by Sandra Owens
“No shit. So I stopped by to bring Nichole lunch before I headed to my doctor’s appointment, which I’m going to miss now. Your wife isn’t going to be happy about that.” He told Deke what had happened between him and Gregory. “I don’t like the dude, but I hope he’s okay.”
“Let’s find out.” After making a phone call, Deke said, “My partner is checking with the hospital now and will get back to me. Nichole needs to get a restraining order on her ex.”
“She’s filed for one. I guess she has to wait for a hearing now.”
“Good. The court hearing happens pretty fast after a restraining order is filed.” Deke’s phone buzzed. “Matthews here.” He listened, then, “Thanks. I’ll be back at the station shortly.”
“Well?” Jack asked.
“He’s fine, just raising a stink, demanding you be arrested for assault. You need to watch your back with this guy, Jack.”
“I know, and I will. I’m more worried about Nichole.” A man who wouldn’t take no for an answer couldn’t be trusted, and he didn’t think she was taking the situation as seriously as she should.
“Might be a good idea not to go back in there today if you don’t want Mel tasering you.” Deke laughed like that was funny. It was not. “See you and Nichole Saturday.”
“Yeah, man. Looking forward to it.”
Now what was he supposed to do with his afternoon? He’d missed his doctor’s appointment, which was okay with him, but Heather wasn’t going to be pleased about that. He couldn’t go back inside and hang out with Nichole because he had no desire to get tasered. He thought about it, and then texted Nichole.
How about I take Rambo for the afternoon?
Why?
Some training.
Sure.
Great. Can you bring him out front?
Be right there.
“Sorry,” he said when she walked out. “Figured it probably wasn’t a good idea to show my face inside.”
“Mel tends to get carried away.” She handed him Rambo’s leash. “When Lane went for you, I thought you’d go all ninja warrior. Instead you bonked him with a cooler, and it ended before it started.”
“There were all kinds of ways I could have reacted, but I would have hurt him more than just knocking him out for a few minutes.”
She put her hand on his arm. “Lane doesn’t forget slights. He’s going to want revenge.”
“Probably.” He put his hand over hers. “I can take care of myself, Nichole. It’s you I’m worried about. What time are you leaving today?”
“Around six.”
“Okay. I’ll be back before then.”
“You’re a good man, Jack.” She lifted up on her toes and kissed him. “Not to mention sexy as all get-out.”
“I’m a lucky man,” he murmured after she walked back inside.
Chapter Fifteen
At Jack’s insistence, Nichole was back at his house. “I should be in my studio making pottery.”
He made a pouty face. “Poor Jack. Ranks second to mud.”
“It would sound better if you said clay.” She and Jack were sitting on his back deck, she nursing a glass of wine and he a beer. They’d grilled hamburgers for dinner, and after eating, they’d played with the dogs until both were worn out. The two were now sprawled out side by side. Rambo was out cold, but Dakota’s eyes were ever alert.
“Easier to feel sorry for myself when I’m compared to mud.”
That little boy smile of his charmed her every single time he used it on her. He was such a paradox. If she didn’t know it—hadn’t seen him in warrior mode—she would never be able to guess he was a SEAL. He was just so easygoing and cheerful.
His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Been waiting for this call.” He put the phone to his ear. “Jack Daniels here.”
As she listened to him, she realized he was talking about her brother and games. What was that about?
“He’s created a few of them,” Jack said. “Says the last one is the best. He showed it to me this morning. It looks pretty good to me, but what do I know about video games? Thought maybe you’d be willing to take a look at it.”
Her brother had created video games?
“Awesome. Thanks, man. I’ll give him your number, and you two can talk.”
“Who was that?” she asked after he disconnected.
“Clint Alba, the brother of one of my teammates. He’s apparently a big name in the video games industry.”
“I don’t understand. Mark has a game?” How did she not know that?
“He never told you?”
“Ah, no. I mean, I know he loves to play those things. When he was sick, they helped keep his mind occupied on something besides hospitals and stuff. But I didn’t have a clue he knew how to code or had created his own games.” She was sure going to ask him why he’d kept that a secret.
She set down her wine, and then crawled onto Jack’s lap, straddling his legs. “And you’re going to help connect him to someone with influence in the industry?”
“Yes, but it might not go anywhere. I meant it when I told Clint that I was impressed with the game, but video games aren’t my thing, so I really don’t know if Mark has something good.”
“You’re an awesome man, Jack Daniels.” Not only was he taking Mark with him to the service dog place in the mornings, but now this. She cupped his cheeks. “I think you need to be rewarded.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.” She lowered her mouth to his. Dear God, she loved kissing this man. When he slid his hands along her sides, then to the curves of her breasts, she slapped them away. “No, I’m in charge tonight. I need to show you my appreciation for being so awesome.”
His grin was wicked as he dropped his hands down to his sides. “Appreciate away then.”
“Oh, I plan to.” She had never taken over before when with a man. She’d never cared to. Sex was great, especially with a skilled lover, and she’d always been perfectly fine with the man calling the shots.
