Wyatt's War: Hearts & Heroes, Book 1 (10 page)

He shook his head and said through clenched teeth, “As crazy as you make me, we don’t have protection.”

“Let me down,” she insisted.

Wyatt eased her to her feet and gripped his member, rubbing his hands along the length to finish what they’d started.

She grabbed the bar of soap and created a thick lather in her hands, then pushed his hands out of the way and wrapped hers around him. Within seconds of pumping up and down his shaft, she had him back where he’d left off inside her. One more jerk of her wrists sent him flying over the edge, shooting his wad over her hands.

Fiona glanced up and smiled and handed him the bar of soap. “Your turn.”

He lathered up and ran his hands over her shoulders and arms, cupping her breasts in his big hands. They were perfect.

Fiona closed her eyes, letting her head tip back in the spray of the showerhead.

Wyatt trailed soap down her belly and wove his fingers through the tuft of curls covering her sex. Parting her folds, he flicked the nubbin hidden between.

Her breath hitched and she covered his hand with hers, urging him to continue. “Oh yeah. That’s the spot.”

Flicking again, he smiled at the way her face and body tensed. She responded to him so readily. With his other hand, he dug thumb into her pussy, and a single digit into her anus, taking up the rhythm of the strokes he applied to her clit.

Before long, she was hanging onto his arms, breathing hard, her body tense. “Holy hell,” she said as she dug her fingernails into his muscles. “I can’t…take…much…awwww.” She flung back her head and rode his fingers, her hips thrusting against him, her face strained, her eyes squeezed shut.

He continued until she touched his hand. “Please. I can’t take more. It’s too much.”

Wyatt slid his hands over her bottom and pressed her body against his, his cock sandwiched between them. “You are an incredible woman. Did you know that?”

Fiona laughed shakily, pushing her hair back from her face and letting the water run through it.

Her breasts bobbed and Wyatt seized their temptation, tweaking them briefly before squirting shampoo into his hands. “Much as I want to do this all again. I know you have to get done. Turn around.”

She obeyed. Her pale back and bottom were every bit as sexy as her front. Ready to tell the world to screw itself, Wyatt squelched his continued desire for this amazing woman and applied the shampoo to her long red hair, working it through the tresses to her scalp.

“I’ve never had a man wash my hair before.” She moaned softly. “Umm. I could get used to it.”

He bit his tongue to keep from telling her he’d do it for her any time she liked. Being with Fiona made him forget his troubles. All he had to do was fall asleep with her in his arms and they’d start all over again. He could never forgive himself if he hurt her because of his nightmares. Finishing, he turned her around and let her rinse the soap out of her hair. Knowing he should get out of the shower and let her finish on her own, he just couldn’t. He followed through with conditioner. The water began to cool and they finally climbed out of the shower and spent a few precious minutes drying each other off, laughing in the process.

Wyatt had never felt more relaxed in any other woman’s company and he was liking it far too much.

Then Fiona made the mistake of checking the clock on her cell phone and shrieked. “Crap, I have ten minutes to get to the ballroom.”

“You look great just the way you are.” Wyatt slapped her ass.

Fiona turned and touched his chest, her hand drifting down to his still hardened member. “You look pretty good yourself.” Then her eyes widened. “Crap. I didn’t even think about it. Do you have a suit and tie? The event tonight is formal. You can’t come in jeans and a T-shirt, and I really need you there. You didn’t even bring a hanging bag or anything.” She grabbed a brush and started yanking it through her hair. “There are stores in the River Center Mall if you need to be fitted quickly. But that’s cutting it way too close. Does Joe have a suit you could use?”

Pushing back his laughter, he captured her hand to keep it from flapping. “I think I can come up with something.”

She let out a steadying breath. “Oh good. Then go!” With a gentle shove, she guided him toward the bathroom door. “I’ll never get ready on time if you stay in here. Damn, I haven’t even dried my hair.”

Wyatt laughed out loud as she closed the door in his face.

