A SEAL's Surrender (Alpha SEALs Book 3) (7 page)

He ripped off his shirt, liquid heat pooling inside him as her eyes trailed over his abdomen.  He kept in good shape and knew women always appreciated his muscular torso, but having Lexi look at him that way was hotter than hell.

“Well, damn,” she said.

Christopher chuffed out a laugh.  Hell if it didn’t make him feel ten feet tall having Lexi’s eyes run over him like that.  To have her look at him the way she once did made him prouder than damn near anything.  Her approval meant everything to him—nothing else mattered.  How he’d screwed it up so badly was a damn mystery.  He was young and stupid then—nothing but a fool.

He toed off his boots, and a second later tugged down his pants and boxer briefs.  His erection sprang out, and he throbbed as he watched Lexi lick her lips.  He didn’t have enough control to let her take him in her mouth tonight.  He was hanging on the edge as it was, about to explode just from being with her.

He bent over her supple body, his arousal pushing up against her slick folds, and kissed her gently.  She whimpered as he gently probed her mouth with his tongue.  She writhed beneath him, her heat rubbing up against his swollen cock and driving him damn near insane.  “Are you still on the pill?” he asked between soft kisses.  He’d never gone bare for any women but her.  He’d wear a condom if she wanted, but it would just fucking kill him.  He needed her trust.

“Uh-huh,” she panted, gently bucking her hips against him.

“I’ll wear a condom if you want, but I promise I’m clean, honey.  The only woman I’ve ever gone without is you.”

Her cheeks heated, and he searched her violet eyes.  Why the hell that should embarrass her, he didn’t have a fucking clue.  The fact that she’d been inexperienced when they first met just made him that much damn harder for her.  Just made her that much sweeter.  Add in the revelation that he’d been the only man to ever steal her pleasure and he was damn near flying into the stratosphere.

For a man who’d been relatively on his own his entire life, taking care of Lexi and making her happy was the best thing he’d ever known.  Maybe the greatest thing he’d ever done.  She was the only future he’d wanted, and the fact that he’d ruined it lay heavily on his chest.  He’d screwed it up, but there wasn’t a day that went by that her violet eyes and innocent smile didn’t haunt his dreams.

He ducked his head and stole another kiss, nudging his erection against her swollen clit.  She gasped and opened her legs further to him, sending him a clear invitation to take it all the way home.  Positioning himself, he eased into her opening, slowly edging the swollen head of his shaft into her tight heat.  He grit his teeth, holding back as he slid in inch by painstaking inch.  He needed to go slow, to make it good for her, too.

He laced his fingers with hers, his own hands rough and calloused compared to her smooth, creamy skin.  He held her arms up above her head, pinning them to the mattress.  She clutched onto his hands desperately as her walls clenched down around him, she was already so wound up.  Slowly, he pulled out and pushed back in, stretching her, making her his.  Lexi moaned beneath him as he gently thrust, and he kissed her again, stealing her breath.  Having her supple body beneath him, exactly where she belonged, was a goddamn dream.

He adjusted his position, hitting that secret spot inside that drove her absolutely wild.  She cried out, trying to move away from the intense pleasure, but he had her pinned to the mattress.  She ground her hips against his, moving in perfect sync with him.  Their bodies weren’t two separate entities anymore; they were one.

The little mewls and whimpers coming from her lips were captured by his mouth, hot over hers.  Her inner walls pulsed, milking his throbbing cock, and male pride surged through him as he drove her toward ecstasy.

Come for me, honey.

Only for me.

He wanted to roar in approval at satisfying his woman.  The need to care for and protect a woman was engrained in his DNA.  The desire to sate her in the bedroom was just as strong.  Christopher took care of what was his—in any and every way imaginable.  She was his to satisfy, and he wanted to make sure she knew it down to her very soul.

He thrust harder, deeper, loving her little gasps.  He was throbbing, desperate for release, but not without taking her pleasure first.  Within seconds she was crying out, bucking beneath him.  She screamed as her body arched up against his, her breasts pushing against his chest, her pussy gripping him like a vise.  His balls tightened, and he pumped into her again, releasing deep inside Lexi as he shouted her name.

Shockwaves coursed through his body, a million nights without her worth every lonely minute for their connection tonight.  Fucking hell.  He glanced down at her, those innocent violet eyes on him.  Her body was coated in a light sheen of sweat, her cheeks flushed, her hair tousled and sexy as fuck.  He released his grip on her delicate hands, rolling them both to the side, still buried deep inside his woman.  He hitched Lexi’s leg up over his hip and then collected her tightly in his arms, listening to the soft sounds of her breathing.

