Course of Action: Crossfire (9 page)

Dan helped her quickly get rid of the shirt, dropping it to the floor. The cargo pants were a challenge. He watched as Cait walked around the lounger and bent down, her breasts gorgeous as she opened up the device around his leg and carefully removed it. Setting it aside, she gave him a smile of encouragement. “Cargo pants next. Just take it slow and follow my directions.”

His desire was there for her to see, no question about it. And even struggling to get the loose pants off him, the pain it caused, didn't dim his arousal one iota. He liked the way Cait watched him as he lay naked before her. She shared a heated look with him after she hung his pants on the back of the chair.

“See? Not as tough as you thought. Right?”

“I've got a feeling you've gone over this scenario a hundred times in your head. Am I wrong?”

Cait's mouth twitched and she shook her head, meeting his dark, hooded stare. As she approached him, she said, “More like a thousand times. I knew you had to heal up to a certain point before we could do this.”

“I like a woman with a plan,” Dan growled, tugging on her hand, pulling her closer. He saw that sphinxlike smile on those lips of hers, that burning hunger in her eyes.

Cait lifted her leg and straddled him, her body hovering close to his. Settling her hands on his shoulders, stroking them in appreciation, Cait slowly lowered herself over his hips and slid wetly across his erection.

Dan wasn't prepared for how good Cait would feel against him. How wet, warm and wonderful feeling it was as she cautiously eased her weight down upon him a little at a time. She was careful, no doubt wanting to make sure her weight wouldn't stress that healing leg of his. It didn't, but in the state he was in, he could be dying from pain and he would ignore it. Cait sure felt good. Dan couldn't think, couldn't talk, as she slowly leaned forward, inviting him to cup her breasts. The look in her eyes was that of a huntress knowing she was stalking him for all the right reasons. Dan liked her courage and he growled in pleasure as she slowly slid along the length of his erection. The sounds coming out of her slender throat, the sheer sound of joy, hardened him even more.

They both froze, the pleasure so intense, so unexpected, that all they could do was absorb these moments spun with fire and heat. Her eyes had closed, her lips parting, fingers digging into his chest as she repeated that same slow, sinuous movement down his shaft. He wanted to arch his hips, but knew he didn't dare risk the pain in his leg. “It's tough to lie still,” he gritted out, caressing her breasts.

“You have to, Dan, or believe me, the pain that results is going to erase how good it feels in other parts of your body right now.”

He looked up into her green eyes, which glimmered with heat and need. He knew that nerve pain could bring him down in an instant, and Dan was going to try his best not to react to her body sliding teasingly along his own. “This is a special hell,” he griped, watching her lips curve ruefully.

“It's not going to keep a good man like you down,” she whispered, taking his mouth.

He didn't even have time to reply, her wet, hungry mouth closing over his. And as she lifted her hips, capturing him, sliding him into her, he groaned, gripping her shoulders, frozen with the delicious sensations wrapping powerfully around him.

“Cait...” he rasped.

“Ohhhh,” she whispered, sitting very still over him, “I know...I know...oh, you feel so good in me, Dan...so good...”

Her words turned him molten and he gritted his teeth. “Cait...I can't—”

“Yes, you can...” she urged him, caressing him with her body, moving him deeper, back and forth within her. “It's all right...I need you...now...”

That was all she had to whisper and he stiffened, her body wrapped hot and tight around him. He heard Cait's sharp intake of breath, felt her freeze as he released deep within her. She moved coaxingly, and he felt nearly a decade of waiting for her tunnel violently through him, erasing his mind, erasing any pain as he unthinkingly thrust his hips upward. The pain couldn't take away the scorching pleasure racing through him as he spilled hotly into her. Cait's breath was moist against his cheek, her lips seeking, finding his mouth as she moved like a cat around him, milking him, taking everything he had and then giving him even more pleasure.

For however long it was, Dan drowned in her body, the wetness, the heat, the boiling sensations surrounding him as she deliberately moved and made the experience even more profound for him. Weakly, he sagged against the lounger, barely opening his eyes, staring up at her in wonder. Cait's mouth was curved, her eyes half-closed and he could see the need in her.

“I want to please you,” he said. “This isn't just about me, Cait.” He lifted his hands, skimming her shoulders and arms.

