Page 1 of No Regrets

CHAPTER ONE

A FIERCE KICK to the stomach brought Kelly Kimber back from semi-consciousness. Wincing, the lieutenant curled tighter into a ball, bracing for another blow. This time it didn’t come. The echo of footsteps retreated down the walls.

Kelly opened her eyes. Her throat felt like sandpaper, making it painful to swallow, and her body cried out for fluid. Her captors had left her a small bowl of dirty water like she was no better than a dog. Somewhere in her mind, Kelly recalled her training—take small sips when dehydrated—but she was way beyond thinking rationally. She grabbed the water and gulped it down, not caring what bugs or diseases she might ingest.

All sense of time gone, Kelly had no idea how long she’d been in this small dark, windowless cell, with only filth and bugs for company. After stripping her naked, her captors had thrown her in here, locking her up like an animal. The scraps of bread and dirty water did nothing to ease her hunger pains or the incoherence from being so dehydrated. The fighting strength that had fired her in the beginning was long gone. Her body was breaking down, with her mind not far behind. God! She hated the weakness, the lack of fight, the sense of hopelessness. This wasn’t who she was, but they’d worn her down. Her body and mind could take only so much punishment.

Hopes of being rescued had dwindled as time went by and no one came. Her resolve wavered as her body weakened. Lazir had been relentless, throwing question after question, demanding who was providing the Americans with information and how much they knew about his plans. Oh, she knew quite a bit about their plans, it was why Reyes Lazir and his second in command, Ahmed Khalini, were such high-value targets. Their intel indicated the rebel faction calling themselves Reborn had cells across California, and they were radicalizing vulnerable people to join their cause and plan an attack to rival 9/11.

Kelly stayed silent despite the beatings, determined not to give up information that would get more innocent people killed. America had their own allies across this war-torn country, people who risked their lives daily to provide small pieces of intel. She would never turn on them.

Footsteps once again echoed in the tunnel outside her cell. Instinctively she stiffened and held her breath. This time they continued past, and she almost cried out in relief. She couldn’t take much more. The questions, taunting, beatings, and the deadly blade of Lazir’s personal four-inch knife. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Lazir’s face and heard his voice.

“No one is coming for you, lieutenant. You Americans think you can come to my country and interfere in a war that has nothing to do with you. You think you are better than everyone else. Smarter, tougher.” Lazir let out an evil laugh. “It was almost too easy, feeding the famous American military false intel. Now your team are dead.” Lazir spat the words at her.

“So why am I still alive?”

“Because you are a woman. Easier to break. And I will break you. I know there are traitors of my country working with you and I want to know who they are.”

“I will never tell you, so you may as well kill me now.”

Lazir pressed the blade of his knife to her throat.

“You will tell me, lieutenant. I have only just started with you. I can be patient. By the time we're done, you will beg to tell me.”

Lazir would sometimes question and beat her for hours, sometimes just minutes. Just enough that it hurt but not enough that she would pass out from pain. She never knew when his soldiers would come or what to expect, breaking her mentally as well as physically. As a woman, she knew what else he might do and he enjoyed toying with her, constantly dangling the threat.

“A woman has no place as a soldier. No right to fight. You need to be shown just what women are good for. You are nothing, do you understand? Allah says it is a man’s world and women are here to please us. That is all. I think I may need to remind you of what your use is to a man.”

Yeah, the bastard tormented her, biding his time, jerking off, enjoying seeing the fear of rape mentally destroy her. With little food and water, she was too weak to fight him off if he tried. She certainly was no match for the dozen men always present.

Kelly put down the bowl of water and curled back into a ball. She lay there listlessly, waiting for the next round. Closing her eyes, she focused, using a technique they covered in survival training, a form of meditation. At the time, she never expected to ever be using it. Put yourself somewhere else, a happy time, a good memory. See it, hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it. Put yourself in the memory, stay focused and block out your current reality. Block out Lazir’s face and voice.

The water sparkled, a beautiful aquamarine. The waves gently lapped the shore as the sun peeked its head out above the horizon. Sunrise was her favorite time of day, the promise of a new day. No matter what happened, or where you were in the world, the sun was guaranteed to rise. She dozed in the chair, enjoying the early morning sun warm on her face as the light breeze caressed her skin. It was perfect.

Sensing him, she opened her eyes and looked up, her pulse quickening. He leaned on the back of the wooden chair, staring down with that smile. The smile that made her heart miss a beat and butterflies dance low in her belly. Every. Single. Damn. Time. Shirtless, he must have just rolled out of bed. She licked her lips at the sight of his mouth-watering torso. She reached up, placed her hands on his forearms, and tilted her head to meet his mouth as he lowered it to hers. This man, her best friend, her lover, a powerful warrior, yet so tender and loving.

