Tangled Pursuit (13 page)

Wyatt’s eyes were a stormy gray now, and she felt his body calling to her. And then, she decided.

“Okay,” she whispered, turning and starting to walk across the gravel toward the three-story warehouse. What was she doing? Tal felt her throat tighten, with all the fear warring with her need of Wyatt. But the fear began to dissolve as she continued walking into the deep shadows with him.

When they got to the building they’d stood by yesterday, Tal halted and leaned against the same wall, her heart pounding, her knees shaking. The burning need in Wyatt’s eyes seared her soul as he slowly approached her.

This time, he put his hands against the wall and bracketed her head with his forearms, his breath warm against her cheek as he met and searched her eyes.

Tal dragged his scent deep into her lungs as if she couldn’t get enough of Wyatt—and he hadn’t even touched her! Then, as he lowered his head, his moist breath flowing across her cheek and nose, Tal closed her eyes. Automatically, her hands lifted, lightly resting against his powerful chest, his heart a low, deep thud against her opened palms.

The first time he touched her lips was so light, she wondered if she’d imagined it happening. Tal leaned forward a little more, wanting more physical contact with Wyatt. The second time, he grazed her mouth gently, as if silently introducing himself to her. This was torment! She wanted so much more!

Her hands crawled up his chest, encircling his neck, her lips meeting his firmly, and she opened to him. Opened to every possibility.

At that moment, Tal’s entire world shifted. She now lived solely for his touch. She felt his mouth taking hers, slowly but surely, and realized that Wyatt was in no hurry, wanting to savor and thoroughly explore her in the best of ways. A small sound of pleasure vibrated in her throat as he nudged her lips open a bit more, tasting her for the first time. Her fingers curled around the nape of his neck, and she pressed herself against him, her breasts grazing his chest, her hips moving lightly against his with invitation. It was then that a low, animal sound filled his chest and its reverberation rocked through her. It was such a powerful turn-on for Tal to be taken slowly like this, as if she were an exquisite wine to be sipped, appreciated, and savored with each taste, each time a little longer than the previous one.

Wyatt nibbled on her lower lip, nipping it, feeling her respond and moan. As he moved his tongue across it, then to each corner of her mouth, testing her response, her knees went weak and her hips sagged against his.

Tal now felt his powerful erection against her belly, inflaming her, making that ache deepen. She sensed Wyatt would be the consummate lover, and she was eager to experience that lovemaking soon. He would take his time, bring her body to bright, throbbing life, and then give her pleasure she had probably never received from another man. And she loved the feel of his large, callused hands, which now framed her face, angling her head slightly so that he could plunder her mouth, take her hotly and deeply. She felt his hips grind and then crush her against the wall with an animal’s primal urgency.

Her breath grew choppy, and Tal reveled in this first real meeting of their bodies and in Wyatt’s strength, the tension that shook his frame. He continued to relish her, absorb her into himself, and never allowed her to come up for air. Tal felt as if he were branding her with his essence, claiming her as his lifelong mate. It was the craziest sensation, but her mind melted beneath the skilled heat of his mouth, which cajoled hers until she squirmed against him, wanting so much more than just this kiss.

Her breasts were tight and she could feel her nipples ripe and sensitive against the cotton bra she wore beneath her blouse. Wyatt never attempted to touch her anywhere else, although Tal wanted him to cup her breasts, caress her aching nipples, and then slide his hand down beneath her waistband, feeling how damp she’d become from his deep, hot kiss. A whimper caught in her throat, and she arched into him. She felt her lower body unfurl, hungry, throbbing, and pleading to be explored deeply by this man.

Wyatt reluctantly dragged his mouth from her lips and cupped her shoulders, moving forward to ensure that she didn’t collapse. Releasing him, Tal allowed her hands to drift down to his chest as she barely opened her eyes.

The glitter in his gaze rolled through Tal like an electric current. Wyatt wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. Whatever it was that was between them had exploded like an IED, leaving her shaken and unable to speak.

“You’re one wild, untamed filly,” he said gruffly with a knowing smile. “Remind me of that the next time we try this?”

