“I plan to make sure you do,” he said very seriously.
She smiled and stretched, wrapping her arms around him lazily. “I could get used to this. Great sex with a handsome SEAL? Yes, please.”
“Good thing, because I’m more than ready to give it to you.”
He kissed her, their mouths melding hotly. The kiss went on for a long time, deep, wet, thorough. He didn’t know why, but he was seized with a need to make her his. To brand her and let her know that she belonged to him. And he supposed that meant he belonged to her as well.
Why not? He didn’t mind the belonging. He kinda understood where his teammates were coming from now. It was comforting to have someone you cared about, who cared for you too.
And he not only had Kayla, he had Ana. He was a dad now. He was gonna be the best damned dad ever.
When he broke the kiss, they were both breathing hard. His dick had swelled again, and Kayla was moving beneath him.
“You want to come again?” he asked.
“Don’t you?”
“Oh yeah.”
He rolled them over until she was on top. “Ride me, beautiful. I want to watch you.”
She did, and it was the sexiest thing he’d seen in ages. When it was over, when they were wrung out and satisfied, they fell asleep in a tangle of bodies. They were both up at six—late for him, actually—but before they could get out of bed to start the day, Kayla reached for his cock.
It didn’t take long before Neo had her on her hands and knees, taking her from behind while he pinched her nipples and slammed into her over and over. He loved watching his dick disappear in her slick heat, loved the sounds they made together too. She came crying his name, and he lost his load soon after, his hands on her hips as he held her to him and thrust deep into her pussy.
When it was over, he carried her to the shower where they explored each other again. Leisurely this time, with no thought of coming. But of course he couldn’t stop from dropping to his knees and licking her into another orgasm.
“God, Zach, I’m not going to be able to walk,” she said when they got out of the shower and she had to grip the counter to steady herself.
“And that’s a bad thing how?”
She shot him a saucy look. “I’m not saying it’s bad, but people are going to wonder.”
“Not they aren’t. We’re newlyweds. We’re supposed to be fucking like bunnies.”
She grinned stupidly. “We are, aren’t we? Mission accomplished.”
He laughed. “Oh, I think we can do more. But maybe coffee and breakfast first.”
“To keep up our strength.”
“Yeah.”
She went into the closet and retrieved a maxi skirt and a tank top. They hadn’t had a lot of time to bring her things over yet, but they’d gotten some of it, mostly Ana’s stuff. She dressed quickly while he tugged on shorts and a T-shirt. He loved watching her, loved the graceful way she moved as she put on her clothes and then brushed her hair before she flipped it over her shoulders.
“Hey, you want to shop for Ana’s room today?” he asked.
She spun to look at him. “Really? You want to do that today?”
He shrugged. “Sure. Why not? We can go hit up the baby store, or we can shop online. Up to you.”
Her smile was tremulous. “I’d love to shop for her room. Thank you. I’ve been looking online so I know what I like, but maybe we could look in person too? Compare things?”
It was so easy to make her happy. He loved doing it. “Whatever you want, beautiful. I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy, Zach. So much. You have no idea.”
“I think I have some idea. But you can show me later if you really want.”
Her smile was mischievous and sexy. “Oh, you can count on that. I can think of several things I still want to try with you….”
Chapter Eighteen
Kayla found herself looking at her hand several times while they shopped. It was just a silver wedding band, but she loved the way it looked on her finger. After she looked at her hand, she looked at Zach’s. He was wearing a wider band on his ring finger, and it made a hot feeling swirl in her belly each time she saw it.
They were married. She was Mrs. Anderson. One week ago exactly, she’d walked into Chloe’s back yard and hadn’t known how to talk to him. It wasn’t until she’d screwed up her courage and went to see him later that night that things had changed.
From barely speaking to married. In one week. Had to be some kind of record, right?
“What about this one?” Zach asked, and Kayla dragged herself back to the present.
He was standing in front of a white convertible crib with a gentle scallop shape to the front and back, with evenly spaced wooden slats that weren’t too wide or too dangerous. Eventually, the sides of the crib would come off and it could be a perfect white bed for a little girl. Kayla could hang a net over it for a princess effect when Ana was older.
“It’s pretty.”
Zach looked at the price tag. “It’s not too bad. Do you want it?”
It was the prettiest one they’d seen yet. She’d seen similar on the web, though. “I think we could get it cheaper online.”
“Maybe. But you’d have to wait for it to be shipped. We could have this one at home today. I can put it together and Ana can sleep in it tonight.”
She loved the idea so much. But it felt wrong to let him buy everything. He must have sensed the direction of her thoughts because he frowned at her.
“Kayla, I want to do this. Let me get the baby furniture and you can create the room you want for Ana.”
“I really didn’t marry you so you’d pay for everything. I don’t want you to think I expect it.”
He came over and put his hands on her shoulders, rubbed up and down her arms. “Baby, I don’t think you expect anything of the sort. But we’re married now, and that means I get more money in my paycheck for you and Ana. The military knows it costs more for three people to live than one, so shouldn’t I spend that money on both of you instead of me?”
