Hot SEALs: Discarded Heart (Kindle Worlds; Danger Incorporated Book 2.5) (7 page)

WOOED AND WOWED was an understatement.

Mika had been the recipient of flowers, candy, candlelight dinners, handheld strolls down Main Street, and even a stuffed bear that had been left on her front doorstep. She’d found him early one morning as she’d gone out to retrieve the newspaper. The furry brown teddy with big blue eyes had been holding her rolled up paper in its paws while being propped up on a sealed plastic container of pastries from the bakery.

She’d hugged that bear to her chest and felt tears prick the back of her eyes. He was truly trying to show her how he felt. Cal had always treated her well in the past but this time he’d taken it to a whole new level. She felt like a pampered princess.

“Mom, I’m hungry.”

A plaintive wail cut through the serenity of the moment and Mika had to chuckle softly to herself.

So much for royalty.
A mother’s work was rarely glamorous and never finished. But it had been heaven for those few moments to bask in Cal’s loving regard.

“Eggs and toast? Or just cereal?”

Alex had been particularly picky about his food lately, telling her certain things were “icky” when he ate them all the time. His usual staples of grilled cheese and chicken fingers were being replaced with more grown up fare. Mika wasn’t against the transition in the least but it had come as something of a shock. Her baby was growing up so fast.

“Do you know how to make a cheese omelet?”

“Yes,” she answered slowly, pouring him a glass of orange juice. “I do, but have you ever eaten one?”

“Cal had one for breakfast on Sunday when we met him at the diner. I want to try one. Can you do it?”

Cal. Of course.

Alex had a serious case of hero worship going. He trailed after Cal like a puppy, wanting to do everything the older man did right down to what he ate and how he dressed. Mika was happy that the two most important men in her life were getting along so well but there was a little part of her that felt a pang every time she saw them together. If Cal didn’t keep his word he would break her son’s heart. It was her job as Alex’s mother to keep him safe from harm and here she was putting his love on the line.

It was one thing to do it to herself, but her son…

But with each passing day she believed in Cal a little more, the bricks surrounding her heart falling down one by one. He showed her in every way possible that she and Alex were the most important thing to him, even going as far as taking the little boy fishing early Saturday morning. Her son was blossoming under Cal’s positive attention and Mika couldn’t help but picture a future with the three of them as a family.

It was too soon to be thinking that way but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Having Cal back in her life like this was bringing back all the reasons she’d fallen in love with him in the first place.

“Sure, I’ll make you a cheese omelet. It’s not difficult.” Mika pulled herself from her reverie as her young son busied himself with putting his school books into his backpack. He was supposed to do it at night so they wouldn’t rush around in the morning but more often than not she had to remind him. “Don’t forget that permission slip for your field trip. I signed it and set it on your desk.”

Quickly whipping up the omelet, Mika listened as her son regaled her with more tales of how amazing Cal was. Between the carpentry, the fishing, and the touch football in the front yard Alex was completely won over.

Mika still held out a small part of herself. The piece of her heart that was terrified of being hurt again. Cal had told her over and over that he wasn’t going anywhere but it was scary to believe.

“Yoohoo!” Charlotte stuck her head around the front door as Kenny barreled into the house, book bag in hand. It was Mika’s day to drop the boys at the elementary school. Charlotte would pick them up and take them to soccer practice. “Is that coffee I smell? I haven’t had nearly enough.”

Charlotte went straight to the cabinet and pulled down her favorite mug while Kenny and Alex disappeared into the living room to use the few brief minutes before school to play.

“Aren’t those lovely flowers,” Charlotte marveled with a wide smile, sniffing at the fragrant blooms in the glass vase. “Is this your second or third bouquet from Mr. Faulkner? Who knew he was such a romantic?”

“It’s the third,” Mika admitted but she was smiling as well. Cal had told her he was committed to making sure she had fresh flowers on her kitchen table at all times since he knew how much she loved them. “Cal’s being…really great.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes and laughed. “Is that code for I’m falling for him again because he’s not only gorgeous, he’s sweet and wonderful?”

“There’s still a lot of questions unanswered. I’m not rushing into anything.”

Charlotte downed half of her coffee in two gulps. “What’s unanswered? Cal’s hotter than a firecracker and I remember you saying he could kiss better than anyone else. He’s also just a really good man. He never cheated on you. What’s the issue? Is he simply too perfect?”

