Breaking Out (Military Romantic Suspense) (SEAL Team Heartbreakers Book 6)

by Teresa Reasor

  “Give me fifteen minutes….”

  She glanced at the clock again. While her head was turned and she was distracted, he nipped her earlobe and took the opportunity to rake his teeth gently along her neck.

  Piper cupped the back of his head. “Fifteen minutes.” Her voice had that soft, breathy tone that jumpstarted his libido, not that he needed any encouragement.

  What was building between them had the same stomach-plunging thrill of rappelling down from a hovering helicopter.

  She turned her lips to his, and he lost himself in the kiss.

  In only a weekend they had learned how to touch each other, give to each other. There was nothing missing when they made love. Piper’s hands, her mouth drove him crazy, even as he was feasting on her with his own.

  He could spend hours stroking the soft underside of her breast, breathing in her scent, buried in the heated warmth between her thighs.

  When he could wait no longer, he covered himself with a condom and levered himself over her. Piper caught her breath and braced a hand against his chest, her expression anxious.

  It was the first time he’d attempted to be on top. He froze.

  Her hand dropped to his side. “Your hip, Zach.”

  At her look of concern, he breathed a sigh of relief. “It’ll be okay. I’m going to be very slow.” He grabbed a pillow, folded it in half, and elevated her hips, then guided himself into her and felt her body grip him. Each time their bodies came together she lit up as though it was the first time. It gave him such a sexual charge.

  He stayed on his knees, seated deep inside her and, bracing one hand on the bed, rocked, slowly giving his hip time to adjust to the movement. Piper raised her knees, deepening the contact, and he murmured his approval. God, how could they be so physically in sync and deny themselves more?

  As Piper’s body gripped his, the need overwhelmed him, and he forgot about his hip, forgot about everything but the hunger for release. He braced both hands on the bed and leaned over her to change the rocking movement to hard, deep thrusts.

  Piper murmured his name, her tone a plea, driving him on. Her hands moved over his chest, his back, as though she sought a mooring to hold onto while her hips rose to meet his every thrust. She cried out, her grimace of pleasure ripping away his control and tipping him over the brink.

  His arms felt like rubber and his hip ached when he lowered himself atop her and rested his head in the bend of her neck.

  Her arms came around him, and she held him while his heart thundered in his ears. When he started to withdraw, her arms tightened. “Not yet. I just want to feel you inside me, hold you close for a moment more.”

  He turned his head to find tears streaming down her temples.

  “There are some things I need to tell you. Things about my past you need to know. There isn’t enough time now, but later…”

  Even though he’d expected it, seeing her in tears ramped up the concern he’d stifled all weekend to mid-grade anxiety. He made soothing noises while he wiped her tears away with the sheet. “Come here for lunch and we’ll talk.”

  She nodded. But she continued to cling to him, hold him.

  He waited until her arms slid away and kissed her softly. As their bodies separated, a fresh rush of tears coursed down her cheeks. When she sat up he drew her close. “It’s going to be okay, Piper.”

  Her silence at his reassurance twisted his uneasiness higher.

  Though she regained her composure, he was reluctant to release her, even when she said, “I have to go.”

  He went into the bathroom and dealt with the condom. By the time he joined her in the bedroom, Piper had slipped her jeans on and was hooking her bra.

  She slipped on her T-shirt with a quick, practiced move. “I’ll catch a quick shower at home.”

  He hated to see her leave upset, without things settled between them. He stepped into his boxer briefs and jerked on the khaki shorts he’d worn the day before.

  Two excited dogs danced around them while they left the bedroom and went into the living room. Trouble in particular looped his body around Piper’s legs, his tail going wild and threatening to clear the coasters off the coffee table. Gracie, though more sedate in her greeting to first Zach, then Piper, did a three-legged rumba that almost matched Trouble’s.

  After giving both dogs a quick rubbing, Piper began to gather Trouble’s things.

