The Two and the Proud (5 page)

Roaming a hand over his chest, she elicited tingling sensations with every teasing caress of her nails. She rolled over him, her damp kisses teasing across to the other pectoral while her hair slid across him like a sensuous blanket. Cupping a hand around his cock, she stroked a finger to the tip and slid down to sit against his thighs.

“Since we’re awake….”

The darkness in the room hid her smile, but he heard it. The flashes of lightning backlit her, a storm goddess come out to play.

“If you insist.” He grinned.

“Oh, I absolutely do.” She stroked him again, tracing her thumb over the head. No other part of her moved. Her head tilted, as though she watched him. Her hair glided over her shoulders, the length of it reached her breasts. He envied her hair—he wanted to play with her nipples, too.

She gripped the base of his cock and pumped a few times. He coiled, tension gathering at the edge of his nerve endings. His balls tightened and his humor evaporated. Like oil crackling on a super-heated pan, he was hungry for her again.

She released him and he bit back an oath. Instead of taking him in her hand again, she slid off his legs and balanced with a palm against each thigh. Without a word, she touched her tongue to the base of his cock and licked up one side to the crown, swirled her tongue around the slit and down the other side.

His body clamored, all the blood rushing to his groin, and his eyes crossed.
Holy shit
…. She repeated the lazy exploration with her tongue and pulled him into her mouth. His thoughts scrambled. She set to work, kissing, licking, sucking and driving him crazy. The tension in his tight balls surged, and he dug his fingers into the sheets, fighting the urge to roll her over and pound into her. She tried to take all of him, her hand increasing the pressure at the base.

Clenching his buttocks, he refused to buck, letting her drive the rhythm. His cock bumped the back of her throat. Her nails caressed his balls—a feather light touch—but he exploded, release swamping over him like a wild tempest sweeping away his control. She didn’t pull away, caressing him through the orgasm. Long minutes passed before coherent thought began to surface from the waves. She slipped away and came back with another water bottle and snuggled right to his side.

And the damn thing was he could sleep now, doused in the warmth of her embrace. He fought the closing of his eyelids, wrapping an arm around her to hold her closer.

What a perfect fit
….

***

Dawn came too soon. She stood in front of the windows and stared out over the city. The storm had blown itself out sometime in the early hours of the morning. The sun turned the eastern sky a rich azure with streaks of pink and hints of orange. Rowdy’s warm, masculine arms slid around her, and she leaned back against his chest. He enveloped her in his clean, shower-fresh scent and she sighed.

“Real world time.” She fought to keep her tone light. The last thing she’d expected was reluctance to leave.

“Five more minutes.” His arms tightened and she closed her eyes.

“Okay.”

They stood until her phone buzzed, reminding her about a meeting. He let her go and she pulled it out, thumbing off the alarm. Steeling her courage, she turned to meet his gaze. “Thank you.”

“Thank you.” He smiled and her lips curved in response. “If you ever need to talk….” The invitation trailed off.

“You, too.” She forced herself to walk over to the safe. Unlocking her gun and strapping on her holster made it official. She tugged on her jacket then reached into her wallet and extracted a business card. She held it out between two fingers. “Seriously—you know, if you need anything—call.”

He accepted the card and slid an arm around her waist before she could slip back, tugging her close. He leaned down and pressed the sweetest kiss to her lips—no demand, no hard need—a tender gift. Forehead to forehead, his gaze locked with hers. “Cut yourself some slack, Special Agent Wakefield, and let your men watch your back.”

“I’ll do my best.”

And she was off, wrapping her soul in the body armor it would need to push on through the investigation. The loneliness dogging her steps for the last few months was gone—erased in one night. She left Rowdy in the room, but when she walked off the elevator and into the lobby—she whistled.

Oorah, Sergeant. Oorah
.

Epilogue

Three Months Later
…

Kim checked her watch on the way in the door for the briefing. She had two interrogations to complete and a stack of reports on her desk to file. Hopefully the meeting wouldn’t take longer than the allotted thirty minutes. Several agents crowded into the room, and as one of the last to arrive, she took a spot against the back wall and used her phone to review her email.

Giles Mann, the section chief, strode in to take position at the podium. He didn’t even have to clear his throat to silence the chatter. “Good morning, I know we’re all busy, so I’ll keep this brief. We have five new probies starting with us this week.”

