His eyes showed his surprise, but that was the invitation he needed. Like a panther, he moved closer, drawing her forward with his hands around her hips. “I’m so interested, I might just break the zipper on my jeans, honey,” he told her, pressing her hand there to show her exactly what he meant. Sure enough, his erection was pressing against her stomach and she grinned with the surge of power she felt.
“I can’t tell you where I went, Abby,” he said. “I won’t ever be able to warn you when I have to go somewhere.”
She was startled, and something struck her, an old memory that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“But trust me, I won’t ever just walk away from you. If something goes south with our relationship, then I’ll tell you so, in person. I’m not the kind of man who will break up with you in a text message.” He moved closer, lowering his head and doing that nuzzling thing along the base of her neck. “But there’s no way that this is over, honey. Not when I want you this badly.”
She shivered under his hands. He moved closer, his hips pressing against hers, his lips teasing her neck. She gasped when he cupped her breasts. When his thumbs moved over her already taut and aching nipples, she was lost in her desire.
So instead of pushing him away, she came closer, pressing herself against him, feeling his erection throb against her stomach and…he brushed his thumbs against her nipples again and she gasped. “Zeke!” she whispered against his neck. Then her fingers moved to the hem of his tee shirt, pulling and tugging. She was so impatient, she wanted to rip his shirt off!
“Get it off!” she snapped, pulling fruitlessly at his shirt.
He pulled away for a moment, then he was back, his tee shirt gone. She slid her hands up his chest, reveling in the feeling of his muscles under her hands, her fingertips tracing and teasing, exploring every inch of him.
She was ravenous now! Never in her life had she been this adamant about needing sex but with Zeke, she was all in! Her fingers moved lower, tracing the ridges of his abs before sliding underneath the waistband of his jeans. Her fingers fumbled with the snap, but he hissed and pulled her hands away.
“Bed. Now!” he ordered, then scooped her up into his arms, carrying her from the wall to the only bedroom in the apartment. With a kick of his boot, the door slammed shut behind him.
Unceremoniously, he dumped her onto the bed, and proceeded to strip her clothes off. “I’ll be more careful next time, Abby. But right now, I need you naked!”
Seconds later, he got his wish. He barely paused before he lowered his head, taking one of her nipples into his mouth. Abby screamed, writhing under his not-so-tender onslaught. But she needed more! Her fingers moved back to his jeans but again, he stopped her by simply standing up and stripping off his clothes.
“Now, we’re going to do this right!”
“Your stitches!” she gasped.
He shook his head. “I had Mike take them out. My back is fine, Abby.” Then he leered at her. “Forget about my back and concentrate on me.”
With one hand, he took her ankle and spread her legs wide, his eyes moving from her breasts to that secret place. She wanted to hide from him but Zeke wasn’t having it. His hands moving along her legs, first the outside, then the inside, his fingers teasing and touching everywhere. Nothing was off limits and he spread her wide, his mouth hovering teasingly over her core before he covered her with his hot mouth.
She screamed, arching against him, her fingers diving into his hair to hold him there as she wiggled, trying to get his mouth to…! “Yes! Just like that! Do it again!”
He did. Over and over again until she was almost out of her mind with the desperate need for a release. But he didn’t give it to her. When she felt his finger slide into her heat, she screamed again. “Stop teasing me!” she yelled at him, her fingers releasing his hair in order to twist the sheets, not wanting to hurt him even in the throes of the most overwhelming passion she’d ever experienced.
“Yes!” she whispered, or shouted, Abby wasn’t sure. All she knew was that satisfaction was just a little closer.
“Not just yet,” he teased before he wrapped his mouth around that sensitive nub and sucked. Abby was trembling with need now, not sure how to get him to give her what she needed. She stilled, her body right on the edge. But a split second before she might have tumbled over, he pulled away.
“I hate you!” she screamed, opening her eyes to find him rolling a condom down over his erection and she licked her lips. Zeke looked at her with triumph in his eyes which caused her fingers to curl over his shoulders when he lowered himself back down between her legs. “Hold onto me, honey,” he coaxed.
Abby’s fingers tightened on his shoulders as he pressed his impressive length into her. “Yes!’ she sighed, arching and wrapping her legs around his waist while he pressed deeper and deeper into her tight, wet sheath.
When he was fully embedded in her heat, he paused, looking down at her. “You okay?”
“Yes! Damn it, you’re driving me crazy!” And she ground against him, pressing her body against his in a desperate bid to find that release that her body craved so desperately.
Abby arched her hips, not sure what to do to ease this crazy need for release because she’d never felt like this before. Sex had always been fine but not world-rocking. It had never been insane, desperate, or…just needed!
When he started moving inside of her, she shuddered, lifting her hips to match his thrusts. Over and over again, he pressed into her, bringing her closer and closer! It felt…amazing!
When that beautiful release finally came, she screamed as the waves of pleasure poured over her in a seemingly endless tidal wave.
For a moment, she felt him stiffen and knew that he was finding his own release, but Abby could only hold on, her fingers curling into his shoulders as another orgasm hit her.
