Unbreakable SEAL

by J. M. Madden

“No, of course not! I just got in from work and found your note in my mailbox. Max, I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.”

  There was silence from the other end before he cleared his throat again. “Thank you for telling me that. I really do appreciate hearing it.”

  “Well, it’s true. I know it hasn’t been easy for you.”

  He sighed on the other end. “No, but Eric has really been something. There are other counselors I work with too, but he and I have really clicked. And I don’t think it’s just because he worships the ground you walk on.”

  Lacey laughed. “Is he still going on about that? I was a friend to him when he needed one.”

  Max got quiet for a minute. “Sounds like you still could be if you gave him the chance.”

  Lacey laughed, a little uncomfortable. “No, he knows it will never go anywhere. He’s a great guy, but not really my type.”

  The silence lengthened again.

  “So what is your type?”

  Somehow she’d known the question was coming. “Well, he has to be confident in himself and kind. Intelligent. Willing to be a partner. I don’t know what else. It depends upon the situation.”

  “Hmm…Okay. Well, I realized when I sent that note that it wasn’t very… personal. So, I wanted to ask you if you would go out with me sometime?”

  Emotion made her blink rapidly and she was glad he wasn’t here to see her get weepy just from a question. “Yes, I will, Max. But I had already decided I would just from the note.”

  He chuckled. “I’m just covering all my bases.”

  She laughed with him, more light-hearted than she’d felt in a long time.

  “When are you coming back?”

  “Well, when Eric says. But I don’t think it’ll be very long. We’re working on some career counseling right now. I have to decide what the hell I’m going to do for the rest of my life.”

  “What do you like to do?”

  Max hesitated and she felt bad for putting him on the spot. “Never mind. I was just curious. It’s none of my business, actually.”

  “No, it is. I love it that you’re interested. Be patient with me on this relationship stuff. Eric has been working with me but I’m still getting used to it.” He sighed, sounding frustrated. “I’m just not sure. I mean, I’m not old enough to have been thinking about retirement already, so I hadn’t given it much thought. I guess if I could go back I would train the kids coming through BUDs. Or get into some kind of tech specialty. I’ve always been good with wiring things.”

  Lacey folded her legs to the side and relaxed into the cushions of the couch. She loved the sound of his rumbly voice in her ear. Frank curled up against her, purring.

  “Well, consider this an adventure then, Max. You’re older and wiser. What would you do if you could choose anything in the world?”

  She heard him inhale and hold it for several long seconds. “I never wanted to be anything but a SEAL. Guess I’ll know when I see it. What about you?”

  “Me?” she asked, genuinely surprised.

  “Yeah. Do you like your job?”

  Lacey frowned. Did she like her job? “I like being a nurse. I like helping people. Do I think I’ll work at Peter-dick’s the rest of my life? No.”

  Max burst out laughing on the other end of the line and Lacey realized what she’d said. “Petrovic! Sorry.”

  He was still laughing and she could tell he pulled the phone away from his face for a minute. “Peter-dick? Really? Did you come up with that?”

  “No,” she admitted. “Hannah calls him that. I’m going to get in trouble and say it out loud someday at work. He’s a really nice man.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Max laughed. “If you say so. Sounds like you might have some discontent too.”

  Lacey sighed. “I do. Not sure exactly what I need though. I enjoyed working at the military hospital, but I was getting burned out. Giving so much all the time. I loved the soldiers, though. That’s why I thought Virginia Beach would be a good place to be with the heavy Navy population, but I’m still not happy. We’re both in kind of the same boat right now, huh?”

  “Yeah. The thought of coming back there and not being part of the population is disturbing to me.”

  “I’m sorry, Max.”

  “It’s not your fault, Angel. I think things just change and you have to be willing to change with them or move on to something better.”

  She smiled at the endearment he’d slipped in there. “I think you’re right, Max. So we’ll leave our options open, right?”

  “Right. Hey, I’m gonna have to go. I have to meet Eric in about twenty minutes.”

