Danger Zone (The Elite Book 1)

by Brooke Blaine

  Not only did I have Panther breaking the rules, but I had a date with him tonight. Not even the verbal lashing I’d get from Commander Levy could bring me down.

  30 Panther

  AT FIVE FIFTY-FIVE p.m. I turned into the parking lot of Salsa’s and made my way through the rows of cars, looking for, and spotting, Solo’s ruby-red crotch rocket.

  The entire way over here tonight I’d been going back and forth on whether this was a smart idea. But as I pulled my bike in beside Solo’s, and my heart began to thump a little harder, I knew there’d really been no choice in the end.

  From the moment he’d left me at the Black Rock Cliffs yesterday, I’d wanted a repeat. In fact, it’d taken every ounce of willpower I possessed not to knock on his door when I’d arrived back on base, enter his room, and strip him naked. My mind had fixated on him even more since I’d finally gotten my hands on him.

  What would he look like naked?

  What would he be like in bed?

  How would he sound when I finally entered his body?

  And how would it feel when he entered mine?

  Those were the questions I couldn’t seem to shake. They were also the questions I’d imagined the answers to very vividly in my shower last night, then later in my bed.

  The fact that I’d been able to be anywhere near him at training today without getting a major hard-on was a damn miracle. It was also due largely in part to how many times I’d gotten myself off between yesterday and today.

  I cut the engine and removed my helmet, and as I sat there staring at Solo’s bike, I knew that by the end of the night I would have my answers. I was almost as certain that being here was asking for all kinds of trouble. That didn’t stop me, however, from getting off my bike, securing my helmet, and heading inside to track down the man I’d wanted since the moment I laid eyes on him.

  As I crossed the lot toward the two-story adobe building that was home to Salsa’s, I looked down at my navy button-up shirt, jeans, and black boots. I’d gone casual tonight, knowing this wasn’t a dress-up kind of date or place, but as I got closer to the front door, I began to second-guess my choices.

  Stop it, I told myself, as I reached for the door and pulled it open. But as I stepped inside the crowded foyer and it slammed shut behind me, the panic set in.

  Shoulder to shoulder with several other people waiting for a table, I couldn’t help but think: What if I see someone I know? What if they recognize me and it somehow gets back to my father that I was out eating dinner with Solo? But just as that thought entered my head, I heard my name being called out.

  “Grant? Grant! Over here.”

  I turned in the direction of the voice I was starting to hear in my dreams, and as Solo’s familiar face came into view, my breath got caught somewhere in the back of my throat.

  Damn, he was gorgeous. Not like I didn’t already know that, but I’d gotten so used to seeing him in his flight gear that I’d almost forgotten how amazing he looked out of it. Well, not out of it, per se, although I was fairly certain Solo naked just might kill me. But dressed in his civvies, he was one extraordinary-looking man.

  Tonight he’d gone with black boots and fitted black pants, paired with a wine-red deep V-neck t-shirt, which not only showed off his ripped biceps and chest, but also his dog tags, which invited me to take a good, long look at the tanned skin they lay on.

  My cock jerked as he made his way through the crowd toward me, and as he got closer, I noticed he had a small silver hoop in each ear, and wrapped around his right wrist was a leather band and a beaded bracelet.

  The overall package was super fucking hot, and when he stopped in front of me and flashed that heartbreaker smile, I had to remind myself I was out in public and couldn’t just grab him and kiss the ever-loving hell out of him.

  “You came,” Solo said, his eyes all but twinkling as he looked at me.

  “I told you I would.”

  Solo nodded and then sidled in closer beside me. “Yeah, but I wasn’t sure if you were fucking with me or not.”

  I arched an eyebrow and glanced at him, and something about his grin made me relax. “Trust me, you’ll know when I’m fucking with you. But for now, I believe you promised me a meal.”

