She tried to pull away, shaking as she screamed, and realizing that impossibly, the man from Afghanistan was here, in California, in Ethan’s house. “Hailey! Call 911!” she screamed.
The man angrily slammed the front door closed as his wrenching grip bruised her arm. He pulled her to him, covering her mouth with his large hand. She cried and fought him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He had the same smell of stale sweat that she remembered from before, and she bit down on his hand, hard, refusing to let him hurt her again.
He roared in anger but wrapped his hand around her neck instead, cursing as they both saw Hailey running toward them. Kim tried to shake her head, telling her friend no. She didn’t have a weapon. She couldn’t fight off a grown man.
“I’ll snap her neck!” the man growled, his chest heaving up and down in anger. “Stay back!”
Hailey froze, panicking. “I’ll get help. I’ll go get help!”
“Neither of you is going anywhere,” he sneered, but Hailey was already turning and running for the back door.
“Get back here!” he screamed. “You’re coming with me,” he threatened, holding Kim tightly against him. “Fucking you once wasn’t enough. I wasted two months holding you, and the U.S. government never paid me anything! I made sure my men didn’t touch you! I couldn’t resist fucking you that first night, but now you will be mine to do whatever the hell I want with.”
“No,” she whimpered, as he tightened the hand around her neck. The other moved to her breast, squeezing, and then he lifted her up, moving toward the living room. She kicked and fought against him, gasping for breath. Was he going to rape her right here in Ethan’s house? Take her to another location?
Hailey had gone for help though. The police would be coming. Ethan was on his way home.
She began to feel dizzy as he cut off her oxygen, and she felt limp as he pushed her down to the floor. The back door to the patio was still open, and she felt the gentle breeze blowing in. The sun was bright through the sky light in Ethan’s living room. The palm trees swayed outside. And the movie she and Hailey had been watching still was playing on Ethan’s TV.
She had to run. She had to fight him off. But Kim couldn’t get her body to cooperate, her mind succumbing to the darkness.
***
Ethan sped up as he saw Hailey and his next-door neighbors standing on their front porch. The teenage daughter was on her cell phone, her face grim, and Hailey was frantically gesturing as she spoke to his neighbor Aaron, pointing to Ethan’s house.
Ethan whipped up to the curb, jumping out of his SUV and running toward them without even bothering to shut the door.
“Where’s Kim?” he asked, his heart pounding.
“Inside! A man broke in to your house!” Hailey said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I ran to try and help, but he said he’d break her neck. I didn’t know what to do! I ran over here and told them to call the police.”
Ethan moved toward Ghost’s girl, who was now practically hysterical, and pulled Hailey into his arms for a brief hug. “You did just fine,” he assured her. “Where are they now?”
“They were by the front door. I turned and ran out the back and came here to get help. I left my cell phone inside. There was a woman in a car speeding away. But Kim’s in there with him!”
“Shit. And you’re sure they’re still in the house?”
“Yeah. Unless they went out the back and I didn’t see them. I ran straight here. We were watching a movie, and I fell asleep. The next thing I remember is Kim screaming. I woke up, and a man was inside your house with his arm around her neck.”
Ethan’s neighbor looked at him. “Let’s go,” Aaron said. “The police are on their way.”
Ethan nodded. Aaron was former military and still in good shape. He’d appreciate the backup, but he still pulled out his own phone, calling Ghost. “I need everyone,” Ethan said as soon as Ghost answered. “A man broke into my house and is holding Kim hostage.”
“Shit! And Hailey?”
“With me, at my neighbors’ house. She’s safe. I’m going in to get Kim.”
“We’re on our way,” Ghost assured him.
Ethan stuck his phone into his pocket and after telling Hailey and the teenage girl to wait inside, gestured for his neighbor to follow him. Ethan didn’t have his gun, but he was carrying his K-Bar knife. He didn’t need any weapons to kill the asshole who’d touched Kim anyway. He could kill a man with his bare hands.
