Alison gasped as Evan entered her. His thick erection slowly sank inside her, inch-by-inch, until he filled her completely. She’d been wet and ready for him, desperate for him to fill and claim her as his own. He bottomed out and held completely still, holding his muscular body above hers, letting Alison get used to him. Evan was so large, it took a moment to adjust to his size. He filled and stretched her in a way nothing ever had before, as if he were made for her alone. She moaned and rocked against him, the exquisite pressure almost too much to bear.
He thrust into her slowly, sweetly, sliding his forearms beneath her back as he rested his weight on his elbows. His blue gaze bore into hers, trapping her more than his large body atop hers ever could. She was completely lost to him, and they moved as one, his muscular biceps bunching up beside her with each thrust. She felt her body humming again, building toward another explosion as Evan stroked her deep inside. Her walls began to clamp down around him, and he began moving faster, the base of his penis rubbing against her swollen clit.
She cried out, unable to control the pace of their lovemaking as Evan powerfully consumed her, bringing her to the precipice once more. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together as she hung on. He pumped into her faster, harder, pushing her further toward the edge. He pulled nearly all the way out and slammed into her once more as she finally detonated, screaming in ecstasy. He continued bucking into her as she rode the waves of her orgasm, the moment going on and on until she was exhausted beneath him.
Evan impossibly hardened even more and then gave two more powerful thrusts, saying her name as if it were a prayer while he released deep inside her.
He rolled them to the side, hitching her leg up over his hip, his cock still buried within her pulsing walls. Muscular arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer as his entire body curled around hers. She gasped against his neck, burying her head into the crook of his shoulder as he held her. He was in her, wrapped around her—his very scent covered her skin. There was no part of her unaffected, untouched, or unchanged by Evan.
There would be no running away from him tonight. Not now. Not after that life-altering explosion, not with the way their bodies were still joined as one. Maybe things would look different in the light of day, but for the moment, for tonight, she only wanted him.
Chapter 16
Evan awoke, yawning, a feeling of deep satisfaction filling his chest. The sunlight beamed in through the windows, flickering light across his king-sized bed, and he tried to remember the last time he’d slept in past dawn. When was the last time he’d actually been happy to spend the entire night with a woman? Probably…never?
After a shitty few days, he’d finally brought the woman he was crazy about home with him last night. Maybe he’d had to chase her down the damn street, but he’d taken her back to his place. Had her in his own bed. Made love to her until they’d both drifted off to sleep. Smug male satisfaction coursed through him. Hearing Alison scream out his name again and again was the sexiest thing ever. Feeling her inner walls clench around his cock as he took her, made her his own, made him want to roar in approval. Alison was his.
And it wasn’t just about the sex—although that had been off-the-charts spectacular. His new favorite thing was exploring her body, making her come and completely shatter in his arms. It was more than just physical though—he cared for her. His heart had nearly exploded out of his chest when he’d seen the hurt expression on her face at Anchors last night. His only thought had been finding her, making things right between them, and then finally making her his.
He’d torn out of there so fast, he was sure the other guys would be ribbing him the rest of the year. The hell if he cared. Patrick would’ve probably kicked his ass for hurting Alison—and rightfully so. Thank fuck he’d gotten it together enough to go after his woman. And she was his now—he’d thoroughly claimed her last night, pleasured her, and made certain she’d never want another man again.
He reached across the sheets, wondering why her warm little body wasn’t tucked into his right now. He’d woken her once in the middle of the night, his cock harder than steel, and they’d sleepily made love before falling asleep in each other’s arms again. The way she nestled against him was probably the cutest damn thing he’d ever seen—like she needed him. And not just because he was some tough Navy SEAL—she’d needed Evan the man. And hell if that didn’t fill his chest with a kind of pride he couldn’t even begin to explain.
Sitting up, he glanced toward the master bathroom. The door was wide open, the room empty. His brow furrowed as he scanned his bedroom. He never, ever slept this late, but then again, he’d never been so wrapped up in a woman before—literally and figuratively. Alison had him by the balls and didn’t even know it. He was completely crazy for her.
He climbed out of bed, pulling on a pair of jeans. Not bothering to fully zip them, he sauntered out to the living room. He had no idea what Ali was doing up so early after the night they’d had, but he sure as hell didn’t plan to let her stay out here alone. They had a lazy Sunday to spend together, one in which he planned to enjoy getting fully acquainted with her gorgeous body. The hours that had passed since they’d last made love were too many—he needed to have her again. To slake his need and satiate her.
She was the first woman he’d even brought back to his apartment here in Little Creek. When he was younger, he’d take a woman home with him for the night, but over the years, he’d only stayed at the woman’s place. It was easier to sneak out in the middle of the night, easier knowing they wouldn’t track him down to his apartment looking for more.
The thought of possibly deploying again in the next week or so was almost painful. His chest tightened at the idea of leaving Alison here while he shipped out. Never, ever had he cared about a woman while he was gone. His focus was on the mission. His men. The women he’d been with in the past had always just been a warm body in his bed—there for his pleasure. He’d certainly enjoyed driving them wild, too, but it had all been about immediate sexual gratification for both of them. One woman was easily replaceable with another.
