Dawn of Valor (10 page)

“Right.”

“Rachel?”

She turned, looking across her shoulder. “Yes?”

“Be
very
careful.”

Rachel saw the glimmer in his eyes, his concern burning straight through to her heart. “Of course.”

Chase watched her disappear, the faithful dogs at her heels. If they weren’t in such a dangerous situation, he’d have thought it an endearing picture. Rachel had a way of taming the most ferocious of beasts—even him. Sighing, he stood waiting tensely for her return.

The rain started minutes later. Chase cursed under his breath, moving to the dryness of the cave. The temperature was dropping, and his flight suit wasn’t enough to stave off the chill brought by the rain. He sat cross-legged, anxiously awaiting Rachel. Time crawled by. Chase kept looking at his watch. Each minute felt like a miserable hour.

Rachel appeared out of the darkness, her once buoyant page boy hanging limply around her face. She was soaked, Chase discovered, as she crawled into the confines of the cave. Her fatigues were drenched, and she was shivering involuntarily.

“Come here,” he ordered roughly, gathering her into his arms despite her protests.

Between the fear of being discovered and the cold rain, Rachel was chilled. As Chase reached out, dragging her against him and then settling onto his back, all her protests died away. He was warm, and Rachel closed her eyes, snuggling closer.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she chattered, burying her head beneath his chin, trying to control her shaking limbs.

“Be quiet,” he breathed, running his fingers against her wet hair, squeezing the water out of it. “Etiquette only goes so far. This is one time we’re going to ignore social conventions.”

The caress of his hand against her hair and back soothed her fears. Her hand stole up his chest, her fingers coming to rest against his dry flesh just below his neck. His leg folded across hers, bringing her tightly against him. The gesture was wildly intimate, and she tensed, too tired to fight or pretend to be outraged.

“Relax,” Chase growled, running his hand up and down her back, creating circulation in her chilled flesh. He felt her tightness dissolve, the curves and slopes of her body fitting beautifully against him.

The rain drummed at a hard, steady rate outside the cave. Rachel loved the sound, and she nuzzled upward, her lips resting against the bearded curve of Chase’s cheek. He smelled of perspiration and of maleness. Inhaling deeply, Rachel succumbed to his ministrations to warm her.

“I’m so tired, Chase,” she murmured against him.

“I know you are. Go to sleep.”

His strong fingers found each source of tension in her back, and Rachel moaned as he began to gently massage those areas. How did Chase know where each sore muscle lay? Was he an expert on women’s backs? Probably. Drowsiness pulled at Rachel and she allowed Chase to take her full weight. That last thought pulled at the corners of her mouth, and Rachel spiraled deeply into sleep.

Chase awoke with a jerk. He heard roosters crowing in the distance from the village below. Blinking, he raised his head, looking out of the cave. The rain had stopped, and a wall of thick fog lingered outside, muting the forthcoming dawn on the horizon. The air was chilly and damp, but he was warm.

All his attention focused on Rachel, who lay in his arms. A groan came from within him as he raised up on one arm, studying her in the dim light. Her lips were parted, making her seem excruciatingly vulnerable. Gently he smoothed away several strands of hair from her cheek. Her skin felt like velvet beneath his fingertips, and he stroked her cheek one more time.

A small sigh whispered from Rachel’s lips as he caressed her flesh. A sharp heat centered in his lower body, and Chase felt himself growing with real need of Rachel. As he lay there, his hand resting on her shoulder, absorbing her into him, Chase tried to order himself not to feel, not to want.

You want her, Chase. In the worst way. Why? Rachel’s not like the other women you’ve known.
He tried to throw the reasons in front of himself as he gently brought her back against him, wildly aware of her pliancy in sleep. If she were awake, she’d fly like a wild bird out of his hands, accurately reading the intent in his face, in his hands. His fingers sliding up the dry sleeve of her fatigues, Chase continued to caress her.

Rachel awoke in a languorous heat, responding to Chase’s quiet, evocative caress. She felt the stroking motion of his fingers gently kneading the flesh of her arm and shoulder. It was a dream…a torrid dream, she told herself. Chase would never do that in real life. A moan of pleasure sighed through her, and she enjoyed each firm touch that aroused her senses to sharpened life.

