“This is Marin. I grew up here.”
“It’s so beautiful. I love it here.”
“Well, maybe we could move here one day. Marin could use a great Mexican restaurant.”
“Stop, teasing.”
He laughed. and grabbed my thigh. I leaned over and kissed him. My hair blew in the wind. This was the life. I was so carefree, so happy.
He exited the freeway and told me he was taking me to his hometown. We parked in downtown Tiburon and I was charmed by the quaint little shops. The downtown area overlooked the ocean.
We stopped in a coffee house and I indulged in a rich, velvet mocha. Since I had moved to San Diego I had developed a taste for expensive espresso. It was a treat that I didn’t have every day, but San Diego’s culture of coffee houses and craft beers had influenced me.
As I was waiting for my drink, I noticed this drop dead gorgeous girl standing next to me. She wore a long flowy dress and had perfect sun kissed hair. She posed her drink next to flowers and a book. Then she sat at a table and took out a selfie stick out and snapped a shot of herself. Wow, she must’ve been one of those Instagram girls I heard about it. I was so behind the times. I still didn’t even have a smart phone. I wondered what it must be like to make a living being pretty.
Beck put his hand on my back and took to Sam’s Anchor Cafe, a seafood restaurant that was packed. I ordered Dungeness Crab Cioppino and Beck had a flat iron steak.
I had never been happier than I had been at that moment. We were a normal couple. We were together. I no longer felt insecure. But I still wondered what the future would hold. I didn’t need any more guarantees.
The waiter brought dessert to the table with a cover on top. Seemed fancy for this restaurant but maybe they wanted to keep it cold. When he lifted the lid, I gasped.
There was a small black velvet box underneath.
¡Ay, Dios Mío!
I couldn't even control myself. I burst into tears before Beck even dropped to his knee.
He took my hand and I was shaking. “Paloma look at me. You came into my life when I needed you the most. I’m proud of you. You make me a better man. You say I saved you, but you are wrong. You saved me and Sky. I don’t want to live another day without you. Will you marry me?”
Chapter Thirty-One
Street Tacos
“Yes, yes, yes!” Paloma screamed.
I scooped her into my arms. For the past two months, I knew more than ever that I loved her, that I couldn’t imagine my life without her, that I wanted to marry her.
And she said yes.
“We’re having an engagement party tonight. Brittney organized it. She flew out with Sky.”
Paloma’s eyes welled up in tears. “I love you. I can’t believe you did all this for me.”
“I love you, too. I don’t want to live without you. Our life won’t be easy. I’ll be gone all the time, but I’ll always come home to you.”
I slipped the ring on her finger and we finished our lunch. Then I took her shopping for a new dress and heels. She even got a manicure and a pedicure, which she had never done.
We showed up at six to Guaymas, a Mexican restaurant in Tiburon. I had gone all out. There were mariachis, a margarita bar, and a taco bar. My fellow pilots made their way in but I was most happy when Brittney walked in, holding Sky.
Paloma ran to Sky and grabbed her from Brittney’s arms.
“Hi baby! Oh I missed you so much,”
Brittney pulled Paloma into an embrace. “Congratulations, Paloma. You look so beautiful. And Catherine would really like you.”
Those words caused Paloma to cry again. I took her around and introduced her to all the other pilots and their wives. Then the door to the restaurant opened.
And my mother and father were standing there.
I walked over to her and greeted my father.
“Congrats, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
I glared at my mom.
“Mom, please. Don’t ruin our day.”
“I will do nothing of the sort.” She walked over to Paloma. “Darling, I’m sorry how I treated you. I was just looking out for Beckett. But he loves you. Welcome to the family.”
And we all hugged.
And finally, after losing Catherine, my world was complete again.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Strawberries
I drew myself a warm bath, knowing that Beck was waiting for me outside the door.
Tonight was the night. The night I’d dreamed of since I had moved in with Beck.
I poured in a capful of bubbles and slipped into the warm water. This tub was luxurious—a white stand alone on a marble floor with views of the Golden Gate Bridge. A view of the ocean. To think just a month ago, I had never seen the ocean. I had never flown on a plane. I had never left El Centro. And now I was in San Francisco. I was in love. And I was engaged.
As the hot water filled the tub and the bubbles began to form, heat rose between my legs. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to get lost in the moment. I sipped on champagne that Beck had poured and snacked on a few strawberries that room service had brought into the room to celebrate our engagement.
