Close Quarters

  "I packed away all the journals and maps that afternoon." She deflected his assertion that her father had loved her. Clearly it was still a very sore spot. "Mom sent them away to storage, and I tried to forget about them, you know? But as I got closer to graduating high school, I started to get curious. I had this moment of, like, supreme clarity one night in the dorm room I shared with Peyton."

  "Oh?"

  She slowed the movement of her hands and sat back on her heels. "Dad traipsed around the world, chasing treasure and fame. Mom was always hopping between Houston, New York, LA and Paris for work, and then later to date all those model, actors and musicians to help her forget Dad. Peyton got to college and discovered this whole new wonderful world that I couldn't fit into anymore. Hell, even you ran away from me. You gave me the most perfect kiss of my life and then tossed me aside for something even more wild and dangerous than my father's work. "

  Screwing the cap back onto the tube of lotion, she slid off the bed and moved toward her suitcase. "I finally realized that my whole life everyone else was always leaving me behind to go on their own adventures. I wasn't ever enough of a reason for anyone to stick around."

  "Wrong." He growled the word with more emotion that he had ever mustered for anyone. With his leg still aching, he couldn't get to her fast enough. It made him feel weak, and he had to squash the urge to snarl with frustration. He didn't want Jamie to think he was angry with her. Holding out his hand, he said, "Come here, Jamie."

  She swallowed anxiously and eyed his hand. After a moment's indecision, she dropped the tube of lotion on top of her suitcase and stepped toward him. He wrapped his fingers around hers and tugged her onto the bed. She sat next to him, her hip bumping his as they faced one another. Her eyes widened when he cupped his hand along the back of her neck and shifted closer. He could feel her breaths on his neck, the little puffs of air faster and more forceful now.

  "You were reason enough for me." He dragged the hand he still clutched to his neck and pointed out the gnarled scar there. He had taken a piece of shrapnel during a firefight after a helicopter crash that had stranded his team and the crew who had survived the nasty impact. "While I was bleeding out on that stretcher during the medevac, I saw my parents' faces and Peyton's, but it was your smile and the memory of your laugh that made me fight."

  She traced the puckered ridges of the ugly mark. "But you never said anything when you came back. I thought—"

  "I told you earlier. I was a complete and total jackass, Jamie."

  "And I forgave you for it," she reminded him.

  Caressing her cheek, he told her exactly what she needed to hear. "You went off to chase your daddy's dreams because you wanted to find out what made them worth leaving you, but you won't find your answers buried in the sea or dangling upside down from a bridge, Jamie. You've got to stop running."

  Her eyes closed briefly. "I'm so close to finding it, Leland. Two years I've searched for that thing, and I'm finally this close."

  "It's dangerous. You could get seriously hurt trying to find this shipwreck."

  "Oh, and your job isn't?"

  He started to tell her that was different, but she was right. His work was dangerous, and he had already been seriously hurt numerous times.

  "I can't stop now, Leland. I'm in too deep."

  Something told him she wasn't talking about the depth of the ocean she had been searching. "And once you've found this shipwreck? What happens then?"

  "I walk away," she said calmly. "I'm finding this galleon, recovering it, and then I'm done."

  "Just like that?"

  "Just like that," she confirmed with a nod. "By the time I finish this project, Peyton will have finished her doctorate. I'll go to work at the headquarters of Lush & Luxe, and Peyton will come work with me."

  He couldn't help but smile at the way she described the working relationship she would have with his little sister. Not for me, but with me.

  "And what about you, Leland? When do you stop?"

  "Never," he answered honestly. "This is what I am, Jamie. I don't know how to be anything else. If I'm lucky, I'll find a way to go into the private sector when I reach the end of my contract."

  She snorted playfully. "I have a hard time believing you'd enjoy babysitting some high-rolling businessman or a wealthy socialite for a company like the Lone Star Group."

  "I can't raid terrorist compounds forever. Keeping some rich girl out of trouble can't be that hard."

