Romanced by a SEAL: Hot SEALs

by Cat Johnson

  Pushing her top up, he kissed her stomach and across her breast. In case the hard length between them wasn’t enough to convince her, he said, “I’m okay. I swear.”

  She bit her lip and he knew she was worrying in spite of him telling her not to. He could see he had his work cut out for him.

  It was going to take more than words to convince her he was fine. Luckily he’d never been afraid of a challenge. Besides, his best plan to distract her wasn’t going to be a hardship for him. Not at all.

  He sat up on his knees and tugged her bottoms down. Spreading her legs, he went to work intent on knocking all worry from her head.

  Things proceeded fast. Too fast. He was done long before he wanted to be, but there was nothing he could do about it. But they had all night . . .

  With that in mind he closed his eyes, content with the weight of Ali’s head on his chest.

  It seemed that one round of energetic sex on top of the prior night’s sleeplessness put Jon out for the count. He was unconscious until the annoying sound of a cell phone alarm knocked him out of his slumber.

  He rolled over to find Ali sitting on the edge of the mattress. He reached for her and just missed as she stood.

  Jon groaned. “Don’t get up yet.”

  She flipped on the lamp and turned to shoot him a look. “This from the man who is up and out by dawn every day?”

  Not on days he was interested in morning sex he wasn’t. He kept that to himself. “Why are you up so early?”

  “It’s a work day for some of us.” She moved to the open suitcase on the chair and pulled out a pair of underwear and a bra.

  He glanced at the bedside clock. “Yeah, but it’s still earlier than you usually get up.”

  “We have an early meeting at work. Listen. Darci’s up too. I have to shower quick and get moving.” Ali disappeared into Rick’s bathroom.

  Now that he listened, he could hear the distant sound of running water from the room across the hallway. Unless Chris had felt the need to rise at dawn to shower, Darci was indeed up this early as well.

  With a sigh, Jon figured it was useless to stay in bed. He wasn’t one for lounging around in the morning anyway, and he certainly wasn’t going back to sleep in Rick’s bed after Ali and Darci left for work.

  As he reached for his underwear on the floor and got dressed, he got hit with the distinct aroma of hot freshly brewed coffee.

  That was exactly what he could use—caffeine.

  Since he was already an uninvited guest, he might as well go one step further and help himself to some of Rick and Darci’s coffee. He grabbed his shoes and jacket and carrying them out to the living area.

  Chris glanced at Jon from behind the vase of peonies on the kitchen island. “Well, I have to say it’s a relief to see you.”

  “Really? Why is that?” Jon dropped his belongings on a chair in the living room and moved to the kitchen island.

  “Because if that wasn’t you I heard Ali getting busy with last night, that would mean she was stepping out on you. Then I would have been in one hell of a tight spot, wouldn’t I? Who do I side with? My boss and friend or my fiancé’s best friend? Either way, somebody’s gonna end up mad at me. Nice slap in the face that would be, especially since Darci refuses to do anything with me while Ali is in the house.” Raising a coffee mug to his lips, Chris cocked a brow and let that information sink in.

  Jon cringed. “Sorry.”

  “That’s a’ight.”

  “I’ll apologize to Darci too.” He really needed to get Ali back home.

  Chris waved away Jon’s offer and slid a mug of steaming coffee onto the counter. “Forget about it. Darci was more excited than Ali sounded that you two had made up.”

  Jon reached for the cup. “Thanks. And I’m not sure we’re made up so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

  He knew better than to declare mission accomplished prematurely. He wasn’t going to call this a done deal until Ali was back home and wearing his ring.

  “So I guess flowers do work since you stayed the night. Did you also . . . you know?” Chris tapped his ring finger.

  “No. Not yet. One step at a time.”

  “Gotcha. Soften her up in the bedroom first.” Chris waggled his eyebrows and grinned.

