Chapter 9
ALEX
Jesus, he is fucking beautiful.
And was the man insane? Did I see something I liked? Something didn’t cover it. I liked everything about him—from his strong, sharp jaw to his straight nose and pointed chin. He was Boston Black Irish. I’d bet money on it, but he had the face of Adonis.
And his body, fuck me.
Yet another thing he stole from the Greeks I’d seen memorialized in stone. That body did things to my head and cock when fully clothed and not acting like a rent boy. Then there was the smirk that made me want to throat punch him.
Like the one he wore now. I wanted to follow him, so did my cock. It throbbed in my pants so hard it was almost painful. Shaking my head, I sighed, gripping the back of my neck to keep myself in check.
“Umm. I’ll wait here for the food.”
His arms fell. “Alright. I’ll be out in a few. Eat if it gets here before I finish.”
“You’re not worried…”
“No. Not unless there’s a paper trail.”
“Got it.”
He turned, leaving me standing in the middle of his living room, bereft and kicking myself for not taking him up on the offer.
And wondering if by finished, he meant finished finished. My head got stuck on the image of him under the shower spray, water raining down his body, cascading over his long limbs and muscles. He looked more like a modern-day warrior than I did.
Or at least what people thought SEALs looked like. Most of us were built like runners or swimmers because we did that a lot, especially running, but there were guys who looked like beefcakes.
Not that Daniel looked like a beefcake. No. He stood—unyielding, precise, devastatingly beautiful—a modern-day Adonis captured in marble by a master sculptor.
Knock. Knock.
Jerking around, I panicked, then remembered the food.
Fuck! Swiping the cash from the counter, I raced to the door, slowing before I got there so I didn’t alert whoever was on the other side that I was there.
Just in case the person at the door wasn’t delivering food, and was—god forbid—one of the team.
The door came closer and closer to my face as I leaned toward the peephole. Holding my breath, I focused on the image through the tiny glass hole. A skinny kid stood on the other side holding a takeout order.
The bated breath stuck in my lungs escaped in a rushed, deep, anxiety-relieving sigh that let the stress and panic fall away. Stepping back, I flipped open the deadbolt I turned earlier and unlocked the door.
“Mr. Lennox?”
I gave him a smile and a nod, handed him the cash, waved off the change, before shutting and locking the door, all without once meeting his gaze. Hoping that by keeping my head down, he wouldn’t be able to ever point at me and say, ‘Yep, I saw him in another man’s apartment.’
Kelly’s voice lived in my head every moment of every day, but it was times like this—off duty and away from the base, the team, my oath of service—that I heard him most.
“How are you, a greedy bottom who gets cranky when he goes too long without riding a cock, going to live that life?”
And I remembered my response—both of them.
“Carefully.”
Followed by.
“Kelly, there are nearly a million and a half active duty members of the military. They can’t all be straight. Which means where there’s a will, there’s a way. And I’ll find mine.”
But I’d yet to find mine.
“Good. The food’s here.”
I whirled. Daniel, in nothing but a towel, stood in front of me. Gorgeous. His usually even, alabaster skin, warmed from the shower, glowed with a slight pink.
“Fuck.”
The world stopped and faded away while I stood in awe of the man before me.
From his feet, up his legs, skipping the towel, I cursed, and that hid the cock I’d craved since I left him standing in this very apartment.
The same cock that twitched and tented the white terry cloth.
My mouth watered. My eyes traveled higher—to his lightly sculpted abs, the slabs of muscles of his chest, the broad shoulders, the long length of his neck, sharp jaw, full lips, piercing blue eyes.
The heat and passion there burned into me like a laser locked and loaded, already overactive libido.
The food slipped, teetered in my grasp, but I gave it no attention. I couldn’t. It was impossible to think, look, or consider anything but the ripple of muscle as Daniel surged toward me. His large naked body moved in a blink.
“Whoa. I know I’m a sexy motherfucker, but let’s not ruin our first meal together,” he said, catching the box lid of takeout containers between us before it hit the ground.
My senses returned. “It’s not the first meal.”
He chuckled. “You’re right, but breakfast after is a given. This is…”
I nodded. “A surprise?”
“A gift. I wanted to see you again.”
I wanted to agree because I’d wanted to see him again too. I’d wanted to get naked and roll around in the sheets, floor, shower, and over the back of his sofa, but that meant shifting my focus. I couldn’t risk it.
But I made it, so maybe?
“I wanted to see you again as well.”
