The SEAL Next Door (Alpha SEALs Book 5) (9 page)

For the second time in as many days, Brianna fumbled with the lock in her front door, Matthew hovering right behind her.  Rather than setting her nerve endings on fire like he had the day before, at the moment, his presence just felt comforting.  Reassuring.  And some part of her knew that he needed to be there just as much as she needed him right now.

To her surprise, the house was completely dark, with nothing on but the front porch light.  A quick glance indicated that her parents’ car was gone from the garage, and she stepped inside, puzzled.

“No one’s home?” Matthew asked, his voice deep behind her.

“No, that’s really strange,” she said, flipping on the light switch.  “I don’t know where they’d go.”

“I’ll look around,” Matthew instructed.  “Stay here.”

“But—”

“Just let me make sure everything’s okay.”

Brianna sighed and closed the front door, making sure to lock it behind her.  Matthew’s arms snaked around her, and he tugged her against his broad chest.  “Just humor me, okay?” he asked quietly.  He brushed a chaste kiss against her temple, causing her insides to stir.

“Okay,” she agreed.  Matthew released her, and she dropped her oversized purse down on the floor, sinking into the living room sofa.  It was kind of nice to have someone to take care of things for her, she thought.  She was so used to being on her own that having Matthew take charge of the situation was actually a relief.  In all likelihood, her parents had just decided to pick up some last-minute things to get ready for tomorrow.

“Uh, Bri?” Matthew called out from the kitchen, his voice sounding funny.

She immediately stood and hurried to him.  “What’s wrong?  Did you find something?”

Matthew held a piece of paper in his hand, and she could see her mother’s handwriting even from across the room.  “My parents left a note?  What does it say?  Where’d they go?”

“It’s about Beckett,” Matthew said, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed.

“Oh my God,” she said, feeling her heart racing.  “Is he okay?”

Matthew cleared his throat, holding the paper out of her reach as she crossed the room toward him.  “Bri,” he repeated, his green eyes guarded.

“Well give me the note!”

She reached up for it, and Matthew lightly grasped her wrist.  “Beckett’s okay.”  His thumb lightly grazed across her pulse point, and she knew he could tell she was scared.

“But?”

Matthew released her but set the note down on the table behind him, blocking her from it with his large frame. “But he tried to kill himself tonight.”

Brianna gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.  She sank to the ground as dizziness suddenly overtook her and tears streamed down her cheeks.  “What?  Why would he do that?  He was going to come home!  I just talked to him yesterday.”

Matthew knelt down beside her, gathering her in his arms.  “I don’t know,” he soothed, letting her cry into his chest for the second time that evening.  “Your parents flew up to Walter Reed.  Did they try calling you earlier?”

“I don’t know; maybe,” she gasped.  “We’re not supposed to have our phones when we’re on shift.  I didn’t even check my messages with everything that happened earlier.”

Matthew grunted something in affirmation and rubbed soothing circles on her back as she sobbed against him.  He shifted, pulling her closer so that he was cradled her in his lap as they sat on her kitchen floor.  A thousand memories of their childhood flooded through her mind—of Matthew coming over to see her and Beckett, of endless summer days spent together.  To think that might’ve never happened again.  That the three of them might never stand in the same room together.  That her brother had survived a roadside ambush and the loss of one limb but nearly took his own life only one day before he returned home.

Nothing about it made any sense.

“It’s better that it happened while he was still there,” Matthew said, his voice sad.  “At least he’s still alive—that they were able to save him.  He can get whatever help he needs.”

“But the homecoming—everything.  Everyone was coming tomorrow.  Why would he do that?” she whispered.

“I don’t know.  The stress from it all, the changes.  Guilt that he survived and some other men didn’t.  That would be tough on anyone.”

“It just isn’t fair.  Hasn’t he already been through enough?”