Cal wasn’t perfect but she was beginning to believe they were perfect for each other and that was a dangerous proposition. It meant putting herself out there and that was something she hadn’t done in a long time.

“I’m being cautious and if you were me you’d be the same. I have more than myself to think about.”

“Alex adores Cal and Cal’s good with kids. You’re still young enough to have one or two of your own, you know.”

Mika’s fingers tightened on the slice of bacon and it crumbled back onto the plate. “What if he doesn’t stay?”

“Then you go with him,” Charlotte said softly, her smile disappearing. “Because having him in Chicago, or New York, or even Timbuktu is a hell of a lot more important than staying in Applewood because of some sort of loyalty to your job or Alex’s school. Alex will make new friends and you can get a new job.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

Charlotte abandoned her coffee and stood in front of Mika, placing her hands on her shoulders and giving her a little shake. “You always want to talk about taking an idea to its logical conclusion, so let’s do that. Let’s say Cal wants to leave and you for some reason decide not to go along. So you stay here in Applewood and Alex grows older and goes away to college. Maybe he gets a job in another town and gets married. He can have a kid or two. Then his job transfers him to Los Angeles or Seattle. In the meantime you retire from teaching. So now Alex and your job are gone and you’re sitting here in this house in this town with no man to love you. You’re alone. I know some people might be okay with that but dammit, you deserve someone to love you, Mika. I’d hate to see you miss out on that.”

Mika’s throat clogged at the picture Charlotte had painted. “There are no guarantees.”

“That’s true. You could meet another man. Your relationship with Cal could fall apart even if you do follow him. But you’ve spent all this time trying to pretend that you didn’t make a decision when Cal left.
Inaction
is a decision, Mika. You decided to let Cal leave and if he goes and you stay you’ll have decided to do it a second time. Make no mistake, just sitting here and waiting for him to come back is a decision.”

“He says he’s staying.”

Charlotte rinsed her cup in the sink before reaching for her purse. “Then believe him. Show some trust in a man that has never lied to you and has only wanted your happiness. We should all be so lucky.”

Everything was beginning to become clear. Cal was doing all he could to build some sort of future for them. What was she doing?

Doubting. Impeding. Complaining because every little thing didn’t go her way.

It was time to show Cal how she felt.

“THERE’S MORE EGGROLLS if you’re still hungry.”

Cal pushed the white paper box closer to Mika but she groaned and patted her stomach. They were enjoying an early dinner and a movie before she had to pick up Alex from Charlotte’s house. It was Kenny’s birthday and Charlotte had taken her son plus a few of his friends into Virginia Beach for a bowling party.

“I couldn’t eat another bite but it was delicious. Alex only ever wants to order a pizza.”

Cal chuckled and began to clean up the food, stowing the leftovers in his refrigerator. “It’s nice that there are more places to order from than there used to be. When I lived here before it was pizza or nothing. And they closed at ten in the evening.”

“We’ve moved up in the world,” Mika teased with a smile. “We have two places for pizza, Chinese takeout, and even a fast food burger joint. It’s like we’re in the twentieth century.”

“You mean twenty-first,” Cal corrected but she shook her head.

“No, I meant the twentieth but I’m sure we’ll get to the next century eventually. We’re not in any hurry. We locals are funny like that.”

Applewood certainly did march to its own drummer. The people enjoyed the small town atmosphere that was steeped in traditions from another decade.

But it still had Wi-Fi.

Cal popped the movie she’d picked out into the player and they settled on the couch, her head on his shoulder and her thigh pressed against his. Since he’d called a halt to their lovemaking that night on the beach he’d worked hard to court her and win her trust. It hadn’t been easy to tame his more base instincts but Mika was worth it. He needed her to know this wasn’t a game.

About ten minutes into the film he knew he’d been had.

“What are we watching?”

A beat of silence and then a giggle.

“Um, a romantic comedy about two friends who fall in love.”

Cal groaned and twisted around so he could see her delighted expression.

“You promised.”

They had watched three chick flicks in a row – that she’d chosen – and she’d promised to choose something else for tonight.

“I know and I feel badly about that, but this one just came out and all the teachers were talking about it at school today.”

Mika held up the DVD cover with an embracing couple on the front. Her lower lip stuck out in a pout and her eyes twinkled with merriment. She’d learned that from Alex or perhaps he’d learned it from her. Either way Cal wasn’t falling for it a fourth time.

