Breaking Through (Book 2 of the SEAL TEAM Heartbreakers)

by Reasor, Teresa

  “I will. I’ll call again tomorrow.”

  “I love you.” There she’d said it.

  He remained silent for a beat then two. “It’s hard for me, Tess.”

  “I know.” They were so alike in that way.

  His tone grew husky. “I know I’ve been a disappointment to you.”

  “Not always.”

  He loosed one bark of amusement. “Thank you for that. You’ve never been a disappointment to me.”

  The connection broke. Tess shook her head, but a smile blossomed.

  ***

  Brett shook his head. “So headquarters is going to allow politics to dictate when they deploy us—you.” In all the time he’d known Hawk Yazzie, he’d never seen him this agitated.

  “Yeah, they don’t really have a choice. Remember when you said you felt like you had a target painted between your shoulder blades? Well, I’ve got that itch between mine right now. Jackson as good as said they were close to indicting us for taking Derrick down.”

  “If I ever see Derrick Armstrong again I’m going to beat the crap out of him.” Brett shook his head as rage forced heat into his face. The hard thump of his heartbeat filled his ears.

  “I’ll help.” Hawk said. “I need a favor.”

  “Anything,” Brett said without pause.

  “Do you think Tess could do some more research on Welch and his crew?”

  “Sure.”

  “We need to find out why Welch has a hard-on for us, Cutter. Jackson said someone was putting pressure on from on high and it was coming from the Senate Arms Committee.”

  “Okay. Tess is great at research. You’ve read her articles. And I’ve told you about everything she ferreted out about Welch and his buddies. Doc’s bringing her over in a few minutes.”

  The seriousness of Hawk’s expression ratcheted up his own tension. His stomach muscles tensed. The pain reminded him to relax, but it was easier said than done.

  Hawk’s hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. “I know I don’t have to ask this, but I need you to look after Zoe for me.”

  “Done. No one’s going to fuck with her on my watch.”

  Hawk tipped his head. “There’s a chance that even getting sent to the sandbox won’t keep the indictment from coming down.” He swallowed and the struggle to maintain his composure was evident in his labored breathing. “I want to pop the question, Cutter. I want to be with her for the rest of my life. But if I go to prison—I can’t ask her to wait for me. I can’t ask her to marry a felon. That will follow me for the rest of my life, and she deserves better than that.”

  Why was all this happening? “First, these bullshit charges are going to go away, Hawk. And second, it’s already too late. Zoe would have never let you lay a hand on her if it wasn’t the real deal for her. She won’t give up. She doesn’t know how, any more than you do.”

  “I can’t ask her until I’m sure I have a future to share with her, Cutter.”

  Brett understood that. But Zoe wouldn’t. She wouldn’t give a damn about anything but Hawk. She’d done hard before and she’d just look it as another obstacle to overcome. “I’ll look after her.” But she’d still be heartbroken and he’d be useless to help with that. Fuck.

  Hawk nodded “I know you wish you were going with us.”

  Brett forced a grin. “Why would you think I’d want to eat MREs and sand for six months, not to mention dodging bullets, and going days without sleep?”

  Hawk smiled for the first time. “You’re right. You’d be crazy to want to do that.”

  I’d give my right nut to be going with them. His gaze locked with Hawk’s. “There’s worse things than crazy.”

  Hawk nodded. “I have to go. We need that intel ASAP. Once you find some connections, maybe I can find some on my end. Right now all I have are the missions we covered on our last deployment.”

  “I have my laptop here. Since I can’t do anything else, I’ll help Tess.”

  Hawk slapped his back.

  Brett suppressed a flinch. Damn he was sore. “I’ll call you as soon as we find something.”

  Hawk nodded. “Do you have backup? Your personality might not be strong enough to keep the bad guys away. ”

  “You’re off your game. That insult was subpar for you. I have a nine mil in the dresser drawer.”

  “You have a permit to carry?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, start carrying it. It’s not going to do you any good out of reach.”

