Tactical Strike (24 page)

When that was done she shut off the water and stood there a
moment to steady herself, leaning one hand on the wall for support. Every part
of her ached, her body beyond exhausted. She needed to crash. But not before she
saw Ryan and made sure he really was okay.

Still in the shower stall, she was just wrapping herself in a
large towel Erin had given her when someone burst through the bathroom door.

“Ace, you there?”

Her throat tightened at the concern in that familiar female
voice. “Yeah, I’m in here.” When she pushed aside the curtain and saw the naked
worry on Maya’s face, she had to blink back fresh tears. “I’m okay.”

Maya swallowed, her blue-green eyes sweeping over Ace from head
to toe and back again. Then, without a single word, she rushed forward to grab
her in a tight hug, her face pressed into the curve of her damp neck.

Candace’s face scrunched at her friend’s uncharacteristic and
open display of relief. Involuntary sobs caught in her chest, trying to fight
free no matter how much she struggled to hold them back. She was tired of having
to be strong. So tired.

Sniffing, Maya made a soothing noise and stroked a hand over
Candace’s wet hair. Her voice was tight. “Hey. You’re okay,
chica
. You’re safe now.”

She nodded, resting her face against Maya’s soft sable hair.
“Dover’s gone. Gillespie’s in surgery. Ryan was wounded, and I don’t know where
he is.”

Maya squeezed her more. “Oh, hon... Here.” Stepping back, she
offered a watery smile and held out the sweats Candace hadn’t noticed before.
“Erin gave me these for you, along with this.” She pulled a tube of deodorant
from her pocket.

With a soggy laugh, she took them. “She’s a saint. God, you
don’t know how good it feels to be clean and warm again.”

“I can imagine.” Maya took the towel from her as Candace pulled
the sweats on and applied the deodorant.

The thick material trapped her body heat against her skin,
making her sigh. “I feel almost human again.”

“You’ll feel even better after you eat and crash for a while.
Honor and I are taking guard duty. Once we get you back to the hut, no one’s
disturbing you for at least the next twelve hours, or they deal with us. I—”

Someone rapped sharply on the door. Erin poked her head in. She
smiled when she saw Candace already clean and dressed. “I found something else
for you, too.” She disappeared from view, and a masculine hand closed around the
edge of the door to pull it open.

Candace stilled, her heart squeezing.

The door opened. Ryan stepped into the open space, still in his
blood-stained ACUs. A fresh row of black stitches decorated the smooth patch of
skin on his right cheek where they’d shaved some of his beard away. He drank her
in with his gaze, that sexy little smile curving his mouth on the uninjured side
of his face. “Hey.”

In two steps she was in his arms. She was only vaguely aware of
Maya scooting past them into the hallway and shutting the door behind her. There
must have been a group of onlookers out there because Maya wasted no time in
dispersing them with a gruff, “Nothing here to see, people, so move along.”

Candace couldn’t bring herself to care about any of that.

Ryan held her tight to his chest and let out a groan of sheer
relief, his face buried in her wet hair. Her cheek was pressed hard against the
solid ridge of his pec, right over his heart. “I probably stink to high heaven,”
he murmured against the top of her head.

“I don’t care,” she answered. His grip was strong and
protective, giving her warmth and protection. He was alive and safe. The embrace
finally made her feel completely secure for the first time since she’d landed on
that abandoned airstrip. “I wasn’t sure if I’d see you again for a while.” Or if
she’d get to say goodbye.

“Debriefing’s soon, but I wanted to make sure you were doing
okay first.” He brought one hand up to cradle her nape, squeezing the taut
muscles before sliding his fingers into her damp hair. He pulled gently, tilting
her head back enough to see into her face. She found herself falling into his
eyes, tumbling headfirst into the unknown. And it felt right.

Reaching up, she gently stroked the exposed skin beneath the
line of stitches, wishing she could heal him with her touch. “Other than these,
are you hurt anywhere else?”

He shook his head. “Bit banged up, but otherwise good to go.
What about you?” He searched her eyes. His concern was palpable, making her
heart turn over.

“I’m...”
In
love
with
you
.
Going
to
be
lost
without
you
. The words stuck in her throat, but they had to
be clear on her face.

Ryan brushed his thumb gently across her cheek, his lips
quirking in a wry smile that told her she was right. “Yeah, me too, sweetheart.
Scary as hell, isn’t it?”

