"You're not happy," he says, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me towards him, "I can see it on your face. You're not happy cuz that ass is gonna leave and you'll be alone jus like always. Me, I'm not leavin. I'll be here for you, to build that family I know you've dreamed of. Come on now Ray," he says, his hand caressing my arm, resting on my wrist. I shake my hand from his fingers, interlacing them with Kendall's as she grabs my arm, pulling it to her lap to try and shield me from him. I can see Brad get out from behind the bar to my right and weave through the crowd, disappearing around the wall into the next room. Shit was going to go down, and fast. I had to diffuse the situation.
"Duke, listen," I say, turning and facing him full on, forcing Kendall to turn with me because our hands are still entwined, "what we had was just a fling. You have to get over it, leave me be. Just please," I say, putting my hand on his elbow, feeling him tense through his shirt makes me recoil. The hurt on his face is evident, but he hurt me too. If he had had feelings for me, don't you think he would have kept it in his pants? Only makes sense to me. "Just please, let me be happy. Let me and Chad be happy together. There are plenty of other girls who want piece of you, so let them.."
"I don't want any other girl," he yelled, grabbing me by my elbows and pulling me from the stool to be inches from his face. His grip was tight on my arms and I was trying to wiggle from his grasp, but he held me tight as the bar got silent. The only noise being the jukebox, blaring Tim McGraw's "Live Lie you were Dyin'". "I want you," he said, shaking me slightly. Kendall shot from her stool, pushing at Duke's chest and arms trying to get him to let go of me, but Jarrod wrapped his arms around her, holding her arms to her body.
"Hey," the deep voice boomed over the jukebox, a large hand that I recognized gripping into Duke's shirt, swinging him around releasing his grip on my arms. In two seconds flat, Harlan had Jarrod by the throat, Kendall scrambling to wrap her arms around mine as we backed up against the bar. Chad seemed to have flames in his eyes as he looked to me, roaming my figure taking mental note that I'm okay.
"Get the fuck outta here," he spews at Duke, his nose and chest bumping against Duke's as he backs him through the room. Duke stumbles over chairs and almost knocks over more than one table. Jesse and Garth were in tow, but not before I see Garth pass an apologizing look over at Brad. Weird, but I shake it off as I hear Jarrod start to yell, still nose to nose with Harlan as they were ushered to the door. Brad corralled them all with a Louisville slugger in hand.
I saw Chad push Duke back so that he ran into the door, shaking the wall and making some of the patrons gasp in anticipation of the fight and it made me take flight. I ran across the massive bar dining room, jumping over the fallen chairs and dodging the locals, Kendall on my heels. "Stop," I screamed, out of breath, wedging myself between Chad and Duke just as I could tell Duke was ready to strike. My back was pressed up against Chad's front and I can feel his heart racing, his chest heaving in and out as his hands clenched at his sides.
"Stop," I breathe out again, my eyes locking onto Duke's, pulling his gaze from Chad's face, "Just leave, please. I don't want you guys to fight, God knows that's the last thing I want so please, just leave Duke." He was fuming and I gripped my hands into the thighs of Chad's jeans behind me, bracing myself for a blowup, but it didn't come.
"Fine," Duke huffed, shaking his shoulders, I guess to try and get rid of some of the tension, looking to Jesse and the others. "Let's go somewhere else boys," he nods to his three companions, not looking at me again as he turned and shoved the door open, making it crack against the outside of the building. My hands were still gripping Chad's jeans as I look over to Kendall and Harlan, holding my breath as Jarrod and him stood face to face still. Kendall had her left arm draped across Harlan's chest as her right wrapped around his waist and her cheek rested on his shoulder, her eyes looking to me for support. "Jarrod!" Duke's voice boomed into the now quieted bar, slowly pulling him away from his confrontation with Harlan.
"This is fucked up Ken," he spat at her, rolling his brown eyes as he looked back at Harlan, "fucked up." He straightened his shirt and turned out the doorway, swinging the door shut in our faces, leaving us in a stunned silence.
