Ride The Mustang (SEALs Going Hot) (11 page)
“Th-thank you.” She leaned her head back against the trunk of the tree.
Mustang stroked her arm as Frenchy took her blood pressure and checked her other vitals, questioning every number until Frenchy politely told him to shut up and let people do their jobs.
“I’m going to give you something for the pain now,” he told April. Looking at Mustang he said, “Want to watch me measure the dose, hotshot?”
“Just ignore him like we all do,” Diane joked. “He’ll be fine as soon as we get April out of here and to the hospital.”
When she relaxed slightly, a sign that the meds were taking effect, Frenchy took out an inflatable splint and very carefully encased her leg in it.
“Good to go with the basket,” he said into his wrist radio.
“Coming down now.” Iceman’s voice crackled from the speaker.
Mustang stretched out next to April, being careful not to shift the ground beneath them, as they waited for the apparatus to be lowered. Diane stayed balanced against the tree, out of the way. In a moment, the cable with the basket attached reached them, and Mustang and Frenchy began the arduous task of moving April into it as smoothly as possible. He thanked god for the drugs that would at least take the edge off the pain.
He knotted his fists as Iceman winched them up to the helo, one part of his brain marveling at Kenny’s precision in keeping the chopper in a steady hover. He wanted to be the one riding up with her, but his brain told him Frenchy was needed more than he was.
It felt like forever until April was at the open cabin door, Iceman lifting her in as gently as possible. Frenchy swung his body in, reattached the basket, and the cable began descending again.
“You’re next,” Mustang said to Diane, tamping down his impatience. He still had to follow common sense. A SEAL didn’t leave a scene until everyone was safely away.
“Me?” Her mouth dropped open. “In that thing? Are you crazy?”
“Come on. It’s a breeze.”
While she was still trying to protest, he lifted her into the basket and fastened the harness around her, then gave Iceman the thumbs up. The cable dropped one more time, and Mustang grabbed on. He was still rising with the winch as Kenny lifted off and headed for the hospital.
****
“Why haven’t we heard anything?” Mustang asked.
“That’s at least two dozen times you’ve asked the same thing,” Iceman told him. “She’s in good hands. It’s a simple fracture of the shinbone, but because of the pain involved, they’ve got her under a general anesthetic to set it. They’ll put the cast on, and we can see about getting her released.
“It’s just taking so damn fucking long.”
“Here.” Diane thrust a fresh cup of coffee into his hands. “I’m sure you don’t need any more caffeine, but this will at least keep you occupied.”
At that moment, the attending who had seen April, a Dr. Radnor, hurried into the room. Mustang nearly dumped his coffee in his haste to get to the man. “How is she?” he demanded.
Radnor gave him a tired smile. “She’s doing fine. As the x-ray showed, the break was a simple fracture. We gave her enough general anesthetic to knock her out while we set it and casted it.”
“Is she awake yet? Can I take her home?”
Radnor smiled. “She’s in recovery, waking up. We’ll bring her back to the room in emergency as soon as we’re sure she’s okay. You can see her then.”
“What about taking her home?” he repeated. A sense of urgency consumed him, a need to see her and try to tell her how he was feeling. If he could figure it out himself first.
“If things go well, I’d say you can take her home this evening. But someone needs to be with her.”
“I can—” Diane started to say.
“I’ll be taking care of her,” Mustang broke in. “Just tell me what I need to do.”
“The nurse will give you discharge instructions. I need her back in six weeks so we can check how that bone is coming along.”
Mustang took a heavy swallow of the cooling coffee, then realized Diane and Iceman were staring at him.
“What?” he demanded. “You don’t think I can take care of her?”
“What happened to not getting involved?” Iceman asked. “No commitment. Casual relationships. All that shit you keep spouting.”
Diane gave him a sly smile. “Or have you figured out that it’s okay to open up your heart again?”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what to tell you, except when we got the call, I thought my heart would stop beating for sure. And when I saw April lying there? It was déjà vu all over again, even though I was on a mission when Viv had her accident.”
