Thinking of you.
She’d texted back but there was no response or any indication he’d seen the text, so it made her feel good that he’d taken the time to send her a quick note even though he was obviously busy. He’d been gone almost two weeks now and she missed him more than she should have, considering how little time they’d spent together. Her lips still burned from the kiss they’d shared, though, and the thought of what might happen once he got home was more than a little exciting.
It was mid-morning and Elias was having a snack when someone knocked on the door. Expecting to see Ron, she threw it open and froze in shock as she stared at Eric.
“Surprise,” he whispered, grinning at her.
“Hi!” She threw her arms around him before she could stop herself and was immediately caught up in another deep, passionate kiss, just like the one they’d shared before he left.
“Daddy!” Elias came running into the room and Delilah barely had time to get out of the way before he jumped into his father’s arms.
“Hey, buddy.” He kissed the top of his head and then came inside, setting down his duffel bag.
“You should have called,” she said, moving against him. “I don’t even have dinner on or anything. I was going to make grilled cheese for us since it’s so hot and the AC doesn’t work very well.”
“It doesn’t?” He made a face. “I’ll make some calls in the morning. For now, we’re going out to eat. How about we go to the beach and eat somewhere near there?”
“I’ve been blowing through money,” she said carefully. “We didn’t have any of the basics…salt, pepper, grated cheese, stuff like that, not to mention detergent and bleach and all that kind of thing. I’ve spent about six hundred so far on gas, groceries and general supplies.”
“We’re fine,” he said, leaning over to kiss her. “I got paid yesterday.”
“Oh, good.”
“Want to go to the beach, big guy?” he asked Elias.
“Yes!”
“Go find your bathing suit and we’ll go.”
Elias ran out of the room and Eric pulled Delilah close again. “Where were we?”
She laughed and wound her arms around his neck. “Right…here.” She leaned up to press her lips against his and was soon lost in him. He was so hard and soft at the same time, hard muscles flexing beneath soft skin and tender caresses. She never wanted it to end but Elias was back in a flash, already talking about the water and sand and his toys.
They were at the beach within the hour. Elias was playing on the shore, building a sandcastle as Eric and Delilah lay on towels watching him. It was hot, but the breeze from the ocean made it pleasant and being with Delilah like this was heavenly. She wore a spectacular white bikini that made his mouth water a little and damn if she wasn’t looking at him like she wanted him too. He hadn’t been expecting there to be so much passion between them so soon, but they were married, and there was no reason to deny themselves if they both wanted it. His long absence seemed to have drawn them closer and though he wasn’t taking anything for granted, it felt good to have a woman in his life again.
If you’d asked him a few months ago if he was ready to start dating, he would have said no. Now that he was involved with Delilah, it felt like it had been a long time coming. They’d done things backwards, of course, getting married before they even knew each other, but he planned to work on that as much as he could now that he was home.
“Are you keeping an eye on Elias or staring at my boobs?” she asked with a lazy smile.
He chuckled. “I’m multitasking.”
“I know you can’t tell me details, but can you tell me in general what you do?”
“Well, like the name suggests, Force Recon is mostly about reconnaissance, meaning we provide essential elements of military intelligence to air and ground troops. The hierarchy is kind of complicated, but what I do is essentially intelligence. We’re special ops capable, meaning we do go on missions that could include catching bad guys if necessary, but we mostly focus on getting info.”
“In dangerous places.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes were closed but she nodded. “That’s amazing. I know you’re my husband so it might sound a little weird, but I feel like I need to thank you for your service.”
“Thanks.” He leaned over and lightly touched his lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled.
“I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me too.”
“Elias is going to be hungry soon.”
“I’m going to walk over to that burger joint and grab us dinner,” he said, “so we can eat right here on the beach. We don’t get to spend a lot of time together and I want to make the most of it.”
“You think you’re going away again soon?”
“It could be any minute now,” he admitted. “It’ll go in waves, though. Sometimes we’ll be called up constantly, other times not at all.”
She sat up. “I want a double cheeseburger with those cheese fries and an orange soda.”
“Got it.” He kissed her one more time and jogged off towards the burger stand.
She watched him go, her eyes focused on his glorious backside. Damn, he was beautiful without a shirt and she was really looking forward to seeing him without anything.
“Lilah, will you play with me?” Elias asked her.
“Daddy’s gone to get us dinner. Why don’t you sit here and dry off a little before he gets back?”
“I don’t want to dry off,” he pouted. “Please, can’t I just play twelve more minutes?”
“How about five more?” she countered. “Then you’ll come sit down and let me dry you off a little.”
“Okay.” He ran back to the sandcastle he had been working on and she watched with a fond smile. He was a good kid and if she wasn’t so busy lusting after Eric, she probably would be playing in the sand with him.
She reached for a towel and started to dry her hair a little when a vaguely familiar voice spoke beside her.
“Hello, Delilah.”
