A SEAL's Surrender (Alpha SEALs Book 3) (13 page)

Christopher muttered in disbelief as he stalked up and down Lexi’s hallway.  Where the hell was she?  He’d told her he’d be stopping by this evening.  She wasn’t in her room, her car wasn’t in the garage, and she wasn’t answering her cell phone.  Shit.  Was she pissed about this morning?  He shouldn’t have taken her against the door like some goddamn animal, but hell.  He’d barely been able to control himself around her, and somehow their bickering turned him on even more.  She’d been sweeter than sin ten years ago, but this slight edge she had now?  It nearly made him come undone.

He punched the button for the elevator and rode back down to the lobby.  His eyes narrowed briefly as he caught sight of a hotel security camera. If she didn’t make an appearance in the next hour, he’d check with them about reviewing the security footage.  He knew he was overreacting.  She’d probably just stopped by somewhere after work for dinner or a beer.  There was no need to go all alpha male on her—it was barely after seven o’clock.  Still daylight out.  That didn’t stop the worry that was winding its way through him.  Christopher and the rest of the guys on his team had been trained to trust their instincts.  To go with their gut.  He had an uneasy feeling that something was wrong, and he didn’t like it.

He quickly texted out a message to Lexi asking if she was okay.  Even if for some reason she didn’t want to talk to him, certainly she’d reply to that, right?  He scrubbed a hand over his face in frustration.  Waiting around here was like watching a damn pot and waiting for it to boil.  Each minute that ticked by felt like an hour.  He needed to move, to do something.  Hell, even if he want for a jog along the beach just to clear his head and deal with the adrenaline surging through him, it had to be better than waiting around.

He sat down on one of the sofas in the lobby, the scowl on his face keeping anyone from approaching.  He was in his uniform, so no one had asked him to leave.  Not that they could’ve made him short of taking him out in handcuffs.

Thirty minutes later, Lexi walked in, wearing tiny little shorts and a tank top that clung to her curves, long dark hair swinging back and forth in a ponytail.  His heart caught in his chest as he saw her, relief washing over him.  What the hell had gotten into him?  He’d been convinced she’d been hurt or in some sort of trouble, and here she was just out enjoying the evening sun.

“Lexi,” he said, running over to her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, pulling her ear buds out.  She had a small mp3 player strapped to an armband and had obviously been out for a walk along the beach.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”

“Why?  Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened,” he growled.  “I was worried something happened to you.”

“I’m fine,” she said, puzzled.

His gaze swept over her, taking in the swell of her breasts, the curve of her hips, and the way her toned legs stretched on for miles in those shorter than hell shorts.  Blood rushed to his groin.  Fuck.  Every other man saw her on the beach like this, too.  Did she even realize the affect she had prancing around in that outfit?

Two young women walked into the lobby just then, wearing skimpy bikinis, towels carelessly strewn over their arms.  Okay.  So maybe Lexi wasn’t the most scantily-clad woman on the beach.  But hell.  Just looking at her had him harder than steel.

“Let’s go up to your room,” he said, grabbing her hand.

“I need a shower,” she said, trying to pull free from his grasp.

His eyes flared.  He laced his fingers between hers, her hand so soft and delicate in his own large, calloused one.  “I won’t say no to that,” he said huskily, bending down.  They stepped into the elevator and found themselves all alone.  He pulled her against him, his chest to her back.  He nipped at her ear with his teeth, tugging her closer to him.  Wrapping their linked arms around the front of her body, he held her to him, his erection pressing into her back.

“How many times do you think I can make you come tonight?” he growled.

“We have work to do,” she said, somewhat breathlessly.

“We’ll get to it.  But not before I have you crying out my name.”

They hurried down the hall to her hotel room, Lexi practically running alongside him to keep up with his long strides.  The door clicked open, and Christopher tugged Lexi inside along with him, guiding her into the bathroom.  He turned on the shower, the hot water quickly filling the bathroom with steam.  A second later, his lips were hot on hers.  She smelled of the ocean, and he trailed his tongue down her neck, licking the saltiness off her skin.  Fumbling, he pulled her tank top up over her head.  Jesus.  She had a tiny little string bikini on beneath it.  One tug of those flimsy little straps, and she’d be bare to him.

He was harder than hell just imagining it.  He knelt down before her, tugging her shorts down her legs.  She kicked off her shoes and stepped out of both them and her shorts.  In a daze, he kissed her flat stomach.  She trembled at his touch, and he was dying to kiss her everywhere.  His large hands rested on her hips, and he gazed up at Lexi.  Her violet eyes were on his, lost in wonderment.  Everything about her surprised him—she was sassy one minute and sweet the next.  And for the next twelve hours, he had her all to himself.

