by B. B. Hamel
He opened his mouth to argue, took a deep breath, and then stopped himself. He sighed, sounding defeated. “Well, you’re an adult, like your mother says,” he said and then walked out of the room.
I glanced at Emory but couldn’t read the expression on his face. It was somewhere between awe and pity, and it made a thrill jump down my spine.
“Thanks, Mom,” I said.
“I can’t say I exactly believe you either,” she said to Emory, “but I do trust my daughter. Now, did you two eat?”
I’d never felt more proud of my mother than in that moment. She wasn’t a weak woman or anything like that, but I loved that she was willing to stand up for me even when it seemed like I was going insane.
And frankly, I just needed someone to believe me. I needed someone to trust that I wasn’t going crazy, because I’d been feeling pretty crazy the last day or two. But if my mother could believe Emory, or at least believe in me, then I could keep moving forward.
Moving forward right to Emory’s hotel room.
“I don’t know why I agreed to this,” I said.
“Because you know it’s the right move,” he said. “Or at least you trust me enough to do it anyway.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Though I would use ‘trust’ loosely here.”
“Maybe you just want to get inside my bedroom again,” he said. “Maybe you’ll take any excuse to get close to me, to let me undress you slowly, let me press my fingers against that nice, wet clit.”
“Maybe not,” I grumbled.
We were standing in the elevator of his hotel, and I had to admit that I was surprised by how nice it was. Apparently, Dayton had a single decent hotel in the area, though I had always assumed it was full of motels and motor lodges.
I was carrying Mason in his little car seat, while Emory carried my bag plus everything we’d need for Mason. He definitely had the heavier load, but he didn’t seem to mind it at all, whereas I was struggling just to keep Mason aloft.
“Want me to take him?” Emory asked as the doors opened and I stepped out into the hall.
“I’ve got it,” I grumbled at him.
He just grinned at me as he walked past, and we headed down toward the end of the hall.
It was a big double door we stopped outside of. There was no number, just the word “SUITE” engraved on a plaque next to the key card reader. Emory swiped a card through it and opened the door.
I stepped inside and took a sharp breath.
The room was huge. It was like the whole downstairs of my parents’ house, plus another room, probably the bedroom. There was a couch, some chairs, a table, a little kitchen area, a big screen TV, and a little desk. Everything was richly furnished in brown and gold, with a leaf and vine motif running around the top edges of the walls.
“Holy crap,” I said, setting Mason down. “Are you serious?”
“Very serious.” Emory placed the bags down on the couch and shut the door, locking it and sliding the chain down along the catch.
“This is the nicest hotel room I’ve ever seen.”
“Working for Uncle Sam has its perks sometimes.”
“The government is paying for this?”
“Not officially,” he said, grinning. “But yeah, they are, in a way.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It would bore you to tears if I explained.” He walked over to a little bar that was built into the desk. “Drink?”
“Yeah, okay,” I said.
I checked my watch. It was pretty late, definitely well past Mason’s bedtime. I needed to get him down soon or else he was going to be very cranky the next day.
I hated leaving my parents. Emory had wanted to get out of the house immediately, but I’d refused, not until his team member or partner or whatever showed up. We had to wait hours, but finally I saw a black van parked across the street, which Emory assured me was his guy Travis.
I didn’t get to meet Travis, because Emory hustled us out of there instantly. I felt better knowing that someone was watching over my parents, though, and it was definitely worth waiting.
“I have to get him down,” I said to Emory.
“Okay,” he answered. “Bedroom is back there. You can stay in there. Need any help?”
“I’ve got it.” I grabbed the bag and carried Mason back into the bedroom.
And of course, the bedroom was nice as hell. There was a huge bathroom attached to it with a standing shower and a big Jacuzzi tub.
“Thanks, Obama,” I mumbled as I set up Mason’s little travel crib. Once that was done, I gently picked him up from the car seat, careful not to fuss him around too much, and gently placed him inside the crib.
He was sleepy already, which was a blessing. Normally he would be upset about being somewhere new, but he was too tired to fight it.
I watched as the little guy slowly drifted off to sleep before setting up the baby monitor and walking back into the other room.
Emory was sitting on the couch, his legs kicked out on the coffee table, sipping something brown from a tumbler.
“What are you drinking?” I asked.
“Whisky. Grab yourself something.”
I walked over and poured filled it with ice and tonic water. I came back and sat down on the other end of the couch, curling my legs underneath myself.
“Mason asleep?”
“Yeah, fortunately. He went down easy.”
“He seems like a good baby.”
“He can be pretty easy, but he has his moments.”
Emory cocked his head. “Most babies do I’m guessing.”
“Don’t have much experience with infants?”
“If I’m honest, Mason is the first baby I’ve ever held. I’m not exactly around infants in my line of work.”
“Still. Cousins, sister, nobody in your family had a baby?”
“I don’t have much of a family. My team is my family now.”
“Huh. I feel like I’ve always been around babies.”
“Got a big family?”
“Big enough. Some cousins. No siblings though.”
