When Love Commands Page 3
"I cannot believe that I went from being nervous about dinner with you. to inviting you home with me. Here I was telling a friend this was just a thank you dinner from you," Claire explained.
"Claire, when I walked into your office, this was not about a thank you." She looked at him. "I think I sort of knew that. By the way, I live on
Florida Avenue in the Bloomingdale district." "I know exactly where it is." He reached over and took her hand as they drove towards her apartment. It thrilled her to know that Daniel wanted her from the time he woke up in Germany. He was so sure that it was his intention to find her and make her his, this was some kind of man sitting next to her. Being a soldier, she knew that time waited for no one. That a minute, or even seconds, could make all the difference in life and in death. Daniel knew that as well. Doctor or soldier, the situation was the same. Time could be the changing factor in anyone's life. They were going to grab every second they could together and make it theirs.
Chapter Three
The drive to Claire's apartment seemed to take less time than usual, and soon they were standing in her living room. She was suddenly very nervous—Daniel's presence dominated her small space.
"Would you like something to drink?" she asked. She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress as if taking out unseen wrinkles.
Daniel noticed her gesture. "You don't have to be nervous, Claire. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do."
"I know. I'm just not accustomed to bringing men into my home, especially on the first date. I'm more of a long-term relationship kinda girl. In fact, my last boyfriend was before I left for Iraq and ……".
Daniel walked over and silenced her stream of words with his lips. He lifted his head to look at her. "No other men before me counts, and this is long term for me, okay?"
Claire nodded. He had managed to captivate her senses in only night, and she tried to clear her head before speaking. "I'll go get us some wine, or would you rather beer? I do keep some Michelob in the fridge."
"See, you were waiting for me, you have my favorite beer," Daniel said with a grin.
Claire smiled and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she came back with a glass of wine for her and a cold beer for him. He had made himself comfortable, she noted with a secret smile to herself. His shoes were off and next to her sofa and he was sitting with his legs crossed at the ankle, flipping through one of her photo albums. He looked at her and winked when she sat next to him and handed him his beer. The simple act sent a warm blush into Claire's face. God, she hated it when her body reacted this way. A seasoned soldier and she still blushed.
"Who is this with you sitting in a plastic wading pool?" Daniel asked.
Claire looked at the picture and laughed. "That's me and my sister Lucy. I think I was seven in that picture and she was nine. A hot Washington summer, no air conditioning, my mom pulled out the wading pool and the hose and we kept cool."
"Cute, look at you with all this hair in pigtails and wet," Daniel said. He looked over at her. "I like how you blush, Claire. It's very appealing."
"It's very bothersome," Claire replied, fanning her hot face. "I look like a cherry every time someone says anything in my direction. Imagine boot camp with this. The Sarg kept calling me Private Beets Kirkland for the six weeks I was there."
Daniel laughed out loud at that remark, and Claire swatted him with one of her soft pillows when he continued laughing. "Hey, it's not nice to laugh at your host."
"I'm sorry, "Beets," but I can't help it," he said, still laughing at her nickname. He tried to fend off the pillow coming at his head.
He caught the pillow and gave it a tug, pulling her along with it until she was sprawled across his chest. Claire was suddenly breathless as she was pressed against his muscled body. She could feel every contour of him through his thin shirt—the hard, sculpted body that the Army training had created. He pulled her head down to his for a long kiss. Claire opened her mouth willingly to accept his tongue and his taste. His hands roamed against her back, massaging her body and learning the feel of her. Claire made a little sound of pleasure in her throat as his hands moved to cup her breasts, slowly massaging the firm round globes. Her nipples hardened against his palms and Daniel groaned into her mouth. Their tongues mated and Claire pressed her body more intimately against his, trying to feel more of him. She had this need to be closer to his body and feel his skin against her own.
Daniel tore his mouth away from hers and looked into her eyes. "Yes?"
Claire knew the simple question was to give her the opportunity to back out and send him home. But she did not want to, she was sure about this night with him, more sure than she was about anything else in her life before now.
