Watch Over Me: A Military Romance (Uncharted SEALs Book 1) (3 page)

They stopped at her door. His hand withdrew from her back, and he held out her large tote.

Her hand trembled as she dug into her bag, keeping her head down to hide her expression. When her fingers wrapped around her key card, she at last looked up.

His gaze flickered over her face. In the space of a breath, his expression shuttered.

Now what? Her stomach dove to her toes. She’d liked the heat and interest in his eyes and felt guilty over the fact that he’d read her second thoughts. She was ready to be persuaded again. He could do it. And so easily. If he kissed her now, he’d remind her body of just how good it had felt being held.

Instead, he straightened, jerking his chin to the door across the hallway from hers. “I’ll knock on your door at seven. We’re having dinner together.”

She touched his arm as he began to turn away. “Deke…”

“No.” He gave a shake of his head. “You’re right. Things got out of hand. I have a job to do.”

“And I’m the job?”

“You’re my responsibility until wheels go up.”

Nodding, she glanced away. She should have been relieved he was being sensible, but instead felt disappointed…in herself. “I’ll be ready at seven.”

“Don’t leave your room without letting me know. Flip the deadbolt.”

That tone
. Her chin rose, annoyance sweeping away her disappointment. She was grateful for the reminder he was every bit as stubborn and dictatorial as her father. “I won’t cause you any problems.”

A deep sigh drew her gaze. His firm mouth was a straight line, but his eyes, more green than blue at the moment, roamed her face, dropping to her chest and below. “Don’t think I’m not tempted to kiss you again,” he said, his voice a deep rasp.

That rumble felt like a caress feathering down her spine. And just that quickly, her skin prickled into gooseflesh. The man’s attraction was powerful. Her own glance raked down his body, pausing on the apex of his thighs where his interest was impossible to hide.

She glanced up from beneath her eyelashes, studying his mouth.

“Stop. Swipe the damn lock,” he said, his voice gruffer than before.

“I’d be so much safer if you were inside my room, rather than all the way across the hall,” she murmured, only half teasing.

“And a moment ago, you had cold feet. Or an attack of good sense.” He held up a staying hand. “Doesn’t matter what you call it. We met two seconds ago.”

Of course, he was right. And she did have misgivings. Not because she feared he’d harm her but because everything about him fired every nerve ending in her body. She was hot and cold, her body shivering, excited at the prospect of his hands roaming over her skin. The fact she was so deeply attracted should have rung alarm bells. He walked in a world she’d escaped when her mother left her father. So, why was she being so adamant? Was it because he was the one holding back now, and she didn’t like the thought he could close off his desire so quickly?

She snorted. “And you’ve never hustled a girl to bed this fast before? You’re a big bad SEAL. I imagine you have women falling all over themselves for a chance with you under the sheets.”

His gaze narrowed, and he reached out to take the card from her fingers.

A flush of excitement warmed her head to toe as he swiped the lock. He hadn’t liked her jibe—probably all too true. The snick of the lock was overloud, but so were her shortening breaths. They’d be alone. There was still a chance her case of nerves and his stubbornness would be swept away.

He pushed open the door then preceded her inside, tapping the bathroom door to push it open, and leaning in the doorway to give the room a quick glance, before taking a few more steps to the closet to open it.

Then his gaze went to the French doors that opened to the balcony. He strode toward the far wall, opening the curtains, and then the door, to step outside. Sunlight glinted red on his brown hair as he turned to stare.

“Room’s safe?” she asked, hitching her hip provocatively while her hands reached behind her to snag the end of one string. This time, she didn’t question her action. The seesaw of her emotions had swung toward the need to challenge him again. She slowly drew open the bow, feeling the cups to her miniscule bra loosen then fall away from her breasts.

His gaze dropped and his eyelids flickered for just a second. His chest billowed around a deep indrawn breath. But he shook his head, a smile quirking up one corner of his mouth. “Pretty tits. I’ll see you at seven.”

Then he strode past her, leaving her standing in the middle of her room, wondering why she was smiling over the fact he’d walked away.

