A Sexy SEAL Novella Anthology (21 page)

And she forgot everything.

Her excitement.

Her worries.

Even her name.

The only thing left in her brain was
hubba hubba
.

Hello, gorgeous.

About five-foot nothing with curves that
made her simple green dress look about as sexy as lingerie, she
looked like a woodland fairy. Delicate and a little mystical with
short black hair that fell to sharp points around an angular face
and left her neck bare. Her huge, thickly lashed eyes were almost
as green as her dress and almost perfectly round except for the
slight tilt at the corners.

It was all Jack could do not to angle his
head around to see if she had wings.

He did slide his gaze down to check for a
wedding ring.

Nope, no rings.

Jack grinned.

Who was she?

Jack Ellison watched her laugh up at Rico
with a comfortable familiarity that made it clear that they’d known
each other a long time.

Which made Jack want to know why the hell
Rico hadn’t introduced him to her before.

Or maybe why he didn’t introduce them
now.

“Yo,” he murmured quietly.

Rico, as in tune as if he’d been disarming
an incendiary device, gave a jerk of his chin, his version of a
nod.

“Gina didn’t mention you’d be having dinner
with us,” he told the pixie. “If I’d known, I would have filled
Ellison in before we got here.”

“What would you have told him?” the pixie
teased.

“To watch himself.” With that and a warning
look for Jack that said just that, Rico turned, his arm still
around her and waved a hand between the two guests. “Cari, this is
Specialist Jack Ellison. Jack, this woman you’d better watch out
for. Cari Tores.”

Jack stepped forward to take one slender
hand in his, dwarfing her willowy form and feeling as if he were
drowning in the mossy green depths of her eyes.

“Cari.”

“Hi, Jack.” Her sharp features softened with
her smile. “How is it that we haven’t met before?”

“I plan on asking Rico that same question.”
Later. Right now, he wanted to get to know why this woman made his
head spin. “But since he’s such a slacker, why don’t you fill me
in. I want to know everything about you.”

“Everything?” she repeated with a soft
laugh. “That’ll cost you.”

Still holding her hand in his, Jack pulled
her out of Rico’s arm and over to the couch. Puzzling for just a
second at the puddles of fabric piled over one cushion, he pushed a
rope of glass balls out of the way and gestured for Cari to
sit.

Looking like she was going to laugh again,
Cari curled up on the couch, scooping up the blue material so it
puddled like water in her lap.

“What’s the cost? I’ll pay anything,” he
said as he joined her, only half joking. He really did want to know
what it was about her that had him imagining hot moans, silk sheets
and white picket fences all in the same thought.

“I want everything in return, of course.”
Her smile was impish as she leaned closer to lay her hand on his
knee. Jack blinked at the blast of hunger slamming through his
system. Hot and horny blew the hell out of those little white
fences so his thoughts were pure sex now. Trying to remember he was
a gentleman—or at least his mother expected him to be—Jack took a
slow breath.

Either the oxygen or the thought of his
mother did the trick, releasing enough blood from his lap so Jack
could focus.

“Everything it is,” he agreed. “Where should
we start?”

“Before the two of you exchange everything,
do you want a drink?” Her bowl of silver hair tipped in pink and
flipped at the ends, Gina took the material from Cari, then grabbed
the rest, dumping it all into a purple plastic bin on her way
toward the kitchen. “I’ve got beer and wine. Oh, and I made a
pitcher of that recipe you gave me, Cari. The one you said you
liked so much.”

“I’m intrigued,” Jack said, wondering at the
color washing over Cari’s cheeks. “What’s the drink?”

At Gina’s arch look, Cari shrugged.

“Oh, just a yummy mix of vodka, coconut rum
and a few other things.” When Gina’s expression didn’t change, Cari
grinned. “It’s called Tie Me To the Bedpost.”

“Tie Me...?”

“To the Bedpost,” she finished with a nod.
“It really is good. Just, you know, one of those things that are
better in company. Like Screaming Orgasms or Between the Sheets.
You know?”

And there went the blood again, right back
in his lap.