She gave a shaky laugh. “Yeah.” There would be personal and
career consequences after this. For both of them. At the moment she didn’t even
care.

“At least we’re in this thing together. We’ll figure something
out.” His gaze lowered to her mouth as he skimmed the pad of his thumb over
it.

Yes
. Winding her arms around his
neck, she lifted up on tiptoe to meet his kiss, mindful of his stitches. A low,
rough growl came out of him as he opened his lips over hers. He tasted of
sweetened coffee and male need and she wanted more, so much more than she could
have of him here.

Ryan’s fist tightened in her hair, his other hand moving down
her lower back to settle possessively on her hip, squeezing as he brought her
tighter against his rigid length.

Instant heat swept through her, waking every nerve ending in
her body. He shifted against her slightly and she felt the hard ridge of his
erection press against her belly. She wriggled closer for more contact, anything
to relieve the ache in her breasts and between her thighs.

Candace wanted all of him. This instant. In a room that locked
with a soft bed so she could explore every inch of him, show him without words
exactly what he meant to her. Since that wasn’t going to happen, she’d have to
make do with these few stolen minutes together. She was vividly aware of every
place their bodies touched, of the smell and taste and feel of him. And though
he was every bit as hungry for more as she was, his tongue caressed and teased
her mouth so tenderly it made her eyes sting.

“I need you,” she whispered between kisses, feeling frantic
with a kind of want she knew wasn’t going to be assuaged. Not here. Maybe
never.

He nipped the corner of her mouth. “Fuck, I wish I had
someplace to take you right now.”

“I know,” she moaned, hating that this was all she could have
of him. Careful of his stitches, she cradled his face between her hands and
kissed him, softly because of his wound, but with all the hunger and love
bursting inside her.

“Christ, Candace,” he growled, coming back for more.

A brusque knock shattered the spell.

With a regretful sigh, Ryan reluctantly pulled his mouth away,
his hands still holding her in place against him. “Yeah?”

Maya’s voice was muffled by the door. “There’s a Lieutenant
Colonel Ellis here looking for you.”

Ah, shit. She knew Ellis, and he was a renowned hard-ass. As
well as a friend of her father’s. Without a doubt he knew she was in here with
Ryan and what they’d been doing. “Guess he knows about us now.” And that meant
it was only a matter of time before her superiors and family did as well.

Ryan leaned his forehead against hers and pressed a tender kiss
to the bridge of her nose. “Maybe not. He might just be here about the
debriefing. I gotta go, baby, sorry.”

She nodded and continued to cling a second longer, eyes closed,
trying to memorize the feel of him so it would last her through all the lonely
nights to come. Taking a deep breath, she placed a final kiss against his full
lips and released him, drinking in the sight of his battered, beloved face.
Though she wanted to tell him how she felt about him, it wasn’t fair to say it
and disappear. “I’ll call you when I get stateside.”

He stilled in surprise, his gaze zeroing in on hers. “They’re
sending you back?”

They would. And it wouldn’t surprise her if it was already in
the works for tonight. Her father would be going ballistic right about now. With
the media coverage and impending leak about her and Ryan, her going home was a
given for damage control. “Soon.”

Ryan’s confused reaction told her he didn’t yet know about her
father, and she was glad. She didn’t have time to explain everything to him
right now but she would, because she wanted him to hear it from her
personally.

A troubled frown wrinkled his brow. “How long will you be
there?”

“I’m not sure. And once people find out about you and I...” She
left the rest hanging because he knew what might happen. Well, the gist of it as
far as their careers went, anyway.

Raising a hand, he cupped her cheek, rubbed his thumb across
her cheekbone. His gaze was steady, a little fierce. “We’ll figure it out,” he
repeated. “I’m not letting you go, Ace.”

She smiled, leaned into his touch. “Good, because I don’t want
to be let go of.” Wrapping her hand around his, she pressed a kiss into his
palm. “Promise you’ll be careful out there when you go back out?” Because he
would be going out again.

“Promise. And you too. Call me or e-mail me as soon as you
can.” His stare burned her for a moment longer. Then he hauled her into his arms
for a desperate hug like he couldn’t bear to leave and pressed a hard kiss to
the top of her head. “God damn, I miss you already.”

“Take care of yourself,” she managed, forcing a smile when it
felt like her heart was fracturing into a thousand pieces. “I’ll miss you
too.”

