Covertly Strong (The Strong Series Book 1)

by N. A. Alcorn

  “Seriously?”

  Nix just nods in response.

  “Gah!” she cries in frustration. “Fine! I can play the silent treatment game too!” she declares. With lightning-quick speed and before Nix can stop her, she scoots down his body and slides as much of her petite frame—head included—underneath his white shirt. The cotton material stretches as Sloan makes her naked body comfortable against his bare chest, her waist and legs dangling out below.

  He can’t stop the bout of laughter that consumes him as he looks down at the odd, prominent shape that’s formed under his shirt. Her naked little body is hibernating inside his clothing….while he’s still wearing them.

  He pulls his collar back with a strong finger and peers down at her.

  She couldn’t be any more adorable in this moment if she tried. Stubborn and sassy.

  God, he loves this woman.

  Her brown irises meet his blues. Both remained fixated on each other while trying to hold back the laughter that bubbles up from their bellies, threatening to burst out of them any minute.

  “You look good on me,” he tells her with a cheesy tone to his voice and a suggestive waggle of his brow.

  She giggles, and not just a few, but full-on, can’t-stop bouts of giggles. Her smile beams up at him from under the stretched-out cotton material.

  Nix’s heart nearly bursts from the endless amount of love and adoration that are only reserved for her. His arms curl around her body in delight, cherishing the feel of her nearness.

  Despite everything they have been through over the past few weeks, they relish the joy that hovers over them, soaking up every ounce of happiness that radiates within the small confines of the hotel room.

  It’s a moment filled with a million I love yous and the kind of love that makes you feel like you’re flying.

  SLOAN WALKS OFF THE ELEVATOR still dressed in her pajamas and a messy bun thrown on top of her head. With two cups of coffee in hand, she is more than ready to catch the flight home to San Diego. A certain sexy Navy SEAL kept her up most of the night—in a very delightful way nonetheless—and coffee is a much-needed boost to get her ass moving since the alarm clock went off before the sunrise. A click of a door echoing in the hallway urges her eyes to look up instead of sleepily staring at her feet. She’s startled to find a disheveled-looking Julian walking out of Aly’s hotel room.

  What the heck? She cocks her head to the side, looking at him with curiosity. “I’m pretty sure that’s not your hotel room,” Sloan voices as she makes a show of glancing back and forth between the room Julian should be staying in and Aly’s room.

  He runs a hand over his buzzed head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Sure you don’t,” she adds with a smirk. “Here. Hold these.” She holds the two cups of coffee out to him and then pulls the room key out of her pocket.

  Julian dutifully follows her, knowing there isn’t a chance in hell that he can get out of this situation.

  Before she slides the keycard into the door, she throws another pointed look his way.

  “My lips are sealed, doll,” he responds accordingly, tossing a wink in her direction.

  Sloan continues to stare at him, curiosity etched all over her face.

  “Just open the damn door,” he demands, averting her inquisitive gaze.

  “I’m going to get it out of you eventually. I’m pretty relentless when it comes to shit like this,” she declares as she opens the door.

  Julian chooses to use his signature sarcasm as a distraction from Sloan’s scrutinizing intentions. “Are you sure Nix is down for this, doll? I mean, I’ve never known him to be game for threesomes…” he nearly shouts as he follows her into the room.

  “God, you’re annoying,” she responds with a laugh.

  Sleepy cerulean eyes open, finding his gorgeous brunette walking in through the door along with a smirking Julian, who is holding two fresh cups of coffee in his hands.

  “Morning, sweetheart,” Julian says. “Are you naked underneath those sheets, Boss?” he asks jokingly. “You know what that sexy bod of yours does to me.”

  “It’s too fucking early for me to deal with your sarcastic ass,” Nix groans as he pulls a pillow over his head.

  Sloan chimes in to the conversation as she grabs the coffee from Julian. “Guess where I just saw Julian leaving from?”

  Julian jumps in, throwing both hands in the air and downright refusing to give Sloan a chance to elaborate. “I’m out. I’ve gotta shower and pack my shit. I’ll see you assholes in a bit,” he tosses over his shoulder as he strides out of the door.

