Lock and Load (SEAL EXtreme Team) (25 page)

She tipped her head back, resting on him. “Seriously. I'm so tired.”

He held her against him, supporting her, breathing in her sweet scent. "I know, sweetheart."

“Some first date we’re having, Black Pirate.”

“Yeah. No idea how I’m going to top it for our second, third, and four thousandth."

“I vote for less bad guys, shooting, and explosions. Maybe nice dinners. A few great movies in the theater, a stage play or two. Popcorn and TV. Several bottles of wine. Oh, the massage after dancing. But absolutely no stupid steps up the side of a mountain.”

“Anything you want, sweetheart.” He kissed her neck.

“What if I want too much?” she whispered.

The sadness in her voice did serious damage to his guts. “I'd give it to you. Anything. Everything. Just ask.” He meant it with every cell in his body.

“You, Charlie. I only want you.”

The sound that came from deep inside of him was unlike anything he'd ever heard. Full of want, hunger and ache for Amber, it was as if his heart had leaped into her gentle hands and started beating for the first time in his life. He scooped her up in his arms, determined to run the rest of the way Old Mo's house.

"Charlie, what are you doing?"

"Shh. You don't want to wake any ghosts." He didn't put her down, didn't slow.

Incredible Hulk Tavon had lifted her and tossed her into the sea, but other than that, she had never been carried by a man before. Well, maybe her dad had picked her up when she was a baby, but she couldn't remember that far back. In her memories, Dad had always been too busy to carry her on his back or shoulders. Too busy to care.

“This is silly. Put me down.” Carrying her with all the stuff he was wearing—packs, guns, ammo, and the satellite computer? His arms had to be breaking.

“Hang on.”

Did he actually run faster?

She hadn’t fostered unrealistic fantasies of a groom carrying her over the threshold. Why would she? She hadn't loved anyone enough to think about marriage, or oh, God—babies.
Charlie would make the cutest babies on the planet. And he’d be the sweetest dad.

Stop. This is insane. You can't have him.

But she wanted him...badly. More than anything in her life, she wanted Charlie Handly and the whole buffet. She hadn't been in real love before. Nor thought about making a home, getting married…babies. None of that made it to a blip on her mental screen. Until Charlie. Charlie changed everything.

She tucked her head against his shoulder and held on with all her might. "You're going to break your back."

He was breathing heavily as he ran. "Come on. I'm a SEAL, woman."

Yes, yes he was. And she was badly in need of a rescuing.

He came to a stop at the gray doorframe. It was light enough now that she could see the salmon-colored paint decorating the sides of the frame. No door. Carefully, he stepped over the threshold. Checking en sure nothing dangerous lurked inside? Or being careful not to drop her?

“Home sweet home.” His voice, little more than a growl, echoed in the small space. He sealed the statement with his lips.

Her world hadn’t been the same after Mom died. But this, right now, in Charlie’s arms, kissing inside these ruins was as close to coming home as she could imagine. She didn’t want it to end. Sadness tried to swallow her whole.

Stop thinking! Enjoy him while you can.

Running her hands over his short hair, she opened up to him, letting his tongue probe her mouth, tasting, demanding. She sighed. Wow, he was such a good kisser, but she wanted more. She needed him to take her, all of her—body and soul.

Groaning, he pulled his lips away. “You’re so damned sweet. I could kiss you forever.”

He put her down. Even though she’d asked him to release her, she felt bereft when her feet touched the ground. Too much cold air rushed between them.

“I’d like that.” She reached up and grabbed his neck, pulled him back, and had her way with his delicious mouth.

He closed his eyes. She kept hers cracked open to take everything in—the firmness of his full lips, the sound of his fast breaths as they rose and fell in his broad chest, the pounding of his heart beat next to hers. When she kissed him, his expression was a beautiful combination of wonderment and bliss. Like she was giving him the best gift he’d ever received. She wanted to see that expression every day.

With his eyes still closed, as if savoring the taste of her on his lips, he pulled back again. He let out a long breath and melted her with the lust in his green eyes. “I’ve got work to do. Choose a spot and spread out the blanket. It’s in my pack. I’ll see if I can pick up a satellite signal.”

She glanced around at the rocks, broken bits of wall and cement, and long tufts of grass growing out of what used to be the floor. Neither one of them moved. His eyes were still locked on her, his warm hands on her cool arms.

“Charlie.”

“All right. All right. I’m going.” He kissed her quickly and stepped away to find the signal.

She bit her lip. It was a good thing that he moved when he did because that wasn’t what she was going to say.

She’d almost told him she loved him.

He stepped over the debris and long grass, searching for a signal inside the broken walls. Nothing. Nothing. Wait, there…no, nothing. He stepped outside and around the back of the house, which was worse off than the front. Poor Old Mo had quite a mess on his hands. No wonder the guy had abandoned the place.

Charlie’s boots got tangled up in the thick vegetation as he worked to catch a break with the satellites. The canopy of trees hanging over the ruins was pretty thick and nothing was happening on his LSAT. Not one damned thing. Up ahead there was a small opening between the trees that filtered dusky light across an array of twinkling dust motes. He lifted his LSAT toward the window to the sky as one does with a cell phone. He felt like a dork standing there offering his computer to the satellite gods. No luck.

Well, what more could he do?

