As it was, he made his point. He needed to go before something happened that either jeopardized his job or brought his mom and sister running. Or both.
He turned to leave. “Enjoy your cheesecake, Commander.”
7
Brooke stretched out on the double lounger and listened to the waves as they lapped at the shore. The night air had a mild chill, one that made her glad she traded her swimsuit for a pair of loose cotton sleep shorts and an oversized tee. The only light on the patio came from the three-wicked candle on the small table next to her. The gentle breeze off the water made the trio of flames dance, creating moving shadows all around her. The rich navy sky was dotted with stars, too many to even think about counting. It was, quite simply, the most beautiful night she’d ever experienced.
A contented sigh slipped from her lips as she took a sip of wine—the same vintage she had that afternoon at Seafare. A gift from Gregory, sent over an hour ago with his thanks for sharing a meal and for the work she’d be doing.
Brooke couldn’t resist opening the bottle even if she didn’t have anyone to share it with. She considered inviting Ash to have a drink with her until she remembered she didn’t have his phone or room number. Hanging out in the resort common areas waiting to see if he walked by so she could issue an invitation seemed a little too pathetic for her taste. She’d rather drink alone, thank you very much.
And anyway, she was supposed to be annoyed with him. She wanted to be annoyed with him, but the way they moved together on that boat … Holy crackers. Her body had been in a state of constant arousal since then. Instead of focusing on the work she was there to do, Asher’s veiled threat of retribution played on a loop in her mind, thoroughly distracting her.
She tried. She really did. She spent the entire afternoon lying on the beach, working possible angles for the ad campaign. All she ended up with was a sunburn and a driving need to shove her hand into her shorts to work off her insane fantasies featuring one sexy Navy SEAL.
Brooke groaned into her glass.
If only she didn’t remember how good they’d been together. The perfect way he’d touched her, filled her. The cabana was proof positive their chemistry was combustible. And oh, she wanted to burn.
Brooke finished off the wine with one hand while she reached for the open bottle with the other.
I’ll be coming to collect.
His words were like a physical stroke down her body, leaving heat in their wake. She could still feel the puff of his breath against her skin. The raw power of his kiss. Brooke squeezed her thighs together, willing the ache that had taken up residence in her core to ease.
Brooke refilled her glass and took another long drink. The wine infused her veins, adding to the warmth already coursing through her.
She should let him. Collect, that is. She wasn’t thrilled with how he’d up and left her all those years ago, but the past was the past. As she told him, she hadn’t expected them to be more than friends in the long run anyway. Why should now be any different? She wanted him. It was pretty obvious he wanted her, too. They were both single adults. What was the harm in having a little fun?
The sound of the waves coupled with the wine made her feel blissfully relaxed. Reckless. So much so, she was able to ignore the ache in her chest at the idea of starting something with him that again had an obvious expiration date.
Two weeks. A little less, actually, before she left Grand Turks and returned home.
Brooke set her glass on the table next to the wine bottle. She reclined against the back of the chair and closed her eyes.
Asher didn’t want anything long-term? Fine. Maybe she didn’t either. She hadn’t exactly been successful at the relationship thing anyway. The last guy she dated had lasted three weeks before he started complaining about how much she worked. As though ambition was a bad thing. A couple of weeks after that, he stopped calling. She hadn’t lost a moment of sleep. Her work was important to her. So was the stability her income provided. She had a modest apartment in a nice area of San Diego, food in her refrigerator, and the assurance that the electricity would be on whenever she got home—things her mom’s flighty behavior ensured Brooke could never take for granted as a child. Brooke had sworn once she was old enough to earn her own money, she’d do whatever it took to make sure she never had to worry about basic needs again. Her job gave her more than security. It gave her peace of mind.
