Wild Nights

by Tina Wainscott

  Sax covertly dipped a testing strip into her drink, then did the same with his. He laid the strips on the chair and watched their indication of an all clear.

  “Here’s to figuring out what I want.” She tipped her tall, red drink against his. “What do you want, Sax?”

  Was she trying to kill him? ’Cause he wanted her. Bad. “I want justice.”

  She tilted her head. “Is that all you want?”

  He thought of Risk and Addie, Julian and Mollie, sharing that secret language of couples who were bonded. In love. Some part of him stirred, but he pushed it down. “The adventure of shuttin’ down bad guys, of having a job that rocks…what else is there?”

  “Love? Marriage, kids someday. Doesn’t everyone want that?”

  “Not everybody,” he said, maybe a little too fast. “Some people aren’t cut out for commitment. Remember the friend I was telling you about who has infidelity in his genetics? I have a confession to make. That’s me. I grew up hearing about how the Cole men try to settle down and do the family thing, because that’s what’s expected. But they always ‘fall prey to the gene.’ ”

  “But you said he—you suspected it was just an excuse.”

  “I do. But it really messes with your head when you’ve been hearing that your whole life. Since I’ve never felt the desire to commit, there’s a part of me that wonders if it’s true. When I saw how my daddy’s cheating hurt my momma, despite her stoic expression, I made a promise to myself: I’d never hurt a woman like that.”

  She was tilting her head, studying him. “That must have been hard, watching that. So it was your father who took you to his mistress’s house when you were a kid? That’s awful.”

  Sax nodded. “ ’Course, I didn’t know what was going on when I was knee high to a mud bug. Always did wonder why the TV was so dadburned loud. Once, I heard a woman screaming and panting, something like, ‘Ooooh, ooh, oh. My. God!’ When I hear something like that, it’s usually ’cause there’s some spider or rodent freaking out one of my sisters. I threw the door open, all ready to grab the critter, and what I saw was my father’s bare ass.”

  He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He hollered at me to get out. When we left a short while later, we sat in the car for a spell, and he told me about the birds and the bees. And the Cole DNA. He told me like he was proud of it. ‘That’s the way it is, son, and someday you’ll feel the urge, too,’ ” he mimicked, his Southern accent growing even stronger. “We’re taught to respect our elders, but dayum, it’s hard with my daddy.” Sax shook his head. “I do love me a pretty woman, but I’m always up front about my intentions. You want to have a fun weekend, I’m your man. You want to settle down, have a family—I’m not.” And since she had just been cheated on, that made him the worst kind of guy for her.

  Not that he was considering himself as any kind of guy for her. Right?

  True dat.

  But the next words out of his mouth were, “Speaking of a fun weekend—you came here to do the rebound thing and explore your wild side. Use me to figure out what you want.”

  Chapter 8

  Use me. Sax’s words vibrated through Jennessy’s being. Uh…she’d better clarify. “What are you talking about?”

  He stood, beckoning with his fingers. With the sun behind him, he looked like a Greek god, broad shoulders, wind-tossed hair, all haloed by the shimmering sunlight behind him throwing his features into shadow by comparison.

  I will follow you anywhere…

  Stop that.

  But she did stand, and he took her hand and led her to the beach. His hand felt good wrapped around hers. She inhaled at the expanse of cerulean ocean that shimmered in the sun. Three seagulls flew only inches above the surface, searching for a meal probably. And speaking of that…women looked Sax’s way as they crossed the warm, white sand. But his eyes were on her, and his smile hinted of adventure that only the two of them would share.

  She let her gaze slide down that strong, straight back, pausing at the small groove of a long-healed scar near the center. She wanted to reach out and touch it, to know how it had gotten there. Her gaze followed the line of his back down to the indents on either side of his lower back, and then to his tight derrière. Muscles moved beneath his thighs as they trudged through the soft sand. Well, she trudged; he walked effortlessly.

  She’d hooked her hand over her other upper arm, which gave her slight coverage across her breasts. But everything else was exposed, and she’d look obvious—not to mention silly—trying to cover her pubic area.