  Nix pulls the pillow from over his head, looking at Sloan questioningly. “What was that all about?”

  She laughs and shakes her head. “Honestly, I have no idea. I saw him leaving Aly’s hotel room on my way back from getting us coffee.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Interesting,” Nix states, still too tired to understand Julian’s motives.

  “I’m surprised someone finally decided to wake up,” Sloan teases as she sits on the edge of the bed.

  He chuckles, rubbing a hand through his sexily disheveled hair. “Some crazy woman kept me up all night arguing about her disdain for missionary sex…”

  “That sounds like one ridiculously intelligent woman,” she retorts with a straight face.

  “She’s quite the ball-buster. That’s for sure,” Nix declares with a quirk of his lips.

  “I bet she has to be to keep your caveman ass in line.” She holds a cup out towards him, the delicious smell of coffee wafting in his direction.

  He reaches for the cup, but she pulls it away quickly—visibly enjoying taunting him.

  “Coffee in exchange for a kiss,” she demands, setting the two cups on the bedside table.

  His mouth crests into a grin. “Come here, beautiful.”

  Sloan leans forward and is taken by surprise when Nix quickly grabs her before tossing her petite body down on the bed. His large body hovers over her, his obvious arousal pressed into her belly.

  “Well, hello there, Lieutenant,” she quietly says through her giggles.

  Nix’s blue eyes shine down into hers, a sexy grin consuming his face. “Good morning, baby.” He punctuates that sentence with a small thrust of his hips.

  “Oh my. Someone is a little more awake than I originally thought.”

  He nods briefly and then presses his lips to hers. His skillful mouth pulls moans from her lips, urging her body to turn into one giant puddle of sentient mush. His kiss is all consuming, spurring a wildfire of lust to ignite within her veins. Her hands grasp his biceps as her legs wrap around his waist, her aching core desperate to feel him.

  Far too soon for Sloan’s liking, Nix pulls away, disentangling his body from hers.

  “Hey! Get your ass back over here!” she shouts as he gets off the bed.

  Nix chuckles as he slides his boxer briefs off, heading in the direction of the bathroom. “Now, why would I do that? You’ve made your dislike for missionary sex known.”

  Sloan throws her head back onto the pillows with an irritated groan, her eyes closing in frustration. Once she hears the shower turn on, she can’t get the visual of a naked and wet Nix out of her head.

  “Stay strong. You can’t let him know he’s driving you crazy,” she mumbles to herself as she tries like hell to block out the sound of the water from the shower.

  Water that’s probably nice and warm.

  Water that’s probably running down his perfect face to his perfect chest and descending past his toned abdomen until it reaches that delectable V muscle that leads to…

  “Ah, fuck it,” she mutters as she stands up from the bed, striding in the direction of the bathroom. Her clothes are pulled off in record-fast time and she makes her way inside of the shower.

  Nix’s eyes are closed as he rubs shampoo in his hair, not even noticing her quiet entrance.

  She uses this moment of opport
unity to pounce.

  She gets on her hands and knees and quickly takes him into her mouth, moaning in appreciation once her tongue touches the crown of his shaft.

  “What in the...” he starts to say, but he’s immediately distracted when she takes him deep. “Fuck, baby,” he groans as his hands run through her hair. His jaw goes slack as he gives in to the pleasure.

  She smiles around his cock, knowing full well that she has him exactly where she wants him.

  After a moment, she releases him from her mouth with a loud pop and stands.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me,” she announces with amusement shining in her big, brown eyes. She can hardly hold back the smile as she takes in Nix’s current state—wet, naked, jaw nearly dropped to the shower floor, and cock hard and straining.

  “God, you’re a pain in my ass,” he growls as his strong hands grip her waist. His mind is clouded with lust and intense need. And in the blink of an eye, he has her back pressed against the shower wall and her legs wrapped around his waist. His cock poised at her entrance. “Hold on tight, sweetheart,” he demands as he thrusts inside.

