Chapter 8: The Cabin

Mariska

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Time seemed to stand still for several moments as Stuart fought an internal battle I could see in his eyes. He told me to stay, but he was still fighting. Like a deer in headlights, I couldn’t move.

“Take off your top.” He gave the low order, and I obeyed it. My top was off in an instant, and I stood before him in only my bra and panties.

“Braid your hair.”

Blinking, I wasn’t sure where this was going, but I pulled the length over my shoulder and without breaking our intense eye contact, I started weaving my wavy locks into a thick rope over my shoulder.

“Bra.” I reached around and unfastened it. The straps tickled my hypersensitive skin as they fell down my arms. The entire garment fluttered to the floor, and his eyes broke from mine to study my body. I couldn’t breathe.

Reaching out, he cupped the bottom of my breast and slid his thumb across a tightening nipple. The rough touch of his palm against my delicate skin, the circling of his thumb around my straining buds. Hungry eyes darkened as he watched my body respond to him. Heat pulsed deep between my thighs. My breath hitched then became shallow and fast. I had no idea what he’d do next. I didn’t expect him to turn and go to the bed.

He climbed onto it and leaned against the headboard, eyes fixed on mine. I wanted to look down, to gaze at all of him, but I couldn’t.

“Remove your panties.” His voice had changed, but it still commanded. I only hesitated a moment before catching the thin sides around my thumbs and pushing them down. Standing before him completely nude, I couldn’t stop a shiver. My arms crossed over my stomach, and I tried to cover myself.

“Stop.” He spoke sharply. “Don’t cover yourself.” His eyes raked over me in a look so predatory I felt it on my skin.

I looked at him as well. His powerful, lined body was tense, ready, and his erection rose up his belly. Thick and long, I shivered at the size of it. Nothing like that had ever been inside me, still I ached for it.

“Come to me.” It was a lusty whisper speaking words I’d longed to hear since before I’d flown across the country. I crawled up the bed, but just as I reached his waist, he stopped me. “Do you want this?”

“Yes.” My voice was only a little shaky.

“I want be inside you, but first I want to be in your mouth.”

Moisture pooled between my thighs. I’d never been with a man who made demands, who told me exactly what he wanted and expected me to deliver, but it only intensified my feelings for him.

I leaned down to follow instructions, but he stopped me. “I want to taste you as well. I want to hear you come before I sink between your thighs.”

My brow must have lined because the slightest grin softened his stern face. He pulled me against his chest, and warm breath drifted across my cheek as he spoke to me.

“Beautiful Mariska.” Hands in my hair, he consumed my mouth.

A moan ached from my chest and was lost in him. Strong fingers tightened against my skull, holding me forcefully, taking no prisoners. I moaned again as he pulled my lip between his teeth before pillaging my mouth once more. I held his wrists, my head light.

In that moment, he pushed me back against the bed. Stunned, my eyes blinked open, and I tried to get my bearings. It was all happening so fast. He sat back on his heels and gripped my thighs, pulling my hips to his mouth. He gave me one slow, lingering look before licking his tongue from the top of my clit all the way down to my opening, wet and throbbing.

“Oh, god! Stuart!” I cried, flexing my ass in his hands. I was so close, I would come for him fast.

He didn’t stop, tracing his tongue back again and slowly circling that small, powerful bud. I whimpered as he repeated the figure eight pattern, circling and sucking until I saw stars. My thighs began to quiver, and he lowered me, shifting his body around so his hips were positioned near my head.

“Suck,” he breathed against my thigh.

His enormous cock was just at my mouth, a clear drop at the tip. Pushing against the mattress, I rose above him, lifting the heavy muscle to my lips before tracing my tongue around the tip, down the side and back up.

He rolled to his back, holding my ass so my knees were on each side of his head. A low groan vibrated against my clit, and my entire pelvis jerked. My head dropped against his thigh. I was right there, quivering on that sparkling edge. I managed to take him into my mouth, giving him a firm squeeze. At the same time, his stomach muscles flexed, and he gave me another hard suck, sinking a thick finger deep inside me.

I arched, moaning against him, lightly touching his tip with my teeth.

“Shit,” He groaned against my clit, and the muscles low in my pelvis tightened harder. One more pass, and my orgasm would shatter through me. Heat flooded the lower half of my body, and a delicious ache raged in my core.

Moving my head up and down, I gripped his base, pumping him, drawing him out as I whined and moaned from the delicious pleasure his skilled tongue was teasing from me. He didn’t stop, and I tried not to stop, but my body shook as I came on his mouth.

Lowering my head, I sighed his name as pleasure snaked up my thighs, curled through my belly, and exploded from my chest.