Fiona met Maddie in the ballroom an hour before the event was due to begin. She’d barely had time to dry and pin her hair up and thank goodness she’d had her dress dry cleaned and hanging in her closet. After she and Maddie attended to the last minute details with the hotel staff, Preston’s security detail and Joe’s dogs, Fiona smoothed imaginary wrinkles out of her dress and waited at the entrance to the ballroom, greeting the guests one at a time as they filed in.

She’d practiced greetings in eight different languages and used those on the diplomats as she checked them off her list. Twenty minutes into the social hour she still hadn’t seen Wyatt and had begun to think he hadn’t had any luck locating the appropriate attire for the formal event. Damn, she wished she’d thought of it earlier.

Maddie leaned toward her. “Columbia and Venezuela are getting a little too close.”

Fiona glanced across the room.

The Columbian and the Venezuelan delegates were closing in on each other.

“Want me to run interference?” Maddie asked.

“No, I’ve got this.” Fiona hurried across the room to avert confrontation, hooking the Columbian’s arm and steering him away from the Venezuelan and toward the beautifully prepared hors
d’oeuvres
the hotel staff had prepared. When she’d introduced him to a woman from Argentina, she excused herself and glanced up as another guest entered the ballroom door. At that moment, the crowd separated long enough for her to catch a glimpse of the latest attendee.

A tall man dressed in a sharply tailored military uniform stepped into the room. Rows and rows of ribbons with shiny metals dangling off them adorned his chest. As he entered the ballroom, every female gaze shifted toward him.

His hair cut short, his chin cleanly shaven, he stood straight, his broad shoulders held back, his chest prominent and his mouth set in a straight line. Everything about him exuded power and dignity.

Fiona’s heart did a double beat when she realized it was Wyatt.

“Wow,” she said.

“Perdón, senorita?” The Mexican delegate leaned toward her.

“Pardon me.” Fiona left the man standing there without another word and sifted through the throng toward the entrance.

When his gaze captured hers, his eyes widened ever so slightly and appreciatively, sweeping over her length.

She was glad she’d found the simple black gown on sale at one of San Antonio’s most exclusive formal wear shops. With its V neckline and rhinestone straps it had been a particularly fabulous find. And based on the desire flaring in Wyatt’s eyes, it was a keeper.

Feeling like a schoolgirl on her first date, she held out her hand. “You look amazing.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” Without seeming to bend, he leaned toward her and whispered, “Only I prefer you naked.”

Her cheeks warmed. “Nice to see you found something to wear.”

“This old thing?” He winked and raised her hand to his lips, pressed a kiss to her palm and curled her fingers around it. He glanced around the room. “Everyone seems fairly civil at the moment.”

“So far so good.”

“In that case, would you care to dance?”

“Are you allowed to in uniform?” she asked.

He smiled and drew her hand through the crook of his arm. “Only with a beautiful woman.”

She turned and let him lead her to the dance floor. The string quartet she’d hired was set up on a raised platform in the corner. Fortunately the sick person was well enough and had made it to the hotel. They’d just started into beautiful, flowing waltz. Fiona hesitated as they neared the open polished wood of the dance floor. No one else was dancing. “Are you sure?” She turned to face him. “Have you ever waltzed?”

He smiled down at her with that sexy, confident smile. “You know I can hold my own on the dance floor, darlin’.”

Fiona chewed on her bottom lip. “Clubbing is different than dancing at a black tie affair.”

He placed his hand on her naked back and guided her onto the floor, holding her other hand in his. “I think I can manage.”

Without another word, he swept her up into the rhythm of the waltz, his steps perfect, his hand firm on her body, guiding her with each turn. She could have been a princess at a royal ball and Wyatt the prince, smiling down at her. Fiona had to stop herself from saying wow again. The man had so much charm, confidence and sex appeal, he melted her knees with just a look.

And in uniform…just wow.

As the song came to an end, Fiona sighed, disappointed. In Wyatt’s arms, she could forget everything else. “Where did you learn to dance like that?”

