Chapter Seventeen
S era enjoyed getting to know Mitch better and spending more time with Julia, Ellie and Lottie, who’d brought her daughter Reya over.
The blonde little girl was just as bubbly and outgoing as her mother.
Persuasive, too, since she’d easily talked Mitch into painting her fingernails.
And then she’d convinced him to let her paint his nails a pretty shade of pink in return.
Once Old Glory opened, Mitch went upstairs to relax and Ellie volunteered to babysit Reya, taking the little girl back to her and Wes’ house.
Sera offered to help Julia and Lottie when the bar started to get busy.
It was fun and helped keep her mind busy.
She could even see herself doing it on a more permanent basis.
But no matter how many drinks she served or how many customers she chatted with, she couldn’t stop thinking about Corey.
And the way he’d licked her into an orgasm.
The first one she’d had in what felt like forever.
She hadn’t let a man touch her in years—she’d barely touched herself, if she were being honest—but he’d changed things. Reignited her desire and made her find that place where she could completely relax and give in to the sensation. It’s because I trust him. Completely.
The team returned to Old Glory in the early morning hours.
When Sera heard them below, she slid off the couch, tucked Loki back into his carry case, quickly washed up and crept down the back staircase.
The moment her gaze met Corey’s, she saw happiness bloom on his face.
She set Loki down, hurried over and hugged him.
His arms instantly wrapped around her, holding her body close for a long moment, and she breathed him in.
Salty like the sea. A couple of awws filled the air, and they pulled back, ignoring everyone but each other.
“How’d it go?” she asked. Her heart skipped all the way up to her throat as she stared into his beautiful eyes, so ice blue they were almost silver, and ringed in midnight.
“We got what we needed,” he assured her. “Largemont is going down.”
“Thank goodness.” Relief filled her, and when she realized she still had her arms wrapped around his neck, she reluctantly let go and stepped back.
“Good job, men,” Mitch said then yawned. “Forward your intel and I’ll go over it in the morning on my flight back to D.C.”
As he headed back to his air mattress, a couple of the guys noticed his pink polished fingernails and smirked. Sera pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.
“Not a word,” Mitch grumbled and they chuckled.
“Are you ready to go?” Corey asked in a low voice, and she nodded eagerly.
They said a quick goodbye and she didn’t miss all the knowing looks that passed between his teammates. At that moment, her heart was so full, she didn’t care.
As they drove back to his cabin, the sexual tension between them crackled. Her imagination went into overdrive, and by the time they reached his place, she’d imagined all the different ways he might take her. All the ways she wanted him to.
Corey turned the engine off, they got out of his truck and went into the cabin.
Storm popped up from where he was lying by the fireplace, loped over and greeted them, tail swishing.
She’d discovered he had a doggy door he used when Corey left on missions, as well as a continuous feeder that lasted up to a week because, well, no one was volunteering to petsit a wolf.
Shifting around so Storm wouldn’t see Loki in his carrier, Sera looked over at Corey. He was staring at her so intensely, her pulse skyrocketed.
“Are you tired?” he asked huskily.
The sun was just coming up over the mountains, chasing away the nighttime shadows, but she had no intention of crawling back into bed. At least, not alone.
“No.” As much as she wanted to be bold and jump him, she’d never been one to initiate any kind of intimate encounter.
He lifted his hand, offering it to her, and she placed hers within his big grip without hesitation. “I’m going to go take a quick shower and rinse off the Pacific. Why don’t you get Loki settled and meet me back down here in fifteen minutes?”
“Okay.” God, she sounded so breathless, but she couldn’t help it.
That look in his eyes—like he wanted to swallow her whole—made her toes curl.
He gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it, and she watched as he turned and walked down to his bedroom, his ass flexing in those yummy black cargo pants.
Gah. The man was flipping her world upside down in the best possible way. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive. So hopeful. So ready to take the first step and start living again.
Spinning around, she bolted up the stairs, let Loki out, brushed her teeth again and finger combed her bedhead.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she barely recognized her own reflection.
The woman staring back at her radiated a glow she thought she’d lost. Ever since she hit forty, she’d noticed her looks fading a little more every day.
