by Francis Ray
Sky brushed away tears, but remained quiet.
He looked out in the distance. “I never felt I belonged there. I never fit in, so I stayed by myself and read. I was six when I first ran away to the woods behind the orphanage. I was gone two days before I came back on my own because I was hungry.”
Skylar gasped and put her closed fist into her mouth.
“The next time I was smart enough to take food and water. That ran out in three days. There was something out there that I felt I needed to do. The nuns finally gave up trying to stop me from leaving since I always came back unharmed. I finally found a partial answer when I was twelve and saw a gray-haired Native American man wearing buckskins and moccasins in the woods. In his right hand was a staff six feet long. He was at least five inches taller.
“He said two words: It’s time. In the years that followed, when I ran away, he was always there, and I never had to worry about taking food or water. He showed me where to look for water, how to hunt and survive off the land. He taught me how to be at peace with solitude. He never told me his name so I called him the Man With No Name.”
“I’m glad he was there for you.”
Rio’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t the response he expected. He’d never told anyone about the man except Blade and Shane. Even at twelve he knew to keep his mouth shut because people would have thought him crazy. Yet Skylar believed him without a moment’s hesitation.
“Even with disappearing for days at a time, I excelled academically and tested high enough on my SAT scores to get a college scholarship. I went to tell him but he wasn’t there. I never saw him again.” He’d felt a deep loneliness at the time. Tears had welled in his eyes as he’d knelt on the earth in the woods.
Arms went around him now. Skylar placed her cheek against his chest. “That must have been like losing a part of yourself.”
It was. He’d felt adrift until he met Blade and Shane in the Army Rangers.
“But he’d made it easier for you at the orphanage and prepared you for what was to come,” she said, still holding him tightly.
His arms rose to hold her as his head rested against hers. “It was difficult.”
“How long was it before you met Blade and Shane?”
“Six years.”
“As you know, my uncle was a Navy SEAL. He said they send special forces on the most dangerous, most secretive missions in some of the most remote and hostile places in the world.” She shivered. “Even before your specialized training, you had someone to prepare you to survive and help your unit. I’m so thankful he was there for you.”
Numerous times he’d had nothing but instinct to lead his unit to safety, to recognize a trap, to track over rocky ground or thick vegetation. She was right. If it was tough and dangerous, the odds of returning low, their unit was picked to do the job. They always completed their mission.
“I’ve done things…” He lifted his head, dropped his arms, stepped away, and stared at her with cold, unblinking eyes. “I’m not the kind of man your wealthy and influential family would want you to associate with, let alone anything more. I’d have to agree with them. I know nothing about my heritage, not my real name, not my birthday. You need to move on and find someone your equal, someone you and your family will be proud to introduce to your circle of friends. I’ll walk you back to the castle.”
She batted his hand away. Her hazel eyes fired. “You’re not the tucking-head, shuffling-feet kind of man, so don’t pull that crap on me.” She jabbed him in the chest with her finger.
“Anyone who can accomplish what you have is to be commended, not looked down upon. You’ve been in the presence of some of the wealthiest and most influential men in the world—governors, our president—and carried it off with aplomb. You won’t bow to any man, and that includes Blade. He might have more money, but you see him as an equal, the same way he sees you.”
She spun away, then whirled back. “You’re stuck with me. You care or you never would have kissed me or told me about your childhood.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Learning about your childhood made me care more, not less. Some people might think the Man With No Name isn’t out there, but if you said it, I believe it. What I don’t believe is that you-deserve-better nonsense or blaming yourself for what you did in the military. I have family in the armed services, and thank God for them. They protect this country while we sleep and enjoy life.”
“Are you finished?” he asked.
“No. Not by a long shot! You’re not my equal. No man or woman could be your equal, because I don’t think that’s possible. There’s only one Rio Sanchez, and when my parents and grandparents get here Friday evening, I’m going to proudly introduce you to them.” Her chin lifted. “Now this talk is over. I’m going to go fix our dinner and you can thank me by letting me sit in your lap since the house staff is gone except for Patterson, and he stays in his room after six.”
“What if I say no?”
She threw her arms around his neck. “I’ll just have to kiss you until you say yes. You dump me and I’ll put a prickly pear in your boots,” she warned, her voice and body trembling.
Rio gazed into eyes that were frightened and determined and filled with heart-wrenching tenderness. He’d never seen eyes as beautiful. Instead of running, she’d challenged him. “Little warrior.” His head lowered, taking her mouth, finally yielding to the need for this one special woman. “I’m not dumping you.” He couldn’t.
She beamed up at him. “I was really going to be mad at you if you had.”
His mouth quirked. “Cactus in my boots, huh?”
“For a start.” She swallowed. “Just so we understand each other, and because I’d sort of like to hear the words. Does this mean we are officially dating, a couple?”
He didn’t have a ready answer for her. “A couple, I guess. My record is worse than yours.”
“Really?” She was beaming again. “Oh, Rio.” She was back to kissing him again and slowly driving him near the edge as the full length of her sleek tempting body pressed against his, her tongue sliding across his. “I’m so happy.”
