DeliciousDanger (21 page)

“Oh, Jesus,” he breathed. “This is all I’ve dreamed about.”

With Rick firmly gripping her hips, helping her, Kelly moved
slowly up and down on his erection, picking up speed only when he urged her with
his hands. It was a delicate balancing act but she managed to take most of the
effort for herself.

“Rub your clit,” he told her in a hoarse voice. “Let me see
you play with yourself, Red. Come on.”

She moved her right hand over between her thighs, found the
sensitive button and stroked in a rhythm that matched the movement of her body.
She had never masturbated in front of a man before but somehow with Rick
everything seemed natural.

His body tightened beneath her and his fingers dug into her,
a signal that he was close. Very close. But so was she.

“You ready?” he rasped.

“Yes. Oh, yes.”

Up and down again, again. Then the final clenching of
muscles, his body taut as a bow, hers arching back, and they exploded. She
shuddered as the spasms raced through her, muscles convulsing, pussy milking
him, his cock emptying into the latex in hot, thick spurts.

Still breathing heavily, her skin covered with perspiration,
she eased herself from his body and slid off the bed.

“Don’t move,” she told him.

“Yeah, right.” His laugh was unsteady.

She brought facial tissues and a warm cloth from the
bathroom, efficiently disposing of the condom and cleaning his groin of her
juices that had spilled onto him. When she was finished she pulled the covers
up and leaned over him to give him a kiss.

“Sleep with me,” he begged. “Please.”

Kelly shook her head. “No, and for a lot of reasons. But
I’ll be right next to you.” She grinned. “And if you behave you might get
another treat tomorrow.” The smile disappeared when she saw him wince. “I hurt
you, didn’t I? I knew this was a bad idea.”

“I’m fine. I’d tell you if I wasn’t, okay?”

“You sure you don’t need a pain pill?”

“Hell, no. What we did is better than any drugs. I’m fine.
Great. Better than great. And I’ll let you off the hook tonight but tomorrow we
renegotiate.”

Kelly slipped beneath the covers of her bed, her body sated
for the first time in days.

For the next two days Troy got Rick up twice a day for long
walks, each time pushing a little harder, a little longer. When he announced he
thought they would move on to more strenuous exercise, he glanced from Rick to
Kelly, his face impassive but a corner of his mouth twitched with the hint of a
smile. “I figure you’re ready to handle it.”

Kelly and Xena watched as Rick went through the exercises in
Dogwood House’s physical therapy room and accompanied him on his walks. And at
night he’d managed to coax her up into the bed with him, despite her misgivings
that someone might walk in.

“I have nothing to hide,” he told her. “They need to get
used to this.”

Kelly was getting used to it, too. The pace of their
lovemaking at night was still slow, and often inventive if Rick was
particularly sore from his therapy. But she had to admit it was heaven sleeping
in his arms and feeling his warmth against her.

She’d never felt this kind of closeness with a man. Ever. As
if already she was part of him.

He couldn’t get enough of looking at her. Rick lay in his
bed and let his eyes travel over her lithe figure curled up in the big chair
where she was reading. With each passing day she became more and more a part of
him.

The scent of her perfume lingered in the room, reminding him
of vanilla and jasmine. Just a hint of it made his body sit up and demand
attention. Everything she did tantalized him. The way she draped her braid over
one shoulder when she was reading or working on her laptop. Just watching her
eat was an exercise in sensuality, her small tongue licking her full lips to
catch every bite of food. The smooth play of muscles in her throat whenever she
drank.

Today they’d taken another walk after lunch and when he lay
down to nap she dug a book out of her seemingly bottomless duffel bag to pass
the time. Now she sat with those long legs curled up under her, the fat braid
draped over her shoulder and resting on the slope of one breast, her
magnificent hair glowing in the light from the reading lamp like a thick flame.

The soft t-shirt she wore, a pale green that showed off the
alabaster look of her skin, draped softly against breasts that filled his hand
just right, their nipples poking into the center of his palms.

