But it seemed Commander Levy was smarter than that. He wasn’t about to embarrass himself by drawing even more attention to his students. Instead, he let out a sigh, probably wondering when the hell he’d be rid of me so his life could go back to normal.
Just a little longer, Levy. Just a little longer.
“Nice to see you made it on time. I thought for a minute there I’d have to send out a search party.”
I could hear Panther making small talk with Captain Perry beside me, and as he finished up I decided what the hell, and reached for his hand again, pulling him by my side.
“Was just waiting for my…partner,” I said with a broad grin, letting Levy take that any way he wanted. When Panther squeezed the ever-loving shit out of my hand, I realized that maybe I’d overplayed the whole throw-caution-to-the-wind thing.
Eh, Panther knew who I was when he signed up for this gig.
“Lieutenant Hughes.”
“Commander Levy.”
The exchange was made with such formality and such finality that I knew that would be the end of that, and it didn’t take a genius to know why. I could feel the ice-cold stare-down from the man standing to Levy’s right, but as I moved in his direction, I thought, Well, at least I have my pants on this time.
Bracing myself for what was sure to be an epic dressing-down on a public scale, I tightened my hold on Panther’s hand and waited for whatever Captain Hughes had to say. His eyes lowered to our hands and then roamed back up to my face. Just as I was about to let go of Panther’s hand so I could shake his father’s, Captain Hughes said, “You’re late, Lieutenant Hughes.”
Oh, shit. Not only had he completely ignored me, he was looking at Panther like he wanted to take him outside and ream him a new one. That look was fucking terrifying, and I didn’t easily scare.
Neither, apparently, did Panther.
“I was waiting for my date.”
My head whipped around so fast that I was surprised I didn’t snap my neck. I wasn’t sure why I was so shocked. Panther had told me he wanted to do this. But somewhere in the back of my head, I’d been waiting for him to change his mind. I’d been waiting for him to, what…disappoint me?
Seemed I’d be waiting a lot longer if that was the case.
“Solo, I know you two have met before, but I’d like to formally introduce you to my father. Captain Hughes, this is Lieutenant Morgan.”
My jaw joined everyone else’s in nearly hitting the floor. Panther flashed that crooked smile my way, and I couldn’t help but wonder where the nervous guy from outside had gone, because the man now standing beside me seemed one hundred percent confident in what he was doing. And fuck me, that was hot.
“Son,” Captain Hughes said, and then cleared his throat. “I think we should maybe—”
“Dad. This is Solo. He’s important to me.”
Captain’s Hughes jaw twitched as he turned his eyes my way. He swallowed and held his hand out to me, and Panther let go of my hand so I could shake it.
“Good evening, Lieutenant Morgan.”
His handshake was firm, and no one was more surprised than me when he didn’t try to break it.
“Good evening, captain.”
He swallowed—probably all the words he really wanted to say—and said, “You two have done very well in the Elite program so far. I hope you have a nice evening.”
“Thanks, uh, we’ll definitely try.”
He nodded and released my hand, and, not being stupid, I took that as my cue to keep on going. Panther stopped in front of his father and they exchanged quiet words.
It wasn’t until Panther sidled up beside me at the end of the receiving line and slipped his hand into mine that I realized we’d managed to weather this storm together and come out the other side intact…for now.
I glanced around the room, trying to locate the rest of our class, but it wasn’t hard to find them, since most were standing at our table with their mouths wide and their eyes round as saucers.
So I plastered a smirk on my face—I mean, let’s face it, my date is the hottest—and sauntered toward them, Panther following. When we stopped in front of the nosy bastards, I said, “Okay, assholes, who’s buying the first round? I could do with a drink.”
3 Panther
“IT DOESN’T USUALLY take you more than one try to get it in the hole.” Solo’s breath tickled my ear as he chuckled and pressed his body more firmly against my back. “Need me to take over?”
“I can get it.” And really, I could. I just needed to figure out which of the two holes staring back at me was the right one. I closed one eye, and when one of the holes disappeared, I tried the one remaining.
“Mmm, yes,” Solo whispered. “Success.”
I chuckled, twisting the key so the lock popped, and then practically fell as the door swung open. Solo grabbed me from behind before I could face-plant, his strong arm wrapping tight around my waist, and then laughed.
“I guess those shots in the limo just hit.”
“I’m not drunk.”
“No? Where’s your hat?”
I looked around me, felt on top of my head, and looked down again.
Solo laughed and produced the hat from behind his back. “Looking for this?”
I grabbed the hat and tossed it across the room like a Frisbee. Then I reached for his and did the same.
So handsome… Solo in his dress whites would never fail to take my breath away. As much as I wanted to strip him naked now that I finally had him alone, I also wanted to take my time just looking at him.
He smirked. “See something you like?”
“Oh yeah.” I ran my hands over his chest and stepped in closer to nuzzle his neck. “Why do you have to look so good?” I breathed him in and sighed. “And smell so damn good.”
Solo vibrated with laughter as he wrapped his arms around me. “Okay, that tequila is kicking in.”
“Don’t need tequila to see how hot you are.”