Mmmm, she wanted to kiss him forever.

He moved to stand in front and took her hands, pulling her up out of the chair, into his arms. Muscular, strong, beautiful arms. Every part of his hard, toned, sculpted body pressed up against her as he kissed her again, harder. His tongue explored every inch of her mouth, making her hyper-aware of her body heating beneath his touch. Her tongue entwined with his, stroking, licking. Desire tingled across her skin and every nerve-ending came alive as she ran her hands over his back, shoulders, down over his chest to the waistband of his shorts. Dipping a hand inside she circled his hard, ready cock and smiled at his sharp intake of breath, loving the way he reacted to her touch. His cock was thick and hot as she massaged him up and down. When his hand moved under her nightshirt and slid over her naked ass, her moan disappeared into his mouth. Her sex ached for him; she always ached for him. Expert fingers moved between her thighs and teased her sweet spot. She cried out, her knees almost giving way, but those strong arms caught her. He knew exactly what she liked and how to turn her body to liquid. Pleasure swelled deep within her. He slid a finger inside her wet folds. One finger, two fingers. Oh god, Dex!

Pulling his fingers out, he lowered her onto the sand before she could protest. Weight braced on his forearms; he covered her body. All six-foot two of him was muscle. Perfectly toned, hard, and sculptured muscle that made her shiver. Being immersed in his strength made her feel so protected. He was sexy, powerful, and loving all at the same time. Their bodies molded together perfectly.

Her sex demanded his touch. She pushed up, rubbing herself against his erection. He growled low in his throat. Encouraged, she circled against him and increased the friction. She wanted more, wanted to feel him inside her, filling her. His mouth crushed down on hers, hot, hard, stealing her breath. She shivered at his kisses trailing down her neck. Then he grabbed the bottom of her shirt, quickly pulled it over her head and kissed his way lower, lower. A strong hand cupped one breast, his thumb teasing the erect nub. A low cry bubbled in her throat...

Her skin was on fire, pleasure pulsating down between her legs. The throbbing, wanting, was almost too much. When he replaced his hand with his mouth, she cried out. Arching up, she pushed into him, tangling her fingers in his short dark hair. He raised his eyes, so full of hunger and want that her heart flipped. He released her nipple and smiled. That goddamn beautiful, irresistible smile.

Tantalizingly slow, his mouth moved lower. Her sex was hot, wet, and begging for him. When his lips finally touched her folds, her body jerked into his, and sparks danced before her eyes. Firm hands held her hips as his tongue licked the length of her slowly, teasingly. She screamed his name. Her hands tightened in his hair, pushing him harder as her body twitched beneath his touch.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, his tongue dove deep inside, and her arousal soared to its limit. When he replaced his tongue with two fingers, her inner muscles clenched around them as he gave a low hum of approval. His fingers moved in and out, picking up pace as his tongue played with her clit. Her orgasm rose quickly, and she pushed up harder against his mouth. Her body shuddered as waves of indescribable pleasure ripped through her. His lips and tongue continued to caress the sensitive skin and she relaxed, melting into the sand. Panting and completely sated, she felt his lips moving back up. He took her mouth in a tender, passionate kiss. His cock brushed against her opening, sparking another flood of arousal.

She groaned as he slowly entered her, gently at first, with long, slow thrusts. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she urged him deeper and met his gaze. What she saw there made her heart constrict. His skin was hot, covered by a sheer film of sweat. Her hands explored his chest. Pleasure blew her mind when he reached between them to finger her clit.

Hearing a growl deep in his throat, she gripped his shoulders. He was close. So was she. Again. Digging her nails in, holding on, she lifted her hips to meet his thrusts. Harder, faster, he filled her completely. She forced his head down, covering his mouth in a wild, frenzied kiss as their bodies slapped against each other. His cock thrust deeper, harder, and she moaned into his mouth as he took her to heaven again. Seconds later, his breath quickened, his body locked, and he gave one final deep thrust. Throwing his head back, he exploded inside her.

Kelly stirred, trying so hard to keep herself immersed in that memory. Her happy place. Was it really just six weeks ago they’d been in Cuba? Dex had been in her life for all her thirty-one years. He was her best friend, her lover. Always there, a phone call or text away. He had been by her side through some of the best and worst times in her life. The thought of never seeing him again, never seeing his smile, never laughing with him, never watching old movies, never feeling his arms around her, protective and loving... Swallowing the lump in her throat, her current reality came flooding back.

The footsteps grew louder, entering her cell. Hauled up, she was half-carried, half-dragged to another room.

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