by Johnson, Cat
The moment she surrounded me I felt it. A connection. A feeling of finally finding . . . home, for lack of a better word.
Shit. This wasn’t turning out to be some mindless fuck. But that’s exactly what it needed to be.
Yeah, I could enjoy her company for a few days until Robert returned. And even then, maybe she and I could get together at her place, or hell, on the beach. Or even here, if I wanted to deal with the old man sticking his nose in my personal life once he knew I’d had an overnight guest.
But after that, when my leave was over and I went back to real life, that would be it. She, this, would be a memory. One that I could let my mind return to but not repeat.
“What’s wrong? You all right?” she asked.
I realized I’d frozen. Sunk deep inside her with my hands hooked beneath her knees and her gaze on me, I’d been thinking so hard I’d forgotten to move.
Of all the problems I had, thinking too much had never been one of them. Particularly during sex.
“Nah. I’m good. More than good.” The last came out on a growl as I got my head—and my cock—back in the game.
If this thing between us was going to be a limited run, I was going to enjoy it to the fullest.
I leaned low and latched on to her neck, kissing then nipping her flesh as I thrust hard and fast.
I’d jerked off to images of this woman more times than I wanted to admit in the short amount of time I’d known her. That had to help me hold back now as I loved her for an impressively long time, if I did say so myself.
Finally, I hit the point of no return. With the sensation of fire and ice shooting through me, I held deep and came hard.
Only after I’d collapsed over her, still buried inside, did I feel it. Her muscles rhythmically gripping my spent cock.
Her breaths came short and fast, ramping up to soft cries.
I pressed closer, holding myself inside even as I threatened to slip out. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the feel of this woman coming around me. I enjoyed every pulse and held my breath as I waited longer and longer for the next one to come until finally there were no more.
“Fuck.” I breathed out the cuss before lifting my head to get a look at her face. “That . . . you . . . I . . .”
“Spit it out, big boy.” Her lips quirked up in a smile, the cocky woman in charge back in full force. Her attitude had me starting to get hard again.
I groaned. “We’re doing this again.”
“Can you?” Her icy stare dropped low where I’d just pulled out of her and was in the process of snapping off the used condom.
I heard the challenge in her voice and I was more than up for it. “Just watch me.”
Covered and ready, I flipped her over onto her stomach. She squeaked along with the mattress as I lifted her hips high and knee walked behind her. “I hope you don’t have any plans for the rest of the night.”
“I have to be on set early in the morning.”
“Don’t worry. I should be done by then.” I grinned, plunging inside and forcing a breath out of her.
“I do need to sleep at some point,” she gasped, breathing hard as I set a fast pace.
“Do you though?” I questioned.
She laughed. That was all the answer I needed.
I eyed the box on the nightstand. It was only a three-pack. Apparently, Robert didn’t have as much faith in my stamina as I did. But I was betting the other guestroom was similarly stocked. And if not? Then we’d just have to get creative.
In fact, I really liked that idea. So much potential.
“I’m very glad you stumbled onto the wrong property,” I said as I reached my hand around and slid it down her belly.
She sucked in a breath between her teeth as I found her clit, before she said, “Me too.”
4
Joanne
I’ll freely admit that I’m addicted to coffee. And I was fine with that. But the realization that after only three nights spent in Jacob’s bed had caused me to be addicted to the man did not sit well with me. Not at all.
How did I know I was addicted? Because after being away from him for just a few days, I felt his absence. Felt it to my core. And not just between my legs either. I missed seeing him at the end of a long workday. Missed the release—the escape—he provided. Our time together gave me what I hadn’t realized was missing in my workaholic life.
I should have never gone back that second night. Or the third. I definitely shouldn’t have spent the whole night with him every damn time. And I really, really shouldn’t have let him cook me breakfast that second morning.
That act felt even more intimate than all we’d done in bed. And in the pool . . . and in the hot tub. We attempted it in the sauna and almost died from the heat.
But it all paled compared to the time we did it in the screening room while my favorite guilty pleasure played on the giant screen.
Why had I told him I loved Outlander?
Sitting on Jacob, naked, in that big leather recliner, and letting him make me come while I watched a larger-than-life Jamie make love to Claire was completely over the top—and hot as hell. I’d loved every second of it and felt my cheeks burn every time I thought of it.
This was bad. Very, very bad. But I’d obviously brought it all on myself.
I couldn’t fall for Jacob. I barely knew him. Not that that mattered. I’d known my ex-fiancé plenty well after a decade and he’d dumped me out of the blue.
I’d never recover fully from that betrayal. The scars had hardened my heart, I’d thought to the point I’d never be tempted to let another man in.
But I was tempted by Jacob.
Shit.
I should go home and take out that engagement ring and look at it good and hard. It was the reminder I needed to reinforce what I knew but was in danger of forgetting. I couldn’t trust men. I couldn’t trust love.
Yet here I was, turning into Jacob’s driveway rather than the beach house where we were filming what I hoped would be my company’s next hit reality show.
