Second Chances (27 page)

“Sorry.”
Dusty brushed his lips over hers, then exited the bed.

Half
asleep, April didn’t realize he’d returned until she felt moist warmth and
terry cloth between her legs. Embarrassed, she clamped her legs together and
met Dusty’s gaze.

He
rested his hand on her upper thigh. “Let me wash you. You’ll sleep better
without all the stickiness.”

Giving
in to the realities of sex, she let Dusty cleanse her, appreciative of his
kindness. She doubted any of her previous boyfriends would bother to even
consider her comfort, let alone bathe her. “Thank you.”

The
cloth pressed against her core twice more before he slid off the bed and headed
to the bathroom, only to return a second later. The bed dipped as he slid under
the covers and pulled her up against his body.

Content,
she snuggled in.

He
kissed her nape. “I take care of my own.”

With
those words ringing in her ears, she fell asleep.

Dusty found himself in the
middle of the desert, bullets flying like a strong hailstorm all around. Men
shouted as the roar of helicopters drowned out everything but the loudest cry.
His rifle spat out ammo like a furious dragon breathing fire. Every minute
movement in the rocky trenches, he’d aim for, hoping to eradicate the tango
threat long enough to secure the area and rescue the small Army regiment
presently under direct fire. He shoved clip after clip into his rifle, then
scurried for higher ground. No sooner had he left his former position than a
grenade exploded sending him flying through the air. Pain lanced his side as a
fiery trail creased his upper arm.

Jerking
awake, he raked the room, and drew in gulps of air. Ben whined and licked his
face. He instinctively reached out and ran his hands through the dog’s fur. The
familiar activity soothing him by great measures. A movement to his left caught
his attention. April scooched closer in a sitting position, watching him with a
concentrated expression full of concern.

“Are
you okay?”

He
rubbed a hand over his face. “Just a bad dream.” One of hundreds he’d had since
the war. Nothing new.

“About
the war?”

Her
baby blues reflected worry and gentle caring. At least he didn’t find pity in
their depths. That was one thing he refused to accept. “Yeah.”

“Not
surprising considering what you did yesterday.” She reached out and laid a hand
on his shoulder, her fingers lightly caressing the flesh.

Ben,
obviously deciding the worst had passed, hopped off the bed, and flopped down
on his fluffy pillow nearby.

She
trailed her fingers over his bare chest, the action both soothing and
stimulating.

“I’m
sorry. I wish I could make them go away.”

“Me
too. But, it’s all part of the package.” He shrugged, reaching out to plant his
hands on her thighs, noticing how her nipples pebbled in the chill of pre-dawn.
He recalled their taste and licked his lips.
Slow down, SEAL.
Remembering her nearly untried state, he doused
his morning libido with good, old-fashioned, common sense. After all, she would
be sore this morning and penetration would only add to her discomfort. Best to
wait a day or two when she could accept him in her body again comfortably.

“How
are you feeling?”

She
smiled contentedly.

He
recognized the expression of a woman well-pleased with her man. His heart thumped.

“Good.
Very good.” The words dripped like honey.

Dusty
grinned in return. “No aches and pains?”

April
shrugged. “Nothing to worry about.” Leaning over, she flicked her tongue over
his nipple, giggling when he jumped.

Happy
beyond measure this morning, he shook his finger at her. “None of that, now.
I’m trying to be good.”

Her
head tilted. “Why?”

“Because
I refuse to give you a moment’s more pain,” he answered seriously, truth
filling his voice. “Never again do I want to hurt you.”

She sat
quiet for a long moment, water collecting in her eyes. A tear slid free.

He
collected the drop on his finger. Worry broke into his morning bliss. “What’s
this?”

“I’d
given up hope of ever finding a man who could care for me more than he cared
for himself. You can’t imagine how special you are.” She sniffed and a ghost of
a smile appeared on her lips despite the emotional response.

His
heart broke. Sitting up beside her, he pulled her up against him, wrapping her
in a tight hug. “You’re the special one, April. Kind. Generous. So beautiful.”
He nuzzled her cheek, baring his very soul for the first time. “You gave me a
second chance when anyone else would have turned their back and stormed away.
Always giving, you’ve shown me what love can be between a man and a woman.”

