by Mary Wine
The car passed through another gate before it came to a stop. Beth stepped out when the door was opened for her. They were on a huge landing pad designed for helicopters. There were in fact a number of them around. Several different models and colors. Beth was handed over to two Rangers. One of them took her bag before he started to lead her through the maze of machinery. They passed through another gate and Beth found herself looking at some of the meanest-looking machines that she had ever seen. Even her dad had never shown her this kind of stuff. There were four black helicopters directly in front of her. They were ultra-modern and coal-black. They just looked deadly.
Her escort halted. Beth watched as one of the Rangers left to make his way over to a group of men that stood between the machines. They were all clothed in black flight suits. When the Ranger got their attention, every single one of them turned around to pin their gazes on her. Beth felt like she had just been dropped into a den of wild wolves. They all moved forward in a pack. Beth held her ground only by sheer force of will. She had no idea what she had done to gain this group’s attention, but she reminded herself to never do it again.
Beth straightened her back and fought the urge to squirm. The entire group stopped just steps from her and boldly assessed her. Beth began to wonder if she shouldn’t turn around to make sure they didn’t miss anything. A second later, every last one of them snapped to attention including salutes. Beth turned around to see what had caused that reaction. Maybe it was General Slynn.
General Slynn was in his early sixties. The two men walking across the black top were definitely not in the same age group. Even in a black flight suit and mirrored glasses, Beth recognized the men.
Jacobs lifted his hand to return his men’s salutes.
He slowly pulled his glasses off and placed them in the front pocket of his flight suit. He reached for her arm next and pulled it out straight. Beth watched as Jacobs took a slim black control box of some kind and placed it next to the unit that was strapped to her wrist. A couple of high-pitched chirps issued from both units before he released her arm.
“Sorry, Ms. Stewart, general’s orders.”
She briefly considered arguing the point. Maybe she should save it for a battle that she had more chance of winning. Beth’s father was fond of instructing her to only charge in when she had a chance of getting her hands on the prize. The security bracelet had been on her arm when she had woken up here. Chances were it was staying right there until this whole thing was finished. At least she was out of that building.
Jacobs continued on to one of those black helicopters. Beth started to follow but then stopped. That was the best example of restricted hardware that she had ever seen. Beth had no intentions of getting close to it until she was told to do so. She was in this mess because she had seen too much. There was no need to stack the deck further against herself.
Pulling the passenger side door open, Jacobs was surprised to notice that Beth had not kept pace with him. He was too used to Grace knowing her way around the unit. Beth was standing almost exactly where he’d left her. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was watching him with those blue eyes of hers.
“If you think I’m moving before being told to, you don’t know my daddy very well.”
Jacobs let a slow smile slide across his face. He did tend to forget that she was an Army brat. It was a very healthy attitude for his woman to have.
“Hope you like to fly.”
She relaxed and started walking toward the open door of the helicopter. Jacobs was wearing that lopsided grin of his. It made him much more approachable. Beth hesitated before she climbed into the aircraft. She needed to know about Grace. Jacobs’s face didn’t give her even a hint, but he clearly expected her to get into the aircraft without any information. A hard edge entered his eyes as her hesitation lengthened. Beth shook her head before she climbed into the seat. The door of the aircraft was firmly shut a second later. The interior of it was silent except for a slight electronic hum. Beth ran curious eyes over the various controls in the cockpit. The pilot’s door opened and Beth was delighted to see that Jacobs was climbing into that seat.
“Now,” Jacobs said as he pulled the door shut. He reached over to pull Beth out of her seat and into his lap. Capturing the side of her head in his palm, he firmly settled his mouth on top of hers.
Beth was a little shocked to find herself in his lap, but nothing mattered as he started to move his lips across hers. She just melted and wrapped her arms around his neck. This was the man that she had missed.
“This is going to be a long flight.” He growled, “Strap in.”
Beth pulled the shoulder harness on. The aircraft pulled off the pad. She listened as Jacobs spoke with the other craft in their group, but she just soaked up the rich tones of his voice. A hundred questions crowded her mind but she firmly kept them to herself. She had known that starting a relationship with this man meant uncertainty. Jason would talk to her when he could.
A large hand reached out to capture hers in a warm hold. Beth turned her head around and locked eyes with him. He gave her a smile. Beth felt herself returning it. He was happy to see her too.
“Flying bother you?”
Beth tilted her head a bit. They were flying smooth as a whisper. She surmised that he was keeping it slow and easy for her sake. In fact, he wasn’t even paying that much attention to controlling the aircraft. It was a bit annoying to discover that he thought she was so fainthearted. She was a little tougher than that.
“I’ll let you know when we start flying.”
Jacobs took in the expectant look on her face. So she didn’t care for the soft treatment. Desire snaked up his spine. He had forgotten the fact that Beth was all woman. She had been through a rough ride out there with Fredricks. Jacobs half expected her to be having difficulty dealing with it. He had purposely left her in a secure location this long to give her time to recover emotionally. It would appear that she was taking it all in stride.
