Table of Contents
STAY THE NIGHT | An Erotic Military Romance Novella from | NY Times and USA Today Bestseller | Caridad Pineiro
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9 | Seven Months Later | Brigantine, New Jersey
Dear Reader
Copyright Notice
Copyright © 2014 by Caridad Piñeiro Scordato
About the Author
Additional Books by the Author
STAY THE NIGHT
An Erotic Military Romance Novella from
NY Times and USA Today Bestseller
Caridad Pineiro
He was the kind of man that every woman would want . . .
Sexy and handsome Rafael Castillo was a star athlete and honor student. Everyone knew Rafe was going places and would make his hometown proud. Elena Martinez dreams of the day that the friendship she shares with Rafe will turn into something more. When that moment comes she doesn’t hesitate to grab it, and Rafe, with both hands.
She was the woman he’d dreamed of and whose life he’d ruined . . .
Rafe has been in love with Elena since the fifth grade when she stood up for him and stopped bullies from teasing him for being different. In the years since then, Rafe has watched Elena grow into a smart, beautiful, and desirable woman. He had hoped Elena would be a part of his future and is determined to show her how special she is to him.
Can they forget the past in order to build their future?
A fateful night of passion will change the future both Elena and Rafe had envisioned. Forced into marriage by an unexpected pregnancy, they find themselves separated by the demands of impending parenthood. Rafe enlists in the Navy Seals to support his new wife and the child who is on the way, but Fate is determined to throw them another curve. After Elena’s miscarriage and years of separation during Rafe’s tours of duty, have they grown too far apart or is love still possible between them?
Chapter 1
Elena Martinez had snagged the one man in town that every woman had wanted.
Rafael Castillo was strong, handsome, smart, and honorable. It was why after an long awaited night of passion and an unexpected pregnancy he had done the honorable thing and married her.
Everyone had known he was destined to go places and he had.
Coronado Island for BUD/S training. Virginia Beach for more training before heading out to Iraq and Afghanistan on his first two deployments. Back to the States for more training before a return to Afghanistan for more deployments.
It was a far cry from the future both of them had originally planned.
God laughed at men who made plans, Elena thought as she stared at the simple gold wedding band on her finger and wondered how different things might have been if she hadn’t gotten pregnant. Or if it wasn’t only honor that had kept Rafe from divorcing her when she’d miscarried in her sixth month.
Rafe had been away at training by then, but he’d arranged for leave to come home and be with her.
She’d been inconsolable about not only the loss of the baby, but about the lives they’d given up for it and the plans they’d made that would never be. Through it all, Rafe had comforted her and been her bedrock until duty called and he’d had to leave.
They hadn’t talked about what their future together would be during that awful time because it had been too painful to consider all that they’d lost.
In the nearly five years since then they hadn’t discussed it. Hadn’t shared more than a few short weeks together whenever Rafe had stand down. Although those times, as brief as they were, had been wonderful. Full of hot steamy nights and lots and lots of passion. Just thinking about them caused a skitter in her center and warmed parts of her deep inside.
Now he was coming home again only she wasn’t so sure any more that was where Rafe wanted to be. He’d sounded and looked distant during their last video call. Hesitant.
Was it because he’d found someone else? she wondered as she rose from the wrought iron chair on the patio of the small home she’d bought barely six months earlier. She’d gotten tired of living in apartments and knew Rafe wasn’t a fan of them either.
He’d always wanted his own home and stability, things he’d lacked in his early life. They’d often talked about the kind of place they wanted during the brief times that Rafe had been home. So she’d scrimped and saved from her own salary and the monies Rafe sent in order to give him the home he’d always wanted.
Only she wasn’t so sure he’d be happy coming here.
In the kitchen, she rinsed out her coffee cup and placed it in the dishwasher. She glanced at her watch and realized she had to get moving in order to make it to work on time. Especially if she was going to leave a little early in order to meet Rafe at the airport.
She was nervous about seeing him again, but also excited about being with him. Making love to him. A blast of desire worked through her as she imagined how they would spend their first night together in this new home.
Passion had never been an issue between them, but the little voice in her head asked, “But what about love?”
She had loved Rafe at one time. She still did. She had no doubt about that. Okay, maybe a little doubt since he wasn’t the same man that she’d married.
As she grabbed her keys and headed off to work, she worried that Rafe was having the same doubts. If he still loved her or worse, if he had ever loved her.
I’ll find out soon enough, she thought.
* * *
The long hours on the plane were doing nothing to help the ache in Rafael Castillo’s back or leg from his injuries. They’d been minor ones requiring only a short amount of healing time, but being in such cramped spaces always made his muscles tighten up.
He got out of his seat, stretched, and paced in the aisle to ease the discomfort. As he finished one militarily precise pivot to begin his pacing again, one of the flight attendants came over and asked, “Are you okay, Petty Officer?”
