“What I do doesn’t leave a lot of room for serious relationships. Here one day, gone the next, and no way of knowing when I’ll be back. Sometimes it’s a week. Sometimes nine months or longer.”
“I can see how that would be tough,” she agreed. “A woman would have to be strong and completely head over heels in love to deal with that.”
“Yeah. And have the trust and patience of a saint. And they are rare. Some of the guys in my platoon are married. But it’s hard on the relationship. Eventually he begins to question if she’s faithful, and if that concern takes root and stays on his mind it can get him killed. It’s equally hard on the woman for obvious reasons. One guy in my unit, Ray Shields, has three kids. He never got to be there for the birth of any of them.”
“But some do make it work.”
“Yeah. Some do.”
“Why did you never come back here before now? You loved the ranch so much.”
He was quiet for so long she wasn’t sure he would answer.
“Too many memories. And most of them were not so great. I guess you knew my father and I didn’t get along. I think the entire county knew. Or maybe you were too young to pick up on it. But there was a lot of resentment. On both sides. I blamed him for the death of my mother. Still do. He blamed me for a hell of a lot, as well.” He paused, as though transported deep into his past. “It seemed like the wisest move to take my leaves somewhere else.”
After a long silence, Chance sat up and scanned the horizon. “It looks like rain is coming our way. Are you ready to head back?”
“I guess. If you are.”
She wanted to ask him so much more about his mother. Holly had very little recollection of her. But now wasn’t the time. She sat up next to him and their gazes met and held. How she wanted to kiss him. Right here. Right now. Right or wrong. She couldn’t think of a better place for something she’d waited for for a lifetime. Moving closer to his muscled body, her focus dropped to his mouth. Absently, she moistened her lips.
“Holly.” He shook his head.
“What?”
“This is not a good idea.” His voice was rough, as though he was holding himself back.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But her focus remained on his lips that had haunted her for over a decade, now a mere breath away.
“Yeah. You do.” But despite his hesitation, he reached up and smoothed some strands of her hair back from her face. He caught the back of her hair in his fist, gently pulling her toward him. In what seemed like slow motion, she watched as his face came closer. His lips parted, showing a glimpse of strong white teeth. Then his mouth touched hers, gently at first, his lips moving over hers tentatively, as though he was giving her every opportunity to change her mind. He drew back, making her heart cry out. He watched her, carefully, intently, as though he had to be sure this was what she wanted.
“It’s just a kiss,” she whispered. She could hear the pleading in her own voice.
“Don’t bullshit me,” Chance said. “We both know it’s a hell of a lot more than that.”
She raised her hand and touched his face, letting her fingers trail over his deep jaw, feeling the stubble, while her eyes remained fixed on his handsome face. With a last glance, the lure of his lips could no longer be denied. She tilted her head and swayed toward him. Chance pulled her the rest of the way. Strong yet supple, with his tongue he moistened her as though preparing her for something more to come. Then the gentleness was gone as he took her mouth fully and completely. His tongue pushed inside and she was lost. A shiver ran through her at the speed of his immediate possession.
Holly savored the feel and taste of him. Her arms came around his neck, holding him to her. She heard him inhale a deep breath, felt the grip on the back of her hair tighten in his fist. He tasted of raw, hungry male, his mouth and tongue so hot, so demanding, it threatened to overwhelm her senses. Heat surged through her veins like liquid lava, pooling at the apex of her legs.
She felt the warm sensation of the rock against her back and absently realized she was lying prone with Chance’s hard body covering hers. He was ravenous. His mouth moved rapidly over hers, taking her over and over, pushing his tongue in deep time after time. She heard him emit a growl, long and low, and her body responded. She wanted more. She needed more as his mouth continued to ravish hers, over and over, entering the deep recesses of her mouth, seeking the hidden depths, encouraging her to do the same.