  Lacey sighed. “Okay. It was very nice talking to you, Max, and I’m so happy you’re doing well. I’m anxious to see you.”

  “I’m anxious to see you too. And kiss you. Not long now, I don’t think. Bye, Angel.”

  “Bye, Max.”

  Lacey tapped the hang-up button on her phone and flopped against the couch, happier than she’d been in a long time. Months, even. Just from a damn phone call.

  Frank looked at her curiously, making Lacey laugh.

  Damn, she was almost giddy just from a five-minute conversation with him. What would she do when he came back and she was with him even more?

  Fall more in love.

  The thought sobered her. While she’d always hoped for love, she’d never expected to actually find it. Dad had loved Mom, but she didn’t think Mom had appreciated him when he’d been alive. George Adams had died from a massive heart attack. After everything he’d been through being deployed in Asia with the Army, Lacey had thought he was invincible. But her mother had shredded his heart many times over. Lacey had his medals in a box in the closet because Mom hadn’t wanted to keep them. Made the other men uncomfortable, she admitted.

  Charelle Adams, or Cherry as she liked to be called, lived a free and easy life, moving from one boyfriend to another. Occasionally she settled down for a while and actually got married, but they didn’t usually last long.

  Lacey had learned to take care of herself and be responsible at an early age. It had made her leery of her heart. She’d thought she’d been in love before, but what she’d felt years ago didn’t even compare to the excitement and arousal she felt while talking to Max.

  She was in serious trouble.

  Chapter Eight

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  Five days later on a beautiful Friday afternoon, he stood at her door, clean-shaven, dark hair trimmed and more handsome than she ever could have imagined. His face had filled out and his lion-gold eyes were crystal clear and targeted on her. When he grinned, his bright, even teeth gleamed. A deep blue, button-up dress shirt hugged his shoulders and his long legs were encased in pleated khakis.

  Holy hell he was too good-looking!

  Lacey stepped forward to wrap her arms around him, nestling her face into his neck. Some spicy cologne tickled her nose and sent a swirl of need through her.

  Max wrapped his arms around her neck, cradling her head. Lips pressed against the top of her hair. He moved back far enough to get one of his hands to her face, tipping her mouth up to his. Lacey caught her breath as his lips settled on hers and began to move. Oh, she’d forgotten how good he tasted.

  He cradled her head in both of his hands, angling his mouth tighter against hers. Lacey parted her mouth, inviting him inside and he took her over, sweeping deep with his talented tongue. Lacey moaned, shocked at how quickly he was consuming her.

  When he did finally pull back, his cheeks were flushed but he was smiling. “Hello.”

  “Hello,” she giggled. He hadn’t even made it into the apartment! They stood in her open doorway where anybody could see them.

  Shaking her head at her impatience, she tugged him into the apartment. The tiredness from her day at work had disappeared. “Why didn’t you call?”

  Max grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I wanted to see the look on your face you just gave me. The unrestrained, unplanned emotion.” He shrugged hi
s heavy shoulders. “I wanted to catch your natural response.”

  Lacey smiled up at him all the wider. She could understand his insecurity. “Well, I’m thrilled to see you. You’ve made a dull day one of the best I can remember.”

  “Let’s go make it better.” He winked at her playfully. “Get changed. We’re going on a date.”

  Blinking, she glanced down at her scrubs. Hell, yes! “Give me a few minutes.”

  Lacey stood in front of her closet for a solid two minutes, wondering what on earth she was going to wear. Wait…She scraped hangers back and forth on the rod until she found what she was looking for. Not normally a dress kind of girl, she’d bought it on the spur of the moment a few weeks ago. Pale cream with little pink and green flowers over it, the summer dress had capped sleeves and a sweetheart neckline that looked great on her boobs. And the angled hemline showed off her decent legs. Slipping on a pair of low sandals she unearthed from the closet, she moved to the bathroom. Normally she wore clips at work to keep her hair away from her face. Pressing the power button on her curling iron, she brushed out her hair, realizing how long it was getting. She needed a trim, but that was a worry for another day.

