Love Is In the Air Volume 1

by Susan Stoker

  “Sounds good.”

  Dash took off through the crowd, and Magic exhaled. In and out until his breathing evened and his nerves started to wane.

  “I’ll get you home as soon as I can.”

  “Thank you,” Stella whispered but didn’t lift her head.

  And for the first time, when he came down from the rush of adrenaline and danger, he did it shaking in fear.

  Too fucking close.

  One bullet. That’s all it would’ve taken, and they both would’ve been gone.

  “Love you, sweet Stella.”

  Her arms tightened, and she returned, “Love you, too.”

  5

  Stella slowly came awake to the thump of Magic’s heart. She took stock of her surroundings. Warm, hard body under her cheek. A strong arm slanted across her back. Legs tangled. The smell of a man—her man.

  Magic.

  He was alive. They were alive.

  He was also awake but hadn’t moved. And he called her sweet Stella, but she should be the one who called him sweet Magic. After a very long day, the worst day she’d ever had in her entire life, Magic had brought her home, sat her on her couch, fed her dinner, then tucked her into bed and held her as she trembled.

  It was a different kind of tremble, not the sexy, fun kind she normally felt when she was next to her man. It was gory. Memories of a dead man. She’d shook, remembering the sound of gunshots and screams. Through it all, Magic had held her. Strong. Calm. Unwavering in his support. He let her get it all out.

  Now it was the next morning after a seriously shitty day. A morning she thought she’d be curled into a ball of fear and anxiety but instead, she felt safe. Grateful. Magic had saved her life and she knew it. If he hadn’t come when he had, she’d be dead. If he hadn’t tackled her and used his body as a human shield, she’d be dead.

  It was early, she’d only had her eyes open for a few minutes but she made the decision not to dwell upon all the ways yesterday could’ve been worse, all the bad that had happened. Instead, she vowed to be thankful. If she hadn’t already known with every fiber of her being that Magic loved her, yesterday would’ve proved it.

  “I know you’re awake,” she whispered.

  His arm around her tightened and he pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head. What he didn’t do was speak.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I know it’s Valentine’s Day, and I’ll make it up to you, but today we’re not leaving this bed.”

  She didn’t need him to make anything up to her. Spending the day in bed with Magic sounded like the perfect Valentine’s Day to her. But she sensed something was wrong so she gave him what he needed.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “And I want you to move in. Or I’ll move in here. I wanted to ask you tonight, I had it all planned out, something romantic, special, a day you’d never forget. A day you could tell our kids about so they’d know how much their old man loved their mom. I want you to have that.”

  Stella was right, something was very wrong, and it sucked because she wanted to bask in the joy of hearing him talk about their future—one that included children. A future she’d wanted since the first day she’d officially met him. She’d been worried it was too soon to feel so deeply for a man she’d been with for a month but when Stella spoke to her mom about it, she’d learned something new about her parents. A secret that still made her smile.

  Her parents had two anniversaries. A special one that no one knew about and the one Stella’s grandparents knew about. Her parents had snuck away and gotten married after knowing each other for two weeks. Two weeks. They told no one and a year later had a big ceremony for their families. After Stella’s mom told her the story, she’d finished with, “It’s never too soon to love someone.”

  So, she knew she wanted the children Magic spoke of, she knew she wanted to live with him. Knew she’d marry him that afternoon if he asked. What she didn’t know was how she was going to make Magic feel better.

  “I have more stuff than you,” Stella started. “But your unit has a remodeled bathroom, which is a plus. And your appliances are newer. However, neither of us has a washer and dryer and I’m tired of hauling my laundry down the stairs.”

  She paused to gather her thoughts but also to enjoy the way his heart was now pounding against her cheek.

  “Maybe it would be better if we found a house,” she continued. “Something small, close to post. I don’t want a big yard I have to take care of when you’re deployed but it’d be nice to have a washer and dryer and a place where we can have a grill and some outside furniture.”

  “I want a big yard. I’ll hire a gardener.”

  “As long as I’m not pushing a mower in the Texas heat, I’m a-okay with a big yard. Maybe we’ll get a dog.”

  Suddenly Magic’s body went stiff. Stella started to push up, but her movement was waylaid when he pinned her to his chest.

  “One year,” he growled.

  “One year? I thought you wanted—”

  “We’re moving as soon as we can find a house. I can wait one year before my ring’s on your finger.”

  Stella wiggled until his arm loosened enough to climb on top of Magic. Her knees cradled his hips as she sat up on his lap.

  “A year?” she semi-repeated.

  “A year,” he confirmed.

  “Hm. I don’t know, a year sounds painful.”

  A knowing smile tipped up his lips and he shook his head in amusement. This was her Magic—playful, happy—not forlorn and wary.

  They were alive.

  Stella pulled her t-shirt off and tossed it aside, loving the way his eyes flared when her breasts came into view.

  “Goddamn, you’ve got great tits.”

  Her man was good at flowery declarations of love. He was also good at dirty talk.

  “A year might drive you over the edge,” she teased and rocked herself against his erection. “Might take all of your control.”

