The Daredevil

The soft tread of his feet on worn linoleum should have been a warning, but when his fingers touched the small of her back she jumped anyway. She gulped in a large lungful of air, too much, because it rushed straight to her head, making the room waver. A single finger trailed a featherlight line across the indentation at the base of her spine. It took her a minute to realize what he was doing, her brain having malfunctioned at the spike of electricity from his touch.

“Somehow I didn’t take you for the fairy type.”

Rina turned her head, knowing she couldn’t see the tiny picture tattooed on her lower back but trying anyway. Most of the time she forgot it was even there.

“Bout of rebellion the year I graduated high school. It is a little fanciful for me, which is probably why I got it in the first place.”

Chase took another step closer, the heat of his body warming her skin.

“Oh, I don’t know. You have a whimsical side. I’ve seen it.” His fingers trailed slowly up the curve of her spine. She felt the sting and sizzle at the apex of her thighs as his knuckles scraped over each bump and valley.

“How many men have you let see—” his fingers moved down again, lightly brushing across the picture on her skin before dipping down into the still-open dress to brush the upper swell of her bottom “—that side of yourself?”

Rina drew in a deep, ragged breath before answering, “Enough.”

The woman bustled in. “Elvis is here, if you’re…I’m sorry.”

“No. It’s fine. Just let me get this zipper.”

Chase zipped her up before moving away. She wasn’t sure if it was relief or regret that washed through her. Probably a combination of both.

2

FOR A JOKE, their Elvis was seriously into his role. He didn’t break character once as the photographer posed them for several shots. In fact, he even insisted on reciting the marriage vows. Both Chase and Sabrina tried to explain it wasn’t necessary but the man didn’t pay attention. Finally, they just shrugged and played along.

The whole thing was over in ten minutes. Sabrina giggled; it was a sound he hadn’t expected. It clashed with the polished exterior she showed the world. But after seeing the fanciful fairy on her back…maybe that carefree sound was more her than he’d ever realized. He’d always pictured her as studious, serious.

But he’d instinctively known there was something beneath, something she wouldn’t let out…something she didn’t let free. He’d wanted so badly to rumple her up, to ruffle her calm facade. To leave her mouth swollen from kisses and her eyes bleary with desire just to prove to them both that the passion was there, waiting.

He’d given in to the urge once. And it had been much more than he’d expected. Six years ago she’d taken things slowly—fighting the connection they both knew existed between them. And then she’d been gone.

If the way she flirted, touched and looked at him tonight with those smoldering green eyes was anything to go by, Sabrina McAllister had changed. And she wasn’t fighting anything now. Pure animal lust shot straight to his groin at the thought.

Elvis said, “You may kiss the bride, baby.” And Chase found himself indulging in a fantasy six years in the making—kissing Sabrina McAllister. The sensation was somewhere close to pulling a Split-S.

The woman behind the counter handed them an envelope with several photographs. Chase paid for them—the damn things cost two hundred dollars. He hadn’t realized a joke could be so expensive. Although, he’d have paid a hell of a lot more than that for a chance to kiss her again.

They walked back out into the night together as she looked at the pictures. They were hilarious. And she was beautiful. Sabrina laughed at the expression on Elvis’s face, flipping through them quickly. Until she reached the last one, the one of their kiss, and she seemed to still.

The photographer was good. He’d captured every last speck of desire that had coursed through Chase’s lips and into Sabrina. Her body arched into the strength of his hold. Her fingers dug into the shoulders of his tux, drawing him closer. Just looking at the image fired his blood all over again.

Rina stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, pulling him still beside her. The city bustled around them. Even at this late hour no one was ready to let the night go. He certainly wasn’t.

Neither was she. Turning to face him, she said, “Kiss me again.”

He didn’t need a second invitation. Wrapping his arms around her, Chase pulled their bodies close. The world moved on without them. People passed by, talking. Neon lights blinked on and off. And a blast of noise from a nightclub down the street burst into the silence that had surrounded them.

