by J. M. Madden
Damn he was getting old... Was this insightfulness something new he was picking up?
Conversation was drowned out by a blast of static. The frantic wedding planner he'd seen running around earlier stepped up to the microphone on the far stage and called for everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen. It is my very happy pleasure to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Dylan Cutler!"
Music pounded through the night and Drake watched Dylan and Kiko enter the courtyard area. They waved and laughed, smiling the entire time. Then they turned and kissed each other and the crowd screamed. The SEALs catcalled and as the newlyweds waded into the crowd it truly got a little rowdy. Dylan held onto Kiko the entire time, though as he accepted congratulations, and it did Drake's heart good to see his care of her.
Photographers circled the crowd, flashes going off almost constantly. The newlyweds waded to the stage and Dylan took the mic, looking buzzed and euphoric. "Hey, you yahoos. If we all sit down like good like good little SEALs, we'll be eating shortly." As he looked out over the crowd, he started to get emotional. "I want to thank all of you for being here to witness this amazing woman taking my name. I can't imagine not having my whole family here."
Dylan turned to Kiko and swept her into a kiss. The catcalls renewed even louder than before. Drake's eyes scanned the crowd for Izzy's mop of hair. Yep, there she was right at the edge of the stage. There was a thoughtful expression on her face, as if she were wondering if the newlyweds would actually make it, a thought he himself had had many times.
The rest of the women here were beaming, clapping enthusiastically. But Izzy looked somber and concerned. What was she thinking?
Before he could tell himself to do otherwise, Drake was out of the chair and heading toward the crowd. He didn't know why it was important, but a spirit like Izzy's should never be sad. Maybe he could make her smile again.
Besides, he needed to apologize to her.
Chapter Three
Some inner proximity alarm made Izzy look up. Drake stood two feet behind her, ferocious scowl on his face. She drew in a breath and straightened her shoulders. "Yes?"
"Let's go get some food."
Izzy felt her mouth drop open a little. He'd just left her, not even half an hour ago, in a back room reeling from his touch. She thought that had been the end of it in his mind. Now, he was here wanting to grab dinner with her? Really?
"Okay, nice invite," she murmured, frowning. "Drake, this is Virginia. Ginny, my Navy SEAL rescuer, Drake."
The two of them shook hands and she watched Drake's face to see how he reacted to the sultry, dark-haired, perfectly made-up Ginny. There was no reaction. His gaze flicked away as soon as he dropped her hand, focusing back on Izzy.
"Let's go." He held a hand out toward the buffet line.
Rather than cause a scene she headed that way, tugging Ginny along behind her.
"What is this about," Ginny hissed in her ear.
Izzy shrugged and shook her head.
They made their way to the line and several men stepped aside to let she, Ginny and Drake ahead. It must be a rank thing or something because Drake stood glowering just behind them.
Dylan and Kiko were already at the raised table with their parents eating. Izzy gathered her utensils and went down the line, but she was too conscious of the man behind her. The food looked delicious, but she only took a few things. Ginny did the same. She glanced back at Drake. His plate was heaped with food.
"Do you need a back-up plate?"
He glanced up at her and gave her a slight grin. "I like to eat."
"I guess so," she murmured.
She didn't wait for him to finish piling, just headed back to their table. Ginny was already there, swirling sugar into a glass of tea. "So is this good or bad?" she whispered.
"I have no idea. He's kinda purty, though, isn't he?"
Ginny giggled and nodded, face flushing pink. "In a dangerous, 'I might snap your hand off if you try to pet me' kind of way. I'll make sure if things start getting intense to find something important to do."
Drake sat down beside her in the almost-too-small white folding chair and plunked down his plate. Then he got back up and waded through the crowd. When he returned he had a handful of longnecks woven through his fingers. He set them in front of the three of them. "Help yourselves."
Izzy took one and unscrewed the top. Maybe she needed a little liquid courage to steady her rioting nerves.
