Two Week Seduction (11 page)

He nodded, but then he shook his head. “It was more than the eyes. There’s complex mathematics and a ton of other schooling that didn’t work for me.”

Now the teacher in her was kicking into gear. Whenever someone said a subject “didn’t work for me” it usually meant something different. Something deeper.

“It didn’t work in what way?”

He glared at her. “It just didn’t work.”

She arched a brow. “I school teenagers for a living, soldier. If you think you can intimidate me with a look, then you don’t know kids these days. Or teachers. Now come on. Didn’t work how? You didn’t understand the material?”

“Yeah.”

“Bull. I know you. Once you set your mind on something, you find a way to get it done. Your mom’s car stopped working, so you traded yard work with a mechanic to learn how to fix it yourself. Your bike was stolen so you found a way to borrow one cheap until you could buy a new one.”

“I never bought a new one. I had to borrow Sam’s until we reported to basic.”

Oh right. She’d forgotten that. “So that only proves my point. If you’d wanted to be a pilot, you would have found a way.”

“I wanted it.”

“But maybe it didn’t fit. Not enough to make sure it happened. But security work did?”

He looked at her then, and suddenly he nodded. A single quick slash of his chin.

A yes. “So why are you ashamed of it? Why don’t you just say you like catching bad guys? You…” she thought about the way he ate his waffle. Neat squares cut in neat little rows. Not in an OCD neurotic way, but she hadn’t forgotten that he’d cleaned up her clothes before he’d left her bedroom. “You like things orderly.”

“I like rules, Alea. And I like for people to obey them. Orders are usually there for a reason, and when people don’t follow them—”

“Bikes get stolen.”

“Bombs get driven onto Air Force bases.”

Right. Orders of magnitude, but the same principle. “So you find fulfillment in your job. That’s good. Maybe not quite happiness, but purpose.”

He looked at her and shrugged. If she didn’t spend her days interpreting teenage body language, she might not have understood that shrug. But in this case, she had a pretty good guess. After all, she’d been listening to Sam bitch about military command for years. “Trouble in paradise?”

“A military base in Afghanistan is about as far as you can get from paradise.”

“Right, but—”

“But yeah. There’s trouble.” He nodded to the waitress who picked up their dirty plates. Then he scooped up the bill before she could reach for it.

“Hey! I invited you.”

“I can pay for my meal, Alea.”

“Touchy, touchy. I never said you couldn’t. Just that I invited you to breakfast.”

“Threatened me with my sisters—”

“Which means I should be footing the bill.”

He nodded. “You should. But I’m going to.” Clearly he thought that was the end of that discussion.

She gave in with grudging grace. “Fine. You can pay provided you finish what you were saying.”

Silence. Or more accurately, a stare down. She won as he finally sighed.

“You were telling me, ‘trouble in paradise.’”

“Oh.” He finished his coffee. “No promotions.”

“What?”

“I’ve gone about as high as I’m going to go for a while. A long while.”

“Until someone retires or dies.” She meant it as a joke, but then realized belatedly that in the military, people did die. Regularly. “I’m sorry. That was tactless. That’s not—”

“I know. And…you got it. I’m stuck for now.”

“What about a transfer?”

“Won’t help. Not enough.”

“Oh. That sucks.”

He looked at her, surprise in his eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re not going to tell me to get out. To come home and get a real job?”

“You do have a real job.”

“I know that.”

She filled in the rest. “But your sisters and mother don’t seem to understand, do they?”

“Nope.”

She leaned forward. They needed to leave the restaurant. The line for seating was getting long, but this was too important to let slide. “Forget them. They didn’t influence your decision to go into the military. Don’t let them tell you when to get out.”

His gaze flicked to hers with a strange expression. Oh shit. They had influenced his decision. “Wait a moment. You went in because of them?”

“I… They…” He grimaced and stood up. “Let’s take a walk.”

She scrambled to follow. Fortunately, the weather was perfect outside, and she wouldn’t do anything to interrupt his suddenly talkative mood. It took a while for them to pay and leave, but eventually they were outside. He’d arrived on his motorcycle, but the beach was near enough. That’s one of the reasons she’d picked this restaurant. They could wander down to the sand. They were a block away before he started talking.

