing the curve of her cheek with his fingers.
Chris sighed languorously, pressing against his hand. “No,” she murmured. Dan was dressed in a pair of jeans and long-sleeved plaid shirt, his hair wet and gleaming from a recent shower. There was a flame of undeniable happiness that she saw in his eyes as she gazed up at him. Reaching out, she slid her hand up his arm, delighting in the firmness of his muscles. “How long have you been awake?”
He leaned down, tasting her lips, caressing them longingly. “I woke about an hour ago,” he murmured, kissing her more demandingly. He had discovered another facet to Chris as she slept like some lost kitten on the large expanse of the bed. The stress that always shadowed her features had disappeared, leaving her mouth full and relaxed. Normally she thinned her lips while concentrating, or when she felt threatened. Dan gently moved his thumb across her unlined brow, just beginning to realize how much tension she was carrying during her waking hours. Dan gazed deeply into her eyes. They were free of pain this morning, thank God. Their amethyst depths clear. Her skin smelled of sun-warmed apricots. “Raven, you’re going to entice me into coming back to bed.”
Chris smiled sleepily, her heart warming as she rolled over to hug him. “I’m glad sainthood didn’t win out.”
He grinned, running his fingers through her beautiful black hair. “Never. I’m afraid I have feet made of clay where you’re concerned. You’re in good shape, Raven.” There wasn’t an inch of fat on her long, graceful body. Her shoulder and upper-back region were strong, for sometimes, hauling a fighter around was sheer physical labor. The G-forces would build up to such a degree in a dive or spin that it was the upper-body strength that wrestled the stick back in order to bring the bird out of the dive.
She was like a cat, aroused by his fleeting touch. Sitting up, Chris slipped her arms around Dan’s shoulders, drawing him against her, kissing him. No one had ever loved her so thoroughly and with such sensitivity. The warming bond that ebbed and flowed between them was there, as always. It was almost as if it were a living electrical charge throbbing between them, making her ultraresponsive to his slightest change. The admittance scared her badly. She had just lost one man she loved to a plane.
“Hey,” he chided, lifting her chin. “I see trouble lurking in your eyes.”
She gave a low laugh, shrugging off her morbid thoughts. “Don’t mind me. What’s on the agenda today?”
Dan cradled her in his arms, relishing her closeness as she rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned down, pressing a kiss on her nose. “I scouted around a little earlier. There’s a rustic restaurant about a half mile away. The road is clear of snow up to the sequoia groves, although there’s a good foot or two of it on the ground.”
Chris gave him a surprised look. “Snow?”
“This is only April and they get some sudden, heavy snowfalls up in Sierra Nevada.” He grinned. “Just because we live in the desert and in California doesn’t mean the state doesn’t get its share of snow.”
She sighed, content to be in his arms. “Snow...” she murmured. “Do you realize how long it’s been since I’ve seen some?”
“No. How long?”
“At least seven years.” Her features gave way to her underlying excitement and in that moment, she looked like a little girl to Dan. “I can hardly wait!”
He gave her a tight embrace and then released her. “Great. After breakfast we’ll go up and find a spot to make angel’s wings and have a snowball fight.” His blue eyes narrowed. “Of course, I’ll win the snowball fight.”
Chris slipped out of bed, taking up the challenge. Her body tingled hotly at the hungry intense look he gave her. She felt no embarrassment. “Don’t be so sure, hotshot jet jockey.”
“I’ve had a lot more practice aiming rockets and missiles than you,” he murmured, appreciating her beauty. With or without clothes, she had a glorious body, and he capped the desire to pull her back on the bed. “You don’t stand a chance, Raven.”
She turned, giving him a confident look. “Think so, huh? I’m pretty good when it comes to hitting targets myself.”
Dan laughed fully, standing. “Honey, you won’t get any argument from me on that.”
Chris smiled and wordlessly slipped into the bathroom, eager to start the day with Dan at her side.
They lingered over the enjoyable breakfast. Chris was finishing her second cup of coffee when she asked, “What are angel’s wings?”
