Chapter 10

The rise of a blush kissing Kelcee’s fair cheeks was a sight to behold. Dustin’s battle with his demons that sought to pull him back into his dark place had been tougher than he’d let on to the woman across from him. Hell, just the simple act of watching her squirm in her seat and blush the color of ripe strawberries was spoils enough for winning the fight. Her irritated green eyes snapped to his. Fuckin’ A. She’d be worth anything.

“I’m not going to discuss that with you here.”

“Where, then? Your place?” He knew he was pushing her, but damn the flash in her eyes when she got pissed. How could that possibly arouse a man, but hell if it didn’t him. He did a little squirming in his seat himself, his erection pointing out it was most definitely aroused—and in a damn big way, too.

Their order arrived, and he tucked into a bean burrito. “God, this is good, Kitten.” He wiped the tears from his eyes and coughed. “Spiced just right.” They both laughed.

Fran came over and hip-bumped him into sliding farther into the booth. “Dustin, I saw how you treated the young McGrath boy.” She pressed a hand to her ample chest. “Land sakes, he’ll remember tonight for the rest of his life. My sweet man, when you gave him your ball cap, I cried. Didn’t I, Silver Stud?” She glanced across the table at Clint, who’d taken a seat next to Kelcee.

Clint nodded and bumped shoulders with Kelcee. “It was a three-hankie cry.”

Dustin typically liked weird, which was one of the reasons he loved his SEAL brothers—weird motherfuckers, all—so the almost instantaneous connection with these two came as no surprise. Hell, Sugar Loaf? Silver Stud? Three-hankie cry? Damn, these weird characters were more than half-likable. They were totally to his liking.

He hadn’t allowed himself or simply hadn’t been capable of feeling for strangers so quickly. His gaze slid to Kelcee and her sunshine smile. Until her. Something about the fiery redhead made him feel again.

Once their meal was over, he held her hand to walk to the truck. “That was nice. We’ll have to do it again.”

“Yes, it was. I was proud of you tonight. I know parts of it were difficult.”

“Which parts? The wannabe SEAL, Sugar Loaf and Silver Stud, or my worrying about your thigh-highs and black-lace garter belt?”

She shot him a sidelong glance that, even in the dark, blazed with temper. Another emotion he hadn’t felt deeply in a long time took root and sprouted. Happiness. He spun her into his arms, lifted her, and awkwardly swung her around twice—grateful for all his hard work in physical therapy—as he laughed at her squeals. “God, woman, you fire me up.” He slid her down the length of him. Her sudden gasp when she made contact with his hard-on was monumental to his male ego.

So were her hands fisting in his hair and her lips fusing with his. Hell, he wasn’t the only one turned on. He backed her against the truck, deepening the kiss. She bit his lower lip and he damn near turned savage, growling deep in his throat.

“Come back to my place. And I can’t believe I just asked you this.” Her hands caressed his shoulders. “Earlier you said I had to decide if I could date a wounded warrior. I feel like we’ve been dating since you called me twice in one day. Although I didn’t want to admit to my feelings. I mean, why should I get involved with a guy who may only be in the area for a couple months at best?” She laid her cheek against his shoulder and sighed. “I think that decision’s already been made. I’ll take you for however long you’re here, big guy.” She kissed his neck, then bit his earlobe.

This woman was something else. A dream, almost. She had a way of bringing out emotions in him he didn’t think he could ever feel again. Protectiveness, pride for her and himself, and—yes, dammit—lust. He pressed his cheek to the top of her hair.

“You need to see if you can make love to a man with part of his leg gone. Will it repulse you? We won’t know until we try. Sex is not a requirement tonight, but looking at my body is. I need for you to see my stump.”

“Okay. Although I don’t get why you think a stump might repulse me. It’s the whole package, the strength and gentleness of you, that attracts me, hell, even your alpha attitude you automatically toss around. Just like I throw down a temper tantrum now and then.”