He walked into the empty kitchen. It felt as lonely as the rest of his apartment did at the moment. His eyes fell on the table—completely bare. He was pretty damn certain Ali had left her purse there last night.
Glancing around his living room, a feeling of uneasiness began to wash over him. What. The. Fuck. She was gone.
***
Alison climbed out of the cab, shoving a handful of bills at the driver. Last night had been an epic mistake. She’d awoken early this morning, Evan’s hard body wrapped tightly around hers, and had a brief moment of panic. They hadn’t made any promises to each other, hadn’t even been out on an actual date, and somehow she’d ended up spending the night at his apartment. In his bed.
She’d untangled herself from his muscular arms, miraculously not waking him, and snuck into the kitchen for a glass of cold water. As she tried to tell herself she was freaking out over nothing, she’d collected the pile of mail they’d knocked to the floor last night, tossing it onto the counter and accidentally bumping the answering machine. As images of Evan making her come on his countertop flooded her mind, his mouth on her in the most intimate way imaginable, a woman’s sexy voice purred on the recording, asking him to call her. Because she’d had a great time with him on Thursday night.
Thursday night. As in one night after he’d made dinner for her and hauled her off to her bedroom.
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she opened the front door of her townhouse. What did she expect? She knew he was too young, that guys like him had women hanging all over them. Yet she’d gone ahead and slept with him anyway. She debated calling Rebecca to vent but didn’t want to wake her so early on a Sunday. This seemed kind of like a best friend emergency though. Briefly, she debated driving straight there. Pouring her heart out to the one person who’d understand. Then again, Rebecca might be over at Patric
k’s. Maybe she should call.
Her phone beeped with a text message, and her pulse pounded when she saw it was from Evan.
Are you okay? Where’d you go?
Furiously, Alison texted him back.
Check your messages. It sounds like you have plenty of women to keep you busy.
Her phone started ringing a second later, and she pushed the “ignore” button. There was no way in hell she was talking to Evan or letting him chase her down again. She’d been enough of a fool last night to let him convince her that the woman in the bar had been coming onto him—not vice versa. Holy crap. What if she was the one who left the message? She certainly seemed to know Evan pretty well. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
Alison stormed into her bedroom and changed into her workout clothes. The adrenaline and anger rushing through her were putting her on edge, making her furious. She should probably have something to eat before she went out, but she was too angry to bother. There was certainly no need for coffee when the rage coursing through her had her wide awake and alert. At the moment, she wanted to wring that bastard’s neck.
Her phone beeped again, and just before she could haul it clear across her living room, she realized it was a text from her brother:
Coming to VA Beach this week. You up for company?
God, well at least she’d have something to look forward to. If she could convince him to drive down today, she’d have a couple of days off to spend with him before her shift started. Hmmm. She’d give him a call when she returned from her walk. She needed to cool off first, and there was no way she was discussing guy problems with him.
Leaving her phone on the counter, she grabbed a bottle of water and stormed back outside. The sooner she burned off some of this rage seething in her, the happier she’d be. Maybe.
***
Evan pounded his fist on the countertop, anger and frustration pumping through him. What message? What women?
This was ridiculous.
He riffled through the mail on the countertop as if that would give him some sort of clue. It had been scattered all over the floor last night before he’d taken Ali to his bedroom, so she must’ve picked it up off the floor earlier. He sure didn’t see any type of message that would make her go berserk. Not that there even were any other women.
“Hell,” he muttered, glancing around his kitchen.
His eyes fell to the answering machine on the counter. He rarely used his landline but pushed the play button just for the hell of it. There sure were no written messages lying around, so what else could she have been talking about? Not a damn thing about this morning was making sense. And Ali storming off again was frustrating the hell out of him.
The answering machine beeped, and the woman purring at him as the message played back had him baffled. Thursday night?
He listened to the message all the way to the end, then hit play again. An earlier message began to play first. “Brent, baby, give me a call….”
Jesus. Now Brent was giving out Evan’s number to his one-night-stands? Good God. He was going to give him hell the next time he saw the guy. Like he wanted a bunch of angry women calling him.
The meaning of Ali’s text suddenly dawned on him. She thought he’d been with another woman the other night? For the love of God. If she kept jumping to conclusions, no way in hell would this work between them. He grit his teeth and clamped his eyes shut, his blood pounding. Was she expecting him to chase her all the way over to her townhouse? He’d just tried calling a few minutes ago, and she hadn’t answered.
He stalked back into his bedroom. Maybe after a long run his head would be clearer, and he could figure out what the fuck to do next. At the moment, he just didn’t feel like dealing with that woman’s particular brand of crazy. She freaking drove him insane, usually in the best way possible. But was she going to run every time she freaked out? Or push him away when he got too close?
His sheets were a tangled mess from their night of lovemaking, and Ali’s citrusy scent still clung to them. He shut his eyes, trying to get images of her in his bed out of his mind. Weren’t women usually all about talking, communicating, and shit? Ali seemed content to cut and run whenever she was feeling uncertain.
