Talk. She wants to talk. Well, cowboy, you knew you couldn't just sweep it under the rug, right?Zach talked to himself while he sliced the roast and arranged plates with the meat, the perfectly done new potatoes and a serving of the green bean casserole. One last trip to the kitchen for the rolls and the bottle of wine and he slid into the chair opposite Maddie.God, she's so beautiful. The firelight makes her hair look like spun gold and her skin absolutely glows. I'm glad she didn't snap up the front of my shirt, I love looking at her perfect breasts peeking out, those gorgeous nipples so rosy and still hard. I wonder if I'll ever get my fill of her."You're staring," she told him.Zach mentally shook himself. "I could stare at you for the rest of my life, Maddie. You are so gorgeous. So perfect. You take my breath away."She lowered her eyelids in that shy, sexy way she'd always had."You always did have a way with words, Zach Brennan." She pushed her empty plate away from he
Was that all right? Maddie nodded her head."More than all right," she said shyly.It was definitely all right. Here all these years she'd been carrying around a hurt, thinking Zach had just used her and thrown her away. Now she accepted what a difficult choice he'd had to make. She didn't agree with the choice but she didn't hate him any more, either."What about the barns and the stable?" she asked suddenly. "The animals have to be taken care of.""You can take the girl out of the ranch but you can't take the ranch out of the girl," he teased. "I made preparations just in case. I've got two hands sleeping in each building, making sure everything's all right.""Whew! Thank goodness." She relaxed against him. "Then I have just one more thing to say to you."He frowned. "What's that?""You've got too many clothes on, cowboy."He laughed as he rose gracefully to his feet, shucked his boots, jeans and boxers and stretched out beside her again. He was totally unprepared when Madd
Zach laughed, a warm sound that rolled over her like honey. "You can never be too bold for me, sugar pie. The bolder the better, okay?""Okay.""Let's untangle ourselves for a minute here while I pour us some more wine. Then I have something I want to say to you."Maddie couldn't help but admire the excellent lines of his body as he rolled to his feet. The hard muscles outlined by the firelight, the flat stomach, the narrow waist and tight buttocks. Just looking at him every one of her pulses leaped to life.He handed her the wine goblet, then eased himself back down on the pillows. Outside the wind raged like a demon and they could hear the sleet pelting the house."Damn!" Maddie put her wine down and leaped to her feet. "I need to make sure my sisters are okay. What if they're stuck out in this somewhere?"Zach reached up to take her hand. "Didn't you tell me Lisa went to Ty's? And that Jenna had hooked up with Mitch?""Yes but - "At that moment the telephone rang and she sn
"Darlin'." Zach kissed her shoulder. "I need some kind of lube here. You're tight and I don't want to hurt you."She felt herself blush even though he couldn't see her face. "I have some with...with my...""With your what?""My vibrator," she whispered. "It's upstairs in my room."He chuckled against her back and the sound of it echoed through her body. "Vibrators are nothing to be shy about, darlin'. I might even make you let me watch you use it." She felt him move away from her. "In your nightstand?"She nodded, still not looking at him."Be right back." He trailed his hand down her spine, then along the cleft of her buttocks and down to her dripping pussy." "One second. That's all."It seemed like forever to Maddie as she waited for him but then he was back, his warm body over her, his mouth raining those shivering kisses over her again. His hands moved and she tensed."Don't tighten up, darlin'. It will be all right. You know I wouldn't hurt you, right?""Yes,""Okay, the
Maddie tried to roll over but a large male body seemed to be blocking her way. Not to mention the male arm looped across her midriff holding her in place. And...oh, oh. The softening male penis still lodged in her rectum.Every muscle in her body felt as if it had been stretched and stepped on by a herd of wild mustangs. She was sore in places she didn't even know she had, yet she was filled with an enormous feeling of satisfaction unlike any she'd ever had before.The great heat from the fireplace seemed to have died down, although Maddie wasn't cold. With the backup generator on heat wasn't a problem. Still, they probably should toss some more wood on the fire.She had no idea how long they'd slept, or even what time it was. And moving didn't seem to be an easy option."Zach?""Mm hmm?" His voice was lazy and thick with sleep."Wake up. What time is it?"He licked the edge of her ear and kissed her cheek. "Time to have more great sex." He kissed her again. "Time to make love."