“Woman, you’ve never seen me throw a tantrum. It’s damn ugly.” In the moonlight, he peered into the genuine sentiment in her eyes and nearly tumbled into their warmth. If she was repulsed as Hailey had been, he wasn’t sure how he’d handle it. In such a short time, her opinion of him mattered; it mattered a lot. He unlocked her door and helped her into the truck.

Even though they held hands on the short drive to the bookstore, both were quiet. He chalked her silence up to fear. And why not? Damned if he wasn’t scared himself. No man liked being vulnerable, not on the battlefield and for damned sure not with a woman. He had no doubt he wanted to date Kelcee. Meeting her unfurled something in him like his mom’s crocuses peeking out of the frozen ground in early spring, seeking the sunlight’s warmth. Kelcee was one precious spitfire that turned him on in a heartbeat. There was also a touch of vulnerability about her that stroked his need to protect. He’d yet to figure it out, but the sentiment couldn’t be denied. She had a way of making him feel ten feet tall. To a wounded warrior, that meant a helluva lot.

For any future for them to happen would mean he’d be staying on at the ranch with ZQ and Junebug. He was eligible for a medical discharge, but he’d been fighting that; maybe he needed to reconsider his options. A job, hell, he’d need a job to bring in some income. He’d have his puny medical pension from the service and his savings. So many decisions to make, none of which needed doing right away. He had this first big hurdle to get over: her seeing him naked. Who knew, maybe his hopes would be dashed by her repulsion.

He eased the truck into a parking space in front of the store, shifted in her direction, and fingered her soft hair. “Are you still sure you want me to come in? I don’t want to rush you.” His thumb swept along her jawline and across her full lips. She opened her mouth slightly and bit the pad of this thumb. A jolt of pain and pleasure ripped through his system.

“Yes. I want us to make love and I want to spend the night in your arms. I won’t lie and say one-night stands or brief affairs are my style. They aren’t. But I like you, big guy. I respect you and you turn me on.” She took his hand in hers. “I’m prepared emotionally to enjoy us for as long as you’re here. When you have to go back to active duty, I’ll deal.” Her voice had a panicky quality to it during the last sentence, and he understood why. For he struggled with the same emotion. Leaving her would be damn difficult.

Once inside, Kelcee locked the door behind them and led Dustin through the dimly lit bookstore. He opened the door to her apartment stairway and she turned on the light. Moving at a slower, more awkward pace, he followed her up the steps, grateful she didn’t ask if he was doing okay. Tonight, of all nights, he needed to be treated as much like a whole man as possible. For the hounds of hellacious panic attacks were nipping at his heels, both flesh and titanium.

Stopping at a door on a small landing, Kelcee unlocked it. She flipped on the light switch as they stepped into a pale green living room with a floral rug. A forest green sofa and a large wooden rocker with a floral seat and back cushion matched the pillows on the sofa. An old rolled-top desk occupied an end wall as did some plotted plants on both ends of the desk. Across the corner was a flat-screen TV on a stand filled with DVDs. There were sliding glass doors leading to what appeared to be a deck or balcony. Although the place was sparsely furnished, she’d added touches to make it homey. Two matching antique suitcases sat on top of each other on the floor. The larger one was closed, while one a few inches smaller sat on it, open and filled with hardback books and a small planter of ivy growing along the lid. A lace doily was folded over the edge.

A modern kitchen was beyond the living room. Just off where the two rooms joined was a hallway leading to a small office and bathroom on one side and a blue bedroom on the opposite side of the corridor. She took his hand and led him to her bed, covered in blue and purple tiny flowers.

“This bedroom furniture belonged to Frank. I kept it and polished the wood. The mattress set is new, though.” She turned on the bedside lamp and folded back the bedspread. Her open hand fluttered around. “I bought new lamp shades and added some plants. Found a few pictures of the sea at some yard sales. Fran and I like to go and scrounge around.”

His Kitten was nervous, jittery. How could he soothe her? “I can tell you’re a plant person. You have a green thumb.”

“Well, I can bake and grow plants and clean. My cooking skills aren’t the best. I can really butcher a fried egg. And you could make bullets out of my steaks, they get so tough. I pretty much live on salads and cookies. Both of those I can make—easy-peasy.”

