SEAL INVESTIGATIONS: A 5-Books SEAL Romance Series

by Lola Silverman

  There was a huge padlock on the door. Romero took out his Leatherman and prepared to pick the lock. That was about the time he heard someone else sticking a key into it from the other side.

  “Shit,” he muttered.

  “What?”

  He cast about, knowing his options were limited. “We need another exit.”

  “What exit?” she whispered.

  “Just follow my lead.”

  The door was just starting to open. Romero grabbed Cassidy’s hand and sprinted toward the edge of the building. He’d seen earlier that the neighboring building not only had a full set of exterior fire escape stairs, but was less than ten feet away and also sat at least one story lower than the club.

  “No!” Cassidy started pulling back on his hand as if she were trying to let go.

  He held tighter and ran faster, dragging her behind him. “Yes! Just hang onto me and jump when I jump. No turning back now.”

  “No!” she protested. “Oh my God, you’re insane!”

  Romero hit the edge of the building, and to his relief he felt Cassidy surging forward beside him. There was no more pulling back or trying to stop. She was running flat out as though she knew that was the difference between making it and falling flat.

  Behind them, the roof access door slammed open. “There they are!” someone shouted. Any other words were lost in the sound of the rushing wind and the thunder of boots in hot pursuit.

  About that time Romero leaped into the air. He felt a slight tug as his momentum helped Cassidy to bridge the rest of the gap. Then the two of them hit a pile of some sort of garbage bags and rolled onto the roof of the neighboring building.

  Chapter Seven

  Cassidy was lying on a pile of garbage and glad as hell to be there with all limbs present and accounted for. She was still clutching Romero’s hand. She really didn’t want to let go. Every inch of her body was shaking as the adrenaline thrummed through her veins.

  “I can’t believe I just did that,” she whispered hoarsely. “You’re crazy. You know that?”

  “Well, don’t stop now.” He got up, tugging her along with him. “They can just as easily shoot at us from over there as anywhere else.”

  His words certainly had a way of making her feel urgent. She scrambled up, groaning as every single joint in her body gave a universal protest. Then she heard something ping off a garbage bin and end with a loud thunk and a tiny puff of cement dust in the roof about ten feet from where they were.

  “Shit,” Romero muttered. He swung her out and forward, forcing her to lead. “Keep your head down and stay in front of me.”

  “What’s going on?” she panted.

  “They’re shooting.”

  Nothing but that could have induced her to run faster. Cassidy dug in and sprinted as fast as she could. “Where am I going?”

  “That ladder right in front of you.”

  The guy wasn’t even winded! She felt like her lungs were trying to breathe knives. He sounded like they were out for a leisurely stroll. Sheesh!

  Cassidy held her hands out, knowing that it was going to hurt when she flung herself over the edge. Hopefully she wouldn’t miscalculate and fling herself off the building completely.

  She grabbed the big arched metal handles and gave a leap of faith. Her legs went over, banging the edge of the building as they did. Her momentum carried her a little too far. She squeaked in terror as her hands began to slip. Her lower half hit the bottom of the arc like a pendulum, putting all of her body weight on her shaky hands.

  The effort of holding on was too much. Her grip abruptly failed. She was going to fall. After all of this she was going to wind up a stain on the pavement of the street below. She scrambled to find a handhold, anything, and finally she felt something touch her palm. She clenched her hand, and then realized that she was holding onto Romero.

  She looked up. It felt like her eyes were going to pop out of her head with the effort of holding on. The calm certainty on his face was so very soothing. She hung onto that, not just clutching at his hand, but at the mental lifeline he was offering.

  ROMERO VERY CAREFULLY placed Cassidy’s hands back on the metal railing. Behind him he heard two more badly aimed shots strike the pavement. At this point the idiots weren’t even in range, which was good. Because he was pretty certain that Cassidy had just taken a good ten years off his life.