  Sax led her all the way to the shore, where the sand was wet and packed, and warm water swirled around her ankles. He turned her so that they faced each other. “Uncomfortable?”

  “A little.” She pushed a strand of hair from her face. “A lot.”

  “Because you truly don’t like being naked in front of others, or because you’ve never been naked in public before? Think about it.”

  She did, not considering a third option too closely: that a big part was probably being naked with a sexy guy she hardly knew. Maybe aroused and unnerved were better words.

  “It’s hard to tell because I’ve never been naked in public before. I only have this experience to base it on. But I’d say it’s due to it being new.”

  All around, people strolled the beach, stepped into the ocean, or lounged in chairs, as though being naked was perfectly normal. Even Sax didn’t seem to have any issues with standing there nude to the world. This was going to take some getting used to. If it was even possible.

  He led her into the ocean, walking in backward so that he faced her. She gratefully followed, feeling the warm water climbing up her calves, thighs, her waist, and finally her breasts as they sank into the water. His leg brushed hers, all hard muscle dusted with the golden hairs she’d seen earlier. She could only see a distorted version of his lower body through the clear water. She pulled her gaze up, taking in his chest, the way the water lapped at his nipples, and then the scar on his left upper pec.

  “So, this is pushing your envelope,” he said.

  “Pushing? I’d go with blowing it apart. But it’s also exhilarating. I just need to take it in a little at a time. What did you mean by using you?” Whoa, way to sound eager there, girl.

  “Earlier you couldn’t figure out why you were drawn to me. Because I’m the opposite of Lane in my business guy persona? Or physically like Lane beneath it? Since you’ve only been with one guy, seems to me that you don’t know what kind of man you’re attracted to. Or how wild you want to be. Crazy wild? Or just a little? I can be the safe guy you explore that with.”

  She wanted to laugh. Sax, safe? Not the way she was beginning to feel about him. But she went back to what he was actually offering. “Explore…how?”

  “You get to drive the bus, darlin’. It’s all about what you like, what you want.” He raised his hands to his sides, water raining down from them. “Use me to figure out how adventurous you want to be. Body painting. Dancing. Whatever. No judgment. And it only goes as far as you want. Deal?”

  The idea of using him tickled through her entire body and coiled down to places that made her press her thighs together. She could hear the Kings of Leon song “Use Somebody” playing through her mind. “Now it’s really surreal,” she said, her chest tightening with the prospect. But she was nodding, accepting his deal. “Why are you doing this? This takes nice to a whole new level.”

  “Let’s get this straight. I’m not doing this because I’m nice. I am incredibly attracted to you, so helping you find out what you want is my pleasure. No matter how far you want to take it. And I’m okay with however far that is…or isn’t.”

  He checked an elaborate watch that had a gouge on the side of its metallic base. A gouge like the one in his back. He fiddled with the display for a second. “We have twenty minutes before we have to roll out.” He put his whole focus back on her. “What do you want, Jennessy?”

  The question swirled inside her sto
mach as she got lost in his eyes, in the man who was offering her whatever she wanted. You. She kept that word from slipping out. She touched the scar at his chest, running her finger down the inch-long length of it. “How did you get this?”

  His breath hitched at her touch. “War injury.”

  “Tell me how it happened.”

  “This is about what you want, remember?”

  “And what I want is to know more about you. What branch were you in?”

  “Navy. SEALs,” he added, turning his right biceps to show her the tattoo of a submerged frog with only its eyes visible above the waterline. “This is a frog. SEALs were called frogmen back in the day, so it’s a silent nod to the forerunners.”

  She traced the lines of the frog’s eyes. “You don’t have the word SEAL anywhere. I thought you military types liked branding your branch on your bodies.”

  “SEALs are pretty low-key about it. But if you look at the pattern in the water, you can see the trident, which is part of our insignia.” His finger brushed hers as he traced it for her.

  “How long ago did you retire?”

  “A few months ago.”