Sensing her nervousness, he sat and patted the bed next to him. “Let’s take our shoes off and lie in each other’s arms. What I’m ready for, you might not be. So, for now, we’ll snuggle and talk.”

“Snuggling always sounds nice.” Her smile was sweet, as always.

He untied his sneakers and removed them while she unbuckled her high heels and slipped them off. To his surprise, she positioned herself between his feet and pulled off his black stockings.

“I want to see your prosthesis. Is it hard or more fleshlike?” Her hands slid over it. “Take your pants off. Let me see the whole thing. I know I’m curious.” She shrugged. “I can’t help it, it’s how I’m wired.”

Hell, she didn’t waste any time. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Man up. Take the next step and show her what she wants to see. Either she can handle it or she can’t. Better to find out now before she had the ability to rip his heart out and toss it back at him in spikey confetti pieces.

“Big guy, do you want to see me naked tonight?” Her eyebrows rose in question or challenge, he wasn’t sure which, but she used that breathy voice that always revved his engines. He rose, unzipped his slacks, pushed them off, and sat again. She shoved him back onto the bed. “I want to examine your artificial leg. Like I said, I’m a person who asks a lot of questions. I also like to touch things. You’ll have to get used to that.”

He slid one arm under his head and stared at her pretty face. Touch? Hell, she could touch him anywhere. His cock stirred and he took a deep breath. Oh, yeah, most definitely there. “I can handle the questions, Kitten. Just be sure you don’t ask anything you don’t want to hear the answer to.”

She chuckled as her cool fingers slipped under the edge of his prosthesis. Her gaze rose, meeting his, along with an evil grin. “I’ll take my dress off if you remove all this so I can see everything.” Her grin spread. “I double-ball dare ya!” And he knew he cared for her in every way possible—in his mind, within his heart, and balls deep.

So, she was going to make a game out of something she had to know would be difficult for him emotionally. He grabbed her arms and pulled her on top of him. “Oh, woman, you are so bad. And I have always loved bad.” His fingers forked in her curls that tumbled like a curtain around their faces and brought her lips to his.

The kiss was all power and passion. Lips and longing. Tongues and teasing. They both touched with roughness as well as tenderness. Neither could seem to get enough of the other. And, yet, the test remained. He pulled out of the kiss, his breathing labored and his erection so tight, he fought to control himself.

She stood and unzipped her dress, allowing it to pool at her feet. “I used to be self-conscious about my figure, that I wasn’t a size two. I exercise, ride my bicycle everywhere, and eat fairly healthy. Now, I accept myself for who I am, the way I am. It was a long process, let me tell you, and it was often filled with pain.”

“Come here.” Dear God, she was beautiful—inside and out. She stepped between his spread legs and his hands cupped the backs of her thigh-high nylons, fingering the sexy-as-hell black lace. “You take my breath away with your smile and curves and fighting spirit. Combined, you are one stunning woman. Tonight, there won’t be a part of you I won’t touch or kiss or taste.” Her eyes fluttered shut and her sigh of desire floated across his face.

“Are you going to watch me take the prosthesis off?” Would she make an excuse to use the bathroom while he removed it?

“Yes. I feel like it’s separating us in some way, like an emotional barrier.” She sat next to him and visually inspected it. “Is that the complete name? Prosthesis?”

“Since I have a below-the-knee amputation, it’s called a transtibial prosthesis.”

She nodded. “That’s a mouthful, isn’t it? I think we’ll just stick to prosthesis. Explain more of it to me, because sometimes I’ll be taking it off you.” His head snapped up to lock on her expression. The feminine bundle of surprises winked. “You can take off my panties and I’ll take off your prosthesis.”

His heart did a slow roll. Fuck me. Does she really want to hear the nitty-gritty of all this?

“The prosthesis attaches to my stump at the interface, which consists of a socket and a rigid frame.” He pointed to the parts as he spoke. “My socket is made of plastic, some are made of a laminated material. It’s where the working parts of the artificial limb attach to the person.”

