His Baby Secret - A Second Chance SEAL Romance (Once a SEAL, Always a SEAL Book 1)

by Layla Valentine

  Was it her imagination that his hands lingered a little overlong around her waist? It had to have been. Dominic wouldn’t be that careless—or daring—around Harvey.

  “Get out of here, then, and quit hitting on my sister,” Harvey said, shoving at Dominic. Hannah froze.

  “Go home, Newell,” Dominic said, winking cheekily. “You’re drunk.”

  “Good night,” Hannah told him, rolling her eyes elaborately even as she was dying to confirm with Dominic that he was still going to sneak over to her house later. Dominic was obviously getting home plenty ahead of curfew to appease his father, but surely he wouldn’t forget about her, would he?

  There just wasn’t a good way of finding out, and it made the butterflies that had been fluttering around in Hannah’s stomach sour a little.

  “What, don’t tell me you’re sorry to see that square go,” Harvey sneered. “He’s not that fun.”

  “You are super drunk, aren’t you?” she asked. “Should I call Marnie to come pick us up?”

  “Hell, no,” Harvey said. “She’d be furious.”

  “She wouldn’t. She’d be disappointed.”

  “Even worse.”

  The party was dissipating slowly, puddles of pool water actually getting the chance to dry around the house. Hannah changed back into her clothes, grabbing her bag so she could try to make a quick getaway as soon as she could convince her twin to do the same. They weren’t the last ones to leave the house, but they were definitely close to it, with Hannah pulling the driest towels she could find over Ronnie, who’d fallen asleep in one of the loungers by the pool.

  “Think we should try to move him to one of the beds?” Hannah asked, eyeing the host of the party.

  “Which one, though?” Harvey asked, his eyes half-closed. “There are so many of them. Besides, he’ll be fine there. Too far to roll into the pool.”

  That would be a rude awakening indeed. Hannah decided not to push it. She was lucky that Harvey was finally tired enough to go home. Marnie had always been pretty flexible with their various comings and goings, but Hannah was eager to get back to the house for a completely different reason.

  Dominic.

  “Dom was weird tonight, too,” Harvey said, making Hannah jump before they’d even made it off the Kurtz property. “What punch were the two of you drinking?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hannah said, perhaps a little too quickly.

  “He’s gotten pretty boring,” Harvey said, stumbling a bit, making Hannah reach out to take his arm in an attempt to keep him upright in the four blocks they had to walk back to Marnie’s.

  They were saving up for a car, something both of them could share. But little things kept popping up—unexpected bills, for one, and a couple of times, Marnie had gotten behind on rent. Hannah and Harvey tried to help her out when they could, because of how she’d helped them out.

  “Wait,” Hannah said, drawing up short. “Why do you think Dom’s boring?” Maybe she shouldn’t press her luck on talking about Dominic with Harvey, but she was genuinely curious about what her twin’s reasoning would be.

  “He’s always working out or just being quiet and thinking. He isn’t like he was when we were kids.”

  “We’re not kids anymore,” she prompted. “Technically, we’re adults.”

  “So Dom should loosen up and have a drink or something.”

  “If you were in his shoes, you probably wouldn’t drink, either,” Hannah said. “With a father like the drill sergeant?”

  “Probably would make me drink even more,” Harvey said, veering off into the grass. “Hang on. Gotta pee.”

  “Seriously?” Hannah groaned softly, checking up and down the street.

  There wasn’t anyone out at this hour. Tucson was a big city, but this neighborhood was fairly quiet. Even if they’d just exited the more well-to-do part and entered the shabbier portion, where Marnie’s house was.

  “Aren’t you glad Marnie didn’t kick us out when we turned eighteen?” Harvey called over his shoulder, swaying back and forth in front of a tree.

  Hannah recoiled. “Why would you think something like that?”

  Harvey stumbled back to the sidewalk. “Because we’re adults. She doesn’t have to have us in the house anymore, legally. She could kick us out if she wanted.”

