Free [Atlantean's Quest 05] Atlantean Heat by Jordan Summers Page B

appeared she was alone. Cassandra glanced at the water once
    more, the vast openness calling to her, daring her to enter its depths. She stood. There was no sense
    resisting what was inevitable. Stripping off her flight suit, she faced the ocean. Her naked flesh puckered
    under the cool air, relishing its cold-fingered touch.
    Cassandra raced into the surf with a reckless abandon that harkened back to her childhood. The cool
    water momentarily took her breath away. The water near Atlantis had been warm year around. It took
    Cassandra a couple of minutes to adjust to the change. The frothy brine lapped at her skin as she dove
    headfirst into an oncoming wave.
    * * * * *
    Buzz Rittner jogged harder on the wet sand. Anger surged through him as he recalled his commander’s
    orders. You will take your leave, effective immediately. He figured he was the only Ground Training
    Officer at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar ever forced into a leave.
    Well that wasn’t exactly true, he had been commanded, but the leave was permanent. At least that’s
    what the early retirement papers he’d received yesterday had said. He’d immediately phoned his sister
    Carrie for support. She was the only woman in his life that he trusted. Unfortunately, this time Carrie’s
    advice had mirrored the military’s.
    He growled in frustration and ran harder, ignoring the pain and slight weakness that now accompanied his
    workouts. At forty-three, he considered himself in prime physical shape. Just not good enough to go
    back into space, after exposure to radiation poisoning. The little voice inside his head whispered. It
    had been the fucking kiss of death to his career.
    Buzz knew his attitude of late hadn’t been the best. Frustration did that to a man. He knew he was a
    tough man to train under, but he hadn’t thought he’d been that bad.
    Asking him to leave had probably tickled the commander pink. The bastards had finally gotten rid of their
    damaged goods. Damn them all!
    He pushed on, eating up miles on the sand. Malibu was gorgeous this time of the morning, no people,
    only sand, ocean--and the naked blonde who’d just broken through the surf in front of him.
    Naked blonde? Where in the hell had she come from?
    Buzz came close to tripping when she turned her head to stare at him with those striking blue eyes of
    hers. Still quite a few yards away, he knew there’d been no mistake. Her eyes were the brightest blue
    he’d ever seen, the color of the ocean when he’d viewed it from space.
    He glanced over his shoulder to ensure there wasn’t another runner behind him. Nope. It was just the
    two of them, completely alone. Every muscle in his body tightened as he neared what he could now see
    was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
    His gaze traveled down the length of her, taking in her slim waist and perfect navel, before zeroing in on
    her world-class breasts. Her rose-colored nipples alone were enough to give him erotic dreams for a
    month.
    She didn’t have movie star looks like most of the women in Los Angeles. Hers was an earthy beauty,
    one that didn’t need makeup or surgery to create. She had a wide, full mouth that held a hint of color he
    knew instinctively had not come from a tube. Her height was impressive, damn near six feet, give or take
    an inch, if where the surf hit her was any indication. Buzz was suddenly glad he had reached six foot four.
    She was lush, her curves round and firm, made for exploring. The woman was like sex on a stick, just
    waiting to be devoured by the right man.
    Buzz’s cock leapt to attention. Thank God for baggy sweats. He debated whether to stop as he got
    closer, but the truth was, the last thing he needed was an entanglement. He had enough problems without
    adding a woman, albeit a beautiful naked woman, into the mix. But damn, he was tempted—oh, so
    tempted.
    “Down, boy,” he muttered to himself as he passed the woman, giving her a quick nod and a flash of