by Laura Acton
Feeling his length against her back, she realized he was fully at attention again. His fast recovery between times impressed her. She turned in his arms and went on her tippy toes to reach his lips. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down close to her as her heels resumed contact with the floor. Steam furled around them as their tongues danced together.
Both breathed heavily when Lexa pulled back several minutes later. “My turn but you have to lean down so I can reach your hair.”
Dan went to his knees, careful to keep his face out of the stream of water. As she washed his hair, he trailed kisses across her flat stomach while his hands massaged her bottom and down the back of her thighs. When she was done with his hair, he rose on unsteady legs to rinse the shampoo out.
Her soapy hands move across his back tracing the scars. It sent shivers coursing through his body. He had to place one hand against the shower wall to steady himself. She made him feel things he never had with any woman. He could get used to this—to being happy.
When she wrapped her arms around his body and washed his chest, he had to brace himself with both hands. God, this is so damned good—so right. He was so at ease and enjoyed living in the moment as she rubbed gentle circles from the top of his chest down to his abs.
Dan sucked in a breath when her fingers went lower, wrapped around his length, and began to stroke him. He leaned his forehead on the wall as her breasts rubbed against his back. A low, gravelly moan of, “Lexxxaaaa” filled the room as she brought him to a quick and powerful release.
His legs rubber, he turned and shakily sank to the floor of the shower with her as she coaxed every last shudder from him. Her lips pressed on his as the last shudder ebbed away. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed as the warm water cascaded down and steam swirled around them. Both lost in a world of their own.
When Dan’s stomach growled, Lexa giggled as her eyes crinkled with her smile. “Suppose we should feed it before it gets too angry.”
A lopsided grin appeared on Dan’s face as he reached up and caressed Lexa’s face and tucked the dripping wet strands of her auburn hair behind her ear. “Suppose so, but I’m not sure I’m up to going out.”
Leaning in to kiss Dan one last time, Lexa sighed then stood and turned the water off. “We don’t have to go anywhere, I’ll order room service.”
Using the railing in the shower, Dan gradually pulled himself up. He was spent physically, yet filled with awe—life could be great. They dried off and went back into the bedroom wrapped in towels. As Dan lay down on the bed, Lexa got the room service menu and plopped down beside him.
“What do you want to eat?” Lexa asked.
Dan waggled his eyebrows. “You.”
Laughing, she smacked him softly with the menu. “I’m not on the menu. How about a burger?”
“As long as it’s Mmmmm tasty.” His quip earned him another light smack of the menu and another beautiful smile from Lexa. Dan leaned back and closed his eyes as she went to the desk to order the food.
A shake of his shoulder had Dan blinking open his eyes. He saw the room service tray on the small table. “Sorry, didn’t mean to nod off.”
“No worries. You needed a little nap. Especial for what I have planned for us tonight.” She winked and headed to the small table.
“Anything you have planned will be better than what Jeff has been putting me through.” Dan managed to rise from the bed and join Lexa at the table. He reached for the double burger—hungry enough to eat a whole cow.
Lexa popped a French fry in her mouth—she was famished. “What’s Jeff got you doing now?”
“Well, remember what I told you about the recruits and my attempts to climb the damned rope?”
“Yeah. Wish I could’ve shut those guys up.”
Dan nodded. Lexa had been incensed when he told her about that. “I found out why Jeff had the evil grin. Two days later we were back at the course, and all those recruits were gathered at the picnic tables. I didn’t know why Jeff wore his uniform that day, but Major White called Jeff and me over to the tables.
“White introduced me as General Broderick’s son—I could’ve done without that. But then he turned to Jeff and addressed the recruits as he introduced them to their new obstacle course instructor, Drill Sergeant Broderick. The recruits all paled considerably as Jeff gave them a hard glare.”
Lexa pursed her lips to keep from spitting out her burger as she laughed. “Wow, I wish I could’ve seen that. How did Jeff manage that assignment? Isn’t he still assigned to JSTF Recovery?”