"Stand still and let me do this, darlin'," Zach said as he began stroking his hands over her body.He soaped every inch of her, from shoulders to hips and down to her feet, bending to rub the lather into her ankles and feet. He skimmed over the freshly shaved skin of her mound, barely touching her slit where she could already feel cream gathering again. Then he turned her around and did the same with her back, letting his fingers linger in the cleft of her buttocks and the insides of her thighs. By the time he was finished her blood was heated again and her pussy was clenching with need.She wrapped her fingers around his wrists and tried to force his hand down between her legs but he just gave her another of those wicked smiles."Now my turn," he told her, handing her the plastic bottle.Maddie was determined to torment him as much as he had her. Standing on tiptoe, she reached his shoulders and his muscular arms, then moved over his chest, spending extra time rubbing his nipples
Zach stopped and looked into her eyes, his gaze holding hers. "But after yesterday and the last few hours, I know that feeling's still there for both of us. You didn't say it but I feel like you still love me too. So here's my idea." His grip on her hand tightened. "Marry me, Maddie. Marry me and we'll run the ranch together. The money I was using to buy the place can go toward adding more stock or whatever else we decide needs doing around here." He lifted her hand to his lips, turned it over and kissed her palm. "What do you say?""M-Marry you?" She was stunned.During the long, erotic hours of the previous night she had wanted this so badly but by morning uncertainty had crept in. Now here it was, the thing she'd hardly dared hope for."Maddie?" Zach's voice had a slight tremor of uncertainty. "I love you, Maddie Mae. You fill my heart. I'll never forgive myself for hurting you but if you marry me I promise to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. So will you? Be my wife
Part Three: Wet HeatThe Story EndsPeyton Gerard signed her name to the lease agreement and accepted the key ring the real estate secretary handed to her."Do you need a map or anything?" the woman asked. She had introduced herself as Willa Getchell. "Directions to where you're going?""No." Peyton smiled. "I know exactly where I'm going. My family used to summer here.""Oh, how nice." Her smile was immediately replaced by a look of distress. "I'm really sorry Eileen isn't here. She always likes to handle these things herself.""I'm positive it will be fine with her," Peyton reassured her. "She probably just got held up on her last appointment.""She must be out of cell range." Willa twisted her hands nervously. "I called and texted her, but she didn't answer me.""She'll be happy you were able to help me.""Yes, well, I hope so." The woman frowned. "She usually leaves these things on my desk in cases like this. I don't know why she didn't this time. I wasn't very comfortab
Peyton curled up in a corner of the couch, cell phone to her ear, smiling."So you like it?" she asked Grace."Like it?" The woman's voice practically shrieked in her ear. "I love it. My god, Peyton, I think this is going to be the best thing you've ever done. Maybe I should send all my authors for a month at a cabin in the Maine woods."Peyton laughed. "First of all, it was a cottage. Secondly, it was at a lake, not in the woods.""Close enough. Someday, you'll have to tell me what it was that flipped your switch up there."Maybe, maybe not. Dixon Amendola was a memory she would hug close to herself, her thoughts and feelings confined in her own private world. She knew she'd never see him again. He'd made it very plain before their very first kiss that anything permanent was not happening. The SEALs were his life, and although other men had combined the dedication with family, apparently Dix didn't feel he could take the chance.That was okay. She'd taken all her thoughts and feelings
The Blackhawk had disgorged them at a flat surface on a rock outcropping at a specific point in the Hindu Kush. Dix hated these goddamn mountains. The name Kush meant death, and had probably been given to the mountains because of the dangerous passes between peaks. There was little vegetation, and the icy wind blew constantly. But the mountains provided a perfect hiding place and gathering places for al Qaeda because of the very desolation and the notches in the mountains where the terrorists built their camps and villages.Dix and his team had memorized and then memorized again the terrain where they'd be climbing and the places they'd have to conceal themselves to make the kills. Two snipers, two spotters, four backup, including the team medic and the radio guy. This time he was fucking damn sure nothing would go wrong.They climbed slowly, clinging to the rock face, paying careful attention to everything around them. Carrying all their heavy gear didn't slow them down. They had, aft
"You're good to go, Dix." His CO looked up from the medical report he was reading. "I have to say I wasn't completely convinced you could do it, but the doctor said your thigh is fine. Won't give you any problems.""I wouldn't go out on an op if I thought differently," Dix pointed out."I know that." He met Dix's gaze. "I know how badly you want to lead this op, but I want you to remember two things." He held up one finger. "The screw-up last time wasn't yours. The politician who compromised the information has been dealt with, and the number of people on the need-to-know list for this one has been reduced to the smallest number possible. And no congressmen."Dix blew out a breath. "Good. That's good."The man held up a second finger. "You have nothing to prove, so just focus on the mission itself. I know you can do it.""Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.""One change, though. No target extraction this time. The order is to kill the fuckers dead.""Yes, sir." Dix had to force himself
