Rescuing Emma (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) Page 4
“No way!” Becky laughed. “They’re dancing with our friends. The blonde is Joely and your tall friend is dancing with Dina. How funny!”
“Well isn’t that a happy coincidence?” Doc looked at Nate over his shoulder, winking.
“Are you a battlefield medic too?” Emma asked Nate. She glanced over, studying his face. The handsome man had a couple days growth of beard shadowing his jawline and chin, but it wasn’t out of control or messy. Still, she preferred clean-cut and far less brawny men no matter how handsome they were. He caught her watching him and her cheeks flamed again under his scrutiny.
“No,” he replied. Nate noted her blushing. She had her arms crossed over her chest in a protective gesture. Half of him wanted to laugh. The other half keenly felt her humiliation. His response probably hadn’t helped much, but he couldn’t fix that now. He hadn’t known quite what to say. It had been a long time since he’d been in the company of women. Saying, “hey, your tit is out,” didn’t seem like a good idea. Reaching out to lift her dress strap would’ve been too forward, so he’d said nothing, all the while censuring himself for not being able to look away fast enough. His perusal, however, continued. Up close, she was prettier than he’d first thought. Creamy skin, big brown eyes, and just a hint of indentions on her nose that told him she usually wore glasses. He’d always had a thing for women who wore glasses. They implied a certain intelligence, and smart women were damned sexy, not to mention the male fantasy of the sexy librarian.
Emma watched the dance floor, chewing her lip. His short answer left an awkward silence between them. He was obviously not as charming as his friend, nor much of a gentleman. A real gentleman would’ve apologized at least or shown some kind of effort to look away. The disapproving expression on his face when he’d spied her nearly-naked boob left her feeling embarrassed. She knew she had smallish breasts, but so what? He didn’t have to act like he’d seen something repellent. And why did she care anyhow? He didn’t know her, and she didn’t know him. So what if her boob made an appearance.
“I do know basic life-saving measures.”
“What?” Startled out of her reverie, Emma glanced at Nate. He was looking down at her again.
“You asked if I was a medic. I’m not, but I do know basic CPR and such. We’re all trained to perform the basics.”
“Just not as much as your boss, I guess.” Emma held his gaze. “Professional medical personnel aren’t put off by the human body, after all.”
Nate sputtered, eyebrows shooting up. He was about to set Emma straight on who was boss and tell her he hadn’t been ‘put off’ at all when Doc interrupted.
“To be fair, old Nate here hasn’t seen a naked woman in a long time, especially not one as pretty as you.” He threw a look of contrived innocence at his captain before returning his attention to the redhead at his side. “And speaking of, I should inform you up front that I offer breast wellness exams free to incredibly gorgeous redheads with freckles, but only if they ask nicely.”
Becky giggled, slapping him on his arm. “That’s sure assuming a lot, Jason,” she said, preferring his given name.
“I’m not one to assume anything, ma’am, just a giving soul who believes in preventative breast care, that’s all.”
Nate coughed, choking, and, leaning on the rail overlooking the dance floor, buried his face in his hands.
Emma noticed him choking and reached out, concerned, touching his shoulder. It was rock-solid under her hand and the heat from his body caught her by surprise. She pulled away as if burned, dropping her arm to her side.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Nate felt tingles where her palm had been. It was unexpected, but pleasant. He dropped his hands and looked at Emma, a slow smile spreading across his lips. “Yes. Maybe we should begin again?”
It was the first smile she’d seen on his rugged face. It transformed his features from stern to inviting. It was like night and day, like a punch to the gut that knocked the wind out of her lungs. She swallowed. “Well I’m not letting you give me a breast exam, if that’s what you mean.”
Stunned, Nate’s smile fell. “That’s not what I meant—”
Emma continued talking, rushing on as if he hadn’t said a word. “Because I’m not like that, despite the accidental peep show. I mean, I don’t usually wear dresses like this. It’s just because it’s my birthday and Becky bought it for me,” she rambled, looking down at the hot pink silky slip of a dress. “Well, the girls whisked me off to London only last night and I’ve never been to a club in London before. So, really, even though your boss is very charming and I’m sure Becky likes him just fine, and you’re probably both good men who serve our country—and thank you for your service—even so, I’m just not that kind of girl,” she inhaled, and went quiet.
