ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (143 page)

Namir could hardly contain himself as he occupied space between her trembling legs.  He forced himself to be patient.  He grasped her breasts and kissed them gently, allowing his tongue to flick across each nipple, then back again.  Taylor’s eyes were huge as she watched him, her hands reaching out and grabbing his hips.  Namir moved forward just enough so she could touch his engorged flesh.  Her small hands stroked him to near distraction.  A sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead, when a small growl emitted from his parted lips.    

Her gasp as he finalized their union blinded him to all else except one thought.  He only cared that she was his.  She was his in mind and flesh.  As he moved within her, trying to be gentle at first, then letting himself go as her moans became more intense, he knew there would never be another woman capable of making him feel that way.  Skin slapped skin, and for once it wasn’t a carnal sound, but the sound of true lovemaking. 

Hours later, Namir stared at Taylor in the near darkness.  Her tousled tawny hair was in her eyes and he brushed it aside.  He had never known perfect peace.  Namir had rarely known any peace. 

Taylor’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled sleepily at him.  Her full lips pulling back in that smile was all it took for his loins to ache again.  Patience could now be utilized fully.    After all they had been through, the beginning of his strange guard was ending, and a life he had only dreamed of was now beginning.

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BONUS

MATED TO THE NAVY SEAL

By: Sicily Duval

Chapter 1

Hannah waited patiently for the bus to arrive, or at least, as patiently as she could. She checked her watch for the fifth time in five minutes and sighed as she realized that she still had five more minutes to go. She took a deep breath, pushing a strand of newly-cut, shoulder-length, strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear. It had been only a week since she had cut her previously waist-length hair off to donate and she couldn’t help anxiously wondering if Andrew would like it.

She chuckled, brown eyes rolling at her own silliness as she realized that he would just have to get used to it one way or another whether he liked it or not. They were married after all, and she was pretty sure when they had taken their vows for better or worse that hairstyle changes were included. She twisted the silver wedding band with a small but bright diamond around and around on her ring finger, smiling just a bit in spite of herself.

She couldn’t believe that she and Andrew had been married for three years now. It seemed like only yesterday that he had run into her in her favorite coffee shop, spilling his coffee all over her blouse, and apologizing furiously as she grinned. It was a strange thought to realize that it had been five years since that fateful morning.

Her ears perked up as she heard the telltale sound of the worn-out tires of a bus rolling up into the parking lot, causing two dozen sleepy, yet excited, pairs of eyes to blink open wider in anticipation of their loved ones just a few minutes away from being in their welcoming arms. It was only on these very specific occasions that Hannah was able to find herself so inexplicably and suddenly wide awake at five in the morning, when the first rays of dawn had scarcely crept across the lightening sky. 

Hannah stood up straighter, hands anxiously smoothing down the nonexistent wrinkles in the front of her yellow sundress and pulling her worn, light blue denim jacket closer around herself. She looked around, noting all the men and women with signs in hand proclaiming the names off their loved ones scrawled in decorative letters across the front and wondering if she should have made one as well.

She laughed nervously to herself. Well, Andrew hadn’t fallen for her artistic abilities; that she was sure of. Finally, after what had felt like an era of waiting, but had really been much shorter than she had expected to be waiting, the bus was put into park and the front doors opened outward with a squeak. There was a pause, in which the people in the surrounding area all simultaneously seemed to hold their breath until the first pair of combat boots hit the asphalt as one of the bus-full of soldiers hopped out.

Hannah’s eyes quickly scanned the faces of one beaming soldier after another, waiting until she saw the one she had been waiting for. Finally, after the bus had emptied and only one soldier remained, Andrew stepped off the bus, and Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. It had been almost six months since she had last laid eyes on her husband and the feeling from seeing him was overwhelming. Words stuck in her throat as he paused at the bottom of the bus’ stairs, eyes immediately seeking her out and fixing on her face as a wide smile slowly took hold of his features. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening her feet seemed to be moving for her as she walked and then ran to Andrew, watching as he quickly threw down his pack and opened his arms scarcely a second before she had jumped into them, wrapping her legs around his waist in a boa constrictor like hug.

“Andy!” Hannah shrieked, kissing his lips soundly, not caring as her breath quickly left her lungs as she gripped him tightly.