“Yeah, he’s still assigned to my rehab. Turns out the reason the general had called Jeff to his office was to inform him that he got the transfer he applied for six months ago to be a training instructor for Special Forces. Jeff won’t officially start his new position until JSTF Recovery is complete.
“Apparently, Jeff talked to Major White and requested to be assigned to this group of recruits as their obstacle course instructor. Jeff was absolutely merciless on the recruits and took them all down several pegs because he was so angry they mocked someone instead of trying to help them. Jeff feels very strongly there’s no honor in that type of behavior. So, the first few days Jeff ran them hard and pushed them to the point where they saw the limits of their own abilities. He broke them down so he could build them back up into a team who worked together and helped each other succeed.
“The first few days Jeff worked with the recruits, I worked alone and concentrated solely on my nemesis—the rope. Now, he has me working with them. I’m nowhere near capable of keeping up yet, but I do my best. Working with a group is actually helping me recoup faster. They push me and encourage me to dig deeper. The camaraderie is beneficial.”
Lexa was happy for Dan. All his cousins were amazing men. “How’s the running coming with Kyle and Zach?”
Dan woofed down several bites of his burger before he answered. “Okay. At a slow jog, I can go about two miles without having to take a break.”
Once they finished dinner, which for Dan included his double burger, French fries, a green salad, an apple, two bottles of water, and coffee, Lexa went to her backpack. She pulled out a bag and brought it to the table.
“I brought dessert.” Lexa’s towel slipped off and fell to the floor when she set the bag on the table.
Dan’s eyes ignored the bag as they roamed over Sexy Lexie’s exquisite form. “Mmmm, I like dessert.” He licked his lips and tried to pull Lexa to him.
“Slow down, soldier. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and fast is lethal,” Lexa said as dodged his grasp and wrapped the towel around her again. She sat down across from him.
A deep boisterous laugh burst from Dan and his eyes watered from the force of it. When he settled, he grinned at Lexa. “I’m never going to be able to say that again without the image of you right here and now coming to mind. The guys are going to think I’m nuts when my eyes glaze over.”
Pointing to the bag, Lexa said, “Jarmal sends his best and hopes you are doing well. He also wanted me to tell you that he and his brothers had a grand time volunteering at Mayfield Soup Kitchen on Thanksgiving. He closed his restaurant that day, and all four of them volunteered all day. Most of the cookies are from Gladys. Caroline said to tell you she missed having you but was happy you are with family this year.”
Dan sat back with a soft smile was on his face. “I missed going there. I’m glad Jarmal and his brothers volunteered.”
Lexa reached into the bag and pulled out one of the double chocolate chunk cookies Jarmal made especially for her. “How was your Thanksgiving?”
“Strange but entertaining.” Dan picked up the bag and dug out one of Gladys’ chocolate chip cookies. It was sweet she made them for him.
After taking a nibble of her cookie, Lexa asked, “Strange how?”
Dan raked a hand through his still damp hair. “A bit overwhelming. So much family I’ve never met. Jeff’s sister Ashley was pregnant when I left for Special Forces. S
cott’s sister Vicky got married while I was in Kandahar and now she has three kids, a set of twins. Amelia got married last year—no kids yet. Tiffany and Pamela were already married. Their children were little when I left, now they are all teens, except for Wendy who is ten.
“It was a lot to deal with. Memories of my childhood are still all screwed up. It’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not. It was certainly loud.” Dan raked his hand through his hair again and took a bite of his cookie and chewed as emotions started to well up. “It made my mom happy that I was there. I’m glad she was happy.”
Dan dropped the cookie on the table, stood, and paced the room. After several minutes, he stopped and stared at Lexa and admitted. “It makes me angry, too. All the years I lost. I’m mad, and I want to hit someone. But who do I hit? Whose fault it is? West Donner? The psychologist that said I needed to be someplace else which yanked me from all my family? My parents? Me?”
Lexa stood and went to Dan and put her hand over his heart. “Not you. Not your parents. Most definitely not you.”