I heaved a huge sigh, my hands still tangled in Chad's jeans as I pulled his front tighter to my back, his arms wrapping around me as my head tilted back to his chest. "Everybody back to your business," I hear Brad yell, like he always does after a fight and the slow hum of activity started to fill the space around us.
Chad said nothing, just tilted my face up to look into his eyes, placing his lips lightly over mine, reassuring me with those simple actions. We stood there while people milled around us, Chad's face nuzzled into my neck as he held me, swaying slightly back and forth as if he was rocking me. My eyes were closed, enjoying the feel of his arms around me, his breath on my neck and his Old Spice scent washing over me. God, I loved this man.
"Come on guys," Kendall's voice pulled me from Chad and mine's little moment and I notice her lips are bright pink, a telltale sign that her and Harlan had been making out while Chad and I were absorbed in each other. Tssk tssk, I think to myself, watching Kendall as she wipes her fingers by the sides of her mouth, subconsciously making sure her lips gloss wasn't smeared. "Let's get a drink," one of her hands grabs mine as she pulls us back to the bar, signaling for a round.
How many rounds we went through, I don't remember as Chad helps me into the cab of his truck. Kendall shouts a rowdy goodnight from their three spaces down and I giggle, leaning across Chad and waving frantically out the window. I slid the center console up and snuggled into his side as we headed home. "Home," I mumble against his shirt, burrowing my face into his chest, "our home."
"Our home," I hear him reply, squeezing my shoulder pulling me tighter to his side. I love it when he does that. It makes me feel wanted and safe. His warmth seeps into my chest and I feel content. I doze off somewhere between the bar parking lot and our driveway. The next thing I feel are Chad's arms lifting me from the truck, the door slamming shut and the front porch light coming into a blurry focus.
I raise my head from his shoulder as he unlocks the front door and I try to get down to take my boots off, but Chad holds me tight. "Never mind takin' your shoes off down here," he says in my ear as he lets me down slowly, "up to bed with you. I'm gonna grab a snack." He swatted me on the butt as I made my way to the stairs, gripping the banister to steady my ascent.
The bed never felt so soft as when I flopped down onto it, splayed out and just lying there, closing my eyes and giving in to my drunken state. I giggle thinking about Chad downstairs rummaging through the fridge, making himself a sandwich to snack on, his sleeves rolled up, his hair pulled back in a small ponytail.
"Mmmm," I mumble to myself, my heart jumping to a fast beat as my mind raced around the options of the scene I had built for myself. Yes, I was drunk, but I wasn't drunk to the point where I can't function. Adrenaline filled my veins I strip my boots, shirts, jeans and socks off, leaving them all on the bedroom floor as I quietly slipped down the stairs in only my lace bra and panties.
He did look yummy standing with his back up against the island, the fridge cracked open emanating the only light in the kitchen. He was munching away on a sandwich, his one leg propped up on the cabinet with his cowboy boot slightly shaking as he chewed away on his late night snack. I leaned on the door frame, clearing my throat loudly getting his blue eyes to shoot my way.
"Babe, what are you…" his words stopped as his eyes tried to focus on my shadowed figure. I can see him squinting and it makes me giggle. I can see him set his half eaten sandwich on the island as I walked slowly behind it towards the table. "What are you doin' girl," he asks and I can hear the glimmer in his voice and see the smile caress his lips as he turns to watch me.
"I... was hungry," I smile at him as I step into the chair, making sure he got a good look at the backside of my lace panties as I boosted myself to sit on the edge of the table, facing him. I leaned back,
supporting my slanted figure with my arms braced on the table top, crossing and uncrossing my legs suggestively, seeing the sly smile crease Chad's lips as he abandoned the fridge, casting the room into total darkness.
My eyes tried to focus in on him approaching me, his warm hands on my thighs making me jump as he gets to me quickly. I can hear the chair that was in front of me scratch the floor as he pushes it to the side quickly, taking its place in front of me, his touch making my skin fill with goose-bumps. "I thought maybe you could make me a snack too," I whisper as his face finally comes into focus, his blue eyes burning a path over my body.
