A Home for Christmas (17 page)

Mike continued walking up to where Jenna stood
while Riley helped Lainey into her car.  Jenna raised a brow to him when
he approached, a knowing smile on her face.

"What?" he asked in reaction to her
close scrutiny.

Her smile broadened but she refrained from saying
anything.  "Nothing.  What brings you by?"

His brows rose at her bright tone. 
"Just had some news to pass on to Riley, thought I'd stop by."

Jenna nodded.  "And Lainey being here
had nothing to do with that?"

He gave her a puzzled look.  "I didn't
know Lainey was here.  I've never met her before now."

At that, Jenna laughed.  "OK, if that's
how you want to play it.  Come on inside," she said, opening the
front door.

Riley and Mike went into Jenna's home office and
talked for most of the afternoon.  She knew that a lot of it was about
things that had happened with Wade and a lot of it was about various jobs they
had going through their company, Orion Securities.  

At dinner, Jenna began to see the side of Mike
that had attracted Riley as his friend.  Mike was quiet, but he had a
really good sense of humor, much the same as Riley's, he was just more reserved
in showing his.  Cam was a little iffy about him at first, but when he and
Riley began to talk about some of their more light-hearted, humorous missions,
Cam relaxed around him and by the end of dinner, he was asking Mike just as
many questions as he asked Riley.  Riley still did most of the talking,
but Mike filled in his share of the conversation as well.

After dinner, Mike even played a few rounds of
PlayStation games with Cam and Riley and while his end of the conversation
wasn't as animated, he interacted with Cam enough that she could tell Cam liked
Mike.  At midnight, Jenna decided she had to play the mean mom and send
Cam to bed.  She asked him if he was OK to sleep on his own and he said
that he was, then said good night to Mike and gave Riley a quick hug.

"You guys want a drink?" she asked once
Cam was in bed.

"Yeah, sure," Riley answered. 
"Mike?"

"Just one," he replied.  "Have
to hit the road soon."

"You're welcome to stay here," Riley
said, knowing Jenna wouldn't mind.  "I know your family is driving
you insane."

"Absolutely," Jenna said, "I have
two guest rooms.  You are welcome to stay.  What would you like to
drink?"

"I'll get it, Jen," Riley told her,
knowing what Mike's preferences were.  He gave Jenna a quick kiss, then
went into the kitchen to fix their drinks.

Jenna settled into the cushions of her couch,
snuggling under the blanket Riley had covered them with earlier.  She felt
Mike's intense gaze on her and looked over to him.

"You two work well together," Mike told
her.  "I've seen a change in him since you met."

"I can't believe it's only been three
weeks.  I feel like I've known Riley all my life."

Mike shrugged.  "In our line-of-work,
things are naturally more intense.  Emotions run high.  Maybe because
we have lived through so many life and death situations, we tend to form bonds
quickly.  Nature of the beast."

She pulled the blanket closer around her
shoulders against the chill his words sent through her.  She was proud of
them for what they had done, but at the same time, she hated to think about all
they had been through, all they had seen.

"Well, I'm glad you are no longer doing that
kind of work.  I know what you are doing now can still be dangerous, but
it's not quite the same as being in the team again, right?"

"Correct," Mike said when Riley came in
and handed him a drink.  He gave Jenna a glass then went back into the
kitchen to retrieve his own.  She scowled into her glass, not sure what it
was that he'd fixed for her.  She wasn't a drinker normally, so she was unsure
what she was smelling. 

"It's a Riley family recipe," Mike told
her, making her look up at him.

"What?"

Mike offered a small smile.  "The
drink.  It's something that 's been in his mother's side of the family,
the Riley side, for ages.  Don't ask what all goes into it.  You
probably wouldn't touch it if you knew...but it is really good."

"I don't normally drink much...mainly
because as a single parent, I don't have anyone else to fall back on if I
over-indulge."

Riley came and sat beside her, drawing her back
into his chest.

