“Go ahead and sit,” the brunette said, waving a hand toward the mahogany chair.
Ash pasted on a polite smile and forced herself not to wrap her fingers around the arms of her chair like they were a lifeline.
“How are you feeling? I understand you sustained some injuries from your fall,” the woman said, her mouth curving slightly.
“I’m fine. No jogging or jumping, but they’ve cleared me for some light exercise.”
The pretty, plump brunette glanced down at her open folder. “I see you’ve been scheduled to reenter the next training cycle.”
Ash nodded. Deke had called to let her know she’d be reinserted in the next rotation to complete the training interrupted by her mission. Piper Kincaid’s class. She actually looked forward to not being the only female this time around.
“Do you enjoy the training?”
Ash drew a deep breath and answered honestly. “It’s rigorous, but I enjoy the challenge.”
They made small talk—which Ash was completely aware of the fact that the topics were anything but aimless. The other woman’s smooth, friendly style prompted her to talk about her impressions of the people she worked with, and she made comparisons to the work she’d done while a police officer and what she expected her work to be like with Charter.
“Your husband is also with Charter…”
“Yes, Sam’s been with them for a couple of years. He was recruited while still a SEAL.”
“You two met because of his association with your previous partner…”
Dread settled in her belly. Of course, she had access to her psych eval following the shooting. “Yes, Marc had arranged for a vacation…before his death. Something I didn’t know anything about. A surprise. Sam contacted me to let me know the invitation and cottage were still open.”
Cynthia closed her file and settled back in her chair, her gaze unblinking as she looked at Ash. “You suffered nightmares for a long time after the incident.”
Ash nodded while she felt her features stiffen. Not something she could deny. Her issues were all there in black and white. “I had difficulty with the sequence of my choices that day,” she said, working to keep her voice even, her expression clear. “I ducked to cover the clerk. I couldn’t let go of the fact that if I hadn’t, the shot would have struck me in my vest, and Marc would still be alive.” She shook her head. “I know I couldn’t have predicted where the perp would fire, but I ran that scenario through my mind, and my dreams.” Ash kept her gaze steady. “I don’t obsess about the incident anymore. When I think of Marc, I can remember happier times.” And I see him sometimes, in the moments when I first awaken, smiling from across the room.
“This recent incident, it must have been harrowing, that fall from the helicopter after it was hit.”
The corners of Ash’s mouth slid upward. “It wasn’t a fall. I jumped. I stood in the door, ready to attach to the rope for the rappel when we were hit. I was already nervous about that and was holding tight to a handrail, or I might have fallen out the door. I had a split-second to consider what to do.”
“You were lucky.”
Ash nodded. “We were also close to the ground.”
“The helicopter might have crushed you.”
“The helo veered another direction before it went down.”
Cynthia drew a deep breath. “How do you feel about the fact you were the only one who made it out?”
Her stomach clenched. Ash had to look away. “I don’t feel guilt, if that’s what you’re asking. I couldn’t have done anything to change the outcome for anyone except myself.”
Cynthia’s blue gaze remained steady. “But you were the only one who survived.”
“I’m grateful for that,” she said, blinking her eyes at the sudden surge of tears.
Cynthia nodded. “I don’t see anything that should prevent you from continuing your training. If you feel the need to talk to me again…”
Although her instinct was to sharply deny the need, Ash nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”
She exited the office building, and Sam straightened from where he’d been leaning against their rental vehicle.
He waited as she drew near, his expression neutral. “Everything go okay?”
Ash smiled, an unforced one this time. “She gave me the all clear. We can go home.”
As arrangements for their flight had already been made, an hour later they were aboard a Charter private jet, the only passengers, and they were flying toward home.
Ash laid her head on the seat cushion behind her and closed her eyes. Maybe she was being a coward, but she didn’t want to talk about the interview. Happy just to be alone, with her thoughts, she allowed herself to relax.