“One more thing we got in common.”
“I don’t know if we really have much in common, Emory.”
“Oh, I disagree with that. We’re both Midwesterners, and we both want each other.”
“Speak for yourself.”
“Okay then. But I’m not lying when I say you’re soaking wet right now. I bet you can’t stop thinking about how we’re alone, very, very alone.”
He was absolutely right, but I wasn’t going to admit it. We were very alone, and that thought excited me. I didn’t want it to, but I knew with Mason sleeping we could be doing absolutely anything.
Like maybe letting his lips and tongue work my pussy again.
I shook my head. “Not even close. Maybe my dad was right.”
He laughed. “You think I’m just a crazy person.”
“I don’t know.”
“For your sake, I wish I were. That’d be easier than the truth.”
I frowned. “So this is your life? You go around killing terrorists?”
“When I’m not meeting beautiful women in exotic places, yeah, pretty fucking much.”
“Meet a lot of beautiful women?” I regretted that question as soon as I said it.
“Jealous, princess?” he asked, grinning that asshole grin.
“Not at all. I was just curious.”
“Right. Just curious.” He finished his drink and moved closer to me. I sipped mine tentatively. “What else are you curious about?”
“Why me?” I blurted out.
He raised an eyebrow and studied me for a minute. “You want to know why I chose you that night?”
“Yes,” I said softly. “Of all the women there, why me?”
“Easy. You might not realize it, but you stood out like a fucking lightning bolt in that crowd.”
“I wasn’t the prettiest girl there.”
“I think you were.”
&nbs
p; “You’re just saying that to get in my pants again.”
“So what? It’s clearly working.” He moved closer again. “It was that body and the way you looked at me, like you wanted to suck my cock right there in the club. Hungry, fucking starving for sex. I haven’t seen that look before or since, but I see it every time you stare at me like that.”
I quickly looked away. “I should tell you something,” I said.
He moved even closer. I could feel his body near mine and my heart began to hammer in my chest. I should have gotten up, walked across the room, put some space between us.
But I really didn’t want to. I wanted to stay right there and feel his thigh against mine, his muscular body, his delicious, cocky smile.
“What?” he asked, mostly a whisper.
“I was a virgin. The night you met me.”
He paused, clearly surprised, but the look passed as fast as it had happened.
“You didn’t fuck like a virgin,” he said, his voice deep and smooth. “That pussy fucked like it was built for my cock.”
“Maybe you’re just a good teacher,” I said, and blushed.
“Maybe.” He took my chin and tipped it up toward him. My lips parted almost on their own. “Maybe you were just desperate to learn.”
“I don’t know. I had chances before.”
“But that night was special.”
“Something about it.”
“You couldn’t resist me if you wanted to. You’re dripping wet wondering when I’m going to kiss you.”
I couldn’t say a word.
He pressed his lips against mine, and I didn’t pull away.
A rush of excitement and pleasure ran through my body, flushing my cheeks, soaking my pussy, lighting my body on fire. His hands laced through my hair and pulled me tightly against him as he kissed me, his mouth working mine, our tongues touching.
I couldn’t help but moan softly into his kiss. I hadn’t been touched like that since he’d kissed me the last time, all those nights before, and I’d definitely never been touched like that before him. Emory’s mouth worked mine, and I shifted my weight, sliding my leg over him, straddling him.
He pulled me tight, kissing me, hand tight in my hair. I couldn’t believe I’d just climbed on top of him like that, but I was so far past thinking clearly. The second he moved close to me on that couch, I knew I was done for. I knew I was going to give myself to him, no matter what I thought was the right thing to do.
So I kissed him, moaning softly, excitement rushing through my mind, tipping me over the edge.
And just as soon as I felt his hands beginning to roam my body, the sound of a crying baby tore me out of the moment.
I paused and stopped, pulling back.
“Damn,” he said softly.
“That’s Mason.” I bit my lip. “I have to go check on him.”
“Yeah,” he grunted. “I guess so. Go ahead, mommy.”
I climbed off him and stood up. I glanced back at him but quickly tore myself away.
I opened the bedroom door and quickly shut it behind me. Mason was awake and crying, and so I quickly walked over to him, rocking him slightly, trying to calm him down. He was probably upset that he woke up in a strange room.
What the hell was I doing? I couldn’t believe I had kissed him like that. I barely knew this man, although he was the father of my son. Our situation, everything happening, it just wasn’t the time to start kissing and throwing myself at Emory.
Mason had to be my first priority, and I needed my mind to be clear to make the right decisions. I couldn’t be distracted by Emory, by his amazing taste, his lips, his hands, his body. I couldn’t let myself do that.
I couldn’t risk letting Mason down.
As I rocked my baby, I knew I wasn’t going back out there. No, I was going to eventually get Mason back in bed, and I was going to go to bed myself, alone.
I couldn’t let myself give in to what I knew I really wanted.
12
Emory
I woke up the next morning with a hard fucking cock and a backache.
