Dragon (SEAL Team Alpha Book 9)

by Zoe Dawson

  “Fuck, Jo,” he rasped, and his thighs tensing along the backs of hers, his hot, damp, panting breaths rushing against the side of her neck, along with the arousing scape of his unshaven jaw. “Come for me, babe,” he growled, pressing both their fingers against her as deep and rhythmically as his wild thrusts.

  Her release crested right when his did, and they each rode out the exquisite pleasure of bodies meshing, hips pushing and straining, inner muscles clenching in dragon fire reborn.

  “My God, Jo, you’re going to kill me.”

  He shifted his position to the bed, falling onto his back, then pulled her on top of him. Touched by the agony in his voice, Jo fell down her own well of raw emotion, her chest banded by an overwhelming ache. Her body started to tremble from the aftermath of their lovemaking. Dragon’s mouth was warm on her forehead as he nestled her head against his shoulder. The darkness blanketed them in a safe cocoon, and Jo closed her eyes, taking immeasurable comfort from the sensuous and physical intimacy. For now, this was enough, knowing that he was thinking about them and knew that she wanted to be close to him. But, for her, there would be no turning back. She had passed her point of no return. Ryuu Shannon had claimed a part of her that she could never take back.

  13

  Pitbull lay beneath Helen, his heart pounding. Now that the fog was lifting, he was sick with what they’d just done. It was stupid, and if he hadn’t been dealing with so much crap and still half under the influence, he wouldn’t have done it.

  Helen pushed up and gasped softly. “Oh, God,” she whispered and scrambled off him. “What have I done?”

  She started to get dressed, and he sat up and pulled on his shorts, his gut churning. “What have you done?” he asked, his voice low and concerned.

  She started to button her blouse, and he rose and grabbed her wrists. “Tell me why you really came here, Helen.”

  She looked up at him as if she’d seen a ghost. He stared back at her, his expression hardening. The last thing he wanted was a face-to-face confrontation with her when he hadn’t worked out all the kinks in his brain. And he sure as hell didn’t like it that she was here. He didn’t like it at all. “Helen?” he said, his tone clipped.

  She stared at him, the color gone from her face. She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, as if it hurt her to do it. Pitbull watched her, unmoved, unmoving. She was thinner than he remembered, and there was an undercurrent of happiness about her—as though she had discovered the meaning of life. Realizing that he was noticing things he didn’t want to notice, he made himself disconnect. She was bad news. Very bad news.

  He glanced away, then back at her. She was still staring at him, a nervous expression in her eyes, and he gave her a cold, hard smile. “This was all about Samantha. Wasn’t it?”

  He saw her try to recover, to catch her balance. She abruptly stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans, her lips as colorless as her face. “I—” She paused and took another deep, uneven breath, then said, “Yes. I wasn’t exactly planning on seducing you. That just happened. I’m—” She looked mortified. “I’m engaged.”

  His mouth dropped open, and he stared at her, absorbing that bomb of information.

  “I’m getting married, and we’re leaving San Diego.”

  When he didn’t make any response, she made a stiff, nervous gesture with her hand and blinked several times. “Mark has a new job in LA.”

  “Good for Mark.” Something flickered in her eyes—a kind of stricken look, and he realized that he was getting sucked into the same situation he had experienced when she’d turned her back on him years ago. He didn’t want to connect with her at any level. He’d spent all this time putting things into perspective. This was simply someone he had known a long time ago. With an indifferent shrug, he erased all expression from his face and forced himself to remain detached. “You want me to relinquish my parental rights to Samantha, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I don’t want her to go through life knowing her mother cheated on her father. That I got pregnant while I was still married to him. I don’t want anyone to know. I want to put the past behind us and move on.”

  “You’re ashamed of what happened.”

  “Yes! I can’t bear for anyone to know.”

  “You came here to sleep with me because you thought that would make me easier to handle.”

