He winked at her. "Not over yet."
She leaned against him and he slung one arm around her shoulders. "It feels almost like a date. I hardly remember what those are like."
He stopped and turned her to face him. "Let me give you a reminder."
As Riley leaned forward to kiss her, Jordan"s heart raced with excitement that belied the angst she"d just been feeling about the horribleness men had to offer. Maybe she wasn"t as bitter or far gone as she sometimes felt. Hope lived. And it soared when Riley"s lips met hers with more gentleness than she was expecting. It was Jordan who pushed back hard, getting more enthusiasm for her efforts. Riley"s lips crushed hers and she had no doubt those powerful arms she"d wanted to hold her earlier today would"ve done so now had they not been otherwise occupied. But that could be fixed.
"Take me to this meadow," she whispered, "and show me a good time, Mr. Kendall."
"My pleasure."
Before long, they approached a flowering hedge and trellis that marked the square clearing"s opening. On pa.s.sing through, they saw flower beds lining the meadow"s edge, and though it was too dark to appreciate the colors, solar-powered lights in the ground made up for it by adding a romantic ambience. A large rose bush stood in each corner, and a two-person swing swaying beneath a giant oak tree faced the mountain looming overhead. Two picnic tables and a large boulder jutted out from the cropped gra.s.s, and a gazebo stood beside a stream-fed pool that seemed inviting in the humid, summer night air. Several boxes presumably held the cushions for the wooden lounge chairs, but Riley took her to the swing, which had a convenient attachment on each side for placing not only their drinks, but the snacks, allowing them to sit close, dine, and swing gently.
After a few minutes, Jordan felt the need to clear the air a little due to ambivalence about the discrepancy between having tried to kill him earlier and their seeming date now. She turned to him on the swing.
"I know you seem like you"re past it," she began, "and with amazing speed, but I really wanted to say how sorry I am that I tried to kill you today."
The long time he gazed at her didn"t offer clues to how he felt about it. "Apology accepted. I know you were just doing your job."
"Is that really enough?"
"Not really, but it goes a long way. I can"t think you"re awful for that and still think I"m a decent guy when I had the same job for so long. I think someone else wouldn"t move on so quickly. I"m also a guy, so that helps."
"Really?"
"Yeah. We"re funny that way. I mean I"ve gotten into good fist fights with Marine buddies and two minutes later we were getting drunk together, everything forgotten."
"Maybe it"s the Marine in you."
He smiled. "Maybe. I know you"re looking for rea.s.surance and forgiveness. I don"t know what else to tell you. I"m more mad at Jake for trying to kill my dog."
Jordan laughed, and then so did Riley. "I"m not sure you"re right in the head."
Smirking, he asked, "Is that a problem?"
"Not really. If you"re screwed up, it"s in a much better way than others I"ve known."
"Thanks. You sure know how to give a compliment."
She squeezed his thigh and leaned closer.
They spent an hour talking of little things like what bands, movies, and TV shows they liked. Favorite foods and drinks. Personal characteristics they loved and hated in other people. Everything less important than the day"s events, basically. And nothing about the future or even past, for Jordan"s history was unpleasant and they studiously avoided that, though she wanted to know more about his life. It could wait... The beers slowly disappeared along with the snacks and realities of the world.
Inhibitions also vanished, their hands finding each other"s hand more and more, or a thigh. Lips met or nibbled on earlobes and necks. Tongues suggestively licked dip from fingers. Maybe later they"d trade stories about their scars...the thought gave Jordan an idea, for she"d been eyeing the stream-fed pool for a while.
"Let"s skinny dip," she suggested, tugging at Riley"s shirt. He didn"t resist as she pulled it over his head and ran both her hands over his muscled chest.
"Great idea." Riley reached for her waistband, snapped open the jeans, yanked the zipper down, and as she lifted her b.u.t.t off the swing, pulled pants and panties off her legs in one motion, flinging them into the bush behind them. He stood as Jordan pulled his down with equal fervor. A surge of excitement coursed through her as Riley"s sizeable manhood sprang free, half hard and growing, a neatly cropped mound of dark pubic hair above it.
"Oh my," she purred appreciatively, cupping his trimmed b.a.l.l.s. With her other hand, she hefted his c.o.c.k, the heat of it making her p.u.s.s.y tremble. And before she knew what she was doing, Jordan leaned forward, pressing her lips into his c.o.c.k"s head once. Twice. Three times. The flush of desire surged in her face as her tongue snaked out to caress the head all around. A hand on the base of his d.i.c.k felt one pulse after another as his p.e.n.i.s grew in size and he murmured his enjoyment. That was all the encouragement she needed. Jordan"s lush lips parted and eagerly closed around his c.o.c.k. Her mouth squeezed a few times before she began her slow descent while Riley stroked her hair with more gentleness than his next words.