  Anxiety skittered through her stomach. She hadn’t been out on a date for a couple of years, sadly. And the last date certainly hadn’t created this excitement in her belly. Her hands shook as she curled a few pieces of hair around her face and crown. Pretty but not overdone. Turning the power off she reached for her makeup bag. Again, just a touch to highlight her eyes and lips. If she was lucky, he would kiss it off anyway.

  Surveying herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door, she paused, actually surprised at how good she looked. Running her hands down her hips, she walked toward the living room.

  Max swallowed as Lacey walked into the room, wondering what the hell he’d done in his life to get her to take notice of him. Was the black cloud finally drifting away?

  Without even realizing he’d done it, he walked forward to cup her face in his hands, pressing a kiss to her dark pink lips.

  In deference to her dress, they took her car. They spent the evening on the beach, hitting all the heavy tourist spots. They paused in front of the huge statue of King Neptune and his three-pronged trident. Max’s gut clenched at the familiar symbol of the SEALs and wondered if he would ever get over the way he left. The ocean pounded away against the sand and he could almost imagine it squishing between his toes as he trained.

  “You’re still a SEAL,” Lacey told him, drawing his attention. “Just because you’re not running with the teams anymore getting shot it doesn’t mean your accomplishments are diminished. What happened to you is part of the job. I’m sure there are many other SEALs out there not on active duty. I know at least some of you actually retire.”

  She grinned up at him and he couldn’t help but grin back.

  “I know what you’re saying,” he admitted. “It’s just a hard transition right now because I don’t know where my life is going.”

  She nodded, tucking her flying hair behind her ears. The ocean wind just grabbed it again, vexing her. Turning her face into the wind she let her hair blow back, capturing it in a fist. With her other hand she dug in her little purse for a black elastic. With a couple of twists, she had secured the heavy weight of it.

  The movements were incredibly feminine and he could tell she’d done it many times before. He smiled as a couple of stray tendrils escaped their confinement.

  When she realized he had watched her the entire time, she shrugged and smiled, then gasped as a gust ripped at her skirt. Skimming her hands down her thighs, she held the fabric close, laughing. “I can’t win. I should have worn shorts!”

  Max laughed with her, loving her obvious joy.

  They headed down the boardwalk, rubbing elbows and bumping into each other, just enjoying the casual contact. When he guided her toward Rockfish, a popular seaside eatery, she sighed happily. “I’ve wanted to go here for a while.”

  Max had worried about going out and feeling like he needed a beer, but he didn’t. If it had been with a group of guys it may have been different. Lacey was a water drinker, which suited him as well. They shared a platter of the restaurant’s famous crab cakes and laughed at stupid things, becoming more comfortable with each other. As the night wore on though, the glances lingered. He caught her staring at his lips at one point when he tried to explain something and the bolt of heat that rolled through his body was truly epic.

  It was too soon to sleep with her. Max realized he was worried that he would move too fast, fouling any chances of a relationship. But when she looked at him like he would taste like a scrumptious chocolate treat, his control weakened.

  Lacey declined dessert, but when she caught sight of his gooey brownie sundae, she agreed to take a bite. As her lids fluttered down and her mouth swept the cream from the spoon, she moaned. Max hardened at the sound, wishing they were somewhere else completely.

  Lacey seemed to think the same thing, because she drew in a heavy breath. His gaze dropped to her full breasts. Through the thin cotton of the dress and her bra he could see the shape of her nipples. When he lifted his eyes, she was staring at him, hard. She dropped her napkin beside her plate and gathered her belongings. Max waved the waitress down to give her the check and they left. As they stepped outside to the boardwalk, he grabbed Lacey’s hand and pulled her to a stop. When she turned with an inquisitive smile, he captured her mouth with his own. She tasted of brownie and ice cream, like he probably did, but it was way sexy on her. As she moaned into his mouth, he debated finding a dark corner and taking her hard up against a wall.

