by Lea Hart
He sat on the bed and got rid of his running shoes and tried to let his nerves settle. When she was done leaving a message, she handed him back the phone and he tossed it on the nightstand. “Come here.” Pulling her between his knees, he unbuttoned her blouse. Making quick work of the tiny buttons, he parted the sides and grinned like an idiot. “God damn, you’re better than I remember.”
“Really?”
“You’re so heartbreakingly perfect.” Admiring her lacy white bra, he ran his forefinger under the edge of the cup and enjoyed the feel of the rough lace on one side of his finger and the smooth skin on the other. Her nipples pebbled, and he held himself back from pinching, biting, and sucking her gorgeous flesh.
Patience.
Reaching his hand under her skirt, he felt her sway slightly as he moved his fingers up her thigh. “We’re going to see if that thing we had in Africa can happen here.”
Breathing heavily, she murmured, “Does lightning strike twice?”
“I’m going to do my best to make sure it does.” He stroked the juncture of her leg with his thumb and felt it coated with her desire. “I think we’re going to be better, actually, ’cause we don’t have to worry about people hearing you scream.” She was so wet, so ready. “You gonna let go for me, Brooke? Show me how I make you feel?”
“Uh…I guess.”
“No guessing, sweetheart.” Slipping his thumb beneath the lace and into her folds, he heard her gasp as she grabbed his forearms.
“Okay.”
He moved his thumb in small circles; the movements were wet and easy as he edged toward her clit. Noticing that her grip on his arms got tighter and her gaze less focused told him she was giving herself to him. Letting him see that he owned this part of her.
Her hips worked against his fingers, and as she pulsed beneath him, his cock throbbed in response. Seeing her turned on, feeling her slippery wetness, he was the one being seduced. He was the one falling under her spell.
“More,” she whispered.
“Of what?”
“You.”
He slipped his hands away and pulled her panties down in one motion, and then got rid of her skirt, and finally her bra. “Better,” he said as he got rid of his clothes in an instant.
“Much better,” she replied.
He lifted her and placed her in the middle of his bed and took a moment to admire her overwhelming beauty. “Lie back.” Her eyes flickered between his face and jutting cock, and she smiled lazily. “Like it?”
“So much.”
He knelt on the bed and felt her foot running up and down his calf as she pulled him closer. “You want me closer?”
“Yes, just like in Africa.”
Placing his lips over her small smile, he grazed her soft mouth with his and heard her hum. The same sound she’d made before. The same signal that told him she was enjoying herself. Feeling his cock strain for release, he took a steadying breath and then worked his way down her neck, kissing and sucking…wanting to make her as wild with lust as he was.
He trailed a line of kisses from one hipbone to the other and then dragged his tongue back to where he started and gave her a little bite.
“Frisco!”
“You’re mine, and if I want to give you a little bite, then I’m going to do it.”
“Don’t you have a filter?”
He pressed a kiss to her pussy and grinned. “Nope.” He slid his finger inside her heat and groaned. “You’re wet, and that tells me deep down my caveman ways turn you on.” He heard an intake of breath. “Don’t start denying what’s true.” He slid his finger out and then added another. “Enjoy, Brooke, because I’m about to blow your mind.” Before she could respond, he slipped his tongue between her folds and enjoyed the taste of his woman’s honey.
Scraping his teeth over her clit, he heard her moan and knew, for now, she accepted what was. He sucked up her sweetness as he ate her out and heard her moans grow louder as he licked inside to get it all. She was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted, and the more he ate her, the harder he got. Bracing her thighs open, he sucked her clit as her back bowed off the bed and she came against his mouth. Like an animal, he wanted more.
Pulling back, he licked his lips. “Another, Brooke.”
“I can’t,” she whispered as her body collapsed against the bed.
“Oh yes, you can; don’t deny me.” He went back to his new favorite treat and sent her over one more time. When he felt her push against his shoulder, he lifted his head and grinned. “I’m the boss of you now.”
“Are not.”
He dragged himself up her body and settled his hips against hers. “Am too.”
“Okay.” Opening one eye, she patted his arm. “For now.”
“Forever,” he said against her ear. Pressing himself into her heat, he prayed to last more than a minute.
“Jeeezus,” she choked out as her eyes drifted closed.
“Look at me, Brooke.” Her eyes slowly opened, and he grinned with satisfaction because she needed to be reminded of their connection, to confirm it was as real to her as it was to him. Thrusting deeper, he felt her fingernails dig into his arms, letting him know she was as lost as he was.
The drag and thrust of their bodies wrapped wonder and lust around them as they stared into one another’s eyes.
It was more. Whatever was happening was just…more.
Moving his hand between their bodies, he found her clit and heard her cry out as her orgasm hit her in a wave across her body, and he soon followed.
***
Feeling like a mass of goo, Brooke opened one eye and turned her head to see Frisco giving her a very self-satisfied smile. “Proud of yourself?”
“Should I be?” he asked quietly.
