Queen (26 page)

A sound intruded into Cody's sleep, yanking him rudely into consciousness. Without taking time to decipher what he'd heard, he rolled out of bed, pulled on a pair of jeans, and began buttoning them as he stepped into his sneakers. An impulse to hurry frightened him. The only thing he could imagine was that one of the boys was sick or that Queen needed him.

In seconds he'd gone from his room to his sons' room down the hall. It didn't take long to see that all three were in place and deeply asleep. That left Queen.

She was gone. Her bed was empty, the covers thrown back as if in a hurry. Her robe, the one he'd given her, lay across a chair where she'd tossed it. Her gown was on the floor at the foot of the bed.

The bathrooms were empty, the hallway in shadows, lit only by the glow of the quarter moon hanging just above the treetops. The house was cool, almost chilly, and he absently turned up the heat as he passed the thermostat.

The stairs creaked in several places as he came down them, and he stopped and listened between sounds, hoping once again to pinpoint what it was that had awakened him. Ignoring the darkened rooms, he walked with unerring aim through the house toward the kitchen. And then he saw her through the open door.

He recognized the sweater she was wearing as an old one of his by the fact that it hung nearly to her knees, noticed that her legs and feet were bare as she stood on the decking outside, staring out into the night. The wind tossed her hair and pressed the sweater against her body with constant persistence.

"What in the world?" he muttered, and went out the kitchen door to where she stood sentinel at the rail.

"Queen, baby… what's wrong? And where the hell are the rest of your clothes? You'll freeze."

She spun, startled by the sound of his voice, and then put her fingers to her lips and shushed him.

"Listen! Cody… what is it? What's making that sound?"

He listened, and then he heard… coming down the mountains, dancing across the treetops, sliding through the hollows, and racing toward the valley below. He tilted his head and felt its breath and shivered responsively at its power.

"Chinook."

To a lady from Tennessee, it was an unfamiliar term.

"Is it a storm? I heard water dripping off the roof of the house by my bedroom window and thought it was raining. And then the wind rattled the windowpane."

Cody slipped his arms around her, pulling her backside snugly against him, and rested his chin against the curls blowing across his cheeks as they faced the wind.

"Don't you feel it?" he asked. "Close your eyes and tell me what you feel."

Safe in the shelter of his body, she obeyed and then seconds later cried, "It's warm!"

"Right!" Cody said. "A chinook is a dry wind, a warm breath from the west that comes down the Rockies during winter or early spring. Look at the trees."

Queen peered into the moonglow and then gasped. "It's melting! Cody! The world is melting."

He laughed softly at her excitement. "No… the world's not melting, but the snow damned sure is, and I can't say I'm sorry. This was an early snow, even for Colorado. I'm afraid our winter has barely begun."

Queen shivered within his arms. "I don't care. As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything."

Her admission left him speechless. He tightened his grip and felt her relax against him. The trust that she gave so willingly made him humble.

"Lady, you take my breath away."

"That's just the wind," Queen teased, and smiled to herself as she felt his hands sliding up the outside of her sweater.

She closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure as he cupped her breasts in his palms and then moved against her from behind in a slow, side-to-side motion that she knew was meant to entice and excite. Within seconds it had served its purpose as his hands slid down her front and splayed across her belly and lower, marking their place in increments of heat.

"Cody…"

He heard her say his name, felt her muscles jerking in spasms beneath his hands, and knew that the chinook had warmed up more than the snow.

"It's too cold out here for this," he said, and urged her toward the door.

"Not if you don't stop," she whispered, turning in his arms. She moaned softly when his hands slid around to her backside and cupped her hips, pulling her closer, too close, not close enough, to the hard bulge of him beyond the fly of his jeans.

"Come upstairs with me," Cody said. "I want to feel you beneath me when I come."

His words were a seduction in itself. She shuddered, remembering the powerful thrusts of his body within her and the ensuing burst of pleasure and passion.

