A SEAL's Fantasy

by Tawny Weber

  He’d never put a face to the fantasy.

  But looking at Lara, he knew he’d never have it again without seeing her.

  “Um, the other shower didn’t have shampoo,” she said, wetting her lips.

  Dominic almost groaned.

  Sex with Lara once could be called a mistake.

  A bad judgment call.

  He was a man who prided himself in knowing the right thing to do. For himself, for others.

  The right thing, right now, would be to apologize, turn around and get the hell out of the room.

  He knew it.

  If this was anyone else, he’d be smacking him upside the head and telling him to move his ass before he stepped into FUBAR land.

  But this wasn’t anyone else.

  It was him.

  And it was Lara.

  His fantasy woman.

  8

  OH, BOY.

  Lara was grateful that whoever owned this cabin had splurged on ultraplush towels. Because the terry cloth and her fingers were the only thing hiding her nipples’ instantaneous reaction to the look in Castillo’s eyes.

  She’d figured he’d be gone longer.

  She’d scarfed down a couple of handfuls of Cheerios, explored the place from end to end to make sure there was no evidence that bears had entered. Then she’d realized she was exhausted. Unwilling to collapse without a shower, she’d picked the bigger one for no other reason than it felt good.

  “I didn’t expect you back this soon,” she told him, wishing he’d quit staring like that. If he didn’t, she was seriously afraid she’d be tossing the towel aside and jumping his body in fifteen seconds. She noted the heat in his blue gaze and swallowed. Maybe fewer than fifteen.

  “I felt bad about leaving you here,” he finally said. His words were husky as he stepped farther into the room. He stopped next to the bed. A huge mattress covered in ocean-blue silk, it suddenly seemed like a glowing beacon screaming jump on and ride.

  Castillo shrugged out of his coat, letting the leather drop to the floor without a glance.

  Lara almost took a step back, then automatically stopped. She knew better than showing any sign of weakness. But all she could think of was how good it had been. Had it only been that morning? It seemed like forever—and ten seconds ago—that he’d made her explode with pleasure.

  Her body craved more.

  Her mind warned against it.

  Lara was torn.

  Castillo stepped closer.

  “Sex is a bad idea,” she murmured.

  “Then let’s be bad,” he said with a husky laugh, tossing the challenge she’d issued the last time back in her face. Then, upping the game, he added, “I’ll make bad so good for you.”

  Oh.

  She melted.

  Her resistance.

  Her reluctance.

  Her thighs.

  They all turned to mush at the look in his blue eyes.

  Good or not, Lara knew they shouldn’t.

  Anything done once could be written off as a mistake. Oopsie.

  Twice?

  That was flipping life’s warning system the bird.

  That meant when the repercussions hit—and they would—the no-whining allowed rule was in effect. She’d have to graciously accept whatever paybacks she was dealt.

  She watched Dominic’s fingers move over the buttons of his shirt, each one revealing a little more of that silky golden skin.

  Her throat was so dry she had to swallow twice to wet it. She couldn’t remember any of the logical reasons to hold on to her towel. She knew there were some—probably great ones.

  She wet her lips and took a deep breath as Castillo dropped his shirt to the floor.

  Okay, fine.

  Life, gracious acceptance was in effect.

  With that promise, Lara did the only thing she could.

  She dropped her towel, spread her arms and said, “Let’s go, big boy.”

  Anticipation swirled, heat danced over Lara’s skin as Castillo held up one hand, keeping her from moving until he’d looked his fill.

  His eyes were fire as they skimmed from the top of her wet hair, over her bare face and down.

  Down, down, down.

  Her nipples beaded.

  Hot moisture pooled between her thighs.

  It was as if her body was on fire.

  Hot, flaming tongues of desire licked over her skin.

  And he hadn’t even touched her yet.

  “You’re so gorgeous,” he murmured, stepping closer.

  Close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his body.

  Close enough that she could reach out and touch.

  Since she’d accepted that she’d be paying a price, and acknowledged that she’d accept it, whatever it was, Lara wanted to relish every drop of pleasure this affair had to offer for as long as it lasted.

  “You know what we missed last time,” she mused, sliding her fingers over his chest. So hard, yet so soft. She followed the dusting of black hair down to his waistband, then tucked her fingers behind his zipper and tugged him closer.

  “I thought we did a pretty good job this morning,” he told her as his hands tunneled into her hair, tangling in the wet strands as he cupped the back of her head to tilt her up to meet his mouth.

  Looking into his laughing eyes, Lara pretended to consider that. Just before his lips touched hers, she pressed her hand flat against his chest to stop him.

  “You could say it was pretty good,” she agreed softly, tracing his bottom lip with her tongue. “But is good good enough?”

  “You want to do better?”

  “Great? Amazing? Awesome, perhaps?”

  “How about mind-blowing?” he asked before he took her mouth.

  Then he proceeded to do just that...blow her mind.

  Lara didn’t know who moved when, or how his pants or boots disappeared.

  All she knew was that his hands never left her body, his mouth never slowed on its quest of pleasure.

