“Oh well. Everybody dies sometime. Bedrooms are one floor up.” Good thing she’d explored the upper level after he left with Charlie. She laughed and pulled his head down to hers as he started up the stairs.
Excitement, desire and an inkling of uncertainty churned in her stomach. This was certifiably crazy. She barely knew him. She’d never done anything like this before, but the idea of calling a halt brought her back to the fact he’d be out of her life tomorrow or the next day. There would likely never be another opportunity to jump on the lust bandwagon with this man. She’d never know if his follow-through was as good as his foreplay. Would it be so wrong to spend one night in his arms?
If it was, she’d just have to learn to be okay with that.
MacGyver barged through the first door he came to and hurried toward the bed. Two steps away, he tripped. Kellie squealed as they both sprawled on the dark blue comforter, MacGyver’s weight pinning her to the mattress.
Pushing up on his arms, he moved to the side, regarding her with concern. “You okay?”
“Are all SEALs this clumsy?”
“Clumsy?” When his brow furrowed, she burst out laughing, and he soon joined her.
For the first time in a long while, Kellie felt free. It was so good to laugh—really laugh. How long had it been? Instinctively, she shied away from the answer, focusing on MacGyver instead.
“You should do that more often.” He kissed her nose and then her lips.
Inexplicably, tears rushed to her eyes and, embarrassed, she closed them.
MacGyver kissed both eyelids. “Look at me, Kellie.”
After a moment’s hesitation to regain control, she did as he asked. His eyes, dark with lust, radiated warmth that drew her and seemed to promise more than mere pleasure. He gently pressed his muscled thigh between her legs and covered half of her body with his. Bracing on one arm, holding most of his weight off of her, he toyed with her lips, kissing and nipping.
“Let the past go, Kellie. Tonight, just feel me.” His sexy murmur stirred her desire.
God, she wanted that. To shut out the past and live in the present for a few hours. To feel with her body instead of her emotions. She trusted MacGyver, and his concern for her was evident in everything he did or said.
She tugged on the hem of his T-shirt, pulling it up his back as far as it would go. Without hesitation, he reached behind him, fisted his hand in the fabric and ripped the shirt over his head, tossing it off the side of the bed.
“Your turn.” Holding her gaze, he started working on the buttons of her shirt, taking his sweet-ass time while he kissed her throat, her mouth and the skin directly above each button as it popped free.
“What’s taking so long, sailor?”
“Are you in a hurry?” His thumb flicked over the swollen tip of her breast, and she shuddered.
Kellie was pinned beneath him, his weight on half of her body, pressing each ripped muscle of his bare chest and abs into her sensitive flesh. His engorged shaft seared its outline against the inside of her thigh through his jeans, but he still wasn’t close enough. She wound her leg around his hip and pulled him tighter.
“Little bit,” she said, arching into him.
As he loosened the last button and pushed the fabric aside, he groaned, laying perfectly still, staring at her breasts, still clothed in her lacy black bra. She rocked her hips against him, prompting an appropriate swearword that faded into a feral growl.
“Okay, since you’re so impatient, we’ll do it your way this time.” He shoved himself backward until he stood, his scrutiny leaving a heated trail as it swept over her. “Take the rest of your clothes off, but don’t think for a minute I’m through with you after this. Next time will be slow and easy, and you’re going to do everything I say.” His eyes flashed a seriously dark shade of blue, daring her to object—not that she would. A man who took control in the bedroom was just as sexy as one who gave it up to please her. Apparently, MacGyver was a dangerous mix of both.
He kicked off his shoes, unbuttoned his jeans and slid pants and briefs off in one motion. Kellie rolled to her knees and slowly unlatched her bra, watching his impressive manhood jerk as she flung the lacy contraption to the floor.
She stood on the bed and removed her jeans and panties while he dug his wallet from his pants pocket, pulled out two condoms and tossed them on the foot of the bed. As she pitched the rest of her clothes over the side and dropped to her knees again, MacGyver slipped one more from his wallet. Kellie cocked an eyebrow, crawled on hands and knees to the edge of the bed and crooked her finger.