Giving him a breathy laugh, Cait nodded. “Oh, don't worry, I'm going to take what I want from you, too.” Her fingers moved through his short hair and she caressed his nape. “Just lie there and enjoy the sensations, Dan. We have all night. There's no hurry. Believe me. Consider this a night of exploration between us.”

He pinned her with a dark look, caressing her breasts, hearing that exquisite sound catch in her exposed throat. “I'd give anything to take you to bed...love you properly...”

“You are doing that right now, Dan,” she whispered unsteadily as she began to move slowly, engaging him once more. “It's not going to take much more for me to orgasm—believe me. I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time, too...”

Her words were dark and husky as she moved her hands across his chest, savoring him. Dan could see the pleasure of just touching him in her gleaming eyes, see the intense satisfaction come to her lips as she allowed all her weight to fully meet his hips.

“You're a feather,” he said. “Don't be worried you're going to hurt me. You can't, sweetheart.”

Cait pressed down more firmly upon him, her hips grinding against his. Closing her eyes, she hummed and her fingers grew taut against his chest.

“You're so close,” Dan rasped, feeling her body begin to tighten around him. He responded, growing harder. The woman knew how to move sinuously, engage and create fire within him. Dan gripped her hips, watching her closely, feeling her body begin to clench. The sweetness of her, the boldness of her actions, stunned him. He'd never seen Cait in this mode, but then, how could he have? They'd both hidden how they'd felt about one another for so long...so long...

A fierce love for Cait swept through Dan as he brought her down firmly against him. She'd been right about trying to raise his hips; it was a painful hell that made him gasp. He learned quickly to lie still although every cell in his body wanted to move with the rhythm she had established for them. Dan hated that he couldn't move his lower body at all, but Cait knew how to compensate, and within moments, a small, sharp cry tore out of her. The fierce little cries continued and he helped her by keeping her firmly seated against his hardened length. A flush began in her upper body, sweeping upward and nothing had looked so good to Dan as hearing those little satisfied sounds spilling from her parted lips.

His emotions were fully engaged with hers. His mind wouldn't work, surrounded by the heat, light and satisfaction of knowing he could still please Cait regardless of his condition. He felt her begin to sag, and he eased her forward so that she could lie fully against his upper body. Guiding her head to his right shoulder, he felt her hand move to his left shoulder, holding herself as close as she could get to him afterward. Dan inhaled her scent, felt the dampness of her body pressed against his, the rise and fall of her breasts against his chest. This was heaven on earth.

Dan didn't know how long they lay with one another; time ceased. He undid that topknot of red hair later and slid his fingers through that silken mass, guiding it around her shoulders. He cupped her breast and heard her mewl with pleasure as he moved his thumb against her hardening nipple. She felt so good—the slickness, the heat that still bubbled and simmered where they were joined. Cait had quieted, her brow against his jaw, her small hand lightly caressing his neck and shoulder.

“I'm in heaven,” he growled against her ear, the strands tickling his nose. Dan heard her laugh softly.

“We both are...”

There was such a wispy, faraway quality to her voice. He could still feel her body contracting every once in a while and he smiled, knowing he'd pleasured her.

“Do you know how damned nice it is to lie here with you? To not only love you, but tell you that I love you?” He pulled away just enough to look into her drowsy, fulfilled eyes. His heart expanded with joy because he saw that she loved him as much as he did her. Her eyes grew moist, her lower lip trembling as she slowly eased away from him, pushing herself upright, hands against his shoulders.

“Mmm,” she purred, leaning forward, kissing him slowly. As Cait eased from his mouth, she whispered, “Do you know how nice it is to finally be able to say I love you, Dan?”

In the darkness that surrounded them, the shadows were deep and moonlight from outside the window highlighted the flowing curves of her body for Dan's hungry gaze. Cait was beautiful and now Dan could appreciate what a sculptor saw as he carved beauty from marble with his hands. Only, his hands moved and ranged across her slender, giving body, and he inhaled her, her spirit, her smile, that radiant look in her green eyes meant for him alone.

Dan gave a nod of his head, drowning in the rapture he saw in Cait's eyes. Never had he felt as satisfied, as happy, as he did in this instant. Her body was small against his—he felt her liquid warmth embracing him and nothing had ever felt so right. Nothing. Burying his face into her scented hair, the silky strands cool against his damp face, he inhaled her fragrance deeply into his lungs.

