“Jerry, write these people a check, would you?”
The man named Jerry pulled a checkbook from his back pocket.
Arianna opened her mouth to protest, but Justus beat her to it. “No.” He held out a hand. “Please. We don’t want any reward. We’re just glad the ring made it back to its owner. That’s reward enough.”
Jerry ignored Justus, leaning over Stanton’s desk as he scribbled on the check.
“Seriously,” Arianna added, stepping closer. She grabbed Justus’s arm and met Bernice’s gaze. “We don’t want your money. Stanton said there were other things stolen? Save the reward for someone else. Maybe you’ll get lucky and other pieces will be found.”
Bernice wiped her eyes, holding the ring close to her heart. She shook her head. “Nearly all of my jewelry was stolen that day. None of it was as valuable to me as this ring.”
Justus set a hand gently on Bernice’s arm. “I’m so glad you got it back, ma’am, but we can’t take your money.”
“You must. I posted a reward. And I always keep my word.”
Arianna leaned closer again. “We didn’t know anything about your reward, though, so there is no need.”
Bernice set a shaky hand on Arianna’s cheek. “You’re such a dear child.” She smiled, tears still falling. “Thank you for being so gracious, but you must. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t reward you two.” Her gaze went to Justus. She smiled. “Are you on your honeymoon?”
Justus smiled back. “No, ma’am. We haven’t known each other that long.”
Bernice glanced back and forth between them. Her smile widened. “Well, I can tell you are perfect for each other. Such a lovely couple. You look so in love.” She glanced at where Arianna held on to Justus’s arm. “I remember when I used to grip my Willard that way, God rest his soul. It’s been so many years since we were your age.”
Arianna choked up. No wonder the ring meant so much to her. Her husband had passed.
Jerry folded the check in half and handed it to Justus. He held Justus’s gaze. “Trust me. There’s no sense arguing with my mother. She doesn’t take no for an answer. She’s got more money than she knows what to do with. Please, just take the check. If you don’t, I’ll have to listen to her fretting for weeks. It will make her rest easier knowing you were rewarded.”
Justus nodded slowly. “Okay, then.” He slid the check into his pocket without looking at it.
Stanton cleared his throat. “You two are free to go. I’ve got your information if I have any further questions.” He held up the wrinkled piece of paper and then set it on his desk to follow all of them toward the front entrance.
When they stepped outside, Justus took Arianna’s hand and held it tighter than usual. He thanked Bernice and Jerry again, shook both their hands, and wished them happiness.
Arianna was still too shook up to speak. She let Justus lead her down the street without saying a word. It wasn’t until they were back in the hotel room that Justus took the check out of his pocket and unfolded it. “Holy shit,” he exclaimed, so loudly the people in both flanking rooms could surely hear him.
Arianna removed her jacket and draped it over the desk chair. “I take it it’s a lot?” She came to him and slid it from his hand. Her eyes bugged out. “No way,” she stammered.
“Give me your phone.” Justus held out his hand.
She pulled it from her pocket and handed it to him, knowing it would be easier for him to place a call from her Australian number than his international one.
He paced away from her, holding the officer’s card while he dialed.
Arianna dropped to sit on the bed as she watched Justus rub his forehead and finally speak. “Yes, Officer Stanton. This is Justus Kirkland… Yes, that’s right. This check. We can’t accept this… I understand… No… But…” There was a long silence on their end when Arianna assumed Stanton was speaking. The expression on Justus’s face was pained. “That’s crazy. This is a lot of money… I know, but…” Finally, he sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Okay… Yes… Fine.” He ended the call and stared at Arianna. “I guess our vacation just kicked it up a notch.”
Chapter 9
A notch was the understatement of the century. There was no way Justus was going to be able to sleep with this check in the room. He also knew he wasn’t the only one freaking out. It disturbed him that they’d walked so casually back to the hotel room with that amount of money scribbled on a piece of paper loose in his pocket.
After they took turns using the bathroom and changing, they climbed into bed, Arianna in one of his T-shirts like he’d found her that morning, him in a pair of flannel pants. He flopped onto his back and pulled her against his chest, kissing the top of her head.
“You think we should try to return it again tomorrow?” she asked, her fingers trailing across his chest.
“I don’t think it will do any good. The woman was adamant. It might even hurt her feelings.”
Arianna sighed against him. “What the hell do we do next?”
“You’ve got a bank account here, right?” He tipped his head down toward her.
“Of course, but I usually deposit a few hundred dollars at a time. Nothing like that.” She lifted a concerned gaze to his, setting her chin on his chest.
“Well, it’s our only option. We can’t just carry it around. We’ll deposit it in your account first thing in the morning.”
She shoved off him and sat cross-legged next to him. “It’s not mine. If it belongs to anyone, it should be you. I didn’t even see the ring.”
He reached for her face and stroked her cheek. “What the hell would I do with it? I don’t need money. I’m a SEAL. I don’t even own things. All the money I’ve made for nine years is already just sitting in a bank collecting dust. That’s why I can take elaborate vacations like this.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and slid his hand down to her back, urging her forward.