“My mother taught me how to waltz when I was a little boy. And like I said, I got a lot of practice at the country western honky-tonk some of us hung out at outside Fort Bragg during training.”

“Well, congratulate your mother for me. You did her proud.”

His smile faded. “She was a remarkable woman. She passed away seven years ago while I was on a mission.”

Fiona’s happiness faded. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“I still miss her.”

“What about your father?”

“That old coot is still alive and kickin’. He’s ornery enough to outlive me by a long shot.”

“I bet there’s a lot of him in you.”

Wyatt nodded. “Too much at times. If we spend time together, we end up buttin’ heads.” A smile softened his words. “But he’s a good man beneath the gruffness.”

Fiona could imagine an older version of Wyatt and wondered what it would be like to grow old with him? Would he be content to sit on a porch and rock through his retirement? Or would he still be charging headfirst into one adventure after another? Fiona suspected the latter and realized she’d prefer the same. Too bad this impressive soldier was so dead set on keeping their relationship casual and ending it upon the conclusion of this event.

With a sigh, Fiona waved toward the table laden with every kind of fancy finger food imaginable. “Hungry?”

His hand tightened around her waist. “Not for food.”

“There’s nothing I’d like more than to slip out of here and out of my dress and heels and make love to you, but my presence is required.”

Wyatt glanced around the room and back to her. “Is there a coat closet or an office we could duck into? I’m betting you aren’t wearing underwear beneath that dress.”

She let her lips curl up slightly on the corner. “You’ll just have to keep guessing until all the guests leave the party, now, won’t you?”

Wyatt growled low in his chest. “Want me to clear them out of here?”

Her eyes widened. “No, I do not. Besides, you wouldn’t want to wrinkle that pretty uniform.”

“Pretty?” He stood even taller, if that was at all possible. “I’ll have you know, Special Forces soldiers aren’t pretty. It’s not regulation.”

Fiona laughed. “Okay, then how about sexy uniform?”

He relaxed beside her and smiled. “That’s better. Can’t lose my macho appeal with a single word.”

Fiona snorted softly. “As if you could lose an ounce of macho. You’re practically bursting at the seams with swagger.”

“How long is this going on?”

Fiona smiled. “It’ll all be over by ten.”

“Good. I don’t know if I can stand wearing this tie that long.”

“If I can stand in these heels, you can wear a tie.”

“I’d rather you and I were naked.”

“I thought you weren’t anxious to continue our relationship?”

“You and I both know that after this event is over, I’m out of here. But while I’m here…” He tugged at his tie. “Damn, woman, you’re making this hard on me.”

Her smile tilted upward. “That’s the idea.”

One of the attendees called out to Fiona.

She sighed. “That’s my cue.”

“Go. I want to have a look around the building and parking garage. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She reluctantly left Wyatt to attend to the guests, making introductions to the visiting delegates and government officials. After a while her lips hurt from smiling, and if she had to shake one more gorilla hand bent on crushing her bones… Fiona counted the minutes until she could strip out of her dress and get naked with Wyatt again. By thirty minutes until ten o’clock, the party was in full swing and still she’d seen no sign of Wyatt.

Chapter Nine

Wyatt checked with every guard at every entrance to the hotel, saving the front entrance and the parking lot in the basement for last. As he stepped out the lobby door, he spied Joe and Bacchus surrounded by two very elegant beauties dressed to the hilt in low-slung gowns displaying more flesh than the material they were made of covered.

Joe, dressed in tailored slacks, a black button-down shirt and black necktie, with his short hair and blue eyes, probably appealed to the opposite sex. Add the dog he was obviously attached to and he was a veritable chick magnet.

When Wyatt appeared at Joe’s side, the ladies’ attention shifted to him and the shiny medals on his chest. For a moment he wished he still wore the jeans and T-shirt he’d had on most of the day. These women did not interest him in the least. Normally, he’d flirt and maybe even take a number and one of or both of them to bed.