“Just need to stretch a little, ma’am,” he replied and offered up a smile to ease her concern.
She nodded and walked to the First Class section where she stopped to speak to the flight attendant for that area. An animated discussion ensued and a second later, one of the First Class passengers rose and joined the conversation between the two women.
Rafe turned and walked back down the aisle toward the restrooms, working out the kink in his thigh. At the tail of the airplane, he turned and slowly ambled to his seat, dreading the thought of another couple of hours in the miniscule space. But as he reached his seat, the flight attendant met him and said, “If you wouldn’t mind gathering your things, we have a spot in First Class for you.”
As appreciative as he was of the gesture, he didn’t like special treatment. “That’s really not necessary, ma’am.”
“But it is, Petty Officer. Please come with me,” the young woman said.
Since heads were starting to turn in their direction, clearly wondering if there was a problem, he decided it was better to do just as she asked and not argue.
He grabbed his book from the seat jacket pocket, and his duffle and cover from the overhead compartment, and followed the flight attendant toward the First Class section and an empty seat. It was next to the man who had been speaking to the two women earlier. Forty-something and with a military look about him, he nodded at Rafe as he approached. Black hair with just the first hints of silver was trimmed tig
ht to his head and a large gold ring from the Naval Academy sat on his ring finger. Its edges had been smoothed from years of wear.
“Please sit down, son,” the man said as Rafe stood there awkwardly.
“Thank you, sir.” He stuffed his duffel into the overhead bin and sat down. With a grateful sigh, he stretched out his long legs and little by little the knot in his thigh muscle relaxed.
“Feels better, doesn’t it?” the man asked and smiled.
“Yes, sir. It does. Thank you for this. I’m PO Castillo,” he said and stuck out his hand to introduce himself.
“Captain Mark Smith, U.S Navy, Retired. Now I run a private security company. I see you’re a Navy Seal. I’m always looking for experienced men like you, if you’re interested,” he said, pulled out a business card holder, and handed him a card.
He glanced at it and noticed the offices in Atlantic City, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. Judging from that and Smith’s clothes, casual, but expensive, he was doing quite well for himself.
“I’ll think about it, sir. I’ve only got another six months or so until my tour is done.” Actually six months and 3 days and a wake-up, give or take a few hours. He was counting the days until he was finished, but he’d also been worrying about what to do after that.
He hadn’t been able to go to college as he’d planned. Coming home would mean getting a job and getting used to being a civilian. It would also mean starting a new part of his life with Elena.
Elena, he thought and his gut clenched with an odd mix of need and fear.
She’d said she’d be at the airport to pick him up and take him home. Home to a house she’d bought and he’d never seen. Well, not in person. She’d sent photos in an email and even done a walk-through during a video call. After the fact. After she’d bought it, in large part with money she had earned on her own, although the signing bonus he’d gotten as part of his Navy Seal contract and his military pay had helped.
He was proud of her for being independent. She had the home and a job she loved. She had gone to school at night and by the time he was done with his tour of duty, she’d have her college degree.
So many accomplishments while he was basically the same man she’d hastily married just over five years earlier. Well, not quite the same. He was a little older, a little more worldly, and a lot more battered, emotionally and physically.
So why would a woman like Elena, smart, beautiful and successful, want to stay with a man like me?
“I got you a blanket, Petty Officer. Thought you might like to get some rest,” the First Class flight attendant said. As she unfurled the blanket across his lap, Captain Smith added, “A drink might help him relax. How about a bourbon neat?”
He wasn’t much of a drinker, but it would help ease the tension inside him and maybe help him catch a quick nap before they landed in Philadelphia.
“I’d love one, thanks.”
After reclining the chair, he murmured, “Thanks for arranging this. I really appreciate it.”
“Anything for a fellow sailor. I know how tough it can be when you’re heading back to the block,” Smith said.
The other man couldn’t even begin to imagine.
As a Navy Seal he’d gone into many situations where he knew he would kill or be killed. None scared him as much as going home again to Elena.
The attendant came over and handed each of them a glass. They clinked them together and Smith muttered, “Fair winds and following seas. I hope your time at home and final deployment go well.”
“Thank you,” he said and slowly sipped on the bourbon. The heat of the liquor traveled down his throat and warmed his belly. It relieved some of the pressure in his mind, enough that he could set the glass on the seat console and try for the rest he hadn’t been able to get on the C-17 out of Bagram Air Field and the other military flight he’d been on before he snagged this commercial flight to the States.
He closed his eyes and tried to blank his mind, but thoughts of Elena kept on fighting to slip in. Tired of the battle, he let them come.
Chapter 2
Rafe spread the blanket out in the flat gap of sand tucked in between two high dunes. A soft breeze blew up from the ocean, rustling the marsh grasses and wafting the scent of the beach roses through the area.
