A Hero's Pride (3 page)

Chapter Five

He slowly dropped his boxers and sat on the edge of the
Jacuzzi. His chest felt tight, and he had a hard time getting air into his
lungs. He removed the prosthetic, and with it his sense of security. What if
she was repulsed? Emotion clogged his throat. He swallowed and glanced up. She
was watching his face. The worry in her eyes loosened the vice gripping his
lungs.

“You really need to get your ass in this water already. It’ll
feel great on your leg muscles.”

There was no disgust or sympathy. Her concern seemed
centered on his pain, and it eased him.

Once he removed the prosthetic, he slid down onto a seat in
the water. There was no holding back his groan as the warm water surrounded the
painful leg. She observed from the seat across.

He held out a hand, wanting her closer. One swift move and
she sat in the open space between his legs. She leaned back into his chest and
lay there, running her hand up and down his tortured muscles. He dropped his
head back on the curved edge, the water reaching above his shoulders, and shut
his eyes for a moment. Warmth, from the water and her soft touches, soothed the
pain.

Long moments later the ache from his leg had eased enough
for him to move without wincing. Never had he been comfortable enough to do
something like that with any woman. She’d sat there quietly and let him be. Her
presence alone, in his arms, had allowed him to feel whole.

She wiggled in his grasp, and his cock immediately hardened concrete
stiff at her back. His hands strayed up her stomach and filled with her full
breasts, squeezing and kneading the soft mounds. He was pleased when she moaned
and arched her back into his touch.

“
Mmm.
”

 Her moans grew in volume. Raw hunger consumed every cell in
his body. He kissed the back of her neck, licked around her shoulder bend, and
plucked and squeezed at her nipples with his fingers. Her breath hitched, and
she dug her nails into his thighs. She twisted in his grasp and stood. He
watched the water drops slide down her body, clinging to her nipples and
calling to him. As she stood there, he saw the lust and need in her gaze. He
wanted inside her. Now. She licked her lips and motioned for him to lift up onto
the upper flat surface of the Jacuzzi.

Slick ceramic met his ass when he hauled himself up out of
the water. She knelt on the seat between his legs and immediately lowered her
head to lick on his cock. Blissful groans slid past his lips while he watched
her. Kayla’s small hand gripped the base of his stiff shaft. Her pink tongue
licked up his throbbing length until she reached the pulsing crown. Beads of
moisture gathered at the head of his dick. She glanced up and sucked him into
her lips.

“Holy—” He jerked in her grasp, hot suction enveloping him.

She bobbed her head over his cock and sucked like he was a
tasty piece of candy. The jerk-suck-jerk made his entire body shake. Needy
moans ripped from his dry throat. He thrust into her lips repeatedly, the sexy
sight of his cock sliding deep into her hot mouth more than he could bear.

“Fuck yes!” He pushed away the dark tendrils escaping the
knot at the top of her head and covering his view.

Sparks of electricity shot up his spine. His balls drew
tight, readying to come. Her soft humming on his shaft only urged him closer to
orgasm. Eyeing the condoms she must have put by the edge of the Jacuzzi, he
ripped one open and tugged her away from his ready-to-burst cock.

Once sheathed, he helped her up out of the water. She
straddled his hips and pushed him back. There was a wide clear space behind
him.

“You can lay all the way back.” She grinned.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw folded towels near his
head. Grabbing one for a pillow, he lay on the cool, wet surface. Then he watched
her grip his cock and slowly slide down, his cock gliding into her. Head lolled
back, she closed her eyes, moaned, and arched her spine.

Kayla wiggled. The sensation of being filled was such a good
one she didn’t want to move. For all of two seconds. Then she lifted until only
the head of his cock remained inside and slammed back down.

“Oh god,” she moaned.

His grip on her hips tightened. With deft moves he lifted
and dropped her over his cock. She leaned forward, braced her hands on his
chest, and rolled her hips over him.

“That’s it, baby. Ride me,” he urged. His groan sent pricks
of desperation straight to her pussy. Her nipples ached, and her pussy
fluttered with each slide, his thick shaft caressing every nerve ending.

