SEALs of Summer 2: A Military Romance Superbundle (117 page)

He set her on her feet. “Give me the keys.”

She frowned but put them in his palm.

“Get in.”

Watching him as she moved, she walked around the car and slid into the passenger seat, waiting as he moved back the seat then folded his big frame into her Corolla. If she hadn’t been so tense, she might have snickered at the sight.

He drove straight to her house. Of course, he’d know where she lived. Probably knew what she ate for breakfast and who she’d voted for President the last time around. Spooky spec ops guys had their sources.

Irritation had her clamping her jaw. She realized her indignation was kicking in again, and her backbone had returned. As soon as the car was in her parking place in front of her apartment, she let herself out and climbed the stairs.

“Pack a small bag. You won’t need many clothes.”

She didn’t bother aiming a glare over her shoulder. If he thought he could walk back into her life and start barking orders again, he was going to be disappointed.

When she got to her door, she had to wait for him anyway. He had her keys. And he was taking his sweet time coming. The way he strode toward her, his face all hard edges and with his dreamy, storm-cloud eyes narrowed, made her knees wobble just a little. So he was beautiful, he was still a heartless bastard.

He unlocked the door and stood aside as she entered. She wondered what he thought of her place. She hadn’t touched the pale beige walls, because one never knew when they’d have to pick up and start again, and repainting walls would be a pain in the ass. But her furniture was comfortable—garage sale finds—and her decorations were junk shop treasures she’d refurbished. Although the style and colors she’d strived for were boho chic, she knew the wild clashing patterns looked like the inside of a Gypsy’s wagon. A lush mix of every color in the red spectrum with dashes of turquoise here and there to cool it down. And on one wall, she had a framed map with pushpins marking every place she wanted to travel in her lifetime.

“Not what I expected,” he said softly as he glanced around.

“Just because I’m a schoolteacher now doesn’t mean I don’t have dreams.”

“I like it, Suri.” His gaze raked over her clothing.

She held out the skirt she wore, a denim thing that fell past her knees. Dowdy as the other teachers, which was the point. “I want to fit in.”

“I know you do. But you’re not quite sure how to go about it, are you?”

Suri dragged in a deep breath. “Don’t start thinking you know anything about me.”

He walked toward her and picked up her hands, holding them in front of him. “I don’t know everything, Suri, but I’d like the chance to learn.”

Warmth spread through her but she looked away. “You shouldn’t have waited so long.”

“Did I hurt you?” he asked softly.

Her lower lip trembled, and she sniffed. “Yes.”

His eyes reflected regret. “I’m sorry for that, but I wanted to be free and clear for a while. I wanted to be able to spend time with you. I thought we might go somewhere.”

“I still have a week of school left. I can’t up and leave now.”

“Well, you can. If you wanted to. I know people who can make it happen.”

She tugged her hands from his. “You have some free time, so you want me to drop everything and come with you. But what about after that?” She waved a hand toward the door. “I won’t be that girl who waits at the airport for you to drop in for a quickie when you’re in town.”

His brows furrowed. “I’m not asking you to do that.”

“Then what
are
you asking.”

Jackson raked a hand through his hair. “I’m fucking this up,” he muttered. “Deke was right, I should have rehearsed this.”

She stared, not understanding, until he reached into his front pocket and pulled out a small jeweler’s box.

Suri took a step back. If she was wrong about what was inside it, she was going to cry.

When she backed away again, he reached out and grabbed her hand. “Don’t run away. Not yet. You deserve better, but it’s been burning a hole in my pocket.” He went to one knee.

She shook her head. “Don’t.” She placed a hand on her chest; her heart was beating so hard she thought she might faint.

His expression grew taut, his jaw tightening until that sexy muscle jumped at the edge as he ground his teeth. He flipped open the box and turned it toward her.

The ring was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Little rainbow sparkles of color from the perfectly cut diamond at the center of a circle of smaller diamonds. Her breath held as she stared, and then her glance darted to his face.

He was waiting. But he still hadn’t asked.

“What do you want, Jackson?” she said, her voice thick due to the lump burning the back of her throat.

He cleared his throat. “Will you have me? Will you be my wife?”

She remembered staring out the cabin of the helicopter after he’d jumped to the ground. He’d turned and gazed at her with what she’d thought was regret darkening his eyes. She’d never felt more alone. “I can’t marry you unless you can promise me you’ll always be my family. You said you love me. You can’t ever take it back.”

Jackson took the ring from the box and slid it on her finger. “Same goes for you. No matter how mad you get, you can’t ever leave me.”

She stood staring at her hand then pushed her hair behind her ear and lifted her chin. “It wasn’t nice, dumping me in that helicopter.”

Jackson stood, gazing down at her. “Would you have gone if you had known I had to stay behind?”

She gave him a frown. “Why couldn’t I have remained? I would have stayed where I was put.”

“We were moving fast. The situation was too dangerous. After Guzman got to you…” He shook his head. “I never want to be that scared again.” He put his forehead against hers. “Just say yes, baby.”

So, she’d have to work on his communications skills. And he’d gone to a lot of trouble and expense to bring her the ring. She held up her hand. “One of your spook friends go through my jewelry box to find my ring size?”

