Assignment: Deadline on Love [Hawt Men In and Out of Uniform 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Honor James

  “Yeah, sounds good,” she said and put her number into his phone. “The spare room is the closest to me. It’s right across the hall from my room, so that would be the best place for you. There is also a bathroom off the side of that room for you, too.” And yes, she was a nervous babbler.

  “The best place would be in your bed, but we’ll go one step at a time,” he told her with a grin. Taking his phone back, he sent her a text. She could feel her phone vibrate a moment before he stuffed his own phone back in his pocket. “Now, let’s get out of here. I’ll send a couple lads up to collect the toys, and I’ll go stash my packet in my truck. Hopefully all while avoiding Gigi’s mother.” He muttered the last bit as he walked with her out of the room.

  That took her aback, his words. “Right. Okay. Tomorrow, maybe.” She hadn’t been teasing when she told him that she was a cuddler. “Oh God. She’s actually here with someone that I babysat as a kid. He’s literally just twenty-one. The guy is a freaking baby. I’m just stunned.” The woman had always loved young men, wanted love but never had been able to find real love. Instead of on the inside of the person, she looked on the outside only.

  “She does seem to be getting younger and younger. By next week I expect to see her with a toddler on her hip,” he said. With his hand on her back, he rode down the escalator with her to the lobby. “Why don’t you head back into the party? I’ll meet you in there in a few minutes once I take care of this stuff.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She took a deep breath and licked her lips. “You are going to be okay, right? You aren’t going to get hurt protecting me, right?” She hoped so at least. “I just want to be able to have this stopped. I want to be able to feel safe again, but not at the cost of someone else being hurt.”

  “I’ll be fine, so will you, Piper. Promise,” he said softly. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a one-arm hug. “Now, get in there, and watch out for Jacobs. He tends to get a little too hands-on when he’s had one too many. And try and keep the lads out of the clutches of the Black Widow in there if you can manage it.”

  “I will.” Piper patted his back and with a nod moved away from him. Giving him one last look back over her shoulder, she slipped into the crowd and began to filter toward the front door to get the heck out of there as soon as possible, she hoped.

  Chapter Three

  Cutter parked his truck on the street right off the end of her walkway. She stayed put, as he’d asked her to, until he came to her car door with his bag over his shoulder. “Ready?” he asked her. “Like I told you, we’ll go in, and then I’ll go through the house quickly to look for any signs of an intruder. Once I know it’s clear, you’ll walk through with me doing the same thing, but with the express purpose that you’ll know if something’s out of place.”

  “Sounds good. Don’t worry, I know when to take the backseat. Promise,” she assured him. “I trust you.” She trusted the general and Gigi and, by extension, this man. She believed in her friends, and they had full faith in Cutter, and therefore she had that same faith in Cutter herself.

  “All right, then let’s get the hell inside. It feels like there’s a rain storm moving in,” he said. His hand landed on her back again, urging her up to her front door. He stood right at her back as she unlocked the door and let them into her home.

  She opened the door and turned off the alarm. Once that was done, she stepped to the side and pointed. “The bedrooms, bathrooms, and a music room are upstairs. Down here is the living room, dining room, kitchen, mudroom, and laundry room. The basement has storage in it. I don’t go down there a great deal. I keep extra booze for the bar down there when we order too much. I also have wines down there that I’ve been given over the years that I give away for birthdays and holidays.”

  “Sounds good,” he said. He’d set his bag down, and held a gun he was checking in his hands. “I’ll do this floor first, go upstairs next, and then check the basement. Back in a few,” he told her. Cutter strode away, looking into each room quickly, turning lights on and back off as he went. When he went upstairs he took the stairs two and three at a time, providing her quite the show of masculine movement. Then he was out of sight.

