To Dare a SEAL (Sin City SEALs) (4 page)

Chapter Five

F
ate was on a mission to prove that her luck hadn’t changed. They’d spent three hours parked on the highway around Los Angeles while workers cleared away the accident. This brought their total time spent in her very compact car up to six hours.

Natalie steered the car into the parking lot of a two-story motel located in middle of nowhere California. If they kept going on the two-lane country road, they’d hit the California-Nevada state line before dark. But Mufasa was growing restless. And Natalie was dying for a break.

The drive had shaken her. When they’d inched up to the scene, she’d spotted the totaled passenger car on the side of the road and the tractor-trailer lying on its side. Maybe the truck driver had survived. But the passengers in the smashed car?

A shiver ran down her spine. Earlier, when they’d drawn to a stop, she’d closed her eyes, haunted by fear for the crash victims and their families. And Jack had placed his hand on her shoulder.

Now, the memory of that touch and his concern haunted her. She knew he wanted her in his bed. He wanted to win the bet. That was fine. Desire and seduction she could deal with. Probably even resist. But knowing he actually cared? That chipped away at her resolve and left her wanting him. Just a little.

But not enough to let him win.

“Do you want me to go inside and secure a room in the back?” Jack asked. “You can drive around and let Mufasa out to stretch his legs.”

“Sure, but get two rooms. I’m not sharing a bedroom with a man who made a bet to seduce me.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind sharing.”

She let out a laugh. Of course he didn’t mind. He probably saw it as bringing her a step closer to victory.

“Sometimes these out-of-the-way motels charge more than they’re worth,” he added. “Because they’re the only game in town.”

She quickly calculated the cash in her purse—most of which she had allocated for bachelorette party favors—and came up short even for a room in the middle of nowhere.

He studied her, and for a second she wondered if he could read her mind. “One room would save us both a few bucks. Destination weddings aren’t cheap.”

Unless they were giving rooms away, she’d have to charge tonight’s stay. And pray she didn’t go over her credit card limit when she handed over her card to the hotel in Vegas. Not a possibility she wanted to face.

Besides, what was the harm in staying in one room for one night with Jack? She could use it to her advantage. Show him that staying in one room together didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to let him touch her. She wasn’t going to let him kiss her. She wasn’t going to let him—

“Okay,” she said. “One room. With two beds. And I need your word that you’ll behave.”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.” He opened the passenger side door. “I’ll get the two beds. But darlin’, I’m hoping you’ll give one to the dog.”

N
atalie sipped her strawberry milkshake and stared out the diner window at the motel across the street. “We should have placed a to-go order. Mufasa is probably lonely.”

“Will he tear up the room?” Jack asked. “Or bark until the entire motel knows he’s there?”

She shook her head. “No, he’ll behave. Cade trained him well.”

“Cade spends about sixty days a year with his dog.
You
trained him well.”

“Well, Cade’s the one who trained me,” Natalie shot back, refusing the compliment.

She shook her head at herself. Why couldn’t she accept his praise? For training her dog for goodness sake.

Because smiling and saying thank you was tantamount to letting down her guard. She might as well let him pin her wrists behind her back and kiss her again. But one kiss and she’d be toast. The charming Navy SEAL—the man who’d proved he cared about her dammit—he would ravage her mouth and melt her resolve.

Steer clear! Stay in control! Don’t trust anyone else!

The rules for her life would fly out the window.

Across the table, Jack raised an eyebrow. “Good to know you can take instruction.”

Thankfully, the waitress chose that moment to skate up to the table and deliver their burgers along with a giant basket of fries.

“Watching the servers in this place, I’m glad I don’t have to wear a pair of roller-skates and a short skirt to deliver drinks,” she said, reaching for the ketchup. “I’d get more than a wink and stupid come-on lines when new guys dropped by. Maybe even from the regulars. Though they mostly behave themselves now.”

Except you, Jack.

“Because they’ve seen you take on ten misbehaving Marines,” he pointed out before sinking his teeth into his burger.

“Hasn’t stopped you,” she countered.

“No, but you find me charming.” But his hand-over-your-panties grin quickly faded. “And I’m sorry about my brothers. My mom did her best, trying to raise them right. But five boys running wild on a cattle ranch proved to be too much.”

“Are your parents still in Texas?”

He nodded. “They all live on the ranch. I think Mom likes having most of her brood close even if they are a little wild.”

“That sounds nice,” she said, fighting back emotion. One car crash had altered her future, erasing the possibility of a family home where her parents would welcome her back during the holidays.

