Hell, practice makes perfect.
My heart sinks and a lump forms in my throat. Practice for what? For one final great bang at the end of this year?
Squeezing my eyes shut, I recall how much he opened up to me. And how I broke down in tears in front of him. I pull a sundress over my head then rub my palm against the center of my chest to chase away the ache forming. I hadn’t meant to tell him so much, but everything just flowed out naturally. I showed him a part of me, the part of me I keep hidden, and he didn’t judge.
I tiptoe out of the bedroom, careful not to wake Tony, and head into the kitchen to burn off some of that energy by making breakfast. After rummaging around in the refrigerator, I pull out onions, garlic, eggs, chorizo, jalapeños, and some sharp cheddar. I grab a pan from the cabinet, place it on the stove, add some oil, and wait for it to heat up. When enough time has passed, I slide the onions, garlic, and jalapeños into the hot oil and smile when they start sizzling but not crackling. The perfect temperature. My precise timing gives me a little twinge of pride. I slide the chorizo into the pan and start breaking it up with my spoon.
When the fragrant aroma of sausage and garlic fills the air, my husband stumbles in, rubbing his eyes.
“You’re up,” I say.
A wide smile spreads across my face as he makes his way over to me and pulls me into him. After pressing a quick kiss to my forehead, he pours himself a cup of coffee. “Need a refill?”
I shake my head. “I’m good, still got half a cup.”
He fills his own mug, takes out the half-and-half from the fridge, and adds some before sitting at the table. There’s an easiness between us now that wasn’t there before he left. I smile. Look at us, the picture of domestication. I turn back to the pan and stir the contents. When he mentioned his family last night, I wanted to learn more about them. “So, you said sisters last night. How many do you have?”
He blows on his coffee. “Four. Nessa, who does motocross. Danni and Julianna run the family contracting business. And finally, Alexandra, who is a firefighter.”
The chorizo is almost done so I take out the eggs and crack them into a bowl. I whip them with a fork and add a tiny bit of cream to making them smoother. Once the yolks and whites are all blended, I pour it into the pan and wait for the underneath to cook before I start breaking them up too much. Most people mix them right away, but waiting a little will allow the eggs to get fluffier.
He smiles. “You cook, you do search and rescue, and you’re the damned sexiest woman I’ve ever known. Are you hiding anything embarrassing or are you just a superhero in disguise?”
I chuckle. I never thought of myself as a superhero, but I am definitely a catch. “In high school I was in choir. It was one of the few things that kept me sane in an all-girls Catholic school. Now I mostly belt it out at karaoke nights. Like the one night we went.”
I pull out another pan to start heating tortillas and set the flame to low, so they don’t burn. Tony grabs some plates, piles condiments, napkins, and utensils, and brings them over to the table before sitting back down. “Well, we can always go singing again. You were very good at it. And thank you for making breakfast. I love chorizo and huevos.”
The corners of my mouth turn up into a wide smile as I shovel the eggs, tortillas, and chorizo onto serving plates and bring them to the table. I actually had a lot of fun seducing my husband that night and would gladly do it again.
Tony takes a quick bite before sipping at his coffee. A soft sigh escapes his lips when he returns the mug to the table and eats another bite. “Amazing.”
I shrug, way more pleased than I should be. The next couple of minutes we spend eating in companionable silence. When Tony finishes, he shakes his head. “Inara, that was so freaking good.”
I push back my plate, my stomach full and satisfied. “Thanks, I’m glad you liked it. I like cooking for you.”
“And I like when you cook for me. And when I cook for you. I especially like when we cook together.”
Across the table, our eyes meet. The room grows warmer. I’m pretty sure neither of us is thinking about cooking anymore. At least, not the kind you do on a stove.
