Chapter Twenty-Eight
W ithin three hours , Becca returned, tired but gratified. The blue ice packs were frozen solid and the additional ice chunks she’d lugged down the mountainside should keep their food cold for days.
She had barely a hundred yards to go before reaching the shack when she saw it. The mountain lion.
It perched on a rock not fifty yards away, absolutely still except for its twitching tail. With feline menace, its yellow eyes watched her, unblinking. Startled, Becca lost her footing on the steep, loose terrain and slipped. She fell to her backside, landing hard. Digging her heels into the sliding dirt and rocks, she stopped her momentum and dropped the ice bags. Her hands shaking with fright, she scrambled to find the Glock in her pocket. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead, under her arms. For long seconds, she struggled with the heavy fabric of her coat, but finally freed the weapon.
The enormous cat got to its feet and lowered its head. It was the same lion, she could tell by its tawny markings and huge size.
Gasping for breath, Becca raised the gun, and pointed it at the animal.
During long, tense seconds, they stared at each other. Becca held her breath. The cat didn’t move.
For some reason, she didn’t shoot. It had threatened her before, bounded menacingly toward her over the ice until Rio had scared it off. Obviously it had no fear of her. It was just as clear now that it could reach her in a flash, tear her into bite-sized pieces.
Yet still, she didn’t pull the trigger.
Time stalled.
Moments later, the cat turned away and took trotting steps in the opposite direction. Instantly she saw that it wasn’t nearly as thin as it had been in the snow. With the break in winter, it must have found prey.
From behind the rock, two cubs emerged, frolicking, playing, and when they saw their mother’s exit, they gamboled after her. The family of three kept moving.
Becca slumped, and gasped for breath.
Phew.
With a shaky grip, she collected her ice bags and made the last few yards down the mountain without further mishap. She was glad she hadn’t orphaned the cubs.
When she came into the cabin, Rio woke from a light doze. He struggled to sit up in bed. “Any problems?” he asked, studying her carefully.
“I saw the mountain lion,” she told him, shrugging out of her coat and placing his gun beside him on the floor. “It has two cubs.”
Rio sat up straighter in alarm.
“I showed it the Glock.” She pretended nonchalance. “It ran away.” Kneeling at the cooler, she settled the food so it was beneath the cold packs and ice.
“You did good, honey,” he told her. “You’re smart. You figured out how to keep our food fresh, and you brought enough to eat for us both. You even intimidate wild animals.”
She smiled at him, got to her feet and dusted off her hands. “I do what I can.” Moving to his side, she sat on the bed and took his hand. “I can’t believe you were a Navy SEAL. It’s not something I would have ever guessed.”
“Have you ever met one before?”
“No, you’re the first.”
“You can usually tell where a SEAL is because the earth trembles in his presence.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard they’re an arrogant lot. It’s making more sense all the time.”
He chuckled. “I miss the lads.”
“You’ve mentioned something like that before. But you’ve been out of the service for years, haven’t you?”
“Sure, but in the SEALs, it’s a brotherhood. A lifetime bond is formed with teammates because we have to rely on each other to stay alive. It’s a trust thing, and a guy in the Teams has to prove himself reliable and honest before anybody will trust him. Once that connection is made, there’s no breaking it.”
She thought about that. “Sounds intense. And ... important.”
He nodded, pleased. “You understand.”
Becca enjoyed his approval. She liked his dry sense of humor. In fact, she appreciated everything about him. He was just as he’d described his SEAL teammates to her: reliable, honest, and trustworthy. Hadn’t he proven those things to her time and again? Never mind his gorgeous good looks. Rio was good inside, too.
A deep need rose up inside her, a desire to give back to him, to give something of herself. This was Rio, her Rio, at least for now. And for now, he needed her to care for him. She felt a connection with him that demanded expression, physical expression. And she knew exactly how that connection would be realized.
Placing her palm on his chest, she gently pressed. “Lean back, sweet man.” She smiled into his eyes. “I’ll relax you.”
Already maneuvering his body to slide down onto the bed, he looked hopeful. “Now?”
She plumped a pillow beneath his head. “Now.”
“You’re not too tired? You climbed that big mountain.”