After being away from set for days putting out fires in the main office in Burbank, I should head directly to the beach house and check in with Maria.
I chastised myself—for so many reasons—for not doing exactly that as I rang the bell at the gate of the house next door. For the first time the gate was actually closed, which seemed strange since it had always been open before.
“Hello?” An older man’s voice responded to my buzz, which threw me completely.
“Um, hi. I was looking for Jacob—” I stopped when I realized I’d never learned his last name.
Jesus. I knew his body. The taste. The smell. Every tattoo and scar, but not his last name. What exactly did that say about me?
And now that I thought about it, why did he have so many scars anyway?
Christ, was he like a squatter? A vagabond who cased empty beach houses and moved in while the owners were away? My trust issues were on high alert as I waited for the man in the house to ask, Jacob, who?
“I’m sorry. Jacob left. But I’m certain he’ll be very disappointed he missed you.” At the flirty tone in the man’s raspy voice my gaze flew to the speaker and I realized there was a camera. He could see me but I couldn’t see him. “Can I give him a message?”
“No. Thank you. No need. Sorry to have bothered you.” I had the window up and the car in reverse as quickly as I could, fleeing from the scene of my humiliation.
Jacob was gone. No warning. No goodbye. Not even a note saying, it’s been fun.
The last thing I was in the mood to do was be on set and have to deal with the cast and crew. But I knew it was what I needed to do. Throw myself into work and forget all about Jacob.
5
Jacob
“Hey,” I said when Robert answered my call.
“Well, hello there. Are you back?” Robert asked.
“Just got to base.”
“I must say it’s quite rude they disturbed you on your vacation.�
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I laughed at Robert’s ire on my behalf.
Unfortunately, my command didn’t give a fuck I was on leave. When I got called up, I had to go, vacation or not. At least this had been a quick one. In and out. Just how I liked it.
“By my calculations,” Robert continued, “they owe you another week off to make up for the time they stole from you. So come back and spend it here.”
I chuckled again. “It doesn’t work that way. I’ll have to put in a request for any time outside of my original leave.”
“Stupid rules.” He sighed. “Still, you weren’t due back until Monday, correct? You could come back for the weekend.”
“I could.” I smiled, knowing he’d talk me into driving there tonight even if the last thing I wanted to do was be in any sort of vehicle after the transport from hell I’d endured the past twenty-four hours.
“I’d think you want to come back given the vixen who came looking for you yesterday.”
“What’s that now?” I asked as he captured my full attention.
“Blonde. Late thirties, maybe. Asked for you by name. Didn’t want to leave a message.”
The smile spread wide across my face. Joanne had come looking for me. But crap. I’d left without even a goodbye. That wasn’t going to sit well with her. “What did you tell her?”
“That you’d left.”
“Nothing else?”
“No, nothing else. You’re always reminding me I can’t go around telling people you’re a SEAL. Like it’s some state secret.”
“Shit.” I drew in a breath. “Did she look mad I wasn’t there?”
“She didn’t look happy. So, are you going to tell me whom she is?”
I wanted to say no. The word was on the tip of my tongue, but Robert was a friend, not to mention he’d always been insanely generous to me. And I had taken advantage of his hospitality with Joanne. In all sorts of places.
“She works for the production company making that reality show next door. She got lost and showed up at your place by mistake. So I gave her directions to the right address.”
“And is that all you gave her? Directions?”
I let out a huff, digging my heels in to preserve what was left of my privacy. But the reality was Robert was currently my closest—hell, my only—link to Joanne. I should have gotten her damn phone number. I’d figured we had time for all that. I should have known better. I was paying for that assumption now.
“You serious about that invitation for this weekend?” I asked.
“Ah ha! You two did do more than just talk.”
“I’m not going to answer that.”
“Then I’ll just go count the condoms in the guest room,” he threatened.
I bit out a vile curse, which only had Robert laughing. Defeated, I said, “Fine. Yes. We spent a few nights together. And I assumed we’d have a few more.”
“Then you got recalled,” he finished my thought.
“Yup.”
“And? I’m assuming since she came looking for you that you hadn’t told her you were leaving.”
“I don’t have her number.”
“And your legs don’t work? You couldn’t walk next door and leave a note?”
I knew Robert’s stance on my generation’s reliance on cell phones. I wasn’t in the mood to argue it now when I was clearly in the wrong. For not getting her number. For not leaving her a note or something. I had only one thing in my defense. “I didn’t have any time to do anything except grab my bag—which luckily I keep packed—and jump in the car. We went wheels up as soon as I hit the airfield.”
“Then I guess you need to get your ass back here and explain that to her.”
“I think you’re right. Are you sure it’s okay if I come back tonight? I don’t want to put you out—"
Robert let out a string of obscenities. “Jesus. You’re not putting me out. You can move in here if you want to. You saved my life. If you hadn’t been jogging by Hotel Coronado when I had that heart attack, I’d be dead.”
