Taps - PART THREE

Summoning the strength deep within him, he pulled back. As he did, a soft sigh escaped from her lips.

"Kiss me again," she breathed.

He looked at Brooke's face. Her cheeks were deeply pinked and her lips were parted and glistening. How could a man resist such a face? Unable to deny her request, or the need within him, he ducked down and treated himself to one more kiss. A chaste one this time, one that brushed her mouth ever so lightly before he sat back in his chair.

Slowly, Brooke opened her eyes, and the look of disappointment was evident in her face. He had to smile. There was no mistake where she wanted things between them to go.

"What do you say we skip dinner?" he whispered as he tucked a curl behind her ear.

As soon as she nodded, Chris tossed some money onto the table and helped her to stand. Now that he was certain his advances were welcomed, he had no qualms about draping his arm around her shoulders as they walked.

He loved the way the streetlights made her hair shine like burnished copper. The way she fit so perfectly under his arm. How good it felt to have her there. He pulled her closer, and he was pleased when she allowed him to do so.

The scent of perfume that clung to her hair filled his head. He could not wait to run his fingers through those silken locks, and to feel her lush curves pressed against his body. It was all he could think about since meeting her, and now he was about to get his wish.

The moment they were inside her hotel room, Chris backed her up against the door. He placed a hand on either side of her head and leaned forward so that their bodies were just touching.

His breath on her cheek sent a shiver racing up her spine. He was barely touching her and already she was lost in the promise of what was to come. Feelings began to churn and build inside her, feelings she had never felt in the presence of any other man she had been with before.

All of a sudden, his lips brushed her eyelids. Then he nibbled the corner of her mouth. The taste of her was so sweet and he wanted more. He wanted to feel her body pressed against his, wanted to lose himself in her softness. The need in him was so strong that there would be stopping it now, not even if she begged him.

Chris bit her mouth in a hard kiss, then swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. Without breaking the kiss, he lowered her to the bed and covered her body with his in a single fluid movement.

As his hands began to caress her, began to tug at her clothes, she moaned. The sound made him pause, but only until he saw the look of excited anticipation shimmering in her eyes. It was all the permission he needed. Spreading her legs with his knees, he drove himself into her.

Her heart pounding wildly, she arched her back, drawing him even deeper inside her. She had never felt anything better than the sensation of him filling her. She clutched at his shoulders and wound her legs around his hips. Her hands ran over his back, pressing him closer while her tongue danced with his in a tempestuous kiss.

The sensation of her silky limbs caressing him made his head spin. Chris couldn't think of anything except how good this moment felt, how soft and welcoming her body was. He stroked her hard and deep, each thrust making her writhe with pleasure while his mouth ravaged hers.

A sheen of sweat covered his body as his passion built until, with a hiss of satisfaction, he buried himself as deep as he could inside her. Time seemed to stand still when he came to a shattering climax. All there was in the universe was the two of them locked together in a perfect moment.

With a final shudder, he relaxed and rolled onto his side. He lay in total bliss, breathing raggedly, unable to move. He couldn't believe the way he'd felt inside her. It was the most incredible thing he had ever experienced, as heady and exhilarating as if it had been his first time.

It seemed like an eternity before her heartbeat returned to normal. Turning on her side, Brooke looked at the man lying next to her. There was a look of peaceful satisfaction on his face that told her that this had not been just sex for him. He had felt something special, too. Inching closer, she snuggled into the curve of his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Chris looked at the woman he cradled in his arms. The moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains bathed her face in an ethereal light, giving her an angelic quality.

He'd had sex many times in his life, but all those times paled in comparison to what he had just felt. He breathed in the lingering scent of her perfume, mixed now with the muskiness of sex, never wanting to forget the fragrance. He caressed the curve of her hip, reveling in the softness of her skin and in how well their bodies fit together, even at rest.

This was the moment of perfect contentment that people waited a lifetime to experience. The moment he thought he would never know. Closing his eyes, he pulled her closer into his embrace, never wanting to let her go.

Brooke was awakened by the smell of coffee. Forcing one eye open, she saw the first rays of sunlight brightening the sky through the open drapes. A sound from the other side of the room turned her head.

Chris was at the door, taking the room service tray from a waiter. The sight of his broad back covered with scratches from her fingernails made her shiver. She could not recall a single time she had been so physical with a lover.

Maybe I just never had the incentive to be.

As he closed the door, he saw that she was awake and grinned guiltily. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said as he put the tray on the foot of the bed.

She sat up against the pillow, drawing the covers with her to hide her nakedness. "Not a problem."

Pouring two cups of coffee, he handed one to Brooke and took a sip from the other, and then made himself comfortable next to her. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her in close. They remained cuddled like that until the croissants and coffee were gone, content just to share a quiet moment together.

The peacefulness was a novelty for him. His life in the military was anything but peaceful, not that he expected it to be. He had been in the thick of the war zone for almost three years now, and most of that was by choice. The mental alertness of each day kept his mind from wandering to places where he did not want it to go.

Like back home.

Home. It should be the place to which he was counting the days to return to. It should conjure up warm thoughts and sweet memories of loving arms.

Too bad there were none of those things waiting for him back in Oklahoma. Just the life he so desperately tried to escape by staying in the military and volunteering for duty in places like Afghanistan.

Once in a while, though, he was lucky enough while on leave to meet a girl to help him pass the time. They were all pleasant diversions and quickly forgotten once his needs were satisfied.

That was what he thought he found in Brooke until she awakened in him all the feelings he never dared to dream were possible. She was warm, funny, and smart. Not to mention one terrific lover who made him feel alive for the first time in his life. He didn't know how he would manage it, but it wanted to see her again — be with her again — after this week was over.

How would she react if he told her the truth about himself? It would not be pretty, that was for certain. She would loathe him, no doubt, and that was something he could not bear to have happen. And lying was not an option. Brooke was too special to have a lie between them. Besides, if there was one thing he had learned over the years was that a lie always came back to bite him.

No, he would tell her the truth. Just not right now. Not when she was so warm and so close, and the moment was so perfect.