“What now?” He gave her a wary look but stepped forward anyway.
Kellie’s hand closed around his shaft and the air left MacGyver’s lungs in a rush. Satisfaction stole over her as she worked her hand smoothly from base to tip and back again. Reveling in his lust-filled gaze, she licked her lips and bent over him, taking him into her mouth.
He growled as he threw his head back, and she felt him shudder down to his toes. Abruptly, he raked his fingers through her hair and gently guided her head up while he captured her wrist and pressed a plastic wrapped packet into her palm. “I won’t be able to hold out if you keep that up. I need to be inside you. Like now.”
Kellie ripped the packet open with her teeth and rolled the latex into place. “And you thought I was in a hurry?”
MacGyver caught her around the middle and dragged her farther up the bed. “Smart ass. We can argue about who was in the biggest hurry later.” He pushed her into the pillows, spread her legs and positioned himself at her opening.
Kellie couldn’t resist another teasing remark, but he crushed her mouth with his, silencing her as he penetrated her hot, tight sheath, filling her—stretching her. For a moment, he lay absolutely still, his searing breath against her neck. Then he pulled out and slammed home again. She wrapped her legs around him, allowing him to inch deeper.
“Fuck, Kellie. You feel so damn good.” His teeth grazed her sensitive nipple and she trembled. He groaned and flicked his tongue out to circle the nub.
Kellie arched into him and he moved within her. Out and in…in sinfully long strokes, filling her and then pulling back until her body practically begged for more. His tempo changed, and he set a demanding pace, pumping harder and faster, and she met him lunge for lunge. Pressure built inside her until it was nearly unbearable.
Suddenly, he stopped deep inside. He raised up and forced his hand between their slick, hot bodies. His thumb and forefinger closed over her sensitive bits, pressing, releasing, pressing. Her orgasm exploded over her like fireworks at a Fourth of July celebration, and her body shuddered with the sensations that ripped through her.
MacGyver thrust into her again and again, his arms wrapped around her so tightly it was a wonder she could breathe, and yet it wasn’t tight enough. His weight, pressing her down, holding her beneath him while he drove deep, was as welcome as the protection he offered without a second thought.
Finally, as she quaked and clenched around him, he caught up to her, and they catapulted into ecstasy locked in each other’s arms.
It was a long time before Kellie moved, and MacGyver raised his head, a strange, almost dazed expression on his face.
He separated from her and laid beside her. “Holy shit! That was incredible.” He propped his head on his elbow and gave her a wink. “Was that make-up sex? That must have been make-up sex. It’s the only explanation for what just happened.”
Kellie turned her face toward him. “I wasn’t mad at you. Were you mad at me?”
“No.” MacGyver leaned forward to claim her lips. The tenderness in his kiss woke the butterflies in her stomach anew. “Let’s never fight. Better sex than that could kill me.” He rolled onto his back, and Kellie immediately missed his heat.
“Yeah, but what a way to go.”
“True.” He scooted to the edge of the
bed. “I’m going to get rid of this condom, and then I’m going to run us a bath. Give me five minutes before you join me. And bring the condoms.” He grabbed her foot and pulled her down the bed until he could lean over and kiss her lips.
“You’re insatiable!”
“I told you I wouldn’t be through with you. Don’t forget—you’re mine this time. Anything I want.”
Surely he couldn’t be ready to go again so soon. She was drained of energy, completely sated and pleasantly sore. Not that she minded. He’d just given her the best orgasm of her life. The idea of doing it again was not unattractive. Doing it with a hot, hard-bodied alpha male like MacGyver—even better.
His mouth closed over her breast, his tongue running around and across the super-sensitive nipple while she jerked with each pass. When he finished, he grinned and kissed her lips, leaving no question in her mind he was rested enough. “Five minutes. Don’t make me come and get you.”
