“I simply needed to know what your tattoos were of,” she said smoothly in response. He must not have been expecting playful banter already, if his cough of laughter was any indication, but he recovered just as smoothly with a sip of water.
“Ooh, saw the one on my arm, I see. Well, don't you worry,” he said with a salacious wink. “You can see that one by the end of the night. And who knows,” he rolled his neck in a slow, deliberate way that left her teeth worrying her bottom lip. “You might even get to see the rest of my ink one of these days, too.” He took a slow sip of his glass of wine, gray eyes captivating her with their smoldering gaze. She crossed her legs in a less than earnest attempt to tamp down on the aching pulse she began to feel between them; attraction was clearly not going to be an issue with this man, but it was still better to wait and see how this played out long-term.
“I would hate to repeat myself, but,” she looked over her menu to distract herself from the wonderfully awful friction that crossing her legs had provided. It almost hurt to think on how long it had been since she felt this way. “You are incredibly bold.” His chuckle rumbled deep enough that Anne was certain she could feel it rattle in the hollow of her ribcage. She swallowed her wine harder than she intended to and set her menu down.
“I find I'm at a point in life where subtlety isn't worth the effort,” something in his eyes darkened just enough that she saw it was clearly something that weighed heavily on his mind. “In my field of work, I don't exactly have the luxury of timid flirtations and, 'what ifs,' to worry about.” The way he worded it forced her curiosity to overpower her concern.
“What is it that you do, exactly? Pardon my saying so, but I had wondered if you're military of some sort.” He nodded.
“The haircut gave me away, didn't it? It's always the haircut,” he laughed mirthlessly. “Yeah, I'm in the Navy. I joined right out of high school, and I've worked up to being a Commander.” She felt like he wasn't telling the whole story, but figured it would come later. Specifics were more of a second date thing, right? “What about you? A business suit doesn't exactly give away what you do for your career.”
“I'm...” she winced. Revealing her career was usually where the date stopped being a date; if it wasn't her date growing fixated on how much she made, it was her date being intimidated by how intensive her work was compared to theirs, and didn't want to risk a relationship she might not be able to, “commit to.” “I'm actually Chief Executive at MegaTech.” Anne sucked in a breath and held it, waiting to gauge his reaction. He tilted his head and regarded her with something akin to surprise.
“Huh,” she was jarred by his reaction; it didn't fall on either side of the spectrum of expectations she was used to getting in response. “I wasn't too far off, then.”
“I- what?”
“What?” He seemed confused. “A mom coming into a store and knowing about the specific tech in a gaming system, of all things, is pretty unusual. I didn't think you were literally at the top of the ladder, but I figured you worked for some technology manufacturer or something like that,” he shrugged, topping off their wine glasses. “Good on you. People like you are very driven. I like that in a partner,” he nodded as though he had decided on something and relaxed into his seat. For Anne's part, she simply sat there, floored at his totally nonchalant response to her career. He arched a brow over his menu when she hadn't yet said anything further. “I take it this isn't the response you were expecting?”
“Not really, no,” she said plainly. “I'm used to either being intimidated or thinking I can be their free ticket to an easy life if they seduce me.” She smiled wryly. “It's made romance a rather droll topic in my life. Once I had all but abandoned.”
“You'll not completely give up just yet, I hope?” An amused smile was playing on his lips once he'd set his menu down. “After all, we haven't even had our orders for dinner taken yet.”
“Not just yet, no.” A waitress came to take their orders, and Anne was pleased when Brett was kind and patient with the girl, who had clearly not had very many shifts under her belt. Once their orders were taken and their wine glasses clacked in cheers to their date, they settled into casual conversation. She spoke of her daughter and how she enjoyed her work, and he spoke of the men he trained like they were his children. His overworked, none too bright children, but his children nonetheless, he had said, much to her amusement. It didn't feel like terribly long before their food had arrived, and though they had tucked in with vigor, their conversation hadn't ceased.
