SEAL's Desire

by Makenna Jameison

  The other men whooped and hollered, and Blake muttered under his breath.

  “Attaboy!” Grayson said, grinning.

  “Leave it to you to pick up a woman in the middle of the goddamn rainforest,” Ethan said.

  “Enough joking around,” Blake ground out.

  “How is she?” Jackson asked. Blake had given them the briefest of updates when he’d established communication on the sat phone. Otherwise, there was no way they’d be joking about a woman they’d rescued in a hostage situation.

  As it was, his friends had to realize she wasn’t just any woman. It’s not like he usually went around kissing the women he rescued. Scratch that. It had never happened. And with all the waves of protectiveness washing over him right now? It was all he could do not to turn around and rush back to her side.

  “She’s holding up pretty well, all things considered,” Blake said. He briefly gave them the rundown of their escape from the terrorists’ camp and what had happened earlier.

  “Holy shit,” Logan said. “What made her come to the rainforest anyway? She was doing research or something?”

  “She’s a biologist,” Blake said, grabbing the water bottle Ethan tossed his way as he sank down into a chair. He set his weapon and rucksack down on the ground, eyeing his dirty combat boots. “She loves nature and camping,” he added with a wry smile.

  “So she’s the female version of you,” Grayson said. “Only better looking.”

  The other men laughed, and Blake shook his head, taking a pull of the cool water. Let those guys rib him all they wanted. He’d been the one kissing her earlier, helping her undress by the stream. Not that he was about to tell any of them that.

  “We have Abboud,” Troy said, catching Blake’s eye.

  “Good. Damn too bad I missed it, but hell. At least I got Clarissa out of there.”

  “The CO wants us to fly home ASAP. Another storm is blowing in tonight though, so the pilot wants to leave at oh-six-hundred tomorrow.”

  Blake rolled his shoulders, looking at his team. “I can work with that. Grab a shower and a hot meal, then crash.” Instantly, Clarissa’s face flashed through his mind. Would she want to eat with them? Sleep near them? Hell, he’d love to sleep with her wrapped up in the safety of his arms, but he wanted her to feel comfortable.

  If she needed to be alone, he could respect that.

  Maybe she’d clung to him earlier because he was the only other one there.

  But no, he couldn’t have imagined the chemistry and connection between them.

  They set up their equipment for a secure video conference with their CO, quickly debriefing. “I understand you brought a hostage out of there,” he said, eyeing Blake over the small screen.

  “Affirmative. We didn’t even know she was there, but somehow I found her in the middle of it.”

  “Footage has been released of her and posted online. It appears Abboud took a video before she was rescued.”

  “God damn it,” Blake muttered. “I was hoping that would never see the light of day.”

  “They won’t get a ransom for her release, of course, but they are hoping for attention and notoriety. They have video footage of an American woman and can claim whatever the hell they want.”

  “So when we get home, everyone will know who she is?” Troy asked.

  Their CO nodded. “It’s best that she return with you directly. We’ll arrange for her to fly home to Texas eventually after she receives whatever medical treatment is necessary.”

  “Understood,” Blake said. Part of him was relieved to know he’d get to see a little more of her. He wasn’t sure how Clarissa would feel about it though. She might have been hoping to get home to her own things, her own bed. He needed to find her as soon as he could.

  BLAKE CROSSED BASE later on, heading toward the medical bay. Clarissa was probably still in there, getting her arm wrapped and hopefully cleaned up. He knocked on the door, flashing his ID, and then walked inside a moment later.

  Clarissa was lying in a cot, wearing some ill-fitting fatigues. Instantly, lust surged through him. What would she look like in his clothes?

  That blonde hair and those curves would look sexy as sin if she were wearing one of his shirts. It would probably hit her mid-thigh, and he’d....

  Blake shook his head. He needed to talk to her, not mentally undress her. He couldn’t deny the immediate and instant attraction he felt toward her though. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his gaze washing over her. She still looked pale, but not in any pain. They must’ve given her something for her broken wrist. And set it, he thought as he looked at the splint.

