Forged in Fire (Delos Series Book 3)

by Lindsay McKenna

  “Callie told me that part,” Dara whispered. She pulled away, looking up into his glittering eyes. “What happened next?”

  “Beau blew away the two men who were tearing her clothes off. Then he took out the four holding her down. By that time, the rest of the party was throwing lead in Beau’s direction because he had exposed his position. That’s how he took a bullet to the left calf. The good news is, he killed all of them, helped Callie up, got her clothes back on her, and they took off for the plain. He had no idea if there were more Taliban in the area or not. About two hours later, he found a cave and they hid in it. That’s when he found out Callie had broken her arm while the men had held her down.”

  Squeezing her eyes shut, Dara whispered in anguish, “She’s so traumatized, Matt.”

  “Yeah,” he rasped sadly. “I saw it. I knew something bad had happened to her. I just didn’t know what.” He looked toward the door. “Does Callie need a sedative? What’s being done for her?”

  Dara leaned heavily against him, so grateful for his quiet strength. “She has a lovely woman doctor, Ann Bartel, who’s gentle with her. Dr. Bartel took care of her arm, which is a green fracture, Matt. The bone cracked up and down, but there’s no break, and that’s good. It will heal quickly.”

  “What else?” Matt asked, tightening his arm around Dara’s waist.

  “Dr. Bartel asked if she wanted a sedative and Callie rejected it. Callie hates drugs, just as I do.”

  Looking down the hall, he said, “Beau’s coming to see her.”

  “That’s good,” Dara said, “because she keeps asking for him.”

  “He’ll do a helluva lot more good for Callie than any sedative will do,” Matt growled. “Is she free to go?”

  “Yes, Dr. Bartel just wanted her away from the noise and crush of the ER. She told Callie she could go to her B-hut when she felt up to it. And then she’s to see Dr. Bartel two days from now. I called over to our B-hut and asked one of the women, Sophia, to bring Callie a set of clean clothes from her room. She brought them over and just left.”

  “Good, because I have an idea,” Matt said, pulling her away from the door and guiding her to a bench across the hall from it. Sitting down, he drew Dara beneath his arm, and she gave him a warm look of thanks as she laid her head on his shoulder. “I talked to Beau about taking Callie to Eagle’s Nest Two.”

  Dara lifted her head. “You have a second apartment here on base?”

  He grinned a little sheepishly. “Yes. Two is down on the second floor on the other side of the building from where we’re staying. I called the CO to find out if it’s open, and it is. Beau wants to take Callie there. He wants her alone where he can hopefully help her. This isn’t about sex, okay? Beau’s good with people, and it’s clear to me he really likes Callie on a personal level. Do you think she’d go for something like that?”

  Dara nodded. “I do. She keeps asking for him. I know she needs him. It’s not up to us to decide what happens between them, Matt. I’m sure neither of them is up for sex right now, but Callie needs him in an emotional sense.”

  “Good to hear,” he breathed, relieved. “Beau wasn’t sure. He thought Callie might be pissed off at him for leaving her open to that attack. He’s feeling guilty, and he shouldn’t, but I can’t convince him of it.”

  “Callie didn’t say anything about Beau leaving her open to an attack,” Dara said, sitting up. “She’s the one who feels guilty because she disobeyed his orders. She panicked and ran instead of staying where he told her to remain.” Her watch read three a.m., and she felt totaled emotionally and physically. Only Matt’s being there as her anchor was keeping her together. “Let her and Beau sort things out when they see one another. I’m sure he’ll do whatever Callie requests.”

  Matt saw Beau come out of the elevator down at the end of the hall. He held up his hand, waving to him. “It’s okay, Beau.”

  Dara stood and watched as the lanky West Virginian Delta operator limped down the highly polished hall toward them. He was still in his dirty, sweaty uniform. As he drew nearer, she could see the utter exhaustion in his face. He took off his dark green baseball cap and halted.

  “Dr. McKinley, good to see you.” He gave her his hand.

  Dara gripped it. “Thank you for saving Callie, Beau.” She saw pink color rise in his high cheekbones.

  “I didn’t do a good enough job, ma’am.” He frowned. “Is it possible for me to see Callie? Does she even want to see me?”

