SEAL'd Shut (A Navy SEAL Standalone Romance Novel)

by Ivy Jordan

  Theo loosened his grip from my hips and took a step back. His steely blue eyes widened as he spoke. “Then tell me what it is,” he said softly, gently, with sincerity.

  “You’re a bartender, a musician. You’re surrounded by women all the time, women who want you, who throw their bodies at you,” I replied as gently as possible.

  “I told you, Willow. All musicians aren’t alike. You have to trust me,” he pleaded, his eyes honest and pure. I wanted to trust him. Oh God, how I wanted to trust him.

  His lips curled into a smile, that crooked, charming smile I couldn’t resist. “The last sexy guitarist who said that to me ripped my heart out,” I admitted.

  I couldn’t stand there, looking at him, having him look at me one moment longer. I knew I’d cave. I walked towards the bathroom, making sure to avoid getting too close to Theo for him to grab me. “You think I’m sexy?” he called out. Oh God!

  Chapter Six

  It had been over a week since Theo made his move on me, and luckily, we’d both been too busy with work to have too much time alone. He was still flirting every chance he got, but with our schedules out of sync, he was limited to a few comments, a sexy glance, or quick grab at my waist as I left for a shoot.

  It was playful, fun, but at the same time, it was nerve-racking. This was my roommate, the man I had to live with, or risk going back to the tiny apartment with three women, cracked paint, no bed, and that smell. No. I couldn’t handle that smell again.

  “You need to quit overthinking things,” Lark lectured me as we walked to the bar.

  “I can’t,” I groaned.

  “This will be the first time we’re out together since last week,” I pointed out.

  Lark’s face lit up, her lips puckered, and she wrapped her arms around herself to mimic making out like we were in third grade. I slapped her shoulder playfully, “Stop it.”

  “You know you want to. Just do it,” she ordered.

  Walking into the bar, I expected to find Theo at a table with his band, playing it cool until I arrived. I didn’t expect to find him behind the bar working.

  I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I’d looked forward to hanging out with him. “Why are you working?” I asked, pulling up a barstool on the corner.

  “Sal got sick. They didn’t have anyone else that could come in and help,” he moaned, leaning over the bar like he’d been shot.

  “Can’t Nancy do it alone?” Lark asked, motioning to the blonde bartender at the other end of the bar.

  Theo laughed and then leaned in. “She’s just eye candy. She can’t make a drink to save her life,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, babe. I know you wanted to grind me on the dance floor tonight,” Theo teased, winking in my direction.

  Lark giggled, but I quickly jabbed her in the ribs with my elbow to shut her up.

  “No. Grinding on the dance floor isn’t my thing,” I smirked.

  “But, you do want to grind on me?” he laughed.

  I didn’t have a chance to shut him down before he was waved to the other end of the bar by Nancy. I watched him, smiling, laughing, and then taking the time to show her how to make the drink her customer ordered.

  She was blonde, attractive, and had boobs as large as Dolly Parton’s. I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever hooked up, if they possibly still were hooking up.

  A burning sensation settled in the pit of my stomach as I watched them, how she looked at him, how he looked at her. “What’s wrong with you?” Lark asked.

  “Nothing,” I lied.

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s so obvious you’re hung up on him. I don’t get it.”

  The night ended early since Benny and Kayla had big plans early that morning. Planning a wedding was exhausting; at least that’s what Benny told me. “I’m hitching a ride with them,” Lark said, pulling on my arm to come with them.

  “I can walk,” I said sternly.

  “Take her home. She’s drunk, I don’t need her grinding any of my nice neighbors,” Theo called out with a laugh.

  I wasn’t drunk, but I was buzzed. I barely remembered how I got home when I woke up in my bed, still wearing most of my outfit from the night before.

  Alcohol oozed from my pores, and my head was throbbing. I made myself get up, grabbed some comfortable ‘day off’ clothes, and headed to the bathroom across the hall.

