Waiting... On You (Force Recon Marines) (29 page)

“Do you think Yancy would make such a
deal with you?”

“He wants that heroin that he already
paid for pretty badly. I think he’ll deal with me. The question is whether he
knows anything.”

Hanna was quiet for a moment, then
asked, “If Li Chen wants you to find Lance and witness his death, why doesn’t
he just contact you and tell you where to find him?”

“It’s all in the game.”

“Excuse me?”

“Li Chen wants me to have to work to
find my brother; to wonder if he’s alive while I’m looking. To agonize over it.
He enjoys the game. Revenge is sweeter if it can be drawn out. And like I said,
these drug lords, particularly in the Chinese Triad, are big on revenge.”

That kind of hatred was beyond her
understanding. “I can’t believe our families have gotten caught up in such a
mess!”

“I should have realized Chen was a
threat to my family. I’m going to call Mom to let her know we won’t be home
tonight. I don’t want her to worry, especially under the circumstances.”

She completely agreed with that, even
though it meant the families would know that she and Nick were spending the
night together. “Go ahead,” she told him. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

“Without me?”

She pushed off the couch and looked
toward the bed behind them, then back at him. “There’s only one bed, so unless
you’re planning on sleeping on this uncomfortable sofa or the floor, I guess it
won’t be without you, just before you.” Before he could respond, she gave him a
provocative look and walked into the bathroom where she’d left her backpack.

While she was getting undressed, she
heard him talking to his mother. He said something to Jessie about not telling her
anything again that he wanted kept a secret. She must have chastised him back,
because she heard him laugh, then tell his mother it had all worked out okay.

Once she was undressed, Hanna put on
the little ivory sleep set Christine had bought her. Standing in front of
mirrored wall, she looked at herself, turning to judge each angle. The tap
shorts were silk and lace versions of men’s boxers, and they contoured her
round bottom to perfection. The matching camisole was scalloped in a deep
plunge of pink lace that barely hid her nipples. The tiny double straps were a
thin ivory satin rolled ribbon.

Never in her life had she worn
anything so daring or sexy. It was beautiful, and deliciously decadent against
her skin, but she was afraid to step out of the bathroom in it. The lingerie
was a clear announcement to Nick of what she wanted. But was that such an
outrageous thing? She wanted Nick to make love to her again. And who knew?
Maybe Christine was right, and this little number could make him wonder about his
total dedication to the Corps. It was worth a try. All she had to do was pull
it off without blushing.
Yeah, like she was capable of that!

Just walk out there and act cool,
composed, and in control— like it was no big deal to go to bed dressed in such
sexy lingerie.
But,
lord, she’d known Nick all her life! He’d seen her in flannel pajamas. He’d
just laugh at her attempt to look alluring, wouldn’t he?

Oh, for crying out loud, what a big
idiot you’re being!
She was thirty-four years old. Women her age seduced men all the time. Just
because she was inexperienced didn’t mean she couldn’t try.
Yeah, if you
don’t make a fool of yourself
, the little voice inside her head laughed.
Go
for it! Be brave
, her more courageous side said in rebuttal.
You love
the man. Go after him.

At the door, she heard him on the
phone, this time to Kurt. Glad that he was distracted, she walked casually into
the sitting area, past the fireplace, around the coffee table, and over to the
sofa, where she sat down and picked up a magazine. Nonchalantly, she curled her
legs beneath her, then took a peek at Nick over the top of her magazine. She
caught him staring directly at her. She smiled coolly back at him and went on
reading, ignoring the wild racing of her heart.

“Kurt, I’ll want that information from
you, but let me get back to you tomorrow,” he said to his friend. “I’ve gotta
go. Bye.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your
conversation.” Hanna put the magazine down that she really hadn’t been reading.
“What did Kurt have to say?”

His eyes were traveling over every
inch of her. “I ... a... told him about today, and....”

“And? Can he help you find Li Chen?”

