Chapter 3
Delaney’s hands shook on the controls as she guided the helicopter to Camp Leatherneck, their final destination for the night.
An hour of waiting had taken its toll. Along with the co-pilot and her door gunners, Delaney had been on full alert, NVGs scanning for heat signatures of Taliban fighters while their bird was on the ground, a dangerous place to be if someone decided to attack.
When the call had come through to pick up the men at the alternate location just outside the village instead of on the other side of the hill, she’d jumped to the worst conclusion. They’d run into trouble, maybe gotten wounded. Or lost one of the team.
Delaney didn’t hesitate to fly into hostile situations, but the worst part of her job was when she had to airlift out a dead or dying soldier, SEAL, or marine. Every life was important. The men fighting in this endless war had family waiting for them back home—a mother, father, grandmother, wife, children, lover—someone who would miss them if they didn’t come home safely. And her responsibility was to get them out.
During the past few months training as part of a joint task force, she’d come to know so many of SEAL Team 10, specifically the squadron of men that included Tuck and Cory. She loved most of them like brothers. But Tuck...there was nothing brotherly about the way she felt about him.
He was strong, capable and—despite his upbringing—caring, loyal, and would do anything for those he loved. She’d fallen for him the first time he’d walked her to her car, after they’d been at DD’s Corral too late. There’d been nothing sexual about how he’d seen to her safety. That he was incredibly sexy, and had shoulders so broad he filled doorways, had nothing to do with how quickly she’d fallen. Well, maybe a little. His deep voice, gentle hands, and the way he held her in his arms on the dance floor had sent her determination not to fall for a military man soaring out the window.
He was everything she could want in a man. His loyalty to his team, and especially to Cory, was commendable.
To a point. But that point had long since passed when Cory proposed. Now they were faced with dangerous missions. If she broke the news to Cory that she had been seeing Tuck for the past month and a half, how would he take it? Would it put a dent in the camaraderie between Tuck and Cory, or any other member of the team? They couldn’t afford that. She couldn’t be the bone of contention between the tightly knit group of men. Not when they needed to focus on the mission.
The radio had yanked her out of her musings, back to the present and the danger the team now faced. She’d fired up the engine and, as soon as she could, lifted off, skimming the top of the hill and dropping into the valley below, the rotor wash flattening the poppies in the field where she landed.
She’d held her breath, praying they’d all come out alive, counting as they emerged from the cover of the buildings. Not until the last one entered the helicopter and she was able to lift off did she release the breath she’d been holding.
She cared about all the men she transported into and out of battle. But having Tuck and Cory on board added to the burden, reminding her that not only did the people she carried have someone back home who loved them, she cared about them as well. She had a huge responsibility to herself and others—bring them home safe and alive.
Now that they were safely up in the air, the helicopter sweeping away from the village and gaining altitude, Tuck’s pulse regulated. The flight to Camp Leatherneck went quickly. Working in the dark with a flashlight and first aid kit, the team performed self-aid buddy care on each other for those wounded in the explosion and subsequent firefight.
Fish would need to see a surgeon to retrieve the bullet from his leg. He hoped to be back with the team soon afterward. Nothing kept a good SEAL down for long.
Reaper sat in the middle, fiddling with something in his hands.
Tuck shone a light at him to discover he was turning the ring box he’d used to propose to Delaney. As SEALs they weren’t supposed to bring anything personal to the battle, they didn’t wear nametags or rank insignia. If caught, the enemy would use anything to torture information out of them. Why the hell would Reaper bring the damned ring?
The entire trip out to the sandbox, Tuck had tried to bring up the subject of Delaney and why proposing to her wasn’t a good idea for Reaper. Each time, Reaper cut him off, insisting he knew what he was doing.
Short of telling Reaper he was seeing Delaney and that they were a thing, he didn’t know what else to do. If word got out he was dating the 160th Black Hawk pilot responsible for transporting them on missions, he or Delaney could be shipped back stateside and reprimanded.
When the chopper landed at Camp Leatherneck, medics and intel officers were there to greet them. Fish argued about being carried out on a gurney, finally agreeing to let the army female medics drape his arms over their shoulders and help him limp to the waiting ambulance. Grinning, he looked back over his shoulder and winked.
