Linda Howard - Reckless

His mouth quirked. “No.”

“Okay, let’s try it from another angle. Were you an agent?”

“What sort of agent?”

“Stop evading my questions! The cloak-and-dagger sort of agent. You know, the men in overcoats who have forty sets of identification.”

“No. Your imagination is running wild. I’m too easily identifiable to be any good undercover.”

That was true. He stood out like a warrior at a tea party. Something went quiet within her, and she knew. “Are you retired?”

He was quiet for so long that she thought he wasn’t going to answer her. He seemed to be thinking of something else entirely. Then he said flatly, “Yeah, I’m retired. For a year now.”

His set, blank face hurt her, on the inside. “You were a...weapon, weren’t you?”

There was a terrible clarity in his eyes as he slowly shifted his gaze to her. “Yes,” he said harshly. “I was a weapon.”

They had aimed him, fired him, and watched him destroy. He would be matchless, she realized. Before she’d even known him, when she’d seen him gliding into her darkened bedroom like a shadow, she’d realized how lethal he could be. And there was something else, something she could see now. He had retired himself, turned his back and walked away from that grim, shadowed life. Certainly his superiors wouldn’t have wanted to lose his talents.

She reached out and placed her hand on his, her fingers slim and soft, curling around the awesome strength of his. Her hand was much smaller made with a delicacy that he could crush with a careless movement of his fingers, but implicit in her touch was the trust that he wouldn’t turn that strength against her. A deep breath swelled the muscled planes of his chest. He wanted to take her right then, in the dirt. He wanted to stretch her out and pull her clothes off, bury himself in her. He wanted more of her touch, all of her touch, inside and out. But the need for her satiny female flesh was a compulsion that he couldn’t satisfy with a quick possession, and there wasn’t time for more. The rain was slowing and would stop entirely at any moment. There was a vague feeling marching up and down his spine that told him they couldn’t afford to linger any longer.

But it was time she knew. He removed his hand from hers, lifting it to cup her chin. His thumb rubbed lightly over her lips. “Soon,” he said, his voice guttural with need, “you’re going to lie down for me. Before I take you back to your daddy, I’m going to have you, and the way I feel now, I figure it’s going to take a long time before I’m finished with you.”

Jane sat frozen, her eyes those of a startled woodland animal. She couldn’t even protest, because the harsh desire in his voice flooded her mind and her skin with memories. The day before, standing in the stream, he’d kissed her and touched her with such raw sexuality that, for the first time in her life, she’d felt the coiling, writhing tension of desire in herself. For the first time she’d wanted a man, and she’d been shocked by the unfamiliarity of her own body. Now he was doing it to her again, but this time he was using words. He’d stated his intentions bluntly, and images began forming in her mind of the two of them lying twined together, of his naked, magnificent body surging against her.

He watched the shifting expressions that flitted across her face. She looked surprised, even a little shocked, but she wasn’t angry. He’d have understood anger, or even amusement; that blank astonishment puzzled him. It was as if no man had ever told her that he wanted her. Well, she’d get used to the idea.

The rain had stopped, and he picked up the packs and the rifle, settling them on his shoulders. Jane followed him without a word when he stepped out from beneath the rocky outcropping into the already increasing heat. Steam rose in wavering clouds from the forest floor, immediately wrapping them in a stifling, humid blanket.

She was silent for the rest of the afternoon, lost in her thoughts. He stopped at a stream, much smaller than the one they’d seen the day before, and glanced at her. “Care for a bath? You can’t soak, but you can splash.”

Her eyes lit up, and for the first time that afternoon a smile danced on her full lips. He didn’t need an answer to know how she felt about the idea. Grinning, he searched out a small bar of soap from his pack and held it out to her. “I’ll keep watch, then you can do the same for me. I’ll be up there.”

Jane looked up the steep bank that he’d indicated. That was the best vantage point around; he’d have a clear view of the stream and the surrounding area. She started to ask if he was going to watch her, too, but bit back the question. As he’d already pointed out, it was too late for modesty. Besides, she felt infinitely safer knowing that he’d be close by.

He went up the bank as sure-footedly as a cat, and Jane turned to face the stream. It was only about seven feet wide, and wasn’t much more than ankle-deep. Still, it looked like heaven. She hunted her lone change of underwear out of her pack, then sat down to pull off her boots. Glancing nervously over her shoulder to where Grant sat, she saw that he was in profile to her, but she knew that he would keep her in his peripheral vision. She resolutely undid her pants and stepped out of them. Nothing was going to keep her from having her bath...except maybe another snake, or a jaguar, she amended.

Naked, she gingerly picked her way over the stony bottom to a large flat rock and sat down in the few inches of water. It was deliciously cool, having run down from a higher altitude, but even tepid water would have felt good on her overheated skin. She splashed it on her face and head until her hair was soaked. Gradually she felt the sweaty stickiness leave her hair, until the strands were once more silky beneath her fingers. Then she took the small bar of soap out from under her leg, where she’d put it for safekeeping, and rubbed it over her body. The small luxury made her feel like a new woman, and a sense of peace crept into her. It was only a simple pleasure, to bathe in a clear, cool stream, but added to it was her sense of nakedness, of being totally without restrictions. She knew that he was there, knew that he was watching her, and felt her breasts grow tight.

What would it be like if he came down from that bank and splashed into the water with her? If he took the blanket from his pack and laid her down on it? She closed her eyes, shivering in reaction, thinking of his hard body pressing down on her, thrusting into her. It had been so many years, and the few experiences she’d had with Chris hadn’t taught her that she could be a creature of wanting, but with Grant she wasn’t the same woman.

Her heart beat heavily in her breast as she rinsed herself by cupping water in her palms and pouring it over her. Standing up, she twisted the water out of her hair, then waded out. She was trembling as she pulled on her clean underwear, then dressed distastefully in her stained pants and shirt. “I’m finished,” she called, lacing up her boots.

He appeared soundlessly beside her. “Sit in the same place where I sat,” he instructed, placing the rifle in her hands. “Do you know how to use this?”

The weapon was heavy, but her slim hands looked capable as she handled it. “Yes. I’m a fairly good shot.” A wry smile curved her lips. “With paper targets and clay pigeons, anyway.”

“That’s good enough.” He began unbuttoning his shirt, and she stood there in a daze, her eyes on his hands. He paused. “Are you going to guard me from down here?”

She blushed. “No. Sorry.” Quickly she turned and scrambled up the bank, then took a seat in the exact spot where he’d sat. She could see both banks, but at the same time there was a fair amount of cover that she could use if the need arose. He’d probably picked this out as the best vantage point without even thinking about it, just automatically sifting through the choices and arriving at the correct one. He might be retired, but his training was ingrained.