Lethal Protector

by Kaylea Cross

  “Love you,” he rasped out. “Just let me love you.” His mouth captured hers, his tongue twining with hers as her core clenched around him and the pleasure detonated. She tore her mouth free, crying out her release as she shattered.

  When it finally began to ebb, she collapsed against the bed and forced her eyes open. Braxton’s face was inches from hers. He was breathing hard, his jaw clenched, those gorgeous dark eyes staring into hers, his big body on edge.

  Tenderness flooded her. She curled a hand around the back of his neck and drew him down for a kiss, winding her weakened legs around his waist. He moaned into her mouth, drew his hips back slightly and then thrust deep, finally allowing himself to seek his own pleasure.

  Tala stayed with him, kissing and caressing while his rhythm sped up, his thrusts becoming longer, deeper. Raw, deep sounds of pleasure came from his throat each time he drove into her.

  She knew the exact moment he reached the edge. He plunged deep and froze, his breath hissing between his teeth, then an agonized groan ripped from him as he shuddered and began pulsing deep inside her.

  She drew him close, cradling his head on her shoulder, his face pressed into her neck while it tore through him. His body slowly relaxed, the weight of his head and torso becoming heavier as his ragged gasps warmed her skin.

  Tala kissed wherever her lips could reach, letting her hands drift over the damp skin of his back and shoulders. That had been so good. Incredible considering it had been their first time. Her heart had never felt so full, or her body so sated.

  “I love you so much,” she whispered, already dreading the moment he would leave in a few more days. She wasn’t sure her heart could take it after all they’d been through and how long they’d already waited for each other.

  He buried his face in her neck and slid his arms beneath her to wrap all the way around her, locking her in a fierce hug that made her feel utterly safe and adored. “Ah, Christ, I don’t want to leave you.”

  Her heart hitched, her hands pausing on his back. Did he mean because of his tour? Or something else? They hadn’t talked about the future. She didn’t know what—

  Braxton raised his head to look down at her. “We have to make this work somehow.” He took her face in his hands, his expression desperate. “Say you’ll help me make this work, Tal, because I can’t lose you. And if leaving the military after this contract is what it takes to have you, then—”

  “No,” she said, surprising them both. But she couldn’t bear to make him give up the thing he loved as much as her.

  Until yesterday, she’d been so sure about what she wanted, about the boundaries she’d decided on and that she wasn’t willing to come in second in Braxton’s life. But what they’d just gone through had changed everything. And she knew what being part of his unit and serving his country meant to him.

  Forcing him to give that up for her was selfish and he would grow to resent her for it. If he wanted to stay in, then he should, and she would just have to deal with it. Because there was no way she was letting him go now.

  “We’ll make it work,” she whispered. He was worth it.

  He exhaled hard and pressed his face into the side of her neck, his relief palpable. “Thank God.”

  She held him, a sense of peace spreading through her now that she’d made the decision and given her word. “I’ll wait as long as it takes as long as I know we’ll be together when you come home.”

  “We will be.”

  With Rylee off to college now, she was free to move anywhere to be with him. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life,” she whispered unsteadily. For this moment, and the future they would build together.

  He lifted his head to stare down at her, a loving smile curving his lips. “Same. And I promise to be worth the wait.”

  Epilogue

  Almost there. Keep going.

  The muscles in Tala’s arms and legs burned as she pushed up the final slope of the course. Panting, she reached the top, and the range came into view up ahead.

  She pushed hard, trying to make up some of the time she’d lost on this last climb. It was a beautiful, clear day at the end of March, and she had a lot of support behind her. Including Braxton, from the other side of the world.

  She couldn’t let her supporters or herself down after all the hard work and sacrifice she’d put in over the last fourteen months. Not when she was so close to achieving her goal.

  She changed her strides to long glides as she skied down the slope and began her easing-in procedure as she approached the range, consciously slowing her breathing to get her heart rate down. Her stump was starting to bother her, and her body was tired from completing most of the twenty-kilometer individual course, her muscles feeling like rubber from the prolonged exertion.

  But the worst was behind her. This was her final competition of the season, and she was down to her last five shots. She’d done well so far. Maybe her best result ever. She just hoped it was enough.

  Everything was riding on her final time here in Whistler. If she finished in the top twenty, she had a real shot at making the national masters team. If not…she’d have to wait another year to try and make the squad.

  Shoving those thoughts aside, she focused on the task before her as she eased into the range, took off her harness and assumed her standing shooting position. Her goggles cut the glare of the sun overhead, and the wind flags on the range were only moving slightly. The conditions were almost ideal. Her greatest enemy right now was the fatigue.

  She readied her rifle, put it to her shoulder and tucked her left elbow into her hip, making all the adjustments she’d practiced so much since working with Braxton. Angling her body, she slowed her breathing even more. Conscious of every heartbeat as she zeroed in on the first target.

  The world shrank to the view through her sight, and the line of circular targets at the end of her lane.

  She fired.

  Hit.

  She pulled the bolt and took aim at number two. Fired.

  Hit.

  She loaded the next round. Fired at the third target.

  Hit.

  Four.

  Miss.

  Dammit! That would add a minute penalty to her total time.

