by Elle James
She nodded. “Give me a minute to get some things.” Casey snagged the bulky satchel from the floor by the door and added to it a toiletries kit and a change of clothes. “Ready,” she said, and walked with him out of the apartment.
Jacob pieced the doorframe back in place, twisted the lock and pulled the door shut.
“It won’t take much to push it open, but it will at least keep the honest people honest.”
“There’s not much in there that I care about. Everything important to me and my business is in here.” She patted her heavy bag. “You’re right. The sooner we get them married and off on their honeymoon, the better I’ll feel.”
Casey let Jacob help her into his truck, even though she was perfectly capable of getting in on her own. Any chance she could get for him to touch her was fine by her. And everywhere his fingers brushed left her quivering in anticipation of what might happen when they got to his hotel room.
Jacob sped through the streets of San Diego to the hotel. Yes, he was concerned about his friend Hawk. However, an even more immediate need was getting Casey to his room and naked.
As soon as he came to a halt in the hotel parking lot, he killed the engine and hopped down from his truck.
Casey was already out on the other side, carrying her oversized tote bag. “I texted Kalea. They’re in her room.”
He held out his hand.
She took it, and they entered the building, walking briskly.
Moments later, they passed the walkie talkie through the door of Kalea’s room to Hawk. The man was shirtless and eager to close the door as quickly as he opened it.
Jacob grinned, glad the happy pair hadn’t wanted them to stop to share a nightcap and chat.
By the time he and Casey reached his room, Jacob was past ready to be alone with Casey. As soon as they were inside the door, he kicked it closed and slipped the tote bag from her shoulder, surprised at how heavy it was. “You don’t have to stay with me, if you don’t want to. I could get you a room to yourself,” he said as he gripped the elastic band that held her hair back in its perpetual ponytail.
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” she asked, her fingers bunching in his T-shirt, tugging it loose from the waistband of his jeans. “If you are, tell me now, before it’s too late.” She yanked the shirt free. “Oops, sorry. It’s too late.” With a grin, she pulled the shirt up over his head and tossed it to the side. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a shower to get the saltwater off my body.”
He pulled her shirt over her head and flung it across the room. “There’s only one shower.”
“Darn. Guess we’ll have to share.” She flicked the button loose on his jeans and carefully ran the zipper down, until his cock sprang free.
Jacob sucked in a breath, his heart pounding against his ribs. “Guess so.” He bent, caught her behind her thighs and lifted her.
Casey wrapped her legs around his waist and bent to cover his mouth with hers.
They kissed all the way into the bathroom, their tongues twisting and darting, as if they couldn’t get enough of each other.
Jacob set her on the floor, turned on the shower and the stripping began in earnest. Moments later, they were naked and standing beneath the spray.
He squirted bodywash into his hands and rubbed it across her body, covering every inch with sweet-smelling suds.
After smoothing away the soap, he stopped to tweak the tight little beads of her nipples. Then he took one into his mouth and sucked hard while he pinched the tip of the other, gently.
She moaned and writhed beneath his mouth and fingers.
Flicking and nipping at her nipple, he took all of the rounded globe into his mouth and sucked hard. Then he moved to the other breast, treating it to the same, his hands sliding lower, over her ribs, along the curve of her waist and past the indentation of her bellybutton.
He paused when he came to the tuft of hair at the apex of her thighs.
She moved to widen her stance, allowing him to part her folds and stroke her there.
Her head tipped back. “Oh, Jacob. Yes.”
He stroked her nubbin of flesh, flicking and teasing her until she raised her leg, wrapping her calf around his thigh.
He slipped a finger into her channel.
She sank a little, urging him deeper.
Slipping in two more fingers, he drove as deep as he could, stretching her entrance.
Casey rested her hands on his shoulders. “Sweet Jesus. I want more.”
He laughed and swirled, and then removed his hand. “I left protection in the other room. If you want more, we have to take it to the mattress.”
“Hell, what are we waiting for?” She squirted soap onto her palms and rubbed them together into a bubbly lather. Then she went to work, touching him all over his body, slowing when her hands curled around his shaft.
He moaned. “Protection?”
“Don’t need it for what I’m about to do.” She leaned back and let the spray rinse the soap from his body. Then she dropped to her knees on the tile and took his cock in her hands.
Water poured down on her, making long snakes of her hair, the rivulets running down her back and sloping off the tips of her breasts. He smoothed his hands over her wet hair and cupped the back of her head.
She took him into her mouth, transferring her hands from his shaft to his backside to bring him all the way in until he bumped against the back of her throat.
Her tongue swirled around him as he backed out, until her lips caught on the rim of his cock.
She flicked him and tapped the tiny hole at the end, then she sucked him back into her mouth, her hands going to his hips, setting the pace of his movements in and out. She took him in over and over, water running over her body, making her slick and shiny.
When he couldn’t hold back anymore, he pulled free, drew her to her feet and kissed her long and hard, the taste of him in her mouth more than he could handle. Then he reached behind her and shut off the water, grabbed a towel and started drying her body, memorizing every inch as he went. He wanted to know every scar, every birthmark, everything that made Casey so amazing.
