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  “Ready.”

  He held the door for her and she preceded him out into the chilly October predawn. With two sure strides he beat her to the truck door and opened it for her. “Thanks,” she murmured.

  Before she had her seat belt clicked into place, he was in the driver’s seat and they were on their way. “So, we need to discuss the game plan for the day,” he said, now all business.

  They hadn’t talked about it last night, or rather early this morning before he left, but she’d known they’d have to play by the rules of the military once again. Still, she was taken slightly aback. “Sure,” she said, as abrupt as him.

  “Eden.” He stared straight ahead at the road. “It’s better this way. It’s going to be damn hard to go through the day not touching you.” He laughed and it wasn’t as if he was amused. “It took every ounce of discipline I had not to haul you upstairs and back to bed just now, saying to hell with whether or not we’re on time. And if we start talking about last night or this morning when I was leaving—” that had been incredible, as well. “—or thinking about tonight—” he scrubbed a hand over his close-cropped hair “—then I have no idea how I’m going to get through the day. It’s already going to be hard enough. So I can’t think about it. At least, I’m going to do my damnedest not to think about it. Therein lies madness.”

  He was right. She’d known it but it was all the better for hearing him say it. “You’re right. I thought about dragging you upstairs, as well.”

  “Stop right there. Under no circumstances should you tell me what you planned to do when we got there.” Although there was dry amusement in his voice, there was also no mistaking the strain.

  She found it gratifying to know the well-disciplined Lieutenant Colonel Mitch Dugan found it as difficult to keep his hands off of her as she found it to keep her hands off of him.

  Six hours later, she was dying a slow death of wanting for Mitch even as she wrapped up her final candidate choice. “Thanks. I think you’ll be great. We’ll pull you in tomorrow morning,” she told the young man with mocha skin, liquid dark eyes and a physique that would leave the women buying the calendar checking his month over and over again. At least that’s what her trained eye told her. Personally, she couldn’t work up a good womanly appreciation. Her appreciation was firmly tied up elsewhere.

  She’d spent the morning culling and verifying her final candidates. Eden had never, ever had a difficult time focusing on work. Behind the camera was where she loved to be, where she lost herself and found herself at the same time. But not today. She’d been totally out of sync with her work and totally tuned into Mitch Dugan. Dammit to hell, if the man shifted weight from one foot to the other, she knew it. What the heck was wrong with her? Sure, he’d been good in bed—well, that was something of a gross understatement—but so had other guys. She hadn’t been totally wrapped up in them the way she found herself wrapped up in Mitch.

  This had been the longest day of her life, and it was only half over. She wanted her work to be done. She wanted to drive off base and leave all the protocol and rules and regulations behind and go back to her hotel and leave no inch of his body unexplored.

  “Do you want to grab some quick lunch?” Mitch asked when they got back to his Bronco.

  “Just something fast. I’d like to get as much done today as possible. The weather’s good, the lighting is perfect. I’d like to get as much shooting done as possible. You’ve got our first wave scheduled?”

  “They should be at the obstacle course at 1300 hours.”

  Mitch’s efficiency hadn’t surprised her. But his willingness to take on what his assistant usually handled without any indication that such menial tasks were beneath him had impressed her. He was arrogant and self-assured but, unlike so many men she’d met, especially at his level of rank, he didn’t seem to have an inflated sense of self.

  “Thanks for all of your help. I know this wasn’t your assignment of choice but you’ve seen to it that things go smoothly.”

  He smiled and there was a glimmer of what had passed between them last night in his eyes. “The smoother the day goes, the sooner we finish.”

  “Do you have plans this evening?”

  “I’ve got a mission.”

  “Another recon?”

  “There is that. The better the intel, the more thoroughly you can do the job in the end.”

  “Are you always so thorough?”

  “If you’re going to do a job, you might as well do it right.”

  “You get full marks, Lieutenant Colonel for doing everything right.”

  A brief flash of a grin that was a heart-stopping mix of self-assured commander and boyishness lit his face. “Just wait.”

  A shot of adrenaline coursed through her. “Is that a warning?”

  “No, ma’am. Consider it a promise.”

  9

  “WHERE DO YOU LIVE?” EDEN asked from the passenger seat as they were leaving the base. “An apartment? Condo?”

  “I bought a house last year. It’s a good investment and I like being in my own space at the end of the day.” What was it about her that she was so damn easy to be with in one respect but so damn hard to be with in another. Because his normal routine was totally shot to hell when he was around her. The smart thing to do would be not to be around her at the end of the day but once again, smart didn’t seem to be an option for him. Damn it all, he couldn’t stay away from her. He’d never met a woman like her. He reassured himself that this fascination would end soon enough. She’d go her way, he’d go his and they’d have some damn hot memories. He’d never met a woman who affected him the way she did and he was equally sure he’d never meet another. Eden Walters was a once-in-a-lifetime experience—one that would be out of his life in a couple of days. That made her safe—even if she was Brigadier General Max Walters’s daughter. Hell, she was no more eager to reveal their relationship to her parents than he was.

  She looked at him in surprise. “You just don’t strike me as the suburban type.”

