Chapter 8 #2
He’d tried to show her he loved her in his unique way—he made sure her car was always in tip-top shape so it wouldn’t break down on her; he shared the household chores with her, making sure he did the heavier stuff and never let her take out the dirty garbage; he praised and supported her in everything she did whether it was a success or failure.
She’d been a local newscaster in Virginia while he was stationed nearby and fantasized about landing an anchor position on a national news program.
Unfortunately, so did every other TV reporter in the United States.
The competition could be harsh, and even though Ian had been proud of her no matter what she did, it hadn’t been enough for her.
If he tried to comfort her after an audition with a broader network fell through, she’d get mad, yelling he was only patronizing her.
The worst had been when she’d told him he was holding her back from her dreams. He had cherished Kaliope, but in the end, it hadn’t been good enough for her.
Now Ian kept his relationships simple, refusing to have his heart ripped out again.
When the end credits began to scroll up the sixty-inch flat-screen TV, Jenn gathered the crumb-filled plates left over from their earlier meal.
“I’m going to my room to work on my term paper.
Don’t worry about me for dinner. I’ll nuke something later.
” She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for everything, Uncle Ian. You, too, Angie, and it was so nice to meet you. Again, I’m really sorry I interrupted your afternoon. ”
They both smiled at her, telling her it was fine and she had to stop apologizing for needing company.
After she and Beau left them alone, Ian grabbed the last of their lunch residue and an empty bowl of popcorn, carrying it all into the kitchen.
Angie glanced around the apartment again, if she could call it an apartment since it looked more like a vast penthouse suite in an upscale hotel.
The living room had couches and chairs, seating for at least ten people, and a massive entertainment center.
Behind the couch was another conversation area with a four-seat wood and mirrored bar.
A dart board hung between the bar and corner of the room, with a section of cork protecting the wall from misthrows.
The attached dining area contained an eight-seat formal table, chairs, and a china hutch with two extra chairs that could be used when the leaf was in use.
An eat-in gourmet kitchen was on the other side of the dining area, complete with stainless steel appliances. It was a party hostess’s dream.
Earlier in the afternoon, Angie had removed her boots and tried to get comfortable on the couch next to Ian without her crotch showing under her short skirt.
Noticing she was uneasy, Jenn had offered her a pair of yoga pants and a University of Tampa T-shirt to change into.
Grateful, Angie had accepted the offer and used the master bedroom suite to make the quick change.
There were also two additional bedrooms–the furthest away from Ian’s room was Jenn’s–and a guest bath off the hallway.
The two smaller bedrooms were larger than Angie’s living room.
The only odd thing about the apartment was the horizontal windows in every room were elevated about eight feet up the ten-foot walls, allowing plenty of light in without anyone being able to see in from outside.
She figured it was a security feature due to his line of work.
Except for the young woman’s pink and purple chic bedroom, the rest of the house was beautifully decorated in earth tones.
Ian had explained his mother had taken over after the apartments became livable and hired an interior decorator for both her sons.
Otherwise, they would have looked like typical bachelor pads with mismatched furniture and nothing on the walls but the dart board.
As it was, he had to convince the decorator to include it in the décor.
As she stared at an older photo on one of the end tables, Ian returned from the kitchen.
The picture was of him and his brothers about twenty years ago.
He was in the center with two slightly younger boys on either side of him, and he was holding another boy, around the age of six, up by the armpits.
“This is you, the oldest, but which one of these two is Devon? Are they twins?”
He pointed to the teenager on his left. “This one’s Dev. The little guy in front is our brother Nick, and this is John, and no, Devon’s eleven months older, but many people had trouble telling them apart.”
“Do Nick and John live in Florida too?”
Taking her hand, he tugged her up from the couch and pulled her close. “Nick is twenty-five now and in the Navy in San Diego.” A sad expression took over his face. “And John died when he was seventeen.”
