Authors: Francis Ray
“Freddy Haines didn’t seem afraid,” Rio said, his voice hard. He’d like to kick the
twerp’s butt.
Her head lifted, the corners of her mouth tilting upward. “And suffered the consequences
and embarrassment when he had to walk into his dorm bent over. Carson had graduated
but, before the night was over, two guys from his frat house paid Freddy a little
visit.”
So she’d been protected, probably sheltered all of her life. To her credit, she hadn’t
let it make her weak. Just the opposite. She fought for what she wanted and stood
up for herself—which made his task of brushing her off more difficult. But was he
really trying all that hard?
He started to ask about her experience, but he already knew from the flush on her
cheeks. Little to none. “So the touching, sitting in my lap?”
The corners of her sensual mouth turned downward. “Movies, romance books, and my friends
talking.”
Rio looked skyward as if seeking help. He’d never expected this. She set him on fire
and she was inexperienced.
“Sky—”
“No, you’re not dumping me because I haven’t had a lot of boyfriends.” Her face mutinous,
she stood toe-to-toe with him. “You haven’t complained so far.”
She had him there. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t, as long as you give us a chance.” She reached out to touch him, then withdrew
her hand. “Don’t push me away.”
“I’m not sure I can,” he answered before he thought. Something he never did.
She didn’t gloat, just gave him a trembling smile. “It will be all right, I promise.”
Lord help him. She was trying to reassure him. “Come on, the next delivery should
be pulling up.” What had he gotten himself into?
* * *
She’d almost messed up. Every time she thought of her and Rio’s conversation about
her experience with men, she got cold chills. He might still dump her. They were finished
for the day and he was waiting for her downstairs for their “talk.” He’d picked at
his lunch instead of eating. So had she. He’d declined her dinner invitation. Since
she knew she wouldn’t eat, she’d let Mary leave early.
She desperately clung to the fact that he still wanted to talk and had told her to
dress warmly since the temperature would drop. He could just as easily dump her over
their next lunch or when they’d placed the last item for the day in the auction room.
Blade and Shane might talk a lot, but Rio was a man of few words. He didn’t need them.
His flat black eyes, bone-chilling voice, and dangerous body language spoke very eloquently.
To give herself a little boost, she’d dressed in a red shearling hip-length coat,
black cashmere sweater, black jeans, and short red boots. Around her neck was a red
scarf. The matching gloves were stuffed in the pockets of her jeans. Remembering the
feel of his hand in her unbound hair, she’d left it loose. She certainly liked running
her fingers through his.
Plus a lot of other things, and she wasn’t going to give them up!
Her chin lifted, determination glinting in her eyes. She hadn’t come this far to fail.
Rio cared about her. She was sure of it. If he had some misguided thought of trying
to protect her from him or push her away because he didn’t know his family lineage,
he’d better think again.
She’d fight dirty if she had to now that she knew how she affected him. She smiled
into the mirror. Rio was not getting away from her!
* * *
Rio watched Skylar bound down the stairs toward him, a determined smile on her striking
face. He much preferred that to the despondent one after the last delivery. He knew
nothing about romance, had never bothered to learn since he figured he’d always walk
alone.
Now there was Skylar, pushing her way into his life, his heart.
She stopped with their boots almost touching. “On time and dressed warmly.”
He stared hard at her. She didn’t blink or move. He intimidated her only so much.
“Where are your gloves?”
She wrinkled her nose, pulled them out of her pocket, and put them on. “Satisfied?”
Far from it. “Let’s go.”
Skylar lifted her arm for him to take. “I’d love to.”
He could keep going or wait her out. He made the decision that gave him the most pleasure
and took her arm. He was twice her size, outweighed her by ninety pounds, and yet
she managed to entice him to do things when no other woman had even come close.
He opened the front door. She stepped through and waited for him to take her arm again.
A few of his men passed, and Skylar waved and spoke. They waved back and kept going.
