Tactical Strike (25 page)

That’s all he needed to hear. Ryan stretched out over her, his
chest brushing her erect nipples as he settled into the delicious curves of her
body. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, smoldering with desire. With one hand he
parted her labia and settled the head of his cock at her entrance. She stared up
at him the whole time, holding him close with both arms while he pressed into
her willing warmth. A tiny sound of relief escaped her as he buried himself
inside her slick heat. Her hands grasped his back, her head canted back in
ecstasy.

Wild for her, Ryan fought to hang on. Even through the condom
the sensations were incredible. Heat. Friction. Having her want him this badly
was a fantasy come true. Leaning over her, he kissed her, absorbing the low
sound of pleasure she made when he pulled his hips back then slid in a few
inches again, deliberately angling his strokes so that he hit the sensitive
place behind her pubic bone.

Candace murmured something and surged upward, helping him find
just the right spot. He knew when he did, because her breathing turned shallow
and her grip on him tightened. Swallowing, he fought to breathe through the
intense pleasure ready to flatten him. The friction was too intense. Too
incredible.

He buried his face in the curve of her neck. “I’m not gonna
last,” he gritted out in apology, wanting to wait for her to come but knowing he
couldn’t hold back much longer.

“Not yet,” she begged breathlessly, eyes squeezed shut as she
ground her pelvis against him. “Please, not yet—”

Ryan grabbed her hips to still her movements, but she fought
him, frantic for release. With the last of his control he pulled out, dislodging
her desperate grip, and moved down her body until his face was nestled between
her luscious breasts.

She shook her head and opened her eyes, but before she could
protest he spoke. “C’mere, sweetheart.” He needed to take care of her. With one
arm hooked beneath her to support her spine, he bent and took a ripe nipple in
his mouth. She gasped and arched her back, letting out an erotic purr that damn
near made his eyes roll into the back of his head. He smoothed his free hand
down her belly, savoring the feel of her silky soft skin, stopping just shy of
her mound.

“God, Ryan, please don’t tease me anymore.” Still holding him
to her breast, Candace shifted her legs restlessly.

With a quiet sound of reassurance he caressed her thighs,
moving slowly up to where she needed him. She was wet and sensitive, shivering
as he slid his fingertips over her soft folds. Stroking lightly, he switched to
the other breast, swirling his tongue over and around the hard peak. When she
sighed in relief, Ryan eased two fingers into her sex, curling them to hit the
most sensitive spot. She rewarded his efforts with a sharp inhalation, the roll
of her hips. He released her nipple with one last lick, intending to soothe the
ache between her thighs with his tongue, but she stopped him, grabbing his head
with both hands.

“Don’t stop,” she pleaded in a ragged whisper, tugging him back
to her breast.

Immediately he went back to sucking her, withdrawing his
slippery fingers to lightly glide over her swollen clit.

“Oh God,
Ryan
...”

“Mmmm,” he murmured in reply, drunk on the taste and feel of
her unraveling beneath his touch. Without the hellish pulse in his cock
distracting him, he was free to enjoy every moment of this and lavish as much
pleasure on her as he possibly could.

She was so slick and soft under his hand. He worked two fingers
back into her core and stroked, tenderly grazing the swollen little pearl at the
top of her sex with his thumb as he sucked on the peak of her breast with firm
pressure. And oh yeah, she liked what he was doing. The way her fingers
tightened in his hair, the way her little whimpers turned into moans of pleasure
were like a drug, and he was already hooked. Her luscious body trembled, every
muscle pulled tight as she approached the edge, the only sounds her rapid
breathing and the slick glide of his fingers between her thighs. He didn’t rush
her, didn’t change his rhythm, content to let her move how she wanted, drawing
everything out for them both.

“Ryan...”

“I wanna feel you go over.” She was so insanely sexy. And so,
so close, every touch pushing her nearer to what she needed. Just a little more.
A little more, and...there.

“Ahh!” Her inner walls clamped around his stroking fingers, the
tiny flutters in the muscles telling him she was about to come.