But nothing mattered. Nothing except the feel of Sabrina against him. The heat of her lips beneath his. The heady scent of her, more intoxicating than the alcohol he’d drunk hours before.

Her hands grabbed onto the nape of his neck and tugged, tugged harder, needing more.

He obliged, opening his mouth wider, taking her in.

After several moments Sabrina pulled back, staring up at him with passion-filled eyes. Her chest rose and fell against his own with each ragged breath. His arms tightened, wanting to hold her closer. Feel her closer.

“Do you want to come back to my place?”

Her words whispered against his skin, coaxing him to make the quick, easy decision. But there was nothing easy about Sabrina. And there had certainly never been anything easy about their…attraction. And the fact that he would be leaving in less than three days made this much more complicated than it should have been.

Why could they never seem to get it right?

“No.”

Her body stiffened and she tried to pull away. Chase kept a tight hold on her, not willing to let her go a second time.

“Since we’re playing at weddings I think maybe we should do it right. Wait here for me.”

Walking into the MGM Grand, the nearest hotel, Chase quickly registered for a room, arranged for a bottle of champagne and a small white wedding cake to be delivered and then returned for Sabrina.

He half expected her to be gone. But she wasn’t. In fact, he didn’t think she’d moved an inch from where he’d left her.

Grabbing her, he placed a quick kiss to her lips but ended it before they could get sucked back into the jet wash of desire.

“Come on.”

Chase watched her as she walked through the darkened, gilt-edged lobby heading for the elevator doors. The sway of her hips, the fall of her hair across her back. The way she glanced furtively behind her, those green-and-gold-shot eyes full of sensual mischief.

His body was taut, his hands curled into hard fists to keep from reaching for her in the middle of the packed lobby.

They stepped onto the elevator with a handful of other guests, far too crowded for his happiness. If they’d been alone…

His eyes roamed down the length of Sabrina’s body. His muscles tightened at the thought that in a few minutes she’d be his…after six long years of waiting.

His eyes met hers in the reflection of the polished gold doors; it was wavy and imperfect but he could still see the flare of awareness in the eyes that watched him back. Her skin flushed a delicate pink and her breasts lifted on an intake of breath.

A chime jolted him, the doors slid silently open and Chase realized they’d finally reached their floor. With a hushed sigh of thanks, he swooped in to grasp her waist and carried her along with him into the deserted hallway.

He couldn’t keep himself from touching her any longer. His mouth found the edge of her jaw and nibbled. His hands tightened on her hips, pulling her back into the cradle of his body. And the scent of her, innocent and yet somehow heady, took over his senses.

He opened their door, Sabrina eagerly pushing against it to get inside. The bed was twenty steps away but it might as well have been a football field. He’d waited long enough for her and he couldn’t wait anymore.

Grabbing her by the waist, he pressed her back against the nearest wall, kicked the door shut behind them and sank his teeth into the curve of her neck. She whimpered but didn’t draw away. Instead, she arched higher, silently asking for more.

Sabrina tore at his clothes, popping buttons and ripping at zippers. She was just as mindless and eager as he was. And that realization sent him over the edge of control.

Tearing at the shoulders of her sweater, he relished the give of material as fastenings gave way and the cotton fell to the edges of her elbows.

Her nails raked down the wall of his chest, sending his muscles dancing with pleasure. One of her legs wrapped around his hip as he trailed his mouth down the center of her body. She was soft and silky, feminine and perfect, a sharp contrast to the wild, burning urges coursing through his blood. He latched onto one erect nipple through the dark blue satin of her bra. He wanted to take it off, to feel her skin against his tongue and lips. But that would have required letting her go.

For now he contented himself with forcing the hem of her skirt up around her waist and finding the heat of her sex, hot, wet and swollen for him.

He groaned, a tortured sound in the back of his throat that died as her hand wrapped tight around his aching cock.

She squeezed and stroked, splintering his thoughts into mindless, numbing pieces. Her head rolled back against the wall as she arched into his own penetrating touches.