At the door Ryan looked like he wanted to say something more,
but instead gave her a tight smile and ducked out into the hall.

Closing her eyes when he was gone, Candace took a deep, slow
breath and ran her hands through her damp hair. She could still taste him on her
lips and it only made the ache in her chest worse.

When Maya pulled the door open and saw her, her expression
softened in sympathy. “Come on,
chica
, you need some
sleep. Honor and I are going to smuggle you out of here before the reporters
find out, then get you back to the hut without them ever being the wiser.”

With a weary nod, Candace followed her friend into the hall.
Ryan was already gone, about to face what would no doubt be a grueling
debriefing, likely followed by questioning from his squadron commander about the
status of his relationship with her. She had a feeling that when it happened,
her own debriefing and reprimand would be even worse than Ryan’s, topped off
with an immediate transport stateside. And then she had her family to deal
with.

Didn’t matter who her father was, there wasn’t a damn thing she
could do to avoid what was coming.

Chapter Nineteen

Bent over the hotel room sink with his face angled
toward the mirror, Ryan gingerly shaved the last patch of beard from his face,
right around the row of almost healed stitches beneath his cheekbone. Now that
he was stateside, he was even more impatient to see Candace again. He planned to
surprise her later, since she didn’t know he was in town. After almost a week
apart, he was desperate to see her again.

Rinsing the razor beneath the slow stream of hot water falling
from the tap, he looked up into the mirror and rubbed a hand over his freshly
shaven jaw. His hair stuck up all over the place from being toweled dry, and
there were bits of shaving cream around the edges of his face, but he looked a
hell of a lot better than he had twenty minutes ago. Even with the dark shadows
beneath his eyes and the Frankenstein look he had going on.

He still couldn’t believe he was in D.C. Especially considering
the latest intel command had received about that enemy force they’d tangled with
a week ago. The JDAM strike had taken out Nasrallah and most of his followers,
but forensics on the ANA boys showed they’d been shot at close range and their
radios were missing. Investigation had shown that someone else had been using
him to hit Nasrallah’s location with that final air strike. Which meant Ryan had
inadvertently helped some power-hungry asshole on that battlefield without
realizing it. That really burned.

Now the chatter pointed to the reality that Ryan might have
helped create an even more dangerous enemy leader because of it. That sucked
ass. It also made him increasingly antsy about being back stateside when he and
his SOF brothers still had more work to do back over in A-stan. He scowled at
his reflection, the black thread in his cheek. A fucking medal because he’d been
out there doing his job? Really?

He snagged the hand towel off the ring in the wall beside the
sink and was wiping his face clean when a brisk knock came at the door.
Frowning, he half turned toward it. “Who is it?”

“Candace.”

What
?

For a moment he thought he must be dreaming, but then he tossed
the towel aside and all but ran to the door. Checking through the peephole, he
hardly believed his eyes when he saw her on the other side. Heart pounding, he
unlocked the deadbolt and threw the door open wide, his starving gaze taking in
the sight of her. She stood there in a pair of dark, snug jeans with knee-high
boots and a red V-neck sweater that hugged every curve of her generous
breasts.

Looking up from the towel he had wrapped around his hips, her
dark eyes sought his as an uncertain grin played at the edges of her mouth.
“Hey.”

He reached for her without thinking, just took her into his
arms and pulled her inside, letting the door click shut behind them. Arms
tightening around her in a fierce grip, he breathed in a deep lungful of her
clean vanilla scent and suppressed a territorial growl at the feel of her. “God,
sweetheart...What are you doing here?” The last e-mail she’d sent had said she’d
be staying with her family this whole time.

Candace linked her arms around his neck and pressed her face
into the hollow of his throat. “I heard you were in D.C.”

“You came here just to see me?” And who’d she hear that from?
He’d been ordered on a transport with exactly enough notice to pack a bag and
had only checked into the hotel an hour ago.

She nodded, her soft cheek brushing his bare chest, all that
gorgeous hair tumbling down her back in golden waves. Other than when he’d
surprised her that day in her hut, he’d never seen it down, and never styled
like this. He loved it. Ryan stroked an unsteady hand over the shiny locks as
she spoke. “I wasn’t sure if I should just show up or not, but one of the guys
downstairs gave me your room number so I thought I’d surprise you. Is
it...okay?”

