Dax: Military Heroes (The One I Want Series Book 4)

by Ellie Masters

  There was no way she’d let him in, and no way he’d jeopardize his job by fucking the boss’s daughter. Although he sure had shoved his tongue deep into her mouth.

  With a groan, he looked at Dynamo. “You’re right, ‘Mo. That’s trouble with a capitol T.” He headed away from the house and prepared to spend an achingly long night alone.

  Rather than heading to his regular campsite, he turned toward the river. Something drew him there. Maybe it was because it reminded him of Dani. Her struggle on the face of that bluff had been the catalyst which finally brought them together, turning angry strangers into cautious lovers.

  Not that they were lovers.

  Not yet.

  He planned to change that.

  He hobbled the horse and gathered stones to make a ring for the campfire. With another night of clear skies ahead of him, he would forgo setting up a shelter. There was something freeing about sleeping beneath a wide-open sky. It soothed all the frayed edges of his mind after a long day around others.

  Bedroll spread. Kindling lit. He sat beside the fire, feeding it fuel, and pulled out a meager meal.

  Twigs snapped behind him.

  He grabbed his gun and wheeled around. When he saw the intruder, his heart felt like it would explode. It couldn’t be, but he couldn’t deny what his eyes told him was true.

  She sought him out

  The cautious smile transformed her angelic face into something profoundly beautiful. The smile disappeared beneath a hesitant grin. Her eyes softened and transformed the still air into a frenetic buzzing of electricity. Or maybe that was just the beating of his heart?

  “Is that how you greet all the girls?”

  “Only those who sneak, or those who aren’t invited.” From the way her gaze fell, he kicked himself for that last part. What a dick thing to say, but it slipped out without thought, a knee jerk reaction formed over a lifetime of pushing women away.

  “And which camp do I fall in? The sneaking one? The uninvited one? Or both?”

  He put his rifle away, setting it in the dirt, and stood to greet her.

  One smile.

  That’s all it took.

  His heart belonged to her.

  The air crackled and buzzed with an otherworldly energy flowing between them. The campfire cast her face in a canvas of shadows and ethereal flames. He questioned if he were dreaming, because while he couldn’t figure out why she would come to him, he hoped it was what he feared.

  She winged up a brow and cocked a hand on her hip, jutting it forward and kicking out a long sexy leg. Her horse, Honey, stood behind her, snorting with each breath.

  Dani didn’t run into his arms. She wasn’t that kind of girl. Instead, she sized him up from a distance and tapped a finger while waiting for his answer.

  “You fall into the unbelievable kind. How did you know I would be here?”

  Earlier, she had tracked him from the remains of his campsite from the previous night, but there would have been no way for her to know to find him here.

  A shrug lifted her shoulders. “It was kind of weird to be honest.”

  “How’s that?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. My father said some things which have my head spinning and I just knew I needed to see you.”

  He pointed to his chest. “Me?”

  “Does that surprise you?”

  “It should,” he took a step toward her, “but honestly it doesn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. How are you feeling?”

  “I suppose I should be shaken by my near-death experience.” She tried to laugh it off, but he could see it still weighed heavily on her. Without missing a beat, she composed herself. “But it’s the furthest thing from my mind.”

  “I’m that forgettable, huh?”

  “Not forgettable.” She clasped her hands together and twisted her fingers. “That kiss…”

  She let the words trail out and cast her gaze down. Delicately, she nibbled on her lower lip, struggling to finish her sentence.

  He shouldn’t stand there and watch her struggle, but he couldn’t help it. He was dying to know what it was she would say next. Not to mention, he found himself mute by her hot-as-fuck body and the effect it was having on him.

  His dick stood loud and proud, but that was expected when confronted by a beautiful woman. It was the more concerning changes occurring within him, the shifting of his heart and the way she seemed to be softening the hardened core he used to shelter his emotions from the world.

  That concerned him the most. He wanted to tell her everything, to share everything. Never before had he cared to do that with a woman.

  Holy fuck, but she’d done something to his mind. When she wasn’t confusing the hell out of him with her spitfire attitude and righteous anger, she changed the very core of who he was.

  How did a slip of a girl he barely knew have that much power?

  Explosive.

  That’s what it would feel like to take her, but she was a mistake waiting to happen. He needed to remind himself of that fact. There was no denying it, and he really should stop checking her out. Turning away, however, proved impossible.

  “Well?” She glanced up. “Aren’t you going to invite me to share your fire?”

  “That depends…”

  “On?”

  “What you were going to say about that kiss.”

  She glanced at the stars, avoiding his question, but he could see her answer telegraphed in the tension of her body, in the clasping of her hands, and in the way she nibbled at her lower lip.

  “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

  “Liar.”

  That grabbed her attention. Fire sparked in her eyes and he could feel the biting words at the tip of her tongue. Prepared for a tongue-lashing of epic proportions, she surprised him with a sigh and something much more profound.

  A confession.

  “I’ve never been kissed like that before. You touched my soul.”

  “I’d like to touch a whole lot more than your soul, but I think your father will have something to say if I take more than a kiss.”

  “I don’t want to talk about my father. I want to talk about that kiss.”

