by Aliyah Burke
Sarah shook her head.
“Because I saw you, getting off your bike, on base. Stood there, mesmerized by the woman I knew would be my wife and the mother of my children.” He lowered his head until their lips brushed lightly. “That’s you, Sarah. I wanted you, then, and I want you even more, now, if that’s at all possible.”
His kiss was so unlike anything else she’d experienced. It branded her and, yet, was so tender and light she nearly missed it. Her eyes closed, and when she opened them, she was alone. Grey was gone, and she’d never heard him leave. Touching her mouth, she slid down the wall to the floor and sat there.
αβ
“I don’t give a damn if it’s the tenth time he called. I’m not available.” Fith slammed the receiver down and picked up the glass of scotch by his elbow. He leaned back in his chair and sipped. The flames from the fireplace flickered around the otherwise darkened room.
“Guess I’m not the only one you’ve been avoiding,” Grey said, sliding from the shadows and stepping up to the right of the chair.
Fith jumped, nearly spilling his drink. “Christ, Grey, you scared the shit out of me. What are you doing in here? How the hell did you get in here past my security?”
He arched an eyebrow and stared at the man he used to respect. “Really? You want to know how I got past your security?”
Fith waved it off. “Never mind. What are you doing here? I’m busy.”
He snarled. “So, I’ve been told repeatedly by your secretary. I’m tired of being ignored.”
“Talk. You know this isn’t right.”
Grey crossed his arms, striving not to just separate Fith’s head from his shoulders. “Why have you been ducking my calls?”
“I’m SecNav, Commander. I take calls when I want to and with whom I wish them to be with.”
He ground his jaw. “The op you wanted me on. In Germany. All the questions after. Why?”
Fith narrowed his gaze. “I don’t answer to you. One press of this button will have my security here.”
“Press it, then,” Grey goaded. “Go ahead.”
His eyes widened slightly. “You disabled it.”
“You then went after Major Mallery with the sole purpose of kidnapping her team. Why?” Lord, it took every ounce of control Grey possessed to keep neutral at that moment.
Fith’s expression darkened. “I have my reasons. How did you find out about this?” He slammed his drink. “Davies tell you this?”
“You’re not denying it.” He lifted Fith clear of the leather chair by the material of his clothing. “You planned a kidnapping with the possibility of good Marines dying for no other reason than you wanted to.”
“They’re Marines; casualties among them is a acceptable loss.” He sneered. “Plus, what do you care? You Navy don’t much care for Marines.” He struggled ineffectively against Grey.
“We get along fine when it comes to fighting a common enemy.”
“I’m SecNav, damn it! Put me down.”
Grey shoved him hard against the dark wood of one wall, sending a picture crashing to the floor.
“This, just because you fell for the woman during Hamburg?”
“I fell for her long before that.” He tossed Fith back to the chair. Hands on his desk, Grey leaned close. “You go near her or that team, and I’ll be back. I’ve proven your security isn’t able to stop me. Don’t try to make my life hell or they will find your dead body somewhere.”
Fith’s face grew mottled. “Don’t you dare threaten—”
“Shut up,” Grey growled. “Leave me alone. Leave them alone. If I come back here, I promise it won’t end well for you. Don’t think any of this will be recorded.” He strode to the door.
“Wait.”
He paused by the door and turned slowly back to face the man he would walk by if he were burning on the side of the road.
“The woman. It had to be the woman. Who is she to you?”
A low rumble whipped from his throat, and he returned to the man he used to respect. “You never speak of her, again. I will be watching you. And, if you so much as breathe in her direction, I will show you firsthand why the SEALs are damn near mythical to people for the feats they can pull off. I will become your worst nightmare, and you will pray for IS or Al Qaeda to kidnap you away from me.
Paling, Fith gulped, no longer able to hide his fear. “Why?”
“That woman,” he said, heading back to the door. “That Marine you threatened. She’s my wife.” He left as silently as he’d arrived and slipped back into the trees.
“So, you’re threatening SecNav, now?”
Grey gazed to his left, picking up on the man leaning against the tree. He lifted his shoulders in a lackadaisical shrug. “He messed with my wife.” He would make no apologies for that. Hell, he’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“Figured it was something like that.” This came from Jeb as he stepped into view beside Harrier.
“We’re not arguing it,” Harrier picked up the conversation, again. “In fact, I’m impressed the man’s still breathing.” There was no heat in the comment.
The three of them reached the road, and moments later, an SUV slowed, allowing them to climb in. It drove on, and Grey saw Cade at the wheel. He stopped at a bar, and all four of them climbed out.
“First round’s on me,” Harrier stated as they walked in. The captain waved at a waitress as they claimed a table in the back. While they waited, he rocked back in his chair, crossing strong arms over his chest.
