by Desiree Holt
“But…” She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “But with the military, you can’t really promise that, can you? And besides, people like you look for a very special kind of woman.”
Okay, worse yet. The asshole was in the military.
“Being a SEAL doesn’t mean I have to lie to people, it just means there are things I can’t tell anyone except my teammates.” He brushed his lips against hers, stroking the lower lip she’d bitten with his tongue. “The thing is, I’m not used to dealing with emotions. I packed mine away when I became a SEAL. You’re the first woman I’ve been with who could make me think about dragging them out again. I’m not asking for any kind of guarantee here. Just a chance to see where it goes. Can we try that?”
He held his breath, waiting for her answer. She stared into his eyes, as if searching for the answers there. Finally, she gave a slight nod. “But let’s just take it slow. See where and how it goes.”
“All right, but my leave could end any minute, so I can’t take it too slow.” His hand drifted down between her thighs.
She burst out laughing. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re a sex maniac?”
He grinned and the tightness in her chest eased. “I’ve been accused of that before.”
Still smiling, she removed his hand. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. We missed dinner tonight, remember?”
He brushed her hair back from her face. “I wasn’t exactly thinking about food.”
“Me, either. But let’s stoke our engines before we pass out. You promised me my turn, remember?”
The thought of her slim fingers wrapped around his cock, her tongue stroking the head, made him instantly hard again. Yeah, he’d definitely need some food. “Yes, I did. Good suggestion.”
“Sandwiches okay? I don’t shop until tomorrow.”
He eyed her with hunger. “Maybe I could just eat you.”
She laughed again, that magical sound that turned him on.
“That’s a great idea, but I don’t think it’s very life-sustaining.”
“Depends on how you look at it.”
She swung her legs off the bed. “Let’s start with the sandwiches.”
He was glad she felt comfortable enough with him not to pull on a robe or any other type of cover up. He loved the line of her naked body and the gentle sway of her ass as she walked out of the room. He’d certainly seen more than his share of naked women, so why was this one so different? What was it about her that made him feel things he hadn’t expected?
He remembered a friend of his, a lady-killer of long standing who’d recently gotten married, telling him, “When it happens, amigo, you’ll feel like a ton of bricks fell on you. You won’t see it coming and you won’t even be able to get out of the way.”
Could this be happening already in just a few short hours? What about his life as a SEAL? Others in that special force had married successfully, but there were some who’d fallen by the wayside. And still more like him who chose not to make that commitment until they finally retired. Whenever that was.
He wondered what the other members of Team Arapahoe would say. Of course, Zeus had his thing going with Kim, and that would definitely be on track after this weekend and her surprise visit. Jagger was spending his time with a childhood friend and who knew where that would go. Dagger had suddenly seen the sister of Brice Benson, their erstwhile host, in a whole new light. Ghost and Ice were spending their time with women they had long-standing but fragmented relationships with.
Even Aiden, whose injury had swept him off the team, was on the way to something solid. And then of course there was Trip—Garrett “Trip” Trippington—the eighth man and Jagger’s BUD/s partner. A man who took three bullets and didn’t see them as more than minor wounds. Each one different, each heading in a different personal direction.
Did all of this mean that he, Coyote, would now be the odd man out? Was it time to re-examine his priorities and reach for the brass ring before it was too late? When they’d first accepted the use of Brice Benson’s house for their standby leave, they’d called their plans SEALs on fire. But apparently, as he listened to the plans the others were making he was the only one who took the words “on fire” literally.
So what now?
Go with the flow. That’s what the woman who’d struck this unexpected chord inside him wanted. Okay. He’d be open to whatever happened, but he planned to get to know Cori Sutherland a lot more in the short time they had together.
“You look like some heavy thoughts are weighing on your brain.”
Cori’s voice startled him, and he gave himself a mental shake. Her voice held just the tiniest edge of uncertainty, and he didn’t want that at all. He smiled at her, an easy task as she stood there stark naked holding a tray of sandwiches and fruit.
“Only thinking how empty this bed is without you in it.”
“And how empty your stomach is?” she teased.
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “That, too.”
She set the tray carefully in the middle of the bed before settling herself beside him again. Handing him half of a thick ham sandwich loaded with meat, tomatoes and cheese, she watched until he took his first bite.
“Great,” he told her, talking around a full mouth.
He watched her relax and pick up a half for herself, taking a dainty bite and nibbling slowly. He’d shared food with a lot of women in a lot of bedrooms, but he didn’t ever remember being so relaxed or enjoying it so much. Yup, she was definitely worming her way into his system, and he wasn’t the least bit unhappy about it.
“So tell me all about Cori Sutherland.” He washed his sandwich down with a long swallow of the beer she’d brought.
She shrugged. “There’s really not much to tell. I live in Key West and test software. No biggie.”
He looked at her. “Oh, I think there’s a lot more to it than that.”
As they ate, he managed to pry details from her. Her family—she had one brother, married, an attorney, and a sister engaged to a high school football coach. She had a degree from the University of Florida in computer science, loved to watch football, and read romance novels. He still couldn’t get out of her why she’d decided to make the move to Key West. He had a feeling the story was painful to tell. But he had the rest of the weekend to coax it out of her.