  Mitch grinned. It was a nice change to be the one surprising her. “I happen to like yard work. I can mow with the best of them.”

  She laughed. He liked to hear her laugh. And it was better still when he was the one who caused it. “Now, that I’d like to see. Mercury behind a lawn mower.”

  Mitch rolled his eyes at the whole Mercury thing, but he had to admit, it was pretty flattering stuff to have a woman—correction, this woman—compare him to a Roman god.

  “Well, I’m not going to break out the mower but we could swing by my house later. That is, if you want to.” Where the hell had that come from? It wasn’t because he wanted her to see his house.

  “I’m a woman and I’m eternally curious. Of course, I want to.”

  That was yet another thing he liked about her. He dealt with layers all day. Although things seemed straightforward in the military there were always strategies and some measure of subterfuge involved. As far as he could tell, that wasn’t the case with this woman. If she thought it, she said it. If she wanted it, she asked. No games. No pretense. Hell, he almost worried about how vulnerable that left her. Didn’t she know how dangerous it was to leave herself so open? She brought out protective instincts he didn’t even know he possessed. He wanted to caution her, but he was pretty sure it would fall on deaf ears. Besides, it was such a refreshing change to the world he lived in that it would be a shame to mess with it. What she needed was a buffer. Someone to have her back when that openness left her vulnerable. But it damn sure wasn’t him. Nope. She needed someone, but not him.

  “I will get a tour, right?” she said.

  He shrugged. “It’s nothing fancy, but sure. And don’t even ask me to bring out the mower.”

  “Believe it or not, soldier, there are other things I’d rather you bring out…”

  Whoosh! In two seconds the banked, smoldering fire that had been between them roared to full-burn status. “Are you propositioning me, Ms. Walters?”

 
; “Damn straight I am, Lieutenant Colonel.”

  “I like the way you think.”

  “But you haven’t even heard my proposal. How do you know whether you want to accept?”

  Oh, he was reading her. When she wasn’t working, the woman had a playful streak a mile wide. He’d been surprised at the discipline and focus she brought to her job. Actually, the focus hadn’t been that much of a surprise because the woman knew exactly what she wanted in the bedroom, too. Her mixture of playfulness and intensity had made for some incredible, mind-blowing sex.

  “Then maybe you should outline your proposal.” This had been the longest day of his life, bar none. Being around her but not touching her, being on guard all day against a look or nuance that would give away the attraction churning inside him was killing him. As crazy as it seemed, today had been tougher and demanded more willpower than any day he’d spent in Special Forces training. How was that for a kick in the ass? Eden Walters demanded more endurance than the toughest program the U.S. Army offered.

  And now they were almost at his house and that incredible willpower was no longer required. He was ready to play hard…with her. “Better yet, I think I need the details.”

  She reached across the seat and lightly placed her hand on his right thigh. Bingo. Instant rush of blood to his dick, a sudden surge of absolute need to have her touch him, to touch her, intimately.

  “I think that’s an excellent starting point,” he said.

  “But I haven’t even said anything yet.” She slid her hand higher.

  “Body language, baby. I’m hearing you and I like what you’re saying.”

  He could feel the heat of her laser gaze on his crotch. “I like what you’re saying as well, Lieutenant Colonel.” She stroked his inner thigh. “There are other tools I’m much more interested in seeing than your lawn mower.” She used one finger to trace the ridge of his erection where it strained against his BDU’s. Even with his uniform and underwear between his penis and her forefinger, her touch rocked him.

  Mitch wrapped his hands tighter around the steering wheel. “I think that can be arranged.”

  “I’m a team player so I’ll be glad to help you take it out.” She stroked him again. “What do you think so far?”

  “A most excellent proposal. What comes next?”

  What followed was a descriptive scenario where she told him exactly what she planned to do to him, all while her fingers continued to tease and taunt him into insanity.

  He was damn near at his breaking point when he uttered a one-word command, “Enough.” If she continued talking in that sultry voice, with her clever little hand stroking him to madness, he was going to come before he even got the truck pulled into the driveway.

  She rested her fingers on his thigh, close but not touching him. It was a more diabolical torture than anything he’d learned in the military. She wiggled in the seat and he knew she was wet. For him. It was heady stuff, no pun intended.

  “Enough?” Her fingers played against his thigh muscle. “Are you sure you don’t need to hear more before you accept or decline?”

  “Baby, if I hear any more, your proposal is going to be shot to hell before we even get started.”

  “Then I guess my lips are sealed…until we get to your house.”

  He couldn’t get there fast enough.

  “SO, HOW MUCH TROUBLE WILL that get you into?” Eden asked, as the police car pulled out past them. She only felt marginally guilty. It really was kind of funny.

  “I’ll probably just get a talk about setting a good example. Speeding in a residential neighborhood isn’t cool, but it’s not a DUI or some of the other stuff that goes down.”

  “Hope that didn’t ruin your—”

  He cut her off. “Not by a long shot. I’m still up for your proposal.”