New probies—probationary agents in need of on the job training—reassignments and an updated case load. Standard meeting material. Tuning out the conversation, she finished responding to the email from an agent afloat about a shared investigation and missed the names on the roster as well as the parsing of assignments since her name wasn’t called. The meeting ended as swiftly as it began. Escaping the room, she strode to her desk to gather her case files.

“Wakefield.”

The section chief stood a few steps away, but he wasn’t the person Kim focused on. Right behind the chief stood Rowdy. Her stomach plummeted, and her breath clogged in her throat, but she swallowed the reaction.

“Sir?” Flicking her gaze from one man to the other, she gave Mann her full attention.

“Special Agent Wakefield, this is Agent Easton. He’ll be doing rotations through the different sections for training. Your first probie, as it were.” Mann gave her a quick grin.

Rowdy stepped forward and offered his hand. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” His eyes twinkled with suppressed humor, and she smothered an answering smile. Electricity zinged through her with one quick handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you, too—Agent Easton.” She played along.

“I have a meeting with the director. Easton, you’re in good hands. Wakefield, make sure I have a copy of your interrogation notes this afternoon, I’d like to wrap up the Jensen case.” Mann left glancing at his watch, leaving her with Rowdy—alone save for the half-dozen other agents working at their desks in the bullpen.

“So, Probie…why don’t you get to work triaging these files.” She patted the fifteen new additions to the stack of thirty already fighting for space on her desk. Maybe by the time she was done with the suspect interview, she could figure out how to deal with having Rowdy there.

In her office.

The prospect thrilled and worried her.

“Okay.” He nodded slowly, the corners of his mouth curving. “Agent Wakefield?”

She paused. “Yes?”

“I’m really looking forward to working with you.”

Awareness pulsed through her blood. But this wasn’t the time…or the place.

“I hope you still feel that way when you’re done sorting those files. I have two interviews planned today. Get that done before I finish the first one and you can observe the second.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully, fighting a smile. “And if you’re really efficient, I’ll let you spring for coffee later.”

“Done and done.” He grinned.

She walked away, letting her smile out of captivity.
I have a feeling life is about to get very interesting
…. At the corner, she glanced back. Rowdy stood at her desk, files in hand, and he winked.

Yep. Really interesting
. She blew out a breath.
Oorah
.

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Heather Long lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.

You can visit Heather at:

http://www.heatherlong.net

Once Her Man, Always Her Man

Fulfilling a favor and executing a business plan, Luke Dexter arrives at Dallas’ Sybarite Club for a one-night stand. He never imagined he’d come face to face with the woman he left behind a decade earlier.

Rebecca Rainier fell in love with Luke Dexter in high school and was crushed when he dumped her to join the Marines after 9/11. Set up on a 1Night Stand by her business partner, nothing could prepare Rebecca for who her date is.

Can Luke and Rebecca bridge the pain of a decade-long abandonment, in one cold Texas night?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Have you ever woken up every day afraid of everything
?

For single mom and widow Melody Carter, six months passed since an IED ripped her life apart. Everyone is sympathetic and offers platitudes of comfort and support. Everyone thinks they know why she’s grieving, but Melody isn’t mourning her broken heart. She’s ashamed to be grateful her abusive husband won’t hurt her anymore and scared for her child. Born with a mild heart defect, her daughter needs lifesaving surgery and with her funds tight and her emotional scars tighter, she’s running out of options. When she receives an offer for assistance from Mike’s Place, can Melody put her faith in the men her husband called friend?

Have you ever woken up, day after day, to discover your body’s betrayal
?

Marine Captain, Joe Anderson Cooper, received the Silver Star for Valor when he led his unit through heavy fire to rescue fellow Marines. Despite numerous injuries, the Captain refused medical aid, insisting that the medics attend others. A broken back and shattered bones put Captain Cooper in a wheelchair and every day is a battle to keep his recovery on track and his sanity intact. When a single mom moves in to the apartment next door to his and he recognizes kindred—damaged—soul, can he overcome her fear and be the man she’s always needed?

Can these two lonely souls rise to the challenge or will their scars trap them forever
?

Contents

Title page

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Epilogue

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~