SEAL'd Perfection The Complete Collection: A Navy SEAL Romance

by Winters, KB

  “A little ambiance,” she said, smiling back at me before going back into the kitchen.

  I was surprised that she appeared to be content to stay in. Since we’d met—at a bar—she’d proved to be even more of a wildcat than I was. She did bookkeeping work from home and spent the rest of her time hopping from one hot spot to the next. She’d never specifically said that she dated around, but with her carefree attitude, easy smile, and off the charts sex drive, I had no doubts that she had a list of guys chasing her down.

  When Gina reappeared, she had a plate in her hands. She set the plate in front of me, revealing that she’d arranged crackers and cheese in a circle. I smiled at the gesture. “Thanks.” I looked over as she slid down to the cushion beside me.

  “I really am sorry about last night,” she said, settling against me.

  “It’s all right.” I took a pull from the long stem on the beer bottle.

  Gina drew her legs up onto the couch, tucking her feet underneath her. My eyes slid up the smooth skin of her leg, and I wondered whether or not she was wearing anything besides my t-shirt.

  “This is nice, a quiet night. I haven’t done this in awhile,” I mused. “Aren’t you having anything to drink?”

  Gina rolled her head against my shoulder and brought her eyes to mine. “Oh…you wanted to stay in tonight?”

  I looked at the plate of snacks. “Well, I figured…”

  “Oh! I mean, we can, if that’s what you want. I thought we’d go out at some point.”

  “Right.” I nodded, the conversation I’d had with myself at the shop rushed back. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure, handsome. Ask me anything.”

  I set the beer bottle on the coffee table. “Do you see yourself settling down? You know, not now, but someday? Marriage, kids, house with a backyard?”

  Gina pulled back, her brows wrinkled with confusion. “That’s kinda an odd question,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “Umm…”

  “No, no. I didn’t mean with me. I’m not fishing. I’m just curious,” I clarified.

  Her face relaxed but her body was still tight and backed away from mine. “Yeah, of course. I guess…eventually. Not now or anytime soon though. What about you?”

  “If you had asked me yesterday, I would have said no, but today I was doing this tattoo, one I’ve done a dozen times before, but I don’t know, it got me thinking.”

  Gina nodded slowly. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me putting the pressure on. I’m just here for fun. I’m not trying to rope you in or something.”

  I nodded, unsure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

  “I think you’re thinking too much, handsome. Let’s talk about something a little more…fun,” Gina purred into my ear. She smiled as she straddled me, one long leg wrapping around my hips. She brought her lips to mine, stopping centimeters away, to add, “…or, we don’t have to talk at all.”

  She kissed me with long, slow, kisses, building to a frantic, breathless, mess as she clung to me. Gina stripped my shirt off and her hands wrapped around my neck, roving over my back muscles. I grimaced as she clawed at my shoulders with her nails, but didn’t make a move to push her off.

  My fingers slid up the outside of her thighs, pushing up the t-shirt, and I smiled when I found that she wasn’t wearing any panties. Gina giggled as I pulled her bare hips, bringing her closer. She swirled her hips in small circles, teasing me by grinding against my obvious erection. She continued the tight circles while I stripped the t-shirt off, revealing her body to me, even more mesmerized by her hypnotic motions.

  “God, I’m so wet, Jace,” she groaned. “I want you so bad.”

  I kissed and nipped at her neck. I pulled back and watched her, my eyes flashing with arousal. “Show me.”

  She smiled and trailed her fingers down between her breasts, over her flat stomach, and down between her thighs. She rubbed her clit, separating her lips to show me her excitement. She writhed under her own touch and then brought her fingers up to my lips. I sucked them, savoring her sweet taste, before she dropped to her knees before me on the couch. Her fingers tugged at my fly, and within seconds, she had my jeans and briefs stripped away, leaving me naked and spread eagle on the couch.