  The moment her feet had flown over the side of the building in a move worthy of an Olympic gymnast, he’d known she wasn’t going to be able to hold on. Then he’d seen her slip, and he’d known there were only seconds left to catch her before she fell to what would most certainly be her death.

  Now he held her gaze, willing her to be strong. For a moment it had looked as if she was about to cry. Then she’d glanced up at him, and for just a second he felt a thread of connection between them. It was a bond he had only ever shared with his fellow SEALs. Yet now Cassidy was inexplicably tied up in this as well.

  “You’ve got this,” he told her in a low voice. “Just put your feet on the rungs and do one at a time. Hands and feet, nice and steady and slow. There’s no hurry.”

  “They’re shooting!” There was just a tinge of panic in her voice.

  “They’re too far away to hit us, but they’re too stupid to realize it,” he explained. “Just stay calm, and let’s get out of this alive.”

  “Okay.” She nodded and began descending at a nice, steady, safe rate.

  He followed, trying at the last second to see exactly what was going on up on the neighboring roof of the club. He could see three men. All were built nice and beefy like the bouncers he’d seen up to this point. Whoever did the hiring obviously had a type he or she preferred. And these guys certainly weren’t braniacs by any means.

  Finally the two of them reached the bottom of the fire escape. Cassidy dropped to the ground. She collapsed to her knees. Romero landed on his feet in a full crouch right beside her. He immediately stood and helped her up as well.

  “Are you all right?” He couldn’t say if it was habit or real concern, but he began checking her over, patting her arms and legs and trying to see how injured she was. “You’re pretty banged up.”

  “Nothing a shower won’t fix,” she told him gamely.

  “Let’s go back to your place then,” he urged.

  “Is it safe?” The hesitation on her face tore at him. She had wanted to help, but Romero had had no notion of what he was allowing her to get herself into. Now he felt responsible for the resulting mess.

  “It’s going to be just fine. I’ll stay with you and make sure nobody comes knocking,” he assured her.

  “All right then.” She sounded exhausted. “Let’s go home.”

  *

  Cassidy stood beneath the hot water and let it sluice down her bare, bruised back. She had never felt so sore in her life. It was like every single joint and muscle was screaming in protest of the last few hours.

  There was a knock on the bathroom door. “It’s just me,” Romero said. “Can I come in and look at those cuts on your back? I want to make sure they get cleaned out properly.”

  “Can it wait?” She felt strangely, and almost shockingly shy. “I’m in the shower still.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well. Whenever.”

  Did he actually sound—uncomfortable? Since the moment Romero had barged into her life, Cassidy hadn’t known him to be anything but a cool, smooth operator. Maybe the idea of her naked in the shower was a little too much for his self-control?

  Yeah, right! The guy could probably resist a dozen naked women.

  Cassidy sighed and turned the knob to stop the spray. She couldn’t really afford to use much more hot water anyway, especially since Rachel wasn’t likely to chip in for this month’s utilities. If this kept up for long, Cassidy was going to have to ask Rachel’s brother to pick up her tab. No. Cassidy would be positive. They were going to find Rachel.

  She pulled a towel off the rack and wrapped it snug around her breasts. The thi
ng barely reached the tops of her thighs, but at least it covered her booty. She wound another towel around her hair and tried to wring out most of the water. The tangled mess would have to wait. For now she just wanted to sit down.

  Cassidy walked out of the bathroom and found Romero in the living room with some photos pulled up on a laptop. She leaned over his shoulder a bit to get a better look.

  “Were you actually able to take photos while we were there?” she asked incredulously. “When did you even have a chance to do that?”

  “That’s one of my jobs with the teams,” he explained. Then he turned to look over his shoulder at her.

  Cassidy saw the moment he realized that she was only wearing a towel. His pupils dilated and she saw him suck in a quick breath. Oh yes. He was certainly affected by her, whether he wanted to be or not.

  “You wanted to look at my back, remember?” she prompted.

  “Of course.”