  He spread his arms out wide. “I’m all ears.”

  Frustration built within her, finding an outlet in the stomp of her foot. “Are you really going to make me ask?”

  “Ask what?”

  “Men are such pricks.”

  Her gaze took in his face then dipped to check out the broad expanse of his chest and his trim waist. The fire hid nothing from her view, and his dick demanded equal attention. It tented his pants, growing harder by the second, and twitched when her eyes grew round and her mouth gaped.

  “I resemble that remark.”

  “I see.”

  He looked down, unabashedly owning the erection. “What can I say? I’ve been hard for you from the moment I first saw you, and as far as that kiss…”

  “Yes?”

  He rubbed over his heart. “I don’t know how, but you wedged yourself in here.”

  “Do you believe in love in first sight?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t.”

  “I don’t either.” She dipped her head and stared at the dirt. “But if neither of us believes…” She lifted her face and regarded him with glassy eyes. “How do you explain what’s happened?”

  He pursed his lips, unwilling to deny what she said. He should laugh in her face and push her away. If she’d been any other woman, that’s exactly what he would do. It would be a matter of self-preservation. However, the idea of pushing Dani away twisted his guts.

  She was already a part of him.

  He gestured to the fire. “How about you join me by the fire and we can talk more about what neither of us believes.”

  Before the sun rose, Dani would be his in every way. She already belonged to him. How that could be wasn’t something he understood, but things didn’t have to make sense to be true. When she hesitated, he glanced in the direction
where her house would be.

  “I’m going to ask you a question, and I want an honest answer.”

  “Okay.” Hesitation filled her voice, but she extended her trust with the slightest nod. He knew she would answer whatever he asked, no matter how vulnerable it made her.

  “When you left your house tonight, where did you intend to spend the night?”

  “In your arms.” Without hesitation, she blurted her answer.

  “Have a seat, Dani. We have a long night ahead of us.”

  She walked to the edge of the fire and stood beside him. At first, she held her hands over the heat, but then she suddenly turned, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her cheek against his chest. “Tell me you feel it too. Tell me I’m not crazy.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, loving the softness of her curves pressed against the hard planes of his body. He took in her scent and let it fill his lungs. In that moment, he knew one thing.

  He had found his forever.

  “You’re not crazy.” He kissed the top of her head. “I hope this doesn’t scare you, but I’m never letting you go.”

  Chapter 16

  Dax

  Dax pulled Dani to him. God, but she smelled positively sinful, but sweet as well. There was an innocence to her, which pulled at his protective instincts. He had to remind himself she was not one of any of the nameless one and done fucks he had used to satisfy mutual pleasure from any number of hookup bars.

  This would be a moment to savor. Dani was a woman to savor, and God help him if he moved too fast.

  Heaven.

  That’s what she smelled like, wildflowers and sunsets interlaced with cool breezes and long starry nights. He could hold her in his arms for an eternity and never get enough. Never be satisfied. He wanted to hold her forever, but his body had other plans. He ached to sink his teeth into her, bury his cock deep within her wet folds, and claim her in the most intimate way a man could have a woman.

  It still wouldn’t be enough.

  Try as he might for restraint, he failed. With a moan, he leaned forward and sank his teeth into the soft skin below her ear, giving a slight nip. She arched back, exposing her neck. Her hands went around him and a soft warbling moan escaped her mouth. Such an angelic sound, it vibrated in the air and stirred his cock to life.

  The woman was undeniably sensual in every breathy moan, every sweep of her tongue over lips he would claim next, and in the flex of her fingers as she pulled him in for more. His heart sang, filled with an indescribable happiness, a sense of completing, something he didn’t believe and was afraid to accept. He held her tight, one hand dipping down to cup her ass.

  Not shy about what she wanted, Dani ground against him, moving in harmony with his need. They slid into a slow easy grind, and he loved the way the arching of her back fit her pelvis so perfectly against his rigid erection.

  They had on too many clothes, but he was in no rush to rectify that situation. Dani was not a conquest. She deserved a more tender touch and he intended to worship every bit of her as long as he held her in his hands.

  He nipped at her neck, laying a trail of kisses up the gentle sweep of tender flesh. He explored along the sculpted ridge of her jaw. Eventually, his nips and licks ended with his lips hovering over hers.

  “Dani, you taste like sin.”

  She giggled, and he wished it weren’t so dark, because he wanted to see the flush of red color on her cheeks. He gripped her ass, tugging her tight against him.

  “You taste like something dangerous,” she admitted with a coy grin.

  He paused. “Are you afraid of me?”

  “I should be. I don’t really know you.”

  “Are you sure about that?” He felt like he’d known her his entire life. As if she had always been waiting for him. “Because it feels like I’ve known you forever.”

  Her lips parted on a sigh and she tilted her head back. “It does, doesn’t it? How can that be?”

  He didn’t know, except there was far too much talking going on. Chest to chest, hips to hips, and mouth to mouth, he kissed her with his entire being. She kissed him back, and he could feel her joy in the smile curving her lips.