“And that’s exactly what it was,” Iceman pointed out. “An accident. Just like I’ve been telling you all these years. And not your fault.”
Mustang stood at the window, looking out onto the hospital parking lot but seeing nothing except April lying on the side of the steep hill. In that moment, it had struck him that he was wasting something very precious. That his so-called guilt had turned into nothing but self-pity and was going to cost him the only thing to give his life real meaning since—well—since Viv.
He sensed someone beside him and felt Diane’s hand on his arm.
“Viv wouldn’t want you to waste your life like this,” she told him in a soft voice. “Accidents happen, just like this one today. They’re no one’s fault, which is why they’re called accidents. If you aren’t willing to risk your heart again, you are missing out on the best part of life.”
“We take a chance every time we go out on a mission,” Iceman chimed in. “Statistically, women should be afraid to have a relationship with us, because we aren’t very good risks. But we’re damn lucky they do.
I’m
damn lucky Diane is willing to take the chance with me.”
“I know how you feel about her,” Diane continued. “I can see it in your eyes. In the way you touch her. In the way you were with her today. So quit holding back.”
Mustang blew out a breath. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m still scared but…” He turned and grinned at his friends. “No guts no glory, right?”
“You’ll have plenty of chances to tell her how you feel,” Diane said. “She won’t be able to be alone so I’m taking her home with me until she can get around on her own. You can spend as much time there with her as you want to.”
Mustang shook his head. “No, I’m moving into her house with her. I’ll be staying with her until our next mission.”
Two pairs of eyes stared at him.
Iceman found his voice. “Excuse me? Isn’t that kind of like jumping in with both feet?”
He nodded. “And that’s exactly what I intend to do. I think I’ve wasted enough time already.” He crumpled his empty coffee cup and tossed it in the trash. “I think I’ll go find out if they’ll let me see her yet.”
“Ask nicely,” Diane called after him.
He swallowed a smile as he hunted down the closest nurse.
****
“I won’t break,” April said. “Honestly. And I’m supposed to be trying to take care of myself.”
“Not as long as I can do it for you,” Mustang insisted. He flashed the grin that melted her panties. “Besides, I like having you at my mercy.”
She was that, all right. She’d been curious about his sudden take charge attitude at the hospital, his twenty-four/seven care, the constant attendance he danced on her. From the looks he gave her, his attitude, his tone of voice, she was sure the doors he’d locked himself behind were finally open, but she really needed him to say the words. She certainly knew how she felt about him and each day she was more hopeful those feelings were returned. If she had to force him to give voice to them, then that’s what she’d do. If he couldn’t then— She didn’t want to think about that.
Taking the drink he handed her, she patted the spot on the couch beside her. “Come sit down next to me. We need to talk.”
The muscles in his face tightened, but he dropped down beside her, his hand brushing casually at her hair.
“You’ve been here with me twenty-four/seven since I came home from the hospital,” she said, “but when I try to ask you why you did this, keep doing it, you change the subject.” She looked at him over the rim of her glass. “I think it’s time for you to give me some answers.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He rubbed his jaw. “I’m not very good at this.”
“At what? Answering questions?”
He shook his head. “At anything personal.”
“Fletch, you’ve been up close and personal with me in the most intimate way for days now. I want to know why.”
He took so long to answer her stomach knotted and a feeling of despair wriggled though her. He had made his feelings obvious. Why couldn’t he put them into words? And when her cast was removed, would he just walk away?
“Okay, but keep in mind. I haven’t done this for a very long time, so I’m sort of rusty.”
She smiled. “I think I can figure out what you’re saying.”
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, but one hand reached out for her. “You know about Viv. Diane said she told you. I probably should have done it myself but—”
“But it was too painful for you.”
He nodded, squeezing her hand. “When I met you, I got the same feeling I had when Viv and I met. But I fought it all the way. Even fought opening up to you in the bedroom, worried it would strengthen a bond I was scared to acknowledge.”
“But you know,” she told him in a soft voice, “I could feel it even when you wouldn’t admit it.”
