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“You’ve got to loosen up, baby,” he murmured, and rubbed her bare back between her shoulder blades as he trailed kisses on her neck. “Time to let vacation mode take you over.”
“I’m not on vacation,” she said.
“Everyone’s on vacation in Hawaii. Trust me.”
“I’m working.”
“Too hard. Much too hard. You’ve got to find some time to play,” he said as his fingers trailed along her spine, traced a buttock and then moved to her inner thigh. When he touched her through the fabric of her lace panties, her mouth opened and a small moan escaped. And when his fingers worked their way under the fabric, he watched as her hands clutched the pillow in response.
He freed her from her bra and shirt completely so that her nipples rubbed the soft cotton of the sheets as her hips began to rock under his touch, faster and faster until she begged, “Please, Cash, please stop.”
“Doesn’t it feel good?”
“Yes. Oh, yes.”
“Then why would you want me to stop?” he asked. His fingers moved faster against her, his free hand reaching around underneath her to pull her hips slightly up and forward off the mattress.
He traced circles around her clit, wanting to give her a quick first release so she could stop worrying about everything else and just concentrate on feeling good. And when her hips began to rock faster than the pace he’d set and her shoulders loosened, he knew he had her.
She sounded beautiful when she came, half whimpering with his name on her lips. And then he turned her because he’d wanted to touch her breasts from the second he’d seen them in that bikini she’d worn on the beach yesterday, had wanted to have his way with her nipples until she screamed for more.
One nipple, sucked between his teeth, and she was begging again, even as he worked her underwear off completely. Her fingers wound in his hair and yeah, he was in heaven or damned near close to it. And she’d stopped worrying, evidenced by her moaning his name over and over, rubbing against him, and letting it all go.
Why it was so important to him was something he didn’t plan on investigating right now.
Speaking of investigating, his cell phone was vibrating in his pocket. He nuzzled against her neck while he took it out of his pocket and snuck a peek at the screen. The number came up as unknown, just like he’d figured. None of his teammates ever used a listed number and he never programmed the numbers into his phone. Everything from memory was the motto drilled into him from the earliest training he’d had in covert ops.
She pushed him onto his back while he considered answering his phone, only because he was technically still on the clock. But then she straddled him and smiled and oh, yeah, that decision was made for him. He threw the phone down on the floor, wondered what she’d do if he picked her up and carried her outside, right out onto the beach or even the small patio attached to her room, and made a mental note to try that out after she came again.
“YOU’RE UP TO SOMETHING,” Rina accused, right after Cash threw the phone to the ground, because he had a gleam in his eye and one corner of his mouth tugged up slightly.
He didn’t argue, but he didn’t answer her, either. Instead, he put his hands behind his head and waited, watched her, his eyes trailing over her body.
For a split second, her shyness came back full force, but she knew she wouldn’t have another chance like this one again. Whatever pull this surfer had over her was going to end when the plane pulled off the runway tomorrow, and she was on it. So, she’d take her fantasy now, thank you very much.
There was something so incredibly wanton, so freeing, about being naked against his fully clothed body. The rough denim of his jeans rubbed the back of her bare thighs, the center of her body pressed against his shaft as the weight of her body pinned his against the bed, letting her take claim over him. She let herself go, just the way he wanted her to.
“Take this off,” she ordered, then started to unbutton his shirt from the bottom and he helped her finish the job. He shrugged the shirt off his shoulders and she ran her hands over his bare chest even as his fingers brushed her already taut nipples.
She moaned, leaned forward and murmured his name against his mouth. She moved her hands down to his waist and started to unbutton his jeans as her mouth played with his, nipping his bottom lip and pulling it between hers before she couldn’t help but move in for some deep kisses.
When she put her hands between his legs, he groaned against her mouth and she knew she had to explore every inch of him. She slid her hands inside the opened zipper and touched him, moved her hands up and down his long, hard length without fully freeing him.
