Desert Alpha: A Lady Boss Press Navy SEAL Novella

by Bethany Lopez

  “As long as everything goes well, yes!”

  “Awesome. I’ll take you to my favorite Mexican restaurant.”

  “That sounds perfect,” I said. And it really, really did.

  Chapter 16

  Rip

  “Dude, can you clean up after yourself? The kitchen looks like a bomb went off!” I yelled to King as I vacuumed the living room.

  “Calm yourself, man,” King shouted back. “You’re acting like the Queen of England is coming by.”

  “Can’t hear you above vacuum,” I lied.

  I’d been cleaning like mad ever since I’d gotten up and King had been giving me shit about every five minutes. Still, out of the corner of my eye I saw him going into the kitchen, even if he was shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

  Cass had texted me when she left her place, so I figured I had about three more hours until she arrived from Vegas.

  You wouldn’t think two guys could ransack a two-bedroom house in a few short weeks, but somehow we’d managed it. We weren’t normally slobs, but we’d been spending most of our time at the hospital or on base, only stopping at home to crash or eat takeout, and neither of us had put much effort into keeping the place clean.

  I finished the living room and continued down the hall and into my bedroom. When the carpet was all clean, I put up the vacuum and proceeded to tackle my bathroom.

  Two hours later, the place was practically shining it was so clean, so King and I each opened a beer and took them out to our back patio. San Diego had the best weather in the world, in my humble opinion, so we’d put some effort into making our outdoor space a cool place to hang out.

  We had a long table and chairs, a seating area with wicker furniture, a fire pit with logs around it on the back end of the yard, and my favorite item … a pizza oven. We’d only been able use it about three times since we’d splurged on it and I was hoping I’d get the chance to do a pizza night with Cass while she was visiting.

  King and I sat across from each other on the wicker chairs and I took a deep breath of fresh air and grinned.

  “Thanks for helping me out.”

  “We let it get bad,” King said with a grimace.

  “Well, we’ve been pretty busy since we got back. But, yeah, let’s not let it go that long again.”

  He shook his head in agreement and chuckled.

  “What time’s your girl getting in?” he asked.

  “’Bout an hour.”

  “You really like her,” King stated as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him.

  “I do,” I said with a grin as I pictured her. “There’s something about her that … I don’t know … speaks to me. Not to sound corny, but I’ve never felt with anyone the way I feel when I’m with her. And I know it’s crazy and that we barely had a chance to get to know each other, but there’s a connection that I want to explore.”

  “I’ve been there, man, so I get it, just be careful. You know how hard it can be to maintain relationships with what we do.”

  “You talking about Keely?” I asked. Keely was his ex-wife, someone he’d never really gotten over.

  “Yeah,” King said, tipping his bottle back to take a swig. “We only dated three months before we got married, did you know that?”

  I had, but didn’t answer. I didn’t think he really expected me too, he was too caught up in the memory.

  “I asked her to marry me at SeaWorld and even though we both knew our families would think we were nuts, she said yes. We went to Vegas that weekend and drove thru one of those chapels and bam! We were a unit. Things were great. We talked about starting a family and then back-to-back deployments started happening and I was gone more than I was home. Eventually Keely got tired of waiting for our life together to start and decided she needed to find someone who could give her what she needed.”

  “I’m sorry, man.”

  King didn’t talk about Keely much, but when he did I could still hear the pain in his voice.

  King sighed and said, “I don’t mean to be a downer. I just want you to be careful. I know you’ve been down the marriage and divorce aisle before, but you’re right, even I can see things between you and Cass are different. Make sure you can trust her with your heart.”

  “I will, thanks.”

  “Now,” King began as he stood. “I’m going to go to the hospital and get out our of your hair. Let you guys have a little privacy for your reunion.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I know Cass will want to see you.”

  “I’ll see her later,” King assured me. “After all, I live here.”

  He grinned and clapped a hand on my shoulder before going back inside to presumably get ready to leave.

  I stayed outside a little longer, enjoying the weather and my beer, while constantly checking my phone to see if it was close to the time when Cass should be arriving.

  Finally, when I couldn’t stand it anymore, I got up and went inside so I could be in the living room where the bay window was. That way I’d see her when she pulled up and go outside to meet her.

  Ten minutes later, I was pacing back and forth across the living room, driving myself crazy as I started to wonder if she got lost. I knew I could just call her to get her ETA, but I didn’t want her to think I was losing my mind as I anxiously waited for her to arrive, even though that was one hundred percent a fact.

  Finally, a maroon Ford pulled into my driveway, and I could see long brown hair and the outline of Cass’s face through the windshield.

  I stopped, counted to ten, and then rushed eagerly to the door.

  Chapter 17

  Cassandra

  I glanced at the cute little Spanish-style home and took a moment to rein in my excitement.

  When I pulled into the driveaway, I’d wanted to jump out of the car, run up to the front door, and throw myself into Rip’s arms. Instead, I opted not to seem quite so desperate to see him and sat taking deep, cleansing breaths before opening the door.

