Saved by a SEAL (Hot SEALs Book 2)

by Cat Johnson

  He laughed. “Yes, I remember. So go on. What about your boss?”

  “My boss Mina and her husband are away. I promised to keep an eye on their place and water the plants.” When he didn’t look like he was grasping her meaning, she added. “No one will be home for three more days and I have the key.”

  Zane’s eyes widened. He dropped his hold on her hand and started the engine so fast she had to laugh.

  He glanced at her. “You’d better buckle up. I don’t intend to drive the speed limit.”

  Missy couldn’t agree with his plan more.

  CHAPTER 12

  Missy dug inside her purse looking for this key she’d promised Zane she had possession of.

  Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her from the back and leaned over her shoulder. “Want help?”

  “No. I know I’ve got it. I just have to find it.”

  “All right.” It was all Zane could do to stop himself from grabbing the purse and dumping the contents on the floor to speed this process along.

  Alternately, he could have picked the lock in less time than it took her to find the key. This bag of hers seemed to be a bottomless pit in spite of its deceivingly small size.

  Finally, she emerged with the key in hand. “Got it.”

  “Good.” He was moments away from taking matters into his own hands.

  Now that he’d confessed his shortcomings to her and, amazingly, she’d forgiven his part in his father’s plan, he could give in to the attraction they both felt. The attraction he’d been fighting all day.

  Zane was done fighting.

  She turned the knob and pushed the door open. He waited just long enough for her to get the key out of the lock before he turned her to face him and hauled her against him while kicking the door closed with one foot at the same time.

  Zane pushed her coat off her shoulders and down her arms. He tossed it onto the back of a chair and then his hands were back on her. He laid his palms on the spot where the curve of Missy’s waist gave way to the swell of her hips.

  The fabric of the rich blue dress was soft beneath his fingers, but he knew her skin would be even softer. He’d get to that part. Soon. Now, he needed to kiss her, so he did.

  Raising his hands to her face, he took possession of her lips in a hard, deep kiss. He meant it to let her know this could lead to one thing and one thing only—him inside her.

  She must have had the same idea. As he kissed her, stroking his tongue against hers, he felt her unbuttoning his shirt. She ran her hands over the bare skin of his chest and groaned.

  Happy she liked what she felt, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted, carrying her across the room as she wrapped her legs around his back, all while they remained locked at the lips. He felt the spiked heels of her boots against his back.

  Damn, that was hot. He’d be leaving her boots on for a little while after the dress came off.

  They were in her boss’s house. The bedroom was out of the question, as far as he was concerned, but not the wide leather sofa. He carried her there, dumping her onto the cushions and following her down.

  The dress had a tie in the front that had tantalized him all day as he wondered what would happened if he should untie it. Like a ribbon on a gift, would pulling the tail cause the dress to open and reveal everything he wanted? Zane was about to find out. He tugged on the ends of the bow and pulled the sides of the wrap dress open.

  He knew lingerie, and hers was some quality stuff. The intricate lace was delicate, the fabric high-end, but it was all just decoration. It was the woman beneath the bra and panties that was the most impressive. Missy was what attracted his attention most, not the underwear.

  He ran his hands from the lace of her undergarments to the warm satin of her skin. “Christ, you’re beautiful.”

  Missy shook her head. “My boobs are too small.”

  In the age of big fake boobs, particularly prevalent in military towns, Zane was a connoisseur of women’s breasts, and Missy’s were just the right size for him.

  “The hell they are.” Baffled by her misconception, Zane leaned low, intent on proving how wrong she was.

  While he drew one of her nipples into his mouth, Missy tugged at his clothes. He smiled and grabbed her hands. Capturing them in his, he forced them above her head.

  “Patience.”

  She blew out a breath. “Patience? Are you kidding me? Do you know how long I’ve waited for you, Zane Alexander?”

  “I know. Sometimes I can be a little slow on the uptake.” This was unfamiliar territory he was in, having sex with a woman who knew him well. One who he knew also.

  This with Missy was different. She was a friend. They had a past. She understood him. He’d never been with a woman who knew him so well before—knew him right down to his childhood and family.

  All that scared the hell out of him. He retreated to familiar territory. Sex.

  She wanted his clothes off? He could do that. He stood and pulled his open shirt out from where it had been tucked into his pants.

  “Bathroom?” he asked.

  “Over there.” She glanced toward one of the three doorways in the room.

  “Wait right here.” He strode to the bathroom as he undid his belt. Inside, he grabbed a towel and carried it back to her on the sofa.

  “What’s that for?” she asked.

  “First of all, leather on bare skin—not such a great thing. Second, good sex can get messy.” He was planning on having some very good sex.

  She looked a little appalled at that. He’d distract her soon enough. Missy stood when he pulled her off the sofa so he could lay down the towel. Then, all his attention was on her as he stripped her bare of everything but the boots.

  He hissed in a breath at the sight of her, even as she sat and bent down to take off the boots he was loving the look of.

  “I kind of liked those on.”