  She didn’t call him on the fact that he was totally covering up his discomfiture at seeing her practically naked. It served him right for pretending he wasn’t really attracted to her, and being rude after a kiss. And just to really make him uncomfortable, she dropped the towel and let the back slide all the way down to rest on the tilt of her hips. Then she presented her back for his inspection.

  “How does it look?” she asked.

  “Perfect.”

  The word took her by surprise. She cast a glance over her shoulder, but he was staring right at her as if transfixed by the sight of her bare skin. She gave a tiny shimmy with her hips and the towel slipped lower.

  “You did that on purpose,” he said quietly.

  She wasn’t about to give up the advantage now. “Did I?”

  TWO COULD PLAY this game, and Romero was ready to take his turn. He was supposed to be checking the cuts on her back. So that’s what he did. Gently probing her cuts with his fingers, he watched her tremble as her delicate skin tried to shrink from his touch. Then he laid his palm flat on her back. She stopped squirming and gave a low sigh. He may not have known much, but he knew that this woman wanted him badly.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “Does everything look all right?”

  He let his hand slide lower. His fingers brushed the dimples on either side of the base of her spine. They were like little thumbprints. He caressed the fullness of her hips and bracketed them with his hands. She stayed still for barely a second more. Then she glanced over her shoulder and caught him with her blue gaze.

  Romero saw so many things in her eyes. She was beautiful. Yes. But she was also strong and intelligent. He caressed her back, drawing his fingers up and down her spine and tracing the outline of her shoulder blades.

  She was trembling delicately with each additional brush of his fingers against her skin. Finally he could resist no longer. He leaned forward and let his lips glide softly over her skin. She gasped, and her head dropped forward to give him better access.

  “You smell and taste amazing,” he whispered. To emphasize his point he let his tongue skate across the base of her neck.

  “You feel amazing, so I guess we’re even,” she admitted. “I want you, Romero. I don’t know what to do about it, but I wanted to tell you that.”

  He kissed her right shoulder, then the thick pad of muscle where her shoulder met her neck. “You don’t know what to do about it?”

  “No.” Her head was lolling forward, and she sounded as though she were in a trance. “I don’t want to push you into doing something you don’t want to do.”

  “Hmm, let’s see, sleep alone, or make love to a beautiful woman. What do you think I’d pick?”

  “I don’t know, when you put it that way,” she teased.

  Her humor delighted him, but he was done with the teasing. Holding her upper arms gently in his hands, he spun her around to face him. Romero kissed her once again. He let his tongue skate over the seam of her mouth until she opened for him. Then he swept inside and let his tongue mate with hers. He wanted her to know exactly what he intended to do with the rest of her before the night was over.

  Chapter Eight

  Cassidy was losing her mind. Or maybe she was coming to her senses. It was difficult to tell what she was when Romero was touching her. His kiss melted her from the inside out. Everything below her waist went up in flames, and she felt her core begin to ache with the need to be touched.

  She slipped her arms around his neck and slid her fingers into the short, dark hair at his nape. He gave a little growl of approval, so she let her nails scrape lightly over the back of his neck. He deepened the kiss. His tongue rubbed against hers, and she shivered with need.

  Romero drew back, letting his teeth close lightly on her bottom lip. “Where’s your bedroom?”

  “Last door at the end of the hallway,” she managed to stammer.

  “Perfect.”

  She took a breath to say something else, but he swept her off her feet and the words just left her brain. The strength of him was intoxicating. She could feel the slide and play of his muscles beneath the cotton of his T-shirt. He was absolutely solid, and yet she could not wait to feel the softness of his skin against hers.

  He nudged her door open with his boot. Walking into her bedroom, she saw him cast a quick look around before he zeroed in on the bed. When he set her on the mattress, the towel came completely off. Cassidy felt a moment’s shyness until she heard him suck in a deep breath.

  “Damn.”

  That one word had the power to alleviate whatever apprehension remained. The utter admiration in his tone made her feel warm inside, and very, very wanted. She lifted her hand, beckoning him closer.

