He really hadn’t meant for things to go so far. He’d only wanted to show Holly that he’d read her just as easily as she’d read him. But by the time he’d gotten hold of her he’d been too riled to stop. The only thing that had kept him from fucking her was a basic sense of self-respect, for her and himself. He’d never before taken advantage of his position, rank, or the fact that he was a SEAL. To do so seemed petty and definitely beneath him. Yet in the short span of two weeks, he’d accumulated enough offenses to land him in the brig.
Holly Burton had gone from an interesting challenge, to an itch that couldn’t be scratched, to all-consuming mania.
Scott knew he had to take care of this. Pronto!
Exiting his vehicle, he walked toward the door. His gaze searched the premises for threats from long-born habit and he wondered if Holly ever thought about the poor illumination of her halogen fixture. There were dark places everywhere. If someone were to attack her, she would never see them coming. His mind was already thinking of a hardware store that sold one-hundred watt motion lights when a husky laugh filtered into his ears.
Immediately his cock hardened to full length.
There was only one woman capable of affecting him this way, this fast.
God! He needed to be inside with her, and inside her. Now!
Scott raised his hand to knock when the object of his affection uttered some words that sounded really strange. “Yeah, I think we should meet up.” She laughed again. “No, it has been too long … I don’t have any patients tomorrow. We can meet around one o’clock if that’s good for you.”
Is she talking to a man?
“Great … yeah … ummm … Well, there’s a restaurant that serves some great Indian food. We could go there.”
Blinding, irrational jealousy, the dangerous and deadly kind, corded the muscles in his neck until he felt ready to physically hurt someone. He inhaled so sharply his breath whistled between his teeth, then knocked so loudly on her door he heard her yelp in surprise.
“No, I don’t know who it could be. Hold on.” Her voice moved closer. “It might be my manager… No, just hold, will ya?” There was a slight pause and the door shuddered a little.
He smiled so she could see him through the peephole, hoping he looked benign enough for her to let him in.
“Commander Gilcrist?” she called.
He gritted his teeth. So they were back to that. “Yes. Open the door. I need to speak with you.”
There was a slight hesitation. He heard some shuffling in the background then she said, “I-I’ve got to call you back,” just before opening the door.
Scott felt as if his entire body would explode simply from looking at her. Framed in the open doorway, the soft surrounding light made her hair gleam like a living flame.
In uniform, Holly always appeared beautiful and aloof. In civvies, she was downright gorgeous. Her black, tight fitting tee shirt accentuated the form of her teardrop shaped breasts and his mouth watered because he could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. Trailing his gaze down the rest of her scantily clad figure, his fingers itched to caress the long expanse of legs highlighted by a pair of white shorts that, in his opinion, should be outlawed.
“Wh-what are you doing here?”
For a psychiatrist, she was really slow on the uptake. “I need to speak with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
She had a point. Matter of fact, she’d said something similar to him before he dragged her into his office and almost fucked her on his desk. Still, that didn’t stop him from taking a step forward. “We need to talk, Holly. I’m sure you know this as well as I do.”
“There’s nothing to say. You should leave.”
Scott shook his head, moving his body ever so slightly.
He took a tactical position, blocking escape as well as giving him access to her if she decided to run, and glanced down pointedly at the cordless clutched in her hand. “Sorry to interrupt your conversation,” he said casually, taking advantage of the slight lapse in her guard to move fully through the doorway. “Hope it was nothing important.”
Hair flew around her face as she shook her head. “No-no. It wasn’t. But, please answer my question. What are you doing here? And … how did you find out where I lived?”
Shutting the door behind him, Scott inclined his head, wanting to know more than ever who she was on the phone with. “You already know why I’m here, and to answer your other question, I had you investigated by the FBI.”
“WHAT!?”
“I had you…”
“I heard you the first time,” she shrieked.
“So, why did you ask again?”