Afterwards, Zeke collapsed on top of her, his body a wonderful weight that Abby savored, unconcerned with her ability to breathe. Feeling him like this was more important than oxygen, she thought as her eyes closed.
A long time later, he rolled off of her and pulled her close. “I’m smothering you,” he muttered, and yawned as he buried his nose in her hair.
“You’re fine,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
Abby felt him grin into her hair and wanted to laugh. Or cry. Maybe both. That had been the wildest and most beautiful moment she’d ever experienced. “Please don’t say anything to ruin this moment,” she whispered, turning to snuggle into the warmth of his body.
“Would I do that?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her to pull her even closer.
“You’re male. Yes, you’d do that.”
He laughed, kissing the top of her head. “Yeah, I probably would. So I guess I’ll just shut up.”
Abby smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the perfection of this moment with him. It might not last. She might never have this again. But for this moment, it was perfect.
Chapter 8
“Please, you have to share,” Cathy teased, coming up beside Abby. “What’s your secret?”
“My secret?” Abby asked, feeling like humming. Maybe singing.
Cathy leaned against the counter, eyeing Abby pointedly. “There was a bout of food poisoning in one of the mess halls today. We had seventeen soldiers come in throwing up all over the place. Two heart attacks, one broken leg, and a car accident involving four different patients.” She paused after listing the crises they’d seen today. “How are you glowing?”
Abby laughed. It had been two weeks since Zeke had come back from wherever he’d gone. Two weeks of blissful, amazing sex. Two weeks during which time, the sex had only gotten better! As she and Zeke learned more about each other’s bodies, they found how to pleasure each other better. It was mind-blowing how he could make her climax so many times in a night. Sometimes, it was only once and they would fall asleep, both of them tired from a hard day. And other times, she’d climax over and over again until it was almost painful. An
d yet, Zeke knew when to relent and let her body come down from that incredible high. After those times, he’d stroke her softly, holding her in the aftermath of their lovemaking until she fell asleep against his strong shoulder.
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”
Abby laughed and nodded her head. “Yeah. I’m thinking about Zeke. He’s pretty wonderful.”
“That good in bed, huh?”
Abby didn’t answer that, believing that their sex life was personal. Instead, she whispered, “Remember those cookies in the break room the other day?”
Cathy’s eyes widened. “No!” she grumbled, shifting on her feet. “NO way! A man that gorgeous is not allowed to bake as well!”
Abby laughed, nodding her head. “He loves to bake. The other morning, he made cinnamon rolls that…they were amazing! Just…amazing! Right out of the oven, freshly baked with tons of icing on top!”
Cathy sighed. “No wonder you’re eating salads all the time!” she replied with a smile. Then her smile disappeared. “Just tell me he’s horrible in bed. The guy has to have some flaws. So it’s sex, right? He’s inept?”
Abby laughed, but didn’t answer. “I have a patient,” she said, leaving Cathy hanging.
“You’d think he could at least be inept on those missions,” Cathy grumbled as she followed behind Abby, although Cathy went to a different exam room. “But I hear he’s a dynamo there too.”
Abby paused and glanced thoughtfully over her shoulder at her friend. Missions? What missions?
But Cathy was heading for another patient that needed her assistance. And Abby needed to tend to her own. Gazing down at the chart, she wondered what sorts of missions Cathy meant. Zeke was a trainer. She’d even seen him training one day when she’d been brought there for a medical emergency. He’d been pushing the soldiers through some drills, doing something with an obstacle course that he’d probably run through a thousand times.
But that had been on one of the other fields and she hadn’t had a chance to really talk to him about it. Which was an absolute lie, she thought as she smiled at her next patient. She’d had plenty of chances to talk to Zeke about his work. They talked a lot at night. He cooked her dinner and she sat on a stool watching him as they discussed…whatever. They were both opinionated people and she loved that he was so well informed.
So, what was the niggling doubt that kept coming up in the back of her mind? There were certain topics that she knew she didn’t want to bring up. And that mission he’d gone on two weeks ago, the secrecy of it and something he’d said had tripped up a memory in her mind. What had he said?
Unfortunately, a multi car accident was reported and the entire emergency room staff jumped into preparation mode. For the next several hours, Abby didn’t have time to think about anything other than stitching up wounds and setting broken bones. A few accident victims arrived in the emergency room and both were in pretty bad shape but, thankfully, they would fully recover. By the time her shift ended in late afternoon, the crisis had died down.
“What a day!” Abby sighed as she and Cathy walked into the staff locker room to change clothes.
“Yeah. It was rough. Did you see that broken leg that Doctor Carter had to set?” She shuddered. Even medical staff could be shocked and grossed out at times.
“Ugh!” Abby laughed, leaning her head back against her locker. “I’m glad he landed that patient instead of me.”
Cathy nodded, then sighed as she pushed herself to her feet. “I don’t think I have the energy to change clothes.”
Abby opened her eyes and looked at her friend. “You have blood on the side of your…”
“Darn it!” Cathy snapped, then tugged the scrubs off and tossed them into the bin for sanitizing. They changed into their street clothes and headed out to their cars. “Are you seeing him again tonight?”
Abby smiled, her exhaustion lifting as she thought about Zeke. “Yeah. Probably.”