“Someone else would have administered CPR if I hadn’t been there. But thank you. I wouldn’t mind spending the weekend with you.” And I certainly wouldn’t mind running into Joanne so I could explain.
“So get your ass in your car and get over here. I’ve got a bottle already open and I can’t guarantee there will be any left by the time you arrive.”
I rolled my eyes, not worried since I knew he bought all his favorite liquor by the case. “All right. I’ll be there in a few.”
“A few hours you mean. I don’t know why you can’t just jump in a helicopter. Don’t you have a few of those around there?”
I shook my head at his assumptions. “See you soon.”
“Jacob?”
“Yeah?”
“If I were you, I’d bring your dress uniform with you.”
I frowned. “Why?”
“No woman can resist a man in a uniform. You want to woo her back, you wear that. Trust me.”
I laughed out loud at the suggestion. “If you say so. I’m hanging up now.”
Disconnecting I shoved clean shorts, underwear and a couple of T-shirts into my duffle for the next few days. My swimsuit was already at Robert’s house where I’d forgotten it hanging in the shower stall drying when I’d rushed out.
I turned to leave when Robert’s crazy theory had me turning back and walking to my closet.
What the hell. Why not? My uniform might not help, but it couldn’t hurt.
6
Joanne
“This is boring. A bunch of Millennials sitting around drinking is not gonna beat last season’s ratings.”
Maria stared at me, a frown marring her brow. “We’ve got Truth or Dare Giant Jenga scheduled for tomorrow morning—”
“Move it up to tonight.”
She cringed. “They’re pretty drunk.”
“Exactly.” I met her stare head on, not backing down.
Maybe I had been taking my bad mood out on everyone since finding Jacob gone, but I was still the executive producer. It was my reputation on the line if this show tanked because we’d somehow chosen the most lackluster cast on earth.
Maria finally reached for her radio. “Set up the Jenga. We’re moving it up to tonight instead of tomorrow.”
“Um, all right. I’m on it,” her assistant’s reply came through the radio.
Satisfied, I nodded. “Thank you.”
“No problem. It’s a good idea.” She turned to look at me, then looked past me. “What the hell?”
I spun to see what was happening. Hopefully it was something ratings worthy. And if it was, there had better be a camera catching it.
What I saw had my mouth going dry. Jacob in full dress uniform was walking up the path from the driveway.
Maria and I weren’t the only ones to spot him. The formerly dead cast finally woke up and took notice.
“Who’s that?”
“Oh. My. God.”
“Is he joining the cast?”
I ignored the girls’ comments and just stared, speechless, as Jacob walked across the courtyard and toward me.
“Do we know this SEAL?” Maria asked, apparently noticing the trident he wore just as I had.
The question knocked me out of my stupor. “I do.”
“Hmm. Is he a new cast member?” Maria asked, with more than a bit of interest.
“Definitely not.” The last thing I wanted was Jacob on set around the females of this cast.
My jealousy was not a good sign. I could not let myself be swayed by this man in his showy uniform. I could not be with him again. More, I knew I couldn’t bear being hurt again.
He approached me with his hat literally in his hand, his head hung low. “Hi.”
I swallowed and somehow managed to say, “Hi.”
He glanced around at the circus surrounding us. “Can we talk?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think we—”
“If you don’t want to talk then just listen. I d
idn’t tell you what I am, what I do, and that’s my fault. I should have. I would have.”
He took a step closer and I saw the sincerity in his eyes, in addition to the rows of ribbons on his chest.
“I stupidly assumed we’d have more time. But then I got recalled and had literally hours to drive back to base. I know you’re mad and you have every right to be. I’m so sorry.” He moved even closer, reaching out to run his hand down my arm. “I’ll do better in the future.”
“The future?”
“Yeah. If you’ll let me. Coronado isn’t all that far from here. And it seems my friend is all for me being next door as often as possible—"
Jacob didn’t get to finish his sentence as I leapt forward and crashed my lips against his.
Clearly, I was going to have to schedule an extra therapy session for this month because it seemed like a good idea to kiss him. To forgive him. To enter into a no-doubt ill-fated relationship with an active duty Navy SEAL stationed at a base over three hours away.
While I kissed him, every one of the many issues I had with being with him, plus any I could come up with in the future, fled from my brain.
“This is just like that Tom Cruise movie!” one of the cast squealed.
“It’s so romantic!”
The comments, and the accompanying discussion it spurred, reminded me we weren’t alone. I pulled back, but not far.
“Does this mean you forgive me?” he asked.
I didn’t answer. I had a question of my own. “You said you didn’t do relationships.”
“I was wrong. As it turns out, I do.” His gaze held mine. “What about you?”
My heart fluttered with hope that scared the hell out of me. In spite of the fear, I said, “I might be willing to give it a try.”
He leaned in and touched his forehead to mine. “That’s good to hear. Maybe we should get out of here and discuss it.”
Jacob looked like he was anticipating more than just talking. I know I was.
“Okay.” Nodding, I turned to Maria.