I’m seconds away from jumping up and dragging him to the bedroom so I can have my way with him when he beats me to the punch. He bounds from his chair, pulls me to my feet, and leads me through the back of the house to the sliding door. The next thing I know, he’s turned me around so my back is pressed up against the glass. He doesn’t say a word. He just starts sliding the strap of my sundress down. He kisses along the curve of my breast and suddenly yanks the top part down. A deep moan escapes me that probably carries across to all the nearby yards. I look around. Yeah, my yard is surrounded by a fence, but if any neighbors are watering their plants or hanging out on their balconies, they can see us, clear as day. The idea we could be caught is thrilling.
Tony drops down on his knees in front of me and slides his hands up my long legs until he gets to my panties. He hooks his fingers into each side and slips them down with ease. I lift my legs one at a time so he can take them completely off. As I go to put my left leg back down, he places his big, rough hand on my thigh and pushes it open and up.
“I’m going to need you wide open for this.”
He starts trailing his tongue across my thigh, and my heart races. My breath speeds up. God, I’m so wet thinking about what we’re doing, what he’s about to do to me.
Before I know it, his mouth is against my pussy, and his tongue slips out to flick my clit. I let out another moan and push my hips into his face. He moves his hands to grab my ass and I keep grinding farther into him. As he moves his tongue, his nose brushes along my clit and the soft sensation causes an electrical storm within me, a bolt of sensation shooting up my spine as the hairs on my arms stand on end. He starts to hum softly while he tongues me and it’s as if his face is a gentle vibrator.
“Tony. Oh my God.” I reach down and place my hand on his smooth head and guide his rhythm. He starts to slow down, tracing circles around my clit, and the motion makes me shake. I’m so close to coming, but I don’t want it to end yet.
His left hand moves from my ass and slides back down to my thigh. His tongue digs deeper into me, and I push into his face, moaning and whispering his name. I move my hand from his head to my nipple and twist and pinch it, making myself hotter. His left hand moves again and, before I can prepare myself, he pushes one finger into my pussy and I almost collapse onto his face.
“Oh my God!” My voice echoes through the room. I can’t believe he’s going down on me in the middle of the day against the patio door. He slides in a second finger and I whimper in pleasure.
“That’s it,” he says against me and starts working both fingers in and out of me as he sucks my clit.
I keep grinding into him, mewling and gasping for air as I slide down the other dress strap. I lift my other breast from my bra and pinch both nipples at once. Tony continues alternating between sucking my clit and circling it. He pushes his fingers in and out of me, and I’m grateful for how big his hands are and how long his fingers are.
“Oh, God, Tony, yes, yes, yes!” I push into him and Tony sucks my clit quickly and pumps his fingers in and out as I ride his face into a sublime orgasm.
When I start to come back, my body slumping as it relaxes, Tony sets my leg down and stands, while keeping a hand on my hip to support my weight. He helps me pull my bra back up and lift my straps. I close my eyes as I lean my head back against the cool glass in ecstasy.
He leans in and kisses me, and I love that I can taste myself on his lips. “Hope this time I was able to satisfy my wife.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Tony
A cool breeze rustles in, smelling of sand, salt, and the hint of seaweed. The sun is high in the sky and burns down into my skin. The heat courses through my body. I lift the beer bottle to my lips. The bubbles pour out into my mouth and fizzle. Nothing like an ice-cold one on a sunny day while we watch the wav
es roll in, a buzz moving through my body. I haven’t had an afternoon off like this in a while to just hang out with the guys. Craiger and Bear sit next to me on the beach while Jim and Graves are in the water surfing. I can’t stop chuckling every time Jim looks over at Graves and pushing ahead of him as they paddle toward a set of waves. Each time our newest teammate slips ahead, Jim rushes forward in competition. Those two have been getting along better, but it’s clear Jim hasn’t fully accepted the guy. After Lux’s death, it’s only natural to fight against his childhood friend’s replacement, as it’s a constant reminder Lux is gone.
