His To Protect. Karen Rock

      Time to end this torture. He yanked off his jeans and shirt, removed the condom he kept in his wallet, ripped open the foil package and rolled the sheath down his cock.

      “You feel so good,” he groaned as he slid over her. Her legs lifted around his waist as he nudged her satin opening with his tip.

      “Yes,” she breathed as he thrust home, filling her up, drowning her in sensation.

      They came together slowly then faster and faster, her hold on him tightening, his lips grazing her skin, her breath ragged in his ear. As her movements grew more violent, he returned them, pulling out then burying himself in her again and again. His hips thrust powerfully and she tightened around him with every stroke.

      Incredible. Mind-blowing. Sensational.

      He leaned back on his heels and leveraged her up onto his lap, their bodies remaining joined. Her thighs straddled him as she rocked back and forth against his near-bursting hardness. He cupped her ass and kneaded its firm flesh, pressing her even closer, his cock buried to the hilt.

      When she rose up and plunged down, he slipped to the edge, about to lose control. He wanted to prolong this moment. Savor it. Draw out each mouth-watering sensation, but it was beyond him. Instead, he held her tight, lifting and lowering her, over and over, faster and faster, their hips meeting frantically.

      Their synchronized motion increased to a frenzied, heart-stopping tempo. Her breath came in fast, urgent pants that intensified until he heard the cry build at the back of her throat. When her head tipped back, he stopped her shriek with his mouth, absorbing the sound, her pleasure, so surely that it became his own. Her bouncing breasts, tight spasms and the surf pounding the beach in unison with his thrusts were suddenly too much. He exploded within her, the darkness inside him evaporating at this incredible release.

      They fell back to the ground, limbs tangling, chests heaving, his arm around her shoulders as he pressed her close. She shivered, limp in his arms as they held each other.

      When their breathing returned to normal, she raised herself on her elbow and looked down at him. Something in her had altered: her features had lifted, the strain had vanished from around her eyes.

      An unnamed emotion rolled through him, more satisfying, even, than this mind-blowing physical release. He’d eased her troubles as surely as she’d made him forget his own. He enclosed her in his arms again, pulling her to him so tightly that their bodies molded to one another, her soft curves fitting into his rough edges.

      Just hours ago, she’d been a stranger but now...now...well, he couldn’t put a label on it. Just knew that he’d seek her out after the mission. See where this amazing thing between them might lead.

      His train of thought was broken by her kissing his chest, his shoulder, his neck, with intense concentration. “You realize,” he said, rolling her over so that her legs were entwined with his, her mouth inches away, “that we’re going to have to do that again.”

      “God. I hope so,” she sighed, her lids closing, a dimple appearing as her mouth curled up.

      “Want to go for a swim first? I’ll wash you off.”

      A wicked light appeared when her eyes snapped open, the color silver in the moonlight. “I’ll give you extra points if you can get the sand out of my hair.”

      At the vision of his hands all over her naked body in the water, he hardened again. Before he let himself get too distracted, he got to his feet and held out a hand.

      “I’m still waiting for my scores on sexual prowess,” he murmured, gathering her close.

      “Are you kidding me?” She skimmed a hand along his hip and pressed her lips to his bare chest. “That number was off the charts.”

      Just like that, he was ready for her all over again. He didn’t know how he was going to walk away from her before the sun rose, but he’d sure as hell make the most of every minute before then.

3

      CASSIE SNAPPED AN elastic band around her damp hair the next morning as she rode the transport bus to the Coast Guard base. Outside, the dark sky had barely lightened to charcoal and humid air moved sluggishly through the vents. Not the most promising of sunrises. The day looked stormy already.

      Yesterday, she might have worried about the bad omen of those clouds overhead. Now, with her limbs pleasantly sore from an overdose of pleasure last night, she felt too languid and satisfied to panic. Amazing what a night of mind-blowing sex would do for a woman. After their swim, they’d headed back to Mark’s hotel, where they’d made love until an hour ago. They’d parted ways in the parking lot, kissing right up until the moment when she’d turned her key in her ignition.

      There hadn’t been any promises to call. And not until she’d reached her room did she realize she hadn’t even gotten his last name. They’d agreed to keep an eye out for each other next time they were at Mayday’s.

      She’d known even then that she would probably never be there again. And she’d bet he suspected as much, too. But last night had been like a time-out from her regular life. A magical moment when her stars had aligned with those of the hottest guy imaginable. And while it was okay to live a little, the way her brother had told her to, she wasn’t going to suddenly stop being Cassie Rowe from Idaho.

      Last night, she’d felt free to demand what she wanted and give it in return. No compromising. No holding back. Just pure, unadulterated passion that’d fired her up and kept her from worrying about today’s flight.

      A shiver snaked along her spine. Not much anyway. As the transport bus bounced over a pothole, bringing her closer to her crazy decision to fly into a hurricane-ravaged country, the first buzz of nerves returned.

      She pulled the top off her coffee and breathed in the fragrant steam. Definitely a two-cup morning.

      Tan, beige and black stone half walls appeared after a few minutes, one with a sign that read United States Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater.

      Cassie’s mood plummeted as she glimpsed the orange-and-white Jayhawk helicopters in the distance. Guilt bit hard as she remembered how gratefully she’d shaken off her grief last night for those hours of forgetting.

      Raeanne, a fellow nurse seated next to her, squeezed her arm.

      “I always get such an adrenaline rush at this point.”

      Cassie nodded, though the only rushing going on inside her was from memories of her brother.

      “I was nervous on my first flight, too.” Raeanne sipped from her own cup of coffee, her bright Red Cross T-shirt reminding Cassie of their mission. “But everything’s done. Our medical supplies are loaded. All we have to do is get on the helicopter.”

      “Right.” Cassie pressed on the corners of her closed eyes with her index fingers. The thought of boarding one—as Jeff had—created a vacuum inside of her, sucking till her chest caved in on itself. She’d wanted closure, but now, confronted with this reality, her wounds all threatened to split open, painful and raw as ever.

      At last the bus jerked to a halt and they slumped outside just as the clouds started to drizzle. The members of her emergency team hurried across the dappled tarmac to a white hangar that resembled an Idaho barn, pitched roof and all. The main building had wings, one stretching out to the rear from each end. Surrounding it were orange-and-white planes and helicopters. Uniformed men and women loaded and checked equipment while others saluted before slapping each other on the back.

      Their booming laughter did nothing to offset Cassie’s rising anxiety. She couldn’t help seeing things through Jeff’s eyes, remembering how much he’d loved the same kind of close-knit community on his old base. The ground rumbled under her feet as a plane took off. Wind gusted over the slate ocean ruffled with rising waves.

      Once this had been Jeff’s world. Now it was hers. And as much as that might hurt, where else