I slowly emerged from the bath and rubbed coconut lotion all over my body. Then I pulled on a white silk slip and matching panties.
For once I wasn’t going to think about my mother, my sisters, or Sky. Tonight was going to be the first time in my life that I was going to live for me.
I took a deep breath and opened the door. Beck’s jaw dropped when he saw me in my slip.
“Come here, babe.”
I walked over to him. Confident, feeling sexy and not shy.
I placed my hands around his neck and straddled his lap. “I love you.”
A sly grin graced his face. His lips crashed on mine and my pussy throbbed. “I love you, too. I love you so much, baby.”
“Lay down.”
Yes, sir.
He took one finger and slowly pressed it inside me. The pressure felt so good, so right, but I want more of him. He kissed my neck as another finger entered me. His technique was incredible, and I felt the pleasure build again. We stared into each other’s eyes and all I knew was that I never wanted anything more in my life.
“Ready, babe?”
“Yes. Please.”
He removed his fingers and dropped his boxer briefs and I stared at his cock. He slowly pressed it inside me and I gasped, as I felt myself stretching to take him. Pleasure and pain intricately bound together. Inch by inch, until he was fully inside me. Then he cupped my head. “Look at me. I love you. You saved me.”
I didn’t want to cry but I couldn’t help it. He kissed away my tears as we made love. We moved together as one. We were finally one now. Body and spirit and soul. Our rhythms synced and the pleasure filled my soul. He kissed my lips, kissed my neck, my breasts.
After a loving eternity, he flipped me over so I was straddling his lap. I rubbed my clit over him as he suckled on my nipples.
“Come, baby.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and rode him until another orgasm pooled in my belly and for the second time tonight I came. He quickly came after me as I collapsed in his arms.
After our bodies remained connected for a few moments longer, we finally separated.
He wrapped his arms around me. “I can’t wait to marry you.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Blueberry Muffin
Seven Months Later
Beck and I had a beautiful wedding on the beach of Coronado. My father walked me down the aisle and even my mother attended. She took one look at my father and burst into tears. He hugged her and they talked about the past. I prayed that she found some piece.
My sisters were thriving in school. Ana María took dance classes and Mónica decided to go out for the swim team. She was still boy crazy but at least, she now had other interests. She also wanted to attend college.
Beck and I had moved to Coronado, a few blocks away f
rom my father. The girls spent so much time with them but they lived with us. My father and Jill were also happy to watch Sky any time I needed them too.
And Sky and I had so much fun together. We took mommy and me yoga, and mommy and me music. Every day I thanked my blessing for her and Beck.
I had quit my job but still attended school, where I planned to study sociology. And I still wanted to open a restaurant one day. But for now, I was content.
I placed a blanket down at Tidelands park in Coronado. Sky sat in the middle of it and snacked on her blueberry muffin. A stunning woman with icy blonde hair, designer sunglasses, a huge diamond and even a bigger belly walked over to me. She must’ve been at least eight months pregnant.
“Excuse me, you are so wonderful with that little girl. I was wondering, are you happy with your current job? I hear you speaking Spanish and I would love to have a bilingual nanny. How much are they paying you? I’m prepared to offer you a healthy bonus and health insurance. I’m due next month and we haven’t found a nanny.”
I gulped. Wow, did rich people just think they could buy people off? Even if I was still a nanny, I clearly was bonded to Sky. How horrible. But I gazed down at Sky's happy face, bouncy blonde locks, and bright blue eyes. When I reached for her hand, her creamy skin contrasted with mine.
“Oh, congratulations. I appreciate your offer, but I’m not Sky's nanny. I’m her mom. But nice to meet you. I’m Paloma. My husband and I just moved here. We love Coronado. I live up the street. Do you live nearby?”
The woman’s jaw dropped. And I got it. No matter what, I still didn't look like I belonged in this sea of wealthy people. I might never fit in with the wealthy residents of this town.
But I no longer cared what other people thought of me. When Sky looked up at me, she didn’t notice that my skin was darker and hers was lighter. All she saw was that I was her mother. Beck and Sky loved me. They saw me as part of their family.
And I finally realized, that was all that mattered.
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Conceit
Se7en Deadly SEALs #1
Conceit
The Se7en Deadly SEALs Series
Episode One
Copyright © 2014 by Alana Albertson.
