SEAL for Her Protection (SEALs of Coronado Book 1)

by Paige Tyler

  She made the best of his decision though, liking the idea of seeing where he lived. But upon walking into his apartment twenty minutes after leaving Kurt and Melissa’s, she realized she’d never really appreciated the concept of minimalism until that moment. If they hadn’t spent a couple of hours making out in the park last night, one look at his apartment would have convinced her Chasen was a monk. The place was beyond spartan.

  There was a small flat screen TV set on an entertainment center in front of a basic, utilitarian couch. Well, the TV wasn’t really that small, maybe fifty inches. But for most guys she knew, that was tiny. Brad had like a sixty-inch monster hung on the wall of his living room with a surround sound system that could blow the neighbors three apartments over off their bed. Chasen didn’t even have an external speaker hooked up, just a plain vanilla DVD player.

  He must have seen the direction her eyes had taken because he shrugged. “I’m not home enough to bother spending a bunch of money on electronics. I also have the cheapest cable package they offer. Why pay for something you’re never going to get a chance to look at?”

  Hayley couldn’t disagree with his thinking, but decided any time spent hanging out might need to be done at her place. At least she had a few premium channels.

  “I’m going to grab a quick shower,” he said. “I’ll only be a few minutes, but feel free to look around all you want.”

  Chasen slipped into the bathroom, leaving Hayley alone in the one-bedroom apartment with a small mini kitchen off to the side of the living room. There wasn’t a lot in the way of furniture besides the couch, entertainment center, and kitchen table. But Chasen had a lot of eye-catching photos mounted on the walls.

  She walked over to look at them, admiring the amazing landscapes and captivating ocean views. There were a lot of shots of ships and exotic ports, but most of the frames were full of photos of Chasen and the guys on his Team. Some people seeing this empty apartment might say he had very few possessions, but one look at these pictures would prove them wrong. Chasen had a hundred lifetimes of places and experiences locked in his head and in these pictures. Hayley would take those kinds of possessions over all the material things in the world. She supposed Chasen would, too.

  But as she wandered into the bedroom and checked out the photos there, she noticed one thing missing. There were dozens of pictures of his teammates, but not a single one of his family or an old girlfriend or even a casual shot not somehow tied to his SEAL buddies or the Navy. With the life she’d lived, Hayley understood better than most why Chasen didn’t have any of those kinds of pictures, but it still seemed…well…sad in some way.

  She was still looking at the pictures in his bedroom when the water turned off in the shower. She didn’t think about the fact Chasen had never come in here to grab fresh clothes before his shower until he walked into the room wrapped in nothing but a towel.

  Hayley told herself not to stare, that it wasn’t polite—or subtle—to gawk openly at all that sexy muscle arrayed before her. Then she said the heck with it. When had she ever worried about being polite or subtle?

  She’d known that Chasen, being a SEAL, would be fit, but after seeing his broad shoulders, the long, lean muscles, and those ripped abs, Hayley realized her definition of fit likely needed to be recalibrated. Chasen Ward was a perfect specimen of Greek godliness. His physique came more from living a life of nonstop motion than from hours spent in a gym, though. His body was far more about endurance and stamina as it was strength.

  And oh yeah, she was all about the stamina.

  Chasen flashed her a grin, obviously knowing she’d been staring and clearly not concerned about it. He jerked his head toward the dresser over against the far wall.

  “I was going to grab some clothes.”

  She returned his smile. “What? Are you afraid I’m going to peek?”

  He stepped closer and the look in his eyes turned into a smolder. “No. I’m worried if we start something we’ll never make it to dinner.”

  She took a step closer herself, closing the distance separating them until there was only a foot or two between them. Could she really feel the heat pouring off him, or was that her imagination?

  “Would that be such a bad thing?” she asked, feeling the warmth building between her legs and radiating upward until her nipples began to tingle under the lightweight sundress she wore.