The medics wanted Tuck to report to the hospital for sutures.
He refused, insisting the wound could be patched with a bandage. To prove the point, he unbuckled his Protech Tactical Armor Plate Carrier or PTAC, eased it over his shoulders, and dropped it to the ground. The absence of the weight made him feel immediately lighter and more agile. And naked.
With the cool desert night air blowing over his skin, his imagination carried him back to the bed he’d shared with Delaney a little more than a week ago, her smooth body pressed against his.
Reaper sat on the bumper of the ambulance beside Tuck, another medic checking him over for concussion and lacerations from the grenade explosion. Reaper pushed the medic’s hand away from his face. "Gunny’s set up quarters for us. Let’s go."
"Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?" Tuck asked.
"The doc said I looked okay, no concussion."
"Then head for quarters. I’ll be along in a minute. I need to debrief intel." Tuck really wanted to catch Delaney on her own, after everyone left. Images of stolen kisses bumped up his adrenaline and pulse.
The medic cleaned his wound and applied a sterile bandage, warning him to keep it clean or the gash would get infected.
When Reaper finally stood, he stretched and flexed his muscles.
About that time, Delaney climbed down from the helicopter and removed her helmet.
"I’ll be damned." Reaper laughed. "Tuck, look who our pilot was."
"I know."
Reaper frowned. "You knew O’Connell was flying, and you didn’t tell me?"
"I wanted everyone to focus on the mission, not the pilot."
Reaper ran a hand across his dusty, shaggy hair. "Think she’s had enough time to decide?"
Panic tightened his throat. "Reaper, we’re in a war zone. Now’s not the time to push a girl to marry you."
"I can’t think of a better time. Away from home, feeling lonely and afraid." He flexed his biceps. "Big, handsome SEAL to her rescue. It’s a romance novel come true."
"Reaper, you really have to get a clue. She may not have agreed to marry you because she doesn’t love you that way." How many times did he have to say that before Reaper got the hint?
"If that was the case, she would have said no when I asked her."
"You asked her in front of all of our friends. She’s nice enough to save your ugly face from embarrassment."
Reaper hung back, his frown deepening. "I hate it when you make sense. What I hate worse is that she might have said no if I hadn’t asked in front of our friends." His frown lightened. "If she’s leaning toward saying no, maybe I need to show her I meant what I said. She probably thinks I’m not serious."
Tuck wanted to slap a palm to his forehead. He’d have to come right out and tell the guy Delaney wasn’t into him. "Look, Reaper—"
Reaper wasn’t listening. He raised his hand and yelled, "O’Connell!"
So much for seeing Delaney alone.
The medic had barely taped down the last edge of the bandage when Tuck jumped up, shrugged his shirt over his shoulder, and hurried after Reaper and Delaney.
"So I was thinking, how about you and me grab a bite of breakfast together in the chow hall?"
"Sounds like a good idea." Tuck fell in step on the other side of Delaney and winked at her. "But shouldn’t you be heading to the hospital for that CAT scan?"
Reaper’s brows dipped. "No, and I was asking O’Connell here to breakfast. Just the two of us."
"And five hundred of your closest friends? Come on, Reaper, you’d leave a brother behind?"
"When it comes to O’Connell?" He snorted. "Hell, yeah."
"I have a suggestion." Delaney stopped. "Why don’t the two of you have breakfast, and I’ll check in with my commander, get a shower, and hit my bunk."
"Are you assigned to Camp Leatherneck?" Cory asked, his face brightening.
"I am. But I want you both to know, I’m not fraternizing with either of you." She pointed to Reaper then to Tuck. "Got it?"
Tuck figured she was telling them both to keep their relationship on the down low. He nodded, grinning. Determined to play along. "Come on, Reaper. Let’s see if the chow hall is open this late."
Reaper snagged Delaney’s hand. "I meant what I said. I love you, O’Connell. And come hell or sandstorms, I mean to marry you some day."
"Cory, I—"
"I know." He raised his free hand to stop her. "You don’t want to make a decision until we get back stateside, and you’re probably thinkin’ I’m a flirt and couldn’t be satisfied with just one woman. But you’re wrong. If that one woman is you, I know I’ll be perfectly happy to give up the others."