But...and it was a big one, one she’d never wanted or needed before. But she wanted to own this man who so easily laughed yet could morph into a warrior at the blink of an eye. He turned her on like no man before him. She wanted him begging for mercy because of her. His backyard was private, and it was getting dark, adding to their concealment.
“Take off your shirt,” she said, tugging on the hem.
“Yes, ma’am.” He wrapped his hands around hers, and together they got him bare-chested to her great satisfaction. Mama Mia and all the other exclamations her woman-sisters had ever shouted at seeing a picture-perfect male chest, stomach, and abs.
When he sneakily tried to slip fingers under her shirt—aiming for her breasts, she was sure—she slapped his hands away again. “For a man trained to obey orders, you’re doing a piss-poor job of it.”
He laughed. “You make it impossible to keep my hands to myself.”
“Try harder,” she said as she kissed a path from his mouth to his chest to his left nipple, the first one she came to. She swirled her tongue around it.
“Harder is happening without my even trying.” He rocked against her to prove his point. “See?”
Did she ever. “Forget see. I feel you.” She continued her trek down his body, and when she reached the waistband of his jeans, she said, “Can you get these off with me still wrapped around you like your favorite blanket?”
He actually growled. “Babe, I’m yours to command.” He stood, and holding her against him with his good arm, he toed off his shoes, and shucked his jeans and underwear in less than a minute.
“You’re a very talented man when it comes to clothing removal.”
“Ah, but I have you as a reward at the finish line.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, sucked his earlobe into her mouth, then nipped the lobe.
“Hell, Nichole,” he said, dropping heavily onto his chair. “Killing me here.”
“Don’t worry. I know CPR.” She settled over his lap again, and when he put his hands on her hips, she grabbed them and pressed them down on the chair arms. “No touching.”
“You’re a mean woman.”
“Oh, I think I can change your mind on that.” She pressed her mouth to his, his soft lips fitting to hers like puzzle pieces meant to be connected. When she stroked her tongue along the seam of his mouth, he opened. Chest to breasts, she could feel the hard thumps of his heart. She was doing that to him—making his heart race—and that knowledge spread warmth through her body.
Their tongues tangled, and she could taste the flavor of the malt beer—rich and tangy—he’d been drinking. Kissing Jack was potent, and pleasure streaked through her body. His scent surrounded her, his heat seeped into her skin, and her nerve endings suddenly felt electrified. Her body hummed as if a thousand bees buzzed under her skin.
“Nichole,” he murmured against her lips.
The need she heard in his voice fueled the flames already heating her blood. “I know,” she whispered. Her gaze traveled over his chest and stomach. As a SEAL, he had to stay in shape, and he was doing a fine job of it.
“I’m holding on by a thread here, baby. You keep looking at me like that, and these hands you won’t let touch you are going to disobey.”
“Then I’ll have to punish you.”
His eyes flamed with desire. “Promise?”
“Hush.” She put her mouth on his chest, hiding her smile. A man had never looked at her like that, as if she were the hottest thing to ever straddle his lap. It did wonders to a girl’s confidence.
She danced her fingers over his very perfect abs while swirling her tongue around his nipple. He jerked upward, pressing his erection against her belly, sending an aching need into the deepest part of her. She thought she would never tire of this man, and as much as she craved to feel him inside her, filling her, she wanted to give him a gift.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said when she dropped her knees to the wooden deck and curled her fingers around his shaft.
“I said to hush,” she said again.
He gave a strangled laugh. “Hushing now.”
Again smiling to herself with the knowledge that she was torturing him in a really good way, she licked her way from the bottom of his erection to the tip. He hissed, the sound coming from deep in his throat. I’m doing this amazing thing to him, she thought. It was not something she’d particularly enjoyed before him, but he could easily become her favorite snack. He tasted salty, like the sea, like something she could never get enough of.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw his hands grip the arms of the chair. He was close, and she lifted her gaze to his face. He was watching her, watching her tongue lapping on him. It was the hottest, the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. She firmed her lips, tightening them on him.
He put his hands on her head and tried to push her away. “I’m going to come.”
She swatted those annoying hands away. She wanted to know how he tasted when she was the one who’d brought him to this state. Lifting her head, she said, “Come in my mouth.” Then she wrapped her lips around him again.
“Baby,” he growled as he put a hand back on her head.
I know, she thought, swallowing his essence, visualizing that part of him settling in all the parts of her—her mind, her heart, her soul. It was true. She did know. They had something special. Did he feel it, too?
As the last of his tremors faded, Jack pulled Nichole up until she was eye level with him. “That was...” The words filing through his head—amazing, incredible, awesome—seemed inadequate. “Incredible,” he finally settled on. “You didn’t have to do that but thank you.”
“I know I didn’t. I wanted to.”
He kissed her and tasting himself on her mouth was sexy as hell. He wanted her plastered to him skin to skin, but she still had clothes on. That needed fixing. He put his hands on her waist and lifted her to her feet. “You have too many damn clothes on.”
