“There’s absolutely no need for you to apologize. Like I said, I should have reached out to you sooner to make sure that it was okay with you if I dropped by. I wasn’t thinking.”
“So why do you do what you do?” Lena asked him abruptly, the change in conversation catching him off guard.
“What do you mean?”
“Your job. It’s obviously extremely dangerous, and it has got to be a rather thankless job. Did you always want to be a soldier?”
“Not always. You know, I absolutely love what I do. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s the best job in the world, and I couldn’t picture myself doing anything different. But that wasn’t always the case. I kind of broke my family’s plan for me. I was supposed to be a cowboy.”
Now that definitely caught her attention. Her brown eyes lit up and widened in incredulity as she asked, “Excuse me, what?”
“Yeah. I’m not shitting you. I was supposed to be a rancher, and I suppose it would be accurate to say that I was a cowboy—at least for a little while. But some would say once a cowboy always a cowboy.”
He winked at her and was rewarded with another lyrical laugh. Sweet. “You see, my family owns a horse and cattle ranch in the outskirts of Louisville. From birth, I was destined to follow the path of a long line of ranchers.”
“Interesting. What prompted the change? Cowboy to soldier is a big jump.”
“A Navy recruiter in high school sold me on the idea of enlisting. I love my country and being able to serve in this capacity was a no-brainer for me. It was also a challenge. A way to prove to myself what kind of a man I was. You know, the type who would buckle under pressure or thrive. I joined right after my high school graduation.”
“That’s a huge commitment.”
“One of the biggest.”
“And you don’t have any regrets?”
No one had ever asked him that question before, not even his closest friends or family. He considered it for a moment. “No. No regrets. I mean, sure, there are some things I guess you could say I missed out on, but nothing that would make me regret enlisting. There aren’t too many careers out there where I would have had the opportunity to have such an immediate and direct impact on the world. How about you? Why engineering?”
“Science and mathematics were second nature to me. I was more inclined to postulate on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity as opposed to sitting and writing paper for history. Also, my father is an engineer.” She paused before saying, “I suppose for me, this path has always been the easiest road to travel.”
“I thought your father was a businessman?”
“Oh, he is. But he got his start in mechanical and electrical engineering at Virginia Tech. By the time he was in his mid-thirties, he’d started his first company, Westlake Enterprises. Westlake Enterprises now owns the largest stake in WG Oil.”
“Wow. That’s a huge accomplishment.”
“Yeah.”
Jesse looked at her then—really looked at her. The sadness in her eyes didn’t have anything to do with the tragedy of her recent circumstances. He found himself wanting to know what was causing her so much pain. He wanted to know her.
“Are you and your father close?” he asked, carefully watching every shadow that fell across her face.
“No, not particularly. Not anymore. We used to be a very long time ago.” She looked like she was poised to say more, but she stopped short.
“Are your parents still together?”
“No. They divorced when I was still in high school.” He didn’t know what else to say. She seemed very hesitant to provide any more information. He didn’t want to push her too hard before she was ready to share with him. “Have you ever been in a long-term relationship, or are you strictly the love ‘em and leave ‘em type?” she asked.
Now it was his turn to clam up. “I was in a long-term relationship for two years.”
“What happened?”
“She died,” he forced the bitter words past his tongue, which had lodged firmly in his throat.
“I didn’t know,” she whispered, looking chagrined. “I’m sorry, Jesse.”
“It’s all right. It happened years ago. It’s just not something I like to talk about.”
Her eyes looked sad. She was sad for him. Jesse didn’t know whether to take that as a good sign or bad one when she asked, “Another glass of wine?”
“Sure.” Jesse hated wine, especially white wine. But if swallowing that swill meant he could stay and talk with her a few more minutes, he’d gladly do it.
“Are you seeing anyone?” she asked him, returning to the table with two refilled wine glasses.
“No, I’m not. Are you?”
“No.”
“I guess that was a stupid question for me to ask you.”
“Why do you say that?”
“If you were dating anyone, I am sure that they would be here right now with you—given all that you’ve had to deal with lately.”
“Perhaps, but you’d be surprised how much people can let you down sometimes.”
Clearing his throat, he said, “If something like what you went through happened to my girlfriend, I wouldn’t let her come back home to an empty house.”
She lifted her eyebrow at his comment. “Protective, are we?”
“You have no idea.”
****
Lena could not believe that she was pouring her heart out to anyone, let alone to this man who was nearly a stranger to her. Maybe it was true what people said, that it was easier to confess your sins to someone you didn’t know rather than to your closest friends.
They sat there at her kitchen table and talked for hours. They talked about his career goals, quirky tales from some of his past missions, and the everlasting friendship that he shared with his brothers in arms. The only topic that appeared to be off limits was the death of his girlfriend. And to his credit, he had managed to coax some more information out of her about her relationships with her parents, Steven, and her half-brother. They’d even touched on her work as an engineer and her ex-boyfriend. It was nearly two a.m. before he stood up to leave.
“It was great getting to see you, Lena,” he said, walking over to place both of their empty dishes in the sink. “I’m really glad that you’re doing better now.”