  Piper was a woman, a red-blooded woman, so when she saw Cutter starting to head up the stairs she couldn’t help but step forward a step and watch him as he moved. The man had a perfect ass, and his thighs looked like they could crack walnuts if he wanted. He was, simply put, stunning. When he came back she was still leaning over the banister, so she could see upstairs and was caught red-handed, so to speak. She blushed and said, “I couldn’t help myself. You are a very handsome guy and, holy balls, your body is spectacular.” She put a hand over her mouth and her eyes went wide. She so hadn’t meant to say that. She had meant to lie a little lie, but out blurted the truth in all its glory.

  “You should see me naked,” he said with a huge grin. “But that has to wait, I need to check your basement, and then you and I are going to do a walk-through. Take a look down here, but don’t go into any room, look from the doorway only until I’m back. It’s likely overkill on the precaution, but it’s kept me alive this long, I’m going with it.” He chucked her lightly under the chin before he disappeared down into her basement.

  “Holy hell,” she whispered when he walked away. Shaking herself out of her own stupor, she began to look around the room, determined to get herself out of this haze of lust she seemed to have fallen under with this man.

  She heard him close the basement door, her only clue he was back. He was so light on his feet. “Nothing but a bunch of boxes and stray bottles down there. All the windows are tight. Nothing’s budged there for years at least, given the layer of dust that’s currently undisturbed. So he’s definitely not getting in down there. I will be upgrading your security system, though. It’s a little out of date, and we have access to some of the latest stuff, so we’re going to go to that level.”

  “Sounds good.” She moved away from where she had been standing and toward him. “I told you that the basement was pretty barren. It’s great for storing wine and booze, though. Perfect temperature all the time.” She looked around the room and said, “Nothing’s been touched here. Kitchen next?” she asked and walked toward that door. It was time to get this over with so that they could settle in for the night. “Are you hungry, by the way? If so I could toss us something together for dinner.”

  “I could eat, but that’s usually my answer. I tend to eat a lot of small snacks throughout the day with breakfast and dinner as my big meals. So yes, food is good, and appreciated,” he said. Cutter moved straight to the windows, running his fingers along the sills, and pushing on the windows themselves. “I’m going to get sensors put on the glass of all your windows, for in case they are broken. The sensor sits right on the glass so you won’t need to worry about it. All the doors will get new locks, but we can retrofit them to your current set of keys if you’d like, or do new.”

  “Okay, so I won’t have to worry about the alarms going off if I were to put the glasses into the cabinets too hard? That’s a worry. Silly, I know, but there it is. When I’m thinking far too long I start to slam things around. Not because I’m angry, but because I lose myself in thoughts.”

  That earned her a look and a shrug. “Not as far as I know. The sensors only work if the glass actually breaks, there’s a specific resonance to the tension that’s lost that causes it, I think, or maybe that was something else.” He frowned before shaking his head. “We’ll ask Yoshi about it, he’s our resident tech expert and tends to be up on things way outside of my knowledge. That’s tomorrow, though. Let’s finish this floor and then head upstairs.”

  “Sounds good. Is he going to be staying here as well?” she asked with a frown. “If so then you will have to sleep with me so that he can have the spare room.” She liked Cutter. She appreciated so much about him, but she wasn’t so sure she would be able to cuddle with Yoshi, a man she hadn’t yet met.

  “Piper, if you want me
in your bed, you just have to say so,” he told her. “He won’t be staying here, though. He’ll be watching from outside. He’s got a place up the street a couple of houses, someone the general knows, that he’ll be rooming at.”

  “I think that maybe we should get to know each other first? Tonight you sleep across the hall, and we will revisit this tomorrow?” Oh, she wanted to ask him to sleep with her. She was a woman that knew what she wanted and God help Cutter, she wanted him. “Now, come on. Let’s get some food ready so that we can sit and chat and get to know each other since we are dating, and you are going to soon be my cuddle buddy.”

  “Upstairs first. I want you to look around and tell me if something’s out of place. I also want to get a look at that hot little red number up in your room. I only got a glimpse when I passed through,” he said.