Before I knew what was happening, he rolled me onto my back. The orgasm still shimmered under my skin as he leaned toward the nightstand to retrieve a condom. No hesitation, I watched as he tore it open with his teeth.

I remembered a line from some class I took in college: Condom on a banana. Big banana. The thought made me giggle, and he leaned forward, catching my cheeks and pulling my mouth hard against his. I wrapped my arms around his neck. This time, I kissed him back with equal force, pulling his luscious mouth between my lips and teeth. He lifted me by the waist, and I was on his lap, holding him, tasting him.

In my dreams it had been this way with him, blazing, familiar, orgasmic... I wanted to push him back against the headboard and spend the next several minutes exploring his mouth, but large hands held me back.

Commanding eyes fixed on mine as he reclined against the headboard. “Fuck me.”

My body was still buzzing with our kiss, my orgasm, but I hesitated. It was only for a moment, but he didn’t miss it.

“What’s wrong?” Again, those lines across his stomach deepened as he sat up, pulling me closer. I tried to look away, but he caught my chin. I knew he wouldn’t ask me again. Still, he let me lean forward and press my face against his neck as I said it.

“It’s my first time.”

Everything stilled. Silence echoed under my fingertips. Fear stronger than my first-time jitters twisted in my stomach that he might push me away, that my revelation might change how he felt about me.

Without a word, I fumbled my hand to his straining cock. His desire was strong as ever, and as I circled my fingers around him, he lifted my head from his shoulder. Tilting it back, he looked straight into my eyes. “You’re a virgin?”

“Technically.”

It was so hard to explain. I knew I was ready. I knew I wanted this. I knew the wetness from the incredible orgasm he’d provoked would smooth his entry. I knew all of these things, but I was scared. He was so strong and demanding and so... big.

Before I could say anything, he moved me onto my back. Propping his head on one hand, he looked down at me. I couldn’t decide if he was exasperated or if he was amazed.

“But just a moment ago...” His brow creased, and he shook his head slightly. “You give a hell of a blow job for a virgin.”

Tucking my face against his chest, I exhaled a little laugh. “I didn’t say I was a nun.”  My voice was low, and he made me look at him again.

“What are you telling me right now? Do you want to stop?”

“No.” Lifting my hand to his neck, I slowly threaded my fingers into the side of his hair. “Just this one time... be gentle?”

“Mariska.” He exhaled my name, leaning into me. I shivered in his arms as his mouth traced my jawline, nibbling, biting. “My Mariska.”

At those words, joy radiated in my chest. He seemed to want this even more. His arms were all around me, his mouth covering my skin. His sparse chest hair teased my nipples as he moved, and his delicious scent clouded my mind. He was so strong and so forceful, yet in this moment, he softened.

His hand traced down my side, lightly following my curves, shaping around the base of my ass. With a knee, he spread mine apart then he propped himself on his forearms. Desire smoldered in his eyes, and I could feel his erection on my belly. Still, he was holding back, touching me with care. The idea that I could give commands as well as take them drifted across my dazzled brain.

“You could be on top... If that helps?” The slightest strain was in his voice, and I knew he’d gone as long as he could.

“I trust you.”

Holding my thighs open, he lightly touched the sensitive skin at my entrance. His fingers tested my wetness, stretched gently, and I tensed, holding his shoulders.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Placing my hands against his chest, I looked into his eyes. “Why did you have me braid my hair?”

Heat flared in his gaze, and I knew I had asked the right question. “This changes everything.”

“Does it?”

Leaning down, he claimed my lips again, and with one strong thrust, he pushed inside me, tearing through my virginity. Our mouths broke apart, and we both cried out in response.

Mine was a cry of pain, a gasp of shock at the intense sensation of fullness, and a sudden need to move around, to figure out how to accommodate him.

His was the guttural response to claiming new territory. “Jesus, god, Mariska. You’re so tight.”

With every shift of my hips, he groaned, until at last he gasped, “I need to move.”

Nodding, I tried not to whimper as his hips moved against mine slowly, allowing me to adjust to the incredible sensation of him inside me. Mentally, I’d prepared for the pain. I’d even done a little research on how to minimize discomfort, but nothing could get me ready for the actual sensation of him being there, inside me, stretching the limits of what I’d ever felt.

As if unable to hold back, he moved faster, going deeper. The discomfort gradually dulled, transforming into the heat of our bodies working together. Slowly, the pain receded, and my senses focused on our bodies united. It was amazing. I didn’t want him to stop.

The sounds of his climb were dizzying. Noises, groans, a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. I leaned up and licked the salty drop. How many times had I wanted to run my tongue along that scratchy jawline? He was delicious.

“Mariska...” His voice ragged, his lips caught mine. Mouths sealed together, his tongue left no part of mine unclaimed.