She laughed. "So noble, Cory." Her voice dripped sarcasm.
He sighed. "Just don’t say no or make up your mind until I’ve had a chance to prove it to you."
"But I—"
"Please. Don’t decide yet." He grinned, kissed her fingers.
Like a royal pain in the ass and let go. Tuck grimaced.
"Come on, Tuck. I’m starvin’."
Tuck cast a frowning glance back at Delaney.
She shrugged and turned the opposite way, most likely heading for her tent and a shower.
Being on the same post as Delaney had its challenges. When deployed, the situation was even more difficult. Though he and Delaney were equal rank, having sex or sexual relations while deployed was frowned upon.
His groin tightened. Tuck never backed down from a challenge, but if he was going to risk his career as a Navy SEAL, Delaney O’Connell was worth it. And SEALs were known for taking risks most men wouldn’t dare.
Delaney stomped away from Tuck and Reaper, steaming as she went. Why the hell hadn’t Tuck told Reaper about them? They’d had over a week in which he could have brought up the subject at any time.
She ground to a halt, her flight bag banging against her knees.
Unless Tuck wasn’t ready to make the fact known to his closest friend that he was in a committed relationship. Which he wasn’t and had made it clear he didn’t want to commit. Ever.
Was he that gun-shy when it came down to commitment? His parents had really screwed with his brain. For a big, tough, eats-bullets-for-breakfast SEAL, he was running scared of her and the fact they could be in love. He probably thought that, like every other person in his life, she’d leave him.
His mother had left him every time she’d found a new lover or husband. Worse, she’d left him with his father who’d been the harshest disciplinarian with no love left for the boy he’d help bring into the world.
Damn. She would have to break it to Cory that she loved him as a brother, and there was no way the feeling would grow into anything more. Hell, she’d tried. But he hadn’t let her get a word in edgewise.
She continued on her way to the operations tent where she reported to the Officer In Charge, debriefed on the mission, and then gathered her flight bag and headed for her tent. Exhausted, in need of a shower and some time alone, she was disappointed to find her tent mate wide awake and in the mood to talk.
Captain Lindsay Swinson sat on her cot with her feet up, removing the polish from her toenails. The sharp scent of acetone permeated the tent.
Delaney wanted to grab her towel and clothes and make tracks for the shower tent, but she had to get past her red-haired roommate first. A friendly, outgoing woman, Lindsay loved to talk. She worked as a nurse at the medical clinic on Camp Leatherneck, and knew a lot about what was going on in the camp. The reason was because she wasn’t shy about asking. And with her rich Georgia accent setting her victims at ease, they usually told her more than they ever intended. "Oh, Del. I’m glad you’re back safe. How’d it go?"
Reluctant to talk about the mission, she shrugged off the strain of what had happened. "Everyone got back alive."
Lindsay glanced up, her open face serious for half a second. "That’s wonderful."
A long pause followed, as if giving a silent prayer for those who had not been as fortunate.
Shaking nail polish remover onto a cotton ball, she asked, "Transport anyone yummy?"
"I don’t normally taste my cargo, whether supplies or people." Oh, yes, she’d brought back one of the yummiest SEALs in the Navy.
Her tent mate bent to rub polish off yet another toenail. "Have you heard anything from your sweetie-pie back in the states?"
Delaney debated her answer. She could ignore Lindsay and pretend she hadn’t heard. Or she could tell the woman her sweetie was there at Camp Leatherneck. Or she could just say, "I heard from him."
Lindsay sat up, her attention back on Delaney. "And?"
"He’s doing okay."
"Okay? Without you?" Lindsay shook her head. "No man should be okay without his woman."
"I’m not his woman. We’re just..." What were they?
"Lovers?" Lindsay’s smile quirked. "Sweetie, you’ve had love written all over you since you got here. You miss him, don’t you?"
Delaney couldn’t lie. With her toiletries kit in hand, a robe, and shower shoes, she paused. Had she missed Tuck? Oh, hell. "Yeah, I guess I have."
"And is that a crime?"
"Could be." Delaney sat on the edge of her cot, shower forgotten. "I came into the Army determined to be a lifer. Stay at least twenty years. Longer, if they’d have me."
