He leaned down, his lips hovering over hers. “You do when you’re wearing a black lace bra,” and then he kissed her. A deep, sensuous kiss that she felt all the way down to her toes.
Lifting up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his as he deepened the kiss. It was thrilling, feeling him against her like this. Feeling his body’s reaction. Almost overwhelming, but thrilling!
And over too quickly!
Mike pulled back with a groan. “I want to haul you right back into your apartment and make love to you, Lexie.”
She shivered, wanting that too.
“I’m going to leave now. But I need you to walk back into your apartment and lock the door for me.”
“Okay,” she whispered, feeling as if anything louder might shatter this perfect moment.
Reluctantly, she walked back through the patio door. She engaged the lock, then added the bar at the base of the door so no one could get in even if they broke the lock.
Only after she pulled the curtain closed did Mike drive away. She knew because she peeked out to watch him leave, feeling as if she’d missed a prime opportunity tonight.
Chapter 6
Friday night, Mike took Lexie to play mini-golf. While Lexie stood back, admiring the muscles flexing along Mike’s back and shoulders as he set up the putt, Mike suddenly stopped and looked at her. Feeling guilty that she’d been watching his body instead of the game, she looked up at him, trying to appear innocent even while her face heated with color.
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know what you were thinking just now, but how about a contest?”
She looked around, leaning slightly on her putter. “Isn’t the game already a contest?”
“Sure, but…” he stepped closer, close enough that she felt her breath catch. “How about if we make it more interesting?”
Lexie considered his offer. She’d been playing golf all her life. Her father had taught her and she’d been on her high school and college golf teams. So, she felt pretty confident about her chances.
“Okay. What are you thinking?”
“For each hole I win, I get a kiss. For every hole you win…what do you want?”
Lexie laughed because she’d actually take a kiss from him any day for any reason. But she decided to play hard to get. “Okay, for every hole I win, you have to cook dinner for me.”
An eyebrow went up. “I have to cook it?”
She nodded with a mischievous look in her eyes. “Cooked - with real ingredients and side dishes. Is it a deal?”
One side of his mouth quirked. “Aren’t you worried about my cooking skills? So far, my culinary expertise has been bringing you a pizza and choosing the right beer.”
Her hand moved to the middle of his chest. “I suspect that there are very few things in this world that you either don’t already know how to do extremely well,” she paused, thinking of exactly what she wanted him to do well…to her! “Or that you can’t figure out.”
He chuckled. “So you want me to cook dinners for you? What if you win all eighteen holes?”
She grinned. “Then you owe me eighteen dinners.”
“Sounds like I win no matter what,” he replied, his voice going deeper.
Her eyes dropped to his mouth. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.”
His laugh was smooth and sexy as he stepped back and positioned himself to putt.
It was a good putt, but it went wide towards the hole and it took him two shots to get the ball into the cup. Lexie sauntered over, positioned herself carefully, and swung the putter. The ball went right into the cup and she stood up, pleased that she hadn’t lost her touch.
“Good shot,” he mumbled. Then put a hand on the small of her back as he walked her to the next hole. The first hole was meant to be an easy one, giving players a chance to get used to the putter and the ambiance. The next hole had a windmill in the middle and Lexie had no idea what was inside that windmill to slow down or curve the ball.
“This should even things up.” He bent down and placed the ball on the ragged green area, with Lexie’s eyes moving right towards his…!
“Are you ogling me?” he demanded, without straightening up.
Caught! Lexie’s eyes shifted to his and she blushed again. “That would mean that I’m objectifying you,” she told him with as serious of an expression as she could muster under the circumstances. “Women have been fighting against being objectified for centuries. I would never do that.”
He looked at her for a long moment, and shook his head. “That was a load of bull,” he commented, and Lexie laughed, appreciating that he’d left off the next word and kept his disbelief “family friendly”.
It took him three swings to get his ball into the cup this time, but Lexie was nervous after being caught ogling, so it took her four swings. As soon as her ball fell into the cup, he wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her in for a long, deep, soul-drugging kiss that left her melting into him. She might have even whimpered when he lifted his mouth from hers.
“Good shot,” he muttered.
He won the next three holes, but only because he kept kissing her like that, which caused Lexie to lose her concentration. But she pulled herself together on the next several holes, then purposely lost the last several holes, hoping that his kisses meant that they would go back to her place and…he’d kiss her a whole lot more.
But after mini golf, he took her out for ice cream and she fell a little bit in love with him for that. She refused to fall completely in love with him because their futures were so unknown. She might move on at any point and Mike could be killed doing whatever it was that he did. Or he could be shipped off to another state, country, or war zone. She had no idea what could happen. So Lexie reminded herself to keep things light and casual with Mike.
Good plan. Harder to implement, she thought later that night when he kissed her in his car, refusing to walk her to her door. “Not yet,” he muttered when she frowned. “Soon, though,” he assured her, sliding a finger down her cheek.
So instead of debating about inviting him inside tonight, she walked into her apartment and locked the doors, flicking the lights to tell him that she was okay. Then she moved to the window and, just as she’d done the previous night, watched Mike drive away.
