Good thing I had a sprawling ranch just outside San Diego with plenty of room for a big family. It had been my grandfather's, then my father’s, and I’d taken over when my parents retired a few years ago. Thankfully, they lived in town and kept it running whenever I was deployed.
I hopped out but left the rust bucket running while I rounded the back to open her door and help her out. “I’ll be back in less than an hour,” I told her as I walked her up the sidewalk.
“Okay,” she said with a pretty smile. For a moment, I worried she might change her mind in the short time I was gone. So I slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her body flush against mine, then lowered my head to capture her lips.
Sparks burst between us, and shockwaves of lust pulsed through me. I couldn’t stop myself from urging her mouth open with my tongue, then sweeping inside to explore. “Fuck,” I grunted when I finally pulled back. “You taste amazing. I can’t wait to do that again.”
“Then hurry back,” she quipped breathlessly.
I turned her around and waited for her to unlock the door, then gently pushed her inside. Reluctantly, I left her with a pat on her tight, round ass.
Despite the jalopy that had no zip, I made the twenty-minute drive to Merrick’s in ten. I parked the car at the curb and locked it before jogging inside to grab my duffel bag. Then I made my way out to my truck.
I’d made a shit ton of contacts all over the world in my years in the military, and I was never more grateful than at that moment. I didn’t want to bug Merrick and Audrey, so I called another friend who lived locally. He was Special Forces, but we’d grown up together, so I forgave him. We’d made plans for lunch in a few days, so I knew he was in town. Assuming a mission hadn’t come up unexpectedly.
“Yo, sailor,” Jasper answered.
“I have to cancel lunch, and I need a favor,” I said, cutting right to the chase.
“Hello to you, too,” he responded dryly.
“Does your brother still own car dealerships?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s a shit junker parked outside Merrick’s house. I want it to disappear, and I’m hoping your brother can make me a deal on something to replace it.”
“Sure.” Jasper was quiet for a moment, then he chuckled. “This is about a woman, isn’t it?”
“None of your business,” I barked, feeling selfish about Piper and not wanting to share her, even if it was just a conversation with a friend.
Jasper outright laughed this time. “Yeah, it’s a woman. I’ll take care of the old car. Anything particular you want me to do with it?”
“I don’t care as long as she never sees it again.”
“You got it. I’ll have my brother text you about a new one.”
“Great.” I almost hung up but stopped at the last second, realizing what a dick move that would be. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. And don’t be surprised if you can’t talk Cory into letting you pay for the new car.”
I frowned as I pulled up to the curb in front of Piper’s house. “Why the fuck not?” I growled.
“You know why,” Jasper muttered before hanging up. I did know, but I’d spent the past five years telling him he didn’t owe me.
Jasper’s brother, Cory, was a billionaire who owned businesses all over the world. I’d risked my career to help Jasper rescue him after being taken hostage, but I’d never seen it as a favor that needed repaying. However, when it came to Piper, I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe, and if that meant swallowing Cory’s gratitude, then that was what I’d do.
Piper’s door was unlocked, and I gritted my teeth as I pushed it open. We would definitely be having a talk about that.
Her apartment was as small as it looked, with a tiny living room and kitchen, and two doors to what I presumed were a bedroom and bathroom.
She was standing at the sink and turned to smile at me as I entered. Her long hair was in a ponytail, and all the dirty things I could do while my hand was wrapped in it came flooding to the forefront of my mind. Her shorts were modest by LA standards, but I still didn’t like how much leg was on display. I frowned, but when I glanced at her face and saw her narrowed eyes, I cleared my expression and smiled.
“You look gorgeous, baby.”
“Are you sure?” She cocked her head and studied me. “You didn’t look so happy a second ago.”
I sighed. “I can’t help it if I want to keep your sexy body all to myself.”
Piper’s lips curled into a smile, and her blue eyes danced. “Jealous?”
“Damn, right,” I admitted with a scowl.
She grinned and walked toward me with an extra sway in her hips. “I should probably be annoyed by that, but the truth is, it’s flattering and kinda sexy.”
I sighed and grabbed her hand, pulling her from the house. “We need to go, or I’m going to find the nearest flat surface and show you just what comes from making me jealous.”
“Why don’t you—”
I shook my head and cut her off as I dragged her toward my truck. “Food. Trust me, you’re going to need it.”
3
Piper
After working my third twelve-hour shift in a row, I normally would have been exhausted. Instead, I felt invigorated as I walked down the sidewalk hand in hand with Deacon. Being with him fed a part of my soul that I hadn't known existed until today. I’d been so focused on what I’d needed to do to become a nurse that I’d barely noticed guys, but there was no way I could have overlooked Deacon. Not when every part of me was wholly aware of him in a way I’d never experienced before.
When he stopped at a truck parked in front of my place and opened the passenger door, I glanced up and down the street in search of Betsy but didn’t spot her. “Where’s my car?”