Ethan’s neighbor ran alongside him to the backyard. The patio door was still open, and Ethan frowned. Had they run out that way after Hailey? His gaze swept the yard, but he didn’t see any movement. “Stay behind me,” he instructed.
“Fuck no,” Aaron said. “I might not be a Navy SEAL, but I’m former military. I’m not letting some asshole hurt your woman.” He pulled his Glock from the back of his waistband, his gaze narrowing.
Ethan clenched his jaw but nodded. His neighbors knew about Kim’s ordeal. They’d seen the videos firsthand, and when they first met her, they’d figured out he’d played a role in her rescue. Although he couldn’t confirm his involvement, he didn’t deny it.
Sirens sounded in the distance, but Ethan didn’t wait. Pulling out his knife, he glanced over to his neighbor, nodded, and then the two of them stormed into the house. Ethan’s heart almost stopped when he saw Kimberly lying facedown on his living room floor. She was fully clothed, thank God, but he didn’t know if she was alive or dead.
His gaze swept the area, and he saw Aaron already moving to the kitchen. “Clear!” he shouted.
Ethan knelt down by Kim, briefly checking for a pulse, and nearly fell over in relief when he heard her low moan. “Stay down,” he whispered urgently. His eyes met Aaron’s. “Stay with her,” Ethan ordered.
It killed him to leave her for even a moment, but he had to find her kidnapper. Ethan moved down the hallway even as he heard Aaron helping Kim up and out the back door. She’d be safe. She had to be. And whatever happened to him, he’d deal with.
He heard a shuffling in his office, and as Ethan turned, the man pounced on him from behind the door. Ethan slammed his elbow into the man’s chest, then turned in an instant, pinning him against the wall, his hand wrapped around his neck. The man’s breathing was labored, and Ethan didn’t hesitate, punching him in an uppercut that sent his head smacking into the drywall.
The Afghani spit on him, coughing, and Ethan’s gaze swept over him. He was missing part of one ear as Kim remembered, and his dark eyes were nothing but pure evil. His hand reached for his back pocket, and not waiting to see what he had, Ethan grabbed him in a chokehold. The man fought him, and as they wrestled, Ethan saw a gun.
Trying to throw Ethan off of him, the man uttered something in Farsi. His fingers slid around the gun as they fought, and then as a shot went off in the office, Ethan snapped his neck.
“Police! Don’t move!” male voices shouted from the living room.
“We’re back here!” Ethan yelled out. “The suspect is down!”
He stepped back from the man who’d come after Kim again, disgust rolling through him. He was a large man, with meaty hands and the stench of sweat overpowering him. Ethan wanted to vomit thinking of this asshole assaulting Kimberly. His stomach roiled, and then he turned away as the police officers arrived, hurrying back through the house to find Kimberly.
He burst into the backyard, seeing his teammates and neighbor around her as an EMS crew hurried over. None of them mattered to Ethan though. The only person he needed was Kimberly, in his arms, safe and sound.
Chapter 22
Kimberly snuggled deeper into Ethan’s arms later that night, after hours spent talking to the police officers. They’d been in contact with the detectives in Virginia, her superiors in the Army Reserves, officials from base here in Coronado, and even her manager at the DOD contractor where she worked. After hours and hours of talking to officials and giving their statements, Ethan was relieved to finally be home with Kim.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Ethan asked again, lightly brushing her hair back from her face. She’d showered and changed earlier into a tank top and sleep shorts, and nothing felt better than having her in his arms.
She looked up at him, smiling, as his thick fingers trailed over her cheek. She looked so delicate and fragile compared to his own muscular frame, but damn. She was the strongest person he knew.
“Ethan, I swear that I’m fine. I know you wanted me to go to the hospital to get checked out, but he didn’t hurt me. He scared the crap out of me, but I’m okay. He wasn’t trying to kill me. I don’t know what he was looking for—”
“My laptop,” Ethan interrupted. “It sounded like he was planning to take both that and you. Fuck. If I hadn’t gotten here….”
“Thank God you got here so quickly. You even made it before the police. How did you know?”