  He slipped his right hand into her hair, the tips of his finger grazing her cheek as he pushed her hair back away from her face. “You’re not hungry?”

  She leaned her face into his hand, loving the contact of skin on skin as she looked up into those captivating blue eyes of his. “Oh, I’m hungry all right.”

  Hayley wasn’t sure when he slipped his other hand around her back, but as she gazed up at him, she felt the slight pressure there, urging her closer to him. She didn’t resist but reached up to pull his head down for a kiss as their bodies melded together. His mouth was as tasty as it had been the night before and the fire she’d felt stirring between her legs earlier surged hotter, as if she’d been waiting for this moment all day.

  She weaved her fingers into his hair, tugging and urging him to kiss her harder. He got the message, yanking her mouth against his and slipping his tongue in to tease and play with hers. The hand on her back slipped lower, lightly caressing the curve of her lower back right where it met the top of her ass. She’d never realized how sensitive that part of her body could be until Chasen touched her there.

  She let her own hands play, feeling that was only fair. She started at the top of one of his big shoulders, slipping slowly down his chest, pausing to let her fingernails scrape and tease lightly along his ribs and the edges of abs and obliques. Chasen groaned a little against her mouth, then he was kissing her even harder as she trailed her hand lower to the edge of the towel he had around his waist.

  His hand slid down to her ass and she felt his strength as he squeezed and massaged first one cheek then the other. She was so caught up in all the different sensations—his hand on her butt, his mouth on hers, his fingers in her hair tugging possessively, his hard-on pressing against her stomach through the bath towel and her sundress—she completely missed the moment when he caught the hem of her dress and yanked it upward.

  Chasen lifted his head and stepped back, leaving her no choice but to lift her arms and allow him to strip her dress completely off her body. She expected him to immediately pull her back in for another kiss, but instead, he stood there at arm’s length, gazing at her in blatant lust and appreciation.

  Almost in a trance, she reached behind her back and unsnapped her bra, slipping it off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. She didn’t think the heat in Chasen’s blue eyes could get any hotter, but they practically scorched her with their intensity. She was so excited she could feel the wetness of her panties sliding against her inner thighs as she worked them over her hips and down her legs. She couldn’t remember ever being this turned on.

  She was the one to step forward and initiate the next kiss. The feeling of the hard planes of his chest and abs pressing against her sensitive nipples made her moan as his tongue slipped in again. Refusing to allow herself to be distracted, she reached down and loosened the towel around his waist, letting it drop to the floor. His hard cock pressed against her hip and she reached down and wrapped her hand around it. She hadn’t even seen that part of him yet and she knew it was absolutely perfect.

  Hayley probably would have stood there all night like this, but Chasen had other ideas. With a groan, he broke the kiss and scooped her up, much as he had the night he saved her life, and carried her to his bed, gently setting her down on the soft, cushy mattress. Well, at least his spartan lifestyle hadn’t extended to his choice in beds. She’d half expected a concrete-hard bunk, but this one was perfect.

  As she wiggled into the middle of the bed, she made sure she got a good look at Chasen—completely naked. Damn, he nearly took her breath away. There wasn’t a part of him that was
n’t perfect, and that definitely included his erection. It was thick, hard, and pulsing with need, and Hayley couldn’t wait to feel him inside her.

  Chasen grinned as he pulled a condom out of the bedside table and rolled it down his shaft. “You sure you don’t want to go get something to eat. You look absolutely famished.”

  Hayley laughed. “No, I’m good. Something tells me I’m going to be really full in a few minutes.”

  Chasen chuckled as he climbed into bed with her. As he slid up beside her, he slowed to kiss and nibble every few inches, finding that sensitive spot along her inner thigh, the ticklish one at the point of her hip, a spot she never knew she had along her ribcage, and the tingling nipple that throbbed when he flicked it over and over with his tongue. He took his time, arousing her more with every passing second even though she couldn’t imagine how she could get any hotter without exploding.