His thrusting became more forceful. My hips arched involuntarily, and his skin massaged the top of the cleft between my thighs. With a jolt of pleasure, I saw how well our bodies fit together. Arching my hips again, I scrubbed that part of me against him until the friction, the incredible fullness of him inside me, the shuddering groans of his building orgasm, tightened the muscles in my core. Large hands gripped my ass, and with three more violent thrusts, I dropped my head back and cried out his name.

His head fell against my collarbone, and he held still inside me, pulsing. My thighs quivered as I felt him jerking, coming. We held each other, both breathing fast. His lips touched my skin before he reached between us and held the condom as he came out, sliding it off and disposing of it quickly.

He was back with me, and I curled into his chest. Strong arms circled me, and we held each other, buzzing in the afterglow as our breathing gradually returned to normal.

* * *

Stuart

She fit perfectly in my arms. Holding her this way, after making her body mine, I began to understand why Derek couldn’t talk about anything but Allison all that time we were in the desert.

I’d been with other women. I’d been with a lot of other women in a myriad of ways, but nothing was like this—and not just because she was a virgin. How was it different? Why? Answers to these questions escaped me, but I knew, holding her in my arms, I was seriously screwed.

Her head moved, and she leaned back to meet my eyes. The moment sunset hazel hit me, all my future plans disappeared. I didn’t care about being screwed. I only wanted more of her.

She started to giggle, and my arms tightened around her slim body. I felt the smile curling my lips. I was actually smiling. I was fucking happy. When was the last time I’d felt this way? Shit, for that matter, had I ever felt this way?

“Why are you laughing?” My voice was a low rumble against her skin as I kissed a trail behind her ear.

She squealed and pulled up her shoulder. I mentally noted that spot for future reference. “We probably undid all the massage therapy I just gave you.”

My lips sealed against the skin at her temple. They trailed over her brow before I leaned up to meet her eyes. “I have to confess... I couldn’t care less.”

Eyes twinkling, she smiled bigger, and I was pretty confident nothing could be more beautiful.

“I care,” she said, reaching up to trace a finger over my brow. “I don’t want you to be in pain.”

“I can assure you, baby, I’m feeling no pain.”

She laughed again, and I ducked down to nibble the skin along the base of her jaw.

“You never told me why I had to braid my hair.”

She communicated so much with her eyes. Excitement, curiosity, knowledge. For example, in this moment I could see she knew exactly why her hair was braided. Testing that theory, I put it out there.

“So it’s easier for me to pull your head back when I fuck you from behind.”

I had to work to hold my expression neutral. I waited for her to cower or draw back, but instead, her eyes sparkled. Cautious excitement. Heat tightened low in my groin.

“You like it rough... But just now you were gentle as a lamb.”

“I’m no lamb, angel. I want you to enjoy this as much as I do.”

Her lips pressed together as she considered my words. I took the opportunity to slide a hand up to her breast, to roll a nipple between my fingers and watch it tighten. Her body arched to mine, and her bottom lip caught in her teeth.

“You are so beautiful... so responsive.”

A shaky breath passed through her throat, and she didn’t answer.

I knew exactly what I wanted to happen next.

* * *

Mariska

Stuart held me against his chest, and I was so afraid, I could hardly breathe. His embrace was like iron. He smelled like heaven. He was the most amazing lover, and I was falling so fast. It was dangerous and frightening, and nothing could keep me away from him. I suspected it when I stepped foot on the plane in Bayville, but now it was concrete in my mind. I’d do anything for him.

“I want you to go with me to the cabin.” He’d kissed every inch of my skin, leaving a trail of sparkling shivers in his wake, noting every way my body responded to him. Now he threw out this challenge, and of course I’d say yes.

“What will we do there?” Impressive how I managed to sound aloof as his thoughtful gaze traveled over my body. After his braid revelation, I couldn’t even imagine what he might say in response.

“It’s pretty remote. One room, no television or phone.” His head propped on his hand as he thought about the answer. “In the past, I’d go by myself to get away, think, find peace.”

It was his place—the one he’d told me about at the gym! Still, I acted coy. “So you’re saying it’ll be me and you and nothing else?”

Again a small smile. Again, I melted. “Is that something that would interest you?”

I traced my finger down his shadowed cheek, not squealing the Yes! echoing in my brain. “Some men go hunting to get away from it all.”

“Not much to hunt around here.” He turned and caught my finger between his lips, giving it a quick suck before releasing it. “I’d rather hunt you.”

Oh, god. Shivering, I let my eyes slide closed. “What should I tell Elaine? I can’t disappear without a word.”

He loosened his hold on me and sat up. My eyes traveled down his lined back now turned to me then lower to that perfect ass when he stood into his jeans and pulled them over his hips. “Tell her you’re going with me to the cabin.”

