SEALs Honor (9 page)

"Yes,
and he would have lost face in front of them had she told him she wasn't
interested in him, but in his best friend."

"And
loverboy was there and didn't say anything? Didn't stake a claim or punch out
his lights?"

"No."
Again, that was the crux of the matter. Tuck hadn't told Cory that he'd been
seeing her. Now Delaney had a lie by omission and a dangling proposal hanging
over her like a broken rotor, ready to crack, fall, and decapitate anyone
standing too close to the bird.

"Honey,
you should have stuck to the truth from the get-go. Men don't appreciate a
woman who keeps them hanging when there's clearly someone else in the
background."

"I
know. You're right." Delaney gathered her things and stood. "I'll
tell her to fess up."

"You
do that, honey. And let me know how the fellas take it."

Toiletries
in hand, Delaney stepped through the tent door.

"Good
luck, Delaney," Lindsay said with a gentle smile. "If she tells the
truth, they'll understand."

"They
might understand. But will they forgive?"

"If
they love her, they'll do anything."

Her
head shook. "I'm not so sure."

"Then
raise the stakes. Tell loverboy you come with strings.: She pointed a finger at
Delaney’s chest. "Either he accepts you with those strings, or you go your
separate ways."

Delaney
frowned. "I didn't say it was me."

Lindsay
winked. "Sweetie, you didn't have to."

As
late as the hour was, she would do no good to go stumbling around camp
searching for the two men in the dark. Whatever she had to say, she'd have to
do in the light of day. With a purposeful stride, she reached the shower tent,
took a quick shower to wash off the dust from the flight, and pulled on her
robe.

When
she emerged from the shower tent, wearing flip flops and carrying her boots and
uniform, a shadow slipped up beside her.

Before
she could throw her boots at the figure, he slipped an arm around her waist,
crushing her back against his front and clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Shh.
It's me, Tuck." He dropped his hand from her mouth and turned her to face
him.

"Damn
it, Tuck. You can't go around scaring a girl to death all the time."

"You
were so deep in thought, I'd have startled you either way. At least, this way I
got to hold you in my arms for a moment."

He
wore a tank top, gym shorts, and tennis shoes.

"How'd
you find me?"

"I
pulled a few strings." He bent to sweep her lips with his. "Are you
mad?"

"I
don't want anyone getting the idea we're fraternizing."

He
eased her into the deeper shadows between a tent and a Quonset hut made of
sturdy metal. "How's this?"

She
raised her arms, pressed her body into his, her damp towel, T-shirt and flight
suit dangling down his back. "Better." All he had to do was part her
robe and...

Tuck
slid his hand up the back of her thigh and beneath the edge of her robe,
cupping her naked bottom.

She'd
gone to the shower with only her robe and what she'd been wearing, so flustered
by her talk with Lindsay, she'd forgotten clean underwear and her pajamas.

Now she was glad she had.

Tuck
lifted her, wrapping her legs around his middle, his cock nudging her entrance
through the fabric of his shorts. "You make me hotter than a desert
scorcher."

A
thrill of excitement seared through her veins like a lit fuse racing toward
dynamite. "Are you sure no one will see us?" The potential of getting
caught added to the nerves and lust fluttering in her belly. Her breathing grew
rapid, shallow, barely able to keep up with her lungs supplying the oxygen to
her brain. All the blood in her body seemed to rush to her core—heating,
slicking and sensitizing her to his every touch.

"Everyone
is asleep, or manning their guard posts. We're alone here," he said.

"But
we're in the open."

"Not
behind this tent. No one comes through here."

"How
do you know? You've been in this camp less than an hour."

"Long
enough to find you." He reached between them, locating her warm, wet
opening and sliding two rough fingers into her.

Oh,
yeah, he'd found her all right. Delaney bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep
from moaning. She arched her back, her robe falling open, giving his mouth
access to her breasts.

He
accepted the offering, sliding his tongue across a turgid peak, making the
nipple harden to a tight little bud. Then he nipped, rolling the tip between
his teeth, while pumping his fingers in and out of her.

"This
is so wrong." She gasped.

"But
it feels..."

"So
right," she said, her words rushing out as his thumb slipped between her
folds and stroked the nubbin of her desire.

He
chuckled as he shifted his attention from one breast to the other. "I
don't suppose you brought protection with you?"

"I
always take a condom to the shower." She snorted.

"I'll
take that as a no." He sighed. "I guess I'll have to wait, but that
doesn't mean you have to." He grinned, kissed her lips, and settled her on
her feet.

A
rush of disappointment filled her, only to be brushed aside as he pressed her
against the metal building, the darkness concealing them from prying eyes. With
his knee, he nudged her legs apart, parted her robe, and trailed his hand from
the curve of her neck downward, over her breast, past her ribs and lower, his
lips following the path of his fingers, distributing feather-soft kisses and
tempting nips along the way.

Delaney
squirmed, wanting more. Wanting to tell him she wanted more, but biting hard on
her tongue to keep from begging out loud. They couldn't be caught; being found
could mean a court martial offense. At the very least, if caught, they'd
receive an Article 15 and she might be grounded or sent back to the States. She
might even jeopardize her position with the 160th Night Stalkers.

For
a moment, the weight of the consequences threatened to overwhelm her and make
her call him off.

Then
he dropped to his knees, parted her folds, and tongued her, there.

All
thoughts were propelled into the darkness as the feel of his mouth on her most
sensitive parts sent her spiraling out of control, her heart beating like the
rotors on a helicopter, faster and faster until she thought it might explode
out of her chest.