Shakily, Brianna rose to her feet, using one of Matthew’s broad shoulders for support.  She swiped at the tears on her cheeks, feeling completely defeated.  At the moment, she didn’t want to think about anything.  Anyone.

“Where are you going?” Matthew asked as he stood.

“I don’t know.  To bed.  To take a long shower and wash this day off.  I just can’t deal with anything else right now.”

“Why don’t you go shower and change, and I’ll make you something to eat.  You’ve had a long day. I don’t want you passing out or something.”

“Matthew—”

“You’re white as a ghost,” he said, gently wiping a stray tear away.  Somehow even that simple gesture caused a shiver to race down her spine, despite her bone-deep exhaustion.  It was crazy how just one touch from Matthew could make everything okay.  Could make her yearn for things she had no business wanting or feeling right now.

“All right,” she finally agreed.  “I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”

She walked back into the living room to grab her purse as Matthew called out behind her, “Take your time!”

There was something all wrong about having Matthew fix her dinner in her parents’ home while she showered upstairs.  Something almost boyfriend-like and domestic and completely at odds with who they were to each other.  Yet at the same time, it also felt like something completely right.

***

Matthew heard the shower running as he opened the refrigerator.  Hell, he should call his own parents and tell them what was going on with Beckett and the Millers.  Maybe Brianna’s parents already had?  One thing was for certain—this day sure as shit couldn’t get any worse.  Thankfully he’d felt the need to escort Brianna inside.  What if she’d found that note while she was here all alone?  After everything she’d dealt with this evening, she didn’t need to go through that by herself.  She’d looked so frail a few minutes ago as she’d collapsed on the floor.  He’d wanted to pick her up and carry her off to her bedroom right then.  And not to make love to her—which he would love to do another time—but just to hold her.  Make her feel safe.

His phone buzzed with an incoming text, and Evan’s name flashed across the screen.

That asshole’s in jail, but his lawyer is already trying to bail him out.

Matthew quickly typed a message back.

Won’t they press charges?

Evan’s reply made his stomach clench.

Dunno.

Shit.  Maybe he could call Patrick tomorrow.  His girlfriend, Rebecca, dealt with domestic violence issues in her work as a divorce attorney.  She might know how to ensure this guy remained locked up until the trail.  Matthew didn’t have the first clue as to how to proceed in a situation like this.  And he sure the hell didn’t feel comfortable in the knowledge that he was leaving tomorrow evening.  The attack on Brianna tonight was most likely a crime of opportunity, but no way was he comfortable leaving until he knew for sure that her attacker was behind bars.  He had to get back to his SEAL training in Little Creek, but damn.  He’d drag her with him to Virginia Beach if he had to, just to ensure her safety.

It was actually closer to Beckett, too, he reasoned.  She could drive up to Walter Reed from there.  Maybe he’d talk with her about it tomorrow after things had settled down.  They could both visit Beckett on the weekends, offer their support.  And as for Brianna staying with him in his little one-bedroom apartment?  Well, they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.

He found some ground beef and rolls and decided to cook some burgers on the stove.  Now that the adrenaline rush from earlier had worn off, he was starving.  And it would do Bri some good to eat something as well.  He opened a cupboard, searching for a frying pan, when he heard a loud crash from upstairs.  Without even thinking, he bolted across the kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time as he raced up to the home’s second level.  The bathroom door at the end of the hallway was shut, but he burst inside without even knocking, shouting, “Bri!”

The floral scent of her shampoo filled the steamy bathroom, and he noticed that a towel rack had fallen of the wall and crashed onto the tile floor. But that wasn’t what first caught his attention.  Brianna had stepped out of the shower looking like some sort of Greek goddess come to life.  Damp strands of wavy blonde hair were piled high on her head, her cheeks were flushed from the warm water and steam, and the fluffy towel she was clutching around herself barely concealed her full breasts, which were currently heaving up and down.

“I just—I was just—”

“I’m sorry,” he said, attempting to avert his eyes.  “I heard the crash and thought you were hurt.”