  Zach said, “It’ll save you time if you leave him here with me and Gracie today. He entertains us both, and I’ll take good care of him.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Piper nodded. “Okay, thank you. I’ll be back at noon.” She grabbed her purse from the table next to the door and fished out a long clip. His breath hitched when he eyed the womanly profile of her body as she lifted her arms to bundle her hair into a tail and fastened it at the back of her head.

  Any other woman would be fussing with her makeup and hair. With her warm Italian coloring, dark hair, and eyes, Piper looked beautiful without any.

  Zach trailed her to the door, the dogs close behind.

  Piper stood on tiptoes to brush his lips with a kiss. She hit the button on her key fob to unlock her car as she walked to it, then paused to look up and down the street.

  It was an action he had seen her do while they walked on the beach, ran to the store for munchies, or sat out on the back patio. Zach stepped out on the stoop and closed the door behind him to keep the dogs in. “Who are you looking for, Piper?”

  She paused by the open car door for a long moment, her gaze dark with worry. “Trouble.”

  She wasn’t talking about her dog. A dropping sensation swooped through Zach’s stomach and condensed into a knot.

  “I’ll tell you everything at lunch.”

  The feeling lingered even while she backed out of the drive and pulled away.

  He drew in a deep breath and released it on an oath. “Shit!”

  Chapter 21

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  Cal braked, slowing the truck to a stop at the light and let the silence stretch between him and his dad. Silence was good. Silence didn’t cause issues or get his dad’s blood pressure up or threaten him with another heart attack. His dad didn’t need the stress, and he didn’t either. He needed to concentrate on driving and getting his dad home safe without any kind of conflict. He glanced in the rearview mirror. His mom was a car length behind them.

  “So, your gal will be here tomorrow?”

  “Yeah.” God, he missed Kathleen. “Unless you don’t think you want the company.”

  “It will be fine. It sounds like she’ll fit in fine with the rest of us. Maybe we can hire her to do some architectural designs for us.”

  “She said she’s done some residential stuff in the past.”

  “Can she swing a hammer?”

  Cal smiled. “No. She can put up pictures, blinds, curtain rods, that kind of thing, and put in a new light switch or plug, but none of the heavy repair work.” But Kathleen’s mom had a mean right hook. He had the urge to tell the story to his dad, but it was hers to share, and talking about her ex didn’t feel right.

  “We can teach her.”

  Those few words had him glancing at his father.

  “She’d probably like the demolition better than the repair work.”

  His dad chuckled. “She would?”

  “I can see her with a sledge hammer, knocking down walls and tearing out cabinets. She wouldn’t mind the dirty work.”

  “Sounds like your mother.”

  “Maybe a little. She has mom’s patience.”

  “Good thing for a woman to have in this family.” There was a pause. “Your mom has already asked which bedroom she should put her in, yours or the guest room.”

  “The guest room will be fine. We don’t live together in California.” Not yet, anyway. And he wouldn’t want to disturb his mom’s southern ideas of morality and respect. “She isn’t a hookup, Dad. I love her.”

  “Why don’t you just go ahead and pop the question?�
�

  “I’ve been waiting for the right moment.”

  “Then I had the heart attack.”

  Cal shrugged. “It wasn’t like you planned it, Dad. My feelings for her aren’t going to change, whether I ask her this week or next.”

  “And you’re pretty confident about her feelings, too?”

  “I know she loves me.” But if he had to move to San Antonio and help take care of things… Just when she’d gotten closer to Zach and been able to spend more time with him. Would she want to move to Texas?

  He wanted to put it off until he was certain about his dad. And Douglas. But the ring had been burning a hole in his pocket for the past two weeks, just waiting to be slipped on her finger.

  Since she’d just gotten more settled at work and seemed to be doing better, how would she feel about taking him on permanently? It had been fifteen months since she split from her cheating, lying, asshole ex-boyfriend.

  Was that long enough for her to know if she wanted something permanent with someone else? With him, the man who loved her?