  I noticed Theo’s door was open, so I carefully tiptoed down the hall to peek inside. The bed was a mess, but no more so than usual. No sign of Theo. I left my clothes in the bathroom and checked downstairs. He hadn’t come home.

  My desire for a long, hot shower dissolved as my anxiety took over. I washed my hair, my body, and slid a razor across my legs to ensure there was no stubble. Where did he go if he didn’t come home?

  I’d managed to towel dry my hair, get dressed in my comfy short-shorts, and was brushing my teeth when I heard the door. I rinsed my mouth, pushed my damp hair from my face, and frantically searched for at least my mascara as footsteps made their way up the staircase. “Good morning,” Theo said, peeking in as I finished applying mascara.

  “Good morning,” I said coolly.

  “Damn. You’re even sexier wet,” he teased.

  I didn’t even turn to look at him. I gathered up my dirty clothes and walked past him to my room.

  “Mad isn’t a sexy look for you,” he joked.

  I shut my door, sat on the edge of my new bed, and fought back my tears. I was angry, hurt, and confused as to why. I was the one who didn’t want this. But he didn’t know that. He’d flirted with me all week. If he hadn’t worked last night, who knows what would’ve happened?

  I decided I was overreacting, and I had no right to be upset, so I moved toward my door, slowly opening it to see if he’d gone downstairs or to his room.

  When the door opened, Theo was standing in my doorway, leaning against the frame.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” I said quickly, hoping to avoid the conversation I knew was unavoidable.

  “Don’t lie to me,” he said, his lips curling into that crooked, sexy smile.

  “Did you not come home last night?” I asked, trying to keep my cool.

  “Does it matter?” he laughed nervously.

  “No. I guess not,” I said, tightening my lips as I tried to force a smile.

  “I went to Sal’s to check on him after work. Turns out, the old bastard wasn’t sick, he was having a fuckin’ party,” Theo groaned.

  My stomach relaxed, and the lump in my throat started to dissolve. Why did I care so badly about where he was, or who he was with?

  “Nancy go, too?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  I could hear the cattiness in my voice. It was unattractive, ugly, not me.

  Theo laughed. “No. I went alone. I slept on the couch, alone,” he added with a smirk. “Sal did try to snuggle with me at one point, but I told him to go to bed,” he chuckled.

  My lips curled into a smile as Theo’s blue eyes pierced into mine. “There’s that smile,” he whispered, moving closer to me.

  I couldn’t move. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me towards him with a quick rush. “You were jealous,” he teased.

  “No. I wasn’t. I was just worried,” I snapped back quickly.

  “Worried that I was giving Nancy or some other girl a good grind,” he teased, rocking his hips against my body.

  My cheeks burned as I tried to deny the truth. He was right. That was exactly what I was worried about, but I still didn’t know why.

  He leaned down, placing his lips as close to mine as possible without touching. His eyes were intoxicating, and I knew he was waiting for me to make the move. “You’re sexy as hell when you’re jealous,” he whispered, his hot breath tickling my lips as he spoke.

  Lark’s words—‘quit overthinking it’—played back in my head. I pushed my mouth into his, letting our lips touch for the second time. They were soft, smooth, and taste
d like cherry bubble gum.

  My knees weakened, pushing my body closer to his as our tongues entangled in a passionate tango. His hands loosened their grip on my hips, sliding to my ass, and then up my sides to under my arms. When his fingers grazed the side of my breast, I moaned unintentionally. The noise of pleasure brought out a new aggression in Theo, one I’d only dreamed about.

  His hands pushed under my ass cheeks, lifting me toward him until my legs straddled around his waist. Our mouths never detached, savoring every delicious moment as he carried me to his bedroom.

  So many reasons as to why we shouldn’t do this flowed through my head, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop.

  Our lips suctioned apart as Theo gently tossed me onto his bed. I didn’t have any makeup on, my hair was damp and stringy, but I didn’t care. The way Theo looked at me, I felt beautiful. I was beautiful.