I lift my beer can to my mouth again and look around. In front of us is a family. The toddler runs forward, stumbling on the sand. Her mother lifts her back up before making sure she’s all right. I try to imagine myself being here with my own little family. A trio of tiny little kids running around, maybe eating paletas as the waves tumble and foam. Would it be Inara next to me, racing after the little ones to check if they’re okay with each fall? We haven’t even talked about having children, but it’s only her face in the mirage in front of me. My mouth spreads into a grin and I purse my lips to try to hide it from Bear and Craiger. The daydream is getting to me and I don’t want them to see the crushing giddy fool I’m becoming.
I go still a moment later. Hold up. Since when did the thought of having kids not prompt me to break out in psychological hives? Yeah, I might not have children of my own, but I’d already raised plenty in the form of my siblings and the idea of inflicting the kind of pain I’d experienced when Mamá died is still horrifying. Has a few months of being with Inara changed my outlook that much already? I gaze at the horizon, unsure what to make of this new daydream. Having fleeting thoughts of a family when I’m deployed and worried no one will be around to miss me is one thing. Actively thinking about the possibility of kids with Inara is in a whole different ballpark.
For the life of me, I can’t tell if I should be happy or terrified.
My head tilts up and my gaze focuses on Craiger and Bear, who are both transfixed with the phones resting in their hands. I don’t know that I’m ready to share with them how I really feel about Inara. They would probably be supportive, but I’m not ready to acknowledge I want this to become more. I don’t even know if Inara and I are on the same page. Frankly, the idea that we aren’t is scary. Way more terrifying than facing down an enemy in a country looking to kill us all.
Bear points his chin in the direction of the cooler that I have my elbow resting on. “Toss me another one.”
I open the lid and the coolness that escapes coats my face. I reach in, my hand swimming in ice water, and pull out another beer. I throw it at Bear and he catches it with one hand.
“You too?” I ask, meeting eyes with Craiger. He nods and lifts his gaze from his phone in his hand. I throw one his way and he barely catches it.
Craiger unzips the tiny pocket in the front of his backpack and slides his phone into it. “Was talking to Lisa about scheduling a parent-teacher conference. It’s impossible to get our schedules to line up.”
“Can’t believe Mason is finally in first grade. He’s getting so big.” Bear cracks open his beer and a noticeable tsk escapes the can just before he brings it to his lips to catch the overflow.
“And his school’s getting pretty serious. He has homework. It’s crazy,” Craiger says.
I glance back over toward the water where the sun reflects off the breaking waves. Jim and Graves are walking slowly back in from surfing. When they make it over to us, they set their boards down on the sand next to the cooler before both reach in and pull out a beer.
“How was the water?” I ask.
Graves responds first. “Waves are coming in steady. Good day to be surfing.”
Jim nods in agreement before taking a swig of his beer. I take my phone from my pocket and open up the web browser. The picture of the ring on the screen looks beautiful. I hope Inara will like it.
Of course, while I’m lost in thought, Jim pops his head over my shoulder and whistles. “Wow, I didn’t know you’d gotten into sparkly jewelry. What’s next, you gonna pierce your ears?”
“Very funny, smart-ass. It’s not for me.” The stupidity of my comment sinks in as there’s no way in hell Jim thought I was looking at the ring for myself. Nosy bastard.
He peers at the image again, a white-gold band with a halo of tiny diamonds. It’s a simple design, but the diamonds are all high quality. Jim lifts an eyebrow and takes a chug from his beer, a smile peeking out from around the can. “That’s quite a wedding band.”
The knowing tone of his voice makes blood rush to my face. I hit the button to turn my screen off. “Part of a deal from when I first moved in. She wanted to call it quits, so I agreed to get her a better ring.” Jim doesn’t need to know that she hadn’t brought the ring up again since that first time. If he did, there’d be no end to the needling he’d give me.
I shove my phone back in my pocket.
A strong breeze comes and knocks a bit of sand into my face, which points out that even the universe doesn’t believe the bullshit coming out of my mouth right now. Hell, my stomach does flips when I think of her and my hands tremble at the idea of touching her body. She makes me feel young again, like I’m in high school.
I’ll be the first to admit it’s scary as hell.