  Her moan of approval is all the motivation he needs to continue driving into her.

  Hard. Fast. Intense.

  Her head falls back against the wall as water drips down between them.

  Nix leans in, his lips hovering over her ear. “Is this what you wanted, baby? My hands gripping your perfect ass, my mouth on your tits, and my hard cock inside of you?” he questions with a growl.

  “Oh god, yes,” she whimpers.

  Nix takes that yes and proceeds to turn it into a hell yes, then a fuck yes, and then a holy fucking hell, Nix, I’m coming kind of a yes.

  Not a bad way to start the day if you ask him.

  THE COLOR GRAY HAS NEVER looked so beautiful…

  TWO MONTHS HAVE GONE BY since Sloan and Nix got back from Galveston. She has immersed herself—with Nix’s strong insistence—in therapy. At first, she was reluctant, not wanting to rehash all of the shitty things she had gone through in Guadalajara, but after two visits with Dr. Amelia Caldwell, she found that there were a lot more issues to work through than just her experiences within the walls of the Arturo compound.

  Sloan has never really worked through her grief from losing her parents.

  Some would consider her new therapist a little aggressive—a hard-ass so to speak—but this is the exact type of person who someone like Sloan needs.

  And thankfully, the therapy sessions are helping. They are allowing her to work through the past and come to terms with everything—her parents’ deaths, the terrible circumstances that pushed Nix out of her life, and the resentment she holds for the decision she made to be in the CIA. There is still a lot of work to be done, but Sloan has gained an enormous amount of closure just for the pure fact that she’s actually working on it. The effort has been made.

  She races home from her current place of employment—Children’s Hospital in San Diego—and can barely contain her excitement. Nix is due home any minute from Virginia Beach. Black Mamba just finished up a two-week training trip. Guys stuff and all that jazz.

  Sloan knows that Nix is on one of two platoons within SEAL Team Six, but she doesn’t ask questions. She doesn’t try to dig for information in terms of training and assignments. She does this for two reasons: respect for his job and the need to keep information confidential and the fact that, sometimes, it’s a lot better to be naïve to the dangers he will face when he’s not home with her—when he’s shipped out to a foreign country and tracking down international criminals.

  Her Range Rover pulls into the driveway of her and Nix’s new home, passing by the white picket fence she made him install and quickly parking inside the three-car garage. Once she spots Nix’s Jeep, she wastes no time hurrying inside.

  “Nix!” she shouts as she makes her way into the kitchen, setting her keys and purse down on the large island highlighting the modern space. “Babe! I’m home!”

  No response.

  “Hello?” she questions loudly as she walks towards the stairs that lead to their bedroom, her anxious brown eyes searching for the one person she is desperate to see.

  Still no response.

  That’s weird, she thinks to herself as she walks up the steps. Maybe he’s sleeping?

  Sloan makes her way into their bedroom, kicking off her black heels once she steps through the doorway. She glances around the room and is disappointed to find…no Nix. She sees a white piece of paper on their bed with a neon-green-and-pink Nerf Blaster gun sitting beside it.

  What in the hell is he up to?

  As her eyes read the note, a huge smile kisses her mouth.

  She shakes her head on a laugh at the sexual innuendo he threw in there. Her eyes scan the room, still finding no evidence of him.

  Game. On.

  After hurrying into their closet and finding the two items she needs, Sloan takes all of her clothes off. Dressed in only his camouflage combat shirt with his trident displayed proudly on her chest, she strides out of the closet, ready to kick some Nerf Wars ass. She stops in her tracks when she finds Nix—with his Nerf Blaster in hand—standing near their bed, his large body blocking her Nerf gun.

  Shit, she mentally curses herself for the lapse in judgment. The CIA taught her better than to leave her weapon behind.

  “Well, well, well…look what we have here,” he voices with a sly smirk etched on his masculine jaw.

  She starts to move for the bed, but he steps in front of her.

  “I don’t think so, sweetheart.”

  “You play dirty,” she declares with a scowl marring her face.