  When he slipped between her legs, she knew she’d never been more ready for a man in her life.

  That didn’t keep Chasen from teasing her. He carefully placed the head of his cock against her wetness and rubbed up and down, gliding over her tingling clit without ever sliding inside her.

  “That feels so good,” she breathed.

  Chasen murmured something against her neck as he kissed and nibbled there, but she couldn’t make out what it was.

  Hayley wrapped her legs around his hips, trying to get him to go where she wanted, but he was too strong for that. Instead, he lifted his head to gaze down at her with a wicked smile as he continued to tease her relentlessly.

  She bit her lip, stifling a moan of frustration.

  She was so turned on, he probably could have made her come if he’d kept doing what he doing. Not that she was complaining about exactly how he made her come, but she was really looking forward to him being inside her when it happened.

  Reaching up, she weaved her fingers in his hair and tugged his face down close to hers. Then she captured one of his earlobes between her teeth and gave it a little nip, just hard enough for him to feel it.

  “Did I mention that when I get hungry, I’ve been known to bite?” she asked huskily.

  Chasen pulled back and flashed her another grin, his cock still moving up and down in a gentle teasing motion. “And did I mention a little biting never hurt anyone?” When she lifted a brow, he relented. “But I get your point. No more teasing.”

  She opened her mouth to thank him, but then he plunged his thick cock inside her, making intelligent speech all but impossible. Moaning and gasping—yes. Speaking—no.

  To say Chasen was a snug fit was an understatement, and he felt better than anything she’d ever imagined. As he began to slowly thrust in and out, she couldn’t help but think he must have been made for her. Even better, there was none of the initial awkwardness that normally happened the first time with a new guy. Instead, she and Chasen fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

  “Better?” he asked, his blue eyes filled with a mix of hunger and amusement.

  “Yes,” she moaned as he slid in deep, thumping into undiscovered territory for her. “That feels so amazing.”

  Chasen didn’t answer. Instead, he kissed her hard and started thrusting faster. As he moved, he trailed a path along her jaw and down to her neck to nibble there again. Hayley wrapped her legs around his hips and held on for the ride, unable to believe something could feel so incredible.

  It wasn’t long before she felt that familiar tingle of an approaching orgasm.

  “Harder,” she begged breathlessly.

  Chasen lifted his head to look at her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to tease her again. Instead, he obeyed, pumping into her so fast and hard it made the bed shake. Stars exploded behind her eyes every time he thrust, but it was the look on his face that really set her off. It was like he was looking at the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

  Hayley came then, tightening her legs around him and writhing on the bed. She’d come hard before, but nothing like this. There was a point toward the peak of her orgasm where she was sure she was going to pass out. She didn’t, of course, which was a good thing since she would have missed another wave of earthshaking pleasure.

  When the tremblers finally subsided, her throat felt raw from screaming. Okay, that was one for the record books.

  That was also about the time she discovered Chasen was still moving slowly inside her—and he was still hard. She opened her eyes—when had she clenched them shut?—and found her sexy Navy SEAL kneeling between her widespread legs, his hands on her hips as he continued to slowly thrust. The satisfied expression on his face was the sexiest look she’d ever seen on a man.

  Then it hit her.

  He hadn’t come yet. That’s why he was still so hard.

  “Didn’t you…finish?” she asked in alarm.

  She felt horrible knowing she’d been so caught up in her own pleasure she hadn’t even worried about him climaxing. Then again, she’d never had to worry about guys getting to the finish line. They sort of were in charge of the race.

  Chasen smiled and shook his head. Then he moved his hands behind her knees and leaned forward, spreading her legs even farther.

  “Whatever made you think I was finished?” he asked, that glint in his eyes making her stomach quiver in the most pleasant way. “In fact, we’re just getting started.”

  She started to laugh, but the sound came out as a moan as Chasen slid in deep again. Oh yeah, she was all about the stamina.