“Are you okay?”

“Um…yeah.  Way better than okay.”

Christopher chuckled, and kissed her cherry lips.  He was already growing hard again, buried balls deep inside her, needing to take her again.

Her eyes grew wide, and his hand slid to her ass, pulling her impossibly closer.  She was soft and warm, somehow still innocent despite the passage of time, and still completely gorgeous with bombshell curves that would put a supermodel to shame.  He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve a night in Lexi’s arms, but hell if he never wanted it to end.  He never wanted another woman in his bed again.  He sure as hell never wanted Lexi being kissed, touched, or pleasured by another man.  He’d found what he’d lost all those years ago, and nothing—no one—would take her away.

Christopher rolled to his back, pulling Lexi along with him.  Dark hair cascaded down, teasing the ample curves of her breasts and rosy nipples.  He wanted to run his fingers through her smooth locks, kiss and suck on those gorgeous tits, and fuck her into oblivion.

Her thighs settled on either side of his, so soft against his own hard muscles, and he groaned as she sank further down, completely impaled by him.

He thrust up into her, grinding himself against her clit, and his name fell softly from her lips.  Gripping her curvy hips, he thrust again, watching her eyes slide shut as her head fell back.  He held her to him, taking all control of their lovemaking, and gave her exactly what she needed.  Gorgeous breasts bounced up and down, her silken walls tightened around his shaft, but it was the expression on her face that nearly made him come undone—pure, unadulterated bliss, brought on by him.

Adrenaline and heat surged through him as the need to sate her took over.  He needed her coming on his cock, breathing his name, and collapsing into his arms.  He urged her higher and higher, bucking beneath her, sending her straight toward oblivion.

“Christopher,” she gasped.

He pulled her down hard as he thrust up again, and she shattered, crying out once more in ecstasy.  His cock hardened, and his seed exploded inside her, marking her, claiming her as his.

“Oh God,” she cried out, finally meeting his eyes.  “Christopher….”

His name on her lips was the sweetest damn sound he’d ever heard.

Christopher stretched and rolled over in bed the next morning, his body exhausted.  He’d kept Lexi up practically all goddamn night, and he wasn’t twenty-four anymore.  His body was feeling the lack of shut-eye.  All night lovemaking sessions weren’t something he’d enjoyed the pleasure of in a damn long time.  Hell if time and age weren’t catching up with him.  That and the fact that there was only one woman he needed above all others.

He slid one hand across the bed, wondering where she’d disappeared to, and realized the sheets beside him were cold.  Sitting up, his eyes fell on a scrap of paper next to him on the wooden nightstand.

Big meeting this a.m. See you around. -Lexi

Christopher scanned over the note for the third time, clenching his jaw. 
See you around? 
That sentiment might sit better with him if it was from an acquaintance he barely knew, not the woman he’d just spent the night making love to.  And it sure as hell didn’t bode well coming from Lexi.  How the hell had she snuck out? He was a goddamned SEAL, trained to be attuned to his surroundings, to be on guard at all times.  Yet somehow the woman he’d slept with had slipped out of the bed they’d shared—out of his
arms
for fuck’s sake—and simply left?

Sonofabitch.

Christopher scrubbed his hand over his face, muttering in disbelief.  That note sure as shit didn’t sound too promising.  It wasn’t exactly covered in little hearts and smiley faces or any of that other flowery stuff woman loved.  Presumably if she was okay with the way the night had ended—with them making love until nearly dawn—she’d have stuck around.  Maybe even been up for a morning tumble between the sheets.

He stood, the tangled sheets falling to the ground, and snatched his boxer briefs from the floor.  Lexi’s lavender scent was all over his skin, and his cock twitched at the memories of her soft and warm body beneath him.

He’d chased after her last night wanting to explain everything—to come clean on the reason he’d freaked out on her back in Coronado.  To explain why he’d panicked at the idea of becoming a dad.  Although Lexi knew his own father had left him, she didn’t know the half of the shit he’d dealt with as a kid.  Of his fear of turning out just like his old man.  Christopher had never planned to be a father, and the moment Lexi said she was pregnant, he’d literally frozen in fear.  What were the stages of grief?  Denial, anger, and finally acceptance?

