Wet For Her Warriors (Book 5 of the WILD -- Warriors Intense in Love & Domination -- Boys of Special Forces) (12 page)

His hands never
left her shoulders, but it felt like he’d punched her in the gut. “Stop it,”
she whispered.

Her protest went
unnoticed. “But when nothing gets in, nothing gets out, either. Underneath the
dome, you’re wilting, aren’t you? You’re needing, wanting, begging for
something more.”

Okay,
now
she needed to get furious. The ignition for the rage was there; she felt it
burning through her chest and the base of her throat—only when the heat rose, it
turned to liquid. She glared at him through the tears. “You have no right,” she
rasped. “I’m not Luna, and you have no right!”

He didn’t drop
his hands. But his head flinched as if she’d thrown a physical blow. The sun,
dipping lower, filtered its way in to flow across his face, so classic, carved,
strong…

So wanting.

Don’t.
Don’t
want
me. Please
.

“Yeah,” he
finally uttered. “You’re right.” He pulled away slowly and gave an apologetic
shrug. “Guess I overstepped again.”

“It’s all
right.”

“I know. And
thanks. But before you turn and stomp your sweet ass out of here, let me set
something straight. Even if God had cloned you after fucking Orphan Annie, I’d
have said exactly what I did. The fact that you’ve got those eyes and that hair
and that body—yeah, it’s damn nice—but that’s where
Luna
stops and
you
begin. And I’m sorry if the other night, and the grey geese soaring in my head,
led you to think that I’m not wise enough to know the difference.”

She folded her
arms and threw out a shrug of her own. “You’re not an idiot, Tait, nor did I
ever think you were. You’re serving under Franzen, and he’s a picky
koa
when
it comes to the guys on his team.”

Like a morning
swell on the waves, an answering smile rolled beneath his lips. “Damn. You’re
one of a kind, woman. And yeah, if Luna were alive today, I’m sure she’d like
you, too.”

She blushed and
punched his shoulder in retaliation for it. “You still barely know me.”

He pointed a
couple of fingers back at his chest. “The guy who has to add people up fast for
a living, remember? Also the guy who’s spent a shitload of time with a brother
who can’t stop talking about you, and will be eating something besides chips
and salsa tonight because of you.”

She narrowed her
eyes at him in blatant skepticism, though the three bags of tortilla strips on
the kitchen counter declared his statement more true than she’d like.

Tait leaned
against the back of the couch before continuing on, with warmth suffusing his
face, “I know you two would’ve been good friends. You’d balance out her
pragmatism with your spirituality. You’d show her a woman can be just as
powerful in flip-flops as stilettos. She loved creating art to make the world
more beautiful, but you see the world as art already.” He paused, cocking his
head once more to deeply study her. “Yet in many ways, you’re exactly like her.
And for seeing all of that, I can’t and won’t apologize.”

Lani shifted
again.
Don’t ask it. Don’t ask it
. “In many ways…like what?”

He straightened
his gaze, sure and steady about it. “In your soul,” he answered. “In the fire
of it, the unfaltering conviction of it. The way you’ll fight for what it knows
to be right, no matter how dangerous the fallout is for you. The beauty it
gives to your complete bravery.”

It was suddenly
very hot in the room.

Lani coughed,
jabbing a toe at the floor.

“Sorry,” he
mumbled. “
Again
. ‘Overstep’ seems to be my new call-sign today.”

“It’s okay,” she
blurted. “I asked, right?” The words depleted her air. Damn it, she’d remember
to breathe again in a second…hopefully.

Aue
!
Was this
what a girl got when she simply wanted to make sure a guy wasn’t starving to
death? She’d come here bearing groceries and was leaving with a mind that been
torn open, a soul requiring a HazMat sign from being irradiated so much…and a
body that was sinking fast into a quicksand of need, inspired by a man who’d
barely touched her.

The best friend
of the man she
was
sleeping with.

Ohhhh, yeah.
Hell’s travel agency was giddy and booking her trip this second. One way. No
refund.

She needed to
get out of here. Now.

Easier said than
done. Because doing it meant looking toward Tait once more. His proud stance.
His piercing gaze. His set jaw. His decadent lips…now silent and still. Thank
the gods.