Once he straightened out the blanket, he tossed his knapsack on one corner to hold it down and faced Elena. She stood just a few feet away and looked back nervously toward the group of friends they had abandoned in order to have some privacy.
He approached her and laid his hands at her waist. She shot him a nervous half-glance with those large chocolate brown eyes that melted something inside him. “Having second thoughts?”
She shook her head. “No. I want to do this. I’ve wanted to forever.”
He’d wanted to for as long as he could remember as well, only they’d both been “good kids.” The kind of kids who toed the line and stayed out of trouble. The kinds of kids who worked hard to get good grades and get into college.
That hadn’t left much time for a night like this, but with school over and the summer looming large before they went off to school, it was time to explore the feelings they’d kept in check for so long.
“I want this, too, Elena. I want this night to be special.”
“I do, too, Rafe. I’m just not sure how to . . . get started.”
Grinning, he cradled her cheeks, lowered his head until his lips were almost on hers and said, “How about like this?”
That first touch of his lips on hers was electric and sent a sizzle of desire along his nerve endings. He’d kissed her before, but tonight would be different from the other moments they’d managed to sneak in. Tonight they’d finally have the time to explore the passion that had been simmering for so long.
Maybe it was because they’d buried their feelings for all that time that everything seemed to reach a boiling point so quickly.
After that initial tentative touch, he deepened the kiss, opening his mouth against hers and darting his tongue between the seam of her lips to taste her.
Damn, but she tasted so sweet, like the sodas they’d had earlier that night.
She leaned into him and the pebbled tips of her breasts brushed against his chest.
He had to touch her.
He inched his hand down the smooth skin made hot by a day in the summer sun, although with daylight gone, the temperature was starting to cool down. He knew just what to do to help keep her warm.
So much skin was exposed by her bikini top. He cupped her breast and the hard point of her nipple rubbed against his palm. He moved his hand to tease the tip between his thumb and index finger.
She moaned into his mouth and whispered, “That feels good.”
He chuckled, glanced down, and murmured, “I know what would feel better.”
“Show me,” she said.
In one smooth move, he brushed aside the fabric, revealing the tight coral-colored nub. His cock jerked beneath his board shorts and his mouth watered as he bent and took that tip between his lips. Sucked on it hard before licking it with his tongue.
She arched her back and cradled his head to her. Let out another little moan as he teethed her nipple, cupped her other breast, and pleasured her with his hand.
She was whimpering and butting her hips against him, wanting more, and he intended to give it to her. He shifted his hand down the center of her body to the edge of her bikini bottoms. He was so hard he was nearly ready to come and he had to know if she was as ready. He slipped his hand beneath the fabric and found her center. Parted her folds and caressed her clit, making her shudder and cry out.
She reached down suddenly and grabbed his hand, keeping him from another caress.
“Too much. Too soon,” she said, clearly afraid of what was happening and because of that, he tempered his need.
Cradling her cheek again, he said, “We’ll take it slower, babe.”
She nodded and said, “I need to lie down. I’m a little shaky.
”
He understood. His own knees were wobbly from the strength of the desire she awoke in him.
He helped her down onto the blanket and then kneeled beside her, his hand resting on her bare midsection, stroking back and forth in a caress meant to reassure. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him and said, “Would you take your t-shirt off?”
He wanted to rip it off as fast as he could, but managed to control himself. As he pulled the shirt up and over his head, he realized she had slipped off her bikini top.
His balls tightened and he nearly came at the sight of her lying there, her full beautiful breasts flushed. Her nipples hard with desire. The moonlight silvered her skin, making her look almost surreal.
He shifted his hand up and cradled the tip again, plucking and tweaking it as she watched him and the flush across her breasts spread upward to her cheeks.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he urged, mindful of the fact that Elena had never been the kind of girl who did quickies or hook-ups.
“The way you look at me . . . I get wet when you look at me like that,” she said, surprising him with her candor.
“Well, that makes two of us since thinking about you makes me hard,” he said and glanced downward to where his erection was tenting the loose fabric of his board shorts.
She tracked his gaze and a second later, laid her hand on his cock, finding the head of him before stroking down his length, dragging a rough groan from him.
“Do you like that?”
“As much as you like this,” he said and tweaked her nipple again, earning a sharp gasp and a rise of her hips.
She stroked him again, her gaze locked on her movements until she looked up and said, “Please take off your shorts.”
“Since you asked so nicely,” he teased, hopped to his feet, and yanked them off. As he kneeled on the blanket, she undid the ties on her bikini bottom. It took only one sweep of his hand to reveal the neatly trimmed, dark curls at her center.
His hand shook as he laid it on her flat midsection and trailed his fingers down to part her again. When he found the nub at her center, she spread her legs a little wider and let out a soft whimper.
Stay the Night: A Navy Seal Erotic Romance (Take a Chance Book 4) Page 1
