To Dare a SEAL (Sin City SEALs) (8 page)

Chapter Twelve

J
ack could go from zero to sixty when he received an order. Part of it was training. But right now, desire drove him to pull his T-shirt over his head and toss it aside. He kicked his shoes away as he stripped off his cargo shorts. When it came to getting naked, he generally issued the commands. But he’d heard the tremor in Natalie’s voice, and he knew that she needed him to obey.

She’d raised her defenses again. Her walls were up. And if he failed to follow orders—if he failed to show her she was still in control—she might fall apart. Or worse—bolt for the hall. He had a hunch she’d literally slam the door in his face rather than leave her weakness, the one point that made her vulnerable, visible for everyone to see.

She liked him.

And he had a hunch that scared the hell out of her.

So he’d try his best to do as she asked, but—

“Forgot to pack your underwear?” she murmured, her gaze fixed on the one part of his body that desperately wanted to keep her on his side of the door. “You travel so much for work that I figured you had it down.”

He laughed. Travel for work? That was one way to look at his deployments to parts of the world most Americans would place dead last on their future vacation wish lists.

“I skipped the boxers—and the briefs—after our swim,” he said. “I hope you’re not disappointed.”

Her gaze met his. While his dick missed being her focal point, he liked the humor he saw in her big brown eyes.

“I’m crushed,” she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. “I was planning to use your boxers as a pillow while I knelt down and took your cock in my mouth.”

“How about my shirt? Or a couch cushion? Hell, we could move to the chairs,” he said, quickly playing through every alternative. They could skip straight to plan Z as long as it ended with her lips wrapped around him.

“How about this?” Her voice was so damn sexy that his balls drew up, wishing to be closer to her. And yeah, she was clearly on the same page. She bent at the waist and lowered her mouth to his crotch.

“Jesus,” he said as she placed her hands on his hips. She wasn’t using him for balance despite the fact that her position looked like a picture out of a Blow Jobs for Yoga Instructors book. No, she was holding him in place. Like he would move away from the scene playing out in front of him.

“Place your hands behind your head,” she said, her lips close enough to lick the drops of liquid beading at the tip of his dick.

“Yes, ma’am.” He’d never uttered those words to a woman on the verge of rocking his world. But staring at the way Natalie’s back formed a long line, and shit, the way her legs remained stick straight, thrusting her ass up—he’d do just about anything to keep her here. So he raised his arms and interlaced his fingers behind his head.

“Do you dare me to make you come? To leave you screaming my name?” she challenged, rising up on her tiptoes as if she’d stepped into a pair of skyscraper heels. And the effect on her ass, thrust higher into the air—

“Yes.” He managed the one word through clenched teeth. Because if she didn’t take him into her mouth soon…hell, he might explode just from looking at her.

She ran her lips down his length, drawing him deeper and deeper into her mouth. His jaw clenched, but he kept his eyes open, focused on her.

“Seeing you like this,” he said, his voice rough. “I want to slide into you from behind. I want to take you right here, bent over the edge of the couch, then over the bed—”

Her tongue pressed against him as her mouth ran up and down, up and down…aw hell, he was on the fucking edge, primed to explode.

“Natalie, I’m dying—” He inhaled sharply, fighting to hold back and make this moment last. “I’m dying to run my fingers through your hair, hold tight to your head, and fuck your sweet mouth.”

She released his right hip and wrapped her hand around the base of his dick—a not-so-subtle reminder that she was calling the shots here. She maintained a firm grip on him as she moved her hand up to touch her lips.

“Fuck me,” he growled. He settled for pressing his fingers against his own skull, his hands still behind his head.

She owned this moment. And the way she touched him, her hand stroking him while she sucked harder and faster, the way she rocked back and forth on her tiptoes using her entire body to literally blow him away—she knew it.

He closed his eyes and surrendered. He wasn’t going to win this one. But shit, if losing felt this good—

“Natalie!” He roared her name. Hips pumping into her mouth, he came so damn hard his knees threatened to give out. But she didn’t let him go. The petite woman who’d driven him crazy from across the bar held tight and sucked him dry.