He stood, quickly removing his uniform.  His erection sprang out, thick and hard.  Lexi stepped closer and gripped him, making him groan.  Her thumb swirled over the crown, rubbing his arousal all over the head of his penis.  He stilled, holding his breath.  Any more of her touch, and he’d detonate, before he’d even touched her.  That’s how wound up she had him.

The tiny little triangles covering her breasts had to go.  Her nipples were peaked beneath the fabric, and he needed to palm her, to take her into his mouth.  Reaching one hand in the running water to check the temperature, he stepped into the shower.  “Take off your bikini,” he commanded.

Lexi looked startled for a moment but did as he asked, her hands trembling as she reached up to untie the straps behind her neck.  The wisps of fabric fell away, and she reached behind her back, untying the remaining strips of fabric.  She was gorgeous—full, soft breasts with rosy, pert nipples.  He was about ready to haul her into the shower himself if she didn’t hurry.  She slid her hands into the waist of her bikini bottoms and bent, pushing them down her legs.  The sight of her breasts bouncing before him nearly made him come undone.  She was a goddess.

Lexi stood and stepped into the shower.  He didn’t even give her a moment, just pushed her back against the cold tile wall.  The spray of water cascaded down around them, wetting her hair, sending drops of water down her face.  He kissed her, groaning.  She was so fucking sweet.  His hands palmed her breasts, squeezing and kneading them.  His erection pushed against her stomach.  He slid one hand down to her sex, sliding his fingers into her folds.  She was already wet, her arousal coating his fingers.

“Are you ready, honey?”

“Yes,” she gasped.

He lifted her up against the wall and slid into her searing flesh, impaling her in an instant.  She gasped at his sudden invasion, and he held still for a moment, letting her adjust to his size.  He throbbed within her, his balls tightening as he tried to hold back.  Lexi whimpered and tried to move against him, and he grabbed her hips, lifting her up and down his shaft.  He thrust into her, taking all control, forcing her to surrender to the onslaught of pleasure.  Her sex tightened around him as she clung to his shoulders, the little cries of pleasure coming from her mouth driving him insane.  He ground into her again, rubbing himself against her sweet little clit, and she screamed, helplessly crying out as she rode him.

When she’d come down from her explosion, he pulled out then turned her around.  Her palms splayed against the wet tile, and he pulled her hips back, stepping closer to her again.  His erection teased her wet folds as he hunched down around her, one arm across her stomach, the other across her chest as he kneaded one breast.  He entered her again, her walls still pulsing around his shaft.

It was sexier than fuck taking Lexi this way, holding her to him as he thrust into her from behind.  She felt so damn tight in the position, he could barely stand it.  He pumped into her as she moaned, and a second later, he exploded, releasing deep inside her tight channel.

Christopher pulled out and turned a trembling Lexi around, holding her tight against his chest.  “You amaze me,” he murmured, stroking her hair with one hand.  He grabbed the shampoo from the side of the shower and began washing her hair, massaging her scalp as Lexi whimpered against him.  The lavender scent of her shampoo was already making him hard again—or maybe it was just the stunning woman in his arms.  She was warm, wet, and slippery, trembling against him as he took care of her.

He shielded her eyes and maneuvered them both under the shower spray, letting the soapy suds wash down the drain.  Grabbing her washcloth, he applied a little body wash, then gently began rubbing it over her skin.

First he cleaned her back, gazing in wonderment at how tiny and perfect she was.  Slender shoulders, narrow shoulder blades, smooth curves.  The curve of her ass had his cock standing at attention again, but he turned her around and washed her breasts, bending over to kiss and suck on each one in between washing.  She mumbled incoherently, and he knelt down before her, hitching one of her legs over his broad shoulder.

“Christopher,” she whispered.

“I’m right here, honey.”

His lips were on her sweet folds, and he kissed her and drank in her ambrosia.  She was wet and swollen for him, and he softly sucked her clit into his mouth.  He lightly tongued her, his hands grasping her hips, holding her against him.  She held her breath, on the tip of the precipice, then cried out, her sex fluttering against his mouth and tongue as she came again.

He removed her leg from his shoulder and continued washing her body, cleaning her between her legs and then working all the way down to her feet.  He stood and quickly scrubbed himself off as well, not even caring that he’d smell like lavender.  Like Lexi.