  “You were never easy to handle, Errol. I’m still attracted to you, but honestly, the thought of getting involved again with a Navy SEAL makes me sick. I can’t do it again. I simply can’t. But you are a good and decent man. I’m hoping you can see that it wouldn’t be healthy for Samantha to have to deal with all this. She lost her father, the father she knew. Please, I’m begging you. Leave it at that.”

  Pitbull stared at Helen, alarm washing across her features. He was so livid he could barely get the words out. “Helen, I’m starting to think that you and Justin deserved each other. If you think I’m going to take this lightly and keep my mouth shut because this will impact you, that’s not going to happen. I have rights here that you want me to overlook because it’s convenient for you.” He stepped closer and said, his voice low and furious, “She’s my daughter. That is significant, and I have no intention of making my decision whether or not to be in her life based on your insecurities and lack of character.” He walked toward the door and opened it. “Get out.”

  Her gaze stark, Helen pressed her hand hard against her breastbone, her face turning even whiter. “Errol. I’m sorry. Can’t we talk about this? I made a mistake. Many mistakes.”

  “You knew all along she was mine. Didn’t you?”

  Tears slipped down her cheeks. “Yes, I knew. But it was best—”

  “You made the decision who it was best for. You! I need you to leave.” When she didn’t move, he walked back to her and took her arm, pulling her toward the door. “I need time to think about what I want to do. What is best for Samantha, not for you or Mark or even me. But for her.”

  He gently pushed her into the hall. “Errol.”

  “I’ll be in touch. Goodbye.”

  This time he hit the weight room. His anger and frustration had built to dangerous levels with Helen’s callous disregard for his feelings in the matter. An hour of lifting weights and another thirty minutes of hitting the bag, the roil of frustration had eased enough that he could at least think rationally. He was ticked off at himself, but he still didn’t have any answers about what he should do. All of it caused a hollow feeling in his gut that had his heart pumping.

  He’d thought he had everything sorted out when he went to visit her. See her, tell her he was sorry, try to get to an understanding that he would be there for them, and to see Samantha again. But what had happened that day had changed everything. Maybe she was acting out of a guilty conscience over the fact that she knew seven years ago that Samantha was his daughter, and she’d chosen to keep quiet.

  He had to get some professional help. First, he was going to talk to a shrink about this, about how it might affect Samantha, then he was going to JAG for a referral for a family lawyer and see exactly what his rights were and how he was going to handle his daughter.

  One thing Pitbull knew for sure. He couldn’t stand by while Helen got married and moved his daughter to LA without making sure he knew it was the right thing for him and his daughter.

  There was a knock and the door, and his anger spiked. He pulled it open, ready to repeat what he had just told Helen, but instead, he was pulled up short. It was his brothers. He sighed.

  “Man, you better tell us what’s going on. I can’t sleep and Robin is going crazy,” Flynn said.

  “Come in,” he said wearily. “Have a seat. I have a bomb to drop on you.”

  They entered, his brothers looking identically like him, all three of them the same height, relatively the same weight, with all shades of brown glinting in their hair. The only difference among them was the length and style of their hair.

  Robin ducked into the kit
chen and threw his brother a beer, but Pitbull said, “Nothing for me.”

  Robin exchanged a look with their brother, and once back in the living room, he settled in Pitbull’s recliner. Flynn leaned back on the couch and stretched his legs out, setting his feet on the coffee table.

  Pitbull sat down in an armchair. He started talking, telling them about Helen and Samantha.

  “What are you going to do?” Robin asked.

  “That’s the golden question,” Pitbull said. “You can’t breathe a word of this to anyone, please. Helen would have my head, and it will make negotiating with her a nightmare.”

  “That’s what got you in trouble in the first place,” Flynn said. Pitbull narrowed his eyes as Robin winced. “Too soon?” Flynn nodded to himself. “Yeah, too soon.”

  “What about Mom and Dad?” Robin asked.

  “No. Leave that to me. I just don’t have any answers right now.” His life was either going to change drastically or it was going to be exactly the same. What the hell was the best course of action for Samantha?