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It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels
Saint Augustine
Countdown
Se7en Deadly SEALs bound to secrecy about a night that ended in tragedy
6ix months my brother Joaquín has spent in jail for murder
5ive hours a day I’ve trained to go undercover to learn the truth
4our plastic surgeries to transform into a pinup to gain access to their world
Thre3 shots of tequila I knock back before I strip and dance for the SEALs
2wo years since I’d left my soul mate, Grant, the only man who can help me now
1ne dead stripper found strangled and drugged
Zer0 room for error
I'm Joaquín's only hope for freedom. No sin is too depraved, no challenge is too great. Even if it means destroying my soul.
Chapter One
Mia
THE PRISON GUARD LED ME down the hall to the waiting room. A pregnant girl cowered in the corner, an older couple embraced each other, and a pale, skinny woman bit her nails as a young boy fidgeted in her lap. The rancid smell of vomit loosely masked with bleach made me gag. This scene was so pathetic. We were all here to see our loved ones incarcerated in this hellhole.
“Your boyfriend will be out in ten minutes,” the guard sneered, his eyes undressing me.
“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my brother, and he’s innocent.”
The guard laughed and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. “Sure, he is, sweetheart, never met a guilty one.”
Jerk. That guard wasn’t fit to polish Joaquín’s boots.
After an agonizing wait, the prisoners stumbled out into their partitioned section of the room. My brother came last. All my girlfriends were in love with Joaquín—who could blame them? Even in this pit of despair, he still looked like the ultimate alpha male. His muscles bulged in his orange prison jumpsuit, the elbow-length sleeves barely covering his tattoos.
At least I didn’t have to worry about anyone screwing with him in jail; he was trained to kill a man with his bare hands. Joaquín had everything going for him. Until he was charged with a crime he didn’t commit. I knew my brother, and he simply couldn’t be guilty of what he was accused of doing.
Joaquín was an easy target—a poor Mexican-American orphan with no trust fund, no senator endorsements, and no college education. But my brother had integrity, loyalty, and honor. He would never disgrace his Teammates, betray his country, or destroy his brotherhood. And he could never hurt a woman.
He tapped on the glass, and we both reached for the phone. “Thanks for flying down, Mia. Are you okay?”
I threw my free hand in the air. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m not the one in jail facing the death penalty for murder. I took the first flight I could get. What the hell happened?”
The man on the other side of the glass wasn’t the brother I’d grown to respect and adore. He was still strong, still resolute, and seemingly impenetrable. But his eyes … I looked right into his eyes. Though his long dark lashes covered his pain, I knew him too well. To anyone else, he would seem formidable, but to his baby sister he looked broken, torn.
“I didn’t kill her. I can’t talk about what happened in here.” His eyebrows motioned toward the cameras in the corner of the room. “But you have to believe me.”
I swallowed. I’d watched the incessant news coverage. It didn’t look good. Two weeks ago, one of Joaquín’s commanding officers, Paul Thompson, had thrown a huge party for his SEAL Team at his parents’ oceanfront home in Encinitas. Witnesses interviewed by the pol
ice said they heard loud music and saw women coming in and out of the place. Guess the neighbors weren’t exactly going to call the cops on a group of SEALs.
In the early hours of the morning after the party, Joaquín had discovered a lifeless stripper named Tiffany in his bed. He called 911, and the paramedics determined that she’d been dead for hours. Joaquín told detectives that he’d slept with her the night before, but that she had been fine when he fell asleep. The police didn’t charge him immediately and waited for the autopsy results. Two days ago, the coroner ruled that she’d died from asphyxiation and had the date rape drug Rohypnol in her system. Since Joaquín had admitted to having sex with her, he had been arrested and charged with her murder.
He already said he didn’t kill her. He would never lie to me, and we kept no secrets from each other. Well … we never used to. I held my own deep secret close, never wanting to add any burden to Joaquín’s intense life.
“Can’t anyone clear you? Are the other guys in the Team trying to help or did they desert you? What about Grant …” My voice trailed off.
My ex-boyfriend Grant Carrion, Joaquín’s swim buddy in BUD/S, had been there that night. And I knew the rest of the guys on their Team pretty well. After our parents had died, Joaquín had become my legal guardian, and I’d moved to San Diego to finish my senior year in high school. I met Grant right before I graduated, and we started dating at the beginning of my freshman year at San Diego State. I’d transferred to San Francisco State as a junior two years ago because it had the best drama department. Well, that was the official excuse for me fleeing—I could’ve finished school in San Diego. The reality was much more painful. Too painful for me to think about, let alone deal with.
Blue Sky (Blue Devils Book 1) Page 15