  His body slid over hers, hard and naked. Lara shivered at the contrast between them. She wanted to touch, to feel, to drive him as crazy as he was driving her.

  With that in mind, she shifted, trying to reverse their positions.

  “My turn to call the shots,” Castillo said, grabbing her arms and dragging them over her head. While he bracketed them in one hand, Lara arched so her breasts teased his chest, hoping the temptation would hurry his shots along.

  “What’ve you got in mind?” she asked as he shifted on the mattress so he was sitting upright, her hands still captive.

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he cast a quick glance around the room, then leaned over to open the bedside table drawer. Grinning, he pulled out a length of rope.

  “You keep rope by your bed?” Lara frowned at him. “Why do you keep rope by your bed?”

  “I was practicing knots.” He held up the length of soft-looking white rope, knots every few inches, as evidence. “Sailor knots. It’s how I get to sleep at night.”

  “Right,” she said with a laugh. She tugged her hand, wanting to toss the rope aside so they could get back to the fun.

  He didn’t let go.

  Instead, he shifted to wrap the rope around one of the spindles of his headboard.

  “Oh, no, I don’t think so.” Lara shook her head so fast her hair slapped her across the cheeks. “You want some passive pushover, you’ve got the wrong girl. You can’t get it on without the bondage kink, then you should look for someone else.”

  “You have control issues,” he teased, wrapping the rope around one wrist, then the other. The fibers were soft, like the silk bedspread at her back. But she was still at his mercy.

  Lara scowled, looking for anger to throw at him.

  But she was so excited that if there was any, it was buried beneath the lust surging through her. She’d never had any submissive fantasies, but there was something insanely sexy about the way Castillo was looking at her: as though he was contemplating all
the delicious things he could do to her body while she just lay back and enjoyed.

  “I didn’t agree to this,” she started to say. Before she could come up with a stronger argument, he leaned down to suck her nipple into his mouth.

  Hot and wet.

  Oh, God.

  Desire shot through her, nipple to wet lips, making her quiver.

  His hands skimmed, his tongue swirled.

  Castillo used her body like his favorite plaything. He kneaded her breasts, his teeth nipping before he angled lower, his tongue sipping her juices while his fingers worked her aching flesh.

  Lara’s fingers wrapped tight around the headboard spindle, her back arching and her heels digging into the mattress.

  Her breath came in pants, her chest on fire and her body covered in a light sheen of sweat.

  His tongue was magic, but it wasn’t enough.

  Not even close.

  “More,” she demanded between moans.

  Under heavy lids, she watched Castillo sheathe himself with a condom he must have grabbed along with the rope.

  Heart pounding, she wet her lips as he slid his palms up the insides of her thighs, spreading her legs to make room for him.

  His eyes locked on hers as he slid inside.

  Her body took him in, her mind blank to everything except the exquisite pleasure.

  Slowly, so deliciously slowly, he pressed deeper.

  Then he slid out.

  In and out.

  Plunging.

  Harder. Faster.

  Lara’s body tightened; desire coiled tight.

  His eyes still holding hers prisoner, he grinned.

  A wickedly gorgeous smile.

  As she went over, a warning bell chimed loud enough to be heard through her screams of pleasure.

  He was an addiction.

  A temptation.

  A heartbreaking adoration that she didn’t think she’d ever recover from.

  But as the waves of pleasure pounded through her body, Lara simply couldn’t care. Her arms still tied overhead, she gave herself to him completely.

  Right here, right now, he could have her.

  Her attention.

  Her body.

  And yes, her heart.

  He thrust again, this time anchoring her hips higher so his thrust drove so deep, Lara couldn’t help it. She came again.

  And again and again and again.

  * * *

  PLEASURE-FILLED HOURS LATER, Lara curled into her lover’s arms, her body still purring while her mind floated from offhand thought to random observation.

  The man had the most amazing tongue. It should be registered a lethal sex weapon.

  And his skin was so smooth. Like raw silk over concrete. She sighed as her fingers skimmed his bicep. So big.

  This was probably a mistake, she acknowledged as she slid the arch of her foot up and down his hair-roughened calf. But her body felt so good. She felt so good.

  Since feeling this good, this content, was a new thing, was it so bad to spend a little time experiencing it? It wasn’t as if she was crazy enough to think there was more between them than incredible sex and their questionable connection to her brother.

  She didn’t even know his first name. Nobody got all mushy over a guy when she didn’t even know what to call him. Clearly this was just sex. Wild, hot, mind-blowing sex.

  Nothing to worry about.

  Lara worried her bottom lip for a second, then, unable to stop herself, asked, “What’s your name?”

  His laugh was a warm rumble against her ear. Castillo tightened his arm around her waist for a second, then patted her butt.

  “Lieutenant Dominic Vincent Castillo, at your service.”

  Filled with something that if she wasn’t too smart to know better, she’d call adoration, Lara smiled.

  “Dominic, huh?” She let her mind adjust to that. For some reason, shifting from Castillo to Dominic was so intimate. Restless, she moved so her bare flesh slid over his naked skin, and acknowledged that maybe they’d crossed a line, that maybe now intimate was okay.