Raw tension wound like a rubber band inside her. So close.
She was so damn close she revved her speed into a full, wild gallop. All brain
function shut down. His nostrils flared, and a vein throbbed at the side of his
cheek. His pulse raced under her hands. At the verge of the pleasure cliff, she
hitched a breath. Her entire body went rigid.

She dug her nails into his chest. He continued to guide her
rocking motions with one hand while he flicked a thumb over her clit. Tension
snapped inside her, shoving her over the edge of the pleasure cliff. His name,
part sob/part scream, tore from her throat. Aftershocks of pure bliss made her
body shudder. Seconds later he tensed below her and ground his cock deep inside
her one final time.

Boneless, she lay over him, their slick bodies covered in
perspiration. She tried to regulate her breathing. She was content, and for
some reason knowing she was leaving soon made her happiness dwindle.

“You’re amazing,” he said softly.

She smiled, puffing for air. “You’re pretty
incredible
yourself.”

“I can’t believe tonight worked out so perfectly. I guess I
am ready to move on and date after all.”

She frowned. Was he already thinking of seeing other women
right after they’d had sex? “I guess you are. Your family will be happy.”

“You have no idea. I bet they’ll try to set me up on a bunch
of dates again.” He chuckled. “But I think I’ll set up my own dates from now
on.”

His words had been like a slap in the face. Her plans had
been to leave in the morning, but with her instant attachment to Ryan, she
thought it best to leave sooner. In fact, it sounded to her like he was ready
to go take on the dating world by storm.

Kayla bit her lip and thought about asking if they could
continue seeing each other. In the end, she decided she’d just look needy and
desperate. She wasn’t normally this insecure, but he’d not only rocked her
world with amazing sex, he’d also made her feel for him. He was a nice guy. She
could tell. She wanted to show him that just because he lost his leg it didn’t
make him less of a man. He was a guy that she could see herself wanting to see
on a long-term basis, but only god knew what he wanted. Her stomach clenched
with each soft caress of his hand up and down her back. This was it. She
couldn’t stay there until morning or she might do something stupid.

While he was in the shower, she arranged for the helicopter
to pick her up earlier than scheduled. He finished showering and joined her in
the bed. This situation was much harder than she’d imagined. She hadn’t thought
she’d like him this much. It was a while before the hands holding her slackened
and his breathing deepened. He’d fallen asleep.

Snuggling into him, she dreamed of starting something
longer, enduring and committed with Ryan. If only. A sad sigh escaped her.
Careful not to wake him, she slipped out from between the covers and his arms. Then
she stood there like a fool and watched him sleep. Strands of his sexy blond
hair fell across his forehead, and a delicious five-o’clock shadow covered his
jaw. Her pussy throbbed again. No man had ever made her this hot in her life.

Since she’d arranged her clothes on a sofa while he
showered, she was able to dress quietly. Once all was as it should be, she
grabbed her sandals and her bag and reached for the bedroom door. One final
glance at the man who’d rocked her world for the night and she walked out.
Emotions she’d never felt on a first date coursed through her. Loss, sadness,
and the urge to go back twisted her stomach in knots. She bit her lip and struggled
with the emotions in her chest as she headed toward the lobby. Just like her to
get attached to a man she just met. She was going to need her own therapist
soon. Stupid woman.

Chapter Six

Ryan woke to a sense of loss. Where was she? He knew before
he even looked around that she’d left. The sun peeked through the shades
covering the balcony door. After everything they’d shared and done, she’d still
left? Insecurity wormed its way into his thoughts. Had she left because she didn’t
want to go out with him again? Of course she doesn’t want to see him again.
He’s a gimp. She wants a man, not a piece of one. No woman wants to spend the
rest of her life being nursemaid to a needy soldier with post-traumatic stress
disorder. He needed to know, and the only way to do that was to see her. Now.
Right now.

Unwilling to waste any time moping, he dressed, grabbed his
smart phone, and placed a call to the lobby. After that he made the one call he
wished he didn’t have to.