  Jon rolled his eyes. He hated any part of his private life being on display. Chris being privy to the fact he’d bought a ring was one thing, but having Chris and Darci hear him in bed with Ali was just about more than Jon could handle.

  The sooner he put that ring on Ali’s finger and got this disagreement behind them, the better. But that wasn’t going to happen this morning with her rushing off to a meeting.

  His cell vibrated twice in quick succession in his pocket. That was the alert for a message from Hasaan. Not the best timing with Chris standing right there and ever vigilant, but Jon needed to check the message.

  He pulled the cell out of his pocket, entered the pass code for the app and opened the private message.

  It was an address and a time. They wanted him in D.C. today.

  It made sense that now he was back they’d want him to debrief. Pass on everything he’d learned. It was the most important part of the mission. The reason he’d gone there.

  But right now, it was the last thing he wanted to do because it would take him away from Ali yet again.

  Blowing out a breath, he closed the app and shoved the phone back into his pocket. He looked up to find Chris watching him.

  Chris cocked one brow. “The only easy day was yesterday.”

  Jon tipped his head in agreement with the SEAL motto his friend had quoted.

  It was etched above the grinder at the BUD/S compound. It’s what every wannabe had to keep in mind while the instructors tried to beat them down mentally and physically to weed out those not strong enough to handle the demands.

  Chris might joke around a lot but he was smart and he’d been around the black ops block more than a few times. Jon shouldn’t be surprised that even if Chris didn’t know specifics, he suspected what Jon was currently dealing with.

  The only easy day was yesterday.

  For better or worse Jon had to put what happened, no matter how bad, behind him and brace for what was to come next, no matter what that might be.

  He’d done it before. Every damn day during Hell Week and then for the rest of his career as he realized the shit never ended and he’d just have to get used to it.

  Time moved forward. Life went on. Jon only hoped Ali could.

  CHAPTER 26

  As if the smirk Ali got from Chris when she came out of the bedroom wasn’t enough, she also had to deal with Jon and her uncertainty of how to act around him after last night.

  They’d spent most of the night pretending nothing was wrong, but sex didn’t miraculously make problems disappear. Though Jon might hope otherwise, she wasn’t going to move back in with him just because they’d had sex.

  Jon had obviously been injured during this mysterious assignment, proving the issues she had with his job remained.

  On top of it all was the secret she kept from him.

  The proverbial elephant was still in the room and seemed bigger than ever given that everyone in the house knew about the baby except for Jon.

  That was one thing Ali was going to have to deal with eventually, even with as much as she wanted to avoid it.

  “Good morning.” Visibly more awake then the last time she’d seen him in bed, Jon came to her. He pressed a kiss to her mouth before he handed her a cup of coffee. “I fixed it for you.”

  “Thanks.” She took a sip and found that Jon had indeed fixed her coffee just the way she liked it, with all the cream and sugar she probably shouldn’t be having.

  She had cut down on her daily intake of caffeine and started mixing half decaf into her morning cup at home, intent on weaning herself off it completely shortly.

  But that wasn’t going to happen this morning.

  Her not taking the coffee he offered would only
make him suspicious. When Jon did find out about this baby, it was going to be from her, not because he was freakishly observant and had guessed.

  The three stood in silence for what seemed like a long time, though in reality it probably wasn’t. Ali continued to concentrate on her coffee and avoided making eye contact. Jon stood close by, watching her, while Chris stayed safely on the other side of the kitchen island and observed them both.

  Things couldn’t have felt much more awkward, which is why Ali was immensely grateful when Darci emerged from the hallway.

  Ali happily set her mug on the counter. “You ready? We should really leave so we’re not late for the meeting.”

  Darci frowned. “Do I have time to get coffee first?”

  “Sure, but we should probably take it to go for in the car . . . so we’re not late.”

  Shooting a glance from Ali to Jon to Chris, Darci nodded. “Okay. Chris—”

  “Got it, darlin’. One coffee to go.” Looking slightly amused, as usual, Chris reached for the top cabinet and got a cup for Darci, and Ali had hope they’d get out of there without further discussion.