  With effort, she shelved her disappointment and frustration, channeling it into pure focus as she took aim at her last target and squeezed the trigger.

  Hit.

  Two other athletes were just leaving the range ahead of her. She shrugged the rifle harness back on, then grabbed her poles and hit the course, striding hard as she left the range. She needed to sprint as hard as she could to the finish line to try to make up for the penalty she’d incurred.

  Her legs burned with each stride, her tired arms powering her forward with the poles. She pushed herself harder. Faster.

  The burn in her muscles grew every second but it was only for a little longer. She could do this. Rylee and the others would be waiting at the finish line, cheering her on with her coach.

  She’d done her best today. Whatever happened, she could hold her head high knowing that.

  She rounded the final turn and the finish line came into view. She sucked in an aching lungful of air and dug deep, her endurance pushed to its limit.

  Almost there, Tal. Give it everything you’ve got left and finish strong.

  People were standing on either side of the finish line. She poured everything she had into the final sprint.

  Soon the faces came into focus. She spotted Rylee with Tate and Nina right up front on the left. Her parents. Avery and her coach beside them.

  “Come on, Mom! You got this!” Rylee screamed jumping up and down, the red pom-pom on her Team Canada toque bobbing.

  “Come on, Tal!” Tate’s deep voice carried to her. “Finish strong!”

  She put her head down, gritted her teeth and gave it one final burst of energy. The other two competitors were nearly to the line now.

  They crossed it one after the other, only a second apart. What
place were they? How far behind them was she?

  It felt like her whole body was on fire as she focused on the finish line, so close yet so far, her heart racing so fast it felt on the verge of exploding. Three more hard strides and she leaned forward, straining, reaching for the finish…

  Her skis crossed the line and she immediately bent at the waist to rest her forearms on her thighs as she coasted to a stop, completely out of breath and ready to collapse. Gasping, she fought to suck in air and closed her eyes, afraid to open them and look at the board to see where she’d placed.

  Her eyes snapped open at a flurry of movement to her left. She started to smile as Rylee ran toward her, then jerked, startled as someone appeared on her right and caught her arms to help steady her. She looked up at him, her heart jolting in shock.

  Braxton.

  She gaped at him for an instant, still gasping for air, convinced she was hallucinating. He wasn’t due back from the Middle East for at least another two weeks, and then he had a few more days at Dwyer Hill before he could get time to fly out here to B.C. once his current contract finished.

  He grinned down at her, his teeth a white slash against his dark beard. “Hey, sweetheart.”

  “Oh my God,” she blurted, flinging her arms around him.

  He caught her with a deep chuckle and hugged her close, his embrace solid, achingly familiar. “You were incredible out there. I’m so damn proud of you.”

  Her throat closed up. Tears flooded her eyes. She scrunched her face and hid it in the side of his neck. “What are you doing here?” she demanded shakily.

  “I pulled some strings and managed to get back early for a few days’ leave before I have to be back at base.” He ran a hand up and down her back, seeming not to care that she was covered in sweat. “Wanted to be here for your last race and surprise you.”

  She kept hugging him, vaguely aware of how ridiculous she probably looked, clinging to him in full gear with her rifle still on and her poles dangling down his back. But she couldn’t let go. It had been months since she’d last seen him, since she’d last held him. “I missed you.”

  “Missed you too.” He squeezed her, then eased away slightly with a grin. “Hi.”

  She smiled too and pulled him down for a kiss. She was a sweaty, exhausted mess, but she’d never been happier and luckily he didn’t mind.

  Belatedly remembering the race and the stakes involved, she pulled back and blurted, “Wait, what was my time?”

  “Take a look and find out.”

  Holding onto his muscular shoulders for support, she looked over at the board and anxiously scanned the final list of names and times, listed from first place to last. Top twenty. Was she in the top twenty?

  She gasped, her eyes jerking back to Braxton when she saw where her name was listed. “Fifteenth? I came in fifteenth?” It was her best finish yet.

  The edge of his mouth curved, his eyes warm as melted chocolate. “Hell yeah, you did.”

  With a glad cry she flung her arms around his neck, hopping up and down. She’d met her goal. And with that finish she had a solid chance.

  Someone cleared their throat beside them. Tala eased back down and looked over to see Rylee there with her parents, Tate, Nina and Avery. “Hey,” she said with a grin, her arms still around Braxton’s neck.

  Rylee impatiently tugged her arms free and engulfed her in a big hug. “I’m so proud of you. You kicked ass!”

  Tala laughed and hugged her. “Thanks, babe. Love you. Thanks so much for coming today.” She looked at the others over Rylee’s shoulder. “All of you.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” her dad said, his arm around her mom’s shoulders. “Now, Braxton, take my baby girl over to her gear so she can hydrate and catch her breath. We’ll all be over to visit once you’ve had a chance to rest a bit.”

  “You heard him. Let’s get you off those skis,” Braxton said to her, taking her by the arm to tow her over to wherever her coach must have set her equipment. “Tired?” he asked with a smile that made her heart flip-flop.

