Forged in Ash (A Red-Hot SEALs Novel)
Page 38
He groaned and jackknifed up to unzip her jeans and strip them, along with her panties, down her legs. His own jeans followed. He paused long enough to yank a condom out of his pocket and tossed the pants aside.
Quickly sheathing himself, he bore her down to the blanket, his shoulders blocking the sun, his body hot and heavy and hard on top of her. His mouth found her breast again and drew her nipple into his mouth. As he started back in on that urgent, erotic suckling, he slid a hand up her thigh and into the damp nest between her legs. A quiver raked her as he parted the wet folds and rubbed a finger back and forth along the slit.
Her legs rose and twined around his hips, and her hips lifted in silent entreaty.
“Jesus.” His voice was so hoarse it was all but unintelligible.
Her mind went dark and dizzy as he thrust a finger inside her. He pumped her once, twice, and tension drew her muscles tight. He pushed his finger in her a third time and lightning streaked from her throbbing core up her spine. She stiffened, the tension drawing her tight, a choked scream breaking from her tight throat.
“Fuck.” His voice was strangled, his breathing hard and fast. “Not yet.”
He jerked his hand away, his knees pushing her legs wide, and settled between her thighs, nudging his swollen penis into place. Guiding it forward, he pressed against her throbbing opening.
Kait whimpered, every cell inside her focused on the thick, hot pressure probing at her core. Her legs lifted, wrapping around his waist, and her hips arched.
He pulled back, wrenching a protest from her, and then drove forward, seating himself to the hilt with one long, hard thrust.
The hard, hot pressure of him inside her sizzled through every nerve, every cell, every muscle. She arched beneath him, her legs cinched around his waist, her hips lifting to meet his thrusts.
As he settled into a hard, driving rhythm, her body clenched, drew tight, and hung there for one long, agonizing moment before rupturing beneath an explosion of sensation. She screamed as pleasure splintered through her, her muscles clenching and quivering, clenching and quivering.
The sight of his tight face, the red staining his cheeks as his rigid body arched above her, launched her into another orgasm. She could feel her sheath clamp around the hard length invading her.
His thrusts faltered, lost their rhythmic grace. His body arched almost painfully above her as her muscles clamped down and released, clamped down and released, milking him.
With a hoarse shout, his neck corded with effort, he thrust once more, burying himself to the hilt, and froze, straining as he poured himself into her.
Her heart so full it almost hurt, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight as his release rocked them both.
His mind a white haze, Cosky’s muscles slowly loosened, and he collapsed, his sweaty face pressed against Kait’s neck. Her own orgasm still pulsed through her—delicate quivers that caressed his twitching cock, hardening it again.
Christ. He wanted her again. He hadn’t even recovered from their first bout and he wanted her again. Even worse than before.
He tensed as a shadow of fear brushed his mind, the realization that he’d never get enough of her. Every touch, every thrust, every second he was with her would fuel the obsession. He faced the fear, the knowledge he’d never be completely whole without her, and let it go.
Because the alternative was much worse, unimaginably worse: to never hold her again, her heart beating against his; to never feel her come apart in his arms, or come apart in hers; to spend the rest of his life wondering who was sharing her bed and building a life with her.
Without question, this loss of control, this constant need was better than losing her.
Suddenly he was aware that the slim, silky body beneath him had tensed. Her breathing was tight. He raised his head, focusing on her cautious, questioning eyes, and his heart clenched. He could almost see her brace herself, waiting for him to pull away.
He caught her hand, his fingers shaking, and lifted it to his chest, pressing it against the heavy beat of his heart.
“I love you.” The words were thick and rusty. He pressed her fingers harder against his chest and tried again. “I love you.”
This time they flowed a little better. Smoother.
Her solemn brown eyes searched his face and the caution faded. “You’re sure?”
“Forever.” It was a pledge.
He brushed back a tangle of golden hair, his chest so tight it hurt. She hadn’t said the words back.
Hell, who could blame her after his asinine behavior their first time together. He could be patient. Wait for that memory to fade. Wait for the trust to rebuild.
Sighing, he rolled, dragging her with him so she was on top and he wasn’t crushing her. Loosening her braid, he combed his fingers through her hair, until the silky golden mass trailed down his shoulders and caressed his chest.