Chapter Thirteen
MacGyver stretched full-length on the floor in front of the window. He pulled his ball cap lower to shield his eyes from the sun that streamed through the glass. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t quell the grin that resurfaced every time his mind wandered to Kellie, which was every thirty seconds or so.
Last night had blown his mind. Three fucking times! Before she’d joined him in the bathtub, he’d called Travis to tell him not to wait up. MacGyver would get a serious razzing when he and Kellie returned to the cabin, but he didn’t give a shit. Mostly, he worried about Charlie’s reaction. Would MacGyver’s all-night tryst with his stepdaughter make Charlie ill at ease around him? Or worse—disappointed in Kellie? It was clear he thought of Kellie as his daughter, and MacGyver respected that. The possible repercussions hadn’t occurred to him last night, and even if they had, it was doubtful he could have kept his hands to himself.
The buzzer on the dryer went off, and MacGyver bounded to his feet. He was in charge of getting the bedding they’d laundered back on the bed while Kellie was in the shower. Finally, the comforter was dry. He rolled it over his arms and jogged up the stairs.
Kellie was brushing her hair just inside the bathroom as he entered the bedroom. She watched him through the mirror, and her sultry smile almost made him miss a step. His dick instantly hardened, and it was all he could do to continue to the bed. Those amazing green eyes of hers, with their sensuous invitation, could very well be the death of him, and he’d die a happy man.
Something bothered him though. She’d laughed, cried, smiled and teased last night. Had been trusting, happy and totally uninhibited sexually. It was as though she’d become a different person from the woman he’d met three days ago. And that was a good thing—except for one little problem. He was still the same, and he hadn’t been honest with her either. She had no way of knowing he wasn’t the sticking kind unless he told her.
They’d talked plenty. She’d wanted to know everything the marshal had said about Anna, and he’d told her all of it, without the appalling details of abuse. Later, she’d asked about his family and what it was like growing up in San Diego, but when he’d seen an opportunity to speak up and rattle off his usual disclaimer, he’d choked.
The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. She deserved far better. Hell, maybe he was overthinking the problem. Kellie wasn’t the kind of woman who needed a man to complete her. Used to making her own decisions, fighting for her country and jumping alone into a foolish and dangerous plan that could have gotten her killed.
Okay, maybe she could use a man to keep her out of trouble. Just not me.
And not yet, because, judging by the degree of possessiveness that grabbed him by the throat, he wasn’t ready to let her go. It would, apparently, take a little more time to get her out of his system. How that was going to work, with a cabin full of people back at Charlie’s, was anyone’s guess.
“Not a wrinkle in sight. I don’t think they need military corners, do you?” Her voice at his elbow jolted him out of his musings to realize he was still smoothing the comforter in place.
The clean smell of her shampoo invaded his senses as he slid his arms around her and lowered his mouth to hers. What he really wanted to do was get her out of those clothes, release his hard-on from the strict confines of his zipper and mess up the damn bed again. It probably wouldn’t be hard to convince Kellie, judging by the way she softened and melted against him, her arms circling his neck and her soft, full lips open and locked with his.
MacGyver kissed her again, taking his time, before he pulled away. “We better go. If we hit those sheets again, we’ll be there the rest of the day—guaranteed. Though I’m sorely tempted, I think Charlie will want to lay eyes on you soon so he knows you’re still alive.”
She straightened. “You’re right. He’ll be worried.” Sadness and tension seemed to transform her cheerful smile right in front of him.
He wasn’t letting that happen if he could help it, and he wasn’t above keeping the conversation focused on him. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a lopsided grin. “Just so he hasn’t been up all night with a shotgun, waiting for the man who slept with his daughter.”
Kellie’s good-natured laughter drifted over her shoulder as they descended the stairs. Apparently, she wasn’t concerned.
That makes one of us.
She examined the kitchen, probably assuring herself they were leaving everything the way it’d been. MacGyver grabbed the bowl containing the leftover chili from the refrigerator. Sometime around midnight, they’d finally made it down to the kitchen, starving and needing to refuel. At least he could tell Charlie he’d gotten her to eat. Stepping onto the second-floor balcony, he made sure the door was locked securely, then followed Kellie as she descended the exterior stairs.
