somewhere quiet and private where we can get to know each other better.'
Lora opened her mouth to speak, but Joel squeezed her arm to shut her up.
Confident that Lora was interested in him, the guy took a step toward her. Blood simmering with annoyance, Joel instantly stopped him with a flattened palm to his puny chest. He ruled this particular man out as a suspect, and saw he was rather a too-aggressive womanizer who thought way too much of his power of persuasion when it came to the opposite sex.
Still, Joel wasn't about to let any guy near Lora-a direct threat or otherwise. 'Do
The other man let out a bold, you-don't-scare-me laugh. 'Yeah, you and what army?'
Joel could easily take the guy single-handedly. All it would take was two seconds and he would have the man's arm jammed up the middle of his back and his face pressed against the nearest wall, but Joel truly didn't want to engage in any kind of physical altercation if it could be helped.
So he opted for a more intimidating tactic. 'Me, and that army right over there.' He pointed to his three friends, who were still standing across the room as they watched the scene play out. Their arms were folded over their chests and the ominous expressions they wore would make any man think twice about doing something stupid.
This guy was no exception. Finally realizing just how outnumbered he was, he cast a disgruntled look toward Joel. 'She's not worth the trouble.' He turned around and went back to the bar to order a drink and nurse his bruised ego.
Once Joel was certain he'd diffused the situation, he glanced back at Lora. He wasn't sure what to expect from her, but it damn sure wasn't the amusement glimmering in her eyes or the way she was biting her bottom lip to contain her laughter. She didn't display an ounce of fear or trepidation over the man's overzealous confrontation, and Joel wanted to shake her for being so trusting. So naive. Just like she'd been earlier in the evening by not checking who'd been at her door.
She had no idea what she was up against. Or just how vulnerable and defenseless she was right now. That any guy who approached her could be someone who wanted her
That thought, mingled with the realization of just how personal this job, and Lora, had become to him, increased the gut-twisting turmoil within him. His entire body was strung so tight he felt as though he was going to snap.
He made a split-second decision based on his surly mood. 'Let's get the hell out of here.'
Before she could suggest otherwise, or remind him that he owed her a dance, he grabbed her hand and led her back to their table to collect her purse and jacket, then escorted her out of the joint. As if sensing his need for space, she didn't say a word when he handed her a helmet to put on, nor did she ask where they were going as he revved up the motorcycle and told her to get on behind him.
Once he was on the interstate, he increased the speed of the bike, which also gave him the surge of adrenaline he was looking for. His motorcycle had always provided a therapeutic release for him when he was feeling irritable or restless, a way for him to relax and take the edge off of any aggression or tension that might be riding him hard.
Then again, hot, mindless sex had always been a great stress reliever for him, too, and with the provocative feel of Lora straddling the bike behind him, that's exactly where his mind and body had wandered. And it didn't help matters that her gloved hands were splayed on his thighs instead of clutched around his waist. Between the heat and throbbing vibration of the bike between his legs, the grip of her thighs against his hips as they leaned into a curve in the road, and the occasional brush of her fingers against the fly of his jeans, he was hard enough to pound nails.
She was teasing him again. Making him achingly aware of her willingness to indulge in the kind of carnal pleasures that would put an end to his sexual frustration. To that end, she was slowly, seductively driving him out of his ever-loving mind.
Needing a breath of cool night air to douse the arousal humming through his veins, he turned his bike off the main road and onto a narrow pathway. The trail led to a secluded area along Lake Shore Drive that he'd discovered a few years ago but hadn't visited in a while. The clusters of large trees gave the place a modicum of privacy and seclusion, and had always provided a peaceful, solitary escape for him. Especially during the first few months after he'd returned from Iraq, when the nightmarish memories of that last mission in Baghdad seemed to drag him down.
He wasn't sure why he'd brought Lora here now, considering he'd never shared this spot with anyone else, but it was the first place he'd thought of heading to after leaving the bar.
He brought the motorcycle to a stop, cut the engine, and parked the bike up on its kickstand. Lora slid off the back of the seat, pulled her helmet off, and shook her hair out so it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Pale, silvery moonlight shimmered and gleamed off of those long, lustrous strands, making him wonder if its heavy weight felt as soft and rich as it looked.
She took off her gloves and jacket and set them on the seat behind Joel, but left on the scarf he'd given her earlier to wear. After giving the place a quick look around, she flashed Mm a dazzling smile that accentuated the mischievous light in her eyes.
'Mmmm. This is a nice, quiet, make-out spot,' she said with all kinds of insinuation lacing her tone. 'Do you come here often?'
'It's been a while.' He took off his own helmet and hooked it over the end of the handle bar, then pulled off his gloves. 'And just so you know, I've never brought anyone here to make out.'
'Maybe we'll have to do something to change that,' she said, her low, husky voice wrapping around him like a sensual promise she intended to keep.
She walked to the edge of the trail, which overlooked Lake Michigan and the sandy beach stretching out below them. He came up beside her, and a few quiet moments passed as they admired the gorgeous evening view of the harbor lights off to the right.
'You know,' Lora said, finally breaking the companionable silence between them, 'I have to say, between you and your guys, that was quite an impressive front back at the bar.'
Grateful for a conversation that wasn't laced with sexual undertones, he chuckled as he recalled how fierce and formidable Jon, Ben, and Kevin had looked as they backed him up. From the moment they'd been assigned to the same unit, it had always been that way with them, a strong, united front all the way. In good times and in bad.
A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as he stared at her lovely face. 'What can I say? Old habits die hard. For all of us.'
She tipped her head to the side. 'Once a marine, always a marine?' she guessed.
He nodded. 'In a lot of ways, yes.'
She was standing so close, the urge to reach out and caress his fingers along her soft cheek, down the side of her neck, and across the full swells of her breasts pushing against her top nearly overwhelmed him. Instead, he slid the tips of his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans, which forced him to keep his hands to himself.
'Well, all that fuss over me at Nick's wasn't necessary,' she told him, her voice vibrating with feminine confidence. 'I could have handled that guy on my own.'
He raised a brow at her claim, though he couldn't help but approve of, and be attracted to, that fiery independence of hers. Couldn't help but imagine how all that bold self-assurance would be a huge turn-on in the bedroom. 'You think so?'
'I
He curled his hands into tight fists, even as his dick throbbed to life when he considered just how close her fingers were to his fly. 'Is that what I did?' he asked, his voice rough with arousal. 'Stake a claim?'
'Yeah.' Her sweet, tempting mouth held a delectable curve of humor and sensuality. 'And just for the record, it