“As long as I’m not drinking alone, I’ll do
a Bedpost,” Cari told Gina, her eyes on Jack as if she was waiting
to see if he’d play.

“I can’t leave Cari tied to a bedpost
alone,” he said honestly. “I’m in.”

“Hell, no,” Rico growled. But Jack knew the
glower wasn’t over the drink. Rico had protective big brother vibes
shooting off of him like bullets.

But even as Cari laughed, Gina was tugging
her husband into the kitchen with her before he could finish
protesting the foofy drink.

“So...” She leaned forward from the waist
and gave him a wide-eyed look. “Everything?”

“Pretty sure my everything was payment for
yours. How do you know Gina?” He figured that was a safer topic to
start with than favorite sexual positions. Mostly because he
planned on finding that one out on his own.

By the time Rico and Gina were back with the
drinks, Jack was almost as fascinated as he was turned on.

“Do you only work with the elderly?” he
asked. Then, lifting his hand, he replaced that question with a
more important one. “Is it weird talking about sex with people your
grandparents’ age?”

“I like to think of sex as one of the
healthiest forms of expression, and if done right, it’s great
exercise. And, of course, it feels amazing.” Her expression was
passionate as she leaned forward earnestly. “That’s what I love to
do with coaching. Help people in a healthy way to find their bliss.
What could be sexier than that?”

Her.

Cari was, without a doubt, the sexiest woman
he’d ever met.

By the end of dinner, he was sure of it.

He watched her laugh with Gina and listened
to her tease Rico. The four of them discussed sports and art with
equal fervor, talked about movies and music with ease and
agreement. He’d known he had a lot in common with the Santiagos.
That was one of the reasons he liked them so much.

But he and Cari?

If anyone had ever told him that there was a
woman out there who was absolutely perfect for him, he’d have
scoffed.

But he was pretty sure he’d just met that
mythical woman, his perfect match. Even as a little voice in his
head warned that he was in a ton of trouble, Jack angled his head
to watch her leave the dining room. Damn, he appreciated the way
her hips swayed and made that dress flutter.

Damn, she had a sweet ass.

“You might want to wipe the drool off your
chin before it drips on the table.”

Grinning at Rico, Jack shrugged.

“Just appreciating the view.” He glanced
toward the kitchen and frowned. “Maybe we should help with the
dishes.”

Rico rolled his eyes.

“Gina’ll just stack them in the sink for me
to do later.” He stood. “C’mon. We’ll have dessert in the living
room.”

“Maybe I can help the ladies bring out
dessert.” A little reluctant to move since the living room was
further from the kitchen than the dining room, Jack slowly got to
his feet.

“Do yourself a favor. Sit your ass in the
living room and breathe for a few minutes. I’m sure your brain can
use the air.”

More amused than embarrassed that Rico knew
he’d ate most of dinner with all of his blood in his lap, Jack
shrugged and followed him with just one last look toward the door
Cari had disappeared behind.

“Cari’s a sweetheart. Sorta like a little
sister to me,” Rico said in a musing tone once they were
seated.

“Dude, I’ve heard stories about how much
trouble you gave Max St. James when he hooked up with your sister.”
Jack gave a wincing sort of laugh.

“Good. I was hoping you’d remember
those.”

Jack’s amusement faded.

“Is that a warning?”

“Nah.” His long legs spread out in front of
him, most people would think Rico was at ease. Jack knew better.
“Call it a friendly head’s up.”

No longer echoing Rico’s chill position,
Jack lifted his chin to signal the other man to keep talking.

“You’re leaving. Heading off to San Diego to
be a SEAL. Remember?”

Jack wanted to say hell, yeah, he
remembered. He wanted to say it didn’t make a damned bit of
difference that he was about to embark on a huge, life changing
career shift. He wished he only thought about sex when he looked at
Cari. And that he’d have no problem doing her like a one night
stand.

But he couldn’t. And didn’t.

Damn it all to hell, he wouldn’t.

“Are you sure you don’t mind giving me a
ride?”

An hour ago, Cari wouldn’t have asked.