The confused look in her blue eyes made his heart melt. He’d do anything to make sure this woman was safe and secure. Anything. After nearly losing her today, he realized exactly how much she meant to him. “We’d spent the afternoon looking at photos of the Afghani interpreters but kept coming up short. I knew you really thought you’d seen him at Bagram though. That’s when we realized it could’ve been the informant. He’d have a reason to be on base, he’d know who you were and where you were held when he tipped us off, and he was relocated here to the States.”
“Holy shit,” she muttered. “But how’d he know I was here? The apartment makes sense because he could look up my information, but to fly out to California?”
She frowned, and he lightly ran his thumb over her lips as he cupped her cheek, trying to soothe her.
“You wrote down my contact info for your family. Apparently, you or your sister left it in your apartment. He broke in, but when he realized you weren’t there, he saw the sheet of paper. He was able to quickly buy a plane ticket and fly here.”
“But that’s…insane. All of it is. He was livid he never got a ransom for my kidnapping. Why’d he tip off the authorities in the first place?”
“It was always about the money,” Ethan said, clenching his fist. “He probably realized the government wasn’t ever going to negotiate with them for your release. You went through hell because of him, but now he’ll never touch you again.”
“What about his family?” Kim asked.
“I don’t know. Honestly? I don’t really care. I don’t mean to sound cold, but after everything you’ve been through, I’m having trouble giving a damn about the rest of them.”
She blew out a breath, leaning her head against his shoulder. His chest filled with warmth. She was so damn perfect in his arms, it practically slayed him. “Are you ready for bed?” he asked gently.
She nodded and stood up, holding out her hand to him, and Ethan’s lips quirked. He’d never get tired of how Kimberly loved holding his hand. Hell. He hoped they’d be eighty years old someday, and she’d still be grabbing onto him. He knew she’d done it when she was frightened, but now she just seemed to like the connection between them. And damn if he didn’t love it as well.
They walked down the hallway to his bedroom, Kim barely coming up to his shoulder. The little tank top and shorts she had on were cute as hell. Her dark hair contrasted with the pale pink cotton, and when she looked up at him, the intensity in her blue eyes nearly made him stumble. He wanted to take her to bed and slowly kiss her everywhere, but he knew it was too soon for that.
“I need you, Ethan,” she said softly when they stopped near his bed, bringing her other hand up to rest on his chest. He felt her touch burning through the tee shirt he had on, and his dick twitched in his boxer shorts.
“You want me to hold you?”
She shook her head, flushing. “I want you to make love to me.”
Heat coursed through him, but he didn’t move, his cock hardening further as she lightly trailed her fingers down his chest. “Are you sure?” he asked softly. “I can wait however long you need. I don’t want to rush you, and you’ve been through a lot today.”
“I’m sure,” she said, stepping closer to him. Kim stood up on her tiptoes, her breasts brushing against his chest, his erection pressing against her stomach. There was no concealing his desire for her in his boxers, but she didn’t pull away. Her hands went to the nape of his neck, and then he ducked down, holding her close as he kissed her.
She gasped the moment their lips touched, and he kissed her gently, trying to go slow for the woman he was falling for. She opened her mouth to him, and then his tongue was sliding inside, rubbing against hers as she whimpered.
Ethan lifted her into his arms, needing her closer to him. He sank down onto the bed, Kimberly sitting astride him, as they kissed and she clung to him like she’d never let him go. “We’ll start with you on top,” he said huskily, his fingers tangling in her hair. “I don’t ever want to frighten you.”
“I’m not scared of you,” she said, kissing him again. She tasted sweet, and he nipped at her pink lips, loving the feel of them against his. Her sex was nestled right against his cock, and he could feel the heat of it through his boxers. She felt so right there atop him, the only place he’d rather be was buried balls deep inside of her.
She was his. His woman. His love. His everything.
Kim lightly rubbed against him, and Ethan felt like he was going to explode then and there, but he needed to take it slowly and at her speed. Always.