"Hmmm," he mumbled, his lips up to my ear, "I don't know what you want." His lips traced my ear lobe, causing me to arch into him, my lips parting as the sensation sent lightening throughout my nerves. My hands roamed over his chest, popping the buttons of his shirt and pulling it from his waistband along with the t-shirt that was underneath. I run my hands up and under, over his warm muscles. They twitched under my fingertips, his mouth covering mine in a long hot kiss as his hands roaming over my legs, hips and chest, pulling at the lace fabric.
"You have exactly what I want," I breathe into his ear as he trails kisses down my neck, over my shoulder then down my chest. I wrapped my legs around his waist, tugging him to me as my hands unhooked his belt. This man drove me crazy.
He drove me crazy on every surface of the kitchen.
How am I going to occupy myself when he's gone??
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
January 28, 2012
Chad
I was so happy right now. Rhea was curled into my chest, her dyed black hair messed and curly all over my arm and shoulder as I twist a lock of it around my finger. She is sound asleep, her breathing deep and even, her eyes fluttering slightly every now and then with a smile seemingly tattooed on her lips. She had taken my breath away, showing up in the kitchen in nothing but her skimpy lace bra and panties, practically begging me to take her, which I obliged without question because I love this woman with every cell of my being.
I'm going to hate leaving her on Monday. I know she'll cry. She might not do it in front of me, but I know it'll come. I want her to feel safe. I want her to not worry, but that I can't control. She'll worry about me just like I'll worry about her. God, I don't want to leave her!
But I do love my job. I love protecting my country, I love helping the innocent and hurting. If Randy was still here, leaving Rhea would be easier because I would have him to reassure me that she'll be fine. Plus, Randy loved being a SEAL as much as I do. I smile to myself as I think about a mission that Randy talked about constantly after it was finished.
It was about six months before Randy was killed and we were in the jungles of Korea. It was hot, it was sticky and we were going after a couple of captured CIA agents. A search-and-rescue operation. We were in full jungle gear, the dark green camo complete with black and green face paint, trudging through the thick brush, skirting the edge of a drug manufacturing facility. The chain-link fences were about twelve feet high, Randy giving me a smirk as he cut a patch out.
"Chief," he said with a smile, looking over his shoulder at me as Reno and I kept our eyes peeled and our guns trained on the guys within sight, "guys in the tower are mine."
"Alright Rooster," I said, sending the go ahead over the radio, squeezing Randy's shoulder signaling for him to go through the fence, "just make sure they don't fall on one of our guys."
He gave me another famous Randy smirk and took out the guys in the tower with two quick shots from his M-4, Reno and I leading the way around the closest building as other gun shots rang out from our other team members. We met up with Black and Timmons, following them into the largest building as Randy brought up the rear.
Our instructions were to take out only the aggressive ones, leaving the trembling drug mules kneeling on the floors as we passed. It was a mechanical response taking out the armed guards with quick accuracy.
Timmons broke down the door at the back of the building and we filed in. Randy took out one guy as he came from a closet and I planted a bullet between the eyes of a man screaming at us, lunging with a machete from a dirty mattress. In that room we found the CIA agents and they were in bad shape. Both men had been tied to chairs, beaten mercilessly and drugged into stupors with opiates.
"Aw, fuck man," Randy had said, keeping an eye out on the door back into the warehouse to make sure we weren't ambushed by any stragglers as Black and Timmons untied the two men, throwing them over their shoulders. The all clear came over the radio and I signaled to our pick up helicopter team to meet us at the rendezvous spot in five.
Taking the point, I keep my M-4 up as we make our way back through the warehouse, the drug mules still mostly on their knees and trembling as we pass with Randy at the rear once more. Leaving out the door we came in, a rusty old army truck whips up in front of us, French at the wheel.
"Get the fuck in," he yells just as I hear our surveillance eyes in the sky say there are more enemies coming our way fast. We all jump in the bed of the truck as more of our team members follow suit.
"Throw the flaps up," I yell, motioning to the men to push the green canvas flaps up and out of our vision. I kept our pickup team informed as to where we were as we sped towards the lift off point, seeing a few Jeeps slide into view behind us, racing through the now decimated drug camp.