Dan pulled Lexa to him and held on. Unlike with Dr. Tansy, Dan knew why he opened up with Lexa—he could feel their connection. He didn’t have to fear her judging him. Once he felt centered again, he asked, “So how was your Thanksgiving?”
Looking up at Dan she said, “Slow, very slow. No fights over turkeys. All the bad guys must’ve been too stuffed to cause problems.”
She took his hand, led him to the bed, and made him sit down against the headboard propped up with pillows. She went to grab the cookies, returned to the bed, then crawled up to cuddle next him.
The two sat in towels and ate every last cookie as talked for hours about the goings on with the team and with Dan’s family and unit brothers.
After another round of slow passionate sex, they drifted off to sleep with Lexa’s head using Dan’s left chest as a pillow and Dan’s arms securely wrapped around Lexa.
Wise Choice, Son
64
October 25
Red Trail – 7:00 a.m.
Autumn in full bloom with reds, golds, and browns mixed with the evergreen in the trees surrounded him. Dan enjoyed the sereneness of the woods and breeze on his face as he and Adam started up the red trail. Adam took him on progressively more challenging trails over the past few weeks. Dan slept well last night and woke with tons of energy today so Adam agreed they would tackle the red trail for the first time.
Things started to come together well. He took long jogs with Kyle, and they left Zach in the dust after four miles. They teased Zach he needed one of his fighter jets to keep up with them. Zach laughed it off because he still kicked their butts on sprints. Though Dan’s success with sprints increased each time they ran, and pretty soon he would be back to his normal ability.
As he rode, Dan thought about his nemesis the rope. Though still not pleased with his time up the rope he conquered it with Jeff’s relentless drive and optimism. The recruits he trained with had helped a lot too, and he would miss training with them as they moved on to their next phase in a few weeks.
So many people to thank. It amazed him how his entire family supported him. Still overwhelmed him sometimes. He spent several sessions with Dr. Tansy talking about that, and she helped. Why he opened up to Dawn was still a mystery, but he quit trying to find an answer and accepted he did. She was a solid sounding board and never tried to direct his thoughts or behaviors.
Dan learned not all psychologists were like the ones he saw as a child. He checked his memories with his mom in one of their nightly visits in her sitting room. She told him she didn’t agree with everything the psychologists advised, but she had no training and relied on professionals. He held no animosity towards his parents over that—they were doing the best they could.
Pumping hard to ride up a particularly steep part of the trail, Dan thought about his mom’s sitting room. He liked being in Sara’s old room with his mom at night when the house was quiet. He almost felt Sara in that room. He held Sara’s stuff bunny rabbit many nights when they talked about his childhood. So many of his memories were so skewed.
Adam pedaled hard to keep up with Dan. “Danny, slow down. This trail sneaks up on you.”
“What you can’t keep up? Am I gonna win the challenge on my first attempt?” Dan called over his shoulder and then turned back to the front and poured more effort into his ride.
As he gazed at the trees, a half-smile crept onto his face. This would make an excellent paintball area. His cousins thought of everything he needed to rehab. When the drudgery of the same old routines wore everyone down, Scott came up with an awesome solution—paintball. It not only allowed him to be active, but it allowed him to keep his skills sharp and most importantly they all had fun. Scott also arranged for him to spend time on the gun range which he liked a lot. His dad joined him on the range few times which was fantastic.
“Dan, are you okay?” Adam called out.
“Yeah.” Dan pumped harder to make it up a steep incline. He was breathing heavy, but the air moved nicely in and out. A tough workout, he thought.
His mind reflected on his workouts with Blaze and Winds. Lifting weights with them had been intense, but they motivated each other. Blaze now walked without the cane. Blaze and Winds returned to active duty last week and would be heading back out in another week. He would miss the time they spent at the Raven. Dan chuckled as he recalled how much he won off Winds before Winds finally wised up and quit betting him at pool.