Hell.  All parts of his anatomy that shouldn’t be responding were ready to stand at full attention at the sight of her.  His pants grew tighter, his breathing hitched, and he clenched his fists, willing himself not to go to her.  She looked so soft and sweet, so perfectly feminine, that staying completely away became an impossibility.  He hastened a glance back to Brianna, where she watched him with wide eyes, her lips slightly parted.

He ran a hand across his stubble, willing himself to get a grip.  “I can fix that,” he said, gesturing toward the mess on the floor.  “I’ll clean it up.  I mean, after you get undressed.  Get dressed,” he hastily corrected.

A small smile played about her lips, and Brianna stepped closer to him, raising a delicate hand to his forearm.  The feel of her fingertips on his skin was meant to be soothing, but it felt more like a fire was blazing through his veins.

“It’s okay,” she said softly.  “I’m okay.”

“Bri, God.  I thought something happened….And I didn’t mean to barge in here with you looking like…this….” He trailed off, feeling foolish.  He knew they were the only two people in the house.  What the hell had he expected?  He swung his gaze back to her sea green eyes.

“Like what?”

He nailed her with a gaze.  “Gorgeous.”

She caressed his arm gently, just the barest of touches as her thumb brushed across his heated skin, and something shifted between them.  The awful evening they’d spent earlier, the news of her brother, and everything else all faded into the background.

“Matthew,” she whispered.

The way she looked up at him was his undoing.  At the moment she was gazing at him like he was her whole world.  And it felt that way, too.  Almost like nothing else existed outside of this room.  There was nothing bad, no other people to worry about, just this moment between a man and a woman.  Between them.

Brianna loosened her hold on the towel, and his gaze was drawn to her beautiful breasts.  They spilled out over the soft material, so full and soft, and suddenly she dropped the towel to the ground, baring herself to him.

“Bri,” he murmured, watching the soft peaks rise and fall with each breath she took.  Her nipples were pale and gorgeous, like petals against her full globes.  He wanted to caress and kiss them, to run his tongue across the pebbled flesh and drive her toward ecstasy.

“I want you, Matthew.  I need you.”

His lips were on hers in an instant, his hands wrapping around her slender waist, pulling her close.  He tugged her hair free from atop her head, sending blonde waves cascading down.  The long strands teased her breasts, falling softly across her skin, and he nearly lost it right there.  She was beautiful.  Completely perfect.  The type of woman that men wrote songs about and sailed across oceans to see.  And she was his.

“Make me forget,” she whispered as he threaded his hands through her hair and his lips hungrily sought hers.  “Make me forget everything.”

She didn’t know where she’d gotten the nerve to go to Matthew.  But when he’d burst through the bathroom door, looking so ruggedly handsome while she was practically naked, it had been all she could do not to throw herself at him.  Maybe it was the adrenaline from the night’s events, the need for something good to come after all the bad that had happened.  Maybe it was just the way she’d wanted him for practically a lifetime—but there’d been no stopping the desire surging through her.  No resisting him.

Matthew bent and lifted her into his arms, carrying her down the hall toward her bedroom as if she weighed nothing at all.  He laid her atop the bed like she was something delicate and fragile, something to be cherished and adored.  Matthew leaned over and pressed a searing kiss on her lips and then stood and pulled his shirt from his pants.  He tugged it off over his head, revealing tanned, smooth flesh that stretched across his rippling muscles.  Broad pectorals gave way to chiseled abs and a perfect “v” of muscles that led down toward his trousers.  She could see the bulge in them even now.  He reached for his belt but then stopped and just stared at her, his green eyes blazing.

His eyes raked over her, taking in every curve, lingering on her breasts and swollen sex.  Suddenly she felt self-conscious and raised her hands to cover herself.  Although she was curvy and toned, Matthew was male perfection.  She didn’t need him examining every square inch of her.

