by Hart, Lea
“You let me have my way with you, and I promise you more joy than you’ve ever experienced in your life. Let me own your body, and I promise you will not regret it.”
Waving her hand between them, she commanded, “Own away. Do what you must.”
Laughing, he kissed her head and began to torture her. “Now this first time isn’t going to be my best work, because I’ve wanted you for too long, but it will give you an idea of what I have in mind.” Running his hand down the center of her body, he watched her eyes drift closed, and a small smile crease her lips. “Don’t move, love. Because I’m going to have you begging for me in about two minutes.”
Opening one eye, she grinned at him. “I could start begging for you right now because I’m ready.”
Looking into her laughing face, he realized that she was never going to completely comply. She was always going to want to have some say in it. Which was fine. He didn’t have any control left in him anyway. “Tomorrow, we start, because I can see that you’re not going to cooperate, and I don’t have the patience today to go slowly.”
“I’ll cooperate as long as you put yourself in me in the next sixty seconds. I’ve waited a long time for this, and I’m ready.”
Running his hand down her body again, his finger ran along her slit and discovered that she was soaked. So much for his plans of getting her ready. She was dripping her desire onto his finger. “God, you are ready.” Feeling her body arch into his, he nudged her legs apart and poised himself at her entrance. “Next time, we’ll work on making you beg.”
“I want you, Frank, more than anyone or anything. Please keep going.”
Thrusting into her completely, he hissed at the pleasure of her welcoming tight heat. “That’ll do.” His entire body seized at the bliss of her wet heat. He knew she was small, but he hadn’t expected such a tight fit. Her hold on him made his eyes cross as shivers of electricity prickled along his spine. Pulling out slowly, he slid back in, again and again. He was on a razor’s edge and knew that he didn’t have long. So he lunged in again and rotated his hips as she opened to him. Thoughts flew through his head, and pleasure filled every cell in his body. She clamped down on him, as he slid his hand between their bodies and found her bud and stroked her. Feeling her still for a fraction of a second, she quickly imploded and called out his name.
As she closed around him, he threw back his head and roared as his soul surged and he released himself into her body. Utter, perfect silence filled his head before he collapsed on top of her. He was completely fulfilled and at peace for the first time in his life.
Pulling her into his arms, he held her tightly and silently thanked the universe for the woman in his arms. He opened an eye and glanced over and saw that she was smiling. It was too quick for him, but he’d make it better for them in the next round and the one after that.
“Frank, you can be in charge if that’s what happens in bed. I’ll try and last longer next time.”
“I just thought the same thing. Sorry I went off so quickly. I didn’t even have a chance to show you my moves. I got in and then lost control like a teenage boy.” Kissing her head, he stroked her back. “I want to slowly seduce your mind and your body next time.”
“Sounds good to me,” she responded sleepily. “I’ll be ready in a minute to try it again.” Her head fell into the nook of his shoulder, and she passed out.
Pulling the blankets over their sweat soaked bodies, he heard her gentle snores as she slept on top of him. “Sleep, love. You’re going to need the rest, because I have a lot of ideas I want to try out together.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Stepping out the front door, Cat blinked at the sunshine. It was Tuesday afternoon, and they’d been in the house since Sunday. The only time they’d gone outside was when Frank decided to show her the pleasure of making love under the stars. Slipping her sunglasses on her face, she leaned her head against his chest. “I’m not sure how I’m going to go over to my sister’s house and act like a normal person. You’ve rearranged every molecule in my body, and I’m now a different person.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he kissed her head. “Maybe normal is over-rated.” Taking her hand, he led her toward his truck and opened the door. “Let’s go have lunch. It might be a good first step back into the real world.”
Once he was seated and buckled in, she took his hand and made sure that he was looking at her. “I’ve never spent two days in bed with someone. I feel like I’ve been on another planet, and I’m finding re-entry into the regular world a little strange.”
Enfolding her small hands in his, he lifted them to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. “What happened between us is a first for me, too. I’ve never been this intimate with someone before in my life. You’re in my blood, the beat of my heart, and every breath I take. I’m not sure where you start and I stop, because I’m completely entwined in you. It’s what I’ve wanted for a long time, and now that I have it, it’s unbelievable.”
“It was more than our two bodies together, wasn’t it? It was our thoughts, our hearts, and our souls coming together. Right?”
Leaning over, he captured her lips and kissed her in agreement. “There is no space between us now. It’s us together…forever.”
“Forever,” she whispered in response. “I need some pasta for lunch. Forever requires some carbs…and sugar. Definitely sugar.”
“Let’s go to Vigalucci’s, and then I’ll take you to Rory’s so you can help with the pies.”
“Perfect.” Staring out the window, she thought about what forever would look like with Frank Loria. A smile tugged at her mouth when she pictured the children they would make. They were going to be beautiful, loud, and stubborn, just like the man sitting next to her.
********
Depositing Cat on the steps of the Bishop home, he kissed her gently. “Text me when you’re ready to go. I’m going into the office for a couple of hours and then probably check in at the warehouse.” Running his hand down her cheek, he wondered what he did to deserve a woman like Cat. Then he remembered the many times that he’d put his life on the line in service to his country and knew why he was rewarded. “I’m going to miss you.”
