SEALed and Delivered

by Monroe, Jill

  Nate’s voice trailed, and she imagined his lean fingers sliding those straps down her shoulders.

  “Or worn an apron,” he said, leaning closer. “I just want to reach for the strap and tug.”

  She swallowed, thinking of him taking off her apron…and more.

  “And those ridiculous heels are sexy as hell,” he whispered against her lips. Then his mouth settled on hers, warm and inviting and for way, way too short of a time.

  After she caught her breath, she smiled up into his eyes. “I’m good with girly.”

  His eyes darkened, and his gaze made a pass to her lips, down to her breasts, then back up to meet her eyes. “I’m more than good with it.”

  7

  SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, Hailey found herself on the date that would never end. A date she didn’t want to end. Nate seemed just as reluctant to leave because now he sat on the terrace of the Sutherland drinking a beer. She hadn’t been able to convince him to sample the Mojito.

  Alone with nothing but the breeze and the peaceful lap of the ocean, Hailey became utterly aware that she was alone in the dark with Nate. A man she couldn’t wait to get her hands on. She’d never diss romance again because right now the butterflies were making an appearance in her stomach. Not even the moon was out to shed light between them, and her senses grew hyper-alert of every subtle shift of his body.

  He stood, and Hailey sucked in a breath, instantly feeling foolish.

  “Do I make you nervous, Hailey?” he asked, his voice like a caress to her already agitated senses.

  “You…you asked me that once already.”

  “And then I got distracted, but I’m not distracted now. Now I’m focused on you.”

  That’s what she was afraid of. To have all that single-minded SEAL determination and intensity focused squarely on her…heady.

  With one quick, silent motion, he was beside her. His big body warm and oh, so tempting. “How’d you do that? I can’t see a thing out here in the dark.” Besides being night, the awning partially covering the terrace shrouded them in shadows.

  “Most of my missions are after the sun sets. SEALs do their best work in the dark.”

  That’s what she was afraid of.

  He trailed a finger down her cheek, making her shiver. “So what’s the problem?” he asked.

  How like Nate to want to tackle a problem head on. Based on the several personality quizzes she’d taken over the years, she knew she preferred to be an avoider in bad situations.

  Whoa, and there was another problem. She’d only known the man a few days, and already she was recognizing his personality traits. Hailey swallowed. She was on a mission to change, might as well take a cue from the man she found so intriguing. “You’re a little…a little big.”

  Hailey could almost feel him smile. Yeah, yeah yeah, she knew where his thinking was headed because her mind had also gone there, too.

  He gently cupped her face, kissed the tip of her nose. “I could never hurt you, Hailey.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “No, I mean, Hailey, I would never hurt you. Never allow anything to hurt you.”

  Her throat tightened. Nate’s words were the sexiest, most amazing thing a man had ever said to her. And she knew, deep down, he meant it.

  “I’ll prove it,” he offered.

  He must have taken her silence for doubt. She almost rushed to reassure him, but a very intriguing thought popped into her head. “How would you prove it, Nate?” she asked.

  “You be in control. You tell me how to touch your body. Where to kiss. When to move.”

  Every nerve ending, every muscle, every sense she had popped into action. If she’d thought having all his intensity focused on her was heady, his offer now made her lightheaded. Her nipples tightened. Warmth pooled between her legs. “I just tell you what to do?”

  “If anything you suggest shocks me, I’ll let you know,” he said, his voice teasing and yet filled with so much desire for her that Hailey’s nerves began to subside.

  What did she want him to do to her? For her? In the past, she’d concentrated on how to make the men in her life happy, but here was one wanting to see to her needs. “Kiss my face,” she encouraged. “Gentle, but not on my lips.”

  Nate drew her head toward his mouth, and ran his lips lightly along the line of her jaw, kissed her chin, then the tip of her nose. Finally, he tenderly kissed her closed eyes. Heaven.

  “Trace my lips with your tongue.”

