“Those soldiers. I’ve given them menus but they want you to serve their table. That’s fine with me. Then I don’t have to commit a sin by forgetting I’ve been married to Joel almost twenty years. Those five are too much temptation,” she said, fanning herself. “I hope you can handle it.”
Bristol hoped she could handle it as well, as she made her way to the table where all five men sat. Hot and heavy testosterone was thick in the air surrounding them. Drawing in a deep breath she approached them with her notepad in hand. “Have you guys decided what you’re having?”
“Apparently, Coop has,” one of the men said, grinning at her. “We’re still deciding.”
She nodded. “Okay, and who is Coop?”
“I am,” the guy who had introduced himself to her earlier said.
She met his gaze. “I thought your name was Laramie.”
He smiled again and she tried not to feel weak in the knees. “It is. My real name is Laramie Cooper. They call me Coop.”
“Oh.”
“Let me introduce everyone,” Laramie said. “First off, guys, this is Bristol,” he said to his friends.
“Hello, Bristol,” they all said simultaneously as they stood to their feet, showing they had manners.
“Hello.”
“I’m Bane,” one of the men said, extending his hand to her.
She smiled at the very handsome military man as she shook his hand. “Hi, Bane.”
“Is that a New York accent?” Bane asked.
“Yes, you would think after being in France for almost four years it would not be so easily detected.”
Bane’s smile widened. “Some things you can’t get rid of.”
“Apparently,” she said, chuckling.
“I’m Flipper,” another one of the guys said, offering his hand. He was definitely a hottie, with blond hair and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. The color reminded her of the ocean and she wondered if that was why his nickname was Flipper.
“Nice meeting you, Flipper,” she said, shaking his hand, as well.
“Same here, Bristol.”
“I’m Mac,” another one of the men said, leaning across to take her hand. This man appeared older than the others by at least three or four years.
“Hi, Mac.”
“And I’m Viper.”
She glanced at the man who introduced himself as Viper. He was taller than the others and just as handsome. His eyes seemed sharp and penetrating. “Hi, Viper,” she said, shaking his hand.
“Hi, Bristol,” Viper returned, smiling.
“And you know me,” Laramie said, taking her hand.
And just like before, a spike of heat hit her. “Yes, I know you.” She quickly pulled her hand away. “It’s nice meeting all of you and I like all your nicknames,” she said as the men all sat back down.
Bane chuckled. “They aren’t nicknames. They’re our military code names.”
“Oh. And what branch of the military?”
“We’re navy SEALs,” the one named Flipper said, grinning proudly.
He had every right to feel that way. She’d heard about navy SEALs. Some considered them the American government’s secret weapon against any enemy force.
“So, Laramie, I’ll start with you. What will you have?” she asked, getting ready to write on her notepad.
“For now I’ll take a juicy hamburger, a large order of French fries and a huge malted strawberry shake.”
For now? She wondered what he planned to have later. From the way he was looking at her, she had an idea. And why didn’t realizing this guy evidently thought she was on his menu bother her?
Bristol went around the table and took everyone’s order. Apparently all five were big eaters and she wondered where they would put all that food and how they stayed in such great physical shape. After turning their orders in to the cook, she began waiting on other tables, but felt the heat of Laramie’s gaze on her the entire time. Every time she glanced over in his direction, he was staring at her. Blatantly so.
Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea for her to agree to have a drink with him when she got off work. She knew nothing about him, other than his name was Laramie Cooper, his military code name was Coop, he loved juicy hamburgers and he was a navy SEAL.
She delivered their food a short while later and watched them eat all of it. She could tell that the five were more than just members of the same military team. They shared a close friendship. That much was obvious from the way they joked around with each other.
Mac was married and had no problem showing her pictures of his wife and kids. It was evident he was proud of them. Bane, she’d discovered, was also married, but from the way the others teased him she could only assume he hadn’t seen his wife in a while, which meant the two were separated. Like Laramie, Viper and Flipper were single and from the sound of things they intended to stay that way.
At the end of the meal when they paid their bill, she was shocked at the tip they left her. She would not normally have earned that much tip money in a week. “Thanks, guys.”
“No, we want to thank you,” Flipper said standing, like the others. “It was nice meeting you, Bristol, and the food was great.”
The others shared the same sentiments as they moved to leave the café. Laramie hung back. “I’ll be here when you get off work.”
She knew now was a good time to tell him that she’d changed her mind about that. However, there was something about Laramie Cooper that made her hold back from doing so. It might have been his smile, or the way he was making her feel, or just the fact that she deserved to have some fun for a change.
For four years she had worked hard at the art academy and come spring she would be graduating. The café would be closing for the holidays and she had the next ten days off work. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing wrong with Laramie being there when she got off. They would just grab drinks at one of the pubs nearby. Besides, after today, she probably wouldn’t see him again.