"Suck my c.o.c.k, Jordan. Let"s celebrate being alive."
She moaned agreement and reached for his firm a.s.s, warm from him sitting on it, but nothing like the heat in her mouth as she sucked his salty c.o.c.k. Slurping sounds split the night air to join the summer bugs twittering away, making Jordan feel like this was the most natural thing she"d done in a while. Riley reached down and pulled his c.o.c.k from her mouth long enough to lift her shirt and bra off together, her t.i.ts jiggling free. An instant later and she"d swallowed him again.
It had been too long since Jordan had been with a man, and years since someone she liked or even knew. Not that she really knew Riley that well, but she knew more about him than anyone she"d been with in forever. Jake had been coy, secretive, and hard to know, and after today she felt certain she"d never really known him at all. Between studying Riley"s dossier and just a half day with him, she felt closer to him than she had with Jake for years, though it was probably mostly illusion. This was something her life had been devoid of and she decided to live in the moment.
She needed to feel close to someone, too. Riley was right-the threat of sudden death today made her want to enjoy being alive. It"s not like she"d really been enjoying her life lately. Or h.e.l.l, for years, but she was enjoying this.
From the sounds Riley was making, so was he, and she felt his p.e.n.i.s swell in her mouth, his b.a.l.l.s lifting up in one hand, and his a.s.s clench in the other. At the last instant, she pulled her mouth away and turned his c.o.c.k to one side so that the huge spurt of c.u.m shot past her shoulder and over the swing she sat on. Smaller surges pumped more onto her neck and b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her hand stroking the throbbing meat possessively.
Gazing coyly up at him, she whispered, "You shot me with your gun."
He smiled dreamily. "I kind of missed. Just a flesh wound."
Jordan giggled and licked her lips. "I"m sure you"ll have more chances to hit the target."
"You bet your beautiful a.s.s I will."
Riley yanked off his socks, then hers. Then he pulled her upright and tossed her over one shoulder like she weighed nothing, striding purposefully toward the water, hand on her a.s.s. On nearing the water, she thought he"d carry her in, but suddenly she was flying through the air backwards with a yelp.
The cool spring water surrounded Jordan as she plunged to the sandy bottom, which her feet touched as she lunged back up into the air, water streaming from her long hair. Riley did a cannonball right next to her and disappeared under the surface with a splash. She jumped on top of him to keep him under, suddenly feeling like a little girl. He pulled her under into an embrace. Lips came together and they kissed until the air threatened to burst from their lungs. And then Riley rose with her in his arms, torsos pressed together as they breached the surface, sucking in a big breath, lungs heaving. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s strained into his chest, hard nipples poking him.
"That was fun," she remarked, breathless and grinning.
"We could both use some."
"I feel like I haven"t had any in a long time."
"Are we still talking about fun, or something s.e.xier?" To get his point across, he lowered her until his half-hard c.o.c.k brushed her p.u.s.s.y. She smiled and kissed him again, losing herself in the contact.
They settled into the refreshing water, alternating between giving each other ma.s.sages, horsing around, and just relaxing in each other"s arms. The stream brought a slow, swirling eddy of fresh water through the pool and into the drain channel on the other side. Jordan felt more and more like her worries were washing away, and for now, she pretended that was true. There are times when living in the present trumps everything.
More than an hour pa.s.sed before one of the many playful kisses became deeper, more intimate, and urgent. Jordan had straddled a reclined Riley, her p.u.s.s.y grazing his growing erection. Now she began sliding along it, bringing it to life as her tongue delved into his mouth. Those vice-like arms of his held her close. She murmured her contentment into his mouth. Riley responded by sliding a hand over the small of her back to her a.s.s, fondling her so that she pressed back into his hand, her p.u.s.s.y giving a spasm of antic.i.p.ation. And then he slid that hand between her cheeks and over the rosebud of her a.n.u.s, on the way to her swollen folds, which he encircled but didn"t touch.
"It"s your turn for a release," he whispered in her ear, "after I get you all wound up."
"Oh please," she agreed, trembling with need.
Riley pulled her up with one hand so his mouth closed over one breast. He shook his head side to side and her nipple hardened painfully. The hand on her rear rhythmically pushed against her rump as if to imitate his hips pounding into her. She wanted the real thing so badly that her v.a.g.i.n.a began to throb and ache to be filled.
His finger finally caressed her p.u.s.s.y, so she pushed back on it and he slipped inside. The water had washed away her natural lubrication, but once he was in, luxurious silkiness awaited. Jordan reached down and wrapped a firm hand around his c.o.c.k, working the shaft, getting him prepared.
"You don"t have to get me ready anymore," she panted into his ear. "Take me now, Riley."
He pulled his mouth off her breast. "Got a condom back with my wallet."
"Take me there."
