She looked up at him in surprise, shock crossing her face. He stopped and turned Lexi to face him, resting his forearms on her slender shoulders. She gazed up at him, leaning her head against his arms like a pillow. His gut clenched at how right it felt to hold her close. She was fragile and feminine. Sweet and caring. He’d fucking hurt her because he couldn’t get his shit together back then. Because he hadn’t dealt with his past.
He’d grown as a man in the years they’d spent apart, and he’d never let any harm come to her again. From him or any other man. The thought of her with another, however, made his blood boil. After having her last night, he couldn’t fathom letting another man snatch her away. Not when they’d finally found one another again.
“Lexi, I never should have walked out that night,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “It was wrong for a thousand different reasons—the crux of which was hurting you.”
“You were an asshole,” she whispered.
“I was a scared kid,” he said, stepping even closer. “My own dad walked out on me—just vanished. It was for the best, as messed up as that sounds. He used to hit me and my mom. I tried to defend her, but I was just a kid. He drank, and then he beat us.”
Lexi looked up at him in horror, tears brimming in her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve helped you.” A lone tear slipped down her cheek, and he tenderly wiped it away before clasping his hands behind her again.
“I never wanted kids because I was afraid I’d do the same damn thing. I was worried that any child of mine would be better off without me.”
“You’d never do that!” she insisted, looking angry. “How could you even think that?”
He nodded grimly, words escaping him. Lexi believed in him, was his staunchest supporter, and he’d ruined everything.
“But why the hell would you ask if the baby was yours? You knew, you knew, I’d never been with another man. You hurt me.”
Christopher clenched his jaw, his eyes filled with regret. “I’m sorry. If I could take it back—take everything back—I would. I asked myself a thousand times why I didn’t chase after you, why I said that. I was scared out of my mind and a complete fool. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but my God, Lexi, I’d do anything for a second chance.”
She wordlessly watched him, and the pain in his chest nearly was unbearable. “Lexi, I was so panicked that night I couldn’t see straight. I bolted, tried to run from my fears. If I could do it over, I would. In a heartbeat. I drove around aimlessly for hours thinking, just needing to be alone, and then I watched the sunrise. I came back the second I realized—” he broke off, clenching his jaw.
“Realized what?”
“That I was in love with you.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Please don’t cry; I can take bad guys shooting at me, broken bones, bruised body parts…but I swear to God, Lexi, I can’t take your tears.”
***
“You should go,” she said, hastily swiping them away as she tried to pull away from him. Stupid emotions. She was the picture of professionalism at work, but get her around Christopher, and she was an emotional wreck. She’d bottled up her emotions for years, and a few minutes with the man and she was crying and coming and feeling more than she’d felt in a decade.
He didn’t move a muscle.
“You should go,” she repeated.
“Honey, the US Navy couldn’t drag me away from you.”
His lips brushed against the top of her head. It was soft, sweet. Completely at odds with his usual alpha male, dominating ways. She looked up at him in confusion, and his thumbs wiped away the tears beneath her eyes. He ducked his head lower and kissed her softly. Heat burst through her as his mouth moved over hers. He took his time, slowly letting it build between them, as her body pulsed with awareness.
He pulled his arms from her shoulders and slid them down her sides, his fingertips skimming against the sides of her breasts, before he gripped her waist and hauled her into his arms.
She clung to him, desperately, legs and arms wrapped around this solid man. The sun had long ago sunk beneath the horizon, and a million stars dotted the night sky. You couldn’t get this view down at the busy stretch of beach, but to the north, after the boardwalk ended and there was only ocean and sand, it felt like you could see the whole universe.
Christopher carried her to the bed of his truck, parked at the edge of sand near some dunes, and she realized he’d lay blankets there earlier. The hatch was already pulled down, and gently, he laid her on the soft cotton. The night surrounded her, the dark sky twinkling above. She shivered, and then Christopher’s hands were on her, fisting her dress as he pushed it up above her hips. The night air kissed her bare stomach, and she trembled.