She worked another towel to dry him as well. Still damp, he lifted her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, laying her on the bed. He dug into the nightstand for the box of condoms he’d pun in there earlier that day. The box had been in his truck console on the off chance he found a willing woman at his buddy’s wedding.
And he’d found one. A beautiful woman he was falling for. Hard.
She was everything he could ever want in a partner. Strong, determined and sexy as hell. Not to mention fierce and courageous. She’d handled herself like a seasoned warrior when confronted by the cartel.
His fingers curled around a foil packet, and he held it up. “Success.”
She laughed. “Not until you use it.”
“And we will. After.”
Casey leaned up on one elbow. “After what?”
He stalked her like an animal going after his prey.
Her eyes flashed, and her legs parted as he crawled up on the bed and leaned over her.
“After I make you come apart.”
She stared up at him, her breathing already ragged. “Promises, promises.”
“I keep my promises.” He laid the condom on the pillow beside her and kissed her, thrusting between her teeth, caressing her tongue with his. When he’d taken his fill, he trailed his lips along the firm line of her jaw, down her long, slender neck to the base of her throat where her pulse beat hard and fast.
He paused there, reveling in the thunderous rhythm of her heart. He did that to her. That was the only kind of power he wanted over a woman. The power of sheer desire.
Jacob moved downward to capture each of her nipples, one at time, between his teeth, tempting, teasing and flicking them until she writhed beneath him. Abandoning them, he moved down her torso, to his goal.
Parting her folds, he flicked her clit with his thumb, dipped into her
channel and dragged her thick juices up to that nubbin of nerve-packed flesh and swirled until she wove her fingers into his hair.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Please what?”
“Please….” she sucked in a breath, “me.”
He chuckled and blew a warm stream of air over her heated flesh. Then he touched her there with his tongue.
Her back arched off the mattress. “Yes!”
When he flicked her again, she raised her knees and dug her heels into the mattress, lifting her hips, bringing her up to meet his next touch.
His body burned to be inside her, but he wanted her to come before he slaked his own thirst. He tapped, flicked, swirled and licked her there, a relentless onslaught to her senses.
Casey’s body tensed, her muscles tightening. Then she froze, her breath catching and holding. For a long moment, she didn’t move as he continued his campaign.
Then her fingernails dug into his scalp, and her hips rocked in the jerky, unsteady rhythm of someone lost in release.
When she drew in her next breath, she said. “Now. I want you. Inside. Me. Now.” She pulled on his hair, dragging him up her body. She grabbed the condom he’d left on the pillow beside her, tore it open and rolled it down over his engorged staff.
As soon as she’d sheathed him, he positioned himself at her entrance. “Are you sure about this?”
“For the love of—” She gripped his hips and brought him home in one long, swift thrust.
Buried deep inside of her, he held steady for a long moment, allowing her channel to adjust to his girth.
Unwilling to wait another second, Casey guided him, increasing the pace of his thrusts until he moved like a piston, in and out.
Tension built, filling him, pushing him to the edge.
The next thrust sent him shooting toward the stars. He drove deep, his shaft pulsing, his body on fire. A flame that burned so hot it threatened to consume him.
When he finally came back to earth, he collapsed on top of her, took her in his arms and rolled onto his side, taking her with him. He was still buried inside her. If he could, he’d stay right there forever.
“That was amazing,” she said.
Jacob chuckled. “That’s exactly what I was going to say.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, each eyelid and the tip of her nose. “Do you know the only thing that could make it better?”
She cupped his cheeks with her hands. “Nothing could be better.”
He shook his head. “The only thing that would make it better, is if you would go out on a date with me first.”
Her mouth stretched into a wry smile. “I think that can be arranged.”
“You don’t have a problem dating a military guy?”
She smoothed her hand over his jaw. “I swore I never would.”
“And now?” he asked, holding his breath. Almost afraid she’d change her mind.
“Now, I know. I’m strong enough to live on my own. But I can choose to be with someone when he’s there, and be happy even when he’s not, knowing he’ll be back.”
He kissed her lips hard. “You don’t want me to quit the Navy?”
“No way. You are who you are in part due to the Navy and the training you completed. I wouldn’t ask you to give up something you love so much.”
He gathered her close. “Sweetheart, I think I’m in love.”
She laughed. “Isn’t it a little soon to know?”
“I think we’ve lived a lifetime in the past thirty-six hours.”
“No kidding,” she said. “But let’s take it a little slower and get to know each other before we make any rash decisions.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll give you until after the wedding. Then all bets are off.”
Chapter 14
Casey woke to her alarm at eight o’clock that morning. After a mere two hours of sleep and performing some pretty rigorous mattress gymnastics with Jacob, she was exhausted. Despite being tired, she’d never been happier. She rolled onto her side and stared at the man who’d done some amazing things to her the night before. His chin was covered in the sexy stubble that had abraded her skin so deliciously the night before. She brushed a kiss across his lips ever so lightly, not wanting to wake him. He needed the sleep, and she needed the uninterrupted time to coordinate.