  She flushed scarlet and shook her head. “Nope, sorry, but you don’t get to see that until we are sleeping together.” Damn, she couldn’t believe she had left that on the bed. She had just bought it on a whim. The nightie was more lace than silk, and barely covered the parts of her that should be covered, but she felt decadent in it. Even with her red hair, she thought that the red silk looked amazing on her.

  The look she got from him was full of heat and things she couldn’t even begin to name. “Darling, dearest Piper. When you and I are together, you won’t be wearing anything, and sleeping will be the absolute last thing on either of our minds. It shall only be a last resort when we’re both so worn out there is no other option left to us. Keep that in mind,” he advised. Then he did that bounding thing up the stairs around her. Damn the man, now he really was doing that shit to mess with her.

  Piper watched him walking away, and she licked her lips. Good lord, she wanted that man. She called up the stairs to him. “Cutter, I’m not sure if you will be able to handle me all, naked or not.” She liked sex, always had, but she also had serious trust and commitment issues.

  “Get your cute ass up here, so you can stop yelling,” he said to her. “Why do you think I couldn’t handle you, sweetheart? Something you need to tell me now, mayhap? Come on, spill the beans. You may as well. I will find out one way or another.”

  She bounded up the stairs behind him. She stopped on the top of the stairs and leaned against the wall. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s me that is worried I won’t be able to handle you? Maybe I’m worried that I won’t be enough for you?”

  He was right there a moment later, staring down into her eyes. Cutter didn’t say anything for a moment as he seemed to be thinking and studying her. “Are you worried you won’t be able to handle me, or aren’t enough, Piper?” he asked softly.

  “That I’m not enough,” she whispered before she could think better of it. “I’ve never really been enough. I was engaged once, you know.” She let her eyes go wide, and she stepped to the side. “Sorry, I don’t even know why that’s coming out.” He looked at her, and it was as if every single filter she had for keeping her own secrets came tumbling down, and every thought in her mind spilled forth.

  Cutter put a hand on her hip and brought her right back to where she’d been. “No, I didn’t know, sweetheart. All I can say to that is his stupidity is my gain.” He moved in closer to her, his chest brushing her breasts each time she took a breath. “The past haunts us, but you can’t let it rule you, Piper. Whatever happens between us is only between us. Nothing from the past is going to screw with whatever this is. Live in the moment, enjoy the moment, be the moment,” he told her. “If I’ve learned nothing else over the years, it’s to grab hold to the moments that sing to us, and to never let go.”

  She lifted her hands and let them wrap around his neck. Pulling him closer, she licked her lips. “I’m grabbing onto the moment.” So she had said he would be sleeping alone, but she no longer liked that idea. Yeah it was fast, very fast, but he was right. Sometimes things just simply seemed to work together and work right and right now. That was her feeling for this man. “I think you should kiss me again.”

  His lips curled into a grin as he lowered his head closer. “Oh, you do, do you?” he asked softly. Lightly, he brushed his lips against hers as he pressed in even closer to her, trapping her between the wall and his hard body. “I think I should as well,” he whispered. Cutter didn’t mess around either, he went straight in for the kill, and encouraged her to play ball with him.

  Piper put her hands against Cutter’s head and pulled him closer. She wanted and needed this and knew it. When she pulled back, she felt hot and needy. “I need, God, I need you right now.” She lifted a leg and wrapped it around his lower leg. “Stay with me?” she asked with uncertainty in her voice.

  “Hey,” he breathed out. “Piper, all you ever have to do is ask, sweetheart.” Sliding his arms around her, Cutter pulled her in close for a hug. When she began to relax a little, he slid his hands down to cup her ass and lifted her up into his arms, stepping in to pin her with his pelvis. “What do you want, sweetheart? Anything at all, as long as you don’t ask for the moon. I’m still a little unsure of how to go about getting that.”

  “How about just you in my bed with me? I wouldn’t ask for anything as unattainable as the moon. Just for you to be with me for as long as I can keep you.” She leaned in, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist now, and squeezed. “I just need you. Naked, preferably.”