“I'm wondering something,” she said once she had chewed her rice noodles. “What do you do in the Navy? Specifically, I mean,” he slowed his chewing on a particularly large mouthful of beef before setting his chopsticks down and taking a moment to swallow.
“I'm a Navy Seal,” he said casually, and the candidness of how he said it threw her a moment. “It's why I can come across as bold or rushing people. I'm just used to a frenetic pace at work,” his eyes danced away, lost in thought for a moment. “I'm used to always being in danger.” He paused in bringing another bite to his mouth. “I'm...actually heading to a deployment here in about two weeks.” He must have seen the way that she gripped her chopsticks a little tighter, because he was quick to amend, “it isn't a long deployment- I'll only be gone about a month. But I figured I should tell you now.”
“Then why ask me to dinner?” The question came before she could stop it. “I mean, I shouldn't have- I'm sorry, that didn't come out right.” He waved her worry off.
“It's alright, I know what you mean,” he sighed. “I just...I at least have to try at something if it seems like I'll never get another chance. Who knows if I would have ever run into you again? So,” he perked up, picking up his chopsticks again and throwing her a charming grin that only seemed a little forced. “I try to make every day count. I do once in a lifetime things all the time because I just don't know how long I've got.”
“Once in the lifetime things, huh?”
“Well, I talked a gorgeous woman like you into enjoying a delicious meal with me,” he managed to wink alluringly around another mouthful of rice. “I'd say something this wonderful only happens once in a lifetime.” She smiled against the rim of her wine glass, and something in her chest warmed in spite of herself at his blatant flattery.
“I wouldn't say that,” she said finally once she had chosen her words. She set her glass down. “After all, I'm finding this date to be rather wonderful, all things considered.” He regarded her curiously. “I'd say this will be, at the very least, a twice in a lifetime experience, Mr. Maverick.” He grinned broadly.
“Well, then,” he leaned forward, resting his bare forearms against the table. “Consider me the luckiest man alive,” maybe it was the way his gray eyes flashed with interest, but the tension between them was positively electric, and she found herself grinning in kind. The rest of their dinner was spent with more intimate conversation, mostly concerning their own personal interests, but the atmosphere was different now; she pulled a shoe off and began stroking his leg with her toes, he slid a hand under the table and stroked the offered leg, and the space between them suddenly felt incredibly warm. She even got to see the tattoo on his arm: a lovely looking raven, with splashes of watercolor behind it. The work was exquisite, and she tried not to show how pleased she was when he let her run her fingers over the ink work.
When the check eventually came, Brett waved her away and insisted he pay for their meal. “After all, I certainly don't mind investing in your company,” He waggled his eyebrows as they walked out of the restaurant. He openly laughed at her blanched expression.
“Now you're trying to seduce me with business puns? Are you sure you aren't a father? I thought those kinds of jokes only came with bearing a child.” She shook her head to hide the fact that it had, in fact, made her laugh, if only a little.
“Not my best moment tonight, alright?” His shoulders still shook with amusement even as his chuckles died down. “What can I say, l
ovely woman such as yourself, I'm bound to trip on my words once or twice trying to catch your eye.” He draped an arm over her shoulders as they walked toward the parking lot. Her cheeks hurt from smiling as she tucked her head against his chest. “So, do we call it a night, and try again some other time?” He was leaving it open for her to ask for more, for it to be her choice, on her terms, and that was something she found strangely refreshing. She still hadn't made her mind up on the matter, so she chose to not answer directly just yet.
“Can our next date involve seeing each other for a little more than just dinner? I wouldn't mind spending time with you doing something other than eating before you leave.”
“I'd be happy to,” he looked away, and she could practically see the gears in his head whirring with thought. “I think I'll be free this coming Saturday. Will that work?”
“I can get my secretary to pen me in as, 'unavailable,' that day.” Anne grinned when he practically preened, clearly pleased with himself and where this was going. As they neared where she had parked her car, with her guidance, he sighed and dropped his arm to hang loosely on the swell of her hip. “Well, this looks like my stop,” she stepped away and fumbled with her keys. “I had a wonderful time tonight, in case you didn't know for sure.”