“You promised,” he repeated. “It didn’t have to be a bloody war movie but come on, sweetheart. At the rate we’re watching these my testosterone is going to drain away and I’ll find myself crying on the couch craving chocolate.”

Mika slapped her hand over her mouth to try and contain the peals of laughter but it didn’t quite come off. He watched as her mirth turned to pure glee, tears leaking from her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.

“I can just see it too. My big strong alpha male sitting on the couch with a pint of ice cream watching
Bridget Jones’ Diary
. That is too funny.”

She was finding this far more amusing than he did but he loved watching her truly let go of her inhibitions and relish life in this way. In the past few weeks she had a glow…a zest…that was simply mesmerizing.

He loved her. Again.

Maybe he always had and he’d simply tucked it away for a while.

This was the woman he wanted to spend eternity with. He could only hope she felt the same.

That she felt
something
for him. As long as she still had feelings there was hope.

It felt like a vise was wrapped around his chest as he stared down at her flushed face and shiny, parted lips. She was so goddamn beautiful and he was one lucky son of a bitch.

Hopefully.

“I’m
your
alpha male, huh? Very possessive, honey.”

He leaned over and tickled her ribs with his fingers, sending her into more gales of laughter, her face turning bright red.

“Don’t do that. You know I’m ticklish.”

Mika slapped ineffectually – and half-heartedly – at his hands as she writhed on the couch, the sound of her giggles more wonderful than any love song or symphony. Eventually she slipped off the cushions and he followed her to the floor, his weight pressing her into the rug.

He dragged his lips across hers again and again until their breath was ragged and Mika’s fingers were dug into his shoulders. Kissing a trail down her body, he paused at the sensitive spot where neck met shoulder and gave the creamy skin a nip before soothing it with his tongue.

His hands rested on her hips and he itched to explore farther, stripping away every stitch of clothing so he could kiss her everywhere. She was especially fond of a tongue teasing her belly button, but instead of pulling the shirt over her head he took a deep breath to get his arousal under control.

“What’s wrong?” Mika pushed at his chest and he sat back on his haunches. “You kind of stopped.”

It hadn’t been easy either. He was hot and hard, ready to take her but he had to hold back no matter how much he wanted to give in. He’d meant it when he said they wouldn’t make love until she truly believed in him.

“I was thinking we should just slow this all down. Maybe I should take you home.”

Mika sat up and reached for the hem of his t-shirt, sliding her fingers underneath. His flesh burned everywhere she touched. “No. You can’t do this again. It was sweet that you wanted us to wait but I think we’ve gone past that. I want to be with you and I know you want to be with me.”

She looked pointedly at the large bulge in his pants.

“If you can’t believe that I’m–”

He never finished the sentence. Her kiss cut him off and their tongues tangled together in a sensual dance. When she finally pulled back she was wearing a smile, her brown eyes like soft velvet.

“I believe you.”

Three simple words but they held so much meaning.

The barrier he’d built around his heart tumbled down and love suffused each and every cell. The future he didn’t even dare dream about was within his grasp.

*     *     *

“I BELIEVE YOU,” Mika said again softly. “I know you’re telling me the truth.”

Skimming his ribcage with her palms, she tugged his t-shirt up and over his head, baring his muscular torso to her hungry gaze. Wide shoulders and flat abs, his chest had the perfect smattering of dark, silky chest hair and she ran her fingers through it before raining kisses over every inch of exposed flesh she could reach.

She was pulling at his zipper as she pressed her lips to a flat, male nipple. Her tongue darted out to give it a lick before turning her attention to its twin. Cal groaned and buried his fingers in her hair as she skimmed her mouth south, capturing the tab of the zipper between her teeth and lowering it slowly.

“Christ, Mika. You make me crazy,” Cal growled. “Slow down.”

Going slower was not an option.

The urgency she’d felt in his arms each night since he’d come back was almost overwhelming now. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and her hands shook as she caressed his tanned skin. The scent of his skin teased her nostrils and she skimmed her fingertips over the denim covered ridge in his jeans. His thigh muscles tensed but his jaw remained determined.

“I don’t want to slow down. I’ve been waiting too long.”

It had been an eternity since they were this close and she didn’t want to wait a minute longer.

“You’re going to be the death of me, woman. I’m trying to be romantic and tender.”

“And I love you for it. But we can be romantic next time when I’m not feeling so needy. You know how I like it, Cal.”

He ought to. He was the one that had turned her into something of a sex maniac, for him only, of course. He’d encouraged her to experiment and try new things and she’d figured out early in their relationship she loved being taken hard, fast, and with no mercy. It was exactly what she needed for her desperate mood.