Adam watched Dan closely, trying to gauge if riding this trail was a sound idea. Having second thoughts, Adam wished he hadn’t agreed to the red trail today because it was only him and Dan. Scott, Kyle, Zach, and Jeff stayed home to dismantle the obstacle course in the backyard because Dan no longer used it. He heard Dan’s breathing, and it sounded too labored. “Let’s take a short rest. We shouldn’t have done this trail today.”
“No. I’m good.” Dan breezed down a short hill and pushed hard to get up the next one. He concentrated on the trail because it was extremely rocky. When it evened out again, he lifted his head and smiled as the cool autumn breeze flowed over his sweaty, heated body.
Heated body brought to mind Lexa. That night was great. Lexa hadn’t been able to stay the night since, so they were back to being chaste. But Dan enjoyed kissing her. Just being in the same room with Lexa made his day. They didn’t even have to talk—her presence alone was enough to make him smile.
“Dan, take a break!” Adam called out seeing more signs which worried him.
Lost in his thoughts of Lexa, Dan mentally caressed every part of her body as he did when they woke in each other’s arms on the twelfth. He explored every inch of her from her toes to the top of her head. He liked kissing her soft and supple skin and causing the goose bumps to sprout on her. Lexa had explored him too. She found a spot on him which drove him—
Exhaustion hit Dan full force at the same time as his tire hit a sharp rock.
Crash.
Dan and his bike went down in a heap as he passed out.
Adam jumped off his bike without stopping. He was to Dan and on his knees in split seconds. “Dan, Dan, Dan,” he called out as he rolled Dan over onto his back. He checked his cousin’s pulse—thank God, it was okay if just a bit fast.
He shrugged off his pack and pulled out a bottle of water. “Dammit, Dan. Why didn’t you listen to me?” Adam groused as he pulled a small towel out of his pack and doused it with water. He wiped Dan’s face with the cool, damp towel then laid it on Dan’s overheated forehead. He carefully assessed Dan’s limbs and was glad to see no apparent breaks.
“Dammit, Dan, you push too hard sometimes.” When Dan didn’t rouse, Adam dug in his pack for his phone. He pulled it out and exclaimed, “Shit, no reception!”
Dan blinked open his eyes and noted puffy white clouds in the sky above him. It took a moment for his mind to catch up with what happened. He started to push himself up when his body said no, and it was helped along as he was firmly
pushed back down by Adam.
“Stay put. I told you that you should take a break,” Adam said with a touch of anger mixed with concern.
“Taking a break now,” Dan responded quietly.
Adam lifted Dan’s head and put the water bottle to his lips. “Drink.” After a few sips, Adam asked, “You hurt anywhere?”
Doing a quick assessment, Dan answered, “No.”
Adam sat on his butt in the middle of the trail and took a swig of the water. His racing heart settled to a normal cadence. “You’re damned lucky nothing’s broken. I saw you go down. Why did you push so hard?”
Dan knew he had been so engrossed in his thoughts and the serenity around him he didn’t pay attention to his physical stamina. He hadn’t been felled this quickly and this hard in a long time. “I was enjoying the ride. I think I hit a rock. How’s my bike?”
Turning to check the bike Adam found the front tire slashed open. “Not gonna be riding it back. Front tire’s damaged.”
The thought of walking all the way back made Dan groan loudly.
“You said you weren’t hurt!” Adam exclaimed as he got to his knees.
“Not hurt—exhausted. Walking back—no fun. Don’t think I can even sit up yet.” Dan closed his eyes and inwardly groaned at his stupidity.
Adam nudged Dan. “Give me your cell phone.”
“Why?”
“Cause mine isn’t getting reception.”
Reaching into his pocket, Dan withdrew his phone and handed it over. He let his hand drop to the ground. “Bury me here.”
Adam snorted. “You really overdid it. Aunt Yvonne’s not gonna be happy with you. Don’t overdo it was the last thing she told you before we left.”
Dan groaned again at the thought of facing his mom. “Why don’t you ride back, grab a replacement tire and tools, and I can rest. Then we can fix the tire and ride back. Mom doesn’t have to know I pushed too far. We can say I popped the tire and needed to wait for you to come back.”