Close Quarters (Her SEAL Protector #1) (9 page)

"Not exactly," she sheepishly admitted. "I'm sorry, Leland. You were right. I was a fool."

"Look at me, Jamie." Leland's fingers curved beneath her chin. She acquiesced to his order, nervously meeting his intense gaze. He brushed his thumb along her lower lip, the movement reminiscent of the tender way he had stroked her body last night. "When I was a bonehead, you gave me a free pass. I'm returning the favor. But," he dragged down her lower lip and let his thumb touch her bottom teeth, "you will never do anything reckless like this again. I can't lose—" He stopped abruptly. "Never again. Understand?"

If the concern glimmering in his eyes hadn't convinced her how much he cared, the slight tremble to his hands sure did. She was certain he would blame it on adrenaline, but she knew better. The gentle way he caressed her skin and the pleading glint to his eyes told her everything.

"Yes, Leland. I understand."

* * *

Later that evening, after the sheriff and his deputies had cleared out of the place and phone calls had been placed to Peyton and Jamie's mother to let them know what had happened, Leland trailed Jamie into the bathroom. He saw her eying the bathtub as she stripped out of her clothing, no doubt thinking of Dane's threat to drown her in it. Listening to her recount the story of all that had transpired before he had arrived had set his teeth on edge. He had wanted to drag Dane out of the backseat of the deputy's cruiser to give him a fresh beating.

She stepped behind the curtain and her luscious curves disappeared from view. He hastily peeled out of his clothes to join her. Their gazes clashed, hers needy and filled with desire and his, he was sure, flaring with possessiveness and the need to protect her. She held out her hand, and he interlaced their fingers. Smiling, she tugged him closer, and he went with a boyish grin.

There were no words spoken between them. He sensed she was just as torn up inside as he was. Too soon, he would be on a plane back to Virginia, and she would probably be fueling up a boat to take her down to Samana Bay to recover that ship she was dead set on salvaging. They both had long, dangerous months ahead of them. There weren't any guarantees.

His hands rode the soft outline of her body, gliding along her hips and up the curve of her waist to palm her breasts. Her nipples, the purplish peaks pebbled and hard, beckoned his attention. He bent down and suckled her breast, drawing on her supple flesh until she rose on tiptoes. She caressed his shoulders and lightly scratched her short nails over his skin, making him shudder and ache.

While he tormented her breasts with his mouth, she slid her hand between their bodies to torture him in an even more sensual way. She stroked his throbbing cock languidly, her hand gliding up and down his shaft with just enough pressure to make him pant. She cupped his sac, grazing her nails over his sensitive flesh, and he hissed with pleasure.

He captured her mouth, his tongue stabbing against hers as the fervent urge to claim her gripped him. She whimpered and clutched at him, rocking her hips and sliding her hands down to cup his ass. He didn’t need a flashing sign to read that signal. Grasping the backs of her thighs and ever mindful of their slippery surroundings, he hoisted her up and pressed her back to the tile enclosure. She broke away from his mouth and shot him a questioning look. He understood what she was asking. "My knee is fine."

Nodding, she kissed him again and reached back down to clasp his cock. She guided him between her thighs and into her. With his arm around her waist, he thrust up into the slick, wet heat that enveloped him and bit back a growl. She buried her face against his neck, and sifted her fingers through his hair. Their tongues tangled as he took her with hard, deep strokes, plunging in and out of her dripping core.

With his whole body engaged, he didn't have an extra hand to help her out, but she didn't let that stop her. Her hand snaked down to the spot where their bodies were joined. She rubbed her clit while he pounded into her. His toes curled against the tub. He let his mouth fall to her neck, nibbling at that spot that made her cry out and shudder.

Her walls clenched around his shaft, gripping him and pushing him closer and closer to the edge. The muscles in his thighs tensed, and his lower belly trembled something fierce. He could feel that low, buzzing sensation building, but he refused to come first. Thankfully, he didn't have to hold back long.

