Before he could continue that train of thought, he saw Cecil walk out the front doors and move briskly down the street. He’s walking with a purpose and not just a stroll. He watched as Cecil lifted his hand to hail a taxi and Jude was primed to pull out behind them. Just then a flash of color caught his eye. There was a woman wearing a red scarf, large sunglasses, and a coat hustling behind Cecil, waving to hail another cab. What the fuck? I’d know that woman anywhere and in any disguise.
Pulling his car right up beside her, he rolled down his window and barked, “Get in!”
The woman jumped backward in surprise, before peering inside the vehicle. “Jude? Wha—”
“Get the fuck in, Sabrina,” he said, his voice barely above a growl. “Now!”
She hustled over and hopped into the passenger side, buckling quickly as he pulled out into traffic, the taxicab still in front of him.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he got there first. “You want to tell me what the hell you’re doing?”
“I’m trying to help Nonnie,” she said, righteous indignation punctuating each word. “Why are you here?”
“I told you that I would work with Bart to see what we could come up with. You should have waited for me.”
She twisted in her seat, her glare boring a hole through him. “You never told me you were actively doing anything like this. How was I supposed to know what you were doing?”
“I purposefully left you out thinking it would protect you,” he argued back.
“Jude, I don’t need protecting. I can take care of myself, but would have gladly worked with you if you had told me.”
“Well, you weren’t exactly forthcoming when you said you were busy this afternoon,” he accused, referring to their earlier phone conversation.
“I didn’t lie—I am busy!” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Yeah, busy being seen!” He glanced over at her outfit, trying to stay irritated when a chuckle threatened to erupt. “Babe, seriously? A bright red scarf and sunglasses on a cloudy day. You practically scream, Here I am!”
Sabrina continued to glare but soon realized her pouting was counter-productive. Pulling the scarf off her head with a jerk, she said, “I guess my outfit does look silly. I just didn’t want him to recognize me.”
Heaving a sigh, he said, “You shouldn’t be in this at all, Sabrina. I don’t like this guy. I don’t trust this guy. And I certainly don’t want you anywhere near this guy.” He gave her a pointed stare. “By the way, how did you know where he lived? I had to get Bart and Luke on it.”
“I lucked out. He was just leaving Nonnie’s yesterday and he didn’t see me so I followed him.”
“Impressive,” Jude pronounced, a smile on his lips.
“We make a good team, don’t you think?” she said, hope in her voice.
He turned to look at her beautiful face staring at his. Bart says she loves me, but how long will she wait if I keep saying we can only be friends? I know I love her, so maybe it’s time to do something about it…before it’s too late!
Before he could speak, she said, “Look!”
Jude saw Cecil’s taxi pull up to a gated community on the outskirts of Virginia Beach and gain access to the area. Stuck on the outside, Jude cursed. Turning back to Sabrina, he said, “You got any ideas on who he might be visiting?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head in frustration. Looking over, she said, “How about we put our heads together and see what we can figure out.”
Grinning, he nodded. “Putting our heads together might be just the thing we need to do.”
* * *
Pizza boxes and empty beer bottles covered the old, scarred coffee table as Jude and Sabrina piled up on the comfortable sofa in Jude’s apartment a few hours later.
Jude worked on his laptop, banging away on the keyboard while occasionally emitting groans of frustration. “This guy is totally in the wind. There’s no virtual footprint that I can find.” Finally setting his computer to the side, he said, “I’m gonna have to leave that to Luke and focus on what I can do here.”
Looking over at him, she said, “You know more about what Bart does than I do.”
Shrugging, he said, “His job interested me when we met and especially after talking to his boss, Jack. It’s something that I would consider.”
“Well, I think you should definitely think of doing investigations instead of the job you have now, which you hate.” Leaning over, she placed her hand on his muscular arm, “I just want to see you happy.”
Turning, he stared into her wide, blue eyes. Her face was so close and his gaze dropped to her luscious mouth, pink wet lips slightly open.
“What would you say if I told you that I was thinking about working in security?” he said softly, watching carefully for her reaction.
“I know how miserable you are in your current job, so I’d be thrilled for you,” she replied.
Come on, man up, he told himself, watching the sadness slip into her eyes. “Sabrina?” he said softly, reaching out his hand, rubbing his knuckles over her silky cheek. He watched as she lifted her eyes back to his and recognized a flash of hope in them.
“I’ve…I…I wanted us to just be friends because…well, quite frankly, I wasn’t very happy with myself. When being a SEAL was taken from me, I felt…incomplete, and I wasn’t in a good place to be with someone romantically if I wasn’t a whole man.”
Her eyebrows drew together in question as she cocked her head to the side. “I know that, Jude. I tried to fight your stubborn pride for a long time before finally giving in to just being friends.”
Once more, the silence filled the space between them, this time slightly less heavy.
She licked her lips nervously, asking, “Is…um…something different now?” Her gaze drifted to his laptop and the notes she had been taking. “Does this make a difference?” she asked, pointing to evidence of their work.
