Ivy's Delta (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Delta Team Three Book 4)

by Elle James

  Then he transferred his attention to the other breast and treated it to the same.

  Ivy’s fingers wove into his hair and pressed into his scalp.

  He slipped lower, kissing and tonguing each rib, passing over her bellybutton to stop at the elastic of her sexy lace panties.

  He hooked his thumbs into the band and dragged them downward, exposing the tuft of coppery hair covering her sex.

  She stilled beneath him, her breath arrested, her body waiting for his next move.

  Duff blew a warm stream of air over her mons and pushed to his feet.

  Ivy gasped. “What’s wrong?”

  He chuckled. “I’m overdressed.” He quickly rectified the problem, stripping out of his boots and jeans. When he came back to her, he hooked her legs in his arms and dragged her toward the edge of the bed.

  Ivy squeaked. “Hey.”

  He dragged her panties down to her ankles and let them fall to the floor, then he dangled her legs over the edge of the bed and parted her knees.

  Ivy leaned up on her elbows. “What…”

  “Shh,” he said, pressing a finger to her lips. “Trust me?”

  “I don’t know you,” she said, her eyes wide.

  His lips curved upward. “That makes it even more exciting, right?”

  She nodded slowly, her eyes still wide.

  Duff dropped to his knees, draped her legs over his shoulders and parted her folds with his thumbs. “I’m just getting to know you,” he said and flicked his tongue over that little nubbin of flesh he knew to be packed with a fine array of nerves designed to stimulate her entire body.

  Ivy stiffened, her toes curling upward. “Oooo…yessss…” she moaned.

  With the very tip of his tongue, he flicked her again.

  Her fingers dug into his scalp and pulled hard on his hair. It didn’t hurt so much as make him even harder.

  Duff settled into a rhythm of tonguing, laving and flicking her clit until she thrashed against the comforter, her hips rising with every touch until she froze. Her hands spasmed in his hair, pushing and pulling in a frenetic dance.

  He continued his campaign until her hands slammed down on the mattress and she rose to meet his mouth, her hips pulsing with her release.

  When she finally relaxed against the mattress, he scooted her up in the bed and lay down between her legs. He leaned over the side, grabbed his jeans, fished out his wallet, and secured two foil packets. One, he placed on the nightstand, the other, he tore open and rolled down over his engorged cock.

  Ivy lifted her knees, clutched his hips and guided him to her core.

  He nudged her entrance. “Still with me?”

  “For someone who is usually quiet, you talk a lot,” she said. “Shut up and make love to me.”

  He chuckled. “As you wish.” He eased into her slick channel.

  Ivy curved her fingers around his ass and slammed him home. “Ahhh…that’s more like it.”

  “In a hurry to get somewhere?” he asked.

  “Yes. To get you inside me. All. The. Way.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her heels into his lower back. “I need you, Magnus. Don’t stop. Don’t slow down. Make magic.”

  He pumped in and out of her, moving faster and faster, his body tensing, blood rushing through his veins and down to his manhood.

  When he reached the point of no return, he launched over the edge, slammed into her once more and held his position as he milked his release to the very last quiver.

  As he fell back to earth, he dropped down onto Ivy and lay for a moment, loving the feel of her skin against his, their connection still real and tight. Then he wrapped his arms around her and rolled over on his side, taking her with him.

  Ivy rested her cheek against his chest, a sigh escaping her lips “Amazing,” she whispered.

  “Agreed.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “Now, sleep.”

  “How can I after that?” she said.

  “Close your eyes.” He bent and pressed a kiss to each eyelid. “You’ll be asleep before you know it.”

  “Mmm. I doubt it.” A yawn spread across her face, belying her words. “Thank you,” she whispered as she nestled in beside him.

  “For what?”

  “For saving my life.” Ivy yawned, smothering it against his chest. “Twice.” Her body relaxed against his, her breathing slowed.

  “Thank you,” Duff said softly. “For saving mine.”

  Chapter 7

  Ivy woke the next day to sun slashing across her face, prying at her eyelids. She frowned. Why was the sun shining through her window? Normally, she closed the blinds before she went to bed. Had she forgotten?

  Then it hit her. She’d made love with a stranger last night.

  Her eyes opened wide and she turned to the pillow beside her.

  It was empty.

  Had she imagined making love with Duff? She ran her hands over her chest and down her torso, taking stock of her body. There was no denying the ache between her legs and the beard burn across her breasts. Yes. She’d been thoroughly fucked. And it felt wonderful.

  She kicked off the sheets and stretched her arms and legs, loving the feel of the cool air across her skin. Her gaze went to the adjoining bathroom. Was he in there, doing his morning ablutions? Would he walk in and find her lying naked and exposed on the mattress and make love to her again?

  Ivy strained to listen for movement or the sound of running water. When she heard neither, she sighed. Perhaps he was in the kitchen rummaging through her refrigerator, having worked up a huge appetite after all the work he’d done the night before, saving her and then giving her the best orgasm she’d had in…hell, forever.

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, still hoping he would come into the room and pick up where they’d left off when she’d fallen asleep. Another sigh and she slipped her semi-sheer robe over her naked body, hurried into the bathroom to relieve herself and brush her hair and teeth.