They had to keep
it that way. Feelings had to stay silent now. Safe now. Not just for Kellan’s
sake, but for
her
sake—and most importantly, for Tait’s sake. She had to
keep telling herself that, because the intensity on his face, dizzying her with
desire all over again, already made the resolve a bitch to keep.

She finally
summoned fortitude to speak. “I—I don’t think I’ll be able to come back here
again.”

“I understand.”

She shifted her
weight, feeling even more ridiculous. “So…don’t starve, okay?”

Where was the
damn door
?

A girl had to be
careful about letting her attention wander in the same room as a man who’d
studied ninja tactics for job training. When she lifted her head again, he
stood less than a foot in front of her. And when she opened her mouth to gasp, he
invaded it with his own.

He gave her no
choice about protesting the kiss—and she didn’t want one. With a whimper, she
gave herself to every demanding sweep of his tongue, every crushing mash of his
lips. Her ears rang. Her knees buckled. She gripped him for purchase, sighing
at the feel of his rippled shoulders beneath her hands.

All too fast,
the explosion was over. An anguished cry spilled from her. The same sentiment
seemed to grip every breathtaking angle of his face as the sun turned his hair
into a dark gold halo.

With silent
strength, he stepped away. A bittersweet smile took over his entrancing lips. “I
won’t starve. I promise.”

The words, soft
and sad, were a relentless echo in her head during the drive home, through the
early evening chores, and into dinner preparation. They finally diffused when
Kellan came barging in, hot and sweaty from replacing a bunch of rusty pipes in
the water pump. He was accompanied by Randy and Roger, the married couple from
next door who’d been invaluable in helping her keep Hale Anelas running. As a
reward for the guys’ hard work, she made a pizza with hand-rolled dough, topped
with fresh mango and tomatoes from the garden, along with caramelized onions
and barbecued pineapple. Baked chicken wings and a salad, tossed with more
fresh fruit, completed the meal.

As the men relaxed
with post-meal beers on the lanai, it was impossible to ignore fresh thoughts
of Tait. He would’ve filled out the conversation so perfectly with his sarcasm
and smirks.

She beat back
her melancholy with a sharp mental stick. Gods! The stubborn shits had done
this to themselves! Since when had it become any of her concern? Why the hell
did she care about playing peacemaker for two grown, mule-headed men?

Since you
realized that every inch of your body craves both of them.
Every
inch…

She had to get a
handle on this nonsense.

A dunk in a
bunch of cold water should do the trick.

After changing
quickly into her swimsuit and grabbing her towel, she made her way back out to
the lanai.

“Grrrr,” Roger
teased in greeting. “Hel-lo, Honey Rider. You going my way, Bond girl?”

“You wish.” She
giggled as she sidled onto the arm of the chair filled by Kellan. His gaze slid
over her in open appreciation.

“I’m beginning
to crave a martini and a tuxedo myself,” he drawled, “and I hate that
dress-up-like-a-monkey shit.” He trailed an appreciative knuckle down her
thigh. “What’s up, hot stuff?”

She gave him a
smile and a warm kiss. “I need a swim. Feeling a little tense. Be back soon.
Promise.”

The tide was low
and the waves were calm, allowing her to concentrate on nothing but the flow of
her body as she swam. She left the cares from the shore back
on
the
shore, wishing for nothing but a brief escape from the conflict in her body and
the increasing divide in her heart, made worse by the events of this afternoon.
Made damn near impossible from the moment Tait had kissed her…

It’s done. Gone.
In the past. Which is where it will stay
.

The resolve
powered her steps back onto shore. Even made it possible for her to issue a
hard nod to herself in encouragement while she walked to the rock where she’d
draped her towel.

But didn’t
prepare her to turn around and be stunned by the man who appeared out of
nowhere. Tait was clearly not the only one who’d taken stealth training.

“Gods,” she
blurted. “Kellan, I think you scared my toe polish off.”

He dipped his
head with a knowing glint in his eyes—another move eerily similar to what Tait
would do. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

“Really?
Sneaking up on your lover to the point she has to book a fresh pedicure
tomorrow? That’s a good thing with you Spec Ops boys these days?”