  Releasing his hand, Dara whispered, “Oh, yes, Callie very much wants to see you. She’s been asking for you ever since they brought her into the ER.”

  Dara saw relief dissolve some of Beau’s guilt-ridden expression. His large gray eyes were murky with fatigue, but he perked up considerably, a slight pull at one corner of his generous mouth. “Seriously, ma’am? She does?”

  “Very serious,” Dara murmured, returning his smile.

  “Look, bro,” Matt said, “why don’t you get down to the men’s locker room and clean up first? I had one of our guys bring over a fresh set of clothes for you. It’s down there in locker B-one. I think Callie would probably be happier if you didn’t smell like you do right now.”

  Beau looked down at himself. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I smell mighty bad. My ma would boot me out of our cabin, for sure.” He gave them a loose grin, relaxing even more over the good news that Callie would see him.

  “Beau? I’ll tell Callie what’s going on, okay? How long do you think it will be before you can visit with her?”

  “Give me forty-five minutes.” His gray eyes cleared a bit as he stared over at the door. “Tell her I’m coming back for her. She needs a lot of TLC right now, and I’m the right man to give it to her.”

  Matt placed his hand on Beau’s slumped shoulder. “Eagle’s Nest Two is open and available if you want to take her there,” he said.

  “I’ll ask her when I see her,” Beau said, heartened.

  *

  Dara was practically stumbling over her own feet by the time Matt had taken her back to the Eagle’s Nest. It was nearly four a.m. “I’m exhausted,” she admitted, slurring her words as she sat down on the bed and began to undress.

  Matt nodded, crouched on his heels, and gently pulled her leather shoes off her feet. “Everyone is,” he agreed gruffly.

  “Can you stay here? Or does your CO want you back?”

  He placed the shoes aside, pulling the black wool socks from her feet. “No, I’m getting five days’ rest.” Looking up into her shadowed eyes, he said, “You’re my priority, Dara. You don’t need to be anywhere. Your service to the Hope Charity is completed, unless I’m wrong about that.”

  Her lips twisted. “I feel guilty leaving Maggie to handle everything at the orphanage in Kabul.”

  “Maggie will understand. She’s been over here for a long time and knows the drill,” he told her, rising. Matt took off her coat and hung it up. “I put in a call to her earlier to let her know about Callie’s condition and told her she wouldn’t be coming back in for a while.”

  “I don’t know what Callie will do, Matt. I hope she leaves this place. There’s nothing but death, suffering, and terror over here.” She pulled her sweater off, setting it aside. Matt was sitting on a chair taking off his clothes, dropping them on the floor.

  Just like a man, she thought, and then saw his expression soften.

  “Callie has a lot of things to feel her way through,” he agreed, removing his boots. “Do you think she’ll go home to the States? Maybe rethink what she’s doing over here?”

  Shrugging, Dara whispered, “I don’t know.” She pulled off her slacks, folding them neatly. There was no shyness in her when it came to Matt. He’d seen her body before, and she stood before him easily now as she removed her bra and panties. She noticed the narrowing of his eyes as he watched her undress, and despite her exhaustion, she felt heat flowing from her breasts to her lower body. The man could raise the dead with that look he’d just given her. Picking
up her clothes, she set them on top of the dresser and then slid between the covers, wanting the warmth they provided.

  Matt walked over with the grace of a lion, and she saw that he was erect, wanting her. And she wanted him. She knew now that Matt loved her. She’d seen it in his eyes too often the last few days to think she was imagining it.

  The mattress dipped and she sank onto her side of the bed as he slipped in beside her. As she turned off the small lamp, the room was plunged into near darkness, except for the night light in the bathroom. As Matt eased his arm beneath Dara, drawing her near, he leaned down to inhale her scent, then kissed her lips gently.

  “Tell me what you want,” he rasped, running his hand across her shoulder and down her right arm.

  Dara sighed. “I want you, Matt. All of you. I’m so tired, but I’m wired. I can’t come down off that adrenaline that’s running through me.” She lifted her lashes, seeing his face deeply shadowed, those glittering amber eyes studying her intently. It made Dara feel desired, safe. Her heart was filled with so many withheld emotions that her eyes swam with tears.