Chapter 7
Over the next two weeks, Lexie fell a little more in love with Mike every day. Every time he cooked for her, took her out, made her laugh, or just kissed her with his mind-blowing kisses, she knew that she was in big trouble. And it grew even more intense when he wouldn’t come in and make love with her. Lexie knew that sex was the death knell for her. She wasn’t a huge fan of sex, never really understanding the point. It was fine. She liked the snuggling afterwards. She’d been with two men in the past and, although she’d enjoyed kissing them, sex had been…underwhelming. Very soon after each sexual interaction, Lexie had found a reason to break things off.
What would it be like with Mike? She wondered each night as she stared up at the ceiling, thinking about his kisses, the way he touched her, the way he’d make her laugh during dinner or…well, the sweetly protective way he touched her when they were in a crowd, as if he needed to shield her with his own body. Or the way he would glare at any man who looked at her, even in passing. She’d caught him doing that earlier tonight, and she’d laid her head on his shoulder during the movie, thinking he was her own personal superhero.
Yes, Lexie could really get used to this.
Which was why she might…she was considering…good grief. Lexie wasn’t going to high tail it out of the area. As much as her brain was calling to pack up and move on, her heart wouldn’t let her. Her heart and her body, actually. Both wanted to see where this thing with Mike would go.
And in reality, she really loved her new job. Her curiosity about the teams’ activities was driving her a bit crazy. Not to mention, some of the tasks that General Kelly asked her to accomplish were just…well, she really wanted to kno
w why he’d asked her to purchase Playdough. Seriously? Why Playdough? And he’d wanted several colors of it too! She’d driven to the next town over to find additional colors and…it was just weird. Very weird!
Despite the odd requests, Lexie found that she truly enjoyed the work and the soldiers who came and went through the warehouse tended to stop by her desk to say hello, offer her coffee, tease her about being too efficient, or just wave as they came or went. Even seeing Mike as he passed by in his comings or goings was exciting, although he was less visible about his greetings than the others.
So, it was a shock when she walked in on Monday morning to find everyone rushing around. Mike walked over to her desk and leaned forward meaningfully. “When I get back, we’re having dinner and we’re finishing the night differently,” he announced quietly. Then he leaned in and kissed her. It was a hard, brief kiss, and it left her breathless.
Then he was gone. In fact, everyone vanished! They swung their heavy sacks over their shoulders, stuffed weapons into holsters, grabbed their rifles, and headed out. Several of the mysterious tarp covered lumps were gone as well.
But it was the silence that rang in her ears that was the most startling. After weeks of bustling, the warehouse was suddenly silent.
Lexie looked around, feeling abandoned, even though she knew that wasn’t fair. The men had gone off to do something heroic. She was part of their support staff. Lexie didn’t really have the right to be hurt or lonely. This was part of her job.
“Right!” she muttered, straightening her shoulders. She lifted her chin, and headed back to her desk. Because of the increased demands on her time recently, her space now consisted of an additional folding table, a bookcase, printer, scanner, a laptop computer with three screens that allowed her to work on several task requests at the same time, and a kitchen area had been built just outside of her work space. When that had moved in, Lexie had wondered if she’d be responsible for cleaning up after a bunch of sloppy men. But these guys were clean and incredibly considerate. If someone made a mess, he cleaned up after himself, even General Kelly.
“It’s too quiet, now, isn’t it?”
Lexie spun around, startled to find General Kelly standing in his doorway.
“Oh! I thought you’d left with the team.”
The general shook his head as he leaned against the doorframe. “Nope. I’m too old for field work these days.”
Lexie snorted, looking at the man who was probably in his sixties, but looked to be in better physical health than just about every other man she knew. He was certainly in better shape than most of the soldiers she’d served at the bar!
“I doubt that,” she replied, moving over to her desk and started straightening the files.
“It’s true,” General Kelly replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee, then doing the same for her, even adding the sweetener, just how she preferred.
“Thank you,” she replied when he handed the cup to her.
“You’re doing a great job. Several of the men have commented that you’re much better than the last few people who attempted to keep up with the team’s requests. So, thank you.”
Lexie felt a burst of pride at his words. “Thank you so much. That means a great deal to me.”
“And you? Are you okay with the pace? I know that it gets a bit wild at times.”
Lexie took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. “Actually, I really enjoy the pace. It definitely keeps me on my toes.”
He laughed. “Glad to hear it.” He waved his coffee cup. “I know you have a lot of work to do and I have to get some briefings done. I’ll see you in a few days.”
Lexie wanted to ask where he was going, but bit her tongue, remembering how he’d warned her not to ask questions. Everything, including travel plans, was top secret. Lexie didn’t even make those travel plans, so it wasn’t as if she could keep anything secret since she didn’t know anything.
Still, curiosity burned in her chest.
The general left about twenty minutes later and Lexie stared at her computer. Over the past several days, she’d mentally grumbled about the noise and distractions. But now, surrounded by the deafening silence, she couldn’t concentrate. It was almost as if the noise had pushed her mind to a higher level of concentration and now, with the silence around her, her mind just wouldn’t work.