Her throat ached suddenly. “I guess so.”
“That’s right, beautiful. I should and I will. Besides, you can show your appreciation later.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Is there a particular way you want to be appreciated?”
He leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear. “Definitely. I prefer you to do it when you’re naked, and it needs to involve my dick deep inside you. Aside from that, I’m open.”
She blushed and laughed at the same time. “You’ve got sex on the brain, Zach.”
“Don’t you?”
A twinge of longing echoed through her. “Maybe.”
“Then let’s get this crib with the matching dresser and changing table. The sooner I get it put together, the sooner we can get naked.”
“Okay, but let’s skip the changing table. I don’t need it when the dresser has that three-sided top—and I’d rather find something more functional for storage anyway.”
“Whatever you say. You’re the boss when it comes to baby furniture.”
They bought the furniture, plus a sheet set, and loaded everything into the new SUV Zach had traded his car in for a couple of days ago. She hadn’t been with him when he did it, but he’d called her from the dealership and described the interior, asking her if it would work. She’d been on the verge of tears as she’d told him he didn’t have to do it. He’d said it was no big deal and asked again if the interior would work. It would and it did. Especially now as they loaded it up with baby furniture.
They stopped for something to eat on the way home. Kayla ordered a chicken sandwich while Zach ordered a burger, and they talked about Ana’s room and getting the rest of their things over to his house. He planned to apply for base housing on Monday since there’d been no time Friday with all the other paperwork. He said it would take a couple of months or more to get a house. She kind of hated to move now that they’d painted Ana’s room—plus having Chloe a
cross the street was nice—but it was also the safest plan while the Kings of Doom were trying to start up again. She didn’t know if they’d ever go away, or if she’d ever really be free of them, but being somewhere they didn’t have access was a nice start.
It struck her that everything she’d ever wanted was within reach. But the part of her that was used to having the rug yanked from beneath her was still there, still waiting for the other shoe to drop. She loved Zach and there was no going back on that feeling. But he didn’t love her. What if he never did?
She told herself it was silly to worry about his feelings for her when they’d been married for all of twenty-four hours. Maybe, with enough time, it would be true.
“I see those storm clouds in your eyes,” Zach said softly.
Kayla blinked. How did he always know when she was letting fear and doubt creep into her thoughts?
“I’m fine,” she said, taking a quick sip of her water. “Really. It’s just a lot of changes in a short amount of time.”
“Changes you wanted,” he added.
“That’s true. I’m happy. I’m not used to being happy. I keep waiting for disaster to strike. It’s what always happens. My whole life, whenever we seemed to be settling in somewhere and life was going well, my mom or dad—or both—would fall off the wagon and disappear for a few days. Sometimes longer. And Bailey would be there to pick up the pieces for us. We ate a lot of mac and cheese, and she got us to school every morning. But then our parents would come back and we’d have to move because they couldn’t pay the rent or bill collectors were after them. Sometimes we stayed anyway, and then the sheriff showed up to evict us or the bill collectors got so bad that we had to leave in the middle of the night. We didn’t have much, but we left a lot behind during those times.”
The memories hurt no matter how long ago they were. She didn’t want that life for Ana. Not that she would ever do drugs, but the uncertainty of a life where bad people kept coming after you wasn’t much better. Marrying Zach was supposed to change it.
Would change it. She believed that.
Zach took her hand in both of his. Cradled it like it was precious. Like she was precious.
“I’m sorry you went through that, Kayla. No kid should have their life turned inside out the way you did. No kid should have parents who don’t care. But unfortunately they do. All the time. I can’t change what happened to you, and I can’t guarantee that disaster won’t strike again.” He hesitated. “I’m a SEAL, baby. I do dangerous things. It’s possible I won’t come back one of these days.”
She trembled. He must have felt it because he lifted her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. “That’s not the plan,” he added. “It’s not ever the plan. But it’s possible. For all of us. I promise you’ll be taken care of though. You married me, but you’ve officially joined a family. You won’t ever be alone again, Kayla. Neither will Ana. It’s not just Bailey who’ll be there for you, but the entire organization. HOT will be there if I can’t be.”
It was the first time he’d said the name of those he worked for. But she knew it because of what had happened when they’d gone to rescue Bailey from the Kings of Doom. She’d been told to never mention it, and she hadn’t.
“I don’t want HOT,” she said, her heart throbbing. “I want you.”
“And I want you.” He smiled. “So we’ve got each other, and we’ve got Ana. And if it happens that I don’t come back, which I intend to do my best to prevent, then you’ll be okay. Nobody’s taking your family away from you again, Kayla. Nobody’s leaving you to figure out how to survive. I want you to know that. If we’re living on base, then you’ll have to move out. But you’ll have enough money that you don’t have to worry about how to pay the bills, okay?”
She hated this conversation. So much. Of course she understood why he was saying it to her, and she appreciated that he wanted her to feel safe. But life without him wasn’t anything she wanted to imagine.
“I don’t care about the money. I care about you. Please stop talking about what happens if you get killed on a mission.”