MacGyver opened the passenger door for her and walked around the back of the SUV, surveying the ground at the edge of the road. New tracks in the mud overlaid the ones he’d noticed last night—deeper, as though someone had parked and watched for a while. Not a good sign, and experience demanded he assume the worst—that Palazzi had managed to track them down against all odds. Now, MacGyver just needed to figure out how…and what to do about the situation.
Kellie was silent on the way to her family’s cabin, peering out her side window. The road was still wet and, in places, waterfalls cascaded from the hillside into the barrow pit. MacGyver kept watch in the rearview mirror, but there wasn’t another vehicle on the road.
As he pulled into the driveway and parked by Charlie’s car, Kellie touched his leg. “Thanks for coming back for me last night, MacGyver. I was starting to freak out. I appreciate you staying too, but reuniting with my sister is what’s important to me now. I’m going to ask the marshal to take Charlie and me to her. Last night was amazing, and I’ll never forget you, but we both know it can’t go anywhere. I think it would be best if we agreed to end it here.”
What the hell? She’s kicking me to the curb?
He caught her hand when she would have removed it from his thigh. Sadness gave way to determination on her features.
Instead of relieving his guilt because now he wouldn’t have to be the one squelching their relationship, it pissed him off. Getting the boot before he was ready wasn’t part of his plan. Suddenly, it hit him. How many times had he uttered similar statements to women and had no remorse? Being the one on the receiving end provided a whole new perspective. Clearly, he’d been a selfish jackass, and the revelation left a sour taste.
On the other hand, Kellie’s reasoning was altruistic. Her sister had been her priority from the beginning. She’d been nothing but honest, and now she was waiting for some indication he understood. And he did, but if she thought he’d let her go off alone with Jeremy Dahl after he’d held her at gunpoint yesterday, she’d missed the point of the past few days.
A deep breath cooled his anger, and he managed a fleeting smile. “Sure, Champ. If that’s wh
at you want.”
With a nod, she quickly looked away. She opened her door but glanced at him curiously when he didn’t release her hand right away.
He squeezed her fingers gently. “I’m not going anywhere, you know. I’ll be right beside you until you find your sister and the three of you leave Palazzi behind for good. During that time, if I get any indication that’s not what you really want…game on.” He searched her face, full of consternation, for a few seconds before he opened the door and stepped out. Later, maybe he’d figure out why her perfectly logical suggestion had instantly irritated him, though it’d mirrored his previous thoughts exactly. At least she’d delivered her recommendation with regret in her eyes, which was more than he could usually say for himself.
“Well, look who finally found his way home.” Travis stood in the open doorway, leaning against the jamb, a coffee cup clasped in one hand. “It’s only fair to warn you the marshal is a bear when he doesn’t get his way. I don’t think the poor bastard slept a wink last night. He made coffee at four fucking thirty, and he’s been pacing the floor ever since.”
At that instant, Jeremy pushed by Travis and stomped across the porch and down the steps, his focus on MacGyver, who was three steps behind Kellie. “Do you know what time it is? You were supposed to bring her back last night. It’s almost ten.”
He stopped abruptly as Kellie walked by him with a wave of her hand. “Sorry, Marshal, but I haven’t had my coffee yet. Once I do, you can answer my questions.”
Jeremy opened his mouth and closed it soundlessly, turning in time to watch her disappear inside. As he swung back, his scowl swept over a grinning Travis and landed on MacGyver. “This isn’t a fucking game, and Palazzi’s not some jilted suitor. Kellie looks too much like Anna for him not to connect the dots.”
Kellie’s purse held a picture of a girl MacGyver had guessed to be a close relation because of their resemblance. Anna. He’d have to agree with the marshal. Palazzi would have had to be blind not to recognize Kellie.
Honor Among SEALs Page 17