"Yes," Claire echoed his word. It could be nothing else but yes for her as she took his hand and led him to her bedroom. She walked over to the bedside table and turned on her lamp, the soft light filling the room. Claire watched his gaze roam her sanctuary, from the thick dark blue drapes she hung from the windows to the matching comforter on her bed. Then his eyes were on her again. She watched the heat smolder in them as her dress slipped from her body to the floor, and she stood in only a pair of black lace panties. Daniel walked over to her and slowly slipped his hand around her neck. Claire closed her eyes in pleasure from the sensation of his touch. She slipped her hands around his waist under his shirt, and in one fluid motion he pulled it over his head and let it fall to the floor. Claire pressed her face against his chest, feeling the soft hair against her cheek, and heard his heart beat speed up when she touched him. "I want you, Claire," he whispered. "You have me," Claire responded and she lifted her lips up to his for
him to claim. He kissed her as he swept her off her feet and laid her down on her bed. His gaze never left her as he slipped her panties off her smooth legs and then took off the rest of his clothes. Claire looked at his hard length as he stood proud and naked in front of her. On her knees, she pulled him closer until his legs bumped the mattress of the bed. She kissed the tip of his cock and took his length in her mouth, inch by slow inch. Daniel's breath hissed out between his teeth as Claire teased him with her lips and tongue. His fingers combed through and buried themselves in her hair, with every movement. She took his cock deeper into her mouth. With every sound that Daniel made in pleasure, it fueled Claire's own need.
Daniel pulled Claire away from him suddenly and kissed her hungrily, pressing her body back into the bed and covering her with his own. His lips traveled down to her breasts and he took the hard nipple in his mouth, moving from one to the other, hungrily tasting and suckling her. Claire cried out as ecstasy shot to her core. She bucked against him, wanting to feel him pressed inside her, but Daniel took his time in pleasing her. His hand traveled down her smooth stomach to the apex of her thighs. Then she felt his fingers slip between the moist folds of flesh and press against the secret bud that hid there. Claire could only press her hand against her mouth to smother her cries of passion.
"No." Daniel pulled her hand away. "I want to hear you come for me, don't hide it from me ever."
Claire closed her eyes as his fingers slipped inside her, his thumb pressed against her clit, rubbing gently. She felt his heated gaze watching as he sent her over the edge with his fingers alone. Claire felt her own body's release and how it flowed over his fingers. He did not let her catch her breath before she was filled with his thick cock.
"Daniel," she whispered breathlessly, wishing she could explain to him how good it felt to have him buried inside her. She could see none were needed as she looked at him. His eyes had gone dark with desire as he moved . Claire wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips to take more of him. She felt his hand slip under her bottom to pull her into his every thrust. His breath harsh against her ear, she could hear him whispering his need, his words heightened her pleasure. "Daniel…I'm going to come…please don't stop," she pleaded. "No, baby, I'
m not going to. God, you feel so good Claire. I can't
hold back," Daniel moaned. "You don't have to, come with me, lover. I want to feel you with
me." Claire felt his body tense and shudder against her as he pumped inside her. The sound of her slippery wet body meeting his filled the room.
"Daniel's fingers grabbed her hair. " Look at me, Claire. I want to see you come, knowing it's me that’s making you feel this way.
Claire opened her eyes as she spiraled into her orgasm. She watched Daniel's face as pleasure passed over it and his body tensed. His neck arched and a groan escaped his lips as he spilled himself inside her. With his head against her they waited for their bodies to stop shaking and their hearts to resume a normal rhythm. All the while she caressed his body, luxuriating in the feel of him and enjoying as he did the same to her.
"Maybe we should actually lay the right way in the bed," Daniel commented after a few moments.
Claire giggled. "Maybe we should since my legs are falling asleep hanging off the edge."