With strength she was becoming accustomed to, Riley hauled her upright, this time carrying her the way a groom carries his bride over the threshold. Out of the pool they rose, water streaming from their glistening bodies in the moonlight. Riley took her to the clearing"s center and gently put her on her feet, then gave her a brief kiss before turning away and striding toward one of the furniture boxes, cutting a s.e.xy figure in the dim night. Jordan watched his powerful a.s.s in admiration as he retrieved two long cushions. He returned and laid them on the ground, then went for a blanket and a condom. She lay down, spreading her legs for him and the man on the moon. He returned with his c.o.c.k bobbing playfully, a condom already on it, a l.u.s.t-filled grin broadening as she arched her back, bringing out every soft curve for him.
"I"m yours, Riley."
The fire that appeared in his eyes thrilled her as he threw the blanket down nearby, knelt between her thighs, and crawled atop her. Jordan"s arms and legs closed around him like a Venus Flytrap, eager lips finding his, tongues intertwining. The head of Riley"s c.o.c.k touched her p.u.s.s.y, slippery again with her essence. When she pressed down with her legs, he took the hint, c.o.c.k sliding in. She moaned and pushed again, not wanting to take her time. He probably thought she needed to stretch for him and that he needed to go slow, but that vibrator he"d found kept her ready despite not having been with anyone in a while. But Riley didn"t know that. To her surprise, he was both forceful and gentle, but she wanted more of the former. And he wasn"t the only strong one.
With a show of l.u.s.t-filled determination, she rolled him onto his back with her atop him, the motion causing his manhood to slide all the way in. She let out a thrilled purr that matched his delighted grunt. Then she positioned herself to better slide up and down, leaning back to ride him. His c.o.c.k was heaven as it filled her more than anyone else who"d been in her, and for the first time she knew what it was to have no room left down there. The snugness made her feel completely taken, the fullness enriching every sensation.
Just when she didn"t think it could get better, he began to tug, twirl, and squeeze her nipples. She sucked in a breath as an o.r.g.a.s.m burst through her loins and across her body. Trembling, she stopped moving, unable to handle much more. But when he pulled her down onto him and thrust his tongue into her mouth, she realized that losing her control was what she really needed.
And Riley took it from her. He began thrusting up into her, b.a.l.l.s flying with the motion as he hammered away. Jordan whimpered in ecstasy and leaned forward to present her t.i.ts to his mouth, which closed over one. The familiar weight of release gathered again in her loins, which erupted with pent up fury that surpa.s.sed the one just minutes ago.
Stars flickered behind her tightly closed eyes as bolts of pleasure shot from deep in her p.u.s.s.y down to her toes and up to her scalp. A body trained for war was unaccustomed to this but reacted as if it knew exactly what to do. She was so caught up in her own bliss that she almost didn"t realize why his c.o.c.k pulsed rapidly until he let out a cry as he came deep inside her. For a wild, carefree moment, she wished the condom wasn"t there, for it was the only unnatural thing in their display of wild l.u.s.t, naked as they were beneath the night sky.
Jordan collapsed on top of him, not caring about anything anymore.
Chapter 10 A Ruse.
Riley woke to the sounds of birds chirping in the morning air all around him and wondered for a moment if he"d died and gone to heaven, where an angel lay beside him. Jordan rested peacefully on her back, one hand holding his, her face turned toward him as if she"d last kissed his shoulder before falling asleep again.
And she may well have. They"d been affectionate all night even while half-asleep. He sensed a connection with her that surpa.s.sed anything he"d felt before. He was thought by most who"d known him, even as a teenager, to be something of a womanizer, and he"d done nothing to dissuade that opinion. The reputation certainly hadn"t turned girls away. If anything, it brought more to his bed.
But he"d seldom been serious about any of them. Many were lovely, sweet girls, and while part of him loved that-because what guy didn"t, really?-he"d always wanted someone tougher, with more s.p.u.n.k. More spirit. More fire. Someone who understood what it was to kill people, which had only come up since joining the Marines, but his military service had only accentuated how flighty so many of the girls he"d been with were. That wasn"t so bad, and if he just wanted to get his rocks off, or forget about the horrors of war, that was perfect.
But it wasn"t something you did long term. And none of those girls had acted like they thought he was "the one" to them. He was their fling, the male equivalent of that old saying, that some girls you take home to your parents, and others you just have fun with. They came to him to get serviced, he knew, and he"d never minded providing the service. He"d certainly gotten good at it. Practice makes perfect.
He hadn"t wanted too much more for a long time, partly because being in the service meant not being home or with the same person for long. It didn"t seem fair to subject a woman to his perpetual absences or possible sudden death. He"d been to too many Marine services for fallen comrades, seen their girlfriends, wives, and sometimes children stood there bawling away that the guy was dead and gone, never to be seen again.
