Married to a Marine Page 10

  “What sort of special knowledge?” Kelly’s voice was husky.

  “The knowledge to proceed slowly and assess the situation as you go. Sometimes the most direct route isn’t the best choice. Sometimes you need to explore the terrain.” Justice swirled a sensual design along the creamy slope of her right breast. “These things can’t be hurried. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Mmmmm.” She was swept with intense pleasure, his touch inflaming her. Her body recognized his touch and responded to it with wild abandon, forsaking caution. His skin was slightly rough against hers, creating a delightful friction.

  “Some things just require extra attention to detail in order not to overlook all aspects of the primary objective.” He brushed his palm over her sensitized nipples while his thumbs skimmed the full underside of her breasts. The thin, stretchy material of her swimsuit amplified his caresses until she was utterly steeped in passion. “Nothing can be overlooked in order to ensure that the ultimate mission is a success.”

  His mission was clearly to make her go up in flames, and he was doing that with erotic precision.

  “So are you ready to begin?” he asked.

  “Begin?” she whispered, lost in the wonder of his touch.

  “Begin the water exercises.” His wicked grin let her know he was testing her.

  “Absolutely. I was just waiting for you to finish your demonstration.”

  “Was I interrupting your schedule?”

  He’d interrupted her heartbeat and breathing, but he probably realized that already. Fine. Two could play at that game. “Yes, you were and I’m going to have to punish you for that.”

  His blue eyes gleamed even brighter. “You are?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “And what form would this punishment take?”

  “Something designed to test your self-discipline.”

  “A Marine has plenty of self-discipline.”

  “So I’ve heard. Let’s see if that’s true.” This time she was the one who put her hands on him. “We’re going to have a pop anatomy quiz. The shoulder is made up of three bones.” Her fingers glided from the curved tip of his right shoulder over to his left, performing a woman-to-man dance. “What are they called?”

  Justice knew what this was called—seduction. She was giving as good as she got, tempting him with her touch as he’d just tempted her. And she was doing a fine job of it. He was impressed and aroused. And she…she seemed to be having fun driving him nuts with her soft fingers running helter-skelter over his chest.

  He mentally groaned at her use of the bone imagery. He was certainly as hard as one. She’d done that deliberately, the little devil.

  “What’s wrong?” she prompted with a knowing grin. “Are you finding this too hard for you? Want some help? I’ll give you a clue. This—” she leaned forward to feather-kiss his collarbone “—is the clavicle. Want another clue?”

  He wanted to peel the top off her lemon-yellow bathing suit and kiss her bare nipples. He wanted to peel the bottom off and sink into her supple warmth. He wanted to make love to her until the oceans ran dry. In that moment he didn’t care whose sister she was, he wanted her with a force that made his mouth go dry and his body throb.

  Had she planned this? Was seducing him part of her reason for showing up here on the island? His distrust ran so deep that even passion couldn’t completely overcome it.

  His training as a Marine had taught him to beware of surprise attacks. He needed to regroup here. “Time for us both to cool off,” he declared, using his good hand to tug her under the water with him.

  She was still sputtering when he stood once again, shaking the water out of his eyes like that aforementioned canine. The hot sun had taken the chill off the water. One look at her wet swimsuit plastered to her breasts told him this might not have been the wisest course of action. She looked even more seductive now than she had a moment ago.

  “You were just dying to get even with me for getting you wet when I gave Chocolate his bath, weren’t you?” she accused him.

  Justice nodded, preferring she think that than know the truth—that she’d gotten to him so badly he’d panicked.

  “All right, enough fun and games,” she said. “Let’s get to work. The purpose of water exercises is that the water supports your weight and also helps you move your joints.” Even as she went into her physical therapist mode, Kelly couldn’t help thinking that she and Justice had just moved to a new place in their ongoing relationship, a place filled with possibilities. “The extra buoyancy avoids the pain…”

  “A Marine never avoids pain,” Justice informed her. “A Marine works through pain.”

  “And smiles while doing it, right?”

  “Right, ma’am.” He shot her a smile that made her knees feel like limp lasagna pasta.

  “Must make being married to a Marine a challenge.” She didn’t know what made her say the words but she regretted them as soon as she’d spoken them.

  His smile faded. “Affirmative. Marines have a high divorce rate. Women tend not to understand that a Marine’s first commitment is to the Corps.”

  “I would say that depends on the woman,” she replied. “Look at your mom and dad. They’ve been married a long time.”

  “And it hasn’t always been easy.”

  “I never said it was easy. I’m not into easy.”

  “Their marriage isn’t your typical marriage.”

  “Then don’t settle for ‘typical,”’ Kelly said. “Wait for ‘special’ with a woman independent and strong enough that she doesn’t have to depend on you being with her every second of the day.”

  “Women like that don’t grow on trees.”

  No, they don’t. But one is standing in front of you, she wanted to shout at him.

  As if reading her mind, Justice softly said, “Are you a woman like that? One strong enough to be married to a Marine?”

  “Absolutely,” Kelly replied. “But then I’m not into ‘easy.’ I like a challenge.”