"So?" She held up a bottle of neon pink nail polish to the light. "What’s stopping you?"
Delaney drew in a deep breath and let it out. "How do people do it? How do they let themselves fall in love when they’re in the military? Maintaining a relationship in the civilian world is hard enough."
"Honey, if you love someone enough, you make it work."
"What if they’re in different branches of service and just as determined to make their job a career?"
"Then they figure out ways to see each other." Lindsay uncapped the bottle and the potent smell of nail polish warred with the still-lingering acetone. "They make choices and they do what they have to do."
"If only it was that easy."
"Sweetie, the more determined they are to make it work, the more they’ll love each other."
Delaney’s shoulders sagged. "If they’re both willing to work on it." And that was the rub.
"Oh." Lindsay bit her bottom lip. "Like it’s more one-sided?"
"Yeah. What if one is in it for the long haul and the other isn’t?"
Lindsay’s brows rose. "Ah, that makes it different. Does the person who’s thinking long haul know whether the other person is really against commitment?"
"She doesn’t know." Delaney shrugged. "And then there’s this other person who has declared his love and proposed."
"Is this third person sexy, nice, long-term material?"
"Yes."
"Does she love him?"
A lump formed in Delaney’s throat. "Yes and no."
"Either it’s a yes or a no. Can’t be both."
"She loves him like a brother."
"And he’s proposed." Lindsay tapped a naked fingernail to her chin. "Now, my mamma always said a bird in the hand with a ring is always a better choice than one in the bush without."
Delaney laughed. "Now, you’re making that up."
The nurse gave her a lopsided grin. "Okay, but dad-gum, girl. A sexy guy proposes to her and she isn’t saying yes, but she loves him."
"Like a brother," Delaney added. "And he’s best friends with the other guy."
"Good grief, Delaney. How convoluted is this scenario?"
Her gut knotted. "As complicated as it gets. She didn’t say no to the guy who proposed."
Her nail polish forgotten, Lindsay stared at Delaney. "And why the fool-darn-heck not?"
"He told her not to decide, but to think about it. And he’s such a good friend, she hates to break his heart."
The light in Lindsay’s eyes danced. "Does loverboy know the boyfriend asked her to marry him?"
"Yes, and so does his entire unit. He did it in front of them."
"Sweet Jesus! Pass the eggs and grits, he had a set of balls on him to do that."
"Yes, and he would have lost face in front of them had she told him she wasn’t interested in him, but in his best friend."
"And loverboy was there and didn’t say anything? Didn’t stake a claim or punch out his lights?"
"No." Again, that was the crux of the matter. Tuck hadn’t told Cory that he’d been seeing her. Now Delaney had a lie by omission and a dangling proposal hanging over her like a broken rotor, ready to crack, fall, and decapitate anyone standing too close to the bird.
"Honey, you should have stuck to the truth from the get-go. Men don’t appreciate a woman who keeps them hanging when there’s clearly someone else in the background."
"I know. You’re right." Delaney gathered her things and stood. "I’ll tell her to fess up."
"You do that, honey. And let me know how the fellas take it."
Toiletries in hand, Delaney stepped through the tent door.
"Good luck, Delaney," Lindsay said with a gentle smile. "If she tells the truth, they’ll understand."
"They might understand. But will they forgive?"
"If they love her, they’ll do anything."
Her head shook. "I’m not so sure."
"Then raise the stakes. Tell loverboy you come with strings.: She pointed a finger at Delaney’s chest. "Either he accepts you with those strings, or you go your separate ways."
Delaney frowned. "I didn’t say it was me."
Lindsay winked. "Sweetie, you didn’t have to."
As late as the hour was, she would do no good to go stumbling around camp searching for the two men in the dark. Whatever she had to say, she’d have to do in the light of day. With a purposeful stride, she reached the shower tent, took a quick shower to wash off the dust from the flight, and pulled on her robe.
When she emerged from the shower tent, wearing flip flops and carrying her boots and uniform, a shadow slipped up beside her.
Before she could throw her boots at the figure, he slipped an arm around her waist, crushing her back against his front and clamping a hand over her mouth.
"Shh. It’s me, Tuck." He dropped his hand from her mouth and turned her to face him.
"Damn it, Tuck. You can’t go around scaring a girl to death all the time."