The blue of his eyes darkened, and his face hardened. He took the food from me, set it on the table, and then turned back to me. The man reminded me of a threatened snake poised to strike or a panther set to spring as if he were about to pounce.
“I wanna kiss you.”
My chest rumbled with the groan his words sparked within me. “Do it.”
“No. Not yet.”
“When?”
“Would you have shown up at my door if the Navy hadn’t forced us to share space?”
“Yes.” He looked skeptical, but I spoke the truth. I had wanted to see him again. Badly. As much as that weirded me out. There’d never been anyone I wanted to see as I had him. Just the thought of that unnerved me.
He stepped toward me, his hands cupping my face. Our mouths met. Not timid or gentle. Feral. That was the only way to describe it. His mouth slanted over mine. Our tongues twined together, and I pulled him to me. I wanted to feel him against me. I had to.
When we parted, my jaw hurt, my hands cupped his naked ass, and we both were grinding against each other. Not sure about him, but I was on the verge. There’d barely been time to jerk off in the shower over the last few weeks.
“You need to eat.”
“I need to get fucked. Food can wait.”
“Once I get you in bed, I don’t plan to let you out of it anytime soon. Plus, I’m not a fan of cold Chinese.”
“But…”
He patted my cheek as he said, “Tut tut. No pouting. I’m pulling on some briefs. It’d be nice to come back to you in the same.”
I nodded silently, pissed that he said I was pouting. I wasn’t.
He smirked. “You’re fucking adorable with your lip stuck out.” Leaning in, his lips wrapped around my bottom one in a sucking kiss. I melted into him. Fuck food. I wanted him in me.
Now!
“Go get your shorts on so we can eat, and I can get fucked,” I growled at him.
Laughter exploded from the sexy jerk. I turned to unpack the food before the urge to punch him became too much to ignore.
He popped my ass cheek, kissed the back of my head, and left the room. I glanced over my shoulder at him. The way he just forced me to let him care for me unnerved me. Hell, everything the man did unnerved me. No one had ever taken care of me. My skin felt too tight.
Then there was the way my insides lit up when he called me adorable, and the way the word Daddy, quickly replaced by Sir, floated to the front of my head when he patted my cheek.
I’d never been interested in kink.
Well, other than getting my ass smacked.
Or getting choked.
Or letting a guy pin me down and force me to take his cock.
Okay, so maybe I was a bit kinky, but…
A Daddy?
Yeah, no. Fuck that shit. That edged too close to needing someone, because boys needed their Daddies, and I didn’t need anyone.
“Guess I need to put more clothes on.”
The sound of his voice nearly had me jumping out of my skin. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I got lost in thought.”
“Good ones?” he asked, his arm snaking out and looping over my shoulder to pull down the zipper on my combat shirt.
His lips stole any reply I could’ve come up with. They latched onto my neck above my collar until he worked the shirt, belt, and combat pants open. Then he spun me around and stripped me bare.
“Hey!” I yelled when he snatched up all my clothes leaving me standing nude other than my boots and socks.
“That’s what you get for not following directions. Now take off those boots and socks.”
Heat flooded my face when he stepped back, looking me over from head to toe.
“Well, c’mon. Let’s eat.”
“I hope ass is on the menu first,” I grumbled taking off my socks and boots.
Laughter trailed after him on the way to the kitchen. Cabinet doors and drawers opened and closed without a word until he came back to me.
“You told me a month ago you were greedy, but I think you give hangry a new definition.”
“And that is?”
“Horny angry,” he said, setting the plates down, pulling out a chair, but sitting in another.
I stared at the chair, glancing from it to him.
“Yes, I pulled out your chair. My moms was adamant that we have manners. I’ve always pulled a chair out for a man I’m having dinner with. Get over it and sit.”
I did so begrudgingly, side-eyeing him as I sat. He opened takeout containers, dished food onto plates, lifting his brow at me as he filled mine.
“If you pull out a bib…”
“What the fuck are you on about?” he asked, the Boston showing up clear as day.
“Never mind,” I muttered when he slid my plate across the table.
I picked up my fork, digging into the food while trying to figure out how to suck up the words I spewed like an idiot. His gaze burned a hole in the side of my face.
“Oh shit,” he laughed, finally picking up his own fork. “I’m not a Daddy if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“You act like it.”
“Comes from being in a big fucking family. Everyone takes care of each other.”
I nodded as if I understood. No one had ever taken care of me. Just the small amount of care he’d shown me tonight sat weird.
“So what made you want to be a SEAL?”
“All I’ve ever wanted is to be a SEAL.”