  Brett nodded and moved from the sitting room section of the room to the bedroom, the areas divided by a thin decorative panel that ran from floor to ceiling. He opened the dresser drawer and retrieved the Sig Sauer. He checked that it was loaded.

  Hawk’s gray gaze sharpened as soon as he returned. “That isn’t your service weapon?”

  “No, L.T. It’s a registered backup.” Brett checked through the peephole before opening the door. He looked down the hall in both directions. Nothing. “Go home and wait for Zoe. You need to be with her, Hawk. And I wouldn’t tell her tonight. Let the dust settle. This deployment may not happen.” He hoped. Because his sister was going to be devastated, though she’d try to act the good little military girlfriend. She’d be supportive and true. But while he’d been recovering from the head injury, he’d seen her wander the house and grieve when they’d gone wheels up before. Hawk loved the job, loved being a SEAL as much as he did. But it was always going to be an issue for Zoe. And the way Hawk was so twisted up about it, it was going to be hard for him, too.

  He grabbed Hawk’s arm when he started to leave. “Tess and I will find something. There has to be some reason why they keep coming back to our team.”

  “I’ll work on my end until Zoe gets home. And call if I find anything.” Hawk strode down the hall to the elevator, a man on a mission.

  Fifteen minutes had passed when a tap came on the door. Brett picked up the pistol and headed for the door, his gate slightly stiff. He suppressed the urge to put his hand over his side. He had to quit doing that. Tess would be afraid to touch him and he sure as shit didn’t want that. His heart revved like a Humvee with a stuck gas pedal. And his breathing was uneven. If he had anything to do with it, they were going to make love tonight.

  With everything going down, he needed to feel connected to her, physically, emotionally. The way she’d held him and comforted him in her apartment kept springing to mind. He’d never needed that before. He’d always been the one to offer support, comfort, whatever was needed. To know he needed it, and that she would offer …

  But what do I have to offer her? One thing came to mind but his thoughts veered away. He wasn’t ready for that yet. With all the trust issues they’d had up until now—And they hadn’t even slept together yet.

  After looking through the peephole, he opened the door to Tess and Doc. Doc motioned Tess into the room, then set a suitcase down just inside the door.

  Tess wore a silk shell and a wraparound skirt that flowed around her long legs. Her auburn hair hung just past her shoulders, dark against her pale skin.

  Aware of Tess’s innate reserve, Brett controlled the urge to kiss her senseless, despite Doc’s presence, and brushed her cheek with his lips instead. His hand wandered down her back to bring her in close enough that she could feel how glad he was to see her. Her cheeks flushed pink and her soft “hey” had him grinning like a fool, he was sure. The constant interruption of medical personnel and family at the hospital had held him in check. He didn’t think he’d have so much control when they were alone.

  When he released her and turned his attention to Doc, the guy had a knowing grin plastered on his face and there was suppressed laughter in his Irish green eyes. “I can’t stick around. I have things to do at the base. We weren’t followed, I made sure of that.”

  “Good. Thanks, Doc.”

  “I rented a car. I thought they might look for mine,” Tess said and actually put her arm around him and pressed close to his side.

  Brett
looped an arm around her and gave her a squeeze “Good idea.”

  “Hawk fill you in?” Doc asked.

  Brett tipped his head. This fucking terrorist bullshit sucked for them all. Especially now with deployment hanging over their heads. He was reasonably sure his family was covered. But what about Langley Marks’ wife, Trish, and the kids? And what about Greenback’s wife, Selena, and the new baby? “Is everybody okay?”

  “Greenback’s wife and baby are spending some time with her family. And Lang’s taken Trish and the kids on a before-school-starts R and R close by. The rest of us are on alert.”

  “Good.” He drew a deep breath of relief.

  Doc pointed a finger at him. “Get fit so you can get back to the team.”

  “Bank on it, Doc.” They bumped knuckles.

  “Thank you for bringing me over,” Tess said

  “No problem, Legs.”

