Chapter 18
Aleck woke up in the evening, alert and as ready to go as if he’d slept for twelve hours straight.
It took him a moment to figure out where he was and that Kenna was lying next to him.
He hadn’t been able to resist easing down her body and tasting her once more.
That had led to her climbing on top of him and giving him the show of a lifetime as she rode him hard, fucking him until they both came once more.
Then they’d slept again.
He’d woken up a few hours later to the feel of Kenna’s mouth on his cock, and it was all he could do not to explode immediately.
It was safe to say he and Kenna were more than compatible in bed, and Aleck knew he was a lucky son-of-a-bitch. He also knew their sex life might eventually taper off a bit…but not anytime soon. He couldn’t get enough of the woman.
By the time they woke a third time, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. They’d been in bed for at least twelve hours, and Aleck felt amazing.
He was enjoying holding Kenna while she slept when he heard a knock at his door.
“What the fuck?” he muttered, immediately easing out of Kenna’s hold. Having someone at his door this early couldn’t be a good thing.
“What’s wrong?” Kenna asked sleepily as she came up on an elbow.
The vision in his bed almost made Aleck crawl right back under the covers. One tit was exposed, her hair in disarray, and the sight of the few light hickies he’d accidentally given her last night made his cock twitch.
When another knock sounded on the front door, he swore under his breath. “Stay here. I’ll go get rid of whoever’s here and we can take a shower.”
“Together?” she asked with a smile.
“Oh yeah,” he told her.
The sultry look on her face reassured him that he’d given her the answer she wanted to hear.
He pulled on his sweats, which were still lying in the middle of the floor, and didn’t bother with a shirt. Whoever was at his door would have to deal with his naked chest. That’s what they got for daring to knock so early in the morning.
When Aleck pulled up the video monitor on the panel next to the door, he was surprised to see Robert standing there. He opened the door, praying nothing was terribly wrong. He wanted to spend the morning spoiling Kenna.
“Robert,” he said with a nod.
“I’m very sorry for disturbing you this early, Mr. Smart.
And I’ll get out of your hair in a moment.
My shift starts in a bit, but yesterday when Ms. Madigan arrived, she mentioned to Alfonso that she was disappointed she hadn’t been able to stop at Leonard’s and get some malasadas to welcome you home.
So I stopped on my way into work to pick some up for you both. ”
Aleck was speechless. He reached for the box that Robert held out. “Wow, um, thanks.”
“You’re more than welcome. It’s the least I can do to thank you for your service.” Robert gave him a nod of respect, then turned and headed back down the hall.
Aleck watched him go for a beat, then smiled as he shut his door.
As the smell of the pastries wafted up to his nose, Aleck’s stomach growled.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a good meal, and while the sweets in the box probably weren’t all that good for him, he could more than afford to splurge after the stuff he’d eaten, or not eaten, over the last six weeks.
And Aleck had a hunch that Robert hadn’t actually gone out of his way to get the malasadas for him.
There were plenty of times he’d come home from a long deployment in the past and hadn’t gotten the royal treatment from Robert.
It was all because of Kenna. She was just the kind of woman people wanted to be near.
Wanted to make smile. And Aleck knew with certainty that the iconic Hawaiian pastries would do just that.
Not bothering to get a plate or cutlery, he carried the box into the bedroom.
“Who was it?” Kenna called out from the bathroom.
Aleck couldn’t help but close his eyes in contentment. Was this how Mustang and Midas felt? It had to be. The morning was so…normal. Her asking who was at the door while in the bathroom brushing her teeth. It was everything Aleck hadn’t known he wanted.
Grinning, he opened the box and stood just inside the bathroom door. “The malasada fairy,” he told her.
Kenna had just wiped her mouth after rinsing, and she turned to him with a look of confusion on her face—but as soon as she saw the box of treats, she grinned.
Huge. “Oh my God, I’m starving! We didn’t exactly have dinner last night!
” she exclaimed, reaching for one of the gooey doughnut-like pastries.
She took a huge bite, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head in ecstasy as she chewed.