  When she was finished, she left her bedroom and padded down the hallway to the kitchen. Still no sign of Duff.

  Disappointment rushed in to wipe away the sense of fulfillment she’d had after sex with Duff. But for him, that must have been all it was.

  Sex.

  He’d banged her and left.

  Who was she kidding? She’d told him she would expect nothing in the morning. Otherwise, he might not have even touched her, much less made love to her.

  Ivy leaned her forehead against the refrigerator, her chest tight, her heart hurting.

  Hands gripped her shoulders and a deep, sexy voice said, “Hey. Are you all right?”

  In a flash, Ivy went from totally depressed to over the moon. At only the sound of his voice. Oh, man. She was getting it bad, and only after a day of knowing him.

  He turned her in his arms and pulled her against his chest. “What’s wrong?”

  She smiled up at him brightly. “Nothing, now that you’re here.”

  He kissed her forehead. “How do you feel?”

  Her cheeks heated. “Actually, pretty good.”

  “Considering you were tossed into the back of a car and knocked out.” His lips twisted in a wry smile. “I’d say that’s good.”

  She hadn’t even thought about her encounter with the mugger. Her physical well-being had more to do with how her body felt following having been with him. She wound her arms around his waist. “How do you feel?” She frowned. “You didn’t get much sleep.”

  “I don’t require a lot,” he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How’s the bump?”

  “I don’t feel it unless I touch it,” she said. It was a good sign that he had his arms around her, wasn’t it?

  She was dying to ask him what his plans were for the day. After telling him she had no expectations of him, she didn’t feel it was appropriate. If he wanted to extend their relationship from a one-night stand to something more, he’d have to make the next move.

  He ran his hands over her shoulder
s and down her back, his irises flaring as his hands skimmed across her bottom. Then he lifted, backed her up to the counter and sat her on the edge.

  She automatically parted her thighs to let him step between.

  He nuzzled her neck. “You don’t have on anything under that robe, do you?”

  Her heart fluttered and she shook her head.

  Duff lifted her chin and kissed her lips, sliding his mouth across them and down her neck to where the pulse beat so fast, she was sure it would leap out of her skin.

  He parted the lapels of her robe and cupped each breast in his palms. Then he bent to take one in his mouth, tonguing it until it puckered into a tight little bead.

  Ivy caressed the back of his head and guided him to the other nipple.

  He nipped the tip and sucked it into his mouth, making all kinds of sensations erupt inside of her. The cool quartz countertop did nothing to chill the heat building at Ivy’s core.

  She reached for the button on his jeans and pushed it through the hole. Then she lowered the zipper.

  His cock sprang free into her hand. “Still have that other condom?” she asked.

  “I rescued it from the nightstand while I was getting dressed.” He reached into his pocket and handed it to her.

  She made quick work of tearing it open and sliding it down over his thick shaft, fondling his balls below. Then she scooted to the edge of the counter and guided him to her.

  He paused, his erection pressing against her entrance. “What about foreplay?”

  She shook her head. “At times like this, it’s overrated.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  He cupped her sex in the palm of his hand and slid a finger into her. He swirled inside her and then brought it out, covered in her juices. Then he parted her folds and applied the wet finger to her clit, stroking her until she squirmed.

  “Okay,” she said, her voice ragged with her growing desire. “You’re right. Foreplay is never overrated.” She flung back her head and braced her hands on the counter while he flicked his finger over that little strip of flesh, bringing her to the very edge.

  Her breath caught and held in her chest as he moved into position and slid into her.

  She held onto the counter as he thrust into her again and again, driving her over the edge.

  The tingling started at her center and spread outward. She shuddered with the force of her release.

  As Ivy rode the wave, Duff pumped several more times and then stiffened. “Sweet heaven,” he muttered, as he thrust one last time, driving deep into her. He held her hips, crushing her to him, holding tightly as his cock pulsed against the walls of her channel.

  She clung to him until the waves of sensations ebbed and she relaxed against him. “Wow.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Wow.” Slowly, he slid out of her, removed the condom, tossed it into the garbage bin, and then reached into a drawer for kitchen towels. He handed one to her and used the other to clean up.

  “I’d carry you back to your bedroom and do that all again, but I’d need a little recovery time and breakfast is ready.”

  She laughed, collected their towels, and stowed them in the laundry room beside the kitchen. “You’ve been busy.”

  “Yes, I have.” He stepped back and waved a hand toward the kitchen table where he’d laid out two plates with flatware and a small plate filled with buttered toast. “I made scrambled eggs. They’re keeping warm in the oven.”

  “You really do know how to cook.” A smile curled her lips. She could easily get used to waking up to his face in the morning. And to making love on the kitchen counter. She’d designed the kitchen herself but making love on the cool quartz counters hadn’t been part of her thought process. She considered it a happy bonus.

  He wrapped her robe around her, tying the sash securely. “Reducing temptation,” he murmured.

  Then he held out a chair for her at the table. “Sit.”

  She laughed. “I’m not a dog.” Still, she took the seat and let him wait on her.