"So," she said. "What happened to not being good for each other?"
Drake threw Ginny a glance, then looked at Izzy. "We're just grabbing a meal. What's wrong with that?"
Izzy narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say anything. If he wanted to play dense she would let him, for now.
“I do need to apologize, though,” he murmured gruffly. “I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that, especially after what the other guy did.”
Tilting her head to the side, Izzy considered him. “You’re apologizing for rescuing me?”
“No,” he said, voice firm. “But I am apologizing for manhandling you afterward.”
Izzy smiled slightly. “Well, in all fairness, I kind of encouraged it.”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and gave her a tight nod. They ate in silence for a few minutes.
"So, Drake, you're a Navy man, huh?" Ginny asked.
He flashed her a grin and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
Izzy tucked into her food, letting Ginny ask questions. Her friend seemed to know what Izzy wanted to know, but was afraid to ask. Drake was based out of Virginia Beach, had three siblingsall male and was not currently attached.
He sounded like a typical bachelor, living it up while he could. But he was definitely older than she'd expected. If he'd been in the SEALs fourteen years, he had to be about mid-to-late thirties, well into the time when he should have started to settle down.
"No skeletons in your closet?" she asked impulsively.
With a quirked brow, he grinned at her. "No, not really."
"Hmm…"
Izzy ate her food, but she barely tasted anything. And Kiko's poor, beleaguered dad had spent so much money on it. But she was too fascinated by the man beside her. Mere inches separated their hips and occasionally their knees brushed. His shoulder was a solid heat against her side.
Then, as if without conscious thought, he brushed his fingers over her tattoo. Her body flared with heat and she glanced at Ginny, but she was occupied by the man sitting on the other side of her. Izzy glanced back at Drake. "What are you doing?"
"Just… checking," he told her eventually.
"Checking what?" she hissed.
He smiled at her frustration, and there was an edge to the narrow quirk of his lips. "Seeing if you'd changed your mind."
Izzy frowned. "You were the one that left."
He shrugged his broad shoulders, then winced, as if he'd just remembered the scratch on his side. "I pulled back because I'm not the kind of guy that you can count on long term. My job doesn't allow long-term."
He paused and she found she held her breath just waiting for his words. "But…" she prodded.
"But, if you'd still like to explore this thing that's between us, no expectations beyond tonight, I would be more than willing."
Izzy choked out a laugh. "I'm sure you would."
Then she looked at his face. He was not joking. His eyes were steady and calm, though there was a need in them that she only just recognized.
Did she dare turn him away? That one kiss had left her slick with need, and the mere mention of continuing their interlude made her heart hammer. Just in the hour's worth of time she'd spent with him he'd done more for her than any other man ever had. The curiosity would kill her if she didn't explore this.
Settling the decision in her mind, she gave him a look. "If I said yes, just what are your plans? I'm thirty-four, a little old to climb into the back seat of a truck, and I know for a fact this hotel is booked solid with Kiko's family and wedding guests."
If she didn't know better she would think he was relieved that she'd given in. His cool emotions were a little hard to read. She kind of figured he'd get cocky about it.
With a glance at her sideways, he gave her a slight smile. "I wish you could feel the rush of heat that just rolled down through my body to my cock," he told her softly. “You’re a beautiful woman, Isobel.”
Apparently it wasn't soft enough. Ginny swung around, her dark eyes focusing on Izzy. "It sounds like things are getting a little intense. I'm going to roll out of here, okay? Are you good?"
Izzy nodded, loving her friend for being protective. Reaching forward, she hugged Ginny. "That guy's cute," she murmured in her friend's ear. Ginny nodded. "If Kiko starts looking for you, I'll tell her you're busy."
They giggled together and Izzy watched as the tall man Ginny had been talking to led her to the dance floor.
When she glanced back at Drake he was just swallowing the last swig of beer from his bottle. He turned, their gazes connecting. "Are you ready?"