“Just thinking about what I want to do for you is giving me new energy.” She waggled her eyebrows, then a new thought occurred. Hesitating, she asked, “Are you up to this? I don’t want your side to hurt or break open the wound.”
“Baby, the whole time you were gone I thought about nothing else. Trust me, I’m up for this.” He cut his eyes downward to his pants and she saw his rising erection.
She trailed her hand down his belly to squeeze him. Heat pooled in her sexual organs. She felt her nipples stiffen. “Mmm,” she said. “Proud.”
In a small surge he came off the pillow to take her in his arms, but instantly he let out a harsh groan, and teeth gritted, sank back down. “Damn it.”
“You’re going to have to let me do all the work today,” she said, bending to lift his t-shirt. She took care to skirt his bandage wrappings and place her mouth on his warm belly.
Indulging herself, she traced each ribbed muscle on his abdomen with her lips. His body was fantastic, better than any professional athlete, and she felt fortunate to have him all for herself.
“How awful for you, to have to cede authority to another,” she teased. “To have to follow someone else’s orders.”
“SEALs are trained to lead and to follow equally,” he said. “Trust me, I’ll do anything you say right now.”
“Good. I command you to allow me to do what I want with your cock.” Sliding her hand beneath his waistband, she closed her hand over his thick length.
He groaned, but with gentle hands, he held her head, caressed her hair. “Yes, ma’am.”
Rising up to peel off his pants, she threw them to the floor. “I like you submissive,” she said, eager to begin. “It’s a nice change.” With that she pulled her shirt over her head, unlatched her bra, and stepped out of her pants. He watched, unblinking, his expression alive, his eyes flaming. When her clothing fell away, she lay beside him and cupped his testicles. His hand found her breasts and squeezed her nipples.
They kissed, and she played with his hardness. Their hands were everywhere, all over, discovering, exploring. There was so much to know, Becca realized, so many places on his body she wanted to learn.
Taking control, she angled down his frame, ran her lips over his chest, his belly. Finally addressing his straining cock, she used her tongue to lick him from his base to his tip. She took care to wet all sides.
As she stroked him with her soft hands, his breathing thickened. At last she took him into her mouth, took him far back in her throat, in and out, as she caressed his balls and stroked the base of his penis.
All the while he held her head, trailed his fingers over her nape, and tenderly stroked her hair. Within minutes he was sweating, moaning. He reached down to play with her breasts. “Feels so good.”
Encouraged, Becca crouched closer between his naked thighs. Leaning over him, she sucked him, enjoyed his pleasure. Lifting up for only a moment, she whispered, “Rio, wanna come now?”
“Oh god, yes!”
Bending to him again, she let her tongue swirl around his tip, let her breasts slide back and forth on his inner thighs. Upping her tempo, she stroked him faster and more firmly. His excitement fueled hers and she was incredibly pleased to bring him to this level. Never before had she enjoyed a lover more. This man was different. Special. Lovingly, she suckled him.
She could tell he was getting close when he arched his back. He came on a low shout of exultation, ecstasy tightening his features.
As she settled against his good side, he wrapped his arm around her, breathing heavily. She snuggled into him, put her face into his neck and made a line of kisses along the column of his throat. How very gratifying it was to bring Rio such pleasure. She enjoyed it immensely ... because it was Rio .
“You’re amazing,” he said, panting, and pulling her closer. “The best ever.”
“Glad you think so,” she said. “Does your side hurt?”
“It’s on fire,” he said. “But I don’t care. It was worth every second.”
She frowned, and began to sit up. “Let me check the stitches.”
He wouldn’t let her up. “Later. I wanna cuddle.”
She smiled into his neck and pulled his face to hers. “I know you’re a tough man, Rio Lang. But I like this tender side of you, too.”
He kissed her, his lips lingering on hers. “I like tenderness with you. Just don’t tell my old teammates.”
The chances of her ever meeting any of his old buddies, of ever being part of his life seemed low. The idea saddened her.
Disliking the direction of her thoughts, Becca came to the conclusion that now was not the time to dwell on them. She needed to enjoy Rio while she had him. This was her time, she decided. Tucked away as they were, hidden in the beautiful mountains, for this moment in time while he healed in the remote cabin, she would live every moment. It wouldn’t last, it couldn’t.
But for now, he was all hers.