Black Ops Brotherhood: Tightrope Part 15

As he let Schotzie out of the backseat, he pulled out a blanket.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"I'm taking you to meet my friend, Jason. Don't mind the hockey mask. He cut himself shaving with a machete," he said, taking her hand.

The comment threw her into a fit of laughter, and she marveled at how these random thoughts just popped into his head then rolled off his tongue. Schotzie ran off into the darkness to hunt and play as he led her around to the back of his truck. After he opened the tailgate, he lifted her and set her in the bed of the truck. He hoisted himself up, spread out the blanket, and seated himself.

"Come here, babe," he said, holding out his arms to her.

Sliding next to him, they snuggled into each other. She closed her eyes and let his embrace relax her. At times like this, she felt as if she were walking through a dream. She gripped him a little tighter. This was so much better than she'd ever imagined.

"Look up. Do you see it?" he asked.

Rio opened her eyes and looked at the sky. It was brilliantly ablaze with millions of stars. Even though she worked outside, she rarely took the time to gaze at the sky and enjoy its simple beauty in this wide-open s.p.a.ce. There were no lights from a big city to interrupt the spectacular display of diamonds in the desert night sky. He pointed at the Little Dipper. It was so clear and seemed close enough for her to reach out and touch the handle.

"Look, right over there, right above the Little Dipper. That's Hercules."

"Where?"

"Right there. His foot's in line with the ladle." He pointed to the tip he described and moved up, tracing the line in the sky. "See the line that goes up and meets a square? That's his foot, and the square is his body. To the right, the line that goes up and then down, that's him holding his shield."

"That's not a line. That's a zigzag," she said, giggling.

"It's a line!"

"That's the crookedest line I've ever seen." She pointed to his left. "That's a line. See how the stars line up in a line? Right there. I think it's called Deni...something or other."

"Denebola?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"No one knows that one," he said dismissively. "Everyone knows Hercules."

"He's old and broken down. Look at him with his crooked arm and a broken shield," she teased.

"What! Herc? No way!"

"Way!"

Moving too fast for her to react, in the blink of an eye he'd straddled her hips and attacked as he tickled her.

"Take back what you said about Herc!"

"No!" She screamed with laughter.

"Take it back!" He continued his a.s.sault on her ribs.

"No!" She laughed as she wiggled underneath him. "Schotzie! Help me!"

The big dog jumped into the bed of the truck to investigate, but instead of helping, the dog licked her and barked playfully, joining the laughter. He stopped, bent down, and came nose to nose with her, kissing her as he rubbed his nose against hers.

"Take it back," he said softly with another kiss.

"You need to do better than that," she whispered against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Danny captured her mouth with a kiss that rendered her boneless. The intensity and heat of his kisses matched the desert on a scorching day. She caught herself moaning as he nibbled her bottom lip and slid his tongue into her mouth, dueling with hers. With gradual deliberateness, he moved his hands up and down her ribs firmly as he kissed her. He kept her waiting, wondering if he'd go farther and give her b.r.e.a.s.t.s the touch she ached for. Her body shivered involuntarily with excitement as he continued his kisses and gentle petting. He knew exactly how to keep her on edge antic.i.p.ating his next move.

"What's changed? Why didn't you ever want to do this before?" she asked, arching into his hands.

Wanting to grab his wrists and place them on her needy b.r.e.a.s.t.s, she wiggled hoping he'd take the hint. His hands stopped right beneath them making her suck in a frustrated breath.

"What makes you think I didn't?" he asked, nipping at her chin.

"Sylvia Martinez."

He chuckled as he moved his lips over her chest. "You're here. She's not."

Biting her lower lip, she wondered why she kept bringing up his high school ex-girlfriend. The jealousy she'd harbored for so long seemed to still eat at her. He was right. Since he'd been home, he'd shown no interest in Sylvia. In fact he seemed to avoid her. She needed to let it go, but she had to make sure a relationship with her was really what he wanted and wasn't a pa.s.sing thing before she gave him her heart. Stopping him by cupping his face in her hands, she redirected his focus.

"Did you really want me?"

He kissed her. "Yes, I wanted you. I still want you. I didn't know how to get you here until now."

"All you had to do was ask," she said softly.

Sliding next to her, he pulled her close. "You were one of my friends. I didn't think you were interested in me like that."

"Oh, G.o.d, Danny, you've never been so wrong about something in all your life. You're all I've ever wanted."