"You don't have to worry about that now,
though, do you?" he asked, nuzzling her neck.

She giggled, "I supposed not." 
She took a tentative sip of her drink and moaned in appreciation. 
"Holy cow!  This is great."

Riley chuckled.  "Don't ask what all
goes in it; you don't want to know.  Just drink."

Jenna's eyes met Mike's across the room and
laughed when Mike winked at her, his pale blue eyes shining.

"Told you."

Jenna laughed and drank more of her drink.  It
was nice to spend time with Riley and his friend, to see them both relaxed and
happy.  The more time she spent with Mike, the more she realized he wasn't
like the image he presented.  He and Riley were close and had an ease of
companionship with each other that she imagined only those who had gone through
life and death situations could achieve. 

As they were talking, the combination of drink
and the soothing sound of their voices began to lull her to sleep and it wasn't
long before she placed her glass on the end table, snuggled closer to Riley's
side and was out.

"I think you've lost her, Stanton,"
Mike said, nodding to Jenna.

Riley smiled and stroked a hand idly over her
hair.  "Looks like."

"Also looks like you've hit the jackpot with
her.  Instant family and all."

Riley nodded.  "That I did.  It's
only been three weeks, but...I can't imagine my life without them."

Mike raised a brow at that.  "Are you
thinking of getting married?"

"The thought has crossed my mind.  I
know I haven't known her long, but...it feels right."

"We trust our gut in many things in our
line-of-work.  If your gut is telling you she's the one, go with it."

"You don't think it's too soon?"

Mike leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his
knees, glass hanging from one hand.

"I'm the last person to give relationship
advice, you know that.  But...we've done our bit for King and
Country.  We've put our lives on hold to do the job we were sworn to
do.  All of that is over now.  We control our lives now.  We
don't have to worry about leaving someone behind the way Zig did Melissa. 
So, if you love her, if you love the boy...take them.  Nothing holding you
back...and with that, I'm going to head back to my mother's," Mike said,
standing.

"The offer still stands to stay here. 
Give yourself a break."

Mike shook his head.  "It's all
right.  I've given my mother enough cause to worry over the last ten years
or so.  If trying to set me up with all her friends' daughters makes her
happy, who am I to take that from her?  Besides, I'm still not sleeping
much these days.  At least at my parents' house, there is room for me to
wander without disturbing anyone else."

"You know, my cousin, Lainey, who you met
earlier...she's a counselor.  She helped me settle my mind so I could
finally sleep.  She could help you, too."

"I'll think about it. Good night,
Stanton."

"Good night, Mike."

He waited until he heard Mike drive away, then
lifted Jenna in his arms and carried her to her bedroom.  He intended to
place her in bed and leave her there, he really did, but when she sighed dreamily
and reached for him, twining her arms around his neck, he was lost.  He
wanted her too badly to walk away.

"Jen," he said, his lips against hers.

"Mmm," she hummed, her fingers delving
into his hair. 

"You only had one glass, tell me you aren't
drunk," he chuckled.

She smiled.  "I am not drunk...but I
don't want you to leave.  Stay with me, Riley...make love to me."

He could no more ignore that plea than he could
deny himself air to breathe.  He kissed her briefly, then stood to remove
his boots and jeans and shirt, then reached for her to help her remove her
clothes.   When she was nude, he stood at the side of the bed and
simply gazed down at her, admiring the feminine beauty of her body.  She
was lean but curved in all the right places, fit but not overly so, so that she
was soft and all woman.

"Riley," she prompted, reaching for
him.

"Just admiring the view," he said, his
voice soft.  "You're so beautiful, Jenna."

She parted her knees and reached up for
him.  "Come to me, Riley.  I need you inside me."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, stepping out of
his underwear.  He covered her and entered her in one smooth stroke. 
She arched her back and wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him even
deeper inside, then cupped his face in her hands and pulled him down to kiss
her.  "I love you, Jenna."