She blinked twice, her eyes glazing until they resembled sparkling emeralds set in dusky, freckled sand. Fury turned her cheeks a pretty pink, and she looked mad enough to spit fire. “Just who in the hell do you think you are?!”
Scott thought he deserved a pat on the back. Even though every shred of his being wanted to rip off her clothes and toss her on the multi-colored rug in her living room so he could fuck her until the floor boards broke, he was actually holding a respectable conversation. “I don’t know why you’re shocked. You were investigated when you joined the Navy.”
“That’s totally different,” she shot back.
“No, it’s not,” he responded amiably, continuing to close the sparse distance between them.
He was glad she’d gotten over the stuttering fit. He wanted her angry because he was going to break something if he didn’t find out whom she’d been talking to. “So, who was on the phone?”
“That is none of your business, Commander.”
And that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He took the last step toward her, making sure his entire body radiated an intimidating posture. “What if I plan to make it my business?” he asked, staring down into her upturned face.
Her mouth kept opening and closing as though she was gasping for air, but her feet stayed rooted to the carpeted floor. He took this as a good sign and cupped her chin with his hand. When she licked her lips in manner he found irresistibly exciting, the whole room dimmed as a red haze of lust swarmed across his vision.
Time seemed to speed up and flash forward. He could recall kissing her, his mouth moving across hers urgently while his hands sought out the plump flesh of her breasts. He definitely remembered lifting her against him, nestling her high on his waist so she could wrap her legs around him. He almost could envision the frantic way in which she bit and nibbled on his neck, like she couldn’t get enough of his taste.
But everything after that was a blur.
The next thing he knew they were both naked on top of her queen sized mattress with her legs spread so wide her feet dangled over the edges, and he was inside Holly’s tight, little cunt, fucking her as if his life depended it. The bed was shaking from his powerful thrusts and she was crying out so loud, he figured tomorrow she’d get a call from her neighbors.
Over and over, her wet, clenching pussy suctioned his cock, the muscles clamping down every time he tried to withdraw, almost egging him to plunge deeper and deeper. Her breasts were bouncing from his rhythmic pounding and beads of sweat were pooling on her chest. The short rounded tips of her nails scored the skin on his hips, telling him without words how and where she liked it.
Her pussy was so tight and hot, unbelievable sensations rippled around his cock. She was pushing him toward the edge, but he wouldn’t fall without her wrapped in his arms where she belonged. “Come for me, baby,” he panted, dipping his head to lick the salty perspiration from her neck. “Don’t hold back. Let it go,” he urged.
Holly moaned, tossed her head back and forth, and then burst in his arms, her legs shaking like restless reeds. Her eyes rolled back and she grabbed hold of him with the strength of two men, her gripping cunt squeezing him so that the pressure in his cock released with the force of a geyser.
They both shouted in ecstasy and at that moment Scott finally understood wh
at the French meant when they talked about “le petit mort.” He’d been near death a few times, but here, in her arms, he truly felt close to dying—the meaning of life suddenly so clear.
Sighing, he bracketed his weight with his elbows, turning until she covered him like a blanket. “You are fuckin’ terrific.”
“Mmmm,” she purred against his chest.
Cradling her close, he twirled a lock of her hair around his index finger. “You might as well tell me who was on the phone with you earlier.” She stayed silent, and he chuckled, too sated to be upset with her stubbornness. “I can find out. I’ll have your phone tapped,” he murmured, sure that would get a response from her.
But when she kept quiet, he frowned, lifting her chin from his chest.
“Figures,” he muttered, wholly surprised to find her sleeping like a baby.
Shaking his head he laughed.
Obviously, Holly wasn’t a cuddler.
Chapter Eleven
Holly was having a pleasant dream. She was running in a green billowy field with a herd of dancing unicorns when suddenly the ground beneath her feet shook and a loud shout echoed around her.
