Chapter 17
Buck paced outsideof Mari’s door as Zorro and Sofia gave her a checkup, having the nerve to bar him from her room when all he wanted to do was make sure she was all right. He rubbed his breastbone, his chest tight.
Russ, Kat, Buck, and the team had spent the last four days crushing Nacho’s and Santiago’s Sombre network, dismantling every single cog in the wheel. It had been tough not seeing her, making sure she was okay for those four days, but he had to do his job. Using the laptop intel to take down every stash house, corrupt official, and gang member here in Costa Rica while the DEA worked with officials in Venice, Dublin, Barcelona, and Miami to apprehend the international contacts for the cartel’s cocaine pipeline. There were a massive number of arrests, including tons of confiscated cocaine. As Nacho fell, so did the cartel with a raid in Colombia.
Santiago was in custody, along with his partners in crime from Venice, Barcelona, and Miami. The drug trafficker from Dublin was killed in the raid. They were awaiting sentencing, and Nacho was on his way to the US to face the charges of murder for the two pilots and DEA agent killed in the chopper crash.
Diego had been cleared of any charges. Kat’s recommendation to commend the family in the wake of Mari and Carmen’s help in bringing down the whole organization went a long way with the DEA and the Costa Rican authorities.
Just when he was going to break the damn thing down, Zorro and Sofia emerged.
“She’s waiting for you.” Zorro lifted his chin, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t glare at me like that. Cowboy up, and damn well get in there.”
Sofia smiled and touched his arm as she passed.
“It’s a good thing youre a medic,” he growled, nodding at Mari’s sister. “You might need to heal yourself.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Anytime, big man,” he scoffed, then walked away.
He entered the room expecting her to be in bed, but she was standing at the French doors, the sun behind her creating a corona of light around her head, the soft collar of her dressing gown glowing, her hair shining like black satin in the sunlight. She was standing with her arms folded across her chest, her eyes dark and anxious as she met his gaze. Buck’s chest tightened even more.
He set his hands on his hips. “What were you thinking, woman? How could you put yourself and your sister in such a position? Why didn’t you come to me for God’s sake?” he said. The remembered fear made him angry all over again. He was so in love with her, he could hardly breathe.“I told you I would protect you. This is so fucked up!”
“I love you,” came from her lips, and he just kept going.
“If we’re going to have a relationship, we have to find that trust. That’s the first foundation.” He railed at her, but she just kept staring at him, then her words registered. “What did you say, Mari?” His voice broke.
“I love you, Buck…Sam. I love you so much,” she said.
One hand still on his hip, he stared at her, trying to handle the sudden stinging in his eyes. This woman was turning him inside out. Finally managing to get a shaky breath past the lump in his throat, he looked at her, aware of how she was huddled in the warmth of her own arms, aware of the vulnerability in her eyes. She was putting everything on the line for him. Her courage stripped him to the quick. He walked across the room toward her. “Come here,” he whispered gruffly.
With a choked sound, she came into his arms, and he gathered her up in a tight embrace, roughly tucking her face into the hollow of his neck. Buck felt her take a deep breath, then she pressed her face tighter against him as she slid her arms around his waist. He could feel her trembling, as if she was scared he was going to walk out of her life for good.
Not a goddamned chance.
He pressed a kiss to her temple, then slid his fingers along her scalp, cradling her head in his firm grip. The heavy, silky weight of her hair tangled around his fingers, the loose fall like satin down her back, and Buck closed his eyes and hugged her hard, a swell of emotion making his chest tighten. Damn, but she filled him up to bursting.
She took another hard breath, and he smoothed one hand across her hips and up her back, molding her tightly against him. Easing in a tight breath of his own, he brushed a kiss against her ear, then said, his voice gruff and uneven. “I love you, Maritza Elena Solano Navarro.” He drew her hips flush against him.
A relieved sigh filtered out as she dragged her arms free and slipped them around his neck, the shift intimately and fully aligning her body against his. Buck angled her head back, making a low indistinguishable sound as he covered her mouth in a kiss that was raw with desire. With a soft exhalation, she clutched him and yielded to his passion. Buck slid his hand along her jaw, his calloused fingers snagging in the long silky strands of her hair as he altered the angle of her head. She moved against him, and Buck shuddered and tightened his hold, a fever of emotion sluicing through him, knowing this woman was going to be in his heart forever.
Dragging his mouth away, he trailed a string of kisses down her neck, then caught her head again and gave her another deep, hot kiss. His breathing ragged, he tightened his hold on her and turned her toward the bed, stripping off her robe, finding nothing but her naked body beneath. She had been waiting for him.