He was definitely distracted,
disturbed, and he had yet to look at her face. “Yeah.... Maybe. He’ll check
with Seth and....” Finally, he lifted his eyes to hers. “Damn, Hanna, where did
you get that?”

His question worried her. “It was a
gift from Christine.” She searched his face, assessing his expression. “It
isn’t me, is it?”

“No. I mean yes, it is. You look
beautiful in it.”

“Really? Well— thank you.” She felt
herself grinning like an idiot.

“Maybe you should move a little
closer.” His voice was getting deeper and huskier. The color of his eyes was
getting darker.

Compelled by the growing desire she
saw reflected in them, she scooted closer. His hand came up to caress one bare
shoulder, then strayed to the lace scalloping and followed it to the middle of
her chest. His fingers slid over the ultra-soft silk and gently molded the
shape of her breast. Hanna closed her eyes, sighing. His hand slipped inside to
cup her naked breast, gently squeezing. With a groan, he drug her onto his lap
and sought her lips.

Fingering a nipple, he hooked a
muscular arm around her waist and pressed her closer. His kisses were deep and
penetrating, parting her lips so his tongue could delve inside to tangle with
hers. He kissed her until she was breathless and boneless in his arms. She was
aware of the little moans coming from her throat, but she was helpless to halt
them.

Liquid heat washed over her in waves.
Needing to touch his warm bare skin, she shoved his snug black t-shirt up to
his armpits. Her hands immediately wandered over every inch of exposed muscle.
Her action broke his contact with her breast, but she didn’t care. The need to
touch him was desperate and overwhelming.

She wanted to make love to him... to
seduce him, to rock his universe, to make this the most unforgettable night he
ever experienced. When he left her for his precious Marine Corps, she wanted to
make sure he carried indelible images of her around in his head.

The little voice in her head
laughingly told she was too inexperienced to rock his world, but she chased the
thought away, determined she’d just do what felt natural. She’d learned a lot
from him several nights ago when he’d made love to her in a number of different
and intoxicating ways. Now she’d just use it on him.

Determined to be bold, she urged him
to lift his arms. When he complied, she shoved his t-shirt the rest of the way
off, over his head, and then tossed it backwards, onto the floor. He chuckled.
She settled herself more squarely on his lap, throwing one leg over his to
straddle him. Her fingers slowly wove through the silky dark hair that lightly
contoured his chest.

Leaning forward, she pressed her lips
to his collarbone, then moved them slowly along the weather-roughened column of
his thick neck. She kissed the Adam’s apple that she never failed to find so
sexy and masculine. She kissed his chin, then nibbled her way up along his
sharply defined jaw, to the area beneath his ear.

She heard a deep rumble in his throat,
then the sweet sound of her murmured name. She smiled with pure female
satisfaction. She, shy, inexperienced Hanna Wallace, was turning handsome Nick
Kelly on. The awareness gave her added courage.

The tip of her tongue found his ear.
She traced the outer shell, two, three times, felt him shiver, then used her
tongue to delve inside. She felt his reaction between her legs. His sex hardened.
Her teeth tugged and gently bit his earlobe. It must have been a particularly
sensitive spot for him, just like it was for her. He shuddered and dug his long
fingers into her bottom almost painfully, pulling her even closer. Her laughter
was muffled against his neck, then her mouth slowly moved across his handsome
face to his other ear. Before she got there, though, she had to stop at his
cheekbones, then his eyes, closing them so she could caress his long thick
eyelashes with her lips.

Butterfly kisses traced the length of
his hawk-like nose, then descended to his lips. She felt the rapidness of his
breathing. Pleased, she traveled up the other side of his face, giving it the
exact same treatment. Finally, she found his other ear. While she nibbled on it,
she unzipped his jeans. By that point, he was breathing raggedly, his skin
flushed and damp with heat.