Chapter 9
She whipped the towel off her head and looked up in shock, her heart pounding painfully. She’d been so sure her ex would be standing there it took her a moment to recognize Diego LaChance, the surfer she’d hooked up with last year.
“D-Diego. Hi.” She took a deep, steadying breath. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask the same of you.” He seemed to be studying her intently. “When did you move to San Diego?”
“I, uh, didn’t.” She’d learned to be cautious in her two years on the run, and though she had no reason to suspect Diego of anything, she didn’t trust him either. “I’m hanging out here, watching my friend’s son while he works.”
“Oh, another nanny gig?” He seemed ready to sit down so she stood up.
“Yes. Well, it was nice to see you, but I have to keep an eye on my ward. Take care, Diego.” She hurried off towards Elias and scooped him up, taking him into the water and splashing around until he laughed.
She wasn’t sure why seeing Diego had startled her so much, but maybe it had to do with Eric seeing her talking to someone she’d slept with. Granted, she and Eric hadn’t even met yet when it happened, but it was still weird. It also seemed strange that he was here at this random little beach in San Diego when he usually frequented beaches that were known for their waves further north in Los Angeles. Something about his presence bothered her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Hey, you two!” Eric came to the edge of the water to call them. “I’ve got food.”
“Yay!” Elias took off running and Delilah came out of the water more slowly.
“You okay?” Eric looked at her with a slight frown.
“Yeah, fine.” She squeezed his arm as she brushed past him.
“Hey.” Eric gently caught her around the waist. “What’s going on?”
“I just had a little scare, that’s all. It was nothing but it freaked me out for a
second.”
“What happened?”
She hadn’t wanted to tell him about Diego, but now that he was asking, it poured out. “I didn’t want to embarrass you or anything with some guy from my past, but it was a little weird that he’s here.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He glanced around. “If you see him again, let me know. Like you said, it was before we ever met, so I’m not worried about that part of it, but it does seem a little strange that he’s here on this beach the first time you come here.”
“You think he found me?” Her voice was a raspy whisper as she looked up at him.
“Your ex? No. Fuck no.” He wrapped his arms around her. “No way. How would he track you here? Even if he already got ahold of the marriage license somehow, we used my Virginia address since we didn’t have this one and it would take time for him to find us here. You don’t have a driver’s license yet or anything, so the chances are very, very remote.”
She took a shuddery breath. “You’re right, of course. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“It’s okay.” He gently ran his hands up and down her back. “I’ve got you and nothing’s going to happen. This weekend we’re going shopping for an alarm system.”
“And a washing machine?” She tried to lighten the mood by giving him a beguiling smile.
“And a washing machine.” He slid his arm around her neck as they walked back to their blankets.
It was late by the time they all took showers and got Elias to bed. Snuggling up together on their couch, Delilah allowed herself to relax for the first time since she’d seen Diego. It had startled her more than she’d wanted to admit, but now that they were home, alone, she felt safe again. Tomorrow might be another story, but tonight everything felt good.
Eric was stroking her hair, mindlessly watching the end of Toy Story since that had been on before Elias went to bed and they still had no cable.
“I need to call the cable company,” he said after a while.
“Mm-hmm.” She was sleepy after several hours in the sun, and her eyes drifted closed as she rested against him.
“You want to go to bed, honey?”
She didn’t remember answering him, but when she woke in the morning she was in bed, her head on his chest. It was still early, the sun wasn’t even up yet, and she shifted in his arms.
“Morning.” He tightened his hold on her.
“What time is it?”
“Oh-six-hundred.”
She giggled.
“Sorry. Six o’clock.”
“Don’t you have PT or whatever?”
“Not today. I’m taking the day off unless an emergency comes up. We have to get a bunch of stuff done here at the house and they’re grateful I jumped in on that last mission.”
“We don’t have to get up yet, do we?”
“Nope.”
“That’s perfect ’cause I’m kind of liking waking up like this.”
“Yeah?” He slowly ran his hands down her back, across the swell of her ass and around to her thighs. “I kind of like it too.”
“Are we ready for this?” she asked softly, lifting her head to look at him.
“Only if you are.”
“I am, I’m just…afraid.”
“Of me?”
“No. Of the emotional part of sex. You’re not just some one-night stand and I’ve been scared and on the run for a long time. I’m afraid I’m going to fall for you and maybe that’s not what you’re looking for.”
“I don’t know what I’m looking for,” he admitted. “But I’m not interested in anyone, or anything, else. I just want you. We’re married. We’re in unfamiliar territory, but since we’re already in this situation, why wouldn’t we just enjoy it? The sex, our life, everything.”
“I’m not protected.”
He paused. “Well, that sucks.”
“No condoms?”
He huffed out a laugh. “I’m a single dad. Last woman I slept with had to provide them because I haven’t had to think about that in a long time.”
She pinched his thigh. “Well, you’re not a single dad anymore, so you better get on the ball here, mister.”
