by J. M. Madden
Then she sat and waited. He’d said he’d be there at seven, and it was ten til. She worried at her rough fingers. Maybe she should have gotten her nails done today.
At six fifty-nine there was a knock at her door. Heart hammering in her throat with excitement, she pulled the door open, too excited to check the security peephole.
Her heart fell as she looked at the unfamiliar man on the doorstep. Tall, broad shouldered and narrow hipped, he had a clean-cut military look to him, his brown hair cut close to his head on the sides, but left longer on top. Definitely cute, but she had no idea why he was standing on her doorstep.
Then his dark brown eyes narrowed as his lips tilted up into a smile. The world fell away.
“What did you do?” she breathed.
Aiden shrugged his shoulders, which looked even more broad now. “It was time,” he said softly.
Angela knew her mouth had to be hanging open, but she just couldn’t get over the change. Eight hours ago he’d had long hair and a full beard. Now, she could see how square his jaw was beneath the hair, and that he had a strong chin. She reached out to stroke the length of his cheek. “It’s as soft as a baby’s bottom.”
Then she ran her hand up into his short, dark hair. It wasn’t regulation short, more of a crew cut, but it looked so good on him. She could see the shape of his head now, and his ears.
“You look more like John,” she told him firmly. “The two of you together will really be something.”
Grinning, Aiden nodded. “I thought so too.”
He shrugged and she could tell that he was pleased to look more like his brother. Then his eyes darkened. “I’m not going to lie. It was a little traumatic cutting it all off. They shaved us in the camp, and once we broke out I didn’t cut it again.”
“This is a good step in taking yourself back, then.”
He nodded once. “Yes. Now,” he said firmly, obviously wanting to shift gears, “you look stunning.”
Angela looked down at herself and shrugged. “Meh. I think you can be the pretty one tonight.”
They laughed and he leaned in for a kiss. She cupped his cheeks in her palms and swirled her fingernails over his long jawline. She pulled back, laughing. “It’s not the same. You might have to grow a little close beard, just so my fingers have something to do.”
Grinning, he kissed her on the nose. “I’ll do it for you.”
“You hunky man. I did not expect this tonight.”
They took her car, but he drove. Angela kept looking over at his profile, amazed at the change. There was the smallest dimple in his right cheek when he smiled, and a faded scar along his jaw, about an inch long. She’d never noticed a man’s Adam’s apple before, really, but for some reason she did Aiden’s. She wanted to kiss him there.
They pulled into a small restaurant she’d never been to before, but she recognized the name on the sign. They wouldn’t be shooting tonight, but they would be eating steak.
The night drifted by in a sensual blur. They talked and ate for hours, savoring the food and the company, until the wait staff started cleaning the restaurant around them. Aiden pulled cash from his pocket and paid the bill, leaving a large tip. Their waiter was very patient as he escorted them through the locked door, and they giggled like children as they walked hand in hand back to her car. Aiden pulled out of the lot but held her hand in his. They drove for an hour, just talking about the city and experiences and people. For a few hours, they let everything with the Collaborative fade away. Angela loved learning about him. He had so many stories in his mind and heart that she knew it could be a lifetime before she heard them all.
That was fine with her.
Aiden scanned the area as they drove back to Angela’s apartment, but nothing struck him as out of place. It would probably take the Collaborative a while to regroup, but he would be vigilant with her safety. If he could get her to move into the warehouse with him, it would be one less thing to worry about.
When they let themselves into the apartment Chester hissed at them and disappeared with an angry twitch of his tail.
“Isn’t he sweet,” Aiden murmured.
“Hope you have mice in your warehouse,” Angela told him, tossing him a grin over her shoulder.
His stomach sank as he really thought about the cat. They’d talked about him earlier, but he it hadn’t really sunk in. Hell, she’d have to bring the damn thing with her if she moved in. He thought of all the booby traps downstairs and cringed. There was going to be a huge amount of work to make it safe. For a damn, ungrateful cat.
As soon as she shut the door behind them, Angela turned into his arms. “I have to admit, I’ve been staring at you all night.”
“I know you have,” he grinned. “And I’ve been half hard all night. That dress is amazing, but the woman inside it is even more incredible. You know, I dreamt of women when I was in the cage, but none seemed exactly right. You seem exactly right. I wouldn’t change anything about you.”