“I’ll be waiting,” she heard herself say.
She didn’t have to wait. Laramie arrived a half hour before she was due to leave work. He ordered a croissant and coffee while he waited for her. She hung up her apron, wished everyone a Merry Christmas and then headed toward the table where he sat. He stood, smiling down at her.
“Ready?” he asked her.
“Yes” was her reply, although she wasn’t sure what he had in mind and if she should be ready or not.
He surprised her by taking her hand, as if they both needed to feel the sexual chemistry between them. He led her through the doors and onto the sidewalk. Holiday decorations were everywhere. It was hard to believe tomorrow was Christmas Eve. Last year she had gone home for Christmas and had taken her best friend, Dionne, with her. But not this year. Her aunt Dolly had died in her sleep four days into the New Year.
She needed to stop thinking that she didn’t have any living relatives when she had two brothers and a stepmother. She knew they’d only tolerated her while her father was alive and now, with him gone, they had let her know—by not returning her calls or letters—that they didn’t have to put up with her anymore. That was fine. She’d adjusted to being a loner. At least she had Dionne and Dionne’s family. The thought had even crossed Bristol’s mind that she should not return to the United States after graduation and make Paris her home.
“Which pub are we going to?” she asked the man who was walking beside her and still holding her hand.
He smiled down at her. “Which one do you suggest?”
“Charlie’s is a good one. It’s right around the corner.”
They didn’t say much as they walked to the pub. They talked about the holidays. He told her that he and his team would be headed out in four days and they were in Paris for a little R and R.
“Your friends are nice,” she said.
He smiled down at her as they continued walking. “They said the same thing about you.”
She smiled at that, while trying to ignore all that desire she saw in his eyes. She figured if they kept talking it would go away. “The five of you seem close.”
“We are. In fact, we’re like brothers. Viper, Flipper, Bane and I attended the naval academy together and immediately became the best of friends. Mac is four years older and finished the academy ahead of us. He’s been a SEAL longer and likes to think he’s looking out for us.”
They reached the pub and saw it was crowded with no tables available. It seemed everyone had decided to begin celebrating the holidays early. “I have an idea,” Laramie said, tightening his hand on hers.
“What?”
“Let’s go someplace private.”
An uneasy feeling crept over her, but it was overpowered by exciting sensations that settled in her stomach. Their hands were still joined and his fingers felt warm and reassuring.
“I want to be honest with you about something.”
She swallowed. “About what?”
“Usually I spend the holidays alone, but I want to spend them with you.”
She held his gaze a minute and then asked, “What about your friends?”
“They’ll be in touch with their families.”
“But you won’t?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment and then he said, “My parents are still alive. I’m their only child. But we’ve never spent the holidays together.”
She found that odd. Christmas was the one holiday she never had to worry about being alone. Her mother had always made it special and after her mother’s death, her aunt Dolly had been there for her. She’d even spent one Christmas with her father. It had been the first and last holiday they’d spent together. This would be the first Christmas that she had no one. She thought it sad that Laramie had never really spent his holidays with family.
She saw the sincerity in his eyes, in what he’d told her. He wasn’t trying to feed her a pity line but was telling her the truth. She felt it in her heart.
“I can think of a place we can go,” she suggested.
“Where?”
She knew it would be crazy to invite him, a perfect stranger to her home, but she was about to issue the invitation. “My place. It’s not far from here. Just so happens I was going to be alone for the holidays as well and would love some company.”
His hand tightened on hers. “You sure?”
Was she? She had never done anything so daring in her life.
She wasn’t a child. She knew the obvious signs. Desire was thick between them. Spontaneous combustion as volatile as it could get. She dated infrequently and most guys who’d hit on her had tried to work her. But she would say that Laramie was the first guy who’d tried and managed to elicit her interest. He was also the first guy she was trusting to this degree. She had never invited a man to her home before. There had to be a reason for her doing so now.
“Yes. I’m sure,” she said.
From the way his lips spread into a smile, she knew her response had pleased him. “All right then. Lead the way.”
That smile made her heart miss a beat as they continued to walk along the sidewalk. Like she’d told him, she didn’t live far and they arrived at her studio apartment in no time. “It’s small,” she said, opening the door. “But it’s the right size for me.”
She stepped aside and he entered. She immediately thought her apartment might be just the right size for her, but with him inside it, it suddenly appeared small.
“Nice place,” he said, glancing around.
Bristol was glad she was a neat freak. There was nothing out of place. “There’s a bottle of wine over there if you want to pour us a glass,” she said, removing her coat and hanging it in one of the closets.
“Okay,” he said, removing his jacket. She took it and hung it in the closet, as well. She tried not to notice how perfect his abs were and what a broad chest he had. She also tried not to notice the sexual chemistry between them, which had increased now that they were alone and behind closed doors.