  “Could we drive by one of the sites? I want to see how they’re doing.”

  Cal jerked his head in his dad’s direction. “You’re in your pajamas, Dad. You’ve got a seven-inch incision down the center of your chest, and wires holding your breastbone together. You’re not going to a construction site.”

  “I didn’t say I wanted to get out of the car and walk around, I said I wanted you to drive by so I can see how things are going.”

  Cal debated. “If things aren’t going according to your schedule, I don’t want to hear you yelling about it. You cannot get upset or stressed out. You have sutures holding grafts in place to bypass the blocked vessels. You’re not blowing one of those on my watch.”

  “I won’t yell or make a fuss. But Jesus, Cal, your mom hasn’t let me out of her sight in over a month. I haven’t been on the job for almost six weeks. I’ll go crazy trapped in the house watching television or walking on the damn treadmill for the rest of my days.”

  He knew what his dad meant. He almost felt sorry for him. Almost. But his mom had made sacrifices too. “I think it would be a good idea for you to retire. You and mom could travel. You could go up north to Canada. Mom’s been talking about Niagara Falls forever. Every time she planned the trip, you always made excuses. It’s time for her to have something in her life besides a husband who works himself into a heart attack.”

  His father pressed a hand to his forehead. “Shoot me now.”

  Cal laughed and pulled over to the curb. His mother swung in behind them and got out of the car. She marched up the sidewalk with the determined steps of a woman on a mission.

  Cal rolled down the window.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Jameson?” She had the steely-eyed look of someone whose patience was stretched beyond endurance.

  “Nothing, Mom. Dad wanted to see the progress on the site, and it was on the way home, so I’m letting him take a look.”

  “Jameson, you are not getting out of that truck.”

  “No, I’m not. For Christ’s sake, I’m just looking.” He released his seat belt and slid forward to look through the side window at the two-story split level. “It looks…the new windows are in and the pavers have been put down and the guttering is up. How ’bout the inside?”

  “There’s some finishing touches to be done in two of the bedrooms, but the bathrooms and kitchen are done, and the painting is finished.”

  “Floors, too?” he asked.

  “Yeah, floors too. When the kitchen cabinets came in late, Mom put the crew on laying the floors upstairs in the bedrooms and halls. The only things we have left to do are lay some baseboard, put covers on the light switches and plug-ins, and hang a couple of light fixtures. The job will be finished tomorrow.”

  “Shit. You’ve done the whole damn house in a week.”

  “No.” Cal shot his mom a look. “We did the downstairs and some cosmetic stuff on the outside of the house in a week. Mom had the rest finished before I got here.”

  His mother stepped up to the window, blocking his view of the house. “The rest of the projects are on schedule. The boys have been taking care of everything. And Doug found someone to take over placing the orders and keeping the books until you’re better.”

  His dad subsided back against the wide seat, a frown wrinkling his brow. “Good. That’s good.” He didn’t look happy, though. He looked tired and suddenly shrunken.

  Cal more than anyone understood what he was going through. His dad might never be able to go back to what he loved doing most. He was wondering what the fuck he was going to do with the rest of his life.

  Cal remembered grappling with every one of those thoughts and feelings.

  “You need to put your seat belt back on, Dad, so we can get home.”

  His father reached for the seat belt and slowly pulled it over his chest and lap. Cal helped him guide the mechanism in the slot. “I can do this, dammit. I’m not an invalid.”

  Cal held his tongue and started the vehicle. His mom turned aside to walk back to her car.

  His father remained silent the rest of the way to the house, looking out the side window while he pretended an interest in the passing scenery.

  When they pulled into the driveway of the family’s sprawling ranch-style house, Cal rushed to get out of the car in case his dad needed help getting out. His mother stood by, her arms full with the bag of stuff they’d loaded up from the hospital, deep furrows etched on each side of her mouth. She looked exhausted.