A long, tense silence came between them. It was almost as if they were back in high school, awkward and trying to understand what was happening to their minds and bodies. While they were growing up, they'd joked back and forth, and helped each other get through some rough times. Their lives had changed significantly since high school. Things had become more complicated and even dangerous for both of them. Something about the simplicity of the moment they were sharing struck her, and she realized nothing had really changed. They were still holding on to each other, trying to find their way. As much as she tried to hate him for leaving her behind, he was right. She hadn't given him any indication that she ever wanted him for anything other than a friend. She'd been too scared of rejection from him. She placed her hand on his cheek and guided him closer.

"I love you, Danny. I've always loved you. Anytime you want something from me-whatever it is-all you need to do is ask. I've always been here for you, waiting."

Dan said nothing and suddenly found himself at a loss for something witty to say. Instead he hesitated, scared to say anything at all. The last thing he wanted to do was seem flippant about her voicing her feelings. It would be natural that she'd be the first to say anything like that out loud; she'd always been so much stronger than him. It was one of the qualities about her that he'd always admired. It took everything he had to tell her about his crush on her in high school. He'd been afraid she'd give him some kind of snarky remark like she used to. A look of uncertainty crossed her face, and she pulled away. He realized his silence made her uneasy, so he grasped her wrist and stopped her. He thought about how scared he'd been when she'd gone missing. He remembered finding her in that awful attic and wanted to erase that memory forever.

He loved her, too. He'd always loved her and had almost thrown it away.

"I love you, too."

Dan said the words without any thought or effort. It amazed him at how natural it felt to finally tell her he loved her. She was one of his best friends. At times, he'd been closer to her than to Davey. They completed and complemented each other. The constant joker needed someone to ground him and give him a purpose. He had no teenage hesitation as he wrapped his arms around her and knew nothing would ever separate them again.

"Let's go home," she whispered.

"We are home, babe," he said, pulling her closer.

In that moment, he knew he'd never said anything truer or felt this close to anyone before. It was honest, and as long as they were together, he was home. She was his anchor, and he'd been lost and drifting without her since he'd left her behind. She was the reason he could never commit to anyone before now. It felt right to tell her everything, just as he'd been able to do so long ago. No woman he'd met anywhere could reach inside him the way she could.

"Let's at least go inside the house," she said, kissing him.

"Where's your sense of adventure? No one will see you but me and Schotzie," he said, grabbing her a.s.s.

"It's getting cold out here. I want to go in." She pushed against his chest.

"All right, babe, you go in, and I'll turn on the water and electricity and be right behind you."

As she stood, he gripped her thigh and pulled her close. He got to his knees and kissed her belly through her thin T-shirt.

"Watch out for snakes," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair.

When he saw she'd gone inside the house, he pulled a flashlight out of his truck. He walked around back and flipped a few switches for the electricity to the house. His mind drifted attempting to come up with a plan on how to propose to her. He lifted the lid to the underground valve that would turn on water to the house. As he reached inside, he jumped back because a d.a.m.n snake had curled around the k.n.o.b. f.u.c.k! Too close. After killing the snake and pulling it out of the hole, he turned on the water. He walked inside, still a little freaked out from his reptile mishap.

"What happened?"

"Don't ever tell me to watch out for snakes again," he said, shivering.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around him. "Let's go to bed. I'm so tired."

Tugging her hand, he led her toward the master bedroom. That room had a nice walk-in shower that he and Davey had redone while they were home on break from college one summer. They'd removed the tub and replaced it with the huge walk-in shower. It had been a home improvement project with an ulterior motive and perfect for what he had in mind.

"Come with me," Danny said.

"Where?"

"Come on."

They walked into the huge bathroom, and he started the shower, "What are we doing?"

"We're taking a shower first. I want to see you naked and wet."

She pulled away. "No."

"Why?"

Doubt seized her; getting naked in bed was one thing, taking a shower with him was something else. He was young, in uniform, and a ripped Navy SEAL. Knowing that women flocked to men like him, she guessed he'd had some seriously hot girlfriends. His caresses screamed experience and how much he'd learned about women. The way he slid his hands over her skin made her body hum with just the memory.

"Come on," he coaxed as he unfastened her shorts.

The midnight blackness of his eyes kept her mesmerized as he slid the zipper down. He knelt and kissed her belly as he eased her shorts down her legs. She closed her eyes, gripped his shoulders, and stepped out of her clothes. He stood and lifted her T-shirt over her head. While he mapped her body, she trembled with every pa.s.s. He knelt again and looked up at her. The sudden surge of arousal dampened her folds as his pa.s.sion-glazed look returned. She had to understand why seeing him on his knees with that expression nearly drove her to a climax every time.

"You're very beautiful and s.e.xy," he said as he ran his hands over her legs.

The erotic trance he'd drawn her into switched to fear and uncertainty.

"Danny..." She grabbed his wrists.

"Let me touch you, please. I've wanted to do this for so long."