“I take it for granted, focusing on the parts I hated about growing up the youngest. And Colton was right.” He paused and set his burger down. He raised his right hand and ran his fingers through his short hair, his muscles flexing and threatening to distract her from his words. “Jesus, I can’t believe I said those words.”

“I won’t tell Colton,” she said, looking away from his arm. “What was Mr. Belt Buckle right about?”

“My older brother nailed it when he said I was scrawny as a kid. Sometimes, in my head, I still feel like that weak boy who needs to fight back.”

She reached for her milkshake. This man possessed the kind of muscles male underwear models dreamed about when they hit the gym. And his biceps came from fighting the bad guys, training to be the best and save the world. But she couldn’t tell him that. Right now, she couldn’t even find the words to tease him.

“The accident today,” he said, his tone surprisingly serious.

Oh no. The Prince Charming of the Navy SEALs didn’t do deep and thoughtful. Did he?

“Please. We don’t need to—”

“It hit close to home, didn’t it?” he asked. “Cade told me about how you lost your parents.”

“Yes.” She let go of her milkshake and stared at her plate, unable to say another word. The feelings were too big, too powerful. The sadness and anger would tear through her control. And she refused to rip the Band-Aid off her emotional scars over burgers with the man who had bet that he could seduce her.

She could fantasize about stripping off Jack’s T-shirt, undoing his cargo pants, and reaching inside to stroke his hard length. While she lay in bed with her battery-operated friend, she could close her eyes and dream about the naughty things he’d described in the back room of her bar after he’d kissed her. She could imagine his tongue teasing her clit and his cock thrusting into her as she mimicked the motions with her toy in the real world.

But she drew the line at liking Jack Barnes. She couldn’t open up to the charmer. She’d considered Cade her best friend for years, and there was so much she’d never shared with him—about the night Lucia was attacked, about her own lingering feelings of guilt, about her fear of letting anyone too close. Sure, that had come back to haunt her when Cade had discovered how living in foster care had literally scarred her little sister. But Natalie refused to show anyone what it had done to her on the inside.

She turned away from him. “I’m going to take my burger to go,” she said, wrapping it in a napkin. “The milkshake filled me up, and Mufasa would love this.”

“Natalie, I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

She felt his blue eyes on her, tracking her movements as she grabbed her purse, then withdrew a twenty-dollar bill and tossed it on the table. “You don’t have to apologize. I just need to see my dog. Make sure he hasn’t claimed one of the beds. I’d hate for you to have to sleep on the floor.”

She slid out of the booth and headed for the door leading to fresh air and emotional safety.

J
ack watched Natalie wait for a break in traffic before she raced across the two-lane road to their motel. He stayed focused on her, waving away the waitress when she rolled by to check on him. After Natalie disappeared around the corner, he turned back to his meal. The burger was pretty damn good, but his appetite had walked out the door with his dinner date. Not that this was a real date, but—

Fuck, I can’t even tempt her to share a burger with me. How the hell am I going to talk her into kissing me again?

Maybe it was just lust before he deployed again for God knew how long, but so what if it was? He’d wanted her for too damn long to walk away from her just yet. And he sure as hell wasn’t letting his brothers and teammates win the bet.

He picked up his burger. He’d eat, giving her a little time and space before he returned to their shared room. Before he went back to the woman who’d played a leading role in his fantasies. And hell, she had given him reason to believe he’d starred in a few of her fantasies when she’d kissed him at her bar. Maybe it was finally time to turn those fantasies into reality.

Chapter Six

A
s the sun dipped below the horizon, Jack slipped into the hotel room and found Natalie curled up on one of the queen-sized beds watching TV. Her giant dog had claimed a corner of the room where Natalie had laid out towels as a makeshift bed. When they’d brought their stuff in earlier, she’d mumbled something about letting Mufasa sleep on the pink dress in the trunk. The dog would probably ruin it, and then she wouldn’t have to wear it to the wedding. He saw the merits to her plan, but she’d left the pink monster locked in the car.

“What are you watching?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the unoccupied bed. He finished unlacing his boots and slipped the clunky black shoes off.

“A reality show,” she said. “I don’t have a TV, so I have no idea what’s happening. I pick up some celebrity gossip at the bar, but…”

On the screen, two women in evening gowns lunged for each other.

“I’m guessing the guys who drop in for a drink or two after a long day on the base aren’t exactly up-to-date on this stuff,” he said, removing his second boot. He kept his eyes on the scene as the catfight continued. “But they might change their minds if the producers put the girls in bikinis and transitioned this scene to a giant pool of Jell-O.”

