Caviar and Covert Ops: Book 3 (Military Moguls) (8 page)

Lily repaired her lipstick and exited the bathroom, running directly into the hard wall of Dane’s chest. She pressed her palms to the warmth of his body and tried to slow her suddenly racing heart.

“Are you okay? You looked a little pale.”

Then and there Lily made a decision. “I’m fine,” she assured him. “Can we go? Would it be rude?”

“Not at all,” Dane shook his head, his moss green eyes soft. “I’m hungry and I’m sure you are as well. I made reservations at a great seafood place on the beach.”

She didn’t want to go to another restaurant where she felt out of place. She wanted to be somewhere she felt comfortable so she could tell him why she’d acted so strangely. She wanted to tell him about Brandon so he would understand.

“This might sound crazy, but would you think I’d lost it if I said let’s pick up a pizza and head back to my place? There’s something I want to tell you.”

Dane’s brow was furrowed, but with confusion, not anger or frustration. “Actually, that sounds great and not crazy at all. Just let me call and cancel our reservation and we’ll be out of here.”

It was time she extended a little bit of trust. It was time he learned about her past, Brandon, and Nicky.

‡

T
hree slices of
pizza and a glass of wine later, Lily was feeling more relaxed despite the fact she had yet to tell Dane about Brandon. Dane didn’t seem like the type to judge but anything could happen. She hadn’t had the best of luck with men in general but she hoped he truly was different than the others.

“More wine?” Dane lifted the bottle but she shook her head. She didn’t drink much these days, although she hadn’t objected when he’d purchased the bottle at the liquor store near the pizza place. She knew little about wine but the merlot he’d selected was rich and fruity on her tongue.

“One glass is my limit. There’s pizza left if you’re still hungry.” She pushed the cardboard box toward him. “I’m stuffed.”

“I think I’m done too. But it was good. I don’t let myself eat pizza very often, but damn I love it.” Dane groaned and laughed. “I try to be healthy but I don’t always succeed.”

Lily plucked at the skirt of her dress. “You seem like someone who would be good at anything you tried.”

Dane shrugged and folded up the pizza box. “I’m good at some things and terrible at others, just like most people. For example, I find it very easy to be organized but difficult to remember names. Luckily Chris and Seb are good at that. In return I keep Seb from drowning under piles of paperwork.” Dane leaned forward and reached for her hand, squeezing her nerveless fingers with his. “I don’t think this is really what you want to talk about, is it?”

“No.” Lily shook her head and gathered her courage. “I want to tell you about Nicky’s father.”

Something crossed Dane’s features but it was gone so quickly she thought she might have imagined it.

“There are things I want you to know too, Lily.”

She needed him to let her speak or she wasn’t going to be able to do this. Digging up the past wasn’t something she enjoyed.

“Wait, let me say what I need to say. If you interrupt me I might lose my nerve.” Her nerves too jangled to stay still, she hopped up from the couch and walked over to Nicky’s toy box that overflowed onto the floor. She sat down on the rug and picked up a stuffed lion and hugged it close.

“I met Brandon when I was twenty-two. I was on summer break from school and waiting tables for money. I was living here until my parents found a renter. Anyway, a bunch of us went to a nightclub in Tampa and that’s when I met him. He seemed older and more sophisticated. He kind of swept me off my feet, I guess you could say.”

“The full-court press?” Dane asked, his gaze intent but not judgmental.

“Yes.” Lily nodded, remembering at how overwhelming his attentions had been to that naive girl. “He sent flowers and called me all the time. He took me places and introduced me to all his friends. He said he was showing me off. I didn’t realize at the time but he did that to every girl and those people were only his friends when he was picking up the tab.”

Dane’s lips twisted. “A hazard of having money. You never know if someone is with you for yourself or what you can buy them.”

“It all seemed romantic and it happened so fast. Then one day he was gone. He didn’t call or text. I literally never heard from him again.”

“What did you do?” Dane’s rough but warm fingers brushed her cheek in a caress that made her heart squeeze tightly in her chest.

“Just went on with my life at first. I was disappointed, but it had all seemed so surreal when it was happening that when it was over—well, it was like it never happened. Except that it did, and I was pregnant.” Lily buried her head in her hands, mortified at her own stupidity. “I didn’t realize it at first. I kept partying with friends and having fun. I thought I was just tired. Then one day I got sick smelling shrimp scampi at the restaurant I was working at and one of the other waitresses jokingly asked me if I was pregnant. I did some quick mental arithmetic and realized I probably was.”

She looked up into his eyes, expecting condemnation but finding only sympathy. Perversely it only made it harder to go on with the story as tears began to well and slip down her cheeks.

“Aw, baby. Don’t cry.” Dane’s arms slipped around her and he hauled her up on his lap, rocking her while he stroking her hair. Her tears flowed and she marveled how safe she felt in Dane’s strong arms. Safe enough to allow this moment of self-pity. She’d never had the time or inclination before but somehow she knew he wouldn’t think less of her for being weak…just for a few moments. “I’m here, baby, and nothing bad is ever going to happen to you again.”

God, she wanted to believe that. That exhausted, overwhelmed person inside of her wanted to hand all of her troubles over to this man and let him take care of it all. What a luxury that would be.

But that’s not what grown-up women did.

With her fingers she dashed away the moisture on her cheeks, trying to gain some control over her runaway emotions. “I’m okay. Really.”

She wriggled on his lap so he would set her free, but Dane shook his head, his hold tightening. “You can finish your story right here. I won’t let go.”

Ever
?

