She gripped him, her arm going around his waist, drawing him as tightly as she could, his thickness jammed hotly between them. As he licked the area, raked it lightly with his teeth again, he felt her shudder from her toes, upward, knowing the searing pleasure it was bringing her. And as he eased her onto her back, he slid his fingers between her thighs, feeling her. She was so wet her entire inner thighs were coated and damp. Kai was more than ready and he lifted off her, using his knee to open her wider, settling between her sweet, curved thighs.
Every nerve in his body was taut and screaming as Gil eased over her, covering her, keeping most of his weight on his knees and his elbows positioned near her shoulders. She was breathing raggedly, her eyes half-closed, the diamond-like sparkle in them telling Gil she was more than ready for him to enter her. And as he nudged her entrance, they both groaned, the sensations acute, scorching, and she gripped his hips, offering herself fully to him, lifting her hips, pleading in her eyes to consume her.
He wanted to thrust hard and deep into her, but damn, it had been two years for her and Gil knew she would be so tight that she’d need time to accommodate him. Still, he framed her face with his large hands, taking her mouth, plundering it as he eased just inside her. The tightness instantly surrounded him and he groaned deeply, feeling the heat, the sweetness that was only Kai. Only her. His mind was obliterated as she thrust wantonly upward, swallowing more of him. He heard her moan softly, felt her walls grip him, and he tore his mouth from hers, growling her name. Her body relaxed and he flowed more deeply into her, seeking her heat, her honey sweetness surrounding him. His whole body trembled as she lifted her hips, beginning to establish a slow, teasing rhythm designed to allow him fully into her.
He made a dark sound of frustration, pressing his damp brow against hers. “Dove… I can’t hold it much longer…”
She laughed softly, thrusting her hips upward. “Then fill me,” she whispered into his ear. Her voice grew low and gritty. “Give me all of you…”
His hands knotted into the bedspread on either side of her head and he pumped into her, hearing her cry. But it was a cry of welcome, her slender, strong fingers clasping his hips, holding him in place, not allowing him to leave the confines of her. Losing his mind to the sensations blistering through him, feeling the overwhelming blaze building swiftly, she egged him on with her sinuous body twisting and thrusting, causing him to lose his steel control over himself.
The moment she turned her head, her mouth hungrily taking his, thrusting her tongue against his, an explosion ripped down his spine, scorching him, making him freeze, their hips joined, fused together. Lifting his mouth from hers, he clenched his teeth, eyes tightly shut as the searing fire tunneled down through his lower body, slamming through him, spilling into her welcoming body. Dizziness assailed him as Gil lay taut above her, unable to move, caught in the webs of singeing heat erupting throughout his lower body.
Gil had no idea how long his climax went on and on, but it felt like forever. The intense, almost painful pleasure fired through him, sending him rocketing into another dimension. All he was aware of was collapsing against Kai’s warm, damp body, him sliding his arms beneath her shoulders, his head pressed against hers, gasping raggedly for air, weakness totaling him in the best of ways.
He dragged in her womanly fragrance, the scent of their sex, the cool, silky strands of her hair against his sweaty face. The boiling heat kept rolling through him and he savored being so deep within her, melting into her, holding her tightly, never wanting to ever let her go again. Kai was his. His heart was wide-open, love spilling fiercely out of him for only her. And as her slender arms wrapped around his neck, drawing him to her completely, he sank fully against her for a moment, relishing their contact, their breathing, their hearts pounding against one another.
*
KAI SLOWLY CAME AWAKE. It was still dark and she sleepily turned her head on Gil’s shoulder to look at the clock. It was three in the morning.
Groaning inwardly, she didn’t want to leave the circle of his arms, their bodies pressed sweetly together. He was sleeping deeply and she closed her eyes, languishing in remembering, once again, the angles, the hardness of his male body against her more rounded, softer one. Her head lay in the crook of his shoulder, his arm possessively wrapped around her waist, keeping her against him even in sleep. His other arm had curved beneath her shoulders. Never had she felt so loved, so protected and happy.