Sam’s hand slipped around hers, but he didn’t speak. She liked that about him. The fact he could be quiet and give her space when she needed it. She drifted. Until the airplane jolted, and she tensed.
“Just turbulence,” Sam murmured beside her.
She sighed and opened her eyes. “Have I told you today how much I love you?” she asked, gazing into his hazel eyes.
His smile was slow and sweet. “No, you haven’t. But that’s okay.”
He was teasing. She raised her eyebrows. “Well…”
“I didn’t know you were such a needy thing,” he murmured and leaned closer.
The kiss he gave her was deceptively innocent. Just a brush of lips…that lingered as their breaths deepened.
Ash groaned when he drew back. “How much longer?”
He laughed. “A couple of hours.”
“Not sure I can wait that long,” she said breathlessly. They hadn’t had sex since leaving Asia. Sam had been worried about her injuries and made excuses to keep her at a distance.
His brows drew into a frown. “Your back…”
“Is fine. I’m cleared for light exercise. I’m sure you can manage not to jar me too much.”
He grimaced and glanced backward, past the seats to the private meeting room at the rear of the plane.
Not spacious at all, but the room had a table…and a door.
Sam’s hand squeezed hers. “I’ll have a word with the flight crew.”
She grinned as he left. Everyone aboard the plane would know what they were up to, but she didn’t care. However, to be on the safe side, she searched through her tote for her muscle relaxers. She’d take one, just in case.
Two minutes later, Sam appeared, carrying two flutes filled with champagne.
Ash laughed, but shook her head. “I love the thought, but I better not. Not with my meds.”
Sam lifted a shoulder, downed one glass, and placed it carefully in his seat. He held out his hand, helping her up, then lifted her hand high, directing her to walk in front of him toward the rear of the plane.
Once inside the boardroom, he locked the door and set the remaining glass on the table.
“You do know if we hit another air pocket,” she said with a sly smile, “we’ll both be wearing it.”
“At least our clothes won’t get wet,” he murmured. “Stand there,” he said, his voice rough. “You don’t get to do a thing.”
As he stripped, she couldn’t deny the excitement thrumming through her veins. After so many days of inactivity and boredom, endless debriefs regarding the mission, and worry over whether she’d be cleared, she was ready to let loose. And if Sam wanted to coddle her, so be it. She liked the thought of this big, tough guy turning all his efforts and attention on her.
Soon enough, he stood nude. Yes, looking just a little ridiculous in the Spartan business setting, but she couldn’t deny he was a beautifully made man—wide-shoulders, lean waist, taut buttocks and thighs…
“Now, it’s your turn,” he said, reaching for her shoulders. He turned her then went to work on the buttons at the back of her neck. A moment later, his hands smoothed up her sides, lifting her blouse. He turned her again, fingers deftly unclipping her bra clasp between her breasts and pushing aside the cups to expose her.
He unbuttoned her slacks and slid down the zipper, then pulled them down, along with her panties. When he bent, he slid off her low-heeled pumps and steadied her as she stepped out of her clothing.
Lastly, he reached behind her head and unclipped her hair, using his fingers to comb through it and arrange it around her shoulders. “You’re beautiful,” he said softly.
“Yeah, all that pretty purple and green,” she quipped, referring to the bruises still visible on her legs and bottom.
Sam turned her again, and then slid his hands downward, skimming her sides. A kiss landed atop the injection spot on her lower spine.
Ash closed her eyes, because she knew he was giving thanks for the fact she hadn’t been hurt any worse than she had. But then his hands were moving, gliding over her flanks, her lower belly, her bottom. Her breathing hitched. Feeling his palms travel up her inner thighs, she widened her stance, then bent forward bracing a hand against the table and giving him access, begging silently for his attention to her hot, moist flesh.
Sam didn’t make her wait. As she flattened her breasts against the cool wood, he parted her with his thumbs and stroked his tongue along her folds.
Her pussy tightened, making a lush sound.