“There are lots of things we can do that don’t include penetration,” he whispered, pulling her on top of him.
“I suppose there are.” She smiled wickedly. “Which one do you want to start with?”
“Your lips.”
Chapter 10
Eric hadn’t kissed a woman like this in years. Since Maria had died. He’d had sex, but sensual, romantic kissing hadn’t been part of it. Whatever this was, what he and Delilah had started to build, wasn’t the kind of love he’d had with Maria, but it wasn’t a casual fuck either. She was sweet, her lips soft and warm and pliant. When her tongue tangled with his, it was a gentle mating, a deliciously sexy introduction to what was about to happen. Someday, he would have to thank his grandmother for bringing her into his life. Not today, though. Probably not tomorrow either.
“Gotta lock the door,” he murmured, pulling away reluctantly.
“Hurry,” she whispered, her eyes glassy with lust.
He quickly locked the door and walked back to her.
“You think he’ll sleep through it?” she teased, smiling up at him.
“Hopefully.” He pulled off his shirt and the desire in her eyes was unmistakable.
“Every goddamn time you do that I get a little starstruck,” she muttered, shaking her head.
He chuckled. “Believe me, it’s mutual. First time I saw you in a bikini I thought I was going to embarrass myself in front of everyone.”
She inched up the T-shirt she slept in, revealing her braless torso as slowly as possible. “Like this?”
“Fuck, Lila.” He moved to the bed and lowered himself above her, holding himself up on his hands. He dipped his head and found her mouth once again, taking painstakingly slow pulls from her tongue. They vied for agonizingly erotic dominance over the other until her fingers dug into his strong back.
“Eric.”
The simple sound of his name on her lips made him so hard it was painful.
“I know, beautiful.” He slid his lips down her neck, pausing to run his tongue along her collarbone. “God, you taste like candy.”
“Salted caramel?”
“Something like that.” He worked his way down her body, pausing to suckle her breasts. They were firm and round and fit perfectly in his hands. He squeezed them gently before using his thumbs to circle her nipples. They hardened immediately and she arched into him. He lowered his head and gripped one fat nipple with his teeth, biting down just enough to make her gasp. She was sweetness personified, the type of woman he wanted to lose himself in.
He mentally cursed himself for not being prepared. Just being able to touch her was nice, but he wanted to be deep inside of her, driving both of them to ecstasy. It had been too long for him, and it felt like a lifetime since he’d actually made love to someone.
She was already freeing his erection from his boxers, her warm hand stroking the skin until he had to grit his teeth to keep from losing control.
“I have to taste you,” she whispered, pushing him onto his back.
“Yes.” He closed his eyes, gasping as she sucked him deep. Holy hell, she was incredible, taking him to the back of her throat in one motion. “Ah, baby, that’s so good, but not fair…”
She cut her eyes to his, frowning slightly.
“Climb up here, baby.” He tugged at her until her hips were positioned over his chest, helping her straddle him. With her most intimate place on display for him, he used his finger to gently slide through her arousal. She arched back, a soft moan escaping her as he touched her. He sealed his mouth over her core and her moan came from deep in her chest. Tracing her wetness with his tongue, she instantly tightened around him and he knew it wouldn’t be long. They were both too wound up, too consumed with need and each other, to hold back very long.
“Eric!” she cried out as he plunged
his tongue inside of her and she sucked him deep again in response.
They were moving in perfect unison, hands, mouths, torsos close together. She arched down against his face and he stroked faster, searching out the hard, little nub at the apex of her thighs and licking it gently.
“Oh god.” Delilah’s voice was raspy and she nipped the tip of his cock, flicking her tongue over it in response to the way he was licking her.
“Shit, baby, I’m not going to last.” He ran his hands down her silky thighs and pulled her closer, inhaling her scent, her sexy arousal, all of her, just as the waves of her orgasm overtook her. She bucked and squirmed, but Eric held her fast, drawing out the last ripple of pleasure before his own release shook him.
For a few minutes neither of them moved, but Delilah slowly rolled to her side and Eric tugged her up so their heads were close together. He leaned in and softly kissed her, a wonderful new intimacy settling between them. What the hell had just happened? Yes, sex and mind-blowing orgasms, but that was just physical. Something had shifted emotionally as well, and it was like there was something else in the room with them. It was comfortable, familiar, as if this wasn’t their first time, but rather a sexy, loving interlude between longtime partners.
“That was kind of intense,” Delilah murmured, snuggling against him.
“Kind of?” he chuckled, stroking her hair.
“We might have to do it again, just to be sure, you know?”
“I could run out for condoms, but I really don’t want to get dressed.”
“And I don’t want you to.” She ran a hand down his stomach. “But Eric?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Promise me this won’t change anything between us, that you won’t wake up in a few days with regrets or awkwardness? This was so good, so easy, I’d hate to think it was too soon.”
Protecting Delilah - Kat Mizera Page 5