"Eyes open Rooster," I say, nodding for Randy that they were on our tail and he tapped one of our other 'brothers' on the shoulder, getting him to bring his sniper rifle to his shoulder. A silent gunshot out the back of our speeding truck and two seconds later the first Jeep lurched and rolled uncontrollably, exploding as it's gas tank struck a tree roadside. For a second the men cheer, but French, Black and I know there are still two Jeeps after us and sure enough they speed through the flames, the passengers firing at us.
"Frag out," Randy yelled, pulling the pin in his grenade and tossing it out the back of the truck just as our driver swerved towards the pickup point. He had perfect timing as his grenade landed and the Jeep behind us drove over it just as it exploded, sending the vehicle lurching ahead and head over heels, blocking the road. I shook my head as Timmons high-fived Randy as our transportation came to a screeching halt, the hum of helicopter blades kicking up the dirt around us.
We loaded the two injured CIA agents into one of the Seahawk SH-60's, the team loading into the other two with Randy sitting beside me as he always did. "Did you fuckin see that Chief?" he almost cooed, letting out a cheer and slapping his hands together.
I had just chuckled at him, shaking my head as I unhooked my helmet from around my chin, setting in on my lap and tugging my gloves off. He rolled his eyes at me, "Ray would be congratulating me on an awesome throw." He hit me where my heart was, mentioning Rhea and he knew it, giving me an evil smirk as Black, French, Timmons and Reno all became very, VERY silent.
Now sitting here, wrapped up in our warm sheets with Rhea draped over my chest as she moves her cheek to rest over the middle of my body, I know she would've been proud of her brother. Hell, she is proud of him even though I can't tell her any of the stuff we really did. She's not stupid, I know that. She knows that I'll be sent to a far off place to fight some bad men in a secret, information buried by the government kind of mission. I brush the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear and the sigh that came out warmed my heart, making me melt all over.
I already had my retirement papers in motion, to go into effect after this next mission, Reno filing his right along with me. We were both thirty and ready to settle down more, the Navy offering us desk jobs within NCIS and we had both happily accepted. Reno had his budding family with Rosa now pregnant and I wanted to be with Rhea as much as possible.
I wanted a family as well. Rhea and I haven't really talked about having kids, but I know she wants them. She'd be a great mom, plus anything that is half her is bound to be beautiful whether its male or female. The thought of her with a baby on her hip makes me smile wide, ru
nning my hand through her hair and over her shoulder, brushing my fingertips lightly over her bare spine feeling her shiver.
I sigh and she stirs, rolling around slightly, coming to a rest as her nose and lips lay against my cheek. "Mmmm," she mumbles and I can feel her lips moving lightly on my scruffy cheek, placing tiny kisses along my jaw, "why are you awake baby," she asks and her voice is the sexiest, sleepiest thing I've ever heard. Her hand runs along my chest, taking an extra second to circle above my heart, squeezing into my right shoulder as she snuggles tighter to my side.
"Jus thinkin," I say, kissing her forehead as she tips her head back, her blue-gray eyes barely open with a smile caressing her luscious lips. I run my hand over her cheek and it makes her look tiny. So fragile but I know she isn't. She is one of the strongest souls I know.
"Thinkin' bout what," she grinned, her tongue darting out to lick her bottom lip as she tilted her head back even farther, her nose brushing my jaw as she peered at me.
"How crazy you drive me," I chuckle, covering her face in wet kisses in under five seconds, her giggles and squeals breaking the silence in the room. I rolled to my side, wrapping my arms around her shoulders, pulling her face into nuzzle against my neck, her giggles still running through her chest as her hands rub on my chest. "Now go back to sleep babe," I whisper, kissing the top of her head, "it's only six in the mornin'."
"Okay," she sleepily agreed and I feel her snuggle closer to me, her arms wrapping around my waist, her nose resting against my throat just under my Adam's apple.
I waited till her breathing was even and deep once more before I relaxed totally, wanting her to rest was more important than my own. I laid my cheek on her hair, taking in the scent of her coconut shampoo and closing my eyes, feeling her heart beat under her chest as it pressed tightly to mine.
That was my heart in there.
That was my heart.
Two Weeks With a SEAL (The Wakefield Romance Series) Page 16