“Do you remember my dad?”

“As flamboyant, almost manic. He always had a funny story or a business idea.”

John nodded. “That was his public face. At home he was more whiny, moody, and irresponsible. Always with a get-rich-quick scheme. Never with the follow-through. And never, ever his fault.”

“With your mom working long hours as a nurse, that must have made for an unpredictable childhood.” Hence his need for rules and order.

“Yeah.” Nothing more, just a single syllable agreement.

It was hard, but she decided to wait him out. Maybe he’d say more. Eventually she was rewarded.

“He started roping me into his schemes when I was six. By fourteen, I’d realized what a waste they were. By fifteen, I’d gotten my first job.”

“To help pay the bills.”

“Yeah.”

Okay, so she was starting to hate his father. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry’s a useless word. Dad used it a lot when he wanted something. Sorry I forgot to pick you up, I had this idea. Sorry I spent all our grocery money on metal tubing, but I had this idea.”

“Ouch.”

“Dad started asking me for loans when I was sixteen. And when I refused, he got mad.”

They were walking side by side, but at those words, she had to touch him. She extended her hand and used her fingers to stroke his. Would he pull away? She felt like she’d won the lottery when he extended his fingers and linked them with hers. A few steps later and they were hand in hand.

“How mad?” she asked. That was the teacher in her. She had to know how deep the abuse went.

“I was as big as he was by then. He hit me once, but I put him in a headlock. He never got physical with me again.”

That was a relief, but that didn’t stop the emotional abuse. “So what happened?”

“I met the Air Force recruiter. I know a bunch of them are just pushing paper, but this guy really talked to me. He showed me how I could make money faster there than at home. And he helped me set things up so that the money went straight to my mom. The grocery bill was covered by the time I was done with basic.”

Damn. What a freaking amazing thing for a son to do. “Careful, John. You’re going to make me see you as more than a sex toy.”

He flashed her a smile. It was brief but it warmed her down to her toes. “So that’s why I went into the military.”

To help his mom. And now that she thought about it, she’d bet he paid for his sister’s college degree, too. Damn, that was impressive. “But now your dad’s gone. Your mother’s taken care of.”

“Have you seen her car?”

“Does she have debts?”

He glanced at her, and she knew that her guess was correct.

“You’ve paid them off. And with your dad gone, there won’t be any new ones coming in.”

“There are always expenses.”

“Not like your dad must have incurred.”

“No. Nothing like that.”

“So she’s okay. Or will be within a month or two because you’re the kind of guy who takes care of his mother.”

He shot her a look. “You calling me a mama’s boy?”

“You really can’t stand to get a compliment, can you?”

He stopped walking, turning her to look directly at him. Then he touched her chin. “You’re really annoying.”

“It’s one of my best qualities.” Then when he didn’t answer, she pressed him because annoying wasn’t always good. “What about me bothers you?”

“You poke at me.”

She smiled. “Well, it’s only fair. You poked me. Multiple times, if I remember correctly.” Then when he didn’t answer, she grew serious. “It’s called getting to know each other. Feel free to ask me anything.”

“I don’t want to ask.”

“Really? That’s kinda disappointing. I mean, I know I’m an open book about most things, but—”

He kissed her. A sudden swoop and then he pulled back, a question in his eyes.

“Oh. Well,” she said with a smile. “We can move on to the other types of poking for now if you like.”

“I like.”

“Then take me home, sailor.”

He growled. “Tech sergeant. In the Air Force.”

“High school teacher. Really horny.”

He froze for a moment, then he laughed. A real honest-to-goodness laugh such as she hadn’t heard from him ever. And at that moment, she tumbled headlong into love.

Chapter Eleven

God, she made him feel light. Just holding her hand dropped a lit match into the black pit inside him. And while the flame fell into the darkness, he could feel something ease in his soul.