  He brought a pan full of fluffy yellow eggs, a platter of bacon and a pitcher of orange juice to the table.

  After he filled her glass and his, he settled into the seat beside her. “Eat.”

  She smiled. “Thank you for breakfast,” she said and scooped a spoonful of eggs onto her plate, selected a couple of pieces of bacon and a slice of toast.

  Once Ivy was finished filling her plate, Duff followed suit.

  The eggs were cooked to perfection and the bacon was crisp like she liked it. But the company was what made the meal amazing.

  As she swallowed the last piece of toast she was about to commend him on his cooking skills when her cellphone emitted a hen’s squawk, the sound she’d assigned to her mother’s number.

  The sunny day dimmed. She tried to ignore the noise, but years of answering when her mother called brought her to her feet. Besides, her mother had been ignoring her, and who knew when the woman would deign to call Ivy again?

  “I’d better answer that. It’s my mother.”

  His lips quirked.

  “She’s a force to be reckoned with,” she said and hurried to dig her cellphone out of her purse and answer her mother’s video call.

  Her mother’s face materialized on the screen. “Ivy, what took you so long to answer?”

  Irritation rose in Ivy. “Mother, I could say the same. You didn’t answer the previous times I called over the past two weeks, nor did you return my calls. You’re lucky I decided to answer my phone.”

  “I’ve been busy,” she stated, as if her busy trumped everything in anyone else’s life.

  “I have a life, too,” Ivy said. “Yet, I make an effort to call you.”

  “Why is your hair such a mess and you’re still in your nightclothes at this hour?” By contrast, her mother had her ‘senator face’ on.

  “It’s Saturday, Mother,” Ivy said slowly. “I don’t open the store until noon.”

  “When are you going to come to your senses and sell that store? I spoke with your old boss last week. He said he was holding a position for you at the firm.”

  “Not interested,” Ivy said. “I’m done with law.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  Ivy’s lips firmed. “As serious as a heart attack, Mother.”

  “Don’t joke about heart attacks. Your father died of one.”

  “Exactly. That’s how serious I am about not going back to the firm,” Ivy said. “Now, change the subject or I end this call.”

  Her mother huffed. “I didn’t call to cajole you into returning to the firm. Although, I would prefer that.”

  Ivy tensed, ready to call her own bluff and end the call.

  “I called because I wanted to let you know that I’ve hired a new company to handle my personal security.”

  Ivy frowned. “What was wrong with the old one?”

  “Not experienced enough. The new one has retired special operations personnel.”

  “As in Navy SEALs, Rangers and Delta Force?” Ivy’s gaze went to Duff.

  His eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say anything.

  “Precisely,” her mother said.

  “Why the specialty?” Ivy asked.

  “I feel more comfortable knowing I’m protected by some of our country’s finest.”

  Ivy frowned. “Is something going on that I need to know about?”

  “No, dear. I just wanted to let you know there might be one more layer of security you might have to go through to get to me, should you decide to come to see me while I’m in Texas.”

  “And when will that be?”

  “I’ll be in Austin next Wednesday,” she said.

  “Good to know. I’ll have to look at my calendar. I don’t close the shop until five in the afternoon. If I come, it will have to be for dinner.”

  “Ivy, you know I’ll be booked for official dinners,” her mother said. “Can’t you have one of your staff cover for you at the shop?”


  “You know I’m a one-person shop. I’m doing it all myself,” she said. Her mother would know that if she’d cared enough about her business to ask.

  Behind her, Duff rose from his chair, collected the plates and carried them across the kitchen to the sink.

  “Ivy Elaine Fremont,” her mother started.

  Ivy held her breath, ready for her mother’s next barrage. “Yes, Mother?” She had to remind herself she hadn’t heard from her mother in weeks and she shouldn’t be short with her now.

  “Who is that man in your house with you?”

  Ivy winced inwardly. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to insert herself into her sex life. For all she knew, this was a one-night stand. Her mother didn’t need to know anything about Duff.

  “He’s a friend,” Ivy said, her cheeks heating.

  “I can tell when you’re lying. Are you seeing someone?”

  “None of your business, Mother.”

  “It is if the press gets hold of you.”

  “Not my problem.”

  “Your problems are my problems,” her mother said. “Everything you do is a reflection on me and any campaign I wish to run.”

  “I’m not the one running for reelection,” Ivy pointed out. “And how I spend my weekends are my business, not yours.”

  “Young man,” her mother raised her voice. “Young man.”

  Duff leaned over Ivy’s shoulder. “Yes, ma’am?”

  Ivy drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, waiting for her mother to embarrass the crap out of her.

  “Who are you and where do you work?” her mother demanded.

  “Magnus McCormick, US Army.”

  Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “MOS?

  “Can’t say. It’s Top Secret.”

  Elizabeth Fremont’s eyes widened. “Special Forces.” She nodded. “Are you going to be around for long?”

  Ivy winced. They hadn’t discussed the future. She didn’t even know if he’d ask her out again.

  “It depends,” Duff said, his breath warming the back of her neck.

  “On what?” her mother wanted to know.

  Ivy glared at the screen. Her thumb moved to hit the end button on the video call.

  “On whether your daughter will go out with me again.”