“C’mon, darlin’,” he coaxed, “come for me.”
Sliding a hand between their bodies, he stroked a finger over her, satisfied when he heard her sharp intake of breath and felt a renewed flood of moisture around his cock. But even as she began to tighten around him, he lost his own tenuous grip on his self-control. Overhead, a deafening crack of thunder split the air. With a hoarse shout, Chase came in a blinding rush of pleasure, aware that Kate was right there with him.
They lay together, breathing heavily for several long moments, before Chase had enough awareness to roll to his side and pull Kate into the curve of his shoulder. He pressed a kiss against her hair as the rain beat down on the canvas above their heads.
She traced a lazy pattern over his chest with one finger. “Wow,” she said with a half laugh. “That was pretty amazing.”
Chase had to agree. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been so turned on by a woman. Now, holding Kate in his arms, he knew that once wouldn’t be enough. His rampant imagination conjured up explicit images of all the ways he wanted her, and he felt a little hollow inside at the thought of her leaving Afghanistan and returning to the States. She’d told him that she didn’t need promises from him, but a part of him rebelled against having a relationship based solely on sex. For him, at least, it wasn’t enough.
Gently pulling himself free, he searched for his clothing in the darkness and got dressed.
“What are you doing?” Kate asked, but her voice was heavy with sleep.
He found her shirt and helped her pull it on, and then laid her flannel pants along the bottom of the cot. She curled on her side, tucking her hands beneath the pillow.
“Try and get some sleep,” he advised. “We’ll be getting up early to head over to Kandahar to see the last of the concert sites.”
“Aren’t you going to stay the night?” Reaching out, she caught him by the belt and pulled him closer. “We have hours until morning,” she murmured, but her voice was groggy and he could see she was just seconds away from slipping into total oblivion. “You don’t have to leave.”
Bending down, he gave her a lingering kiss, but when he pulled away, she was already asleep. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he said softly. “If I don’t leave now, then I’m totally screwed.”
He pulled the sleeping bag over her shoulders and watched as she murmured incoherently and snuggled deeper into its warmth. More than anything, he wanted to slide back into the narrow bed with her and warm her with his own body heat. Chase grabbed his rain poncho and pulled it on. He paused only briefly at the entrance to the tent before he ducked his head and ventured outside, acknowledging that he’d lied to Kate.
He was already screwed.
IF IT WEREN’T FOR the deliciously tender places on her body, Kate might have imagined Chase’s heated lovemaking of the previous night. He had awakened her the following morning by calling her name through the entrance of the tent, but he hadn’t come in, telling her she had thirty minutes to get dressed and meet him outside.
The storm had passed during the night, and the morning air was clear. Even at that hour, the sun beat relentlessly down, drying the muddy roads and promising a hot afternoon. Kate packed her bags and went outside to meet Chase. He stood leaning against a Humvee reading his handheld device, while Charity lay at his feet, her tongue lolling. She called his name, feeling inexplicably shy. He looked up and for just an instant she saw the same heat in his eyes that she had seen last night. His gaze raked over her once, before he schooled his expression into one of cool politeness.
“Good morning,” he said, pushing away from the vehicle to walk toward her. “Did you sleep well?”
She gave him a meaningful smile. “Like a baby. But what about you? You didn’t need to leave.”
He paused beside her. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I did. What happened last night was amazing, Kate, but it can’t happen again.”
Kate’s smile faltered and something twisted painfully in her chest. “You’re saying it was a mistake.”
Chase’s expression was so intense that for a moment Kate thought he was going to pull her into his arms. “No,” he said fiercely. “Not a mistake. Just not very smart, considering our situation.”
Realistically, she knew he was right. Last night, she’d been convinced that she could have sex with Chase and not have any regrets; that she could have a brief fling without getting emotionally involved. But recalling what it had been like … what he had been like, she knew she’d been kidding herself.
Now she forced herself to nod in agreement. “I understand.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw and he took a step toward her. For an instant, she thought he might actually kiss her. Instead, he made a small sound of frustration and ducked into her tent, reappearing a moment later with one of her duffel bags in either hand.
“You can use this protective gear for the remainder of your visit,” he said gruffly, indicating the bag that contained her flak vest and helmet.
Kate watched as he walked quickly to the Humvee and tossed the equipment into the backseat. She wanted to tell him that he could take the stuff. There wasn’t enough protective gear in the world to keep her heart safe from him.
Drawing a deep breath, Kate walked slowly to the Humvee and climbed into the passenger seat, placing her shoulder bag on the floor at her feet. She reminded herself that she was thirty-one years old and she had wanted Chase in her bed. In fact, he’d given her several opportunities to back off, but she’d been determined to have him. He’d been upfront with her about not being able to make any commitments. It wasn’t as though he’d misled her. She had no reason to expect that he would suddenly treat her as if they were soul mates.
So why did she feel so miserable?
She watched as he opened the back of the Humvee and let the dog jump in before he climbed into the driver’s seat and thrust the vehicle into gear. The roads were thick with mud and washed-out in some places, but the Humvee bounced over the ruts without any problem.
“Here,” he said, handing her a paper bag. “I brought you some breakfast. And a coffee.”
Kate accepted the bag, expecting to find another Pop-Tart pastry. Instead, she found a hot breakfast sandwich and some fruit inside. The unexpected gesture both touched and confused her.
“Thank you. Did you already eat?”
“What? Oh, yeah. I didn’t get any sleep last night after we—” He broke off abruptly. “I was at the dining facility around 4:00 a.m.” He glanced at her as he spoke, and twin patches of color rode high on his cheekbones, the only indication that he was thinking about their interlude, and that he wasn’t as unfeeling about it as he would have her believe. Suddenly, Kate felt much lighter.
“Oh, well, thanks.” She took a bite of the sandwich, realizing for the first time how hungry she was. Then she recalled the helicopter flight from Bagram to Camp Leatherneck, and felt her stomach rebel. “How are we getting to Kandahar?”
A brief smile touched his mouth, but he didn’t look at her. “Not by Black Hawk.”
“Perfect.”
They headed back to the flight line, and Kate looked across the tarmac to one of the biggest aircraft she had ever seen. Stuffing her sandwich in the bag, she turned to Chase.
“That’s