Heroes In Uniform (75 page)

Tingling all over with anticipation and desire, Erin straddled his hips, careful not to touch his stitches, and bent to kiss him. He fisted one hand in her hair and held her fast as he kissed her so deep and hard it made her dizzy. Tearing her mouth free to drag in a breath, she trailed a line of kisses down his jaw and neck, over his chest and belly while her right hand snaked down and curled around the rigid length of his cock.

Wade bit back a groan and wrapped his hand around hers, holding her still. She looked up the length of his body and their eyes locked. She could see him battling with himself, fighting back the urge to take. But there was no need. Smiling, she reached up to stroke her fingertips, exposed at the end of the cast, across his bristly cheek. “Let me love you, Wade.”

His eyes flared at that but he didn’t protest and after a moment he relaxed his grip, releasing her hand to let her do as she wanted. And what she wanted was to show this man everything he made her feel, and everything she felt for him.

* * *

Wade’s heart was pounding almost as hard as it had when he’d pulled her out of the debris after the bombing. He was strung so tight, so desperate to claim her, he didn’t know if he could handle giving her control right now. But she’d made it clear how much she wanted this and there was nothing he’d deny this woman if it was within his power to give it to her.

Pulling in a deep breath, he consciously made himself relax and gave himself up to her.

Her hand was like warm silk as it flowed over him, her touch loving and reverent at the same time. She was so damn gorgeous on display for him like this, her perfect curves illuminated from behind, those round, pert breasts with their tight pink nipples rising and falling with each breath. The grip on his cock was pure, perfect torture, a slow glide down and up, combined with a squeeze and twist around the head. Groaning at the pleasure of it, he set an arm around her back and lifted his head to capture a nipple in his mouth.

Erin moaned and awkwardly cupped the back of his head with her casted hand, still stroking him with the other. “I want you so much,” she whispered, shifting to rub his rigid cock against her damp slit. The soft, wet sound of it ramped his need even higher.

He switched to the other breast and rocked up against her, adding to the pressure and heat. It thrilled him to know how much she wanted him. These past few days without her had felt like a fucking eternity. He needed to be buried inside her, to feel her grip him tightly as her inner muscles fluttered around him and she came undone in his arms.

Suddenly he couldn’t wait another second. “Baby, ride me,” he gritted out, needing her so much it shook him. He’d take her slow and sweet next time, wake her with soft kisses and languorous caresses until she was begging for more. Right now he needed her hard and fast to take the edge off this unquenchable need before it killed him.

Humming in agreement, she managed to grip a fistful of his hair despite the cast and twisted his head up to meet her kiss. She licked and sucked at his tongue, swallowed his guttural growl as she stood him up and slowly eased him inside her tight, wet sheath. Her hips shifted, did a little circle that almost blew the top of his head off before she finally sank all the way down and took him deep.

Wade struggled to breathe and dug his fingers into her hip, held on tight as she began to move in a slow, torturous rhythm that was as hypnotic as it was agonizing. She was the fucking sexiest thing he’d ever seen as she rode him, those green eyes heavy-lidded with growing pleasure and the certainty of her feminine power over him.

She guided his mouth back to her tight nipple and he obliged her, making love to the sensitive bud as she rocked and swayed atop him, drawing out the pleasure for both of them. Her little gasps and sighs added to the heat, bringing out the intense possessiveness she made him feel. She was
his
and he wanted her to know it in every fiber of her being. He felt the climax coiling low in his belly, his muscles drawing tight as the release built deep inside.

Riding him harder now, she widened her knees a little and slipped her right hand between her legs to stroke her clit. Her throaty moan of enjoyment wrapped around him, her inner walls squeezing and caressing him until he couldn’t hold back anymore. He seized control. Gripping her hips tight in both hands, he lifted her slightly and held her in position while he thrust into her.

She moaned his name and dug her nails into his shoulder, stroking the fingers of her right hand faster between her thighs. Over and over he plunged deep, reveling in her growing cries of pleasure, the slight sheen of perspiration on her skin as she climbed those last few steps to orgasm.