“So, that always stays on you? What is the frame made of?”

“Graphite. It provides the structural support for the socket.” To his surprise, talking to her about all this was easy. The questions she asked showed interest, not revulsion. “When I go back to BAMC for my physical evaluation, they will replace the socket and frame with a permanent one.”

She took his hand. “I’ll go with you. I don’t want you to go through that procedure alone.”

He swallowed and struggled with a myriad of emotions. This woman he’d known only a short time was emotionally attached to him on a deeper level than his ex-wife had ever been. “You’ll see my bad side, Kitten.”

“Most alphas show their bad side when they’re in pain. Oh, they don’t cry or complain, they just want to hurt everyone around them. They snarl and snap. Women are the same when they feel belittled.” She slid her fingers around the hem of his shirt and tugged it over his head. He willingly went along with her undressing him while his mind wondered what she was up to next.

“You know, if you kept me away while you were being treated for something, I’d feel belittled.” She ran warm fingers over his pecs and flicked his nipples with her fingernails. “I’d get super bitchy, which isn’t a pretty sight. Then you’d have two kinds of pain to deal with.”

He shook his head and laughed. “God, Kitten, where do you come up with this shit?” The woman was perfect for him.

She straightened and unhooked her bra, allowing it to hit the floor. His tongue nearly did the same thing. God help him, he’d never seen a more perfect pair of breasts. “Take your prosthesis off while I remove my thigh-highs. Big guy, the time for talk is over. I want to get close to you, skin to skin.”

He removed the apparatus and the silicone sock. “If I were back at the ranch, I’d cover the stump with a thick socklike thing called a ‘shrinker.’ It helps keep the circulation going and the stump in shape for the prosthesis.”

To his surprise, she knelt in front of him and wrapped a hand around the part of his upper calf that remained. The fingers of her other hand trailed over the end of his leg. She’s touching me. No hesitation. No signs of disgust. A breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding whooshed from the depths of his chest. A warming breath of…acceptance.

Her green eyes rose to lock on his. “Does your stump ever swell? Is that why they use the term ‘shrinker’?” As if it were the most natural thing, something she’d done a hundred times already, she gently lifted his stump and pressed three kisses to it. First, she’d honored the scars on his face and now his amputation. Could there be another woman on the face of this earth like her? As precious and lovable as her?

His throat thick with emotion, he could barely make a sound. “Not…not like it used to, but occasionally, yes.” He leaned over, fumbled in the pocket of his pants for the two condoms, and placed them on the nightstand. If he didn’t move, he was going to fall apart. She made him feel whole again.

He shucked his underwear and shifted on the bed, placing his head on the pillow, to watch his woman roll off those sexy nylons. Meanwhile, his pecker stood at attention like a proud, strong SEAL, watching her movements, too.

Once she was naked, he finally got to see her butterfly tattoo. It was on the inside of her pelvic bone, inked in bright blues, golds, and shades of brilliant greens. “Nice tat, Kitten.”

“Thanks. You’re the first to see it other than the girl who gave it to me.” Kelcee glanced at him and grinned. She slowly crept from the foot of the bed between his spread legs, a sensually wicked expression on her beautiful face. Her hand wrapped around his engorged cock. “Is this all for me?” Her pink tongue swept out and circled the head. He nearly came on the spot. “How long has it been for you?”

“Over a year. Closer to two.” His voice cracked like a freaking adolescent’s.

“Let’s take the edge off, then.” Her lips surrounded his cock and with her tongue swirling around him, she slowly took him completely inside her mouth.

Holy Mother of God! She didn’t strike me as the sexually aggressive type. She pulled out and then took him inside her luscious mouth again, this time balls deep. How much sweet torture could one man endure? He’d better give her fair warning. “Kitten, if you soon don’t stop, I’m going to come like a volcano down your throat.”

She slipped her lips completely from him and searched his face. “Would that be a bad thing?”

“Not for me, but you might not enjoy it.”