Counting on another person hadn’t worked out so well for her. All she had was herself. White picket fence, marriage, children… Those weren’t things she wasted time dreaming about. That didn’t mean she wanted to spend her life alone. She didn’t. If she was going to be with a man for any length of time, he would have to be a man secure enough with himself, and with her, for those times they were apart. She liked her independence. She’d been on her own too long to suddenly give up the reins. She didn’t think she could be with a man who would ask her to.
“What are you doing out here?”
Brooke surged up, a tiny shout leaping from her mouth. She clutched at her chest, her heart racing a mile a minute. Apparently, she drank more wine than she thought, because the world swayed a little.
“Jesus. Asher.” She glanced up. Blinked, then blinked again. Not just Asher. A half-naked, glistening with sweat Asher. And whoa. Hello, abs.
Brooke chewed her bottom lip. He’d been fit when they were together before, but not like he was now. She’d had her hands all over his body, and then she’d dreamed of him enough that she thought she had him memorized.
She was wrong.
The man standing over her no longer wore the body of a twenty-something man, but one seasoned with age and hard work. Triumph and tragedy were etched into every honed muscle, every dip and valley his body had to offer. And oh lord, her hands itched to map every inch of this new territory.
As she apparently had with the wine, Brooke over-indulged in the sight of him. As one should when presented with such a display of perfectly sculpted male flesh, Brooke took her time, leisurely exploring the feast of bared skin above her. Her gaze dipped down and back up again until she landed on what appeared to be a recently healed injury on his shoulder. She was about to ask him what happened when his hands landed on his hips, drawing her attention to the mouth-watering vee that dipped and disappeared behind the waistband of his shorts.
“You done?”
Brooke ignored his snippy tone. “Oh, please. If I showed up on your patio all sweaty and without my shirt, you’d look, too.”
“If you showed up topless on my patio, I promise you, I’d be doing a whole lot more than looking.” His heated stare looked almost sinister in the shadows of the candlelight. “I asked you a question. What are you doing out here? Alone. In the dark.”
She waved a hand to indicate her lounging body and the table holding the wine. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“It looks like you’ve been drinking and are about to fall asleep out in the open where anyone can get to you.”
A smile tugged at her lips. Maybe it made her a terrible person, but she liked that he worried about her, even if it was only due to his natural protective instincts.
“You worry too much.”
“You don’t worry enough.”
Brooke let out an exaggerated sigh, just to annoy him. “Why are you here, Ash?”
Ash dropped down on the chair and stretched out beside her.
“What are you drinking?” He reached across her body. His arm unapologetically grazed her chest as he grabbed her wine glass from the table, causing her breath to catch. He smelled like the ocean, his skin salty with sweat. Brooke had to force herself not to press her face into his neck and make that scent her own.
He brought the glass to his lips, so close her nose almost brushed his cheek. Watching his throat work, Brooke was unable to do anything but swallow along with him. She wondered how the wine would taste coming from his mouth. She could find out. A tilt of her chin and she could lick—
As
her’s face scrunched. His over-the-top grimace snapped her out of her musings. She stuttered a laugh. “That’s what you get for stealing my drink.”
He looked truly affronted as he put the glass back where he found it and settled back into place beside her. “What is that crap?”
Now that he wasn’t leaning over her, Brooke could breathe a little easier. “It’s chardonnay. Gregory ordered it at lunch and I enjoyed it so much he sent over a bottle.”
Asher sneered toward the ocean. “He didn’t deliver it personally?”
What was with the attitude?
“No,” Brooke said slowly, taking in his hardened profile. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was jealous. “Someone from Guest Services brought it over with a note.”
“What did it say?”
She studied him, curious as to the reason for his mood. “He thanked me for having lunch with him and indicated he was excited about the new campaign.”
Asher hummed as if there were more to it than that.
“What? Gregory is a nice man.”
He hummed again, only this time his lips thinned. Brooke had no idea why he was being so weird. Or why she felt the need to explain. “It’s a bottle of wine between colleagues. It doesn’t mean anything. Clients send me thank you gifts all the time. It’s not a big deal. There’s more in the bottle. If you want some, help yourself.”
