He kissed Addy on the nose. 'I gave the hoop back to her when I left the hospital.'
'You've known a lot of women, haven't you Nick?' Addy felt a growing sense of uncertainty, wondering if she was a fool to believe that Nick loved her.
'I've never known anyone like you, Adeline McConnell.'
'Is that good or bad?'
'Ah, Red, that's good—very, very good.' He captured her reply, silencing her as he made love to her mouth with a thoroughness that left her breathless.
Through a hazy fog of passion, Addy realized that Nick was an expert at changing the subject to suit himself. She pulled out of his arms so quickly that his grab for her missed the mark, allowing her to escape into the bedroom.
Nick watched her disappear into the house, knowing that she was feeling a little insecure. She was new to this business of being a man's lover, new to the joys of sexual pleasure. Addy was the type who'd fancy herself in love, and a woman in love could be less than accepting of a man's past relationships.
He'd give her some time alone, but not too much time. If she started thinking too much, she'd start doubting herself again, and she'd doubt him, too. Finding his cane and their hastily shed clothing on the living-room floor, Nick retrieved his cane and gathered the assorted items. His shirt and briefs. Her blouse and slacks, bra and panties.
A few minutes later, he found her seated at the small kitchen table, a mug of steaming black coffee in front of her. When he entered the room, she glanced up at him.
'I suppose we should try to fix some breakfast.' She glanced at the wood stove, which had already heated the room to a toasty warmth.
Leaning on his cane, he stood beside her. 'How about a bear claw? There's a fresh pack in the cupboard.'
'Fine. They'll taste great with coffee.'
Nick pulled the package of danishes from the second shelf, ripping open the plastic and pulling out two of the sticky buns ladened with almond slices. They ate and drank in silence, each sneaking glances at the other.
'What would you like to do today?' he asked.
'What is there to do?'
'Oh, I don't know. A swim in the creek. A hike in the woods.'
Addy nodded toward the window. 'Have you forgotten that it's raining?'
'I guess we'll have to find something to do inside.'
'I suppose so.'
Nick pointed his cane at Addy. She stared down at the gold-tipped walking stick. He tapped her on the chest, between her breasts. She swallowed, her heartbeat accelerating rapidly. He ran the tip of the cane down her body, sliding it under her belt, loosening it until the front of her satin robe fell open.
Addy sucked in her breath. The gold tip felt damp and cool against her warm body. Moving the shiny lacquer rod slowly downward, across her stomach, hesitating momentarily at her navel, he positioned it between her thighs, rubbing it against her fiery curls.
'Nick…' Her voice vibrated with the urgency of her emotions.
'This cane was a gift from my friend, Nate Hodges.' Nick continued stimulating her with the walking stick. 'We were in the SEALs together for ten years.'
Addy squirmed in the wooden chair, wanting to run from Nick, from the tormenting rod he'd positioned between her thighs, but she felt trapped by her own sensuality, her own wild desire. 'Nick … please—'
'What is it, Red? What do you want?'
Moaning when he increased the tempo with which he was rotating the cane, Addy reached out, grabbing the stick, clutching it in her fist. 'I want to take this cane and knock you senseless! You—you know what you're doing to me. You're doing it on purpose.'
Jerking the cane away and out of her grasp, Nick smiled, then stood. He held out his hand. 'Come on, Red. Let's go back to bed. You can knock me senseless without ever touching this walking stick.'
'You're so damned sure of yourself, aren't you?' Addy glared at him, knowing that she wanted a repeat performance of last night as much as he did.
'I'm sure you want exactly what I want.' He took her hand, tugging until she stood.
'And what do you want?' She refused to budge when he tried to pull her toward him.
'I want to take you back to bed, drag you beneath me and bury myself deep inside of you. I want to—' With one powerful jerk, he brought her into his arms and whispered into her ear, using hot, raw words to describe his needs, telling her in the most basic words a man can use precisely what he wanted.
Addy clung to him, her lips accepting his marauding mouth. Slowly, steadily, they made their way to the bedroom. By the time they reached the bed, both were flaming fierce and bright, both more than ready to burn themselves out quickly.
He lowered her to the bed, taking her with a swift, savage lunge that made her cry out from the intensity. Clutching his buttocks, matching him thrusting move for thrusting move, Addy gave herself to Nick, taking from him everything he had to give. The moment ended almost before it began, each hurled into the spiraling whirlwind of fulfillment. Breathless, sweaty and totally spent, they lay side by side in each other's arms, uncaring of the time, the weather or their whereabouts.
Days passed in a sensual blur of pleasure and happiness, unlike anything Addy had ever known. She didn't want her private time with Nick to ever end. Daytime melted into nighttime, each twenty-four-hour period losing its distinction as one week ended and another began. Life took on new meaning, each moment a joy to be shared. They learned to use the old wood stove together, preparing basic meals, not once sharing another feast with Elizabeth, although they visited her daily so Nick could check in with Sam Dundee.
They swam in the creek and played under the waterfall. They took long walks in the woods and spent endless hours talking, each totally fascinated by the other, yearning to learn every little detail. At night they sat on the porch, watching the fireflies and listening to the woodland creatures' nocturnal songs.
And they made love—morning, noon and night.
The only reminder of the outside world came when they visited with Elizabeth and made their mandatory phone call. All was well in Huntsville. Rusty's doctor had given him a thorough checkup, proclaiming him as fit as he could be for a man of seventy with a bad heart and high blood pressure. In four days the NASP contract would be awarded. Nick and Addy would leave Sequana Falls. And, hopefully, all danger would have passed.
A pleasant evening breeze rustled through the trees. Addy sat in the small porch swing; Nick sat on the floor, bracing his back against the banister. Twilight descended, painting the sky in various shades of purples, pinks and oranges. As far as the eye could see, vast woodland spread across the mountain, the smell of pine heavy in the air.
'Okay, you left the SEALs after ten years and started back to school.' Sitting on one leg, Addy used the toe of her other foot to put the swing in motion.
'Yeah, I was a twenty-eight-year-old college kid.' Nick propped his hands behind his head. 'I'd decided I wanted to be a DEA agent and I needed more education. That's how I met Sam. He'd done a stint in the marines.'
'So you and Sam went to school together, became friends and joined the DEA.'
'That's about it. We both fit the bill, had most of the qualifications. Except Sam didn't speak a second language, so I taught him Spanish. Knowing a second language, especially Spanish, is a plus. And we'd both been in the service and already had some combat training, some knowledge of weapons. That sort of thing.'
'Do you miss being an agent?' Addy wondered if Nick was the kind of man who simply couldn't settle down, who would always need danger and excitement in his life.
'Sometimes. It's a demanding, stressful job.' He edged his way closer to the swing, shifting himself slowly across the porch. 'They weed out the guys who haven't got what it takes in a fifteen-week training program at Quantico, Virginia.'
'You had what it took, didn't you, Nick? You were physically and mentally a tough guy.'
Rubbing his bad leg, Nick stared at Addy. 'Well, that Uzi proved I wasn't as physically tough as I thought I was.'