  “Agreed,” he said. Leaning away from the wall, he carried her toward her room, seemingly with very little effort. “I will need to grab my bag, though. It’s got all sorts of goodies like condoms in it because a Marine is always prepared for whatever might arise. Though I only have a couple, so we may need to get a little extra creative tonight.”

  “More than two would be needed?” She had never heard of anyone being able to come more than once in a night. “Wow.” She rubbed her pants-covered pussy against the front of his slacks and felt the rise of his cock as she did so. “Damn, you are teaching me a lot. I can’t wait to see just how creative that we will be together.”

  “Yes, more than two would be needed,” he said. Settling her down on the bed, he laid her out before straightening. “Do not move an inch,” he told her. “I mean it. You can scratch your nose, get a little more comfortable, but nothing more. I’ll know.” With that, he spun on a heel and disappeared from her room.

  Piper watched him leave, and she bit her lower lip. Never before had anyone told her what to do, and she found she liked it. A lot. Remaining on the bed, she pulled her shirt and bra off and tossed them away, only to then wiggle out of her jeans. She hadn’t moved from where she had been placed, but she did, however, open her thighs wide and ran her fingers over her waxed mound, waiting for him to return. “Hurry up, Cutter, or I’m starting without you.” She felt more than a little like a slut, but it felt so right and so natural to be with him, too.

  He walked back in, his gaze raking over her until he met her hers. “Spread your thighs, heels up on the bed, and expose that sweet pussy of yours. You can definitely start, sweetheart. Just know that I intend to watch while you toy with your pretty pussy. Show me,” he demanded. He dropped the bag, his eyes never leaving her as he crouched and began to dig through it.

  Piper began to run her fingers over the folds of her pussy, the slickness of her juice making it easier to slide her fingers over and over. She ran her thumb over the hood of her clit, her eyes closing slightly as she lifted her butt slightly and rubbed just a little harder. “Cutter,” she whispered and then opened her eyes to look at him. “What’s your first name?” She once again began to slip her fingers over her folds, dipping one finger into her pussy and letting out a breath of pure pleasure when she did so.

  “Eyes on me, Piper,” he said in a sharp tone. She felt his hands on her knees, pressing her legs open wider before he moved her feet slightly. “It’s Aeron, sweetheart. Keep your eyes on me at all times. I want to see you as you pleasure yourself. It’s the best way to know what a woman likes, after all.”

  Her eyes were on his. She
watched him carefully and moaned. Once again, she dipped a finger to the second knuckle into her weeping pussy and let out a breathy sigh. “Aeron.” She loved the way that his name sounded in her mind and coming off of her lips. “Please.” She also was enjoying him telling her what to do, something she didn’t think she would, but she did. A lot.

  “Slide a second finger in there, Piper. Pump them in nice and slow. Make sure you go in deep, rubbing each and every time at that sweet spot you have. That’s it, baby. God, you are so fucking wet,” he said, letting out a low growl. Licking his lips, he stepped back, his hands trailing off her knees, and began to strip as he split his focus between her face and what her hand was doing. “Play with your pink and needy nipples, Piper. Pinch and pluck at those tight little buds.”

  She lifted her hand and began to tug and plump her nipples while sliding her other hand against her clit with the heel of her hand and pumped her fingers in and out of her body as she did so. “Aeron.” She watched him as he stripped and began to pant, toying with her body as she did so.

  “That’s good, sweetheart. Just like that,” he encouraged her. Dropping his pants, he bent for a moment before straightening and walking to the bed. He tossed something onto her nightstand and something else on her belly. A quick glance showed a condom resting just above her belly button. His hand on his cock, stroking up and down, brought her attention right back to him.

  Her mouth began to water as she watched his hand stroking up and down his thick, long cock. “I want to taste you.” She whimpered, her fingers moving faster and pinching harder. She was working her way to her own orgasm but needed to taste him as well. “Aeron, let me?” she begged in need, hunger, and desire.