  She almost made it to the door, but Jon waylaid her by holding her jacket for her to put on.

  As Ali slid her arms inside, he said softly near her ear, “Can I see you tonight?”

  Was he setting up a booty call in advance? Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. They could indulge in one more night of hot sex before her big confession complicated everything.

  “Um, okay. I guess.”

  “Good. I’ll pick you up here at seven for dinner.”

  “Dinner?” She turned to frown at him. There went her one last night of simple sex plan.

  “Yes, dinner. A dinner date, in fact. I’ll make reservations at Georgio’s. Do you need me to drop off clothes for you?”

  Georgio’s was her favorite restaurant. It wasn’t cheap and it was too fancy for just any night out. It was the place he took her to once a year for her birthday.

  Today was not her birthday.

  “Uh, no. I have something I can wear.” Some of Darci’s jewelry would dress up the black suit and heels Ali had with her.

  “Okay. See you later.” Jon pressed a kiss to her lips and then handed her the purse that sat on a chair by the door, sending her off for the day.

  Meanwhile, Chris and Darci watched every move. Ali needed to get out of here.

  “All right. Bye.” Head down she marched to the passenger side of Darci’s car and was more than grateful to get away, even if it was only to go to work for a staff meeting.

  They were barely out of the driveway when Darci glanced sideways at Ali from across the car. “So . . .”

  Sighing, Ali begrudgingly asked, “Yes?”

  “Did you and Jon talk last night . . . or were you too busy?”

  Ali’s face burned with embarrassment. She knew they shouldn’t have done anything in the house with Darci there.

  “We talked a little.”

  “Really? So what did he say? Did you work things out? Oh my God, did you tell him about the baby? Are you getting married?”

  She waited for Darci to get out all of her questions before even attempting an answer. When Darci finally stopped firing off inquiries, Ali said, “Nothing has changed.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth she realized that wasn’t completely right. They’d made a tiny bit of progress. Jon had made an effort, from offering to move just to make her feel confortable in their home together, to leaving her socks on when he stripped her.

  It sounded silly but he hated when she wore socks in bed. Really, really hated it. So much that she’d had to stop wearing them and suffer with cold feet when she slept.

  But last night, he’d left her socks on. That, combined with the fact he’d given her an unprecedented amount of detail about his last assignment, gave her hope.

  Actions spoke so much louder than words. Maybe he really was able to change, right down to his ridiculous pet peeves about her socks. Could little things like that really heal a relationship? She didn’t know.

  “Not to push you or anything, but you do have to tell him about the baby some time, you know.

  Ali didn’t need Darci to remind her of that. “I know I have to tell him.”

  “So when are you going to?” Darci pushed the issue.

  “I don’t know. Soon.” Even just talking about it to Darci had Ali feeling sick to her stomach. How in the world was she supposed to tell Jon?

  “What about tonight at the restaurant?”

  Ali shook her head. “No. Definitely not.”

  She wasn’t going to do this in a public place. Nor did she want to ruin their dinner . . . or dessert, for that matter. She really loved Giorgio’s tiramisu.

  Darci shot her a glare. “Well, you’d better make it soon. Your boobs alone are going to give you away.”

  Frowning, Ali pulled the two sides of her blazer closer together, refusing to admit that her pregnancy boobs were already noticeable even though her baby bump was not.

  Jon might be used to things being shot at him, but this was one bombshell she was pretty sure he’d never see coming.

  CHAPTER 27

  “You look really nice tonight. I like those pants on you.”

  The fabric of the black slacks clung to her curves nicely. And the high heels put the most tantalizing sway into her every step.

  Looking oddly embarrassed by the compliment, Ali met Jon’s gaze and then looked away. “Thank you.”

  So far the meal had progressed mostly in silence broken occasionally by stilted small talk.