When she released his very grateful dick, he opened his eyes and fought to catch his breath. Jesus, he’d barely moved a muscle and was winded. Natalie stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have warned you I was about to come. Give me a few minutes, and darlin’, I’ll make it up to you.”

He glanced at the bed. He wanted her flat on her back, hands above her head, while he pushed into her more than he wanted his next breath. And right now oxygen was pretty damn high on his priority list.

“No,” she said firmly. “We’re done.”

“Natalie.” He closed the gap between them and raised his hand to her breast. He brushed the dried chocolate paint off her nipple. One touch and his lower half shifted from
I’m satisfied
to
Give me more
. “This doesn’t end like this. Climb onto the bed and let me lick you clean.” She still seemed hesitant, but he had an idea how to tempt her. “And when you’re wet and ready, I want you to reach your arms up overhead and hold on. Grip the headboard, the sheets, just don’t let go until you come.”

“No.” She pulled away and quickly scooped her clothes off the floor.

“Natalie—”

“I need to leave.”

“You’re still covered in chocolate,” he said, tracking her movements as she pulled on her bikini top. “At least stay for a shower. Let me wash you.”

“You won this round, Jack. But you won’t win the bet. This won’t happen again.”

“Let’s call this round a tie,” he said.

She turned to him, her lips—oh God, those lips—forming a thin line. “A tie?”

“Better yet, let’s say this has nothing to do with the bet.” He paused. “I’m only asking for a little more time with you.”

No dares. No challenges. Not this time. He wanted her to stay because he wanted to be with her a little longer.

“I’m not going to have sex with you in the shower,” she said firmly. “Or anywhere else in this room. Not your bed. Not on the couch, or the floor.”

“Understood,” he said, fighting a smile. The woman who’d just made him come so hard he saw stars was determined to list every location they would not be getting it on if she stayed. And the hell of it was that in this moment, he’d rather be naked with her and not doing anything than doing everything with any other woman. She walked past him and headed for the bathroom. She stopped at the door and glanced back at him. “Are you coming?”

“Affirmative,” he said. He knew when to take an order.

She held up her finger. “I mean it. No sex. Not here. Not anywhere.”

She turned to go into the bathroom, and his gaze dropped to her perfect ass. He followed her, shaking his head, trying to recall if he’d ever been this excited—and shit, happy—to
not
get laid.

T
here was no such thing as “just a shower” with a Navy SEAL. She hadn’t set foot under the rush of warm water, but she could state that for a fact. When they’d reached the bathroom, she’d turned on the water and stepped away to remove her bikini top. And Jack had slipped into the shower.

He tipped his head back, his biceps on display as he ran his hands through his short, wet hair. Water rushed down his back and over his sculpted chest muscles. In the windowless bathroom, illuminated by the harsh light, he sparkled as if he were something special.

He is
, she thought, reaching for the door. But she wasn’t looking for that special someone in her life. She’d told herself one taste, one touch. But…

Her gaze ran down his body. Parts of him were pretty damn hard to walk away from. Too bad all of his positives weren’t located below the belt.

“You know you need to stand under the water to wash away the chocolate,” he said, blinking his eyes open as he stepped out from under the spray.

“I was waiting for you to calm down,” she said with a pointed look at his large and very eager cock.

He threw his head back and laughed. “Darlin’, I have this reaction every time I walk into Bottom’s Up.”

“I bet the other bartenders appreciate the greeting,” she said, opening the shower’s glass door and stepping inside. The space could probably have held his entire team and featured two showerheads mounted on the wall. She stepped under the one turned on and allowed the warm water to strip away the sticky feeling left behind by the chocolate.

“I only stop by the bar when you’re working,” he said as she closed her eyes.

“You like being ignored that much?” she said, not daring to open her eyes and witness the look accompanying those soft words.

“You’re not ignoring me now,” he said, his lips brushing her ear.

Damn him, he’d moved behind her and she hadn’t even realized it. She blinked open and stepped forward. His hand touched her shoulder, not a firm grip, but enough to stop her from rushing out of the shower stall. She waited for him to press his long, hard length against her backside. And waited…

He released her, and she heard the sound of a bottle opening.