  With a mischievous quirk to her mouth, Jamie brought his hand to her waist. She clasped his other hand and moved it to the round, firm curve of her bottom. Leaning forward with a teasing smile, she asked, "You could always practice on me."

  Heat streaked through his belly and into his groin. Squeezing her lush backside, he grinned. "Girl, the way trouble seems to find you, I'll have to ask for hazard pay."

  "If you kiss me again, I'll make sure you get a benefits package that rivals any other."

  Her remark elicited a low chuckle. Moving one hand to the back of her head, he gently pressed her face toward his. With that stupid misunderstanding behind them, anything was possible now. He wanted to know if a second kiss could come anywhere near as perfect as that first one.

  When their lips finally met—five long years later—it was even better.

  Chapter Four

  Finally! Trembling inside, she clutched at Leland's shoulders. His lips pressed against hers, gently at first but then with more intensity. After fighting their attraction to each other for so long, desire flared as brightly as wildfire between them now. It burned her right up and left her craving his taste and heat.

  This is new. His beard tickled her mouth. She had been kissed quite a few times since the last time her lips had locked with Leland's, but there had never been a bearded man among them. She had assumed it would be unpleasant or strange, but this was nice. Tingling and hot, her skin grew so sensitive she felt all sorts of interesting things like the whisper of his breath on her cheek and the graze of his fingertips along her neck.

  He captured her mouth, gripping a fistful of her hair and holding her right where he wanted her. He didn't do it with force or to cause her pain. It was a subtle reminder of his power and the roughness about him that had always drawn her in and that now made her feel safe. She melted into him, winding her arms around his neck and tilting her head to the side. His tongue stabbed against hers before he bit down on her bottom lip, leaving her tender flesh swollen and throbbing. He licked his tongue over that spot and pulled her in closer.

  Leland's leg might not be in tip-top shape at the moment, but his brawny arms were more than up to the task. He slid them around her waist and hauled her right on top of him. She giggled against his mouth, and then moaned when his tongue flicked against hers.

  Wiggling her bottom, she straddled his hips and ran her hands over his bare skin. Her fingertips trailed over the scars dotting his skin. She ached for all the pain and hardship he had known while serving their country with such honor. Working her way across his chest to his shoulders and then to his arms and hands, she kissed every old injury she discovered.

  Leland watched her with heavily lidded eyes, his expression a mixture of amusement and reverence. He traced the shell of her ear and ran his fingertips down her neck. Grasping some of the fabric of her top, he murmured, "Take this off. Let me see you, Jamie."

  Sitting up, she teasingly smiled at him. "You only want to see me?"

  "To start with," he said, sliding his hands under her shirt to caress her bare belly.

  Shivering under his skilled hands, she peeled out of her top and shimmied out of her yoga pants and undies. Kneeling between his splayed legs, she gave him a saucy grin. "Well? What do you think?"

  Leland visibly gulped, his hands going still on her body as he simply enjoyed the sight of her naked curves. Groaning with desire, he gathered her close and flipped her onto her back. Careful not to put any weight on his sore knee, he rested on his side and smothered her with pass
ionate kisses that left her reeling and breathless. "You're so damned beautiful, Jamie. I'm staring at you right now, and I have to keep telling myself that you're real."

  Quivering beneath his heated gaze, she felt incredibly shy. Leland was the poster boy for the SEALS, all hard, lean muscle with those country boy good looks that made her heart race and her skin prickle with excitement. When he looked at her like that, as if he just wanted to eat her right up, she could scarcely breathe. He made her feel special. He made her feel wanted.

  Leland nuzzled her neck and dotted noisy kisses on the curve of her throat. Eyes closed, she relished the attention he bestowed upon her. His hands were rough and hot. In the back of her mind, she knew they were probably the deadliest hands that would ever touch her, yet they roamed her body with such tenderness and care. He touched her as if he feared hurting her and as if she were something precious to be protected and cherished.

  She gulped when his hand rode the plane of her belly, circling around her navel a few times before sliding even lower. He teased her by getting so close to the spot she wanted him to touch most and then angling his hand down her left thigh. She narrowed her eyes at him, but he just chuckled and kissed her. "Patience, Jamie."