Grey waited for his beer then took a drink. “So, what is it you want from me? I’m guessing that’s why you showed up tonight. I can’t imagine the Megalodon Team doesn’t have more important things to do than follow me around.”
They shared a look. “Actually, we’re making some plans.” Cade spun his bottle around in his fingers.
He arched his eyebrows. “Plans?” His blood hummed with the prospect of working with them, again.
Harrier let his chair thump to the floor. “We’d like to talk to you about a job offer.”
Well, now, this could be interesting.
αβ
Sarah sat in the field, surrounded by all the hundreds of butterflies. One of her favorite places to be in the world. Legs crossed, she rested her hands on the soft ground beneath her and leaned back slightly.
Her life had gotten back to normal. With one exception. Grey. She groaned and tipped her head up to the warm sun. It always comes back to Grey. She stood, slowly, and gazed around. The wind shifted, and as one, the butterflies left their perches, taking to the air. Her lips curved in a smile.
Simple pleasures.
“I thought I’d find you out here.”
And a voice to accompany the road her mind had ventured down. She licked her lips and turned to face Grey Sorenson. The man never failed to make her knees weak. He was clad in all black, and he moved such predatory grace.
“Something you needed?”
“Yes.” He strode up to her, cupped her face, and kissed her. Their tongues dueled and slid along one another. She wrapped her arms around him, having him support more of her weight.
The acrid taste of betrayal—his—sank in, and she backed off. She immediately missed his heated touch. “What?”
He perused the distance she’d just placed between them and pulled her back close to him.
“I did not betray you, Sarah. You know that.”
“No. I don’t.” She tried to get free.
He refused. “Yes, you do.” His words were assured and thrummed with confidence. “I get it. You’re pissed. So am I. But it wasn’t on me. When he mentioned your name and that someone would play your husband, I refused to let another do what is my right. I took the opportunity to see you and spend time with you.”
“Do you ever speak clearly? Or is that too difficult for a Navy SEAL?”
“How much more plainly would you like? I missed my wife. I missed you. Maybe the men you’re with have problems with feelings. When it c
omes to you, I have no such inhibitions.” He fisted one hand briefly. “I messed up on our marriage from the beginning. I should have gone after you and explained the situation with that jackass who I was on the phone with. I don’t even talk to him now. It was a stupid ass mistake.”
She shook her head. “I can’t blame everything on you.” Sarah raked her hand through her hair. “I’d love to, trust me, but I can’t.”
“I fell for you that day I saw you on base. I wanted to make you mine from that very moment. Claim you so no one would ever be able to come between us.” He stepped away. “I’ll sign the papers, Sarah. But, I will turn my focus to winning you back.”
She blinked repeatedly. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I disagree. It makes perfect sense. I want you, Sarah. I want you to finally start using my last name. I’m tired of living a lie. You’re my wife. I want this to be more than in name only. If you’re set on a divorce, fine. I’ll give you one. But I will find a way to win you back and have you take my name once more.”
Maybe this is a dream.
“Sit before you fall.”
She sank to the ground she’d recently risen from. Her head spun, making her dizzy. Gulping air, she tried to regain some control. He crouched before her, pants drawn tight over his thighs.
“What’s going on with you?”
Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Before she knew what happened, he’d taken a seat and pulled her onto him, where she straddled his lap. They were nose-to-nose, breaths mingling.
“Kiss me, Sarah Sorenson.”
His voice, her drug. He was her dealer, and so, she listened, craving the high he gave her. The one only he gave her.
As tended to be the case with him, one kiss wasn’t enough. Would never be enough. She slid her hands into his hair and upped the intensity of the tangle of tongues.
His rumble vibrated through her straight to her clit. Sarah rocked on him, and within moments of undoing clothing, she cried aloud as his thick length pushed into her. Filling her.
“Grey,” she panted, rolling her hips and taking all he offered. Eyes closed, she tipped her face up. “Oh, oh…Grey…Jesus.”
He cupped her breasts and teased the tips. Fire raced along her skin, nearly burning her with its force. Shins on the ground, she moved faster, wanting more.
“This is where you belong, Sarah.” He wound his hand in her hair before nipping the side of her neck, adding to her pleasure.
Time lost all meaning for her as he carried her higher and higher until she reached the stars. They crested together, falling over the precipice as one. After, they lay together, the butterflies still hanging around.
“Sarah. I want this to work.”
His skin, warm beneath her fingers, distracted her until he captured her hand.
“I can’t fight you over my job all the time.”
“I know.” He kissed the tip of her index finger.
Her stomach tightened. “I busted my ass to get to where I am now.”
“I know.” He drew her middle finger into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. She whimpered, a spear of longing ripping through her. Reawakening more of the nigh desperate craving within her.