  She still couldn’t believe he was here. “Destroyed. But happy.” She pulled off her glove and stroked her hand over his bearded cheek as he escorted her around the corner, away from the crowd. “If I’d known you were waiting for me at the finish line I would probably have cut two minutes off my time.”

  He laughed. “Figured it was best you didn’t know. Didn’t want to risk distracting you during such a big race.”

  Just another reason why she loved him. He was always thinking of her, even when he was far away.

  Rylee jogged over to hand her a thermos. “Your après-ski tea.”

  “Thank you. This is why you’re my favorite daughter.” Tala swallowed the first sip with a satisfied groan as Braxton pulled her around the bend, still fizzing with excitement over him being here, and her finish time. It had been a long, hard road getting here—for them and her biathlon career—but worth every struggle and sacrifice.

  “And I brought you this as well.” Rylee handed her a small hand towel.

  “Thanks.” Tala mopped at her face and neck, already fantasizing about the long, hot shower waiting for her back at her hotel room.

  Except now she was imagining Braxton in it with her, the water sluicing over his naked body. Him massaging soap all over her wet skin, his mouth busy on all her most sensitive areas until she was desperate and trembling, then pinning her to the wall and driving inside her. Filling her up with his thickness. Making up for all this time they’d been apart.

  But before they could go back to the hotel she needed to get out of her skis, visit with her family and talk with her coach about the race. “Any idea where my stuff is?” She looked around, unsure where her coach had left it. She didn’t see him anywhere. Where was he?

  She glanced at Rylee. “You seen Harry?”

  Her daughter had a weird expression on her face. A little mischievous. Or maybe secretive. “What? No. But I’m sure he’s around somewhere.”

  “What about Mason?”

  “He’s around somewhere too.” Rylee glanced at Braxton, a distinctly knowing gleam in her eyes. What was going on?

  “Harry’s over this way, I think,” Braxton said, taking Tala by the elbow and leading her away from her daughter.

  Tala let him pull her, glad to rest her shaky legs and eager to get off her skis. But when they rounded the corner of the trail, Harry wasn’t there, and neither was her stuff. In fact, they were all alone on the empty, snow-covered trail, bordered on both sides by underbrush and tall evergreens.

  This couldn’t be right. “I don’t think—”

  Braxton pulled her to the side and stepped in front of her, a smile tugging at his lips as he took her hands in his. She blinked up at him, opened her mouth to ask what he was smiling at, then stopped and waited. “What?” she blurted when he didn’t say anything.

  “Do you know how much I love you?” he began in a low voice.

  She nodded, her pulse picking up again. What was going on?

  “Good.” His eyes twinkled. “Because I’m not re-upping. I’m getting out.”

  She gaped at him, eyes widening. She must have heard wrong. “What?”

  He grinned. “It’s official. The paperwork’s being processed now.”

  A wave of joy crashed through her, but she quickly dismissed it, unsure if this was really cause for celebration. He’d seemed so sure about wanting to stay in before, about not being ready to get out yet. And as much as she would love for him to leave the military to be with her, she didn’t want him to do something he would regret later. She never wanted him to resent her or feel that she’d held him back.

  “Brax, are you…sure?” she whispered, searching his eyes.

  He dipped his head in an assertive nod she knew well. “Positive.” He trailed his fingertips down the side of her face. “I love you, and I want you more than anything else. Just let me finalize everything, and I’m out. I’ll move to Kelowna with you. We can live there
full-time, or in Rifle Creek part of the year. Whatever we want.”

  We. She loved the sound of that. But she didn’t care where they lived, Kelowna or Rifle Creek or somewhere else. Just as long as she was with him.

  Tears pricked the backs of her eyes even as a tremulous smile spread across her face. He loved her enough that he was going to leave the military. Giving up the career he’d dedicated his life to, and the sense of belonging he’d found there, so that they could be together.

  Like the tattoo on his forearm and the motto he’d lived by for so many years, that told her so much more than words ever could. Facta Non Verba.

  “Whatever we want?” She’d been afraid to even let herself hope for this, let alone so soon. Was this really happening? It was better than if he’d gotten down on one knee and proposed.

  “Anything. Just as long as we’re together.” His expression was intent as he gazed down at her. “We’ve been through so much, and we’ve waited a long time to be with each other. I don’t want to wait anymore, Tal. You’re the most important thing in my life, and I want to spend the rest of it with you.”

  The tears slipped over as she found her voice. “I want that too.”

  She laughed through her tears and flung her arms around his neck to kiss him. He pulled her tight to his body as his lips closed over hers, warm and firm, the hint of tongue sending a rush of heat shooting between her thighs. This man lit her up so fast, her body and her heart. She was so damn lucky.

  Excited squeals from behind her jerked her back to the present. She looked over her shoulder to find Rylee, her mom, Nina and Avery all rushing at them, grinning from ear to ear. A second later, she was engulfed in a giant group hug.

  “Mase, did you get it?” Braxton called out.

  “Yeah, got everything!” a voice replied from the bushes.

  She turned, surprised, and stared in astonishment as he crawled out wearing a Ghillie suit, perfectly camouflaged amongst the brush he’d been hiding in, with an expensive-looking camera with a telephoto lens in his hands. “Mason?”