And when neither of them could stand the slow bump-and-grind anymore, she rolled to the side and helped him strip off his jeans because she wanted him inside her.
He eased her back, covered her body with his and spread her legs. He pushed inside of her, gently at first, more firmly when she grabbed him and began to thrust back against him.
“Rina,” he groaned as he arched his neck while she hooked her ankles around his lower back, wanting him deeper.
“So good,” she whispered, more to herself than to him, although the way he looked at her after she’d said it made her turn inside out. “Knew you’d be so good at this. Knew from the way you looked on the video.”
“You liked watching me ride the waves?”
“I’m going to like watching you ride me better.” she said, and he groaned again, louder this time. One hand cupped the smooth curve of her ass while he used the other, palm down on the mattress, to steady himself above her.
God, he was big and she was tight. Very tight, and it felt so much better than she remembered. Probably because it had never been that good—except in her dreams.
This was no dream. And, watching Cash poised above her, the muscles in his arms sleek with sweat and straining as he kept them both in motion and oh, she would never let him stop.
Who cared about videos and X-treme sports and grants? Who cared about anything but her arms wrapped around his strong shoulders, his thumb reaching down to hit the spot that most men ignored in favor of their own pleasure.
Cash didn’t seem to be finding any shortage of his own pleasure, either. He’d closed his eyes and tipped his head back, and the smile on his face told her that he was having as good a time as she was.
When he picked her up, mid-stroke, and carried her outside to the terrace, she didn’t bother to protest. She stayed wrapped around him on the lounge chair, let the night air waft around her and her cries mingle with the sounds of the ocean rolling in to shore.
“THAT’S MY KIND OF APOLOGY,” he murmured against her neck hours later, his skin damp against hers, from sweat and salt water and, oh, yeah, that was amazing. More so because Rina hadn’t known what she wanted—instead, she’d just wanted.
The sex had been hot and sweet. And he had to get out of there before he found out that she was engaged or married or something, even though he knew that wasn’t going to be the case. And that might prove to be even more dangerous than anything else that had happened to him.
“Aren’t you a little bit sorry you didn’t sign the release?” she said out of nowhere, pulling him right back into reality. Justin was sure to kill him.
“Not at all,” he said. He pulled the sheets around her because he noticed her shivering slightly. She hadn’t wanted to come in from the patio, wanted to sleep under the stars, but he’d insisted on bringing her back to bed.
And now, he didn’t want to leave.
“And you called me rude,” she said sleepily. “And, for the record, I didn’t sleep with you to apologize.”
“I know.”
“Did it to prove to you that I’m not uptight.”
“Well, yeah, not anymore. But if you keep talking work, you will be soon enough.”
“I won’t be seeing you again,” she murmured. He didn’t bother to agree with her, because yeah, that’s usually the way these things worked. No matter how that thought churned his gut this time.
“You’re leaving later today?” He asked because he had to know for sure. She’d already made it clear that this was a one-night stand. If she ever found out why exactly, no doubt there’d be hell to pay.
“Leaving tomorrow,” she murmured dreamily. “Going to Africa.”
“Africa?” he asked, wondering what kind of cosmic joke the universe was playing on him.
She nodded against his chest. “Hoping to do a documentary there. Getting a grant. Finally get to do what I want to do.” Then she looked up at him. “See? I’m not that scared after all.”
“No, I guess you’re not,” he agreed and swore to himself he would follow his gut from that moment on, no matter what his other body parts stood up and told him.
RINA’S WAKE-UP CALL came at five that morning. Cash was already long gone. He’d left her aspirin and a bottle of water on the bedside table, his scent on her pillows and a sexual experience that easily outdid the videotape in terms of fantasy material.
Last night, with her ass balanced on the balcony railing, and her legs wrapped around his waist, she’d experienced Hawaii in a way she’d never dreamed she would. Being held in his strong arms, her breasts pressed tight against his chest, she remembered repeating his name. And she was pretty sure he’d been saying hers like a prayer, too, at one point.
