Clan McKinloch: Stars, Stripes & Xmas Bells Read online

  “The museum?” There was a note of apprehension in her voice.

  He paused when they entered the low-slung foyer. The velvet-roped tramlines were empty. The place was deserted. Several park employees loafed behind the ticket counter, eyeing the couple without interest before going back to their conversation. Above their heads, live feed of the festivities played on the screens.

  Ashton stood on tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “Won’t they throw us out if we strip naked right here?”

  She had a point. Trip walked at a deliberate angle toward the large public restrooms located on either side of the museum entrance. An American brown bear display hid their progress from the employees behind the counter. The mouth of the museum stretched forty feet long. A round floor mosaic situated around a statue of Thomas Jefferson dominated the scene. Glass partitions indicated the attraction was closed to the public, but Trip could see a break in the barrier, probably left open by a cleaning crew.

  Ashton was a silent presence behind him. She wouldn’t have been a hindrance had they been executing a military operation. Trip slunk through the opening and went right. A taxidermist’s rendering of a sleek Appaloosa seemed to follow their progress with his glass eyes.

  “It’s so quiet.” She was gripping his hand with an easy familiarity that gave Trip a strange jolt below his belly.

  The museum displays were laid out in a spiral design with each ring growing lower as they drew closer to the center. Trip heard movement on the opposite side of the massive space. He kept to the outer edges, moving between several displays in a protected area of faux privacy. It was a venue he had never considered for an erotic interlude, but nothing about this encounter fit within normal parameters.

  A bench covered in shadows opened to their right. Trip paused beside it, glancing at his would-be lover. “Are you sure about this?”

  “You mean am I having second thoughts about having sex with a stranger in a public place?” The mockery in her tone deflated his sense of excitement.

  There was minimal light in the underground structure, insufficient to see the nuance of her expression but enough to know what he’d be missing if she decided to opt out of the encounter. He’d known she was cute in a girl-next-door way with her bright red curls and pale complexion. What he hadn’t fully appreciated was her generously curved body.

  The woman had a graceful neck and full, heavy breasts. Her blue-and-green tank top gave a glimpse of the delicate skin beneath her arms and on the sides of each delectable breast. Her belly was flat, smoothing down into lush hips and a round ass that Trip wanted to cup in his palms right before he ground his cock against her swollen sex.

  “I only have one problem here, Captain.” Her sassy words forced him to stop thinking with his cock and focus with his brain instead. “I’m not in the habit of carrying protection around with me.”

  Trip fumbled in his shorts pocket for his wallet. For the first time ever, he was glad to have stashed the foil packet inside. Her gaze turned speculative when he held it up for her inspection.

  He realized too late how it must look. “It’s not like you think. Or at least it’s not like I think you think. It’s part of the debriefing we use with all airmen before they leave base—if you swim, swim with a partner. If you jump, jump with a parachute. You know, just safety…”

  Trip stopped talking when Ashton bent at the waist and reached underneath the hem of her jean skirt. She wriggled a bit before she tugged a pair of blue-and-green-dotted panties down her legs.

  She scooted them over her flip-flops and held them up with her index finger. “I think it’s safe to say I have not changed my mind.”

  The condom went back into his pocket for the moment. His rational mind shut down, his animal instincts taking over. He closed the distance between them in one long stride and crushed her to his chest. Their tongues tangled together in a sweet duel until he pushed inside her mouth and took possession.

  He cupped her face in his hands and gently walked backward until he bumped the bench. Releasing her mouth, he sat down and pulled her between his knees. Her hands brushed through the short hair on top of his head, nails scraping his scalp and giving him chills.

  Boldly running his palms down her sides, he found the bottom of her tank top and slipped his hands beneath it. The action seemed to make her shy. She tried to tug her shirt back down.

  Trip forced back the mindless haze of desire, wanting to understand. “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m a little rounder than I’d like. That’s all.” Her self-deprecating laugh said everything her words didn’t.