  She shot him a look as she tugged one off. “I don’t want to puncture my boss’s leather sofa with these things. I’m thinking good, messy sex could also get . . . acrobatic.”

  After that comment, delivered with a gleam in her eye, the fact she’d known him forever, his faults and all, didn’t feel so frightening anymore. Missy was funny and sexy, and she was stripping off the last thing she’d been wearing just for him.

  Zane smiled. “I think you might be right about that.”

  She was naked and he was still dressed. He’d fallen far behind so he made short work of his shirt, tossing it on the floor. Kicking off his shoes while he unzipped his pants, Zane glanced up and saw the heat in Missy’s eyes as she watched him. That was motivation enough for him to shove his pants and underwear down his legs in one swift move.

  Removing his socks required he sit down on the sofa next to her, but that was convenient. It put him right where he wanted to be. Next to her. He turned and pushed her back, lowering himself on top of her.

  He needed this.

  There was a difference between wanting and needing. He knew that. Zane had spied women in the past, usually some hottie walking into a bar who he knew immediately he’d be taking home that night. But that was different. He needed this time with Missy.

  Needed it as much to soothe him and make the pain of the disappointment he felt in himself go away, as to quench the ache inside him that she caused.

  After quickly handling the necessary protection he always carried with him, Zane poised above Missy.

  With the lights in the room all on he saw clearly every emotion written on her face as he pushed inside her. Their eyes remained locked until the feeling of being surrounded by her overwhelmed him and his lids drifted closed. He forced them open again. He wanted to watch Missy’s face while he loved her.

  Strange. He usually didn’t care if he could see the woman beneath him or not. He’d usually close his eyes and just feel. This time, he wanted to see the pleasure in her expression as he stroked inside her.

  He slipped one arm beneath her, changing the angle of h
is stroke, and she closed her eyes as her mouth fell open on a gasp.

  A wrinkle creased the spot between her brows. He’d seen that expression on Missy before. Years ago when she was concentrating extra hard on perfecting her tennis serve. He smiled at the memory, but his goal was to make her stop thinking so hard. He wanted her to just feel.

  “Melissa.”

  She opened her eyes, but her gaze remained narrowed when it met his. Reaching up and grabbing his head, she brought his mouth down to hers. She kissed him deeply, thrusting her tongue against his. The intensity of the moment increased until they were both gasping and he had to break the kiss just to breathe.

  Her mouth against his ear as she gasped out his name had Zane’s body tightening. He wanted to hold back but as her body gripped his tighter and she raked her nails down his back he knew there was no stopping it. There was no holding back the orgasm that barreled down on him like a freight train.

  The climax seemed to shake him to his very soul. It drained him of all the bad that happened today. It emptied him of energy, as well, and he collapsed boneless on top of her. It was all he could do to catch his breath. There was no way he could have moved. He was content to just lie there and feel her heart pounding beneath him.

  How could sex with Missy be hot as hell and yet so comforting at the same time?

  Zane had clearly been missing out all these years, opting for sex with random women when he should have been looking for a nice comfortable friends-with-benefits situation.

  How nice that would be to have a woman who wouldn’t ask any questions. Wouldn’t need any wooing. Who would just be there for him when he needed her after a tough day. After the night he’d had, it was damn nice to have Missy here to help him forget about everything.

  “Tell me about this company you and your friends are starting.”

  His bliss came to a screeching halt at her mention of GAPS. And that right there was why his friends-who-fuck idea wouldn’t work. He wasn’t in the mood to talk, especially not about that subject, but Missy was a friend so how could he be rude to her for asking?

  He’d been content, drunk on post coital hormones and endorphins. He had been very happy to put his problems completely out of his head and let the steady sound of Missy’s heartbeat beneath him lull him into a drowsy state. But she wanted to talk. She’d want to help him solve his problems, because that’s what women did. The guys might give him shit on occasion, but they also knew when to leave him alone.

  Grateful for the reminder of why he opted for anonymous sex even if it was more work, Zane had to deflect Missy’s questioning. “No business talk. Tonight is for pleasure. So, I saw a nice big whirlpool tub in that bathroom. Let’s go give it a try.”

  Her eyes opened wide as he stood and reached down to pull her up after him. “We can’t do that.”

  “Why not? We just had sex on their sofa. How is taking a bath any worse?”

  “I don’t know. I guess it isn’t.” Still she looked too concerned to come with him willingly.

  “I promise I’ll clean up everything after we’re done. Your boss will never know. Don’t worry and come on. You know you want to.” He dangled that temptation, betting she’d never experienced whirlpool sex.

  Zane, on the other hand, knew very well all that a well-placed jet could do to a woman. He’d be happy to initiate Missy into the world of that particular pleasure. Buried deep inside her, he’d enjoy it right along with her.

  CHAPTER 13

  Missy opened her eyes and tried to see the time on the bedside clock. It was later than she’d thought, but that wasn’t a surprise really, considering. She stretched and the pull of sore muscles reminded her of the time she’d spent with Zane the night before.

  The only thing that could have made the night better would have been if she’d woken with him next to her this morning. Maybe next time . . . which would hopefully be tonight.