The afternoon turned into hours of erotic bliss. If she'd thought the nights they spent together were hot, they were nothing compared to this. Dix pulled out all the stops, introducing her to sensuous delights she'd only read about in books. She finally lay snuggled against Dix, every muscle like wet tissue paper, every area of her body sore but satisfied, wondering if she would ever again have sex as good as this.Enjoy what you've got while you've got it.She needed to keep telling herself that."How about a quick swim to cool off," Dix suggested. "Then I'll fix dinner. How does grilled chicken and corn on the cob sound?""Mouthwatering," she told him. "But I'm more than happy to cook. Really."He rolled her on top of him and peppered a row of kisses along her jawline, ending with one on her nose."Nope. It's my turn. But you can make a salad to go with.""Do you think we can go skinny dipping?" She gave him a mischievous grin. "I think I'm too beat to pull my bathing suit on.""Only
Peyton sat at the picnic table down by the lake, her laptop open, staring at the words on the page. The pitiful few words on the page. She was glad she wrote electronically instead of on paper or she would have wasted reams of it by now. She couldn't count the number of times she'd written the damn first chapter, only to delete it and start again. She finally, finally had a concept in her head, but she couldn't seem to make it come out on paper in a way anyone would want to read. Too much of it was still swirling around in her brain.She had truly believed this week would be a turning point. Lord knew it was one of the best weeks of her life. During the day, Dix jogged his gazillion miles then did his long swim in the lake while she sat outside and read. After lunch, they fished or went into town, and she showed him all the places that were still there from when she was a kid. And, at night, they had the most incredible sex she had ever imagined. She couldn't call it making love. That
"Get the fuck away from me." Dix reached out to smack the person, only to encounter soft flesh and hear a smothered scream. His eyes flew open. Crouched beside him in the bed, holding her jaw and trying to talk him off the ledge, was a very naked Peyton."Dix, wake up. Please." She turned on the bedside lamp, reached out, and stroked his face, trying to calm him. "It's okay. Everything is all right. I'm right here."His eyes focused on her, and his stomach flopped. The way she was holding her jaw, had he - Fucking shit.His heart was racing in overdrive, and he was covered with sweat. The dream was still so vivid. And Peyton. Jesus! He hoped he hadn't broken her jaw."Let me look at that." He reached for her, and she backed away, making him feel even sicker.But then she blew out a breath and moved close enough that she was crouching next to him. Unbelievably, she stroked his forehead and his cheek, soothing him. Him! The guy who probably broke her jaw."You're all sweaty," she
Dix snugged Peyton next to him tightly, her soft body curled into his. They had made love twice more - No. Not made love. Had sex. He needed to stop thinking of it as anything else. There was no future for him the other way. His brain was messed up, as was his future. Getting involved with anyone was not only at the bottom of his to-do list right now, it wasn't even on it. But, for the first time in forever, he wasn't a ball of nerves lying in bed. He thought he might actually get a decent night's sleep as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to take comfort from the woman he was holding.He sank softly into fleecy clouds, his muscles relaxing, his nerves not synapsing as he let the dream surround him. There was Peyton Gerard, naked, red hair tumbled in curls around her shoulders, rosy-tipped breasts begging for his mouth, her - Whap! Whap! Whap!The helicopter blades sang a symphony as the craft hovered to release the team at the drop zone. The stealth helicopter, a Blackhawk f
Dix placed an open-mouthed kiss right at the entrance to her channel, took one last lick at her sensitized skin, and looked up at her. His smile was so wicked, she began to get turned on all over again."You have the best cunt I've ever tasted," he rasped. "Sweet and tart and spicy all at the same time. It's like mixing chocolate candy with a margarita."Peyton couldn't help it. Even as she lay trembling and weak, she burst out laughing. "Is that some kind of recipe?""I think it's a unique one." He studied her face, eyes glittering. "Maybe I should call it the Peyton Cocktail. Only I couldn't put it on any bar menu because I'd have to kill anyone who tried to order it."Her laugh was breathy and unsteady. "O-okay." She ran her tongue across her bottom lip. "That was...incredible."He gave a rough chuckle. "Only incredible? I think I'll have to do better."If he did any better, Peyton was sure she would die from it.He rose to his feet and undressed so swiftly it took him scant
"Well?" He almost whispered the word, his lips back to within a hair's breadth of hers. "If you don't say anything, I'm going to assume the answer is no, and we'll do our best to forget this ever happened."As if she could.She ran the tip of her tongue over her lower lip. Dix's mouth was so close, she stroked his along with hers, and his hands tightened on her."Y-yes." She almost whispered the word. Lord, why couldn't she just say it with confidence? There was no doubt she wanted this, no matter what else happened between them, But, at least this time, she was going into something with her eyes wide open and no unrealistic expectations.His mouth came down on her again, firm this time, with just the right amount of pressure. He used his tongue to trace the seam between her lips, a gentle caress, rimming the outline then back to that seam. The contact was harder, more intrusive until she parted her lips for him and that hot tongue swept inside. Tilting her head back, she welcomed