Tuck
slid his tongue into her channel and swirled it around, then returned to stroke
her pleasure center until she dragged her nails across the metal building
behind her, seeking purchase as her senses launched into the stratosphere. Her
head spun and her muscles tensed like a tightly loaded spring. The tingling
started at her core, shooting outward as her body jerked in spasms.

Still,
Tuck didn't let up until she could take no more.

Delaney
grabbed him by the ears and dragged him to his feet.

"Hey,
easy there. I need those." He laughed, sliding his body up hers until he
pressed her against the metal, warm from the day's desert heat. "Like that
much?"

"Too
much," she whispered as she dragged air into her starving lungs. "Want
more."

"Sorry,
baby. I didn't come packing." He cupped her cheek and brushed his mouth
across hers, then dove in to take her tongue as aggressively as he'd taken her
down there.

His
mouth tasted of her musk. Delaney threaded her fingers through his short hair,
pulling him closer. "I don't care. Take me. Here. Now." She ran her
hands down his arms to where his shirt disappeared into the waist band of his
shorts. Hooking her fingers in the elastic, she tugged the shorts over his
hips, far enough for his cock to spring free.

"Uh
uh." He  shook his head. "It's too risky."

"Like
what you just did to me wasn't?" She ran her leg up the back of his thigh
and curled it over his hip then, bracing her hands on his shoulders, wrapped
both legs around him. "Sure I can't change your mind?" Leaning her
back against the building, she lowered herself down over him, taking his thick
girth into her wetness, sliding down over him like a well-lubed glove.

"Baby,
your argument is very convincing." He thrust into her, pinning her against
the wall.

She
raised herself up to the tip of his cock. "How so?"

"You
cover the point implicitly." Again, he thrust into her—slow, hard, and
filling.

Her
breath rushed from her lungs and she had to refill them before she could speak
again. "Are you not challenging my supposition?"

"You
bet I am. I challenge you." He powered into her, slamming her back against
the wall. "And raise you one." He rammed into her again. "No,
two. Ah hell. You make me crazy." He hammered into her over and over,
until he drove into her one last time, burying himself deep inside her. He held
her hips so tightly his fingers dug into her flesh. His member throbbed against
her channel and he held his breath, his jaw rock hard.

Then
he pulled free, loosened her legs from around his waist, and turned to the side
as he ejaculated, his hand easing his straining cock.

A
smile slid across Delaney's face, a surge of power making her chest swell. "Turn
you on much, frogman?"

"Too
much." He eased his member back into his shorts and turned. "I wish
we could go somewhere for the night."

Delaney
shrugged. "I have a roommate."

"I'd
take you back to my place." Tuck ran a hand through his hair. "But
I'm sharing a tent with Cory."

"About
Cory..." She sighed. "He won't let me tell him no."

"You
can't marry him." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Not
after what just happened."

"Cory
thinks he loves me." Delaney leaned her cheek into his palm.

Tuck
pulled away his hand, his eyes narrowing. "Love doesn't last."

Disappointment
tugged at Delaney, even though she'd known how Tuck felt about long-term
commitment. "It did for my parents. They loved each other from the time
they started dating in high school until the day they died."

"They
were the exception."

The
warmth of their lovemaking slipped away with the cool desert breeze. Delaney
pulled her robe tighter around her body and stepped out of the shadows. "So,
you don't think it could happen for you?"
And me?
She wanted to
add, but bit down on her tongue, afraid if she said it, he'd run the other way
as fast as he could. Not that Tuck was a coward when faced by enemy gunfire.
But commitment was a four-letter word to him. Any sign of it and he ran the
other direction.

He
was already shaking his head. "Look, Delaney, I like you and all..."

Her
disappoint blossomed into a slow-burning anger. "I feel a
but
coming."

"I
told you from the beginning, I'm not into commitment."

"What
are you afraid of?" Delaney tapped a finger against his chest. "Afraid
you might find some happiness? Cory isn't afraid to go after what he wants."

He
grabbed her finger and held it, his grip punishing, hurting her hand. "Cory
isn't right for you."

Chilled
in the moonlight, Delaney tugged her hand, trying to break Tuck's hold. "You're
hurting me."
In more than one way.

He
finally let go. Tuck moved, and the full light of the moon shone down on his face,
exposing the hard lines and a muscle twitching in his jaw. He looked like he
wanted to say something, but he clamped his lips tight and stood as still as
the stone his heart was carved from.

Delaney
wanted him to say something, wanted him to rant and rave and tell her she
couldn't marry Cory. Not because he wasn't right for her, but because he loved
her himself. But snow would fall in the desert before Tuck admitted to loving
anyone.

"Face
it, Tuck, you're not in a position to tell me who is right or wrong for me."
She backed away from him. "Do me a favor and l leave me alone." She
spun and marched away, thankfully before the tears slipped from her eyes. She
hurried to her quarters, hoping, but not betting, that he would follow her and
declare his love.
Ha!

She
stumbled back to her tent, tears streaming down her face, ashamed that she
cried at all. Kicking herself for loving a man who couldn't love her back.

Tonight,
she'd allow herself to cry.

Tomorrow,
she'd move on.

Tuck
paced outside his tent until the sun pushed up over the desert landscape to the
east. No matter how he went over the conversation he'd had with Delaney, the
ending didn't come out any better. As always, he drove away the women he met.
Purposely, and with no regrets, for the most part.

Until
Delaney.