  They’d have to find somewhere they could spend the whole night together.

  The fantasy of what that might be like played out in her mind. She imagined waking to the feel of Zane’s hard body pressed against her.

  Of course, she’d be late for anything she had planned for the morning were she to wake in a bed with Zane, but that was fine with her. Missy had begun her leave from work a week early to get ready for her trip so she had no schedule to keep.

  The thought of leaving had her saddening for the first time since she’d planned the trip she’d been so excited about. That had been before Zane. Now, the three-month separation seemed like an eternity.

  The memory of his goodbye kiss had her sighing. The subsequent memory of their time together in the bathtub jolted her into an even stronger reaction as desire coiled low in her belly.

  He had done things with her, to her, she’d never dreamed of. And all in her boss’s house . . . and bathtub. Missy felt her cheeks heat, but the shame didn’t last long. Zane had cleaned up behind them. Her boss need never know.

  The fact Mina was also a friend as well as her boss made Missy itch to call her, to interrupt her friend’s vacation and tell her everything, like a schoolgirl. That Missy couldn’t do. Not without revealing how she’d used her key for purposes other than watering the plants.

  She wanted so badly to talk about Zane to someone, anyone, but even better would be talking to him. The solution to fulfilling that urge was simple. Missing him already, Missy reached for her phone.

  He’d dropped her off after midnight. He’d kissed her, said goodnight, and waited for her to open the front door before speeding away into the dark.

  At that time of night, it would have been crazy for him to drive all the way to Virginia Beach where his base was. He must have gone back to his parents’ house to sleep.

  That would be perfect. Then they could spend the day together . . . and hopefully the night.

  His number was still in her incoming calls. As soon as she hung up with him, she’d have to remember to save his number to her contacts list. Just the thought had her smiling. She was obviously easily pleased, even with the most mundane things when they had to do with Zane.

  She hit the button to make the call and waited for him to pick up.

  He did after just a couple of rings. “Alexander here.”

  His very official-sounding greeting, delivered in a deep voice he must reserve for his Navy business, had her smiling. Just hearing his voice warmed her. She resisted the urge to giggle like a girl.

  It didn’t matter how young or old a person was, the first blush of a new relationship, when love was new and exciting and held boundless potential, was the best feeling in the world.

  “Hi. It’s Missy.”

  “Missy. I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize the number.”

  “That’s okay.” This was all so new for both of them, he obviously hadn’t saved her number to his phone yet either. “So how did you sleep?”

  “For the few hours that I actually slept? Very well, thank you. You?” he asked.

  “Fine. I just woke up. What are you doing right now?”

  “Right now, I’m in a meeting.”

  That explained his very formal, official sounding tone of voice. “With your father?”

  “No. I came home . . . I mean home at the base, not at my parents’ house.”

  Missy frowned, not liking that answer. “Oh. I didn’t think you’d want to drive so far last night. Or did you go back early this morning?”

  “I drove back right after dropping you off. I’m pretty good at functioning on little to no sleep. That comes with the military.”

  She didn’t know what to say in response, she was so thrown by the fact he’d left without telling her. Yes, he’d mentioned he was leaving when he’d picked her up before they drove to the river, but she’d assumed that after what happened between them, his plans would have changed.

  “So what’s up?” he asked. She had been silent for so long, he must have felt the need to prompt her.

  “I just wanted to see what plans
you had for the day. I leave in four days.” She felt the need to remind him of that fact.

  There wasn’t very much time for them to spend together before she left. If he wanted to see her, it would have to be now, or at least during the next few days. Of course, maybe he didn’t want to see her. That doubt had her feeling sick.

  So did the overly long pause in the conversation before Zane spoke again. “Missy, you’re going away for three months.”

  “Yes. I know.”

  “I’ve been through this kind of thing before. Between deploying and training, it seems as if I’m always leaving to go somewhere, sometimes for months at a time.”

  “Okay.” What was he saying to her? That three months would fly by and she shouldn’t worry?

  “Chances are you’re going to have spotty communications where you’re going, if any at all.” She opened her mouth to contradict him. To tell him that the school had told her that they had both a phone and internet, but he didn’t give her a chance. “I really think it’s better if we just agree to say goodbye now and not prolong it into a long drawn out thing.”

  Wow. No more beating around the bush. His words were like a sledgehammer to her skull. His feelings as clear as day. What they had had been a one night thing and now it was over.

  “Oh.” She was in such shock, Missy couldn’t come up with any other response.

  After another long, uncomfortable lull in the conversation where neither of them said a word, Zane said, “I’ll talk to you when you get back. Call me when you’re stateside again. We’ll catch up.”

  Catch up meaning go back to just being friends? Or, in true Zane Alexander fashion, see if he’s in the mood for a repeat of their one-night stand?

  So that was what it felt like to be on the receiving end of one of Zane’s booty calls. Missy now had the honor of joining the many other women in the not-so-elite group of Zane’s past lovers. It sucked.

  “Okay. Bye, Zane.” A glutton for punishment, she hung on, waiting for him to say something. To take back all the hurt.