“Do you need to let your friends know where you are? Won’t they be worried when you don’t return to your hotel?” she asked him.
He shook his head as he grabbed the wine bottle and glasses off the rack. “No. They’ll figure things out.”
“Okay.” She sat down at the table while he poured the wine into their glasses. And then he joined her there. “I know this isn’t champagne but let’s make a toast.”
“To what?”
“To what I believe will be the best holiday I’ve ever had.”
Deep down she believed it would be the best she ever had, too. Their glasses clinked and then they took a sip. She met his gaze over the rim and immediately, a deep sexual hunger flared to life in her midsection. From the hot, penetrating look in his eyes, the same hunger hit him, as well.
Bristol placed her glass down the same moment he did. And then he stood and reached out to her. She went into his arms willingly and he lowered his head and captured her mouth in his. The moment she felt his lips on hers, a deep, drugging rush of desire filled her to the core.
He was using his tongue in the most provocative way, making shivers of need course through every part of her. She had never been kissed like this before and he was an expert.
He deepened the kiss and her mouth became locked to his. She couldn’t hold back the moan that erupted from deep within her throat. Nor could she hold back the sensations overtaking her. She had been kissed before, but never like this. Never with this much possession, this much overwhelming power.
Moments later he ended the kiss and pulled back slightly to look down at her. A sexy smile touched the corners of his lips and the arms around her tightened, bringing her closer to him. “I wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you. I had a deep yearning to know how you tasted.”
Wow! She wasn’t used to having such carnal conversations with a man. “Is that why you kissed me the way you did just now?”
“Partly.”
“And the other reason?”
“I just wanted the feel of my tongue in your mouth.”
And then as if he hadn’t gotten enough of doing that the last time, he lowered his head and captured her mouth again. On a breathless moan she parted her lips, giving him the opening he needed. He slid his tongue inside, mating it with hers, over and over again.
When he finally released her mouth, she looked up at him with glazed eyes. “What are you doing?” she asked, barely able to get the words out. Never had a kiss left her so off balance.
“Starting our celebration of the holidays.”
She could feel blood rushing through her veins with his words. She hadn’t expected this so soon. She figured they would share a drink today and then tomorrow he could come back for lunch. But it seemed he had other plans, plans she was giving in to. She couldn’t help it. So many sexual sensations were taking over her mind and body just from his kiss. She knew there was no way she could stop from wanting him. He sealed her fate when he began kissing her again and she felt herself being lifted into his arms.
He was carrying her someplace and she knew where when he placed her on the bed. What happened next was amazing. In record time he had removed both of their clothes, as if needing to be skin to skin with her was paramount. As if needing to see her naked body was essential.
In a way she understood, since seeing him standing there without a stitch of clothing was doing something to her, as well. He represented such virility and masculinity, and coiling arousal was throbbing deep in her core. Never had she wanted to make love to someone so badly. Never had she felt this filled with need. And she could tell from his huge erection that he wanted her. His de
sire for her was obvious.
She watched as he put on a condom before heading back to the bed. She reached out and glided her hands up his tight, sculpted abdomen and chest, loving the feel of his skin. Heat curled inside her with the contact.
“You touch me and I will touch you,” he warned, grazing his jaw against her ear, while growling low in his throat. It amazed her that he would respond to her touch this way.
“I want you to touch me, Laramie.”
She couldn’t believe she’d said that. But there was something about Laramie Cooper that she didn’t understand. Namely, how he could make her lose her common sense. How he could make her nerves dance and her brain race. How he had the ability to make her want to have things she’d done without in the past. And how he made her want him with a passion.
She needed to make him aware of something. Make him understand and she heard herself saying, “I’ve never brought a man here before.”
She felt the intensity of his gaze all over her body.
“There’s a first time for everything, don’t you think?” he replied, slowly moving back toward the bed.
With each step he took, she felt her womb contract. He was staring at her with dark, penetrating eyes and her body heated under his intense regard. She’d never had a one-night stand in her life. Always thought she was above that. But at that moment the only thing she wanted was this man, who had the ability to mess with her mind and senses.
There was something else she needed to tell him and it was best if she did it now. “Laramie?”
“Yes?”
“I’m not on any type of birth control.”
If she thought that revelation would stop him dead in his tracks, she’d been wrong. He kept moving toward her. “I have condoms. Plenty of them. Around a dozen or so. And if we need more we’ll get them,” he told her.
Get more? Did he honestly think they would use more than a dozen? Her heart began beating way too fast as she wondered just what kind of stamina he had. Would she be able to keep up?
She was about to find out.
He joined her on the bed and began kissing her again while touching her all over. Sexual excitement churned inside her, sending an intense throb through her veins. She slipped her arms around his muscled back, loving the manly feel of him.
His Secret Son Page 3