  His smile returned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “You do that.” She grinned, feeling as though she and Justice had just turned a corner. She couldn’t wait to see where things would go from here.

  The next ten days with Justice passed like sand sifting through open fingers, going by in a heartbeat. There was a newfound sense of discovery in every day as she sensed him gradually opening up to her. When she’d first arrived on the island, she’d never have dreamed that Justice would do anything as romantic as suggesting a moonlit walk along the wide beach. But he’d done that tonight.

  Of course, being Justice, he was also regaling her with pirate stories. The man clearly related to their nautical recon adventures. “Legend has it that on a foggy night you can look out across the Atlantic from here and see the ghostly silhouette of a pirate’s ship as the notorious Blackbeard sails his ship back out to the open ocean. He died in a bloody battle in a nearby inlet.”

  Looking out at the full moon shimmering on the restless ocean it was all too easy to imagine those bygone days when pirates hid their plunder beneath the palmettos before sailing off.

  “What, you’re not going to recite some little-known fact about Blackbeard to me?” Justice teased her.

  “Who me? No, I don’t have anything to add aside from the fact that North Carolina’s coast is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic because of all the sunken ships located here. And the fact that divers recently found what is believed to be Blackbeard’s flagship two miles off Beaufort Inlet.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I read about it somewhere. But that’s all I know. I have no other tidbits of information about him to recite to you.”

  “That’s a first.”

  All of this was a first for her. Her first steps into a new relationship with Justice, one that had her pinching herself in the morning to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

  She’d tried to pinpoint exactly what had changed between them. Attraction was no longer
fighting with aggravation, having won that battle. Now she and Justice were exploring the new territory of flirtatious interludes like this one tonight.

  He placed his good arm around her shoulders as they walked side by side, avoiding the section of beach where the turtles were nesting farther south. The warmth of his body along her right side warmed her soul. This felt so right, so meant-to-be that it was almost frightening.

  She’d given up trying to anticipate the future, or worrying about the past, and instead was entirely devoted to living in the moment. Justice made her feel protected, filling her heart with a warm delight that made her want to curl her toes in the sand. She had her arm around his lean waist, matching her stride to his. His shoulder was tempting her to rest her head there.

  Temptation was all around her—in the sultry night air, in the magical moonlight, in the hypnotic sound of the waves hitting the shore, and most especially in the sexy man by her side.

  She loved him. The realization had come to her gradually, or perhaps the emotions had been there all along, just waiting to resurface when she met him again. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when it happened, there hadn’t been any single incident that had precipitated the knowledge. She just knew she loved him.

  She didn’t know what he felt for her. But she did know that she loved the way he looked at her, the way he touched her, the camaraderie as they cooked dinner together, the competitiveness as they played a game of poker, the flirtation they were both indulging in. Except during his therapy sessions. During those they were both focused on his recovery.

  Justice continued to make some progress although not at the rate he wanted. She thought he was doing well, which was why his outburst the next afternoon caught her entirely by surprise.

  “I hate this!” He tossed the foam ball he’d been using across the living room. “This is a waste of time.” His voice vibrated with pent-up frustration. “I’m no closer to rejoining my squad now than I was when you got here.”

  “Your range of motion has improved….”

  “From useless to pitiful, big deal.”

  “It’s not pitiful unless you make it that way. Are you still sleeping on your left side to avoid the pain…”

  “I told you before, a Marine doesn’t avoid pain,” Justice shot back curtly. “He works through it.”

  “Sometimes that’s not always possible.”

  A muscle clenched in his jaw. “My C.O. called me this morning. Checking in on my progress, he said. Telling me my squad was shipping out without me under a new command. I’ve been replaced.”

  “Oh, Justice, I’m so sorry…”

  “I don’t want your pity,” he said fiercely.

  His blue eyes were so stark they seemed to blaze across the room. Anger tightened the skin on his lean cheeks and compressed his lips into a grim line.

  Her heart ached for him. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  “Why? What good would it have done? I’ll never be the man I once was. What’s the point of any of this if I can’t get my life back?”

  “It doesn’t change the man you are inside. A heroic man who saved the life of a child regardless of the danger to himself.”

  His face became even bleaker. “I’m no hero.”

  “I know you keep saying that…”

  “Because it’s true.” He sank onto the couch and buried his face in his hands.

  She knelt beside him. “Justice…”

  He raised his head, gazing at her with anguish. “You don’t know what it’s like.”

  “What what’s like?”

  “Being hailed a hero, when deep down a part of me…” his voice faltered. “A part of me wonders if I would have saved that child knowing it would mean giving up my life with Force Recon.”

  “Oh, Justice.” Kelly wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. “You are a hero, but you’re also human. It’s natural to have those thoughts. But the bottom line is that you would have helped that child no matter what, because that’s the type of man you are.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “Yes, I can. And I do know that. Honor, courage, commitment. It’s ingrained in you. Bone deep. Do you regret what happened, what you’ve lost? Absolutely. And that’s okay. Yes, you’re a Marine and, yes, you might not get your old life back exactly as it was before, but this is a rare chance for you to start a new life filled with new opportunities in the Marine Corps.”