He chuckled, broad grin never once leaving his face as Hannah pulled back, resting in his arms. “I can’t believe you’re back,” Hannah breathed, eyes raking over his face, her own flushed with excitement. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Andrew chuckled again, lifting her by the waist and spinning her around, her dress fluttering in the wind, before setting her down and holding her at arm’s length.

“You look gorgeous, as always,” Andrew grinned, “and the new hair, I like it.”

“Really?” Hannah said, brushing a stray strand of the strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear a bit self-consciously. “It was kind of a snap decision; I guess I was tired of how long it took to dry, and it kept getting caught in doorways and everything. . .”

“I love it, but I have to say that I love you more,” Andrew said, wrapping his arm around her waist and shouldering his backpack as they walked towards Hannah’s waiting car, “And, for the record, I would love it even if you were bald; you will always look beautiful to me.”

“Stop being all sweet.” Hannah flushed, pulling out her keys and unlocking the door.

“Never!” Andrew teased, kissing her cheek briefly before running around the car to the passenger-side door and getting in.

Hannah chuckled, shaking her head at his typical utter ridiculousness and grinning to herself before getting in behind the steering wheel.

“Did you eat babe?” she asked, putting the key in the ignition and starting the car, “We can stop and get something to eat before going back to the house if you want.”

“Is that pancake place still open?” Andrew asked, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes tiredly. She looked over, eyes roving over his face and really taking a good look at him. It was only then that she saw just how tired he really was. His usual bright smile had been able to hide the tired, dark circles under his eyes. His shirt was wrinkled and he would every so often rub his neck as though he had gotten only a few hours of restless and uncomfortable sleep on the bus ride over.

Hannah smiled; of course the first thing he wanted to do was get pancakes, at least some things never changed. “Yes, by the time we get there they should just be opening.”

“Ohh, we’ll be the first ones there; those are the best.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Honestly, the pancakes really don’t taste any different depending on when they were made babe.”

“Yes they do,” Andrew said adamantly, continuing an age-old discussion that they had repeatedly. “When they make them later in the day during their busy hours they have less time to clean the grill and the batter and stuff builds up and they taste different.”

“I have never once tasted a difference you weirdo,” Hannah teased.

“Yeah, well it must be my super senses because there is definitely a difference.”

“This again?” Hannah chuckled, “Honestly sometimes I think that you just play up the whole werewolf thing.”

Andrew smirked, winking at her. “Maybe, I guess you’ll never know.”

She laughed, smiling at how content she felt with Andrew simply sitting next to her.

Andrew was many things, and, as Hannah had come to learn on their six month anniversary, which just happened to take place on the night of a full moon, one of those things was a werewolf.

It had been funny, really. That whole night Hannah had been wondering why Andrew had been acting so antsy. In fact, that morning he had tried to cancel their plans, citing that he had a last minute business trip that would conveniently only take one night. Hannah, in her classic no-nonsense tone had quietly and authoritatively demanded that he be at the restaurant that they had made reservations at a week in advance or not to expect to see her again. And, to his credit, he showed up. It was only after a night of curious leg bouncing, the occasional restless hand tapping, and general distractedness that Andrew had quickly muttered an excuse and escaped to the bathroom. After half an hour of waiting, Hannah had decided that she had had enough and left.

It was only the next morning when a sheepish Andrew had showed up on her door and Hannah had coldly shut him out, and he had made several attempts to talk to her for the rest of the week, that he finally came to her and said that he loved her, and, after he had been met with stoic silence, he had showed her that he did, in fact have an excuse. Quite a good excuse in fact, as once he had transformed in front of her she had promptly fainted. Another week later, after wondering if she had really saw what she’d thought she had and, deciding that she couldn’t not find out, and realizing that she did, in fact, love him too, she went to him. And, to be just a bit cliché, from that moment on, at least on the werewolf front, the rest was history.

“God,” Andrew sighed, looking at Hannah and just grinning, making her flush just a bit. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“Well, six months is a pretty long time babe.” Hannah smiled, putting the blinker on as she turned despite no one else being on the road that early.

“Did they remodel the outside or something?” Andrew asked as they pulled into the parking lot, one of two cars there.