  As I straightened, Solo licked along his bottom lip, and sweet God almighty, if this conversation was any indication, tonight was going to be torture. Because being this close to him, yet keeping my hands to myself, was proving to be much more difficult than I’d imagined. Something I’d become increasingly aware of throughout the day.

  Solo inclined his head for me to follow him, and I was careful not to make it too obvious that I was staring at the way his pants hugged his ass, just so I could claim tonight as partners hanging out if I was recognized. But Solo had been smart. He’d chosen a restaurant on the outskirts of town, not far from where we’d first met.

  He gave me the side of the booth facing the door, like he knew that would be my choice so I could keep an eye on the entrance. He was right, of course. It was a habit, one I’d picked up from my police officer friends.

  As soon as we sat down, a waiter stopped by to drop off chips and salsa, and after they took our drink order, Solo picked up a chip and loaded it down with the hot stuff.

  “Mmm,” he said around a mouthful. “The spicier the better.”

  “That seems to apply to most things in your life.”

  He swallowed, and then that sexy half-smile emerged. “Glad you’ve noticed.”

  “You’re pretty hard to ignore.”

  “A compliment. I’ll take it. But I have to say, I’m glad I got your attention.”

  The waiter dropped off the beers, and I took a long swig of the cold brew as I weighed what I wanted to say. I needed to be transparent here so there was no misunderstanding.

  “You know this isn’t a good idea.”

  Solo’s dark eyebrow rose. “Dinner? This much spicy salsa?”

  “This.” I motioned between us. “Whatever this is.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  A blunt question, just like the man himself. I hadn’t expected anything less. “Because,” I said, lifting the beer to my lips, “you got my attention.”

  That earned me another sexy grin, and it made me realize how much I’d be willing to give to keep scoring those. My gaze moved to the small silver hoops in his ear. He’d been wearing them the night we met, but since jewelry of any kind wasn’t allowed on base, I’d forgotten he had them.

  “You like?” Solo asked.

  “I do. Any other surprises?”

  “Yes, but you’ll have to find out for yourself.”

  Shit. Now I’d wonder for the rest of dinner what the hell he was hiding beneath those clothes. Just picturing what it could be had my cock throbbing, and I shifted in my seat.

  “I’d ask the same question, but I’d rather find them with my tongue.”

  God-fucking-dammit. Now I was sweating.

  As I wiped my brow, I had to laugh. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you? You know what? Don’t answer that. You like to do everything the hard way, in and out of the cockpit.”

  Solo groaned, his head falling back. “You’re right about that. I like everything fuckin’ hard. Especially you.”

  31 Solo

  IT WASN’T SHOCK written all over Panther’s face, but a combination of amusement mixed with frustration, maybe? Like every time I opened my mouth, it made the guy exasperated, but he still somehow found it hot. At least, I was assuming he found it hot. His actions while on his knees yesterday had told me as much.

  “That should have me out the door,” Panther said.

  “Then why aren’t you?”

  Panther looked down at the beer bottle he rolled between his hands. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”

  “I can help you there.”

  He lifted his head, a line forming between his brows. “You got me figured out?”

  “Easy. You’ve always played by the rules, and now you
want to break a few.”

  Panther snorted and shook his head. “And you assume I’m going to break them with you?”

  “Well, it was your mouth all over my dick yesterday—”

  “Jesus.” Panther glanced around, looking to see if anyone was listening in. Newsflash—they weren’t.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “I have a feeling I’ll regret it if I say yes.”

  I leaned forward, not to keep my voice down, but to get a better read on his answer. “My charming personality aside, do you see me getting shit from anyone?”

  Panther frowned. “What?”

  “At NAFTA. Have I gotten the short end of the stick in any way? Any hate from our instructors? What about the other trainees?”

  “No. What are you talking about—”

  “I’m gay.” As Panther sat there trying to piece together where I was going with that obvious statement, I said, “I’m gay, and not one person gives a flying fuck. So guess what? They wouldn’t give a flying fuck about you either.”