  “As some flunkie paper pusher? No, thanks.”

  “You’re a Force Recon Marine, Justice. I think you can come up with a more creative use of your talents than becoming a paper pusher. Someone has to train the next generation of Force Recon recruits. Why couldn’t it be you? And before you go telling me that you can’t do what you did before, let me remind you that there’s more than one way to teach, you don’t have to show them how to do it, you can tell them, let them learn from your experience. Remember, a Marine never gives up, no excuses, no exceptions.”

  “No excuses, no exceptions,” he repeated, cupping her face with his good hand. He lowered his lips to hers so slowly that she felt them coming before they touched and parted her own. His tongue sought admission and she quickly granted him access. He rewarded her with tantalizing thrusts, creating a heated exchange that made her melt against him.

  Hauling her closer with his good arm, he draped her across his lap. The chemistry that had been building between them for the past few weeks now flared totally out of control. Walls tumbled down as they reached for each other with raw intensity.

  Kelly had never felt closer to him. Finally he’d let her get a glimpse into his heart, into the darkness he’d guarded so well. No wonder he’d reacted the way he had when they’d gone to the local store and they’d called him a hero. These doubts had been eating away at him all this time and he’d never let her know, never confided in her. Until now.

  Now was all that mattered. She felt the warmth of his lips traveling down her jaw and throat to the open vee of her shirt. When he growled at the uselessness of his right hand in undoing her buttons, she undid them for him, undoing his while she was at it. Now there was nothing but the silkiness of her bra separating her breasts from his chest. The warmth of his skin heated her even further, making her burn with desire.

  Justice shifted, lowering her onto the couch beneath him. She felt his arousal pressing against her as her legs tangled with his. Striving to get closer, she arched against him. Murmuring unintelligible words of seduction, Justice lowered his mouth to her bra, paying homage to her nipples with a tongue still warm and wet from their kiss. Her fingers slid through his dark hair before closing convulsively and tugging his head closer. The bra’s delicate front fastener soon gave way, freeing her breasts. He celebrated her newfound freedom by closing his lips around her and tugging her nipple gently, sweetly into his mouth.

  Ecstasy. Hot, addictive. Ripples of pleasure surged deep within her. Each delicious movement he made created another level of fierce delight. She gasped, lost in the feverish exhilaration.

  More. She wanted more.

  As if reading her mind, he shifted his attention to her other breast. Yes, yes, yes! She writhed against him, the liquid ache driving her toward him. He moved against her, creating a friction between them that made her crazy.

  Her hands slid down his bare chest to his waist. Their clothing was getting in the way. She wanted it gone. But that would mean moving away from him and she couldn’t bear to do that. So she instead shoved his shirt off his broad shoulders and showered him with kisses wherever she could reach.

  He responded by cupping his good hand around her breast and shifting his mouth back up her body. Her mouth was vulnerable and invitingly open as she welcomed his returning kiss.

  The world slipped away as her attention was utterly focused on Justice, on the man she loved. Passion seemed to vibrate from the very heart of him, catching her up in an erotic riptide from which she never wanted to escape.

  This was it. This was what s
he’d been waiting for her entire life. She’d never felt this way about another man before. Her experience with Dave paled in comparison to what she was experiencing now with Justice.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered against his mouth.

  His blue eyes flared with passion as he gazed down at her for a heartbeat before kissing her again, holding nothing back.

  The pounding sound she first attributed to her own thundering heart was quickly followed by a high-pitched feminine screech. “What do you think you’re doing to my little sister?”

  Kelly’s eyes flew open to find Barbie standing over them like an avenging goddess.

  Chapter Nine

  “Barbie!” Kelly hastily gathered her shirt together, trying to cover her bare breasts. “What are you doing here?”

  “What am I doing?” her sister practically shrieked. “What are you doing?”

  “Did you tell her to come here?” Justice demanded, sitting up and eyeing both women with the suspicion Kelly knew all too well. “Is this some kind of a setup?”

  “Setup?” Barbie repeated. “You’re the one who’s setting up my poor baby sister.”

  “I did not tell her to come here,” Kelly quickly assured Justice. She scrambled to an upright position, frantically trying to think of a way to refasten her bra without drawing further attention to the fact it was still undone. “I didn’t even tell her where I was.”

  “Of course she didn’t. If she had I would never have allowed her to come out here to this godforsaken place,” Barbie stated, looking around with disdain. She was perfectly dressed, without one spot of sand or dust marring her white pantsuit. Her designer spectator pumps cost more than Kelly made in a month and her haircut didn’t leave one blond strand out of place. A huge diamond flashed on her left hand. The coral silk blouse she wore matched the coral and gold necklace around her neck.

  In comparison Kelly just noticed her own shirt was buttoned lopsidedly while Justice hadn’t bothered buttoning his at all.

  “You don’t like this godforsaken place, then leave. You’ve got no business being here,” Justice told Barbie, his jaw clenched in anger.