“I admit it scared the crap out of me. I was still dealing with a shitload of guilt, even after all these years, and at the same time scared what I’d do if something happened to you.”
“But?” she encouraged after a long pause.
He lifted her gently to sit in his lap, careful of her leg. “But when we got the call you were hurt, when I saw you on the hillside, all I cared about was saving you, taking care of you, and finding a way to tell you how I feel.”
She looked deep into his eyes. “And how do you feel? Can you tell me now?”
He cupped her chin, holding her face steady. “I love you, April. At least, I’m pretty sure I do. I’m not sure I know for real what it’s like after all this time.”
She put her hands on either side of his face, loving the slight rasp of his stubble against her palms. “But I do, and I’ll help you with it. Just tell me what we have means something to you.”
“I thought maybe you’d figure it out when I moved in here to take care of you, but you’re right. I have to say the words. For both of us.”
His lips curved in a smile that warmed her heart as well as other parts of her body.
“And?” she prompted.
“And…I love you, April. I’m a fucked up mess, and I’ll probably make a lot of mistakes. But I want this. Us. I love you.”
Warmth suffused her body, and her pulse accelerated. “I love you, my wild Mustang.”
The kiss he gave her began as a soft touching of lips but, in seconds, turned incendiary, his tongue driving into her mouth in a thrust of possession, his hand cupping her head to hold it firmly in place. One hand shifted to cup a breast, his thumb tweaking the nipple. April squirmed on his lap.
“Keep that up,” she said, breathless as she tore her mouth from his, “and we’ll be doing things that might be dangerous to my leg. Not to mention I might break one of
your
bones with this damn cast.”
“I know. And believe me, I’m suffering for it.” He nipped her lower lip. “But the doctor said next week they could probably cut the cast down. And we can be inventive, right?”
“If I’m not, will you be forced to punish me?” she tempted.
“All the time,” he murmured, brushing his mouth over hers once more.
She shifted on his lap. “You know, when they cut down this cast and change it to a walking cast, I’ll be able to go back to work.”
“And I’ll worry about you every day.”
“You’d better not,” she warned. “I overheard you on the phone with Charlie. You have a mission coming up and have to report in a week. Right?”
He grimaced. “Eavesdropper. Yeah, but at least I’ll know you’re mobile. And Diane’s going to be my backup.”
“I can really take care of myself, you know. But if it will make you feel better and help to keep your mind on the mission, I’ll stay with Diane.”
“Good. And when I get back…”
“When you get back,” she prompted, leaning into the solid heat and strength of his body.
“I have some people I want you to meet. How’d you like to take a trip to Texas?”
She gave him an impish grin. “Will you teach me to ride the mustang?”
He threw back his head and laughed, a genuine sound that touched every place in her heart. “Honey, you ride him just fine as it is. I’m looking forward to a real long, slow ride with you. Forever.”
“Forever,” she agreed and lifted her mouth to him again.
About the Author
Desiree Holt’s writing is flavored with the rich experiences of her life, including a long stretch in the music business representing every kind of artist from country singer to heavy metal rock bands. For several years she also ran her own public relations agency handling any client that interested her, many of whom might recognize themselves in the pages of her stories. She is twice a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award, a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award for best BDSM book of the year, winner of the Holt Medallion, multiple winner of the Whipped Cream Book of the Week Award and is published by five different houses. Romance Junkies said of her work: “Desiree Holt is the most amazing erotica author of our time and each story is more fulfilling then the last.”
Visit Desiree at
Twitter @desireeholt.com
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Coming Soon
Burning for Nero
by
Cerise Deland
Book Two
SEALs Going Hot
On leave due to an injury, Navy SEAL Tony Nero heads home for a little R&R and some Fourth of July fun. When his buddy’s widow Cass Phillips picks him up at the air station, Tony figures he’s in for a sexually frustrating few days. He’s had the hots for the blonde siren for years, but his best friend won her heart first. Even though Ray’s been gone more than a year, Tony bets Cass isn’t interested in any man. Not him. And especially not another SEAL.