  His father threw out a hand. “Stop hovering, Sondra. Go on in. If I fall on my face out here, Cal can haul me back up.”

  “They wouldn’t have sent him home if they thought he wasn’t ready, Mom. Go on. I’ll get the rest of the stuff out of the car in a bit.”

  She nodded. “Don’t give him a chance to make a break for it. He’ll get on the damn riding mower or something, just to prove how indestructible he is.”

  Cal grinned. “He won’t get away from me. I can outrun him.”

  She shot him a tired smile and went into the house.

  Cal turned his attention to his father.

  His dad stared after her. “I bet you’re pleased I’m getting some payback after everything I said and did while you were getting back on your feet.”

  Surprise held him silent a moment. “No, Dad. I wouldn’t wish anything like this on anyone. It’s a fucking bitch to be in pain and have everyone remind you daily how helpless you are.”

  “Yeah it is.” Jameson’s mouth flattened.

  “Kathleen’s brother’s a SEAL. They have a saying, ‘the only easy day was yesterday.’ That’s the way it’s going to feel for awhile, but you’ll get through it, just like I did.”

  His dad remained silent.

  “You’ve been up quite a while. Want to go in?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  Cal adjusted his strides to match his dad’s, just in case he should need some support. Since his father was being so amiable, he decided to push it a little further. “Stacy walked away because she couldn’t handle things. You’re lucky Mom’s made of sterner stuff. I hope you know it.”

  Jameson shot him a look.

  “Just because you’ve been married for thirty-five years doesn’t give you the right to take things out on her, or be an asshole because you have to take things easy for a while. And you’ll be tempted to do it since she’s handy.”

  Jameson’s look turned into a scowl.

  “I happen to know that because I was a fucker to the nurses at the hospital, and I ended up having to swallow my pride and apologize to them later.”

  “You were?”

  “Yeah. A real bastard.” Cal reached for the doorknob and swung the front door open. “If you think marriage is going to save you from having to apologize, you’re wrong. Because women may forgive a lot, but they don’t forget anything, and it will end up biting you in the ass.”

  His dad laughed. �
�What’s made you the expert on women?”

  “Is there really such a thing as an expert on women?” Cal shook his head. “I just know two truths. You don’t lie to them, and you don’t treat them like shit, because eventually either one will boomerang back to you and kick you in the nuts.”

  He cut off the suggestions and asked, “Where are you going to lie down? Bedroom or your cave?”

  “My den. Lying all day in the fucking bed just makes me feel like—shit.”

  Cal was careful not to grab his arm, but he could tell his dad’s energy was flagging. They turned right and walked through the large, open floor plan living room. The cathedral ceiling made the room seem spacious, though it was actually not much larger than other homes of the same design. They moved on down a wide hall to another living space. His father’s den.

  Jameson sank into his recliner with a sigh. Cal pushed the lever to raise his feet.

  His mom appeared. “Would you two like something to eat or drink?”

  Before Cal could say anything, his dad broke in, impatiently. “Go lie down, Sondra. We’re fine.” The tone he used with her grated against Cal’s nerves and he bit back a retort.

  Driven into protective mode, Cal crossed to his mother and laid an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll get the rest of the stuff out of the car. You go ahead and lie down, and I’ll hang out with him for a while. If he needs anything, I’ll get it.”

  She rested her head against his chest for a moment and gave him pat. “I think I will.”

  The slump of her shoulders when she walked out of the room shot Cal’s feelings of anger to a full-blown rage. How long had this shit been going on? Probably long before his dad got sick.

  “If you keep talking to Mom in a short, pissy tone, she’ll eventually get ticked off enough to knock you upside the head, or walk away and leave you to deal with this shit all on your lonesome.”

  “Your mom’s not going anywhere.”

  Cal raised a brow. “Keep using that tone with her, and we’ll find out. But the real question is…if you love her, why do you talk to her like a condescending prick?”

  His dad’s expression turned resentful. “It’s none of your damn business, Cal.”