  “That’s heavy-duty shit, but you know, bro, we’re with you whatever you decide,” Flynn said. He rose. “Bring it in.”

  Pitbull and Robin rolled their eyes. But they hugged each other for solidarity. Suddenly, Pitbull didn’t feel so alone.

  Dragon stirred as thin strips of light filtered through the curtains. His internal clock told him it was time to get up and run. In the distance, he could hear the city waking up and traffic moving.

  Jo stirred, shifting her head on his shoulder, her breath warm against his neck, and he glanced down at her, slowly running his hand up and down her naked arm, her skin soft and smooth. Her body was nestled tightly to his. He didn’t need to imagine what it would be like to wake up next to her every damn day.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Attuned as he was to her every breath, he didn’t realize she was awake, and he looked down into her sleepy eyes. “Don’t tell me you wake up like a SEAL.”

  “How’s that?”

  “You just open your eyes, and you’re wake.”

  She gave him a slow, lazy smile as she smoothed her hand up his chest. “Pretty much. I got used to getting right up when Ceri was born, and she needed to be fed any time of the day or night.”

  He kissed the top of her head, her hair fragrant and soft against his lips. “Well, all I can say is you’re nicer to wake up to than a barracks full of men.”

  Her expression softened, and her warm gaze seduced him as she asked huskily, “What were you thinking about?”

  “Getting some exercise. You up for it?”

  She moved her leg and made a soft sound in her throat when she felt his erection. “Umm…yeah, exercise sounds great.”

  He chuckled, his body responding to her movements. “I was talking about a run, but I might be persuaded to your way of thinking.”

  “Because you’re governed by your glans.” She moved her leg again. “Very nice glans, I might add.”

  “Maybe I am.” She moved her hand down his chest to his abdomen, clawing his skin toward his groin. He closed his eyes at the tingling sensation, and his dick jumped. “You sure you don’t want that run?” he asked.

  That brought a spark of humor to Jo’s eyes. “Does it count that I’ll breathe hard and my heart will pound harder? That’s aerobic, right?”

  He chuckled and cuddled her hard against him. “Yeah, I’m going to say that’s aerobic.”

  “You’re so easy, Shannon.”

  “Like a Sunday morning, babe.”

  She lifted up enough to fuse her lips to his, and he ground his mouth hungrily against hers, heat searing through him as she rubbed her thumb over the slick tip of his arousal.

  Dragon clenched his teeth and sucked in a deep breath when she took his hard, pulsating flesh in her hand, stroking him with the lightest of touches. Her gaze locked on his, she stroked him again, and Dragon’s face contorted at the sharp, intense pleasure that washed through him. Jo cupped him in both hands, her eyes never leaving his face. He rose up on one elbow and caught her behind the head, pulling her toward him. She pushed away the covers, the cool air caressing their hot bodies. She felt so damn good.

  He thought his heart was going to melt into liquid, his need for her a fever of desire reaching a flash point. He caught her by the back of the neck and rolled, carrying her beneath him. Urgently finding her mouth with his, he drew up her knees and roughly settled himself in the cradle of her thighs. Releasing a low groan, he entered her, his awareness shattering into a sunburst of sensation. Then he slipped into a space where there was nothing except him and Jo and the driving urgency.

  It took him a bit of time to come down after the earthshaking climax, but he finally relaxed his hold on her. Jo was holding on to him fiercely, and she was trembling. Shifting his hold on her, he lifted her hair out of the way, then protectively cradled her face against his chest. He brushed a kiss against her hair then rubbed his thumb along her heated skin. “Hey,” he whispered. “We’d better think about getting up. What time does Ceri have to be at school?”

  “Eight.”

  “How about I take her for you?”

  She smiled at him. “That would be great. I could get a head start. I have a full day today.”

  “Start her off with some swimming lessons. What do you think?”

  “Ceri would love that. I can call the school and also write you a note with permission.”

