A Sexy SEAL Novella Anthology (6 page)

“I’d rather—”

He cut her off with a single look.

“You cooked. I clean.”

“I heated,” she muttered, giving him that
sulky look that always made him want to nibble on her bottom
lip.

“Then I’ll rinse.” It only took him a second
to do just that, washing the plates clean enough to last till
morning. Since Bryanna had already put away the food, he was back
at the table before she could argue.

“I report for PT at six-hundred hours,” he
murmured as he reached down to take her hands in his. “But I’ve
trained hard, built up impressive endurance and resistance to
exhaustion. So what d’ya say? Wanna set some records tonight?”

“Records?” she asked, a smile in her voice
as she rose in a way that ensured her body rubbed against every one
of his erogenous zones. Damn, she felt good.

“I’m pretty sure our current record is you
rocking seven orgasms in one night.” He reached down to untie the
belt of her robe. “Let’s make it our mission to do better
tonight.”

“This is crazy. I can’t believe you
convinced me to miss yoga class to look at underwear.”

“Not underwear.” Bryanna absently corrected
Tansy as they wandered the gilt and mirrored boutique.
“Lingerie.”

Fancy, expensive lingerie.

Her thighs were sore and her skin so
sensitized that the simple brush of her cotton blouse against her
belly made her want to moan. Every night since Sam had been back,
they’d made love. Last night he’d upped his goal of eight orgasms
in one night to ten.

Now, even nine hours after Sam had left her,
her nipples were still rock hard, Bryanna had had to resort to a
padded bra to hide the telltale sign of what felt like a terminal
case of arousal.

Thanks to Sam’s mission for a record number
of orgasms, they’d made love most of the night. But between—because
even Super Sam had to recover for a few minutes here and
there—they’d talked. They’d laughed and teased and shared stories
of what they’d done while they were apart, of things they’d thought
of in the intervening months or just random thoughts.

And she’d fallen in love with him all over
again.

Damn the man, she couldn’t blame him for
that. All she could do was hope he’d fallen for her just as
hard.

But, since Bryanna knew better than to pin
anything on hope alone, she’d taken a page out of Sam’s book. She
was now on a mission of her own. She was going to do anything and
everything in her power to make sure that Sam was as deeply in love
with her as she was with him. She figured it was her only shot at
keeping him from taking his trident.

And with that in mind, she was here to
augment her mission supplies.

“Who buys this stuff?” Tansy wondered in a
low mutter as she flicked through a rack of white nighties. “Five
bills for something you wear to bed? Hanes does me fine.”

“As appealing as a white tee is, these are
for seduction, not for sleep.”

“Skin works just fine for seduction.” Tansy
shrugged before lifting a hanger from which dangled three tiny
strips of purple satin and a hundred dollar price tag. “Oh, my
God.”

She shot Bryanna a horrified look.

“Seriously. Skin. Baby oil if you have to
fancy it up. But this is crazy. No man is worth this much
money.”

“It’s not the man, it’s the experience,”
Bryanna laughed. Then, taking pity on her friend’s frugal
sensibilities, she pulled Tansy toward the back of the store.
“These are last year’s designs, discounted to prices less likely to
freak you out.”

Ignoring Tansy’s mutters, Bryanna started
flipping hangers in search of the answer to capturing Sam’s heart.
She wanted to run the gamut from sensual to seductive, making sure
to hit a few fetishes in between. She flicked a finger over the
frothy white feathers on a peignoir so perfect for a wedding night
that it was all she could do not to cry thinking about having to
return it if this little plan of hers failed.

She flipped right past the little bit of
nothing in blue because it had no shape on the hanger, then went
back to pull the hanger up to eye level. Oh, this was pretty.

A giddy feeling danced in her stomach. It
was perfect. And she loved finding perfect when she shopped. It
made her want to shop even more. Her fingers itched to grab more
and more, to buy every single pretty thing she could find. But she
had control, she reminded herself. Enough control to only buy what
she needed to convince Sam that he wanted her.

She lifted the blue satin higher. He’d had
appreciated the naughtiness of the black corset, so this should be
a great contrast. More alluring than edgy, she decided. Seduction
in silk, she’d call it. Deliciously soft, the material slid over
Bryanna’s fingers. The rich blue fabric so tempting.