  His bed was as soft as I’d imagined, sinking around me like a puffy cloud. Theo’s hands gripped my ankles, tugging me until my ass settled on the very edge of the bed. His hands slid up my legs, opening them as he gently caressed my inner thighs. His fingertips teased my hungry pussy with slight grazes over my thin shorts.

  He lowered to his knees, his eyes disappearing between my legs. My ass lifted as his hands pulled at my shorts, leaving me fully exposed, spread open, and more excited than I’d ever been.

  My head lifted, staring at the blue eyes that peeked over my thin, perfectly shaved strip. I watched as his finger slid through the curly hairs, and then disappeared between my legs.

  I let my head fall back to the mattress as my labia were compromised by his long finger, sliding through my plump skin, teasing my swollen clit, and then sinking into my pussy.

  “I’ve wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you,” he whispered, fucking me slowly with his finger.

  My moans grew loud and wildly out of control as he worked his finger faster, and deeper into my body. “Have you wanted this?” he asked softly.

  “Yes,” I admitted with a sharp intake of breath.

  “You’ve thought about us?” he whispered.

  My hips rocked against his hand as another finger slid inside of my aching pussy. I couldn’t get enough. I wanted more. I wanted it all. “Yes,” I gasped.

  Warm air teased my clit as Theo blew directly onto my overly sensitive skin. My hips thrust upward from the mattress, pushing my pussy towards his mouth until finally the teasing stopped, and my clit was sucked between his lips.

  “Fuck!” I yelled out as my body shook with wild explosions of pleasure.

  “Come for me, baby,” he whispered, immediately sucking me back into his warm mouth.

  My legs tightened around his head, my hips pushed upward, and my entire body froze in its awkward position before finally releasing my orgasm onto his fingers.

  The warmth of his tongue took the place of his fingers as he pulled them from their tight home. I opened my legs wide, loving that he was tasting my sex, loving it, wanting it.

  Tingles rolled through my body as Theo stood and leaned over the bed. His hands pushed at my t-shirt until it was over my breasts. His mouth lowered to one, and then the other, taking time to tease each tight nipple with flicks of his tongue.

  I watched as he pulled his t-shirt from his body, revealing the washboard abs hidden beneath the cotton material. My hands reached toward him, my fingers gliding over the ripples to enjoy the sensation I’d been so curious to feel.

  My eyes locked onto his as he unfastened his belt and jeans. He slid them down his body, kicking them from his feet, and then stroked his hard cock between my open legs while I watched in awe. He was huge.

  He pulled a condom from the dresser behind him, slowly sliding it over his thick shaft, making my mouth water, and my pussy twitch.

  “Are you ready?” he asked softly.

  I wasn’t sure if I was ready for what would happen after. But I knew I was ready for this, right now. I nodded, biting my bottom lip as his large head spread my pussy to new widths. Fuck. Can I even handle this cock?

  “I’ll go nice and slow. You can push onto me at your own pace,” he said, like it was normal. Most men aren’t hung like a horse, Theo. What the fuck?

  My body took control, leaving all the worries in my mind behind as it pushed downward onto the massive cock. Theo held my thighs, sliding me from the mattress just enough to allow my weight to do most of the work of getting him inside my tight hole.

  Our eyes were locked, his filled with concern, and mine probably filled with the ‘oh shit’ look as the weight of my body took me to the root of his enormous penis.

  He didn’t move for a moment, and neither did I. My body needed time to adjust to accommodate the larger-than-large cock between my legs. My clit began to throb, sending my pussy into a spasm when he made his first thrust. The feeling of fullness was overwhelming, bringing me to climax before he pushed into me a full three times.

  “Oh fuck,” he growled, gripping his hands tightly around my legs. I could feel the pulsating between my legs, my pussy so tight it constricted him to the point he couldn’t hold back.

  Theo pushed into me hard, giving me five fast and furious thrusts that brought on another orgasm that synced with his. He fell onto the bed beside me, breathing heavy, smiling and staring into my eyes.

  As soon as my body calmed down and the twitching ceased, panic filled my mind. Back to reality.

  “You wanna go again?” he asked, his eyes widening with his smile.