  Half of the fault belonged to him. He’d spent the day giving reports on anything and everything he’d seen and heard. It had been basically the equivalent of downloading his brain into the hard drive of the organization that had hired him.

  Hell, they’d even hooked him up to a polygraph and had him meet with a psychiatrist to see if he’d been radicalized.

  It was protocol for anyone who’d spent time with the enemy in any capacity, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He was exhausted mentally, but grateful they’d finally let him go.

  For a bit there he was afraid they were going to keep him overnight, or so late he’d miss dinner. That would have been one more strike against him with Ali—something he was trying to avoid at all costs.

  Jon had driven like a bat out of hell and made it in time to pick her up for their date.

  He was here. She was here . . . and here they sat, the silence heavy between them.

  Finally, Jon said, “It doesn’t have to be so hard, you know.”

  She glanced up from her Pasta Bolognese. “What doesn’t?”

  He smiled. “Being on a date with me.”

  “I guess I’m not used to it.” She lifted one shoulder.

  “What do you mean?”

  She rested her fork on the edge of the plate. “Just that we only go out maybe a couple of times a year.”

  Jon drew his brows down in a frown. “That’s not true.”

  “I don’t mean going to Darci’s for a barbecue. I mean a real date, just you and me.”

  He realized she was right. They’d met on the eve of his deployment at a barbecue at Rick and Darci’s and had jumped right into bed that night. The circumstances that followed after he returned had them jumping from zero to dating in record time.

  They’d skipped right over the usual getting to know you period. Missed all those awkward firsts couples usually went through together. First date. First meeting each other’s friends. The decision of when or if to first have sex.

  They’d missed a big part of what probably helped couples stay together for the long haul, the building blocks that kept a relationship strong.

  In his defense, he hadn’t been looking for a girlfriend when he’d met Ali. He didn’t know then that one night with her wouldn’t be enough. That she would change how he looked at his life.

  That she was the one.

  He’d resisted all that for
a long time. Not any more. “You’re right. I’m sorry. We’ll make more time for just the two of us. Okay?” he asked.

  She bit her lip as her eyes glistened with unshed tears but nodded.

  These must be happy tears, right?

  What the hell did he know? It was becoming very obvious he didn’t understand this woman and her odd response to things recently.

  All he did know was that if she was fighting tears over his saying they needed to go out to dinner more, he was afraid to see how she was going to react when the tiramisu showed up with the ring in it.

  He started to rethink his plan. Shooting a glance toward the maître de he’d slipped the engagement ring to, Jon wondered if he should abort.

  Deciding to let it ride for now, Jon looked over at Ali and realized she still only had water in front of her. They’d both been on edge lately. Maybe a drink would help her relax.

  “Did you want a glass of wine with your dinner? I can get the waiter—”

  “No. Thanks. I don’t want any.” She paused and then added, “I’m, uh, on a diet.”

  Jon drew his brows down. “You don’t need to be on a diet. You look great.”

  If she had put on any weight, he couldn’t see it. Besides, he loved Ali’s curves. She was built like a real woman, not a stick figure.

  “Thank you. I’m just trying to eat a little healthier.” She dropped her gaze to her dish and let out a short laugh. “But I obviously make exceptions for homemade pasta.”

  “As you should.” It was good to hear her joke. He grinned, but then started to fear for his plan again. What if she skipped dessert in her effort to eat healthy? “And for Giorgio’s famous tiramisu too, I hope.”

  “Yeah, I think that’s a must.” Her lips tipped up in a smile.

  Phew. Crisis averted.

  The discussion of food seemed to disperse the tension between them. Ali loosened up a bit and the rest of the meal was almost normal.

  Normal, except for the ball of nerves that had settled in the pit of Jon’s stomach as he waited for dessert to be served.

  Finally, the leftovers had been taken away and boxed up, and the wait was over. After a meaningful glance in his direction, the server placed the tiramisu in front of Ali.