  He stared at me, unblinking, and then shifted in his seat. “It’s different—”

  “For you? Because you’re some special snowflake?”

  Panther’s blue eyes turned icy. “You know why it’s different. My father would make my life there a living hell. Not everyone can be as unaffected as you are about everything. I have to be smart here.” He pushed his beer away and stood up. “You know what, this was a bad idea—”

  “Wait.” I grabbed hold of his wrist before he could walk away and stood up so we were almost toe to toe. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to help.”

  With a sigh, Panther glanced down at the hold I had on him, and while he seemed to be debating whether to stay, I tugged him back to the table.

  “Come on. Just dinner. I’ll drop it.”

  Panther gave a short nod and then slid back into the booth as I did the same. I motioned for another round of beers and finished off my first.

  Why did I always have to butt in and interfere when it was so clearly not what others wanted? I couldn’t seem to help myself. It was like my mouth had a mind of its own, and there wasn’t one damn thing I could do to stop it.

  But for Panther, for tonight, I’d try.

  “I appreciate you wanting to help,” he said. “But I don’t have a choice right now.”

  All I could do to bite my tongue, because of course he had a choice—he just wouldn’t get the results that he wanted.

  But tonight wasn’t the time to delve into all those issues. It was time to flip the switch back to why I’d asked him here in the first place.

  “You’re a little buttoned up tonight, Lieutenant Hughes,” I said, sliding back into the sensual tone that told him exactly where I wanted to go. “Maybe a couple of those could, I dunno, pop off.”

  Panther glanced down at his shirt and then back to me, and the frustration from seconds ago vanished, a lighter emotion now filling those blue eyes of his. “Just pop off, huh?”

  I leaned back in the booth and shrugged. “Or, you know, I could rip ’em off.”

  Panther’s mouth curved as I lowered my eyes to the buttons of his shirt.

  “You like that idea? Me ripping your shirt off?”

  Panther raised his beer to his lips. “I don’t hate it.”

  I reached for a chip and scooped up some salsa. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, you know, for later.”

  “Later?”

  I swallowed my mouthful and then leaned forward, my eyes locking on Panther’s so he didn’t miss my meaning when I said, “Unless, of course, you’re not hungry anymore…”

  Panther’s eyes narrowed, and the intensity in that gaze was so potent that I had to reach between my legs to readjust myself.

  He hadn’t said a word and my cock felt as though he’d just wrapped his fingers around it and given me a nice, long stroke.

  “Oh, I’m hungry.”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. When Panther got like this, like he was that first night we’d met, I was lucky if I could form a coherent sentence. It was like a switch flipped and all of his hang-ups, all of his worries vanished, and he embraced that arrogant attitude that suited him so damn well.

  “You are?” I managed, though how, I had no idea, since all of the blood in my head had now gone south.

  “I am. But not for anything on that menu.”

  I licked at my suddenly dry lips, and when Panther’s eyes followed the path, I groaned. “Are you serious right now?”

  The expression on his face left little doubt he meant what he said. His lips were pulled taut, his cheeks were slightly flushed, and there was a slight twitching in his jaw. All signs that he was as on edge as I suddenly was.

  “Don’t I sound serious to you?”

  “You sound like you’re offering to eat me, so if that’s not what’s on the table, you need to stop teasing me right fucking now.”

  The sinful smile that curved Panther’s mouth was something straight out of every fuck fantasy I’d ever had of him. It was cocky as hell, and when I cursed beneath my breath, he chuckled.

  “Hmm, and here I thought you said you didn’t like things easy.”

  That was it. I slid out of the booth, and as I got to my feet, I didn’t bother trying to hide what he’d done to me—and I was happy to note Panther didn’t bother pretending not to look.

  I tossed a couple of bills onto the table then leaned down until my mouth was hovering only inches from his. “I don’t. I like them nice and hard. Exactly the way you’ve got me right now.”

  Panther’s eyes flared as I glanced down at his lap.

