SEALed With A Kiss: Heroes With Heart

by Low, Gennita

  Luke drove out Bennett Valley Road, enjoying the vineyards flipping by like cards being shuffled. The leaves were lush and green, some of the dark fruit hanging visible in their shade. He’d always wanted to spend time in the wine country. Something about it made him feel at home.

  He turned left onto a gravel driveway. Nearly a half mile later, he could see a beautiful, contemporary home taking form. The structure rose from the ground like a giant, wooden crystal. The lines of the house extended in several directions, with large second story windows overlooking the vineyards and tops of golden hills surrounding the valley floor. The roof was made of a dark green metal like he’d seen in snow country. The outside was still papered in white construction membrane.

  Nick greeted him, shirtless and tanned. Luke thought he looked good. He’d have to say happy. He knew what a rough tour Nick had as well, and that he was sitting out the next rotation, just as Luke had considered.

  “Great to see you, man.” Nick said as he completed their man-hug and backslapping.

  “You, too. Look at this place,” Luke said as he whistled, examining the unusual two-story structure.

  A dark-haired beauty in jeans walked outside, removing her pink gloves, dirt smudged on her cheeks she wore a white T-shirt so big that it fell off one shoulder. With a commanding voice, she extended her hand to him. “Hi, I’m Devon. Welcome.”

  Luke noticed how quickly Devon wrapped her arms around Nick’s waist and let him pull her close. He was pleased to see his former teammate so happy and settled. It was one of the things he wanted to discuss with his buddy, if time permitted.

  “So, show me around,” Luke said.

  “Well, this was my sister’s nursery.” Nick’s jaw flickered, like he was gritting his teeth. It had only been a few months since his sister’s death. “Sucked as a nursery, but she sure as hell got the location right.”

  Luke examined the golden oak tree-studded hills, the gentle breeze blowing over the tops of the grape vines over the fence, making a whirring sound he found very peaceful. Rock walls bordered a rose garden and a vegetable garden. Sunlight flooded from the sky as it retreated for its nightly rest behind the golden hills.

  Luke walked into a huge great room two stories tall. The light inside the house was warm, coming from more than thirty windows. He walked on a polished concrete floor that looked like granite. Everywhere he looked there was an eclectic blend of furniture, including pieces from India and Africa, as well as carpeting from the Middle East. The place was ablaze in color.

  “This is incredible!” Luke said, stunned at the imaginative display. “I’ve never been in a house that felt so much like a place of worship.” He noticed how his voice echoed against the windows, the flooring and large pieces of furniture.

  “Yeah, it really is a special place,” Nick answered. “Sophie would have loved it.”

  “I think she still does,” Devon said with a whisper to the ceiling. “I think she still comes here and watches us transform this house into the showplace she always wanted.”

  Devon and Nick shared a moment between them, followed by a chaste kiss. Nick nodded as he rubbed his thumb over Devon’s lower lip. He turned to Luke. “I’m really happy here. Not sure I want to go back.”

  Luke understood this. Devon slipped away to the kitchen.

  “Been thinking the same thing, Nick. I’ve got some demons, and they’re keeping me up at night. I have trouble focusing.”

  “Yup.” Nick pointed to a black leather couch covered in several quilts, where Luke took a seat.

  “So, you’re getting some help?”

  Luke nodded. “It’s the sleep, mainly. It’s better, but I still have trouble with that. I know that’s no good.”

  “I sleep like a baby now. Of course, I have to let them know my plans in the next sixty days. And right now,” he looked over at Devon, “I’m not sure what it’ll be. Devon makes good money as a realtor. I’m sure I could get work up here, maybe do something medical.”

  “I’ve thought the same thing. Don’t you worry you’d miss it?”

  “Yes, I do. It was the only thing I wanted to do for so long. Not sure I’d be good at much else, you know?” Luke felt Nick’s eyes bore into him, as if Luke had the answer to his buddy’s question.

  “I keep asking myself if I should get out before things get really bad, or if I can get patched up to go back out there in the arena. Our work isn’t done, you know.”

  “Roger that,” Nick said nodding. “They need us now more than ever.”

  “Then I guess I better quit complaining and get myself healed, right?” Luke smiled and was grateful Nick took the joke.

  “You got someone good you can hold onto?”

  Luke hesitated. “Not sure,” he whispered to the ground.

  “Okay, I got beers. You’re staying for dinner, hear?” Devon handed Luke a long-neck microbrew, then handed one to Nick, sealing it with a kiss before heading off to the kitchen before anyone could object.

  “The boss has spoken. I’ve seen her angry, and man, you do not want to get her within a hundred yards of a baseball bat when she’s angry,” Nick said chuckling.

  “I heard about that bat incident.”

  “Shit,” Nick said as he shook his head. “I’m just glad the police got there in time.”

  Devon had stopped Nick from murdering the man who had murdered his sister, by the simple expedient of threatening to bash his head in with a baseball bat. It had been the sole topic of discussion for months among Team members.

  “I note that you’re avoiding my question,” Nick stated.

