McKenzie, Cooper - Her Knight in Dusty BDUs [Men Out of Uniform 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Cooper McKenzie

  “You called the cops on him?”

  Bailey shrugged, and his hard expression softened somewhat. “He’s the one driving drunk. I just called in an anonymous citizen’s tip about a dangerous driver on the road.”

  “Thank you for talking to him, but I doubt he’ll listen. He doesn’t hear or remember anything that doesn’t fit with his plans, no matter how twisted they are,” she said.

  “What did he mean about wanting his money?” Bailey asked as he closed the distance and slid his arms around her back.

  Eden snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around his waist, relaxing into his embrace.

  “He thinks because he made some renovations on the house we’d bought after we separated that I should pay him back for them. I tried to explain that since he lived there and I had moved out that I don’t owe him squat, but he doesn’t listen. Adam told me that he’s lost his job, so I’m sure that’s not helping the situation either.”

  Bailey rested his cheek on the top of her head. He took a deep breath and sighed as he canted his hips forward, pressing his long, hard cock into her belly. Though the action was identical to what Wade had done to her earlier, Eden’s response could not have been more different. With Wade, all she wanted was to get away. With Bailey, she just wanted to get closer.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” she said, shifting her hips left and right, causing Bailey to inhale sharply.

  “What about the shop?”

  As if in answer, the bells jangled.

  Eden sighed as she stepped back. She looked at Bailey and smiled sadly. “Guess that will have to wait, dammit.”

  Bailey chuckled as she turned and went to the front of the shop.

  * * * *

  For the rest of the evening people wandered in and out of the shop in a slow but steady stream. Between customers, Bailey helped Eden with her inventory. As they worked, they talked, sharing stories of their childhood and other first-date kinds of information that seemed irrelevant considering how far their relationship had advanced past the trivialities. They finished just before she locked the door at midnight.

  After turning off the lights and the neon “OPEN” sign, Eden took Bailey’s hand and led him through the shop, out the back door, and up the stairs to her apartment.

  “What’s over there?” he asked, pointing to the other door off the balcony.

  “A second apartment,” Eden said as she unlocked the door and stepped into her apartment. “As soon as I finish mine, I’m going to fix that one up and rent it out.”

  “Rent it to me now,” Bailey said as he closed and locked the door.

  Chapter 9

  “Why?” Eden looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

  Maybe he had, but the thought of someone else living in that space sent a red-hot stabbing pain through his chest. He had to take a breath before he could speak.

  “I hate living on base. I’ve been looking for an apartment, but haven’t found a place I like that’s close enough to base with a landlord I trusted.”

  It was close enough to the truth, but he hoped she would not call him on it.

  She turned and studied him, and he met her gaze squarely and did not flinch or look away. What little training in being a Dom he had had as well as his military background came in handy, especially when playing poker or, like now, getting his own way with the ladies.

  Eden studied him for nearly a minute before shrugging and turning away. “I’ll show it to you tomorrow, okay?”

  Bailey nodded in agreement at he laid a hand on one shoulder to stop her from walking away. “Want to play a game?” he asked, his voice dropping soft and low.

  He had watched her all night, his cock hard and demanding relief. He knew she remained unaware of the effect her short summer tank dress and stiletto sandals had as she sashayed around her shop. At one point, she had bent over to pick something off a low shelf, and he almost swallowed his tongue as the hem rode up the back of her legs until he was certain she would flash him. But it stopped just shy of giving away her secret of not wearing panties to work that day.

  “What kind of game?”

  “The kind where in the end we’re both hot and sweaty and very, very relaxed and happy,” he said just before brushing his lips up the left side of her neck.

  “Mmmm, I like those kinds of games,” she said, sounding a little breathless.

  Bailey kissed his way across the back of her neck as he slid his hands under her arms to cup her breasts. All of the sudden he wished he had not allowed her to wear a bra to work. It would have been so much fun to tell Crow to watch the store as he pulled her into the backroom. He could have stripped her bare except for her sexy high-heeled shoes just by pulling her dress over her head.

  “Mmmm, another time,” he murmured as he then licked at the right side of her neck. His fingers circled her breasts, but he growled as the thick padding of her bra kept him from finding her nipples.

  “What’s another time?” she asked as she leaned back against him.

  “Something I want to try,” he responded, smiling into her neck before turning his head slightly and sucking a bruise into the skin where neck flowed into shoulder.

  She moaned when he lifted his head and pulled his hands from her as he stepped away. He watched as she swayed before finding her balance and standing on her own two feet. His cock throbbed in his jeans as the scent of her creamy sex juice swirled around them.

  “Go change into your nightshirt,” he said once she was steady on her feet. “Without panties.”

  He smiled but said nothing further when she frowned at him. When she hesitated, he lifted an eyebrow.

  “Little sunflowers who don’t do as they’re told immediately and without question might find themselves turned over my lap getting a spanking,” he said, making it a statement of fact as he led her another step deeper into the world of Domination and submission.

  Her frown deepened for a few seconds before she turned and flounced into the bedroom. He smiled when he heard her muttering about sexy Marines and knights in shining armor and never understanding men when it came to sex.