Her eyes glittered at him, jagged and deep, an earthy green. Knowledge and possession. She knew exactly what she was doing to his body as her fingers teased his rigid flesh. She pulled a condom from somewhere, ripped open the package and rolled it with agonizing slowness down his throbbing cock.

She was a witch. There was no denying it. He’d never been this hard, this delirious, this lost in his life.

But he had power of his own, a confidence that he could bring her to her knees with a single-minded assault on her senses. He’d seen her reaction to him, the way her eyes had watched him in the reflection of that elevator. He knew they’d had a connection six years ago…and it had only gotten stronger.

His thumb rolled against her clit as his fingers worked the sweet spot hidden inside her body. Her breath caught in her throat, finally releasing in a stuttered moan.

Her fist tightened around him and her caresses increased to a delirious rhythm.

“Not yet. Not yet.” He wanted this moment to last longer. He’d waited too long for it to be over in a frenzied rush.

“No. Now, Chase. Now.”

Her panted plea was his undoing. Without another thought, he thrust inside her, relishing the tight, wet feel of sliding home.

Her body tensed for half a breath before going liquid in his arms. She wrapped her ankles around his back, locking them both in place. Her heels dug into his thighs spurring him on to a quicker pace.

Her hips rocked against him, in perfect tune with his own rhythm and needs. Faster, stronger, harder, they both rode until finally he felt her inner walls begin to pulse and contract around him. A jagged cry fell from her parted lips.

That small miracle was all he needed to send him over the edge, the world graying to black on the guttural sound of his own release.

It was several minutes before he realized that his eyes were closed, before his body could draw in enough oxygen that his brain began to fire again. Opening his eyes, he looked down into Sabrina’s green gaze.

“That was sure as hell worth waiting for.”

The sound bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her. Laughter burst out with the same abandon he’d witnessed moments before. His chest tightened at the sound. He liked it.

Gathering her into his arms, he carried her over to the bed and carefully placed her in the center before slipping into the bathroom.

She was right where he’d left her when he returned a minute later. He couldn’t help but stare down at her. She looked amazing, honey-blond hair falling down around her face in a riot of curls. She usually kept it ruthlessly under control. Just like everything else in her life. At least she always had before. He supposed he really didn’t know her anymore…if he ever had. But somehow, she seemed different. Free. Happier than she had six years before.

She was absolutely lethal to his sanity this way.

Her clothes were a mess, half on and half off. It didn’t matter. Her eyes glowed with knowledge, sensuality, power. Her skin was still pink from his mouth and hands, and her lips curved ever so slightly into a knowing smile.

“What’s that?” She pointed across the room to a table in the corner. Turning, he spied the bottle of champagne and single tier of cake covered in delicate white frosting.

“Every wedding needs champagne and cake.”

Shedding the rest of his clothes, he walked across the room and poured them both a glass. Picking up the bottle, the cake and both champagne flutes, he headed back to her. Chase handed her a drink, clinking his own to hers. “To life.”

With an impish grin she countered, “To Elvis.”

In retaliation he let the cold bottle in his hand slip just far enough that the bottom rim connected with the upper swell of her breast. She drew a hiss through clenched teeth but didn’t move away from the contact.

Setting everything onto the dresser, he reached for her, removing what was left of her clothes before picking the bottle back up.

He started at her neck, pressing the cold glass there, rolling it against her nape for nothing more than the sheer pleasure of her response.

Her nipples were already puckered but as soon as the bottle touched their tips they drew into the tightest buds he’d ever seen. Reaching down, he touched the center with the tip of his tongue, enjoying the feel of her icy skin against his hot mouth.

He couldn’t resist the urge to suck her inside, to take the full swell of her breast into his mouth. She arched against him, jostling the chilled bottle into contact with his own skin and drawing a gasp at the sensation.

Pulling back, he tipped the neck above her body and let a stream of the bubbling wine pour onto her skin. The golden liquid rolled down a path between her breasts, a single drop pooling at the dip of her navel.