“Don’t hide from me,” he quietly commanded.  “Never hide from me.”  He lightly grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms away, drinking in the sight of her naked form as she trembled beneath his gaze.  Gently holding her wrists, he ducked down, his hot breath on her skin before he kissed and teased one nipple.  She arched off the bed and cried out, the sensations of Matthew’s mouth and tongue on her overwhelming.  He kissed around one areola, leaving her whimpering for more as he took his sweet time.  At last Mathew flicked her nipple gently with his tongue, causing her to moan beneath him.  His hand sought her other breast, and soon he was lightly squeezing and caressing.  His touch was so soft, it was almost impossible to believe that a man so big could be so gentle.  His thumb skimmed across her pert nipple, and as he lightly pinched it, she gasped.

“Matthew,” she panted, arching toward him again as he sucked one nipple into his mouth.  He was relentless, teasing her and building her up until she felt every sensation in her core.  Her sex became swollen, dripping with arousal, and as Matthew trailed a large hand down the side of her body, she knew he’d find her wet and ready for him.  He teased her for a moment, his knuckles lightly grazing her mound, and she bucked beneath him.  Finally, his fingers delved through her tender folds, parting her to him, and slipped through her silken arousal.

She gasped as he explored her, his touch soft and tender.  Her entire body felt like it might explode just from his gentle caresses.  At last he moved his fingers higher and slowly circled her clit, causing her to cry out as pleasure surged through her.

He continued suckling her breasts as his adept fingers slowly drove her toward the precipice.  Warmth coiled down from her belly, surging out from her center and setting her entire body alight from his touch.  She’d never felt this way with a man before, never had someone so completely control and command her body.  Helplessly, she whimpered for more, wanting and needed him to drive her over the edge.  Matthew finally slid two thick fingers into her swollen channel, stretching and readying her for him.  Her inner walls clenched down around him, and as his thumb rubbed over her clit, she cried out again, feeling the waves of pleasure beginning to overtake her.  He circled around and around her sensitive bud, building her up as his fingers thrust in and out, filling her.  She began to see stars as he increased the pace, and suddenly she was screaming out in pleasure as her orgasm went on and on.

Matthew slowly eased her back down from heaven, and as she lay gasping on the bed, he quickly shucked his pants and boxer briefs.  His thick erection sprang free, and he covered her body with his, kissing her softly as his arousal rubbed against her thigh.  It was thick and heavy, and she wrapped her fingers around his impressive length, stroking him gently.  Matthew deepened their kiss, his tongue parting her lips and plunging into her mouth.  His massive erection jerked in her hand, and Matthew pulled back slightly, a lazy grin spreading across his face.

“Go easy on me, love.  You’re my every fantasy come to life.”

He reached for his discarded pants and pulled a foil packet from his wallet, quickly sheathing himself before he nudged her legs apart with his knee.  Her legs fell open as he knelt before her, and his thick arms landed on either side of her head as he ducked lower and kissed her neck.  Trailing soft kisses from beneath her earlobe down to her collarbone, he teased and nipped at her.  She tilted her head back, allowing him greater access, and tried to shift beneath him as she felt his erection prodding against her entrance.  His muscular body hovered above her, teasing and tempting her as he took his time.  She needed to feel him filling her up, claiming her, easing the ache that was once again building inside.

His teeth grazed across the sensitive skin of her neck and as she cried out and arched up to him, he finally shifted positions, slowly penetrating her throbbing center with his swollen head.

She gasped at the exquisite pressure as his engorged shaft stretched and filled her completely.  He was perfect, as if made just for her.  His thick cock throbbed as her inner walls pulsed around him, and when he was seated completely inside her, he stilled for a moment, letting her get used to the intimate invasion.  She gasped beneath him, pinned beneath his large body, completely at his mercy. 
Matthew
was making love to her, kissing her, filling her with his hard length.  His green eyes met hers, and she was shocked at the depth of love and emotion she saw in them.