  “You’re double traumatized,” he whispered, kissing her eyes, kissing away the tears that slid free of them. “Why don’t you just let me hold you and we’ll sleep? Sleep is what we need, Dara. There’s too much going on for you right now. We have the time now. Five more days, if you want them. Callie’s going to be fine with Beau because he’ll care for her. He’ll know how to help her, just as I know how to be there for you.” He searched her glistening eyes, giving her a sad half smile. “I want to love you this minute, but you’re too stressed out, Dara.”

  She closed her eyes, rolling up against his hard, lean body, feeling his erection press into her belly. It felt so right. He felt so right. Nestling her head beneath his chin, her hand on his chest, she whispered in an aching voice, “My whole world has exploded on me, Matt. I-I feel so much. I feel crazy inside, and I know I’m not handling it very well …”

  A short, gruff laugh rumbled through his chest as he slid his large hand across her back and brought it to rest on her hip. “You’re more sleep deprived than you realize, sweetheart. That’s why I’m pushing for us to go to sleep. If we can get a good uninterrupted eight hours under our belt, you won’t be feeling like you do right now.”

  Dara shuddered, then reached out and clung to Matt, desperately absorbing all the love he was bestowing upon her with each tender stroke across her body. Matt kissed her hair and her temple, then brought her tightly against him, as if sensing that was exactly what she needed. “You’re right,” she said, her voice sounding wispy, broken. “Just hold me? Please?”

  “I’ve got you,” Matt rasped against her ear. “I’m here, and you’re safe. We’re safe.”

  CHAPTER 20

  Matt awoke with the scent of vanilla in his nostrils, mingling with Dara’s unique sweet, womanly fragrance. He had curved himself around her body, his front to her back, sometime during the night. She was sleeping peacefully, her breathing shallow and cadenced.

  He, on the other hand, felt his lower body had a mind of its own. His erection was stiff and full against her sweet backside, and his memory of how she moved when she was belly dancing didn’t help his condition at all.

  His mind was surprisingly clear. There were no windows in the Eagle’s Nest, and it was practically soundproof to keep out the constant noise of jets and helicopters taking off and landing on the busy airport side of the base. He moved his fingers, which were tucked along her waist, feeling the resiliency and warmth of her skin, her ribs beneath them. She had a long torso, a beautiful one that moved sinuously like the lioness in disguise she was. Being a belly dancer, Dara had finely honed abdominal muscles that would be the envy of any athlete, and he knew it.

  Matt wanted to feel her shift and glide against him. He wanted to be inside her once more, remembering how tight, wet, and hot she was. More than that, his heart was fully involved, and he leaned in, placing a small kiss against her hair and the nape of her neck.

  Raising his head just enough, he saw the clock on the dresser read nine a.m. With six hours of sleep, he felt like life had been breathed back into him.

  Matt closed his eyes, focusing in on Dara’s slow breathing. Then his mind turned toward Beau and Callie. How were they doing? Beau had been shot before and knew the drill, but Callie’s baptism by fire, he was sure, was ripping her up on every level. It was good that Beau was there with her. The hill boy had a way with scared children and wild-eyed animals. Matt was sure Beau was giving Callie a sense of safety, and he would let her cry in his arms and just hold her.

  Dara moaned softly and stirred.

  Matt stilled. He wanted to make love with this woman so damned bad he could taste it. But he reminded himself that she was deeply traumatized, stiff and sore, bruised all over, and her left knee had been wounded in action. Did she even want to make love with him?

  And then, she slowly turned over in his arms, her breasts scraping lightly against his chest hair, her arm sliding over his shoulder, drawing him near. Her eyes, slumberous, were marine blue, their black pupils large, as she looked drowsily at him. Her hair slid across her brow and covered part of her cheek, the ends curling down, nestling on top of her breasts.

  Yes, she wanted to make love with him. Her fingers moved slowly across his nape, and Matt pressed his erection into her soft, rounded belly. No words were needed. He could feel her heart beating like a bird against his chest now, felt her nipples tightening to points, her hands dragging through his hair, sending a sheet of flames south, making him groan. This morning, she was all his. And he was going to claim her.