  “Did she ever give you any indication of wanting to do that?” Hannah didn’t like the shrill tone she could detect in her own voice. Had there been something she’d missed? Were they in danger of getting turned out on the street?

  “It was just something I thought of,” Harvey said with a deceptively casual shrug. “We would’ve stayed with Dom. I had a plan.”

  She shook her head. “What, you ran this plan by Dom and not by me?”

  “Didn’t have to run it by him.” Harvey hitched up his swimming trunks a little. Marnie’s house was within sight. “I just knew he’d take us in, whether the drill sergeant gave him the okay or not.”

  “See, Dom’s not boring,” Hannah reasoned. “He’s caring. Compassionate.”

  “Sounds like someone has a crush,” Harvey said.

  “Sounds like someone’s paranoid.” She blinked at Harvey as they made it up the driveway. “Did you really think Marnie was going to kick us out of here before we graduated? She’s told us time and again that we can take our time to get on our feet.”

  “I’m tired, Hannah.”

  “You’re reading too much into things, is what you’re doing, detective.”

  She was only halfway teasing him. He really did want to be a detective, and was already filling out applications for police academy. But that curious mind of her brother’s also got him into trouble sometimes. If he wasn’t suspicious of someone, he was poking his nose into other people’s business.

  The house was dark—Marnie was asleep, trusting them to come back from the party when they were ready to.

  “Good night,” Hannah whispered, but Harvey only waved limply at her as he bumped his way down the hallway toward his room.

  She paused at her own door to listen. Hannah recognized the squeak of Harvey’s bedsprings, quickly followed by a deafening snore. He was out like a light. And with Marnie being such a heavy sleeper, Hannah knew that the plans she had for the rest of the wee hours had a green light.

  If Dominic remembered.

  She showered briefly, cursing herself as she dried off. She should’ve figured out some way to signal to him before he left the party to confirm that he was still coming over. As she combed her hair and wondered what she was going to wear, a war raged inside her stomach. She wanted Dominic to come over tonight. She wanted to spend that uninterrupted time with him he’d been so eager to share with her. And yet, she was nervous—bordering on terrified—of what would happen.

  Well, she wasn’t stupid. She knew what would happen. What, exactly, Dominic had meant when he’d said he wanted her alone. Without interruptions.

  The thing was, though, that she was a virgin. She hadn’t really dated through high school, and she definitely hadn’t slept with anyone. Hannah wasn’t an idiot. She understood the basic…ins and outs of it all. But, beyond that, she was clueless. She knew just by virtue of hanging around with him all the time that Dominic had much more experience in this department than her. That, and the whispers of other girls in her grade about all of his various strengths in bed.

  She wondered if she could try to warn Dominic off. Cancel, or something—if he even remembered that he was supposed to come tonight. Hannah was so nervous, she couldn’t figure out what to wear. Were pajamas too casual? A matching bra and panties set too formal? She settled anxiously on a pair of shorts and T-shirt. If it wasn’t right, then at least she’d learn quickly.

  The sudden, soft knock on her window, though, banished all lingering doubts. Adrenaline—and arousal—surged through her body, and Hannah was certain of a single, important thing.

  Dominic was here, and she was more than ready for him.

  Chapte
r 4

  Dominic

  It had been a good move to get home before curfew. Doing so—with the car intact and his breath clear from booze—had relaxed Dominic’s dad’s suspicions. The old man really had been a drill sergeant in the U.S. Army. It wasn’t just an apt nickname. Dominic had even heard some of his teachers in high school call him by that moniker. It fit. Dominic just figured he should never use it in front of his father, whom he always referred to as “sir.”

  At least, to his face.

  But with the car in the driveway and the old man asleep at last, Dominic eased his way out of his bedroom and jogged to Marnie’s house. It wasn’t a short jog, either. If he walked it, it would take close to thirty minutes. He’d made the jog often enough, though, at this time of night, too, that he knew it like the back of his hand. A path his feet could carry him along without his brain having to keep up.

