by Seton, Cora
They didn’t make it back to the apartment right away, but Cash hadn’t expected them to. Carson and Holly had wanted to see Jen, and then they’d sped over to her parents’ house so Laura and Gary could hug the living daylights out of their daughter. The admiral had been in honest-to-God tears, which had been a shocking sight, and yet it made total sense. Jen was the bright light in everyone’s lives, and even Gary Scott hadn’t been able to control his emotions when he’d seen her walk through that front door.
And now they were walking through their own front door, finally alone, and Cash didn’t waste a second drawing her into his arms.
He couldn’t stop touching her. Kissing her. Stroking her hair and caressing her body. It was like he needed to prove to himself that she was here. That she was real.
His desperate need for physical proof didn’t go unnoticed, Jen laughing as his lips touched her cheek for the hundredth time in the past hour. “I’m not going to disappear if you let me out of your sight, cowboy.”
“Promise?” he said roughly.
“Promise.” She smiled, then reached into her purse to check her phone. The marine captain in Honduras had called her with an update on Jamie Holbrook right after she and Cash had left Del Mar, and Cash knew she was desperate for more news.
It looked like Holbrook was going to make it, and damned if that didn’t make Cash’s chest swell with pride.
“You saved a man’s life,” he said softly.
She smiled. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Watch out,” he teased. “You know your mom is going to try to lure you into nursing again.”
“God, I know. But trust me, I’ve seen enough blood to last a lifetime.”
Cash swept his thumb over her full bottom lip, savoring the feel of the velvety smooth softness on his callused skin. “So,” he started, his tone sheepish, “would it be totally inappropriate if I tell you how much I want to be inside you right now?”
Those sexy lips curved beneath his touch. “Probably. I mean, I just went through a major ordeal. You’re supposed to be waiting on me hand and foot. You know, making me soup and rubbing my shoulders.”
He grinned. “Do you even want soup?”
“Hell no. I want you inside me, you idiot.”
With a laugh, Cash scooped her into his arms, and she squealed in delight as he marched with single-minded purpose toward their bedroom. He had her on her back in two seconds flat, hurriedly tugging at her clothing, and she was equally committed to getting him naked. She fumbled at his belt, shoving his pants down his hips as her hand impatiently circled his rapidly hardening cock.
“I need you.” Her breathless voice heated his pecs, and when he didn’t move as fast as she wanted, she pushed his chest to roll him onto his back.
Cash growled when she straddled his body and impaled herself on his cock. Red-hot pleasure seared through him, making him mindless with need. He gripped her hips and gave a hard upward thrust, and Jen’s answering moan vibrated in his blood. Lord, he loved this woman with a fierceness that scared him.
As her pussy clutched him like a tight glove, he lost himself in the incredible sensations racing through his body. “Love you so much, baby,” he mumbled, threading his fingers in her hair to bring her mouth down to his.
Her tongue slipped through his lips and teased him to a whole new level of turned on. Her full breasts pressed into his chest as she lay on top of him, letting him take control. Slow. He should go slow. But his hips had a mind of their own, shooting up in a fervent rhythm, driving his cock deep into Jen’s hot channel with desperate thrusts.
“Oh God.” A shudder rolled through her body and then her pussy spasmed around him, milking him so hard his release broke the surface and crashed over him in a pulsing wave of sheer bliss.
Cash kissed her bare shoulder as his cock jerked inside her. “Fucking hell,” he cursed. “You rip me apart, baby.”
“Is that a good thing?” Her muffled voice tickled his neck.
“Definitely a good thing.” When she tried to climb off him, he tightened his grip around her, keeping her trapped against his body. “No,” he whispered. “You’re not allowed to move yet. Let’s just lie here for a little while longer.”
“How much longer?” Her head tipped up and she flashed a teasing smile.
Cash held her even closer, sweeping his palms up and down her back. He was still buried inside her, hard as a rock, but the urgency had dissolved into a sense of sweet contentedness. “I don’t know. Forever, maybe?”
Jen nestled her cheek in the crook of his neck. “Sounds good to me.”
Somehow they left the bedroom, but only because Jen’s growling stomach triggered Cash’s protective caveman instincts. She could practically see his brain grunting orders to him. Woman hungry. Man feed woman.
They didn’t bother getting dressed, though. Hell, she had a feeling they were going to be naked for the next three days straight. Cash’s CO had granted him leave, and she had to admit she was looking forward to spending a few uninterrupted days with him.
She admired his bare butt as he poked his head into the fridge to scrounge up something to eat. He had the sexiest ass on the planet, firm and taut and deliciously pinchable.
“So what are we looking at here?” she asked, propping her own bare butt on the counter. “Grilled cheese again?”
Cash slowly turned to face her, and she blinked when she noticed the black-velvet jewelry box in his hand.
Her pulse promptly sped up. “Wait—was that in the refrigerator?” she blurted out, battling a rush of confusion.
He gave a crooked grin. “No, I grabbed it from my pocket before we left the bedroom.”
“Oh.” Her throat dipped as she swallowed. “What is it?”