  When she appeared a minute later, she wore her oversized nightshirt. “Happy?”

  He made a “come here” gesture with two fingers and smiled when she huffed a sigh before crossing to stand in front of him. Without another word, he bent his knees until they were face to face. Laying one hand on the back of her thigh, he slid it up under the shirt until it reached her warm, bare ass.

  Her eyes widened as he massaged one globe and then the other. Then he slid his hand between her thighs and slid two fingers between her lower lips until they found her puffy clit. He stroked it, causing her eyes to widen as she her cheeks flushed. Pulling his fingers back, he slid them into her pussy before pulling his hand away.

  “Yes, sunflower, I’m quite happy,” he said before straightening and stepping back. Taking her hand in his, he led her to the small couch.

  “Have a seat,” he said, not surprised when she did so without an argument but with a frown of confusion.

  Turning, he unbuttoned his jeans as he crossed the room. Turning one of her dining-area chairs to face the couch where she sat, he stripped off his jeans, sighing as the pressure on his cock eased. He left his boxers on before sitting down.

  “The game is called Anticipation and Arousal,” he said when she frowned at him.

  “Why are you all the way over there?”

  He smiled, wondering if she could tell how close he was to losing it. Though he wanted this game to last until she begged for relief, he wondered if he could hold out that long. For a man who prided himself on his control and skill, both in the bedroom and out, Eden Xavier was proving to be a real test of his skills as a Dominant without even trying.

  “Because if I sit any closer, the game will be over before it starts,” he admitted honestly.

  “Would that be so terrible?” she asked with a smile that had him wondering why he didn’t just take her to bed and love her until n
either of them could move.

  She shifted on the couch, leaning back and spreading her legs wide enough he could see shadows between her thighs.

  He had to swallow hard before he could say, “Humor me.”

  She shrugged and shifted again, this time arching her back. The innocent move pressed erect nipples against her shirt, making his cock jump with his hunger.

  “So, how do we play this game?” Eden asked as she lifted one hand and rubbed it up and down the valley between her breasts.

  “Just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll win in no time,” Bailey said after swallowing hard. “The challenge is to sit where you are and make me come to you. I’m going to be doing the same thing. The one who leaves their seat first loses.”

  Eden nodded in understanding. “But what if I don’t want to play? What if I just get up and come to you now?”

  “I’ll know if you don’t make an effort to try and win. If you give in too soon, I’ll put you over my knee and spank you.”

  “You’re looking forward to spanking me, aren’t you?” Eden asked. Her tone was conversational, though her actions were anything but.

  She placed both hands palm down at her waist before slowly sliding them up her body. She sucked a breath as she cupped her generous breasts then brushed her thumbs over her nipples one time.

  “Would you like me to spank you? Do you want to feel the hot pain and submissive pleasure as my hand smacks your ass until your skin turns pink? Or maybe I’ll spank you until it’s bright red and you have to kneel at my feet because you can’t sit down on a chair.”

  Bailey watched arousal fill her expression. Her eyes met his briefly before dropping to watch as he adjusted his hard cock to lie more comfortably against his body. Though he really wanted to pull it out and stroke it, he took a steadying breath and forced himself to wait.

  She would break first.

  * * * *

  Eden listened to him talk about spanking her and was shocked at how much she wanted exactly what he was offering. But what Bailey didn’t know about her was that she was stubborn, and when challenged, she hated to lose at anything, from a simple card game to a sexual challenge such as this one he issued.

  Looking at him stroking his cock through the soft cotton boxers as he watched her, she did not think it would take a whole lot before he joined her on the couch. Then, after he scratched the itch deep in her pussy, she might let him spank her.

  “No one’s spanked me since I was about eight years old,” she said softly.

  She gently massaged her breasts and flicked her thumbs back and forth over her nipples. She could not help but smile when his breathing hitched. She sucked a breath before moaning softly when she used just her thumbs and first fingers to tweak and roll her nipples. Hot electricity shot from nipples to pussy, and her hips shifted in response.

  Looking across the room, she met Bailey’s silver gaze and wished she could touch him. Touching him and being touched by him had become an obsession. All at once, she did not care about the game. She needed him to touch her.

  “I’ll be happy to spank you,” he offered as he slouched in his chair and spread his legs wider as he slipped his hand through the opening of his boxers

  “I think I might like to try that sometime.”

  As her pussy overflowed, she spread her legs. This drew his attention to the apex of her thighs. His eyes grew hooded as he licked his lips. She could feel the heat from his gaze on her pussy and wanted the game to end. But she refused to be the one to cross the space separating them.

  Dropping her hands from her breasts, she ran her hands down the insides of her thighs and then back up, almost to her pussy. Erotic fire streaked from where skin dragged on skin straight to her clit, causing her to take a deep breath to keep from launching herself across the room.

  Bailey moaned.

  She smiled at him as her fingers traced the path a second time. “Like that, do you?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

  “Mmmm,” he responded as he ran his free hand up and down his own thigh. “Your expression is so damn sexy, to say nothing of your movements. Why don’t you come over here?”