“Both of me?” Solo’s lips quirked as I pulled back to look at him.
“Mhmm. Which one to kiss first…”
Solo’s grin grew, and then he reached for me, bringing his hands up to hold my face. I closed my eyes as his lips brushed against mine.
And then I was lost.
He deepened the kiss slowly, running his tongue along my lower lip before diving in to taste me. I couldn’t stop my groan as I finally got the connection I’d been dying for all night. Even though we’d walked into the Navy Ball together and made our status known to everyone in that room, we’d still shied away from any PDA, especially with our superiors watching. Not to mention our fellow Elite trainees, all of whom had looked a little shell-shocked and not sure what to say. It hadn’t been my plan to drink much, but I couldn’t deny the way the beers sent my way had helped, and by the time we’d crawled into Houdini’s limo, I’d been relaxed enough to take every shot thrust my way. All while Solo watched from beside me, his hand on my thigh, stroking his thumb across my pants lightly…
Solo broke our kiss, his lips swollen and looking more delicious than I’d ever seen them. I leaned forward again, not wanting to sever our connection, but he held his finger up to my mouth.
“Where are you going?”
Solo strolled over to the nightstand and took his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled for a moment and then looked up at me. “I wanted to do this all night.” He set the phone down, and as the sultry sound of “Stormy Weather” by Etta James filled the room, Solo said, “Dance with me?”
The sensual light in his eyes and husky cadence to his voice had my knees just about giving out from under me, and when he held his hand out to me, there was no way in hell I was about to deny him. I slipped my hand into his, and when his fingers enveloped mine and he drew me into his embrace, I placed my palm on his chest to steady myself.
Damn, who knew Solo was such a romantic?
As we began to sway back and forth around my living quarters, Solo brushed a kiss across my temple an
d whispered by my ear, “This song is exactly how I felt when you drove away from me tonight. Like I couldn’t breathe…couldn’t go on knowing you were going to be so close but I couldn’t actually touch you.”
My heart thumped as he continued to slowly lead me in this seductive dance that made me feel as though I were floating.
“But then,” he continued, kissing his way up the shell of my ear. “Then I got to the ball and there you were, waiting for me like some kind of dream…”
My eyes fluttered shut as he tightened his fingers around mine.
“But you’re not a dream.”
I took a deep inhale of his delicious scent, then raised my head and opened my eyes. The raw emotion swirling in those beautiful brown eyes was breathtaking. It was full of trust, honesty, and absolute devotion. Solo had barreled into my life like a hurricane and made me fall head over heels for him, and with every minute we spent together, I got more caught up in his pull.
I touched the strong line of Solo’s jaw, then brushed my thumb over his lower lip and shook my head. “Not a dream. I’m standing right here.”
Solo’s body vibrated against mine. I drew my hand away and whispered, “Kiss me again.”
As Solo took a nice, long taste of me, I groaned. Tonight might have gotten off to a stormy start, but now that we were together, I knew we could navigate anything that came our way.
4 Solo
PANTHER’S LIPS WERE intoxicating. All night I’d been careful not to overdo it with the alcohol, knowing that Panther would likely need the liquid courage more than me. But as we continued to move to the sound of Etta, I felt as though my head were starting to spin.
Tonight had completely taken me by surprise, from Panther waiting for me outside that ballroom, to the ballsy way he’d told his father how much I meant to him, and I couldn’t help but believe that every single one of those moments had led us right here.
I could feel his nose nuzzling against my ear, his warm breath as he sighed in pleasure every now and then. When his hips brushed up against mine, it was easy to tell that Panther was enjoying this dance just as much as I was.
We’d waited for it all night, watching as other couples casually made their way to the dance floor, but each knowing on some subliminal level that we wanted our first dance to be one we could enjoy—not one where we’d be under scrutiny from everyone around us. I tightened my arm around his waist and drew him flush against me. Panther groaned and raised his head.
His eyes were dilated now, his cheeks a little flushed, and when I drew his arm up over my shoulder, he got the picture and looped his other hand there to move in even closer. I slid both hands down to his tailored pants and pulled him in nice and tight. When he thrust up against me, I smirked.
“You know, you surprised me tonight. You took a really big risk doing what you did.” Panther licked along his bottom lip as I grabbed a handful of his tight ass.
“Some things are worth the risk.”
“Yeah?”
Panther nodded and ran his fingers up the back of my neck. “You’re worth the risk.”
I grinned against his mouth. “That you or the tequila talking?”
He bit down harder on my lip before pressing a kiss there to soothe it. “Me. I’ve never met anyone worthier.”
I chuckled. “Okay, that is definitely the tequila talking.”
“Shh.” Panther softened the order with a kiss so sweet it made my stomach flip. When the song shuffled and The Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes for You” filled the room, he raised his head and gave a heart-stopping smile.
“What?”
“I was just thinking how perfect this song is.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Mhmm.” Panther trailed a hand down my spine to my waist, then pivoted, taking the lead from me. “I love it. It’s very…romantic.”
“I can be romantic.”
Panther kissed his way along my jaw to my ear. Goosebumps covered my arms as he whispered, “Apparently so. Who knew?”