Rachel’s moan struck Chase hard, his need turning into a fiery, demanding ache. He saw the slight smile hover around Rachel’s lips although she was still asleep. He tried to tell himself that stroking her arm and shoulder was harmless enough. His gaze never left Rachel’s face. She was an angel, her hair a black halo around her clean features and those thick black lashes lying against her flushed cheeks, enticing him.

His attention centered on her lips, and Chase tried to breathe, strangled by his own desires surging hotly upward through him. Just to feel her once, to taste her texture, was all he wanted. A hiss came from within Chase as he fought himself. He couldn’t! Rachel’s face lingered before him like a beckoning mirage. Just one kiss wouldn’t hurt anything….

Rachel stirred, feeling the moistness of breath against her face. Her lashes barely lifted. Where did dream end and reality begin? She wasn’t sure, drowning in the stormy blueness of Chase’s eyes that held hers captive with sizzling need. He was so close, the beard making his face hollowed, darker, more harsh. His male scent entered her flaring nostrils as she saw him lower his head those last few heartbeats to meet her lips.

The heat of her dreams melded hotly with reality as she felt Chase’s mouth brush her lips. A sigh rippled from Rachel as his butterfly touch grazed her. Instinctively she leaned upward, wanting more of him, wanting to revel in his maleness. She felt him run his tongue across her lower lip. A shiver of yearning fractured through her like sunlight on a chilled day. His mouth claimed hers a third time and she felt his strength molding and cajoling her to celebrate their mating. Heat radiated outward from his mouth as he cherished her, drank her into himself, and Rachel closed her eyes, a moan coming from the very depths of her awakened femininity.

His breath was hot and punctuated against her face, his mouth searching, exploring in urgent, hungry need of her. Rachel returned his kiss with equal fervor, just as starved as he. The experience was so new, so wonderfully pleasurable. She felt him smile against her. Fulfillment riffled through her as his mouth searched, inviting her to explore him in return.

The dream ended abruptly when Rachel realized what she was doing was wrong. Placing her hand against his chest, she pushed him away, her lips throbbing, on fire.

“No…” she whispered, staring up into his hard, intense features. She shivered, vividly aware that her breasts were aching with a strange sensation. Her breath was coming in ragged gulps, and she lay frozen, snared by his gaze. Confused by the heated signals of her body, Rachel could only look helplessly up at him.

Without thinking, Chase reached out, caressing her hair. “I’m sorry,” he said thickly, “I got carried away….”
Dammit,
Chase chastised himself. He saw the bewilderment in Rachel’s wide eyes. But he also saw the emerald fire within them, telling him that she had enjoyed the unexpected kiss as much as he had. Slowly Chase removed his arm so that she could scoot away from him.

With nettle like heat, Rachel’s blush emphasized the shame she felt over her wanton actions. Getting up, she left Chase’s side and made her way out into the foggy dawn, disappearing into the wall of mist.

Congratulations, you stupid bastard.
Chase shook his head in disgust. Rachel was flushed and shy, unable to face him. He watched her disappear from view. Anger drenched his throbbing flesh. Had this whole fiasco turned him into nothing more than a caveman lusting for a mate? Self-reproach effectively quenched his remaining desire as he crawled out of the cave.

The fog was thick. Chase could barely make out the rocks six feet away from him. That was the only good thing about today; no one would be able to spot them. Chase closed his eyes, dragging in a deep, unsteady breath. Lord, how sweet Rachel tasted. She hadn’t been kissed too many times. The thought pleased Chase a great deal. Her lips had been soft and pliant, ready to be formed and sculpted by his. She had been swift to learn, returning his exploration with equal fervor. That realization sent another shaft of heat through him. Sweet and hot. Just as passionate inside as outside. The discoveries left Chase shaky.

Rachel collided unexpectedly with Chase on the way back to the cave. He reached out, grabbing her by the arm so that she wouldn’t fall. His hand was like a burning brand to her sensitized flesh, and she jerked away, putting several feet between them. The fog swirled and eddied silently between them, symbolizing her inward chaos.

Chase stood, reading every feeling in her face. Her lips were still pouty and provocative from the kiss they’d shared. He saw the guilt and hurt in her eyes. “Look,” he began awkwardly in a low voice, “I’m sorry, Rachel. It was my fault. I got carried away….”