Cash crossed the linoleum floor and gently placed the box in her palm. “It’s everything,” he said simply. “My love. My trust. My heart. My fucking soul.” His voice cracked. “Everything.”
Jen could scarcely breathe as she gazed down at the box. The moment she opened it, a gasp caught in her throat. The most beautiful ring she’d ever seen sat in the velvet bed, glinting in the moonlight streaming in from the window over the sink. The band was silver, plain and unadorned, but it was the brilliant yellow diamond that brought tears to her eyes.
“The man at the store asked me to describe you in one word,” Cash said gruffly.
“What did you tell him?” It was hard to take her gaze off the ring, but she forced herself to look at Cash.
An adorable smile tugged on his lips. “Sunshine,” he confessed. “I said you were sunshine.”
Yup. That was all it took for the tears to spill over. They streamed down her cheeks as she stared, mesmerized, at the emotion shining in his blue eyes.
“You’re the ray of sunlight in my life, baby. It was only fitting that I put sunshine on your finger.” Hesitation creased his face. “Unless…I mean, unless you don’t want it.”
Her mouth fell open. “Are you kidding me? It’s perfect, Cash. It’s so perfect.”
He gently stroked the edge of her jaw. “I was a jerk before you left, but I need you to know that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Jen. I shouldn’t have ordered you around, and I definitely shouldn’t have gone behind your back to talk to your father. It was unfair and presumptuous, and I promise I won’t do anything like that ever again.”
“I’m sorry, too. I should have let you voice your opinion without biting your head off. This relationship…it needs to be a partnership.” She swallowed a lump of shame. “I did what I wanted without thinking about how it would affect you. Next time—if there is a next time—I promise to sit down and talk to you about it. Really talk about it, and not just announce that I’m doing it.”
He nodded ruefully. “I guess both of us could have handled the situation better.”
“Yeah, but we learned from it. And now we know what not to do.” Her gaze lowered to the beautiful yellow diamond. “So are you going to ask me, or what?”
Cash
was the epitome of innocence. “Ask you what?”
“Don’t you dare play coy with me, cowboy. You can’t just put a box in my hand without—”
“Will you marry me?” he interrupted.
She narrowed her eyes. “What, you’re not even going to get on your—”
He was on his knees in the blink of an eye, peering up at her with pure adoration. “Jennifer Lauren Scott, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
A broad smile stretched across her face. “Yes.”
With a smile of his own, Cash rose to his feet and drew the ring from its resting spot. Jen’s heart lodged in her throat as he slowly pushed the band on her fourth finger, his grin widening when he saw the results.
“You’re right. It’s perfect,” he announced. “I did real fucking good.”
His arrogant tone made her laugh, but she couldn’t deny that he’d picked the absolute best engagement ring for her. “You really did.” She quickly slid off the counter, holding out her hand to admire the ring. “I totally need to take a picture and send it to my mom. She’s going to freak—”
Cash tugged her backward when she tried to take a step, his warm lips planting a tender kiss on the back of her neck. “The picture can wait. We still need to celebrate.”
“Right.” She twisted her head to grin at him. “So…grilled cheese?”
He pulled her naked body flush to his, kissing a path from her neck to her mouth. “That can wait, too.”
And then those talented lips found hers, and Jen forgot about food and pictures and even her own name.
Because Cash McCoy was all that mattered.
The End
Want to see how Cash and Jen fell in love? Pick up a copy of Feeling Hot today!
Other Titles by Elle Kennedy
If you enjoyed Cash and Jen’s story, read the Out of Uniform series that started it all…
Heat of the Moment
Heat of Passion
Heat of the Storm
Heat It Up
Heat of the Night
The Heat Is On
Feeling Hot
Getting Hotter
Hotter Than Ever
As Hot as it Gets
*
More Elle Kennedy erotic contemporary and romantic suspense titles available on Elle’s website.
And don’t forget to sign up for Elle’s newsletter to receive exclusive excerpts and updates about new releases!
A SEAL for Christmas
(a SEAL Team Alpha novella)
Jennifer Lowery
Website | Newsletter
Blurb
Navy SEAL Donovan Demarco, just returned from deployment, is looking to spend a quiet family Christmas. He’s spent too many holidays in the heat of battle, but when an accident happens outside his family’s restaurant and a woman’s life is put in danger he is honor-bound to protect her. When protecting her turn’s romantic, can he trust her with his broken heart?
Cloe Carter dreads the holiday season that took her family from her. Threats put her under the protection of a dashing Navy SEAL who makes her want everything she lost. Not only is the threat to her life, but to her heart.
Content Warning: Sexual content
I dedicate this book to everyone who loves the holiday season as much as I do. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Author’s Note
Hello and thank you so much for purchasing SEALs of Winter! I’m happy to be part of this fabulous anthology and hope you enjoy my offering! A SEAL for Christmas is a 34,000 word novella and the second book in my SEAL Team Alpha series. I’m excited to bring you more hot Navy SEALs of Team 5! Sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss new release announcements and other special offers-and receive a FREE copy of my short story, Taking Chances!
www.jenniferloweryauthor.com
Chapter One
‡
A car horn blared. Tires screeched. Déjà vu hit Cloe Carter like a wrecking ball as a red sports car careened through a stop light straight for her. Like a deer in headlights she froze, memories assaulting her, immobilizing her.