  “I have a lady I’ve met. Shoot, Nick, I’ve only known her a little longer than thirty days. But she’s the younger sister to the guy Stephanie is marrying. We’re actually going to be family, know what I mean?”

  “Like kissing cousins.”

  “I’m afraid it’s gone a little further than that.”

  Nick sat back on the couch and took another long drag on his beer. “And?”

  “I’m not sure I have anything to give her, in my current mental state, Nick. I don’t want to cause her any pain.”

  “Since when is falling in love painless?”

  They both laughed.

  Nick started slowly. “Well, I’m going to tell you what my sister told Devon. She said to give me a chance to show her my decent side. Just give me a chance.”

  Both men looked down at their feet.

  “You let her decide whether it’s right for her, but you take the chance if she’s giving it to you. Take the chance, Luke. Don’t force it, just let it happen. If she wants to give you a shot, then you just let her do it.” He flashed Luke that green-eyed smile he was famous for. “Besides, Luke. You do know that the woman always chooses, don’t you?”

  Luke was puzzled.

  Nick continued, “Oh yeah, we think we’re in control. But it’s the woman who decides on us, not the other way around. Didn’t your mama ever tell you that?”

  Chapter Twelve

  ‡

  Julie really didn’t have a million errands to run, but she wanted to stay away from Luke, just to see if he’d take the initiative and contact her. She thought he would, but she wasn’t going to pin her hopes on it, just in case.

  She’d gotten her heart broken before with a soldier she thought was available to give her everything he had, but had been mistaken. And, looking back on it, she could see she should have known his actions didn’t quite live up to his words. She had been so in love with being in love, she didn’t look too carefully at what was beneath the surface.

  She wasn’t going to make the same mistake this time. Though she longed to pick up her phone and text or call him, she was going to resist the temptation. She’d go to the wedding, even if he never called her back, and try to put her blood spatter apron on and deal with it, deal with being in close proximity. She wasn’t going to let him think it affected her in the slightest.

  But inside, the slow rolling burn in her belly, the way
she craved his kisses and caresses, the voice rumbling in his chest as he pressed himself against her, those were things she already missed so badly she felt almost hollow. And she knew that wasn’t good enough. She’d be excising him with a dull knife, but she could do it. She’d done it before and she could do it again. She just wished she could will herself not to fall for him. But she already had.

  Julie wondered why she had such a strong reaction to the loving arms he gave her. Was there a need to protect him, to take care of him, or was it something else, something that wasn’t healthy? She’d heard about co-dependency. Was she doing that? Was she imagining things that didn’t exist? Was he merely a fantasy guy?

  So that’s the steel resolve she’d work on this week. She’d occupy herself with everything else she needed to do for the wedding. Help her parents care for houseguests, and the relatives from Germany and Norway who would arrive tomorrow. Time enough for Luke later on.

  She laughed at what she’d told him that night a month ago. “I like entangled.” Yes, that was the truth.

  But, in this case, was that what he needed? It was more than getting him to want to be with her, he’d already told her that. It was whether or not it was an honest, equal relationship. She didn’t want a hookup. She didn’t want to play house or erotic lovers. Being someone’s fuck puppet wasn’t her idea of fun. She’d never been that way. She was out for the real thing. Dared she hope this could be it? Was this guy too damaged, or was her need to save him clouding her vision?

  She shook her head and spent the afternoon going over lists of To Do items at her mother’s house.

  “You’ve been kind of quiet today, Julie. Everything all right?” Her mother had radar that could spot an earthquake a year in advance.

  “You know how it is, Mom. End of school. Everything is rushed to get the grades posted, get the room packed down.” She didn’t want to mention the problem parents. Every year there were problem parents, but not to this level. It had to remain a secret or her mom would start digging until she wiggled it out of her.

  “Right. I remember those days.” Her mom had been a teacher as well.

  Her mother prepared another green tea for both of them and then sat down again. “Colin’s friend is nice,” she said, looking over her mug at her daughter.

  She knew exactly who her mother meant. But she decided to play dumb.

  “Which one?”

  “You know, the one with the big chest,” her mother smiled and looked down at her tea demurely. “The one you couldn’t stop looking at all night last night.”

  They stared into each other’s eyes. Her mother didn’t flinch, but her sweet smile was warming and non-judgmental. The unspoken suggestion that a man like that would be able to protect and take care of her hit Julie like a furnace blast. In addition to having great intuition, her mother was rarely as subtle as she thought she was.

  “I’m guessing you and Dad have also talked about this,” Julie said as she sipped her tea.

  “Oh, dear, your dad loves war heroes. He said that, in addition to being very handsome, the young man is extremely intelligent.”

  Julie decided to prepare them for a less-than-perfect outcome, to be realistic. “Mom, he’s not ready to settle down, and frankly, neither am I.”

  “But how convenient you both live in San Diego, where you could see each other occasionally,” her mother persisted.

  “Well—” She was going to lie to her mother and then thought better about it. “Of course, we might run into one another.”

  That was putting it mildly. They’d run into each other, all right, and the sparks were still flying. She closed her eyes as she sipped her tea. She felt her mother watching her with the unerring eye of an experienced police detective.