  She started to remind him that she had been patiently waiting for this chance for five years, but he seemed to read her mind. His hand backtracked along her inner thigh. He brushed his knuckles down the seam of her sex, first with only a whisper of pressure. The second time it was enough to make her sigh and rock her hips.

  Ever so carefully, he parted her labia with two skilled fingers. He explored her folds while kissing her silly. Dizzy and so excited she could hardly breathe, she moaned with such intense pleasure as his finger drew a slow circle around her throbbing clitoris. She widened her thighs, giving him even more access to drive her wild, and gripped his arm.

  His scruffy beard brushed her breasts. He licked her nipple, getting it nice and wet before he pinched it lightly. The bite of his fingertips squeezing such a sensitive spot made her gasp, but she didn't pull away. Electrified by his touch, she dug her nails into his shoulder. "Leland!"

  Breathing hard, his irises shining with lust, he flopped onto his back and tossed aside the pillows near his head. He clutched at her waist. "Come here. Now."

  Her eyes widened as he manhandled her, dragging her right on top of him. Her knees slid down on either side of his torso. She was too high to wiggle into the right spot to finally have his cock buried right where she wanted it.

  "Up here," he ordered, clasping her bottom in both hands and tugging her toward his mouth.

  Her jaw dropped. "Do you want me to—?"

  "I want you to ride my face, sugar." Like a wolf about to devour its prey, he licked his lips. "I've dreamed about tasting you. I've thought about it so many times while I stroked myself and came in my hand. I'm not about to let a throbbing knee stop me from getting what I want."

  She swallowed nervously. She had been on the receiving end of oral sex before, but never like this. "Are you sure?"

  "Get up here, or I'm going to tie those pretty little wrists of yours to the headboard before I go to town of that sweet pussy of yours."

  Gasping at his erotic and filthy language, Jamie nevertheless complied. She gripped the iron bars of the headboard for support and settled her knees on either side of his head. He cupped her backside and kissed two lines up her inner thighs before nuzzling between them. She cried out as his tongue dipped between her folds. He was gentler than she had expected, but ever so thorough.

  Gripping the bars, she panted hard and tried not to fall over as Leland did such wondrously wicked things to her. His tongue fluttered around her clit while his thumb slowly penetrated her. His beard scratched her inner thighs. Shivering, she gasped every time he punctuated the movements of his masterful tongue. A quick learner, Leland figured out how to read her body within minutes. She felt that spring coiling and tightening in her lower belly. Little waves of pleasure rocked her core like mini earthquakes. Her thighs tensed and her toes curled, and she knew her orgasm was racing toward her like a runaway freight train.

  One of her hands left the headboard. She threaded her fingers through his hair and gripped a handful as the first delicious shock of her climax slammed into her. "Leland! Oh. Oh!"

  He laughed triumphantly and kept right on rocking her world. She clawed at the wall and tried to climb away from him, but those unbelievably muscled arms of his clamped down on her, holding her right there. She had never been multi-orgasmic, but apparently Leland was up for the challenge. He licked and lapped at her until she exploded with a second climax that left her limp and boneless, her body wobbling like jelly as she dropped off of him and onto the mattress.

  Leland curled up to her back and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her neck, making her shiver, and palmed her breast. "Do you have protection?"

  Sated and relaxed, she shook her head. "No, but I have an IUD." She bit her lower lip. "I've never done it without latex."

  "Me either," he said, his tone uncertain. "I get tested regularly. It's been a while since I was with someone."

  "How long?" She told herself she only wanted that answer because she wanted to be sure they were being as safe as possible, but that wasn't strictly true. She really wanted to make sure she wasn't a rebound or worse. She hated herself for caring, but she needed to know what they were sharing tonight meant something.

  "About nine months," he answered. There was a moment's hesitation before he asked, "You?"

  She thought about the last time she had been in a relationship. How long had it been? "Thirteen—no—fourteen months."