“W-what?” she barely forced out, her heart a staccato beat in her chest, her whole body one big ache of fire desperate to be quenched by him.

“I knew you were going to be one hell of a kisser, but you surprised even me.” He leaned forward, lightly kissing her furrowed brow, his lips drifting down to her temple, to her cheek, her skin tightening beneath each fleeting touch. Pulling back, Wyatt studied her in the darkness. “That Turkish blood in your veins is fiery, lady. You run hotter than hell—and I like it.”

Wyatt’s guttural voice reverberated through her.
His hands.
Tal’s cartwheeling mind was utterly unhinged. Only need and desire hummed through. Oh, that one, branding kiss! How much pleasure he’d shared with her! If only they had somewhere to go to finish what they’d both started.

Wyatt anchored his body against hers so she could sag into him without falling. Even now, he held her safe from everything and everyone. That sense of his being an alpha male, claiming his alpha mate, wouldn’t leave her. This was so real, so visceral. So . . . wonderful . . .

Tal saw the same expression in his eyes as her gaze drifted upward. His gleaming gray eyes were her universe now, and she flowed into them joyously. Then another area of his body claimed her attention: she felt his erection, his leashed power as he held himself in check, applying patience, but also his scalding desire to take her completely.

There were so many clashing realizations slamming through Tal that she couldn’t process them all. All she could do was drown in Wyatt’s eyes and know that this man wanted to claim her as his own.

“Are you coming back?” Wyatt teased thickly, moving his hands slowly from her shoulders to her upper arms. Reluctantly, he eased away from Tal, making sure she could stand on her own again. Her eyes were cloudy with arousal and he knew that kiss they’d just shared had blown every fuse in her body. Hell, he’d felt it explode through his own. This woman took no prisoners, and Wyatt smiled to himself, pleased, because once Tal had made up her mind to let him kiss her, she had thrown herself body, heart, and soul into that one incredible moment they’d just shared.

“Y-yes, coming back . . . give me a second . . .”

A rumble of satisfaction moved through his chest, and Wyatt savored her ability to trust him. And trust him Tal did. He was fully aware that she knew that he wanted her in every possible way. Now he watched her slowly return from the ecstasy that the kiss had created between them.

God, the woman was incredible! Nothing was held back. And when she’d moved against him like a sensual cat, her breasts grazing his chest and hips, he’d damn near lost his mind.

And that wasn’t a good idea under the circumstances. Wyatt was still responsible for protecting Tal’s reputation, and he wasn’t about to get her found out or embarrassed by taking this to the next level. He wasn’t about to start exploring her body out in public. No way. That would be done in the privacy of a room, away from all prying eyes. He looked around, holding her gently in his embrace while she reordered herself and came back to earth.

A Humvee security vehicle moved slowly down the street, but no one could spot them where they were standing. Otherwise, everything was quiet, and most people were in bed by this time. Bagram was not safe, and Wyatt was always alert for unexpected mortar or RPG attacks by the Taliban, which happened every so often.

Automatically, Wyatt had chosen safety points where he could take Tal in case an attack occurred. His mind never ceased to look for egress points. Even now, with her, his body was still radiating such hungry need that he had to constantly fight it to remain alert for both their sakes.

He heard a soft sound in the back of Tal’s throat and returned his attention to her. “I like the sounds you make. You remind me of jaguar I once saw in action down in Brazil. I was up in a tree, waiting for an HVT to come by, and this male jaguar met his mate down below where I was. They made low sounds just like you do.” He smiled down into her luminous green eyes. “Jaguars are the only cats that don’t roar. They just make these low sounds instead. Their decibel level is below human hearing. They growl on a different wavelength.”

Wyatt lifted his hand, threading his fingers through several silken strands of her hair near her right temple, easing them behind her ear, watching pleasure come to her eyes at his touch. He wanted to slide his hands all over this woman, and he wasn’t going to leave one inch of her firm, warm skin unexplored. The perfume of her flesh, that vanilla-cinnamon scent, made him shaky with need, and he began to dismantle the massive control he held over himself.

“Remind me to kiss you somewhere else from now on,” Tal managed, trying to keep her voice steady.