I thought I caught a gleam of guilt in Deacon’s blue eyes, but I couldn’t be sure since it was gone in a flash. As he helped me into the truck, he explained, “I left it at Merrick and Audrey’s place because the restaurant I want to take you to is near there. Since I couldn’t drive your car and my truck at the same time, I figured I’d pick you up in mine since this is our first date, and I want to do things right.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Any irritation I felt over his high-handedness melted away with how sweet the reason behind his actions was. But I bit my bottom lip because I wasn’t looking forward to the drive home since I was bound to be beyond exhausted after our date.
“Don’t worry, baby.” He used his thumb to tug my lip free, his mouth curving into a smug grin when I sighed. “I’ll figure out the logistics of your car later.”
He winked at me before shutting the door. I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerves as he rounded the truck to climb into the driver’s seat. After he started the engine and pulled away from the curb, he reached out to twine our fingers together. “Tell me all about you.”
“Everything?” I twisted in my seat to face him. Laughing softly, I shook my head. “Covering twenty-one years is a lot of story to tell even though I’m going to guess that my life has been boring compared to yours.”
“How about you start with what you love about being a nurse?” he suggested.
“Pretty much all of it.” He’d picked my favorite subject, and the drive to the restaurant flew by as I shared some of my favorite stories.
When we arrived at a cute diner I’d never been to before, he slid into the same side of the booth as me. Then he waited until the waitress—who looked old enough to be my grandmother—had taken our drink order to ask, “Is it what you’ve always wanted to do? Or did you dream of something else when you were a little girl?”
“Nope, as soon as I was old enough to understand what nurses did, it was my only dream.” Up until now, I’d done most of the talking, and I really wanted to learn more about Deacon. “How about you? Did you always want to be a SEAL?”
“Yeah, much to my parents’ chagrin.” He chuckled and shook his head. “When I was in seventh grad
e and announced that I was going to join the Navy as soon as I graduated high school, they thought it was a phase I’d grow out of. They weren’t too happy with me when I met with a recruiter the day I turned eighteen. I still had another three months to go before graduation, but I wanted to make sure I was as prepared as I could be for boot camp.”
Before I could ask anything else, the waitress came back with a pot of coffee. After filling our mugs and taking our orders—cinnamon pancakes with cream cheese frosting with a side of crispy bacon for me and an egg white omelet with a side of fruit for Deacon—the waitress wagged her brows at me and headed back toward the counter. Startled laughter bubbled up my chest, and I fell against his side while I laughed. Deacon had been looking at me, so he hadn’t seen what the waitress did, which only made the whole thing more hilarious. When I finally pulled myself together, I explained what happened. Then when the waitress returned with our meals, I had to stifle a giggle at the way he side-eyed her.
Looking between the plates she set in front of us, I shook my head at the difference in what we ordered. “Do you always eat so healthy?”
A glint of mischief in his gorgeous eyes was my only warning before he lifted the hem of his shirt to reveal his six-pack abs. “A body like this requires the right fuel.”
“Uh-huh.” I squirmed in my seat, trying to relieve the ache between my legs as my gaze darted back to the meal I’d ordered. “Unfortunately, my sweet tooth gets in the way whenever I try to diet.”
“Hell no. The last thing you need is to go on a diet. You’re hot as fuck just as you are.” He dropped his shirt, any hint of humor draining from his eyes. His hand went to the back of my neck, gripping it a moment to punctuate the point he was making before he slid his palm down my spine to squeeze my butt. “And it’d be a damn shame if you lost this perfect ass. Anytime you walked away from me at the hospital, I couldn’t keep my eyes off it.”
“Well then.” My cheeks heated, but from desire instead of embarrassment. “I guess I won’t worry about my weight when I’m around you.”
He nudged my plate closer to me. “That’s right. Eat up so you can keep those killer curves, baby.”
Since I had only had a salad during my break, I was starving. So that was what I did, barely stopping myself from licking the plate when it was empty because of how delicious my pancakes were. “Great job picking the restaurant. That was amazing.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” He dropped a couple of twenties on the table and then slid out of the booth, tugging on my hand to help me out. “But I better get you home before the food coma hits, and you fall asleep.”
As tired as I was, I still didn’t want our date to end. I hadn't thought much of it when Audrey had told me how lucky they’d been that Deacon was visiting since he’d been available to drive them to the hospital. But now I was worried about falling for a guy who didn’t even live here. The nearest naval base was about a two-hour drive away, and I’d been afraid to ask if that was where he was stationed because if not, then the odds of me ever seeing him again would go way down. After our amazing date, it was time for me to pull up my big girl panties—and my figurative ones were just as thoroughly drenched as my literal panties—and voice the questions I’d avoided until now. “How long will you be in LA?”
Deacon waited until he reversed out of the parking spot and was holding my hand again before he answered, “I was only planning to stay until tomorrow, but my leave doesn’t end for another week. And since you’ve got all that time off too, I’d like to stay until I have to hit the road to make it back to base in time for PT my first day back.”
I squeezed his hand. “That sounds perfect to me. I didn’t have any plans for my staycation, and I’d love to spend it with you.”
“Good, then that’s what we’ll do.”