  His strong arms circled her shoulders, bringing her nearer. Slowly, achingly slow, his tongue followed the line of her bottom lip, then the top. She wanted him to sink his tongue into her mouth, sensed he wanted to deepen the caress as well, but didn’t. True to his word, he was waiting for the invitation.

  “Kiss me,” she urged. With a groan, his tongue slid past her lips and teeth to tangle with her tongue. How quickly she had become accustomed to his taste.

  Her nipples tightened further. Her breasts ached for his touch.

  “Caress my breasts.”

  Nate’s hands flowed down her body until they rested at her hips. His fingers slipped under the material of her shirt, and she sucked in a breath at the exquisite feel of his warm fingers against the bare skin of her stomach. If this is what he could do with just a touch to her waist, imagine what the man could do when he had free rein of her body.

  His hands slowly drifted up her sides, past her ribcage and finally cupped her breasts. “You fill my hands perfectly,” he whispered against her lips.

  Hailey had not always been a fan of her small breasts. Had even thought of augmenting them at one time, but right now she couldn’t be happier with their size. “Take my bra off and really feel them,” she said, surprised by the impatience she heard in her voice.

  His fingers made a lazy trail to her back where he found the clasp. With a quick motion, he freed her breasts, cupping them once more.

  “Does this seat lay back?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  Hailey felt cold as his hands left her body, but the idea of stretching out on the lounger with Nate beside her was just too appealing.

  “Take my shirt off,” she said. Nate’s fingers tugged the material up and over her head, tossing it to the side.

  Hailey slipped her bra off and reclined against the cushion.

  “I wish I could see you,” he said, his voice raw and filled with wanting.

  “I thought you said SEALs worked best in the dark.”

  “After lots of practice. I’m going to need a lot of time with your body,” he responded.

  There were the shivers again. “Then have at it,” she invited.

  “No, you have to tell me what to do. Remember?”

  If those weren’t the sexiest words ever spoken by a man, she didn’t know what would qualify. She swallowed, readying herself to tell this man in detail what she wanted him to do to her body.

  “I want you to gently touch my breasts with the palms of your hands. Slowly. In circles.”

  The lounger dipped as he leaned toward her, and then she felt the heat of his hands, smoothing over her nipples.

  “Lighter,” she instructed, and sucked in a breath as the pressure of his stroking eased to just a hint of a touch.

  “Mmm, I like that.” And she wanted more. “Now I want you to lick my nipples then blow.”

  Nate followed her instructions as if he was born to do it; the sensations exquisite. “My nipples are so tight.”

  “I know, I want to suck them.”

  Moist heat flooded between her legs. “Well, you can’t,” she teased, feeling powerful and in control—exactly the way Nate wanted her to feel. “I want you to tease my nipples, gently with your teeth.”

  With a swirl of his tongue, he did just that. First one nipple, then the other. Her toes curled into the cushion, he was making her feel so good. Hailey felt the solid length of his erection against her thigh. Clearly, the man was big all over.

  It took a moment for her to find h
er voice. “Now I want you to trace my entire body with your hands, making your circles smaller and smaller until you reach my…”

  “Your what?” he asked against her ear. His warm breath tickled her neck and sent shivers through her body.

  He was going to make her say it. “My clit.”

  “You have on too many clothes,” he stated.

  “Then take them off.”

  “As you command.” She knew Nate was smiling in the dark because she was, too. His fingers found the waistband of her pants, and pulled them slowly down, down her legs.

  Hailey sat up on her elbows. “But wait, you left my panties.”

  “Do you want me to take them off?” he asked, but his promising tone made her think she might want Nate to take her clothes off in stages.

  She shook her head and lowered herself back against the soft cushion of the lounger. “No. Leave them.”

  Nate started with his circles, his hands not touching anyplace remotely sexual as he stroked her in a wide arc. Her heels dug deeper and deeper into the lounger as his circles tightened. He reached the top swell of her breasts, down her arms and across her thighs.

  Now his hands were fully across her nipples making them tingle, then his brief touch moved lower to torment her thighs, getting closer and closer to the spot she knew he’d make her feel best.