Dinner was a
quiet affair. They barely spoke over their meal of pulled pork and spicy rice. She slowly nursed her second glass of wine, hoping he didn’t notice she couldn’t keep from staring.

Deke looked gorgeous, the clothing blunting the shape of the hard body it covered—white shirt with the collar open, sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, and dark slacks. Anyone looking at him would note was he was in excellent shape, but wouldn’t have a clue about just how ripped he really was. Intimately aware of what the crisp cotton hid, she couldn’t stop the images of his nude upper torso from bombarding her thoughts, and her fingers curled, remembering the thick muscle she’d pressed against.

However, other than a murmured,
You look nice
, when she’d opened her door, she didn’t detect the same heated awareness on his part that he’d demonstrated earlier. His lack of interest was deflating since she’d gone to extra effort with her appearance. Her navy sheath hugged her breasts and hips. Her legs were bare except for a gleaming application of perfumed oil. She’d curled her hair into easy waves that brushed her shoulders. Her makeup was subtle, but she’d taken extra care with her mouth, lining it, staining it with carmine and glossing it—to draw his gaze and invite another scorching kiss.

You look nice.
She’d been tempted to kick him, then and there, but instead, had lifted her chin and gave him a chilly glare. A gesture he didn’t seem to notice as he cupped her elbow and led her to the elevator.

Even now, she sat forward, the scoop neck of her dress displaying the rounded tops of her breasts. His gaze had flicked over her, but once again turned toward the view of the ocean. Moonlight sparkling on rippling waves was pretty enough, but seriously?

Her muscles tight with irritation, she turned to stare at the dark ocean. Was he wishing he was a million miles away? She’d never been in this position with a man before. Not that she expected him to be entranced or anything, but a little healthy interest would have gone a long way to soothing her bruised ego. She knew she looked better than
nice
.

With any other date, she would have been busy fielding innuendos, flirting with desire, while she decided whether she was truly interested enough to accept the guy into her bed. In her work at the bank, she met plenty of eligible, attractive men from all walks of life. Firemen, business men, lawyers, doctors—everyone applied for a loan at some time, and she had never been a shy woman. If she was attracted, she followed that attraction until the man proved to be a toad. Her last boyfriend had outlasted the others. He’d been a nice man but her desire for him, beyond companionship, hadn’t grown. She’d never felt the intense attraction she felt for the man sitting quietly across from the table and ignoring her this very moment.

“Your father says you’re staying a week.”

Watching him from the corner of her eye while she pretended to look at the water, she said, “Are you hoping I’ll cut my vacation short? Do you have plans I’m ruining?” Maybe her tone was a bit too snippy, but the first night of her vacation was turning into a flaming dud. Her hopes dashed. The most attractive man she’d ever seen in the flesh wasn’t feeling the heat like she was.

“I’m attempting polite conversation.”

The stiffness of his tone pulled her attention back to his face. His eyes were narrowed. A dark look that made her heart skip a beat. Anger was better than boredom. She jutted out her chin. “If you want to be polite, you could start by complimenting me. I went to a lot of effort to look this good.”

He blinked and the corners of his mouth curved upward. “I said you looked nice.”

“Nice is something you tell your mother.”

Leaning a forearm on the table, he pressed his lips into a straight line and arched a brow. “Are you angry with me?”

Nicky sniffed and placed her glass on the table, her cheeks warming from embarrassment. She sounded like a spoiled brat, but she’d never before had to beg a man for a compliment. Maybe it was time to end this awkwardness. “Thank you for dinner.”

“Don’t. Your father’s picking up the tab.”

The smile she gave him was thin and brittle as she gripped the edge of the table and stood. “Then I should have ordered filet mignon and lobster.”

“You should have ordered what you wanted to begin with.”

How can he be so calm?
“What I wanted wasn’t on the menu.”

Slowly, he stood.

His height and breadth instantly made her feel overwhelmed and a little light-headed as she tilted her head to hold his stare.

“Let’s walk.”

Spoken in a low growl, those words shouldn’t have had the effect they did. Apparently, her body wasn’t heeding the warning bells going off in her head, telling her she’d poked a bear with a stick. Heat licked across her skin.