Bolting upright in bed, she looked around for the source of the disturbance. Disoriented, her hand clutched for the hot sheet beneath her, feeling instead warm, sweating flesh. She turned, sleepily wondering who lay beside her and glimpsed Scott’s darkened face twisted in a painful grimace. Memories of his pounding cock tumbled through her mind, but she pushed the ardent thoughts away, concern for him coming first and foremost.
She knew better than to wake him, so she scrambled from the bed to turn on the overhead light and wait. Wringing her hands nervously, she watched, helpless as he struggled to push off whatever had grabbed hold of his subconscious.
His fists were clenched, his knuckles bloodless and white, and then he suddenly jackknifed straight up, eyes wide open. “No! Don’t! Don’t!”
Wildly he swung his head about, his expression fierce, before he finally homed in on her. Holly didn’t dare move a muscle as she held his stare. She wasn’t afraid of him. She was afraid for him.
Exhaling a puff of air, she wanted to reach out, assure him that everything was okay. Yet, his face was so remote, she didn’t know if he would accept her offer of comfort or bite her hand like a dog unused to affection.
She observed him warily as he rose from the bed, his nude body flexing so the muscles rippled with released tension. Her gaze moved over the numerous scars on his chest and tears welled in her eyes.
Had anyone ever soothed those angry looking marks? Let him know they stood beside him in the world?
Holly didn’t think so and a flood of emotions swamped her. She looked away, not wanting him to see the hurt in her eyes, and listened absently to the sounds of splashing water and a flushing toilet.
Moments later he returned, his hair and face damp. He picked her up in his massive arms, eventually settling her on the bed next him. Like a child, he laid his head against her breasts, nuzzling her skin.
The sounds of a new morning echoed outside the window, but it was still dark enough that the wind whistling through the trees sounded eerie and spooky.
She lay there in silence; her heart pounding and Holly knew she could hold him like this forever.
Scott cleared his throat and a deep rumble shook his chest before he spoke. “My team was called to find a cache of weapons that were rumored to be hidden inside a local mosque.” He sighed, shaking his head. “A precision bomb had hit early that day. No one was supposed to be there,” he sighed and his voice dropped low in remembrance. “There were fires all around. You could smell the burnt flesh in the smoke when we dropped in. But as soon as we landed you could see bodies moving in the darkness, like shadows in the mist. People were all over the friggin’ place, and as soon as they saw us, all hell broke loose.” He tensed noticeably. “You couldn’t tell the good guys from bad ones. They all started running and screaming. I gave the order to fan out and take two-man positions behind the houses, so we could pick them off one by one.”
Scott’s words were so cold, uttered without any feeling, her heart wrenched with pain.
“There were still pockets of rebels hiding and one of my men got hit. He’d taken a bullet to the chest and I knew I had to move him. But with the surrounding fire, I couldn’t risk calling in the rest of the team. I was trying to drag him to a safe location when she appeared from nowhere. Just like that, she came and helped me, even though she didn’t have to.” He buried his face in the valley of her breasts, his body shaking. “I-I wanted to thank her, but she ran off so quickly. She probably didn’t see it coming,” he murmured, his voice ragged. “A sniper on the roof took her out. I pulled her back and I-I tried … and tried to save her … but she died in my arms. It was all my fault. I should have stopped her.”
“Oh, Scott,” Holly moaned, hugging him close. “It’s not your fault.”
“It is … I…”
“No, it’s not.” She turned his face so he had to stare up at her. His eyes were bright with emotion and she kissed him gently on the lips, speaking softly against his skin. “It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “Just like your mother’s death wasn’t your fault either.” Scott blinked and tried to look away, but she kept him from moving by caressing his chin. “I know what happened. And I know you blame yourself, but your being there, witnessing their deaths, doesn’t make you responsible for their dying. It’s okay that you feel regret, but you have to let it go.” She sighed, kissing him again. “You have to forgive yourself.”