  Two more circles around her body and his hand settled between her legs. With a slow, tortuous glide his hand slid between her thighs to stop at the silk of her panties.

  Frustration bubbled up inside her. “Take them off.”

  “How? With my hands or with my teeth?”

  Her legs began to shake. “Teeth,” she urged.

  Hailey felt his lips at the place where skin met silk. He gently kissed her hip, traced the edge of lace with his tongue, then he nipped at the material, drawing it into his mouth. She squeezed her eyes tight as the amazing sensations of those panties sliding down her body, dragged only by Nate’s teeth.

  He finally had her naked. His fingers started to slowly trace her again. This time he didn’t stop anywhere. No, now his fingers slid up between her thighs. And up until his fingers tickled the curls. Then he stopped.

  The waiting was agony. Why wasn’t he doing anything? Then she realized he was waiting for her next instruction.

  “Stroke me,” she said, her voice strained.

  And Nate slipped a finger inside her, and tenderly began to move. “Touch me more,” she commanded, never feeling so raw. Nate slipped another finger inside and his thumb finally, finally touched her clit. A moan tore from her body and she began to writhe. Something was missing. She was astounded by her overwhelming desire to have him fill her. She’d never felt that way.

  “Now, Nate. I need you now.”

  “I don’t have a condom,” he told her.

  She almost groaned. “What? Why?” she asked.

  “I was supposed to be romancing you tonight. If I’d brought a condom I’d be thinking about sex,” he said with a laugh.

  How like him to psych himself up that way.

  “But don’t worry, I can still take care of you,” he promised, his voice sensual, his words sincere.

  Hailey was wet now. Nate’s lips touched hers at the same time his thumb settled on her clit. His fingers began to slide in and out of her. She raised her hips toward his hand, not able to get enough of him.

  “This is how I’ll make love to you,” he said against her mouth. “Gentle until you want it hard.”

  “I want it hard now.” She was breathless. Sweat broke out along her forehead.

  And Nate complied with her wish, his fingers all over, all in her until that sweet tension inside broke and she erupted. Her moan filled the air as she came.

  After a few minutes, when her breathing returned to normal, Nate tenderly kissed her face. The tip of her nose. Her eyes. Just like her first instructions.

  “Do I still make you nervous?” he asked.

  Even more so. A man who could make her respond to him like she had with just one hand was a man to be concerned about.

  But her worries about his bigness, about his overwhelming power had subsided. “Yes,” she replied, nodding.

  He sat up, flexing the muscles of his shoulder. The lounger was oversized, but it wasn’t built for two, and with Nate’s large frame, that had to have been a tight squeeze. “I better go,” he said.

  “Oh, but what about, uh, you.” Nate had to be in a bad way.

  He felt around at his feet until he found her clothes. “We’ll take care of me next time.”

  Next time. His words made her skin tingle. Hailey couldn’t wait until they took care of him.

  He helped her with her clothes, and then walked her to the terrace door. The parking lot was as easily assessable from the terrace as it was the front door. “Nate, make sure you bring a condom.”

  A slow smile tugged at his lips. “I’ll bring more than one. Now lock the door.”

  With a twist of her wrist, she made sure The Sutherland was secure for the night. Nate checked the lock from the outside then turned. She watched his retreating back until she couldn’t see him anymore.

  Hailey knew she wore a goofy grin, but she couldn’t help it. The man made her feel amazing, but there was something else. That checking the door move made her heart skip a beat. What had her first instinct been about the man? That he was trouble?

  Instincts usually seemed to be right.

  “Oh, Hailey, there you are.”

  Hailey spun around to spot Amy at the entrance of the Tea Room and her hand went immediately to her hair. Did she look normal, or did she look like a woman who’d just—

  “Do you have a few moments? I wanted to talk to you about Jake.”

  Whew, okay, maybe she didn’t look too rumpled. Or sated. Hailey pulled out one of the Queen Anne chairs from the closest table and invited Amy to take a seat. “How are things with Jake?”