It would be dawn soon. His time alone with Amber would be far too short as it was. He jogged back inside the house to take advantage of every second.

Amber was lying on her side across the blanket. There was something strong about her and yet, so vulnerable. He’d never seen anything more beautiful. She wiggled her finger at him to come. She didn’t have to ask twice.

“Yes, ma’am.” He got down on his knees and crawled toward her.

She rose to meet him halfway in the middle of the blanket and started to undue his vest. “You’ve got far too much gear on.”

He helped her strip it all off until he was bare-chested. “Your turn.”

Pulling her shirt over her head slowly, he reveled in each peek of smooth skin. He pressed his face into the softness of her belly and inhaled her sweet, sweet scent.

She rubbed his head. “Charlie, come up here.”

“I’m coming.” He created a kissing path from her waistband slowly up, up, up until he hit a dip in the road. He circled his tongue around her belly button. When she gasped, he held her by her lower back and nibbled along her ribcage. She squirmed.

“Ticklish?” He ran his thumb along a rib.

“Yes.” She squealed and bucked underneath him.

“All right, I won’t torture you.”

“Who says you’re not?” Her breathing was coming fast already. “You are taking way too long.”

“I am, huh?” He pulled her shirt over her head and was happy to see her red lacy bra. Somehow, he knew she’d wear red. It was an amazing color on her skin. He took her nipple in his mouth through the lace. She smelled of clean detergent and warm skin.

“Oh,” she moaned. “That’s more like it.”

Rising up to meet him, she tipped her head back, opening her chest for him. He was a lucky, lucky man. Her bra latched in the front. One little unsnap, there, her beautiful breasts were free. He took one, felt the weight of it, and marveled at the way it so perfectly fit in his hand. He flicked his tongue along the tip and sucked.

She moaned loudly and gripped his ass.

He moved, positioning his throbbing erection between her legs, and kissed her neck. She squirmed a bit again.

“Ticklish here too?” He said with his lips against her skin.

She bit her lip. “Mmm-hmm.”

He nibbled along her neck up to her earlobe.

She twitched.

“Shit, sweetheart. Where are you
not
ticklish?”

“Sorry, I’m not normally this way. Everywhere you touch me is electrified with a spark. Like my skin is coming alive.”

He looked in her eyes. “Is that bad?”

“No!” She pulled him back down to kiss her neck again. “It’s so good I can’t believe it. Don’t you dare stop.”

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, I wasn’t planning on stopping.”

“Not ever?” Her voice hitched.

What in the hell?
He pulled back to see her eyes were welling with tears. “No, Hot Girl. Not ever. I plan on loving you for the rest of my life.”

“Charlie.” Tears dripped off her lashes. “I need you inside of me. Right now. I can’t wait any longer.”

He’d planned on kissing every inch of her body at least twice, but when a lady gave a command like that, how could he ignore it? He lifted her hips and tugged her pants down. Ha, her panties were red too! He knew it. He didn’t have time to admire them before she’d slipped them down her legs. But he did get a chance to plant a deep kiss between her folds before she grabbed him by the head and man-handled him up to her other lips.

She sucked his bottom lip and hung on. “You get this back once you undo your pants,” she mumbled.

He sort of liked bossy women. At least, he liked it when Amber was bossy. He did as he was told and she released him.

“Underwear, sailor. I’m dying here.”

He grinned. “Can’t have that.” His underwear met hers on the blanket. And he snagged a condom out of his pants pocket.

Hunger sparked in her eyes and her gaze swept across him, gobbling him up. “God, Charlie, you are beautiful.”

He actually felt his cheeks warm. No woman had ever said that to him before.

She took in the size of him and grinned. “And your brother is an idiot.”

“Something we both agree on.”

“He led me to believe… I mean… he implied that you were…” She lifted her hand and measured about an inch between her fingers. “That jackass.”

He knew what Willy had said. It was a joke. All the Handlys were packing heavy equipment. It was a familial trait. Unlike Willy, he didn’t go around bragging about it.

He stretched out on top of her, loving the way her little body tucked so neatly under his. She was made for him. “Do you mind
not
talking about my brother while you’re naked?”

It was her turn to blush. “Sorry.”

“I believe you were giving me orders. What do you want, Amber, say it.”

She sucked in a deep breath. “I want you pounding into me, Charlie. All of you. As deep as you can go.”

He kneed her legs open and slipped on the condom. As slowly as he could, he eased into her. She was wet and inviting.

“You feel so good,” she whispered. “Deeper.”

He was on his elbows, his hands in her hair. She had one hand on his bare back the other gripping his ass. He was deeper than he’d ever been and still she pressed him against her, not letting him ease back. He worried he’d hurt her until she whispered, “More, oh I’ve never felt like this before. Faster.”

She wrapped her legs around his back and locked her ankles. If she thought he might try to get away, she was dead wrong. He’d never felt like this either and he wasn’t about to stop. Not ever. He reached beneath her and rimmed her hole. She moaned with pleasure and lifted her hips higher to allow him full access. The sound of their skin slapping together echoed in the dilapidated old house.

“Oh, oh. Charlie.”

She cried out and arched her back, pressing her incredible breasts against his chest. Her muscles pulled taut around him sending him to the edge. He pounded into her, giving her everything he had. She cried out again, riding the wave one more time.

He collapsed on top of her, fully spent and happier than he’d ever been.