Tee scooped off the floor, it was over his head and down, leaving his hair in the sexiest bedhead. Mine still hung in the thick fuck-me braid he’d asked me to weave.

“I suppose she’ll know what that means.” Sliding to the edge of the bed, I reached down for my poncho, but he caught my shoulders before I made it.

“Hey.” Our eyes met, and his were a disconcerting mixture of authority and wariness. “I want to know you better. That’s all.”

The little tag at the end pricked the balloon expanding in my chest. That’s all? We’d get to know each other better, but don’t expect more? Was it possible for me to do such a thing?

Another little smile, and I knew it didn’t matter.

* * *

Lane’s voice was the first to greet my ear when Kenny answered. “Mommy paint.” Kenny was right behind him. “Hello?” She said over the chatter of her son. “Mariska? Are you okay? I didn’t expect to hear from you!”

I’d left Stuart to pack his bags and ran over to my side of the house to collect whatever I could think of to bring. Something about the way he’d set up this trip told me I wouldn’t need much in the way of clothing.

“I’m fine!” I quickly eased my friend’s concern. I needed to hear her voice. I needed that reinforcement. “What’s happening back home? Has anyone complained about my lack of smoothie artistry?”

“Pete misses the cinnamon bun protein shake you invented for him.” I heard her transfer the phone to her other ear and the baby to her other hip. “That’s not really a thing, is it?”

Ugh! Pete. For a whole year he’d tried to take things further with us, and I’d turned him down. I couldn’t help a little twinge of guilt over how hurt he’d be if he knew what I just did... And how much I looked forward to doing it again. And again.

“It’s a real thing. Check my recipe notes... I think it’s in the middle.”

“God, you spoil that guy,” she sighed. “No wonder he can’t move on.”

I stood in front of my closet chewing on my lip, trying to decide what I should pack for a three-day sex-weekend. “He asked for it specifically. It was more of a dare.”

“Hmm...” Her voice was skeptical. “I found it!”

Nodding, I pulled out a strapless dress that had an asymmetrical hemline. “Now you can be his forever crush.”

She snorted in my ear. “I’m not ready for anyone new.” Lane said something, and I heard sounds of her putting him down. “By the way, this is a really hot sketch of you know who—”

“Oh, Kenny! That’s why I called you.” Spinning away from the closet, I collapsed across my bed, pulling my knees to my chest. Deep between my thighs, I still throbbed from where he’d been, set up residence, and made it impossible for me to forget him. “So much has happened, and not enough!”

My friend sighed in my ear. “You are so freaking dramatic. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I told her. “We just did it.”

“Shut the fu—front door!” Her hand muffled over the phone. “Lane’s holding my leg, but eff! Eff! EFF!!! Tell me all about it!”

Rolling onto my stomach, I pressed my forehead into my arm. “It was amazing. I came like five times.” She made a little squeal as I continued. “Okay, I exaggerated a little. But he wants me to go away with him—”

“No! I don’t care if he’s Patrick’s brother, you are not leaving the country with him!”

“I don’t think we’ve made it that far.” Propping my head on my hand. “He wants me to go to this little cabin with him for a few days. He said we’ll get to know each other. That’s all.”

Kenny was quiet. I’d attempted to infuse the last bit with all the weight I’d felt when he said it.

“That’s not very encouraging.” And that was why we were so close. “Can it be that way for you? I mean, I feel like it can’t or you wouldn’t be there to begin with.”

Rubbing my closed eyes with my fingers, I thought about everything. “Of course it can’t, but I knew this, Ken. When I came here, I knew what he was like. We both saw him that day in the gym.”

“Stuart Knight is no one to fu—front with.” Lane’s little voice said something, and she covered the phone to answer him.

“Oh, god!” I dropped my head against my hand again. “Why the hell am I here?”

Kenny was back. “I’m still not really sure, but you are there. You’re going to go with him. What can I do?”

Comfort warmed my chest at her words. “I’m going to have to be strong with him.” She made a noise of agreement. “I have to hold my own if I ever expect to be a part of his life. He won’t respect anything less.”

“I can see that.”

Pausing a moment, I thought about what that meant. Then with a little laugh, I touched the corners of my hot eyes. “Help me pick up the pieces when he breaks my heart.”

“I bet Pete would be more than happy to help you.” The tease in her voice gave me the tiniest nanoparticle of relief. “And who knows? You’ve been right before. Maybe ‘That’s all’ is the cry of the defeated.”

“Ha. In my dreams.”

