Course of Action: Out of Harm's Way / Any Time, Any Place. Merline Lovelace

can’t blame you for that. You went through hell,” Travis said, sad for her, but not missing the hint of attraction between them. Her hair was oozing with bubbles, his fingers sliding across her scalp and he watched as she utterly relaxed, lips parting, enjoying his caress. Once he’d thoroughly cleaned her hair, he began to massage her scalp. His erection was killing him. He ached to shift, to relieve the pain. Damn.

      “Your hair is so thick. Like a horse’s mane,” Travis teased, trying to get his mind off his own anatomy. Impossible, but he was going to try.

      Madison smiled a little. “Spoken like a true Texas boy.”

      Laughing, he nodded. “That didn’t exactly come out right. You have beautiful hair, thick and silky.”

      “My mother has thick blond hair. I got lucky and inherited her gene.” She wanted to groan with pleasure as he continued to carefully and thoroughly wash her hair. He’d probably take her groan as a sign of pain, not pleasure, so she bit down on her lower lip to keep quiet.

      “You doing all right?”

      “Umm, yes...it feels...wonderful.”

      Travis smiled. Wonderful? Hell, this was foreplay in his book. Her face went soft, her lips ripened. All he wanted to do was cup her chin, angle her toward his mouth and kiss her until they melted into each other. He quickly rinsed away all the soap, her hair obviously clean even in the pool of water.

      “I’m going to ease you into a sitting position and get your hair wrapped up.” He grabbed the towel.

      Madison sat up as he wound the towel around her long, wet hair. She smiled to herself. His care made her heart open wide with ribbons of happiness. His slight awkwardness was touching to her.

      Travis pushed the ruck out of the way, and with one hand on the towel, he got Madison to turn around. “I’m going to lean up against the cave wall and you’re going to sit between my legs. I’ll dry your hair enough to run a comb through it.”

      “Okay,” she said, her voice a little breathless. She felt him sit down and saw his long, hard legs appear on either side of her. She sensed his heat, smelled him and his hands moving with luxurious slowness to dry her hair. Thick, wet strands fell around her face and shoulders. Madison smiled softly. Travis was all thumbs, but who cared? The fact he’d do this for her made her want him even more.

      After placing the damp towel around her shoulders, Travis pulled the comb out of his cammie pocket. Madison sat straight, legs crossed, her hands in her lap. Easing his fingers through that dark blond mass, Travis urged it across her proud shoulders until all of it hung like molten gold between her shoulder blades. He went to work to tame it.

      “Start at the ends,” Madison told him, “and work your way up.”

      Travis nodded. “I can take apart my M-4 blindfolded and put it back together again but when I see the tangles and snarls in your hair I don’t have a clue.” He laughed.

      “You’re doing fine,” she whispered, closing her eyes. Her scalp prickled and tingled with sparks of heat when his fingers accidentally grazed her. It felt so good. So...intimate. So hot. Madison could feel dampness collecting between her thighs and groaned to herself. She wanted to lift her hand and skim it down his hard, long thigh, wanting to feel his muscles leap, feel his response. Did he feel it, too?

      Travis forced himself to focus on just her hair. God knew, he wanted to do so much more. And all too soon, her hair lay wet and gleaming, slightly curled, halfway down her back. In a selfish move, he slid his hands beneath the heavy curls and lifted them to his face, inhaling their fragrance. The fire within him expanded exponentially, making him clench his teeth for a moment until he wrestled himself back under control. Gently allowing her hair to lie against her back, he struggled and took in a deep, ragged breath.

      “Could you braid it?”

      Travis froze for a moment, caught up in the blaze within his body. “Braid?” he managed, his voice gruff sounding.

      “I always plait my hair into one long braid. That way it’s out of my way.” Madison twisted a look over her shoulder. The expression in his eyes was raw, hungry. And just as swiftly, that burning look was gone. Her lips parted and Madison felt suddenly shaky, understanding more was going on than she realized.

      “Yeah, I can braid it. Sort of like braiding a horse’s tail,” he said.

      Oh, hell. He’d blown it! Madison’s expression told him everything. Travis wrestled inwardly with himself. His desire clashed with his sense of what was right and wrong. And he was acting more like a teenager than a grown, mature man. Worse, she’d caught him at it. So much for SEAL stealth, right? Furious with himself, Travis softened his voice. “Well, maybe not a horse’s tail, but you know what I mean?”

      Madison wisely turned around. “I know what you mean,” she whispered. Unsure, she sat primly, shoulders thrown back, spine straight, hands in her lap. Her heart yearned for him even more now. Madison felt him divide her hair into three thick plaits, confidently weaving her hair into that braid she’d asked for.

      “Do you have sisters?”

      Travis frowned. “No. Can you tell?” he asked wryly, looking up and seeing her profile and her lips curving.

      “No, not really.”

      “How about you? Sisters? Brothers?” His fingers felt on fire, wanting desperately to maintain contact with her. Travis frowned, knowing he wasn’t controlling himself as much as he wished he could. Somehow, Madison had crawled into his heart, his body and innocently staked a claim on him.

      “No, only child.”

      “What will you do once we get you out of here?”

      “Go back to the ranch. Tell my parents how sorry I am I screwed this up for them.”

      Travis always carried string in one of his pockets. He let the braid sit against her back, dug out the string, cut off a piece of it with his KA-BAR and then tied it around the end of her braid to hold it in place. “I think they’re going to be far happier to see you home than be angry about it,” he told her. “There. Your braid is done.”

      Madison turned around between his long legs and sat back on her heels. She pushed her damp palms against the cammies she wore. “Thank you. You have no idea how good it makes me feel.”

      He wanted to feel, all right. Her. Every square inch of her flesh. Explore her. Feel her react to him. Listen to happy sounds caught in her throat as he pleasured her. Travis met and held her sincere and grateful blue gaze.

      Madison looked like the girl next door, some shorter curls soft and dried at her temples, giving her a mussed appearance. She needed no makeup. Nothing. Her cheeks were flushed pink and that mouth of hers damn near did him in. Forcing himself to get up, Travis said, “Glad to be of help.”