***

Lexi awoke with a start, trying to sit up in bed.  A muscular arm was wrapped around her, holding her close, and before she could panic, Christopher’s soothing voice was in her ear.

“Lexi, it’s me.  What’s wrong?”

“I, I don’t know,” she said, struggling to sit up.

He released her and sat up beside her, looking concerned.  Hot skin covered chiseled muscle, and she tried not to gape at awakening next to a shirtless Christopher.  Hell, she’d been with him hundreds of times—but the way he looked at her now?  All buff and macho and concerned?  It made her heart skip a beat.

“Did you have a bad dream?”

“I guess.  I thought someone was chasing me.  They wouldn’t let me go.”

Warmth filled his gaze.  “You’re safe, honey.  I’m right here, and you know I’d never let anything happen to you.”

“I guess.  It just felt so real.”

Christopher’s large hand stroked her hair, trying to calm her.  His massive bicep bunched as he moved, and the heat she always felt when she was with him flushed over her skin.  She looked back up at him, and he pulled her into his muscular chest.  “You’ve had a busy few days—and I haven’t exactly been letting you get a lot of sleep.  I’ll stay with you every night until this is over.”

“And after?  What happens then?”

She shouldn’t be spending time with Christopher at all, because that would just make it that much harder to leave.

“I’ll do whatever you want,” he said softly.

She nuzzled closer against his warm chest, loving the feeling of him holding her safe and close.  She didn’t want to answer that, didn’t want to think about anything other than tonight—than this moment.

“Let’s go back to sleep.”

He laid her down, pulling her back against his chest.  One arm wrapped around her, beneath her breasts, as he held her close.  He kissed the back of her head, and she relaxed against him, exhaustion taking over.  She could feel his arousal against her back, but the pull of slumber was too strong.  Another time they’d make love until dawn again.  Right now, she just needed him to hold her.

Lexi pulled into Kenley’s condo complex in Virginia Beach the following evening.  Another busy day on base had her no closer to discovering who was behind the attempted hacks or to gathering enough information to convict Edwards.  They were close—really close.  But she wanted the final nail in the coffin before she turned everything over to Commander Mitchell.  Christopher’s CO had seemed concerned earlier, worrying that Edwards might sense they were onto him, and Christopher had promised to come to her hotel that night.  He’d probably be angry she wasn’t there, since he said he’d check on her, but she needed some time and space to clear her head.  Seeing him would only lead to another night of mind-blowing sex, and in her blissed-out state, she wouldn’t be able to think clearly.

Maybe he did regret their past and want a shot with her in the future, but that sure the hell didn’t mean it was going to happen.  She’d finish this job and head back to the Pentagon.  He’d move on with his life, deploying to God knows where half the time, and she’d move on with hers.  But would it really be that simple?

She used the spare key Kenley had given her earlier that summer to enter the empty condo and then called her best friend.

“What’s up, hun?”  Kenley asked.  Lexi could hear the television blaring the background along with the whirring of machines and wondered if Kenley was at the gym.

“I’m at your parents’ condo.”

“What happened to the hotel?”

“I’m avoiding someone,” she said with a sigh.  She dropped her purse and keys on the kitchen counter and then strode over to the sofa, collapsing.  All she had were her own gym clothes, which were still in her bag in the car.  At least they were clean.  She hadn’t chanced returning to the hotel since she knew Christopher would be lurking around there, ready to pounce and kiss her senseless.

Senseless really was the right term for it, because whenever she was around that man she couldn’t even think straight.  How he managed to make her so mad and simultaneously aroused was beyond belief.  They needed to bottle that stuff up as an aphrodisiac and sell it to the highest bidder.  That man could convince her to do damn near anything.  She’d loved him when she was younger, but that love had been young and innocent.  So far their time together this week had been passion-fueled, fast, and furious.  Unstoppable.  Put them together and you didn’t have sparks, you had a damn explosion.

Making love on the beach had been sweet and sensual, but yesterday morning on base and last night in the shower?  Holy hell.  That man got her hotter than anything, and she didn’t trust herself to be left alone with him.  He’d actually ripped her panties right off.  And damn if that didn’t make her hotter than ever for him.  No wonder no other man was able to live up to Christopher—he took control, knew exactly what he was doing, and didn’t let up until she was sated.  She’d fallen for the sexy Navy SEAL when she was younger, but this commanding alpha male thing he had going on now was sexier than hell.