  I was on my third breath when I saw the front door open and Rip step out onto the porch.

  “Fuck it,” I muttered and threw open the door.

  Our eyes locked and we both took off, meeting each other halfway and hugging each other tightly.

  “Hi,” I said happily as I ran my hands over his muscular back.

  “How was the drive?” he asked, pulling me in tighter.

  “Not bad. I only stopped once to get gas, so I made good time.”

  We pulled back far enough to look at each other, while still holding on.

  “You look good,” I told him with a happy smile.

  “You look amazing,” he replied, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he grinned down at me.

  We stood there in his driveaway, taking each other in for a few beats before Rip grasped my hand in his and asked,” Do you have a bag?”

  I nodded. “In the trunk.”

  “Let me get it for you.”

  I handed him my keys and stayed where I was, my eyes tracking his movements as he went to get my duffel.

  He looked better than I remembered, which didn’t seem possible.

  Once Rip had my bag in hand, he shut the trunk, pressed the lock button on my keys, and crossed to take my hand in his once more as he led me up to the house.

  “King’s at the hospital, but he’ll be home later tonight.”

  “Oh, do you guys live together?” I asked. There was really so much we still didn’t know about each other. I knew some might find it alarming for me to be staying with some guy I barely knew, but for some reason it didn’t really feel that way.

  “Yeah. It’s a two bedroom, so we each have a room and share the rent. Housing here is pretty steep.”

  “It’s a beautiful place.”

  Rip opened the door and indicated I should go in first.

  “Wait ‘til you see the backyard. It’s my favorite thing about this house.”

  I looked around as he gave me the tour and when w
e got to his room he dropped my bag on the floor. Guess I won’t be sleeping on the couch. You could definitely tell it was a bachelor pad, but it was clean and smelled nice, which made up for the lack of décor. When we went out back, I could see what he’d meant.

  “Wow, this is awesome!” I exclaimed as I took it in. “Great entertaining space. Oh, and look … a pizza oven. How fun.”

  “I thought we could use it tomorrow night.”

  “I can’t wait,” I assured him, moving to put my arms around him once more. “I missed you.”

  “Me, too,” Rip said, lifting his hand to brush my hair off my face in a gesture I found very sweet and oddly erotic. “You said you only stopped once, I bet you’re hungry.”

  My stomach rumbled in response and I felt my cheeks heat as I replied, “Famished, actually.”

  “Let’s get you to dinner, then.”

  We opted to take Rip’s truck and give my car a rest. Luckily, the restaurant he wanted to take me to was close by, because I hadn’t been lying, I was seriously hungry. The fact that chips and salsa were waiting right inside had me grabbing Rip’s hand and urging him to hurry.

  He chuckled but let me drag him.

  “The food here is fantastic,” Rip said as the hostess walked us to a booth in the back.

  “I can’t wait. I haven’t had good Mexican food since before the deployment.”

  “Same,” he replied.

  We sat across from each other and picked up our menus. Seconds later, a server dropped the basket of chips and salsa on the table and I dove in.

  “So good,” I managed after I swallowed my first bite of heaven.

  “I know. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but I love the carne asada and the tamales.”

  “Mmmm, I think I’m craving enchiladas,” I replied, my mouth watering at the thought.

  “That sounds good, too,” Rip said, dipping his chip and popping the whole thing in his mouth.

  “Good evening, can I get you started with any drinks?” the server asked as she came up to the side of our table.

  “I’ll have a strawberry margarita, please,” I said.

  “Pacifico draft.”

  When she left to fill our order, I asked, “How’s Scotty doing?”

  Rip sighed and dipped his chin.

  “He’s got some broken bones and recovery’s gonna be a bitch, but he’ll be okay with time. He’s not the kind of guy who likes to be bedridden though, he’s used to being constantly active and on the move, so emotionally he’s having a bit of trouble.”

  “Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you think he’d mind if I visited him while I’m here?” I asked, thinking about Scotty and how he was always joking around and laughing.

  “Yeah, I think he’d like that,” Rip said, with a smile so sweet I felt like I’d just hung the moon.

  Chapter 18

  Rip

  Dinner was great. Great conversation, the most beautiful date, and the food was even better than I’d remembered.

  We got home to find King wasn’t back yet, so I poured Cass a glass of the wine I’d gone out and bought for her and pulled myself a beer from the keg we kept on tap.

  I’d been wanting nothing more than to kiss her since the moment she’d gotten out of the car, but was trying hard not to be presumptuous or make her feel like I only wanted her here so we could hook up.

  “Why don’t we take our drinks outside,” I suggested, thinking I’d be less likely to jump her if we were sitting on the patio.

  Once we were outside I turned on our outdoor Bluetooth speakers, which looked like rocks, and put on a random station from Apple Music. With music filling the air, I took a seat in one of the wicker chairs.

  When, rather than sitting in the chair across from me, Cass pushed my arms aside and sat on my lap, I bit back a curse.

  She isn’t going to make me keeping my hands to myself easy.