She moaned as he shifted her sweater to caress her bare flesh beneath. "I can't walk that far, Cody Bonner. I'm already too far gone. Help me, because I can't help myself."

He couldn't think past the whispered admission in his ear. But he could feel her body trembling, and her honey on his fingertips, and knew that one of them had to act before motion became impossible.

"Oh, God," he groaned, and moved without thinking, aware only of the woman about to combust and the need he had to burn in her fire.

He yanked at the buttons on his jeans, let free the swollen jut of his manhood, and then with one smooth motion lifted her up and then let her down… on him.

She locked her arms and legs in place and fell face forward on his shoulder as his arms held her firmly upon him.

Words were impossible as sensation became the only sense she could remember. He filled her.

Cody braced his legs, tightened his hold, and tried not to explode as her muscles contracted around him in tiny tremors of motion. "Come with me," he begged, and began the act of love.

She did as she was told.

Minutes later Cody shivered, but from exertion and emotion, not from cold. Somehow he managed to pull himself together and stagger to a deck chair, where he and Queen collapsed in each other's arms.

She snuggled against his chest and curled her feet and legs into his lap, unwilling to give up the closeness of what they'd just shared. "Oh, Cody," was all she could say.

"I know." A moment later his heart crashed against his chest as he realized what they'd just done. "My God, lady! I just made love to you without protection."

Queen turned and drew her knees up on either side of his legs as she straddled his lap. She placed both hands squarely on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.

"I know what we did. And I don't care," she said. "The question now remains… if… if anything happens… will you be ready to suffer the consequences or will you be buying that bus ticket for me yourself?"

He shook her, overwhelmed with anger at her doubt of his love. "Goddammit! Don't put words into my mouth, lady! I was concerned for you, not myself. In my heart, you're already a part of my family. We've just never discussed adding to it, that's all."

Queen sighed and leaned forward until her lips were inches away from his face. "You don't understand what you mean to me yet, do you?" she asked. "In my heart… you already protected me. In my mind… you'll do what's right no matter what the cost. With you, I always feel protected… and loved. Whatever comes from that will be wanted and welcomed."

Their lips met. Soft meshed with firm, cool with warm, sighs blended and changed into reluctant moans as they drew apart.

He lifted her into his arms and then stood and headed for the door. "Come with me, honey," he begged. "This time we do it my way."

"Whatever you say, Cody. Whatever you say."

The next morning, less than an hour after the boys had left for school, Cody was already downstairs when he heard a familiar but unexpected sound.

Queen came out of the boys' bedroom with a handful of dirty laundry and then stopped at the top of the stairs and watched Cody dart from the living room out the front door. It was then that she, too, heard the noise, dropped the laundry, and started to run.

It came out of the sun, its propellers making a popping noise that echoed back and forth between the mountaintops as it circled above them and then began to descend, coming down toward the wide-open space in front of the house like a bee aiming for the open petals of a blossom.

"What in the world?"

Cody turned at Queen's surprised comment and shrugged, trying not to frown at the spectacular appearance of Lt. Colonel Dennis Macon. "It's Dennis."

Queen grinned. "I knew you should have called him back." She ignored Cody's muttered obscenity as Dennis climbed out of the helicopter and sidestepped what was left of the melting snow as well as the puddles it had created.

"Got any coffee left?" he shouted as he bounded up the steps. The helicopter's rotors were still turning, lifting Queen's hair and Cody's temper.

"What the hell do you want?" Cody asked.

"Come on in," Queen said. "I'll see."

Cody glared, aware that he and his comments had been entirely ignored, and followed the two inside.

Dennis Macon wasn't the type to stand on ceremony. He took one look at Queen and then embraced her. "Angel… it's good to see you smiling."

Queen flushed and wiggled out of his hug as quickly as possible. She'd seen the look on Cody's face and had no desire to make things worse between the men. She sensed that Dennis somehow held the key to Cody's ultimate satisfaction with himself.

"Thanks," she said. "It's good to still be here and able to do it."

Dennis shook his head, marveling at what she had endured and the strength of character it must have taken to survive it. And then he remembered who had been ultimately responsible for it happening and grinned.