Because an hour ago, Jack hadn’t been acting
in a way that made her think he had a problem with giving her a
ride. But ever since dessert, he’d had his weird on.

“I don’t mind at all,” he said in a tone as
distant as the moon. “Besides, you can’t fit these bins in your
car.”

Which was why she’d originally planned to
put them in Gina’s Volkswagen bus so her friend could take them to
the art gallery. But when Jack had offered during drinks and Gina
said she’d be happy to pick Cari up in the morning, it had seemed
like the perfect excuse for more than just having a second
drink.

Now that she was climbing into the cab of
Jack’s truck, she was wondering if it wasn’t an imposition. She
watched him circle around to the driver’s side and sighed. He moved
with a comfortable grace so sexy that she just knew he’d be amazing
in bed.

Which she’d kinda thought she might find out
if he drove her home. She’d never had sex on the first date, let
alone on the first drive home. She was the not-until-the-third date
type. Not because she had some rule in place, but because it
usually took her that long to decide if she felt that right
combination of spark and comfort to get naked with the guy.

But tonight was different.

Jack was different.

The comfortable ease she felt in his company
made her feel as if she’d known him for years. As if she could say
anything to him, be herself with him.

And the intensity of her reaction to him was
wild. Everything about the man made her think of sex. The way he
moved, the way he looked. She wanted to strip him naked and explore
every delight she was sure she would find. She wanted to taste him,
to touch him, to eat hot fudge off of him. Just sitting next to him
had her more sexually aroused than she’d ever been in her life. If
he touched her, kissed her?

A tiny shudder of pleasure danced through
her like a mini-orgasm at the thought. Cari shifted on the bench
seat, her thighs rubbing together and her breasts tight against her
bra.

She’d thought Jack was just as into her as
she was him.

Until now.

Sliding a glance sideways, she watched his
profile as he drove.

What had changed?

“I can’t believe we haven’t met before but
it was lovely to get to know you tonight,” she said as he pulled
onto her street, keeping the understatement upbeat. “And I really
do appreciate the ride.”

She didn’t want the evening to end. She
hated the idea of saying goodbye. But they were at her condo, and
he wasn’t acting like he wanted to come in.

“It was a fun night. You’ll have to come by
Gina’s gallery some time and check out my program. Not that you
need it. First, you’re obviously not old. And I doubt you need a
boost of sexual confidence. I mean, you might, it’s always hard to
tell from the outside. But I don’t get the impression that you
do.”

Cari wanted to slap her hands over her mouth
to stop the babbling. She hadn’t babbled since she was thirteen and
trying to get up the nerve to ask the boy she was crushing on to be
her date at the Sadie Hawkins dance.

“Maybe I’ll see you at their place again
sometime. Or, you know—”

Jack’s mouth cut off her nervous rush of
words.

Cari’s mouth trembled in reaction.

Her brain went blank. Her body was molten,
soft and hot at the same time.

One hand on her cheek, his lips slid over
hers in a tender caress that made her sigh. The nerves that’d been
dancing through her system all evening faded in the sweetness of
the kiss. The sexual need that’d gripped so tight loosened its
hold.

Nice, she decided, one hand smoothing along
Jack’s chest. She almost purred at the hard muscles under her palm.
He was so, so nice.

As if he’d heard her thought, Jack shifted
the angle of the kiss. His lips were still soft on hers. His hand
still gentle on her cheek.

But when his tongue slid along the seam of
her mouth, it was as if he’d flipped a switch.

Heat spiraled low in her belly, wild and
needy. Pleasure grabbed her with a desperate edge when his tongue
plunged. Her fingers clenched, trembled and clenched again in time
with the throbbing between her legs.

A kiss.

Just a kiss. And she was ready to explode
with what promised to be the best orgasm of her life. So when Jack
pulled back, buried his face in the curve of her throat, Cari could
only blink.

“Oh, my.”

That’s all she could manage. Her mind was
too busy trying to process the power of that kiss. Her body
trembled with need.

“You’re delicious,” he said, his words
muffled against her throat. The feel of his mouth on her skin made
her thighs clench. “I want to taste you. Every inch of you. I want
to feel you. See you.”