“Can be.” He
leveled his gaze with the same steady omniscience. “If we think it’ll get her
to talk to us.”

She was glad to
already have her towel in hand. Averting her gaze seemed natural instead of
purposeful as she began drying herself off—and breathing down her quickened
pulse. “Well, here I am, talking to you.”

“That’s not what
I mean and you know it.”

She slid the
towel along her arms. “What are you getting at? How many beers have you—”

“One.” He took
the towel, twisted it to form a thick rope then whipped it over her head in
order to trap her by the shoulders. “Come here.” Though his grip was ruthless,
his tone was beseeching. “Look at me, Lani.”

Despite his
plea, she spluttered with aggravation. “What the—”

“Look at me,” he
countered. “You barely ate at dinner, which means something’s eating
you
.
So out with it, woman. Talk.
Now
.”

Kellan was
grateful that Randy and Roger had noticed Lani’s strange behavior as soon as he
did. Right after she took off, they both confirmed their suspicions to him. They
shared that even though the woman could be private at times, she seemed extra
burdened by something tonight. Sharing his concern in duplicate, the couple insisted
on leaving shortly after she disappeared for the beach, encouraging him to go
after her. That was all it took to send him jogging down the bamboo planks.

Now that he’d
locked her in his embrace, all their suspicions were substantiated. In every
inch of her twisted lips and tensioned neck, he saw the evidence of her
anxiety—and wasn’t going to let her get away with it any longer. Not that the
woman didn’t clearly have other plans.

“I picked at my
dinner so you think something’s bothering me?” she snapped. “
Pupule kela
.
This is crazy.”

“Nice try.” He
let the coiled towel fall to her waist. Yanked on it to haul her against him.
“Go ahead and fling all the ca-ca you want, starshine. It wasn’t just your
nonexistent appetite that has us here—where we’re going to stay until you
spill.” He gave a taunting sigh. “I could easily stand here for a few more
hours. How about you? The air feels good, the stars are bright and incredible—”

He was stopped
by the dual fist thumps she gave to his chest. He grunted but didn’t budge.
Shit, the woman could pack a punch when she wanted. “Damn
paˋakiki
,”
she spat.

He grinned. She was
pretty adorable like this. “Why, thank you.”

“It means
stubborn ass.”

“Then thank you
very much.”

“Fine.” Just like
that, her rebellion dissolved into obvious insecurity. She turned her head in a
longing look toward the path back home, which Kell decided to allow. “There…was
more to my afternoon than just the bank and the store.”

Though he’d
expected the answer, a weight pressed his chest. “I’d figured as much.”

She gaped. “You
had?”

“Of course.”
Despite his tension, he lifted her chin in order to give her a soft kiss. “You’ve
been strung more tight than a greenie about to blast your first cherry in
airborne.”

She winced. “Good
heavens.” Her horror made him laugh, until he felt the tension still gripping
every inch of her body. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I really am. I guess I
didn’t think it was that big of a deal, and I didn’t want you to be upset, so—”

“Lani.” He
gripped her chin a little tighter. “Out with it already. If I’m pissed, it’s
certainly not going to be with
you
.”

Her lips
twisted. “Huh?”

“Just tell me. Where
did Benson find you? At the bank? Or was he catching up on his gossip mag
scoops at the grocery store? And what kind of crap did he try to pull?” Though
he was certain his ire wouldn’t dim even if the asshole had given her a simple
wave from his fancy-ass Escalade.

She shook her
head. “No, no. Shockingly, Gunter doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

He firmed his
stance, though now her discomfort crawled through him, too. “Okay.” He did his
best to keep his tone encouraging.

“I stopped at
Franz’s house.”

A long moment
ticked by. She still bit her lip like she’d sold state secrets to terrorists.
“Ummm…okay?” he repeated.

“I was worried.”
She gave him a tentative glance. “About Tait.”

He did his best
to respect her solemnity, but a chuckle slipped out. “And you thought I’d be
upset about that?” Her answering scowl, radiating confusion, grabbed his heart
and squeezed. “Starshine,” he whispered, sprawling fingers across her jaw to
ensure she kept looking at him, “the depths of your heart blow me away.”