She wanted to trust that but had been through too much to put all her faith in any man. “I’m sorry, I guess I got a little emotional. When I found out I was pregnant I was so scared. I’m an only child and I didn’t know shit about babies or kids. I didn’t even babysit when I was a teenager. Plus I knew that I was going to have to tell my parents and quit school to get a job. I sent Brandon a few emails but I never heard anything at all. After Nicky was born I sent him one more but he still didn’t answer. I gave up after that. I didn’t want Nicky to have a father that was being forced into the role. He deserved better than that.”

Dane tipped her chin so she was looking up at him. “What about what you deserve? You didn’t get pregnant by yourself, Lily. Brandon had some responsibility. You could have sued him for support. Why didn’t you?”

Lily groaned and scraped her fingers through her hair. “You think I haven’t asked myself that question a hundred damn times? You don’t know what it’s like to be poor.” She shook her head and placed her fingers over his lips when he started to speak. “No, I can tell that you don’t. You’re being rich was honestly the last thing I wanted. After Brandon I said I was done with wealthy men. But people who have never struggled can’t understand. I didn’t have any money to get an attorney. But even if I had, I just thought he had enough money to keep fighting me for years and I didn’t want Nicky to see that. I couldn’t let him know that his father didn’t love him or want him. I just couldn’t.”

Her voice broke then and she pressed her hand to her mouth to stop the sobs. She’d rather die a thousand painful deaths than have her beautiful son feel one day of hurt or sadness, but this she couldn’t stop. Eventually he was going to ask about his father and she was going to have to tell him…something.

One look at Dane’s tortured expression made her reach out to him, her hands framing his face. His jaw was rough under her palms and she brushed his lips with her thumbs, drawing a ragged groan from his throat.

“Baby, I need to say–”

She didn’t want to hear that he felt sorry for her. Tonight she wanted something far different from this man that made her feel things she’d never believed possible. She wanted to feel like the woman she was with him. Not somebody’s mother or daughter. But a woman.

“Make love to me, Dane,” she whispered before pressing her lips to his, stopping him from continuing. For a moment he resisted, his body stiff, but she traced the seam of his lips with her tongue and it was as if a dam of want and passion burst. He yanked her closer and easily took control of the kiss, all man and all alpha.

His hands left a trail of fire everywhere he touched and she gasped as his fingers slid under the skirt of her dress to play with the elastic of her panties. Need and desire exploded inside of her like a volcano and the heat of the lava glided across her sensitive flesh until her pulse pounded and a bar of arousal began to build in her abdomen.

Frantically she reached for the buttons of his shirt, wanting to feel his bare skin next to her own. God, it had been so long since she’d been this close to a man. His hands closed over hers and his kiss became almost soothing in nature. He lifted his head and smiled, his green eyes dark with emotion.

“Easy, baby. We’ve got all night. I’ll give you what you need.”

She was counting on that. Dane seemed like a man who kept his promises and there was definitely a pledge in his lips and fingers as he slid the thin straps of her dress off of her shoulders. His lips followed his hands and blazed a path down her neck to nip at the swell of her breast.

Tangling her fingers in his silky dark hair, she arched her back to allow him better access. He chuckled, a warm vibration against her skin, as his fingers found the zipper at the back of the dress. Tugging it down, the bodice fell away and he cupped her breasts with his callused hands, dragging his thumbs across the nipples.

“Gorgeous,” he whispered as his tongue traced circles around the rosy tips before drawing one into his mouth and scraping the sides with his teeth. Honey gushed from her pussy as he repeated his ministrations on the other side and the room spun as her arousal began its climb toward the pinnacle.

Dane pushed her dress down over her hips and tossed it aside so she was wearing nothing more than a scrap of panties. His fingers traced the elastic on her quivering belly before hooking a thumb in the fabric and sliding them down her legs and into a puddle on the floor.

His gaze was hot as he pressed her torso down and lifted her legs up and wide so he could fit his broad shoulders between them. Panicking, she crossed her hands over her pussy, a deep flush covering her face and chest. Dear God, this was embarrassing. If only a hole would open up in the floor so she could crawl away in shame.

“Wait.” Her voice came out hoarse, barely understandable.

Dane froze. “What’s wrong, baby? Did I do something wrong?”

He hadn’t done a damn thing wrong. No, everything he’d done from the moment he came into her life was amazingly right. She’d never felt this way, soaring above the room and floating in the clouds as his hands moved over her body. His lips were inches from her cunt and she could feel his warm breath against her clit. “I’ve never–well, it’s just–no one has ever…” Her voice trailed off in mortification.

She hadn’t thought through what it would be like with a man of experience when she hardly had any.

“You mean no man has licked your pretty pussy, Lily? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

She nodded, her face hot. Instead of teasing her, Dane’s expression became almost feral in intensity. “Baby, knowing I’m the first man to do this…make you feel this…fuck, I’m going to make you scream with pleasure. Tonight I’m going to ruin you for any other man.”

She did scream and she doubted she could ever be with anyone else. At the first touch of his hot mouth and tongue she was awash in pleasure. Flames danced along her limbs and seared her soul. It was like nothing she’d felt before. Dane held her thighs wide, one over his shoulder and the other trapped against the mattress. Relentless in his ability to make the world tilt and spin, she laid there a willing prisoner to the overwhelming pleasure. She should have been ashamed of her wanton response but instead she reveled in it.

She was sure her body was going to incinerate from the inside out. No woman could take this much bliss.

“Time to come, baby.” She felt Dane’s mouth close over her clit and the world exploded behind her eyes. Colors and light sparkled and danced and she screamed his name as wave after wave shook her to the core. When the light show was over, she lay there wrung out and satisfied.

“You have a very smug smile on your face.” Dane kissed her inner thigh and she shook as it sent jolts of electricity straight to her clit, despite the fact that she’d come only moments before.