Dan couldn't get enough of Cait. They dozed against one another. When he awoke, she was moving against him once more, her sweet body in perfect alignment with his. And it wasn't long at all before he released himself deep within her a second time. The way she remained over him, capturing him, felt dreamlike. Dan rallied a little later, pleasuring her again. Her cries filled the room. There wasn't anything else in this world he'd ever want but Cait. And as she languished against him, weak and satiated, the slickness of her flesh against his, her breath coming in sobs, he closed his eyes and held her tightly against him, never wanting to let Cait go ever again.

 

Chapter 8

T
he mid-March sunlight was strong as Dan hobbled along on a set of crutches. He hated having to rely on them, though it was better than being imprisoned in a damned wheelchair. He moved around Cait's kitchen, feeling happiness threading through his chest. That green lounge chair of hers had been given a hell of a workout. His body was sated and he could hardly wait until Cait got home tonight from work. He'd had the day off because last week, he'd made a breakthrough with his wounded leg and Cait wanted him to take some time off to rest.

He grinned to himself as he carefully took the bright red ceramic plates to the small, round kitchen table. Tonight he was fixing her dinner. And then...God...then they could actually go to her bed, make love and sleep together for the first time. His heart was more than ready for that milestone. Up to now, he'd slept out in the lounge chair each night where Cait tucked him in with a sheet and light blanket. They'd made light of their situation because every day Dan was getting stronger, his leg responding to the brutal physical regime. He had the best reason in the world to get that knee and leg of his healed. He had Cait and he wanted to love her without constraint.

Tonight, he could lie with Cait in her bed. He'd missed holding her against him. That was so important to Dan his arms literally ached to hold Cait after loving her all night long.

He frowned as he placed the plates on the bright gold bamboo placemats. Her parents had been less than thrilled that he was living with Cait. They were still grieving deeply over Ben's death, and they hadn't been ready for him to move in with their daughter so soon afterward. They didn't understand that they'd waited eleven years for this moment. It wasn't overnight. It was over a decade of waiting.

Cait had cautioned him to back off from her parents, give them the room they needed. Someday, she counseled, they would sit down with her parents and explain it all to them. Cait felt that, once her parents were past their initial grief, they would understand. Right now, they weren't ready and Dan agreed it was best to wait before discussing the sensitive issue.

Standing straighter, he placed the crutch aside and tried to stand with even weight on both feet. Even though he felt tightness in his right thigh, there was no pain. Just a discomfort that was easy for Dan to ignore. He shifted his weight back and forth. And then he slowly bent his right knee, which had once been all but immobilized. Now it wasn't—it was a game changer. It would allow him to kneel beside Cait, open her, enter her. She wouldn't have to use that one position on the lounger every time. He smiled, his whole body humming with anticipation.

He heard the front door open and close. Turning, he saw Cait in her blue scrubs and white nursing shoes, her red hair in a top knot, walk into the kitchen. Her green eyes danced with devilry as she saw him and smiled a hello. She looked at the table as she walked over to him and slid her arms around his shoulders.

“You've been a busy guy, huh?” Cait smiled at him, pushing up on her toes as he leaned down to capture her lips. It felt so good for him to haul her up against him, squeezing the air out of her lungs as his mouth hungrily took hers. He slid a hand suggestively down her spine, cupping her derriere and pressing her belly wantonly against his thick erection.

A soft, pleasurable moan vibrated in her throat and she thrust her belly against him, moving slowly, letting him know just how much she wanted him, too.

Dan eased his mouth from hers and loosened her hair, pulling the two gold combs out of the strands and allowing it to become a crimson cascade around her shoulders. “I love you,” he rasped, drowning in her aroused green eyes. His heart swelled fiercely as he saw her eyes grow soft with love for him alone, her fingers drifting through his long hair. He'd decided to let it grow out again. For him, it was a symbol every day that he was going to get better and start surfing again. He'd always worn shoulder-length hair before he'd joined the Army.

Cait leaned upward, kissing him once more, whispering against his mouth. “I love you with my heart and soul, Dan Taylor...”