"You weren't complaining a few moments ago," Daniel replied as he kissed her neck. "And I won't be later, either," Claire said with a sexy purr. He looked at her. "So I get to stay the night? I was thinking you
were going to kick me out after using my body." "You get to stay the night, you nut." "Good, because I wanted to fall asleep holding you," Daniel said
softly. Claire felt her heart warm with his words. "Good, because I wanted
to fall asleep with you holding me." They slipped under her midnight blue covers and he wrapped his arms around her. Claire knew that no one else could hold her like this, and for the rest of her life she would need to fall asleep in his arms.
Chapter Four
Claire turned her head on the pillow, her nose catching a whiff of coffee. She opened her eyes groggily and looked at the digital clock on her bedside table, it said six-thirty. She had slept, and for once the dreams that plagued her did not come. Slipping from the bed and finding her bathrobe, she walked through the living room to the kitchen. Daniel stood in front of her stove, stirring eggs in the frying pan. He wore no shoes, only his boxer shorts and her pink apron that said ARMY in bold letters over his bare chest. To Claire there could not be a more appealing sight.
"Well, don't you make a pretty picture?" Claire smiled as she leaned against the doorway of the kitchen.
"Hey don't knock the guy who is making you breakfast. Come over here and give me a kiss." He smacked his lips in her direction.
Claire laughed and walked over to give him a kiss. "Good morning, soldier, what's for chow?"
"Well, ma'am, we have eggs, coffee, and lightly buttered toast. How does that sound? "Very nice, I could get used to this," Claire remarked. "You'd better get used to it, lady, I plan to be doing it a lot." "You'll be leaving in a week or two, Daniel…" Claire began… "Until then I plan to spend every moment I can with you, and when
I come home I'll be expecting to see you waiting for me." Claire wrapped her arms around his waist and they stood there
holding each other. "Come on now, let's eat before it gets cold. I have to take you to
work," he said softly. "Okay, let's eat," Claire replied and she watched him walk away with two plates. She poured coffee for both of them and followed him into the other room.
They ate breakfast and talked. They took a shower together, which left Claire feeling breathless and weak in the knees. For the first time since she came home Claire arrived at work late. Daniel left her outside the hospital doors with a long, sexy kiss and a promise that he would meet her at her apartment when she got off work. Claire walked into the ER with a flush on her face that was not from the heat that had returned outside.
"Well, look at you, a half an hour late and a pep in your step," Sheila remarked as she walked in. She was getting her stuff to leave, her shift was over for the night. "Why, Doctor Kirkland, you look like you had a nice bowl of cream." "Good morning, Sheila, how was your night?" "Forget my night, how was yours?" Sheila teased. "And why do I
think that blush is more that hotsergeant's fault than anything else." "It could be," Claire said cheekily, "but my lips are sealed." "Uh-huh, you are coming over very soon to dish about this, Claire." Sheila said. "But for now I am going to go home and try to catch a few minutes of alone time with my hubby and the baby." "You do that, Sheila, sweet dreams." Sheila waved a hand in farewell as she left, and Claire went into her office. The rest of the day was busy with the patients that came in and the everyday paperwork that came along with being head of the ER. It did not stop her thoughts from straying to Daniel. She could not wait to be in his arms once again. * * * * He watched her car pull up in front of her apartment hours later. Daniel leaned against his car with flowers in his hands, watching her get out and lean over to grab her bag from the back seat, leaving her sexy rump up in the air. Her smile made it all worthwhile, it was the look of a woman happy to see her man, and that was what he considered himself now, Claire's man.
"Well, this is something new, a hot guy waiting outside my door with a handful of flowers. Oh, what will the neighbors think?" Claire teased.
"Well, then let me give them something to really think about." He growled and pulled her into his arms.
His lips were on hers, kissing her deeply, submerging himself in her taste and in the feel of her body pressed against his. When he finally pulled away, her smoky gaze caught his. He saw desire in her eyes. His heart swelled because he knew there was no way that he could not come home to this, to have her look at him like that all the time. He ached as well, knowing that he would have to leave her soon.