But his mind was back in the ballroom with a feisty redhead and he couldn’t wait to get back and maybe catch another dance with her. She moved like an angel on wings. Only she was as sexy as the devil.

“Are you here for the convention?” The tall blonde asked while her shorter, brunette friend smiled shyly at him.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, then, I’m glad I went to the trouble to come to this little party.” The blonde walked her fingers up his chest to the shiny medals pinned to his jacket. “And what are all these pretty coins for?”

He grabbed her hand before she could put fingerprints all over the shiny medal. “Ma’am, I’m on duty.” Wyatt set her aside, gently but firmly.

“My apologies. My name is Brigitte.” The woman held out her hand as if to shake his.

Reluctantly he took hers and she deposited a keycard in his palm, leaned close and whispered, “Room two-eleven.”

“Ma’am, you don’t want to lose this.” He handed it back to her and stepped back.

When the blonde frowned and opened her mouth to say something, Joe loosened his grip on Bacchus’s lead and the dog pressed his nose to the woman’s crotch.

She squealed and jumped back. “Get that filthy creature away from me!”

“Sorry, ma’am. Bacchus, like some people, forgets his manners on occasion.”

Her cheeks reddened and she sputtered. “Well, I never.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Joe smiled. “I’m sure you never.”

The woman pulled herself up to her full height. “Come on, Meredith.”

The brunette giggled. “I seem to have dropped my lipstick tube. I’ll be with you in a minute, Brigitte.”

When Brigitte had gone into the hotel, Meredith smiled. “Bacchus is a rascal.” She bent to scratch the dog’s ears. “Or is it his master who’s the rascal?” She glanced up, her smile remaining firm, her brows raised in question.

Joe shrugged. “Can’t say. I don’t speak dog.”

Meredith winked. “I think you understand Bacchus better than you let on.” She held out her hand. He took it, tentatively. “Nice to meet you.”

Meredith grinned up at Wyatt and followed the blonde into the hotel.

Joe bent to pat Bacchus head. “He’s a better judge of character than most people.”

Wyatt laughed. “You can say that again.” He glanced at the brunette as she disappeared into the lobby. “You could have had her number by just asking.”

His friend shook his head. “Not sure I’m ready.”

Wyatt understood exactly what Joe was saying. “Do you think we’ll ever be ready again?”

Joe scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I hope so. That one caught my interest enough to think about it. I suppose that’s heading in the right direction.”

An image of Fiona standing naked in the shower flashed in Wyatt’s mind and he pushed it firmly back. “How’s it going out here?”

“So far so good. Only had to turn away one drunk and one salesman.”

Wyatt glanced around. “I thought Preston was going to man the front with you.”

“He only stuck around for the first hour. I haven’t seen him since. Said something about checking out the east entrance.”

“I was just there and didn’t see him.”

Joe touched his radio. “Try him on the box?”

Wyatt nodded. “Twice. No answer.”

Tapping the side of his handheld radio, Joe shook his head. “That’s the one thing we could count on in the army, good radios.”

“These aren’t bad. I tested them thoroughly earlier today, before Fiona issued them to us. They were working fine then and they have fresh batteries.”

“Guess you’ll have to find him without technology.” Joe jerked his head toward the door. “How’s it going inside?”

“So far no major incidents.”

“I caught a glimpse of Fiona.” Joe’s mouth quirked at the corners. “Just tell me you’re not interested and I’ll be all over her like a dog on a bone.”

Wyatt’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed in a glare. “I thought you weren’t ready for a relationship?”

Joe raised his hands. “Just sayin’. She’s a looker, that one.”

Wyatt knew. She looked good in her evening gown with her hair piled high on her head. Fiona looked even better naked, wet and panting in the middle of hot and heavy sex.

His cock twitched and he had to remind himself not to get too stirred up while in uniform. His trousers were tailor-made with no pleats to allow for sudden expansion of parts farther south.