I looked him in the eye and grinned. “No fucking one.”
Panther tugged me in closer. “You saying I make you feel romantic, Mateo?”
Fuck. Panther saying my name always made my body respond. But add in the night, the mood, and the way he was eyeing me like he never wanted to stop looking at me, and I was a goner.
I licked along my lower lip. “Among other things…”
Panther flattened his palm and smoothed it over the round curve of my ass, much like I had to him, then pulled me in so he could rub his hard cock up against mine. I looped my arms around his neck, more than happy to let him do with me what he wanted.
“Probably smart we didn’t do this at the ball, then, huh?”
“Probably,” I said as I tipped my head back. Not a second later, he was kissing his way up and over my Adam’s apple.
“Pretty sure we shocked everyone enough without me doing something like this to you out there on the dance floor.”
“Fuck everyone else.”
Panther scraped his teeth along my jaw, brought his other hand down to join the one on my ass, and began to walk me back toward his bed. “I’d rather fuck you…”
When the back of my legs hit the mattress, he ran a thumb across my swollen lips. My pulse raced at the hunger in his eyes. He reached for the brass buttons on my dress jacket and began to unbutton them.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?”
I scoffed, but before I could respond, Panther shook his head and said, “Before you even ask, that’s also me talking.”
As he got to the final button and my jacket hung open, he touched my cheek and his eyes roamed over my face.
“Beautiful. Sexy. And mine…”
In the past, the idea of belonging to someone had always filled me with a sense of panic. A need to run, to get away from any kind of commitment that made me give my heart over to a situation or someone who could hurt me. But as I stood there in front of Panther, I thought, Please don’t break my heart. Because no matter how hard I’d tried to keep this fun, to keep this thing between us casual, there was no mistaking that tonight, everything had changed.
“Yours,” I said before I could stop myself, and then Panther slipped his hand under my jacket and drew me to him. “Now prove it.”
As we fell onto his bed and the rest of the world disappeared from view, I thought what a perfect song and ending this was to our night, because in that moment, I only had eyes for Grant Hughes.
5 Panther
IT WAS ALL I could do not to grab Solo’s hand as we entered NAFTA the Monday morning after the Navy Ball, but since PDA of any kind between any pairing wasn’t permitted, I held myself back.
But just barely.
“Care to take bets on who’s gonna give us the most shit?” Solo asked after we’d made it through the security check. He looked at me, eyes gleaming with mischief as he slid his phone back into his pocket.
“Everyone?”
“Maybe. Gooch has already been blowing up my phone, but I’ll go with Utah. He was staring fucking daggers our way at the party.”
“What else is new,” I said as we headed toward the locker room. “The guy’s a dick and hates everyone.”
“Probably because he’s at the bottom of the pile. How’d he even get in?”
“Don’t start anything.”
“Who, me?”
“Yes, you. We don’t need any more attention.”
“What if he asks for it?”
“Solo…”
He sighed. “Fine. I’ll behave.”
“I didn’t say to make promises you can’t keep.” I shot him a wink and then stepped into the locker room, where the rest of the male trainees were already in various states of undress. As soon as they saw the two of us, almost all of them began to clap and whoop, and Gucci even had the balls to start making sex noises as he thrust his hips in the air.
I didn’t embarrass easy—usually—but while Solo just laughed, I could feel heat creep
ing up my neck.
Houdini threw his arm around me. “You could’ve told me.”
“You were a little busy.”
“Damn right I was. How about I get a little applause for that.” Houdini dropped his arm and turned around. “Go ahead. Pat me on the back.”
“Whiplash is gonna kick your ass when she hears about this,” Gucci said.
Houdini looked around. “Please. She’s probably in the girls’ locker room bragging about my dick right now.”
I groaned and popped open my locker. “If you don’t shut up, there won’t be a second date, dumbass.”
“How do you know there wasn’t one already?” When I raised an eyebrow, Houdini grinned. “Speakin’ of second dates, you didn’t answer your phone all weekend.”
“So?”
“Sooo, I’m guessing you had a good second and third orgasm—ow, I mean date.” Houdini rubbed the back of his head where Solo had smacked him. “What? It’s public knowledge now.”
More than aware of all the eyes staring my way, I kept my focus on the contents of my locker and kicked off my shoes as Solo said, “If you were so satisfied with your own sex life, you wouldn’t be so eager for details about ours.”
Snickers rang out in the room, and Houdini held his hands up in surrender. Solo winked at me, and I could only shake my head as I stuffed my sunglasses and phone into the locker.
I’d been surprised that none of the guys had asked any questions at the Navy Ball, but there were so many of our superiors hanging around that it served as a decent enough block. It didn’t stop the curious glances, and I knew there would be more questions, especially from Houdini, later, but for now, I needed to refocus and think about the day’s upcoming—
“Well, if it isn’t the lovebirds of the Elite.” Utah walked in from the showers, a towel around his waist. He looked between Solo and me, crossed his arms, and leaned against his locker.
Solo rolled his eyes. “Give it a rest, Utah.”
Classified (The Elite Book 3) Page 2