He kissed her gently, loving how she opened to him. Ethan’s hands moved to the bottom of her tank top. She shivered slightly at his touch, and then he was lifting it up, baring her to his gaze. Her breasts were small but round and pert, with dusky nipples. He lightly grazed them with his thumbs, loving the way she writhed on his lap.
“You’re beautiful,” he said huskily.
“I lost a ton of weight,” she said, flushing.
“You’re perfect,” he said. “And I’m going to show you just how much you mean to me.” Ethan kissed her neck, moving down the slender column, and he felt her arch against him. His hands moved to her ass, and he squeezed gently. “Let’s get these off,” he said, before helping her out of her sleep shorts. Ethan quickly stripped off his shirt, leaving his boxers on as he laid back on the bed. He urged Kimberly closer, pulling her down to suck first one taut bud and then another into his mouth.
He could feel her excitement on his stomach as he sucked on her nipples, and he was dying to feast on her, to drag his tongue through her swollen folds and make her cry out in ecstasy. “Let me taste you, sweetheart,” he said, gripping her hips and urging her closer.
“Ethan, my God,” she gasped. She knelt over his mouth, her hands gripping his headboard, and he lightly trailed his tongue up her slit. Kim closed her eyes and gasped, and Ethan practically growled as her taste exploded on his tongue. She was sweet and slightly musky, and he swore he could never get enough of eating her out.
She whimpered above him, and he wanted to roar in approval. Although she was sitting atop him and could move away if she felt uncomfortable, she was instead bucking lightly against him, enjoying the pleasure he was giving her.
His hands gripped her hips, holding her to him, and he licked her again, enjoying the feel of her soft, wet folds against his mouth. She was hot, slick, and perfect. He kissed her, working his lips over her feminine flesh, and felt her quiver against him. Resisting the urge to groan, Ethan circled her clit with his tongue. She cried out, and he sucked the tender bud into his mouth, loving the whimpers and gasps she made. He gently slid one finger inside her molten channel, feeling her velvety walls clamp down around him. She was tight, and he eased a second finger in, lightly thrusting inside her before continuing the ministrations on her clit with his tongue.
Kimberly grew even wetter, gasping and moaning atop of him. His cock was rock hard, straining a
gainst his boxers, but this moment was about her. Her pleasure. He sucked even harder on her clit, urging her on, and she exploded, crying out his name as she rode his face.
“Oh God,” she whispered, almost collapsing atop him. Ethan caught her hips with his large hands, and he gently eased her back down his body, so she was straddling him again. His hand ran up and down her back as she recovered, and then she was lightly kissing his chest, pushing herself back up until she was sitting atop him.
“Make love to me, Ethan,” she said, meeting his heated gaze.
He paused a beat then reached over to his nightstand, pulling out a condom. “Put it on me?” he asked.
She nodded, and he lifted his hips as she tugged down his boxers. His erection sprang out, thick and ready, and he didn’t miss the heat in her eyes as she admired him. She ripped the foil wrapper, running her hand up his length. His cock bobbed at her touch, and then she was rolling the condom on.
He didn’t move a muscle, just looked at her. “I want you to ride me, sweetheart. Another day, I’ll be on top if you want. Take what you need from me. I’m all yours.” She bit her lip, looking a tiny bit uncertain for the first time.
“You’re big,” she murmured softly.
“I am. We can stop whenever you want. Right now, if you want to. You’re the one in control here.”
She lined him up and then slowly sank down, Ethan practically groaning as her tight sheath surrounded him. When he finally bottomed out, he had to physically resist bucking up into her. She felt so good it was practically painful, but he wouldn’t move. He’d let Kim be the one in control if it killed him.
She sat still for just a moment, getting used to his size. “You feel so good,” she said, and then they both groaned in unison as she slowly began to move. Ethan reached up, grasping her hands in his, their fingers twined together. It was intimate and sweet, the first time he’d truly made love to a woman rather than just had sex.
SEAL's Revenge (Alpha SEALs Coronado Book 4) Page 18