  “There’s a hotel at the far north end of Boundary. When you think you’re able to walk out of here, come meet me there. Actually, don’t come—do that when you meet me there.”

  I straightened, about to walk out when Panther grabbed my hand.

  “What makes you think I’ll be there?”

  I smirked as I pulled my hand free. “Because, like me, you can’t stay the fuck away.”

  32 Panther

  I WAS DOING this.

  I was throwing every ounce of caution to the wind and giving in to what I wanted and not what anyone else wanted for me.

  Would what was about to happen come back and bite me in the ass? Maybe. Probably. But I was much more looking forward to a certain someone biting me in the ass…

  I pulled into the hotel’s parking lot, spotting Solo’s motorcycle right away. I chose a spot in the adjacent lot, out of view of passing cars, just in case. It wasn’t likely anyone we trained with would be out this far, but you could never be too careful.

  Once I’d shut off the bike, I checked the text message Solo had sent with the number of the room.

  Solo: 323

  I made my way through the lobby toward the elevators, feeling like there was a bright spotlight on me, like everyone knew why I was there, when no one was paying me any attention at all.

  Paranoid much?

  Taking in a deep breath, I walked into the elevator and punched the button for the third floor. As the doors closed and I removed my jacket, I asked myself one last time if this was a good idea. But I didn’t have time to debate, because as the elevator reached the third floor and the doors opened, the sight of Solo leaning casually against the doorframe and looking good enough to eat clinched it.

  Decision made.

  Helmet in hand, I strolled forward as Solo’s eyes slowly trailed down my body. It was so potent that I could feel his searing gaze as it lingered below my hips, causing a visceral reaction I had no hope of hiding.

  My heart hammered in time with the throbbing in my dick, my blood pumping lust through my veins, my desire taking over. I’d wanted him the first night I saw him, but I’d held myself back. Every day since then, always holding back, never allowing myself the pleasure my body yearned to steal from his.

  It was when Solo’s heated gaze came back up to meet mine and he licked his lips that the feral animal inside was ready to cla
w itself out.

  I slipped my fingers into the waist of his pants and shoved him back into the room, dropping my helmet and jacket on the floor and then kicking the door shut.

  For once, Solo didn’t say a damn thing, choosing to take action instead, because as soon as the door shut, he charged forward, slamming his mouth against mine with such force that I stumbled back. He kept advancing until my back hit the door, and then he reached between us and stroked my swelling cock through my jeans, bringing it to full mast. I was so hard it was painful, and yet I relished it, remembering what Solo had said before about mixing pleasure with pain. Relief was coming, oh God was it coming, and as I sucked greedily on his tongue, my mind raced with how I wanted it to happen first.

  It was so reminiscent of the day at the cliffs when I’d gotten my first taste of him. It’d been a rush, hands and mouths everywhere, much like what was happening now. We went at each other like it was a race to the finish; I had a hold of his ass, forcing him against me so that his legs tangled with mine, giving my dick that delicious friction with every grind.

  I couldn’t get enough of him, of his hot, talented mouth, or the way I felt his erection rubbing against my leg, as hungry for release as mine.

  “Fuck,” he said, his lips still against mine, but he moved his hands to the button of his pants, and that was it. All bets were off.

  I pushed off the wall, breaking our connection as I moved in behind him and walked him forward so that his front was against the door and that sexy ass was perfectly positioned for my dick.

  “Nice maneuver,” he said, breathless and grinning as I reached around him, pushed his hands away, and then unbuttoned and unzipped him myself. With my hands busy, Solo took the opportunity to reach behind him for the waist of my jeans, flicking the button open and unzipping me in seconds.

  Greedy, greedy…

  But before he could let go, I reached for his hand and wrapped my fingers around his wrist, holding it in place behind his back. When he realized his error, Solo aimed a look over his shoulder, and the twinkle in his eye told me he was totally getting off on this new restriction.