She pulled off his T-shirt and went for the openings of his jeans until she was pushing them off him. He was shaking nearly as badly as she was when he lifted her onto the bed, then followed her down. He felt as if his heart would explode, as if his lungs would seize up if he didn’t get inside her, if he didn’t get as close to her as he could possibly get. She made a small desperate sound and drew up her knees, urging him forward with urgent hands, and Buck clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, burying himself deep inside her. So tight and deep. Turned on by how incredibly wet and aroused she was.
He locked his arms around her, a shudder coursing through him, and he ground his teeth together, the sensory onslaught nearly ripping him apart. They were joined in so many ways, joined as one, fused whole.
His heart trapped in his chest, he covered her lips in a slow, tongue-tangling kiss.
Mari sobbed into his mouth, her hands clutching him, and she lifted her hips, rolling her pelvis hard against him. Buck roughly slid his hand under her head and locked his other arm around her buttocks, working his mouth hungrily against hers as he pushed her toward the head of the bed.
Mari made a choked sound, and Buck drank it in, his mind blurring with the need spiraling hot inside him, his dick so hot. He needed this, needed to fuck her until that fear inside him went away. Mari countered his thrust, her body moving convulsively beneath him. Aware of how desperately she needed this kind of contact, Buck dragged his mouth away and gritted his teeth, a fine sheen of sweat slicking his skin as he moved against her.
He slowed his thrusts, cupping one of her breasts in his hand, squeezed and fondled her, pinching her nipple between his fingers before skimming his hand lower, along her belly, and down to her sweet core. When he touched her, she cried out and rocked frantically against his hips. He cupped the back of her head and forced her to look directly at him as his fingers played over the bead of her sex. Her eyes glazed.
With his fingers relentlessly stroking her higher, he grabbed the headboard, pumping his powerful hips as her breathing quickened, escalated. She arched her body as her climax took her, convulsing around each hard glide of his dick. His other hand joined the one on the headboard, pumping faster as his body tightened and rocketed with hard, exploding thrusts.
He drove into her the rage of passion sweeping over his skin, groaning as waves of pure sensation crackled through him. His climax exploded with the rip of pleasure tearing over his skin, pulsing with her.
Feeling like he’d been turned inside out, he pressed his mouth against her temple and closed his eyes, his pulse choppy and erratic, the feelings in his chest almost too much to handle.
He drew a shaky breath and pressed another kiss on her delectable mouth, his touch slow and comforting as he softly stroked the angle of her jaw with his thumb. Realizing that her hair was caught under her, he braced his weight on one arm and hip, lifting her with him, then dragged it out from under her. Realizing that she needed something to ease the emotional rawness, he said, “Aren’t you glad I’m not a very good rodeo cowboy?” he murmured against her mouth, taking another slow, savoring taste.
She smiled against his mouth, then she tightened her arms around his back and slid one hand back and forth across his shoulders. “If you hadn’t completely blown my mind, I would say that I’m pretty sure you were.”
Buck grinned, loving her answer. “Back in my day, but now with you, I’m not much interested in going only eight seconds.”
She poked him in the ribs, and he jumped and grabbed her wrist, trapping her hand above her head. His thumb on her pulse, he caressed her wrist, his voice gravelly when he said, “You don’t want to wrestle me, darlin’. I used to wrestle steers.”
She gave him a wry smile, idly massaging the base of his spine. “I’m much more difficult to wrestle,” she said.
He took her mouth again, taking great care to kiss her thoroughly. He released a soft sigh, and she slid her free hand up his torso, finally cupping the back of his head. He deepened the kiss, and Mari yielded fully to his questing tongue. Finally, Buck let go of her and slid his arm under her, holding her with infinite care. After a long, satisfying kiss, he reluctantly drew away, gazing down at her as he caressed her bottom lip with his thumb. Then he gave her another quick kiss and braced himself and abruptly withdrew from her.
Snuggling her against him, he drew her long, toned leg between his. Cradling her hips against him, he ran his hand up her naked back, then said, his tone husky, “We need to talk.”
She stirred and shifted her head, nodding. “I know. Can I go first?”
He chuckled. “Of course.”
“I’m sorry, Sam, for doubting you. I got so scared about my family and what could happen if Diego got caught with bad records. I didn’t know he was a drug trafficker. I just thought I could smooth it over, hire him, and then there wouldn’t be any question about the shipping orders,” she said in a rush, releasing a hard breath. “I so regret it.”
He bet she did. She had been in rough shape when he found her. The bruises on her face had faded, along with the ones on her body. He only wished he could go another round with the bastard.
“Can you forgive me?” Mari lay still in his arms for a split second, then she rose up on her elbow and looked down at him, her hair creating a waterfall of black silk. She stared at him, her face revealing her remorse, and her eyes full of hope.
“I’ll forgive you,” he answered quietly, “if you tell me you love me again.”