Cathy grinned. “I’m glad for you, Abby. You deserve a good guy like him. And you’re probably the best person to handle his quirky job requirements.”
Abby had just pulled her keys out of her purse when she registered Cathy’s words. “Quirky? He’s just…”
Cathy chuckled, shaking her head. “Abby, he’s not a trainer.” She shrugged, “Colonel Jeffers might train the teams, but he’s one of those bad ass dudes that flies out to resolve dangerous situations around the world.”
Abby frowned, her eyes narrowing. “But…he’s always here.”
“No, he’s not. Remember a few weeks ago? He left abruptly and you thought he’d dumped you.”
She remembered, her heart twisting at those painful memories. “But…he’s…he’s just a regular guy,” she protested, her voice barely above a whisper now as the truth started to seep into her mind. “He’s not…”
Cathy saw the pain in Abby’s eyes and moved closer, laying a comforting hand on Abby’s shoulder. “We can never know for sure, Abby, but Zeke is probably part of the Delta Force team. They are super secretive, and they’re the Army’s version of the SEALs. That’s why I thought that you and Zeke were a good couple. Because your father was a Navy SEAL. I just thought…?”
Abby shook her head, not sure how to handle this news. Zeke was Special Forces? Although, now she thought about it, it made sense. Some of what Zeke had said over the past few weeks, the way he trained so hard, his discipline, and…well, lots of little things. Was he Special Forces? Was he one of the guys that dove into hot spots? Her father used to joke with his fellow SEALs about how he would dive out of a plane and parachute into jungles or buildings or even onto a ship. Did Zeke do that too? Was he one of those men who put their lives in horrific danger?
“I…” Abby tried, but the words wouldn’t come to her. She couldn’t seem to think anything other than to question Zeke’s job.
“Talk to him, Abby. Talk to Zeke. I could be wrong.”
Abby nodded, not really listening. She got into her car and…sat for a long moment. She couldn’t drive. Not yet anyway. She was too distracted and, after today’s crises, Abby didn’t want to put other drivers in danger simply because she was too distracted to pay attention. So instead, she pulled her cell phone out and texted Zeke, asking if he was coming over. It was a stupid question since he came over to her house practically every night.
Come to think of it, there had been a couple nights when he hadn’t come over but had told her he’d see her by morning. Had he left the country or done something dangerous during those hours when he was gone?
Abby rubbed her forehead, trying to think.
When she got Zeke’s response, which was a firm, “Yes!” she smiled, but…then she sighed. “Just talk to him,” she said aloud. Starting her car, she forced herself to focus on driving home.
Zeke stared at the message, feeling his gut clench with worry. Something was wrong. Was Abby hurt? Was she in danger? He stepped out of the shower and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a red tee shirt. He’d planned on making stir fry for dinner tonight, but hadn’t gone to the grocery store yet to get the ingredients. He preferred going shopping with Abby anyway, because it helped him get to know her better. He loved discovering the little things about her, such as that she liked red bell peppers but not green ones, even though they were the same thing. She liked raw carrots, but hated cooked carrots.
He loved cooking for her. He loved baking for her too. She was so appreciative of even the small things and he…hell, he loved her. He loved the way she rubbed his shoulders at night when he was sore from a workout. He loved the way she closed her eyes when she took her first bite of warm bread, savoring the flavors. He loved the way she snuck one of his cookies while she blended her spinach and avocado smoothies in the morning, then pretended that she wasn’t chewing when he walked in and caught her.
He loved the way she worried about her patients, even after they’d gone to one of the specialists within the hospital. She was an emergency room doctor, so she only saw her
patients for a short period of time, but Abby still considered them “her” patients. Whenever he spotted her nibbling the side of her mouth, he knew she was thinking about a patient.
So, as he pulled into a parking space in front of her apartment, he looked up into her windows, wondering what was going on. It had only been one text message, but Zeke had felt a vibration in the world and knew she was upset about something.
Sure enough, as soon as he stepped into her apartment, she turned to face him, the muscles in her face drawn and her eyes alert.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked, moving closer to her, intending to take her into his arms.
“Stop!” she whispered when he was less than a foot away from her.
Zeke stopped, looking directly into her eyes. “What is it?”
“Are you a member of a Delta Force Team?” she blurted out. He watched as she held her breath, waiting for his answer.
Normally, he didn’t confirm or deny his position. The teams worked best in secret. They were better able to move around and get things done if no one knew of their existence. But the policy was that significant others were privy to a team member’s job.
“Yes, I am,” he confirmed, then waited, wondering what she would do or say.
For a long moment, she didn’t say anything. But he saw the tears well up in her eyes. “Honey, it’s not a big deal,” he assured her, reaching for her.
She stepped back and he let his hands drop to his sides. “It is,” she whispered. “It’s a huge deal.”
He wasn’t sure, but there was a grating in her voice now. “Tell me what bothers you about my job.”
She huffed a bit, running a shaking hand through her hair. “What bothers me? Seriously? You’re one of those crazy people who literally run into danger and…do stuff!”
“Yeah. That’s sort of the whole point of the Army, isn’t it?” he teased.
Zeke Page 6
