Always a Warrior(53)

“Now, Damien, please,” she demanded hoarsely, urgently, and lifted her hips to him.



His fingers interlaced with hers, he pinned her hands above her head. Her heart pounded in her ears. His mouth sought hers again, his tongue surging between her lips as he plunged hard and deep into her. A ragged gasp escaped her, swallowed by him, and she raised her hips to take all of him.



In the life-affirming, adrenaline-draining frenzy, she met his every wild thrust until the universe exploded around them in brilliantly violent release. He released her hands and slumped onto her, his face buried in her wildly tangled hair. She took his weight gladly, clamping her arms around him. He shifted to his side and they held each other in a fierce mutual embrace.



Their harsh raspy breathing mingled and filled the room. His heart beat as fast as hers.

The rhythms mingled and finally slowed. Reality intruded and pulled them awkwardly apart.

They dressed in utter silence. Laurie glanced around, looking at everything but him. Confused by a passion that refused to acknowledge deception, she struggled to rationalize her actions. Stress ALWAYS A WARRIOR Patricia Bruening

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release, she told herself, gratitude, life, adrenaline,--she convinced herself of every excuse available to avoid her heart.



Sitting on the edge of the bed in the cramped room, she squirmed under Damien’s intent stare as he pulled on his boots. She kept her eyes on the dirty wall and refused to look directly at him. Then she abruptly remembered the computer disks in her pocket and dug them out.



“I guess it’s asking too much to find a computer in this one-horse village.” She carefully examined the three disks for damage. They were slightly curved from being sat on but otherwise intact.



“What’s that?” Damien demanded tersely.



He stepped across the room and held out his hand. The mattress dipped under his weight as he sat beside her. She handed him the disks then scooted to the center of the bed and stretched out on it. Her head hit the thin pillow as a loud yawn escaped her.



“I took them from a room in the armory,” she said, struggling against the urge to sleep.

“They had a computer. One disk was still in the drive. It had lists of dates and targets. I took all the disks I saw.”



With a low whistle of admiration, he turned his head to face her. “Damn. What’s on the other ones?”



“I didn’t take the time to look.” Her sleepy gaze drifted over him and she managed a tired shrug.



“Amazing,” he murmured, his eyes on her as he slipped the disks into the breast pocket of his jacket.



Exhausted, she didn’t even flinch when he reached toward her. His knuckles skimmed the curve of her jaw and his face softened.



“Get some sleep, honey,” he ordered softly, his eyes warm as his gaze traveled over her.

“We’ll be out of here soon.”



Laurie drifted into deep sleep as that last endearment echoed in her mind. She barely felt the ratty blanket he covered her with but her lips tingled with the light kiss he dropped on her mouth.



* * * *



Damien watched her sleep though he stayed alert for potential trouble. The General still lived and was no doubt furious. Damien dared not lower his guard until he and Laurie were safely in the United States. He leaned the chair against the wall, keeping a sharp eye on the door and the grimy window. His gaze strayed often to Laurie sleeping soundly in the middle of the bed. No matter how tempted, he did not dare join her. He could not relax his vigil just yet. If he stretched out on the bed beside her, he’d be asleep in seconds with her wrapped in his arms.



He tried to shake the image, the memories, from his mind but only succeeded in pushing them to the back of his mind. He heaved a weary sigh. His mission would not be over until he was debriefed. Then, after a few days leave if he chose to take them, he would be back on active duty.



The story of my life, he thought bitterly—then blinked. The bitterness startled him.

Though far from conventional, his life had always satisfied him. His career was enough, especially after the loss of his family. If he wanted a woman, he found one. And every single woman he took to bed knew the rules—sex with no strings attached.



He glanced once again at the woman in the bed near him. After knowing Laurie and Stacy, if only briefly, he suddenly wondered if he could fit them into his life. He caught himself watching the slow rise and fall of her breasts. The purely male reaction of his body to female ALWAYS A WARRIOR Patricia Bruening

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flesh was instant and painful. He stifled a groan of desire but could not tear his gaze from her.

Did she want to fit into his life? She fit in his arms, in his bed, and in his heart. Though he had not allowed her to verbalize the love that shone in her eyes the first time he made love to her, he knew she did.