  “You’re not round. You’re perfect, and don’t ever let anyone convince you differently.” He yanked the fabric from her fingers and pushed it out of the way. “You’re sexy as hell, Ashton. I’m going to be lucky if I don’t come just from kissing you.”

  He meant to show her the truth of his words, but all coherent thought left his brain when he tasted her skin. He skimmed her belly with his lips. She tasted like sunshine. He palmed her breasts, tugging her down until he could bury his face in their sweetness. She gasped at the contact.

  Pressing his mouth against the soft cotton cup of her bra, he wetted the fabric over her nipple until it plumped and hardened behind the barrier. She made a noise in her throat and pulled his head closer, begging for more. Nipping the taut bud one last time, he moved to her other breast.

  Still teasing her sensitive nipples, Trip touched the backs of her legs. Her fingers found his earlobes, and she tugged. The sensation sent a jolt of awareness to the erection demanding attention in his crotch.

  Using the pads of his fingers, he skated his way up to her bare ass cheeks. Round and firm, they quivered beneath his touch. He spread them apart just above the junction of her thighs. Damp heat coated the delicate skin between her legs. The curls dusting her swollen pussy lips were moist and damp with cream. He slid his fingers through her thatch, marveling at the silky softness of her hair. He’d never felt anything like it before.

  She wiggled to dislodge his hand. “Not yet.”

  He would’ve protested, but she chose that moment to squat down between his spread legs and push her hands beneath his T-shirt. Trip groaned at the first stroke of her hands on his chest.

  Her touch was light. He watched her face as she explored every groove of his abdomen. She tweaked his nipples, thumbing them into hard points while he shivered at the contact. Then finally she brushed her fingers through the hair below his navel. The sensual tickle drew a spurt of precum from his cock. It wasn’t enough.

  She dipped below his waistband, and he hissed in anticipation. It was killing him. Not only the waiting but the knowledge that this beautiful woman was so eager to let him enjoy her.

  The head of his cock poked above his cargos like a puppy begging for affection. Any self-control he had left was shredded by her throaty chuckle. Popping the button on his cargos, she pushed his boxers far enough aside to release his shaft. Trip reached down and dragged her to her feet so he could kiss her.

  She broke away from his mouth to stare down at his cock. “You’re so hard I can’t believe you’re not in pain.”

  Boldly sliding his hands up her legs, Trip pushed her skirt up to her waist. “There’s no pain, but the anticipation is killing me.”

  She plucked the foil packet out of his pocket and ripped it open with her teeth. “Allow me to put you out of your misery.”

  Watching her grip his cock in one hand and slide the latex down over the head was surreal. His breath snagged inside his chest, and his belly clenched with desire. He’d never wanted something so bad in his life.

  “There.” She gazed up at him with a hint of the devil in her smile. “Parachute in place.”

  The warmth snaking its way through his veins was more than just arousal. At that moment he felt real affection for this stranger. Drawing her closer, he helped her settle her knees on the bench on either side of his hips.

  She reached toward his cock, but it was h
is turn to make her wait. “Not just yet.”

  There was a question in her eyes, as if she thought he’d changed his mind. Far from it. With her body poised above his, Trip had easy access to her pussy. Gently probing her folds, he found her slick and hot with cream.

  “Oh.” Her soft sigh ripped an answering groan from his throat.

  He traced her from anus to clit. Her labia were full and swollen. The hood of her clit grew engorged as blood rushed to her groin. Trip took his time exploring her core. He made slow circles around her clit, avoiding the sensitive nerve bundle at the tip. She squirmed against him.

  “You’re trying to drive me insane.” Her nails scored his shoulders through his T-shirt. “Please fuck me.”

  “Shh.” He wished he could hear her scream, but that kind of attention wouldn’t be good for either of them. “You have to be quiet because we’re in public.”

