Heart of a Marine (The Wounded Warrior Series Book 1) (16 page)

“You know why I’m here?”

“Yeah.” He lifted a crutch in the direction of the kitchen. “After you.” He followed her to the table, wishing he knew when to keep his big mouth shut. Might as well get it aired. “Sit, please.” He nodded at a chair, went to the sink and filled a pan with water, then set it on the floor for Skipper. Furtively glancing around the room, he looked for anything else to do to delay facing her.

Her mouse tap-danced across the tile and lapped at the water. Dwayne gave up, went to his chair, and sat across from her. He cleared his throat.

“It’s good you came.”

“I’m so relieved you feel that way. Please know it wasn’t anything I thought of in advance. I was completely surprised.” She shifted in the chair and took a breath. “The first thing I thought of this afternoon was that I couldn’t think of going to bed without talking it over with you, without discussing every aspect of it.”

He raked a hand through his thick dark hair, a nervous tic she’d probably noticed by now. “Believe me I was just as surprised when it happened as you were.” Was that his pulse bouncing around, obscuring his vision?

Steady, soldier.

“Well, it did come out of nowhere, didn’t it? It’s something I’ve dreamed of for a long time. Then all of a sudden it’s here for the taking. I don’t know where to start.” She fidgeted and reached to pat Skip’s head. “Why don’t you say how you feel? Don’t spare my feelings. Tell me what you really think.”

He swallowed the fist-sized lump in his throat. “You’ve dreamed of it? Since when?”

Marla sighed and relaxed against the back of the chair. “I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t jump into something like this without giving it a lot of thought. I need you to help me through it. The decision, I mean.” Her eyes took on a look of soft pleading.

“Look, Red, it’s your decision. I can’t make it for you. I know how I feel. The rest is up to you.”

She gazed at him with flaming cheeks. “Would you do me a favor?” Her eyes took aim at the top of the table. She stared at the half-finished bowl of cereal.

“Name it, beautiful.” He counted the beats of the pulse in her neck.

“Could you, um, put on a shirt? Your, uh… Good grapes, Dempsey, I can’t think clearly with you sitting there half naked.”

He slapped his hands on the table and pushed himself to a standing position and grabbed his crutches. “Don’t move. Stay right there. I’ll be back in a flash.” That said, he thumped down the hall as fast as possible. Yanking open a drawer, he pulled out a T-shirt, dragged it over his head, then flopped on the side of the bed to put on his prosthesis and fastened it. His eyes scanned his bedroom. Yes, everything was ship-shape.

Back on two feet, he adjusted the loose pajama bottoms, shook himself, and walked to the kitchen. He wasn’t dreaming. Beautiful, bossy, sexy Marla still sat there. He wasn’t sure what to do next. It would probably be best to let her take the lead and then play it by ear.

He grinned and gripped the back of his chair. “Want to go to the living room?”

“Heavens no, I interrupted you while you were eating. Go ahead. Finish. I’ll just…uh, start first.”

“If you’re going to start first, we better go to the living room. I’m not hungry anymore.” He pointed to the hallway. “Come on. We’ll be more…comfortable…talking.” She wanted to start first.
Ooh rah.

“Oh, OK.” She scooped up the mouse. “Come on Skippy, Dwayne wants me on the couch.”

On the couch, on the bed, on the floor, against the wall, he wasn’t picky. Wherever she wanted it. Like a good Marine, he was there to serve. Dwayne followed her gorgeous ass to the next room. His knees threatened to collapse at the view. If he didn’t get his hands on her in the next five minutes he might have a coronary.

Marla sat and sent him a welcoming smile. “This is more comfortable. Where do you want me to start?”

Dear God in heaven. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

“I’m all yours. Any place you want to start is good for me. I admit I’m surprised. But it’s a fine, fine surprise.”

“Really?” She pushed some of that glorious strawberry-colored hair over her shoulder and sighed. “You have no idea how relieved I am. I thought for sure you’d give me a hard time when we got right down to it. I’ve been gnashing me teeth all day about Miss Emmaline.”

He snapped to attention. “Say again?”

“Miss Emmaline. I promised her.”

“You promised her what?”

Eyebrows up, she said, “That she’d never have to move.”

Dwayne raised his hands in front of her like a crossing guard. “Hold it. Stop. Wait. What in hell are we talking about here?”

Her beautiful brown eyes widened, her luscious lips formed a heart-stopping O, and a blush bloomed on her cheeks. “What did you think we were talking about?”