Scott rolled her over him. His large hands cradled her face as his fingers slid through her hair to cup her scalp. A fire of need blazed from his cobalt blue eyes and her heart melted as she realized she was the focus of this burning, hot intensity. He didn’t say a word, but when he leaned up to capture her lips, a wealth of emotion was conveyed with his simple gesture.
They came together like a slow wave in the ocean, rocking against each other, his cock sliding in and out of her aching pussy as she rode him slowly and carefully.
Scott was so big he filled her to an almost painful limit, but she wouldn’t—couldn’t—have stopped. He felt so right inside her. She moaned as his hands squeezed her buttocks, allowing him to plunge deeper, and she kissed him, letting her tongue glide over his lips so he’d know she liked the feel of him. His big hands clenched in her hair, holding her prisoner as his thrusts became stronger, faster.
Holly gasped loudly, leaning forward, surrendering to the smoldering desire tingling down her spine. Her body jerked as a climax drove through her, and she flexed her Kegel muscles to stretch the sensations before collapsing on top of him in a heap.
“God, you feel so good,” he moaned, continuing to sink into her body.
Sated, each new thrust continued to take Holly over the edge. She was shaking from her third orgasm when Scott grunted loudly, his body shaking from the force of his spurting climax.
* * * *
“Well, well, well. You certainly have the look of someone who got some good lovin’ last night.”
Holly blinked at her friend Kara Summers, her hand automatically covering her neck as she slid into her seat at the small Indian bistro in Virginia Beach.
As usual during lunch time, the restaurant was crowded. The smell of curried lamb permeated the air and the spicy, sweet scent of cuisine hot from the stove made her stomach growl with awareness.
Blood rushed to her cheeks, hunger and mortification foremost in her mind, and she pulled at the collar around her neck to hide the embarrassing mark.
She’d damned near used an entire bottle of foundation trying to hide the monster hickey. At work she’d sneaked around, avoiding everyone because she was afraid it would show and she was glad she had. Love-bites were a definite no-no in uniform.
“Can you see it?”
Kara laughed. “Girl, no amount of concealer is going to cover that thang’. You look like you went a few rounds with Dracula.”
>
Shaking her head and slanting her eyes at Kara, Holly distinctly remembered the how and when of the dubious blood drawn wound.
Scott had cornered her in the kitchen just before he left. She thought he meant to kiss her good-bye, but before she knew what was happening, his cock was inside her, ramming her against the wall faster and harder than her head could spin. She’d been so caught up, she hadn’t even felt his mouth sucking deeply on her skin. When she’d recovered enough to drag herself upstairs, the huge mark on her neck stood out like well-earned badge of love.
“Okay, my guess is Richard’s a little too staid for all that. So I’m thinking it has to be someone else.”
Kara’s intuitive perceptiveness was almost scary. She didn’t expect less from a woman who worked with some of the most dangerous men and women on earth. As an experimental psychologist with a specialization in criminology, Kara had a knack for deciphering the mind.
Still, Holly thought, being a psychiatrist herself she wasn’t going to be so easily read. “Why would you say it isn’t Richard?”
“Because he’s a stick in the mud and from what I’ve gathered of him, he would rather be sucked than do the sucking himself.”
Crass but very true. Holly had to agree and she shook her head slowly. “No, it wasn’t him.”
Kara rubbed her hands together, leaning forward and snagging a piece of fry bread from the bowl sitting in the middle of the table, nibbling excitedly. “Oh man, please tell, and don’t leave out any details. The well’s been a bit dry lately and I need all the excitement I can get.”
“I don’t think I can do that.”
“Why not? We are friends, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
“And friends share, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t…”
“So, don’t leave me in suspense! Tell me!”
Holly chuckled, fingering the menu in front of her. Breathing deeply, she finally said in a rush, “Isleptwithapatient.”
“Did you say you slept with a patient?”
Exhaling a long-suffering sigh, she leaned back in her chair, swiping a hand across her brows. “Yes,” she answered.
Operation Love Page 21