His eyelids lowered half-way, and he gave her that sexy look she’d dreamed about too many nights. “Just put it down to a very good guess. Say yes.”

“You going to keep asking until you wear me down?”

His mouth twitched at the corners. “Is it working?”

Maybe he already smelled victory, or maybe the happiness she felt was written in her eyes. She stopped fighting. “Yes, Jackson. I’ll have you for my husband.”

He gripped her waist and twirled with her, and Suri laughed. Jackson had unlocked her heart.

*

Jackson bent over
Suri and kissed her shoulder. She lay sprawled on her stomach in much the same position she’d fallen asleep last night after he’d made love to her the second time.

They hadn’t made it out of the apartment, but he was determined she wouldn’t distract him again. A friend had lent him a beach house on Padre Island, and he wanted to spoil Suri a little this weekend. She deserved it. She’d said she would put up with him—’til death do they part. That those exact words had been spoken while she’d ridden him hard only made them that much more memorable.

He bit her earlobe. “Wake up. We have to leave. The drive to Padre will take hours.”

She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head.

Jackson smiled. He came over her, sliding a knee between her thighs and an arm beneath her hips. He lifted her to her knees, although her chest and head remained on the mattress and she made a sound like a snore.

He wasn’t fooled. One caress between her legs and he knew she was awake and aware, but if she wanted to play it like this, he was game.

He bent behind her and tongued her folds, stabbed the tip into her opening and swirled, then moved downward. His thumb found her clit first, and then his mouth, and he didn’t start softly. Instead, he suctioned on it, drawing so hard his cheeks hollowed.

“Oh fuck,” she said, coming up on her arms. “Jackson…oh!”

He nipped her and swirled his tongue upward, before rising to his knees and feeding his cock into her very wet pussy. He gave her lazy rolls of his hips, short, quick strokes, and then deeper, hooking glides.

Suri loved them all, pushing her luscious ass against him, murmuring how good it felt, how good she’d give it to him next time, if only he’d fuck her harder now.

Jackson smiled down at her, gripping the sides of her hips to bring her against him in a rhythm that would serve them both. Soon, they pounded together, and their gasps and groans echoed in her small bedroom.

When they both lay breathless, chest to chest, he pushed her hair away from her face and cupped her cheek. “I love you.”

Her smile was deep and curving, and the gesture wrinkled the sides of her pretty blue eyes. “When did you know?”

“Not sure. Maybe the second or third time you lifted your chin and told me in so many words to go to hell.”

Her gaze narrowed. “I never said that.”

“But you wanted to.”

She laughed. “I knew the moment the lights went on in that atrocious pink bedroom. There you were, so tall, and with black streaks on your cheeks, but your eyes were this pure silvery gray. It was lust at first sight.”

“Not love?”

“My instinct told me to trust you, Jackson. From that moment on, I was yours.”

He lifted her chin and kissed her, and then settled back on the bed again. “Padre. We’re going.”

And although he’d used his sternest voice, she laughed and lay with her leg over his hip, her hand over his heart, and her head resting on his shoulder.

He didn’t figure they’d move until the cupboards were bare and they had to find food. He thought of the moment when she’d counted down then sagged in Guzman’s arms.

He’d had one shot. And it had to count. The space of one breath to decide. Her next breath.

His whole body had been shaking when she flung herself into his arms. From that moment on, he’d been a man with a single mission—to love and honor her for the rest of his days. Their future was filled with uncertainties, but one truth was rock-solid—they’d found something real, something worth fighting for.

Suri rubbed a finger against his mouth. “What are you thinking about? You look a million miles away.”

Jackson sought her gaze and smiled. “Baby, I’m right here.”

The End

Watch Over Me

Deke Warrick’s unsanctioned detail is to keep tabs on a congressman’s daughter while she vacations in the Caribbean. He’s determined to keep his distance from the beautiful Nicky Martir, but finds his limits tested when Nicky sets out to seduce him. What seemed like a simple mission becomes deliciously complicated—and then dangerous, when she’s snatched from their hotel room

And be on the lookout for two new Uncharted SEALs stories coming soon:

Through Your Eyes

A military sniper is forced to get close and personal to keep a woman safe…

Rescue Me

He rescues her. Now it’s up to her to save him…

And while you wait, try Delilah’s Adventure Girls, Inc. stories:

Dangerous Liaison

A pampered travel agent, roughing it at an anti-terrorist training school, escapes through the jungle with an undercover DEA agent when a drug lord mistakes her for a rival’s daughter.

Mutiny’s Bounty

Expecting an adrenaline-packed adventure, a travel agent finds more excitement than she can handle when she falls into bed with an ex-SEAL, and then into deep water, swimming with sharks when the yacht they’re sailing on is taken.

It Takes a SEAL

A travel agent visiting friends in the Bahamas is stranded on a desert island with a sexy ex-SEAL after their private pleasure cruise is interrupted by men who mistake her lover for a reclusive billionaire.

Delilah Devlin is a
New York Times
and
USA TODAY
bestselling author of erotica and erotic romance with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. She has published over a hundred forty erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths, and she is published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Montlake Romance, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.

You can find Delilah all over the web:

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Take No Prisoners Book #7