  “Where do you live?” she asked, suddenly voracious for information about him. “Here? Is this your place or are we doing the bedtime boogie in someone else’s bed?”

  His laugh ruffled her hair.

  “It’s my bed but I don’t know that I’d say I live here.”

  No wonder the place felt so impersonal. It was nice, luxurious even. But there were no pictures, no personal mementos sitting around for cursory snoops to find.

  “Do you own the place?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Does anyone else live in the house when you’re not around?”

  “Nope.”

  Lara had grown up surrounded by enough affluence not to question that someone would have a very nice house that they owned and left vacant for large periods of time.

  “So where do you call home?”

  “Wherever I’m assigned, I guess.” He sounded as though he hadn’t ever considered it before. “I mean, home home is where my family is. The ranch. But for me, I live on base most of the time.”

  “Which base are you stationed at?”

  “Coronado. Southern California.”

  Which meant her brother was stationed there, too.

  Lara tried to imagine Phillip as a California type.

  Laid-back, surf savvy, noshing on nuts and berries.

  It just didn’t compute.

  Maybe the whole military thing balanced out the chill California energy for him, kept it from being too fun.

  Or maybe Phillip had changed.

  Suddenly cold, Lara reached down to pull the blanket higher.

  She hadn’t let herself think about him. Not really.

  Hadn’t allowed worry to do more than creep around in the corners of her mind.

  But here, in the dark, in the quiet, she had to ask.

  “Is Phillip okay?”

  “I don’t know that I’d call him okay. He’s kinda uptight and standoffish if you ask me.”

  Lara’s smile was more a stiff shift of her lips than any attempt at humor.

  “Seriously. Is he safe?” She swallowed a knot in her throat. “Alive?”

  “Your brother is a trained SEAL.” Dominic ran his hand down the back of her head, combing his fingers through her hair. “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”

  “I shouldn’t worry about it because he’s going to be fine? Or I shouldn’t worry about it because he and I haven’t talked in eight years and don’t even have so much as a fake haul-it-out-for-holidays relationship?”

  His hesitation was a tiny thing. If she hadn’t been lying against his chest, she probably wouldn’t even have realized he’d paused. But there was just a tiny second there when he held his breath before continuing. “Like I said, Banks is a well-trained member of the special forces. You don’t have to worry about him.”

  “But you are.” Lara shifted to cross her hands over his chest, staring at Dominic in the moonlight. “If you weren’t worried, you wouldn’t have come to get me.”

  “Not true. Protecting you is my assignment. A lot of our work is based on possibilities. We see a possibility we don’t like, we eliminate it.”

  “And the possibility that got you assigned to protect my body?” she asked, her eyes on her finger as she swirled it through the fine hair dusting his chest.

  Dominic reached down, angling his finger under her chin to tilt her face toward his.

  “I can’t tell you about the mission. It’s an ongoing operation and until I’m told otherwise, it’s classified. I can promise you, though, that your brother is one of the best I’ve seen. He knows what he’s doing and he’s got the finest team in existence covering his ass.”

  Lara wet her lips, not sure why she was so close to tears.

  Phillip was a stranger to her. She had less connection to him than she had to the creep cadre that haunted the alley behind the casino each night.

  But she couldn’t stop the unrea
sonable fear tugging at her heart.

  “He’s really that good?”

  “He’s one of the best,” Dominic assured her.

  “I thought you didn’t like him.”

  “I don’t have to be buddies with a guy to want him covering my back.”

  And that, she supposed, was the highest of compliments.

  “Besides, protecting your body is a pleasure. I should actually thank your brother.”

  “I’ll bet your throat would choke on the words,” Lara teased.

  “What? You don’t think I can be grateful?”

  “No. I think you can be very grateful. But I know how guys think. You say thanks, you figure you’re giving my brother that kind of power over you. Even an inadvertent favor is still a favor.”

  “Very true.” Dominic’s laugh was appreciative as his hands slid down her back to settle in the curve just above her butt. “So? You think he’d hold it over me?”

  “Prince Perfect? Unless he’s changed, he doesn’t keep score. Nope, Phillip’s too good for that.”

  For the first time in years, Lara realized that didn’t bother her. Phillip being perfect was his cross to bear, not hers.

  She sighed, hoping perfect got him through whatever he was dealing with. It couldn’t be that bad, could it? He was a SEAL. He wouldn’t settle for anything less. That had to mean something, right?

  “Why’d you become a SEAL?” she asked, needing to talk about something else before she started thinking of Phillip as an actual, real brother or something crazy like that.

  “Because nobody else in my family had.”

  “Right. I’ll bet nobody else in your family is a circus clown, either, but I don’t see you sporting polka dots and a red nose,” Lara said, laughing.

  “Actually, my uncle Manny is a rodeo clown. Close enough to keep me out of floppy shoes.”

  Giving him an impatient look, Lara tapped her fingers against his chest. Finally, he shrugged.

  “Okay, really. I joined the Navy because nobody else had served in the military. In a family as big as mine, everyone has pretty much done everything by the time you get to it. When I hit college, I knew everything I didn’t want to do but really had no clue what I did want.”

  “What happened?”