She resisted. “Justus, no.” She flattened her palms on his chest. “I can put the money in my account for safekeeping if you want, but it’s yours, not mine. I know you don’t have siblings, but don’t you have cousins with kids or something? Open a college account.”
He laughed. “I have one cousin. She has two small kids. No one is going to college anytime soon.”
“Well, your own kids, then.”
He laughed harder. “I’m not having kids. I don’t even want a girlfriend.”
She stiffened, closing her eyes for a moment, and then she wiggled free of him and padded toward the bathroom. She stayed in there for a while, the water running.
He stared at the door, breathing deeply. Perhaps his words hadn’t been well thought out, but she knew this thing between them wasn’t permanent. She had no reason to be pissed just because he’d pointed out something they’d already agreed on. A fling. If she couldn’t do this, then they needed to part ways now.
He pushed to sitting, leaning against the headboard. When she returned, she crawled back onto the bed and kneeled next to him. She met his gaze dead on. “Sorry. I needed a moment. You’re absolutely right. We’ll take the money to my bank in the morning for safe keeping. When you get back to the States, I’ll wire transfer you half of it. Fair?”
He smiled, relieved she didn’t mention their relationship status. “Fair,” he agreed.
She returned the smile and crawled over his lap, straddling him. She pressed her warm core against his cock and cupped his face. “We good?”
“I am. You?”
She nodded. “Definitely.”
“Still on the same page?” he asked, needing to be sure.
“Definitely,” she repeated.
That was when he grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and hauled it over her head. He cupped her breasts and flicked his thumbs over her nipples because he’d quickly learned the act made her lose her mind every time.
She moaned, leaning her head back as her eyes slid closed. “God, you drive me wild.”
“Good. It’s sexy as
hell.” He reached toward the bedside table with one hand and snagged a condom, one of the dozen he’d purchased the previous afternoon. They were going to have to replace them soon at the rate they were going.
After easing her back a few inches farther down his thighs, he lifted his hips, tugged his sleep pants over his cock, and rolled on the condom. Almost before he could get his hands out of the way, Arianna rose above his erection and slammed down, burying him to the hilt.
He groaned, his hands going to her hips. “Baby…” The word slipped out. An endearment that probably wasn’t appropriate between them. But it was too late.
She lifted and resettled several more times, her head falling back, her neck elongated.
He kissed the exposed length of skin, loving the feel of her neck against his lips, the scent of her body, the way she gripped his cock with her channel. God, he loved everything about her.
He froze, squeezing his eyes shut, grateful all those thoughts had remained inside and not been spoken out loud. He’d used the four-letter word flippantly in his mind, like anyone would refer to an ice cream or their dream car. Still, he needed to watch it. This was a temporary arrangement. Nothing more.
When Arianna reached between their bodies to stroke her clit, he nearly came instantly. He watched her movements, focusing his attention on the way she liked to be touched, forcing his dick to stand down long enough to enjoy the view and watch her come before him.
It didn’t take long. When her breathing changed to short pants and her head fell forward, he slid his fingers down to meet hers and stroked her clit simultaneously. Seconds later, she came. He could feel the pulsing of her tight pussy around his cock. She hesitated only a few seconds as the first waves washed through her, and then she removed her hand from between them, grabbed his shoulders, and bounced up and down on his dick.
Her breasts swayed with the movements, enticing him, luring him closer. In less than a minute, he was there, grabbing her hips to plant her down firmly on his erection as waves of his orgasm washed through him.
* * *
Arianna smiled as she stared down at a very sleeping, dead-to-the-world Justus. She had been awake for half an hour, but she hadn’t moved except to prop her head on her elbow and watched his face at peace. He was on his stomach, arms above his head, tucked under his pillow, facing her.
The sheet had slid down low enough for her to take in his amazing back. She admired the tattoos that extended down his biceps and the one between shoulder blades. They were intricate and well-done. A trident adorned one arm. The names of fallen comrades draped down the other arm. An American flag stretched between his shoulder blades. That one was in full vibrant color.
She longed to trace the edges with her fingers, but didn’t dare. Their flight to Cairns wasn’t until later that afternoon. They had all morning. He was obviously still disoriented from either the time change or sleep deprivation. He had not only flown from Los Angeles to Sydney, but before that he’d gone from South Africa to Los Angeles.
She felt confident he’d only fallen asleep a few hours before, as he had the previous nights, so she didn’t want to disturb him. He was on vacation. There was no reason to wake him. And the view for her was not too shabby.
Damn, he was sexy. Even asleep. Especially asleep. Full lips parted. His brow smooth. He was one of the lucky ones. She had no idea what he’d witnessed in combat, but it didn’t appear that he suffered from PTSD or night terrors. So many military personnel did.
Though the sheet had slid down to his fantastic ass, she, luckily, had her side tucked up under her arms. She hadn’t put on one of his T-shirts. If she moved, she would risk waking him.