He talked about his own family, five brothers and sisters, all of whom still lived in Texas. His brothers worked the family ranch with his father. And he told her why he wanted to be a SEAL and how he’d never regretted his choice.
“The proudest day of my life,” he said, “was when I graduated from BUD/s training and got my trident.”
“You’re really dedicated, aren’t you? I can tell when you talk about it.”
“I am.” He lifted the tray and set it on the floor. “But right now, I’m dedicated to something else.” Rolling off the bed, he reached for her, lifting her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she squealed.
“I thought it might be time for a shower. Besides, I want a chance to see the stuff that makes you smell so good.”
Her bathroom was exactly what he’d have expected of her given the rest of the house. The walls were a soft blue, and instead of wallpaper, someone had painted fanciful murals on the wall. The tile was a darker blue, the fixtures ivory. Feminine but not frou frou. Just like her.
Towels were stacked on wicker shelves, and he took two of the biggest ones, placing them on the counter. He set Cori on her feet then reached in to turn on the shower, testing the water until he was happy with the temperature. Being careful not to slip, he lifted her again, stepped over the edge of the tub, and set her down on the slick porcelain surface.
“Oh!” she squeaked when the water hit her full force.
Coyote laughed and shifted them so he took the brunt of the spray. He reached for one of the plastic bottles on the shelf set into the tile, noting with satisfaction that he’d guessed the blend of scent correctly, and poured some
of the thick liquid into his palm. Rubbing his hands to work up a lather, he stroked slowly over Cori’s satiny skin. She leaned her head back, an expression of pure pleasure stealing over her face as he caressed the slick surface of her body.
He started with her shoulders and arms, lifting each one to caress the sensitive inner skin. Then her breasts, smiling to himself in satisfaction as her nipples hardened beneath his touch. Then down along her rib cage and across the slight round of her tummy. Holding his shoulders for balance, she spread her legs apart to make room for his hand but he teasingly avoided her beckoning pussy and concentrated instead on her legs. Kneeling, he ran his hands along her ankles and calves then her thighs, dancing his fingers along both the outer and inner flesh.
She moaned in protest when he rose to his feet and turned her around, added more soap, and did the same thing to her back. When he got to the sweet curve of her ass and massaged her globes he just couldn’t help himself. He let his fingers trail between the two globes into the hot crevice, finding the tempting ring of her anus.
Cori sucked in a breath and reached out to the wall to balance herself, but he was thrilled when she didn’t pull away from him. He rubbed the hot entrance with the tip of one finger, allowing himself to penetrate just a tiny fraction.
He lowered his head to gently nip the lobe of one ear. “Has anyone ever had you here, carina?”
He smiled as a blush suffused her body. Silently she shook her head.
“Can I ask you why? Don’t you think you’d like it?” He waited a long time for her answer.
“There was only one person I ever wanted to be that intimate with.” Her voice was so low he had to lean to hear it.
“And? Did you change your mind?”
Again a long pause. “He changed his.”
Uh, oh. He definitely did not want to go there right now. He had a feeling it was all tied up with the move to Key West.
“When you trust me enough, Cori, I want that with you. But only then.”
He went back to stroking her body, covering every visible inch of her with the sweet-scented lather. Turning her around, he knelt in front of her again and lifted one of her feet to rest on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the slick tiles.
Coyote took a moment to drink in the sight of her, his cock hardening painfully and his balls aching at the picture she made. Carefully, he rubbed the lather into her soft pubic curls before parting the lips of her cunt. He rubbed her swollen clit with the tip of one finger, and she shuddered and gasped, her fingers grasping his hair to hold herself in place.
He rubbed it back and forth, watching the flesh darken as blood rushed to the surface. Soft cries of pleasure drifted from her as he worked the delicate nub. The moment he slid two fingers into her waiting channel, her inner muscles clamped around him. Satisfaction surged through him at her response. Slowly, he worked his fingers in and out, adding a third and synchronizing them with the movement of his thumb.
It didn’t take long before her hips were rocking and the little whimpers became one long cry. He kept her on the edge as long as he could until she was begging him to let her come. Finally, he tipped her over the edge, and she came apart completely. He braced her with one arm around her as her body shuddered with its release. Slowly, slowly, as the last tremor died away, he slipped his fingers from her body and his thumb from her erotic little nub.
Easing her foot from his shoulder, he lowered it to the tub then stood up to take her in his arms. She leaned against him, the water sluicing down both of them until he felt her relax completely. He settled her on the edge of the tub while he quickly soaped his own body and then rinsed them off. Shutting off the water, he lifted her to the tub mat and wrapped her in a big bath towel then did the same for himself.
“I don’t know which is more fun,” he grinned. “Soaping you up or drying you off.”
“I know what I vote for,” she told him in a lazy voice.
“And I know what I vote for next.” He lifted her, towel and all, and carried her to the bed. “Something you’ve been trying to do since we got here.”