“I'd picked up on a couple of hints, but I wasn't sure,” he leaned in slightly and angled his head, clearly in silent asking for permission for a kiss. She hesitated only a moment before rocking forward on the toes of her shoes so that her lips could press against his. She gasped when he sipped at her bottom lip, bringing it into his mouth to tease gently with his teeth. She gripped the front of his blouse and tugged him closer, and sighed against his mouth when his hips pressed against hers. Brett's strength proved to be an asset, as her knees gave out when a calloused hand worked itself through her hair, lightly scratching at her scalp, his arm that was wrapped around her gripped her tighter effortlessly. Nothing in the kiss was demanding, but there was an undeniable urgency lying just beneath the surface that she couldn't quite bring herself to be lost in just yet.
“Anne,” he moaned her name sinfully against her lips when he let his hand wander down to trace her collar bone. “You sure know how to make it hard to leave, don't you?” he pressed open mouthed kissed into the curve of her neck, leaving her a purring wanton mess. “But we really should stop.”
“Wha-?” she sputtered, blinking frantically as though it would help her be pulled from the moment.
“We're in the parking lot, my dear,” he breathed something akin to a laugh into her skin. “This isn't exactly the place to go too far. Not if we don't want to get into some trouble with it.”
“Thought you liked trouble,” feeling a little daring herself, she arched her back to press her hips into his, and felt a swell of pride when he groaned against her.
“Believe me, I do.” It seemed to take him Herculean effort, but he managed to step away from her. “The legal kind, though. Public indecency isn't exactly the kind of thing I want to go down for. Besides,” he sighed wistfully. “I like this restaurant. I don't want to get banned from it,” he quirked his lip. “Not that it wouldn't be completely worth it, but I'd rather not risk it if I can help it.”
“Ah, should we take this back to your place, then?” He seemed surprised at her suggestion, and, frankly, so was she. “I want to see you.”
“To what end, gorgeous?” There was an edge of ire in his voice. “I'd rather not be made to feel like this is my last day on earth, thanks.”
“No, but,” she shouldn't be doing this. She should just wish him well and get in her car and never, ever speak to him again; she had a daughter to worry about, and there was so much risk she hadn't thought about until now if she pursued things with him. And yet, it had been so long since she had met anyone who had made her feel so beautiful, so appreciated, that she found herself too captivated to say no. “We all get once in a lifetime chances, don't we? It's not every day I find someone who makes me feel the way you do. I'd like to,” oh, how long had it been since she last tried to seduce someone? “I'd like to make you feel the way I feel.” The silence that followed was almost painful, and just when she was about to see if he had even heard her, he spoke up.
“...Alright, Anne,” he seemed to sigh with resignation. “Here,” he pulled out his phone and sent a text to her with his address. “I'll meet you there. But if you change your mind by the time you get there, that's alright; I'm not going to pressure you into anything.” She nodded, grateful for the reassurance, and with one last lingering kiss, the two parted and she got into her car.
Her stomach wouldn't stop tying itself in knots, even as she let her navigation system guide her to Brett's apartment. She couldn't decide which was more prevalent; her anxiety about this all going horribly, horribly wrong, or the desire that still burned at the junction of her thighs. Her mind still hadn't been made up on the matter when she pulled into guest parking and stepped out of her car. She spotted him waiting at the entrance to his apartment, upstairs, just outside his door, and began walking to meet him.
“So, decided, have we?” He asked once she'd ascended the stairs. She took in a shuddering breath.
“Yes,” she looked into his eyes, those swirling clouded thunderstorms of emotion, and found certainty in her answer through what she saw there. “I want to know you, Brett. And,” she bowed her head. “I don't want you thinking this is some...some night of nothing that I'll just throw away when you're gone.” She met his eyes again. “I want this to last as long as it can. I know that much.” Something in the storm brewing in his eyes quieted at her words, and the tension in his shoulders eased.