  She looked at his crotch. Yes, he was. Now that was impressive. After a speeding ticket and a hefty fine, his pump was still primed. She was definitely ready, but then that seemed to be her perpetual state around Mitch. He might look like her Mercury statue in lots of respects but Mitch was definitely superior to the Roman god in the packaging department.

  He turned into a neighborhood and she marginally registered the neat lawns and tidy brick houses. Please let them get to his house soon. She was wound so tight she felt as if she might break through her own skin. Arousal was a tight fist clutching her. There was nothing tame or gentle about the way she wanted him. And it was only him she wanted. Not one of the hard bodies she’d photographed this afternoon, but this man with whom she’d felt a connection from the moment she’d seen him.

  She slanted another hungry look at his crotch. While there was solid proof bulging at the front of his uniform that he needed her too, she also felt wave after wave of sexual tension radiating from him. She might be gone after tomorrow but for right now, Mitch Dugan wanted her. And by God, she planned to let him have her, six ways to Sunday.

  He turned into a driveway and pulled into an open carport. Eden had her seat belt unlatched and her door open by the time he killed the engine. She stood beside him, not touching him while he unlocked the door. His body heat was like a magnet drawing her, his scent pulling her in, but she didn’t dare get too close until they were safely on the other side of the door. She couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t provide a shocking display for the neighborhood.

  He had to try the key twice before he managed to turn the lock. Her Special Forces paratrooper wasn’t quite as unflappable as he might appear. Then they were inside. The door had no sooner closed behind them than they were reaching for one another.

  She linked her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to fit her crotch against the bulge in his. His mouth swooped onto hers and he caught her buttocks up in his broad hands, holding her more firmly still against his erection. She ground her hips against him and sucked his tongue into her mouth.

  Slowly, deliberately she did to his tongue what she was about to do to his penis. He groaned into her mouth. She relinquished his tongue and pretended to pin him against the door as she nipped at the masculine column of his throat and reached between them to release his belt and unbutton his pants. She slipped her hand inside his open uniform to cup him through the thin cotton of his briefs. Her heart thumped against her ribs as she slid down his body, settling on her knees before him.

  She leaned in and inhaled his unique scent. She carefully eased his briefs down over the length of his erection. God, he was beautiful. Springing long and sleek from a nest of dark brown hair, his penis curved slightly up. His sac hung heavy and full beneath.

  She steadied herself with her hands on his hips and delicately traced the blue vein on the underside of his penis with the tip of her tongue. She felt him shudder beneath her hands and heard the hard rasp of his breathing before he uttered a rusty yes.

  She caught the weight of his balls in her palm and held them as she rimmed his sleek, crowned head. She loved the scent of him, the taste of him, the feel of him.

  Wrapping her other hand around his shaft she eased his length into her mouth, or as much as she could fit. She worked her tongue around and over him, enjoying knowing that she was pushing him to the brink.

  He grew harder and his body increasingly tensed as she kissed and sucked and tongued him. “Stop,” he said.

  She looked up at him. Jaw clenched, green eyes glittering, he dragged her up his body. Before she could utter a word, he’d reversed positions and Eden was against the door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. While Mitch tore into the cellophane wrapper, she unzipped her pants and stepped out of them and her shoes. He rolled on the condom and she rolled off her panties. The air cool against the hot wet heat between her thighs made her shiver.

  Still without a word passing between them, she wrapped her arms around his neck and one leg around his lean hips, opening herself to him.

  He grasped the back of her thighs and lifted her up, then settled her just above his sheathed erection, teasing her, tempting her.
Finally, inch by inch, he eased her down over his thick length until she swore she could feel him pressing past her womb to a secret place that had been waiting just for him. She gasped from the utter pleasure of having him stretch her, fill her. She lost herself in the sensations spinning through her.

  “Yes. Yes. That’s it…” He reached between them and found her clit with his thumb and there was no gradual build-up and release. Eden screamed as an orgasm like none she’d ever known before tore through her, the pleasure so intense it bordered on pain.

  MITCH LAY IN HIS BED AND watched the moonlight filter over Eden’s face and naked shoulder. After they’d christened the kitchen door, he’d shown her the house, thrown a couple of steaks on the grill, and they’d enjoyed dinner on his back deck. Ultimately, they’d wound up in his bed.

  “What’s on your agenda after you finish the calendar shoot? Do you have plans this weekend?”

  “I’m just heading home after I do that family photo for Sergeant Sanchez. My schedule is open until next Wednesday when I’m flying to Denver for a week. Why? What did you have in mind?”

  The idea had occurred to him earlier in the day when he was watching her work. “Do you think I could talk you into an assignment in between? Of course, I’d pay you your going rate.”

  She rolled onto her side. “Maybe. If you play your cards right, I might even give you a discount.” She propped up on her elbow, the sheet dipping distractingly low on her left breast. “You’ve definitely got my interest.”

  He told her about his grandfather’s birthday and the reunion with the remaining five members of their group. “I’ve got a feeling this could be the last time they all get together. Someone there will have a camera, but they won’t capture it the way you would. It’s about an hour and a half north of New Orleans. Could I talk you into taking photos of the old geezers?”