His hand snagged hers and he turned, tugging her behind him. His rapid steps didn’t take her heels into consideration, and she skipped behind him to keep up. He pulled her to a side door, which opened onto a white stucco staircase leading to the beach. Once there, he dropped her hand and quickly knelt, lifting one of her feet to slip off her shoe, then the other. When he stood, glaring down at her, he toed off his own shoes and placed both pairs on a ledge, then quickly unbuttoned his shirt.

Her breath caught as he removed it. The ocean breeze wafting over her skin did nothing to cool another jagged burst of heat as he unzipped his pants and pushed them down his long, thickly muscled legs. The boxers were a disappointment, because she’d wanted to see everything. The holster strapped to the inside of his calf was an unwanted reminder of his true reason for being here.

Before she could think to ask him what he was doing, stripping in the open, he turned her body, his fingers finding the tongue of her zipper and sliding it down. With a gentle touch, he moved his hands along her curves, smoothing her dress downward, but caught it before it touched the sand.

Without his asking, she stepped out of the garment, waiting while he folded their clothing and left it in a bundle next to their shoes. With both of them in their underwear, she felt somehow lighter, less affronted.

“We deal better with fewer clothes,” he whispered.

She agreed, but couldn’t manage to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth to tell him so. And because she didn’t want to do something foolish like beg him to make love to her, she gave him a sudden flashing smile and darted past him, running toward the water.

His chuckles followed her, but his steps were unhurried.

Feeling happier now that he’d managed to break the ice between them, albeit in an unconventional way, she dove into the waves.

She didn’t get far before strong arms surrounded her ribcage, turning and lifting her. She wound her legs around his hips and tilted her head, relieved beyond measure he was holding her again, and the hands gripping her bottom clutched hard.

As he opened his stance to brace against a wave, he let go of her ass, and his hands bracketed her cheeks. “Nicky Martir, you are beautiful.”

Her eyes widened. The way he was looking at her now, his expression so taut, told her how much he meant the words. “You couldn’t have told me that at my door?” she replied huskily. “You’d have saved us both a lot of aggravation. And we might have actually enjoyed our meal.”

He gave a sharp shake of his head. “I wanted to walk you backward into your room. Straight to your bed. I figured pissing you off was safer.”

Her mouth curved in a slight smile, and she pinched his nipple then rubbed it with her finger, watching as the tiny tip hardened. “We barely know each other. I know this isn’t smart…” She bent her head and trailed her tongue across the top of his shoulder.
Ummm
…he tasted salty. “But I’m pretty sure we won’t be able to hold a real conversation until we get past it…” She traced his nipple again, and then glanced upward.

Shadow darkened his eyes, his features tightened, cheekbones and jaw hardening even more. When he bent his head, she met his kiss, opening beneath it, inviting his intrusion. No, begging him to deepen it.

Their second kiss went beyond simple intimacy straight to erotic bliss. His tongue stroked into her mouth, sliding along hers, tangling as his mouth suctioned to deepen his caress.

Her nipples prickled and spiked. Wanting nothing between them, she reached behind her back to unhook her bra, dragging it away and letting it fall into the water. Naked, soft breasts to hard chest, she rubbed against him while the kiss continued.

She mewed. He groaned. His fingers thrust through her hair and held her head still as he plunged into her, again and again. As they rocked against each other, gentle waves providing the rhythm, heat filled her core, and she nearly wept when she felt his arousal, growing more insistent by the second, pressing against her center.
He wants me
. Again, relief mixed with joy, and she clutched his shoulders, fingers digging into rigid muscle.

Deke broke the kiss and rubbed his forehead against hers, breathing hard.

His hand still gripped her hair, and he was pulling, causing a delicious ache in her scalp and neck. She eased back and closed her eyes. Hoping he was staring at her breasts, hoping he’d decide to act on his hunger before scruples and his mission interfered with this delicious moment.

He grunted. “Someone might see.”

“You’re the stealth man. Did you see anyone lurking in the shadows?”

“No.” His mouth slid along her jaw. He bit her earlobe then nuzzled his nose behind it. “But I’m a little distracted.”