Something in his voice made her loosen her grip and allow him to continue. Was he pleading? Wrapping his hands around her thighs, he pulled her closer to him and slid his hands higher, grabbing her a.s.s. He leaned forward and kissed her p.u.s.s.y through her panties. She briefly wished she thought about s.e.xy, lacy things the way other women did. Instead, they were sensible bikini briefs and a plain bra. She cupped his face, distracting him from his intimate exploration. Without breaking eye contact he pulled her panties down and her heart raced as he slid his hands up her legs again. He reached behind her and unhooked her bra, but she held it in place not letting it slip from her shoulders.

"Let go," he urged.

Awkwardness and momentary panic seized her when he stood.

"I love you and have always thought you were beautiful. Let go."

When his gaze softened, she let him sweep the last of her clothing away. He opened the shower door and helped her inside. She let the warm water run over her body as it washed away the tension of this afternoon. He returned with her bath puff and shower gel from her bathroom.

He stripped quickly, and as he stepped inside the shower with her, she couldn't help but stare. He was magnificent. His body was hard and sculpted such that she could make out the details and lines of the muscles in his chest, abdomen, and arms. His shoulders were broad, and he was lean with strong legs but lacked the bulkiness that came with being so muscular. He had the body of a swimmer. She touched his abs and let her fingers trace the muscles that rippled just below the surface. He touched her hand as she explored his body, "That feels so good," he said, leaning forward with a kiss. "Turn around, babe."

Turning, she stuck her head under the warm falling water. While he ran the bath puff over her back and shoulders, she let herself slip into another world that she'd only dreamt about until now. The last week had been a nightmare with Danny as her light at the end. He'd been the beacon that had kept her steady, and he'd been her strength when she had nothing left. He washed away the stress that still plagued her, making her brand-new. As he pulled her against his chest and ran the puff over her belly and her chest, she released a long moan. He nibbled at her shoulder and spread her feet slightly as he moved the puff over her p.u.s.s.y. She relaxed and let him explore her body.

Needing more intimate contact, she turned slightly, and he kissed her as he ran his hands over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and teased her nipples. It seemed as if she'd been starving for him, and now he was hers. No matter how short their time together, she'd treasure these moments of intimacy with him for the rest of her life. He moved one of his hands up her back and pushed her forward bending her at the waist.

"Grab the bar in front of you, babe," he said.

Gripping the bar, she moaned as his hands moved over her a.s.s. He adjusted himself to accommodate her height so he could rub his c.o.c.k against her slit and take her to another dimension. Despite the warm water running over her, she shivered and goose b.u.mps rose over her body. His c.o.c.k breached her slick c.u.n.t in one smooth motion. He stilled and traced his hands over her wet skin as he slowly pulled out. From this position, his c.o.c.k hit her G-spot perfectly and brought her to the edge quickly.

"I've imagined f.u.c.king you like this every time we stayed here. Why didn't you tell me?" he said in a deep growl as he shoved harder.

"I-"

As he f.u.c.ked her, she lost the ability to form a coherent thought. She tightened her grip on the shower bar as he moved his hands over her slick body and found her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She jerked her hips and rocked backward to meet his deliberate thrusts.

"Be still, babe. You'll make me come too fast," he said, grabbing her hips.

He stroked his c.o.c.k in and out of her c.u.n.t.

"d.a.m.n, your p.u.s.s.y feels good!" he exclaimed in a strained groan.

His fingers found her c.l.i.t, and with a single brush, her nerve endings snapped as he took her over the edge. Rio's thighs quivered and his fingers dug into her hips as she shook over his c.o.c.k. She screamed as her body tightened and relaxed in carnal spasms. The wave of pure o.r.g.a.s.mic pleasure that swept over her was mind blowing. He caught her around her waist when her knees buckled.

"I've got you," he said softly.

As he pulled her up against his chest, she whimpered and let her head fall back against his shoulder. He seemed to understand her unspoken need to recover and held her as she caught her breath. He turned off the water, grabbed a towel, and wrapped her inside. The towel he rubbed over her tickled her sensitive body and made her giggle. He smiled at her and kissed her, tossing the towel aside. She melted into the bed as he eased her down and covered her body with his.

"Are you tired?" he asked as he nipped her throat.

"Yes, but I don't want you to stop."

They rubbed noses. No one had ever done that to her, and she tucked it away as Danny's thing. If for some reason this didn't last, no man would be allowed to rub noses with her. His kisses were something else she'd never forget. She could read his feelings in them. Sometimes they were urgent and rough with pa.s.sion, then tender and loving expressing his affection. Whatever his mood, those kisses always rendered her boneless.

"Tell me your secrets," he whispered against her lips.

"I have. It's time you told me a few of yours," she said, sliding her arms around his neck.