She
pulled back to look into his eyes. Another drop fell. “I love you, Dusty. I
know it’s soon, but you’ve been a blessing.”

Humbled
and proud, he brushed his lips over her cheek, supping away the trickling tear.
“No more than I love you, baby.”

She
sucked in a breath. “But I have baggage.”

He
grinned. “Baby, as you’ve already seen, I have more than enough baggage for the
both of us. Yet, I don’t see you running for the door.”

“And I
never will. That’s a promise.” She leaned down and pressed her lips against
his. “You’re a keeper, Dusty Delaney.” Lifting just enough to meet his gaze,
she grinned at him. “Besides, we’ve already decided you’ve grown on me.”

“Like
algae.”

“Or
fungus. One of the two.”

He
groaned, then chuckled. Reaching out, he wrapped her tight in his arms,
cherishing her like a rare treasure. Sharing a kiss rife with promise, he
proceeded to put their words into action by taking her mouth as he wished to
take her body. Slowly. Thoroughly. Leaving no part untouched. Meshing their
mouths as they joined their souls.

Love
made everything better and brighter. A lesson Dusty couldn’t wait to explore
further.

Unfortunately,
duty called in the form of hungry animals waiting impatiently for their
breakfast and April’s body needed time to recover. Reluctantly, he broke their
lip-lock. “As much as I’d like to spend the day in bed with you, I think the
horses might object.”

She
grinned. “Probably so. They tend to be needy creatures.”

“Uh-huh.”
He brushed his lips over hers once more. “I’d better go tend to them.”

“I’ll
help.” April climbed out of bed and started pulling on clothes.

Dusty
took the opportunity to watch, his arousal increasing when she bent over to
retrieve her pants, giving him a perfect view of her heart-shaped ass. Images
of her maintaining that position while he sank balls deep flashed through his
mind. His randy dick jumped in reaction. Later. Work first, play later
,
he promised himself, then ignoring his
morning wood, pulled on comfortable jeans and a shirt. By the time he had
dressed, April disappeared and he smelled coffee brewing.

Fortunately,
his parents slept in, not emerging from their RV until well after breakfast and
the stock had been cared for and put out to pasture for the day. That allowed
ample time for his erection to subside, more from the awkward concept of his
parents noting his tented jeans than from anything else. If they weren’t
present, he’d probably walk around with a boner most of the day until he could
cajole April back into his bed for another round of hot, gritty sex.

Ben
barked excitedly, announcing their visitors. Dusty glanced up to find his
parents emerging from their house on wheels.

“Good
morning, Dusty.” His mother hurried over to hug him. Her shorts and T-shirt
combo proved bright, although reasonable for the summer season.

His
father followed at a more sedate pace, his gaze flickering to Delia’s rear now
and again. Dusty ignored the obvious gesture, unwilling to tread into the
waters of his parent’s personal relationship.

April
walked up, two lead ropes in hand, returning from taking Miracle and Mischief
to the pasture. “Oh, hello.” She smiled at their guests.

John
stared at her for a long moment, then turned his eyes on Dusty. He arched an
eyebrow as if in need of verification of what he saw.

Dusty
remained mute on the topic, but hitched a small smile and shrugged in response
to the unspoken question.

“How
are you this morning, dear?” Delia strode over to meet April, then walked her
in.

“I’m
doing fine. Thank you.” April appraised the older woman. “If you’re hungry, I
can throw something together for an early lunch.”

“Actually,
we’re going to town today. Do some sight-seeing. Get a few more groceries,”
John announced.

Delia
turned and pinned him with a curious expression. “We are?”

“Yep.
About time we toured the sights of Hollow, don’t you think?” He waggled his
eyebrows.

Without
missing a beat, Delia beamed. “Oh, yes. That’s right. Drove all this way just
to visit Holman—”

“Hollow,”
Dusty supplied, biting back a grin.

“Yes,
that’s right. Hollow.” Delia patted April’s arm. “We’ll be back later.”