He tried to push her down on the sofa,
to get her beneath him, but Hanna wasn’t ready to end the foreplay and her
seduction. Scooting backwards off his lap, she slipped to her knees, in front
of him, between his legs. For a long moment, she just stared up at him.
Shirtless, with his jeans unzipped, he looked so sexy that he stole her breath
away. This was how she wanted to remember him when she lay in her bed, alone,
after he left.

That thought brought a sheen of tears
to her eyes, so she lowered her head, unwilling to reveal them to him. She
might not have any more than this, but he was here with her now. It was enough.
It had to be, she told herself a little too desperately.

Anxious to please him, she put her
hands on his knees and slid them slowly toward his open zipper. Her fingers
spread the opening wider, then slipped inside the fly of his boxer shorts. The
crisp hair at his groin felt incredible beneath her fingertips. She allowed
them a few moments of exploration, and heard him suck in a sharp breath. Then
with a boldness she never would have guessed she possessed a month ago, she
lifted him free of his shorts and his jeans.

His erection jutted before her
magnificently. She swayed forward and put her lips on him. He groaned loudly as
his hands went to either side of her head. For a moment, she thought he’d push
her away. Then his fingers began caressing her scalp, while she caressed his
penis with her tongue and lips, then very gently with her teeth.

It was much more thrilling than she’d
ever imagined. He was hot, velvety smooth, and oh so hard! The sensuality of
the act was a wonderful surprise to her. She hadn’t expected to be so aroused
herself by it. She suddenly felt she couldn’t get enough of him. Her mouth
became more aggressive, sucking and swallowing. She wanted to consume him, and
much to her surprise, she found she loved the smell of him there.

“Aw… Hanna! No more!” With shaking
hands, he pulled her mouth off of him and looked down into her eyes.

“Why? Didn’t you like that?”

“Damn it, yes! Too much!” Lifting her,
he set her on his lap again and buried his mouth against her neck. “I just
can’t take any more of that particular torture without....” He couldn’t seem to
finish what he was about to say, his breathing was so ragged.

He held her tight against him for a
long moment, cradled on his lap until his heart stopped racing, then set her on
her feet and reached down to pull off his boots and socks. She watched him rise
off the sofa and push his Levis down to step out of them. Then he took her hand
and moved around the room to turn off all the lights. He left the gas fueled
fire burning. It cast a soft romantic glow over the now darkened room.

At the door to the bathroom, he looked
toward the big marble bathtub, his eyes widening. Then, he tugged Hanna inside.
“I’ve been envisioning us in a bubble bath all evening,” he said, grinning at
her lasciviously. “Shall we light the candles, fill it, and try it out?”

She nodded, mesmerized by the silver
fire in his eyes. While he searched for matches, she put the stopper in the
tub, turned the water on, then poured the bubble bath and scented salts in.
There was a switch on the wall for the Jacuzzi. She turned it on, then set the
timer on for as long as it would go. By the time Nick found the matches and lit
all the candles around the tub, the water had risen to an adequate level.

Hanna stepped out of her skimpy silk
boxers as Nick turned to switch off the overhead lights, throwing the room into
a luminescent glow of flickering candle light. She pulled her camisole off
while he stepped out of his shorts. He was still impressively aroused, she
noticed, and wondered naively if it hurt him to remain so for this long.

They stood in front of one another,
silent and staring, while the sound of the Jacuzzi jets filled the room.

“I better get a condom,” Nick said
finally.

Hanna shook her head. “I’m not
ovulating. We’ll be okay.” She touched his chest and splayed her fingers wide
to caress him. “I want to feel the real you in me tonight. No barrier.”

“Oh geez, Hanna!” He reached out to
caress her cheek, then took her hand and guided her to the tub. After stepping
over the high rim into the steaming, effervescent water, he swiveled to help
her step in after him. They sank together into a thick froth of lavender
scented bubbles. Nick scowled as he reclined back against the end of the tub
and drew her over him. “I’m going to smell like a damned flower tomorrow!”