Even the psychologist that had de-briefed Beth mentioned that she was very well adjusted. No complaints. Beth had asked very few questions. He could see the wheels turning inside her head. She had questions. For some reason she was keeping them to herself.
Beth wanted to see him fly?
“Hold on.”
Grace slowly moved her hand along Brice’s chest. They had been making love for hours. Yet she still delighted in touching the warm muscle that covered the man. Her fingers traveled up and among the soft hair on his skin. He wasn’t asleep. He wanted answers. Their rational thought processes may have been on different wavelengths, but their bodies were in perfect harmony.
It amazed her to feel this way. Her body simply fit with his and Grace couldn’t seem to even think about separating them. They had satisfied each other several times, yet they always returned to this companionship. Brice could have rolled away, but he didn’t. Grace may be new to sexual relationships, but she knew that the couple didn’t always end up in the middle of the bed after intercourse was finished.
It had been the same in his tent. Grace had woken up with him wrapped around her. She had thought at first that maybe it was just the cold. Now she knew it was more. The question was just what was it? Logic told her to simply ask Brice what it was about. For some unknown reason, she held back from doing that.
Was she afraid of the answer?
Grace considered that possibility. She couldn’t lie to herself. She was very emotionally entangled with Brice. Between the trust and the attraction, something was growing that her mind refused to define. The one thing that had made itself abundantly clear was the fact that Grace wanted to stay right here. It felt completely right to be in his bed with him. What was more, Grace didn’t want anyone else in Brice’s bed.
The concept of jealousy opened a can of worms that Grace had been avoiding. She had come to the conclusion up in those mountains that she wanted something more from life. While Grace wasn’t sure just what that was, she did know that she would h
ave to fight for it. Turvel was gone. As soon as Jacobs decided that she was recovered, there would be a quiet trial and the man would simply disappear. In the world where Grace lived her life, there was very little use for due process. Turvel had known that. Grace held no pity for the man. He deserved what was coming his way.
That meant General Slynn was going to be setting the perimeters for her life. Grace had never been in the position to make demands before. She wasn’t sure she was now. She just couldn’t go back to the way it had been. There had to be some middle ground where it could all meet. It really depended on whether or not the general was even open to discussing it with her.
Grace tightened her face.
He will discuss it with me.
She wasn’t holding many cards in this game, but she had a few. One of her best ones happened to be the fact that they could not force her to work. Both pain and drugs destroyed her abilities, but she needed the Army too. She couldn’t just walk away clean. That would leave her very vulnerable to attack.
Brice shifted and rolled her onto her back. Grace watched the glitter of his eyes as he stared at her in the dark. She could feel the arousal that slowly began to build inside his body again. It transferred itself to her through every touch, every breath that she drew.
“Talk to me, Grace.” His voice was rough with the edge of passion. Grace pushed up away from the bed and rolled Brice onto his back. He allowed her to do it and she sat herself on top of his hips. Slowly, she drew the length of her hair across his bare chest. She was rewarded with his swift intake of breath.
“I’ve been talking all night. I know you understand me.” Grace rose and fell on him. He was gripping her hips now, and she was stunned by the primal glory that was displayed on his face. She kept her pace slow and even because she could tell that it was driving him to the edge.
Brice tried to move her faster but she refused his demand. His eyes locked with hers. He did understand her. It was her turn to take him someplace new. Her hips continued their dance, letting sensation build to an almost unbearable level.
Brice surged up to meet her body. He bucked under her and thrust himself forcefully into her. She clamped her thighs around his hips and held him within herself. She felt the jerk and pulse of his flesh as he started to empty himself into her body. Her own body reacted with primal instinct and she moaned as pleasure spiked through her.
Sitting up, he captured her head between his hands and slowly kissed her. Rolling her beneath his body, he started to move within her again.
“Stay with me, Grace.”
Her body slowly moved with his and she answered him with it. She would try.
Chapter Thirteen
The sun was fully up. Brice rolled over and stretched out his arms. His eyes opened but he already knew that the bed was empty except for him. Looking over at the floor, he noticed that her clothes were missing as well. That woman could move more silently than a cat.
Brice forced his body out of the bed and headed for the shower. He wanted to talk to Grace. It was truly amazing. For the first time in his life, he had found a woman that didn’t talk him to death. Instead, he was left wishing she would talk. Reflecting upon it now, Brice realized that they had in fact had very few conversations. That didn’t mean they hadn’t communicated.
They had communicated all night long. Brice turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He felt about eight feet tall today. In an odd twist of fate, he had met one of the most fascinating women that the planet had to offer. She was as wild as a forest creature, and Brice had no intentions of asking her to change. He found it arousing the way she sought the land. He also found it arousing the way she sought him out.
Stopping in front of the bedroom window, Brice slowly scanned the forest. She was out there right now. He would be very surprised to discover her still inside the house. Looking at the landing pad that broke the forest, Brice frowned. It served as a blatant reminder of how much was unsettled at the moment.