“Yo. What’s up, bro?” Calvin could sleep well into the
morning.

“I need you to do me a favor.”

“Sure. What’s up?” Suddenly his brother’s voice was alert,
ready to assist in whatever way necessary. It was what made him a top-notch
federal agent.

“Can you find out some information on a woman? I need to
know about a private island property her family owns not far from where I’m
staying.”

Cal was quiet for a moment. “What did you say to piss her
off?”

Ryan knew he’d have to answer if he wanted Cal’s help.

“I didn’t say anything. We hit it off, but she left before I
could ask to see her again. I already tried the lobby, but they said all guest
information is confidential and could not be shared. I need this now.”

“I got you, bro.”

After giving his brother Kayla’s name, he waited in quiet
tension while Cal went on his laptop. “Damn! That is one hot piece of—”

“Cal! Don’t make me kill you when I get home,” he bellowed.

“Fine. Here are the details,” he said, passing along the
information and telling Ryan how to get to the island. “By the way,” his
brother sighed. “Good luck. Call me if you need anything else.”

“Thanks, bro.”

Ryan arranged for a chopper to Isla Dorada through a
military connection in the area. An hour and a half later he was getting off
the helicopter on Kayla’s family’s private pad.

As he marched in the mansion’s direction, he noticed a woman
headed toward him—clearly Kayla’s mother. She wore an expression of curiosity.

“May I help you?” She asked in a thick Spanish accent.

He went straight to the point. “Yes, I need to see your
daughter.”

“You do?” Her brows flew up. “And you are?”

“Ryan?” Kayla’s soft voice drifted from behind him. He
turned toward the sound. She was staring at him with so much vulnerability in
her gaze that it made his heart clench. “What are you doing here?”

“Yes. What are you doing here?” Her mother asked him with a
smile. He had a feeling she knew just what he was doing there.

Purposeful strides brought him to Kayla. He didn’t know what
to say. Fuck.

“Look…” He grabbed hold of her small hands and twined his
fingers with hers. “I know the last thing you want is to date someone like me.”

She frowned. “Like you?”

“With a physical disability, the need for therapy, and PTSD.
But I—”

“Ryan, stop.” She stared at him for a moment. “You’re an
idiot.”

His brows rose. That was certainly not what he’d been
expecting.

“Your disability has no bearing on whether or not I want to
date you.”

“It doesn’t?”

She smiled. “No.”

Hope unfurled in his chest. “I know you were looking for
last night to be a clean slate. A good experience to erase the bad ones,” he
said, ignoring her mother at his back. “But what if… if we could make it a
longer experience? Last night was more than what I could have hoped for and…”

He didn’t know how to word it.

“And?”

“I don’t…” He took another deep breath and continued, “I
don’t want to stop seeing where this—we—could go.”

It was the first time since the loss of his leg, when his
entire life had changed, that he’d asked a woman for more than one date. He
wanted a relationship with Kayla, but his nerves were getting the best of him.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

The knot in his throat thickened, and he swallowed. “Yes. I
want you. I want to see where a relationship can take us.”

Her smile widened, her eyes bright with tears, and she
launched herself into his arms. “I want that too. I want
you
too.”

THE END

~
About the Author
~

Want
to know about me? Milly Taiden (aka April Angel) was born in the prettiest part
of the Caribbean known as the Dominican Republic. She grew up between New York,
Florida and Massachusetts. Currently, she resides in New York City with her
husband, bossy young son and their little dog Speedy.

She’s
addicted to shopping for shoes, chocolate (but who isn’t?) and Dunkin Donuts
coffee.

A bookworm when she can get her hands on a good story,
she loves reading all Mina Carter, Cynthia Sax and Dianne Duvall among others.

Find out more about Milly Taiden here:

Email:
[email protected]

Website: 
http://www.millytaiden.com

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/fansofmillytaidenaprilangel

Facebook Friend Page:
http://www.facebook.com/milly.taiden

Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/millytaiden