  “Okay. They gave me some pain meds and a change of clothes. I’m dying for a hot shower though.”

  He nodded. “We’re going to have to stay the night here. There’s a bad storm moving in, so the pilot doesn’t want to fly out yet.”

  Her face fell slightly. “Okay. I was hoping we’d leave right away, but I understand.”

  “It’ll be all right,” he assured her. “We’ll get you settled in and grab a meal. I’ll introduce you to the guys.”

  “I’d like that. It was all so chaotic earlier....” Her voice trailed off again. “The State Department said they can issue me a new passport. I don’t need it to fly home with you of course, but I’ll need some identification when I get back. I guess I’ll need a locksmith to get into my place.”

  “Damn. No one has a spare key?”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay, I’ll just arrange for someone to meet me whenever I fly back to Texas. I’ll catch a cab from the airport and meet them at my house.”

  Blake nodded, not liking that she had to deal with everything on her own. What could he do though? She lived in a different state. He had his work back in Coronado. He could take leave, he supposed, to help her, but damn. He was jumping ten steps ahead of himself. Maybe she wouldn’t even want his help. Maybe they’d land in California, and he’d never see her again.

  “So where are we staying?” she asked. “Somewhere on base?”

  “I’ll make sure you get a room. Sometimes the guys and I end up in the barracks. We’re used to roughing it, and it’s just for the night. I’ll make sure you’re somewhere safe though.”

  “They gave me these since I was covered in mud,” she said, gesturing to the fatigues.

  “A little big, but it works for you,” he said with a wink.

  She flushed, and he chuckled. “I’ll see if I can round up something else for you to wear. Hell, I’ve got a spare tee shirt you can borrow. It’ll still be big for you but not covered in mud like your clothes.”

  The doctor walked back in then, giving her instructions to rest up and take the medication again later that night. Blake walked out with her a few minutes later, and they made their way to the housing quarters. She clutched her own dirty clothes in a bag, and Blake felt his gaze locking on her once again.

  She looked so lost and alone at the moment, he wanted to wrap her up in his arms.

  The conferred briefly with someone on base, and then Blake led her to her room. Pausing at the doorway, he eyed her carefully. “Do you need any help? I promise not to do anything you don’t want, but it might be hard with your arm.”

  She nodded, looking shyly up at him. “Yeah. I could use the help. I wouldn’t mind the company right now either.”

  “Let’s go then,” he said, gesturing into her room.

  His teammates were probably wondering what the hell had happened to him. They knew he was checking on Clarissa, but damn. He wasn’t about to leave her right now. Blake walked toward the bathroom, ignoring any pretense of why he was here. He’d help her undress, maybe wait outside the bathroom in case she needed him, and then let her rest.

  Go hang out with his team for a few hours.

  The fact that his pulse was pounding and groin was tightening didn’t mean a damn thing.

  He took the liberty of turning on the shower, telling himself it would be hard for her when using only one
arm. He wouldn’t mind a shower himself at this point, but he could wait until he made it back to the barracks.

  “Oh, wow,” she said as she wandered into the bathroom. “Someone picked up some toiletries for me—toothbrush, soap.”

  “Yep.” Blake said. “I told them you didn’t have anything. And I’ve got some clothes in my bag in case you’d rather wear my tee shirt or something.”

  Clarissa looked down at her splint. “Um, I guess if you can just help me get the top off. Then I’ll try to wash my hair.”

  He nodded, swallowing. She was trusting him to help undress her, not run his hands over her body and caress every inch of her skin. He reached out, unbuttoning the top she wore. He could keep this clinical. Pretend there wasn’t electricity surging between them.

  “Your friends seemed nice,” she said.

  Blake chuckled. “I’m undressing you in the bathroom, and you want to talk about my friends?” He quirked his brow.

  “I’m nervous,” she admitted.

  “I helped you earlier today,” he said nonchalantly. “Nothing to be nervous about.”