Izzy nodded, her skin flushing pink as gazes turned to them as they walked across the crowded patio. A few of the guys grinned at Drake, but nobody said or did anything disrespectful. Drake held the door open for her to enter the resort building, and she appreciated the wave of air conditioning that hit her. Maybe it would cool her excited, tingling skin.
Tugging her by the hand, Drake led her down a softly lit hallway, then another side hallway. One of the florescent lights in the ceiling had gone out completely and he stopped in a little shadowed alcove area. Izzy was about to ask him what was going on but he pushed her back flush against the wall, then leaned into her. The erection that she'd been thinking about for the past hour pressed into her and it was more than she could have dreamed. "Oh, my happy hell."
His hard lips came down on hers, almost swallowing her words. With an aggressive thrust he kissed her, his tongue gliding smoothly along hers. Izzy moaned, lost in a need sharper than any she'd ever felt before. The man knew how to kiss. His hips surged into her and it was everything she could do to restrain herself from stripping right there in the hallway. If he didn't have a way for them to follow through, she was going to be majorly pissed.
Then one of his hands traced the sweetheart neckline of her dress. One finger slipped between the fabric and her skin, brushing her right nipple, and yet he seemed to be waiting.
"Yes," she hissed.
Instinctively, her hips rocked forward into his erection. When he paused his movements to feel what she was doing, Izzy was pleased to realize he wasn't as in control as he pretended. She rocked again, then hiked a leg up his thigh.
It wasn’t as well-done as she would have liked. She almost pulled her own legs out from beneath her as the narrow skirt of the dress caught and tightened. With an aggravated huff she pulled the skirt up to her thighs.
Drake caught that leg and ground himself into her deeper. Only a couple of layers of cotton and satin separated them, and it was getting hard to think.
Then Drake did something naughty. Sweeping his hand down to her knee he found her skin, then followed it slowly, torturously, up her thigh to her damp heat.
Izzy quivered, praying he would touch her there. But he paused, panting, and pressed a kiss to her temple. Then he shifted to the side to lean against the wall and stopped moving completely. Izzy heard a sound. Somebody had just come in the same doors they had and were walking down the perpendicular hallway. "Hold still and be quiet," he whispered into her ear.
Izzy nodded, quivering, and listened to her heart damn near beat out of her chest. How could anyone not hear how hard it was thumping? She did as she was told and within a few seconds, she heard the footsteps fade away.
Then a single finger stroked over her satin-covered core.
Izzy gasped, her thighs shaking. Drake would be holding her entire weight in a minute.
"Why is it wet, Isobel?" he asked her, deep voice taunting.
"Why do you think, Drake? Maybe because you're such a tease."
Her prodding earned her a second stroke, longer this time. Izzy smiled into the darkness, glad that her ploy had worked.
"I'm not teasing, Izzy. I'm building you up. So that you're ready when I take you upstairs to fuck you."
She choked out a laugh. "I'm beyond ready, Navy man."
Then that devious finger burrowed beneath her satin panties and parted her swollen skin. "Hmm… you might be."
The tip of his finger made a circular motion, directly around her swollen pleasure point and Izzy cried out. She flexed her hips against his touch, praying that he would continue, but he just stood there. Then he twitched his finger, right around her clit. And paused. Then twitched again.
Izzy was ready to scream. "Please," she panted, clutching his neck. "I need… I need to come."
He took pity on her. Settling into a devious rhythm, he urged her toward that ultimate release. It was embarrassingly easy. With just a few steady movements she shattered in his arms, and when she would have cried out he sealed his mouth over hers, absorbing her pleasure. He held her weight as she lost control of her body in pleasure.
It took a few seconds for her to regain her composure. Izzy couldn't remember ever being so turned on before. Drake let her open leg fall and he removed his hand, but he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her as she recovered. "Are you okay?"