Letting more rain down, he bent toward it, lapping the drops as they collected. Only soon there was a rush, more than he could handle, a river of champagne that overflowed to trickle down into the curls at the juncture of her thighs.

Sabrina jerked as the first cool drops hit. With glittering eyes, she waited and watched as he trailed his tongue after them. Her thighs parted for him, opening wide so he could lap at the mingling tastes of champagne and her desire.

She reached for him, burying her hands in the strands of his hair. Her hips jerked as he licked at her sex, teasing her clit, playing at the opening of her body.

She pulsed beneath him. He could practically feel the hum of her blood pumping just beneath the surface of her skin. She writhed against him, her grip holding tighter.

Slipping a finger inside her sex, he relished the single whimper of need she let out as her body clenched hard against him.

“Let go.”

The simple words sent her into oblivion, the force of her orgasm sucking him in even deeper. She finally collapsed into a heap on the bed with a groaning sigh that made him smile.

Placing featherlight kisses to her sweat-glazed skin, he worked his way slowly back up her body. Taking his time, allowing her a moment to recover and collect herself, Chase contented himself with soft, exploring touches.

And he was rewarded a few minutes later when she reached for his shoulders and pushed him flat to the bed.

Sabrina was nothing like he’d expected…and yet, somehow, he wasn’t surprised at the sexy, passionate woman he’d discovered beneath her smooth surface. He’d known there were depths to her—even six years ago—that she simply didn’t show the world. And the fact that she was sharing them with him now…it was unbelievably arousing.

“I think we need some cake to go with the champagne.”

His erection was hard and throbbing. The last thing he wanted was a piece of cake. What he wanted was Sabrina, hot, wet and wrapped so tightly around him that he couldn’t tell where her body ended and his began.

He opened his mouth to tell her just that, but the words caught in his throat as she swiped her finger through the icing and smeared a large dollop down the length of his cock. It was cool and grainy, slightly rough. The sweet smell of butter cream reached him, mixed with the heady scent of Sabrina’s arousal.

She tortured him, using a light touch to cover him completely with the sticky stuff.

The tip of her tongue flicked across her lower lip. He watched and wanted. Staring down at him with gleaming eyes, she brought her finger to her mouth and painstakingly licked it clean.

“Sabrina.” He wasn’t sure whether the word was a warning or a plea, not that it mattered as long as she touched him.

With an impish half smile, she bent down over his body. Her hair fell across him, shielding her motions from his view. With a single hand he moved it away, locking his fingers into the silky cloud at the nape of her neck so he could watch her.

Her tongue laved him, lapping at his erection as if it were the best lollipop she’d ever tasted. Testing flicks, deep strokes—by the time the last speck of sugar was gone his control was about to snap with it.

With a rushed, “I’m sorry,” he flipped their positions and slammed home inside her. He couldn’t wait, hadn’t the strength to hold back for her this time. But as his body raced toward orgasm his mind registered the signs of her impending release.

He thrust into her, one, two, three more times before throwing his head back with abandon. His body emptied into hers with a force and completeness he’d never experienced before. It was mind-boggling how utterly consuming his need to possess this woman was.

Collapsing to the bed beside her, Chase rolled them both on their sides, tucked her into the curve of his body and wrapped his arms tight around her. His last thought before sleep stole over him was that he wished he didn’t have to leave her. Not now when he’d finally found her again.

LAST NIGHT she had not been herself. And it had felt utterly fantastic.

Rina had spent her entire life being the good girl, the “never do anything wrong” girl, the “never step out on a limb or take a chance or do something fun and spontaneous” girl. Her life was mapped out, every decision carefully made. At least every one before tonight.

She’d worked hard to fast-track her career. To be the best of the best in her field. To eventually achieve her goal of being in the Pentagon public affairs bureau. She’d worked hard to live down deficiencies—hers and her mother’s.

But last night…she’d felt amazing and…free.

Now she needed to go.

Chase was leaving in three—no two—days for Iraq anyway. It wasn’t like this was going anywhere. It had been fun. And amazing. And the best sexual experience she’d ever had.