  Chapter Six

  “I STOPPED BY yesterday, but I guess you were out,” Brad said, glancing at Hayley from the driver’s seat of his Camry as he pulled out of the newspaper parking lot and immediately hit the standard Monday morning traffic.

  Hayley looked up from her notebook where she’d been studying the names and addresses of the local contractors who’d been selected as subcontractors for the billion dollar SEAL construction protect. Hopefully, they’d be able to talk to all of these companies today.

  “I was with Chasen all day,” she said.

  All night, too. In fact, she hadn’t gotten back to her place until early this morning when Chasen had dropped her off before he headed to work. But Brad didn’t need to know that, even if he was one of her very best friends in the world. Because of all the time they spent traveling the world together, they tended to share a lot more private stuff than you typically thought of in your standard guy/girl friendship, but details of their respective sexual encounters had never been part of that.

  Hayley smiled, pen poised above the page as she played the highlights from the past few days over in her mind. She hadn’t spent a weekend hanging out with a guy since college. She’d forgotten how much fun it could be. Of course, part of the fun could have come from the fact neither of them had essentially worn any clothes for the entire weekend. That, by itself, was the very definition of a good time.

  Just thinking about Chasen’s muscular body moving and flexing as he’d padded around his place naked had heat building up between her legs again.

  Brad frowned. “Chasen?”

  “You know…the Navy SEAL,” she told him, dumbfounded her usually bright partner in crime could forget someone like Chasen.

  “Oh yeah, that’s right.” Brad signaled then changed lanes. “I almost forgot. But I thought you were supposed to go out with him Friday night.”

  “I did.” Hayley flipped to the next page in her notebook. “Then we went to a cookout at one of his teammates on Saturday and hung out at his place yesterday.”

  “Huh.” Brad glanced at her with a knowing look. “You must really like him to be spending so much time with him right off the bat like this.”

  She smiled. Oh yeah, she liked him. A lot. But she couldn’t bring herself to say those words to Brad, afraid she would jinx the whole deal. So instead, she kept it casual. “Yeah, he’s fun to hang with.”

  She read through the long list of contractors, including carpenters, masons, welders, heavy equipment operators, and l
ots of other construction specialists. She felt a little bad about ignoring the story for the entire weekend, but she and Brad would make up for it today. They’d talk to as many people as they had to in order to find someone—anyone—who would admit there was some kind of illegal connection between Councilman Nesbitt and Alpha One Construction.

  Of course, talking to the subcontractors was part B of today’s plan. Part A involved having a one-on-one interview with the owner of Alpha One himself, a man by the name of Jack Yates. Hayley didn’t exactly expect the man to break down and confess to everything the moment they confronted him, but she was definitely interested in seeing how he reacted when she openly accused him of collusion with a city councilman.

  If they’d wanted to talk to Yates six months ago, they would have needed to drive about an hour north to the company’s corporate offices in Escondido. But soon after winning the Imperial Beach contract, Alpha One had moved a huge part of its operation down to San Diego. Hayley supposed winning a billion dollar project was a good incentive to rent yourself some new office space.

  “By the way, what’d you stop by for?” she asked Brad when it struck her he hadn’t mentioned what his visit had been about.

  He steered his way through the morning congestion, ignoring her for the moment as he cut across three lanes of traffic.

  “No big deal. I know you haven’t liked hanging around the house alone since what happened in Africa. I figured I would stop by and see how you were doing.”

  Hayley smiled. Could there be a better friend in the whole wide world? Brad was absolutely the best. She leaned over the console and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing so hard he grunted. “Thanks. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  He laughed. “Whoa. I’m all about the free hugs, but driving in psycho San Diego traffic here.”

  “Sorry!” She grinned and sat back in her seat. “But seriously, thanks. I do get a little freaked out now and then when I’m by myself, but it helps knowing my friends are watching out for me.”