I take a few gulps from my beer and wait for the subject to pass, but the guys are all smiling at one another.
“Just need this to work for a year so that Redding doesn’t fuck me over and ruin my chances at getting into OCS.” I shake my head. I can’t believe I put my career on the line. Not that it’s turned out so bad. But if Redding even gets a hint that something is amiss, I might as well kiss my aspirations goodbye. Not to mention I’m ready to move on to the next stage. I am ready for more responsibility. I want to show everyone I’m capable of guiding others and being someone they can follow.
Bear rubs his beard while Jim sits up straighter. “Redding gave me shit too. Doesn’t want to look bad. His ass is on the line just as much as yours.”
Craiger looks at me. “Does Inara know about the threat?”
I nod and take a swig of my beer. “It’s why she agreed not to run to the committee the first day I moved in.”
I should be thanking my wife for putting up with my ass. From the beginning she’s worked harder than me. She’s done everything she could do to make sure it looks like we’re both really trying.
Jim stands and picks up his surfboard. “Gonna try to catch a few more waves before I get too hungry.”
“Yeah, I’m going to do the same.” Graves grabs his board and runs after Jim, who grunts a bit too loud before he picks up his pace.
My stomach rumbles, so I dig in my backpack for some tortilla chips and a container of fish ceviche my mother-in-law made. There’s nothing like eating fresh fish on the beach. The lime brings out the meatiness of the sole. She added huge chunks of avocado, which I love. I start dipping chips in and I don’t offer any to the other guys because it’s just too damn good. I get little bites of fresh garlic and red onion in each chip. There’s so much flavor in this ceviche my mouth can’t handle it.
As I’m shoveling chip after chip into my mouth, my gaze falls to a group of women walking with surfboards. Bear puts his hand over his eyes to block the light and glances over in the same direction before looking over at the food in my hand and his lips part just barely.
“Don’t think about asking. This is mine. I’m sure Marge made something for you.”
Bear snarls and starts digging around in his bag. He whips out a PB&J sandwich from its stained the plastic bag. I pick up another chip and bite into it slowly, adding a moan for good measure.
Craiger laughs, then turns his attention back to the group of women. While I’m admiring the surfers’ skills as they ride the waves, I spot Bear’s big hand reach over out of the corner of my eye. Before I can react he grabs a chunk of fish and tosses it into his mouth. Once he swallows h
e smiles wide. “You were right. Totally delicious.”
I grunt and move away from him so he doesn’t have another chance to steal any more. He scowls at his pathetic mashed sandwich while I eat like a king. Yes, in that moment, with a ring looming on my phone and a lunch made especially for me, I feel like a fucking king. Like anything’s possible.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Inara
My tortoise trudges along on the hardwood floor and makes his way over to his bowl by the dining room table, where I’ve just placed a bunch of chopped lettuce and shredded carrots. My cheeks lift as my mouth spreads into a grin. Simon is so adorable when tries to hurry over to his food. I scooch closer to him and give his shell a pat while he eats. My own stomach rumbles, so I get up and head over to the kitchen. I open the pantry and move around some boxes of snacks until I find the old pickle jar I keep pistachio nuts in. I love buying bulk when I can. On all the shelves are rows and rows of old pickle jars and mayo jars I have used for storing rice, beans, tea, and other things.
Tony’s in the shower and I’m crunching away on pistachios when a loud ringing shocks me. I jump and almost drop the jar of pistachios. Tony and I have had many arguments about how loud his ringtone is. I rush over to the living room to silence the evil jingle that’s threatening to live in my brain for the next three days when my gaze lands on the bright light of the screen. A picture of Tony and a man that looks like an older version of my husband illuminates. The caller ID displays Apá. My heart jumps and I hold the phone closer to my face. If his dad is calling, it could be an emergency, so I quickly answer the call. “Hello?”
“Hello.” The man on the other end sounds about the same way that I do. “This is Tony’s dad. Who’s this?”
Matched (Navy Seals of Little Creek Book 2) Page 17