Her drowsy mind fled back to the first time they’d made love, and she could see no difference in his fierce emotions toward loving her then and now. Whatever Gil felt for her, it had not changed. He was a considerate lover, tender as well as ravishing, depending upon where she was at. More than anything, he knew her, he knew her body intimately on a level no other man ever had.
Closing her eyes, Kai relaxed in his arms, absorbing this moment because she felt worshipped and fiercely loved. She knew neither of them had said those words. It was far too soon, but Kai swore what she saw in Gil’s eyes was love for her.
And, yet, their future was so tenuous, so uncharted, and she didn’t even try to figure out what was happening between them except that it felt so damned good and satisfying. Kai had never felt the happiness that was bubbling through her right now. She had come to the conclusion that her feelings for Gil had always been there, latent and subconscious. And because she was married to Sam, Gil never once gave her any signal that might make her think of him as anything other than a friend to her.
Moving her cheek against his shoulder, Kai delighted in his male scent, the power of his muscles. His protection was overwhelming and Kai had never felt as loved as she did right now. Her heart whispered she could have this every night. To sleep with Gil. To love him when they felt the urge. To feel his male warmth radiating from around him like the sun itself. Her fingers moved softly across his chest, tunneling through the dark, silky strands, adoring his strength, his passion and that it all belonged to her once more.
But for how long? Kai’s palm rested over his slow, thudding heart. Most of her fear of him leaving her had dissolved. But the memory… God, the memory of waking up that morning and finding him gone without a word—that had shattered her heart. And it had taken her two years to get over his actions. She remembered the timbre of Gil’s voice earlier, the solemn look in his blue gaze, promising her he’d never do that to her again. Not ever. Most of her heart believed him. Her head was wary, however, wanting time to prove to her that it was really true.
Nuzzling his shoulder, she closed her eyes, reminding herself that Gil had made no such promise to her before. He’d always been a man of his word at every turn. And he’d never gone back on whatever he said he’d do for Sam, for her or for his Delta Force team. A little part of her, the worried part, dissolved. Gil had made a verbal commitment to her this time. He hadn’t done that before. This was different. Her heart felt how different it really was. And she gloried in the contentment that what they’d just shared was only the beginning, not an end.
Her heart expanded powerfully within her chest and Kai allowed herself, for the first time, those scintillating colors of hope, allowing herself to dream of having Gil permanently in her life. Could it happen? Is that where he was going with her? Is that what he wanted? Kai was unsure, knowing they had so much to sort out and to explore. She had never entertained, until this moment, the possibility of sharing the rest of her life with him. Was it at all possible? She understood clearly the operator’s mind and how it functioned. Gil was a man of few words, and fewer thoughts ever left his mind to be spoken out loud.
In some ways, Gil was like Sam. But Sam had never opened up to her and Gil already had on so many different levels. He wasn’t her dead husband, and she would never compare him to Sam in that way.
Gil stood alone, like a beacon to her wounded heart that was crying out for her to allow him fully and completely into her life once again. Kai wasn’t sure she could do it because of the past hurt. The fear of him leaving. Yet,
Gil had given his word to her and she’d never felt or heard him as serious as he was when he had spoken those words.
Sleep began to claim her once again, like soft raindrops falling around her mind that nettled and chewed on such things. Kai allowed her feelings to rule her, to lull her to sleep in Gil’s arms. There was such peace, solidity and pleasure to be wrapped within his embrace once more. Until this night, Kai had not known just how much she needed Gil in her life.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I DON’T WANT to go to work,” Kai mumbled, sliding her arms around Gil’s neck as they prepared to leave the inn. She saw his mouth quirk, the look in his eyes reflecting her feelings. Leaning against him, feeling his arms around her, made her incredibly happy. Her body glowed from their recent lovemaking. Nothing had ever felt so right to Kai.
“We’ll survive…barely,” Gil chuckled, tightening his embrace, kissing her hair and then her temple, inhaling her womanly fragrance, which always set him on fire.