I hated sleeping on hotel couches, though then again I’d take a hotel couch over a tent in north Pakistan any day. At least the couch wasn’t full of rocks and didn’t have the potential to explode at any moment.
After Tara left the room last night, she didn’t come back out. I figured she was too busy with her fingers deep in her pussy, moaning to herself, saying my name. It was a shame that she was too afraid to give in to what she really wanted, although she’d looked like she was about to for a second.
That fucking kiss. I stretched my legs and grunted. That fucking kiss had sent fire through my veins, driven me absolutely insane. The girl threw herself at me, straddling my hips, rubbing herself against me. My cock was fucking raging hard, and I wanted to press her down on the couch and fuck that pussy until she couldn’t breathe anymore.
But as soon as Mason started to cry, she disappeared and never came back. Not that I could blame her of course, since her child always came first.
Our child, I had to remind myself. Our fucking child.
My phone started ringing a few minutes later, just as my hard on was finally starting to soften. I grabbed it and answered.
“Yeah?”
“Emory, it’s Travis.”
“How are the parents?”
“They’re fine,” he said. “Been on them all night. Nothing suspicious. Unless Omar himself was sneaking around, I doubt they were doing anything.”
“Got it.”
“Also, Cooper just showed up.”
I laughed. “You called Coop?”
“Hell yeah, man.”
“Fair enough. Tell me next time.”
“You would have said no. This way, you didn’t have a chance to make a bad decision.”
Cooper Banks was another one of our SEAL members, one of the more promising young guys. His specialty was demolitions and small arms, though he was also a hand-to-hand master and a skilled diver. I trusted Coop like I trusted anyone else, but I didn’t want to bring in the full team for this. We needed to stay low-key, and when all the guys were together, we tended to blow shit up without remorse.
And of course, Cooper was most likely to set those charges. The man was young, the youngest member on our team, and he was something of a loose cannon. I had to keep an eye on him every time we deployed. He always did his job remarkably well, but there was an edge to him.
Still, I had to admit that Travis was right. We needed a third guy on this, especially considering Omar had his own little team. We didn’t know what kind of training they had or how skilled they were, so we had to assume the worst.
I grinned to myself. “Fine.”
“What’s the plan for today?”
“You get some sleep. Coop can watch the parents.”
“Roger that.”
“I’ll call with more later.”
“Over and out, captain.”
He hung up and I tossed my phone aside.
I hadn’t heard a peep from the bedroom yet, which surprised me. I’d expected her to be up nice and early, but then again she’d been going through some pretty stressful shit. She probably needed sleep more than she realized.
I got up and grabbed the landline, dialing room service. I ordered us some food and some coffee and then stretched my legs out, smiling to myself.
Gorgeous fucking girl in the bedroom and food coming to my door. Not a bad mission as far as missions went.
I didn’t have to wait long for the food, at least. There was a knock on the door and a young guy brought the tray inside. The smell of eggs, bacon, and pancakes, plus fresh coffee, filled the room. I tipped the kid and went to work.
The smell of food did the trick, because almost as soon as it was delivered, I heard Tara stirring in the other room. I grinned to myself as she opened the door and came out, holding Mason in her arms.
“Is that breakfast?” she asked.
“Sure is.” I poured
her a mug of coffee. “Dig in.”
“Room service?”
“Compliments of Uncle Sam.”
She made a face. “This is totally why the government has such a big deficit.”
“I’m pretty sure this is just a tiny little drop in the ocean of debt.”
She shrugged. “Still. You seem to be enjoying it.”
I reached out and gently took Mason from her. I held the kid as she started making a plate for herself.
“Of course I am,” I said. “I’m usually sleeping on rocks and in the desert on missions. I think this is the first time I’ve ordered room service.”
“Well, I can’t complain too much then,” she said.
“Good, since I’m normally risking my life to keep this country safe.”
She made a face. “Your cocky attitude makes it hard to feel thankful.”
“You should be thankful. I’m the man keeping everything that goes bump in the night away from you ignorant civilians.”
“I guess I’m just too ignorant then.”
“You’ll figure it out.” I rocked Mason in my arms. “When do you feed him, by the way?”
“Did it already.”
“Oh. Good.”
She laughed at me. “You really don’t know anything about babies, do you?”
“Not at all. I know plenty about guns and tactics, but babies are a mystery.”
“How about you keep him company while I go shower?”
“I can jump from a helicopter into a storm ocean, swim five miles to shore, and kill a man with my bare hands. I can handle the baby.”
“Good. Have fun you two!” She smiled at me and walked back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
I looked at Mason. “Okay, little man, it’s just us now. What do we do?”
He stared back at me blankly.
I didn’t know shit about babies. I had no clue what I was doing, or what I was supposed to be doing. And of course, Tara was taking forever in the bathroom.
I sat on the couch for ten minutes, bouncing him on my knee, trying to think of things to tell him. I ended up telling him an abridged version of one of my deployments, without most of the violence and gore. He seemed to like that, or maybe he just liked hearing my voice.