“I don’t think that’s where this is headed,” she murmured. “But the group date is coming up next, and all of these ladies want that rose, so it’s possible. I can’t believe all of these women are dating this one guy.”

“What if he decides he wants more than one?” He leaned back and rested on his hands. “Can’t he just say ‘let’s have a threesome’ and pick his two favorites?”

“I don’t think so. And even if he did, I think the sex happens off screen.”

“Disappointed?”

She laughed and picked up the remote. “No, I’m not into voyeurism.” She hit a button and the TV went dark. “We should get ready for bed. I’d like to leave first thing in the morning. Mufasa will need to go out again. The less moving him in and out of the room, the better. And we need to get to Vegas in time for the wedding party meet and greet by the pool.”

She slipped off the bed, grabbed a pile of clothes off the dresser, and escaped into the bathroom.

Shit. Natalie wasn’t into voyeurism. That tidbit did him a helluva lot of good. Not that he was crazy about voyeurism either, but he needed to know what she was into, what turned her on and left her wet and wanting.

He ran his hand over his face and stood, moving to his rucksack to dig out his toothbrush. Right now, it was damn hard to believe he’d earned a reputation as the team charmer. But after they turned out the lights, he was ready to give his floundering seduction another shot.

Ten minutes later, Natalie turned off the lamp on the nightstand nestled between their beds and plunged the room into darkness. A loud rumbling sound filled the space, punctuated by the occasional snort. Shit, nothing said “let’s get it on” like a one-hundred pound snoring dog.

Oh no sweetheart, I’m not going to let you shut me down that easily.

“I get not wanting to watch,” he said. “But what about listening?”

“To other people having sex?” she said. “To their weird noises?”

“No.” He turned on his side and propped himself up on one elbow. Even in the dark room, he could make out the outline of her body covered in blankets on the other bed. “And why would you assume their noises would be weird?”

“I think all sex noises are strange,” she said.

He’d like a chance to prove her wrong on that front. But first he had to find out what turned her on. Maybe her kinks led to strange sounds.

“We have a few hours in the car tomorrow,” he said. “You can explain your theory in detail.”

“I don’t think so—”

“But right now, I’m offering you a bedtime story.”

He saw the outline of her body shift as she turned on her side. He couldn’t quite make out her face, but he sensed she was looking at him.

“You’re going to tell me a sexy bedtime story?” she said. And she sounded amused, which sure as shit beat the dark cloud he’d brought over their conversation in the diner.

“Yes.”

“That’s how you plan to seduce me?” she said. “It won’t work. There’s no way you’re going to win me over with the power of your words. I’m not going to succumb to the sound of your voice and change my mind about having sex with you tonight. Or any night,” she quickly added.

A little too quickly, he thought.

“When was the last time someone told you a dirty story?” he asked, his voice dropping low. “A story so naughty you wanted to slip your hand under your clothes and touch yourself?”

“Never.”

“Do you dare me to try?”

“Yes,” she said in a soft, breathy tone he’d never heard her use while tending bar. “I want the chance to prove you wrong. This won’t work. And I want an original, not a recycled story that you used to talk your way into some girl’s pants.”

“I’ve never done this before,” he admitted. She’d been right in the car when she said most women fell easily into his bed. But Natalie was far from easy. And damn if that didn’t turn him on.

“You’re a storytelling virgin?” she teased.

“I am.” He sat up, resting his back against the headboard fixed to the motel room wall. “Now, lie on your back and close your eyes. I promise I’ll be more entertaining than the girls fighting on TV.”

He waited until her outline shifted in the darkness, the covers moving over her body. Beneath the thin motel blanket, she wore sweatpants and a baggy gray Navy T-shirt that looked like it had once been a part of Cade’s limited wardrobe. The minute she’d walked out of the bathroom, he’d wanted her out of those clothes.

“I’m ready,” she said. “Let’s hear your story.”

He stared into the darkness and waited for inspiration to hit him over the head. Shit, he knew how to drive a woman wild in bed and out. But he usually took the hands-on approach to foreplay.

He drew a deep breath and began. “Once upon a time, there was a sexy as hell bartender who’d hidden her secret desires for way too long. Sailors, soldiers, and a handful of guys dropped by her bar, chatting and flirting with her. You see, this bartender had long black hair that shone under the bar’s dim lights. And every customer who walked through the door noticed the way her jeans hugged her perfect ass. Those men dreamed about touching her, but they knew she’d scare the shit out of them if they tried. This bartender could take down men twice her size with a single pointed look—”

“Because they knew I wouldn’t let them in the door when I was working if they caused trouble,” she muttered.