  I shifted so she was sitting on my thighs with her legs thrown over one side and took a fortifying drink.

  “Is this okay?” she asked, an innocent expression on her face.

  I nodded and made a strangled sound.

  Cass started talking about something, her friend Lori, maybe, but as she spoke her free hand found my shoulder and started massaging it, which made it very difficult for me to concentrate on her words.

  For one thing, it felt awesome, but the real issue was that the feel of her hand on me coupled with her ass in my lap was making me hard.

  And pretty soon she’s going to know it … intimately.

  “Uh, you comfortable?” I asked, hoping she’d say no and get up before I did anything I’d regret.

  “Yeah, totally,” Cass said with a sunny smile, and something about her expression had me furrowing my brow.

  “You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?”

  She let out a laugh and wiggled.

  “If you mean to ask if I’m trying to turn you on so you’ll make a move, the answer is yes.”

  I placed my hand on her waist to keep her still and asked, “Is that what you want?”

  “Duh,” she joked. “Why wouldn’t I want to get my hands all over you again? And to have your hands all over me.”

  “I didn’t want you to think that’s why I wanted you here. I’m excited to see you and spend time with you … to get to know you better.”

  “Yeah, well, we can do all of that and have sex, right?” Cass put her glass on the table and then shifted so she could put her arms around my neck. “You’re very sweet and I appreciate everything you’re saying. I love the fact that you want to get to know me and don’t want me to feel pressured to have sex with you again. But, Rip, I have been thinking about having my way with you since I left my apartment. Seriously. If you had any idea the different scenarios I’d imagined during my drive, you would not be sitting here doing your best to keep yourself in check.”

  Yup, there went my blood … And my ability to think.

  “Why don’t you tell me about them,” I suggested, putting my glass down on the table next to me and surrendering. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer, so she was straddling me in the chair.

  Cass looked momentarily unsure, then put on a sly, confident grin and said, “Well, there was the shower, the ocean, your bedroom, the floor … I may have envisioned a fireplace with a fluffy rug.”

  Her cheeks pinkened prettily as she laid out all of the places she’d imagined us together and my hips thrust up of their own accord.

  “The ocean would be freezing, and I don’t have a fireplace, but the rest is definitely doable,” I said, moving my hands up and down over her sides.

  Cass sighed and let her face drift closer to mine.

  “Where do you want to start?” I whispered, and then her lips were on mine.

  She shifted, rubbing against me as we explored each other’s mouths as if it had been years, rather than months since our last kiss.

  After about ten minutes of heavy making out, Cass moved back slightly and answered my question. “Your bedroom.”

  My response was to stand swiftly with her in my arms. She wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck tightened as I moved to the door to go inside. Her lips were on my neck as I walked as quickly though the house as I could without losing my hold.

  Each nip and suck was like a direct line to my cock, so by the time we made it to my room and I kicked the door closed behind me, I was dying to be inside of her.

  I crossed to the bed and laid her on it, following right behind so I was laid out on top of her while keeping my weight on my forearms so I wouldn’t crush her.

  “Faster,” Cass cried, and I could feel her trying frantically to somehow get out of her clothes from beneath me.

  “Shhh, we have time,” I said, talking more to myself than to her.

  “Later … we can take our time later, in the shower. But I don’t want to wait anymore. Fuck me, Rip.”

  That dirty word on her lip
s had my blood boiling and had me moving with urgency.

  I quickly rid us both of our jeans and underwear and was positioned at her entrance.

  The look on her face was pure unadulterated need and I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in her silky heat, so I teased her opening with my fingers before pushing one inside to find her hot, wet, and ready for me.

  “God, you’re so fucking sexy,” I groaned when she arched into my touch.

  I moved into position and then thrust inside of her, moaning and cursing as she tightened around me.

  “Harder,” she ordered, and I moved to comply.

  Getting up on my knees, I pulled her hips up and fucked her as hard and fast as I could. Her blissed-out expression paired with the way her tits bounced under her cotton shirt had me wishing we were both completely naked.

  “Faster.”

  Damn, she’s bossy during sex. And I absolutely loved it.

  When I felt myself getting close, I moved one hand to find her clit with my thumb and worked her until her breath caught and she bowed up, before coming with a thready moan. Once she started to sink boneless into the bed, I found my own release and let her hips relax as I leaned down to kiss her.

  The kiss was kind of sloppy as I struggled to catch my breath, but I felt her smile against my lips and knew she was as elated by what had just transpired as I was.

  Chapter 19

  Cassandra

  I turned into Rip and snuggled closer, loving the euphoria I was feeling.

  I shifted my legs and snorted. “I’m wearing a top but no bottoms.”

  “Me, too,” Rip replied, his mouth against my head. “Next time we’ll get to the tops.”

  “So, bottoms but no tops?” I asked.

  “Ugh, I guess it depends what you’re trying to accomplish.”

  I laughed and moved my hand down to cup his bare ass. “You’re right. Naked it is!”

  Suddenly, a voice shouted, “Hey, Rip, I’m home!”