His hands rubbed up and down her thighs in a soothing motion but it only served to enflame her desire and send a white hot heat streaming to her toes. “I remember, sweetheart. I know what you need.”

His voice was low, a sweet caress to her overheated senses and she surrendered to him as he quickly stripped her clothes from her body, heat streaking to her slit from every touch of his rough fingers.

Shoving his pants and boxers down his legs, he kicked them aside onto the forgotten mound of clothes on the floor. They’d be creased and wrinkled later but Mika couldn’t summon the will to care, her eyes only for this one man.

Cal bent his head and sucked a hard nipple into his mouth, his teeth worrying the sides until her fingers dug into his scalp and she cried out with the sensations that seemed to go directly to her swollen clit. With a chuckle he turned his attention to the other taut peak, lapping at it before blazing a wet trail with his mouth down her quivering abdomen.

Pressing kisses to her inner thigh, he swirled his tongue around her swollen bud and then teasingly traced her inner folds, making the room tilt and spin with every single touch. Her fingers curled into his short, dark hair and her thighs pressed against his head as her arousal took her closer and closer to the edge. Expertly he kept her dancing there, never sending her over but driving her almost delirious with his skilled hands and mouth.

Her flesh was slick with sweat and her back arched with pleasure as Cal pressed first one, then two fingers into her slick channel. Her hips bucked and he placed his large hand on her lower belly, his thumb sweeping back and forth over her clit.

“Come apart for me, sweetheart. I want to watch you.” Cal’s voice was low and cajoling yet infinitely sensual as he leaned down and whispered in her ear. His breath tickled her neck and she shivered in helpless response. “Do it for me.”

Her orgasm slammed into her hard and lights sparkled behind her lids. She rode his fingers until the very end, his name on her lips.

“Cal.”

“That was so damn beautiful, sweetheart. I don’t know how I lived without you but I don’t intend to find out.” His hand caressed her jaw, sweeping her hair back from her damp face. “Open your eyes. I want you to know it’s me.”

Her lids fluttered and Mika could see Cal above her looking down with so much love it made her heart ache. How could she have turned away from him in the beginning? The two of them were made for each other. All the intervening years had simply been leading up to this. Tonight.

Positioning himself in between her thighs he entered her slowly, taking care not to hurt her. It had been a long time and Cal wasn’t a small man. She was wet and ready for him and he was able to slide in to the hilt without causing any pain, her walls stretching to accommodate his generous size.

Mika anchored her fingers on his muscled backside and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Now, Cal. Do it now.”

The words came out far more desperate than she’d planned but Cal didn’t seem to care. He began to move slowly at first and then faster as she whispered urgently in his ear all the things she wanted them to do. She had a laundry list of dirty, naughty things she’d fantasized about when he’d been gone and she was determined to check them off one by one in the not too distant future. Sex with Cal had always been good. Adventurous too.

Cal rode her hard and fast, just the way she liked it, her arousal building until she was near the peak once again. Her fingernails dug into his buttocks as he reached between them and pressed his thumb on her swollen clit.

Mika screamed his name as her climax exploded, her toes curling with the wash of pleasure that ran straight through her over and over until she was wrung out and sated.

Cal found his own completion and she watched mesmerized when he threw his head back, his jaw tight and his teeth snapped together. He stiffened and then groaned before slumping on top of her, pressing kisses to her damp skin and making her giggle.

Mika was happy. And sexually satisfied too.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this euphoric but she was sure it was with this man. His presence made everything right.

“I know I’m crushing you and I swear I’m going to move. Any minute now. Just as soon as I start breathing again.”

Mika let her palms skim down his spine, his skin warm to the touch. “You’re fine. It feels good.”

Cal heaved himself off and rolled onto his back, taking her with him and tucking her into his side. “You won’t be saying that when you run out of oxygen.”

“I won’t be saying anything if I run out of oxygen.”

Laughter bubbled up and she luxuriated in the sheer joy of being this close to him. This was love and she’d almost missed out due to sheer fear and stubbornness.

Cal reached for his pants and snagged his phone from his pocket to check the time. “We have a little while before we have to pick up Alex. We could take him for an ice cream sundae if you’re in the mood.”

Cal was always thinking about not only her but Alex too. Another reason she’d fallen for him again. He’d matured while he was away and become a man she could depend on no matter what might happen.