  Something had gone terribly wrong. She could see it in the shadows of his eyes and the way his jaw tightened. “You weren’t injured, right? I mean, you look healthy. Vital. What happened?”

  “I can’t talk about it.”

  “Can’t or won’t? I understand either way; I’d just like to know.”

  His gaze hardened as he stared into the distance. “Both. Shit happens when you’re fighting a war. I’m lucky. I got out in one piece, so I can’t complain. My cousin Chad wasn’t so lucky. He lost his legs.” He turned back to her, his expression closed. “Enough about that.”

  “Can you tell me about the scars?”

  He pointed to the one on his chest. “Explosion in the streets of Kabul. Two of us were shadowing this guy we thought was loaded. We were about to nab him when he detonated himself. Piece of concrete nailed me as I dove behind cover.” He was getting warm to sharing this part of his service, anyway. She loved hearing his voice, casual as he told his harrowing story.

  “What about the one on your back?”

  “That’s a prewar wound, when I was thirteen. Chad and I were competing, seeing who could jump the farthest out into the river off a tree. Damned branch broke. I fell, and a jagged bit of the branch caught me there.” He ducked his head and showed her a smooth spot buried in his hair. “Took a bullet here in a firefight. Didn’t even know it; just felt a stinging and a bitch of a headache. I went to my teammate, Risk, who had some medic training. Turned out it was an AK-47 bullet lodged under my scalp. Chuck, my barber, says it’s not all that noticeable.”

  “It’s not, if you brush your hair like this.” She fluffed her fingers through his soft hair.

  A woman’s moan drew their attention to a couple making out several yards away. And by the way she was moving rhythmically and gripping the man’s shoulders, they were doing more than just making kissy-face.

  Sax’s chuckle was low and sexy. “There’s a little more envelope-pushing for you.”

  Jennessy couldn’t keep from watching. And, well, they were doing it right out in the open, after all. They obviously weren’t shy. As though to confirm that, the guy opened his eyes and gave her a sly smile before closing them again.

  “They want us to watch,” Sax said, close to her ear. “So go ahead and watch.”

  “I couldn’t…” She shook her head, but her gaze was riveted to them. “It’s like a porn movie but real.”

  The woman’s breathing came fast, faster, then finally exploded in one long lusty gust. She tilted her head back, her black hair falling like a curtain that disappeared into the water. The man gripped her and released his own groan as his body jerked.

  The heat of the scene coiled through Jennessy, building desire at the thought of doing that with Sax. She quickly turned to him, not wanting the guy to catch her still watching.

  The heat in Sax’s eyes was probably as clear as it was in hers. “How did watching them make you feel?”

  “Embarrassed. Like a Peeping Tom.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “And?” Darn, he wasn’t going to let her get away with just that, was he?

  “Okay, a little aroused. In a voyeuristic way. Can we talk about something else?”

  “Uh-uh. Time to explore the naughty way that made you feel.”

  “You got to close the topic earlier, when I asked about why you weren’t in the service. I’m doing the same.”

  “Fair enough.” He dropped his gaze to her mouth. “Is the topic what kind of kisser do you like off-limits, too?”

  “I can handle that. I know what I don’t like. Lane was a wet kisser; I had to surreptitiously wipe my mouth afterward. Sometimes he would go on and on, and I’d start thinking about my to-do list. Or—”

  “Maybe we should work on pinning down what you like.”

  “I’d like you to kiss me.”

  “That’s a start.” He leaned down and covered her mouth with his, moving it slowly back and forth. Like foreplay for a kiss, nice and sweet, but with the promise of much more. His hand came up to cup her cheek.

  “I like the way you’re holding my face,” she said, her lips brushing his. “It’s both tender and authoritative. I like how you didn’t just plunge your tongue in. This is a lovely tease for what’s to come. It melts me into you, makes me want you to come in.”

  He did, sliding his tongue in, dancing over hers. She got lost in that kiss, in the sensuous dance of it. He took his time, finessing her, then gently sucking on her tongue. He nibbled on her lower lip and backed away just enough to ask, “Fast, medium, or slow?”