His lips dragged across her flat stomach. Hot. Hungry. She gasped at his warm mouth on her chilled skin, unwittingly arching up beneath him. His tongue swirled around her belly button, teasing. He kissed his way to her hipbone, his teeth grazing her. Marking her. Tonight she was completely his. She’d go back to the Pentagon, eventually. She had her career with the DoD, and Christopher had his in the Navy. But tonight, she needed to be that young girl again, completely smitten with her handsome Navy SEAL.
He ducked his head lower, his nose skimming across her panties as he inhaled her arousal. “So fucking sweet,” he muttered. He kissed her through the lace, leaving her hot and aching. She was swollen and wet—for him. Desperate for his touch. No other man had ever pleasured her this way—although she’d slept with several in the years since leaving California, she’d never let a man kiss her so intimately. Only him.
His fingers slid in the waistband of her panties, gently pulling them down her legs. Rough hands spread her thighs apart, opening her to his gaze. Baring her completely to him. She trembled as she watched his eyes darken in the moonlight. He kissed his way up the soft skin of her inner thigh, taking his time, leaving her gasping. The whiskers of his five o’clock shadow scraped across her tender flesh. He skimmed his nose across her mound, not stopping, kissing and nipping at the skin on her other thigh.
His face hovering so close to where she needed him was making her crazy. Frantic. She cried out and arched up, desperate for his touch. His fingertips skimmed up her seam and then teased her soft folds, already dripping with slick arousal. He caught her gaze for a moment as he touched her, letting his fingertips caress her. Christopher dipped one finger into her center, swirling arousal around her throbbing bud. Waves of desire enveloped her, each touch guiding her higher, closer to the precipice. He stroked her softly as her eyelids slid shut, the pleasure exquisite. The little whimpers and mewls coming from her mouth were sounds she’d never heard before.
“Do you like that, honey?”
Heat swirled through her, coating her skin with warmth. She felt drunk in her desire for him, dizzy and lost to everything but his expert touch. He removed his fingers, and before she could protest the loss of his touch, his mouth was upon her. Kissing, sucking, drinking in her sweet ambrosia. His tongue laved against her folds, delving into her swollen flesh with the fervor of a man starved. His tongue probed her wet center, nearly shattering her right then and there. Gentle thrusts in and out had her squirming, bucking against his mouth.
His tongue slowly trailed up, stroking softly against her clit. She gasped at the sweet pleasure as heat coiled down from her center, spiraling out through her body until every single nerve ending was alight from his touch. Thick fingers penetrated her, filling and stretching her silken walls. She moaned from the wonderful pressure. He crooked his fingers, touching her sensitive flesh deep inside, and sucked her clit into his mouth. Waves overtook her, buoying her up, pulling her under.
Hands and mouth sped up their movements, driving her wild, and she exploded. Her body bucked helplessly as she screamed into the night, the powerful onslaught nearly too much to bear. Her sex fluttered against his mouth and tongue; her inner walls clenched tightly around his thick fingers. It was too much, n
ot enough, and her climax went on and on as Christopher never let up, determined to wring every last ounce of pleasure from her.
At last she lay there, gasping for breath, and Christopher hauled himself over her small frame. Undoing his trousers, his thick erection sprang out. Even in the moonlight, she could see the engorged head, dripping with his arousal, ready to sink into her soft folds. He rubbed himself against her slickened sex and then lined himself up, slowly penetrating her as she moaned, her walls still pulsing around him. He sank in balls deep and held still, pinning her to the bed of his pick-up, holding her right where she belonged.
Christopher slowly pulled out and sank back into her softness, making love to her gently, sweetly. He kissed her, murmuring sweet words in her ear neither of them would likely remember in the morning, they were both so far gone in pleasure and lost in one another. His thick length stroked her, claimed her as his, filled her in a way no other man ever could. His thrusts grew faster, harder, building her up once more as she panted for breath. Her orgasm exploded from nowhere, Lexi crying out again his solid frame, bucking beneath him. Christopher immediately followed, hardening even more before releasing his seed deep inside her.
