If he stared at every woman he took to bed like this, he surely had a slew of them pining for him all over the world. His looks would melt anyone. He didn’t even need to touch her to get her wet and ready. His eyes—deep emerald pools—did all the work. His square jawline was intense, only the very corners of his lips tipped upward to cause tiny wrinkles at the edges of his eyes. She was getting used to this serious but playful look. It made her shudder.
He made things incrementally more intense by dancing his fingers over her skin. Her breasts, her belly, her thigh. When he tucked his fingers under her knee and lifted her outside leg high and wide, she bit into her lower lip.
The hairs on his thigh grazed her sex, making her hold her breath. That didn’t last long, however, because he drew his hand up her thigh and between her legs. The instant his finger lightly stroked her lower lips, she gasped. She reached out with her free hand to grab his arm.
He never stopped looking into her eyes. Every time she glanced down or looked away, she found him still staring at her when she returned her gaze. With two fingers, he parted her labia, and then he slid his middle finger between the swollen folds.
She was so wet, and he dragged that moisture up to circle her clit. She gripped his arm, not trying to dislodge him, but holding on so she wouldn’t fall through a crack in the universe.
“Justus…” she repeated. She didn’t care if she was begging. She needed him inside her. Now.
“Mmm.” He flicked her clit, and she lifted her hips, a sharp cry escaping.
“I’m gonna come,” she stated unnecessarily.
“That’s the idea.” He smiled, straddling her clit with two fingers and using a third to flick over the swollen nub rapidly.
She sucked in a breath, her eyes rolling back, as she writhed against him. So close. So fast. Her body craved his. Inside her. He had to know that. But he didn’t act on it. And she didn’t have the ability to ask in words. So, she focused on his fingers instead, rising, higher, higher.
Finally, she stiffened for two seconds, those two perfect seconds that marked the edge of sanity right before the crash. And then the pulsing as she came. She held her butt off the bed, her orgasm wracking her stiff body.
She didn’t breathe or even blink until the last of the waves subsided, and then she dropped her hips and tried to focus on him. Her limbs were limp. Her hand having fallen to her side again at some point.
Still he watched her, smiling. “Damn, that was sexy.”
She sucked in breaths. “You just gonna stare at me, or were you planning to fuck me?”
He smiled wider and then his fingers disappeared from her pussy and he slid off the bed. He reached for his jeans. She assumed he was going for a condom, and luckily that was the case. Ten seconds later, he was back, rolling the protection down his length and nudging her knees wider with his own.
When he lowered over her body, his cock lodged at her opening. He cupped her face and kissed her, hard. Demanding. In a heartbeat, he switched from calm and steady to rough and needy. His mouth consumed hers. His tongue tangled with hers. His lips shifted back and forth as if he couldn’t decide exactly how he wanted to kiss her but intended to try every single angle in the fewest seconds possible.
His chest rubbed over her nipples, bringing them to attention. He used his knees to press hers wider.
God, she wanted him inside her. Now. Holy shit. Now.
Finally, he broke the kiss. He was gasping for air as he stared at her once again. “Fast or slow?”
“Fast.” She grabbed his hips and slid her hands around to his ass, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Jesus, Justus, fast. Do it.”
He thrust into her in the next instant. All the way. Deep and thorough. The base of him flat against her tormented pussy.
The air rushed from her lungs. He was so damn big. He filled her like no one ever had. And she loved it. She wanted more.
She could no longer focus enough to know if he was still watching her, but then he gritted his teeth as if it took every ounce of willpower to keep from moving.
But she didn’t want him to avoid moving. She wanted him to fuck her.
She bucked her hips the most miniscule amount possible. “Justus,” she cried out, her fingers digging into his butt.
He pulled out and thrust back in, the air whooshing from his lungs. As if there was no way he could continue to hold himself above her, he lowered his chest to hers and set his forehead on the mattress next to her. And then he really moved. In and out. Hard, rapid thrusts that drove her arousal back where it had been before she came.
That had only been a minute ago. How the hell could she be this close to the edge again? It wasn’t possible. But it was. Every time the base of his cock slammed into her clit, she gasped.
Surprising her, he lifted his face to hers again, held himself up with one elbow, and slid his other hand down her body to worm between their bellies. When his fingers stroked her clit, she knew she was going to come again.
His face was tight. He was holding back.
Her mouth fell open.
He kept pumping. In and out. Still so hard. Every nerve ending inside her came to life. Demanding more.
“Come for me, Arianna,” he demanded.
As if it were that simple, she came, her tight channel squeezing around him in a different sort of orgasm from any she’d ever had before. More intense. More of everything.
He groaned loudly and held himself deep inside her, his hand coming away from her clit to help hold him up. She could feel the pulses of his orgasm as his entire body rocked forward with every wave.
It lasted forever, and then he collapsed to his side, taking her with him, his cock still lodged inside her warmth. His hand came up to her face, and he kissed her so very gently. And then he gave a slow grin. “See, I can do soft and sweet.”