What would it be like to wake up next to this man for the rest of her life? It wasn’t an option, of course, but she could dream. One more week was all she would have. He would return to the other side of the earth to fight evil. She would continue her work in Australia and then return to New York.
Her ten days with him would forever be nothing more than a blip in time. Another life. Something she would cherish forever. She closed her eyes and silently rolled to her back, inhaling slowly. A new concern she had never considered crept into her psyche.
How would another man ever take Justus’s place?
She’d dated enough men and had enough short-term boyfriends to know this thing with Justus was different. No one had ever looked at her the way he did. No one had ever touched her as gently, nor as reverently. No one had ever made her feel a constant tingle, one that grabbed her soul and held her tight.
When he left, there would be an emptiness. Perhaps much larger than she’d anticipated when she proposed this arrangement. And she suspected he felt the same way, based on the way he stared at her and how attentive he was.
It wasn’t as though they could renegotiate even if they both agreed, because the facts remained. He lived in a world far away from hers, both emotionally and physically. She didn’t have the strength to commit to a man she would see for no more than a few weeks a year. She wanted more than that. She wanted the world.
She’d known from a young age that she would never marry someone in the military, or even date one out of fear she might fall for him. And she’d stuck to that personal rule.
One of her favorite aunts on her mother’s side was married to a marine. She’d raised four kids on her own, shedding many a tear at Arianna’s kitchen table when she thought only her sister was in hearing range.
In the end, after fifteen years of service, her husband was killed in combat. It was one of the most horrifying childhood experiences Arianna could remember. She’d been about eight when he died, and that was the day she swore she would never put herself in a position to feel that kind of pain and loss.
Arianna worried this vacation was a terrible mistake. Every hour she spent with Justus drew her closer to him. Every moment was precious. Would she survive the inevitable end?
She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and rolled back to face him, knowing there was no way in hell she would drive him away. She would take these remaining days and make every second count. They had to be enough for a lifetime.
Even if she lost her heart to him, she could always fall back on that old phrase: Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Maybe it didn’t fit this scenario. Maybe that lesson was meant to imply that they should stick together after this vacation and take their chances.
But, no. No matter how deep she fell for him, it would be easier in the long run to stick to the plan. Cut all ties. Move on with her life. Find a man who could not only love her but do so inside the same house.
Was it possible to be ruined for all other men?
“I can practically hear you thinking,” Justus murmured without moving a muscle other than one corner of his lips. He had one eye open.
She flinched. “Jesus, you scared me.”
He slowly rolled to his side, facing her, his hand coming to her hip. “You were so lost inside your head there was no way to avoid startling you.”
“I wasn’t lost,” she lied, leaning closer to kiss his shoulder. Now that he was awake, she wanted to touch him. Everywhere. She held back the urge, not wanting to seem so eager.
Shocking her, his hand on her hip suddenly snaked around to her back, and he hauled her body forward until she was flush against him.
She gasped, her hands going to his shoulders.
“That’s better.” His face was lazy and still half asleep, his eyes hooded, his lips coming to hers. He nibbled around her mouth and cheek and neck and ear until she squirmed. “What time do we have to be at the airport?” he whispered, his breath making her shiver.
“Three.”
“Plenty of time then.” His tongue reached out to tease the sensitive skin behind her ear.
“For what?” she joked, tipping her head back to give him better access.
“To make it to the bank, of course.” He chuckled.
She smiled. “I don’t think that will take long.”<
br />
“True. And on top of everything else, I say we order room service, possibly for the rest of our meals. After all, it would seem we can afford it. Might as well live it up.”
“I say we deposit the money but take out several hundred-dollar bills and hand them to people who look like they need it as we travel.”
He leaned back and met her gaze, holding it for several seconds before speaking. “You’re an amazing woman.”
“Thank you.”
Chapter 10
“Keep that purse across your shoulder at all times,” Justus whispered close to her ear as the two of them slid onto bar stools at their hotel in Cairns.
“I will. Don’t worry.” She didn’t think it was all that necessary. After all, if someone was so desperate that they stole her purse, they probably needed the contents more than either her or Justus, but she knew he cared more about her safety than anything else.
“What do you want to drink?” he asked as the bartender came over.
“Choose me a local beer.”
“Easy enough.” While he consulted with the bartender, a man slid onto the stool next to Arianna. He dropped a backpack on the floor next to his stool with a thump and sighed.
She smiled in his direction to be polite. “Long day?”
He glanced at her, seemingly shocked to realize someone was even next to him. “You have no idea. More like long life.”
She scrunched up her face. “Sorry to hear that. Can we buy you a beer? Might not fix your problems, but it will take the edge off.”
He smirked. “Sure. Why not?”
Arianna turned toward the bartender just as Justus finished ordering. “Add his beer to our tab,” she said, nodding to the newcomer.
“You got it.”
Justus leaned around the front of Arianna and extended a hand. “Justus Kirkland.”
The man took his hand. “Chris Metz.”
“This is my girlfriend, Arianna,” Justus said by way of introduction as he settled a hand around her waist possessively.
Hot SEAL, Australian Nights: SEALs in Paradise Page 7