Page 88 of Dash

The desire that sparkled in her eyes spread through me, heated my skin, and coiled at the bottom of my spine. We both looked down at our secret refuge, the flat spot behind the battlements, always warm, even during the Wyoming winters.

As kids, we used to play here. Later on, Thena and I had claimed this spot for ourselves. It happened during one fatefulChristmas holiday when we were back at Astor House on break from college. Thena had turned eighteen and we’d given our lust free rein. This humble space had cradled us as we consummated our love for the first time, and many, many times after that. It was our sanctum, the secret shrine where I worshipped my goddess.

“What do you think?” I met her brilliant gaze. “Should we get out of the wind?”

She dipped her chin without hesitation. “We should.”

My dick went rock hard.Slow it down, buddy. It was getting ahead of me.

I jumped down onto the pile of blankets. The soles of my bare feet met the soft sateen of the duvet atop the pile. The heat from the roofing system dispelled the chill and rose to envelop my lower body. Reaching up, I put my hands around Thena’s waist and lifted her up before I brought her down.

She held my gaze as she trusted me with her weight. She was so much lighter than I remembered, too thin for her own good and my peace of mind. It was yet another problem I hoped to solve by bringing her to Astor House and reuniting her with Sandy’s pampering and Cook’s spectacular meals.

After depositing her on the cushioned surface, I ambled a few steps back, thrust my hands in my pockets, and leaned against the sloping ledge across from where she stood. “Thena,” I started. “I want to apologize for what happened last night on the way to the airport—”

“No more apologies,” she cut me off. “No more bearing the responsibility when it doesn’t belong to you. There’s a mean SOB out there hunting us. That’s not your fault. In fact, you thwarted his plans and defeated him. Tonight, I don’t want to think about him. Tonight is about us. We started something in the limo. I’d like to finish it. Please?”

The seductive smile that slowly spread across her faceannounced her priorities. The lust that flashed in her eyes was a spark to my burners. And yet I fought against my need to take her right away. I’d never been good at communicating the depths of my feelings to her. I needed to change that. There were things I had to say to her. Only she could grant me the pardon I needed. Only she had a prayer of easing my burdens.

***

Thena

Against the background of the dark mountains and the luminous stars, Dash stood before me, nature’s work of art. He looked older than I remembered, but also fitter, more muscular, solid. His chest rose and fell evenly, challenging the stretch of his T-shirt. No coat for Dash. The cold never touched him. His soul had always been on fire. His passion was the purest flame.

I couldn’t resist his magnetism. It was as if I was a rare metal that could only attach to him. I took a step forward, but he stopped me when he raised his hand.

“Thena.” Every time he said my name my heart took flight. “There are things you ought to know.”

Fear iced my stomach. I wanted to shout.No, please don’t send me away.Instead, I coiled my arms around my torso and hugged myself. Had he changed his mind? Was he no longer keen in rekindling a relationship with the woman who’d hurt him so deeply, the person who’d placed him and his team in such extreme danger?

“I can go if you want,” I ventured, feeling very small and exposed beneath the open sky and the flickering stars. “You don’t have to explain anything.”

“I do have a lot to explain, so listen carefully.” He cleared his throat. “I’m a flawed man. I’ve got a quick temper, a sharp tongue, and a narrow focus. Some of that is built into my DNA. The rest comes from my insecurities, my fears that I can never measure up to you.”

“Dash, I—”

“It’s true.” He cut me off. “I’ve spent a lifetime aspiring to you, working to be worthy of you, doubting myself, feeling that I’m not good enough to be with you.”

“For God’s sake, Dash. You’re worthy, you were always worthy.” I settled my hands over my heart. “Even as a kid, I wanted to catch your love like a firefly and keep it in a jar forever.”

“You caught me, all right.” His smile threatened to undo me. “You’ve had me in your jar for the longest time. Remember that day at the stables when I patched you up after you fell from your new pony?”

“Yes.” Oh, yes, I remembered.

“Something happened to me on that day. When I pressed my lips to your skin, your taste seeped into my being. From then on, I always cared for you. I mean, I’d always watched over you and your siblings, but there was a special connection between us that I couldn’t deny, even if we were only children. On that day, you became the most important part of me. You became my heart and the reason why it beats.”

I pressed my lips together and swallowed a sob. I’d felt the connection back then, too.

“It’s no secret I want you,” he continued. “You’ve been the reason for everything I’ve done. You’re the goal and the prize. You are and have always been the only woman for me. I mean that, Thena. Theonlyone.”

I tilted my head and studied his face. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?

“Dash, I know you,” I offered softly. “You’re a sexual being. I can’t blame you if you sought other women when we were apart. The thought makes me crazy jealous, but as long as you’re honest with me going forward, I can handle it.”

He looked up at the sky then flashed me the mostbittersweet smile I’d ever seen on his face. “I’m being honest. When I tell you that there has been no one else, I mean it. This body, it only craves you. This heart, it only beats for you. I swear to you, on my Raider’s honor, that even in my dreams, I’ve been faithful to you.”

Chapter Twenty-five

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