Hell.
His eyes fell on a piece of plastic on the ground next to his bed, and he realized Alison’s inhaler had fallen out of her purse. “Damn it,” he muttered. Worry snaked through him at the memory of her having an asthma attack a few weeks ago. He’d felt so desperate as he watched her in her kitchen, panic coursing through him even as her breathing slowly returned to normal. As frustrated as he was at the moment, the protective instinct in him flared up. He’d have to head over there sooner than he’d planned.
Abandoning his idea of going on a run, Evan headed toward the bathroom instead. A quick shower, and he’d be on his way.
Chapter 17
Alison gasped for air and sank down to the ground, falling to her hands and knees. The rough cement cut into her palms, and pain shot through her. Speed-walking down the street had been a crazy idea. She’d been madder than hell at Evan, hadn’t had anything to eat, and hadn’t even brought an inhaler. Rather than dig a spare one out of her medicine cabinet, she’d set out for a walk anyway. Hell-bent on getting her night with Evan out of her mind, she’d stormed down the street huffing with every angry step.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, her chest heaving as she crouched down on all fours, and a woman rushed to her side. She continued wheezing, unable to catch a breath. Someone rubbed her back, and a sheen of sweat began to coat her skin as panic overtook her.
She couldn’t breathe.
The world around her began to grow hazy, and pinpricks of darkness started spotting her vision. She vaguely heard shouts for help and the woman speaking to the 911 dispatcher on the phone. She tried to speak, to tell her she was having an asthma attack, but no words would come without precious air in her lungs.
She was so dizzy, so tired. It seemed easier just to succumb to closing her eyes for a moment.
She uselessly opened her mouth again, but there was nothing. Her chest hurt. Her lungs burned. The world tilted on it’s axis.
“Alison!” a male voice shouted.
Footsteps came running in her direction. It sounded oddly like her little brother’s voice. It couldn’t be him. He lived hours away.
“Hang on!” the man said, crouching down beside her. “The ambulance is coming.”
The world faded to complete blackness.
***
Evan’s gut clenched as he saw the ambulances at the end of Alison’s street. He didn’t know how the fuck he knew, but he was positive something had happened to her. He screeched to a stop in the middle of the road and jumped out of his SUV, a police officer yelling at him not to leave his vehicle there.
So they’d give him a ticket. Big fucking deal. If Alison was hurt, he’d never forgive himself. His chest constricted as he thought of the time he’d wasted at his apartment this morning. He should’ve driven after her. Explained everything. And the second he’d found her inhaler? He should have charged out the door after the woman he cared about, not taken some pansy-ass shower to clear his head. It didn’t do a damn thing anyway. He was still completely wound up; he still needed a long run to pound out his frustration. And at the moment, he was burning with a need to see Alison.
She’d be okay. She had to be okay.
In the distance, he saw paramedics loading a woman onto a stretcher, an oxygen mask strapped to her face. Strawberry blonde hair swirled like a halo around her head. The relief that coursed through him was a living, breathing thing. She looked paler than usual, but she was moving. Alive. Okay.
He ran to the crowd that had gathered, edging his way through, needing to be closer. His girl needed him, and he’d been sulking around at home pissed off that she’d jumped to conclusions. He’d been inside of her mere hours ago, and now she was stretched out on a gurney being loaded into an ambulance.
What the hell had happen
ed? If she’d had another asthma attack, her inhaler still in Evan’s bedroom, he didn’t think he could forgive himself for not rushing over sooner.
Evan ground to a halt as a young guy took hold of her hand, looking white as a ghost.
His heart thundered in his chest.
What that hell?
The guy bent down, whispering something in her ear as he brushed some of her strawberry blonde hair back off her face. He swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing, and took a deep breath, trying to suck down some air as his lungs constricted. Was that…her ex? Patrick said some jackass broke her heart. Evan didn’t have a clue how long ago they’d broken up, but they sure looked pretty damn friendly at the moment.
He clenched his fists.
She’d left his bed less than an hour ago. How the fuck had this guy ended up at her side? Jesus. For all he knew she’d run straight back to him. Part of Evan wanted to storm over there and demand an explanation. Then pound the shit out of this guy for being anywhere near Alison. His blood boiled at watching the man’s hands on her. Just as he was getting ready to move, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. Holding it in a white-knuckled grip, he glanced at the screen. His CO’s name flashed across.
Hell.
There was only one damn reason he’d be calling Evan on a Sunday morning. The op was a go.
“Jenkins,” he ground out as he answered the call.
Of all the shitty timing. He spoke quietly into his phone, turning and walking away from the crowd. He handed Alison’s inhaler to a nearby police officer and stalked off the way he’d come. His CO relayed the team’s wheels-up time, and Evan slid the phone back into his pocket.
Snatching the ticket from his windshield, he climbed back into his SUV, angrily slamming the door behind him. What the fuck had just happened?
He had less than an hour to get his ass in gear and get on base for their briefing. Then he’d be flying the fuck out of Virginia while some other jackass rode to the hospital with the woman he was falling in love with. The woman who’d stormed out on him this morning.
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