* * *

Stuart

It took less than an hour to pack clothes, food, drinks... pretty much everything we’d need for a three-day stay at the cabin. I hadn’t given myself time to question it. No time to second-guess what I was doing or back away. I wanted to spend the next three days exploring every inch of her beautiful body, unraveling the layers of her mind. Finding the answer to why she captivated me so thoroughly.

She didn’t question or protest. She seemed to understand I needed to be away from the house, the people there, everything. I needed to understand why she was different. It was potentially setting us both up for a world of hurt, but I couldn’t let that stand in the way.

I’d stripped the bed and deposited the sheets in the machine while I waited for her to shower and change. She’d emerged from her end of the house wearing a leather-fringed jacket over a thigh-high, mint-blue dress. I wanted to pull her to me and slide my hands up that skirt, but not yet. Winona was in the kitchen observing for one thing.

Irritation built as she lingered to text Elaine. Not hearing back immediately, she decided to leave a note, which prompted a search for paper and a pen.

“Just so she won’t worry.” The sound of her voice, her fluid movements, made me impatient to be gone.

“Winona can take care of it.”

“I’ll only be a second.”

Leaning against the doorframe, I watched, arms crossed as she fussed with paper, finding a pen. A few times she glanced in my direction, and her cheeks flushed. For some reason, it did something to me. Made it even harder not to catch her around the waist and thread my fingers in her hair.

Once she was satisfied no one would worry or come looking, I put her in the pickup Bill loaned me and told her to follow as I rode Freckles the short distance across the prairie. I’d wanted her in the saddle with me, secure against my chest the way I’d held her on our ride back from the lake, but her body was tender from this afternoon. I didn’t want to prolong that state of affairs, so she kept a comfortable distance following as we chased the sunset west.

Now we were back together again. It didn’t take long to unload our bags from the truck and assemble the portable shelter for Freckles. We were outside again near where the campfire would be built.

“What’s this place for?” Mariska watched as I stacked wood. I had something special in mind for tonight.

“It came with the ranch.” Stepping back, I surveyed the small house lonely against the vast horizon. “We think it was an outpost when they used to raise cattle here. I’m the only one who ever uses it now.”

Her eyes followed mine before returning to my face. Taking in the wind pushing the soft waves away from her cheeks, I pulled her to me.

“Give me a few minutes to get the fire going.”

She blinked up. “Winona sent dinner for tonight. Want me to make our plates?”

“Are you hungry?”

With a shrug, she looked at her hands trapped against my chest. “Not particularly.”

“Good.” I leaned forward and kissed the corner of her mouth before releasing her.

The fire was blazing a short time later, and I took her hand, leading her back toward the cabin. She followed without question. Everything she did was somehow perfect, from the way her body felt in my arms to the way she could alternate between resistance and surrender.

Inside, I pulled a large Indian blanket from a trunk at the foot of the bed. The cabin was only three hundred square feet. One room with a kitchen, living area containing a couch and fireplace, and a double bed in the corner. A small bathroom was down the hall. It had been too small when Derek had stayed to help me. Now it was almost too big. I wanted her close to me at all times.

“It’s really only designed for one person.” She started to push past me, but I caught her cheeks and lifted her face.

Her eyes traveled around mine briefly before I kissed her. A small groan came from her throat, and like before in the bed, she held my neck and kissed me back. I caught her under the ass and lifted her, and her arms moved around my neck, her mouth chasing mine with a desperate hunger.

Damn, I loved the force of that kiss. It showed how strong she was, and it made it even sexier when she gave in to me. I hated weak women, but nothing about Mariska was weak.

Lowering her, I scooped up the blanket and caught her hand. “Let’s sit by the fire.”

My back was against one of the big logs, and she sat in front of me, leaning against my chest. The blanket was around both of us.

“The stars here always blow me away.” My mouth was at her ear, and again she shivered when I touched that little spot. The semi I’d been sporting all afternoon was getting harder.

“They’re beautiful.” Her head dropped back against my shoulder, and I took a deep inhale of her scent. Some kind of flower. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many stars in my life.”

“You smell good.” I caught the skin of her neck between my lips and gave it a tiny bite. She winced away with a laugh.

“It’s jasmine.” Reaching for my hand, she threaded our fingers around her waist. “Tell me about you. What made you want to be a soldier?”

Exhaling a laugh, I pressed my lips against her ear. “A Marine.”

“Is that different?” A frown was in her voice.

“Very.”

She sighed. “I never had any friends in the military. It wasn’t something we did.”

“What did you do?”

“Art. Music...”

“Massage therapy?”

Her grip on my hand tightened. “That came later.”

“Why would you have been alone at Thanksgiving?” Elaine’s comment had troubled me since she’d made it.

She paused a moment, and when she answered, her voice was quiet. “I wouldn’t have been completely alone. I could go to Kenny’s if I wanted.”