  She shook her head at Doc, though a small smile peeked out.

  “Call if you need anything.” Doc said in parting and left.

  Brett secured the door behind him and pivoted to face Tess. The words “let’s get naked,” perched on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them. He’d once promised himself that he’d romance Tess, and thus far he’d really sucked at it.

  “Would you like to order something to eat?” he asked.

  “No thanks. Maybe later. How’s your side?”

  “Better. Itching, so it must be healing.” He leaned back against the door

  “What did Doc mean when he asked if Hawk had filled you in?”

  “There’s some political stuff going down, and they’re being deployed.”

  “But they just got home what—five months ago?”

  “Yeah.”

  She studied his expression. “Can you share it with me?”

  “Yeah, but I was hoping to spend time with you first.”

  When she smiled, he knew he’d finally gotten something right. He pushed away from the door and linking his fingers with hers, guided her to the couch.

  Her expression grew grave as he placed the Sig on the oak end table.

  “It’s just a precaution.”

  “I’ve never been around guns, Brett.”

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He picked up the weapon, released the magazine, and ejected the round in the chamber, double-checked, then offered her the empty pistol, butt first. “It’s a part of who I am, Tess.”

  Her hand wrapped around the gun’s grip, and she held it in her lap. “It’s heavier than I thought it would be.”

  “I can take you to a public range and let you shoot it.”

  She bit her lip and ran her fingers over the barrel of the weapon.

  He slid his arm around her and guided her into holding the pistol in a firing grip.

  She smelled like citrus and spice, her hair lay against his cheek, the texture a little coarse compared to the silky smoothness of her skin. The contrast mirrored the qualities in her personality. She had complete confidence when she had the recorder in her hands or a pad and pen. She was intelligent, focused, and patient when doing an interview. She’d wooed him into dropping his guard and giving her what she needed. And then there was her uncertainty when it came to the sharing herself with him. Had she always been that way? Or had it happened after the asshole she’d told him about had betrayed her?

  “Maybe you’d better take this,” she said. The Sig looked weighty and foreign in her hand, and she held it awkwardly, her fingers wrapped around the trigger guard and ejection port.

  He took the weapon by the grip, and then caught his breath as her hand dropped to his thigh and ran up the inside of his leg toward his groin.

  Had he thought her shy? Her smile was laced with amusement.

  “Have you ever seen that movie where the guy calls his rifle a gun and his drill instructor makes him repeat over and over this is my rifle, this is my gun?”

  “It’s called Full Metal Jacket,” he managed, though he couldn’t draw a full breath with her fingers resting high inside his thigh.

  “I’ve handled your weapon, now I’d like to touch your gun.”

  CHAPTER 30

  Just the thought of her touching him sent blood rushing to his cock so quickly he thought he’d explode. When Tess leaned forward and kissed him the last remnants of surprise dissolved into full-fledged, raging need. He tossed the pistol on the cushion next to him to free his hand and reached for her. The hot hungry way her lips and tongue tangled with his drove his desire higher. His erection pushed against his zipper, painful and hard.

  “I was trying not to pounce on you the moment you walked in the door,” he said when the kiss broke. She turned and straddled his lap and his hands ran down over her slender hips. He grabbed one of the round bolster pillows from the end of the couch and shoved it behind him to support his lower back.

  “Me, too.” Her cheeks were flushed and her lips berry red from the pressure of the kiss. “I tried to talk Doc out of coming up with me.” Her fingers rolled up the bottom of his t-shirt and when she dragged it upward, Brett wiggled free eager to be skin-to-skin with her.

  When he followed suit with her silk tank top, she shimmied free, then pressed her bare breasts against him. His breath seized, then released. Oh God, her skin was as soft as the silk she’d been wearing and her breasts were high and perfect, a lush handful that peaked against his palm. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever touched, Tess,” he said his tone husky. She was, with her long, lithe body and pale skin.