  Eden’s smile widened as she eased the hem of her T-shirt up above the crease of her thighs. “Why don’t you come over here instead?”

  Bailey grinned and shook his head. “Sorry, sunflower, it doesn’t work like that. But I have to admit you are very good at this game.”

  Eden shrugged. “Okay, I guess I’ll just have to play by myself then.”

  With that, she pulled out her favorite neon pink vibrator. Shifting on the couch, she pushed her ass to the edge and spread her legs even wider. She did not want Bailey to miss a thing. She twisted the base, and the small, but powerful, motor began to hum. She sighed softly as she used the buzzing imitation phallus to trace circles around one breast, each one smaller than the last.

  Bailey looked startled as she started to play. “Where did that come from? I thought you said you didn’t have any toys.”

  “Bob isn’t a toy. Bob is a single woman’s best friend. And he came from the nightstand.”

  “Bob? Who’s Bob?”

  Eden’s smile grew as she indicated the vibrator. “Battery-operated boyfriend or Bob. I think everyone woman should have at least one. Especially in this town where their men are gone months at a time.”

  “Hmmm, I guess it’s okay to have a Bob, as long as there are no other men in your life who aren’t blood relations, except maybe Crow.”

  Eden blinked at that pronouncement. “I’m sorry, but did you just tell me I could not have any male friends?”

  Images of Wade flashed before her eyes as her ex-husband ordered her to stop seeing friends, controlled her actions, demanded to know every minute of any time they were apart. She had grown up with parents like that, and now that she was free of Wade, there was no way she would allow someone else to have that much control over her life. Especially since he was leaving town in a few days.

  Bailey blinked but looked confused and did not answer.

  Turning off the vibrator, Eden tossed it on the couch and stood up. After smoothing her T-shirt down to cover as much of her body as she could, she headed for the bedroom. “I think you should leave now.”

  Chapter 10

  Eden was almost to the bedroom door when Bailey realized something had just gone very, very wrong. He was not sure where her head was, but something he had just said seemed to trigger pain from her past. Something they had to talk about and get her past before he could make any further headway in burrowing his way into her heart and soul.

  “Eden, stop,” he ordered in his powerful Dom voice.

  Instead of obeying, she threw him a dirty look over her shoulder and kept stalking to the bedroom. A moment later, the door slammed. In the silent vacuum following the loud noise, he heard a soft snick as she locked the door.

  “Oh, no, you don’t, little girl,” he murmured as he crossed to the bedroom.

  As he expected, the door was locked. “Eden, you have five seconds to open this door before I come through it. Either way you are in for a spanking that is going to leave you with a red-hot ass.”

  As he counted silently, he pulled out his knife with a thousand and one uses and flipped the awl out. At five, he pushed the pointed metal stick into the small, round lock and grinned to himself. As soon as the lock popped, he turned the knob and pushed on the door.

  The door did not budge.

  “Sunflower, step away from the door, or I’ll make it so you won’t be able to sit down for a week,” he promised, his voice just loud enough for her to hear through the panel separating them.

  A half second later Eden jerked the door open. He took a half step back at the intense pain he saw in her expression. She planted her hands on her hips as her feet spread. She was clearly taking a stand against something, but he wondered if it was memories of her ex-husband’s abuse or something he had done.

  “What makes you think I’m going to quietly let you
take over my life without a fight? Spank me because I don’t do as you dictate? I don’t think so. You think you’re going to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with? No fucking way, mister. I fought long and hard to become more than a human doormat, and I refuse to go back there for anyone, no matter how good the sex is.”

  He took a deep breath to fight back the urge to find her ex and beat the shit out of him. If he walked out of the apartment before they settled this, Eden would never let him back in again. And that was the last thing he wanted.

  Something had happened in the last minute and a half that had caused her to have some sort of flashback to her ex-husband’s abuse. Had his appearance in the shop triggered this? Or was it his own fumbling demand of monogamy?

  “Eden, baby, you can have as many friends as you want, both men and women,” Bailey said, keeping his voice soft and calm. “I didn’t mean you couldn’t be friends with anyone, I just wanted Bob to be the only other cock sharing your bed, touching your body, giving you those orgasms that make you glow.”

  Bailey took a single step forward as Eden mulled over his words. He watched her anger ease, her pain drain away, before she blinked and looked at him. “Bailey?”

  Only then did he take the last steps that separated them and gently wrap his arms around her. “Yes, sunflower, it’s Bailey. Can you tell me what happened?”

  He closed his eyes with relief and sent a prayer of thanks heavenward as she slid her arms around his waist. She burrowed her face into his chest as she clung to him. He held her tighter, laying his cheek on the top of her head, surrounding her as much as possible with whatever comfort he could offer.

  They stood that way for several long minutes before Eden finally lifted her head to look up at him. “We were only married a year, but in that time Wade turned me from a confident, self-assured woman into a spineless shadow who had a hard time deciding what to fix for dinner. I’ve found my way back and cannot, will not, go back there. It’s not right for someone else to determine and tell me what my every move will be. Can you understand?”