  Kissing took over and the world around them disappeared. The synergy of their connection exploded, fueled by the heat of their lips and the panting of their combined breaths. The roundness of her ass fit perfectly in his palms as he hoisted her off the ground.

  Not missing a beat, she wrapped her long legs around his hips, hooking her ankles over each other as she rested them on his ass. Nightfall came and went, leaving them in darkness except for the flickering shadows and light cast from his small fire. His bedroll was spread out on the dirt. Dynamo had already claimed his spot, and Dax considered taking the kiss to its logical conclusion.

  Something held him back.

  He wanted to bring their bodies closer, obliterate any remaining space between them. He shoved his tongue into the heat of her mouth and held back a groan as he imagined doing the same with his cock. When he did, he knew he would never want to leave her sweet heat.

  Dani was quickly becoming an addiction he never wanted to quit.

  The sounds of night grew louder. Crickets rubbed their legs together, beginning their nighttime chorus of chirps and clicks. Somewhere off in the distance, cattle lowed and a night owl hooted through the night. The wind rustled through the grass, mimicking the sounds of an ocean thousands of miles away. Overhead, blackness blanketed the sky and stars pierced the darkness with their weak light.

  He stood firmly on the ground, rooted to the earth, but moved in the heavenly sphere of everything Dani. With a grip on the firm roundness of her ass, he kissed her with a fiery passion never experienced before.

  He allowed one hand to trail up the expanse of her back. The roughness of his calloused hands skimmed across buttery perfection. He reached the clasp of her bra, and knowing it to be a dangerous choice, unhooked it with a deft flick of his fingers.

  She gasped and lifted herself. The heat of her pussy pressed against him, leaving him to gasp as well. With her bra no longer a barrier, he slipped his hand around until the soft pillowy flesh of her breast filled his hand.

  “You’re so perfect, Dani.” Indeed, her perky breasts seemed to have been made for him. A perfect handful, she was neither too small nor too large. He cupped her breast in the palm of his hand, lightly squeezing as he acquainted himself with every inch of perfection. A soft mewling sound escaped her when he found her nipple. The tight little nub pebbled beneath the graze of his thumb.

  With any other woman, he would have ripped off her shirt and divested her of her pants. He’d be balls deep inside of her.

  For Dani, he held off.

  “Is this really happening?” Dani kissed his lips and drew back. Her doe-brown eyes shimmered in the flickering firelight.

  Was it?

  He hadn’t yet decided how far the evening would go. It would take but a second to rid both of them of the offensive clothes keeping him from his ultimate goal.

  “Is that what you want?” He stared into her eyes, looking not for permission, but whether it would be something she might regret in the morning. Heat and passion were all well and good, and lord knows they had enough of that simmering between them. The air crackled and popped with the energy coursing along his skin, but it wasn’t enough for him.

  Her gaze pinned him in place, slamming into his gut until it sucked out his breath.

  Her tight nod gave him the permission he needed to take everything he wanted, but there was something in her eyes which held him back. A hesitancy he needed to resolve.

  “I want nothing more than to fuck you right here, but I don’t want any regrets. We don’t have to do this. There will be plenty of time for more later. This is happening between us, but it doesn’t need to happen tonight.”

  “It doesn’t?”

  “No, luv. It doesn’t.”

  “You don’t want to…” Her questioning gaze travelled over his f
ace, beginning at his eyes and ending on his lips. Confusion filled her expression, and doubt. She worried her lower lip between her pearl-white teeth, looking vulnerable and suddenly unsure. His girl was cooling off and it was all his fault.

  “Here.” He took her hand in his and placed it over his straining cock. “I want nothing more than to slip inside of you and spend all night making you come on my cock. I’m painfully aroused and, honestly, I’m going to need some relief before I bust a nut, but not at the expense of any regrets.”

  “I won’t regret sleeping with you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I think so.” Her brows pinched and her gaze slipped.

  He shifted his stance and ever so slowly set her back on the ground. He kept a hand wrapped around her waist and brushed his lips over hers, stealing another kiss. With a low groan, he pulled back.

  “I’m not sure if an ‘I think so’ is going to be enough for me.”

  “Are you saying you don’t want to have sex?” Confusion marched across her face, followed by a slice of indignation.

  “Does that feel like me not wanting to fuck?” He kept her hand pressed against his erection straining against his zipper.

  “But? I don’t get it.” Her long lashes fluttered over the high arch of her cheekbones. The firelight made the movement sultry and magical.

  “I can hardly breathe, Dani.” He admitted a difficult truth. “You do that to me. And I very much want to toss you to the ground and fuck until we both pass out from exhaustion, but not at the expense of ruining this before it even begins. I’m not looking for one night between your legs. I’m looking for more.” He wanted a lifetime.

  “Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever had a guy put on the brakes. That’s supposed to be the girl’s job.” She gave a soft laugh full of complex thoughts he didn’t understand, but he would unravel them.

  He had forever to get inside her head.

  “I can tell you this is a first for me.” Tough to admit, but it was true. Usually the girl puts on the brakes, rarely the guy. And for him, that rarely was a hard never. If there was pussy he wanted, he took it. No girl had ever refused a chance with him. “If you were anyone else, you’d be on your third orgasm for the night.”