  Her sherry brown eyes turned dark and sultry as her hand grazed the bandage over his side. “Are you sure you’re okay to—”

  He kissed her, cutting off the question. Screw the pain. He’d die if he didn’t have her, right now. His hands ran up her thighs beneath the wraparound skirt and encountered, instead of lacy underwear, only luscious, warm, bare skin. He groaned aloud.

  She sat next to Doc in the car without any panties on. Jesus. The need to claim her, to mark her as his, raged through him, raw and basic. He slid a hand between their bodies and found the intimate heart of her with his fingers and caressed her, tempted her. She was so warm and wet.

  Tess caught her breath and soft color rose to her cheeks. Her voice turned breathy and weak as she said his name. The way she responded to his touch sent a wave of heat through him. The urge to free himself and thrust up inside her was almost overwhelming. Instead, he palmed the rounded curve of her buttocks and wiggled down, aligning their bodies so when she pressed down she’d ride against the bulge beneath his pants. Jesus, his damn side hurt, but this felt too good to stop. He drew her lips back to his again and tried to slow things down by guiding the movement of her hips. Can’t take that for very long without something major happening. His fingers found his zipper. And where the hell did I put that condom?

  ***

  Tess rose up on her knees to give Brett room to shove his pants down. He jerked his wallet free from a pocket and produced a condom. “I’ve been carrying this around, in hope, since we first met.” He tore open the packet.

  Tess plucked it from the wrapper. The hard length of his erection brushed against her intimately beneath her skirt and the desire just to sink down on top of him was almost uncontrollable. Had she ever wanted a man like this before? Never. “Let me put the safety on,” she said, her voice a husky whisper.

  Brett groaned again. “You’re killing me, baby. I’ll never touch my weapon again without thinking of you,” he said, his lips finding her throat, her collarbone. The moist heat sent arrows of sensation downward to her breasts.

  As she rolled the condom down over his erect penis she caught her breath, he was so warm and thick. She slid back and guided him inside her. Brett’s head fell back against the couch cushions and a sound, half groan, half sigh, escaped him. She bit her lip to keep from echoing it. For a few breathtaking moments she contented herself with just rotating her hips and pushing down, taking him as far inside as she could.

  She brushed a h
and over the blond hair at his temple and the scar there. She brushed her lips over his brow, his cheek, until she found his lips again. He ran his palms up over her bare back and, when she drew back, looked up at her, his blue eyes alight with desire. She braced her hand atop the couch and began to move—slow, careful, mindful of his injury. But when his hips rose to meet her, her heart stuttered as pleasure spiraled through her. The compulsion for release took over, and she captured a slow, steady rhythm, guided by the pressure of Brett’s hands and the upward thrust of his hips. His breathing grew as ragged as hers. Her muscles tensed as, with every movement, the elusive moment of release crept closer and closer. Brett murmured her name as he swelled, filling her to the point of pain, and an orgasm hit her so fierce prickles rolled outward from her core to her fingers and toes. The answering pulse of Brett’s release brought on another wave, this time gentler, yet enough to make her hum with pleasure.

  She rested her forehead against the back of the couch. With Brett’s breath hot against her neck, she tried to catch her own. Minutes passed before she started to ease away, but his arms tightened around her. “I know your legs are probably killing you, but don’t move yet,” he said.

  Her heart turned over, and, smiling, she straightened enough to look into his face.

  He brushed the weight of her hair over her shoulder and his hand trailed down the slope of her back from her shoulder to her waist, then around to cup her breast.

  As he played with her distended nipple, nerve endings fired, running from the peak of her breasts downward to where their bodies were still connected. She drew in a shaky breath.

  “I could spend hours just touching you,” he said, huskily.

  “I’ve felt the same way about you,” she said, and when the heat of a blush rushed into her face, she looked away.

  He cupped her cheek and ran a thumb over her cheekbone, then, thrusting his fingers through her hair and cradling her head, he drew her lips to his. He kissed her with a long, slow thoroughness that left her weak and aching.