Her scent lingered in his room. Despite the fact that he had sated his body with her several times during the night, Brice wanted her again. It was more than just sexual desire that drove him. Brice wanted to bind her to him so completely that she would never leave him. Nothing short of that commitment would satisfy him.
Making his way into the kitchen, Brice smelled the very welcome scent of coffee in the morning air. Pouring himself a mug, Brice noticed that the back door stood open. Stepping out onto the porch, he found Jacobs was watching the forest intently. There was a great deal of tension coming from the man. Raising his mug up to hide his smile, Brice observed with interest.
“She does love her morning walks,” Brice commented.
A low growl came from Jacobs as he shot Brice a heated look. “I’m going to break someone’s neck,” he shot back. “I’ve got eight men out there and no one saw her leave.”
“Sounds like you need to freshen the ranks.”
Jacobs pondered that for a long moment but he shook his head. “Grace is playing cat and mouse. Seeing if she can get out. It’s insulting that she’s succeeding but—”
“But you still see the benefit in knowing she’s not the weak link?”
“Something like that.” Jacobs fingered something and Brice recognized it as Grace’s paging unit.
“I thought she carried that thing when she went walking.” Now his temper stirred.
“I hadn’t given it back to her.” Jacobs sent him a hard look in response to his tone, but Brice wasn’t taking it.
“She isn’t playing cat and mouse,” Brice informed him. “She’s making sure you know she doesn’t like being judged unfit.”
“I thought you were keeping her busy,” Jacobs growled. “You told me you were handling her. This isn’t handling her.”
Brice took a long sip of coffee in response. “You know something, Jacobs? It’s not going to kill you to let her decide when she wants a little privacy.”
“I’m the C.O. of this unit. I make the decisions.”
“But she’s an operative, and from my observation point she’s stuck in a loop that has been making her feel pretty hopeless.”
“You thought it was a good idea to give her time too, Brice.”
“Yeah, I did, and it pissed her off. But there is a point where she shouldn’t be on such a short leash that she can’t take a morning walk when you’re sleeping in.”
“Did she tell you that?”
Brice was forced to shake his head.
Jacobs grunted. “Didn’t think so.”
“You mean you are hoping I don’t have any better luck understanding her than you do,” Brice argued. “Which is something I aim to prove you wrong on and you’re going to thank me for it.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It is,” Brice responded firmly. “The difference between us, Jacobs, is that I find her little unapproved outing promising.”
“How so?” Jacobs growled.
“Grace isn’t going to take anymore. She-has-to-clear-every-trip-to-the-head crap from you. If that’s her pager, she shouldn’t have to ask you for it.”
Jacobs opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut. He struggled to swallow what he wanted to say.
“You’ve got a point, Brice.”
Sometimes it was amazing how easy it was to observe people. If you had enough control of your body and patience. Grace idly watched the Ranger in front of her. She was four feet from the man and had been for the last two hours. Now she had to be careful. She did not want to startle him.
She really would prefer not to get shot again anytime soon.
She was almost certain that Jacobs was looking for her now, but as Beth had pointed out, men were thick. Grace would stay out here awhile longer to ensure that he got the message.
Grace was taking a hand in her own life and she intended for Jacobs to be the first to understand the new rules. Information was going to be shared on a much more open basis. As difficult as she might find it, she and Jacobs w
ere going to start having conversations.
The Ranger slowly moved on. He was running a search pattern. They were all linked together by radio. The small device was in his ear with a slim microphone that wrapped slightly around his jaw toward his mouth. Jacobs had to be looking for her. It was well into the morning now and sunlight filtered down among the trees. Grace had to move slowly now because it would be easy for her to be spotted.
She had made it to where she wanted to be. The helicopter pad was directly in front of her. She would not be able to cross it without being seen. However, it was not her intention to go undetected any longer. Jacobs would understand her statement clearly.
Pushing herself away from the tree, Grace walked directly toward the lead aircraft. The command to halt was completely ignored. Grace reached for the handle of the passenger-side door. It identified her fingerprints and allowed her to pull the door of the craft open and shut herself inside before the sentry got close enough to stop her. She depressed the lock button and watched as the man tried to get the door open. He would fail, and so would his partner. When it came to the birds, she had clearance only second to Jacobs.
Grace settled back into the seat to wait. She had spent far too many hours in this seat. In some ways, there was a familiar comfort to the spot. It paled in comparison to the warmth that she had found with the sheriff of Benton County. He had asked her to stay. Grace had no idea just how long that was for, but she intended to be here to find out.
Her emotions were no longer churning. Instead, they had grown into a mass of living and breathing life that she was unable to separate herself from.
The door opened, pulling Grace back to her purpose. Jacobs settled himself into the cockpit. She turned herself sideways to look at him.
“A person could wish you’d learn to just ask.”
Grace shrugged and struggled to start a conversation. Words failed her.
He offered her a paging unit. “Brice made the point that you shouldn’t have to be given this. He’s right. It used to piss me off to see Turvel treating you like an animal, but I guess I’ve got a few habits that need to go too.”