But now all she saw was a beauty and vitality that made her light up from the inside.
And Corey was the reason.
She slipped on a comfy shirt and leggings, deciding to forgo her bra and panties. Because, well, she was hoping to be naked soon anyway—with Corey. “Here we go,” she whispered to Loki. “Mama’s about to get sooo lucky.”
The cat meowed then jumped onto the bed and curled up into a ball, eyes closing.
Sera slipped out and practically skipped back downstairs.
Corey wasn’t out yet, so she wandered over to the large picture window and took a moment to admire the snowcapped mountains.
The stunning view made her emotional. For the first time in such a very, very long time, she was ready to embrace the day with a heart that felt so full it was close to bursting.
A throat cleared and she turned to see Corey walking over to her. Her jaw dropped. He’d shaved his beard and her mouth edged up as he moved closer. God, he was so handsome, and her belly somersaulted.
“Wow. There was a face under there,” she teased, not missing his blush.
He scrubbed a self-conscious hand over the light stubble he’d left. “It was time,” he said simply.
“I like your new look. A lot.” Without thinking, she reached out and stroked a hand down his cheek. He caught her wrist, turning his face into her palm and pressing a kiss there.
She let out a shaky breath as the touch of his lips against her skin made her come undone.
“Thank you,” he murmured and pressed his lips against the inside of her wrist where her pulse thundered.
“For what?” she whispered, trying not to shiver as he lifted her arm and kept peppering her skin with soft kisses, slowly working his way up.
“For showing me how to smile again.” Another kiss. “Feel alive again.” More soft, teasing kisses. “For seeing me and my mess and not running away.” His tongue flicked against her sensitive skin. “For believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself.”
Her chest rose and fell hard as he slid her oversized shirt aside and dropped a lingering kiss on the top of her shoulder. She pressed her lips together, stifling a moan.
“I’m the mess,” she said softly.
He lifted his head, locking gazes with her. “If that’s true, then you’re the most beautiful mess I’ve ever seen.”
Tears burned behind her eyes as she grasped his face in her hands and pulled his mouth down to hers. “No more talking,” she rasped.
Their lips came together, not in an all-consuming rush, but with a slow, almost reverent tenderness that made her knees weak.
Her hands slid down to rest on his chest, and she felt it quiver.
His heart beat strong and steady beneath her fingers.
Fast, too. She felt the need pulsing through him as he tasted her, using his lips, tongue and teeth with a gentle thoroughness.
His calm, sensual energy felt like a strong, steadfast wave guiding her back to shore. The salty ocean smell on his skin earlier was gone and now he smelled like himself, all cedarwood and cinnamon.
Whatever was happening between them was so much more than physical.
Because with every touch, every kiss, she could feel the scars fading and old wounds healing as her trust unfurled like a flower.
He made her feel like herself again—before the darkness touched her life—when she was open and carefree and not scared of anything.
Back when she was a whole woman and not a collection of fractured pieces.
Maybe she didn’t know exactly what he’d been through, but it had been enough to break him. Just like she’d been broken. But together, they were so incredibly strong.
Ending the kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers and a shudder ran through his body.
“Take me to bed, Corey,” she whispered, unable to hold back any longer. “Please.”
Without a word, he swept her into his arms and carried her down to his room, kicking the door shut behind them.
Her hands trembled with anticipation as she tugged his shirt up, fumbling to get it off, and he had to help because she couldn’t reach high enough.
The man was tall, and she loved it. Her gaze soaked up the tantalizing image of his bare muscular chest and flat abs.
“There’s no way you’re forty-six,” she murmured, tracing a hand down his fit body. “How are you still in such good shape?”
“I chop a lot of wood.” He grinned at her, reaching for the hem of her shirt and pulling it up over her head.
Her nerves kicked up, and she suddenly felt every day of her forty-five years. But the way he looked at her—with absolute adoration and awe—boosted her confidence.
“So damn beautiful,” he rasped, his hands sliding up her sides and around to cup her breasts. A shiver ran through her as his thumbs slid over her nipples, teasing them into hard peaks. It felt so good and she let out a soft sigh.