Since they were observant, they knew something was going on, but they wouldn’t discuss
it among themselves. Neither Rio nor Blade would tolerate men who had loose lips or
didn’t respect another person’s privacy.
“It’s so peaceful here. I like the woods.”
He was surprised by her comment. He’d always been drawn to the outdoors, even before
the Man With No Name found him.
The sun had gone down and the sky was a beautiful mauve-blue. Tonight there’d be a
full moon. He’d always thought of the moon in terms of hunting or war. Neither would
ever enter Skylar’s mind. She had no idea of the kind of man he was. But he was going
to tell her. Once he did, she’d never want to touch him again.
Chapter 11
Rio followed the winding path in the flower garden until he came to a stone bench
beneath an arbor of wisteria. He’d wanted a pretty spot for her, and hopefully one
day its memories would overshadow the bad.
“Please have a seat.”
As he expected, she sat on the end to give him room to sit beside her. When he didn’t,
she patted the bench. “You’re been standing all day. Sit down.”
“I’d rather stand.” There was no reason for him to be nervous, yet he found himself
wanting to pace, to stick his hands in his pockets. He did neither. He’d mastered
his body long ago.
“All right.” She lifted her face. “But I feel I should say that whatever it is you
want to talk about is not going to change how I feel about you. Even with the ups
and downs and uncertainty, I’ve never been as happy or as contented as the times I’ve
been in your arms. Just being held by you is one of the best things that has ever
happened to me. Don’t get me started about the way your kiss makes me feel—giddy,
powerful, and lustful. Your turn.”
Skylar. She just had to have the first words, words that arrowed straight to his heart.
She moved him in ways he’d never imagined.
Arms crossed, he leaned against the weathered post of the arbor. “I’ll talk, but I
don’t want any interruptions.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.”
He’d initially thought she defied him because she liked having her way. Now he knew
she did it because she cared about him and fought to be with him. No woman had ever
put him first or fought for him. “Try extremely hard.”
She gave him a curt nod and pulled off her gloves. “You have the floor.”
Rio accepted that she’d go word for word with him. She was in her fighting-for-them
mode, and she wasn’t going to make it easy.
“I was found wandering along the banks of the Rio Grande on the American side by a
Catholic priest, Father Sanchez. The doctor who examined me estimated I was around
two years old because of my teeth development, but cognitively and developmentally
much older. I was healthy and had been well cared for. They thought from my features
and hair that I had Native American, African American, and Mexican blood. I had an
extensive vocabulary for my age, I’m told. I spoke English, but with an unknown accent.
My clothes had expensive labels and were relatively clean. There was a news story
on me, but when no one came to claim me, I remained in the orphanage where Father
Sanchez placed me and became Rio Sanchez. I’m sure you can see why.”
Sky brushed away tears, but remained quiet.
He looked out in the distance. “I never felt I belonged there. I never fit in, so
I stayed by myself and read. I was six when I first ran away to the woods behind the
orphanage. I was gone two days before I came back on my own because I was hungry.”
Skylar gasped and put her closed fist into her mouth.
“The next time I was smart enough to take food and water. That ran out in three days.
There was something out there that I felt I needed to do. The nuns finally gave up
trying to stop me from leaving since I always came back unharmed. I finally found
a partial answer when I was twelve and saw a gray-haired Native American man wearing
buckskins and moccasins in the woods. In his right hand was a staff six feet long.
He was at least five inches taller.
“He said two words:
It’s time.
In the years that followed, when I ran away, he was always there, and I never had
to worry about taking food or water. He showed me where to look for water, how to
hunt and survive off the land. He taught me how to be at peace with solitude. He never
told me his name so I called him the Man With No Name.”
“I’m glad he was there for you.”
Rio’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t the response he expected. He’d never told anyone
about the man except Blade and Shane. Even at twelve he knew to keep his mouth shut
because people would have thought him crazy. Yet Skylar believed him without a moment’s
hesitation.