With monumental effort, Lexie got through several of the tasks that had been requested and she even managed to resolve the issues that the general e-mailed to her.
By the end of the week, with no one to talk to and only occasional phone calls from the general, Lexie was exhausted! The effort it took to concentrate in the silent warehouse required a great deal of energy.
Chapter 8
The knock on her apartment door startled her. It was Friday night and all she’d wanted to do was take a shower, then crawl into bed for the next ten hours. Instead, she tossed the wet towel into her bathroom, pulled her wet hair up into a twist, and grabbed a robe, tightening the belt around her waist. With the chain still in place, she opened the door a crack.
“Yes?” she asked, then her eyes widened when she saw Mike standing in the doorway.
“You’re back!” she yelped, slamming the door shut and releasing the chain, then yanking the door wide before grabbing him and pulling him inside. “You’re back!” she sighed, starting to lean in to kiss him but then she got a good look at him and froze.
“Mike! What happened to you?” she demanded. There were bruises and scratches all over him, including a black eye!
Despite the wounds, there was an intense, heated look to his dark eyes as he stepped into the apartment. “I’m hurt,” he joked, holding up a first aid kit. “Think you could patch me up?”
Lexie gasped and took his arm, pulling then stopping when he hissed. “What? What did I do?’ she demanded.
“It’s nothing,” he told her softly, and he pulled her against his other side. “I missed you. Did you miss me too?”
She leaned against him carefully, sliding her hand up his chest as she grinned mischievously. “Why would I miss you? Were you gone?”
She laughed when he swatted her bottom, feeling the delicious sting.
“Try again,” he growled, leaning forward to kiss her lips.
“Yes,” she laughed. “I missed you a lot.”
“Better!” Then he kissed her again, but more gently this time because of his split lip. “You should take off my shirt.”
Lexie pulled back, blinking in surprise. “Your shirt? Mike, you’re hurt. We shouldn’t…”
Mike leaned forward. “I need first aide,” he teased, then took her hands and put them on his waist.
Lexie stared at him for a moment, then slowly, gently, lifted his shirt up over his head and tossed it onto a nearby chair. She paused to take in the glory of Mike’s body. Or at least the half of it she could see.
“Mike,” she whispered, but words failed her. She’d known that he was muscular because of the way he filled out his tee shirts. But seeing him like this, all those muscles in full view was…wow! “Mike, you’re gorgeous.” Her fingers trailed softly over his muscles, tracing the ridges and exploring every part of him, his chest, shoulders, abs. Her fingers stopped as they rested on his belt and she looked up at him, waiting for his permission to continue. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“Yes,” he growled, leaning down to kiss her. “I’m in pain much lower.”
She laughed briefly, but then her need to see all of him returned. She slid her fingers between his hard abs and his belt, feeling his muscles tense as she released the buckle.
“Maybe I should do that.” He grabbed her wrists. “You’re taking too long.”
“I’m fine,” she asserted, pushing his hands away. With slow, curious fingers, she released the buckle, then the snap at the waistband of his jeans. With excruciating curiosity, she lowered the zipper, savoring this moment. She wanted to remember this for the rest of her life.
“Lexie!” he whispered war
ningly.
“Yes?” She smiled sweetly up at him. “Do you want me to stop?”
Slowly, the zipper moved lower. Lexie could feel her body practically vibrating with desire. She’d never felt this way before and wanted to enjoy it a bit longer.
Unfortunately, she discovered that she’d pushed Mike too far. He grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away. A moment later, he scooped her into his arms, his forearms under her bottom as he carried her into her bedroom.
“Yes. If you want this to continue, you’re going to have to stop.” He put her down on the bed, then followed, bracing his hands on either side of her head as he lowered his mouth to kiss her. When he lifted his head, both of them were panting. “Next time, you can explore all you want. But first, we’re going to do this my way.”
“Why do you get control?” she asked, wiggling out from underneath him. Or trying. He caught her before she’d made it two inches.
“Because I’m stronger. I’m bigger. And I’m meaner.”
Despite the increasing throb lower in her body, Lexie giggled. “I think I might be stronger,” she challenged.
He peered down at her robe and grinned wolfishly. “Yeah? Go ahead. Try to take control.” But he was already opening her robe, the belt having come loose during their trip into the bedroom.
Without hesitation, Mike lowered his mouth to cover her nipple and fire filled her veins. “Oh Mike!” she gasped, wiggling underneath him. Without meaning to, her legs lifted, wrapping around his waist.
“I thought you were going to take control,” he teased, shifting to her other nipple, torturing that peak and sending pleasure pulsing through her. Arching her back, she cried out, not sure if she was begging him to stop or to keep going.
When he nibbled lightly, she gasped. “Mike, I can’t take anymore. Please, you have to stop!”
“Nope, no stopping allowed.” He replied, moving slowly down her body, kissing and nibbling and teasing her stomach, her hips, her inner thighs. Since she’d just gotten out of the shower, there were no clothes to slow him down and he found his goal easily, spreading her legs wider as he nibbled and licked and teased.
Mike (Delta Forces Book 1) Page 4