The more time she spent with him, the more she realized how hard it would be to return to the Pentagon.  Harder than leaving years ago when she was furious with him.  Maybe she could forgive and forget the past, but could she forget this week?  He’d try to convince her to do the long-distance thing, no doubt.  That or move down here and right in with him.  How ironic that she’d been half considering transferring to a military base on the water.  Not that she’d mention that to him—he certainly didn’t need more reasons to convince her to stay.

“Would this someone be a tall, handsome, SEAL by any chance?” Kenley teased, bringing her mind back to the present.

“Is there any other kind?” Lexi asked with a laugh.

“I’m going to have to get down there sooner rather than later.”

“To keep me from making a terrible mistake?”

“Hell no.  To meet some of his hot SEAL friends.”

“They’re all as hard-assed as him.”

“And what do you know about their asses?  Have you engaged in a little sex with the ex yet?”

“No comment,” Lexi muttered dryly.

“You have!” Kenley squealed.  “I was planning to come down this weekend.  Maybe I should take a few days and get there sooner.”

“I’ll be working on base all day.  But we can hang out in the evenings if you want.  Did you talk to Cassidy?”

“Yeah, she can’t come this weekend.”

“That sucks.”

“You still have me.  I’ll come down Friday.  I can chill out on the beach while you work all day—just as long as you promise to drag some hunky SEALs out for drinks with us Friday night.”

Lexi sighed.  “We’ll see.  I’ve got a crazy number of fires to put out down here first.”

“Is everything okay?” Kenley asked, concern tingeing her voice.

“Yeah, it’s just a little more complicated than I originally planned.”

“The guy or the job?”

“Both,” Lexi admitted.  “The job is more complicated than I ever anticipated, and the last man on Earth I expected to see here was Christopher.  But I’m glad you can come down this weekend.  I’m not so sure this will be wrapped up in one week like I originally thought, so it’ll be nice to get in a little girl time at the beach.”

“Think we can watch those hunky SEALs training?”

“You’re relentless,” Lexi laughed.  “But I promise, whenever I see Christopher again, I’ll be sure to ask him about his single friends.”

“Perfect.  Talk you later, hun.”

“Bye.”

Lexi hung up and glanced around her friend’s condo.  It was a little ridiculous to be fleeing here.  She didn’t have her suitcase, didn’t have any food or toiletries.  She blew out a sigh.  Maybe she’d head back to her hotel after all.  No doubt Christopher would be swinging by later on, either asking to talk or whisking her off her feet.  Maybe both.

She’d tell him she needed some time to process everything.  Certainly he could understand that.  Just because they’d been together once long ago didn’t mean it was the right move right now.  And until this entire mess on base was settled, she didn’t have the time or energy to devote to man troubles.  He made her lose all sense of control when they were together, and she couldn’t think clearly if she spent another night in his arms.  Maybe he did want to protect her, but it’s not like anything could happen while she was tucked away safely in her hotel.

Standing, she walked back to the kitchen and grabbed her purse.  Maybe she could order room service back at the hotel and have an early night.  Christopher had kept her up until dawn several nights in a row, and with a couple of early mornings at Little Creek, she was running on fumes.  Looking around the condo, she realized she’d left her briefcase down in her SUV.  This wasn’t a high-crime area, but leaving her laptop and tablet unattended was a bad move.  She was more exhausted than she realized.

Locking up, she walked back out into the parking lot to her vehicle.  It stood alone where she’d parked only half an hour earlier, and immediately, she sensed something was wrong.  Hurrying over, she saw glass shards from the passenger side window scattered all over the black asphalt, gleaming in the late afternoon sun.

What the hell?

The glass crunched under her heels as she hurried to the door.  An uneasy feeling of dread washed over her, and she quickly glanced around, making sure whoever had committed the crime wasn’t still around.  Her heart quickly palpitating, she scanned the area, clutching her keys tightly in her hand.  The metal bit into her skin, but she gripped them even more tightly.  If someone was still here, she wasn’t going down without a fight.

The parking lot was empty, the only sound coming from a few birds chirping in the trees and some traffic down the block.  A light breeze blew, rustling the leaves.  Goosebumps coated her skin, but she spun around in a complete circle, and there was nothing.  No one.

Her stomach dropped as her gaze fell onto the empty passenger seat.  Her briefcase was gone.

Damn it.

Should she call the police?  Call Christopher?  Uncertainly, she looked around again.  She could check with the condo office to see if they had surveillance cameras in the lot.  Or hack into the nearby traffic cams to see if they’d caught something.  A vehicle speeding away would be suspicious, not to mention highly noticeable, but what if the person had been on foot?  People were coming and going all the time since they were right near the beach.  It might be difficult to pick one person out from a stream of many.  They had to have broken in during the past thirty minutes.