His gaze found hers then, pinning her to the chair with its intensity. “You’re inviting me to stay? After that shit you pulled this morning, I wasn’t sure I’d even be welcome.”
“Of course you’re welcome.” She was too relaxed to ruin it by talking about how he’d blindsided her. “Besides, I’ve had a good day.” If by good she meant being distracted and unproductive. “I’m feeling generous.”
He folded his hands over his tight stomach, wiggling his shoulders as though settling in. He dropped his head to lay against the back of the chair, his stare pointed toward the night sky. “I’m glad your day’s been good, because mine’s been a shit storm.”
Because of her? “Do you want to talk about it?”
He rolled his head to look at her, one arrogant brow lifted. “I’m more interested in finding out how far this generosity of yours extends.”
Although she had already decided to sleep with him, Brooke had consumed just enough wine to want to make him work for it. If they were going to fuck, he had to give her something besides orgasms. Something real. A tiny piece of himself that she could take with her when they parted ways. It was only fair.
When she tried to sit up, Ash’s fingers wrapped around her forearm, holding her in place. “Don’t take off again,” he murmured. “I’ve just finished a ten-mile run. If you go, I will come after you. I’m beat, so if you make me do that, there will be consequences.”
The threat wasn’t exactly a good deterrent. She knew firsthand that being on the receiving end of his “consequences” would be well worth the chase. As tempting as the notion might be, she had no intention of running from him tonight.
“Where am I going to go? This is my patio.” When he held tight, she added, “I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezed her arm once—a warning she felt from her nipples to her sex—before letting go. She sat up and turned around to face him. She tugged at her shorts, straightening things up before she crossed her legs. “What happened? Tell me about your day.”
“Mmm.” He looked her over. “I like this position much better.” He slid his palm across her knee. He splayed his fingers and started a slow ascent of her bare thigh. “My day might’ve sucked, but my night is looking up.”
“We’re in paradise. How bad could it have been?”
“It didn’t start out that way.” His thumb bypassed the edge of her shorts, caressing the crease where her thigh and hip met. “In fact, it started off great.”
Brooke knew the exact moment he realized she wasn’t wearing panties. His nostrils flared and his grip on her hip tightened to the point that she glanced down. The sight of his long, perfectly shaped fingers wrapped around her thigh made her head spin. A thrum built between her legs, ramping up her breath and her heartbeat.
“Is…” She couldn’t stop staring at his hand, wondering what his next move would be. She licked her lips and started again. “Is that right?”
His thumb swept across her skin, back and forth, back and forth, each swipe inching him closer to her mound. “Yep. The hottest girl I’ve ever seen let me kiss her in an empty cabana.”
“Lucky you.” I’ll let you kiss me on the patio, too. Kiss me.
Asher stared at her mouth as if she’d said the words aloud. “You’d think, right? But within minutes of that kiss, she ditched me.”
Before she knew what was happening, Asher gripped her forearm and tugged her over his lap. She barely had time to brace herself before he gave her ass a resounding smack.
“Hey!” she jumped and laughingly struggled to sit up. He pressed an arm against her lower back, holding her still as he popped her other cheek.
“You think this is funny?” His brow went up at the same time as his hand, as if both were controlled by the same unseen force.
The wine gave her a case of the giggles. “Stop! Stop! I’m sorry, okay? You surprised me with the impromptu family introductions. I panicked.”
“You won’t do it again.”
“Do what?”
“Panic. Say it, Brooke. Say you won’t run from me again. At least not without an explanation and an opportunity to talk you out of it.”
“I…”
His hand came down and she tensed, squeezing her eyes shut, waiting for the sting that never came. She gasped as the warmth of his palm caressed up the back of her thigh, slipping under her shorts to squeeze the bare skin of her ass.