Not again.
Her last thought echoed in her head along with the sound of tires squealing and metal crunching. Pain jarred her body and she went airborne. In those few seconds her world merged with the past and she screamed for the other passengers in her SUV, guilt driving her to protect them from what she’d done.
Nothing except air met her hands before she hit the pavement with bone-crunching agony, knocking the breath from her lungs. Her vision narrowed as nausea turned her stomach. People crowded around her; concerned faces blurred her vision.
She had to get to her SUV. Get to Lance. And her parents. See if they were all right. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t insisted on working so late like she always did…
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Cloe sat up. An elderly man with a Santa’s beard covering his face gently pushed her back down. “No, dear. You stay right there. You’ve taken quite a tumble. The paramedics are on their way.”
“But I have to go check on Lance and my parents.”
His face crinkled into a soft expression. “I promise you, they are in good hands.”
Cloe went still, staring at him. “You can’t possibly know that. They were in the accident. In my car.”
“Honey, you were riding a bike when another motorist hit you.”
Searching his face for truth, she shook her head, then groaned when sharp pain shot through her skull. When she looked down she noticed the jolly elf wore Bermudas and sandals with his red fur-lined coat and hat. A warm breeze blew over her bare arms and she sat on warm pavement. Not an icy mountain road.
Flashback.
Sadness filled her with such force, tears sprang to her eyes. She suddenly wanted to slap the jerk that caused her to go back to that horrible time and make her relive the worst moment of her life.
The other part of her wished he’d hit her harder.
The man patted her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “This Christmas, Santa is bringing you something special. You just have to open your heart and accept the gift.”
Before Cloe could question his cryptic comment, he had disappeared into the crowd. Her confusion quickly evaporated when she heard another voice over the din of concerned murmurs. This one angry and male. Getting closer. And aimed at her.
Cloe tried to push to a sitting position, but a wave of dizziness stopped her.
The shouting grew closer and the crowd parted to reveal a tall, irate man barreling toward her. There were sweat stains under the arms of his crisp, white dress shirt.
Uncertain of his intentions, she scooted back, bumping into the curb. He looked ready to strike her.
“Are you the idiot who crossed the street on a yellow light?” he ranted, bending down to get in her face.
Her temper rose, overriding her fear. “I crossed at the appropriate time. You’re the one who ran a red light.”
His face turned crimson and his hand fisted.
“Sir. I’m going to ask you only once to step away from the lady.”
The deep, cultured male voice broke through the crowd, drawing everyone’s attention. Most of all, hers. It slid over her like dark satin, cool and smooth. Her eyes traveled up a pair of long, muscular legs encased in black slacks, met by a narrow waist, washboard abs beneath a white, button-down dress shirt that stretched across a broad chest, and, oh, my. The most dashing man she’d ever laid eyes on. Neatly trimmed dark hair, blue eyes and the most incredible features on a man she’d ever seen. Masculine and perfect, with sculpted lips she couldn’t look away from.
The motorist threatening her straightened and faced her hero.
“She just cost me a brand new Ferrari.” The driver pointed a finger at her.
“I’d say you cost her a hell of a lot more than that and you owe her an apology.”
“Apology? Are you kidding? She’s lucky I’m not suing her!”
Cloe
gasped. Sue her?
Her hero quirked a dark brow. “Apologize to the lady for injuring her and for being an asshole.”
Her gaze snapped to her champion. Sirens sounded in the distance. Good. She didn’t want an innocent man getting hurt because of her. The driver looked ready to come to blows. Of course, he had just been called an asshole. Good call.
“Go to hell. Who are you, anyway? This is between me and her.” The motorist turned back to her, reached for her.
Next thing she knew, he was on the ground, blood pouring from his nose and her hero standing over him, his stance daring him to get back up. The man howled in outrage, but made no move to get up. Cheers went up in the crowd.
A face appeared in front of hers. Her hero crouched in front of her, his gorgeous blue eyes searching hers. “Hey,” he said. “Ambulance is almost here. You okay?”
Mouth dry, she nodded, then noticed her head felt lighter. She reached up and touched her hair. “My helmet’s gone.”
His expression softened. “It flew off when you landed, but I’m sure it protected your fall. I’ll have the paramedics check for a concussion just in case.”
“Are you a doctor?”
He grinned and her heart flip-flopped.
“No. Just had some medic experience in the Navy. Here come the paramedics. Lie still, in case anything’s broken.”
She nodded as the crowd parted for two paramedics. One, a woman, knelt beside her, while the other, a very young-looking man, opened an orange and white box that resembled a tackle box used for fishing.
“Hi,” the woman said. “I’m Tori. Mind if I take a look at that cut on your head?”
Cloe shook her head, swallowing the panic building in her chest. Please let her be okay enough to take a cab home instead of go to the hospital. She didn’t think she could ride in another ambulance as long as she lived. And stepping foot in a hospital? No way. Just the thought made her sick to her stomach.