Sam groaned and thrust his tongue inside her, swirling it around and around, before flicking it against her clit.
Ash slipped her hands beneath her breasts and massaged the aching tips. She lifted on tiptoe to raise her bottom, an invitation to hurry the hell up and come inside her, but apparently, he didn’t get the message.
Sam thrust fingers inside her pussy, slid his tongue upwards, drawing dangerously close to her back entrance.
With her eyes squeezed shut, she tightened, whether in rejection or exquisite anticipation, she wasn’t sure. Sam had no inhibitions. No taboos. He’d go anywhere, do anything if it gave her pleasure. When he fluttered his tongue on that tiny hole, she laughed, embarrassed. “Stop!”
He bit her bottom, and then eased away.
Pushing up on trembling arms, she glanced to her side to see him roll a padded chair closer then sit. With a curl of his fingers and a wicked glint in his eyes, he beckoned her.
Ash straightened and moved closer, loving the way his intense gaze raked over her body. She loved the way his jaw hardened and his eyes narrowed, as though he was staking his claim all over again.
“Straddle me,” he said, the texture of his voice rough and graveled.
With his hands clutching her waist, she climbed onto his lap. His cock pressed lengthwise against her slit. Moisture glazed the side of his shaft. Ash gripped his shoulders, set her feet flat on the floor, and rubbed forward and back, savoring his hardness.
Sam leaned toward her and kissed the corner of her neck then the top of her breast. “Stand up,” he whispered, waiting as she rose high enough her breast was level with his mouth. Then he opened wide and drew as much of her breast inside as he could, suctioning hard until she quivered against him. Pulling back, he teethed her nipple, pulling on the tip until her toes curled against the carpeting.
Ash dug her nails into his shoulder and leaned away, waiting as he transferred his attentions to her other breast and repeated his actions. Growing desperate, she reached between their bodies and wrapped her long fingers around his shaft, bringing the tip against her entrance. She closed her eyes, and he helped her lower herself to sheathe his length.
When she was seated, she lazily raised her eyelids to find him staring with heat in his gaze. His features rigid with tension.
Leaning forward, Ash closed the space between their mouths and whispered against his lips, “Fuck me, Sam.”
“Hold on,” he ground out, then rose, holding her against him as he turned to lay her on the table. Cradling her body to protect her from the hard surface, he began to thrust.
Ash loosely wound her legs around him, not wanting to impede his movements as he stroked and stroked, deeply then in shallow, quickening pulses. He drove her crazy.
“Use your finger,” he rasped.
She shook her head. “I’m not helping,” she said with a sultry smile.
His gaze narrowed, and he stroked deep then ground against her, exciting her clit, causing it to swell, until she was ready to come. So close, she drummed his thighs with her heels.
“Sam, please,” she said, rolling her head from side to side. “Harder.”
“Don’t want to hurt you,” he said, sounding strained.
“I’m okay. Swear. Just fuck me hard.”
He drove deep and held there, giving her a hug, before removing his arms from her under and straightening. Then he urged her to release her thighs from around his waist and hooked her knees with his bent arms. He tugged and slid her bottom off the table.
Then keeping his gaze locked with hers, he began to fuck her in earnest, his arms pulling her into him as he thrust toward her, each stroke just short of jolting her body, but rough enough she was thrilled.
Pulse racing, she watched him, hungrily raking his body. She noted the way his stomach muscles rippled and how his thick upper arms bulged with effort. Soon sweat slicked his skin.
And because he was watching her so closely, she toyed with the tips of her nipples, twisting, tugging, plucking them hard, because he couldn’t stop watching her play, and his movements were growing less controlled.
“Harder,” she cried out as her inner walls began to convulse, rippling along his shaft. Desperate to reach the pinnacle, she reached downward and rubbed a finger against her clit.
“Ash!” Sam’s lips parted over his teeth and powered into her, each powerful thrust moving her forward and back across the tabletop.