Her breathing hitched, a thin cry of need spilling from her parted lips. When he bent to suck on a tight, pink nipple, she shattered. Her inner muscles contracted around him, increasing the heat and the friction. White-hot ecstasy burned him. He held her firmly in place and let himself go, pumping his release into her body, his ragged groan of relief muffled against the soft cushion of her breasts.

Gasping, hearts pounding, they clung to each other as the waves gently faded. Erin sighed in contentment and kissed the top of his head, her hands gliding over his damp shoulders. Feeling totally relaxed for the first time in over a week, he drew her down to lie full-length on top of him, still buried deep inside her and wishing he could stay there forever.

He ran his fingers through the long, silky strands of her hair, basking in the sense of peace and rightness he felt with her. She was safe and sated in his arms, giving him what he’d so desperately needed since he’d first heard about the bomb going off at Langley. She’d seen him at his best and worst, and still loved him despite everything, warts and all. To him it was nothing short of a miracle.

“Spoke to my sister today,” he said.

She turned her face up to his. “How did it go?”

“Better than I expected. There’s still so much I can’t tell her or my brother about my job, but they both still wanna see me. I was thinking I’d drive down there tomorrow and stop in for a visit.” He ran his fingertips up and down the valley of her spine. “Come with me?”

At that she lifted her head and smiled at him. “I’d love to be there when you see them again.”

“Good, because I have a feeling we’re gonna need a buffer, and you’re about the best people-person I know.”

She snuggled back against his chest, that little smile still in place. “I’ll be happy to act as your buffer, but I bet I won’t need to.”

They lay together for long minutes until their heartbeats returned to normal, until all the unanswered questions between them crowded his brain. “How long until you go back to Bagram?” he finally asked.

She sighed, the sound sad. “Probably as soon as my cast comes off in another six weeks.”

With his chaotic work schedule and her staying in Montana, those six weeks wouldn’t give them much time together. He didn’t like knowing there was a hard deadline coming up. “How much longer do you have left in your tour and contract?”

“Seven months on the tour, and eleven months in my contract.”

He let the quiet spread between them for a minute before continuing. They hadn’t talked about the future or anything about continuing their relationship, but since they’d already admitted they loved each other, he figured that meant there
was
a future. “What will you do after that?”

A subtle tension crept into her muscles. “I don’t know. I guess it depends on what happens with us.”

He cupped the side of her face, turned it toward him so he could see her eyes. “What do you mean?” He needed to know exactly what she wanted, what she envisioned happening before he laid everything on the line.

She lowered her gaze, focusing on her fingertip as she drew a gentle pattern over his chest. “Will there be an
us
when all that’s over?”

He drew back to scowl at her, stunned that she’d even question that. “There better be.”

She glanced up, as though startled by the warning tone, and a relieved smile curved her mouth. “What about you? What are you going to do after all this is over?”

“Robert’s offered me a consulting job. Minimal travel, most of it stateside. Pay and benefits are good. Helluva lot better than my last stint with The Company. And I could do a lot of it via conference call or video meeting. Which means I could work from Montana as easily as anywhere else.”

Her face lit up. “You’d do that?”

He tried not to be offended by the surprise in her voice. “Hell yes, I would. But what do
you
want? I mean, after you’re done with the Army.”

“I’ll get a job at a hospital here. And I want to do some riding therapy with wounded vets. It’s something I’ve dreamed of for a long time.”

He could easily see her doing something like that. And she’d be damned good at it. Maybe he could even help from time to time. “That it?”

She shrugged, not meeting his eyes.

Uh-uh.
Putting a finger beneath her chin, he tilted her face up until she met his gaze. “What about weddings and stuff?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Define ‘stuff’.”

“You know, kids and whatever.” She’d be a fantastic mother to some lucky kids.

“Someday, yeah. Wedding first though. You?” She seemed almost hesitant to ask him.