“It’s only for the afternoon. We can crawl back into our own world tonight, and I want to do that thing we did last night…again.” Leaning forward, she whispered in his ear what she was going to do to him to make sure that he was in the mood.
Growling in response, he embraced her before she could get away. “I know that you feel what your words have done to me. Please remember it, because payback is going to be hell.”
Laughing, she twirled and strolled into the house. “I love payback.”
Admiring her sauntering into the kitchen, he watched her embrace her sisters Rory and Isabella and her friends Birdie and Cary. The women were already knee deep in baking, so he waved from the door and called out his goodbyes.
Rory and Isabella studied their oldest sister and nodded to one another. Communicating silently, they knew something was up, and it had to with Frank and the rosy glow that their sister had. Isabella decided to dive in first. “So tell us about how you spent the last couple of days. You missed Sunday lunch and only texted back once to let us know that you were alive.”
Looking at both of her sisters with whom she shared everything, she felt reticent to detail what was happening with Frank. It felt like it was something private between them. “Frank and I went on a date, and we’ve been spending time together. I’ve probably fallen for him.”
Two loud screams were the response to her statement, as two of her sisters twirled her around and laughed. Birdie and Cary came over and waited for an explanation about what had caused the screaming. Shaking her head at the group, she advised, “I’m not sharing everything, because it’s between Frank and me, so it’s private. But I will say that I’ve fallen for a man who’s done everything over the last eight months to prove to me that he wanted to be worthy of my heart. I knew t
hat if we got together that it was probably going to be serious, and I was right.” Watching the women with their tilted heads and happy smiles, she knew that they were as happy about the two of them as she was.
Cary took her best friend’s hand and tugged her into a hug. “I’m so happy for you because I know you’ve struggled over this for a long time.” Studying her, she noticed the high color on her cheeks and the smile that wouldn’t fade. “It must be something that they teach them in SEAL school, because you look like a woman that’s been satisfied seven ways from Sunday.”
The women all laughed at once and nodded their heads in agreement. Rory put her hand on her sister’s shoulder and grinned. “Just so you know, it just keeps getting better. Something about the way they learn to approach everything creatively and all that stamina they’ve developed, it’s a winning combination.”
Isabella put her hands on her hips and gave the group a dirty look. “My boyfriend is a fireman, and I want you to know that there is plenty of heat in our bed. The man knows everything about setting me on fire.” Spinning, she returned to the kitchen and finished working on a pie.
The women followed her in, and Cat embraced her sister. “We know how hot Andrew is, because you all are very loud. Do you remember when we rented that cabin last year? Well, the sounds you two made are still burned in my brain. So, worry not, Izzy. We know you have a good one.”
Cat stood next to Rory at the counter and rolled out a crust for the apple pie she was working on. “I love my husband, and I wouldn’t trade him in for the world, but he isn’t perfect.” Slipping the crust into the pie tin, she looked up at the group and shrugged. “He can be overbearing, and his listening skills are not always very good. Like the word no…he never seems to hear that one. When it hits his brain, he hears it as a maybe.”
Birdie slapped the table as she started laughing. “You could’ve just described Mark.”
“And Max,” Rory chimed in. “But, to be fair, Max wants my happiness above his own, and he is an amazing father. Also, he has skills in areas in our lives that I would never be willing to give up.” Picking up a spoon off the counter, she waved it at the women. “I love that man more than I ever thought possible, but there is nothing easy about him.” She was interrupted by the sounds of her children waking up from their nap. Baby Sofia must have heard them, because she woke up, too, and joined in the chorus of loud demands coming from upstairs. “Plus, he makes some beautiful babies, so I’m going to keep him.”
“I’ll help,” Birdie said, as she followed Cary and Rory upstairs.
Cat sat next to her sister and watched her as she crimped the edges of the pie she was working on. “You haven’t told me what you think, yet, Izzy.”
Studying her older sister, Isabella decided to be honest. “I still have some reservations about Frank. I want to believe in his good intentions toward you and believe it’s not about the chase.” Placing her hand on her sister’s, she grinned. “If you’re happy, then so am I, and based on how blissed out you appear, I think he’s made you very happy. Worst case, you get to have some blazing sex for a while. You are long overdue for it, so it’s all good. For now. Just listen to your heart and be sure that you don’t make a decision based on hormones.”
“I hear what you’re saying, and I agree. One day at a time, one step at a time…I’m not going to rush into anything. And as for the blazing part, you have no idea.” Placing her hand on her face, she shook her head. “I had no idea about what I had been missing.”
“Enjoy, sister. Because it doesn’t happen for everyone.”
“I know, and I’m not planning on giving it up any time soon.”
CHAPTER SIX
San Diego
Tuesday December Twenty-third
Travis and Cary walked into the Bishop’s home with their baby girl and announced to everyone that Jack had just proposed to Ana in front of Birdie and Mark’s house. The room erupted as the women moved toward the big windows that faced the street.
