by Dale Mayer
He burst out laughing. “I’m pretty sure this will help me heal more than anything time will do for it.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said. And she slowly raised herself up, as if she would leave.
He immediately grabbed her hips and said, “No.”
She smiled and said, “I wasn’t going anywhere,” and slowly sank back down again. And then she raised herself and sank. And finally she leaned forward, pushing herself deeper onto his member and asked, “Do you like to ride?”
“I love it,” he said, his voice deep, dark, and smoky. “I hope you do too.”
And that’s what she did. With her head back, and her eyes closed, she rode, driving them both to the edge, before she found herself falling, as her climax ripped through her. He grabbed her hips and plunged upward once, twice, and then he groaned with his own orgasm. She sank on top of him and took a deep breath, trying to regain control.
“You can do that to me anytime you like,” he whispered.
She looked down, kissed him gently and said, “I’m not so sure about that, since it damn-near killed me after all.”
“It’s all right,” he said. “We’ll get better at lasting longer with practice.”
She burst out laughing, and he just grinned. “Will we always laugh like this?” she asked.
“I hope so,” he said, his tone serious. “It’s essential to both of us.”
“It’s so unusual,” she said.
“Maybe so, but hopefully not for us.”
“Is there an us?”
He looked at her, tilted up her chin, and said, “The very fact that you are here right now says there is definitely an us. And it’s up to us what we do with it from here on out.”
“I don’t want it to be short and fast and over.”
“Nobody said it would be,” he murmured. “There’s too much good in what we have.”
“I haven’t had too much experience with healthy relationships,” she whispered.
“I have, of the friendship type,” he said, “but I’ve been looking for the right romantic one for a very long time.”
“Am I it?” she asked, wonder in her tone.
He smiled, nodded, and pulled her to him. “Absolutely. You just have to believe.”
“And if I can’t?”
“I’ll show you how,” he said gently. And he brought her closer and kissed her, until she was completely mindless with passion again.
“You make me stupid when you do that,” she murmured.
He chuckled. “Then I’ll just have to keep doing that until you can see the light.”
She smiled. “I think I’m already there.”
“Not yet,” he said, pulling her, so she was higher up in the bed, and he could roll over on his good side, his hand immediately sliding between her thighs. “But we’ll get you there.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, “As long as you’re holding me,” she said, “I’ll be fine.”
“I promise,” he said, “we’ll be side by side the whole time.”
She looked up at him in wonder.
“Do you promise?” he asked her.
“I promise.” And this time, when he lowered his head, she sank into the dreamland he had shown her. “I can’t wait.”
It was everything she had ever wanted and so much more.
Epilogue
Levi sat in the kitchen. “What do you think about this guy?” he asked Ice, dropping a file in front of her. She flipped it open, looked at it, and said, “Tomas. I brought up his name last year.”
“Why didn’t we go with him then?”
“Because, just after I talked to him, he was injured.”
“What’s his status now?”
“Let me find out.” She pulled out her phone and called him. “Tomas, how are you doing?” A strong male voice came through her cell, and she put it on Speakerphone.
“I’m doing well,” he said. “How are you?”
“I’m doing good. We’re looking for some more men.”
“Oh, hell,” he said. “I figured I would be out of the running for good after the last accident.”
“Tell us about it,” Levi interjected.
*
Tomas stared at the phone. “A revenge scenario,” he said. “I was shot on a mission.”
“Fully recovered?”
“No,” he said, not pulling any punches. “I’ll always walk with a bit of a limp.”
“Anything else?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Nope,” Levi said. “If there’s nothing but a limp, I’m good with that. Are you still a weapons specialist?”
“For anything I’ve had a chance to work on, yes,” he said, “but I’ve been out of touch with anything for the last six—or make that eight—months.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “We’re looking for somebody to take over. One of our people who handles the arsenal in the compound is pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” Tomas shook his head at that. “You have a woman there?”
“Several, but Kai is pregnant, and we’re changing her duties around a bit.”
“Makes sense to me. Is this full-time or part-time?” he asked. “I never expected to be asked to take over for maternity leave.”
Levi burst out laughing. “Well, you should be honored in this case, if you get the opportunity,” he said.
“So, what do I have to do? Try out or something?”
“Not so sure about that,” he said, “but we do have a job, and if you want to go as a spare,” he said, “we’ll see how it works out.”
“I can do that,” he said.
“Are you on any medication?” Ice asked.
“Nope, just came off the last of them about two weeks ago.”
“And what were they for?”
“Blood thinners. I was having too many blood clotting issues.”
“Interesting,” she murmured. “But, as long as you’re healthy enough, and you think you’re ready to give it a run, we’re more than ready to give you a shot.”
“Perfect. What’s the job?”
They both hesitated. Levi looked over at her, shrugged, and said, “We might as well tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Tomas asked curiously. “I really don’t like going into anything if I don’t know what I’m dealing with.”