“I dreamed about you for years, about this,” he admitted. “Your hands on me, your hair a curtain of gold, your body moving under mine. I’d wake up so damn hard an ice pack couldn’t calm me down.”
“You must have known I was attracted to you too,” she said hesitantly, a frown wrinkling the smooth skin of her forehead.
He smoothed the creases with his fingertips and forced himself to answer the question in her eyes. Trust began with honesty. No matter how much he wanted to avoid the revelations.
“Yeah,” he admitted quietly and saw a swift slash of pain cross her face. “But you scared me shitless.” He smiled wryly as her eyes widened. “Hell, I hadn’t touched you, hadn’t tasted you, hadn’t even talked to you and I was already obsessed, barely clinging to my control.” He paused to stroke her cheek and his cock, still firmly lodged inside her, twitched. “All I could think was how much worse it would be if I did get a taste of you and had to walk away.”
Her brow knitted. Huge, serious amber eyes searched his face. “Why would you have to walk away?”
Yeah, he was pretty sure she wasn’t going to find his explanation heroic. “Because of my job. The danger involved. The fact I might never make it home.”
She rolled her eyes and snorted. “That sounds like a hell of an excuse. You avoided me because of that?”
Not exactly…He suspected he’d avoided her because of the way she’d made him feel. The rest had been more of an excuse.
The color of her eyes sharpened as she focused on him again. “And now?”
He was quiet for a moment, before shaking his head ruefully. “I’m still scared shitless. The way I feel about you isn’t rational. It isn’t comfortable. Hell”—his voice deepened in disgust—“it’s not normal.”
A peal of laughter erupted from her. Her eyes started to shine. “That’s got to be the most unromantic declaration of love ever.”
From the smile spreading across her face, she didn’t seem to mind.
“I’m not very good with the hearts and flowers stuff,” he said. She might as well know exactly what she was getting—or not getting as the case may be.
“I don’t know.” The words were almost a purr. She locked her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself more firmly against his erection. “I think you’ve got the important stuff down perfectly.”
His breath hissed out of him as she pulled back and then pressed herself against him again. Reining himself in, determined to give her the slow, tender loving she deserved, he began thrusting in a lazy, languid rhythm. But each thrust grew less lazy, less tender, and before long, he was driving them toward that cliff again with urgent, powerful strokes.
This time they came apart together.
“Son of a bitch,” he said when he could breathe again, completely disgusted with himself. He’d lasted all of five seconds before he’d started slamming into her like an animal. “Maybe after I’ve had you a thousand times I’ll be able to slow down.”
That startled a laugh from her. Her face was rosy as she smiled up at him, and her eyes glowed. A gilded frame of golden hair surro
unded her head. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Jesus,” he whispered thickly, his throat tight. “I love you too fucking much.”
The smile faded. Solemnly she lifted a hand and touched his cheek. “Never too much. No more than I love you.”
It took a second for her words to sink in. When they did, his muscles went limp with relief.
She loved him.
Thank Christ.
Leaning down, he brushed her mouth, then took her bottom lip gently in his teeth and suckled.
This time he managed to keep his pace lazy and gentle and languid, loving her the way she deserved until she shattered in his arms.
An eon later, when the synapses in his brain started firing again, he tightened his arms around her and rolled. She stretched lazily and then settled on top of him with a soft sigh—heart to heart—exactly where she belonged.
SEAL Term Glossary
BUD/s (Basic Underwater Demolition training): A twenty-four-week training course that encompasses physical conditioning, combat diving, and land warfare.
Bullfrog: A nickname given to a highly respected, retired SEAL.
CO: Commanding Officer
CQB (Close Quarter Battle): A battle that takes place in a confined space such as a residence.
Deployment: Active combat or training, deployments last generally between six and ten months.
HQ1 (Naval Special Warfare Group 1 / the West Coast Command): HQ1 has naval bases in Coronado, California; Kodiac, Alaska; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Mare Island, California. Among other naval units, HQ1 houses SEAL Teams 1, 3, 5, and 7.
HQ2 (Naval Special Warfare Group 2 / the East Coast Command): HQ2 has naval bases in Dam Neck, Virginia; Little Creek, Virginia; Machrihanish, UK; Rodman NAS; and Norfolk, Virginia. Among other naval units, HQ2 houses SEAL Teams 2, 4, 8, and 10 and DEVGRU (also known as SEAL Team 6).