He slowed the movement of his tongue on her nipple and his
thumb against her clit, prolonging it, making the pleasure as intense as he
could. Seconds later she threw back her head and gave a loud cry as her climax
rippled through her. He maintained his rhythm and pressure as the pleasure faded
until she collapsed onto the pillow with a ragged groan.

Ryan smiled against her breast. He loved knowing he’d satisfied
her.

Releasing her nipple, he kissed a path up her throat to find
her mouth. Candace twined her arms around his neck. She met each caress of his
lips and tongue with a languid enjoyment that made his cock pulse. After a
moment he lifted his head and withdrew his hand from between her thighs. His
cock was swollen, desperate for relief.

He gave her only a minute to recover before he stretched out
over her and buried his length deep inside her with one thrust. It was so
incredible the breath tore out of his lungs. She wound her arms and legs around
him in encouragement, lifting into his motion. He rode her hard, each stroke
better than the last.

The orgasm he’d held at bay so far rushed at him like a huge
wave. “Oh, fuck,” he rasped, and lost the fight. Hands fisting in her hair, he
kissed her and drove deep, his body taking over. The pleasure swelled higher and
higher, forcing him up to that knife’s edge and flinging him over. Fuck.
Fuck
, he’d never felt anything so good.

Trapped beneath him, Candace whimpered and grabbed his ass, but
he couldn’t stop. Couldn’t slow down. His head snapped back as the first pulses
of release hit him. A low, throttled growl shot out of him, his body cording
with each unstoppable wave. Jesus, maybe he was dying.

Gasping, muscles trembling, he eventually managed to open his
eyes and peer down at her. Relief flooded him when he saw her dreamy expression.
“That was so worth the wait,” she murmured, a contented curve on her mouth.

He chuckled. “I’m glad.” Sliding his arms around her, he pulled
her close and rolled onto his back, taking her with him. She went willingly,
reaching up a hand to stroke through his damp hair, skimming the pads of her
fingers across his stitches. That tender smile turned him inside out. He was so
done for.

She settled her cheek against his chest and snuggled in with
another sigh. Ryan couldn’t ever remember feeling this happy. He kissed her
forehead, inhaling the fresh scent of her shampoo. “I can’t believe you came
here to see me.”

She tilted her head back slightly to meet his eyes. “Why?”

He shrugged. “I thought you’d be back home by now, with your
family. I heard all about the media circus following your story.” She tensed,
and he stroked a hand up and down her back to soothe her. Did she really think
he wouldn’t have found out the truth by now?

It bothered him that she’d hid something so huge from him. He
figured she had her reasons, but taking their relationship into account, he
wanted to understand why she’d done it. Keeping his tone light, he ran his hand
over her smooth skin. “Why didn’t you tell me about your dad?”

* * *

At his question, the blood rushed to Candace’s face,
sending prickles of heat across her cheeks. His tone wasn’t accusatory, but she
sensed his bewilderment. She glanced away, focusing on the glide of her
fingertips over the ridge of his pec. Goose bumps broke out across his skin at
her touch, proof that she affected him as much as he did her. She chose her
words with care. “No one knew except Devon, Maya and my CO. I didn’t want anyone
else to know.”

“How come?” His fingers combed through her hair, the motion
drugging her and making it difficult to concentrate when all she wanted to do
was curl into his warmth and fall asleep.

“Because people treat you differently when they know your
father is a rich, powerful man in Washington, and I hate that. I wanted to make
it on my own. I went through the ranks the same as everybody else and never
asked for special treatment because I’m a senator’s daughter—I don’t want to be
treated any differently. I want to be judged by my own character and conduct,
not his,” she finished fiercely.

His fingers paused in her hair. “Wow, that large chip you had
on your shoulder suddenly makes so much sense to me now.”

Smacking him lightly on the shoulder, she laughed, the tension
falling away. “I told you, you’re the only one who brought that side out of
me.”

He shot her a smug grin. “I love knowing I’m the only one who
got under your skin.”

“I’ll just bet you do. Troublemaker.”

“Yeah, and you love that about me.”