Considering his reaction and with his erection shoved against
her belly, did she really have to ask? “Yeah.” He grinned against her temple,
pressing his lips there. “Yeah, of course it’s okay,” he muttered. Among all the
briefings and training exercises, she was all he’d thought about the past week.
They hadn’t been able to talk on the phone, and the few voice messages and
e-mails they’d exchanged hadn’t been nearly enough for either of them. “How’d
you know I was here?”

“I have my ways,” she said mysteriously.

Yeah, no doubt. But she was here, and that was all that
mattered.

Taking her face in his hands, he tilted her head back to look
into those dark liquid eyes that had haunted his dreams.

“Look at you without a beard.” She ran a finger over his jaw.
“Just as gorgeous as I thought you’d be.”

He huffed out a laugh. “You are so getting lucky right
now.”

Her mouth curved in a sexy smile as he bent to cover her lips
with his. Candace made a tiny sound of relief and fisted her hands in his hair,
going up on tiptoe to meet him. The kiss turned wild instantly, a hungry clash
of teeth and tongue that made his already erect cock swell painfully hard
against the too-tight towel. She pressed those voluptuous curves against him
that he’d been fantasizing about all week long, molding her lush body into his.
Christ, he’d never get enough of her.

With a hungry sound Ryan drove her backward until he had her
pinned to the wall beside the door. A low moan of need bubbled up from her
throat when he grabbed her hips and lifted her up against him. Her long legs
wound around his waist, bringing the length of his erection in direct contact
with her mound. He rubbed against her, one hand holding her ass, the other
fisting in the thick fall of honey blond hair falling around her shoulders.
“God, I missed you,” he muttered against her mouth, already greedy and desperate
to be inside her.

“Missed you more,” she countered breathlessly, nipping at his
lower lip before she plunged her tongue deep into his mouth.

He growled and returned each sliding caress with his own
tongue, reveling in the feel of her warm, sweet curves pressed so tight against
him. Her legs tightened around his hips, those elegant fingers running through
his hair, sliding erotically over his scalp.

She trailed hungry kisses over his jaw, down the side of his
throat to where his pulse pounded frantically. “I want you so badly. Don’t make
me wait.” The breathless plea and obvious need in her voice undid him.

Breathing hard, Ryan pulled back to stare into her eyes. They
were filled with heat and a powerful yearning that tangled him up inside. He
couldn’t believe she was actually here, that she had come for him. His hand
shook a little as he cupped her cheek. Her skin was velvety soft and warm
against his palm. “I’m not gonna be able to hold back.” It was all the warning
he could give her.

Her slow smile almost melted his bone marrow. “I don’t want you
to hold back with me.”

Barely suppressing a growl, he spun them around and covered the
few steps to the queen-sized bed. She clung to him when he laid her on the
turned-down sheets he hadn’t been in yet. Ryan followed her down, groaning when
she wound her arms and legs tight around him, fingers digging into his scalp as
she rained frantic kisses over his face. He took her mouth again, plunging both
hands into her hair to tilt her head back, holding her there. She released a
soft gasp of excitement, a tiny shudder rippling through her body at the
aggressive display of his need.

Then he remembered he didn’t have protection. “Fuck, I don’t
have anything with me,” he muttered against her hair, part of him dying at the
thought of not being able to get inside her.

“But I do.” Wedging a hand between them, she pulled a strip of
condoms from her front pocket and tossed them onto the bed beside them.

He eyed the strip, counting each packet and realizing how many
rounds it gave them. Meeting her gaze again, he shook his head in wonder. “Oh
God
, I love you.”

Laughing softly, Candace raised her head and sought his mouth
once more.

This time her tongue touched his slowly, drawing out the kiss,
making every drop of his blood pool in his groin. Her fingers trailed over his
nape as she kissed him, stroking over his tense shoulders and down the length of
his spine with a butterfly touch. They roamed over every inch of his skin she
could reach, exploring each ridge of muscle as if she couldn’t get enough of
touching him. Ryan made a gruff sound and rose up on his arms when she slid her
palms over his pecs. Her fingers teased his stiff nipples, sending a bolt of
sensation straight to his straining cock.

Down
,
boy
, he ordered it curtly. He wanted this to last.

Watching her face, he cupped a breast in one palm, squeezing
through her thin sweater. She gasped and met his eyes as the nipple beaded
against the center of his hand. With her kiss-swollen mouth and dilated pupils,
that proof of her arousal was even more of a turn-on.

And he wasn’t the only one feeling impatient.