  Gina smiled and stroked her wet fingers down my shaft, her pace teasing and slow. I was hard as a rock and shuddered under her purposeful moves. She licked her lips, and I twitched, waiting for her silent promise. She wrapped her full lips over the tip and sucked me tight between her cheeks. Her eyes danced as she looked up at me. I gripped the sides of the couch with one hand and buried the other in her thick brown hair. She bobbed and pulsed, flicking me with her tongue every few strokes, driving me to insanity. Her fingers cupped my balls and with a flash of a naughty smile, she slipped a finger around my asshole.

  “Shit! Gina,” I gasped. She let me slip from her mouth, and worked me with her hands.

  “You liked it,” she teased, giving me a sly wink.

  I pounced on her and pinned her arms above her head, anchoring her to the floor. “You’re a naughty, naughty girl.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Two can play at that game.” Without hesitation, I transferred her wrists to one of mine, and with my free hand, found her tight little asshole. I slipped a finger inside and smiled as Gina arched and bucked. I pulsed inside her until she was panting and begging. She shuddered and moaned, and when I slipped my finger from her, she took a beat, pulled out of my grasp, and grabbed me by the cock.

  “Fuck me, Jace!”

  I didn’t need to be asked twice.

  I grinned like a madman as I flipped her over, spread her thighs, and thrust into her dripping pussy. Gina screamed out and arched her back, begging me for more. And I gave it to her. I fucked her from behind, hard and fast as she screamed my name into the couch cushions. She was gushing and her excitement spurred me on, fucking her harder and harder, using every ounce of control to keep myself from coming all over her. Only when she had come again, did I finally let myself go, shooting my load all over her ass.

  Gina and I fucked three more times throughout the night, each time hotter and faster than the time before. When we finally passed out in my bed, we were both wrecked.

  And in the morning, she was gone.

  Chapter Four

  “Jace, do you have any idea what kind of shit storm you’re in right now?”

  I resisted the urge to groan at Marty’s theatrics. He’d spent the better part of the morning lecturing me about my so-called, stunt, two nights before, when Gina and I had ducked the crew at the club they’d set up for filming.

  Marty rounded the table in his office, leaned down, and snarled at me. “Are you even listening to me?”

  “Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m listening, but I don’t know what the fuck you want me to do about it.”

  Marty stared me down for half a minute, then threw his hands into the air and stormed to the other side of the room. “For starters, you could stop being such a fuckin’ prick!” He scrubbed his hand down his face and then turned back to me. “Jace, you’re about one fucked up stunt short of the network pulling your show, dissolving your contract, and cutting ties with you. Do you get that?”

  I sighed. “If only…”

  “What was that?” He arched a brow.

  “Nothing. Listen, Marty, let’s be real. It’s just us.” The conference room at Marty’s office was packed when the meeting had started, but everyone had cleared out in a hurry at Marty’s prompting. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that everyone already knew what I was in for, and they clearly wanted no part of it. “I signed up for this punk ass show to promote my tattoo business. That’s it. Period.The end. Anything else, I’m not interested in. I don’t want cameras following me to the store, out to dinner with buddies, or anywhere else. I understand there is a clause in my contract that allows you to film pretty much anything you want. And, yes, I signed that contract. However, you’ll have to excuse
me if I don’t go out of my fucking way to make it easy for you and your crew to follow me around. And I sure as hell don’t want anymore fake drama, soap opera bullshit!”

  Marty crossed his arms and leveled his lethal looking stare right between my eyes like he was taking aim.

  Undeterred, I carried on, “I don’t have beef with any of my employees, and I’m not going to make some up for ratings. I couldn’t care less if people watch the show. If they’re watching for drama, they’ve got the wrong show. My show is about tattoos—art—body fucking art. If you need help coming up with ideas that fit that, I’m available. Anything else? Sorry, but I’m not interested. Deal with it.”

  Marty stared for another long moment, before his lips curled back into a hostile smile. “I thought you might say that. Which, is why, I brought some…leverage.”

  My blood ran cold. I had no idea what he was talking about but there was a creepy feeling crawling up my spine that told me I didn’t want to know. I watched as he pulled up a seat next to me and handed me his phone. “Push play.”