Nate didn’t know what to say. The petite woman with the lovely legs, glasses indents on her pert nose, and the prettiest, perkiest breast he’d seen in a long time had just verbally run him down like a runaway freight train. He cleared his throat. “I don’t want to give you a breast exam.” It was the first thing he could think to say.
“You don’t?” Emma wrapped her arms around herself again, stung.
He noticed her body language immediately. He’d stepped into it again. “You just said—what I mean is I would never presume that such an offer was on the table. There’s nothing at all wrong with your breasts. They’re perfect. Really. And I sound like a complete fool,” Nate said, shaking his head and turning back to watch the crowd below.
Emma digested his words. The entire conversation was absurd. Funny, actually, after she replayed it in her head, and a complete disaster. He’d said her breasts were perfect. Why did that matter? It shouldn’t matter. He was just a stranger, just some over-muscled soldier…with gorgeous blue eyes and a smile that took her breath away. Now where did that come from, she wondered.
Her lady bits answered, “From us, you nitwit! We need a little attention and he’s hot!” She made a decision and unfolded her arms, extending her hand. “I’m Emma Lewis.”
Nate stared at her slender fingers. When he glanced up, she was smiling at him. The glint in her brown eyes hinted at suppressed laughter. He took her small hand in his large one, engulfing it. The tingles were there again sparking pleasantly against his palm.
He lifted her hand to his lips, placing the lightest kiss on her knuckles. “Captain Nathan James Oliver.”
Sucking in a breath, Emma blushed. The heat of his lips on her skin caught her off-guard. She cleared her throat. “Very nice to meet you, Captain.”
“Just Nate,” he said, smiling.
“Nate,” she repeated. The stood staring at each other, unable to break eye contact.
“You ladies want to join our table? We have ringside seats to that disaster of a male exotic dancer,” Doc asked, tilting his head towards the table where Ghost and Eastwood sat alone laughing at Hollywood’s switch from the robot to Saturday Night Fever moves that looked more like he was having a seizure.
Becky waved her hands in front of her friend’s transfixed face breaking the eye contact between her and Nate. “Earth to Emma! What do you say? Shall we join them?”
Nate raised an encouraging eyebrow. “Well? Give me one more chance to make a better impression?”
Emma bit her lip. He really wasn’t her type at all. Too rough. Too stern. Too muscled. But her body had other ideas. It was thrumming pleasantly and prodding her to accept. “Okay. One more chance. But you better not be a worse dancer than your friend out there.”
“Seriously, he has no hip action at all!” Becky howled.
Doc offered Becky his arm. “Not a problem on my end, Beautiful. Lots of swivel in these hips.” He looked at Emma, adding, “Pretty sure Nate has a few smooth moves if you ask him nicely, too.”
“Doc!” Nate’s eyes narrowed. He’d just earned Emma’s acceptance. He didn’t need Doc ruining that.
Emma laughed. “I think you’re embarrassing him.”
“Is he?” Emma asked, joining Nate at the top of the stairs.
“Is he what?”
“Pissing you off?” she asked.
“Every chance he gets,” Nate said.
“It’s terrible to have a boss who’s so provoking, isn’t it?”
Nate paused, his expression pained. She still thought Doc was his boss. It was time to correct that misinformation. “He’s my subordinate, not the other way around.”
Emma stumbled on the last step. Nate reached out, catching her, and pulling her close to his side.
“And he talks to you like that?” She stared up at his face.
“All the time.”
“And you let him?” Emma felt breathless. The hard-muscled arm around her waist burned her skin beneath the thin layer of hot pink silk. Her stomach flip-flopped like crazy and tingles swarmed her before settling low inflaming her lady bits.
“Maybe I like sass,” he growled. Nate liked the feel of her against his body. He leaned closer.
