Tex, page 15
But she rolled on top of him, and her mouth found his. Her breath caught as she yielded to the pressure of his lips, opening for him and he deepened the kiss with a slow, lazy thoroughness. Working his mouth softly, slowly against hers. The words he’d been about to say evaporated in the heat of her.
Then she cupped his growing dick in her hand and stroked him, sending an electrifying weakness through his body.
He kissed her harder and she stroked him more insistently. He captured her breast, pinching the hardened nipple. A soft moan escaped her. “Michael,” she murmured.
He could feel the frantic beat of her heart against his chest wall. His own breathing just as ragged as hers, he caught her around the hips, thinking he would set her aside and tell her he had to go. Without realizing what she was going to do, she took him inside her slick warmth.
He flexed his hips as she swamped his senses by rising up to meet him, tightening her muscles around him, and his mind clouded with desire. His passion exploded and he fucked her helplessly until she was sobbing his name.
He gave her what she wanted, what he needed. And, when she’d fallen back to sleep, he made his getaway, kissing her softly on the mouth, fully clothed. His body still throbbing, he let himself out, dawn lightening the dark sky.
Maybe it was time to think about putting his mistakes in the past. He carried so much baggage for a long time. He certainly didn’t want to heave all that weight on Nora or this new thing between them. He was compelled, more than he’d ever been, to find out where this was going to go. He couldn’t do that if he was dwelling on the past. They needed to talk about this. It was going nowhere in his head.
Besides, she would be tested, and the future was what he needed to worry about. Everything hinged on her, and he had to lead her into danger when every cell in his body wanted to protect her.
Bondo stood at the clinic waiting with his arms folded across his chest. The receptionist behind the desk kept giving him quick looks, then longer ones. When he smiled at her, she blushed to the roots of her hair. Cute little thing, but he’d be afraid he’d break her in half. He needed a sturdy woman for his…male appetites.
He might look like a bruiser, but he read body language and had an intuitive way of getting information out of people, with a finesse that surprised most people. He was aware that something was definitely going on between his LT and Lieutenant Wilson. When they had gotten on base and met him in the galley for breakfast, Wilson looked at Tex in a different way.
They’d had sex. He was sure of it. He groaned softly to himself and rubbed at his bald head with the flat of his hand. Talk about complicating an op. It was why SEALs wanted to stay an all-male unit. Women complicated things in so many ways. It wasn’t exactly that they were women, it was also that they were inexperienced members of their team. Not that the SEAL Team couldn’t compensate, because they could, but it wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill op. That was for sure.
He would have to keep an eye on his CO, not that Tex had ever put an op in jeopardy. He would never do that. But Bondo knew when the heart was involved, all bets were off.
All he had to do was think of his beautiful wife.
He would have moved heaven and earth for her.
The SEAL part of him groaned, but the friend and man in him rejoiced. Tex had kept himself on the fringes of the dating world, never committing. His excuse was always that he was a fuck up in relationships.
Bondo knew it was a knee-jerk reaction, just like his fear of getting involved again…loving like that again scared the living daylights out of him. He’d rather face heavy artillery and combat than succumb to love again. He’d had that with Sarah, and he couldn’t believe lightning would strike twice.
When the receptionist waved him over, he pushed off the wall and walked to her. “They’re waiting for you in room two.” She smiled at him, and he nodded.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
He went through the door and found the room she’d mentioned. He entered. Nora was seated in a chair at a small round table. Two seconds after he closed the door, the doctor walked in.
“What’s the deal?” he asked the doctor who ushered him to the table. Bondo sat down and waited.
“She passed. She’s in excellent health. I don’t foresee any problems with a vigorous mission, her piloting a fighter jet, or a jump from thirty thousand feet.”
In the big scheme of things, this was good news. The go-ahead for the mission was getting closer. Dade had found another mechanic, one he said was even better than Davis. The guy’s name was Petty Officer Ryan Cameron, and he was expecting the sailor any time.
But Wilson was definitely impressive on paper. He just hoped she lived up to it in reality. Bondo just wanted to put her through her paces on the O-course, and if she did well there, he would recommend to Tex that he take her.
As they left the clinic, Wilson turned to look at him. “You’re not happy that I passed.”
“Not true, ma’am. We need you to complete this mission.”
She studied him. “You’re worried.”
He scoffed at that, not even giving her the satisfaction of a reaction.
“I won’t let you down.”
“Get dressed for PT, ma’am.” Damn, the sincere delivery of her words got to him. He was going soft. “We’re going to run the O-course.”
“That’s the final test?”
He gave her a quick nod, his surprise at the soft touch of her hand on his arm stopping him in his tracks. “I know what this op means, Petty Officer. I know what you sacrificed and how hard it must have been for you to leave a mission incomplete. I won’t let you down, or the memory of Lieutenant Reed.”
His conscience tweaked at the mention of Reed, his gut clenching at the knowledge that he’d killed an ally. He tried not to dwell on it, but it did weigh heavily on him. He wanted this mission over, Reed honored, and that fucking plane safe and sound on the aircraft carrier. He leaned in. He never sugarcoated anything, but the death of Reed did make his words terse. “I appreciate your pretty speech, Lieutenant, but things on the ground are going to be deadly dangerous. Stay close to us, follow orders, and keep your trap closed. We’ll get through this.”