Nothing lasts forever, though. He was out of the service now. Had been out for nearly a year. And being around his family, especially with Connor nearly married and Tristan already so with a child on the way, well, it was enough to make him want to settle down. The funny thing is that now that he was putting down stronger roots, he might"ve almost preferred the flighty girls to someone ready to rumble, because he was trying to let that side of him go a bit and just be a regular guy. But he still had a spark, and now here was a woman who did, too.
Jordan stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open, the sun"s rays just beginning to touch her hair as it fanned out beside her on the cushions they"d slept on, the blanket pulled over them, as much to keep the bugs off as anything. Even this early in the morning, the temperature remained in the upper seventies, the air humid.
"Good morning, sunshine," he said as she stretched luxuriously.
For an answer, she pulled herself onto his chest and planted a deep kiss on him. He gripped her firmly, wanting to crush her to him, especially when she reached down for his swollen manhood. She purred, "I can see the sun isn"t the only thing rising in this meadow."
He grinned and rolled her onto her back. "I really wish I had another condom."
Jordan bit her lip. "I know that I"m clean. And on the pill."
"I"m safe, too. Tested months ago and haven"t gone without a condom since."
She traced his stubble beard with one finger. "After the day we had yesterday, if life, or death, finds us after a great f.u.c.k, then so be it."
He laughed and plunged his tongue into her mouth, their hearts racing wild as they grappled beneath the blanket that was increasingly in their way until he threw it off, morning dew glistening in the gra.s.s around them like the drops of her essence on her p.u.s.s.y.
"No one will see us?" Jordan asked, glancing around.
"Do you care?"
She bit her lip and considered. "f.u.c.k it."
"That"s my girl."
Riley"s tongue cleaved a wet path across her breast until flicking her hardening nipple, which felt so delightful jabbing into his mouth. Thrusting her hands into his short hair, she pulled his head down into her lush mounds while arching her back. And Riley lost himself in heavenly bosom. But more heavenly things awaited, and Jordan slipped her leg under him to show she wasn"t patient. He liked a fast woman, but one of these days she was going to have to let him make love to her. Best not to dawdle when someone could walk by, not that it was likely.
He climbed between her legs, his c.o.c.k painfully swollen. The feel of her powerful legs gripping him inspired him to make her need to hold on like that. His p.e.n.i.s caressed her soft flesh before slipping inside like a guided missile, headed straight for ecstasy. Creamy silkiness surrounded and contrasted with his hard d.i.c.k. Riley groaned. She felt so much better with nothing between them. She grabbed his head and yanked him down for a kiss, tongue bursting in his mouth, and Riley got the message.
Thrusting deep in short bursts, he worked them into a lather, b.a.l.l.s slapping against her moist folds. Moans of satisfaction split the morning air. And then a commotion of thumps around them caused them to glance up in time to see a half dozen deer bound through the clearing, unmindful of the raw nature on display.
"Mother nature approves," joked Riley.
"So do I!"
They devoured each other"s lips again until Jordan pulled away, opening her mouth in a silent scream, nails raking down his back. She bucked wildly beneath him and Riley lost control, too, a spike of arousal coursing through his powerful frame, which tensed as c.u.m shot from his c.o.c.k, deep inside her.
A thrilled purr rumbled from her throat. "Oh G.o.d, you feel so good."
He groaned in agreement and relaxed on top of her, spent and dizzy. Gasps of breath seemed the only sound now except the birds chirping away. They lay still for a long time, savoring every last moment.
"Time for a quick dip before we head back?" Riley asked.
Jordan wrapped her arms around him once more, rhetorically asking, "Must we leave?"
They soon rose, rinsed off in the pool, then dried each other with the blanket before dressing. The stroll back to Quinn"s house didn"t last nearly long enough, but they took their time.
"Back to reality," she observed as Riley"s house came into view between the trees.
"Let"s find out if there"s any news."
They pa.s.sed his home, where nothing appeared to have changed, and then approached Quinn"s. The big guy sat sipping orange juice on the porch and patting Coby, who got up and ran for the Marine. Beside him sat Chloe, who said something to make him smile and shake his head. From her amused embarra.s.sment, Riley had a feeling they"d antic.i.p.ated the snipers hooking up. Neither said anything about it as the couple mounted the steps. They had better sense than that.
"We wondered when you"d come back from the meadow," Quinn said by way of greeting."
Riley c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "When did you know we were there?"
Chloe looked him in the eye, smiling. "I went to check up on you when you didn"t come back. Good thing I didn"t show up at the wrong time and catch an eyeful."
The Marine laughed while Jordan blushed.
"Ryan called," the big man said, gesturing at a pitcher of orange juice and two gla.s.ses. After an inquisitive glance at Jordan, Riley filled both of them.
"What"s the latest?" Riley asked.