"I love you, too, Riley...so much," she
breathed, moving against him, meeting him thrust for thrust.  She arched
her head to give him better access to her neck when he began trailing kisses
from her lips down her throat to her breasts.  He gathered her in his arms
and changed their positions so she was straddling his waist to give him better
access to her full breasts.  She clutched his hair and used her thighs to
ride him while he paid homage to first one breast then the other, his hands on
her back, supporting her while he feasted.

Jenna knew her explosion was near.  She
didn't care.  She rode him through it and felt herself building toward
another one, crying out when he abruptly withdrew, pulled her to her feet to
bend over the bed and then slammed into her from behind.  This time was
violent. He pounded into her harder than he ever had before.  It was all
she could do to hold on to the bed and ride out his passion.  It was
intense and insane.  To know that she had pushed a man of such staunch
control over the edge was heady and intoxicating.  She was sobbing from
the intensity of her emotions when he finally found his release and collapsed
against her back, pinning her between his body and the bed.  He was heavy
and sweaty and she loved every last second of it.

"Sorry if I'm squishing you," he said
against her ear, "I just need a minute to catch my breath."

Jenna smiled.  "I don't mind.  I
love to feel your weight on me.  Makes me feel all small and girly."

He chuckled and rolled and scooted them so that
she was pressed chest to chest with him, her face in the hollow of his throat.

"You are small and girly."

She laughed.  "I never felt that way
with...well, before," she said, catching herself before she fully brought
Wade into their bed.

Riley tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed
the top of her head.

"Yeah, well, I'm a lot bigger than
him."

At that, Jenna burst out laughing, making Riley
realize his mistake.  He reached down and gave her bottom a playful spank,
laughing.

"You know what I meant."

"Yes, I do," she said through her
laughter, "and yes, you are bigger...in every way."

"Jenna!" he laughed.

"Well, I mean, really, you're nearly a foot
taller than him...it's only natural that...well, other parts of your body are
bigger, too."

"Oh, my God, can we change the
subject?" he chuckled.

"Hey, you brought it up."

"I wasn't referring to the size of my
anatomy and you know it, little girl."

She wiped tears from her eyes and clutched her
side, she was laughing so hard.

"Oh, wow, I needed that laugh."

"Imp," he said, kissing her nose. 

She kissed the underside of his jaw, then
playfully pushed at him.  "You're all sweaty.  You need a
shower."

"I go, you go," he said, sitting up.

She gave a mock, long-suffering sigh. 
"If I must."

Riley laughed and scooped her up off of the bed,
carrying her into the bathroom.  When they got under the warm spray of her
multi-jet shower, they stood for several long moments, letting the water
cascade down over them, mouths fused in a long, slow, passionate kiss. 
There was no rush, no real intent to take it any further than that kiss. 
It was absolutely beautiful.  Jenna knew she would never love anyone more
than she loved him in that moment.

After breaking the kiss, Riley picked up her
shampoo and washed her hair.  He took her sponge and added shower gel and
washed every last inch of her.  He slid soapy fingers between her legs and
thoroughly cleaned her, then dropped to his knees under the warm spray and
proceeded to taste her most intimate places, but doing it slow and sweet,
drawing out her pleasure as well as his own.

"Riley," she gasped when her climax was
building again, "I can't...I need..."

He looked up at her and smiled, taking one last,
long, lick and then lifted her so he could slam inside her, pinning her between
his body and the wall.  She cried out and he covered her mouth with his
own.  She could taste herself on his lips and it was the most erotic thing
she'd ever experienced.  Coming just off the heels of their previous
lovemaking, it didn't take long for him to explode within her and soon they
were in a gasping heap on the shower floor, spent and sated and neither wanting
to move any time soon.

"That was...I have no words," she told
him, stroking his wet hair.

"Amazing.  Breathtaking.  Best sex
you've ever had?" he chuckled.

"All that and more," she told him.

"Good," he said smugly.