The Navy SEAL's Christmas Bride (10 page)

“Backbend and kick over,” Dan said, almost conversationally, as if he could stay in that handstand all night. Which he probably could, Sarah thought as she moved into place. A backbend didn’t faze her, although she hadn’t kicked over and out of one since she was a pre-teen still taking gymnastics lessons. She leaned back and let herself fall into position, her hands in front of Dan’s, her face nearly nose to nose with his. “Kick,” he prompted.

“I’m not sure I can.” But she tried and to her surprise she made it, her feet landing against the wall in between Dan’s. Now the real problem became clear to Sarah. “I’m too short. You’ll never reach. Or I’ll never reach you, anyway.” Bracing her legs against the wall, she began to shift around, but while she was able to locate the tip of his hardness, and even tease both of them by nudging it just a bit inside her wet, waiting folds, the difference in their heights was too extreme to get any further.

“Hold on.” Dan grunted as he maneuvered, shifting from hand to hand. Sarah strained upward, eager for him to move deeper, nearly crying in frustration when she couldn’t achieve it. “Hold on.” Dan’s voice was strained. Sarah realized he was bending his arms, slowly, slowly, pushing into her centimeter by centimeter as he moved down into a headstand. She gasped aloud as the width of him filled her with such agonizing, exquisite slowness that she nearly came right then. Dan was magnificent; she’d never felt like this—not vertically or horizontally, or any which way up. She knew that no single session with him, no matter how acrobatic, could ever be enough.

Suddenly she understood why he’d said forever.

She was determined to give them both what he sought; a sexual experience they could remember and share for a lifetime. It didn’t make sense; there was no way they could feel that way for each other so soon, but suddenly she was sure. It was what she wanted, sensible or no.

“Now what?” she gasped. If they stayed like this, she’d come all right—she didn’t need anything more but to be filled by Dan for that. But she wanted more. She wanted to make him come too.

“Hang on,” he warned and began to move again. He pushed himself up, his biceps bulging with the strain as he slid up the wall and out of her. In one fluid motion, he sunk down again, refilling her until she thought she would shatter apart. “All those damn pushups are finally paying off,” he gasped and did it again.

Sarah’s arms trembled and from time to time she wobbled, but there was no way she’d let herself lose her balance. This was far too exquisite to miss. She let her legs fall open, bracing her toes against the cool wall to either side of Dan’s legs. As he slowly filled her and withdrew she trembled all over.

“Dan—”

He knew what she meant. “That’s it, baby. Come. I want to see you.” He plunged back down again, filling her to the hilt. Pushed up and plunged again, the sweet friction taking her close to the edge. He pulled out and plunged in again.

Sarah came with an intensity that made her cry out. Ripples of ecstasy exploded through her body.

She nearly fell when Dan came too, bracing himself in place in one of his downstrokes, pulsing inside her again and again until she didn’t know how she’d stay upright until he was done.

She did it, though. And when he withdrew from her, she arched her back, dropped down into another backbend and stood up as gracefully as she had back in gymnastics class. Dan tumbled down a bit more roughly, and staggered before standing again. He clapped his hands to his temples. “Fuck—head rush.” He sat down hard on the ground. Sarah sat down beside him, nearly climbing into his lap with her desire to regain that close connection. She satisfied herself with kissing his neck, his ear, his jaw until he regained his equilibrium and caught her mouth with his. He kissed her thoroughly, sliding his hands all over her, igniting her desire all over again. “You are amazing,” he said finally, pulling back. “You are the eighth wonder of the world.”

“You are so fucking incredible.”

They stared at each other.

“Someone should have filmed that,” Dan finally said. “Not that I ever set out to be a porn star, but shit—there should be a documentary or something.”

“Best sex ever.”

“Best sex ever,” he agreed. “For now.” He searched her face. “This is a for now situation, right? We’ll do it again?”

Sarah met his gaze, suddenly shy. “I want to.”

“I don’t just mean tonight.” Dan’s arms tightened around her. Sarah closed her eyes as he nestled her in his lap. “I want more than tonight, Sarah.”

“I do, too.”

Did she understand
what he was asking? Dan wondered as they untangled themselves, stood up and began to clean up from their whirlwind game and ensuing gymnastics. He excused himself to use the washroom down the hall and when he came back, Sarah took her turn. By the time they reunited, Dan felt like the moment was slipping away, and he didn’t want it to slip away. He’d never been with someone like Sarah—a woman who was his equal. He didn’t want to give up this feeling.

He caught her hand and led her to the bed, throwing back the covers. Sarah slid inside it and moved over to make room for him. Facing each other, their heads sharing one pillow, Dan was pleased to see that she wanted to touch him as much as he wanted to touch her.

“Do you think there could be something between us?” he asked. “Once you’re out of the military, would you come live with me?”

“Where?” she asked after an excruciatingly long moment.

Dan searched for an answer. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “I guess I could go anywhere. Anywhere I can buy some land. You know what I want to do.”

“A camp for wanna-be SEALs.” She nodded.

“How about you? Where do you want to go after the military?”

She shrugged. “I kind of like it here.”

Dan stilled. Here. He tested the idea. Would he like to remain in Chance Creek with Mason, his brothers, and their wives? Could he become part of this community? Montana was a good place for survival training.

He turned the thought over in his mind. Montana was a great place, actually. He could run different types of programs in the different seasons. Winter survival was a whole different ballgame than summer survival, after all. He remembered the way he’d felt as the plane touched down at the start of his visit, how the small town and the surrounding countryside had intrigued him.