"You were so deep in thought, I’d have startled you either way. At least, this way I got to hold you in my arms for a moment."
He wore a tank top, gym shorts, and tennis shoes.
"How’d you find me?"
"I pulled a few strings." He bent to sweep her lips with his. "Are you mad?"
"I don’t want anyone getting the idea we’re fraternizing."
He eased her into the deeper shadows between a tent and a Quonset hut made of sturdy metal. "How’s this?"
She raised her arms, pressed her body into his, her damp towel, T-shirt and flight suit dangling down his back. "Better." All he had to do was part her robe and...
Tuck slid his hand up the back of her thigh and beneath the edge of her robe, cupping her naked bottom.
She’d gone to the shower with only her robe and what she’d been wearing, so flustered by her talk with Lindsay, she’d forgotten clean underwear and her pajamas.
Now she was glad she had.
Tuck lifted her, wrapping her legs around his middle, his cock nudging her entrance through the fabric of his shorts. "You make me hotter than a desert scorcher."
A thrill of excitement seared through her veins like a lit fuse racing toward dynamite. "Are you sure no one will see us?" The potential of getting caught added to the nerves and lust fluttering in her belly. Her breathing grew rapid, shallow, barely able to keep up with her lungs supplying the oxygen to her brain. All the blood in her body seemed to rush to her core—heating, slicking and sensitizing her to his every touch.
"Everyone is asleep, or manning their guard posts. We’re alone here," he said.
"But we’re in the open."
"Not behind this tent. No one comes through here."
"How do you know? You’ve been in this camp less than an hour."
"Long enough to find you." He reached between them, locating her warm, wet opening and sliding two rough fingers into her.
Oh, yeah, he’d found her all right. Delaney bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from moaning. She arched her back, her robe falling open, giving his mouth access to her breasts.
He accepted the offering, sliding his tongue across a turgid peak, making the nipple harden to a tight little bud. Then he nipped, rolling the tip between his teeth, while pumping his fingers in and out of her.
"This is so wrong." She gasped.
"But it feels..."
"So right," she said, her words rushing out as his thumb slipped between her folds and stroked the nubbin of her desire.
He chuckled as he shifted his attention from one breast to the other. "I don’t suppose you brought protection with you?"
"I always take a condom to the shower." She snorted.
"I’ll take that as a no." He sighed. "I guess I’ll have to wait, but that doesn’t mean you have to." He grinned, kissed her lips, and settled her on her feet.
A rush of disappointment filled her, only to be brushed aside as he pressed her against the metal building, the darkness concealing them from prying eyes. With his knee, he nudged her legs apart, parted her robe, and trailed his hand from the curve of her neck downward, over her breast, past her ribs and lower, his lips following the path of his fingers, distributing feather-soft kisses and tempting nips along the way.
Delaney squirmed, wanting more. Wanting to tell him she wanted more, but biting hard on her tongue to keep from begging out loud. They couldn’t be caught; being found could mean a court martial offense. At the very least, if caught, they’d receive an Article 15 and she might be grounded or sent back to the States. She might even jeopardize her position with the 160th Night Stalkers.
For a moment, the weight of the consequences threatened to overwhelm her and make her call him off.
Then he dropped to his knees, parted her folds, and tongued her, there.
All thoughts were propelled into the darkness as the feel of his mouth on her most sensitive parts sent her spiraling out of control, her heart beating like the rotors on a helicopter, faster and faster until she thought it might explode out of her chest.
Tuck slid his tongue into her channel and swirled it around, then returned to stroke her pleasure center until she dragged her nails across the metal building behind her, seeking purchase as her senses launched into the stratosphere. Her head spun and her muscles tensed like a tightly loaded spring. The tingling started at her core, shooting outward as her body jerked in spasms.
Still, Tuck didn’t let up until she could take no more.
Delaney grabbed him by the ears and dragged him to his feet.
"Hey, easy there. I need those." He laughed, sliding his body up hers until he pressed her against the metal, warm from the day’s desert heat. "Like that much?"
"Too much," she whispered as she dragged air into her starving lungs. "Want more."
"Sorry, baby. I didn’t come packing." He cupped her cheek and brushed his mouth across hers, then dove in to take her tongue as aggressively as he’d taken her down there.
