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LENGTH:
SENSUALITY: Spicy /Carnal

Cover art (c) Kat Richards 2008
ISBN 978-1-60394-
Download $5.99
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When the terrorists re-enter their lives demanding the release of the traitor, Nathaniel Crawford, Damien and Laurie are confronted by the demons of the past. But Laurie has already been battling Damien’s personal demons and his belief that SEALs shouldn’t have families. Can their new marriage survive?

Rating: Spicy / Carnal--explicit language. Sequel to Always a Warrior.

By

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

Dedication:

To Bill, without whom Damien could never have existed. Thanks for all the inspiration, the encouragement, and for nagging me until the story was finished. This one’s for you.

Acknowledgments:

I’d like to thank everyone in the WDC Romance House Forum Workshop for their invaluable help in reviewing and editing this story. It wouldn’t be where it is today without you.

Chapter One

From the kitchen window over the sink, Laurie Crawford McAllister sipped burgundy as the guests mingled in the back yard. The mid-afternoon sun blazed in a cloudless blue sky, warming the festivities. Voices drifted through the open window; laughter sprinkled into murmured conversation.

People had split into two distinct groups. As her gaze swept the yard, Laurie compared the two groups of people celebrating her union with Damien. His parents, a brother, and a sister, chatted on one side of the lawn, occupying white, wrought-iron lawn furniture, their drinks warm in the late spring heat. A few assorted friends joked and talked around the make-shift bar, a long plank across two saw horses and covered with a pale blue sheet in lieu of a table cloth. Wine, champagne, and a beer keg as well as various party trays and buffet-style foods covered the cloth as people picked at the remains of the informal feast.

Closing her eyes, Laurie savored the dreamy memory of vows exchanged in front of the local Justice of the Peace, but let out a sigh of disappointment. Her wedding had gone exactly as planned, without the only family she had left. True to her word, her mother did not attend. Marjorie did not care enough to join her daughter on the most important day of her life.

Booted feet clomped across the porch. Her eyes snapped open. Justin Carpenter, Damien’s best friend and best man, carried a large plastic cup of beer into the kitchen. An infectious sense of humor put a sparkle in his green eyes as she grinned.

“Deserted by the groom already?” he teased and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Her senses flared as Damien’s presence enveloped her. She didn’t have to see him walk into the room. His arm slipped around her waist and heat flashed between them. Tilting her head, she met his smoldering gaze for a moment.

Humor glinted in his eyes as he gave Justin a mock frown. “Get your own woman, Justin. This one’s mine.”

“Lucky man.” Justin smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes this time. Wistful longing lingered in those emerald depths. Did that laid-back bachelor image hide loneliness?

As Justin returned to the back yard, Laurie pushed him from her mind. Damien nuzzled the back of her neck, his lips soft and moist on her skin. Heat spread through her. Desire coiled deep inside as she turned in his arms and curved her lips into a sultry smile. “Do you think anyone will notice if we sneak upstairs for a while?”

The flare of passion in his eyes scorched her senses as he pulled her closer. Her breasts rested against his chest and the hard proof of his arousal burned through the folds of her pale blue dress, an intimate touch that robbed her of breath.

“We’ll lock the door,” he suggested, his voice a husky murmur. Walking backward, he tugged her out of the kitchen.

Without warning, he swept her up into his arms. On a startled yelp, she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging as he strode down the hall. Laurie reveled in the solid strength of his arms as he took the stairs two treads at a time and crossed the hall. He stepped into the bedroom, kicked the door shut, and lowered her feet to the floor.

Trapped in his embrace, the hard lean length of him imprinted on her body and soul, she peered into eyes—the color of dark chocolate—and drowned. Time stopped as he laid a hand on her cheek, his fingers gliding over her skin. Pleasant tingles spread through her. His eyes probed hers as though seeking something she couldn’t define.

“I am so in love with you,” he stated, his voice so low it emerged as a growl. “I can’t imagine the rest of my life without you beside me.”

Oh god. Joy swelled in her heart, clogged her throat with tears, and robbed her mind of words. His mouth covered hers, obliterating the need and the chance for speech. As always, wild passion erupted as her lips parted to the demand of his tongue but now, love tempered the urgency as he led her into a slow, swaying dance.

Arms clamped around him, Laurie slid her tongue over and around his in an erotic tango the melted her against him. Plunged into a sea of sensual pleasure, she barely noticed as he lowered the zipper tab down her back. His hands covered bare skin and a delicious shiver rippled over her. Anticipation clawed into her gut as she plowed her fingers into thick black hair, holding his mouth to hers.

Passion crashed over her. Her skin tingled and every nerve sizzled under the impact of his desires. He dragged his mouth from hers, his breathing ragged as he drew the material from her shoulders, baring her full breasts to his hungry stare.