Managing to do the impossible, she rolled on her side and tucked her hand under her chin. “Truth?”
“Please.”
“What we just did is one of the five best experiences of my life.” Watching a sexy smile light up his face made her believe she’d done the right thing.
Honesty.
That stuff was potent.
He traced his fingers slowly across her shoulder and then trailed them up until he was holding her face. “Sweetheart, that was the best experience of my life.”
“Sweet talker.” When his expression turned serious, she leaned back. “What?”
“I’m dead serious, Brooke.”
Not able to hold his gaze, she looked down at their slicked, wet bodies and felt a bubble of happiness explode in her chest. To have something like this show up in her life at this moment made her feel blessed. As though God had decided she’d had enough challenging times and sent her the finest man that existed. There might very well be a forever in their future and she was both frightened by what that could possibly mean and excited beyond measure.
“I already feel like I need you…not to survive, but to be happy. It’s the only way I can have a life worth living.”
Tears slipped down her face, and she took his hand and entwined their fingers together and held tightly. When he pressed a kiss to her head, she sniffled. “If this turns out to be a dream, I’m going to be really pissed.”
A crack of laughter filled the room and Brooke looked up to see Frisco’s bright eyes. “I’m serious.”
“I guess we better do it again and again, so you can be sure.”
Her stomach rumbled before she could answer. “Maybe we should break for dinner first.”
He sat up and swung his legs over the bed. “Time to feed my woman.”
“Your woman,” she repeated quietly.
He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Glad you finally get it.”
“But you’re not the boss of me, no matter what I said in the throes of passion.”
He shook his head slowly. “Brooke, Brooke, Brooke. Are you going to make me prove again that I am, in fact, the boss of you?”
“No.”
“Then say it.”
“Not on your li
fe.”
“Fine.” He turned back around and crawled over her, nudging her knees apart. “I have no other choice but to show you once again who is in charge.”
Pressing her hands against his chest, she shook her head and laughed. “Why are you so power hungry?”
He lowered himself and pressed his mouth to her ear. “Because you make me feel powerless, you own me, and the only way to survive is to know that you feel a tenth of what I do.”
Turning her face so their mouths were touching, she smiled. “Okay, Frisco. You can be the boss of me.”
Throwing her arms around his shoulders, she drew him closer and pressed their lips together. Feeling his smile against her mouth shot another blast of happiness through her body, and she gave in to whatever it was that was happening between them. In fact, she might just hold on tight and see where it took her.
This man, this thing…this adventure was long overdue, and instead of pushing the good away as was her habit, she wanted to draw it in and hold it close. Maybe nurture it and see what they could make.
You couldn’t change your life if you kept doing the same old thing, driving down the same road, and listening to the old tapes. Her childhood, her challenges, losing her mom so early didn’t have to define her if she didn’t let it. The old habit of pushing away anything that looked too good in fear that it might be taken away was going to guarantee that she never truly lived.
And the big, strong, amazing man in her arms made her want to truly live for the first time in her life. To take a big bite out of what was offered and not only consume it, but truly enjoy it.
Experience it as fully as she could.
Another loud rumble of her stomach broke the quiet in the room, and she buried her face in his neck. “Sorry.”
He leaned back on his knees and slowly ran his hands down her stomach and grinned. “Pizza, Chinese, or Indian?”
“Chinese.”
“I’ll go grab the menu, and we can decide what we want.”
Leaning up on her elbows, she gave him what she hoped was a saucy smile. “How generous. I thought since you were the boss, you might want to choose.”
He crawled off the bed and stood. “I’m a benevolent boss.” He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.
She collapsed back onto the bed and let out a laugh. “He’s no boss.”
“Yes, I am,” he shouted back in response.
“No, you’re not,” she whispered in reply. Turning her head, she noticed several pictures on the dresser and sat up so that she could see them. One was of Frisco and an older woman who must be his mom and another woman who resembled him who had to be his sister. The next one was a picture of him standing in the surf with his back to the ocean as he got his Budweiser pinned on his uniform. Looking at the back of the man who was affixing the pin, she recognized her father. Feeling a little bit of happiness leak out, she turned away from the picture.
How could she forget that her world and Frisco’s were closely intertwined? How did she ignore that he was a SEAL and she had vowed long ago to avoid them? Turning back, she saw another picture of him with a bunch of friends and wondered if she should just get over her prejudice and see the man and not the uniform.
Sighing, she scooted back against the headboard and brought her knees against her chest as she heard Frisco walking back. Plastering a smile on her face, she decided that she wasn’t going to ruin the perfectly lovely evening with her baggage.
“We have two options.” He held up a couple of menus.
“Great.”
He stopped at the foot of the bed and studied her. “What happened in the two minutes that I was gone?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.” He bounced on the bed and landed in front of her. “Let’s order some food, and then you can tell me the truth.”
“Everything is peachy.” She gave him a quick kiss and then grabbed a menu. “Did I mention that I love Chinese?” She immersed herself in the menu and prayed she could distract him enough that they didn’t have to do a heart-to-heart tonight and could save it for another day. Looking at his body, she came up with three surefire things that she knew would work.