She smiled, feeling warm inside as she
imagined the look on Sam’s face if he saw her in this teeny tiny
bit of sexiness.

She was getting it.

She was determined to show him every sexy
side of her, to offer every temptation she could. And this was the
perfect nighty for round two.

Then her fingers hit the price tag.

“Damn,” she murmured with a grimace. The
teeny tiny nighty cost more than her monthly car payment.

“Holy crap,” Tansy said, sidling up to
Bryanna and turning the price tag with one finger. “Whoa. You’re
actually buying that?”

Her own sticker shock was reflected in her
friend’s voice.

“Yes, I’m buying it,” Bryanna said, her chin
echoing her stubborn tone as she draped the tiny bit of fabric over
her arm. Starting to regret dragging Tansy shopping with her,
Bryanna hurried to the other side of the store where she added
edible body glimmer, silk lined handcuffs and a leather bustier to
her haul.

“Bryanna, stop.” Probably
figuring—correctly—that her words were falling on deaf ears, Tansy
planted herself in front of the corner Bryanna was standing in so
there was no escape. “I can see the point in getting all the sex
you can from Sam. And I realize that dumping the guy when he’s in
the middle of testing is wrong. I’m sorry I suggested it. But
c’mon. You can stay with him and have great sex naked. Or in
currently-owned lingerie. Don’t waste your money on this
stuff.”

“I’m not wasting it,” Bryanna said
stubbornly. Then, before Tansy’s logic could pierce her shopping
haze, Bryanna headed for the checkout counter.

It’d work out, she told herself, pulling a
credit card from her wallet while a six-foot Amazon in purple satin
and pearls rang up her purchases. But when the clerk announced the
total, Bryanna’s fingers trembled on the card. But she handed it
over.

And told herself that it’d all be worth it
if it helped her keep Sam.

Even though it was midafternoon, Sam had to
push through a crowd of bodies in order to make his way to the back
of the bar where he knew his friends were waiting. Weren’t most
people supposed to be working at fifteen-hundred? Or, since he was
in civvies, at three in the afternoon.

It felt weird to be in a civilian bar—hell,
any bar given where he’d been the last few weeks-but as he glanced
at the glossy surfaces and pretty plants, he had to wonder if
Bryanna would like the place. Maybe he’d bring her here for drinks
later in the week and find out.

He automatically shut down any and all
thoughts about Bryanna when he saw two men at the small table
against the back wall. Because no matter how hard he tried to stop
them, thoughts of Bryanna always ended up naked in his mind. And as
wrong as it was to think of her that way around one of her
brothers, it was twice as wrong with both sitting there.

“Eli,” he greeted with a slap on the back
before offering his hand and a grin to the other man. “Russell.
How’s it going?”

“Great to see you, Sam,” Russell greeted as
he stood, skipping the handshake to offer a manly hug.
“Congratulations. Eli was just telling me that you’re well on your
way to earning your SEAL trident.”

Basking a little, Sam offered a grateful
smile to the man he’d always considered his mentor.

“It’s been awhile, Russ. What’ve you been up
to?” Sam asked as he sat in the empty chair. No point asking Eli
why he’d wanted to meet or why Russell was there. Sam knew the SEAL
would fill him in if and when it was necessary.

“Commodities, man. I’ve got my own
brokerage. Doing well,” Russell said with a grin. “You want to make
money, I’m your man.”

“Ensign’s pay isn’t much, but when I make
SEAL I’ll have a little to throw your way,” he decided, gesturing
to a passing waitress, then pointing at Eli’s beer to indicated he
wanted one of his own.

Then he took a closer look at the man he
hadn’t seen a lot of in the last few years. His age right in
between the elder Eli and Bryanna the baby, Russell was a
combination of his siblings’ looks. Dark hair and a tall, rugged
build like his brother, he had his little sister’s blue eyes, easy
smile and mind for numbers.

While he waited for his beer, he and Russell
caught up. Eli sat, silently watching. It was because he was used
to those types of tactics and because he knew it was simply the way
Eli was that it didn’t bug Sam to have the guy staring.