"That is something to talk about, soldier. Let's go upstairs and discuss it in detail."
Daniel grabbed her hand and they walked the last few steps to her door. "No, no, you wench, you will not take me into your home and ravish me without food."
She laughed. "Oh fine, turn me on then leave me hanging. What do you want for dinner?"
"Luckily for you I thought ahead, pizza will be here in fifty minutes or so."
"Keep it up, you'll spoil me. I could get used to coming home after a long day of doctoring and find you waiting for me."
He turned and kissed her nose gently. "Get used to it, baby, get used to it."
The pizza went great with their conversation. Daniel played with her hair while they watched TV, letting his fingers graze against her scalp as he combed them though her thick locks. Her little purrs of pleasure at his touch fueleddesire to his loins, and soon the television show was the last thing on his mind. He turned her face to him with the crook of one finger and teased her lips with a gentle kiss. It was a soft, feather light, sweet kiss filled with tenderness as well as passion. Daniel could feel his heart ache with a new kind of pain. It was going to be hell to let her go. Passion's flame took over from the tenderness and he submerged himself in her, letting his tongue sink deeply, searching for her taste. He moaned as her hand rubbed against his hard cock confined in his jeans.
Quickly he stripped off her shirt and let his tongue flick at her nipples that were already beaded into tight little buds. Claire arched her body more to his seeking mouth, silently begging him for more. Daniel let his hands run up her leg under her skirt to her ass before his caress glided over to cup her warm mound through the barrier of her lacy panties. "Please touch me, Daniel," Claire pleaded softly. When his fingers slipped between the scrap of cloth to rub her already wet clit, she cried out.He felt her body clench around his digit as he moved it deeper into her with every touch. He couldn't take it anymore, the need to feel her wrapped around his cock, to sink himself into her warm pussy was unbearable. While he freed himself from his pants, Claire slipped her panties off quickly and let her body straddle his. When she sank herself on his cock, Daniel arched his neck against the back of the sofa and luxuriated in the sensations assaulting his body from head to toe.
"I can't get enough of you, Claire. I will never be able to get enough of you," he whispered against her ear
as he pumped his body inside her.
All words and thoughts were lost as they moved together. Her hips met his and ground down on his cock, and his lips sucked and teased her nipples. Soon their breathing changed as they strived for the ultimate completion that shook their bodies. Claire fell into the warm pools of her orgasm and Daniel soon followed with a moan that was mixed with the agony of having to leave her soon. How am I going to live for the next few months with out being able to feel her body next to mine? His thoughts were soon erased for now when she began to trail soft kisses against his neck and their love dance began again. * * * * The next two weeks just flew by, it seemed to Claire. Daniel met her at the apartment every night after work—they had either gone out or stayed in and made love. They went picnicking on one of her days off. Relaxing next to the lake, they watched children play while the ducks swam in the water. They tried to fit as much as they possibly could into those two weeks.
It was on one of those nights, when he held her in her sleep, that the nightmare plaguing her came again. The noise of the mortars and gunfire filled her head, as did the need to take cover from sniper bullets seeming to be directed at her as she ran. Claire rolled off the bed to hide from the invisible entities chasing her in her dreams. Daniel was up and next to her the second she moved off the bed.
As she yelled for him to get down before he got hit, he tried to calmly wake her up, speaking softly to her. "Claire, baby, it's a dream, you can wake up now. You are home and safe."
Claire came out of her dream with a startled shake. "Daniel? What? Where?"
When she figured out it was just a dream she gave a long sigh and got up and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry about? It was a dream, how long have you been having them?" Daniel asked. "Since I came home." "You know its PTSD, right?" "I know," she said in a resigned voice. "I just wanted it to go away
on its own. I don't see why I am having it, I came home fine." "That's why you have it, honey, it's called survivor's guilt, because a whole lot more didn't get to come home. Who did you lose in Iraq?" he asked softly.