Her pounding heart threatened to burst out of her chest. He lifted his gaze to hers and the smoldering intensity in his eyes enthralled her. No man ever wanted her like this, over and over again.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured and her heart soared at the reverent tone.

He pushed the dress and her panties past her hips to puddle at her feet. His avid stare drifted over her until her whole body flushed hot at the fierce hunger etched in the harsh planes and angles of his face.

Blood rushed through her veins like molten lava, scorching her insides until only Damien filled her world and her mind. His fingers danced over her skin, sharp tingles zipping up her spine as the erotic scrape of his calloused hands scrambled her pulse. She tightened her grip on his hair and pulled him to her, plunging her tongue deep past his mobile lips to explore the hot moist cavern of his mouth.

Passion burst inside her, wild and out of control. She pressed tight against him, her breasts aching at the pressure of his hard chest. The fabric of his shirt scraped her nipples until the rigid peaks demanded naked flesh. She stepped back, cocked her head, and skimmed a slow glance over him. Black slacks molded to his hips and thighs like a second skin, leaving her in no doubt he wanted her. The stark white shirt followed the sculpted contours of his muscled chest and broad shoulders and vanished into the waistband of his trousers. He had ditched the matching suit jacket after the ceremony in deference to the heat but he still took her breath away.

Her attention lingered on his chest and then dropped to his thighs and the bulge of his need. Fingers itching to touch, she curled her hands into fists and lifted her eyes to meet his. The expectant look on his face as he planted hands on hips tickled the streak of mischief in her and she smiled. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

He arched on elegant black eyebrow and waited. Tension crackled in the air as memory scorched her brain. Months earlier, caught in the throes of passion, she’d treated him to an erotic striptease until desire overcame them and she found herself pinned under him on the mattress. Flames leaped into his eyes and she knew he remembered that interlude all too well.

“Take them off,” she whispered, a sultry command that barely stirred the air but sparked the sexual tension arcing between them.

His eyes fixed on hers, he slid one button after another free until the shirt opened, revealing the tanned muscles of his chest to her avid attention. She couldn’t look away until his hands dropped to his belt buckle. The swish of leather blasted through her, followed by the rasp of his zipper. The slacks settled in an ebony puddle around his feet but Laurie stared at the enticing bugle in his white briefs. The shirt fluttered around him in the slight breeze as the ceiling fan stirred the air.

“All of it,” she murmured, lost in her study of male perfection.

Shirt and underwear joined the pants on the floor as he moved closer. Male and aroused, his scent teased her nose. Black hair sprinkled over tanned skin drew her eye. Her fingers uncurled and she lifted her hands, a slave to the urge to touch. Her hands splayed over his hard chest, she soaked up his heat and marveled at the contrast of her light skin against his darker tones.

Fire shot through her, turned the need to touch into a craving for flesh on flesh. She looked up into his eyes, swiped her tongue over her lips, and reveled in the resultant agonized groan from deep in his throat.

“Make love with me.” It emerged as a husky whisper as she stepped back, took his hands, and drew him the bed.

The edge of the mattress hit the back of her knees. He nudged her off balance and followed her down. His body covered hers, his knee edging her thighs apart until his rigid cock nestled against her. That intimate contact shot the flames of desire into a conflagration of raw passion. Incapable of thought, Laurie surrendered to her desires, allowing her passionate urges full reign.

Lowering himself to her, he supported his weight on his elbows and captured her mouth with his. With the imprint of his body branded along the length of hers, she thrilled to his wild kisses and gave herself up to him. Every squirm and wriggle of her body heightened her senses until she wrapped her legs around him, forced her hand between them, and guided his rigid flesh to her moist entrance.

A fierce gleam in his eyes, he lifted his head, peered down at her, and paused. Impatience mingled with ravaging need and she clamped her hands on his butt, urging him inside.

“Now,” she growled, her body on fire. Only he could put out the devastating flames consuming her.

A wicked, knowing grin curving his lips, he drove into her so hard and deep, the sensations rocketed off the scale. Reality exploded and wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her, spread through her until toes and the tips of her fingers tingled, and she went limp under him.

“Oh no, you don’t. Stay with me, baby.” He stared deep into her eyes, withdrew from her hot channel and plunged back inside.

Fire shot through her. He pulled back and slid slow and deep into her once more. Varying his thrusts and strokes, he brought her once again to the razor edge of orgasm. Tension coiled deep inside, threatening to snap any second. She clamped her hands around his upper arms and discovered he trembled under the effort of his iron-willed control. Reveling in the sense of feminine triumph, she wriggled her hips. A low groan escaped as he plunged back inside her, deep and hard. The violent orgasm blasted through her, blinded her to everything but the roiling sea of pleasure swamping her.