“Even with disappearing for days at a time, I excelled academically and tested high
enough on my SAT scores to get a college scholarship. I went to tell him but he wasn’t
there. I never saw him again.” He’d felt a deep loneliness at the time. Tears had
welled in his eyes as he’d knelt on the earth in the woods.
Arms went around him now. Skylar placed her cheek against his chest. “That must have
been like losing a part of yourself.”
It was.
He’d felt adrift until he met Blade and Shane in the Army Rangers.
“But he’d made it easier for you at the orphanage and prepared you for what was to
come,” she said, still holding him tightly.
His arms rose to hold her as his head rested against hers. “It was difficult.”
“How long was it before you met Blade and Shane?”
“Six years.”
“As you know, my uncle was a Navy SEAL. He said they send special forces on the most
dangerous, most secretive missions in some of the most remote and hostile places in
the world.” She shivered. “Even before your specialized training, you had someone
to prepare you to survive and help your unit. I’m so thankful he was there for you.”
Numerous times he’d had nothing but instinct to lead his unit to safety, to recognize
a trap, to track over rocky ground or thick vegetation. She was right. If it was tough
and dangerous, the odds of returning low, their unit was picked to do the job. They
always completed their mission.
“I’ve done things…” He lifted his head, dropped his arms, stepped away, and stared
at her with cold, unblinking eyes. “I’m not the kind of man your wealthy and influential
family would want you to associate with, let alone anything more. I’d have to agree
with them. I know nothing about my heritage, not my real name, not my birthday. You
need to move on and find someone your equal, someone you and your family will be proud
to introduce to your circle of friends. I’ll walk you back to the castle.”
She batted his hand away. Her hazel eyes fired. “You’re not the tucking-head, shuffling-feet
kind of man, so don’t pull that crap on me.” She jabbed him in the chest with her
finger.
“Anyone who can accomplish what you have is to be commended, not looked down upon.
You’ve been in the presence of some of the wealthiest and most influential men in
the world—governors, our president—and carried it off with aplomb. You won’t bow to
any man, and that includes Blade. He might have more money, but you see him as an
equal, the same way he sees you.”
She spun away, then whirled back. “You’re stuck with me. You care or you never would
have kissed me or told me about your childhood.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Learning
about your childhood made me care more, not less. Some people might think the Man
With No Name isn’t out there, but if you said it, I believe it. What I don’t believe
is that you-deserve-better nonsense or blaming yourself for what you did in the military.
I have family in the armed services, and thank God for them. They protect this country
while we sleep and enjoy life.”
“Are you finished?” he asked.
“No. Not by a long shot! You’re not my equal. No man or woman could be
your
equal, because I don’t think that’s possible. There’s only one Rio Sanchez, and when
my parents and grandparents get here Friday evening, I’m going to proudly introduce
you to them.” Her chin lifted. “Now this talk
is
over. I’m going to go fix our dinner and you can thank me by letting me sit in your
lap since the house staff is gone except for Patterson, and he stays in his room after
six.”
“What if I say no?”
She threw her arms around his neck. “I’ll just have to kiss you until you say yes.
You dump me and I’ll put a prickly pear in your boots,” she warned, her voice and
body trembling.
Rio gazed into eyes that were frightened and determined and filled with heart-wrenching
tenderness. He’d never seen eyes as beautiful. Instead of running, she’d challenged
him. “Little warrior.” His head lowered, taking her mouth, finally yielding to the
need for this one special woman. “I’m not dumping you.” He couldn’t.
She beamed up at him. “I was really going to be mad at you if you had.”
His mouth quirked. “Cactus in my boots, huh?”
“For a start.” She swallowed. “Just so we understand each other, and because I’d sort
of like to hear the words. Does this mean we are officially dating, a couple?”
He didn’t have a ready answer for her. “A couple, I guess. My record is worse than
yours.”
“Really?” She was beaming again. “Oh, Rio.” She was back to kissing him again and
slowly driving him near the edge as the full length of her sleek tempting body pressed
against his, her tongue sliding across his. “I’m so happy.”