  Red bloomed along her cheekbones, and Trip sank one finger into her wet sheath to make up for his tasteless remark. Her channel held him tightly, and he added a second finger just to feel her delicious response.

  He used his thumb on her clit as he stroked her tight passage. Bucking against him, she begged for more than he could give her with his hand. She pressed her forehead against his. He could feel his pulse throbbing inside his shaft. It was time.

  Removing his fingers, Trip gently gripped her hips and drew her down. Her hands were locked like a vise on his shoulders. Using one shaking hand, he fit his head to her opening. His fingers brushed her clit as she began to sink slowly onto his cock.

  “Shit. You’re so tight I could come right now.” Trip took a deep, steadying breath. He wanted this to be good for her.

  When she began to ride him, Trip gave up on anything but hanging on to his control. His brain ran through marching cadences, flight calculations, logarithms, everything but the feel of her soft pussy caressing his shaft as she bounced up and down on his lap.

  With her head thrown back, she looked like a wild, wanton seductress. Pulling her close, he laved his tongue over the swell of her breasts. He tasted the salt of her sweat and reveled in the embrace of her body.

  His balls drew tight as his sac prepared for climax. Sweat beaded on his brow, dripping down his forehead. A telltale tingle sent pure unfettered pleasure surging through his nerves. Knowing he was close, Trip began to finger her clit in tight, quick circles. Her pussy quivered around him. Liquid heat pooled in his spine as his muscles grew tighter.

  She trembled in his arms and melted around him. Trip choked back a deep groan when her release milked the essence from his cock. Tremors rippled along his shaft, and his balls grew hard as they released his load. The vein on the underside of his cock throbbed against her pussy, letting the sweet sensation last just that much longer.

  Burying her face in his shoulder, she shuddered and continued to come. Trip wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed the afterglow. Deep down he mourned the fact that this had been a onetime thing. Something inside told him this could have been so much more given a different set of circumstances. This woman was different. She made him remember why he did what he did. She made it all worthwhile.

  Ashton grew still, leaving her head on his shoulder. Trip had no desire to lose the moment, but he could hear the cleaning crew. They were much closer now than they had been before. He didn’t care to expose her to that kind of censure. Not when she’d just given him such an incredible gift.

  “Ashton?”

  She lifted her head. “I know. They’re headed this direction.”

  “Ashton, I…”

  Using her thumbs, she skated a path across his lips to silence him. “Please be careful over there. It would be a shame to lose one of the good guys when so many assholes live to see another day.”

  “Beautiful, beautiful girl.” He didn’t have the words to thank her for what she’d given him. When you spent day after day transporting men and women suffering the horrifying injuries of war, it was easy to forget that there were still good and beautiful things in the world. You forgot what you were fighting for. She’d made him warm again, shown him the light. She’d given him a reason to keep on fighting. Molding his mouth to hers, Trip tried to instill everything he felt in one kiss.

  He failed miserably.

  Chapter Two

  Rhineland, Germany

  December 23—0200 hours

  “You get R and R at home before you come back to a permanent post at Ramstein in Germany, Captain. Doesn’t that at least deserve a little smile?”

  Captain Trip McKinloch stretched his lips into an unwilling grin. The lieutenant was right. He was headed back to St. Louis just in time to spend Christmas with his family. After that, he was coming back to the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein. No more Afghanistan and no more Iraq—at least not for a few years. He should have felt relaxed.

  The lieutenant wasn’t put off by Trip’s silence. “You got a big family?” The man kept firing off questions whether or not Trip seemed inclined to respond.

  “Mom, Dad, three brothers, and one sister,” Trip finally answered.

  Trip’s interrogator leaned back in his jump seat and stretched his legs. “I’ve only got one brother. He’s a petty officer in the navy. This’ll be the first time in five years we’re all home for the holidays.”

  Trip gave the guy a real smile. Even feeling the holiday doldrums instead of the holiday spirit, he couldn’t imagine his family not being together at Christmas.