“Oh,” Emma’s lips parted. He was moving in, just an inch away. She could smell just a hint of aftershave, something woodsy, earthy, and sexy. It was intoxicating.
“Excuse me!” A tall man dressed like Cher squeezed past them. Cher stopped, glancing back. “Get a room, you two!”
Chapter 5
Emma stood in the middle of Nate’s suite, wringing her hands and wondering how she’d ended up in a strange man’s room on her first night in London. She swayed on her feet a bit, feeling the effects of the drinks she’d downed trying to keep up with all the birthday toasts. Nate picked up some clothes that he’d left on the bed and tossed them on the chair in the corner. He turned and looked at Emma.
“Can I get you anything to drink,” he asked.
“Just some water if you have it, thanks.”
He went to the mini-fridge and pulled out a cold bottle of Evian. Unscrewing the lid, he handed it to her.
Emma took a few sips and looked around the room. “Crazy that we’re all in the same hotel, isn’t it?”
“A nice coincidence,” Nate replied, his lip twitching. He could see she was nervous and found it to be endearing.
“Convenient,” she said, then added, “for Becky and Doc, of course.” Her best friend and Doc had hit it off right away. It wasn’t long before they were making out on the dance floor like unbridled teenagers. When Doc asked where they were all staying, and discovered it was none other than the Corinthia, the two of them couldn’t get back to the hotel fast enough. Becky, who’d been broken up with her ex-boyfriend for two months, was more than ready to hop back on the saddle with the smooth-talking, dimpled Doc.
On the way up the elevator, she’d whispered to him, “So about that breast exam…” Joely and Dina had laughed like loons. Beside them, Hollywood and Skyscraper struggled to stay awake, having imbibed more than their fair share of mixed drinks. Joely was relieved while Dina seemed put out. She and Marcus DuBose had connected and were getting along well. As Hank ‘Hollywood’ Jimenez began sliding down the wall, the one Nate had introduced as Ghost pulled him back up.
Emma decided right away she wouldn’t call him Ghost but would stick to his given name of Allen. It didn’t sit right with her to call an albino man a ghost. It seemed cruel even though Allen didn’t appear to be bothered by it. He was nice and an engaging conversationalist. His knowledge of world affairs was impressive. Nate had sat quietly at her side as the two delved into political topics and immigration issues. She noticed Nate hadn’t said much, but there were a few times he’d winced, visibly biting his tongue in between the few inciteful tidbits he’d offered. Allen baited him now and again, chuckling when his boss refused to bite. When asked why he wouldn’t join in on the conversation, Allen answered for him. “He’s behaving himself for your benefit, Emma.” Then he'd leaned over and whispered, “he likes you.”
Those three words made her forget Nate’s scanty participation in their conversation. She hadn’t really learned much about what he thought of these important issues, issues that mattered to her. But then Allen had shared that Nate liked her and Nate’s blue eyes locked onto hers, causing a riot of warm tingles to run rampant through her body.
The elevator stopped on her floor and Becky and Doc tumbled out first. Laughing, Becky looked back at Emma. “Give me a few hours. Nate, take care of our girl!”
“What?” Emma stuttered.
“Yes ma’am,” Nate replied, stifling a grin. He glanced down at Emma. “Don’t worry. I have a pull-out couch. You can take the bed.”
Doc heard this and said, “Always the gentleman. Emma, take pity on the man! He needs a good shagging, as they say here in Britain.”
Joely and Dina stepped out. Seizing the day, Eastwood jumped off at the last minute with them. He smiled at Joely, taking her hand and caressing her fingers with his. The look he sent her sizzled with sensuality. Joely licked her lips, offered a saucy smile, and down the hall they went to her suite. Dina laughed at them, and then wished Marcus a good night. The tall man smiled down at her, eyes half-mast. He was drunk, but not as drunk as Hollywood who didn’t even notice Eastwood had swooped in and stolen the girl he’d been trying to woo all night.
Dina blew Marcus a kiss and then turned to Nate. “Look, Nate, our girl here needs some good lovin’. It’s been far too long—”
“Dina!” Emma squeaked.