Yes, Cash the surfer did have an excellent sense of balance. Even if he did ruin her video.
Every time she thought about that, her head throbbed more. And, she was annoyed to note, she was turned on as well. Stella would never let her live this one down.
Yes, Cash had lived up to his bad-boy promise, and then some. Still, he could’ve at least waited around until breakfast.
“Jerk,” she muttered, and covered her head with the pillow. Then she remembered that they’d ventured outside, on the terrace and the beach and she was so glad to be checking out today because how could she face the hotel’s patrons?
Between the darkness and the sounds of the ocean, and Cash supporting her, she’d felt comfortable enough to forget the fact that they had been outside. In public. Naked.
He had, at some point, assured her that no one had seen them.
But I can’t promise that no one heard us, he’d said, and then he’d grinned and done that thing with his tongue and she hadn’t cared.
Now, huddled in bed alone, she cared very much. And when her phone rang, she winced for a second, pictured the hotel manager calling to tell her about the complaints they’d received. Until she realized that it was her cell phone and not the hotel phone.
“Rina, it’s Jenny. Is this a bad time? I know it’s early.”
“Not at all,” she said. She’d hadn’t been close to her mother’s younger sister until recently, and now she thought of her aunt more like a sister. Jenny had even told her to drop the aunt-and-uncle stuff because it made her feel old.
Growing up, Jenny and Mac never came to Rina’s house for the holidays. Together, the couple had remained something of a cross between the black sheep and a mystery in her family. And then, Rina’s uncle had called her with an opportunity to do a recruitment video, which she shot a few months ago, so she’d grown close with her aunt in a very short period of time.
It was something Rina’s mother wasn’t too happy about, claimed her aunt was going to be a bad influence on her. It was partially the reason Rina hadn’t told her mother about the possible Africa project. She knew her mother would blame Jenny for influencing her, and she wouldn’t have been all that wrong. She and Jenny had spent hours talking about her uncle and Jenny’s brother, thumbing through photo albums and old letters and when Jenny had told her that she reminded her of David, she’d never felt prouder.
“I tried your home phone first and then I remembered you’d mentioned being away,” Jenny said, drawing Rina into the present.
She sat up and groaned, then fell against the stacked pillows. “Yes, I’m living the glamorous life in Hawaii.”
“I’m jealous, since we’re expecting snow here today. And hey, I won’t keep you, but Mac wanted me to let you know that the Navy big shots love what you did with the recruiting video. They think it’s a major coup to drum up business, half rock video, half Survivor.”
“That’s what I was aiming for, so I’m glad they didn’t think it was too progressive.” She’d agreed to shoot the video to help his uncle, who was a high-ranking Navy officer—she and Stella were on the Little Creek base in Virginia for two days last month in order to get proper footage and the necessary clearances. It had been a good video, highlighted her and Stella’s skills, but wasn’t long enough to be included in their grant proposal. No, that film needed to be bigger.
“He’d tell you himself, but he’s away,” her aunt continued. “He’s so proud of the work you’ve done.”
“I don’t know how you do it, Jenny, with Mac away all the time,” she said, thinking she sounded an awful lot like her mother.
“Practice,” her aunt replied. “It helps that he’s hot, too.” She and Rina both laughed at that. Rina had to agree that Mac was a good-looking guy. But Jenny’s marriage to Mac was a frequent source of tension in the family, even though Mac had tried his best in the beginning to win her mother over, it became painfully apparent that that wasn’t going to happen.
Of course, Stella found the whole thing completely romantic, and even though Rina would never admit it out loud, she had to agree.
Eloping in the middle of the night after a first date—well, Jenny told her that even she had to finally admit that what had happened between her and Mac technically wasn’t a date—but she and Mac were still solidly together after eleven years, Mac’s numerous travels with the SEALs and her two miscarriages.