“Would love to be a fly on the wall in there. I hear there are several dignitaries not too proud to pick a fight.”

“You want to take a turn around the ballroom?” Wyatt asked, knowing the answer before he asked the question. Joe had a distinct aversion to formal events. The black slacks, shirt and tie were his only concessions to being strapped into a monkey suit for hours.

“Hell no. That kind of stuff gives me the willies.” Joe nodded toward Wyatt. “You trying to impress Fiona with that chest full of medals?”

Heat rose up Wyatt’s neck. “Not really. It was the closest thing I had to a tuxedo. And I only wear it once a year. Didn’t see spending good money on tuxedo rental.”

Joe shivered. “Can’t see how you wear it. Too confining for me. Reminds me of wearing flack vests in Fallujah. Couldn’t breathe in all that equipment, much less maneuver fast enough to keep from being shot.”

They’d been together in the fight to capture Fallujah, taking one building at a time. The tension had been palpable and they’d all been on their toes. This situation didn’t call for an enemy around every corner, but it had its moments of tension. Though nothing like what they’d experienced in Iraq or Afghanistan. And nothing at all like what he’d endured in Somalia. Yeah, it was good to be back in the States for a while.

Glancing around once more at the relative calm of the activities at the entrance, Wyatt nodded. “I’m going to find Preston, then I’m headed back into the ballroom.”

“Better you than me and Bacchus. Although Bacchus likes the music.” Joe’s lips twisted. “When someone leaves the door open long enough, his tail starts twitching to the beat.”

As if on cue, a guest passed through the entrance and paused. The music from the ballroom drifted out to where they stood and Bacchus’s tail swished back and forth in rhythm.

A brief smile slipped across Wyatt’s face. He was glad his buddy Joe had Bacchus and his dog training business. Without it, he’d have fallen victim to PTSD, alcohol and possibly drug addiction.

For once, Wyatt was really happy to be in San Antonio instead of back in Somalia. And he realized much of his relief was due to his focus on Fiona. He was also glad that the danger here seemed limited to cat fights between delegates, versus hard to find and uproot Somali militants and Al-Qaeda terrorists.

Ducking back through the front door, he headed for the elevator, stepped in and punched the down button for the parking garage, the last place he planned to check anyway. Perhaps Preston was making his rounds and had ended up there.

When Wyatt stepped out of the elevator into the echoing, concrete walls of the parking garage, he was struck first by the lack of a guard on the elevator. His instincts perked and he loosened the button on his jacket to make it easier for him to reach for the gun nestled in the shoulder holster beneath.

There were two sub-levels to the parking garage. As he moved through the bays filled with vehicles, he didn’t spot even one guest. But something strange caught his attention on one of the concrete support pillars in a dark corner of the garage. A flashing red light blinked at him. As he neared it, he noted the creamy white clay-like substance, wrapped in black electrical tape, a mechanical box settled in the middle with wires poking out of it.

Wyatt’s gut clenched. He knew exactly what it was, having worked with it on many operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

C-4 explosives equipped to be remotely detonated.

Not knowing how many of the devices there could be in the building or when whoever had set them planned to detonate, he did the only thing he could think of, and yanked the wires out of the detonator, disabling the unit.

He got on his radio. “Joe, we have a problem.”

“Tell me,” Joe responded.

“C-4 in the parking garage, wired for remote detonation. I think Preston set them.”

“Fuck. I’ll start the evacuation up here. You better get out while you can.”

“Make it quiet. If Preston is still down here, he has a detonator. I don’t want him alerted that we’re on to him.” Wyatt’s jaw hardened. Why hadn’t Preston set off the explosions? The man had issues. Perhaps he could be talked out of destroying the hotel and the people in it. “I’m going to see if I can stop this.”

“Wyatt, this world doesn’t need another hero.”

“Just get them all out. And make sure Fiona is one of those evacuated, will ya?”

“Got it. Once the evacuation is underway, I’ll bring Bacchus down. He’s trained to sniff out C-4.”