“That’s fair,” she said. “We have news of a supremacy group that’s collecting weapons.”
“Where?”
“Just outside of Houston actually,” he said. “We don’t get too many local jobs, and we have a lot of people who want to do this one. So we do have men available, but we just thought it might be an opportunity to see how you handle things.”
“If you say so,” he said, “I’m up for it.”
“Whereabouts are you right now?”
“I’m in Dallas,” he said, “so I can be in Houston in a few hours.”
“Good. I’ll set you up at a hotel with an alias to check in.”
“A hotel?”
“Yep, you’ll be joining the group as a friend of a woman already part of the group. Amber contacted us a couple days ago. She joined to help free her friend from it, but that friend is now dead, and Amber’s looking for help. Not just to get out herself but to burn the group to the ground.”
“Ah, undercover then. That’s perfect. You got a story for me?”
“Yep, I do,” he said, “and it’s a doozy. If you’re in, I’ll send you the details in a minute.”
“I am definitely in,” he said, “particularly for bringing down something like this.”
“Absolutely. Way too much of this shit going on in town now.”
“Send me the info. I’m packing already.” And, with that, Tomas hung up, a smile on his face.
When Ice had called him before his accident, he’d been thrilled. He had been out of the navy for only two months and was at loose ends, trying to figure out what to do, when she had contacted him. But, sure as hell, he
had ended up called back in because somebody had a grudge to settle, and Tomas had been the one who ended up in the middle. Now here he was, maybe, with a second chance. He was good with those. Particularly in this case.
He smiled a happy smile. Who the hell knew where this job would take him? Wherever that may be, he was more than ready for the journey. He’d had his fill of everything up until now and was just waiting to get back into the action. As he walked around his small apartment, his to-go bag in his hand, he took one final look.
I may or may not come back here, and that’s just perfect.
And, with that thought, he walked out with a huge smile on his face.
This concludes Book 25 of Heroes for Hire: Noah’s Nemesis.
Read about Tomas’s Trials: Heroes for Hire, Book 25
Heroes for Hire: Tomas’s Trials (Book #26)
Tomas is excited about this new direction in his life. Working for Levi allows him to use his vast array of skills in new and varied ways. He doesn’t expect to be sent undercover in a supremacy group, loaded with weapons. Yet what he finds is much more complicated than that.
Amber had joined the group to help get her friend away from the members, only to find out her friend is dead, and no one will talk about it. The group is in the middle of a coup from within, as the leader barely maintains control. It’s a dangerous place to be, but she is not leaving without answers. Needing help, she contacts an old friend. Tomas isn’t what she expects.
Still, as long as he will help her do what she needs to do—before she gets into further trouble—he is fine with her. Except it doesn’t take long for both of them to realize that the danger is escalating to the point where it is possible that neither of them will leave the compound—at least not alive.
Find Book 26 here!
To find out more visit Dale Mayer’s website.
Other Military Series by Dale Mayer
SEALs of Honor
Heroes for Hire
SEALs of Steel
The K9 Files
The Mavericks
Bullards Battle
Hathaway House
Terkel’s Team
Ryland’s Reach: Bullard’s Battle (Book #1)
Welcome to a new stand-alone but interconnected series from Dale Mayer. This is Bullard’s story—and that of his team’s. All raw, rough, incredibly capable men who have one goal: to find out who was behind the attack on their leader, before the attacker, or attackers, return to finish the job.
Stay tuned for more nonstop action as the men narrow down their suspects … and find a way to let love back into their own empty lives.
His rescue from the ocean after a horrible plane explosion was his top priority, in any way, shape, or form. A small sailboat and a nurse to do the job was more than Ryland hoped for.
When Tabi somehow drags him and his buddy Garret onboard and surprisingly gets them to a naval ship close by, Ryland figures he’d used up all his luck and his friend’s too. Sure enough, those who attacked the plane they were in weren’t content to let him slowly die in the ocean. No. Surviving had made him a target all over again.
Tabi isn’t expecting her sailing holiday to include the rescue of two badly injured men and then to end with the loss of her beloved sailboat. Her instincts save them, but now she finds it tough to let them go—even as more of Bullard’s team members come to them—until it becomes apparent that not only are Bullard and his men still targets … but she is too.
Bullard checked that the helicopter was loaded with their bags and that his men were ready to leave.
He walked back one more time, his gaze on Ice. She’d never looked happier, never looked more perfect. His heart ached, but he knew she remained a caring friend and always would be. He opened his arms; she ran into them, and he held her close, whispering, “The offer still stands.”
She leaned back and smiled up at him. “Maybe if and when Levi’s been gone for a long enough time for me to forget,” she said in all seriousness.
“That’s not happening. You two, now three, will live long and happy lives together,” he said, smiling down at the woman knew to be the most beautiful, inside and out. She would never be his, but he always kept a little corner of his heart open and available, in case she wanted to surprise him and to slide inside.