“Ain’t no shame in being celibate, Emma,” Dina said. “The only thing shameful is if you don’t grab two handfuls of this gorgeous man and eat him up! At least he’s not out of commission like that one, she said, pointing at Marcus before stepping back and laughing as the doors closed on Emma’s red face.
Another two floors up and their remaining group exited the elevator. Ghost helped Hollywood to his room. Skyscraper stumbled to his, and Nate and Emma went in the opposite direction to the suite at the end of the hall.
Once inside, she didn’t know what to say. So far, she’d sipped water and muttered nonsense about coincidences. Meanwhile, Nate had watched her in his particularly disconcerting way. She had a feeling a lot was going on inside his head, but he didn’t say much. As hot as he was, he really didn’t need to, and as well as he danced, no other form of communication was needed, at least while on the dance floor. Recalling his hands holding her waist while their hips swayed, his thighs grazing hers, caused heat to suffuse her cheeks. The music led the way, pounding a deep base beat before the DJ transitioned to reggae. It was then, Nate had pulled her closer, sliding his leg between hers and swiveling his hips in a way that sent white-hot desire straight to her core. He’d held her gaze the entire time. It was the most sexual thing she’d ever done in public with clothes on and now he was looking at her again with that same intensity.
“Screw it,” Emma mumbled, feeling bold. She set the water bottle down on the dresser, and reaching up, slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders. It fell to the floor in a hot-pink shimmer. She stood naked except for a pair of pink lacy panties and her silver heels.
Nate’s sucked in a sharp breath. The heat in his blue eyes blazed as his gaze traveled her body from head to toe taking in all the curves along the way.
Emma began to lose her bravado during his slow perusal. Her hands lifted of their own volition to cover her breasts.
“No!” Nate said. He took three steps eliminating the space between them. Reaching out, he gently circled her wrists with his fingers. “Don’t do that.”
Emma felt like she was standing before a furnace. The fire that sprang to life within her at his nearness threatened to consume her. “Nate, I…”
Hearing her whisper his name brought forth something primitive within him. He wanted her. His inner caveman screamed ‘Mine!’ Nate’s thumbs caressed the pulse-points on the inside of her wrists. His head dipped low bringing his lips near her ear. “Yes, Emma?”
Nate’s breath t
ickled the strands of hair against her neck setting off sparks.
She took a deep breath and then, before she lost her courage, said, “Kiss me.”
Her softly-spoken words unlocked a flood of desire. Releasing her arms, he wrapped his around her waist, pulling her hard against him. His lips captured hers in a searing kiss. It was neither gentle nor slow. It was raw and possessive.
Emma moaned, winding her arms around his neck. Her bare breasts rubbed the material of his shirt meeting the resistance of his muscled chest. The friction caused her nipples to harden painfully. Before she could think, Nate’s hand slid up her side. The warmth of his palm covering her naked skin made her sigh and when he massaged her breast, tweaking the hard nub, her knees buckled.
“Oh!”
“You like that?” he growled.
Emma nodded, unable to speak. But her body answered loud and clear, her back arching like a satisfied cat.
A slow smile spread across Nate’s lips. “Then tell me, Miss Lewis, what you think of this?”
Emma gasped as Nate bent low, leaning her back over his arm. His mouth captured her nipple, sucking hard before flicking the peak with his tongue.
“Oh, yes. Yes, I like that.” Emma’s head fell back, and her lips parted as he laved first one breast and then the other with equal intensity. “It’s been so long…” she mumbled, then tensed when she realized she’d said that aloud.
“Then let’s not keep you waiting.” Nate scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
He laid her down gently. The white-hot passion in his blue eyes promised no quarter. Emma bit her lip, suddenly unsure. She wasn’t used to take-charge men, and Nate was definitely taking charge. But it was London, and her birthday. This was the sort of wild, romantic, crazy escapade she was supposed to get up to, right? She might not be a vixen every other day of her life, but here, she could be anything she wanted. She would never see this man again after this weekend, or after tonight for all she knew. That was all the pep talk she needed.