  She shifted, turning her head so their mouths connected.

  “I would love that.”

  She looked at him, her heart in her eyes. She drew a shaky breath, then said, “She already loves you, Dragon. It’s going to be hard for her when you have to leave.”

  He closed his eyes, a knot of raw emotion climbing up his throat. He waited for the contraction to ease before he spoke. “I’m going to miss her…my mom…and you, Jo.”

  “I’ve missed you for a long time, Ryuu. So long.”

  He shifted so he could see her face, trying to identify the funny inflection in her voice. He could sense the tension in her. And a trace of fear. She looked so damned vulnerable, and so uncertain. He rolled her beneath him so he could look down into her face, his elbows braced on either side of her head.

  He brushed a soft, reassuring kiss against her mouth. “I’m going out on a limb here, babe, but the ball is in your court. I can only live one place, and that’s San Diego. I’m bound, and we both know that, but I wanted to point out to you that I understand it would be a sacrifice for you to leave a viable business, uproot Ceri and move.”

  Sliding her arms around his back, she pulled him down and hugged him. “It’s not that it hasn’t crossed my mind. It’s a lot to think about, and I just need some time. My plan was to expand the business, and I’ve already set that in motion. Ceri needs so much.”

  He turned his head into her neck and nodded. “You have needs, too, Jo. I wouldn’t pressure you. You, Ceri, and my mom would have to make all the sacrifices. I just know in my heart that we would do well together.”

  She slipped her hands into his hair, cupping his head and lifting it. “Are you saying you want to…live together?”

  The fullness in his chest was crushing. Drawing an uneven breath, he rolled to the side and pulled her with him. He pressed a kiss against the soft curve of her neck. Jo clutched him, and he realized that she was even more shaken than he was. Softening his hold just a little, he gave her a quick hug, trying to comfort her. “Yes, I do. San Diego is beautiful, safe, and it has the beach.”

  She responded with a poke and raised brows. “You are making good points.”

  “But you can’t rush into anything. It’s a huge move. I’m aware of that.” He gave her a firm hug, resting his head against hers, experiencing hope and a lightness that made him feel nearly indestructible. “You’ll consider it?”

  She abruptly turned her face against his neck, and he felt her chest expand unevenly against him. Cupping his hand under her jaw
to nestle her in the curve of his arm, he felt her swallow hard, then she nodded. “I will.”

  With all the gentleness he could gather, he lifted her head so he could see her face. She had her eyes tightly closed and her jaw clenched, but in spite of her battle to hold everything in, it was clear she was struggling. His throat tight, he bent his head and kissed her face. “Thank you for considering it,” he whispered gruffly.

  Her throat worked, and she nodded once, then tried to turn her face against his shoulder. Dragon maintained his hold, stroking the angle of her jaw with his thumb. “Look at me, babe.” He felt her try to swallow again, then she opened her eyes and looked at him, the shimmer of tears adding a heart-wrenching vulnerability to her raw emotion. For the first time she allowed him to see exactly what she was feeling. He wiped away the tears and smiled softly.

  “Now that we’ve had our exercise, we’d better shower and get ready to go.”

  She gave a shaky laugh through her tears, and he gazed at her. Lowering his head, he kissed her, closing his eyes when she opened her mouth and responded. He put all the tenderness, all the care he felt for her into that slow, languid kiss, and finally the tension in her body eased, and she relaxed in his arms. Releasing a sigh, Dragon slowly withdrew, watching her come out of the sensations that kiss aroused, her lips moist and parted. Resisting the urge to take her under again, he brushed her hair with the backs of his fingers, smiling into her eyes when she finally opened them and looked at him.

  “How about we buddy up?” she asked. “It would save water.”

  “I’m all about conservation,” he murmured.

  She laughed. “I bet you are.”

  After their shower, he went out to the living room to get dressed. Once he was ready, he closed up the bed. He glanced down the hall and looked at his watch. It was still early. He walked back to Jo’s room just as she opened the door.