“Deal.”

His heart pounding against his ribs, Wyatt raced through the garage, spotting two more of the lumps of clay-like charges, pulling the detonators from those as well. He couldn’t be sure he had them all and in the meantime, he had to get the people out of the building.

A car had just pulled into a parking space and the driver got out, spotting Wyatt coming toward him, he asked, “Is the hotel for the International Trade Convention social?”

Wyatt hurried up to the driver. When he was close enough to whisper, he told him, “Get out of the garage. Now.”

“But we just got here,” the man replied. “Is something wrong?”

Wyatt snorted. He didn’t have time to stop and explain. “There are bombs planted all over this garage. If you want to live, get your date and get the hell out, quietly. The man responsible might still be down here.”

The woman in the passenger seat cried out, jerked the door open and got to her feet.

The man grabbed the woman’s hand and hustled her back out the ramp to the exit, hurrying her along in her high heels.

After disarming the charges he could find, Wyatt circled around the ramp heading into the bottom level of the parking garage. At first it appeared empty.

When he stepped out into the open, a shot rang out, nicking his arm. Wyatt dove behind a vehicle as another bang echoed against the walls.

“You can’t stop this,” a voice called out, one Wyatt recognized as Preston.

“Preston, whatever your issues are, we can get you help.” Wyatt moved to the opposite end of the vehicle and eased around it.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Wyatt dropped to his chest and peered beneath the chassis of the Cadillac he was using for cover. He spotted Preston’s legs moving toward the stairwell. “Try me, Preston. I’m listening.”

“It’s too late. I have to set these off before they evacuate.”

“No, you don’t. These people don’t have to die. There are always solutions. Give yourself a chance.”

“No. I’m done and all those people who’ve pretended to be our friends, the countries who say they’re on our side and then kill us every chance they get, tonight, they’ll know.”

“What will they know, Preston?” Wyatt worked his way around one car, then another.

“The world will know that they all lie. We try to help them and they kill us. They killed every one of the men in my unit. And we were fucking trying to help them.”

“Preston, I’ve been there,” Wyatt called out softly. “I’ve seen my friends die in a battle we seem destined to lose. If we don’t try, if we don’t keep fighting for right, they win.”

“That’s just it. They’ve already won. Our government is too stupid to figure it out, and they want to keep giving the enemy money, keep educating them and building their fucking buildings for them. It’s got to stop.”

“This isn’t the way to do it, Preston. Killing innocent people isn’t the way to stop them.”

“Maybe it’ll make our enemies think before coming to our country and pretending they’re on our side. I’m tired of diplomacy. It doesn’t work.”

While Preston had been talking, Wyatt worked his way around the ends of half a dozen cars. He could see Preston pushing more C-4 into place with the detonator already strapped to it.

Wyatt started to stand. A loud bang exploded close by and a bullet pinged off the car beside him.

“Get back, Magnus. I don’t have a beef with you. If you want to live, get out now.” He fired at him again and ran for the staircase.

Wyatt raced after him, but didn’t reach him before the door closed and a bullet fired into the lock disabled it. He couldn’t follow Preston using that route, so he ran to the elevator, and punched the up arrow, speaking into his handheld radio. “Joe.”

“Wyatt, where are you?”

The door opened and he stepped in. “Coming up from the garage. It
is
Preston. He’s got some bone to pick with foreign countries and has set C-4 charges in the parking garage. He got away from me and is headed up. I don’t know where. And he’s also armed and has already fired at me several times.”

“Damn. I should have known he was a loose cannon when Bacchus growled at him. Look, they’re taking all the delegates from the ballroom out into the side alley,” Joe informed him. “I’m at the front entrance, monitoring progress.”

“Do you have a visual on Fiona and Maddie?”

“I saw Maddie out front, but not Fiona.” Joe cut out for a moment. “Sorry, someone bumped into me. Place is crazy. But I’ll let you know when I see them.”