A chuckle rumbled through him. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.” He saw her lush lips, now slightly swollen from the power of his kiss, and grazed her lower lip with his thumb. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, darlin’.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t. I’m surprised you aren’t feeling a little tender yourself,” she teased.

“I’m fine. You’re the one made of sugar and spice.”

He saw her eyes narrow. “Right, and you’re made of snips and snails and puppy-dog tails, Lockwood.”

He had the good grace to smile fully as he cupped her chin, leaning down, barely grazing her lips. “You’re sugar. Don’t ever forget that. But just with me. You’re my woman, Tal Culver, whether you realize it yet or not . . .”

CHAPTER 7

“C
AP’N
C
ULVER?”

Tal lifted her head from her work as Lance Corporal Danny Turner stuck his head around the corner.

“Yes?”

“I know you said you didn’t want to be disturbed, ma’am, but I’ve got a phone call from a Chief Lockwood. Will you take it? He says it’s important.”

“Yes, patch it through, Turner. And shut my door, please?” she asked. Her heart had begun to pound when she heard Wyatt was on the line. What did he want? Was he sorry he’d revealed so much last night?

“Yes, ma’am.”

She kept her voice steady as she said, “Chief Lockwood?” Tal had barely slept last night, getting up at 0600. She’d hoped a hot shower would cool her off after Wyatt’s life-infusing kiss. But it hadn’t. Not that she’d really wanted it to.

“Captain Culver, I’d like to have an hour of your time this morning if you can spare it. You know that software program we talked about yesterday? I thought you’d like to use it on your upcoming missions and see if it has legs.”

Tal closed her eyes momentarily, hearing the thick gruffness in Wyatt’s caressing voice, her skin reacting, wanting his touch, wanting his mouth everywhere on her body. He’d fully awakened her with just one hot, burning kiss that had turned her rebelling brain into mush.

“I have an hour, Chief.” She wanted to see Wyatt, but her days were full and highly pressured in preparation for her mission.

“Yes, ma’am. I know you’re deep into mission planning, but I thought you might like to see my program in action. It might be helpful for your own purposes.”

She knew that Wyatt was being careful, as all phone calls into the unit office were tapped and taped. “Yes, I’d be very grateful for any help you can swing my way, Chief.”

“I can be there at 0900, ma’am.”

She glanced at her watch. It was 0800. “Sounds good. See you then, Chief. Thank you.” As Tal set the phone in the cradle, she stared through her open window. Her office sat in a corner of a two-story brick building that housed the entire Force Recon Marine unit. The sniper units took up only four rooms within it. The window overlooked the helicopter terminal about half a mile away.

Sighing, she touched her brow, feeling like she had been dropped between two different worlds. One was centered on the high-pressure stakes of mission planning. The other found her floating, her womanly needs crying for attention and her heart and body opening, so suddenly, to the last man she’d thought possible. Wyatt. She’d never felt like this before.

Tal heard her iPhone beep and pulled it out of her pocket. To her surprise, she had an email from her father. It was probably more info on the Artemis offices and an update on the building progress. She switched the phone off, promising herself she’d call him later. She had other fish to fry right now.

On a drafting board in one corner of her office were six different missions in various phases of planning. Accompanying them was top-secret intel to be reviewed. Then the next mission would begin to take shape, depending on whatever she’d learned. Tal loved mission planning, but knew she had to have her full “sniper focus” on it in order to do it right.

Meanwhile, Wyatt was coming over. Could she handle herself in close proximity to him? How could she act normal after that soul-searing, possessive kiss he’d planted on her? He’d been incredibly sensitive and gentle afterward, giving her time to put herself back together. He must have thought she was a real innocent.
Wouldn’t he be surprised
, she thought with a satisfied smile. He had a lot to learn about her.

Blowing out a breath of air, Tal tried to focus. Now she was beginning to understand what Alexa meant when she said a few years ago, “When someone sweeps me off my feet, it takes me days to come down from it.” Alexa would laugh herself silly to hear how Tal was floundering after just one very long kiss from Wyatt Lockwood.

And the truth? She could hardly wait to see him again.