“There would be problems if you tried to change that.”
Her ring finger was next to receive attention. “I know.” He nipped the tip.
“Are you only going to say that phrase?”
“You should be wearing my ring.”
“Not what I meant.”
He chuckled. “I know.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t need you to protect me.”
“I will always protect you, Sarah. I know no other way.”
She squeezed his hand. “That’s what makes you such a good SEAL. And why I think you’d be better off with someone who needs it.” The words cut her up inside as she forced them by her lips.
He rolled them over so his large body pressed her into the soft grass. “You really see me with a wife who needs to be protected?”
“You need to protect women.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
His hair hung around his face, and she brushed some away from his eyes. “Not for some.”
“But for you?”
She flicked her tongue along her lips, again. “I can’t stand hovering, and I know you. You’ll hover. You’ll be checking up on my missions.”
He nodded. “Probably.”
He was honest. “I can’t,” she said. “I just…I can’t.”
“I love you, Sarah.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “No.”
“Yes. I will still check up on you, Sarah. I always will. But I won’t be in uniform.”
She furrowed her brow. “What?” What could possibly get him out of his uniform?
“My time as a SEAL is over.”
“Did something happen?”
“Not really. I refuse to work for a bastard like Fith. Not after what he risked with you. Plus, I got another job offer.”
“Job offer?”
“I’ll be working in the private sector.”
She touched the corner of his mouth. “Cryptic.”
“I’ll be part of a security-protection group put together by the ex-members of the Megalodon Team.”
She whistled. “That’s scary to think they’re starting something like that.”
“Stay married to me, Sarah. Let me be home for you. Let me love you.” He kissed her. “I know you love me.”
“You do?”
“Yes. If you didn’t, you would have divorced me long ago, no matter who found out.”
Perhaps, he had a point. “Okay,” she said, conceding that. “Are we going to do this?”
“Tell me you don’t want to. We’re right for one another. Why fight it?” Another lingering kiss. “Do you love me?”
“You just said you knew I did.”
“Tell me.”
She dragged a finer along his eyebrow. “Yes, yes, I do.”
“So, if I put this ring on your finger, you’ll keep it there?”
Lost in his eyes, she nodded. “As much as I can.”
“I love you,” he murmured, lips upon hers.
Twining her arms around his neck, she opened beneath his pressure. She shut her eyes seconds after the butterflies took off once more—as always, beautiful.
A sign. It had to be. Time for her to be a wife. Grey’s wife.
About the Author
Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached here. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter: @AliyahBurke96, or Pinterest. And on TSU: @AliyahBurke
She is married to a career military man. They are owned by three Borzoi, and a DSH cat. She spends her days sharing time between work, writing, and dog training.
I hope you enjoyed reading, Intensity. If you could help others to find and enjoy this book, as well, I would appreciate that act of kindness. You can do this by recommending it to your friends and/or reader’s groups. Also by reviewing it to let others know you liked it—and why—on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ARe, and other places.
Thank you so much for your support!!
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Additional Books by Aliyah Burke
Megalodon Team
Kincade’s Rose
Harrier’s Healer
Connelly’s Flame
Greeley’s Spyce
Vittano’s Willow
Dimitri’s Moon
O’Shea’s Love
Chayton’s Tempest
Haikon
A Love for Lera
Denim & Spurs
With This Ring
Dream Lover
Cottonwood Falls
Relentless (Book 1)
Fracture (Book 2)
Ravish (Bo
ok 3)
Spark (Book 4)
Savor (Book 5)
Intensity (Book 6)
Inferno (Book 7) coming in July
Serial
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 1
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 2
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 3
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 4
Keeper of the Stars Pt. 5
Astral Guardians
Chasing the Storm
Highlands at Dawn
Fields of Thunder
Branded by Frost
Interludes
Temporary Home
Alone with You
Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore
In Aeternum
Casanova in Training
Harbour of Refuge
Protected by Shadows
Polar Opposites
Rakes & Rogues
What the Earl Desires
Her Reluctant Viscount
Her Pirate Rogue
Code of Honour
A Marriage of Convenience
The Lieutenant’s Ex-Wife
A Man Like No Other
When Stars Collide
Born to Fly
Landing in Love
You Save Me
Wild as the Wind
Zulu Spectre
Hearth, Holly, & Honor (3 in 1)
Standalone
Spring Fling
Preconception
If You Dare
May You Always
Dutch & Lobo (in In the Trenches collection)
His Purrfect Mate
Under the Mask
That Fateful Ride
On the High Seas (in What White Boyz Desire collection)
The Detective’s Lover
Just a Dream
Love Under the Endless African Sky
Add A Little Mistletoe
Something Tangible
Seducing Damian
Through the Fire
Sin is Not a Four Letter Word