She giggled. “But rough and demanding is so nice.”
Chapter 8
When Justus awoke late the next morning to find Arianna staring down at him, he groaned and then rolled onto his side and buried his head in his pillow.
She laughed from behind him and leaned into his back to kiss his shoulder. “What was that you were telling me yesterday? Oh, right. I remember. You said you would never be able to sleep soundly enough for me to stare at you.”
He grumbled, and then he flipped over, taking her by surprise, to flatten her on her back and hover over her. “How long have you been awake?” he asked as he threaded his fingers in her hair and held her head to one side so he could kiss her neck.
She squirmed. “Not long. Someone wore me out.”
He lifted his face and waggled his brows at her. “Then I win, because I watched you sleep for hours.”
She scrunched up her cute nose. “That must have been boring.”
He cupped her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I enjoyed it.” He glanced down. “You’re wearing my shirt.”
She shrugged. “I’m not used to being naked. I felt…naked.”
He bolted to sitting, grabbed the hem, and tugged it over her head. “I happen to like naked.”
God, she was gorgeous. As he stared at her nipples, they stiffened and she shivered. He cupped her breast and leaned down to flick his tongue over one distended tip. “What time does our agenda begin today?”
“Hmm. I thought we’d skip my original plan to walk on the beach, spend the day in bed, and then hit a brewery tour tonight.”
“I like that plan. Isn’t it kind of cold for the beach?”
“I didn’t say we were going to sunbathe. But the Bondi Beach is a beautiful walk that shouldn’t be missed.”
“Can we do it when we get back in town?”
“Yep.”
“Then let’s go with your new plan. Sex. Room service. Beer.”
“Who mentioned sex?”
* * *
As it turned out, sex turned into more sex, and room service didn’t happen until about noon. By the time they arrived for the first leg of t
heir brewery tour, they were both famished, and in need of fresh air. Luckily, the first stop included local pizza, which was divine.
Arianna was smiling, her body still humming, when they met up with their guide and began drinking.
Justus never stopped staring her. And he always had a hand on the small of her back when they were standing, her thigh if they were sitting. The other people in their group kept grinning at them as if they were newlyweds.
It was bittersweet since Arianna felt fairly confident the feelings she had this evening were stronger than most newlyweds ever felt. Perhaps it was simply the newness of the relationship, that stage where it felt like your partner was perfect before you knew enough about him or her to take a step back.
Except something was different. It was more. No man had ever made her feel this alive. She feared no other man ever would. Already on their third day together she worried about what would happen when he left her.
What if she fell in too deep? She couldn’t let that happen. She needed to harden her heart and not let it fall too far. They both agreed. She didn’t date military men, and he didn’t date because he was in the military.
Reasonable. Rational. Understandable.
Now, she just needed to keep her heart out of it.
They moved to their second stop, another pub—except she’d quickly learned months ago that in Australia bars were called hotels. And their current tour guide explained how that term came to be. Apparently, years ago, the only way for a place to serve alcohol was if it also had at least one bed for overnight guests. Thus, every location that served drinks had to be a hotel. It stuck and the term was still in use today.
The tour guide was entertaining too. Everyone was intrigued when he explained in great detail how this second location claimed to be the oldest hotel in Sydney. Apparently there were three such locations, and the distinctions were interesting. There was the oldest one still in the same location, the oldest one by name even though it had once burned down and was now rebuilt, and the oldest one still using the same name though it had moved locations.
Justus seemed to be having a great time. At each stop, they tried the local microbrews. The history was fascinating, and even though Australia was nearly the same age as the United States, there seemed to be an incredible amount of preserved history in the heart of Sydney.
When they finished the tour and parted from the other visitors, Justus threaded his fingers with hers and led her randomly down the brick sidewalks. “It’s beautiful here. Even at night.” He lifted his gaze to take in the Harbour Bridge in the background. “I heard you can climb the outside of the bridge to the top. Is that true?”
“Yes. If we walk closer during the day, you’ll be able to see groups of people in blue coveralls climbing the steps along the top of the bridge. They wear elaborate harnesses.”
He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. “You didn’t include this on our itinerary?” he teased.
She lifted her face. “Not a chance in hell, but if you want to do it, we can make it happen. I just won’t be doing it with you.”
He laughed. She loved the sound of his deep laughter, doubting that in his regular life he often let himself relax and enjoy anything enough to express that much emotion. She knew Tony didn’t. It always took him several days when he returned from a deployment to even smile, let alone laugh.
Suddenly, Justus stopped walking. Arianna lifted her gaze to find him staring at the ground. He released her and bent down to pick something up. When he stood, he was holding an enormous diamond ring. If it was real.
“Holy shit,” she whispered, glancing around. How the hell could someone have lost something like that? Even if it was cubic zirconia. It still had to be valuable. The gold setting was stunning, the center diamond surrounded by several smaller ones in an oval pattern.
Justus narrowed his gaze, scrutinizing the ring closer.
“You think it’s real?”