  "Man, we're a sad no-sex-having pair," he remarked with a short laugh.

  Rolling toward him, she pushed him onto his back and kissed the center of his chest. "If you'd stop talking, we could be a very happy sex-having pair."

  He made a zipping motion at his lips and grinned at her. Loving this playful side of him, she kissed and caressed her way right down to the impressive erection commanding her attention. She touched him lightly at first and stroked him in both hands. He sighed heavily and pushed up on his elbows to watch her.

  Although he seemed to enjoy her fondling, she suspected he would enjoy her mouth on him even more. Sliding down on her belly, she wet her lips and kissed the head of his cock. She dragged her tongue up and down his shaft, drawing out the moment he wanted most. Her lips even drifted down to press soft kisses to his sac, kisses that made him growl and shift his legs wider apart.

  Smiling at his reaction, she decided to show some mercy and give him what he wanted. She sucked the blunt tip of him into her mouth and swirled her tongue around his scorching flesh. She concentrated on that part of him for a while, bobbing up and down and using her tongue to make him groan.

  After a while, she slid down farther with each stroke, taking him deeper into her mouth. His thickness and length didn't make it easy to swallow all of him, but she never backed down from a challenge. The gruff sounds Leland made encouraged her. She smiled around his cock. Just as he got a high from making her come undone, she experienced the same powerful thrill while driving him insane with her mouth.

  "No more, Jamie." He touched her cheek. "I want to be inside you. I need it."

  Sitting up, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand in a very unladylike gesture. He only smiled at that and beckoned her closer. Certain his knee couldn't handle the usual missionary position, she decided to embrace her inner cowgirl and climbed on for the ride of her life.

  "Oh!" She sank down on his rock-hard shaft with as much teasing slowness as she could muster. Down and down, inch by inch, she pressed all of him inside her slick passage. Had she ever been this wet? Had she ever been this full? This stretched? Never. Not once.

  And it was heavenly.

  Hands on his chest and mindful of that injury to his side, she started to move on top of him. Back and forth and swiveling in circles, she tried different techniques until she found one that m
ade him groan. Leland wasn't satisfied playing the role of passive participant though. He grabbed her backside and guided her movements. She surrendered to the push and pull of his hands, throwing herself into the pace he wanted and needed. It was too soon for her to climax again. He had done such a good job earlier with that naughty tongue of his that her super sensitive pearl would need an hour or more to recover.

  But that didn't mean she wasn't enjoying herself now. Giving him pleasure exhilarated her. She bounced on his lap, grinding herself against him until he sat up and grasped her hair. He tilted her head back and bared her neck to his teeth. He nipped at her and sucked hard, marking her skin as she rocked slowly atop his cock.

  Leland's arms tightened around her. He embraced her as if he feared she might disappear and fell back to the bed with her still in his arms. He planted a foot on the bed, bending his good knee, and thrust up into her with languid strokes. His tongue darted between her lips, and she realized he wanted to make it last.

  Their mouths mated sensually as Leland began to shake beneath her. She pushed down on him, taking him deep, and clenched her walls around his pulsing cock. He grunted her name, his lips against her neck, and filled her with his hot seed. "Jamie," he murmured. "God, Jamie."

  They remained locked in their embrace for a long time. When he finally let her go, she reluctantly ducked into the bathroom, flicked off the lamp and returned to bed. It didn't escape her notice that he had taken the spot closest to the front door. He held up the covers for her and welcomed her against his side. Tucking her in close, her curled a protective arm around her and kissed her until her lips tingled.

  As he stroked her hair and upper back, Jamie experienced a relaxation and calm she hadn't known in years. Tonight, she felt confident there would be no nightmares. She wouldn't wake in a cold sweat and dry heave to the memory of her father falling to his death. She wouldn't remember the crunch of a spring-loaded cam sliding free from a rock crevice. She wouldn't feel the blinding pain as her knees and arms scraped along the cliff as she fell twenty feet with her father, tumbling down, down, down until an anchor finally caught their weight.