He turned around and almost walked into a tall, slender woman with unruly red hair under her military-issued cap. She was standing square in front of him. She said, “Good Morning, Senior Chief Zane. I’m reporting for duty.”
He frowned and looked down at her, which was a big mistake because his mind immediately went there. He knew what duty she could perform. This was the first time since Sarah died that he felt a stirring for a woman, any woman, and this one happened to not actually be his type.
Like the receptionist, she was too fragile looking, and he preferred big-boned women with curves to spare. Gave him something to hold onto, someone solid.
But there was something familiar about her that drew him. She looked like she belonged between the pages of a fashion magazine. Her flawless beauty stunned him. She had a gorgeous heart-shaped face, delicate cheekbones, and wide eyes, her brows a little on the heavy side. Her nose was cute and her lips sultry with a perfect cupid’s bow. “You must have the wrong Senior Chief,” he said, then went around her with Wilson in tow.
She brought him up short again by scooting in front of him. She didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by the bulk of him, as was the normal reaction in women and small children. “No. I don’t think so, Chief. I was told to find you at the clinic.” She had a sweet Southern tang to her voice, one that was full of confidence.
He sighed. “What is this about?”
“I’m Petty Officer Cameron Ryan reporting for a mission. Commander Dade has already read me in, and I studied the manuals on the plane ride from the USS John Paul Jones ported in NAS Little Creek to here.”
He was speechless. This had to be a joke. He looked around to see if one of the team was lurking around. He wouldn’t put this past Shark or Dagger. Actually, any of them, the bastards. Her big river-rock-gray eyes, as cool as a clear running stream, never left his face and there weren’t many people who could directly stare at him when he was scowling. It was like looking directly into the sun. “Come again?”
“Petty Officer Cameron Ryan. I’m your mechanic…your grease monkey. I have fixed everything imaginable on an F-18, from hydraulics to wing flaps. I know the beast inside and out. Pilots fight over me to be on their team. I have commendations and experience. Before that, I fixed tractors and hay balers and milking machines on my daddy’s farm. I’m your man…er woman for the job.”
He could simply not imagine this woman all dirty and greasy. “Nice try, Petty Officer, but I’m not buying it,” he growled. “The joke’s over.”
He went around her for the second time and before he could take three steps, she was blocking his way again. “This isn’t a joke. I’m shipshape and ready to go,” she said respectfully but firmly, balancing her tone perfectly.
“Petty Officer—”
“Here are my orders. No disrespect, Chief, but I’m tired and hungry and would like to stow my gear.”
He took the papers she handed him and gave them a once over, then looked more closely. She was telling the truth. So, this mission wasn’t going to be taking on one inexperienced woman, there were going to be two. Regardless of that impediment, he and his teammates were going to succeed this time. There was no room for doubt. He was Uncle Sam’s tool, and he would do what it took to ensure that the test plane left the ground and every one of their teammates, including this fresh-faced woman, would get out alive.
12
“Bondo?” Nora said. When he looked at her, he was still digesting the fact that Cameron Ryan was a woman and not the man they expected. “I’ll go and get changed for PT and wait for you at the O-course while you sort this out.”
He nodded and Cameron said, “Good day, ma’am.” Then her eyes flashed. “Bondo?”
“Yes, that’s my call name.”
“Cool. Are you a gearhead? Since bondo is used for many applications on vehicles? I’ve even used it for repairs on planes.”
“This isn't a social hour, Petty Officer Cam—Ryan.”
Nora watched her stand back at attention, but she didn’t lose an ounce of her enthusiasm. Nora liked her spunk, especially in the face of Bondo, who was as intimidating as hell.
When she reached the locker room, she opened the locker assigned to her and pulled out her running tights, blue T-shirt, and sneakers. She changed, then started for the exit. As she left the locker room, there was no sound, no warning as someone grabbed her and dragged her into a darkened alcove.
She immediately went into fight mode and almost slammed the heel of her palm into his nose, but at the last minute realized it was Tex.
“We need to work on your self-defense tactics, babe,” he drawled in her ear.
“I almost broke your nose, you idiot,” she hissed.
She shoved him and he laughed softly. “It would have been worth it.”
Leaning in, the man knew how to use his body to keep her corralled. She wasn’t sure if that was part of his SEAL training, his cowboy one, or purely male. Either way, that alpha aggression was sexy as hell.
His body was warm, very hard against hers. He was damp, his skin moist, the tips of his shaggy hair wet. She couldn’t imagine what kind of PT he’d already done today. Her mind boggled at the amount of training SEALs did every day. So, it was no surprise he’d already been in and out of the pool.
“Nora, after last night, I want to—”
The sound of someone coming into the building broke them apart. She stared up at him, her heart starting to pound.
“Later,” she said, breathless and not sure why. After last night…what? What did he want to say? Was she a disappointment? God, she hoped not. She couldn’t complain about any of what he’d done to her, what she’d participated in last night. And she wanted to experience more…with him. Just with him. She bit her lip as he glanced toward the door, but she could only stare at him.