As the aftershocks faded, his flesh throbbed in release. He slumped onto her and the little remaining air whooshed from her lungs but she only wrapped her arms around him, holding him to her forever.

* * * *

Gasping for breath, Damien rolled so Laurie sprawled over him. Her warm breath bathed his chest as she lifted her head. Her eyes glowed in the aftermath of raw, hot passion and he savored the sense of male satisfaction he found only in her arms. He flicked a finger over the soft skin of her cheek, marveling that someone so soft possessed the strength to handle raising a child alone, a bunch of terrorists intent on murder, and him.

“How did I get so lucky?” he murmured, toying with a few silky strands of her dark brown hair. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Of course, you don’t,” she teased, an impish gleam in her eyes. Her expression softened. “I love you, Damien. Nothing can change that.”

After all the horrors and near death experiences of his mission to capture her estranged father, after the deceptions and his part in dragging her into the middle of a terrorist encampment, she still looked at him with all the love and acceptance he could ever want. His throat tightened. He let out a ragged breath and wrapped his arms around her.

“Damien?” She squirmed in his fierce hold and he relaxed his embrace a fraction but didn’t release her.

“I love you,” he stated, his voice hoarse with the raw emotion clawing at his heart.

She gave him a radiant smile and laid her head on his chest. Her soft sigh drifted over his skin, tickling the hairs sprinkled across his chest. She radiated contentment and he fervently hoped to always bring her the peace she deserved after the nightmares that brought them together.

* * * *

As spring slid into summer, Laurie and her small but growing family settled into a cherished routine. Damien’s job at Somerset took him to Tucson every weekday morning but he returned home each evening with news of his day, none of it involving terrorists. Laurie clung to happiness, loved the child growing inside her, and gradually released the anxiety of the days and events that brought Damien into her life. At five, soon to be six, Stacy gave them moments of laughter and apprehension, as children are supposed to do, and Laurie adored the growing bond between her daughter and her husband.

Only during some late nights, after the muse left her brain and allowed her a break from her current project, did she think of those days in Damien’s mountain cabin several months earlier. He and his Navy SEAL team had saved her and Stacy from terrorists intent on abducting them. He took them to his mountain cabin, stole Stacy’s heart, and taught Laurie to shoot and defend herself in unarmed combat. Only at the end of that week did Laurie realize he’d stolen her heart as well.

The terror didn’t end there. Following orders he abhorred, Damien took her straight into the terrorists’ camp for easy infiltration. Her father, believed dead, resurfaced as a traitor smuggling weapons’ technology to terrorists.

Laurie sighed as the memories flickered into her mind. Damien captured the traitor. Using her new skills, Laurie killed two terrorists intent on killing them first, and though it took six months, she got her man. Damien opted for discharge, took a computer analyst position in Tucson, and married her.

Two months , she mused, her thumb sliding over the gold band and the sapphire engagement rings around her ringer. With a contented sigh, she left the desk and wandered over to lean on the window overlooking the backyard from the second floor. Stacy’s chatter drifted from her bedroom across the hall. The steady patter of summer rain streaked the window, providing soft background music. But the sounds of summer routine didn’t drag her thoughts from Damien.

Was he already regretting leaving the Navy to marry her? She never asked or wanted that. In typical Damien McAllister fashion, he made a decision and implemented it without discussion. Lately he seemed tired, quiet, and preoccupied. At night he tossed and turned in his sleep, muttering things she didn’t understand. Just the night before, he sat straight up in bed, glancing wildly around the room. At the touch of her hand on his arm, he flinched and glared at her before recognition dawned in his eyes. He blinked, mumbled what might have been an apology or an explicit oath, and lay down. Though he slept again, he continued to toss and turn the rest of the night.

“Nightmares,” she muttered under her breath as she returned to her office chair. Her idle gaze drifted over bookshelves lining her walls and the worn, black-leather sofa where he’d held her and explained that his ex-wife cheated on him, divorced him, and took his two children whom he hadn’t seen in a decade.

Laurie shook her head. That morning, the home pregnancy test came up positive. In a fit of anxiety, she blurted out the news. Damien looked like he’d been sucker- punched and her heart sank. Only as they talked did he put things in perspective.

“You bitch,” she muttered at the absent woman who’d tricked Damien into marrying her by getting pregnant.

After that bitter revelation, Laurie had simply reminded him of their wedding plans. The transformation in him still endeared her and she smiled. Now, their happiness ensured, she glanced at the computer he’d set up after he moved in. Another sigh escaped her. The first night in his cabin, moans and groans had disturbed her sleep. She managed to wake him but he refused to discuss it. Things are different now. Will he tell me if I ask? Part of her dreaded the horrors he might reveal but another part, the one that loved him heart and soul, wanted and needed to know.