  Amy’s face crumpled, yet she managed to appear a bit defiant. “He’s still pretty angry with me.”

  “Well, I can kind of see his point.”

  Amy gasped.

  Okay, Hailey obviously needed a more tactful approach here. She schooled her features into what she hoped was an understanding expression, and faced her confused and upset guest and friend. “I mean, you won’t even see him, Amy. That kind of sounds like you’re following the instructions of the card rather than trying to discover the source of your problems together as a couple.”

  “I keep telling myself if it’s meant to be then it’s meant to be.”

  A trickle of unease slid down Hailey’s back. What Amy had just said wasn’t something she hadn’t thought of herself half a dozen times, but now…now it seemed a little like leaving things in fate’s hands. And she was pretty irritated with fate right now. First by delivering a man she couldn’t stop thinking about, but knew she should stay away from, and now a friend turned guest whose life was in shambles because of what happened at The Sutherland. Not exactly a great restart for their B&B.

  That reminded her. They were going to burn Amy’s card and never had. Tonight would be a great time to do it. In fact, they could burn the whole deck right here at the—

  “Do you ever have to fake it?” Amy asked.

  Well, there’d certainly been no pretending with Nate. Hailey glanced toward the door, wanting to escape. Where was her sister when she needed her?

  “Would you like me to brew some chamomile?”

  Amy shook her head. “No, if I don’t do this now, have a real conversation about sex, I might be miserable for the rest of my life. Amy grew flustered. “Jake’s the only man I’ve been with, and I’ve never been particularly adventurous. Well, sometimes he would like me to be…”

  Hailey reached for her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Wow, what kind of freaky stuff was this man into to make Amy so upset? “It’s okay, you can tell me anything. Go on.”

  “Sometimes he would like me to be on top,” Amy said on a rush of exhaled
breath.

  Hailey turned skeptical. “Are you…kidding with me?”

  “No, no. There’s more. He once told me he’d like for me to initiate sex once in a while, can you believe it?”

  Hailey chewed on her bottom lip.

  “I know there are women, friends of ours who have no problem being so wild, but I’ve tried and I just can’t do it.”

  Hailey let out a relieved sigh. “For a minute there, I was afraid you were going to tell me he was into something really weir—okay, I’m not doing such a good job here. Amy, it seems like you were born before the sexual revolution. What you’ve said doesn’t even describe my mom. I know your grandparents raised you, but surely…”

  “My grandmother told me sex—” Amy smiled, obviously proud she was able to say the word without stumbling “—was something you did to make your husband happy, and that was basically my entire education. When she had to buy me my first B, I thought I was going to die of embarrassment.”

  “Are you still calling it that?”

  Amy nodded.

  “I’m almost feeling sorry for Jake,” muttered Hailey.

  Amy looked hurt.

  “I keep saying the wrong thing, don’t I? I’m so sorry.” Where was her sister?

  Surprisingly, Amy chuckled. “Oh. My. God. What kind of grown woman can’t say the word bra?”

  The two of them laughed together, but Hailey quickly sobered. “Just so I’m clear, you’ve never had an orgasm?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Believe me, there’s no ‘think’ about it if you’ve had one.” Hailey’s body warmed at the memory of the orgasm Nate had given her a little while ago. “I’ll put that down as a no. You’ve never done anything other than the, uh, missionary position?”

  Amy shook her head quickly, her cheeks glowing pink.

  Hailey shook her head again. “I can’t believe Jake even got you into the bedroom.”

  “To tell you the truth, I can’t believe it either. I was liking it up to a point, all the kissing and the holding, but then I felt so dirty.”

  Hailey made a disgusted noise. “I can’t believe you were ever taught to feel that way. Sex, making love, it’s a wonderful thing. It can draw a couple together and be beautiful, or it can be playful and fun, and sometimes you could maybe make it dirty,” Hailey said, and winked, “if you wanted to. But sex can also divide two people, and that sounds like what’s going on between you and Jake.”