“I don’t know. But if it is, someone’s surely very upset. This has to be worth more money than I’ll see in my lifetime.”
“What should we do?”
“Let’s take it to the police station. I can’t think of anything else.”
Arianna pulled her phone out of her back pocket and used the map, learning that the closest station was only a few blocks away. “We can easily walk from here.”
Justus put the ring on his pinky and tucked it into his palm, hurrying her through the streets as if they were suddenly unsafe. He didn’t relax until they were inside the station. The man at the entrance desk glanced at the ring and then made a call to someone else in the station.
Within minutes, they were ushered behind the front entrance in an open room that contained several desks. Most were unoccupied, but a few had officers. One of them stood and waved them over. He extended his hand. “I’m Officer Stanton. I understand you found a ring?” He pointed at the two seats across from his desk, and Justus took one while Arianna took the other.
Justus held out the ring, handing it to the officer. “No idea if it’s real, but it appears to be very intricate, so someone must be frantic if it’s an actual diamond.”
The officer lifted it closer. “It’s real, all right. The owner reported it stolen two weeks ago. Where did you find it?”
“Lying in the dirt next to the sidewalk about two blocks from here,” Arianna told him. “I can show you where on a map.” She opened her phone, scanned in closer to the location, and pointed to the spot.
“Was this the only thing you found?” The officer’s eyes were narrowed in concern. For the first time since they’d located the ring, Arianna’s skin crawled. It seemed like he didn’t believe them. What if he thought they’d stolen it?
“Yes,” Justus responded. “I glanced around. I didn’t see anything else. It was angled just right so that the lights coming from the harbour caught it.”
The officer glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Are you on holiday?”
Justus nodded. “I am. I arrived two days ago. I’m a Navy SEAL on leave. Arianna is here for the year on a work-and-holiday visa.”
The officer hesitated, his actions again making Arianna stiffen. It was too bad regular people couldn’t do a simple good deed without being suspect, but perhaps she needed to be more understanding under the circumstances.
Finally, Officer Stanton gave them a brief nod. “There was a home break-in not far from where you found this ring. Perhaps even across the street. An enormous amount of jewelry was seized. Were you aware there was a reward posted for the return of this ring? It’s a family heirloom.”
Justus sat up straighter beside Arianna. He rubbed his thighs with both hands. “We had no idea. Nor are we interested in any reward. We simply wanted to return the ring to its owner.”
Stanton sat back, rubbing his chin. “I need to call the owner. Can you wait here a moment, please?”
“Of course.”
The officer stood and made his way across the room, taking the ring with him. He went through a door and disappeared.
Arianna was shaking. She glanced around. There were a few people sitting against a wall behind her. They looked rough and pissed, as if they’d been brought in for some variety of charges and were awaiting processing. She rubbed her arms as she yanked her gaze back to Justus. “I’m not sure he believes us.”
Justus pursed his lips, his brows rising. “I’m not sure he does either, but what the hell else were we supposed to do?”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then the officer returned. “The owner is on her way to the station now.”
“I see.” Justus looked concerned. “Do you need us to make a statement or something?”
Arianna opened her purse and pulled out their folded itinerary. She opened it and handed it to Stanton. “This is our itinerary for the next week.” She hoped if she provided him with all their details, he wouldn’t detain them. The last thing she wanted to do was spend hours
in this damn police station being questioned about a ring they found.
Stanton glanced at the paper. “You’re heading to Cairns tomorrow.”
“Yes.” She nodded, hoping this wasn’t going to escalate into a problem that derailed their plans.
He glanced at the paper. “Good. Your cell is on here in case I need to reach you. Do you have documentation with you? Passports?”
She pulled a copy of her passport out of her purse and handed it to the officer.
“My passport is in the hotel,” Justus stated. “I put it in the safe.”
“Not a problem. As long as I have one, I’ll be able to find you if I have any more questions.” He stood again. “Give me a second to photocopy this.”
Justus ran a hand down his face as Arianna watched Stanton cross the room.
Voices came from behind them, and when Stanton returned, he had an older woman and a man closer to their age with him. The woman wore a cream-colored blouse and a tweed skirt. She had a pale pink sweater draped over her shoulders and a hand plastered to her chest. She looked the part of someone wealthy enough to own such a ring.
She held out a hand. “I’m Bernice Parker. I understand you found my wedding ring?”
Arianna stood at the same time as Justus. Justus shook the woman’s hand. “I have no idea, ma’am. Perhaps. We found it next to the sidewalk while we were walking.”
Stanton handed Bernice a sealed plastic bag in which the ring now rested.
Bernice took it with shaking fingers. Tears ran down her face. “My God,” she murmured. “I never thought I’d see this again in my lifetime.”
Arianna smiled. This was why they’d come to the police. They’d made this woman’s day. The man next to her took the ring next and brought it closer to his face. “It looks like your lucky day, Mum.” He handed it back, beaming.
Hot SEAL, Australian Nights: SEALs in Paradise Page 6