  He slid the top off her shoulders, easing it down her injured arm. They’d cut the sleeve so it fit over her splint, but hell. He still didn’t want to jar it unnecessarily. Clarissa’s breath hitched as the shirt fell to the ground, and he briefly gazed at her. She was in nothing but her bra and those ridiculously big pants.

  He stuck his hand into the shower. “Water temperature is good. I’ll just—” He nodded toward the door.

  “Um, can you unfasten the back of my bra first? I’ll turn around.”

  She flushed, and Blake nodded, reaching out to brush her blonde hair back from her face. “You want me to help you wash this?” he asked. “It might be hard with one hand.”

  Biting her lip, she nodded. Blake could see that she was feeling anxious. Hell. He wanted to kiss her right now, caress her all over. Ease that anxiety and fear away. She was putting her trust in him though. He could keep his hands to himself and act like a gentleman.

  She turned, and Blake undid the tiny little hook at the back of her bra. She kept her back to him but slid it off. Unable to stop himself, Blake’s eyes slid to the mirror. She was beautiful. Stunning. White creamy breasts with perfect pink nipples. His cock hardened painfully, but he didn’t touch her as she unfastened her pants.

  “You’re going to get soaked,” she murmured, her back still to him.

  “Yeah. I’ll take off my shirt.” He shucked it off as she quickly undressed and stepped into the shower, only letting him see her bare back and bottom. She was slender and perfect, nothing but creamy flesh, womanly curves, and long, blonde hair.

  He stilled as she moaned beneath the soft spray. “Oh my God,” she breathed. “I didn’t realize how much I missed hot showers until this moment.”

  He quirked his lips. “I thought you liked roughing it outdoors.”

  She laughed, the sound doing funny things to his insides. “Maybe when it’s by choice.”

  “Fair enough,” he agreed, his voice deep. He grabbed the shampoo from the counter and stepped closer. “You ready for me?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He pushed aside the curtain and frowned at the bruises on her arm. “Hell. Does your arm hurt?” he asked, gently brushing his knuckles over her skin. She shivered at his touch but said no.

  Swallowing, he watched the water run down her blonde hair. He could see all of her, every square inch, and she was breathtaking. The side of her breast. The curve of her hip.

  He cleared his throat. “Sorry, just. Wow.” He began to awkwardly wash her hair, reaching into the shower and fumbling as he attempted to keep the water from spraying into the rest of the bathroom. She’d covered her breasts with one arm, but he still had an eyeful of her glorious cleavage.

  “Blake.”

  “Yep?”

  “This is silly. Just come in here with me.”

  “You sure?”

  She nodded, hastening a glance at him. “I need to shave,” he said, running a hand over his stubble. It had nothing to do with anything, just the fact that he was gruff and grungy at the moment. She didn’t seem concerned though, and he shucked his pants and boxers, stepping in with her.

  She gasped as he stood naked under the water, his erection straining toward her. “I can’t help it,” he said, trying to make her more comfortable. “Let me just finish up with your hair.”

  She stood in front of him, holding her wrist out of the spray, and he used both his hands to wash her hair. She sighed, leaning her head slightly back against him. Her eyes closed as the water ran over her. “You’re safe,” he murmured quietly, enjoying the feel of her wet, naked body so close to his.

  She relaxed into him further, his erection pressing against her lower back.

  It was erotic and sexy as hell watching the water sluice over her bare skin. Her back was still to him, but Blake towered above her and could easily see the perfect swells of her full breasts, the tips of her nipples.

  She wasn’t covering herself anymore, he realized.

  Gently, he slid one arm around her slender waist, holding her against him.

  The water was cathartic, washing everything away—their fears, the mud from the rainforest, even the reasons he had to stay away from her. She turned her head, looking up at him, and he ducked down for a kiss. It was slow and sweet, gentle, despite the fact that they were both naked and skin to skin.