  “Fuck control,” he grunted, and she squeaked in surprise when he surged up and hugged her. “Top or bottom?”

  “Top.”

  “Mm,” Magic hummed his approval and lowered his face to her neck. “My favorite.” He paused long enough to brush his lips over her favorite spot. “I get to lie back and enjoy you work your Magic.”

  “Corny,” Stella huffed.

  “Not sure about corny but I know someone who’s horny.”

  “Ugh. I hate that word.”

  “I know you do.” He chuckled and lowered himself back down to the bed, taking her with him. “Lean up.”

  Before she could do as he asked, he was already cupping her breast, his thumb strumming over her nipple until it peaked. Anticipation shafted, lust sparked, need built. And when he drew her closer and traced her areola with his tongue, she hissed her encouragement.

  “Horny, baby?” he muttered as he moved to her other nipple.

  “Lame,” she complained as he lavished her other nipple with his tongue.

  “Lame, you say? Tell me, sweet Stella, is this lame?” He quit tonguing and started sucking.

  It was then, with her hips grinding, with his mouth working her nipple, she realized Magic was the best lover she’d ever had. Bar none, the best, so good there wasn’t a word for how good he was at sex. But what made it better than the best was the teasing banter. He could take her from rolling her eyes at his silly comments to soaking wet and panting in two seconds flat. It was fun, it was exciting, it was great sex, friendship, and love all rolled together.

  There were times he made love to her. He could be amazingly tender. Other times he could be dirty and rough and fuck her until she was boneless. Both were equally good. Both left her feeling loved and cherished and safe.

  And right then, she felt like fucking. She wanted the heart-pounding, breathless feeling of being alive. She craved the mix of sensations, the softness his eyes would hold but the harsh meeting of their bodies. Top or bottom, it didn’t matter; contrary to what Magic, said
he never lay back and enjoyed—well, he enjoyed—but he fully participated. He controlled, he took, he gave, and however that came about, it always ended the same way. A screaming orgasm.

  “Quit fucking around, baby, or you’ll find yourself pinned to the bed.”

  Stella took a moment to deliberate the merits of being pinned to the bed. There were a variety of pluses to Magic being on top, but since she was in the mood to watch him, she quit fucking around and reached between them. But she took her time and stroked his hard-on over his boxers until he was pumping into her hand.

  “Stella,” he warned.

  Sweet baby Jesus, she loved the way he sounded when he was edgy and hungry. She pulled down his boxers just far enough to unleash his cock and wrapped her fist around his shaft. He groaned his appreciation and when he flexed his hips, she groaned. Hard and thick and all hers.

  So what was she waiting for?

  As if on cue, Magic reached between them, tore her panties to the side and, with his hand over hers, guided the head of his dick to her center. Then his hand moved to her hip and he slammed her down.

  “Fuck,” he growled.

  Oh, yeah, that was what she’d been waiting for.

  Magic losing control was a beautiful thing. If she had the patience to push him there, he turned into a snarly caveman. The results of which were spectacular.

  “Good goddamn,” he groaned. “Now, Stella, ride me.”

  Fuel to her flame. Rumbly and full of grit, his voice washed over her and she rocked her hips. And like all the other times before, Magic didn’t make her do all the work. His hips thrust up as she ground down, one hand cupped her ass, the other tangled in her hair, his mouth licked, and sucked, and nibbled. Hard and soft, she had the best of both.

  But she got better when he pulled off of her nipple and the bossy beast made his appearance.

  “Faster, Stella.” She went faster. “Jesus fuck. So fucking tight I have to fight coming as soon as I get my cock in you.”

  “Yes.”

  Her orgasm danced just out of reach, so close, almost there, as heat tingled up her spine. Goose bumps raced down her back. The explosion so close she could taste it.

  “Give it,” he demanded and pleasure so painful unfurled and suddenly she couldn’t move.

  Magic knifed up and, in a smooth, superhuman move, rolled them over, never missing a thrust. Her legs automatically went around his hips, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and she held on. Unable to hold back, her pussy convulsed and her clit pulsed.

  “I. Love. You.” Her words were broken and stuttered as she was rocked on all fronts. Mind. Body. Soul. All three alight, all three perfectly aligned.

  Magic drove his cock to the root and groaned his release. Every muscle coiled tight, he didn’t move.

  The moment narrowed. Magic and Stella. All she could see was his face. But she could feel everything.

  “I love you, too, my sweet Stella.” His words were not broken and stuttered. They were sure and strong. Her legs tightened and his cock twitched and jerked. He didn’t grunt or moan through his orgasm. He held her gaze, and since their eyes were locked, she was gifted with the most beautiful sight. Magic undone, bared to her, open and giving everything.

  “You bake a mean frozen pizza,” Stella told Magic as she placed her now-empty plate on her nightstand.

  “If you think that was good, wait until you see what I can do with Hot Pockets and a microwave.”

  “You know, if that’s your way of getting out of cooking, you’re out of luck. I know you can do more than microwave.”

  “Right.” He winked and pulled her onto his lap. “I forgot I gave you all of my good moves when I was wooing you.”

  “You’re not done wooing, are you?”

  “Never.”