Lucky him.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Friday, September 29th
Brooke opened the front door of her house and smelled something amazing, which meant that her brother had been busy in the kitchen. “Chance.”
“Back here. Is that my sister the trollop?”
Snorting, she walked back into the kitchen and saw her brother standing at the stove with a towel over his shoulder. “Pretty sure having sex every couple of years doesn’t qualify for joining the ranks, but, hey, maybe things have changed.”
Chance turned with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Sliding onto a stool at the island, she rested her face in her hands. “You can’t use any of those terms anyway, because slut shaming is no longer accepted. We can follow all our natural urges without someone trying to affix a derogatory label now that we’ve crawled out of the Stone Age.”
Flipping the omelet in one smooth movement, he nodded. “You’re right. I stand corrected.”
“Did you make enough for me?”
“Depends how hungry you are.”
“I could eat.”
“That describes you pretty much twenty-four hours a day.”
“True.” Standing, she walked around the island to grab a couple of plates and set them on the counter and then pulled out the cutlery. “How was your evening?”
Plating the food, he shrugged. “It was okay.” After he set the pan down, he tilted her chin and smirked. “Not as good as yours, though. Nice hickey.”
Moving her hand along her neck, she felt her face flush as she remembered exactly how she’d gotten it. As well as the others that Frisco had insisted on giving her.
Animal.
God, she was lucky. “How was the rear admiral?”
“Same.” He lifted the plates and slid them across the island and then sat down. “He asked about you.”
Brooke ignored the comment and sat down as well. “Do you want to catch a movie tonight?”
“You ever going to forgive him?”
Brooke lifted her fork and dug into her omelet and hoped her brother would drop it. It was a subject they never agreed on, and she didn’t feel like having the argument for the three-hundredth time. When she slid her eyes over, she saw her brother plowing through his food. Which meant that she had a good chance of not having to discuss her father. “Or we could go bowling.”
“I don’t think you two are ever going to have a close relationship, but I think letting go of your boulder of resentment would be a healthy choice.”
Wiping her mouth, she sat back. “I don’t care enough about him to resent him.”
“Liar.”
“Really, Chance, I don’t.”
“Then go and have a meal with him.”
“So he can appease his guilt for choosing his job over his family? No thanks.”
“He said last night that he always preferred battle and knowing who his enemy was. Knowing what was expected from him, and having some control over how the skirmish ended was the only thing he could handle. With you and Mom, he was completely out of control.”
“I know, and trust me, I’ve made my peace with the fact he was never really able to walk into my hospital room or Mom’s. He did the best he could with what he had at the time. Having said that, I’m not real interested in forging a relationship with him at this point in my life.”
Chance covered his sister’s hand and let out a sigh. “I know. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to bring it up every now and again.”
“Understood.”
“Which makes it impossible for me not to point to the elephant in the room and ask, what the hell are you doing dating a SEAL?”
Slipping her hand away from her brother’s, she covered her face. “I have no idea,” she mumbled.
Chance lifted her
hands away and grinned. “Please repeat that.”
“I. Have. No. Idea.”
He looked up to the ceiling and nodded. “I never thought I would hear those words come out of your mouth.”
Socking him in the arm as hard as she could, she took her hand away and shook it. “Jeez, that hurt.”
Chance flexed his arm and lifted his eyebrow. “Solid steel, sister.”
Rolling her eyes, she then stood. “Show-off.”
“What’s this Frisco guy got that has you ignoring your rules about dating anyone from the military?”
She set her plate in the sink and then leaned against it. “Something happens when I’m around him, and the crazy chemistry we’ve got wipes my brain clean of all the rules I’ve put in place for myself. I’m powerless.”
“Really?”
“One hundred percent. It’s the strangest thing.”
“I hope to hell nothing like that ever happens to me.”
“I would’ve said the same thing a month ago.” Taking the sponge, she wiped off an invisible spot. “But right now, not so much.”
“Be careful, sis.”
Looking up, she focused on her brother’s serious expression. “For the first time in my life, I don’t think the happy ending is impossible.”
Chance stood and put his plate in the sink and then wrapped his sister in a hug. “You absolutely have a happy ending.”
As her brother hugged her, she laid her head against his chest and felt their hearts beat in sync. Chance was literally her other half, and when he said things like that, she had a tendency to believe it was possible. “You do too, don’t forget that.”
Releasing his hold, he stepped away. “Not ready for it yet. Still have a lot to do, and I’m not going to make the same mistake Dad did. When I find the person that I’m meant to be with, I’m going all in, and I’m not there yet.”
“Unfortunately, we have no say in the timing of when someone shows up.”
“True.” Turning, he threw her a smile. “Since I cooked, you get to do the dishes.”
She turned on the water and smiled. “I know.” As she started to rinse the dishes, she thought about Frisco and their timing and wondered whether it was going to work in their favor or not. Guess time would tell.