Wade had done a lot of thinking about everything over the past few days. The Army and his service to his country had been his entire adult life until two weeks ago. He’d never imagined wanting to be a father, had never really thought he’d find someone he wanted to marry and have a family with but now that the undercover chapter of his life was done and he could move forward, he could actually see it with Erin. Hell, he craved the idea of creating that solid foundation for them and their family, the sense of security it brought.

“Two kids. Boys. Because I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with a little girl.” The thought scared the hell out of him, actually.

Laughing softly, Erin pressed her lips to the center of his chest. “Oh, I dunno. I think you’re better with the ladies than you realize. And I have no doubt that a little girl would have you wrapped around her finger in about three minutes flat.”

“If she’s anything like her mother, then probably,” he said with a grin, a pang hitting him square in the heart when he saw the way her eyes went all soft and tender at his words. “All that’s at least a year out though.”

Her expression turned glum. “I know. It’s a long time for us to be apart. A lot of relationships don’t make it through a deployment that long.”

“Yeah, but they haven’t faced what we already have.” And nobody understood what it took to get through a deployment better than him. He smoothed a hand over the length of her spine. “Done a few myself, sweetheart, so I might be willing to wait for you if you asked me to.”

Those gorgeous green eyes lifted to his. Held. He could see the hope there, and the trace of uncertainty. “Would you wait for me?”

He planned to banish that uncertainty once and for all. Where his feelings for her were concerned, he never wanted her to have a moment’s doubt about them again. “Yes,” he answered simply. “For as long as it takes.”

Her answering smile seemed to light up the room. “Then you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Cupping her face between his hands, he lifted his head from the pillow to cover her mouth with his, sealing that vow with a long, slow kiss.

Danger Close: Epilogue

Fifty-four weeks later

Shouldering her heavy duffel, Erin stepped off the jetway and into the waiting area at the gate with a mixture of excitement and anticipation humming inside her. It had been almost five months since she’d last seen Wade and now that she’d officially completed her contract with the Army and her honorable discharge was in the works, they could finally begin their life together.

The Billings airport was surprisingly busy considering it wasn’t even six in the morning yet. Most of the waiting lounges at the gates were full as she passed by. She walked at a fast clip, winding her way through the slower moving foot traffic on the way to the baggage claim area.

The crowd all gathered in a bottleneck at the doors and she impatiently lifted up on her toes to scan the area around the luggage carousels. Lots of people stood waiting for their loved ones, but she didn’t see any sign of her parents or Wade. Her flight had landed a bit early though, so she supposed she couldn’t be disappointed they weren’t here yet.

Once inside the baggage claim area she made her way to the correct carousel and went back to scanning the crowd. Still nothing.

A little bummed out, her excitement faded as she stopped looking and went to stand beside the carousel. Ten minutes later the bags started loading onto the conveyor. Hers was practically the last one out. She grabbed it and turned to face the exterior doors.

And broke into a huge smile.

Her parents, both grinning back at her, stood by the exit holding a big banner that read
Welcome Home Lt. Kelly!
. Hairy sat patiently next to them wagging his tail, a bandana with an American flag motif tied around his neck. She rushed straight to them and grabbed them both in a double-armed hug while Hairy leaned against her leg, his whole body wriggling in excitement.

“God, it’s so good to see you guys,” she said as she stepped back to give Hairy a proper petting. Even better to know she was moving forward with the next chapter of her life and getting to spend it with the man she loved. “Have you heard from Wade? I thought he was—” She broke off when her father nodded meaningfully behind her.

Turning around, she stared, almost didn’t recognize him for a moment without the heavy facial growth she was so used to. One hand flew to her mouth.

Wade stood beside her luggage holding a huge bouquet of red roses. Her heart rolled over in her chest at the sight of him.

He was dressed in a black button-down shirt and dark jeans that hugged his long muscular legs, and, lord have mercy, the black Stetson pulled low over his forehead nearly did her in. Dropping her hand from her mouth, she raced over and flew into his arms. Chuckling, he lifted her clear off the floor and kissed her. She distantly heard people clapping, knew they were staring and didn’t give a damn, elated to know Wade felt the same.