He felt his groin tighten just thinking about all the things
they were managing to do at night. He could never get enough of her. And it
wasn’t just sex, which amazed him. In such a short time she’d filled all the
empty spaces in his heart. Maybe in his soul. He tired of most women very
easily. He’d learned long ago that those who stuck, those who understood what
drove a man like him, were very rare.

Mark and Faith had grown up together yet it had taken a
crisis to make them realize what they had. For Mia and Dan it had been
instantaneous and binding. But for him, with Kelly, it seemed as if they’d
known each other forever and life had taken this long to put them together. She
was bright and funny and interesting. They never ran out of things to talk
about or stories to laugh at. He was getting to the point where he begrudged
her even the time it took for her to shower and dress each morning. He couldn’t
wait until they could do it together. Maybe it was the dog. More and more he
was becoming convinced of the value of psychic powers in everyday life.
Certainly Xena had helped them leap over several circuits to make the
connection.

Kelly shifted in her chair and flipped a page, tugging on
her bottom lip with her teeth as she concentrated on the book. Every movement
of hers fascinated him.

He’d teased Dan at the speed with which his and Mia’s
relationship progressed from nothing to forever and now he was in the same
boat. He could never let this woman out of his life. Yes, this one he was
keeping, no matter what he had to do to accomplish it.

He closed his eyes as sleep crawled over him, picturing her
naked. Oh god, he was so hooked.

* * * * *

As the days passed Rick continued to improve. His sessions
in the therapy room were more intense, his walks longer. He still insisted she
keep her arm around him when they walked although he certainly didn’t need
support.

“This is just an excuse to get my hands on you, Red,” he
whispered as he kept her pulled into his side, his arm wrapped around her
shoulder.

She didn’t argue. She loved the feel of his muscles under
her hand, the flex and movement. The heat of him. He was all male, leashed
power even in his present condition. Just leaning into him, his arm over her
shoulder, made her feel warm and protected. Kelly had never met a man who
aroused her so easily and so completely, who made her want him as much as Rick
Latrobe did. Their nights were unbelievable. For a man recovering from a major
injury he managed to accomplish amazing things in bed.

Xena was their shadow every step of the way, growling low in
her throat if someone she didn’t know entered their space. After the first time
it happened, Janet Houseman suggested they take Rick down in the elevator to a
secluded garden for his exercise.

“It won’t do my reputation much good if my patients get
eaten by a large dog,” she joked.

In the garden area he took every opportunity to touch her.
“I wish you could take off your clothes and let me see you naked in the sunlight,
Red.” Rick’s voice was low and filled with need.

Her own body responded to the image he created, nipples
hardening and moisture gathering between her thighs. “I think that might cause
a bit of a disturbance, don’t you?”

His smile was straight from the devil. “Yes but it would be
worth it, don’t you think?”Then she cocked her head. “Red? You called me that
before. I like it but where did that come from?”

He brushed the silky stands of hair that had escaped from
her braid. “From here. It’s like a flame, the most beautiful hair I’ve ever
seen.”

Kelly laughed. “You have such a smooth line.”

He grinned. “Yeah?” Then he sobered. “It’s not a line, Red.
I mean every word.”

He was leaning against a tree at the moment, Kelly’s body
pulled up to his. She could feel every hard ridge and plane, every dip and
swell. The thickness of his shaft as it pressed against her, swelling at the
touch. His mouth had captured hers in one of the drugging kisses that made her
forget even where she was and left her body quivering with need.

They broke the kiss only when they reached the point of
possible oxygen deprivation. Rick cupped her face gently between in his hands
and dusted her skin with light kisses. Every place his mouth touched her she
felt the heat of a flame. When he put his lips on hers she boldly licked at his
mouth, then opened for his welcome tongue.

“We’re going to drive ourselves nuts,” he rasped. “I don’t
know if a hundred years would give me all the time I want with you.” When she
dropped her eyes he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I worry sometimes that you’re confusing this with
gratitude. Or that you’re just…” She bit her lip.

“Just what?” he prompted.

“Horny.”She felt herself blush as she said it.