His mouth tasted of her musk. Delaney threaded her fingers through his short hair, pulling him closer. "I don’t care. Take me. Here. Now." She ran her hands down his arms to where his shirt disappeared into the waist band of his shorts. Hooking her fingers in the elastic, she tugged the shorts over his hips, far enough for his cock to spring free.
"Uh uh." He shook his head. "It’s too risky."
"Like what you just did to me wasn’t?" She ran her leg up the back of his thigh and curled it over his hip then, bracing her hands on his shoulders, wrapped both legs around him. "Sure I can’t change your mind?" Leaning her back against the building, she lowered herself down over him, taking his thick girth into her wetness, sliding down over him like a well-lubed glove.
"Baby, your argument is very convincing." He thrust into her, pinning her against the wall.
She raised herself up to the tip of his cock. "How so?"
"You cover the point implicitly." Again, he thrust into her—slow, hard, and filling.
Her breath rushed from her lungs and she had to refill them before she could speak again. "Are you not challenging my supposition?"
"You bet I am. I challenge you." He powered into her, slamming her back against the wall. "And raise you one." He rammed into her again. "No, two. Ah hell. You make me crazy." He hammered into her over and over, until he drove into her one last time, burying himself deep inside her. He held her hips so tightly his fingers dug into her flesh. His member throbbed against her channel and he held his breath, his jaw rock hard.
Then he pulled free, loosened her legs from around his waist, and turned to the side as he ejaculated, his hand easing his straining cock.
A smile slid across Delaney’s face, a surge of power making her chest swell. "Turn you on much, frogman?"
"Too much." He eased his member back into his shorts and turned. "I wish we could go somewhere for the night."
Delaney shrugged. "I have a roommate."
"I’d take you back to my place." Tuck ran a hand through his hair. "But I’m sharing a tent with Cory."
"About Cory..." She sighed. "He won’t let me tell him no."
"You can’t marry him." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Not after what just happened."
"Cory thinks he loves me." Delaney leaned her cheek into his palm.
Tuck pulled away his hand, his eyes narrowing. "Love doesn’t last."
Disappointment tugged at Delaney, even though she’d known how Tuck felt about long-term commitment. "It did for my parents. They loved each other from the time they started dating in high school until the day they died."
"They were the exception."
The warmth of their lovemaking slipped away with the cool desert breeze. Delaney pulled her robe tighter around her body and stepped out of the shadows. "So, you don’t think it could happen for you?" And me? She wanted to add, but bit down on her tongue, afraid if she said it, he’d run the other way as fast as he could. Not that Tuck was a coward when faced by enemy gunfire. But commitment was a four-letter word to him. Any sign of it and he ran the other direction.
He was already shaking his head. "Look, Delaney, I like you and all..."
Her disappoint blossomed into a slow-burning anger. "I feel a but coming."
"I told you from the beginning, I’m not into commitment."
"What are you afraid of?" Delaney tapped a finger against his chest. "Afraid you might find some happiness? Cory isn’t afraid to go after what he wants."
He grabbed her finger and held it, his grip punishing, hurting her hand. "Cory isn’t right for you."
Chilled in the moonlight, Delaney tugged her hand, trying to break Tuck’s hold. "You’re hurting me." In more than one way.
He finally let go. Tuck moved, and the full light of the moon shone down on his face, exposing the hard lines and a muscle twitching in his jaw. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he clamped his lips tight and stood as still as the stone his heart was carved from.
Delaney wanted him to say something, wanted him to rant and rave and tell her she couldn’t marry Cory. Not because he wasn’t right for her, but because he loved her himself. But snow would fall in the desert before Tuck admitted to loving anyone.
"Face it, Tuck, you’re not in a position to tell me who is right or wrong for me." She backed away from him. "Do me a favor and l leave me alone." She spun and marched away, thankfully before the tears slipped from her eyes. She hurried to her quarters, hoping, but not betting, that he would follow her and declare his love. Ha!
She stumbled back to her tent, tears streaming down her face, ashamed that she cried at all. Kicking herself for loving a man who couldn’t love her back.
Tonight, she’d allow herself to cry.
Tomorrow, she’d move on.