  Back to heaven. Fuck reality.

  Chapter Seven

  The band was ecstatic about their new album cover. I’d spent every spare moment editing it to perfection. The lighting was vintage, the fisheye lens provided a cool effect that actually made Paul look taller, and Theo, well, there wasn’t anything I could do to make that man look bad. He was absolutely perfect.

  “See, you are photogenic,” I flirted with Theo while the rest of the band focused on their new artwork.

  “You’re just an amazing photographer. You can make anyone look good,” he smiled.

  Damn. I’ve missed him.

  It’d been over a week since we’d hooked up, and with our schedules growing more hectic, I was missing him, badly.

  “That’s not true,” I argued, but secretly enjoying the compliment of my work.

  “Sure it is. Look at Paul. You managed to actually make him taller,” he laughed.

  “That’s the lens we’re using tonight. You still coming?” I asked.

  Theo smiled and nodded. “Of course. Can’t let down my fans,” he sighed, rolling his eyes playfully.

  The girls at the photography club were certainly fans of Theo’s. I knew the majority of them had developed crushes on him just after that first night, and a couple of them I noticed in the bar on nights he played. It’s just promotion and marketing, Willow. Relax.

  I hated that feeling of jealousy I had with Theo, but with the same profession as my ex, and all the same temptations—and then some—it was tough not to worry.

  “I’ll have to drive separate,” he said, offering a pouty lip before the guys came back over.

  I finally had my schedule cleared for the entire week, and Theo had the night off, and the next day. I could deal with not riding together, knowing that we had an entire evening and an entire day to spend together afterward.

  “I’ll see ya there,” I said as casually as I could, and then left for the club.

  We hadn’t talked about what we were doing with each other. Hell, we’d barely spoken at all, being so busy. I wasn’t sure what the band members knew, or didn’t know, so I just acted like nothing had changed between us when they were around. It sucked as I walked to my car though, knowing that I couldn’t kiss his lips or touch his warm, hard body before I left.

  I wouldn’t be able to at the club, either. We were close professionally, but they weren’t women with which I’d share my personal life. Except for Lark. She knew everything. She was tired of hearing about it.
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br />   I pulled into the parking lot wondering what were we doing. Was it just a hookup, or were we exclusive, or were we dating?

  My brain took over once again, screwing with everything that felt good, and turning it into a giant mess. I calmed myself down, convincing myself that we’d both been too busy, that’s all.

  Still, it was strange sleeping in my bed all week after staying in his. Waking up to his warmth, his scent, his body pressed against mine, it was what I yearned for every night when I fell asleep alone.

  You could’ve climbed into his bed, Willow. You were asleep first, in bed before he made it home each night. But he could’ve climbed into mine as well. If he really wanted me, that is.

  “Willow!” Jeanette called out, waving from across the parking lot.

  I got out of my car and tried to act enthusiastic about seeing her, even though she was my least favorite club member. “Is he coming?” she asked before I could even make it to the sidewalk where she stood.

  Her long red hair glistened in the sunlight, making me wonder what I’d look like with that color. Her smile was warm and inviting, but always felt fake to me. I wondered if anyone else thought so.

  “Who?” I asked, playing dumb.

  “Theo. Is he coming tonight?” she asked eagerly—too eagerly.

  “Yes. He’ll be here shortly,” I replied with my own fake smile.

  Maybe it was that she was too pretty. She was intimidating with her bright white teeth, perfect figure, and uniquely stunning features.

  “What I wouldn’t give for a bite out of that prime rib,” she growled, like, literally growled. Ugh!

  “I think he’s seeing someone,” I snapped at her quickly.

  “What a shame. Lucky girl, though,” she sighed.

  “She sure is,” I replied with another fake smile. What was wrong with me? Was it me, or was it Jeanette? Either way, it always felt like a chore talking to her, one which neither of us appeared to enjoy.

  I looked around for Lark, desperately needing one of her pep talks. She was the only one I could even talk to about Theo, and the only one that would tell me to get out of my own head. I needed that right now.