He felt his own smile. It was impossible not to smile around Skylar. He’d tried. He bent to pick up her gloves. “Put these on. I don’t want you getting sick.”
For once she didn’t argue. “Neither do I. I have too much to look forward to.”
His fingers lightly tunneled through her hair. Skylar was going to be a handful, but he was looking forward to every moment.
* * *
Skylar didn’t even try to keep the huge grin off her face on the way back to the castle. She could have happily turned backflips. Once there, she went straight to the kitchen with Rio beside her. To her surprised delight, he wasn’t lost in the kitchen. In less than thirty minutes, they had pan-seared salmon, red-skinned potatoes, and broccoli on two plates. True to her word, she sat in his lap.
“You do like pushing the limits,” Rio said.
Skylar felt the hard bulge beneath her hips. “I won’t embarrass you when we’re around other people, but when we’re alone is an entirely different matter. I just like being close to you.”
“That wasn’t a complaint,” he said, his eyes pinpoints of desire.
She shivered from the searing gaze. She still found it hard to believe that there had never been a special girl or woman in his life. She wished there had been someone to love him until they found each other. She wasn’t so selfish that she was glad she was the first woman to matter to him. No one should be that alone.
His callused thumb wiped away the tears on her lashes. “Don’t cry for me.”
She shook her head, afraid if she opened her mouth she’d cry. Instead she placed her head on his broad shoulder.
“Being alone is not the same as being lonely.” His wide hand swept up and down her back. “Some people need people or things going on around them to be happy. I never have. I’m content to be by myself. Or I was until I noticed you watching me.”
She lifted her head.
“I’ve never done anything like this before. Nothing was ever as important to me as being yours. No risk was too great. You certainly weren’t going to make the first move.”
He looked thoughtful. “Somehow I knew that if I took you up on the signals you were sending, my life would never be the same.”
“How do you feel now?” she asked, her hands clamped in her lap. She wanted him to be as happy as she was.
“Truthfully?”
She swallowed. Nodded.
He smiled. “I’m a bit surprised you overcame every one of my defenses. I thought I was winning for a while, but even before the night you gave me the ultimatum, I think I was a goner. You’re a hard woman to resist, Skylar Dupree, and I’m glad I don’t have to try.”
“Rio.” She melted in his arms.
His head lifted. “I need to check in with the other security teams.”
“Are you coming back?”
“Not tonight.”
Her shoulders sagged. She stood.
He came to his feet. “I’ll make sure after the last delivery tomorrow that I’m free for the rest of the evening. How about that? We can go anywhere you want.”
“I’d rather stay here.”
“Ask Mary to cook,” he told her. “Tomorrow is the last delivery day, and it’s going to be hectic.”
“I know.” And she was going to cook for them. “Give me a kiss and go take care of things.”
“Ordering me around already.” He dragged her into his arms for a long, hot kiss. “I won’t make breakfast, and tomorrow don’t wear anything distracting.”
“I’ll save that for tomorrow night.”
“See that you do.” He dropped a kiss on her nose and he was gone.
* * *
The next morning, when Rio saw Skylar in a gray cashmere cowl-neck poncho that reached below her knees and matching pants, it confirmed what he’d already suspected. Regardless of what Skylar wore, the wanting was just as sharp and intense.
She spoke, flashed him a sultry smile, then went back to working on her iPad. She’d said hello to Conner and Henderson and waited for the first delivery.
Fifteen minutes later, the first of thirteen delivery trucks pulled up. While Henderson and Conner helped the driver unload, Rio began opening the packages. Unlike the day before, Skylar didn’t hover and make his body ache with need. She was going to behave, but as the day progressed he knew that would quickly change when they were alone that night.
He hoped he was up to the challenge.
* * *
It was almost seven when the last delivery truck crossed the drawbridge. With her iPad beneath her arm, Skylar said good night and thanks, then headed inside with the last item, an autographed baseball from the World Series champions, and placed the prize in the waiting glass case.
She took a moment to turn in a full circle to view all the fantastic donations that had been sent. Bids were steadily inching higher. The auction was going to be a success. She pulled out her cell phone to call Mrs. Grayson to ask if she wanted to come—preferably now—just as it rang. “Hello.”
“Hello, Skylar. I can’t make it tonight. I’m sorry,” Mrs. Grayson said.
“That’s all right,” Skylar said, a bit concerned. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes. Something unexpected came up. Did everything arrive?”
“Yes. It looks fabulous,” Skylar told her.
“I never doubted. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night.”
“Good night.” Skylar disconnected the call. Her smile slowly grew. She and Rio would have more time together. She hugged the iPad to her chest. She still couldn’t believe that they were a couple. She giggled and went to the kitchen to turn the marinating porterhouse steak, wash the vegetables, and check on the potatoes baking in the convection oven.
Satisfied, she showered and changed into an off-the-shoulder, banded spandex dress that fit her body like a second skin. Finally, she stepped into backless heels. She pulled her hair up loosely on top of her head and let tendrils fall, giving the appearance that one tug and her hair would fall.