"Leland!" His name echoed in the shower and made him smile triumphantly. She clawed at his shoulders as he took her roughly and with total abandon. His blood was still up from nearly losing her that morning. He needed to remind them both that they were still alive. "Leland!
Leland!
"

"Jamie." He whispered her name against her ear, his cheek pressed to hers. His entire body hummed violently as he jerked with bright bursts of ecstasy. He managed to hold her up, her thighs shaking against his waist, and peppered sweet, gentle kisses to her neck and face.

Her arms wound round his shoulders, and she hugged him tightly. "I'm going to miss you so much."

Touching his forehead to hers, he kept his eyelids tightly clamped. He couldn't risk looking at her, not now when his eyes were burning something fierce. "Not as much as I'll miss you."

Epilogue

Seven Months Later

"Holy cow, Jamie! I saw the story on the news this morning. They're saying your discovery is one for the history books. Congratulations!"

She smiled as Peyton gushed so enthusiastically. The loot they had pulled from the sea had been even better than Jamie had ever dared to dream. "Thank you. Technically, it's Dad's discovery."

"Well, whatever," Peyton replied. "I mean, you both have the same name so it's not as if anyone can tell the difference anyway. But I thought you were going to keep the story quiet until you were finished with the salvage?"

"That was the plan, but I guess some journalist on vacation caught wind of the story from some of the locals." Jamie traced her finger along the ridges of the water bottle sitting on the small dining table in her hotel suite. The bumps reminded her of Leland's perfectly sculpted abs. Need flared bright and hot so she tossed aside the bottle, refusing to even think about
that
while talking to his sister.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We're probably three-quarters of the way finished with the recovery. We have most of the good stuff out of the bay, catalogued and safely stowed away."

"What about this hurricane that's on the way?"

Jamie glanced at the muted television screen across the suite. "They're saying it might become a Category 2. I'm not too worried. We've got all of our boats and equipment protected. Some of my crew flew to Miami yesterday, but I've chosen to stick it out here. My hotel is far enough inland that I should be all right."

"I'm worried about you." Peyton paused. "So is Leland. I talked to him last night. He wasn't happy that you've chosen to stay on the island."

She rolled her eyes. "He worries too much, and so do you."

"He loves you, and so do I."

Hearing Peyton say that Leland loved her was enough to make her hands tremble. He had whispered his love for her so many times since that late night phone call when he had revealed the depth of his feelings for her, but it still felt unreal. Jamie couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy. She woke up every morning afraid that the last seven months had been a dream.

"I know he does, and I know you do. That makes me the luckiest girl in the whole wide world."

Peyton laughed. "Yeah, I guess it does. Hey, do you know when he's supposed to get back from wherever the hell he's been for the last few months?"

Jamie drew his initials on the tabletop. "He said it might be Christmas before he's back in Virginia. I assume he'll be going to Texas to stay with your parents if he can get leave."

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you coming home for Christmas?"

"Of course."

"To our house?"

Our house.
God, how she longed for a place to share with someone else. "Yes, I'm sure I'll visit your parents. I always do."

"No, silly! I meant are you going to stay with us for the entire holiday season?"

"Oh. Well. I don't know. Mom is planning to spend Christmas in Paris, so she's not putting up a tree or anything this year. I guess my plans will depend on Leland and your parents."

"Okay, seriously, you'll be lucky if Leland lets you out of his sight while he's here, and my parents are thrilled about the two of you."

"Only because you told them about what happened in Mexico," Jamie insisted with a frown.

"Jamie, I've been carrying around the guilt of you taking the hit for that for too long. It was time to come clean, especially since Leland loves you so much. Mom and Dad needed to know the truth. Hang on." Peyton spoke softly to someone in the background. "Jamie? Look, I've got to run. I've got an undergrad who needs some help. Office hours and all that," she grumbled. "Call me tomorrow. Even if it's just to leave me a message letting me know you're okay, all right?"

"All right."

"I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye."