Rachel chewed on her lower lip, the scent of Chase embracing her like a rare, exotic perfume. She rubbed her arm where he’d made contact with her. Her feelings were in disarray, roiling heat throbbing between her thighs. “I—”

“It was my fault. I’m the man. I know better.” He was blithering, wanting to smooth over his error in judgment. The look on Rachel’s face, the distrust, stabbed at him, a blade driven through his heart.

“And you did it anyway,” Rachel flung back, her voice unsteady. “I was asleep…I thought it was a dream.”

Chase managed a self-deprecating smile, unsure of what to do or say. “I think we were dreaming the same thing, then.”

Setting her lips, Rachel forced herself to stare him in the eye. “Captain, you were awake, I was not.”

Shrugging, Chase said defensively, “You enjoyed it as much as I did.”

“That,” Rachel whispered fiercely, “is beside the point!”

“Then, you don’t deny it?”

“You’re impossible!” Rachel exploded in a hiss. “It shouldn’t have happened! A lot of the men here in Korea think that a nurse is fair game. Well, we aren’t!” She clenched her fists. “You’re just like those guys. You don’t respect me, you think you own me and can get away with whatever you want.”

“Rachel,” he began lamely, holding up his hand, trying to stop her tirade, “keep your voice down.”

She circled him warily. “Maybe I’d be safer if we were caught! I thought you and I were supposed to be on the same side in this lousy war!” Storming toward the cave, Rachel disappeared into the fog.

“Dammit,” Chase growled, touching his head. The ache had returned with renewed intensity. He glared in the direction she’d gone, giving himself a chance to simmer down. The blame was on his shoulders not hers, he admitted sourly. After all, he had awakened her with the kiss. Abruptly Chase turned on his heel, stalking back to the cave.

Rachel frowned at him when he appeared out of the fog. “Just keep your distance, Chase. I’m picking up our stuff and then we’re leaving.” Rachel steeled herself against his sad-eyed look. She handed him the plastic food container and crawled out of the cave.

“Are you ready?”

He nodded, dropping the case into a large pocket of his flight suit. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Rachel turned to walk away, but Chase caught her by the arm. “Hold on,” he ordered. “Today I’m taking the lead. You stick close behind me.”

“Are you sure?” Rachel searched his face. There was high color in Chase’s cheeks and his eyes looked clear. She had to tear her gaze from his, lowering her lashes.

“I can make it on my own today. Right now, with this fog, we have to take it easy, and rely on our hearing. Sounds will be muffled and if we run up on a patrol, we won’t know it until the last minute. If you hear anything, grab my arm to get my attention, but don’t speak out. Understand?”

Part of Rachel felt relief. Today Chase would help shoulder some of the load she had been carrying. “Fine,” she mumbled, still angry and confused by his kiss. “South is that way,” she said.

Taking the lead, Chase didn’t argue with her. He kept a swift steady pace, circumventing the village below them. He could tell by the frayed light on the horizon which direction was east. Within moments, he realized that Rachel had been heading south all the time. It had been the concussion playing tricks on his senses. Today he felt much better. Wasn’t their torrid kiss proof of his awakening desires?
What a mess.

Despite his new duties as leader, Chase mulled over the mistake he’d made with Rachel. How could he get her to understand how desirable she was to him, that the kiss didn’t mean he disrespected her? It was as hopeless as fighting city hall, Chase decided morosely. One look at the jut of Rachel’s chin told him she thought he was one of those “gropers” she’d told him about yesterday.

As they climbed out of the valley and headed into the next one, the sun rose. Very slowly the fog began to dissipate, thinning here and there for hundreds of feet around them, creating worrying conditions. His senses becoming even more alert to their dangerous surroundings, Chase continued to run a number of conversations around in his head. He had to convince Rachel that he respected her virginity and her. More than anything, he wanted to figure out a way to make her come to him, not run in terror from his embrace.

Chapter Six

R
achel was blindly following Chase’s footsteps when he suddenly turned, pulling her against him. Her mouth opened and he clamped his hand across it, shoving her down to her knees.

Crouched next to Rachel, Chase kept his hand in place as they huddled in the swirling fog. “Enemy,” he whispered raggedly. He saw her eyes change from fury to fear, and he eased his hand away from her lips. Keeping his arm around her shoulders, Chase tensed, waiting.