  She whimpered, and he kissed her again, more deeply. His hand ran over her bare breasts, caressing and teasing her nipples. She gasped and arched back against him, kissing him harder. His other hand moved lower as she whimpered for him, and when his fingers slid between her pussy lips, he found she was already wet and ready.

  “You okay, sweetheart?” he asked.

  “Touch me, Blake.”

  Clarissa gasped as he obliged and trailed his fingers through her folds, finally rubbing her clit with slow circles. She was drenched with arousal, her face flushed, her breasts swollen. She moaned for him as he sped up his ministrations, and he captured her cries with his mouth as he drove her to the brink of ecstasy.

  Moving his hand lower, he slid two thick fingers into her molten core. She was so wet and tight, her inner walls clamping down around him. His thumb moved over her clit as he pumped his fingers in and out, and she screamed for him, her pussy milking his fingers as she came.

  Gasping for breath, she finally turned toward him. Blake grabbed a washcloth and began slowly cleaning her body, watching the soap suds move across her skin. He ran the washcloth up and down her arms, gently over her breasts, and then even between her legs as she flushed.

  “You’re beautiful,” he told her. “Let me take care of you.”

  “Blake, I just—I never expected this.”

  He ducked down and kissed her, ending any conversation. She surrendered to him sweetly, letting him take control. After he’d backed her against the cool tiles in the shower and made her come once more, this time with his tongue, he finally shut off the water. “I wasn’t expecting you either,” he admitted, his voice gruff. “But now that I’ve found you, I don’t think I can let you go.”

  Chapter 18

  CLARISSA GROANED AS the alarm clock blared at five a.m. the following morning. Or, oh five hundred, as Blake and his team called it.

  Blake reached over and hit the snooze button, pulling her close.

  They’d finally made it to dinner last night, where she’d met the rest of his team. She was sure she’d turned ten shades of red when one of the guys asked what had kept them. Blake was a perfect gentleman, saying only that he’d gotten her settled. She sensed they all knew something was going on with them though.

  And the fact that he’d slept in her room last night?

  She blushed furiously just thinking about facing them all on the flight home. “Hell. I never minded waking up early so much in the past,” Blake grumbled, kissing her bare shoulder as he spooned her from behind. She coul
d feel his hardness against her bottom and felt heat rising within her core. “But that’s because I didn’t have you in my arms.”

  He’d kissed and pleasured her again last night before they’d fallen asleep, but they hadn’t had sex yet. Clarissa wasn’t ready, and Blake hadn’t tried to pressure her at all.

  But feeling him behind her right now?

  She had to admit it was arousing as hell. Would she ever feel his thick length penetrating her, his powerful body moving atop hers? It was tempting to imagine spreading her legs as he slid into her body, joining them together as lovers.

  But the reality was, they were flying home today. Maybe she’d be in California a day or so, but her life was in Texas. She was already more wrapped up in Blake than she could’ve imagined—both literally and figuratively. His forearm rested between her breasts, and it was both possessive and protective the way he held her so close.

  She didn’t jump from guy to guy though, having one-night-stands or anything even close to that. And as attracted to him as she was, it would hurt to sleep with him—as in, let him make love to her—only to fly home days later.

  She awkwardly tried to sit up with her wrist splinted, clutching the sheet to her breasts. She shouldn’t have reason to feel shy—he was wrapped around her naked body right now. But the intimacy of the shower and last night in the dark felt different now that it was day.

  And they were leaving in an hour. She needed to dress and get ready, not spend a leisurely morning in bed with Blake. He helped her to sit up, his gaze heating as the sheet slipped below her bare breasts.

  Blake flashed her an easy grin. “Last night was good,” he said. “Better than good—amazing.”

  “Yeah,” she agreed with a shy smile. “It was.”

  “It kills me that we have to get up and leave right now. I’d much rather stay here in bed with you.” He stood up, stretching. His cock jutted out in front of him, but Blake didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest. Such a man, she thought as he sauntered toward the bathroom.

  He was beautiful in the morning light—all muscles and strength, not an ounce of fat on him.