  Dominic’s home life had always been fraught with stress. The drill sergeant was a tough man to placate, let alone impress. Somehow, no matter what he did, Dominic was never able to please him. Marnie’s house—and Hannah and Harvey—had always felt like an oasis from how shitty his home life could be. It was funny—in a dark way, maybe—that he felt more at home in a foster home than he did being raised by the man who had contributed half of his DNA to Dominic’s existence.

  But he didn’t need to be thinking about his father right now. Not on a momentous night like tonight. Because tonight, he was going to be with Hannah. It was like the culmination of his entire childhood. Something he had been looking forward to for years. He was just thankful that she felt the same way he did. How often did that happen—that two people felt equally passionate about each other? Dominic was going to seize the hell out of this opportunity.

  He knocked gently on her window, just a little out of breath, his body honed and stamina tempered from all the times he’d made this journey. There wasn’t a light on in the house, but then, the window slid open.

  “I thought you weren’t coming,” she whispered, tugging at him as he climbed in. “I thought you forgot.”

  “How in the hell would I ever even think about forgetting we were going to spend some quality time together tonight?” he asked her quietly, sliding the window shut.

  He was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and he shucked his shirt off to mop it off. From Dominic’s experience, girls didn’t like it when he dripped sweat on them while fooling around.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Hannah said, her eyes wide, taking in the sight of his abs.

  It wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before, especially when she’d gotten an eyeful at the party, but Dominic figured it was just the difference in context. Maybe she’d seen him before, but had never been invited to touch. Experience. The thought was enough to keep his pulse elevated.

  “I’ve always wanted this,” he murmured in her ear, stroking her hair away from it, dotting kisses down her neck, and smiling when he felt her shudder. “You okay?”

  “I’m nervous.” Her lips quirked up in a small smile. “You’re my friend.”

  “And since we’re friends, there’s no reason to be nervous,” he assured her. “I’m not some random asshole, Hannah. You know me. You know I’m going to take care of you. I just want to make sure you want this as much as I do.”

  “Yes,” she breathed. “Always. It’s just…you should know. I’m still a…I’ve never been with anyone like this.”

  “You’re a virgin,” he said, surprised. He wasn’t sure why—he would’ve been downright shocked to discover that she’d been able to sneak rendezvous with other guys under his and Harvey’s noses.

  “Is that a problem?” she asked, biting her lip.

  “Hannah, I’m honored.” Was that old-fashioned to say? Dominic didn’t care. He’d said it. It was out there. “I’m…happy it’s me. Is that wrong?”

  “No, because I’m happy it’s you, too.” Her shyness was strangely compelling. Dominic wanted to protect her and make her feel more incredible than she ever had in her life.

  “I’ll go slow,” he said, saying it aloud for both Hannah’s benefit and as a reminder to himself. “You tell me if you don’t like something, okay? Or if you want something specific. Is there anything special you like to do? Anything that feels good?”

  “I mean, just…” She trailed off before gently taking his hand and placing it in between her legs.

  “Oh, good,” Dominic said, grinning. “I like that, too.”

  Hannah laughed quietly, relaxing a little into his touch. He watched her carefully, trying to gauge the things she liked, whether she liked a direct touch or something a little more circuitous. He was eager to learn how sensitive her body was.

  Slowly, gently, he took off her T-shirt and shorts, gazing at every new naked inch of her adoringly. Soon, she was naked, laid out on the bed beneath him, her thighs spread, his hand between them. Hannah bit her fist to muffle herself as her body spasmed beneath his hand, his thumb slipping over the most sensitive part of her body again and again.

  “Oh my God,” Hannah sighed. “Yes, Dom.”

  “Just getting started,” he couldn’t help but say, which was all the warning he gave her before ducking down and lapping at her rapidly pooling wetness.