Her hands swept over his abs, the corners of her sweet mouth curling into a sensual smile. “Oh, I intend to enjoy every part of you, every taste of you. Beginning with this…” Her lips settled around his cock again and her fingers scratched his balls lightly as she took him into her mouth.

She worked him over until an electrical current zinged down his spine and heated his balls to boiling. He fisted her hair and shouted her name when the eruption hit. Sweet Lord, she’d taken control of him, of his heart, his soul—his future. He reached and lifted her into his arms, snuggling her head in the crook of his neck. His hand swept along the bumps of her spine to her firm ass where it found home.

“I’ve never had anything so fantastic before. I don’t even want to know who the bastard was who taught you how to do that. I’d have to hunt him down and snap his neck. Or maybe buy him a bottle of the finest whiskey in gratitude…and then snap his fuckin’ neck.”

“So, I did an okay job?”

He leaned back and studied her odd expression. She chewed her bottom lip, almost as if she was nervous. “You’ve never been one to fish for compliments. What is it?”

“I’ve never done that before. I’ve only read about it in romance books, so I was going on what I’d learned from them. As time goes on, I’ll get better.”

“Yeah? I’ll fuckin’ die from the pleasure. My tombstone will read, ‘Here lies Dustin Sloan Franks. He died of sensory overload from the world’s best blow job.’ ” He wrapped his arms tighter around her, until they were so close a strong Texan wind couldn’t have fluttered between them. “Damn, Kitten, what a way to go.”

She snuggled against him, her breasts rubbed his chest, her abdomen pressed to his hardening cock, and her legs entwined with his. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and she smiled that wicked grin she had. “A woman likes to know she pleases her man.”

He smiled in response. “And a man, a real man, receives great pleasure in satisfying his woman.”

Her lips settled against his ear and her tongue made one sweep around his outer ear. “Show me, big guy.”

“Do you think you can handle me? My need for you runs deep, Kitten.” He ran his teeth along her jaw and down her throat. She moaned and made noises that drove him mad. He cupped her full breasts and kissed them, moving ever closer to her beaded nipples. In frustration, she placed her hands around his head and moved him toward one. His Kitten wasn’t long on patience when there was something she wanted.

He lapped the rosy bud with his tongue and drew it into his mouth. She gasped and bowed off the bed. “I got you, baby.” He wrapped an arm around her back and continued sucking on one nipple before moving to the other.

He slipped a finger inside her and, finding her wet, reached for a condom. He couldn’t wait any longer to be inside her. “How long has it been for you?” His voice rasped with need.

“Over three years. Four maybe.” Her eyes were closed.

He tore the foil packet open and rolled the protection over him. “Open your eyes, Kelcee. Open them and keep them focused on me. I want to watch your reaction while I love you. Spread those beautiful thighs of yours and guide me in.”

As her body accommodated his girth, he relished her tightness. He withdrew and entered her again, just to experience the pleasure another time. She was perfection—tight, wet, and hot. He slid his hands under her teacup ass and lifted her to angle his penetration for her enjoyment. Her mouth formed an “Oh” and she wrapped her legs around his hips. “Sweet heaven, Kitten, nothing has ever felt this good. No one, baby. Only you.”

She tightened her fingers in his hair, bringing his face to hers so their gazes locked. “My man.” And that’s how she made him feel—like a man, a complete man. Lord, it had been so long. But this sweet, yet sassy woman treated him as if he had no scars, no deficiencies, only goodness she respected and sex appeal she responded to.

He stroked in and out while his mouth found the spot where her neck joined her shoulder. He kissed her, bit her gently, and soothed it with his tongue. All the while they moved together as two matched halves of a jagged, splintered puzzle, creating something beautiful.

Her thigh muscles began to quiver and so did her internal muscles. She was so snug he could feel the approach of her climax.

The climax shuddered through her body and a couple strokes later, his exploded through his balls and his cock like a bomb detonating in his soul. His vision went black for a few seconds and all he could think of was her and what she meant to him—everything. This spitfire was everything.