His big hand cupped her breast, kneading her almost to the point of pain but never crossing the line, making her sensitive flesh swell under his touch. She arched her back, wanting to cry out at the sheer pleasure. She couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t open to him wide enough, take him deep enough.
As if he could read her mind, he made a simple adjustment and Holly felt his erection pressed hard against her. She couldn’t hold back the moan, the last sound she heard before reality disappeared and left her floating in Chance’s arms. Something seized her deep inside. It was a feeling that burned her like an invisible ray of the sun, heating her skin, surging through her body like a forest fire out of control. It made her forget to breathe, caused her heart to speed up and her mouth to go dry. The sheer intensity of it was indescribable. Her body ached as though she was experiencing withdrawals. She had never felt such a strong physical attraction to anyone before in her life.
Suddenly Chance raised his head, separating their hungry lips, breathing hard. Their gazes locked for endless seconds before Chance rolled away, mumbling some not-so-nice words under his breath. Still, his nearness made her intensely aware of his rock-hard masculinity, the sheer density and power of his body. The sudden stillness poured over her like the cold waters of the stream. Holly wanted to scream at him, beg him to release the building frustration and make it stop. She wanted him to free the overwhelming desire rising inside her, ease the terrible throbbing need to be loved by him.
The world came sliding back and try as she might, she couldn’t stop it. The sound of the running water slowly returned. Birds called in the trees. The branches above them swayed in the gentle breeze, the shadows moving over the two people below like soft caresses.
Holly realized she was lying on her back on the huge rock, her blouse unbuttoned, her body seizing up and needing more. She squeezed her legs together, trying to ease the need, and rolled onto one shoulder to watch as Chance wrestled with what had happened.
“Don’t you dare even think about apologizing.” He turned his head to look into her face. Remorse showed clearly in every feature, confirming that was exactly what he was thinking.
“Holly—”
“No. Not one word. Not one syllable. Please don’t ruin it. I’m just sorry you stopped.”
“Don’t say that.” His voice was incredibly deep and gravelly with a hint of desperation.
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
Chance shook his head, then rubbed the back of his neck and mumbled something she couldn’t understand.
“Don’t grumble,” she said as she began buttoning her blouse.
Chance looked over at her as though there was something he needed to say. A whole bunch of things. Instead, he straightened his spine, ran one weary hand over his face and groaned.
The ride back was quiet, but not strained. Holly let Sin go at his own pace. She kept her head turned away so Chance didn’t see the smile that refused to leave her face as she relived their embrace. That had definitely been worth waiting for. But it wasn’t just the kiss or the passion that flared between them. Chance had been right when he’d said there was a lot more to it. Their embrace had been life changing. It had affirmed that childhood was over. Thinking of him as merely a friend was history.
Part of her was thrilled that Chance was attracted to her. The other part reminded her that whatever they shared while he was here would soon be just another memory. And she’d be well advised to remember that.
Six
The sprawling city of Dallas spread out beneath them as the chopper headed toward a landing pad located somewhere in the muddle below. It was a far different sight from flying over the cities in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sitting next to Cole, Chance was content to gaze out the window and let the pilot do his thing. No reason to try to talk over the roar of the engine. They both knew where they were headed and why. It wasn’t enough for Wade to tell him about the corporation and the plans for future development—he wanted to show him. Chance had refrained from telling him he didn’t succumb to arm-twisting and wasn’t about to start now.
Cole pointed to a skyscraper on Chance’s right. Constructed of steel and smoked glass, it gave the impression of wealth, power and sophistication. Soon the helipad came into view and the pilot set down in a near-perfect maneuver on top of the building. A short trip to the elevator and then they were walking down a richly carpeted hallway to Wade’s office.
Chance expected to greet only Wade, but the sprawling office and reception area was filled with people. Applause broke out as soon as he walked through the door. Chance understood they were heralding one of their soldiers’ return home from the battlefield, but he could have done without the attention. He shook hands and received gentle pats on the back as he made his way to where his eldest brother stood as the employees who’d welcomed him filed out the door.