They were talking about adopting. Jenny planned to try until she was forty—two more years—and then she’d consider the alternatives. And Mac seemed more than willing to do whatever it took to make her happy.
But Mac had more than one strike against him, at least in Rina’s mother’s eyes. Not only was his Navy SEAL job and lifestyle completely unconventional, he was also fifteen years older than Jenny. They’d also married right after Rina’s Uncle David had been killed, another strike, since her mom blamed the military for what had happened to David in Africa.
Even though her Uncle was a retired Special Forces Soldier and now worked for JAG, he still did what was considered highly classified and confidential work for the government, which required his schedule to be top secret most of the time.
“It was great having you here. You’re welcome back any time,” Jenny was saying, but Rina barely heard her. Her mind had already begun a steady turn, and her imagination took off.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to apply for the grant this year after all…. “I might take you up on that one. Soon,” Rina said, her pulse racing nearly as fast as it had been last night.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Could you have Mac call me when he gets back? I’ve got another video idea I think the Navy might like.”
“Will do,” Jenny promised.
Rina hung up and dialed Vic’s cell phone number immediately. “I’ve got a pitch for you,” she said, dispensing with the usual hello.
“You’re supposed to be finishing up the job you’re on now. But I’m listening.”
“Bigger, Badder, Faster—X-treme jobs,” she said, scribbling notes to herself on a napkin even as she spoke.
“I like it. Tell me more.”
“We could do things like roughnecks, race car drivers, stunt men. Navy SEALs,” she continued, encouraged by the way Vic sounded.
“We’d need some kind of in,” he said.
“I think I’ve got the in for the SEALs,” she said. “And I want behind the camera on this one.”
Her mom was always saying how crazy her Uncle Mac was. So really, what could be more extreme, more exciting, than a day in the life of a Navy SEAL?
5
Two weeks later
“HOW BAD IS IT?” Cash asked Hunt, his SEAL teammate. Cash leaned forward to see the damage for himself while he shot off a round of fire to keep the enemy at bay. His muscles tensed and gut tightened, the way they always did whenever the situation involved adrenaline and explosives.
“Get out of here now before you’re trapped,” Hunt told him. The men had been inserted into Morocco an hour earlier, and Mission Tank Battle was already well underway.
Cash shifted, and mentally calculated their options. “Can’t we get around the side wall?”
“Not unless we want to die immediately. It’s too late and I’m too hurt to be helped, so go,” Hunt insisted.
“I’m not leaving you behind,” Cash said. He’d sacrificed too much to let something like this happen, the last half hour was pure blood, sweat and tears. He’d been shot, as well. Using every available resource he had, he grabbed Hunt, swung him over his shoulder and started to run.
“Watch behind you,” Rev, another teammate, urged and Cash swung to the left to avoid another grenade. And promptly dropped Hunt.
“I thought you were trying to save me?” Hunt demanded as the TV screen turned white and Game Over emerged in large blue letters.
“I can’t help it if you slipped,” Cash said, wondering why the hell anyone ever played these SOCOM3 games. Once you’d lived the real thing, the on-screen version paled in comparison.
“You suck at this,” Hunt declared, and took the controls out of Cash’s hands. “Good thing your track record’s better where it counts.”
From the room’s far corner, Justin snorted, where he lay on his back playing Texas Hold ’Em on his cell phone. Etienne, better known as Rev, had been trying to put some order to the paperwork blanketing the massive, scarred oak table where the SEALs held their meetings. But he’d given up at least an hour ago in favor of seeing just how far he could tip his chair back on two legs without falling over. He also offered commentary on the video game Cash and Hunt had been playing for an hour, since they’d all been benched with injuries, albeit minor ones, after last night’s training mission.
A stimulating afternoon. Of course, compared to the excitement of the Gray Ops mission in Hawaii, the just sitting around part was that much more frustrating. He and Justin had completed their end of the mission, had gotten lauded for their part in helping to bring down a major drug running operation. It was hard to come down from something like that.