She bit her lip and stared at the bed. Deciding there was no sense being coy or pretending that the night might not end in her bed, she pulled the covers down, fluffed the pillows, and left the table lamp on dim. If anyone had told her she’d be doing this even a month ago, she would have denied it with her last breath.
But she hadn’t kissed Rio then, hadn’t felt the pull of his heated gaze, the touch of his callused hand on her bare skin. She was gambling that Rio would be her first and her last lover. She’d figured out that what Rio refused to say with his mouth, he said eloquently with tender touches, hot kisses, and on rare occasions his eyes. He cared about her.
“Here goes.” She opened her door and went downstairs to put the steak on the grill and set the table in the small dining room. After breakfast, Mary had helped Skylar take out the two leaves in the rectangular table so it now seated four. Much cozier.
Rio had said he’d be back in thirty minutes, and she wanted everything ready.
* * *
Rio wasn’t exactly nervous when he came back inside the castle for the second time. He’d been in earlier, heard Skylar humming in the kitchen on his way to his room to shower and change clothes. He tried not to think of the implication of that. It was on his way back downstairs when it hit him. He wasn’t sure where the idea had come from, but he went back outside to get what he wanted.
Finished, he went back inside. He saw Skylar leaning against the door frame of the dining room. Arms folded, long legs crossed in a dress that hugged every luscious curve of her body.
His body tightened. His breathing altered.
He was a foot away from her when her arms fell to her sides, and she uncrossed her legs. He didn’t stop until their bodies touched. He expected the heat, but not the almost uncontrollable urge to make her his in every way possible.
Her eyes darkened. Desire stared back at him. If she kept looking at him like she wanted him for dinner, she might get her wish.
“Is that for me?”
He’d almost forgotten. For a moment he hesitated, then lifted the single long-stemmed rose. She wouldn’t laugh at his first impulsive act.
She took the bloom, swallowed, and lifted it to her lips. “I love pink roses. Thank you.”
“I know. Occasionally you have them on your desk in your Tucson office. You also received a huge bouquet a couple of weeks ago,” he said.
She brushed the rose against his lips. “I told him before and after that he was wasting his time. I had already seen what I wanted.”
His blood heated. “Skylar, maybe we better sit down and eat.”
“There’s something I wanted to show you first. It won’t take a minute.” She walked off and he followed, hoping he could hold it together better than he was doing now. His eyes caught on the enticing sway of her hips in the tight dress and he wasn’t so sure.
She opened the door to her bedroom and went inside. Bad idea, he thought, but he followed her anyway. They’d only be a minute. Automatically, he closed the door and stuck his hands into the pockets of his slacks. Surely he could last that long.
She went to the bedside table, placed her rose on top, then came back to stand in front of him. Her eyes were soft. “I was thinking the porterhouse will keep. So will the vegetables and pecan pie.” Her arms slid around his neck, her enticing body pressed against his.
Rio hardened. His hands lifted without thought to span her waist. Instead of pushing her away as he knew he should, he inhaled her compelling fragrance as his mind filled with erotic images of her with her beautiful hair spread on his pillow, her eyes heavy-lidded with desire, her hand reaching for him.
She stepped out of her heels. “Maybe there was something else we’d both like to do first.”
Her breathless voice made every nerve in his body go on full alert, called to him. His breathing altered, became ragged. Need rushed though his heated blood, made rational thinking impo
ssible. All that he desired was standing in front of him. Yet if he took that step, it would be irrevocable. There would be no going back.
He stared into her trusting face. He wanted this to be right for her and was shaken inside that he wouldn’t be tender enough, that he’d mess this up for her. The women before her had been experienced. He’d rather walk away than hurt her or see disappointment in her eyes.
“I know you’re used to more experienced woman,” she said, a bit uncertain for the first time.
“Easily forgotten.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you,” she went on to say.
Rio scoffed at the idea. “Impossible.”
She undid the clip on his hair, tossed it on the bed, and ran her fingers through his hair. “I wondered what you’d look like this way.” The back of her hand grazed his cheek. “Magnificent.”
She said the word reverently as she stared up at him with intense eyes, eyes he’d never tire of looking into. This one courageous and outspoken woman had managed to do what he’d never imagined possible. She’d taken up residence in his heart, a heart he’d thought impenetrable.
“So are you,” he said.
As if aware of the shift from resistance to acceptance, her body sank more fully against his, her mouth moved closer to his. He took the offering, his mouth gentle as it brushed across hers when he wanted to rush. He caught the soft sigh of surrender and, more than that, of trust. She deserved the words and the romance, but he wasn’t familiar with either. There had been women, but they both had forgotten each other before the night was over.
His head and hands lifted. Her hold tightened. “No! Don’t leave me.”
He couldn’t. He pulled the pins from her hair. The thick, silken mass tumbled around her shoulders and into his waiting hands. He’d thought of this moment so often and feared it.
She relaxed in an instant. Her eyes held his. “You make me ache with longing. Happier than I ever imagined.”
And he’d gladly walk through hell before ruining this night for her. He didn’t know how to make love to her the way she wanted, the way she deserved, gentle and sweet.