“Robert brought them by.”
As soon as Kenna swallowed, she asked, “Our Robert? From downstairs?”
“The one and the same. I guess you mentioned to Alfonso you weren’t able to get some yesterday, and he must’ve mentioned it to Robert. So he stopped by on his way to work to pick them up.”
“Seriously?” she asked.
“Yup.”
“Wow. We’ll have to figure out how to thank him. That was…that was definitely going above and beyond. I know, I’ll get him a gift certificate to Duke’s. He said he’s been there lots of times.”
Aleck merely grinned at how the word “we” fell so easily from her lips. He liked being a part of a couple with Kenna. No, he loved it. “Want to go sit on the balcony and stuff our faces before we shower?”
“Yes,” she said immediately. She’d put on a bathrobe Aleck knew for a fact hadn’t been in his condo when he’d been deployed. The fact that she’d brought over more of her things made him even happier.
Aleck couldn’t remember a better morning. Normally after a mission, he had a hard time getting it out of his mind. He’d go over what he’d done and what he could’ve done better. But this morning, all he could do was appreciate the beautiful sunrise and the equally exquisite woman by his side.
They ate a few sweet pastries on the balcony, showered—which turned into another long round of lovemaking—then he made omelets for both of them.
After a proper breakfast, they sat on his couch, Kenna resting against him, and got caught up on what had happened in Oahu while he’d been gone.
Aleck was feeling happy and mellow. Yes, the sex played a large part in why he felt that way, but it was more Kenna’s comforting presence.
She didn’t ask questions about his mission, and while she’d missed him, she’d clearly gotten by just fine on her own, as he knew she would.
And now he truly understood how much he appreciated her independence.
Previously, when he’d thought of the woman he might end up with, he assumed it would be someone who needed him…
or at least his money. And as conceited as it was, he’d also thought he wanted someone who would worship the ground he walked on.
Which was ridiculous, now that he thought about it.
If Kenna had been like that, she would’ve had a much harder time with his deployment.
After hearing about the sleepover Kenna and the other women had at his condo, and about some of the more memorable customers—for both good and bad reasons—that she’d served recently at Duke’s, and how well she’d gotten to know Robert and the other security employees, Aleck was deeply satisfied, and grateful, that he’d found someone like her.
The clock was inching toward the time when he needed to leave for the base for the initial AAR—after-action review.
The team and their superior officers needed to go over what had happened in Iran, and why and how things could be done better in the future, both by the team and those who planned the missions.
Kenna also needed to get home to get ready for her shift at Duke’s.
“You get off at your regular time tonight, right?” Aleck asked.
“Barring anything crazy happening, yes. Why?”
“If it’s all right, I’d like to come to your place tonight.”
Kenna was snuggled up against his side, and Aleck had his arm over her shoulders. She tilted her head so she could see his face. “But you said you have to work all day for the rest of the week. It’s a long drive from my apartment to the base.”
“It’s not that far. I mean, people commute from all over the island to the Naval base,” he said.
“Still…” Kenna protested.
Aleck felt his stomach clench. Did she not want him to stay at her place?
“Here’s the thing,” he said softly. “Now that I’ve spent the night holding you in my arms, I don’t really want to sleep by myself if I don’t have to.
I know there will be plenty of times when we have no choice, but driving an extra ten or so miles is nothing when it means I get to see you after your shift and hold you as I sleep. ”
Kenna just stared at him, and Aleck couldn’t read her expression.
“If you’d rather I didn’t, say the word,” he said.
Her eyes widened and she immediately shook her head. “No! It’s not that. I mean, yes, I’d freaking love it if you stayed the night. But wouldn’t it make more sense for me to come here? I don’t have to get up early tomorrow and you do.”
Relief swept through Aleck. “You’re a seriously independent woman.”
She looked confused at the topic change. “Yeah,” she agreed.
“You’ve been on your own a long time. You’re perfectly able to take care of yourself. It’s more than obvious…but I have to admit that I still don’t like the idea of you driving out here after dark.”
Kenna frowned slightly.