“Where’s your family?”

A little sigh, I felt the tension in her body. “My dad was never in the picture. My mom died when I was a baby. I grew up with my grandmother. My Yaya.”

“Where is she?”

Again quiet. Then longing, sadness, the little crack in her voice tugged at my chest. “She died a few years ago.”

Hugging her tighter, I buried my nose in her hair. “I’m sorry,” I whispered before kissing her head.

She took a shaky breath. “She taught me everything. She listened to all my dreams and gave such good advice. She was so wise.”

I thought of how Bill had always been there for Patrick and me, and I thought of losing him. I hated her feeling pain like that, and I never wanted her to be alone. “She sounds amazing.”

“I feel close to her when I look at the stars.” We were quiet several minutes, listening to the fire then she squeezed my hand. “You never told me why you wanted to be a Marine.”

I got this question a lot, but my answer never satisfied me. Maybe I was still looking for the answer. “My dad was a Marine.” The words came out automatically, but as I said them, I knew they weren’t right.

“Like father, like son?”

“No.”  Thinking about the man who had never been a part of my life, I shook my head. “I never wanted to be like my father.”

She was quiet a moment. We were both quiet, and the only sound was the crackle of the fire. In the distance, I saw a streak of white light.

Clearly, Mariska saw it, too. “Make a wish,” she whispered.

“Make it for me.”

Turning to the side, she leaned her head against my cheek and traced a slim finger down my jaw. Her expression was so thoughtful, I had to ask.

“Did you?”

A pretty smile crossed her lips. “I did.” She was quiet a moment longer, and I wanted to know what it was. I didn’t get the chance. “So if you didn’t want to be a Marine like your dad, what kind of Marine did you want to be?”

It was such a strange way to ask the question. I liked it better. It helped me get closer to the answer. “The best kind. The kind that is always faithful. The kind that stays to the end.”

“Have you reached the end?”

I couldn’t answer that. I believed I still had years of service left ahead of me, but the Corps had told me to retire. I was injured. They didn’t know how strong I was. I’d spent these last three years working to get back, to show them how much fight I still had in me.

Another light touch on my jawline. “You’re angry,” she said quietly.

Glancing down, I caught the light of a million stars in her eyes. She was so beautiful.

“What do you want?” Her voice was soft, sexy.

“To die for my country.”

“Why?”

Pressing my lips together, I thought about my answer. “Honor? Courage? It’s what my dad did.”

“I thought you weren’t like your dad.”

“I’m not.” With a deep exhale, I confessed the truth. “He was better than me. I ended up broken. Still, it’s who I am. It’s all I ever wanted. Now I have to redeem myself. Redeem his honor.”

She placed her palm flat against my face stroking her thumb lightly across my lips. “Sometimes it takes more courage to give up one dream for a new one.”

A new dream. Derek’s challenge drifted across my mind. “How old are you?”

“Twenty six.”

Leaning my head back, I thought about that. Ten years.

“Is that a problem, soldier?”

Her sassy tone made me smile. I answered both her questions. “No. And I’m not angry.”

I captured her lips again. They were open and giving. Sweeping my tongue inside, I found hers. Tonight she tasted faintly of mint. Disentangling our fingers, I ran my hand up her thigh and under that short skirt. She let out a little moan, and that was enough. She was all I wanted to think about, her soft body warm in my arms, secure against my chest.

“Stuart...” Her voice was thick as I touched her under her panties.

A question burned in the back of my mind. It was too much with the way she moved, the way she looked. This girl was too sexy to have waited so long. “How were you a virgin?”

Her breath hissed through her lips as I massaged her clit. “It wasn’t really a conscious decision.” Her forehead pressed against my shoulder. “I had plenty of boyfriends...”

The thought of another man touching her angered me more than I expected. I leaned forward to take her lips again, needing to possess them. A moan scraped from her throat, and her thighs tightened around my hand. She was moving with me. I’d be inside her soon.

Still I wanted answers. “So why not?”

Her hand fumbled to cover mine between her legs. “It never felt right. I wanted it to be... Mmm...” She was wet, and I slipped a finger inside. A little gasp. “Magical.”

Her voice changed, and I rotated her on my lap, shifting so I could move my jeans down my hips. I jerked her panties aside and lowered her down my shaft. Fuck. Me. “You feel amazing.”

Inside, all around me, her muscles flexed. I caught her neck and moved her mouth down to mine. Another consuming kiss. I rocked my hips up, and she broke away with a gasp. Now she was moving faster, riding me. It was scorching hot, and I was close. Everything was falling away except her luscious body riding my dick.

“Are you on the pill?” She nodded fast, and relief moved through me. I wouldn’t stop this for the world.