“Getting it on?”

“Getting it…” Her hands flew to her face and she screeched, “Aaargh! I could die. I want to die.” Her head tilted up, elbows bobbing, she fell back against the cushions. Bug-eyed, Skipper yipped and bounced. He clawed frantically at her hands. “You must think I’m…oh, I could just die.”

A chuckle took shape deep in his chest, and he swallowed it back. “Marla, sweetheart, it’s cool.” He drew her into his arms. “Honey, I’m sorry.” God help him, he couldn’t hold the laugh back any longer. His chest bounced with an explosive guffaw.

Skip yipped as he got mashed between them, and he finally scrambled away onto the floor. A tiny growl curled his lip.

He stood his ground until convinced Dwayne wasn’t harming her. Marla shoved against his chest. “Let me go. Stop laughing.” But, with a fistful of his shirt, she hung on.

He held her tighter. “No, Red. Take a breath. I’ll let you go when you calm down.” He stroked her back. “That’s better.” He sighed deeply then took a breath for himself. “I wasn’t laughing at you. I was laughing at me.”

Her hand relaxed the grip on his T-shirt, and she buried her face in his chest. “You?”

“Hope to die.” He rocked her from side to side and ran his hand over her back and neck.

“It’s not funny, I just want…I want…” She massaged the spot where she’d gripped his shirt, as if to iron out the wrinkles.

“Shhh.” Tilting her chin with his finger, he brushed his thumb across her mouth. “Don’t talk. Look at me, sweetheart.” Her eyes met his and he nearly choked. “I want to kiss you.” He dipped his head, hesitated a split second, and then kissed her for all he was worth.

* * *

Marla’s world tilted on its axis. When he’d kissed her this morning, she’d been sure it was the best kiss of her life. Now that wasn’t true. This was no mere kiss. The heat of their two bodies formed and melted, churned and flamed. She gripped his broad shoulders and gave herself up to him. He had a fistful of her hair in one hand, gripped her bottom with the other, then slid down, down, onto his back.

Gasping for air, she drew away, then hated herself for the instant of lost contact. Her mouth found his again. She never wanted to stop, never—she wanted to drown in him. The kiss went on, went deeper.

He stilled. She held her breath. “What?”

“I need to see you, Danaher. All of you.” His fingers stroked her cheeks, curled behind her ears, and he sucked her bottom lip. “I want to look at you. Please. Let me see you. Don’t torture me.”

White-hot heat filled her, molten metal flowed into every tiny, empty crevice. Without analyzing, she pushed away from him and pulled off her sweater, then her tank top.

Dwayne tucked his fingers under the top edge of her plain white bra and tugged it free when her hands flew behind and unhooked it. “Sweet, Jesus.”

Marla knew as sure as the earth was round that Dwayne found her beautiful and desirable. His groan, the grateful watery shimmer in his blue eyes a clear declaration. He couldn’t be faking it. She leaned in to give him access to her breasts when he reached for her, arched her back with ecstasy at his touch. “Oh, I want…”

His smile had the power to melt granite. “What do you want, beautiful. Tell me.”

Never having been so sure of anything else in her life, she spoke the words freely and honestly. “You, Dempsey, I want you.” The depth of her passion overwhelmed her. More alive than she’d ever been, she said, “Do what you said this morning, say you want to make love to me.”

He crushed her against his chest with a satisfied chuckle. “What do you think, Danaher?”

She melted against him. “I think…I can’t think. I’ve forgotten how to think. I don’t want to think, I just want to feel.” She slid her hand under the hem of his shirt. “Why did you put this on?”

“Your orders.”

“Since when do you do what I tell you?”

He shifted her away. Got to his feet, pulled the shirt over his head, and threw it on the floor. His arms went around her back and under her knees when he lifted her. “I’m going to do exactly what you tell me to do for the rest of the night.”

Her heart bounced into her throat at the feel of his hard, bare chest pressing against her breast. She gasped, “Oh, be careful, your…” She bit her tongue.

“My…?”

“I’m too heavy.”

“Like hell you are.”

And without being cognizant of exactly how it happened, they were in his bedroom, on his bed, and he lay on top of her devouring her lips, her throat, her shoulders, while he held her hands captive, fingers laced together above her head.

She squeezed his hands and said, “Undress me. Touch me everywhere. Be slow.” Tremors slithered upward from her thighs.