  “My brother claims he’s bringing a girl home with him. Don’t know where he’d find one of those, being in the navy and all.” The lieutenant cracked up at his own joke.

  Ashton popped into Trip’s thoughts as she had every other minute since the Fourth of July. He wondered if she had found a boyfriend or significant other. Had some guy managed to steal her heart and propose to her? Six months might be enough time to meet and marry some local guy—a guy who would never be good enough for her.

  The possibility left Trip with a sour taste in his mouth. A treasure like her required careful handling and a man who would treat her right. He didn’t like the idea of some stranger putting his hands all over her curves or kissing that sweet mouth. He for damn sure didn’t like the thought of her making those hot noises in the back of her throat when some other man parted her thighs.

  He growled, squirming in his seat and wondering how he was supposed to last another ten hours to St. Louis. Hell, how was he supposed to live the five days at his parents’ place? Soulard wasn’t that big an area. His parents’ house could be around the corner from Ashton’s, and Trip wouldn’t even know it. Worse, he had no right to her.

  She’d made him feel more alive in one night than he’d ever felt before in his life, but he was nothing but her one-night stand.

  * * * *

  St. Louis, Missouri

  December 23—4:00 p.m.

  Ash wished the holidays would just hurry up and be over. She had lasted through twenty-three days of Charlie Brown specials, holiday music, and calorie-loaded food. Two more days and she would be home free for another year. Of course, there was the entire week between Christmas and New Year’s to get through too.

  “Argh!” Ash slapped her white terry towel onto the bar top.

  “I’d order a drink, but I’m afraid of what you’d do to it.” Luce leaped lightly onto a bar stool and put her chin in her hand. “Dare I ask?”

  Afternoons were always a little slow at McKinloch’s Pub since the dinner crowd didn’t start trickling in until after six. This particular Thursday was unusual because the nasty weather was keeping people indoors. In a freakish turn of events, the generally mild St. Louis December weather had decided to dump nearly a foot of snow on the metro area in the last seventy-two hours. Given an ice storm, everyone would have been out and about. Show them the real white stuff, and they all hid under the covers.

  “Come on, Ash, you’ve been depressed for months.” Luce let her lower lip stick out in an exaggerated pout. “Tell Luce what’s wro
ng, honeybunch.”

  “Let’s see, do you want the unabridged or the really whiny version?” Ash automatically reached for the ingredients to make her best friend’s usual, a Cosmopolitan.

  “At least you have a job,” Luce hastily pointed out.

  Working at McKinloch’s Pub hadn’t been on Ash’s short list of preferred life careers. The place was practically a city landmark. It’d been family owned and operated for four generations and still existed in the same historic brick-and-stone building a few blocks from Soulard Market. In good weather, the beer garden out back was always filled to capacity.

  Luce was right. Ash was employed and lots of other people weren’t. Her former coworkers for instance. “Sometimes it’s hard to be glad I have a job when I’ve gone from being the office manager of a dental practice to being a bartending waitress.”

  “It’s not your fault your boss was selling his prescription pads out the back door,” Luce said.

  Ash had known Luce almost all her life. They’d met in Mrs. Patterson’s fourth-grade class when a pageant-ready blonde had called Ash fat. Without missing a beat, Luce had told the bimbo it was better to be fat than stupid because Ash could lose weight, but nothing could fix stupid.

  Ash set Luce’s drink the bar top, and her friend took a sip. “And you now work with three totally hot guys.” Jack McKinloch, the owner of McKinloch’s Pub, walked past the bar on his way to the kitchen. He gave Luce a wink, and she flashed him one of her brilliant smiles. “Make that four totally hot guys.”

  “Jack is happily married with five kids, one grandson, and another grandchild on the way. You can’t count him. That’s just wrong.” Ash started rolling silverware out of the pile she’d brought up from the kitchen earlier. “Donal is married too, for that matter.”

  “Which leaves two really hot McKinlochs to choose from.” Luce waggled her eyebrows.