“You’re killing me, you know that? C’mere.”
He helped her sit up, then he urged one of her legs over, encouraging her to straddle his lap. Still feeling a buzz, Brooke held onto his shoulders as she tilted her head back, giving her loose hair a little shake to get it out of her eyes. Feeling the need for wicked revenge, she widened her knees and brought her hips down.
“Damn it.” He growled as she rocked against the solid length of him. “I didn’t come here for this.” His fingers bit into the flesh of her thighs close, so close, to where she wanted him.
“Then why did you come?”
“I didn’t plan it.” His voice sounded tortured. “I had dinner with the family and…” He hesitated long enough to remind her that she wanted to know what happened tonight.
“And?” she prompted. Dying for a taste of him, Brooke leaned in and pressed her lips against his collarbone. A quick flick of her tongue wasn’t enough. She needed more.
“I needed to clear my head, so I went for a run. I just kind of ended up here.” He groaned as she nipped the skin on the side of his neck. “Fuck. Brooke. You said you didn’t want this, yet you’re practically begging to be fucked right here where anyone walking down the beach could see.”
She froze. That wouldn’t do. It was bad enough he ran shirtless for every woman at the resort to drool over. She had no desire to share the rest of him.
“So, take me inside.”
Her plan for revenge backfired in a big way, because she was the one burning up. The wine. The spanking. His big cock hard, for her. Because of her. It was all too much. She squeezed his hips between her thighs. “Please, Asher.”
She squeaked as Asher cupped her backside. With a strength that shocked her, Asher twirled them around and surged to his feet with her in his arms.
“Let’s go.”
Sometimes doing the right thing wasn’t easy. It was made harder still when the sexy as fuck woman riding the shape of his dick like a pro jockey was the one he’d spent years trying to forget.
Par for the course of his fucked up day. Maybe he was still sleeping off last night’s bourbon. Any minute now he’d wake up. Learn his mom and the commander weren’t getting married, and the girl he’
d almost loved and definitely lost wasn’t back in his arms where it felt like she belonged.
Maybe he should’ve run twenty miles, because it seemed ten hadn’t been enough to get his ass-backward head on straight.
He carried Brooke toward the door. She’d left the slider open, something he was equally grateful for and annoyed about. Grateful because he wouldn’t have to let her go—something he wasn’t ready to do—in order to deal with the door. Annoyed that she’d been reckless enough to leave herself vulnerable.
What if it hadn’t been him who showed up tonight? What if it had been that asshole from the bar, looking to finish what he started?
Asher flexed his fingers, digging into the flesh he held. She needed to be more careful.
“Ash.” Brooke’s fingers along his jaw line made him realize his teeth were clenched. He relaxed his jaw as she pressed her forehead against his.
Her eyes were glassy and bright, making him wish he’d checked the contents of the wine bottle to gauge just how much she’d had to drink. This close, he could smell the fruity scent on her breath.
“What is it, baby?”
“Where’d you go?”
He shook his head. That was yet another conversation that would have to wait. He couldn’t explain safety to her while she was looking at him through her thick eyelashes and chewing her goddamn lip like she was seconds from coming and he was the only one who could get her there.
Full disclosure time.
“You should know, I’m not going to fuck you tonight.”
Brooke’s hips stopped the maddening grind and her back went stiff. Her arms loosened from around his neck, but it didn’t matter. He had her, and he wasn’t planning to let go. Not yet, anyway.
“Brooke…”
Indignation flared in her eyes. “Put me down.”
“Not a chance.”
“If you don’t want me…” Her cheeks flamed. “God, this is stupid. Let. Me. Go.”
She struggled until he had two choices: drop her onto the bed or the floor. He picked the mattress. She bounced once and he advanced on her, over her, situating himself between her spread thighs. His forward momentum forced her onto her back as he braced himself on his palms above her.
Hot SEAL, Bourbon Neat (SEALs in Paradise) Page 7