Putting down her cell phone, she rose from her chair and crossed to the balcony. She opened the double doors and strode onto the private space. She studied the gray skyline and wondered how long it would be until the rain began. The forecasted landfall of the storm was a good distance to the east. People always said the west side of the storm was generally the safest. She was going to find out if that was true.

Staring at the waves rolling onto the beach, she couldn't help but wonder where Leland was right now. She knew he was on a ship, but that was all. He could give her only the vaguest details, so she didn't ask. In some ways, not knowing was actually easier. She didn't obsess over news articles or go trolling the net for information.

Long-distance dating hadn't presented as many bumps as she had expected. After the wild and passionate start to their relationship, it was nice to slow it down a little and build something incredibly deep and real without bedroom activities setting the tone. That wasn't to say they hadn't found ways to be intimate using technology, but taking the pressure off with a (mostly) celibate courtship was nice.

Of course, she still craved his kisses. She dreamed about making love to him. Sometimes she could almost feel his hot, rough hands gliding over her skin or the tickle of his beard on her throat and thighs. Those dreams were the very best.

A knock at the door surprised her. She closed the balcony door behind her and crossed the suite. On tiptoes, she peered through the peephole but could only see the tan blazers worn by the hotel staff. She hadn't ordered room service or called the concierge. Were they going door to door to talk to their guests about the hurricane?

She unlocked the door and opened it. Her confused expression morphed into one of sheer joy as her gaze landed on the smiling, ever so handsome and shockingly clean-shaven face of the man she loved. "Leland!"

Laughing, he caught her when she leapt on him. She wound her legs around his waist and covered his face with excited kisses. He entered the room and kicked the door shut behind him, all the while holding her close and returning her kisses with the same fervor. "Sugar, I missed you."

"How? Why?" She couldn't even string together a full sentence. "Leland!"

"I had some free time coming to me. I visited the folks and Peyton for a couple of days before coming out here to see you." He dropped down onto the bed, taking her with him, and pinned her to the mattress. Rather sternly, he said, "You should have evacuated from the island."

"Leland, it's not that big of a storm. They didn’t even evacuate the hotels along the beach. We're perfectly safe here. The worst that might happen is we'll lose electricity and water for a few days." She gestured to the far side of her suite where she had stockpiled rations. "We'll be fine. Besides, you're a SEAL. I think you can rough it for a few days."

He made a humming sound before kissing her again. "I suppose we can think of something to occupy ourselves."

"Oh, I'm sure we can," she murmured happily, rocking against him and grinning at the sensation of his hard shaft rubbing against her thigh. "In fact, if there had been beautiful weather, it would have been wasted on us. It's not like we're going to leave this hotel room."

"Not a chance," he said and claimed her mouth with a possessive, forceful kiss. When he finally eased off her mouth, he gazed down at her with such tenderness. "I love you so much, Jamie."

Hearing the words and feeling his strong arms embracing her made the moment absolutely perfect. "I love you, Leland."

He narrowed his eyes in a teasing way. "But not enough to tell me what really happened that night with Tanner."

He knows
. "Did Tanny tell you?"

"He came to visit Mom and Dad while I was there. He wanted to give everyone in the family a heads-up about an article coming out in one of the big sports magazines. Coming out being the key words here," he added. "Imagine it! My cousin, the two-time college championship-holding, big-time trophy winning, first round draft pick hero is the first openly gay football player!"

"He's so brave to come out right now, especially so early in his career."

"So brave," Leland agreed. "We went out for a beer that night, and he told me that you were the one who helped him out of a jam in high school when someone threatened to reveal his secret and scuttle his chances of going to college to play football."

She swallowed nervously. "Did he?"

"He did." Tapping the tip of her nose, he smiled down at her. "You're just full of surprises, Jamie."

"You would have done the same thing if he had come to you."

"But he didn't come to me. He went to you."

"I've always been good at helping people get out of sticky situations."

"So I'm starting to learn," he grumbled. "Maybe from now on we agree to tackle things like that together?"

"As a team?"

"We're partners, aren't we?"