Dan’s eyebrows rose upward. “You don’t know?” Disbelief was etched in his eyes. “Every kid knows—” He hesitated, forgetting that she was an orphan without family, brothers or sisters. He lost some of his teasing tone, not wanting to hurt her. “You flop on your back in the snow and move your arms in an arc from the side of your body up to your head and back. Then you get up and all you see is an imprint of a human with wings. We call them ‘angels in the snow.’“
“Sounds pretty,” she confided, “but wet.”
Dan grinned. “Depends upon the consistency of the snow up there. We’ll find out soon enough,” he said, pointing out the window. Above them, beneath a sunny, blue sky, the Sierra Nevada range rose, a cape of snow on its upper elevations.
“Well, Chris, let’s saddle up and take off. I for one want to get back into the wilderness.”
She agreed, getting to her feet. Although the temperature was in the lower sixties, Chris realized that as they drove up to the seven-thousand-foot elevation, the temperature would drop dramatically. Dan caught her hand, drawing her next to him as they walked out to where his sports car was parked. How could she feel so happy? Chris didn’t try to sort out the possible answers. She only knew she craved Dan’s presence and support.
It took an hour up a narrow, winding road to reach Giant Lodge, one of the areas where the towering sequoia grew. Chris was like a child, gawking at the world’s largest trees. They parked near one set of cabins and got out. Chris leaned back, staring up in awe at one group of three sequoias that stood near the main lodge opposite them. “Look, Dan!” she whispered. They’re beautiful!’’
He came around, drawing her near, pleased with her joy over being up in the mountains. “I call those the Three Sisters. It’s interesting that the seeds for these magnificent trees come from a pine cone no larger than a silver dollar.”
Chris glanced at him. “Come on!”
“No, I’m serious. I’m not pulling your leg, Raven.” He laughed. “You warm enough in that jacket?”
She nodded. “Warm, happy and feeling like a child!”
Dan returned her ecstatic smile. “Good, it’s about time you let that kid inside of you come out. Let’s take the upper trail across the street. It looks pretty beaten down by other people using it.”
Chris held Dan’s hand, following his confident lead. Very soon they had left the large grouping of cabins and the main lodge behind them, the awesome silence of the sequoias engulfing them. The temperature was in the mid-forties and the snow was turning slushy beneath their feet. But Chris didn’t care, making the most of their spontaneous outing. Dan halted, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Look.” He pointed to the right. “There,” he whispered near her ear, “do you see it?”
Chris quickly spotted a squirrel sitting on a fallen log. “I see him! A red squirrel.”
Dan looked down at her. “Very good. For a city girl, you’re not doing too badl
y.”
“You’re such a show-off, McCord. Just because you were raised on a ranch doesn’t give you license to know everything about the country!”
“No?”
“No.”
He leaned down, removing the snow until the ground came into view. “Here,” he said, placing a very small pine cone into her palm. “This is a sequoia cone. The squirrels gather them up for food during the winters up here. Kind of hard to believe that something this small could create something so great as these trees, isn’t it?”
Chris nodded, turning the cone over in her hands. “But don’t all great things come from small beginnings?” she asked, musing.
He brought her around, holding her against him. “You’re like that cone, you know,” he said softly, placing a kiss on her hair. “You came from a small, unknown background, and you’ve made a place in history for yourself.”
She blushed at the inference. “I don’t see myself that way, Dan.”
“No?”
“No. I didn’t get into the Air Force Academy or become a pilot just because I was a woman. And I’m certainly not struggling to get test-pilot status for that reason, either.”
He sighed, a smile edging his mouth. “Some trees just don’t know they’re giant until they’re fully grown and look down to see how far the ground is beneath them.” He became more serious. “Your talents for flying are incredible, Chris. No, now don’t deny it. Just stand here and listen to me. I’ve been an instructor at TPS for two years, and I’ve seen plenty of test pilots graduate. And no one, no one has your hands. You have that incredible ability to sense what a bird will do before it actually departs control.” He managed a quick smile as he paused momentarily. “You can never tell when the day will come when you’ll need that extra touch, that ‘something’ you possess. Hell, the Air Force needs your talents. But more important, I need you....”
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