  Rising up on his elbow, he tucked Dara beside him, easing her on her back. He used his fingers to move those thick, silky strands of gold aside, baring her chest, allowing him to look at her beautiful breasts. She was built lithe, long, and delicate, with knockout legs. Her breasts were not big, but as he slowly opened his hand and cupped the first one, it fit into his palm as if made for it. Her breath hitched and he watched as the rosy, hardening nipple pleaded with him. Matt smiled into her eyes, watching them deepen in color as he caressed that peak.

  Placing his lips over the nipple, he heard her cry out, her entire body clenching as he suckled her, tasted her, felt her nails press insistently into his shoulders. Her hips rolled restlessly against him and she moaned, begging him to enter her. Easing his hand downward, fingers spread, feeling the strength of her belly muscles beneath them, he smiled, releasing the wet nipple and seeking the other one.

  Dara twisted and slid her fingers through his hair, gripping the thick strands, pulling Matt’s head up so she could crush her mouth against his, branding him with her urgency. Matt plundered her, opening her eager lips, tasted her, drew her musky scent deeply into his nostrils, knowing she was already wet and ready for him.

  He loved Dara’s daring. She was his equal in bed, not a passive wallflower letting the man do all the work. No, she was a hot, hungry partner, taking what was rightfully hers. Giving him what he needed from her. And he loved her fiercely for it.

  Now her tongue moved boldly against his and Matt groaned, gripping her hips, slipping his hands between her thighs, opening her. His control was dissolving as her tongue wove a wet, sinuous pattern with his and he felt as if he might lose his steely control over himself. She opened her thighs to him, and he felt her quiver in anticipation as he trailed two fingers through those wet blond curls. He smiled. Yes, Dara was ready for him, all slick and inviting.

  Dara pushed forward, wanting his fingers, wanting him inside her, her mouth ravishing his, her need urgent.

  Matt was breathing hard as she nipped him on the jaw, her eyes narrowed and wanting, her hair like molten gold as it moved restlessly, like her sensuous, twisting body. This woman was like holding sunlight between his arms, hot, sweet light pouring through him. And as Matt eased his first finger into her juicy, welcoming depths, she cried out, her nails deeply indenting the flesh of his shoulder, her entire body qu
ivering with the pleasure he was giving her. Arching her hips, she twisted, moaning out his name, wanting more, wanting him. He slid a second finger into her tight, contracting depths and in moments, she cried out, her body jerking as an inner explosion ripped through her, flooding her with intense, undulating pleasure that clouded her eyes and made her sob against him.

  Wanting nothing more than to please Dara, he milked her, pushing, cajoling everything her sweet body would gift to him. And then he removed his fingers, skating his hand in soothing motions down her long, firm thigh, feeling her trembling from the satisfaction he could see in her deeply shadowed face, hear in those sweet sounds caught in her throat, feel as her fingers dug repeatedly into his shoulder muscles.

  Yes, this is what he wanted to see, that rose flush spreading up from her torso, across her small, beautiful, proud breasts, sweeping up her throat and onto her face.

  He kissed Dara tenderly then, allowing her time to have this orgasm fully saturate every cell in her wildly alive body in every possible way. Her mouth was warm and willing, and he inhaled her scent. How it drove him crazy! So little of his functioning mind was left intact as she slid her long fingers around his erection and squeezed, letting him know she was ready for him to enter her.

  Matt nearly lost it as she moved her fingers with coaxing precision along his shaft. He gritted his teeth, wanting her to continue but knowing if she did, he’d come. And he damn well wasn’t going to do that outside of her. No way.

  He licked her lower lip and nipped it just enough, watching her eyes slowly open, cloudy blue, dazed, sated. He smiled down at Dara and rose up on his hands and knees, careful to avoid her injured leg. He slid between her thighs while dragging his hands downward, cupping her breasts, teasing those taut nipples. Dara was restless, her hips moving upward, inviting him into her. She was beautiful to watch as Matt left her breasts, his hands grazing the sides of her long torso, feeling the dampness of her flesh, watching the movement of her belly and hips, which called to him.