He liked the way the people worked together here, too. The way Mason and his brothers shared the ranch chores, and their wives were best friends. He liked the poker and pool night at the Cruz ranch and all the men and women he’d met there. He liked their easy joking and serious work ethic. He liked the pace of the days on the ranch, as well.

“I kind of like it here, too,” he said.

“We barely know each other.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. He wouldn’t let her slip away now. “We’ll know each other a hell of a lot better before the night’s through.”

‡

W
hen she woke
beside Dan, Sarah stretched and savored the delicious knowledge that she could most likely enjoy him inside of her again before breakfast if they didn’t dawdle. When she turned to glance at the clock, she had to chuckle at the ache in her arms. She wasn’t sure how soon she could manage upside down sex with Dan again, but she figured if they didn’t try it again sometime, it would only be because they’d come up with a crazier idea.

“Morning, sunshine.” Dan slid an arm around her and pulling her in tighter.

“Morning.”

“That was something last night.”

“It really was.”

“That backbend was really sexy.” He ran a hand over her hip. “Who knew you were so flexible?”

“And strong. Don’t forget strong.”

“As if I could forget.”

Sarah smiled to herself. Finally, a man who could admit she was strong too. Dan might have started off as biased as her brothers against women in uniform, but she’d showed him he was wrong, and he’d been willing to change his mind. “Tell me more about your business.” Surely Dan would invite her to become involved now that he’d seen how capable she was. He must want to spend as much time with her as she wanted to spend with him.

“I will in a minute,” he said, bending to kiss her neck, “but first I need to feel you again. All of you.” He rolled on top of her and gathered her into his arms, kissing her until her head spun. “I can’t get enough of you,” he groaned, and dipped to take one nipple into his mouth. Wrapping his hands around her wrists, he teased and laved her sensitive skin with her tongue until she gasped and surrendered utterly to him. She had no problem laying back and letting Dan take charge in this department. She loved the way he made love to her. Dan moved over her with a mixture of strength and grace that turned her on as much as anything else. He explored her as if she were something precious that required every bit of his attention. When he had kissed her all over she felt thoroughly known and understood.

When he settled in between her legs, and pressed into her she opened for him, welcoming him inside. She shut her eyes and surrendered to the feelings he was stirring up inside her.

“Look at me,” he said and she met his gaze, seeing the desire in his eyes. She wondered what he saw in hers—the longing for a true connection? For love?

He watched her as he moved inside her, increasing his tempo until she was moments away from losing control. “So beautiful,” he said finally, still gazing into her eyes. She came with a cry she couldn’t have stifled. As ecstasy pulsed through her, he came too, bucking against her and grunting his own release. By the time they collapsed together she felt like she’d been stripped bare and her every hope and dream exposed to Dan.

Did he feel that too?

He gathered her close again, still joined to her. “I’m not going to let you go. You hear me?”

“I hear you.”

He ran his hands through her hair. “Who knew how sexy a regulation haircut could be?”

“I knew,” she teased, running her hand over his barely grown-out crewcut.

“Always a jokester.” He pulled out of her, and snuggled close. “I hope you weren’t joking about what you said last night—about settling here. I think this is the perfect place for a training camp.” He propped himself up on one elbow as he talked, still running his fingers through her curls now and then. “It’ll be for men who want to pit themselves against the best ex-SEALs around—to see if they have what it takes to survive the kind of brutal situations SEALs find themselves in when they serve. Mixed in to the craziness will be hiking, survival skills, camping—you name it. Real men doing real men things.”

“Pitting themselves against SEALs?”

“Hell, yeah. I’m going to ask Mason if he’d like to take part now and then, and I bet he’ll know some other guys we can ask. There are one or two guys I’ve served with who might like to join me.”

He sounded pleased as punch with the idea, but Sarah was reeling. Real men things? What about real women things? And what was this emphasis on SEALs? The Army had plenty of primal knowledge to offer anyone.

She shivered when a breath of cool air touched her skin, and waited for his invitation to become a partner in his business as her heart rate slowed.

None came.

As he talked on about wanting to build an obstacle course just like the one the Halls had, reality crashed over her. After everything they’d been through, after everything she’d shown him, he still didn’t think she was good enough.

Sarah moved to climb out of bed, but Dan’s arms tightened around her. “Hey, where are you going? We’ve got plenty of time.”

“For what?” Sarah shoved him away and climbed out from under the covers. “For more screwing around?”

“Well, yeah.” Dan sat up. “I’m always up for that.”

“Well, I guess I’m not. Back to reality, SEALman.” She pulled her clothes on as she spoke, nearly ripping her dress in her attempt to pull its sleeves right side out. If she’d been smart, she never would have left reality. She’d have known that all Dan’s words about respect and equality didn’t mean a thing.

She grabbed the rest of her things and swept out of the door, slamming it behind her. She didn’t care if she woke up the whole house. She was done with Dan. Done with every military man. Done with all of it.

It didn’t matter how hard she tried or how good she was, it never counted, simply because she was a woman. She stomped back to her own room and began to pack, dashing a hand over her eyes when they began to burn with unshed tears. Tears? She hadn’t cried once during her tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. She certainly wouldn’t cry over a stupid SEAL. It was her own damn fault she’d let him worm his way into her heart, the better to smash it the minute she relaxed and let her guard down. How many times did she have to learn this lesson before it took?

A light knock several minutes later announced Regan’s arrival. “I heard a door slam. Are you all right?” She glanced around. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked softly after letting herself into the room.

“I’m going home. I’m going to start the paperwork to leave the Army. I’ll serve out my time and do the best job I can, and then that’s it. I’m putting the military behind me.”