“Then,” he swept her closer. “What on earth are we still doing outside?” He pulled the door open and guided her in with a gentle hand on the small of her back. The place was dimly lit by moonlight and little else, and from what she could see of it, with well-designed furnishings and immaculately clean. She wondered if that was because he liked having a clean space, or if it was because he just wasn't home that often. She turned to face him at the sound of the door shutting. “Sorry about the place; I know it isn't all that fancy, but it's home.”
“I think it's lovely,” she answered truthfully. “And much cleaner than I was expecting.” Feeling brave, she leaned into him, and rested a hand on his chest. “But I didn't come in to appraise your interior decorating,” he smirked.
“I would certainly hope not,” he said, and crashed his mouth against hers. All the passion they had restrained in the parking lot was let loose in the privacy of his walls, and Anne simply let the waves of her desire crash over her as they fumbled to remove clothing. His shirt was the first to go, the buttons undone with the military efficiency of a soldier breaking down his weapon for inspection, and soon he was shrugging it off and leaving it to pool on the floor as he worked on pulling her dress over her head when he couldn't find a zipper.
Anne gasped when the cool air hit her skin through the sheer fabric of her teddy, her flesh pimpling in gooseflesh both from anticipation and the chill. Brett's eyes roved over her, their gray irises clouding over in a thunderstorm of desire and desperation both, and let his hands map the curves from her breasts to her hips, as if committing them to memory. She shivered as she worked his belt free and managed to unbutton his trousers, waiting for him to kick them off and case them aside.
“You're the very vision of beauty, Anne,” his mouth went to work assaulting her neck, nipping and sucking at the flesh he found there like he was marking her as his. Her knees wobbled at the sensation. “But I need this,” he tugged at one of the loose straps of the teddy with his teeth. “Off of you. Now,” he brushed the straps down her shoulders and coaxed the flimsy thing down her figure to join his shirt and pants on the floor, and it wasn't long before his boxers followed closely behind. She stepped out of her heels when she pulled back to appreciate him.
As it turned out, he did, in fact, have more than just his raven tattoo. On his hip, there rested a paw print
tattoo, about the size of a dog's, with the word Zeus scrawled beneath it- a dog of his that passed away. And just below his collarbone on his left side, there rested a tattoo of a compass, perhaps as a reminder of all the places he's been. He rumbled his approval of her fingertips mapping out a path between the tattoos, his skin crawling pleasantly under her ministrations. His hips jerked, and she felt his swollen manhood press deliciously against the cleft of her thigh, long and thick and eager, and she felt the warmth in her gut begin to boil at the thought of how it would feel buried in her core.
He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her gauzy panties and tugged them down, drawing her closer as his mouth began to massage itself against hers again. She shivered pleasantly at his calloused fingertips exploring the expanse of her exposed backside, cupping and kneading the supple flesh they found there. Brett coaxed her to step backwards until the small of her back hit his kitchen table, though once they met with that resistance, his hands cupped her rear firmly and lifted her, setting her down on its polished surface.
“Brett,” she moaned when he palmed her ample breast in his hand, his other keeping occupied by trailing down to feel her heat. His thumb brushed over her pebbled nipple, and she gasped at the sensation of the lace pulling taught from his movements.
Anne had to bite her lip to keep from keening too loudly when the hand that had traveled south finally pushed against the dark curls between her thighs, and gently began to part her folds. Fingers that had clearly done this before began to slowly work their way inside her, letting her body take them in at their own pace until his thumb could comfortably brush against her womanly pearl. She mewled against his mouth when he began to work her insides, the heat coiling taught in her belly, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she climaxed. She could feel her quim leaking out of her, slicking his fingers and making it easier to bring her pleasure to pique. It wasn't much longer before the coil finally snapped, and he circled his thumb around the bud of her flower in time with the crests of each wave of her orgasm, letting her ride it out gently.
ROMANCE: NAVY SEAL ROMANCE: Morning After (Military Bad Boy Pregnancy Romance Collection) (New Adult Alpha Male Paranormal Short Stories Collection) Page 2