“Kind of.” She smiled against his chest, relishing the feel of
those powerful muscles beneath her, the heat and tangy masculine scent of his
naked skin. Mmmm, all that naked skin, hers for the taking. She slid her palm
down to the hard ridges of his abdomen, following the thin line of hair leading
her where she wanted to go.

Chuckling, Ryan captured her wandering hand and brought it back
up to lie on his chest. “Stop trying to distract me. You never did tell me if
anyone talked to you about us.”

“Oh, they did.” She sighed at the memory of that uncomfortable
meeting. “My commanding officer is a good guy, but even he can’t overlook this.
He said he’ll have to write me a letter of reprimand and look at possibly
reassigning me, but considering my service record and who my father is—and can I
just say how much it pisses me off that
that
would
get me off the hook? God, I love that man to death and I know he means well, but
I don’t want him interfering on my behalf. I worked my ass off to get my
commission in the Air Force and make AFSOC without his help. I’m a big girl. I
knew the risks going into this thing with you.”

She took a breath, let it out slowly. “My whole life I’ve been
aware that any time I stepped out of line it might cause a scandal for my
father. Until you, I’ve always been careful to safeguard my reputation. I told
my CO flat out that I’ll take any punishment I’ve earned, but I want to stay
with my crew if possible. He kind of smiled when I said that, but I don’t know
if that’s going to help my case or not.”

“Well
I
don’t care who your father
is. I want you because of who
you
are, not because
of your family’s political connections.”

She lifted her head. “Really? Not even because my family’s
stinking rich?”

His eyes lit up at her teasing. “Are they? Damn, this just gets
better and better.”

“Oh, shush,” she said with a half chuckle.

He swept a lock of hair back from her cheek, toying with it.
“They can’t take you away from your crew. You’re too good at what you do.”

“I hope they think so.”

“They have to. I got hauled up on the carpet too, by the
way.”

She stilled, dread curling in her stomach. “You did?”

“Yep. And it wasn’t Ellis who ratted us out. He’s not that kind
of guy. Someone else must have seen us and reported it.”

“At the hospital?”

“I think so. Anyway, my CO had already spoken to yours but he
asked for my side of the story. He’s married with two teenage daughters, so
maybe that made a difference, but when I made it clear this ‘thing,’ as you put
it, isn’t just a fling where we both said to hell with regulations to have some
fun, he told me he’s not putting anything about it on my record. And then he
warned me that I’d better do the right thing by you. Apparently he knows your
dad, too, from back in Nam.” He stopped when he noticed her staring at him.
“What?”

“You said that to him? That it’s not just a fling?” She
couldn’t help that her voice came out rough.

He frowned, still rubbing the lock of hair between his fingers.
“Well, yeah. What, you thought that’s how I see things between us?”

Flushing, she broke eye contact. “I wasn’t sure how you saw it.
Things have been so intense, and given all we went through together out there,
part of me wondered if I was imagining what I feel.”

He set a finger under her chin and tipped her face up. “And
what do you feel, by the way?”

“I feel...a lot.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled knowingly. “You
really gonna make me say it first? All right. I like living on the edge.”

She swallowed and held her breath, her heart skipping like
crazy.

The finger under her chin stroked up her jaw, across her cheek,
whisper-soft. Holding her gaze as the silence lengthened, Ryan let her know
without words that he wasn’t shying away from this or the ramifications of being
involved with her. “I love you. Like crazy. I’d do anything for you. I want to
make this work, no matter what it takes.”

That did it. Her eyes filled up. “I love you back. So much.”
Setting her palm against the side of his face, she traced the line of
almost-healed stitches marring his skin, remembering those terrible moments when
she thought she’d lost him forever. “Did I ever thank you for saving me?”

He kissed the edge of her hand. “You don’t need to thank me for
that.”

“Yes, I do. And I hear you’re getting a medal for hauling my
ass down the mountain and calling in the airstrike that got Nasrallah.”

“Well, it’s a fine ass. And that fucker needed to die, so I was
glad to help.”

She poked him sharply in the sternum. “Don’t make light of
it.”

He grunted, looking uncomfortable, and she loved him all the
more for it. “Stupid-ass piece of metal to hang on my dress blues. We both know
the real heroes are the ones who were buried this week.”