  Julie didn’t care.

  On the way home, Julie got the call she’d been wishing for all day.

  “Hi there, Luke. You get some rest?”

  “I did, as a matter of fact.”

  “Good.”

  Julie squeezed the steering wheel and turned up the car speaker volume. She could hear his heavy breathing and some music in the background. She guessed he was calling from a restaurant or bar.

  “I just called to say thank you for this morning. It was very nice.”

  “You’re welcome.” She was careful not to put anything in there she’d regret later, in case this was the call that could go quickly the other direction from what she was hoping.

  “I slept really hard, even with the drapes open.”

  “Wow. I can’t do that,” Julie answered truthfully.

  “I was wondering if you’d be open to having coffee with me?”

  “Coffee?”

  “Um hum.” He said.

  “Like breakfast this morning?”

  His chesty grumble was sexy as hell. “Something like that,” he whispered so softly that her spine tingled.

  “I’m on my way to my temporary home-away-from-home. I can make you some coffee there, if you like.”

  “I’d like.”

  She gave him the address of the cottage. “Behind the main house, just drive past the open iron gate. You can park up front since the owners are out of the country, and I have barely enough room for my car.”

  When she drove up the gravel driveway, Luke’s Mustang was already outside the main house garage. He was leaning against the car, legs crossed at the ankles, his blue jeans generously endowed in the front, emphasizing his package. His thighs were easily the size of her waist but the physique under the tucked-in black tee shirt stretched tight across his chest made her panties wet.

  And now she could see him following her car in the rear view mirror, just like she was honey and he was the bee. She stopped the car and turned off the ignition. The confident trajectory as he came toward her was making her pant with anticipation.

  The niggling worries racing around her head were instantly silenced when he hauled her up out of the car, threw his arms around her waist, brought her tight against his abdomen, and covered her mouth with his. He was as dangerously delicious as he had been that very first night, and perhaps more so now that she knew what those muscles, those hands and those hips could dish out.

  “I wasn’t sure this was going to be okay with you,” he whispered.

  She leaned back, staring at the big, green third eye between his bushy eyebrows. “I’m making you coffee. What did you think?” She tried not to smile but couldn’t help it. He lifted her up by the waist as she threw her arms around his neck, wrapped her thighs around his hips and let him carry her to the front door.

  “I’ve been thinking about all the things I’ve wanted to do with you the last thirty days. Just not sure where to start.”

  She felt his hot lips on her neck as she threw her head back and savored his hunger. Yes, she needed this. Even if it the timing was wrong, she needed this tonight, just like she’d needed it on the beach that night, and this morning. It wasn’t the sex as much as his strength. He wasn’t afraid to claim what he wanted, show her what he wanted, unlike some of the metrosexual males she’d dated and endured fastidious movies or dinners with. This guy was all muscle, all about getting to the bottom, the basics of things, who fucked like it was the last day on earth and liked taking and then asking for forgiveness afterwards. She’d known guys like Luke were out there, she just had never met one until that night.

  And here he was again, asking for more.

  Their kisses were urgent and deep. She sucked at his tongue, needing everything he had inside her, filling her to capacity. He tasted salty and musky, but there was something fresh and exciting about him, like the taste of his mouth on hers would cause her to crave him more, the more she kissed him.

  He was serious sexual candy of the yummy, dangerous kind. When he groaned into her ear and whispered her name, “Julie, Julie, Julie,” she came completely undone. Bones to rubber, flesh upon tingling flesh, his sexy rumble as he penetrated deep inside her mouth, invading her there like a conquering army.


  She slithered down his torso to unlock the door and walked backwards, watching the delicious creature facing her come stalking toward her in the moonlight. She was through with being careful, appropriate and considerate. She wanted to be loved by someone who was used to loving hard. Loving possessed. Claiming every cell in her body.

  He allowed her to stay just out of arm’s reach while she removed layers of her clothes, until she stood next to the double bed with nothing on but her underwear. He didn’t touch her, but gazed, looking at the spot between her legs as if it belonged to him, licking his lips and examining her breasts and her lips as he slid his pants down and tore off his tee shirt. His chest was heaving. The dark stubble on his face framed lips that mated in a thin line as he licked them again, and smiled.

  “Coffee?” she asked, feeling a bit naughty.

  “Later. Much later,” he growled.

  The next instant he was on his knees, pulling the panties to the side urgently, whispering his approval as his mouth found her sex and swiped his, hot sandpaper tongue over her sensitive lips, pressing onto her nub. He sucked as she felt her body respond to his kiss, his pull at her puckered core, plump and ripe from the lovemaking of earlier this morning. Her need and ache were such that she grabbed his shoulders and then ran her nails down his back. He deftly placed his palm under her knee and lifted one leg up over his shoulder and lunged into her deeper, which sent her backward, falling into the bed.

  She laughed at his play. He climbed on top of her, holding himself with his massive arms in a straight, full-body pushup without touching her anywhere. But there was no mistaking the feel of his heat radiating down, covering her quivering nakedness.

  “You like things a little rough, Julie?” he asked, holding himself back.