He made her shiver at odd times—like this, when his profile was as drop-dead gorgeous as him full on. Her awareness of him was as focused as her senses were when flying. He exuded all that sexual energy, jacking her up.
He’d trimmed his beard, emphasizing his rugged features, the line of his strong jaw, the powerful column of his throat. The shadow couldn’t hide how impossibly long his eyelashes were, heightening the blue of his eyes. Her gaze narrowed in on his sensual mouth and if she was going to be using up a lot of energy running the obstacle course, she should stop staring at him right now.
“We should go,” she said.
“We should,” he agreed, with a candid, caring look in his eyes that captured her attention and made her realize just how serious this talk was to him.
She waited a heartbeat too long for him to move first. His solid form was a wall of muscle. She wasn’t sure why, the darkness surrounded them, lending an intimacy to the moment. It was as if they were the only two people on the planet.
He covered her mouth in a hot, wet kiss, and she relinquished conscious thought. All she could do was hang on to the one solid thing in her spiraling universe.
Her senses spun out of control, and she hung onto him, feeling like she was going to disintegrate. His mouth was so hot, reckless, and demanding. His tongue delved deep and brought back all the erotic memories of last night in his arms. He skimmed his flattened palms all the way down her back to her hips and hauled her against his thick erection. Threading her fingers through his silky hair, she urged his mouth into another deep, drugging kiss.
She was panting, and he was breathing just as hard.
He lifted his head, breaking the kiss. “Dammit, I lose control around you.” His voice was rough and strained.
“Yeah, it seems it’s mutual. Now I have to do something physical—not what I want to do—but it’s going to take a lot of discipline.”
He grinned at her and groaned. “At least you can hide it. I’ve got a raging hard-on that’s quite visible in these shorts.”
“Serves you right for cornering me.” She missed his warmth, the heat and strength of his body pressing into hers. Humored by his insistent, back-in-charge tone, she hid a smile.
“You enjoyed it as much as I did,” he said.
“That’s not the point.”
He laughed at her blatant attempt to sidestep the truth. “You’re a pain in my butt, lady.”
“Again, the feeling is completely mutual.” She slipped past him and turned around, dying to see his reaction.
He raised a dark brow, and much to her chagrin, she couldn’t help reacting to the amusement softening the depths of his bluer-than-blue eyes.
“Nora.”
“Go take a cold shower, sailor.”
His laughter followed her out of the building.
As she headed for the course, her thoughts crowded in her usually orderly brain. Tex threw her off her game. There was no arguing that he jumbled her up. She should take her own advice and grab a cold one, too. Tex was an exciting, charismatic, handsome man, but the way he was in bed and the way he turned her on was only a fraction of the whole. As a sensual lover, he was amazing, but that paled in comparison to both the exacting leader and caring man.
She had to be cautious. Tex wasn’t an ordinary guy, that was for sure. He was the kind of man who would take a lot from her, demand sacrifices, and could cause her a lot of heartache.
He was a lot like her dad, and she wondered if those qualities were what attracted her to him.
She got a pang when she thought about him dying in some godforsaken place and, like her dad, she wouldn’t have a clue about the details. Maybe, also like her dad, she wouldn’t have a body to bury.
She swallowed hard, hating her morbid thoughts, but she didn’t want to lose track of reality and make a mistake that would affect her future happiness. She was much too methodical for flights of fancy. She had also been an aviator. She knew the risks were all too real.
Lieutenant Commander Jerry Reed was a good case in point.
She took a few deep breaths to get her focus off Tex and onto the challenge ahead of her. This wasn’t going to keep her from the mission—it wasn’t a test. It was a rite of passage. She took it seriously.
As a pilot, there were definitely rigorous physical requirements to fly. No disrespect, but these guys had no idea what kind of physicality it took to pilot an F-18. She’d have each and every one of them puking probably within seconds. Movies and TV shows couldn’t convey the brutal physics of piloting a fighter jet. She could snap nine Gs in less than a second. From the moment she decided to be an aviator, it was all about physical conditioning and years of training to handle the accelerative forces.
All that training, nutrition, and preparation were all about avoiding a condition called G-LOC which was pronounced gee-lock, or G-induced loss of consciousness.
This course might be physically demanding, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to pull anything as demanding as Gs.
She started to stretch and warm up a bit. The course was laid out in front of her.
“Ma’am,” Bondo said as she detected footfalls on the gravel path that led to the course. Nora turned to find all of the team including Tex walking toward her. It seemed all of them were interested in how she did, but not only her. Petty Officer Ryan, now in sports tights and a T-shirt, walked along with them.
“I didn’t know this was going to be a spectator sport,” Nora said dryly.
Cameron grinned. “I’m always ready for a challenge.”
Nora really liked this woman’s spunk.
Bondo carried a clipboard and said, “Let’s walk through it. We’re not going to make you do all the obstacles, mostly for safety purposes. All we need to do is lose our candidates for this mission to a turned ankle.”
“Or a broken nail,” Shark said, and the guys laughed.