He slowly withdrew and thrust gently in once more, stroking her inner walls.  She cried out as the base of his penis rubbed against her still swollen clit, and he ground against her, causing her to see stars.  Matthew grasped her hands, lacing their fingers together, and raised them above her head.  She wanted to touch him, to feel his solid muscles beneath her fingertips, but he held her in place, completely at his mercy.  Matthew was the type of man used to commanding and controlling the situation, and it seemed he was determined to take charge in the bedroom as well.

He began thrusting harder as she whimpered and writhed beneath him, her legs spread wide, her body his for the taking.  His muscular chest rubbed against her sensitive nipples with every stroke, and shockwaves of pleasure began to rock through her again.

Each deep thrust sent her closer to another Earth-shattering orgasm.  She’d never come during sex before, but with Matthew, it seemed inevitable. Helplessly she surrendered to him, letting him take her body to soaring new heights.  Warmth surged through her, and she couldn’t hold back the start of her orgasm.

“Matthew, oh God!” she cried out.

“Come for me, Brianna.”

His gruff command left her gasping.  She wrapped her legs around his waist, desperate to have him as close as possible.  To have him push her over the edge.  His hips bucked relentlessly, pounding into her wet heat.  She desperately clutched onto his hands, hanging on for dear life as he sought her pleasure.  Heat surged through her entire body, and Matthew ducked down and kissed her, stealing her breath, and swallowing her cries.  Her orgasm bloomed out of nowhere as Matthew thrust deeper, and she cried out his name as an intense tsunami of pleasure overtook her, drawing her under and drowning all her senses.

Her screams went on and on, and she lost count of how many times he made her come around him.  She’d never climaxed so many times or so hard before, and finally she lay breathless beneath him, at a loss for all words. Matthew pulled out, and before she could ask what was happening, he flipped her over, positioning her hips and entering her from behind.  She cried out once more in pleasure as he filled her swollen channel, and he felt impossibly bigger in the position.  His hands found her breasts, and he cupped and massaged them as he chased down his own release.

Brianna gripped onto the sheets as his thick length filled her again and again, impossibly stirring the beginnings of another orgasm inside her.  Her inner walls clenched around him as she gasped with pleasure, Matthew slid one hand beneath her, finding her clit. As his fingers caressed her throbbing nub, she came again, screaming as he drove into her.  Matthew stiffened, his cock growing impossibly harder, and gave two more solid thrusts as he finally released deep inside her sex.  She collapsed, her head resting against the soft sheets, as Matthew ducked down and kissed her bare shoulder, breathing heavily.  A light sheen of sweat coated both their bodies, and they remained that way a moment, Matthew’s body covering hers, still intimately joined together.

Matthew finally pulled out and rolled to the side, pulling her with him.  He held her securely in his arms and brushed a tender kiss to her temple as she melted into his embrace.

“Holy hell, Bri,” he finally said, his voice still thick with desire.  “That was…wow.”  His hand slid to her breast, cupping it possessively as he wrapped his large frame around her, drawing her closer still.

“That’s an understatement.”

His hands slid over her body, gently caressing, as if he couldn’t stop touching her.  She felt him growing hard again behind her, and his fingers slid to her clit, readying her again for him.  He leaned over and lightly bit down on her earlobe as he teased her sensitive bundle of nerves, and she felt dizzy with lust and desire.  It seemed impossible to want him again so soon, but her body was already craving his touch, his kisses, and aching for him to fill her once more.

“I want to make love to you all night,” he said gruffly, sliding two fingers inside her molten core.

“Yes,” she whispered, already bucking lightly against his hand.  He withdrew his fingers, and she rolled over to face him in the darkness, hitching one leg up over his as he drew her close.  His lips hungrily sought hers, erasing all thoughts, stealing her breath, and she was once again lost only to him.