“Let the pregnant lady through,” Birdie trilled. Moving to the front, she craned her neck and tried to get a glimpse of her cousin and the man who was going to become her husband. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me. I could have stayed home and filmed the whole thing from the porch.”
Rory turned to her best friend and put her hand around her shoulder. “I know. It’s a missed opportunity of having the whole thing on film. We need to talk to him.”
Max stood in the living room with a child in each arm and shook his head at his wife. “Honey, not everyone wants their proposal filmed. It’s a private moment between a man and a woman.”
Working her way out of the crowd of women at the window, she walked toward her handsome husband. “Now where is the fun in that? I’m glad that you proposed to me in the shoe department at Neiman Marcus. It’s a memory that I will have with me forever.”
“I know it is, because you had the salesman film the whole thing.” Kissing her when she got close enough, he took pleasure in the feel of his wife’s lips. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Good answer, Mr. Bishop. Now hand me one of our children, and let’s get some champagne out. It looks like we have something to celebrate.”
Rachel joined them and took Alex out of Max’s arms. “I knew he had it bad, but I didn’t know he was going to propose.” She kissed the top of Alex’s head and enjoyed his warm baby smell. “I’m a lucky girl, because I already love my sister-in-law. I think we are going to be a great team in keeping these Ellis men in check.”
Chris stepped up next to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I think my baby brother took inspiration from us and wanted a woman of his very own. I had no idea he would have the guts to go after Ana like he did. Hell, even Blake backed off after their first date.”
Leaning into him, she smiled up at his face. “Not every man is ready to take on a strong woman. Your brother was more than ready. It took him only three months to decide that she was the one for him.”
Cat stepped out of the kitchen and looked for Max. Spotting him, she walked toward him with a worried look on her face. “Frank hasn’t called me yet, and he said he would be here by now. Have you heard anything?”
Putting his hand on his sister-in-law’s arm, he pulled his phone out to check. “The extraction was scheduled for 1800, and sometimes things don’t go as planned. Let’s assume that no news is good news. This was a fairly routine snatch and grab, and the guys can handle this in their sleep.”
“Says, you. Mighty SEAL warrior. We have a date planned for tomorrow, and I don’t want anything to happen to him.”
“You two have been dating for almost a month. Why is tomorrow so important?”
“Because he’s going to ask me to marry him.”
“Did he tell you or are you just guessing?”
“He told me to wear something pretty, because he’s taking me to a special restaurant and wants to ask me something important.” Taking a sip of her wine, she smiled into Max’s face. “Also, the jeweler called and left a message on the house phone. So I know, but I don’t know.”
Slapping the counter, he let out a big laugh. “So, are you going to say yes? Has he changed enough for you to take him on?”
“He did everything he said he was going to do. He showed me in actions that he was serious. So I’ve put the work into him, and now I’m going to enjoy the results. And I can’t tell you my answer.”
“So you’re sure?” Max asked.
Hands on her hips, Cat responded. “I am! I’ve made sure that I’m not giving an unworthy man my heart.”
Giving her a hug, he spoke into her ear. “Cat, you deserve a man who loves you more than anything. And I think you’ve made a good choice.”
Squeezing his arm, she smiled. “Me, too. And if not, I’m gonna kill him.”
“Well, that’s always an option,” Max responded dryly.
********
Sinaloa, Mexico
Frank crouched behind a tin s
hed in the middle of a drug war with David waiting for a clear signal from the Team. This was not how he expected to spend his Tuesday evening, and he wasn’t particularly enjoying it. This extraction was supposed to be textbook, but as usual, it wasn’t. Why they were risking their lives for a greedy bank official was lost on him right now. He hadn’t minded putting his life on the line in defense of his country, but risking it for a man with crappy morals was a whole other thing. It was something he was going to remember the next time one of these contracts came across his desk.
He heard Sean say, “Clear,” in his mic. The warehouse had been secured, and they could proceed toward their target. Glancing over at David, he signaled, and they began to slink silently in the shadows of the building. Moving through the night like ghosts, they made their way toward the house where the man was being held.
Gunfire exploded over their heads as they jogged down the deserted street. “Yeah, this is going to be a shit show,” he said quietly into his mic. He had a date tomorrow night with Cat, and he was going to ask her an important question, and he wasn’t planning on doing it with a bullet hole. So this op was going his way tonight. “How are we looking, Ed?”
“Tangos, three’ o clock,” he answered into his mic. He was their over watch, and it was his job to ensure that the guys made it down the street. “Sons of bitches are packing some firepower.”
Frank and David twirled simultaneously and quickly immobilized the two men. “Damn, drug lords buy some serious heat,” David remarked. “Maybe they should train their soldiers how to use them.” Slinking along the dark shadows, they ran along the side of the building where their target was being held.
“Proceed,” Frank commanded into his mic. They entered the building, and through their night vision goggles, they determined the target was alone. All of the guards must have left when they heard the gunfire explode in the streets. “We have the target,” Frank’s voice crackled over the coms. “Repeat, target is secure.”