He studied her for a second. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. “Okay, beautiful. We aren’t going to talk about it anymore. I don’t want to upset you. This is a good day for us. We’ve got Ana’s furniture and we’re going to fix her room. Then we’re going to have sex before you call Bailey and ask her if we can get Ana. If Ana falls asleep in her new room, and we aren’t exhausted, we’re going to have sex again before we crash. Sound like a plan?”
Her heart still pounded with anxiety but she nodded and pasted on a smile. “Sounds like a delicious plan to me. But if it’s going to happen, we’d better get that furniture put together.”
Neo thought about her reaction to the topic of him not coming back from a mission all the way home. Then he thought about it while he was laying out parts to the crib and getting his battery-powered screwdriver ready to go.
He hadn’t been trying to upset her, but considering how much she worried about stability, he’d wanted her to know she’d still have it. HOT would take care of her above and beyond what his military life insurance would provide. She wasn’t ever going to have to uproot Ana in the middle of the night and whisk her away somewhere so they could start anew.
Not that he intended to bite the dust. He intended to be around as long as possible, but he also knew the reality of what he did and the possibilities, however remote, of something going wrong.
His phone buzzed and he picked it up from the window sill. Kayla had gone across the street to see Chloe because Chloe had called and said she had something to give them. He’d watched her walk over there and he kept an eye on the street so he could watch her walk back.
It wasn’t Kayla though. It was Shade.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” he said.
“Just got a call from my contact at the correctional facility.”
Neo’s neck started to itch. “Yeah? Anything good?”
“Depends on your point of view. James Dunn’s had a regular visitor besides his attorney lately. His half-brother Steve, who was also in the Kings MC. Still rides a Harley, still wears the cut. He’s probably ferrying messages between Dunn and Gentry. It’s entirely possible Dunn is running the whole thing from prison.”
“Fuck!” Neo shoved a hand through his hair and stared out the window at Chloe and Dirty’s place. “Any news on his hotshot lawyer?”
“You aren’t going to like it. He’s managed to convince a judge to review the case next week.”
Frustration hammered his temples. “It’ll still take time to move through the system, but he could be out a lot sooner than we want him to be. He could be using Gentry to put the screws to Kayla now so it can’t be connected to him when he’s out.”
But did Dunn really want money? Or revenge? What he knew of the man told him it could be either—or both.
“It’s certainly possible. He’s a lowlife according to my contact. He’s running scams inside as part of a prison gang. Extortion, drugs, you name it. He sailed in there and took over in record time. If anyone can scam his way out again, it’ll be Dunn.” Shade blew out a breath. “I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, man. I’m just repeating what I was told.”
Neo’s gut twisted. “We really need to find out where Gentry and his bikers are hanging out.”
“We’re working on it. You know that. Those fuckers are laying low, though. Money and Blade and I are at work now. Ghost is aware of what we’re doing.”
Across the street, Kayla stepped outside holding a box. Chloe stood in the door talking to her. It was such a normal scene. Domestic. This was his life now. He didn’t mind it. Except for the black cloud that the Kings of Doom created, everything was good.
“I’ll come in and help,” he said.
“No, stay with your wife. Whoa,” Shade said with a laugh. “That sounded weird. Neo’s got a wife.”
“You’re the only one left without a wife or a future wife,” Neo replied
. “Get used to it.”
“Dude, I’m good. I don’t need or want a wife. No way.”
“That’s what we all say,” Neo said as Kayla started across the street. Chloe watched her go and didn’t step inside again until Neo heard the door open. “I gotta go. Thanks, Shade.”
“No problem. I’ll let you know if we get anything else.”
He put the phone down and got back to work on the crib while he considered everything Shade had said. There wasn’t much they could do yet, but knowing that Dunn was involved certainly explained some things.
“How’s it going?” Kayla asked as she peeked into the room.
“Great. Just about to starting screwing the parts together.”
She stepped in and looked at all the pieces on the floor. “Wow, that’s a lot of stuff.”
“It is, but I got it handled. Don’t worry.”
She smiled. “I’m not worried.”
“What did Chloe want?” he asked.
“She wanted to give us dinner. I brought home a pan of chicken and dressing. Oh, and she made strawberry pretzel salad for you.”
Neo’s taste buds started to water. “Damn I love that woman.”
Kayla laughed. “So do I. I wish we didn’t have to move. I’ll miss being first on the list for Chloe’s leftovers or new recipe experiments.”
“Yeah, me too.” That was a major bummer to be sure. Maybe Dirty would bring some to work. No doubt Chloe would continue to entertain and they’d be invited over.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and Dal will go away.”
“Maybe so,” he said, because it was what she wanted to hear. Even if Gentry went away, which Neo doubted, there was still James Dunn. If that lawyer got Dunn’s conviction thrown out, the man could be back on the streets and looking for trouble within weeks. Maybe sooner. Neo didn’t intend to tell Kayla about that unless it became a reality. By then, he’d have her and Ana on the base and out of reach.
“What can I do to help?”
“Go get my laptop and bring it in here so you can start shopping that Wayfair place for accessories.”
HOT SEAL Devotion Page 17