He leaned back on the sofa and heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I guess it does. I know this may sound stupid, but for the first time in a long time, I feel excited to be working on something. I started out wanting to do this for you. I want to make sure you’re not taken advantage of, but then this is snowballing into proving I can plan and execute a mission that has nothing to do with the SEALs.”
She quietly watched the play of emotions cross his handsome face but smiled as she saw the slow grin. She had wanted him to find a place of peace for a year and watching it happen was like watching the sunrise on what you just knew was going to be a great day.
He tilted his head back, sighing, as he gazed up to the ceiling. “I had one of those days where the tedious duties of my job are so different from what I was doing as a SEAL, that I felt as though I would choke on the boredom. Lucy noticed and I felt like a pussy complaining to her.” He brought his head back down and met her gaze. “Then at the gym, I ran into Zane and Rick, both wanting me to go work for Jon at GAPS. It’s their security business.”
“What does GAPS stand for?” she asked.
“Guardian Angel Protection Services.”
“Is that what you want to do?” she asked, twisting her body so she was looking into his face. “Because if it is, you know that would be fine with me.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what jobs they would have for me.” He sighed again, his thoughts churning. “I guess I could consider it. There is something else, but I don’t know how you feel about it.”
Now he had her rapt attention. “Okay…” she prompted.
His eyes met hers as he leaned forward once more. “There’s one more thing I have to do before I can be ready to make this change in my life. And that’s to make sure that you’re with me.” He watched the confused expression morph into curiosity. She cocked her head to the side once more, the silent question reaching across the space.
“I tried so hard to push you away when I was injured, but you just wouldn’t leave me alone. But I knew that I couldn’t give you what you needed. Not then. No
t when I still had so much to prove to myself. Learn about myself. Figure out on my own.”
A tear dropped to her cheek and he wiped it gently with the rough pad of his thumb. Plunging on, he said, “I want to take this next step in my life. If I decide to do the investigating, I’d have to quit the job as a civilian with the Navy to try something new.”
Sabrina stayed silent, another tear following the path of the first one, once more gently wiped away.
“But I don’t want to make that kind of life-changing decision without you, my best friend,” he added.
Swallowing loudly, her head dropped as she fought the emotions ripping through her. This is what I wanted, she told herself. For him to be happy. She tried to calm her shaking voice as she assured, “Jude, I’ve always only wanted what was best for you. And if this change is right, then you have to take it.”
Letting out the breath he had been holding, a smile spread across his face. “Oh, babe, that’s just what I wanted to hear.”
Her lips parted but no words followed, surprise on her face. As he caressed her cheek once more, she leaned her face into his large, warm hand. Please say what I think you’re saying, Jude, she silently begged.
“I’ve loved you since the first day I met you,” he confessed. “I wanted you, claimed you, and planned on making you my wife.”
Another tear formed in the corner of her eye and stayed there, hanging on her lashes. He watched it, fascinated, as he continued.
“Maybe I’ve waited too long…” his voice drifted off, anguish in his eyes.
Sabrina bolted from her seat, throwing her arms around his neck, crying and saying, “No, no. Never too long. I love you, too.”
Chapter 5
As the rush of emotions crashed over the two, Jude pulled Sabrina’s face toward his, latching onto her mouth in a kiss. Plunging his tongue between her rosy lips, he re-discovered all of the treasures he had found when he first kissed her. Once more within her warm mouth, he wondered how he ever held her at arm’s length for so long.
Angling her head for better access, he continued to plunder, swallowing her moans as his own sounds were ringing in his ears.
Her fingers initially grasped the front his t-shirt before shifting to the bottom, pulling the soft material upward, a grunt of frustration emitting when she could not get it off.
He leaned back just long enough for her to pull it the rest of the way over his head before tossing the shirt onto the floor. Reciprocating, she allowed him to pull her sweater off as well, letting it land on the coffee table.
A silver medallion dangled from around his neck, catching her attention as she did not recognize it. He never used to wear a saint’s medallion.
He caught her curious gaze as he fingered the object. Answering her unasked question, he said, “It’s a St. Jude medallion. After I’d been injured, a priest came to visit me in the hospital. I was pretty pissed he was even implying that I might not be able to return to my team. As he left, he said it was interesting that St. Jude was the patron saint of the impossible…of lost causes. When I finally realized that I wasn’t going to be able to stay a SEAL, I was so angry. I saw this in a shop a few months ago and on a whim I bought it.”
His eyes went from the medallion to her face and saw her soft gaze on his.
“I’m so sorry, Jude. For everything.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I am a lost cause,” he muttered.
“No, no. You’re not a lost cause,” she refuted. “But sometimes hanging on to the past and not looking forward is the lost cause.” She lifted her hand and fingered the medallion. “Maybe the Saint works. After all, you thought we were a lost cause.”
Listening to her words flow over him, he could not keep the smile from his lips. “You may be right. I thought we were impossible…and now? You’re here in my arms once more.”