I gripped her ass and her knees ground into my hips as she struggled for traction. She was getting off as good as I was.

“Stuart! Oh, god!” Her mouth was right at my ear as she fell apart, gasping and moaning. Her insides pulsed around me, milking and lengthening my orgasm.

With a low groan, I came hard. My hips flexed, jammed into her, filling her. Being against her skin was the most acute pleasure. Damn, she felt like heaven. I never had sex without a condom. I wasn’t sure what the hell possessed me this time.

Holding her close, I breathed through the warmth of afterglow. The scent of jasmine was all around us combined with the scent of sweat and sex. It was incredible. Through the haze I was struck by what I’d just done. I trusted her. Why?

“I’m sorry,” I said, clearing my throat. She lay against me, arms limp around my neck.

I could feel her expression change with my apology. “Why?”

“I’m clean. I should have told you before.”

She pulled away, and pink flooded her cheeks. God, she was beautiful. “It didn’t even occur to me. I guess I trust you.”

“I would never put you in danger.”

She blinked a few times before allowing a small smile. “But you like to be rough.”

A flicker below my waist, inside her. I was sure she felt it, too. “Yes.” My tone was serious as I caught that beautiful chin and lifted it. “So will you.”

* * *

Mariska

I couldn’t deny a sizzling thrill at Stuart’s words. I’d never liked anything rough, but the tone of his voice, the promise in his eyes, made me believe whatever he did would be amazing. Holding him, feeling him inside me was more than enough, but there was so much more to this man.

Lifting me, he carried me back to the cabin. The warm blanket he deposited on the bed, and he didn’t stop until we were in the small bathroom.

One swipe and my dress was over my head and out the door. I laughed and reached inside the small shower stall to turn on the hot water. Noises behind me, and he discarded jeans, boxer briefs, the shirt he was wearing. I felt him unhook my bra moments before rough hands reached around to cover my breasts, rolling my taut nipples between his fingers. My panties were stretched and drenched from our activities by the fire, and he slid them down next, kissing my ass along the way.

That made me laugh. “Do you want to shower or not?”

He rose in front of me, tall and smiling. Hazel eyes burned with desire. I traced my fingertips down the lines of his chest to the ridges of his stomach. He was slim, but it only made his muscles more pronounced.

“We’ll see what happens.” His voice was that deep vibration I felt through my core as he carefully helped me into the closet-sized stall.

My back was against his chest as the water rained down on both of us. Taking a bar of white soap off the ledge, I rolled it in my hands making a lather before I turned and rubbed them all over his body. Closing my eyes, I let a groan of satisfaction escape my lips as I followed the broad outline of his shoulders down his arms to his hands waiting to clasp mine. He pushed my back against the wall and kissed me deeply. Mouths open, the fresh taste of water touched my tongue with his.

Curling his fingers in my hair, he pulled my head back, kissing my chin. “You make this shower sexy.”

Blinking through the haze, I reached over my head as his soapy hands moved down my sides. Large thumbs circled my beaded nipples before diving lower, down my stomach to my thighs. He reached under the water, giving his fingers a rinse before threading them in the folds between my legs.

“Don’t want to miss a spot.”

I exhaled a shaky laugh as he grinned down before kissing my nose, my mouth. “I don’t think it matters. You’re only making me dirty again.”

“Getting dirty while getting clean. I like that.”

In a flash, I was up against the wall. His legs bent as he lowered me onto his straining cock. So big. “Oh, god!” I gasped as he stretched and filled me, rocking into me hard.

He was thrusting fast, not waiting for me to come. It didn’t matter. The way his shaft rubbed my clit, I was coming anyway. We’d been here, doing this only minutes ago, but we were insatiable. Neither of us could get enough. Strong fingers bit into the sides of my ass as he came with a loud groan. The pain of his grip mixed with the pleasure of the orgasm rocketing through my legs was the most intense feeling. I tightened over his thighs, trying to push myself higher on him.

His mouth made its way behind my ear, sending a charge straight to my core. “Oh, god!” I shrieked, gripping his broad shoulders as I finished, throbbing around him inside me.

The water continued to run over us. I held him against my chest for a moment, feeling the movement of his lips as he kissed me. After several more breaths, I felt myself drifting back to this planet.

“Bonus,” I panted, and his mouth curved against my skin.

He lowered me, melting me again with that sexy smile. “You can’t expect to be naked, wet, and touching me like that and nothing happen.”

That made me giggle, and I snatched up the washcloth to quickly clean up once more and step out. He followed suit, wrapping a towel around his waist and heading for the small dresser near the bed.

I used a fluffy white towel to scrub the damp from my hair, and I scooped up his discarded flannel shirt to wear. It smelled just like him, and I wanted to bury my nose in it. I’d tossed a pair of long, grey thermal leggings in my suitcase, so I pulled them on along with some thick, wool socks.

