Hot Pursuit - A Marooned with the SEAL Romance (Once a SEAL, Always a SEAL Book 2)

by Layla Valentine

  The day at the office flew by. I met with a few of the candidates for my position, and couldn’t believe how innocent and fresh-faced they were. As I chatted with them, hearing each of their spiels about how eager they were to see the world, maybe make a difference if they could along the way, I found myself unable to believe that I’d been like that at one time, so baby-faced and eager.

  The day was soon over, and I was ready for the evening ahead. Justin’s family and mine were meeting for dinner, and I was strangely excited about the whole thing. Normally, such occasions were a source of stress, but with Justin, everything tended to go smoothly. He had a way with things, a way of handling situations that I couldn’t help but admire.

  I left work and headed for the dry cleaners, where my outfit for the evening awaited me, all pressed and ready to go. A quick trip home later and I was changed and off. The Westchester was a lovely place, situated at the top floor of one of the skyscrapers downtown. The floor-to-ceiling windows afforded sweeping views of the twinkling lights of the evening city.

  And seated at one of the tables toward the back, lively chatter springing from their direction, were seated my mother, my father, Justin’s mother Dawn, and, of course, Justin. It was always such an odd sight to see my normally-taciturn father with a wide-mouth, back-teeth-exposed smile, but that was the effect Justin and his mother had on them.

  The eyes of those seated at the table locked onto me as I approached, laughter fading from the air. All four of them hopped out of their seats and greeted me with warm hugs and kisses.

  “I hope I didn’t miss anything too good,” I said, sliding into my seat.

  “Justin was just telling us about his trip to southern Japan,” said my father. “And some interesting food he ate down there.”

  “Apparently,” my mom, Amy, said, “the live squid slip their tentacles up into your nose when you’re not paying attention.”

  Justin smirked.

  “They like to make you work for your meal over there.”

  “Amy,” said Dawn, a slender woman with pretty features and close-cropped, dark hair. “We’re going to have to go there for our next trip!”

  She gave my mom a pat on the leg.

  “I don’t know,” my mom said. “I’m still recovering from our trip to Europe.”

  “That’s why we need to go somewhere more exotic next time,” said Dawn. “Different is good for the soul.”

  “Maybe we can even talk Tom into coming along this time,” my mom said.

  My dad raised a weathered hand and shook his head.

  “Nope, you girls go and have fun—farm work is enough excitement for me these days.”

  The waitress stopped by and took our orders. After she left, a small silence hushed the air. Justin and I exchanged a curious look—there was clearly something on our guests’ minds.

  “Okay,” I said. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing,” said my mother, looking away with a smile on her face. “It’s just that Justin and you have been dating for a while now. And, well, you know.”

  “Mom?” asked Justin. “Are you all talking about what I think you’re talking about?”

  Dawn appeared for a moment like she didn’t want to say anything. But she finally opened her mouth and said her piece.

  “You two are so damn cute together,” she said. “And we all got to talking and decided that every day that passes without you two all good and married is a damn waste. Love like you two have doesn’t just show up around the block, you know.”

  I was more than a little surprised to hear all of this. I took a sip of wine and let their words roll around in my mind.

  “Dad?” I asked. “Are you thinking the same thing?”

  Dad pursed his lips for a moment as though he didn’t want to get involved.

  “Justin’s a hell of a guy—I have to admit. And I wouldn’t mind seeing you with a kid or two.”

  “Is Mr. Unsentimental himself thinking wistfully about grandkids?” I asked, an eyebrow raised and a smile on my lips.

  “I want you to be happy, is all,” he said. “And Justin seems like a man who’d be able to do that.”

  “You’re too kind, Mr. Fenn,” said Justin. “But Delaney and I are happy taking things one day at a time. If there’s one thing I learned during my time in the service, it’s that you can’t make anything happen before its time.”

  Dad nodded slightly, conceding the point. Mom soon changed the topic, and the subject of what was going to happen next between Justin and me was dropped. The conversation turned to a low whirl around me as the subject of marriage loomed in my mind. I knew that Justin was right, that we couldn’t rush things.

  After all, we’d only been dating for a few months, and there was so much going on in both of our lives that adding marriage on top of it would hardly be the smart thing to do.

  Right?

  But sitting there, the wine already swirling a bit in my mind, I couldn’t help but think about how much I wanted Justin to be my husband. I imagined him dressed in a sharp tuxedo, waiting for me in front of the altar, our friends and family seated all around us.

  I shook the image out of my head, returning to the present. Maybe Justin would want to marry me, maybe he wouldn’t. Either way, I resolved to be happy with what I had. After all, one moment you could be in a hotel bar having a drink with the most handsome man you’d ever seen, and the next you could be in the middle of the Australian outback, wondering where your next meal was going to come from.

  The rest of the dinner went wonderfully, and soon Justin and I were strolling arm in arm through the streets of downtown Dallas, the evening about as pleasant as I could hope for.

  “This is wonderful,” I said. “Just how it is.”