“Hmmm,” Hannah said pensively as her eyes scanned the front of the building. “I think they may have painted it, but no remodeling. I haven’t been here in a while actually.”

Andrew looked at her in surprise. “We used to come here two, maybe three times a week; you love their coffee. I’m surprised you haven’t been here more often.”

Hannah shrugged, putting the car in park and pulling the key out of the ignition. “I guess, it made me miss you more, stepping in there and going to our usual table; I missed you too much, it just wasn’t the same.”

“Hey,” Andrew said, placing his hand on her leg as the other came up to brush some of the hair out of her face. “I’m here now,” he said, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips. “I’m here now, and I’m going to be here for a while. And we’re going to go in, get your coffee that you put way too much sugar in, eat the world-famous pancakes, and then go home for a nap. We’re going to have a great day, and I don’t care what we do, but I know it’ll be great because I’ll be with you.”

“Aww,” Hannah said, smiling softly as she blinked furiously to stave off the oncoming tears, “babe, that’s so sweet. Stop it, you’re going to make me cry.”

Andrew chuckled. “Well now that’s the last thing I wanted,” he said, swiping a thumb gently under her eye to catch the tear that had spilled out. “Hey,” he said softly, cupping her cheek equally softly, “it’s okay, it’s fine, I’m here.”

“I know,” Hannah said, laughing at herself, “I’m being silly. I just, I don’t want you to leave again.”

“Don’t think like that babe. I’ve got one more deployment left and I’m done. I’m here for now, and I don’t have to leave for a while. Come on babe, please don’t cry.”

“Okay, okay,” she smiled, wiping her eyes before kissing him briefly, “I’ll try, but you’re paying.”

“Of course,” he laughed, unbuckling his seat belt, “it’s funny that you think I’d even let you pay.”

“Oh let me, let me?” Hannah laughed, indignant, “I am an independent woman who doesn’t need anyone to pay for me, in fact, I’ll pay, for both of us.”

“You are ridiculous.” Andrew chuckled, pulling her closer to him and kissing her. “Fine. You pay for breakfast, but lunch is on me.”

Hannah grinned, opening her door to get out. “Sounds good.”

Hannah and Andrew’s fingers laced together as they walked hand-in-hand towards the front door, the contact effortless, and Hannah couldn’t help wondering at how natural it felt, easier than breathing.

A hostess greeted them as they walked into the restaurant. She was new, and it was immediately obvious when she tried to sit them at a table on the far side of the room until one of the more veteran servers came and politely directed her to Hannah and Andrew’s regular table in the booth in front of a nice window overlooking a few beech trees before welcoming the couple back.

“Do we really come here that often?” Andrew chuckled once they had placed their respective orders of coffee and settled down into their seats.

“We used to, yeah,” Hannah said, smiling just a bit though Andrew didn’t miss the slight sadness in her voice as it was said in the past tense.

“Well, while I’m here we’ll be sure to come back here as often as possible, everyday if you’d like.”

Hannah smiled, the sweet grin turning back into a bit of a mischievous smirk. “As nice as that sounds, after this morning I’m not sure that I’m going to let you out of bed for at least a week, maybe longer if I think you can handle it.”

Andrew smirked in return. “If I can handle it,” he said, grabbing her hand and bringing it up to his lips for a kiss, “I should be asking you the same question. If it were up to me I wouldn’t let you out of bed for a month, and maybe not even then.”

“I may just have to take you up on that offer.” Hannah chuckled, running her foot tantalizingly up his calf and inner thigh, making his breath hitch just a tad, though he would never admit it.

“Please do.”

Andrew groaned as her foot began making slow, deliberate circles and he almost growled in frustration as the waitress returned to their side and asked if they were ready to order, prompting Hannah to relieve her foot of its work.

“Yes, perfect timing,” Hannah said, knowing just how crazy she was managing to drive her husband in no time at all. “I’ll have the chocolate chip cherry pancakes please.”

“And I’ll have the chocolate chip butterscotch pancakes please, extra butterscotch chips.”

“Alright, one order of chocolate chip cherry pancakes and an order of chocolate chip butterscotch pancakes with extra butterscotch chips coming right up. And, I’d just like to say, thank you for your service sir.”

“It’s an honor to serve.” Andrew smiled back at her, flushing just a bit before she nodded and hurried off to place their orders.