He studied her in the silence that wrapped around them. “Do you know how good it feels to be able to stand here with you leaning against me? And me taking your full weight?”

“You'll never take the small things in life for granted ever again,” Cait agreed gently, brushing his sun-streaked brown hair away from his jaw. “Something smells good. What did you make us tonight?”

He tucked her beneath his arm and brought her toward the stove. “Chicken with pineapple. Threw in some lemon, garlic, honey and mustard.” He gestured toward the pan on the top of the stove. “White rice.”

“Dessert?”

He gave her a wicked look. “You.”

Cait grinned. “Do I smell a cake baking?”

“Actually, pineapple pound cake.” Dan looked at his watch. “It should be coming out in about ten minutes.”

“That gives me time to change. Need any help out here?”

“Nope, I've got it under control. I have some news to share with you when you come back out.”

* * *

Cait brought the steaming food to the table for Dan as he took his time sitting down in the wooden chair. “That knee is doing well,” she praised, picking up the bowl of rice from the counter. She'd changed into a white tank top, no bra and a pair of blue denim shorts that kept Dan's undivided interest. She'd deliberately dressed provocatively tonight, knowing they would finally be together in a real bed. Cait was more than ready to say goodbye to that lounge chair, too.

Dan leaned over, pulling the chair back for her. “I've been exercising the hell out of it today, keeping it warm and limbered up.”

She sat down. “Ah, for tonight?” She saw his eyes turn predator-like and she felt her lower body simmer with heat and anticipation.

“I'm not so sure we'll last until tonight.” Dan waved his fork toward the east-facing window. It would be another two hours before dark settled over the island this time of year.

She handed him the rice. “Whatever feels right for us,” she agreed. The food smelled wonderful and she took a spoonful, ladling it across the rice on the plate. “What news do you have? Did you hear from your Sidewinder buddies yet?” Cait knew he'd been calling his good friends, but sometimes they were out on an op somewhere in the world and he couldn't touch base with all of them. She was glad Dan had these male friends he'd grown up with because sometimes, she saw the sadness and loss of Ben in his eyes. He never said anything, but he didn't have to. She knew how to read Dan so well.

“I got a call from Josh Patterson, one of my Sidewinder brothers, about two hours ago. He's a Marine Force Recon. He's getting hitched. Surprised the hell out of me. I always thought he'd be the last of us to go down.”

She grinned. “All bachelors by nature?”

Shaking his head, he said, “It started out that way. Now I'm going down. Jack Halliday is married, and so is Travis. Josh asked if we could come to their wedding. I'd like you to come along if you can. It's going to be held April 4 in Texas.”

Cait frowned. “That's the week I'm taking credit courses in new PT instruction here at Tripler. I won't be able to go, Dan. I'm sorry.” She saw his disappointment. She knew he was happy for Josh. “And I don't think the Army is going to look kindly on your leaving, either. You're right in middle of rehab.”

Shrugging, he hungrily dug into the tasty rice and pineapple chicken. “Can you rig it up for me to be gone with four days leave? Now that I can bend this knee, I can fly in an airplane. I don't want to miss his wedding.”

Cait knew how much this meant to Dan. She blew out a breath and said, “Okay, but I'm going to have to do some fancy footwork to get your orders cut to go out there, Dan.”

“I knew you could do that,” he said smugly, giving her a teasing look. “Thank you.”

The thickening of his voice washed over her and Cait smiled a little. “Who is he marrying?”

“A gal by the name of Allison Landon. She's an RN. Her father is a Marine Corps general and Josh just happened to know him. Aly was working for a charity down in Brazil when she got kidnapped by drug dealers.”

Eyes widening, Cait whispered, “Oh, my God. Is she okay?”

“She is now,” Dan said with a pleased look. “The general asked Josh to go down there to find and rescue her. He did. Along the way, he told me on the phone earlier, they fell in love. Then he got hauled out on another black op just days after bringing her stateside from Brazil. He got back three months later, bought a ring and proposed to Aly.” His smile widened. “She said yes. So, he's the fourth Sidewinder to bite the dust.”

“Are the others happily married?”

Nodding, Dan said, “Yeah, they all picked good, strong women.”

“Is that a Texas thing? You guys go looking for a woman to complement you?”