  “Glad you feel that way,” said Justin.

  As soon as the words left my mouth, however, I knew that I was simply saying those things aloud to hopefully convince myself that they were true. My parents and Justin’s mom had undone my carefully constructed rationalization processes for why I was “okay” with how he hadn’t mentioned anything about marriage. Now that they’d broached the subject, however, I was face to face with how I felt.

  I wanted to marry Justin—there was no denying it.

  But he’d said he was happy with how things were now. And in man talk, I knew that meant one thing: “you don’t want to screw this all up by getting married or anything, do you?”

  My eyes drifted toward the passing traffic, and a disappointed sigh slipped past my lips. I had to learn to be happy with what I had.

  “What do you say to some ice cream?” Justin asked.

  I nodded. Twenty minutes later we had vanilla cones in our hand. But the ice cream didn’t taste all that sweet.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “It’s nothing,” I said. “Just a little tired.”

  He gave me a quizzical look.

  “Then why don’t we head back to the apartment. Might do you some good to get some rest. Busy weekend ahead.”

  “Sure.”

  But wait—what busy weekend? Sure, we were going to be having lunch with the parents again tomorrow, but other than that we were all free. I put the thought out of my head as we finished our cones and headed back to the apartment.

  “Oh,” said Justin as he slipped his key into the lock. “We have a friend staying over for the weekend. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Wait, what?” I asked, shocked. “You invited someone over without asking me?”

  “I think you two will get along just fine,” he said, a playful smile on his face.

  He pushed the door open, and I let out a gasp at what I saw. Plopped onto the kitchen counter was an enormous stuffed koala bear, all cute and cuddly. I rushed to it and lifted the toy up.

  “Cute,” I said. “A little souvenir of our near-death experience?”

  “A gift from the family we met at the oasis,” he said, standing behind me. “We exchanged emails when you weren’t loo
king, and we got to talking. He asked if you and I were still together, and I said that we were. Then he told me that a great girl like you only comes around once in a great while, and I’d better make sure I kept you if I were lucky enough to get you.”

  Tears formed in my eyes as I looked the bear over.

  “So,” Justin continued, “he told me that he’d pass along a message for me. Check under his arm.”

  I gave Justin a curious look before turning my attention back to the bear. The arm was crossed over its chest, and I lifted it up to see the message.

  I dropped the bear as soon as I read the message. In lovely, cursive embroidery was written: “Delaney, will you marry me?”

  I turned on my heels to confront Justin, but I had to look down to see him. Justin was on his knee, a gorgeous, glittering ring in his hands.

  “You’re not going to keep the koala waiting, are you?”

  I couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears poured from my eyes, and my heart felt nearly ready to burst with joy.

  “Yes!” I shouted. “Yes, yes, yes!”

  Justin didn’t wait to see if I was going to change my mind. He stood up, slipped the ring on my finger, and placed his lips on mine. We kissed long and deep, and as we embraced, I opened my eyes just a bit to catch the sight of the stunning ring.

  “I can’t believe it,” I said. “I thought you weren’t even thinking about marriage.”

  “I may have let you believe that,” he said. “Sorry, but it makes the surprise more fun, I think.”

  Part of me wanted to give him a playful jab, but I knew he was right.

  We continued to kiss long and hard, holding each other tight. Before I knew it, our hands were moving all over each other’s bodies, first over our clothes, then under. I felt totally intoxicated by his touch, his kiss, his scent, his body, his everything. I wanted to be his now and forever, and for him to be mine.

  Justin clearly sensed that I had more in mind than a kiss. His hands slipping into the fold of my dress, he undid the sash in front and pulled it open, revealing the lacy black bra and panties that I had on underneath. I wasn’t about to let him be clothed while I was stripped down bare, so I quickly went to work on his shirt and tie. Moments later, his stunning physique was on full display, just how I liked it.

  “Wait,” said Justin, pulling away for a brief moment. “Maybe we ought to, you know, go all celibate until the wedding night. At least we can pretend we waited until marriage, you know?”

  I shook my head and smirked.

  “Can’t believe I’ve got a whole life of bad jokes to look forward to.”

  “You love it,” he said. “Admit it.”

  “Fine, fine,” I said. “I love it. And I love you.”

  He said nothing for a moment, looking at me with wide, clear eyes as if drinking in the sight of me.

  “And I love you too, baby,” he said.

  We went right back to kissing. A little more work on the clothes later and we were both good and naked. I glanced down at his full, hard member, ready to feel it inside of me.

  Justin lifted me up by the hips, setting me on the kitchen table.

  “You ready for it?” he asked, his voice that low and breathy tone that meant he was just as turned on and ready to go as I was.

  “You know I am,” I said. “And I’m going to go crazy if you make me wait another damn second for what I want.”

  He smirked.

  “You know I like to see you sweat a little first.”

  “I prefer to see you sweat,” I said. “While you’re on top of me.”

  “I think I can make that happen,” he said.