  She believed that—Magic would never be done wooing and she’d never be done working to make him laugh.

  No games.

  They spent their day in bed. They’d cuddled, they’d talked, they’d snoozed. She’d texted Holly to check on her and learned she and Dash decided to stay in as well. Considering Holly’s text had included a weird eggplant emoji, she didn’t think her friend was all that torn up about a day alone with her boyfriend. And as far as Stella was concerned, it was the best Valentine’s Day she’d ever had. Complete with sex, more sex, frozen pizza, and a bottle of wine.

  She didn’t know what Magic had originally planned, and she hadn’t asked if this was how they’d spend every fourteenth of February. If it was, that would be just fine with her.

  “So,” she started. “I thought your briefing room would be more…”

  “More what?”

  She thought about how to explain her reaction to seeing where Magic worked the day before. Frankly, it was a boring room in a boring building. She and Holly had exchanged glances when Magic and Dash escorted the women to the briefing room yesterday, after they’d talked to the MPs. Holly had thought the same thing. Totally boring.

  The commander who was in charge of Magic’s Delta team had questions about what the captain had said while he was plowing down innocent men and women. The commander had confirmed there had been three fatalities and fourteen had been injured, but none of the injuries were life-threatening. Stella wasn’t going to dwell on the bad. Instead, she was going to think about the two soldiers who had tackled the shooter—two brave young men with hearts full of goodness. They’d likely receive medals for their heroic actions—not that that was why they’d leapt into action and saved lives, but they deserved them nonetheless.

  “I don’t know, I thought it’d be…cooler.” She shrugged and went on. “I mean, top-secret missions are planned there. I thought there’d be super-spy gadgets and monitors on the walls with the world’s supervillain HVTs on the screens. Or guns and rocket launchers hanging on the wall.”

  “We put away the super-spy gadgets and rocket launchers when civilians are present.” He chuckled.

  Stella silently nuzzled closer, enjoying the feel of being close. Just sitting in bed with the man she loved. A lazy day full of nothing important, which made it the specialist of occasions.

  “My job’s pretty boring.”

  He was totally lying. Not the bad kind of lie—the little white kind. It was in an effort to downplay what he did. She knew because he did it all the time. He couldn’t tell her a lot about his missions; even with her top-secret clearance it was a no-go, which she understood and appreciated. But the things he could tell her were always toned down, especially the part he played in executing the operations.

  Magic wasn’t just a quiet professional, he was a humble one.

  “If you say so.” She let that conversation go in favor of something more exciting. “We’re moving in together.”

  “Yeah,” Magic whispered and brushed his lips over her cheek.

  Gah.

  See? Totally sweet.

  “I think we should celebrate.”

  “Why do I feel like my sweet Stella has something naughty in mind?”

  “Because you know me?”

  “Right.” He chuckled. “Or it could be the fact you’re squirming on my lap.”

  “I’m trying to get comfy.”

  “Or you could be—”

  Stella slapped her hand over his mouth and narrowed her eyes. “If you say horny one more time, I swear I’m taping your mouth shut.”

  Magic mumbled something unintelligible from behind her hand, then kissed her palm before he peeled it away. “First, you wouldn’t tape my mouth shut because you know how much I like to use it on you. Second, you wouldn’t tape it shut because you like the way I use it. Third, I was going to ask if you were ready for me to use it now because I’m really fucking hungry.”

  Stella shivered and wiggled on his lap at the thought of all the places he liked to use his mouth on her. However, he was wrong about one thing—she didn’t like the way he used it, she loved it. Next thing she knew, she was on her back, the sheets tangled between her legs, and Magic was go
ing for her sweats.

  “No fair,” she mock-frowned. “It’s my turn.”

  “It sure as fuck is,” he said and tossed her pants over his shoulder.

  “I get to taste you first this time.”

  “Nope. Rule is, you always go first.”

  “Magic!”

  “Stella.”

  “Am I really begging you to let me suck you off?” she huffed, and Magic gifted her with the best Valentine’s Day gift ever. He dropped his head to her chest and roared with laughter. That meant she felt it in two places—straight to her heart and deep in her soul. Well, three actually, if you counted the clit throb the vibration caused. All of that was wonderful.

  But the best gift was that of compromise.

  Magic brought her up to her knees, rolled to his back, and positioned his mouth right there. Her whole body wracked with the be-all and end-all tremble when she understood what was going to happen. His hands gripped her hips and pulled her down. It was then Stella learned the true meaning of tongue fucking, and her man was damn good at it. Just as Stella was damn good with hers.

  It was not a day she’d tell their children about, but years later, she would tell the story about how a man caught her when she fell out of a tree. She’d go on to tell the story about how he’d protected her. It was not a long tale, it didn’t take hours to tell. It was short and sweet, full of love and laughter.

  And sex. Lots and lots of sex, but the naughty bits she’d keep between her and Magic.

  Ready for another Riley Edwards book? Check out Nixon’s Promise by clicking here:

  https://www.rileyedwardsromance.com/geminigroup

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  Occupied with Love

  S.E. Rose

  Copyright © 2021 S. E. Rose

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