At last, he gave her what she’d begged for. She exploded, arching her back and crying out in ecstatic release.
His raspy shout followed, and he ground into her, his cock pulsing as he released. He fell over her, once again surrounding her to cradle her body.
Ash rubbed her cheek against his and smoothed her hands over his damp skin, thankful for him. Grateful for this moment.
Huffing out a breath, Sam lifted his head and pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “We’re losing altitude.”
She opened her jaws to ease the pressure in her ears. “They’ll probably want us belted in. Think they’ll come looking for us?”
Sam gave her a one-sided smile. “When we get home, I won’t let you move from the bed for a week.”
That was a challenge she’d be happy to accept. “Promises, promises.”
Chapter Four
‡
A month had passed since Ash’s return to the island. Still on convalescent leave from work, her recovery was on track to end very soon. Her last checkup showed the tiny fractures in her vertebrae had healed, and she no longer felt those annoying twinges of pain. She’d resumed her physical training, knowing soon she’d be inserted into the current training cycle.
She slowed her pace to a jog as she neared the wall surrounding her and Sam’s house on three sides with the fourth open to the beach. A tall figure strode toward her. Elation shot through her. Sam was home! She skipped a step, and then dashed toward him, jumping up into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist.
A huge smile stretched as he gripped her bottom to support her weight. “Hey there, beautiful,” he said.
“I missed you. When did you get in?” she asked. Sam had been away for the past two weeks on a short assignment. Something stateside. He hadn’t wanted to leave during her recuperation. After her first week home, she’d been fully mobile and off the pills, so she’d practically pushed him out the door, saying both of them didn’t need to be bored.
“Just now. I haven’t unpacked,” he said, giving her a quick kiss.
She smiled over the fact he still wore slacks and shoes, rather than taking the time to don his usual beachside “uniform” of swimming trunks. He’d b
een eager to see her. “How did it go?” she asked, holding onto his shoulders as he turned and walked back toward the house.
“No hitches. We escorted the state department delegation to Columbia and back. Not a single incident.”
She chuckled. “Feel a little too tame?”
Sam shook his head. “No, I could enjoy a few more like that. We’ve had enough excitement for a while, don’t you think?”
Ash raised and lowered her eyebrows, but she didn’t answer. She was still having nightmares about the crash, but they were nothing like the ones that had driven her nearly crazy after Marc’s death. Mostly, she relived the moment she’d stepped out into the quiet emptiness, staring up at the starlit sky. Not that she’d told anyone about the dreams. She didn’t want Sam concerned enough to insist she see another shrink. Nightmares were normal. She was normal. Other than that one niggling memory, and the feeling, every now and then, that she wasn’t alone. He doesn’t have to know.
Sam carried her through the open door and straight into the living room, past his go bag, sitting on the floor next to the sofa, to the hallway leading to the bedroom.
“I need a shower,” she said, groaning as he neared the bed.
“Why? In a minute, I’ll be as sweaty as you.”
Glancing at the mattress, she shook her head. “At least, pull back the duvet. I don’t want to have to wash it, too.” Behind his back, she kicked off her running shoes, wincing as sand filtered to the floor.
“Housework’s just another form of workout.”
She let go of his shoulders and pinched his sides. “Then you can do the vacuuming to get rid of the flab your cushy assignment left,” she teased, although he didn’t have an inch to pinch.
He let go of her ass, and she dropped her feet to the floor. Neither allowed much space between their bodies as they wriggled out of their clothing. Inside a minute, she was stretched diagonally on the bed, and he entered her in one slow thrust.
“Now, I’m home,” he whispered, his gaze intense.
Knowing how he felt, she smiled. Comfort as well as heat were present when they touched skin-to-skin. As he began to move inside her, she was careful to hold her feet far from his body to keep any sand from entering places it didn’t belong.
Heart of a SEAL (Uncharted SEALs Book 8) Page 3