  Just when I was about to lose my damn mind, Justin grabbed his erection by the base, placed his head at my entrance, and effortlessly slid inside of me.

  “Oh, God,” I said, feeling every inch of him enter me until he was fully sheathed.

  Justin’s expression tightened as he held fast inside of me. His hands moved down my body, starting from my shoulders, down my breasts, finally coming to a rest on my hips. Once there, he held me in place, the huge muscles of his shoulders flexing and tensing as he prepared to give me the onslaught he knew that I wanted.

  His thrusts were slow at first, allowing me to savor every last sensation as he moved inside of me. I rested my head on his shoulder as he penetrated me, taking in his rich, delicious scent, my hands fixed onto the solid muscles of his back as they worked, tightening and loosening.

  After a time, his pace quickened. Soon, he was driving into me with pneumatic force, filling me up over and over again, the power of his erection making me feel as though I was being split in half in the best way imaginable. Minutes into the session and an orgasm was already forming deep inside of me.

  “You’re gonna make me…” my eyes winced shut. “Oh, Justin. You make me feel so damn good.”

  “Yes, Delaney,” he said, his words coming out in a hard grunt. “So fucking good.”

  His hands locked onto the soft curves of my hips, his member entering me at a pace that absolutely stupefied me with pleasure, my body moments from the release I desperately craved.

  Then, it happened. My body tightened up as though being coursed through with electricity. I dug my nails into Justin’s back, moans pouring out of my mouth. The orgasm exploded through me, the pleasure like nothing else. Justin came next, shooting his seed good and deep.

  Slowly, our orgasms faded, and Justin and I were reduced to a conjoined pile of sweaty, heaving flesh.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” he said between breaths. “But my little friend was watching.”

  I was confused at first, my senses still reeling. Then, I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the koala had been looking right at us the whole time.

  “What a little voyeur,” I said.

  Justin reached over and spun the bear around.

  “Only one Aussie in this place gets to ogle this girl,” he said. “Well, half-Aussie.”

  I laughed before pinching Justin’s cheeks in my hands and giving him a hard kiss.

  “I love you so damn much,” I said.

  “And I love you. I can’t wait to say it again when we’re married.”

  “Hmm,” I said, looking away.

  “Something on your mind?”

  “Just thinking about how now we have to get everything planned. It’s going to be a lot of work.”

  “True,” he said. “But I’ve only got one demand.”

  “Oh?”

  “The honeymoon isn’t anywhere near the outback.”

  I laughed and kissed him again, my heart filled with more love than I’d ever known.

  The End

  I hope you’ve enjoyed Justin and Delaney’s story. Sign up to my mailing list and be the first to know about all my new releases!

  Layla x

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  His Baby Secret

  Time for a tease!

  Up next is the first chapter of His Baby Secret, the previous book in my new series, Once a SEAL, Always a SEAL

  Happy reading!

  Layla x

  Copyright 2018 by Layla Valentine

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit written permission of the author.

  All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are entirely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  Hannah

  June 2011

  Hannah narrowly dodged a splashing drink as Ronnie Kurtz staggered by. For the host of the party, he didn’t seem all too concerned about keeping his parents’ house clean. At this point, though, he was probably drunk enough to forget about the fact that h
is parents would, at some point, return. The mess of the house, the stickiness of the countertops and tables, and the accumulation of plastic cups and snack food crumbs and puddles of pool water on the tiled floors would be a problem for the Ronnie Kurtz of tomorrow.

  And, judging by the state of Ronnie Kurtz tonight, Hannah was pretty certain that tomorrow’s Ronnie Kurtz would be pretty pissed. If he could see past his hangover.

  If this was what it was like to be rich, Hannah would take a hard pass. What was the point of accumulating all these nice things, just to not care about them? Something shattered in the next room, and Ronnie’s distinctive, gasping laughter was some of the loudest. Case in point. If she had a house this nice, she’d take care of it and the things inside of it. She wouldn’t invite her entire graduating class for a wild house party while her parents were away; that was for sure.

  Well. Her foster mom, anyway.

  “What’s in that cup?” Harvey demanded, snagging it away from Hannah, who hadn’t heard her twin coming. “It better not be booze, Hannah Newell, or so help me God, Marnie will find out about it.”

  “You’re the one who stinks of booze, not me,” she informed him, taking her cup back. “Mine’s just soda.”

  “Don’t tell Marnie,” Harvey said immediately. “I can handle my liquor.”

  “If you don’t leave me alone, I swear I’ll tell Marnie,” Hannah said, one hand on her hip.

  “You are the worst tattletale,” Harvey groused. “Seriously. I don’t even know why you came to this party if you’re just going to be a pooper.”

  Her twin had had a little too much to drink; that much was apparent. And the reason she’d come to this party? Because she was treating it like the last time she’d see any of these people in her life. They’d all walked across the stage just that morning, high school diplomas in hand. It was nostalgia, or something close to it, because Hannah generally avoided big social gatherings like this.