He also saw a flash of something else. Something in his heart he wasn’t willing to look at. So he focused on the woman and how grateful he was that she could hold his hand as they walked to her apartment, despite who he was. It took a while to climb up from the beach to her apartment complex. They walked hand in hand, and for the first time in forever, he allowed himself to just live in the moment with her. He smelled the salt in the air, felt the sand grit against his shoes, and realized this was
home.
Not the city, but the good feelings. Summer days, beach sun, and Alea. She felt like all the best parts of his childhood. And when she turned at her apartment door to wrap her arms around him, he could have died right there from the light in his soul.

“You make me think—” He couldn’t bring himself to say it, but she wouldn’t let him get away with silence. She did that to him, too—forced him to talk when he’d much rather brood.

“Think what? Think of ways to do me in the doorway?”

Now that she mentioned it, he thought about pinning her against the sturdy wood and grabbing hold of her thighs. Then she did exactly what he pictured, hopping up into his arms. He caught her reflexively as she wrapped her legs around him. She was wearing some sort of denim leggings so he could feel every part of her firm legs.

“Is that what you were thinking?” she asked.

“No,” he said as he nuzzled her neck. Lavender. Citrus. God, she smelled great.

“Ummm,” she murmured. “You smell like waffles.”

He chuckled. “You make me feel optimistic,” he said before he could stop himself.

She stilled and looked up into his eyes. “Good. Optimistic is good.”

“Horny is better,” he said as he ground himself against her.

She gasped in reaction, arching against him as her head dropped back. Jesus, she was beautiful. “Horny is
not
better,” she said. Then she tightened her thighs around him. “But it is damn good.”

“Give me your keys.”

“Not into exhibitionism? I thought we were going to do this in my doorway.”

“We’re not in your doorway.” He nipped at her earlobe, loving it as she shivered in his arms. “And I’m the only one who gets to see you naked.”

“Possessive much?” She started moving rhythmically against him, tightening her thighs to lift herself before easing back down. Up and down. Up and down, while his whole body went taut with hunger.

“Yes,” he growled. Jesus, yes.

She grabbed his face and pulled, forcing him to look at her. “Good,” she said. “I want you possessive because it goes both ways, soldier. You only get naked with me.”

“Deal.” He didn’t think about what he’d just promised. He was too busy sucking on her thumb while she continued to lift and lower herself on his dick.

Damn jeans. Damn door. He needed her naked.

“Keys,” she gasped. “Front pocket.”

He grinned. “Wonder if I can get them out with my teeth.”

She jolted, then laughed. “Good luck with that. These things are pretty tight.”

“I could always cut them off.”

Her legs jerked him close. Clearly she liked that image. But then she sighed as she dropped her forehead against his. “I like these jeggings. They make my ass look small.”

He squeezed that ass, loving it when she grew breathless. “Your ass is perfect.”

“Only in these jeggings.” Then she kissed him. Deep. Penetrating. This time she was in control as she tried to dominate him. He let her because it was damned hot. And because he trusted her power. He worshiped her power.

Then she pulled back. “Let me down,” she said.

“No.” If he let her down then they’d be in the apartment in half a second and he’d be inside her a second later. He didn’t want to do that to her. Didn’t want it to go so quick.

He glanced around, taking a moment to assess the risk. No one was around. The hall was quiet as was the only other apartment in this alcove. It should be safe. In fact, he could make sure no one saw her at all.

“John, let me down. We can— Ooh!”

He grinned. That was just the sound he wanted, but it wasn’t enough. So he pressed her harder against the door and lifted her knees to position her just right.

They were both in denim, but hers were thin and painted on her body. Apparently jeggings allowed for much more sensation than his jeans. Which was exactly perfect. He began to stroke himself up and down against her. It was maddeningly frustrating, but her body writhed against him and her eyes were wide in shock.

“John. We can’t—”

“Why not?” He was grinding a slow circle against her. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure no one sees.”

“My neighbor…is an old lady. She’d have…a coronary.”

“Does she go to church?” He started thrusting against her.

She swallowed, her breath exactly echoing his movements. Push. Push. Push. Grind.

Her mouth was open, her eyes half rolled back while her lashes fluttered. He paused just to see what she’d do.