Locking lips again, he moved his mouth over hers, remembering the feel of her soft flesh as it melded with his. She sucked on his tongue and he felt his cock swell painfully in his jeans. Kissing down her jawline, he dipped to the indentation where her shoulders met her neck, sucking on her pulse point. She arched her back, her breasts pushing against his chest, feeling the material of the bra abrade her sensitive nipples.
Unclasping the offending material, he slid it off her body, freeing the rosy-tipped, full breasts that he so missed. They bounced as the bra flew across the room, landing near the lamp on the end table. Lifting his hands to her breasts, he felt their weight as his thumbs rubbed and then tweaked her nipples, once more catching her groan in his mouth.
“I want…” she said between kisses.
“Yeah,” was his reply, as he stood with her in his arms, walking down the hall leading to his bedroom. He swung to the left to keep her head from hitting the wall but banged her feet on the doorframe. Her grunt was interrupted by his kiss, as he staggered into the room, tossing her onto the bed.
“Smooth move, sailor-boy,” she giggled.
Watching her breasts bounce, he fell on top of her, careful to hold his weight up on his forearms. “Keep watching, baby-doll. I’ve got all kinds of smooth moves.”
Latching onto a rosy nipple, he sucked, nipped, licked, circling his tongue around the distended flesh before moving to the other one. Writhing on the bed, she pushed her hips up, coming into contact with the evidence of his arousal.
Her hand drifted down between them, palming the bulge in his pants. After a moment, he reached down to capture her wrist, pulling it upward over her head. She started to protest, but he said, “Can’t baby. I’ll be finished before we get started. It’s been so fuckin’ long.”
Her sex-induced fog lifted momentarily, allowing her to focus on his words. Been so fuckin’ long? Has he—
“I can hear the question in your head,” he said, lifting his head from her breasts. “And the answer is no. I haven’t been with anyone else since you.”
“Really?” she asked, her blue eyes wide as they focused on his face framed by the wavy hair she so loved.
“Babe, I’ve been in love with you this whole time. Why would I be with someone else when you were the only one I wanted?”
“I didn’t know,” she confessed. “I thought maybe just being friends meant that you had…well, gotten your needs…um…met some other way.”
He watched as a blush started from the tops of her breasts rising to her face. Remembering the stupid show he put on the night he left the bar with a pretend hookup just to try to push Sabrina away, he hung his head. Pulling himself up her body, he kissed the blush trail until he landed on her lips once more. “I was an ass that night and I’m so sorry for hurting you. I left that woman in the parking lot.”
He watched Sabrina’s adorable, confused expression and continued, “I never intended for anything to happen with her. You’ve been it for me. The reason I worked so hard to recuperate. The reason I was determined to find something that I loved doing, so that I could once again feel like the kind of man you deserved.”
“You never had to prove anything to me,” she protested, then quickly added, “But I know you felt as though you did.”
Her acknowledgment of his feelings poured over him, the warmth moving through his veins. Before he could say anything else, she whispered against his lips, “Please, make love to me.”
Needing no further encouragement, he rose from the bed and slipped her pants down her legs, snagging her silky, pink panties as he went. Her naked body lay exposed to his perusal and his breath caught in his throat as she presented herself to him. More beautiful than I remembered.
Her gaze dipped to his jeans, the bulge pressing against his zipper. “I think one of us is overdressed.”
With a wink, he shucked his jeans and boxers after toeing off his boots. Climbing back over her body, he began a slow exploration once more, starting with her legs. Running his fingers and lips along the delicious curves, he circled his tongue around her belly-button, the tickling motion causing her to squirm and giggle.
Mov
ing his lips back to her breasts, his fingers trailed along her moist slit, slipping into the prize. Her pussy walls were slick and tight and he quickly found the spot and the rhythm to cause her giggles to turn into moans.
Grasping the sheets in her fists, Sabrina leaned her head up, mesmerized while watching her nipples disappear in his mouth and feeling the jolts of electricity zinging from deep inside where his fingers worked their magic. A tear slid to the sheet, the fear that she would never share this with him again finally letting go.
“Baby?” he asked, stilling his fingers. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing,” she croaked. “I’m just happy.”
“Yeah?” he asked, a sly smile on his face. “Well, if you’re happy with just this, wait until you see what all I have in store for you.”
Biting her bottom lip, she then moaned as his fingers continued their exploration. Within a few minutes, she knew her orgasm was close and slid her hand down to her clit. His other hand quickly replaced hers and with a few tweaks, she threw her head back as her first non-self-induced orgasm in over year ripped through her.
Riding out the waves of ecstasy, she slowly floated back to consciousness and noticed his sexy grin beaming down on her.
“Hmph,” she grunted. “You look pretty satisfied with yourself.”
“Me? I’d say from that scream, you were the one who was satisfied.”
Laughing, she admitted, “Okay, you got me. That was amazing!”
“Amazing? Now that’s what I like to hear,” he boasted.
“You were in doubt?”
He peered down at her, lightly brushing her thick, auburn hair from her face so he could see every nuance of her expression. “I was never in doubt about what you could do to me. I was just in doubt about me.”
Hot SEALs: Revealing Love Page 4