But she couldn’t stay and watch him pack up and leave.

It was over. And she needed to get out of here.

Quietly gathering her clothes, Rina fought the fierce edge of a blush as her eyes landed on the dresser and the half-demolished wedding cake sitting on top of it.

What had possessed her?

She had no idea but Chase hadn’t seemed to mind. In fact, he’d seemed to like every last moment. A thrill shot through her body, a mix of remembered pleasure and awakened knowledge.

Rina ignored it, but she couldn’t ignore the urge to take one more look at him, sound asleep and sated in the bed they’d shared. The white sheet draped across his body, revealing the strong curve of his back and the tight indent at his hip. One long, muscled leg stuck out from the covers tangled into a knot around him. One arm was tucked beneath the pillow, bunching it to his cheek. The other was flung over the space she’d occupied just minutes before.

Six years ago she’d have killed for a single night with Chase Carden. It had lived up to every last fantasy she’d created in her mind. Surpassed them all, actually.

But now it was over.

Picking up her purse, she spied the pictures lying beneath. Reaching inside, she drew out the last one, the one of their kiss, and left it there.

In two days Chase would leave for Iraq. And as soon as she walked out that door she would go back to the perfect, ordered life she’d built for herself.

Last night had been a dream. But now it was over.

At least that’s what Rina thought. Until one week later when their marriage certificate arrived in the mail.

3

Present

DAMN. He was here. And she was not ready for him.

Not that she ever would have been. If eleven months wasn’t long enough, a couple more weeks probably wouldn’t have helped.

Rina had no idea what to say to him. Her husband. The word rolled around inside her brain, pinching at the corners. How was she going to tell him?

Her eyes followed Chase as he crossed the room. How had this happened?

Oh, she knew the answer. She’d been blinded by lust and intoxicated by alcohol and hadn’t paid attention. Some joke.

Eleven months had given her plenty of time to come to terms with the situation and formulate a plan to fix the problem…

She’d done research, had even begun to fill out the annulment paperwork, but something had stopped her. The memories had stopped her. And the fact that her attorney had advised her that things would go more smoothly with her husband’s cooperation.

Her husband, who had no idea they were married. Well, he was back in her life now. Home. In Las Vegas. Part of her squadron. Safe.

No thanks to his stupid heroics that had almost gotten him killed. Every time she thought of it the center of her chest started to ache.

So she wouldn’t think of it. He was here now. She had to figure out how—and when—to tell him he was married.

Somehow, telling him about this disaster in a letter hadn’t seemed right. Nor had calling him halfway around the world to drop a bomb of a whole different sort than he was used to. The kind of shock she had to deliver deserved face-to-face time.

Yes, she’d been slightly concerned that her husband might meet another woman in the eleven months he’d been gone but, considering he was in a foreign country fighting a war, Rina had figured that possibility was pretty slim.

She covertly watched as Chase met the other officers. He moved with a familiar, well-oiled grace—precision-timed movements he’d honed with hours in the sky. From a safe distance in the corner she let her eyes wander across his body. It was good to see him…whole.

Not that she’d ever tell him that.

The last year of her life was supposed to have been amazing. She’d landed one of the most coveted assignments in the air force. The competition was fierce for each position within the squadron. It had been the culmination of years of work. Her father had been so proud of her.

She should have been ecstatic. Instead she’d spent the past eleven months living in fear—that Chase would die, that someone would discover their marriage, that her entire world and the career she’d spent her life building would be snatched out from under her.

Their one stupid mistake could cost her everything. If anyone in the air force found out that she and Chase were married—and by Elvis!—and hadn’t informed their superior officers, hadn’t filed necessary paperwork…they could be accused of fraud, demoted, asked to resign their commissions.

Not to mention she’d look like a complete idiot. That would do wonders for the reputation she’d built as a level-headed, competent officer.

At the very least they’d receive a formal reprimand in their files which would kill any forward momentum their careers had. Being stationed in Timbuktu wasn’t her life’s dream.