Asleep, the man was tempting. Awake, he’d be impossible to ignore.
She slid out of the bed, grabbed her tote bag and padded to the bathroom where she applied her makeup, smoothed her hair with her flat iron and dressed in the clothes she’d shoved into her tote the night before.
Today was the big day. Her best friend was getting married to the man of her dreams, and Casey was going to make her wedding so memorable Kalea would smile every time she thought about it.
So, things weren’t going to go exactly as intended, but that’s what a wedding planner did. She made arrangements, and then rolled with the inevitable changes.
Her dress and the bride’s dress were at the chapel. She hoped Hawk was able to find something suitable to wear in place of the tuxedo that had been ruined in the scuffle with the cartel.
She glanced at her watch. First call needed to be to the photographer to ask her to come later in the afternoon. It wouldn’t be an all-day affair of watching the bride prepare for her wedding, surrounded by her friends, or friend, in this case. The photographer was fine with the change of plan and promised to be there two hours before the wedding to shoot the bride and groom getting ready for the big event, the wedding and the reception that followed.
Next call was to the hair and makeup artists.
She leaned against the counter, speaking softly so as not to wake Jacob in the next room.
“Layla’s Beauty by Design,” the receptionist answered.
Casey explained who she was and who was scheduled to be at the wedding venue at eleven, and that she needed to move the time to four o’clock that afternoon.
The receptionist asked her to hold.
Casey checked her planner as she waited for the woman to come back on the line.
“Miss Wesson, I’m sorry, but that time will not work for our stylist and makeup artists. Eleven is the only time they can make it. If you can’t work with that time, I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else.”
Casey straightened, her pulse pounding, her stress kicking up a notch. “Do you have anyone else?”
“I’m sorry. Everyone else is booked along with your original artist,” the receptionist said. “Do you want to cancel?”
Having promised Kalea she could sleep in, Casey hated to go back on her word, but the time just wouldn’t work. “Yes. Cancel my appointment.” She ended the call and tapped her cellphone against her chin.
A knock on the door made her jump.
Jacob poked his head in. “Everything all right?”
Casey’s lips pressed together. “Mostly.”
“Anything I can help you with?” He stepped into the bathroom, wearing only a pair of jeans with the button hanging loose.
“Mmm. Can you do hair and makeup?” Casey asked.
He crossed to her and pulled her into his arms.
She rested her cheek against his naked chest and inhaled the scent of him, relaxing a little.
“I can’t, but what about Camila’s cousin?”
Casey’s head came up, and she smiled. “Mina Perez. That’s a great idea.” She turned away from Jacob and pulled Mina’s card out of her tote and dialed the number.
While the phone rang on the other end, Jacob slipped his arms around her waist, pulled her back against his front and nuzzled her neck with his lips.
“Clips Ahoy,” a familiar voice answered.
“Mina, Casey Wesson here.”
“Oh, Casey, I’m so very glad to hear from you,” Mina said. “Rumor has it the family had a bit of a clash last night in Tijuana. I hope you weren’t in the middle of all that.”
“As a matter of fact, we were. But that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Are you busy around three this afternoon? I need someone to do a bride’s hair and makeup.”
“If I was booked, I’d reschedule. I’d love to help you out. Maybe it will make up for my idiot family. I swear, I’m going to change my name to Smith and move to the Midwest, someplace my relatives would never think to look for me.” She sighed. “All I need is an address. I’ll be there.”
“Bring a dress. I’m sure Kalea would like for you to stay for the wedding. Unless you have other plans.”
Mina snorted. “Seriously, I’d do the bride’s hair for free. Yours is the best offer I’ve had in a long time. I’ll be there fifteen minutes before three to set up. Tell your bride I’m in, and I’ll even help at the reception.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you so much.” Casey gave her the chapel address and ended the call. Immediately following, she ordered food to be delivered to Kalea’s room, to keep the bride’s strength up.
“What else can I help you with?” Jacob turned her in his arms and nibbled on her ear.
“I need to doublecheck with the bakery providing the cake, also with the florist, caterer and DJ.” Her eyes widened. “Right now, someone needs to find her father and make sure he’s okay—and not a word to him about what happened last night. He’ll pack up Kalea and take her right back to Hawaii in an instant.”
“I’ll take care of her father. What do you want me to tell him about why Kalea isn’t up and getting ready?”
“I don’t know. You can come up with something.” She leaned up on her toes. “I’ll need a ride to my SUV. I have some decorations I need to deliver to the reception hall.”
“We can help with the decorations,” Jacob offered. “I have an entire SEAL team, not to mention Hank and his guys, who can pitch in.”
“Really, if you can keep Kalea’s father entertained for the day, that would be the best thing you can do.”
“I can do that,” Jacob said. “Speaking of Hank, I just got off the phone with him. He notified the DEA of what happened after we left Tijuana. They caught Camila’s brothers with drugs coming back across the border, but Camila wasn’t with them. We’ll want to keep an eye out for her in case she shows up again.”