He saw the heat sparking in her eyes as he placed her on the bed. She swept her tongue along her bottom lip in that little movement he found so very sexy and rose to her knees. This time, when she reached for his shaft, he didn’t pull away. Instead, he moved closer until his legs touched the edge of the bed.
At the first touch of her hand, his entire body contracted and tensed, lust surging through him like a tropical heat wave. The softness of her fingers as they circled him made his cock pulse with need, but it was looking down and seeing her slide his dick into her mouth that just about did him in. The inside of her mouth was so soft and slick and hot, her tongue so tantalizing as it swirled around him. But when she drew back and slowly licked the head of his cock, lapping up the fluid that sat on the tip and prodding the slit with her tongue, he really had to grit his teeth. He couldn’t remember the last time—if ever—a woman had aroused him so quickly, so repeatedly and so fiercely.
He’d always been proud of his sustaining power, but with Cori, he had the feeling he could go on for hours. It wasn’t just the physical contact, either. There was something in her touch that sizzled his nerve endings and pulled out every emotion buried deep inside himself.
Hell!
He was in deep shit here! Something had exploded between them with cataclysmic force, sneaking in from nowhere. Racing into the deepest part of him and grabbing him with unexpected force. And the weirdest part was he didn’t even care.
Then his brain went on vacation as Cori worked her magic. She took her time, alternating strokes of her fingers with the sucking movement of her mouth. Her other hand, which had rested on his hip, slipped between his thighs to cup his balls, rolling them in her fingers.
Oh, Jesus! Oh, god!
He ground his teeth together as he reached for control. He didn’t want this to end too soon. Wanted to enjoy the heat of her sweet mouth, the slide of her small tongue. Dragging his fingers through her hair, he held her head in place as he fucked her mouth, all the time watching. God, she was so damn hot.
Up, down, her mouth and hands working with the coordination of a symphony orchestra, rubbing and licking and sucking. Everything ceased to exist except this woman, her enchanted mouth, and what she did to him with it.
As the muscles in his back tightened and he felt the familiar icy heat sliding along his spine, he tried to withdraw from Cori’s mouth and hand, but she gripped him harder, massaged his balls more, sucked him deeper until everything coalesced in his balls and he erupted with force into her mouth. He tried to hold back, to temper his release, but she’d have none of it. When he tried to pull her head back, she clamped down harder on him and sucked him dry.
Cori was not only unfazed, but from the look of pleasure on her face, she was getting as much satisfaction out of it as he was. Watching the muscles in her throat as she swallowed every bit of his cum was an incredibly erotic sight. And she didn’t stop until she’d milked every drop from him and the tension eased from his body. Then she sat back on her heels and smiled up at him.
“That was good.”
He loved that soft voice of hers.
“Good? Jesus, cara, it was beyond good. It was magnificent.” He let out a long, slow breath. “That’s something to dream about when I’m out on a mission in the bitter cold or steaming hot, and all I’m surrounded by are men who smell as bad as I do.”
She laughed again. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.”
Coyote dropped onto the bed and eased her into his arms, cradling her very sweet body against his. He’d be thinking about her mouth on him for a very long time. As well as everything else they’d done together. Jesus, she just did it to him.
She curled into him, her head on his shoulder, her body still carrying the tantalizing scent of vanilla and lilacs. He stroked the line of her back and the curve of her hips and her ass, enjoying the silken feel of her skin. T
he sexual tension eased for now, he pulled the covers up over them and kissed Cori’s forehead. “Sleep, carina. Time to rest.”
She murmured something then her breathing evened out, a soft breeze against his neck. Coyote closed his own eyes and in seconds was deep in sleep.
Chapter Four
Cori stood beside her bed holding two mugs of steaming coffee and looking down at the man sleeping there. They’d apparently kicked off the covers during what was left of the night, at least he had, and now he lay on his side with the sheet twisted over one thigh. She had adjusted the shutters so enough sunlight streamed in to allow her a good look at him.
His face, with its chiseled features and thick dark lashes, framed by the rich black silk of his hair, could have been used for a painting. His well-toned body, with its sculptured muscles, had a dusting of dark hair on the tanned skin. Last night, she’d reveled in the feel of the soft mat of curls on his chest, but now she could see them in full detail. He had a thin three-inch scar on one thigh and a round puckered one at his right shoulder. Symbols of the war he fought every day, she was sure. She drank in the sight of him, memorizing every inch and feature, not knowing if or when she’d ever have the chance again.
She probably would have stood there forever except at that moment his eyes opened, his sexy mouth curving in a smile.
“An angel brings me coffee,” he said and pulled himself up to a sitting position. “I’ll have to stay at this place more often.”
She handed him one of the mugs, carefully ignoring what he said. It’s just a saying, she reminded herself. He’ll be gone and that will be that. She’d just bottle up those feelings that had burst loose with such unexpected force and move on with her life. Nothing good lasted. She’d learned that the hard way. Meanwhile, she’d enjoy every minute they had together.
He took his first sip of the hot liquid. “And she makes great coffee, too.”