She was surprised when he turned on the water and begin to wash the dishes for her. A guy who washed dishes without being asked? Wow. She practically stared at him in slack-jawed awe.
“It was nice talking to you too,” she said. “Thank you for coming all the way out here on your vacation just to check up on me. It means a lot.”
He walked toward her then, and Lena thought he was going to do what she had done earlier on the ship—stretch out his hand to shake hers. He might have thought about doing that, but he must have changed his mind at the last minute because he wrapped both arms around her in a big bear hug.
It’d been a long time since she’d been held like this by a man. Just the sheer strength of his sinewy arms around her waist felt incredible. His long, tapered fingers gently massaged the curve of her spine. Before she knew it, she was returning his hug, completely melting into his touch. She didn’t know how long they stood there like that, embracing one another. She felt more content than she had in a very long time.
But then he pulled away. Smiling down at her he turned to leave, to walk out the door, to walk away from her. A pit grew deep inside of her stomach when she realized that she didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want him to leave her. She grabbed his hand, preventing him from walking away. She didn’t say anything, just steadfastly held onto his fingers. She didn’t have to say anything. She was positive that the desire that she felt for him was imprinted on her face.
Jesse looked directly into her eyes and she knew that he knew that she wanted him to stay right here with her. To stay the night. The air practically sizzled between the two of them.
Leaning down, he gently cupped the sides of her face with his large hands. T
enderly touching his lips to hers, he trailed his fingertips along her fragile jaw line. A slow shiver crept up her spine. Her skin was on fire, every nerve ending in her body was acutely tuned in to his touch.
He was gentle at first, his lips softly nibbling at hers. He teased her mouth open, sliding his tongue inside of her mouth with slow, gentle thrusts. And then they both exploded, clutching at each other’s clothes.
Squeezing, grabbing, caressing—his hands were everywhere, roaming all over her body. He backed her up against her kitchen table, the blunt edge of the marble countertop brushing against her buttocks and the back of her thighs. His strong hands squeezed her ass as he pushed his muscular legs between hers, lifting her effortlessly on top of the table. Threading her fingers through his hair, she gasped when he started to trail hot kisses down her throat. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pulled him closer to her.
The blood pounded in her veins, her ears roared from the heady mix of blatant lust and the exquisite feel of his hands traveling all over her body. Her heart galloped rapidly in her chest. She couldn’t think straight.
This probably wasn’t the brightest idea she’d ever had. For starters, he was younger than she was. He had a job that put him in constant risk of death. Oh yeah, that very same job had him constantly trekking around the globe. But her primary reason for pause was that she’d just met this man a few weeks ago. She wasn’t a prude by any means, but she’d never hopped into bed with a man without at least going on a few dates with him first. But now, she was practically dry humping this near stranger on her kitchen table. She couldn’t stop herself.
The funny thing was, he didn’t feel like a stranger to her. Maybe the stress of the past few weeks was getting to her. Or maybe it was the fact that she would be dead right now if it wasn’t for this man standing right in front of her. Or maybe it was the hope that her life might actually end in a happy ending if she took this chance. Whatever the reason, she needed to feel him inside of her.
Lena helped him pull her T-shirt over her head. She was hesitant for her to remove her bra, however, which was of the push-up variety. He didn’t seem to mind her lack of endowment though. He undid her clasp with ease. And after squeezing her pitifully small, soft globes in his large hands he went to work undoing the buttons of his dress shirt. A white undershirt was layered beneath his dress shirt, and he impatiently pulled it off.
His body was incredible. It was the type of physique that romance novels were written about. His arms had felt like two steel bands enclosing around her. His six pack abs rivaled those of an MMA fighter. His chest was heavily roped with muscle. His chest and lower torso were smooth, except for a sexy as hell tiger line tapering downward to an area that she urgently wanted to explore.
She reached her trembling hands out to unbutton his jeans, but Jesse grabbed her wrists before she could even undo the clasp. She looked up at him with a question in her eyes.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Lena?” he asked, his voice a little louder than a whisper. “Damn. I don’t want to rush you. I know you’re probably still vulnerable. I want you to know that there’s no pressure. We can wait as long as it takes until you’re ready.”
Well, that was very sweet of him. A lot of guys wouldn’t have hesitated to jump her bones. After all, her actions were basically screaming that she had a major itch that needed to be scratched. Sure, he could be running some kind of game on her, pretending to be concerned about her well-being just to get her into bed. But he seemed sincere.
“I’m not sure about a lot of things these days,” she replied. “But I am positive that I want you. Now.”
Gazing down at her with smoldering, half-lidded eyes, Jesse leaned in and kissed her. She shivered when he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth.
“Where’s your bedroom?” he murmured against her lips.
“Upstairs. Second door on the right.”
She let out a surprised squeal and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck when he lifted her effortlessly up into his arms. He ran up the staircase with her, holding her tightly so that she wouldn’t slip from his grasp.
A soft glow from the floor lamp she’d left on earlier illuminated the room. After placing her on the edge of the bed, he stood up and unbuttoned his jeans, impatiently shrugging out of them. Mere seconds later, he kneeled down before her and leisurely removed her shorts.