“Hell yeah, they knew,” he said, the mental picture of the story that was part fantasy, part reality forming in his mind. “But that didn’t stop them from picturing this bartender stripped down.”

“You’re trying to seduce me by telling me every guy who comes into my bar has wondered what I look like naked?”

“I’m
trying
to tell you a bedtime story. You’re interrupting,” he said. He paused, waiting for another sharp retort. And…nothing. So he continued, “But these men never stopped to think about her secret fantasies. One day a SEAL walked into the bar, took one look at her, and he knew. He vaulted over the bar, took her by the hand, and led her to the back room. After he barricaded the doors with a table to make damn sure her fantasy didn’t turn into a crazy threesome in a Jell-O pit—”

Natalie laughed softly. The sound teased his hard-on and left him wishing she’d slip out of her bed and into his. But first, he had to turn her husky laugh into a needy moan.

“He grabbed a black silk sash from the wall and ordered the bartender to strip. Her clothes hit the floor.”

“Jack, there aren’t any silk ties in the back room. And I don’t have a secret desire—”

“Shh, it’s my first time,” he said. “Don’t rush me. Let me tell the whole story. I was just getting to the good part.”

He slid one hand beneath the blanket. He’d pulled on a pair of boxers when he’d climbed into bed to make her feel comfortable. Now, he slipped his hand under the elastic band and gripped the part of his body that freaking loved the mental picture of Natalie tossing her clothes to the ground.

He heard a soft moan from the other bed and his hand froze. He hoped like hell she’d slipped her hands under the covers, too. “Still with me, Natalie?”

“Sorry,” she said. “Please continue.”

“When the bartender stood naked, her bare tits—uh, breasts—”

“You can say tits, Jack,” she said with a laugh.

He’d say whatever she told him to if it turned her on. Right now, he had his own hand wrapped around his dick. And that wasn’t how he wanted this night to end.

“He ordered her to climb up on the steel table,” he continued. “The bartender obeyed, reaching her arms overhead. He pulled three more silk ties from the wall and walked over to her. Then he grabbed hold of her ankles and drew her to the table’s edge, spreading her legs wide. He moved to the other side, tied the silk around her wrists, and secured the fabric to the table legs. He thought about doing the same with her legs, but he left her free to plant her feet on the table. Or wrap her legs around him.”

“Jack,” she gasped.

Dammit, he wished he could see her face. Were her cheeks flushed from his words? And where the hell were her hands?

“More?” he asked.

“Yes.”

One word. No hesitation. He stared through the dark room, trying to make out more than her outline—and failed. He needed night vision, gear he’d forgotten to pack for his weekend trip to Vegas.

“Please,” she added, her voice breathless.

And yeah, he couldn’t see the effect of his story, but that one word was all the encouragement he needed to hear.

“He moved between her legs and debated blindfolding her,” he said, his hand moving up and down his dick. His hips lifted off the bed and the frame whined. Or maybe that was her bed? Was she touching herself? Had he taken her to a place where desire overrode everything else?

“Go on,” she whispered.

“He didn’t blindfold her. He wanted her to watch, her eyes on him as she came. He didn’t want her to picture someone else running his hands up her legs and slipping a finger inside her wet heat. He wanted her to watch as he lowered his mouth and licked her clit over and over, his finger moving inside her, driving her closer—”

“Jack,” she moaned. And his dick threatened to explode.

“He brought her to the edge,” he said, the words pouring out in a rush as he struggled to keep his breathing steady. “Learning what drove her wild, what made her pull at the ties binding her wrists—”

“Oh God, Jack… I can’t…” she panted. “I just…can’t. Not like that.”

He heard a rustling. One glance at her bed and he saw her struggling to toss off the covers. She succeeded, breaking free and running through the dark room—

“Shit, Natalie.” He released his dick and sat up. “Be careful.”

She disappeared into the bathroom. The slamming door echoed in the motel room.

“Natalie?” he called, swinging his legs out of bed. What the hell? She’d sounded like she was into it.

And then he heard it—a barely audible noise. A moan followed by a soft “oh.”

“Natalie.” He stood and made his way through the darkness to the bathroom door. He stopped and listened. Another soft cry. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice needy and pretty damn close to a “weird sex noise.”

He smiled and let the relief wash over him. “I think you liked my story.”

“Oh God, yes,” she gasped.

“Tell me more, darlin’.” He sank to the floor. Resting his back against the door, he closed his eyes and stroked his hardening dick. “Where are your hands? How does it feel? Tell me more.”