Izzy nodded, her nose buried into the fabric of his stolen shirt. She was too lost in her pleasure to feel embarrassed at where they were. After a minute she looked up at him. "So, do you have a room or what?"
Drake grinned, his bright white teeth flashing. "It just so happens I do."
Taking her hand, he led her through a couple of hallways then through the glorious main lobby. Izzy felt like people were staring at her, knowing what she'd just done in the back hallway. His hard kisses had left her lips feeling swollen. Her panties were soaked and even her thighs. For a girl that usually loved a good show, she was feeling decidedly shy in this environment. She would never want to do anything to embarrass Kiko and her family.
Avoiding most of the people, Drake led her to the gold elevators on the opposite hallway and punched the up button.
"So, how did you get a room? Ginny and I are rooming together, but I know others have been turned away."
Drake gave her a look out of the corner of his eye. "Well, I've been out with my guys before and they tend to get… a little free with their affections. Or they overindulge. So, I had a back-up plan. At the very least, I thought it would save me a drive to pick them up from wherever they landed. As soon as Dylan let us know where it was being held, before the invitations went out, I made a reservation."
"You are a smart man."
He grinned, shaking his head. "Not always."
The elevator doors dinged in front of them and Izzy stepped on. Three other couples stepped on as well, so Drake pressed close but he behaved himself. If the other people hadn't have been present, Izzy wasn't sure she could have kept her hands off him. The orgasm he'd given her moments ago had been fantastic, but she wanted more. She wanted to have that hardness inside her, sooner rather than later.
It wasn’t like her to be this… hungry, but something about Drake, or maybe the short amount of time she knew they could be together, was motivating her. She couldn’t ever remember being this aroused for a man. She’d certainly never done anything like what they’d just done in public.
They were the next to last couple to get off, and every floor stop made her want to scream with impatience. Finally, he tugged her off the torturous ride and down a long hallway. He stopped in front of a door and swiped a key card, then stood back to let her in.
Izzy walked in, looking around. Typical hotel room, of course, if a little higher end than normal.
"The fridge is stocked with water. Help yourself."
Reaching inside the mini-fridge, she snagged one. He sho
ok his head when she offered him one. "I don't like water."
Izzy's brows lifted. "Really?"
He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest.
Izzy twisted off the cap and took a huge swallow, then set the bottle aside. She had other things she wanted to be doing with her mouth.
Drake was built for sin. As she looked him up and down, she could see the erection behind the placket of his pants. "Thank you for the water."
He didn't say anything, just stood there with a sexy smirk on his face. Izzy took a step toward him and reached beneath her left arm. It took her a second to find the tiny zipper tab, but as soon as she did she started to unzip. Drake's gaze focused in on her fingers and his hands fell to his sides as he straightened. She thought he was going to step forward and take over, but he just stayed where he was. That was okay. If he wanted to play hard to get, she was willing.
There wasn't a lot of lingerie that could be worn under a sleeveless dress like this. As the bodice began to peel away, he didn't seem surprised that she wasn't wearing a bra. Oh, that's right. He'd already played with her nipple. As the cool air hit her breasts, Izzy watched his face.
Yes, he was definitely reserved, but there was no mistaking the flare of heat in his eyes. And if she read him right, he was about done standing on the sidelines.
She peeled the dress down her body and pushed it over her hips, letting it puddle to the floor. Then, unable to help herself, she laid the dress over a chair back. It had been expensive.
When she turned back, Drake's gaze had fallen to her pubic area. Izzy shucked her damp white panties to the floor. "See what you did to me?"
A slow smile spread his lips. "What? Got you so hot I could hear you walk beside me when we went through the lobby?"
Izzy laughed, taking a step forward. "You are evil. That was embarrassing."
“Yeah. I can understand that.” An empathetic look settled on his features. "They'll probably forget you in a few days, all those people that were looking."
Izzy reached out and smacked him on the arm, laughing even harder. "You are merciless. You're supposed to be stroking my ego right now."