Lifting her face, Kai turned her head, meeting his mouth, drowning in the kiss he branded her with. It was a man claiming his woman. Nothing less. And as his other hand slid down across her hip, pinning her against his pelvis, feeling his erection, she moaned, wanting him all over again. Already. It was as if they were trying to make up for so much lost time. Kai felt like a whining beggar. Time was too short! She had just spent the most wonderful night of her life with Gil and she didn’t want it to end. Her body craved him, his touches, his inflaming kisses that left her breathless and needy.
As his mouth eased from hers, she absorbed the burning look of arousal in his eyes.
In a roughened tone, he said, “We’ll figure this all out, Dove. For now, we have responsibilities and commitments to others.”
Giving him a pouty look, Kai understood and stepped reluctantly out of his arms. It was six o’clock, and he’d just shaved. Before that, he’d taken her in the shower and Kai was still reeling from the impact of orgasms he’d coaxed out of her in the hot, steamy water coursing around them.
The power of Gil as a man, her heart entwined with his whether she said the word love or not, was real. And beautiful. “I know,” she whispered, her fingers trailing down his arm, catching his hand, feeling his fingers wrap warmly around hers.
Kai studied him in the silence of the room, the early-morning light coming through the windows. “Gil? I know you promised you would never leave me again like you did.” She saw his brows move down, concern coming to his eyes. Gathering her courage, her voice broke with emotion and she managed, “Before, it was just words to me and I didn’t fully trust you. Now—” she clung to his gaze “—I believe you, Gil. I really do believe you.” Kai tightened her fingers around his. “Whatever we have, it’s always been there. It never went away. And I don’t want to lose it again. I want a real chance to pursue a long-term relationship with you. Are you game?”
Her heart was pounding with fear of possible rejection from him. Gil looked stunned for a moment and then a slow grin tugged at his mouth. He reached out and smoothed several strands back into place against her temple. “That’s what I want, too, Kai. Nothing less. All right? I’m here to stay in your life until—or if—you tell me to leave.” He dug into her gaze, his voice low with barely withheld emotions.
Giving him a look of relief, she whispered, “Yes…yes, that’s what I want, too… But I don’t know where this is going, Gil.”
He shrugged. “A day at a time, Dove. This is a new chapter in our lives. We’re the ones writing it. It’s up to us to define it.” Framing her face, holding her close to him, he kissed her mouth tenderly. As he lifted away from her lips, Gil rasped, “We have the time now. There’s nothing urgent pulling or pushing us anymore. We have steady jobs at the ranch. It’s quiet in comparison to our former lives when we were in the military. I’m in this with you for the long haul, Kai. And I want to be able to have every minute I can spend with you outside of work. We’ll keep our relationship out of ranch activities.”
Nodding, her lips tingling with his last kiss, Kai whispered, “I’d like that.” Then, looking around the hotel room, she gestured and added, “But this cost a lot of money, Gil. Neither of us has that to spend every time we want privacy and alone time with one another.”
He smiled a little, bringing her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. “I have plans, Dove. I’m in the process of leasing a condo around Jackson Hole. I need a place of my own. I’m going to work at the ranch, but come home every night.” Gil pulled her away just enough to see the reaction in her expression. It was a widening of her gray eyes, hope shining in them along with surprise over his admittance. “Are you game? You can come and go to my condo anytime you like. If you’d rather stay out at the ranch, that’s all right, too.”
Kai became pensive, mulling over the information. “I like the idea, Gil. I really do.” Her voice changed, more emotional. “When I feel like it? I can come home with you?” Her heart fluttered with possibilities.
“That’s the idea, Dove. No pressure from me, either. I know we have a jaded past and I have a lot to make up for. It’s going to take time for you to trust me fully again. I get that.”
She moved her hands up and down his lower arms. “My heart is already there, Gil. It’s my head,” she said, and gave him an apologetic look.
“We have the time,” Gil urged her quietly. “I’m okay with whatever feels most comfortable for you. You have nothing to apologize for, Kai. I’m the one who wounded you, not the other way around.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “That sounds wonderful, Gil.”