He meant every
damn word, an admission that scared him a little. Perhaps more than a little. But
tonight, that fear felt…good. Really good. He wanted this fear if it meant
having the woman who came with it.

“You’re really
not mad?” Though the tension in her frame began to ease, her face still carried
a crunch of bewilderment.

“Holy fuck.” He
laughed again. “No.” After sliding another kiss across her lips, he went on,
“Lani, he’s my best friend. My
brother
, remember? We may be going through
a strange patch right now—a
really
strange patch—but I love the guy.” He
brought up his other hand to caress her nape. “Your compassion for him doesn’t
upset me. It moves me.”

She turned to
kiss his palm. “You’re pretty incredible, Kellan Rush.”

Her admiration,
especially over something so simple, made him feel higher than the moon. Giddy.
And bold enough to break out a deep scowl at her, filled with his real
vexation. “What
does
piss me off is the fact that you kept all this from
me in the first place. I’m not your teenage brother, sweetheart. I’m a grown
man, capable of processing things like one.”

A grin—of
sorts—quirked her lips. “And the man wonders why I was worried.”

He dipped a hand
to playfully bat her ass. Lani giggled and squirmed against his hold. The
action, combined with the fact that she still stood here in nothing but her
damp bikini, flared his irritation flared into a different kind of fire. He
lowered his lips to hers once more, but took them with harder emphasis. After
dragging away, he growled, “I really
should
spank your ass for that,
naughty one.”

Her eyes went wide.
The blue-silver depths had picked up brilliant flecks, instantly betraying the
woman’s excitement at the idea. One side of her mouth kicked up. “You wouldn’t
dare.”

“No?” He spun
her around then locked her back against him, wrapping arms around her shoulders
and waist. “I could and I would,” he growled into her ear. “And maybe I still
will. It’d be a first for us both, but I guarantee you one thing: Tait’s shown
me enough techniques that I’d know just how and where to redden your beautiful
ass.”

She let out a
little moan that hardened his cock and softened his hold. He slid both hands
down to her thighs, caressing them from the inside juncture and out, setting
his goal for the sweet swells that she rubbed straight up the shaft beneath his
khakis…

Just before she
bolted from him at a full run.

Her laughter
rocketed through the air in her wake. “Spank me?” she teased over her shoulder.
“We’ll see about that—if you catch me.”

He let out an answering
growl, finishing it with a laugh. Lani squealed and quickened her sprint into
the forest. Between the black ropes of her wet hair, the black lines of her
swimsuit, and the shadows cast by the moonlight through the trees, it was
natural for him to click into hunter mode, tracking his elusive she-panther
through the jungle.

Tracking—but not
catching.

After several
minutes, the scenario hit him as a plausible, if incredible, possibility. “Damn,”
he muttered, pausing in a clearing that was a little over halfway to Franz’s
place. He’d been wrong to think he had the advantage here. He navigated terrain
like this for the day job, but she’d been doing the same since she could walk.

Just when he
considered finding a hiding place and waiting her out, Lani’s laugh rang out, reeling
him forward once more. His senses sharpened, zeroing in on her location. He
veered right, smiling.

She was getting
cocky. And careless.

He answered her giggle
with a snarl, playing up its frustrated edge. The tactic worked. Her next laugh
shot through the trees, directing him back toward the left. As the sound of her
footfall sliced through the trees, he altered his own, adopting the careful
tread that his battalion mate, Ethan Archer, affectionately referred to as
“snaky steps.” Going silent was infinitely easier without a rifle in his arms
and a hundred-pound ruck on his back.

He snuck through
the trees until he spotted her again, fifteen feet away. So close…damn near
within pouncing distance. And close enough to hear what she muttered to
herself.

“Shit, shit,
shit. Where’d he go?”