A sexy smile curved her lips. Holding his gaze, she pulled her T-shirt over her head, tossing it on top of his, revealing a lacy white bra. “Leave it,” he said when she put her hands behind her back to unhook it.
Next were her shorts. His eyes tracked her movements as she slid them over her hips and down her legs, revealing white bikini panties that matched the bra. “Beautiful.” He should have had oxygen standing by.
“Leave those on, too.” He held out his hand. “Come here.”
She put her hand in his, and he pulled her to him. When she was straddling him again, he moved her hands to the chair arms. “Same rules for you, sweetheart. It’s my turn to play.” He chuckled at her scowl. “Like my Grammie says, ‘You get what you sow.’ Now, where should I start?”
He dipped a finger inside the edge of her bra. “I think here with this sexy piece of lace.”
Goose bumps rose on her skin in the wake of his fingers as he trailed them over the curve of her breast. Dropping his hand to her waist, he leaned forward and clenched the bit of lace edging the top of her bra between his teeth. He tugged it down, exposing her nipple.
“My prize,” he murmured, then swirled his tongue around the little bud, and then he sucked it into his mouth. Her breathy sigh was music to his ears, a love song that he could listen to over and over and over.
He reached behind her and unhooked the bra. The straps slid down her arms, and with her eyes focused on his, she removed it, tossed it aside, and then put her hands back on the arms of the chair.
“Carry on,” she said, lifting one hand in a royal wave, as if she were the queen commanding her subject.
“Yes, ma’am.” They grinned at each other, and in the playfulness between them and the silly grins, his heart did that twitchy thing again. Instead of being afraid of it like he had when it first started happening, he welcomed it. Surprised himself with how much he wanted more with her.
He trailed his fingertips down the valley of her breasts, over her stomach, then lower. “I need to taste you.” He slid a finger inside her, into her wet heat. “Here.”
“Yes, please,” she said, making him smile.
“Not an easy thing to do here.” He stood with her wrapped around him. “Bed.” Leaving their clothes scattered on the deck, he carried her inside. Both dogs followed them in, and once again, he closed the bedroom door, keeping them out.
He lowered her until she was sitting on the edge of the bed, and then pulled a pillow behind her. “Lie back and spread those sexy legs for me.”
When she hesitated, he sat next to her, slid his hand around the back of her neck, and lowered his mouth to hers. He’d seen the shyness in her eyes and the pink blush in her cheeks, had understood. He was a man. He had no qualms about walking around naked. Pink wouldn’t color his cheeks if she told him to spread his legs for her. He would eagerly comply.
Women were different, though. They were shy about their bodies and their sexuality. At least that had been his experience. He’d never understand why that was. Women and their bodies were beautiful things to behold.
He peppered kisses over her skin as he worked his way down her body, her tense muscles relaxing under his touch. Reaching his goal, he slid off the bed to his knees. His gaze hungrily roamed over her.
“So beautiful.”
He put his hands on her thighs and set his mouth on her, his tongue relentlessly stroking that secret spot until she was panting and begging for more. She bucked against his mouth, shattering as she cried out his name. Desire crashed through him with the force of an out of control train barreling down the tracks sans brakes.
“Need you, baby. Now.” He pushed up, and after grabbing a condom from the nightstand, he rolled it on, and then stretched out next to her.
“Hi,” she said with a dreamy smile on her face.
“Hi,” he answered, smiling back as he trailed his knuckles over the soft skin of her cheek.
There was something deeply intimate in this silent moment between them, a shared connection, one that he’d never felt before. And he knew. This was a girl that he could fall in love with, who he could cherish until his dying day.
“Nichole,” he reverently whispered. A minute ago, he’d been so lust-filled and on the edge that he’d been ready to slam into her, taking her hard and fast. Something had changed in that shared moment, in their exchange of smiles. Now he needed to worship her, show her without words what was in his heart.
He cradled her neck, pulling her mouth to his, brushing his lips over hers. He draped his leg over her thigh, put his hand on her hip, and pulled her close to him, skin to skin, until there was no space between them.
Her body melted into his, and he slowly entered her. When they were face to face, chest to breast, heartbeat to heartbeat, he sighed from the contentment and pure pleasure of finding a home in her. She answered his sigh with one of her own, and happiness filled him from the knowledge that she too was feeling this thing between them.
“Nichole,” he said again as he truly made love to a woman for the first time in his life.
Time seemed to float away, so lost was he in her body, in the scent and touch of her. Her gentle hands explored every inch of him, as if she were learning him. She didn’t shy away from his scars, and the caress of her fingers over his damaged skin brought a sting to his eyes. He closed them, afraid she would see his tears and not understand. He wasn’t sure he understood why he felt like crying.
Maybe because before now he hadn’t believed he could ever be this happy.
As much as he wanted to make love to her like this all night, he was nearing the edge, his release building to the point of no return. It seemed imperative that they share this moment.