"Hey, Coda-man," he said, slipping back into the vernacular the men had used when serving together, "so you've gone and made yourself a hero again. That's good… real good. Getting you in practice for the real thing, right?"

"Dammit, Dennis. I told you I—"

"Cody…"

Queen called his name quietly, firmly, and with warning. He frowned, caught the look on her face, and sighed, knowing that she'd never forgive him if he turned this down now.

"Why are you here?" he asked Dennis.

"Because the snow melted enough for me to show you the project sight. Thought you might want to take 'er up yourself on the trip over. And because you didn't call me back and tell me not to come."

Cody's eyes, bright with a mixture of reluctance and desire, told Queen everything she needed to know. She'd seen the interest… and she'd seen his need. Flying was in his blood. She'd already accepted that. And forty-two was too young an age for a man like Cody Bonner to retire.

"I'll get Dennis his coffee while you're changing," she said, and walked out of the room.

Cody watched her leave and knew that she'd given him more than her blessing. She'd given him back his life… and everything that mattered in his world.

"Quite a woman," Dennis said.

"Yes, she is," Cody replied. "And just so you don't forget… she's all mine."

Dennis cocked an eyebrow and grinned at his buddy's friendly warning. "Like I didn't already know," he said as Cody disappeared up the stairs.

Minutes later Cody came downstairs to find Queen calmly entertaining Dennis and feeding him banana bread and coffee. Cody watched her, suddenly remembering her fears of being unable to compete in his world. She needn't have worried. She didn't have to do anything but exist and she had men eating out of her plate… and hands.

Queen looked up. Dennis's words faded into the background as she focused on Cody. His blue gaze raked her body with a look that made her tremble. Her hands shook as she quietly replaced the empty plate upon the table between Dennis and herself. She remembered being impaled upon Cody's body only hours earlier and felt herself go weak. From the look in his eyes, he was remembering the same thing.

Dennis stuttered to a halt as he noticed that he was the only one having a conversation. He half turned on his seat to see Cody waiting at the doorway.

"Hey! I didn't hear you come in. Why didn't you say something?" He set down his coffee cup and got to his feet.

"I was talking to someone else," Cody said, and watched Queen blush.

"But I didn't hear you…" Dennis stopped. Suddenly he got the message of what was, and was not, being said. "Okay." He sighed. "Maybe I do hear you. For God's sake, let's go before someone catches on fire here." He turned and gave Queen a wink. "Unfortunately, I can tell it won't be me."

Queen grinned, ignoring his playful complaint as she walked with them to the door, aware of the excitement Cody was experiencing.

"We'll be back in the early afternoon," Dennis said. He dug into his pocket and handed her a card. "And if you need to get in touch with Cody before then, just call this number. They'll patch you through to us anytime."

"Thanks, man," Cody said. This unexpected gesture had suddenly released him from his last vestige of guilt at leaving her alone. If she had a way of contacting him, she would not feel totally abandoned.

"Thank you," Queen said. "But don't expect to hear from me because I don't expect any problems. In fact, I have all kinds of projects planned that definitely require that I have my space."

Dennis tipped his hat and went out ahead of Cody, giving them their own space in which to say good-bye.

Queen brushed at a wayward strand of dark hair across Cody's forehead that seemed destined to stray and resisted the urge to cling to him. He'd become so important in her life that she couldn't imagine it without him.

"Be careful," she said. "And look at this project with open mind, not old fears. We can't be happy if you're not happy, Cody."

He nodded and then opened his arms. She stepped inside. "I love you so much, lady," he said, and pressed a quick, passionate kiss across her mouth before she had time to argue or answer.

In seconds he was gone, and she watched from the deck as he crawled into the chopper, belted himself in, and then lifted off with a wave and a smile.

She watched until the small black speck disappeared into nothing. She tried not to mind that he had a love other than her, then told herself she was crazy for being jealous of motors and wings. When he was with her, they had their own way of flying.