Her eyes filled with emotional tears. “Thank you. It really means a lot coming from you. I know my strength has scared men off before. I love being your eye candy.”
“It’s mutual,” he told her softly. “Is it as easy to get off as it looks?”
Tipping her head back she laughed. “Easier. Just lift it over my head.”
“Nah. That’s too easy,” he whispered, running a finger down the cleavage of her breasts. Angela gasped when he smoothed his finger into the cup of her bra, brushing against her left nipple. Aiden loved provoking the response in her, so he did it again. Her whole body shimmied.
“You’re being bad. Why don’t you take me to bed and love me?”
Leading her into the bedroom, he lifted the dress over her head and tossed it to the side. Then he knelt to take off her sandals. Tossing them away, he focused on what was in front of him. She wore a pair on tiny little lace underwear, barely more than strings, and she let them fall to the floor with a whisper. Aiden leaned in, intent on feeling the different textures of her skin on his face, then began kissing her.
“I love your strength,” he told her firmly.
Angela sighed above him, her legs trembling, encouraging him to move to the other side. Cupping her delicious ass in his hands, he drew her close, squeezing the plump mounds of flesh. Nestling his face against her abdomen, he drew in her scent, dropping little kisses to her skin. She was so soft here.
Her fingers ran through his short hair, and over the even shorter hair on the side of his head. Her touch didn’t make him cringe like the barber’s had. He could actually feel her awe at what he’d done, and his heart grew. Pushing to his feet, he looked down into her softly smiling eyes. “I never could have imagined meeting a woman like you. You make me want to be a stronger man.”
She shook her head, snorting. “I don’t think you understand my vision of you. When the world was trying to break you down, you overcame all of it. You’re a damn Navy SEAL, but I think the training you received in the research camp made you more of a man than the SEAL training. I wouldn’t change anything about you, either. And the vulnerability that you show me just makes my love for you stronger. No joke, Aiden. You are the strongest man I know.”
Tears actually filled his eyes and he had to wrap his arms around her. She nestled beneath his chin and turned her head to rest against his heart.
“You know this isn’t over,” he warned her. “There’s a very real chance that the Collaborative could get the upper hand somehow. Or their mercs could take us out. Hell, they could expose us tomorrow, say we went AWOL. Drop a hint to Denver PD that we were involved at the depot and they would be after us. There’s a very real chance we could end up in a cage again.”
She looked up at him, with fire in her eyes. “I would never let anyone do that to you again. And neither will your brother. You have family now. Family with connections. We’re going to see this through. And we’re going to get as many men away from the Collaborative as we can.”
Determination and
gratitude surged in his heart and for the first time in a long time he actually had hope for the future. “Yes, we are.”
“And I’m going to be at your side, supporting you. Because that’s what people do when they love one another.”
As he looked down into her eyes, he could see the love shining there. “I love you, Angel.”
“I love you too, my un-wooly man. Now make love to me. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Lifting her into his arms, he swung her to the bed.
The End…
Afterword
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Destruction, Fontana’s book, will be released in August!
Also by JM Madden
If you would like to read about the ‘combat modified’ veterans of the Lost and Found Investigative Service, check out these books:
The Embattled Road ( FREE prequel)
Duncan, John and Chad
Embattled Hearts-Book 1 (FREE)
John and Shannon
Embattled Minds-Book 2
Zeke and Ember
Embattled Home-Book 3
Chad and Lora
Embattled SEAL- Book 4
Harper and Cat
Embattled Ever After- Book 5
Duncan and Alex
Her Forever Hero- Grif
Grif and Kendall
SEAL’s Lost Dream-Flynn
Flynn and Willow
SEAL’s Christmas Dream
Flynn and Willow
Unbreakable SEAL- Max
Max and Lacey
Embattled Christmas
Reclaiming The Seal
Gabe and Julie
Loving Lilly
Diego and Lilly
Her Secret Wish
Rachel and Dean
Wish Upon a SEAL (Kindle World)
Drake and Izzy
Mistletoe Mischief
Cass and Roger
Lost and Found Pieces
Other books by J.M. Madden
A Touch of Fae
Second Time Around
A Needful Heart
Wet Dream
Love on the Line
The Billionaire’s Secret Obsession
The Awakening Society- FREE
Tempt Me
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