  “Oh, you have no idea…” He reaches behind him, grabbing her Nerf gun from the bed.

  His eyes dance with enjoyment as he watches an irritated expression encompass her pretty face and a sassy hand go to her hip. Cerulean orbs appreciatively appraise her appearance. Her gorgeous brunette hair lying past her shoulders in gentle waves. Her big brown eyes nearly glaring at him. Her beautiful body completely naked underneath his combat shirt. And he doesn’t miss the trident displayed on her chest. She is the only woman who’s ever worn it, and his sentimental heart can’t stop from filling with pride.

  “My trident looks good on you,” he compliments. Because it does.

  His trident has never looked as good as it does right now. If Sloan—dressed just like this—would have been the one to present his trident to him after he survived BUD/S, there’s a strong chance that he would have dropped dead at that very moment and gone straight to heaven.

  She sidles up next to him, her finger running down his chest. “How good?” she asks with a purr.

  Nix steps back, gently pushing one of the Nerf Blasters into her belly. “Don’t even think about it. I know your tricks, and there is no way in hell you’re going to flirt yourself out of this one.” He nudges the Nerf gun into her abdomen again. “Take a seat,” he demands with a determined stare.

  She sits down on the edge of the bed, still trying to formulate a plan out of her current dilemma. Her brown eyes continue staring at him, visibly calculating.

  He starts to set the Nerf guns on the ground but thinks better about it. After placing them far out of her reach and safely on the chaise lounge that resides near the walk-in closet, Nix walks back towards her. His large body stands directly in front of her, blocking her path to the chaise.

  She scowls at him in irritation.

  “So back to the whole subject of you wearing my trident…” He pauses, ignoring the scowl and looking down at her affectionately.

  She cocks her head to the side, curiosity now dominating her facial expression.

  “You’re the only woman who’s ever worn my trident, sweetheart. Do you have any idea what this means?” he asks, giving her zero time to respond. “It means you’re mine forever.”

  Nix proceeds to get down on one knee right in front of a very surprised Sloan. His muscular chest ripples and stretches as he
pulls a small, black box out of the pocket of his cargo shorts. He opens the box, revealing a beautiful princess-cut diamond ring.

  The ring glimmers and sparkles, and it’s the most beautiful damn ring she’s ever laid eyes on, spurring a gasp of shock from her lips. Her right hand covers her mouth as she continues to stare down at the ring.

  His eyes shine with love as he grabs her left hand. “We’ve been through a lot, baby. We’ve loved together, lost together, and faced death head on together. You are the only woman who’s ever held my heart. You are my world, Meli. My entire world. And I don’t want to waste another minute of our future. I want you in my life—always,” he declares, feeling every single word he’s speaking to his very soul. “Be mine forever, Sloan.”

  He releases a nervous breath, his fingers tightly grasping her left hand. “I want you to be my Meli, my love, my smile, my frown, my headache, my pain in the ass…” He pauses, watching a beautiful smile kiss her pink lips. “Be my wrong, my right, my happiness… Be. My. Everything.” Nix pulls the ring out of the black box, holding it above her left ring finger. “Will you marry me, Sloan Maria Walker?”

  Tears fill her eyes as she glances back and forth between the ring and his gorgeous face. A giggle escapes her lips once she processes that Nix is really proposing to her…right now…in their bedroom while she’s only wearing his combat shirt.

  “Are you really proposing to me right now? I’m practically naked, Nix!” she questions through laughter, through tears.

  His smile turns into a megawatt grin as that all-too-familiar sass of hers flies out of her mouth. God, I love her. Even during my proposal, she gets sassy with me. “Yeah, baby, I am. So what do you say? Will you spend always with me?”

  “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!” she chants and shouts and cries through her happy tears. She launches herself onto him, hugging and kissing him with an infinite amount of joy.

  Yes. Simple as that.

  One word. Nix’s new favorite word.

  Yes. Yes. Yes.

  His heart flips and twists and turns inside his chest, trying to make room for all of the love that’s spilling out of his soul.