It wasn’t as cold as it might be for a November evening, but it was still chilly. By the time I joined him in the living room, Stuart had dressed in a dark grey Henley and jeans, and had a fire going in the small fireplace. Two plates were on the coffee table holding the food Winona had sent.

Sitting cross-legged on a cushion, I took the small container of dressing and shook it over the salad on my plate. We also had pork and sweet potatoes. “Winona is such a great cook,” I said, stabbing a forkful of dark greens. “Has she always worked for your uncle?”

Glancing up, I noticed he was smiling as he watched me from the couch. Feeling the heat in my cheeks, I placed my fork on the napkin beside my plate.

“Don’t stop.” Stuart’s voice was warm.

“You have to eat dinner, too.”

He nodded and picked up his knife to slice a bite of pork. “I went for a long time without much of an appetite. I’m still getting used to its return.”

“Why?”

His brow lined as he chewed, and I watched as he decided how to answer me. “Bad choices.”

Thinking about the day he appeared at the gym, I couldn’t help wondering. “Is that why you stopped in at the gym that day?”

Another slice of meat. “Partly.”

Picking up my fork, I stirred the sweet potatoes on my plate. “I would love to have someone cook like this for me.”

That broke his frown. “Don’t you cook?”

“Yes, but it’s not my favorite thing.”

“What’s your favorite thing?” His fork was down, and he leaned back with a tumbler of whiskey.

“Kenny and I met at art school. I’m more of a painter, I guess.”

Interest lit his eyes, and they moved to my hands. “I’d like to see one of your pieces.”

“Maybe I’ll show you one.”

We were quiet again, and the fire hissed and popped behind me. I cut a sweet potato slice in half and popped it in my mouth. Stuart leaned forward again and did the same.

“So you didn’t tell me about Winona.”

Clearing his throat, he nodded. “She came with the ranch. Just like this cabin.”

“Do you always spend Thanksgiving here?”

He sliced more pork and took a bite before answering. “No, we usually spend it in Chicago with my mother.”

“What’s your mother doing this year?” I had finished my serving, and now my knee was bent, my elbow propped on it. I tried to imagine what their mother might look like. Clearly, she had to be beautiful.

My question seemed to change Stuart’s mood. His expression darkened. “I don’t know what she’s doing. I wasn’t in a position to work out the details with her. I left it to Patrick.”

“Is that bad?”

“It might’ve been a mistake.”

He put the fork down, and picked up his place setting. Pausing, he picked up mine as well and carried it to the small sink. I watched for a moment before hopping up and following him.

“Don’t wash.” Reaching out, I covered his hands, but he was looking out the small window over the sink. “Stuart?”

When he turned back to me, his expression was still clouded. I didn’t understand.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” I said quietly. “Patrick’s actually very responsible.”

Taking his hand away, he made a little noise before going back to the couch.

“Did something happen to make you not so close?”

His foot was propped on the table, and I studied his profile as he watched the fire. “He’s just a lot younger than me.”

“So am I, but we do all right.”

He didn’t answer, and another glance back, I wasn’t even sure he’d heard me. Leaving the dishes in the sink, I went to sit beside him, facing him with my elbow bent under my cheek. “Hey,” I said softly. “Where did you go?”

Eyebrows pulled, he cleared his throat, glancing at me. “I’ll have to check in with her when we get back. We haven’t talked in a while, and I’m sure she’s worried.”

“The hazards of not having a phone in the cabin?”

“I could use the mobile, but I’d rather wait.”

“I can go outside if you’d like. Or you could sit in the truck?”

He traced the back of his finger down my cheek. “It can wait.”

Reaching up, I took his hand in mine and laced our fingers. My heart was growing, making a place for him that he kept saying he would leave, but I didn’t care. “How’s the back?”

“Good.” He nodded, standing. “Only a slight twinge when I move too fast.”

“That’s not good!” I hopped up and pushed him toward the bed. “Time for another session. Take off your clothes.”

He laughed and turned to face me, pulling me close against his chest. “You know what happened the last time we did this.”

Staring at his mouth, I touched my bottom lip with my tongue. “I went from being a virgin to being officially yours.”

A little groan, and he pulled me up to his mouth. Strong lips sealed over mine, moving them apart. Our tongues met and curled together, but I couldn’t hold him. He had my arms pinned against his chest in his firm embrace.

One more pull on my lips, a little nibble, and he turned. “You might set me back a week in my recovery.”

“I will not!” Pretending to be offended, I struggled out of his embrace. “This time it’s just therapy then mandatory rest.”

“You know that’s only going to make me want you more.”

“We’ll see.”