  I kept my hand from shaking as I followed his instructions and watched in spellbound horror, as a video flickered to life. I knew right away what it was, even though I had only shards of memories of that night. It was the night I’d ran off with Gina. As the video started, I was dancing with her, a blonde came up and joined in, and then the camera swiveled wildly in the other direction at the sound of a loud bang. Flames from canisters on the stage burst to life, each erupting with an ear-piercing bang, and when the camera centered back on me, it was like watching a bad horror movie where the main character transformed from a man to a werewolf. I went from dancing, smiling, and cheering, to a hunkered over posture, my face frozen in terror, my eyes frantically looking for the source of the sound.

  The camera followed the action, the scenes were jerky, and at flashes, blocked or fuzzy, but it was all there, on film. I pushed past a crowd of people, and hit a guy who’d turned and tried to mess with me. My fist flew to his jaw, and the crowd around us backed off to give us more room. The first attacker went down with my first strike, but then two men rushed me from behind. They took a few shots, but after a few minutes of scuffling, they were both knocked out on the ground.

  My stomach rolled as I watched it. Gina had told me what happened, but watching it play out on video was still a shock. My system flooded with adrenaline and fear as it came to a finish.

  “Where did you get that?” I asked once the video stopped, the frame stuck on a shot of me running off the dance floor.

  Marty was still smiling. “You really should thank me,” he replied. “This is one of my guys, he got that on his personal camera. If he hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have been able to get you out before the cops got to the scene. And, it’s only because of our lawyers, were there no chargespressedagainst you.”

  I dropped my eyes to the white table top in front of me. I’d looked like a wild beast on that film. An out of control fucking monster.

  “What do you want?” I asked. There was no way Marty was showing me the film for informational purposes. He wanted something, and the incriminating video was a bargaining chip for him to get what he wanted.

  “Cooperation.”

  “Specifically?”

  Marty sighed as he heaved up out of his chair. He crossed the room to the white board that was hanging on the wall. There were notes scrawled across it in blue, green, and red, all apparently added by different staff members over the course of the meeting. “We have two more episodes to produce. I want this map followed to the T. No excuses, no last minute changes, no bullshit and no attitude. We get these two in the can and you get a six week break from filming. If that’s not worth it to you, I don’t know what else is. And, I won’t release the tape or show it to anyone else.”

  “Fine.”

  I left the meeting after shaking on my promise to Marty, hopped on my Harley, and roared off down the highway. For the first two hours I just rode. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t care. As night fell, I considered turning back and going home for the night. But the thought of going home alone, with no one there waiting for me, spurred me on down the road. Miles and miles rushed by without purpose, until I saw a street sign for food off the next exit. The name rang a bell and when I took the exit and followed the signs, I smiled to myself.

  Damon, one of my soldier buddies, had opened a bar and live music venue some time back. I’d been there once when he’d opened, but it was in the middle of nowhere, and hours away from the city. I pulled into the parking lot, cut the engine, and took off my helmet. Even though it had been awhile, I knew I was in the right place, and when I walked through the front doors, I spotted Damon behind the bar.

  “Hey man! You got a beer for me?” I shouted, sliding into a seat at the end of the bar. Damon turned to me and I roared with laughter as recognition dawned on his face.

  “Shit! Winslow? Is that you?” He abandoned the cluster of bikers he’d been bullshitting with and raced over.

  I nodded. “How’s life?”

  He poured a tall glass of beer for me and placed it in front of me, his face split with a wide smile. “Good, man. Real good. What the hell are you doing way out here? I thought you were a city boy now.”

  I laughed and took a drink off the top. “Not exactly.”

  He listened—and served me three more beers—while I spilled the whole story. I told him about the show, the fights, hell, I even told him about Gina leaving without so much as a note.

  “Shit, man, I’m sorry,” he said when I finished.

  I shrugged. “It’s not all bad, I guess. I just don’t like the balls-in-a-vice feeling.”