“Your skin is so soft, so smooth,” he whispered, kissing his way up her lightly tanned legs. “I’ve been wanting to touch you like this for forever it seems like. Do you know that? You are exquisite, Lena.”
“Hair and all?” she asked, self-consciously rubbing her fingers through her newly shortened strands.
“Hair and all,” he assured her, winking and reaching up to lock lips with her again. Every time their lips touched, it was a complete explosion of the senses. Good Lord, this man knew how to kiss. His soft lips on hers commanded her full submission, his tongue hungrily mated with hers until she was left dazed and wanting more.
“You’re beautiful too,” Lena murmured against his lips, barely able to keep her voice even.
His mouth twisted up into one of those quick grins she was starting to become familiar with as he lay beside her on the bed. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think it was the type of calculated “come hither” grin meant to charm her pants off. But she did know better; she didn’t think there was a calculated bone in his body. He was just a naturally charming guy.
“You know, I don’t think that I’ve ever been called that before.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she said, her words a breathless whisper.
“Believe it.” Dipping his head, he sucked her right breast into his mouth. It was incredibly erotic to watch his cheeks hollow in and out as he suckled her breasts.
Then, turning her over so that she rested comfortably against a pillow, he commanded “Open.”
Lena’s eyes flitted open at his directive, he’d stopped his delicious oral exploration of her breasts and was now staring at her intently. “Open,” he ordered again, gliding his hand over her upper thigh.
Oh. He meant open. There. Lena’s heart thudded so rapidly in her chest that she was certain it was bound to explode. Licking her lips, she slowly spread her legs for him. Here she was with sweat dripping down her thighs, panting like she was in heat, and her underwear nearly sopping wet. She couldn’t imagine what she looked like to him, definitely not the picture of the perfect lady with cool, refined grace that she’d been trained to be.
“Gorgeous,” he croaked out in a hoarse, strained voice. A blazing hot heat lit up his eyes. His emerald gaze now transfixed on the scrap of panties that had now become plastered to her bottom.
His strong hand continued its unhurried voyage down her body, first running over her small pink-tipped breasts and flat stomach, and then pushing underneath her black lace panties until he was gently rubbing her clitoris.
Delicious shudders rippled throughout her body as she arched her back, her hands tightly gripping the silk sheets. All of the bones in her body seemed to melt away until all that was left were a million miniscule nerve endings, each one ablaze from his touch.
Her breathing came in ragged, excited gasps. His touch felt so good, so right. She moaned in pleasure when he slid one finger, then two, inside of her vagina with exquisite precision.
“You’re so wet,” he growled, his voice as gravelly and guttural as she had ever heard. Her only reply was a soft moan when he started to move his fingers in and out of her body in a rhythm as old as time. Closing her eyes, she bit down hard on her lip, trying to stave off her climax. Unable to stop herself, her legs lifted off the bed as if on their own accord meeting the firm thrusts of his fingers.
“Yeah, that’s it baby. Relax for me. It’s okay. Let go,” he demanded. Her eyes flew open at his order. He wanted her total surrender, and she was oh so very close to losing control. So close. He shifted then, the wet suction suddenly leaving her breasts. Lena whimpere
d in protest at the loss.
“Tell me what you want, Lena.”
“What?” Lena could only stare at him dumbly. That had to be a rhetorical question because what she wanted was for him to never, ever stop.
“Do you want this?” he prodded her, planting scathing kisses down her body until he reached her vagina. And then amazingly, he placed just the gentlest of kisses to her core. The initial shock of it sent her mind reeling.
“Yes,” she answered on a shaky breath after she’d finally regained the power of speech. She barely recognized her own voice.
Lifting his head up, his generously full lips now shiny and sticky, he ordered her again, “Yes, what? Tell me exactly what you want, Lena.”
“I-I…I want you to go down on me,” she finally said, tremors rolling through her words.
He smiled at her for one brief moment and then…oh God.
Lena held his head there, between her thighs as he licked and sucked her clitoris, all the while maintaining the slow, steady finger pumps into her vagina. She didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry—it felt amazing. And then, when she just couldn’t handle his deliciously torturous movements anymore…she completely shattered, screaming out his name.
When Lena finally floated back down from the heavens in fragments, she opened her eyes and saw him lying there, watching her intently with those incredible emerald eyes. Smiling up at him, she reached her arms up, threading her fingers through his close-cropped hair, to pull him down into a kiss. Like the first kiss they’d shared, it started out slow and then quickly ignited.
Before she knew it, he’d flipped over onto his back and positioned her to where she was straddling him. She eagerly pulled off his boxers.
Lena could stare at his body for hours, days even. He was the epitome of GI Joe, an incredible male specimen. His chest, arms, and thighs were well-built. His butt was tight, powerful muscles concealed underneath smooth flesh. He was hard all over. Not to mention his cock. She took her time gliding her fingertips along the impressive girth and long length of it. Gently squeezing her hands around the base, she stroked him up to the glistening head and then back down again. She watched the tremors coursing through his legs as he tried to prevent himself from thrusting his lower body upward into her palms.
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