  He hadn’t done this very often for other girls, but he wanted to make sure Hannah was enjoying herself. Dominic was certainly enjoying himself. He was as hard as rock, and eager to feel as good as she was, but he wasn’t in a hurry. He could do this all night.

  Then, he thought seriously about it—testing out how many orgasms he could give her before she couldn’t take it anymore. Could he be that patient?

  Hannah gasped and he gripped her thighs, sucking and licking, as she came again, her hands pulling his hair. This was something he could get used to, this emotional connection that made him care so much more about pleasing his partner. He just wished he could get a guarantee of having Hannah for a partner all the time.

  Chapter 5

  Hannah

  “I need you,” Hannah said, feeling not quite unlike a leaf drifting slowly down from a tree branch. She’d come not once, but twice, and she was still firmly enmeshed in afterglow.

  She wasn’t sure what she meant when she said she needed Dominic, but he gave her a knowing nod. Oh, good. That maybe meant she was normal, or that her reactions, at least, were.

  “I’m right here, Hannah. I got you.”

  “Do you have a condom?” she asked breathlessly.

  So that was what she needed, apparently. She’d had Dominic’s fingers inside of her, and then his tongue; now, she wanted his entire length.

  How did her body know that she wanted that? Even though his fingers and mouth had already brought her to orgasm twice, having him sheathed inside of her—the way basic biology had designed them to fit together—was something she more than wanted. She craved.

  “I came prepared,” Dominic said, straightening as he licked his lips, fishing around in his pocket and producing his wallet. “I always keep a condom in here—aw, hell.”

  “What’s wrong?” Hannah propped herself up on her elbows.

  “The wrapper is a little torn,” he said, showing her the corner that had apparently been ripped off. “See?”

  “Does that matter?” she asked. She took it to examine it as if she actually knew what she was looking at. It was the first time she’d ever held a condom, for crying out loud. “It looks fine to me. It’s just the wrapper that’s ripped.”

  “Hannah, honestly, I’d rather be safe than sorry…”

  She was so frustrated. Here she was, ready to lose her virginity to Dominic, the friend she’d liked in secret for years, and a stupid condom was about to ruin all her efforts.

  “Don’t you have another one?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Hannah, but we can do other stuff. Sex is a lot more than just the old in-out, you know. I bet I could make you come all night, if that’s what you’d like.”

  “I want you i
nside me, Dom,” she said, looking up at him, pleading with every inch of her body. “I really, really want you.”

  “Okay,” he said, stepping out of his shorts. “If you want it that bad. The condom’s probably fine, anyway.”

  Dominic was tall, and the length of him was certainly proportional. Hannah had only caught a fleeting glimpse of it in its entirety at the party, and now, she drank in the sight with anticipation.

  “It’s your first time,” he warned her as he covered her body with his, positioning his head at her entrance. “This might hurt a bit.”

  “I’m not going to break,” she assured him.

  “All the same, I’m going to go slow, and you’re going to tell me exactly how it feels so I don’t hurt you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said, and then gasped as he slid inside.

  “Talk to me,” Dominic insisted, his voice low with need. “Tell me.”

  “Big,” she managed to bite out. “Tight.”

  “Tight is exactly what I was going to say,” he said with a light chuckle. Dominic stilled the motion of his hips, both of them breathing hard. “Tell me when it gets better. Your muscles should be relaxed from before, and you’re really wet. Just tell me when you’re ready.”

  Hannah hadn’t anticipated just how utterly filled she’d be, like Dominic had pinned her in place with his length. She couldn’t move right now if she’d wanted to. All she could do was pant as quietly as she could, trying to figure out how to accommodate all of that inside her body.

  “Here,” Dominic whispered, putting his thumb against the side of her clit, sweeping past it instead of pressing it directly, just the way he’d made her come earlier. That same pleasure, coupled with the feeling of fullness, made Hannah shudder and whimper. Dominic gave her a look of concern before covering her mouth gently with his hand. “Try to keep it down.”