  “I want to see you,” she asked softly. “Please?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead he reached over his shoulders and pulled his T-shirt off. He tossed it aside, the action making the ropy expanse of muscles in his belly and chest ripple. She sighed with appreciation. He really was a beautifully built man.

  Then he unbuttoned the fly of his cargo pants and pushed them down over his firm ass. Her mouth watered when he bent over to remove his boots. Goodness gracious the man had a butt that any underwear model would have killed for!

  “Well?” He held out his arms and raised an eyebrow. The sassy expression was strangely endearing. Was he worried she wouldn’t like what she saw?

  “You’re magnificent,” she told him honestly. “And I’m sure your ego doesn’t need the boost, but seriously. You’re freaking hot!”

  He threw back his head and laughed. Damned if she didn’t find that sexy too. Then he climbed up on the bed beside her, and Cassidy suddenly felt as though he filled the entire room. There was something completely larger than life about him. He placed his hand on her hip and caressed her with a gentleness that made her melt all over again.

  ROMERO SAVORED THE warmth of Cassidy’s skin beneath his hand. There was something strong about her, and yet she had a soft, loving side to her as well. The combination was a knockout. He didn’t just want to fuck her. This was so much more than just a physical response.

  He didn’t want to wait anymore. He still had on his boxer briefs. They needed to come off. He shimmied them down over his hips and onto the floor. Then he rolled Cassidy onto her back and covered her body with his.

  The feel of her beneath him was exquisite. It was everything he had imagined and more. He kissed her lightly, nipping at her mouth and teasing her with his tongue. The noises she made in the back of her throat drove him crazy with lust. She was so sexy without even trying.

  She lifted her legs, letting her smooth calves brush the backs of his thighs. The position opened the vee of her thighs, and he felt his erection gently brush the soft hair on her mound. He’d never known anyone to have hair that soft. He flexed his hips and felt the tip of his cock delve between her swollen pussy lips. She was wet and hot.

  “Please, Romero,” she whispered.

  “Jase,” he said suddenly. “My name is Jase.”

  “Jase.”

&
nbsp; He never told anyone that. He couldn’t imagine why he’d just done so now. But hearing his given name on her lips was like hearing angels singing. He balanced his weight on one arm and cupped her face with his other hand.

  “I want to be inside you, Cassidy. I’m sorry, but I can’t wait any longer.”

  “Please don’t wait, Jase. I want you so badly.”

  He angled his hips and drove into her body. She spread her legs farther apart and welcomed him inside. He slid in deep until his balls were nestled against her. She was incredibly tight and so very wet. Backing out, he drove in again. Soon he set a slow, easy rhythm of retreat and advance that nearly pushed his control to the max.

  She arched her back, causing her beautiful breasts to tremble. He couldn’t resist the lovely temptation. Lowering his head, he sucked one nipple into his mouth and gave a long pull. She gasped and trembled. Her skin tasted divine. He let go of the first one, and gave the second one the same attention. She was truly shaking now, her entire body convulsing as he felt her inner muscles growing exponentially tighter.

  “I’m going to come!” she cried out. “Oh God, I’m coming!”

  He felt her seize around his cock. The pressure and friction on the sensitive spot just behind the flange of his dick pushed him over the edge. He groaned and penetrated deep. Soon he gave in and poured his seed into her soft, welcoming body.

  Romero was utterly spent. His arms could no longer hold him up. He rolled to the side to avoid crushing her beneath his dead weight. Settling on his side, he pulled Cassidy into his arms and was gratified to feel her snuggle in close. She laid her cheek against his chest, and he thought he had probably never been this content before in his life.

  CASSIDY FELT COMFORTABLE, which in turn wound up making her feel awkward. It made no sense, but emotions never did. She kept waiting for him to get up and leave, or to roll away in order to avoid the cuddling. Guys always did that. Once the sex was over they were pretty much done with the goods.