What in the…

Then she felt his hands in her hair and smelled the soothing fragrance of mint-infused shampoo. Just when she thought he was about to disregard her no-sex-in-the-shower ultimatum, he surprised her.

“No, I’m not ignoring you,” she murmured, closing her eyes as his hands massaged her scalp.

“And you’re only pretending to at the bar,” he said.

“Hmm,” she murmured, refusing to confirm the truth behind his statement—and because his hands felt oh so good in her hair.

“How did you end up working at Bottom’s Up?” he asked.

“I wanted to live near the beach,” she said. “Someplace warm. When I arrived, I drove around looking for a job, and Justin, the owner, gave me a shot. I think he felt sorry for me.”

“That must have pissed you off.”

“Yes,” she said with a laugh as he withdrew his hands from her hair. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently guided her back until she stood under the shower’s spray. He rinsed out the shampoo and led her back to the open space, never once pressing up against her and showing her how much he wanted to do more than shampoo her hair. Of course, his interest in more may have died down.

One way to know for sure…

She opened her eyes and glanced down at his cock, still hard and oh so eager to do more than wash her hair. His eyes met hers as she turned to face the wall, and he raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not finished with your hair.” He plucked the miniature conditioner bottle supplied by the hotel from a built-in shelf.

“I thought we were just rinsing off the chocolate,” she said as his fingers ran over her scalp again. The pleasure of his touch rippled through her, and her breasts begged to be next.

“I don’t do anything halfway, darlin’,” he murmured.

“The benefits of being bathed by a SEAL.”

He laughed, drawing her back for another rinse. “Now that you’ve proved yourself to Justin and terrified half the soldiers and sailors in Southern California, what’s next?”

She stepped forward, her hair clean, and waited for him to wash the rest of her. “I’m content right where I am,” she said, hoping to draw the conversation away from the future and back to the lingering bits of chocolate on her skin.

“Life’s not as much fun if you stay in one place.” He closed the space between them and placed his hands on her breasts. Gently, he began to wash away the body paint.

“I don’t dream about a white picket fence and two point five kids,” she said sharply despite the wicked, wondrous sensations rushing from her chest down to her toes.

“Me neither. At least not for a while. I want to be there for my kids. Right now, I’m ‘travelling for work’ too much.”

Despite the teasing tone he used to deliver those words, quoting the exact phrase she’d used earlier, a kernel of hope drew her attention away from his touch. “You’re planning to leave the teams?”

And start a family?

She mentally chided herself. Was that really the answer she was hoping for from him?

She tried to push away dreams of children. She wasn’t in the right place for kids now. And she had a sinking feeling she might never get there. But here, in his shower, hope seemingly rained down on her as though it had been mixed in with the water.

“One day,” he said. “I can’t be a SEAL forever. Just like I’m guessing you aren’t planning to rule over Bottom’s Up for the rest of your days.”

“Probably not,” she said. Still, the hope burned bright despite her words. Oh yes, there was definitely something in the Sin City water. Or maybe it was simply his touch, his voice, and heaven help her, his questions. Asking about her future, while touching her as if he could worship her breasts for days, like he would happily wash her hair until his balls turned blue just to be near her…

“I could stay here forever,” she murmured.

“They might miss you at the bachelorette party tomorrow,” he teased. “But I bet we could find a use for the chocolate body paint.”

“That wouldn’t be fair to Lucia,” she said.

“Maybe not. But it would be fun.” He released her breasts and ran his hands over her stomach. He reached for her hips and drew her back against him until she could feel one hard, thick reason to stay right here, with him, for a long, long time.

If she didn’t have a wedding party buffet to attend tonight, she might have stayed with him until the sunset.

No, I can’t do that to Lucia.

She’d have to satisfy herself with moments in-between making small talk at dinner and prepping party favors, seconds where she could fantasize about the look on his face when she’d taken him in her mouth, the thrill when they’d been in the shower and he’d lathered her naked body with soap and a touch that drove her wild—