“Okay, let’s saddle up.” He patted her rear, a very delicious part of her anatomy and then released Kai. “I’ll be moving into my condo two days from now.”
“It’s part of our new chapter in our lives,” Kai said, picking up her purse. She had brought a change of clothes so she wouldn’t have to wear her beautiful green silk dress back to the ranch. Gil had done the same and was now in a chambray shirt, jeans and boots, settling the Stetson on his head. “I’m ready…”
*
THE TWO-LANE HIGHWAY to the Triple H was clear of traffic at this time of morning. Gil felt a widening joy in his heart. It suffused him and he’d never been happier. The windows were down, the cold air bracing and Kai was relaxed, her elbow on the window frame. He’d never seen her look so happy, either. He loved her. Gil had almost said the words to her in the inn before they left. Almost. He had to wait. Kai was trusting him now more than ever. She’d had the courage to speak up, to tell him what she really wanted with him: a long-term relationship. Nothing less.
He wasn’t sure if Kai wanted to move into the condo with him or not. Gil would leave that up to her. He didn’t want to push her and make her uncomfortable. Having a choice would allow her to enter into a deeper relationship with him on her own terms. Now the control was in her hands, unlike the other time. His heart had soared wildly when she’d asked to be in a serious relationship with him. Gil had to keep his face carefully arranged so as not to let on how much it meant to him, to the dreams he’d always held for them.
The highway entered the mountainous area. Glancing at the hundred-foot rocky cliff that led down to the boiling Snake River below, his gaze moving to the thousand-foot rocky cliff on his right, he enjoyed this particular part of the drive. The low guardrail wasn’t much of a barrier between the highway and the mighty Snake. The gray-green water churned, white foam in the rapids of the deep, powerful river. Above, the sky was a light blue, and he could see sunlight just touching the tips of the evergreens on the cliff to his right. He felt Kai rest her hand on his long thigh and he took one hand off the steering wheel for a moment to cover hers and squeeze it, letting Kai know silently how much he loved her.
In a split second, he saw an old, rusted dump truck suddenly looming in his rearview mirror. It was traveling at too high a rate of speed! And it was going to smash into them!
“Brace!” he yelled at Kai, gripping the
wheel, tensing as the massive grill of the fifty-four-ton tandem-axle truck hurtled toward them. A truck like they drove was only fifteen tons. Gil took evasive action, but there wasn’t much he could do. He was pinned between the cliff and the guardrail. He heard Kai gasp, suddenly reaching out for the dashboard, her hands braced against it.
The powerful collision between the pickup and the hurtling dump truck roared around Gil. The pickup lurched drunkenly sideways. He heard Kai scream. He corrected. All air bags deployed simultaneously, blinding Gil.
The dump truck roared down on them again.
Gil cursed. What the hell! The driver was deliberately trying to run them off the road! He sucked in a breath as the second hit occurred.
The pickup spun wildly, coming up on two wheels, careening toward the guardrail. The odor of burning rubber filled the cab. Gil heard the smashing and tearing of metal. The air bags blocked his vision and he couldn’t see anything! From his rearview mirror, Gil saw the dump truck come at them a third time, pushing the pickup right into the guardrail.
No!
He knew this wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a dump truck that had lost its brakes. This was someone trying to kill them!
Too late!
The guardrail snapped and the pickup went sailing into the air, heading straight toward the Snake River a hundred feet below. The pickup landed on the passenger side, crashing into the rocks, metal tearing and shrieking. It stopped sliding only feet away from the river’s small, muddy bank. The force of the landing jerked Gil’s whole body. The safety harness bit deep into his shoulder and chest. He heard Kai scream again. And then her cry was cut short. The pickup suddenly moved and skidded into the river.
Cold water bubbled and rushed into the cab. Gil was semiconscious. He blindly reached over, jerking the seat belt off Kai. She was unconscious, slumping toward him as the cab tilted in Gil’s direction. She was unresponsive as the water surged into the cabin. They had seconds to escape!
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