Rick gave a strangled laugh.“That’s probably true.” Then his
face grew serious.“But I told you. This is so much more than that, Red. This is
more than anything I’ve ever felt before. For anyone. The others might as well
have never existed. I want you to believe that. We haven’t known each other
that long but I want you in my life.”

“Your life is all over the world,” she reminded him.

“But I can live anywhere. Look at the Hallorans and Romeos.
They chose where they wanted a home base. I can do the same.”

“Don’t you think we’re rushing to that point a little
hastily? What if we decide we can’t stand each other?”

He brushed his lips against hers. “Not a chance in a
million.”

Xena, who had been sitting quietly at their feet, leaned
against Kelly and nudged her toward Rick.

“See?”he laughed. “Even Xena’s on my side.”

Kelly looked at the dog who stared straight into her eyes as
if sending her a message. “Xena and I may need to have a long talk,” she joked.

Troy did his best not to notice the way their faces were
flushed when he collected them to walk back inside the building.

They talked about anything and everything. A lot. She told
him how she’d gotten into the dog-training business. He told her about his
football days and his life in Special Forces. They discussed books. Music.
Movies. Their lives growing up. Families.

And she had to admit to herself he was right. It wasn’t just
the physical attraction that was growing between them, although they were
nearly at the point of combustibility. And then one morning she woke up and
realized this man had truly become an irrevocable part of her life. But now
there were other things to consider.

As his surgery healed, Rick’s impatience grew. Kelly knew
how hard it was for him being out of the loop this way. She was glad his
partners had insisted he have the time to heal but it was way past time to get
him back in the game, at least mentally. Troy called the office every day and
gave him regular updates and the others stopped in as time permitted. But Kelly
knew they were wrestling with the fallout from the Iraq situation as well as
handling other agency business.

“I have to get out of here,” he kept saying when she tried
to get him to rest. “If we don’t find out what happened to those weapons
Phoenix will be in bigger trouble than anyone can imagine.”

* * * * *

Nearly two weeks had passed since Kelly and Xena had arrived
at Dogwood House. They had all just come back from the garden and Rick was
sprawled on the couch in the suite’s sitting room rather than in his bed when
Mark and Mike arrived. Despite the grimness of their expressions, they both
allowed themselves small grins at the sight of Kelly sitting next to him, her
small hand in his large one. Xena, as always, stood guard at their feet.

“I always said there’s no medicine like TLC,” Mike
commented.

Kelly felt heat rise in her cheeks but Rick just held her
hand tighter.

“Didn’t you say I needed someone taking care of me at all
times?” he asked.

“Well, yeah,” Mark joked, “but we meant Troy.” His face
sobered. “But you know that’s not why we’re here.”

“I hope it’s to bring me up to date. I need to know what’s
been going on. And why no one wants to let me read the newspaper or watch the
news on television.” He made a face at Kelly. “Red, here, hides the television
remote.”

Kelly bit her lip and looked at Troy. He’d taken her aside
and told her the media circus the situation was causing. They agreed it
wouldn’t do Rick any good to see himself and the agency being crucified,
especially when everything being reported was still just speculation.

“Good girl.”Mike nodded his approval.

“Yeah, right,” Rick snorted. “Never get between a man and
his remote. So come on. Out with it. What have you been doing and what’s going
on? From the looks on your faces I’d say more bad news.”

“Let’s say Charlie Grainger is doing his best to arrange for
the agency’s funeral,” Mark told him. “Dan’s meeting with him again even as we
speak. GC is out a truckload of money and that cargo was our responsibility.
Not to mention the fact that we don’t know whose hands it ended up in. Or where
they’ll use them.” He heaved a sigh. “But that’s not the whole thing.”

Rick frowned. “You mean there’s more?”

“We think someone’s been checking out your house and the
airfield.”

Rick pushed himself up straighter in the chair. “What do you
mean? Did you spot something funny?”

Mike leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Let’s
admit to the fact that we all know whoever’s trying to kill you isn’t going to
stop. They expected you to be dead in Iraq. Unfortunately for them, you
survived. Now they have to finish the job.”