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll take as long as you want. I’ll do whatever you want.” On his knees, eyes burning into hers, his hands whisked ever so lightly across her breasts and abdomen. The intensity of his gaze stole her breath away when he tugged her stretchy yoga pants below her hips and smiled.

A warm, delicious fog descended on her brain. Desire and deep need burned in every cell of her body. His lips and hands were everywhere. His warm breath brushed across her skin from her neck to her knees and had her writhing, begging for more. His name: Dempsey, Dempsey, Dempsey rolled off her lips time and again.

Dismantling her piece by piece, he smoothed every sharp edge, sealed every cold hollow place, then put her back together again, whole, complete, better, safe.

Stroking a rough hand down the side of her face, he rasped, “Do you want me, Danaher? Do you want me now?”

She smiled with her lips and her eyes. “Yes, please.”

* * *

Nestled together with her like two spoons in the silver drawer brought home to Dwayne the emptiness of the past six years of aloneness. He ran his fingers down her side, then snaked his arm between her breasts and kissed her ear. He could stay like this forever with her against him, warm, soft, yielding.

“Are you asleep?” He nipped her neck and buried his nose in her hair.

“No. I may never sleep again.”

She shifted, but he dragged her back tighter against his belly. “Don’t move. This is where you belong, here next to me. The only thing wrong with this picture is the varmint snoring with his nose in my neck.” If he moved a fraction he’d squash the miniscule creature.

“Skip’s not a varmint. He’s a critter.”

At the sound of his name, Skipper scrambled to his feet and whined. Dwayne rolled his shoulders with relief.

Marla patted his arm. “I have to take him out.”

“Let him pee on the floor.”

“He won’t. He’ll just keep nagging until I get up.” She lifted his arm and pulled away from his warmth. “Do you have a bathrobe or something I can put on?”

Dwayne rolled to his edge of the bed, switched on the light, and sat up. There she stood in all her glory, naked as the day she was born. “I like seeing you this way, Danaher. Don’t cover up for my sake.”

Her hands flew to cover her breasts then shifted to cover the curls between her legs. “Where is it?”

He sighed with defeat. “Back of the bathroom door.”

While she ran across the room to grab his robe, he put his manmade foot on and stood. “I’ll go with you.”

“Like that?”

“Like what?” He knew what she meant, but enjoyed her moment of discomfort. Naked wasn’t a problem for him. He’d welcome the chance to parade naked around her forever and enjoy every moment of it.

She pointed at him. “Like…that. You can’t go outside like that.”

“Look, Red, you’re wearing my robe, and it’s the middle of the night. Who’s going to see me?”

Marla sniffed, pressed her lips together, and flounced out of the room. “Come on, Skip. Let’s go pee-pee.”

Dwayne sauntered behind her to the door off the kitchen. When she stopped, he switched on the light over the small porch and stepped aside so she could follow the mutt outside without taking a header down the steps. “Hurry it up you mongrel. This woman belongs in my bed.”

“Shush. Do you want the whole neighborhood to hear you?”

“Yes.” He followed her out the door, threw his arms wide, and shouted, “This woman belongs in my bed!”

She whirled on him and slapped her hand over his mouth, but not before she spotted his erection standing at stiff attention like a full-dress Marine, waiting to be awarded a medal by his commanding officer. Her neck and cheeks went red, and her hands flew to her face. “Dwayne. Stop that.”

He smirked and touched himself. “Stop this? Only you can stop this, you bad girl.” He pulled her into his arms and tugged open the robe, giving him access to her soft, silky thighs. Pushing between her legs seemed the most natural thing to do because she was the perfect height. Made for him.

Instead of resisting as he’d expected, she yielded. He slid the robe off her shoulders and let it drop on the grass as the mutt trotted back inside. He snapped off the porch light. “My god, woman, where have you been all my life?”

“Don’t you dare use that creaky old line on me, Dempsey.” Her hips pressed closer. “Now are we going to do something about your…problem, or stand here the rest of the night exchanging barbs?” She pressed her lips against his throat and nearly brought him to his knees.

“Either one works for me.” He gripped her bottom and walked her backward to the kitchen counter where he lifted her to a sitting position, pushed her legs apart, and ran his hands between her thighs, around her hips, up her ribs then across her stomach and breasts. “You feel as beautiful as you look. I knew you would. I never doubted it for a minute.” Finding her lips with his, he gripped her head in his hands and gave her a bruising kiss.