His hands slid beneath her head, cradling it, and he kissed her. It was tender, sweet, the kiss of a man who’d gone years without making love to a woman. Maybe he’d slept with other women during their time apart, but this moment, this night? He’d made love to her. Passionately. Thoroughly. With his cock buried deep inside her, his hard body covering hers, and his lips on her mouth, she was lost only to him.
Deep brown eyes met hers, he kissed her once more. Completely. Possessively. Making her feel like she was the only woman in the whole wide world.
Chapter 11
Christopher muttered a curse as he glanced, bleary-eyed, at the text on his phone the next morning. It was five freaking a.m., before the sun had even risen, and they wanted him back on base in thirty minutes? What the fuck was going on?
Lexi lay naked beside him, bathed in the earliest light of morning. She was securely nestled in his arms, and they both were buried beneath the plentiful blankets he’d piled in the back of his truck. It was cool, probably only in the fifties, but with the warm blankets and the heat they’d generated throughout the night as their bodies joined, they’d created enough heat and combustion to power a locomotive. For an entire year.
Her warm body tucked against his was the sweetest thing in the world. She curled up against him like she was his. Lexi was so small and soft compared to his mass and strength, and he’d held her close and kept her warm all night long. A soft sigh fell from her lips, and he brushed a kiss against her soft cheek, regretting that he had to wake her up so that he could get to base.
The buzzing of the phone in her purse jarred him back to reality.
What in the hell?
He nudged her awake, his breath catching as violet eyes met his.
So fucking gorgeous.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice heavy with sleep as she met his concerned gaze.
“I just got called back to base. And your phone’s buzzing as well.”
She abruptly sat up, blankets falling around her, and her full breasts caught his attention, all creamy skin against rosy nipples. She shivered in the cool morning air and quickly wrapped a blanket back around herself. This was not the fucking time to feast on Lexi again, but holy hell. The woman was a sight to behold. What he wouldn’t give to wake up beside her each morning. He wanted Lexi in damn near every way a man wanted a woman. If that included making her his forever, then so be it. He’d loved and lost her once but didn’t think he could survive losing her again.
Lexi flashed him a knowing smile as his eyes slid back up her body. She reached across the back of the truck for her handbag as his cock stood to attention. She looked like a goddamn seductress sent down from heaven only for him. Like a goddess bathing in the early morning light. He wanted to roar in approval at having taken her in his truck last night—at making her come again and again for him. The next time he had her, it would be in his bed. And hell if he’d ever let her leave without agreeing to be his forever.
She flicked her raven hair over her shoulder as she bent forward, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the screen.
“Damn it. I’m supposed to be there, too. Who the hell is Commander Ryan Mitchell?”
Christopher’s gut churned. “My CO. Why the fuck is he contacting you and me at this hour?”
“Do you think it’s about the hackings?”
“Don’t know why else he’d contact you. He’s the one who asked me to sit in on your briefing yesterday. But he’s in charge of my SEAL team, not network security on base. This makes no sense.” Christopher scrubbed a hand across his face. They’d gotten little sleep for the second night in a row, and he’d hoped to take Lexi back to her hotel for a hot shower for two and room service. Now they’d have to book it to get to base on time.
Lexi tossed her phone into her bag and rustled around in the blankets. She slipped on her bra, making his mouth water at the sight of her lace-covered breasts. Unaware of his reaction to her, she looked around. “Where’s my dress?”
Christopher snatched her sexy black panties from beneath where he sat. “Are you gonna let me keep these?” he asked, his eyes glinting.
“Give me those,” she chastised, reaching for them. Christopher hauled her into his arms and up over his shoulder as he hopped down from the bed of the truck. He was hard as steel; thank God no one was around to see them both frolicking here naked on the beach. He had a massive hard-on and a nearly naked woman slung over his shoulder. Hell if he didn’t wish they could stay here forever—just the two of them, alone by the sand and water.