We were quiet for the rest of the drive to my place, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Nothing needed to be said since just being near Deacon felt good. Right. But what felt even better was when he undid my seat belt after parking in front of my place and pulled me onto his lap to claim my mouth in a deep kiss. By the time he was done, the windows of his truck were fogged, and my body yearned for more. I could barely see straight when he lifted me out of the truck and walked me to my door. And even though I’d never slept with anyone before, I definitely wasn’t ready for the night to end when he nudged me through my doorway. Turning around, I twined my arms around his neck. “Don’t I get a goodbye kiss?”
“Fuck, baby. You’re going to be the death of me.” His palms cupped my cheeks as he whispered, “I’m trying to be a good guy here.”
“I didn’t ask you to be good.” I inched up to my toes so our lips were closer. “I asked for another kiss.”
His thumbs trailed down my jaw, sending shivers down my spine. Desire burned in his blue eyes as he lowered his head to give me what I wanted. His tongue trailed over the seam of my lips, teasing me before it finally swept inside to tangle with mine. One of his hands dropped down to grip my butt while the other held my face in place for his deep, wet kiss.
When he finally ripped his mouth from mine, his chest heaving as he dragged air into his lungs, some of the sensual fog cleared from my brain. I started to worry about what he’d think of me. “I need you to know that I don’t do this. I can’t even remember the last time I went on a date.”
The jealous gleam in his eyes sent a thrill down my spine, but it accomplished what I wanted—snapping the remainder of his control.
4
Deacon
Something primal inside me roared to life.
I loved knowing she hadn’t been with anyone for a long time. I still wanted to hunt down everyone who ever thought they had a chance with her and beat them to a bloody pulp.
However, there was also an innocence about her that had a theory forming in my mind. And fuck, if I was right, I’d never be able to walk away right now.
“Are you a virgin, baby?”
Her cheeks bloomed crimson, but she didn’t shy away. I loved how confident she was. “Yes. Does it change your mind about staying?”
“Absolutely not,” I told her firmly. “Maybe it makes me barbaric to be so turned on by the fact that you’re untouched, but I honestly don’t give a fuck. It’s hot as hell to know I’ll be the only man who’s ever tasted you, moved inside you.” I slammed my mouth down over hers and boosted her up with both hands on her ass. Her legs went around my waist, and I stumbled across a small living room only pausing when I reached the two doors I’d clocked earlier.
“The one on the left.”
I twisted the knob with one hand before putting it back on her ass, then kicked the door open with my foot. As I suspected, the bedroom was barely bigger than a closet. However, it served my purpose since we were at the bed in two steps.
I set her on the ground and reluctantly released her lips, but only long enough to grab the hem of her shirt and drag it up and off over her head. It fell to the ground unnoticed as my eyes landed on the swell of her ample tits. A breath caught in my throat as they bounced slightly from her erratic breathing. My mouth watered at the thought of sucking on the hard peaks poking through the thin fabric of her bra. “Fuck, you're gorgeous.”
“Your turn,” she said with a wink as she removed my shirt and threw it somewhere behind me. As soon as it was off, her hands were on my chest, exploring the grooves and smattering of chest hair. Her fingers left a trail of fire behind them, and it streaked straight to my dick. I'd already been hard as steel, so I couldn't believe it when I swelled even more.
I wrapped my hands around her hips and raised her up just enough to lay her down on the mattress. Then I stood back and took in the sight of her spread out on the bed like a feast waiting to be devoured.
“I may be new at this,” she said with a smirk, “but I'm pretty sure we have to be a heck of a lot closer for this to work.”
My head fell back as I released a hearty laugh, but it died on my lips when she popped the front clasp
on her bra. Her big tits spilled out, and I was suddenly at a loss for words, although I had no problem acting. I dipped my fingers in the waistband of her pants and ripped them down her legs. Dropping them onto the floor, I aimed my gaze at her center and the dark wet spot on her panties. I licked my lips at the prospect of tasting her desire. I finally drew my gaze up her body to land on her face, and when I saw the light tinge of pink on her cheeks and the nervousness in her pretty blue eyes, I attempted to soothe her worries.
“I love that you’re so wet for me,” I growled. “It's sexy as hell.”
I quickly shucked my jeans but left on my boxer briefs, not wanting to scare her with my size. Then I slowly climbed onto the bed and crawled over her until I was covering her from head to toe. “You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life.”
The hesitancy in Piper’s eyes quickly dissipated, and I bent my head to capture her lips once more. After a couple of minutes, I nibbled her lips and then began to kiss a trail along her jaw and down her neck to the valley between her breasts.
Suddenly, I slipped my arms beneath her back and rolled us over so she was sitting astride me. Her center lowered, and all her weight settled over the large bulge in my underwear. Her eyes went wide but quickly glazed over with passion when I cupped her tits and ran the pads of my thumbs over the tips of her nipples.
“These are fucking amazing, baby.” I sat up and drew one hard peak into my mouth. Piper moaned, and her hands went to the back of my head as if she was afraid I would stop. That is definitely not happening. Her skin tasted as sweet as her mouth. Like pure sugar and something fruity.
Her hips wriggled restlessly, and I groaned as I let the nipple pop from my mouth before turning to give the other the same treatment.
“Deacon,” she moaned.
Wanted by the Warrant Officer Page 2