“Actually,
I think we’ll spend the night there. Heard the café has the best flapjacks
around.” John wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist. “Let’s get a move on
before it gets too hot.”

April
stood there blinking, but waved when they started up the engine on the large
vehicle, then pulled out of the drive. “Is it just me or did it seem like they
couldn’t get out of here fast enough?”

Dusty
took a cue from his father. Lightly placing a hand at her back, he nudged her
toward the stable. “I think you’re right.”

“Wonder
why? They seemed happy enough with the visit last night.” April frowned as he
took the lead ropes from her hands and replaced them on a waiting peg.

“They
probably needed some alone time.”
Just
like we do.
He didn’t want to confess his theory for fear of embarrassing
her, but he could easily discern the reason. His father’s look said it all. He
had read between the lines, noted the changes in April this morning, and put
two and two together. Dusty would thank him later for his discretion and fast
thinking to afford him and April the day together. Alone.

“What’s
to see in Hollow?”

He bit
back a laugh. “A post office and lots of dirt roads between there and the
interstate.”

“Oh,
boy. Guess they did need some alone time. Lots of it.”

“Yeah,
I think so.” He blew out a breath. “I’m hungry. Let’s go inside.”

“I’ll
fix you something. What sounds good?” April walked through the stable and
toward the house section.

Opening
the door to the house, he ushered Ben, then April in, before shutting and
locking it behind him. Only then did he spin April to face him and answer.
“You.”

She
blinked.

He
cupped her cheek and leaned in to brush his lips over hers. “I crave you.”

A
softness appeared on her face along with a spark in her eyes. “I think I like
you hungry.” The resulting smile lit up her face, stealing his breath.
“Goodness knows I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

With a
groan, he swung her up in his arms, sealed his lips over hers, and strode to
the bedroom. Once there, he set her on her feet, reluctantly ending the kiss
for a moment in order to allow them a much needed breath of air.

Seizing
the hem of her shirt, he tugged it over her head to toss to the floor. She
returned the favor, adding his shirt to the pile, then started working on his
jeans, unbuttoning them with trembling fingers that only ramped up his desire
all the more. He gritted his teeth and bore the small torture, letting April
take the lead for once. Her enthusiasm amused him while her brief touches left
burning pleasure in her wake.

He
assisted her by toeing off his boots, stepping out of his jeans and boxers, and
finally standing nude for her appraisal.

“You’re
gorgeous.” April slowly circled him, trailing her hands over his chest,
shoulders, and back. She pressed kisses to his nape and squeezed his ass as if
checking for resiliency before finishing the short tour.

Her
heavy lidded eyes and increased respirations told the story. His heart thudded
against his ribs even as his cock surged to even greater hardness.

Unable
to wait a moment longer, he ran his hands down her sides, caught her waistband,
and shoved the material down, catching her panties along the way. She stepped
out of the puddle and her shoes, giving me a heady glimpse of her soft pink
folds. He found the clasp on her bra, undid it, then pushed the garment aside
in order to mold one breast in his hand while he leaned down to suck the tip of
the other.

April’s
breath hitched, as she grabbed the back of his head, holding him in place. He
worried the tip until it tautened under his ministrations before switching to
the other side.

“Oh,
Dusty.” Her whispered voice spurred him for more.

Dropping
his free hand, he traced up her inner thigh, delved through her labia,
discovered her ample dampness, and inserted a finger into her channel. The
muscles gripped him like a vise.

She
gasped.

He
lifted his head and peered down at her. “Sore?”

April
shook her head, then clarified. “Just a bit tender. Nothing to fuss about.”

She’d
gifted him with her virginity less than twenty-four hours ago. The fact drew in
his raging needs to a decidedly calmer level. As much as he’d love to bend her
over the bed and fuck her like there was no tomorrow, such rowdiness would have
to wait. Because, by damn, he’d never hurt her again during sex. Quickly, he
switched to Plan B.

“Can
you take me comfortably?” He doubled his presence inside her and widened his
fingers to ease the tension and pave the way for his cock.