Feeling awful for his loss, she realized they had more in common than she initially thought. “I’m sorry. I lost my brother when he was seventeen, too, and I was nine. He was killed in a car crash with three of his friends.”
Ian cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing her jawline. “I’m sorry for your loss. Unbeknownst to us, John had become an alcoholic and got drunk one day after cutting school. He died after he passed out and threw up. Aspirated. My dad found him.”
He swallowed at the memory, then cleared his throat.
“It was hard on all of us, but Devon took it really bad. He tortured himself over some misplaced guilt that he could’ve stopped John from spiraling down.
The problem was the kid hid his addiction well, and none of us knew about it.
And we’re a close-knit family. Anyway, Dev thought he should’ve been able to see the problem and take control of the situation.
The fact that he didn’t became an issue for him.
His hurt and anger were starting to get the best of him, so after we ended up on the same SEAL team, I introduced him to the lifestyle to help him deal with it.
Taking control of other aspects of his life allowed Dev to better deal with John’s death. ”
Bringing her hands from around his waist and to his chest, she explored his physique as she spoke. “Is that why Devon doesn’t drink alcohol? I only saw him have tonic water last night.”
Had the gala only been last night? It seemed like so much had happened between Ian and her since then.
“Yeah.” He pulled her hips into his, rubbing his erection against her. “But I really don’t want to talk about Devon or anyone else but you right now. We have some unfinished business to take care of, little one.”
Feeling wicked, she licked her lips, slow and seductive, and he groaned at the sight as she walked her fingers up his chest. “What about Jenn?”
Bending forward, he nuzzled her neck. “She’ll be busy with her term paper, and my bedroom is far enough away she won’t hear a thing as long as we keep our voices and your screams down to a whisper.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she blushed.
He took her hand and led her down the hallway past Jenn’s closed door. “Don’t be. I love how vocal you are. I just don’t want my niece to know it, and I’m sure she doesn’t either. And don’t worry because she always uses her headphones and listens to her iPod while doing schoolwork.”
After closing and locking his bedroom door behind them, he pulled her back into his embrace and kissed her.
It didn’t start as explosive as their earlier one, but it wasn’t long until they returned to that level.
They spent several minutes consuming each other before Ian eased back and released her.
He walked over to a small sitting area next to a gas fireplace on the far side of his bed and sat on a blue and green, striped upholstered chair.
He picked up a remote, and soft jazz music filled the air.
“Strip for me, Angel. Nice and slow. Tease me. Do you remember what your safeword is?”
Damn, he made her hotter than lava when he spoke to her in that deep, commanding voice. “My safeword is red, Sir.”
She loved to dance, and swinging her hips to the music came naturally as she gave Ian the best strip tease and lap dance of his life.
It didn’t take long for her to shed her tee and yoga pants, but then she slowed down.
Trailing her hands up and down her body sensually, she played with her breasts and clit through the fabric of her underwear until Ian had to undo his pants to get some much-needed room for his straining erection.
She was shocked and thrilled to see he’d gone commando, and she moaned, knowing his hard shaft had been one zip away from her touch most of the day.
The dark purple head was weeping, and she looked forward to tasting him, but not yet. She wasn’t done teasing him.
Turning around, she bent over and reached back to spread her ass cheeks, smiling and wriggling her hips when he growled. “Fuck, Angel. Someday soon, I will take your sweet ass and fuck it hard and fast. And I promise you, you’ll love every minute of it.”
Her pussy quivered at the thought of him fucking her there, a place where no other man had been.
Standing back up, she remained facing away from him as she reached back and unhooked her bra.
Holding the front in place, she lowered the straps, inch by inch, until her arms were free.
She threw the lacy piece over her head in his direction.
When she saw he caught it, she shimmed her hips and lowered her thong, drawing out the process as long as possible.
She then stepped out of them, turned around, and tossed them at him too.
When he snatched the garment this time, he brought it to his face, inhaling deeply.