  She wouldn’t go for that, not in public anyway. The thought of doing it in her apartment sent dangerous images through his mind.

  They walked down the boardwalk hand in hand. Max didn’t normally go in for the whole PDA thing. He’d had girlfriends before who clung to him, which drove him nuts. He needed to have his hands free and be able to do what he needed to do without a woman hanging on him. It was a defensive issue. Lacey was different though. He needed to hold her hand as they walked because he didn’t want to not be touching her.

  “Is this okay?” he asked.

  She grinned up at him, nodding.

  So they walked back to her car hand in hand. She handed him the keys to the little Toyota sedan and as he drove them back home she kept her hand under his on his thigh.

  Max didn’t remember the drive, only the feel of her hand through the fabric of his pants, inches from his aching dick. He parked the car and went around to open her door but she’d already gotten out. He followed the sway of her ass up the flight of stairs to her door and nibbled kisses against her neck as she unlocked it.

  “If you don’t want this,” he murmured, “you need to tell me before I come in.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him, her blue eyes dark with arousal. “I know.”

  Pushing the door open, she tugged him inside by the hand.

  Excitement surged through him, and a little fear. Lacey was a wonderful woman. She deserved better than he could give her, but he followed her into the bedroom anyway. Maybe if he took care of her better than any other man ever had, she’d keep him around.

  Lacey stopped at the side of the bed and reached for the buttons down the front of her dress, but Max stilled her hands. “I want to do this.”

  First he captured her lips, trying to convey to her how beautiful she was. He hadn’t even undressed her but he knew she was going to rock his world. Settling his hands against her rib cage, he teased the underside of her breasts with his thumbs. “You know, you have incredible breasts.”

  She grinned and nodded, but the smile drifted away as he cupped her weight in his hands. His thumbs brushed over her hard nipples and she cried out.

  Urgency pressed at him, making his fingers fumble as he unfastened her dress. Again, she did a purely feminine shimmy and stepped out of the fabric, revealing a pale peach bra and panty set. She reached beh
ind her and released the bra. Max could not contain a groan. Simply beautiful. As she lay down on the bed in front of him, dark hair spread beneath her, Max had a genuine worry he wouldn’t last long enough to enjoy the feast before him. But they had all night.

  Shucking his clothes, he stood before her, proud and erect. Lacey smiled and sat up to reach for him. “No more road rash and bruises. And you’ve been working out.”

  Max had and his battered ego loved that she’d recognized that. He took a moment to reach into his pocket for his wallet with the condom inside and rolled it on. Then, stepping forward, he eased down on top of her. Lacey’s legs fell open in welcome and he wedged himself against her panties. Lacey gasped, hands tightening on his sides. Covering her mouth with his own, Max shifted against her, loving the feel of her breasts cushioning his chest. Slipping his tongue into her mouth, he rocked against her. He could feel her arousal climbing as he kissed her.

  Leaving her mouth, he moved lower to her chest. Dragging one dark pink nipple into his mouth, he drew it tight against the roof of his mouth. Lacey cried out, cupping his head in her hands. She didn’t move him away though. As his mouth played with her breasts, he reached for the gusset of her panties. They were soaked with her excitement. Max had to stop and breathe for a moment to tamp down his own impending orgasm.

  When he thought he could continue, he shifted enough to draw her panties down her long legs. Moisture glistened against the dark curls. With a single finger, he eased between the plump folds of skin. She was drenched with excitement and shifted beneath his touch, angling her hips into his fingers. Max circled her clitoris once and she cried out.

  “More,” she gasped.

  He made the same movement twice more and she quivered. Letting her catch her breath, he focused on her breasts again, blowing cool air against the moist tip closest to him. Shuddering, she clutched the sheet beside her hips, panting faster. Max kept her on that edge for several long minutes, taking her almost to the peak, then drawing back to cool her off. When she was crying out his name, demanding he come to her, Max almost slipped inside, but he had a feeling she could come several times. Doing steady, hard circles around her clit with his fingers, he gently bit her nipple.