“As a football team, we were all strong in various ways. There wasn't a weak one among us,” Dan said. “And I think the women they fell in love with are all equally strong in an emotional and mental sense.”

“Do you see me as strong?” Cait asked, falling into his warm gray gaze. She could literally feel the invisible embrace from Dan surrounding her. They ate at one another's elbow, but she could still feel that warmth wrapping around her shoulders. It was an incredible feeling. A sense of protection woven with fierce love coming from Dan.

He reached over, his thumb grazing her cheek. “I'd call you Texas strong in a heartbeat, Cait. You've been there for me when I needed someone. When I was coming out of anesthesia, hearing your voice near my ear and feeling your hand on mine gave me hope. You've helped me fight back to get well.” His voice lowered with feeling. “I couldn't have done this without you, sweetheart...”

“We've waited so long for one another,” Cait whispered unsteadily, blinking back tears. “Over a decade.”

Mouth quirking, Dan held her gaze, lost in the shades of green in her eyes, from dark to light. She was a complex woman, a woman who always challenged him in the best of ways. Cait didn't see herself at all, he realized. She saw only the nature of her patients' personality, saw what was weak and strong with them and then worked to help them recover. She honestly didn't see how incredibly strong she really was. Tonight, Dan would show her. Tonight was theirs.

* * *

To be able to lie beside Cait, to feel her velvet-soft, curved body against his, was a dream come true for Dan. As they languished in one another's arms after making love to one another, he held her close. “Even just feeling your breath on my chest is incredible,” he growled, moving his head to the right, kissing her hair.

Cait stirred, satiated and feeling lazy for the moment, her body radiating and glowing from the orgasms he'd given her. “Better than that lounger, huh?” There was amusement in her husky tone. “That lounger is going to hold a special place in our lives. We'll never forget it.”

Laughter rumbled through his chest. “Better believe it.” Dan threaded his fingers through her loose, silky hair, watching the weak moonlight catch the strands. Skating his hand down the curves of her back and hip before coming to rest on her thigh, he added, “The lounger was a lifesaver for both of us.”

“Well,” Cait whispered, nuzzling his jaw, stretching her arm across his narrow waist, “this is so much better. We'll actually be able to sleep together tonight. That is what I'm looking forward to.”

Dan guided Cait onto her back, propped himself up on his elbow and drank in her shadowed face, those luminous dark green eyes filled with love for him. “Who said we're getting any sleep tonight?”

Cait's lips lifted and she ran her hand slowly down his chest, his gold-brown hair tangling between her exploring fingers. “Touché.”

“Lucky for us, it's Saturday tomorrow.”

“Do you think we'll even leave this bed over the next few days?”

Dan basked in her smile, his heart swelling with so many emotions for Cait. “Probably not. Just to get up every once in a while, shower, grab some food to give us renewed strength and then get back in here.”

“You have a plan. You always do, Dan Taylor.”

Eyeing her wryly, he leaned over, his mouth hovering over hers. “I'm black ops, sweetheart. What else did you expect?”

He captured her smiling mouth beneath his, feeling her woman's warmth, a musical sound caught in her throat as he stroked her firm breast, feeling her nipple tighten beneath his teasing. He couldn't get enough of Cait. He never would. They'd waited so long for one another. Dan found it nearly impossible to realize how strong they'd been in denying themselves one another. And now they were making up for it in the best of ways.

“Hey,” he whispered against her wet lips, “there are some things we actually need to discuss.”

Cait laughed and opened her eyes. “Like what? I thought everything we needed was right here. Right now.”

“That's true.” Dan leaned across her, opening the bedside table drawer, fumbling around to find something in it. He glanced down at Cait. “Found it.”

“What?”

He pulled his arm from beneath her neck and with some effort, sat up and leaned against the bamboo headboard. “Come here.” He took her hand, coaxing her up beside him. Cait's hair was nearly to her breasts and as she moved, he watched the gleaming strands slide gracefully around her. She snuggled beneath his proffered left arm, pressing herself fully against his left side.

“You've got a crafty look on your face,” she accused. “What are you up to?”

“Can't fool you, can I?” Dan showed her a small dark blue velvet box. “Here, this is for you. Open it.” He searched her widening eyes as Cait realized what it was. A small gasp tore from her. She looked at the ring box and then stared in disbelief up at him.