  Damon laughed. Before he could say anything else, a petite woman sidled up to him. She offered me a smile as Damon introduced us. “This here is Gigi, my old lady.” Gigi reached for my hand. “This is Jace Winslow. He’s an old Navy buddy of mine.”

  “I’ve seen your show,” Gigi said. “Damon, why didn’t you tell me you knew him! I would’ve gone to him for my last tat.”

  “I’m sure Winslow has a waiting list ten miles long,” Damon said with a shrug.

  The dudes on the other side of the bar were hollering for Gigi and she raced off to get them some fresh drinks. Damon watched her go and then turned back to me. “She’s amazing.” He said it with such starry-eyed conviction that would have been comical if it weren’t so sincere.

  “I’m happy for you, man. You’ve done good for yourself. This place is amazing.” My eyes swept the rustic interior. It was a fairly large space, with a dozen tables, a long bar, and a small stage in the corner.

  “Yeah, come on, I’ll give you a tour,” he said. He took me up to a loft and showed me a small balcony that looked out over a green space. It was too dark to see, but he told me there was another stage space for outdoor concerts in the summer. When we wrapped up the tour, he took me back downstairs and offered me another drink.

  “No. I better not. I have a long drive back to the city.”

  “You’re not going back tonight, are you?” He asked, glancing up at the clock to emphasize his point. It was nearing midnight. “Come on, we have a guest room. You’ll stay with us.”

  “Are you—”

  Before I could get out the rest of my question, Gigi raced back over, and once Damon told her I was trying to go back to Chicago, she wouldn’t hear of it, and she also insisted I stay with them. I finally agreed, on the terms that they let me help them close up the bar for the night. I stayed till closing, helped them clean the place, and then followed them up the road a few miles to their cozy, ranch style home. Gigi set me up in the guest room, and I was out before I even reached over to turn off the bedside lamp.

  Chapter Five

  Despite the late turn in, I woke up early the next morning, before anyone else was awake. Thankfully, I always kept the bare essentials in the saddle bag on my bike, so I freshened up and made a pot of coffee for the house. I sat down at the breakfast table and af
ter checking work emails—mostly requests for quotes, pictures, or sketches—started searching on my phone for local real estate. Being at the bar the night before had sparked an idea. There was something about being out in the middle of nowhere, away from the chaos and noise of the city, that had me yearning for a change of pace in my own life.

  At the meeting with Marty, he’d told me I’d have a six-week break before the second season of my show would start filming. It’d be a stretch, but I was fairly confident I could put something together in that amount of time.

  A second location for my tattoo shop.

  There was something appealing about the idea of setting up a new shop, in a small, podunk town, and soaking up some down time. I was flipping through business listings when Damon joined me in the kitchen. “Morning,” he said, passing on his way to the coffee pot.

  “Morning.” I was about to get up and get a refill, when my eye snagged on a listing. I pulled the pictures up and smiled wider as I flipped through the rest of the listing. It was a commercial listing, 950 square feet, with an apartment above. The price was low—really low, compared to what I was used to in the Chicago market—and the terms favorable. “Hey, man, you ever heard of this place?” I asked, holding out the phone to Damon.

  He leaned over and studied the listing. “Yeah, sure. It’s about an hour and a half east of here. It’s a really small town, but it’s really nice. I actually looked at a few bars over there before I found my place.”

  He sat down across the table from me and took a long, slow sip of his coffee, considering me over the rim. “Why are you looking at real estate listings?”

  I laughed, a little sheepishly. “You’ve inspired me!”

  “To move to the middle of fuckin’ nowhere?” He asked with a laugh.

  “Pretty much.”

  Damon arched a brow.

  “Hear me out,” I said. “I think you’d agree, after all that shit I told you about last night, that I need a change of scenery. Chicago is fun, but that’s kind of the problem. All I do is drink and party. And, I know, those are choices. I could do other things, but it’s hard. Last night, hanging at your bar, it just got me thinking about what I really need. I think what I need is a fresh start.”