And then he realized she’d already been a part of his heart all this time. That was a good ten to fifteen years by now. But she kept herself in the friend category, and he understood because she and Levi, partners and now parents, were perfect together.
Bullard reached out and shook Levi’s hand. “It was a hell of a blast,” he said. “When you guys do a big splash, you really do a big splash.”
Ice laughed. “A few days at home sounds perfect for me now.”
“It looks great,” he said, his hands on his hips as he surveyed the people in the massive pool surrounded by the palm trees, all designed and decked out by Ice. Right beside all the war machines that he heartily approved of. He grinned at her. “When are you coming over to visit?” His gaze went to Levi, raising his eyebrows back at her. “You guys should come over for a week or two or three.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Levi said. “We could use a long holiday, just not yet.”
“That sounds familiar.” Bullard grinned. “Anyway, I’m off. We’ll hit the airport and then pick up the plane and head home.” He added, “As always, call if you need me.”
Everybody raised a hand as he returned to the helicopter and his buddy who was flying him to the airport. Ice had volunteered to shuttle him there, but he hadn’t wanted to take her away from her family or to prolong the goodbye. He hopped inside, waving at everybody as the helicopter lifted. Two of his men, Ryland and Garret, were in the back seats. They always traveled with him.
Bullard would pick up the rest of his men in Australia. He stared down at the compound as he flew overhead. He preferred his compound at home, but damn they’d done a nice job here.
With everybody on the ground screaming goodbye, Bullard sailed over Houston, heading toward the airport. His two men never said a word. They all knew how he felt about Ice. But not one of them would cross that line and say anything. At least not if they expected to still have jobs.
It was one thing to fall in love with another man’s woman, but another thing to fall in love with a woman who was so unique, so different, and so absolutely perfect that you knew, just knew, there was no hope of finding anybody else like her. But she and Levi had been together way before Bullard had ever met her, which made it that much more heartbreaking.
Still, he’d turned and looked forward. He had a full roster of jobs himself to focus on when he got home. Part of him was tired of the life; another part of him couldn’t wait to head out on the next adventure. He managed to run everything from his command centers in one or two of his locations. He’d spent a lot of time and effort at the second one and kept a full team at both locations, yet preferred to spend most of his time at the old one. It felt more like home to him, and he’d like to be there now, but still had many more days before that could happen.
The helicopter lowered to the tarmac, he stepped out, said his goodbyes and walked across to where his private plane waited. It was one of the things that he loved, being a pilot of both helicopters and airplanes, and owning both birds himself.
That again was another way he and Ice were part of the same team, of the same mind-set. He’d been looking for another woman like Ice for himself, but no such luck. Sure, lots were around for short-term relationships, but most of them couldn’t handle his lifestyle or the violence of the world that he lived in. He understood that.
The ones who did had a hard edge to them that he found difficult to live with. Bullard appreciated everybody’s being alert and aware, but if there wasn’t some softness in the women, they seemed to turn cold all the way through.
As he boarded his small plane, Ryland and Garret following behind, Bullard called out in his loud voice, “Let’s go, slow pokes. We’ve go
t a long flight ahead of us.”
The men grinned, confident Bullard was teasing, as was his usual routine during their off-hours.
“Well, we’re ready, not sure about you though …” Ryland said, smirking.
“We’re waiting on you this time,” Garret added with a chuckle. “Good thing you’re the boss.”
Bullard grinned at his two right-hand men. “Isn’t that the truth?” He dropped his bags at one of the guys’ feet and said, “Stow all this stuff, will you? I want to get our flight path cleared and get the hell out of here.”
They’d all enjoyed the break. He tried to get over once a year to visit Ice and Levi and same in reverse. But it was time to get back to business. He started up the engines, got confirmation from the tower. They were heading to Australia for this next job. He really wanted to go straight back to Africa, but it would be a while yet. They’d refuel in Honolulu.
Ryland came in and sat down in the copilot’s spot, buckled in, then asked, “You ready?”
Bullard laughed. “When have you ever known me not to be ready?” At that, he taxied down the runway. Before long he was up in the air, at cruising level, and heading to Hawaii. “Gotta love these views from up here,” Bullard said. “This place is magical.”
“It is once you get up above all the smog,” he said. “Why Australia again?”
“Remember how we were supposed to check out that newest compound in Australia that I’ve had my eye on? Besides the alpha team is coming off that ugly job in Sydney. We’ll give them a day or two of R&R then head home.”
“Right. We could have some equally ugly payback on that job.”
Bullard shrugged. “That goes for most of our jobs. It’s the life.”
“And don’t you have enough compounds to look after?”
“Yes I do, but that kid in me still looks to take over the world. Just remember that.”
“Better you go home to Africa and look after your first two compounds,” Ryland said.
“Maybe,” Bullard admitted. “But it seems hard to not continue expanding.”