Her moment of
hesitation was his instant of opportunity. He sprinted, catching her unaware.
Lani shrieked, laughed, and dodged, but made the move too late. He scooped a
foot beneath hers, forcing her to topple toward a bed of moss. Before she took
a full header, he caught her by the waist, controlling her descent. That was a
good thing, since he went down with her. In seconds, they were surrounded by
the lush knee-high plants, with the cool, thick grass as a makeshift bed. And
goddamnit, what the combination of this woman and
any
bed did to the
shackles of his sexual control. This time, it was even better. She was pinned
against him once more, her ass slammed to his crotch, her skin damp and
gleaming, and her body shuddering with the force of her breaths.

He leaned in,
scraping his teeth along her carotid. She shivered harder, lurching against
him. He tightened his hold and let out a low rumble. Their struggle turned him
way the hell on—not a confession he’d normally be proud of, except that her
throat was right under his mouth, enabling him to feel the needy mewl that
vibrated up the silken column.  

A question
filled his mind. He wondered, with every new beat of blood to his cock, how
she’d react to it. “Did I scare you?”

“A little,” she finally
rasped. “Y-yes.”

He dropped his
teeth to her shoulder. She writhed and pushed back at him again. He widened his
knees and held on harder, digging his fingers into her pliant curves. This
push-and-pull between them, an erotic wrestling match, was something he’d never
attempted with a woman before, something he’d never even dreamed of trying.

Because he’d
never met a woman like her before. Lani, who matched him strength for strength.
Lani, who’d almost outrun him in a jungle chase. Lani, his perfect island
goddess—now his gorgeous, vigorous captive.

“Are you still
scared?”

She swallowed
hard before arching her spine, trying to struggle with him again. She was
either really alarmed or really aroused. Kell guessed a little of both. “Do…I
have something to be scared of, Sergeant Rush?”

He switched up
his tactic. Instead of yanking her back against him, he pushed her onto the
ground, pinning her there, both his hands over her wrists. “Maybe you do, Miss
Kail.”

“Are you…still
going to…spank me?”

“Hmmm. Good
question,” he drawled. “Though I wonder why you raised it.” After drawing up his
knees to make his body hover inches over hers, he slid a hand down to the
perfect hills of her backside. “Could it be that you
want
to be
spanked?”

Lani whined softly
but didn’t shift position. Kellan studied her a moment longer. Was the sound a
legitimate protest, or just a whimper of confusion?

“There’s nothing
wrong with wanting it, sweetheart,” he murmured. “A lot of women like it, you
know. Even crave it. Endorphins are a nice high.”

“Oh, God!” The high
little cry verified her standing. She was conflicted. And scared, too. Most of
all, of herself. During the few times Kell had accompanied Tait to the Bastille
club as an observer, he’d seen this more than enough to recognize it. Thinking
about one’s kinky side was one thing. Acting on it was another.

Time to drag
this she-panther back to territory she knew.

“Perhaps I’ll make
you wait for that spanking, little girl.” He skidded his fingers under her
bikini bottom, rolling her soft flesh between his fingers before giving her a
sensual pinch. Lani squealed against the ground as he repeated the nip on her
other buttock. “After all,” he continued, dipping his hand between her cheeks
in order to tease the rim of her vagina, “anticipation can be just as
excruciating as execution.”

A gasp burst
from her. “Kellan!”

“Hmmm?”

“Ohhhh…Kellan…yesssss…”

The sight of her
like this, shivering and squirming beneath him, was fucking exquisite. His cock
pulsed a thousand times harder than during their impromptu WWE show. Damn, he
loved doing this to her…controlling her very breaths with the subtle movements
of his fingers. The mental rush was just as powerful as considering his hand
smacking her ass.   

You made the
right call on that, man. She wasn’t ready for the spanking.

He’d just been
preparing to start a finger fuck Lani would never forget but stilled his hand.
If a freight train slammed the forest that second, it wouldn’t equal the jolt
from the voice crashing in his senses.

You made the
right call.

Inside seconds,
he knew why the affirmation had felt so strong. He and Lani weren’t the only
ones out here. His nerve endings sizzled with the certainty of it, exactly how
they did when he was about to squeeze the trigger on a dead-perfect shot. He
raised his head and peered through the trees, needing to know if his intuition
was on the mark…terrified that it would be. Wondering if he’d really find the
one person on this earth with whom he shared a connection so strong, it
bordered on a psychic mind meld at times.