  “We should try each one.”

  “Good idea.”

  The words were hardly out of her mouth when he leaned in and kissed her deep and quick. When he backed up, she said, “Too fast. I hardly got into it and you were done.”

  “I figured that’d be the case. You strike me as a slow kisser. Enough that you know you’re being kissed, but not so long that your mind starts wandering. ’Cause we definitely don’t want that.”

  He leaned close and kissed her again, sliding his tongue into her mouth and leisurely tangling with hers. He coaxed and stroked and explored, and when she thought she was going to lose her mind, he finished the kiss.

  “Was that to your likin’?” he asked.

  “Mm, nice.” She rubbed her finger over her lips. “Yes, I’d say that’s a perfect length of time.”

  “I thought so.” He smiled.

  “You made it playful. Sensuous but fun at the same time.”

  His smile grew wider. “That’s the way I like to kiss. What else you do fancy?”

  “Being pulled close.”

  “Your wish is my command.”

  He wrapped his other arm around her waist and tugged her close to his body. His naked body. His very aroused naked body. The hard length of him pressed against her stomach.

  He chuckled. “You didn’t think I’d be unaffected, did you?” He must have noticed her tensing.

  “I didn’t think about that at all. Stay here. I’m okay with it.” More than okay. Her body was screaming with desire. As chaste as Jennessy considered herself, there was obviously a part that was lusty. Daring. Wild. And that part wanted to get wild with Sax.

  “What else do you like, Jennessy?” He wrapped her name in Southern honey. In fact, the entire sentence dripped with sensuality. His hand splayed across her lower back, fingers tightening to keep her anchored close against the pull of the waves.

  “When a man runs his hand up and down my back while we kiss.” She couldn’t think of anyone who’d done that. Heck, she couldn’t think of kissing anyone else at the moment. Especially once Sax lowered that sinful mouth to hers again and kissed the daylights out of her while stroking her back. He worked those magic hands down the length of her spine, all the way to the curve of her buttocks. He was being a gentleman, waiting for her inst
ructions as he paused.

  “And lower,” she whispered between kisses.

  Fire shot through her core, heating her as his hands caressed her buttocks, squeezing, tracing the curve along the bottom edge. She was throbbing for those skilled fingers to slide closer to her apex. But he would only go there if she told him to. He was at her command. It was heady. Powerful.

  All she had to do was ask. The lusty side of her was begging—begging! But she held that voice in, even as his fingers moved closer with each sweep back and forth.

  “What else do you like, Jennessy?” he asked, his mouth moving to her jaw, then to the place beneath her ear. She felt the scrape of his teeth against her skin.

  She shivered, from that and his words. Ask! her lusty inner voice urged. She leaned her head back, reveling in the twin sensations of his hands and his mouth, and whispered, “To be touched there.”

  His fingers trailed around to her hips, and then he cupped her mound. “More?” he asked, though by the tease in his voice, he knew the answer.

  She could only nod. His fingers slid closer. Closer. Just as he brushed that most sensitive part, an alarm went off beneath the water.

  He let out a soft curse, lifting a hand to reveal that his watch alarm was going off. He silenced it. “Dayum, we gotta scoot.”

  “R-right. Of course.” She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. “We have important things to do.”

  He trailed his finger along her jawline, resting at her chin. “Oh, darlin’, this is important, too. And it’ll be much sweeter for the waiting.”

  Chapter 9

  Sax, wrapped in his towel after his shower, sent an e-mail to Chase: Having a great time. It’s just like you said it would be. I’ve met two babes already, real party girls. In no hurry to get home. It’s a little buggy, though. Need to buy some spray. CU.

  No one would understand the subtext if they were reading guests’ e-mails, but Chase would know exactly what it meant: that two women were drugged, and he was using a bug. No need to go into that he was about to plant another bug. Chase would know that he was on to something. Sax checked to make sure the second bug was transmitting, and was about to lock up his computer when he heard the ding of an incoming e-mail.