She met his gaze, direct and fiercely sincere. “I love you, Sam. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body against him. “I love you so much that I told my father I was quitting. That I wanted control of the Golden Grain coffee shop in San Diego, to manage it and roast coffee until my hearts content. What do you think of that?” She smiled against his skin. “It felt so good to stand up for myself. To take what I wanted. I told him to put the headquarters in LA. I’ll just turn the second floor of the building into lofts.”
He pushed up so that he could face her. “Seriously?” He smiled so broadly that his mouth hurt. He closed his eyes and hugged her hard, feeling as if he could take his first deep breath in weeks. “Damn, girl, that just makes my day.”
“What did you want to say?”
“Only that it’s difficult to be with a SEAL. I’m gone most of the time. I’m in danger most of the time. It’s not going to be easy, or simple. It will take a strong person with a tough heart and mind to be with me.”
Mari tilted her head, her brows lifting. “Are you trying to talk me out of it?”
“No!”
She chuckled. “I was kidding you. You’re so easy,” she said with a glint in her eyes. “I’m with you, Buck, come what may.” She rubbed her hand over his chest. “Anything more to say?”
“Nothing more to say, Mari. I want you in my life. I was going to fight for that, but here you are, making everything damned perfect.
“I think you’re damned perfect,” she whispered, and she kissed him to seal the deal. This was it. The woman he had been waiting for, the one that made him whole, sacrificing and committed to his SEAL life in a forever love that would last them a lifetime.
* * *
Mari servedthe last customer of the busy morning, then breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back to her machine, taking a moment to wipe it down and clean up the counters.
“Wow, it’s been busy,” her new employee, Melissa said. Mari nodded. Ever since she’d opened a month ago, it had been non-stop business. The location she’d picked had been golden, just as Buck had said. Melissa was a godsend. She was so confident, competent, and reliable.
Damn she missed him. He’d been deployed for two months, so long that she handled moving them out of his townhouse and into their new loft above the shop, then she’d opened the Golden Grain in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter. Her father offered her management of the other four shops in San Diego, and she took that offer.
She’d loved his place, but they made the decision to make it easier for her to oversee her investment, and work at roasting her coffee. Buck was now renting out his townhouse to D-Day.
She missed her family, but her plan was to go back as often as she could manage it. She did have the benefit of seeing Carmen often. She was living with her grandparents and going to school at San Diego State University for hospitality management with a minor in business.
“Coffee, black,” a deep voice said.
She smiled and turned around. There was Buck looking tired, but so deliciously good in his black T-shirt and jeans, sporting his cowboy hat on his head. He had that dark, dangerous gunslinger look going, his jaw strong and unshaven, his eyes narrowed in a steely-eyed squint. On the surface, he looked as hard as nails and almost threatening, but it was the glint in those forest-green eyes that got her every time.
“Is that a real cowboy?” Melissa asked under her breath. “Wowza, he can rove this range anytime he wants.”
Mari smiled. “Very real, and my boyfriend. You’re going to see him rambling around in here.”
Buck indulged them in their whispered conversation. He often made an impact on females everywhere. He braced a big hand on the counter.
“As I’ve said before, you, sir, have no imagination.”
He gave her a slow, soft smile, a trace of amusement in his eyes. “You’re pretty damn cute, do you know that?” She came out from behind the counter and threw herself into his arms, unable to wait another damn minute to hug him. He leaned down and kissed her, his mouth warm and moist, and open against hers. She looked up at him, at the bruise near his eye and the small cut above his eyebrow. She brushed gently over the bruise. “You doing okay?”
“Yes, darlin’,” he whispered huskily. “I’m fine.”
“The guys?” These are the only questions she asked him. She knew he couldn’t talk about his work, where he had been, or what he was doing. But he called her every chance he got, and that worked. Being in it for the long haul with a SEAL was challenging, but having Buck in her life was priceless.
He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing her palm and wrist. Her heart beat a little faster at the feel of his warm lips. “All accounted for.”
“Melissa, please watch the shop. I’m going to go upstairs for a bit.”
He picked up his duffel, wrapping his arm around Mari. They went through her storage area to a back elevator that went directly to their loft. When the doors opened, he gave a low whistle. She had spent considerable time combining his love of the Old West with her Latin roots. There were wood beams on the ceiling, with Spanish tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. The art was a mix of landscapes from both Wyoming and Costa Rica and western and whimsical coffee art. She even found a spot for the saddle he had in his storage room that she absolutely loved. The floors were wood, and the furnishings were cozy and comfortable. It was perfect for a two-bedroom twelve-hundred-foot living space, with the added bonus of a spiral staircase that led up to her home office. They also had a sweet setup on the roof with a pool, outdoor kitchen, and privacy from the other five lofts on the second floor. She loved doing yoga out there.
“Fancy,” he murmured. “Where’s the bedroom?”
She laughed softly and took his hand. “This way Mr. One Track Mind. I know it’s been two months.”