She groaned.  All of the info she and Christopher had pulled was stored on her thumb drive.  She’d stupidly tucked it away into a zippered compartment in her briefcase, but if the wrong person got a hold of it, they’d have clear insight into all of the research she and Christopher had done on Edwards.  Phone records, bank accounts, emails, everything was stored there.

Shit.

Hopefully the thief was just some jackass looking for money or electronics.  If somehow Edwards or someone else on the IT staff had realized that she and Christopher had been snooping around where they didn’t belong, that could be bad news for everyone.  She’d made sure to thoroughly cover her tracks, but damn.  She was so exhausted she’d carelessly left her bag in the car.  What if she’d made some other careless mistake on base today?

Worry bloomed inside her chest as she realized the seriousness of the situation.  The information they’d retrieved couldn’t fall into the wrong hands.  It would jeopardize the investigation, not to mention her and Christopher’s safety.  Her chest constricted at the thought of harm coming to him.  He was a freaking Navy SEAL—certainly he could handle himself.  Why hadn’t she kept the thumb drive on her person?  Hell, she could’ve put it in her purse or tucked the damn thing into her bra, just to make sure it never left her sight.

She closed her eyes briefly as she tried to gather her thoughts.  She needed a game plan.  First, she’d go back to the hotel.  Hopefully the concierge could assist with finding someone to repair her window.  She’d call Christopher from there, letting him know they needed to meet ASAP.  Maybe they’d involve the police, but if Edwards was somehow behind it, they should notify someone on base instead.  And she’d have to call Kenley back, telling her not to come.  The situation seemed to be growing more dangerous by the hour, and she didn’t need her friends dragged into this mess, too.

***

Christopher drove down Atlantic Avenue after work, heading to Lexi’s hotel.  She’d seemed skittish today, and he wasn’t sure if she was worried about Edwards or worried about him.  Hell.  He didn’t need to be pressuring her into deciding what to do when this whole incident wrapped up.  She’d go back to the Pentagon like planned.  He’d drive up to DC to see her some weekends.  Give her time to figure out what she needed.  And then convince her that he couldn’t live another day without her in his life—forever.

Now if they could just get this shit with Edwards taken care of, he’d be breathing a hell of a lot easier.  The guy seemed suspicious that Christopher had been nosing around the other day—rightfully so.  As a SEAL, he didn’t really have a damn good reason to be hanging out in the server room with Lexi.  He’d been called to sit in on the initial briefing, but otherwise?  He had to lie low, even though he wanted eyes on the bastard every second.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out, glancing down to see his commander’s face flash across the screen.

Fucking perfect.

He’d just left base ten minutes ago.  If they were calling him back in or sending the team out on an op, he was going to lose it.

“Walters.”

“Something’s happened to Lexi,” his CO said.

Christopher nearly slammed on the brakes as his blood ran cold.  He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.  “Is she okay?  What happened?”  So help him, if anyone so much as touched a hair on her head, they were a dead man.

“Her car was found abandoned in a garage on Atlantic Avenue.  Door was wide open, engine still running, and Lexi and her belongings missing.”

“God damn it!” he shouted.  “Where the fuck do you think she is?”

“Don’t know.  The Virginia Beach PD contacted security at Little Creek.  Apparently her temporary parking ID was hanging from the rearview mirror.  They got word to me a few minutes ago, and I figured you’d want to be the first to know.”

“Damn right,” Christopher said, his voice cold.

“I’m calling the team in.  The fact that Edwards was playing dirty and Lexi was involved in tracing the attempted hackings means we need to track that mother-fucker down.  I’d bet my life he’s somehow involved.  Get your ass over here ASAP.”

“Already on my way,” Christopher said, pulling an illegal U-turn in the middle of the road.  Cars honked around him, slamming on their brakes, and his tires squealed as he sped up.  The engine of his truck roared as he floored it, speeding back to base.  If the cops were around to see that, they’d have to chase him all the way there.  No way in hell was he stopping.  Not when his girl needed him.

His heart was beating so furiously, it felt like it might pound right out of his chest.  “God damn it!” he shouted again, punching the dashboard.  His instincts had told him something was wrong, that Lexi could be in danger, and that was the whole damn reason he’d planned to be at her hotel each night.  Hell.  He should’ve been looking out for her more.  He should’ve hacked into the phone network and tracked her GPS, known where she was at every moment.