“Gwen Fitzpatrick is your best financial
analyst?” he said, repeating the most salient of Russell’s
comments. “Didn’t she live in the neighborhood? I think she and
Noah were in the same graduating class.”

Even as Russell nodded, Sam frowned. There
was something about Gwen nagging at the back of his brain. Before
he could figure it out, the waitress brought his beer and
conversation turned general. Who was doing what, where they’d been
seen last, a little bragging and a few muscle flexes. Since the
conversation avoided Bryanna, Sam counted himself lucky and simply
enjoyed.

But when Russell said his goodbyes, offering
Sam that hug again and a punch to the shoulder for his older
brother, the ease faded.

Sam and Eli sat in silence, nursing what was
left of their beers. There was a reason for it, Sam was sure. Eli
never did anything without reason. The other man was a SEAL, but
had nothing to do with BUD/S or SQT so it was doubtful that’s what
Eli wanted to talk to him about. It could be advice, but the other
man wasn’t known for his altruism.

Which left Bryanna.

Damn.

“So what’s the deal?” Sam finally asked,
figuring he’d rather get right to the battle instead of dancing
around it.

“Might be breaking the rule there, Sammy.”
Eli’s smile was sharp. “If and when, remember.”

“If and when as it applies to duty, to a
mission, to orders and explanations.” Taking a swig of his beer,
Sam gave himself a second to appreciate the smooth flavor then
arched his brow. “We’re off duty, you’re not in uniform and we’re
in a civilian bar filled with ferns. If and when aren’t applicable,
are they? So what’s the deal?”

Sam leaned back in his chair, waiting.

Eli leaned forward, his elbows on the table,
his hands wrapped around the beer bottle. His eyes, blue like
Bryanna’s, locked on Sam’s.

“You’re going to make SEALs. Top scores, all
three BUD/S phases, just a few months to go.”

Sam didn’t respond. He didn’t relax at those
words. He figured this must be groundwork since so far, Eli was
simply stating the obvious.

“Gotta get through parachute training, but
you’ve jumped before.” Eli shrugged off the fact that Sam would
quite likely be jumping in sleeting rain or icy snow as if it were
no big deal. Which, actually, it wasn’t. “Once you pass
qualification testing, you’ll be assigned a team. Your EOD skills
will serve you well. Every team needs a guy willing to throw
himself on an explosive.”

“Looking forward to doing my part.”

Eli’s lips almost quirked at that.

“You’ll make the team, but you’ll still have
to prove yourself. First to the team, then to everyone else.”

This was a pep talk, Sam realized, starting
to relax. Eli wasn’t gonna haul him out behind the bar and kick his
ass for giving the guy’s little sister nine orgasms the previous
night.

“So you’re telling me it isn’t gonna be
easy.” He signaled the waitress for another round.

“I’m telling you that the first year after
you earn your trident will make Hell Week a fond memory.”

“Any tips? Suggestions? Fond memories of
your own you want to share?”

Eli’s frown made Sam sigh. It was moments
like this that he missed his brother. Noah handled Eli much better
than Sam ever could. Because while Petty Officer Spencer might be
one hell of a SEAL, the guy had jack for a sense of humor.

“Focus,” Eli said after the waitress swapped
out their empties. “Clarify your motivation. To yourself, to the
team, to your unit. To your superiors.”

“That’s a lot of clarification.”

“You want to make it, you need to know why.
Otherwise you won’t handle the challenges. Not well, not for
long.”

Sam frowned, playing that through his mind,
then nodded.

“Yeah. Okay, I’ll do that. I’m on light duty
through the holidays. That’s good thinking time.”

“Not if you’re busy making googoo eyes at my
sister.”

Shit. Talk about being blindsided. Sam shook
his head to clear the ringing from his ears while his mind raced.
He and Bryanna weren’t secret, and they weren’t doing anything
wrong. But their perspective and her brother’s might disagree on
that point. Leave it to Eli to pull off the big brother disapproval
in a sneak attack.

“Hold up.” Sam scowled, lifting one hand as
if he could halt not only the words, but the lousy attitude that
came with them. “You’re trying to tell me you hauled Russell here
to remind me that Bryanna has big brothers? Brothers that don’t
approve of her and I making, what’d you call it? Googoo eyes at
each other?”