Insertion: Heading into enemy territory, whether it’s a house or a territory.
JSOC (the Joint Special Operations Command): A joint command that encompasses all branches of special operations. This command ensures the techniques and equipment used by the various branches of the military are standardized. It is also responsible for training and developing tactics/strategy for special operations missions.
LC: Lieutenant Commander
LT: Lieutenant
NAVSPECWARCOM (Naval Special Warfare Command): The naval command for naval special operations. This command is under the umbrella of USSOC and is broken into two headquarters: HQ1 and HQ2.
NVDs: Night vision devices
PST (Physical Screening Test): The physical test a prospective SEAL has to pass. Minimum requirements: 500-yard swim in twelve and a half minutes, rest ten minutes, 50 pushups in two minutes, rest two minutes, 50 sit ups in two minutes, rest two minutes, 10 pull ups in two minutes, rest ten minutes, 1.5-mile run in ten and a half minutes.
SEAL Prep School: A crash course in preparing to take the BUD/s challenge. Prospective BUD/s candidates are put through a physical training program meant to prepare them for BUD/s. This includes timed four-mile runs and one-thousand-meter swims. If the candidates are unable to pass the final qualifications test, they are removed from the SEAL candidates list and placed elsewhere in the navy.
SEAL Teams: Each SEAL team has 128 men, of which 21 are officers and 107 are enlisted. Each team has ten platoons and each platoon has two squads. There are 16 men per platoon and 8 SEALs per squad.
SQT (SEAL Qualification Training): SQT teaches tactics, techniques, and special operations procedures.
USSOC (the United States Special Operations Command): Beneath the umbrella of JSOC, the USSOC is the unified combat command and is charged with overseeing special operations command for the army, air force, navy, and the marines.
Zodiac: A rigid-hull inflatable boat with 470-horsepower jet drives. It can reach speeds of 45-plus knots and has supreme maneuverability. (Also known as the beach boat.)
Arapaho Glossary
3ooxonouubeiht: crabby
betee: heart
bexookeesoo: mountain lion cub
bixoo3etiit: love
hico’ooteehihi: chickadee
ciibehbiiwoohu: don’t cry
ciini’i3ecoot: grief
heneeceine3: lion
heneeceine3 betee: lion heart
hiisoh’o: his/her elder brother
hooku bexookee: little mountain lion or cougar
hookecouhu’ heeyei: little falcon
hookecouhu hiteseiw: little sister
nebii’o’oo: sweetheart
neehebehe’: younger sister
netesei: my sister
netee: my heart
tei’yoonehe: baby
tei’yoonehe: infant
wo’ouusoo: kitten
Acknowledgments
I credit three people with how well this book turned out.
To Alison Dasho, editor extraordinaire #1—without your eyes and sharp instinct on the early draft of this manuscript, I would still be floundering. You reined me in, straightened me out, and set me back on track. For that I will always be thankful. I hope your authors over at Thomas & Mercer know how blessed they are!
To Charlotte Herscher, editor extraordinaire #2—who took the raw pages of this manuscript, mixed them with her experience, instincts, and excellent editing skills and helped me make those pages shine.
To JoVon Sotak, editor extraordinaire #3—who stepped in to take the book over at the last minute when I was down to the wire on time, and got me the developmental editor I’d requested in less than a day. You are the bomb, and I just know I’m going to love working with you.
About the Author
Photograph by JK Steele, 2013
Trish McCallan was born in Eugene, Oregon, and grew up in Washington State, where she began crafting stories at an early age. Her first books were illustrated in crayon, bound with red yarn, and sold for a nickel at her lemonade stand. Trish grew up to earn a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a concentration in creative writing from Western Washington University, taking jobs as a bookkeeper and human-resource specialist before finally quitting her day job to write full time. Forged in Fire came about after a marathon reading session and a bottle of Nyquil that sparked a vivid dream. She lives today in eastern Washington. An avid animal lover, she currently shares her home with three golden retrievers, a black lab mix, and a cat.
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Book updates can be found at www.trishmccallan.com.
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading Forged in Ash.
If you enjoyed this book, I’d appreciate it if you’d help others find it so they can enjoy it too.
• Lend it: This e-book is lending-enabled, so feel free to share it with your friends.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty
-Two
SEAL Term Glossary
Arapaho Glossary
Acknowledgments
About the Author
A Note from the Author