A breeze blew off the ocean, rustling the sea grass that grew up by the dunes. People would be along soon—early morning walkers, maybe even a few military guys getting in a long run before a day on base. But for the moment? The deserted beach was theirs.
“Put me down!” she shrieked. He lightly swatted her bare ass with his hand, loving the way she squirmed. He could have her wet, dripping for him in no time, and regret filled his chest at being unable to spend any time this morning kissing and loving on Lexi.
“I’m taking you to dinner this weekend.”
“You want to talk about this now, while I’m half naked?”
“I want to do lots of things with you half naked—preferably fully naked.” It was hardly a time to be fooling around, but hell if he didn’t feel lighter than he had in years waking up with his woman at his side.
His woman.
He liked the sound of that too damn much.
His hand palmed her bottom, briefly skimming over the smooth skin. The round globes of her ass were driving him insane. Unable to stop himself, he turned his head and gently sank his teeth into one bare cheek, marking her, letting her know she was his. She shrieked and squirmed more, and he could smell the scent of her arousal.
“Fuck, baby. I’d give anything to stay here this morning with you.” He gently set her down in the soft sand, handing her the panties he’d held tightly in his grip. She slipped them on, her violet eyes wide with arousal. He snagged her sundress from the back of his pick-up, not liking the sight of her shivering in the morning air. As she slipped on her dress, he tugged on his boxer briefs and pants, then grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around Lexi like he would a small child. His lips brushed against the top of her head, the sweet smell of lavender slamming into him.
“Tell me you’ll stay here with me,” he said, his voice thick.
“We have to get to base,” she said uncertainly.
“Here down at Little Creek. I can’t stand having you tucked away at the Pentagon, not after finally finding you again.”
Her face fell. “Christopher, I’ve built my career there. I can’t just up and leave.”
He didn’t like the uneasiness settling in his gut. If he hadn’t been such an ass, they could still both be back in Coronado, living happi
ly ever after and all that shit. He was the reason she’d fled across the country, had built a successful career for herself at the Pentagon, and was no longer within his reach. The ache in his heart was his fault alone. But he’d be damned if he’d let her go without putting up the fight of his life.
***
Lexi took another sip of her scorching black coffee as she strode down the hall beside Christopher. He’d dropped her back at the hotel, and she’d taken the fastest shower of her life before putting on a black suit and speeding over to base. Not without stopping for a little high-octane to fuel her morning. She’d woken sleepily in Christopher’s arms, content and ready for a lazy morning of lovemaking before heading in, and instead she’d been yanked from her slumber, called in for what was likely another screw-up relating to the hackings.
Christopher had greeted her in the parking lot on base, guiding her through a labyrinth of corridors. Her heels clicked against the hard floors, and Christopher grumbled beside her. He was all business compared to the softness he’d shown this morning—jaw clenched, shoulders pulled back, face set in stone. She wasn’t sure if he was angry they’d been called in so early or upset she’d said she’d eventually return to the Pentagon. There was no time to wonder now, because after turning the corner, they were standing in the office of his CO.
A tall, hard-looking man in his mid-forties stood before them. He had dark hair cropped short with traces of gray around the temples and stormy gray eyes. He was massive and intimidating. Despite being older than Christopher, he looked like he could hold his own against a younger man. An equally intimidating man around Christopher’s age stood beside the commander, with dark hair and cool blue eyes.
“Sir,” Christopher said, saluting the older man. “Patrick,” he nodded at the other guy.
Commander Ryan Mitchell introduced himself to Lexi and asked them all to be seated. She sank down into a chair beside Christopher, crossing her legs. She was used to sitting in meetings with military officers at the Pentagon, but Patrick’s cool blue gaze had her shifting uncomfortably in her seat. He looked like he could be a member of Christopher’s SEAL team, he was so big and massive, but he wasn’t one of the men she’d seen the other night at Anchors. His gaze swept between her and Christopher, a knowing look on his chiseled face.
A SEAL's Surrender (Alpha SEALs Book 3) Page 9