“Two hours is too long,” he whispered as they slipped into the bedroom.
“Darken,” she said, and the shades on all the windows turned dark, blocking out the light, leaving them in shadow. He looked around, his eyes narrowed.
“What is it?”
“I expect Carmen to jump out of the shadows. Her timing is impeccable.”
She chuckled. “She’s very busy with school, and a boyfriend.”
“Hoo-yah!” he said, then whispered, “I missed you.” Bending down, his breath warm against her neck, he smoothed his hand down her back. Releasing a contented sigh, he slid his arms around her and gathered her up in a strong embrace, then said, his voice gruff, “Take me to bed and have your cowboy way with me.” He caught her hand and drew it to the front of his jeans, pressing her palm against his erection, holding her there while he feathered kisses along her jaw to the corner of her mouth.
She made a soft sound. “I like the sound of that, and I missed you, too.”
He found her mouth and kissed her, softly, his lips, firm and smooth and oh-so-clever, moved against hers, rubbed over hers, seduced her into softening and responding. She had to admit. It didn’t take much.
Then they were making love and he filled her. Slowly. Inch by inch. His eyes on hers. Giving her the essence of what made him male, welcomed and embraced by the warmth of his hard-muscled body. It went on for some time. It could never last enough. They moved together and all the while their hearts touched.
Buck roughly tightened his hold and made a low sound, and Mari arched her back and lifted her pelvis. Buck went rigid in her arms, a low, ragged sound wrenched from him as he thrust into her, pressing deeper and deeper, until she gasped his name.
Then there was no room for gentleness or patience. There was only room for urgency and a fever of taking and giving. A driving, desperate, frantic need that consumed them, drove them, carried them to the very edge of an emotional cliff, then Buck clutched her and drove into her one final time. Her body exploded into splintering shards of silver, taking them both under.
Buck held onto her, surrounding her with his strength and heat, his body shuddering against hers, and Mari clung to him, tears of raw emotion slipping down her temples, so shaken, so emotionally exposed that she felt stripped inside. He held her while her heart settled. Releasing some of the emotional overload, she smoothed her hands over those broad shoulders and down his flexing back muscles to the base of his spine.
Buck inhaled unevenly, then turned his head and kissed her on the curve of her neck. Mari could feel his heart hammering against hers. “Boy, am I glad you’re not a real cowboy when we’re in bed,” she whispered.
He laughed softly, burying his face in her neck. “Fuck eight seconds.”
Drawing one arm from under her, he braced his weight on it and looked down at her. With the dark stubble shadowing his strong jaw, his heavy-lidded eyes, and his tousled hair, he looked dark and dangerous and very male. He gave her a slow, soft smile, a trace of amusement in his eyes. “Will you marry me, Maritza Elena Solano Navarro?” The proposal spilled directly from his overflowing heart. She could hear it beating in each vibration of each word.
She froze for a moment, long enough for him to drape himself over the edge of the bed and come up with a ring box. It was black velvet and when he opened it, she had to catch her breath.
It was V-shaped with different-sized diamonds looking like a trail of stardust. So beautiful.
Transfixed by a host of emotions, she grinned at him, loving him so much it made her crazy. He took the ring out of the box, poised to slip it on her finger. She loved his confidence. She held up her hand. “On one condition.”
There was that Sam Buckard sexy, irresistible smile. “What’s that, darlin’?” he said in a playful growl.
“There will need to be three weddings?”
His brows rose in surprise. His expression turned wary and confused. “Three weddings?”
“Yes, of course. The second will have to be in Wyoming so your family can attend. We know from experience how hard it is to leave your business unattended.” The laugh lines around his eyes deepened, a sensual gleam appearing in his gaze. “Then, of course, we’ll have to have one in Costa Rica so that my whole family can attend, or you might find my mother here with a shotgun, gunning for you.” The laugh lines deepened, and his gaze turned more intimate.
He frowned. “That’s two darlin’. What about the first one?”
“If you think I’m waiting months to marry you, then you squat with your spurs on, mister.”
He laughed and dragged her on top of him. He looked at her, mischief and pure male sexuality sparkling in his eyes. His voice was compressed. “It might be worth it to see your ma toting a long-barreled firearm.” He shifted beneath her, taking her hand and slipping on the ring.
Unable to keep from laughing, Mari caught his face and gave him a hard kiss, wondering if it was possible to love him anymore. She squeezed his hand, her heart brimming with love down to her soul, savoring the contact and the strength that sheltered her from someone who loved her unconditionally.
So, she snagged herself a cowboy, and a Navy SEAL, and a damn good man all rolled into one. She wouldn’t ever take that for granted, would never stop loving him, as she smiled into his green, oh-so-green eyes and saw her life, her love, her future in his promise of a happily ever after.