She moved restlessly beneath him, legs still wound tight around
his waist. “Take it off,” she demanded, arching her back to press her breast
further into his palm. “I need to feel your hands on me.”

Ryan pulled back just enough to come up on his knees, reaching
for the hem of her sweater. He drew it up and over her head and tossed it aside,
visually feasting on the swells of her breasts that overflowed the delicate
ivory lace cups of her bra. His mouth watered in anticipation of tasting
her.

Before he could lean down to take her in his mouth, she slid
her legs from around his waist and tugged the towel from his hips. His cock
sprang free, rubbing against the silky skin of her belly above the waistband of
her jeans. Then she wrapped her soft, graceful hand about him, squeezing the
throbbing length. Ryan closed his eyes and groaned helplessly at the sudden lash
of pleasure. Her appreciative hum made him force his lids open to look at
her.

“You’re so sexy,” she whispered, a sensual smile curving her
lips as she dragged her fist up his erect shaft.

He closed his hand over hers, stilling her. “Just squeeze,” he
commanded roughly. “No stroking.”

Her smile widened, those dark eyes sparkling with desire and
mischief. “I love making you hot for me.”

He was a helluva lot more than hot. If she wasn’t careful he’d
come in her hand with a few more strokes, and he didn’t want that. When he lost
it he wanted to be buried deep inside her, watching every expression on her
gorgeous face. And only after he’d made good and sure he’d satisfied her
first.

She strained upward again, searching for more contact.
“Ryan—”

“I know. Fuck.” Hungry for more of her, he slipped his hands
beneath her back to undo her bra. He peeled it off and tossed it over his
shoulder, his gaze riveted to her naked breasts. Pale and full, they rose and
fell with each of her shortened breaths, the dark pink nipples erect, begging
for his mouth. Releasing her hand on his cock, he leaned down to take one
hardened center between his lips. Candace bowed up with a tiny cry as he sucked
on her with firm pressure, flicking his tongue against her in gentle laps.

She urged him on with a quiet murmur and a hand in his hair,
the other caressing his aching flesh. “Mmm, Ryan...”

The way she said his name in that sultry, sexy voice almost
made him come in her hand. He swallowed a groan and switched to the other
breast, loving each soft whimper he pulled out of her. The vanilla scent of her
skin was addictive.

She wriggled impatiently beneath him, hand tightening on his
straining shaft. “Take off my pants,” she managed.

He came up higher on his knees without releasing her nipple and
quickly pulled off her boots and socks. Next he undid her jeans. She helped him
along, lifting her hips, wiggling as he stripped them and her lacy white thong
down her long legs and off. The clothing landed somewhere on the carpet behind
him with a soft plop. With her naked and stretched out beneath him, he paused to
inhale a deep breath in an effort to slow his racing heart. The sight of her
bare and ready for him sent a primal roar through his blood.

Mine
.

Ryan grabbed a fistful of her hair to hold her in place for his
kiss, his other hand smoothing over her breast, down her ribcage to where the
muscles in her soft belly drew taut beneath his palm.

The hand around his cock suddenly tightened in a demanding
grip. “Give me a condom,” she said in a husky voice.

Groping along the comforter, he found the strip and tore one
off, opening the packet with his teeth. She took it from him, her expression
absorbed as she gripped his throbbing flesh and smoothed the latex down the
shaft. His cock twitched beneath her touch. The hungry way she watched him made
him grit his teeth. He wanted to pound into her so badly he was panting. Cradled
at the apex of her long legs, the perfectly trimmed strip of dark bronze hair
between her thighs beckoned to him.

With reverent fingers he traced the thin line from top to
bottom, keeping his touch light. Candace gasped and pressed up, parting her legs
slightly, revealing the tender pink folds within to his avid gaze. All plump and
flushed, they glistened with her arousal. Swallowing, he slid his fingertips
over the dewy flesh, spreading her moisture up and around the swollen bud of her
clit, careful not to touch her there yet.

Her fingers clenched in his hair, urging him forward. “Ryan,”
she moaned, eyes squeezing shut. She tugged at the back of his neck with one
hand, the other bringing the tip of his cock toward her tender opening.

“Hold still,” he said roughly, enjoying her response too much
to end things so soon. He wouldn’t last long once he got inside her. Not the
first time. Maybe not even the third or fourth.

“Please, come inside me,” she whispered unsteadily, licking her
lips.