He’d driven around until dawn all those years ago, finally realizing he’d do whatever it took to protect Lexi and his child.  That he had more honor and integrity in him at age twenty-four than his dad had his entire life.  Christopher would never harm a woman, and he sure as hell would never hurt an innocent child.

His revelations were too little too late.  Lexi had slammed the door in his face, and until she’d walked into Anchors, it was the last time they’d spoken.  One of her roommates had shown up a week after they’d broken up, telling him the pregnancy scare had been a false alarm.  Oh yeah, and that Lexi was long gone.

Regret tore through his chest at never going after her.

He dressed quickly, alone in her empty hotel room.  His shucked on his tee shirt, memories of Lexi desperately clutching it last night churning in his mind.  His eyes swept the room.  Her purse was gone, but her suitcase was propped open on the dresser.  Not that he’d really expected her to run out on the job.  Lexi had been a whip-smart computer sciences students back in California, the only female intern in a group of male computer security trainees.  She’d blasted past those guys, coming out in the top of her classes.  He’d been prouder than hell of her and upset beyond belief that she’d left in the middle of her college career because of him.  Presumably she’d finished her degree somewhere on the East Coast, eventually working her way up the ranks in the Pentagon.

And now their first encounter after a night of unbridled passion would be at a damn IT security briefing on base?  Hell.  He hadn’t even told her that he’d be there.  She’d go ballistic when she saw him sitting in on the meeting.  There hadn’t exactly been time for a lot of conversation in between making love all night long.  And she sure hadn’t given him a chance to get in a word this morning.

She’d cut and run, leaving him alone with his regrets.

He needed a good run to clear his head.  To figure out his game plan.  If he thought she was angry to unexpectedly see him last night at Anchors, she was going to be livid that he was sitting in on her meeting this morning.  No way would she expect a SEAL sitting in with the network security staff, but hell if he wasn’t as good as her at hacking into systems unbeknownst and undetected.  If his CO needed him there, he was there.  Christopher put the mission first, and even a woman like Lexi wasn’t enough to change that.  If she didn’t want him there, that was too damn bad.  It’s not like she was running the place.

Stopping the attempted hacks into the secure systems was mission critical.  The Top Secret military information stored on their servers couldn’t ever be leaked into the wrong hands.  And come hell or high water, he was coming clean with her about his past.  Today.

After a quick five miles, Christopher showered and changed in the locker room on base.  His muscles tensed at the memory of moving over Lexi last night.  Pinning her down beneath him had damn near driven him out of his mind.  She was soft and sweet.  Enticing.  Claiming her as his years ago was the smartest damn thing he’d ever done.  How he’d fucked that up was beyond all reason.

His run had done little to assuage the adrenaline and guilt racking through him.  He was strung tight, ready to snap at any second.  The tension at the thought of seeing her again coursed through his body.  A long run and hot shower seemed like the only reasonable way to start his day.  No doubt waking alone in a woman’s hotel room would leave a man riddled with uneasy thoughts churning through his mind.

The sludge that passed for coffee in the mess hall did little to make up for his lack of shut-eye.  The high he’d gotten from running earlier hadn’t lasted thanks to his passion-fueled night.  He wasn’t a fancy coffee kind of man, but at the moment, he’d kill for a couple shots of espresso.  Just so he could think clearly and get his damn head on straight.

He tensed as he heard voices, and a second later, his SEAL team leader Patrick strode into the locker room, grabbing his gear for their day’s training.  “I heard you’re sitting in on the computer hacking briefing this a.m.,” Patrick said, stuffing his bag in his locker.

“Yeah, the CO wants me there.  I figure he owes somebody a favor, roping me into this.”

Patrick nodded.  “We’re drilling out on the water.  It’ll be Evan’s first time out since he’s been back.”

“It’ll be good for him to get back out there with the team.  I wouldn’t mind being out there myself this morning.”

Patrick chuffed out a laugh.  “Mike said your ex is the hotshot specialist from the Pentagon?”

“Something like that,” Christopher muttered.

“You’re screwed, man.  Nothing’s worse than a woman scorned.  Especially one who’s had years to stew over it.”

“Sonofabith.”

“What the hell did you do to her?”

“Doesn’t matter.  We were practically just kids then.”

Patrick raised his eyebrows.

Mike swung open the door to the locker room, dropping his bag full of gear on the ground.  He grinned as he caught sight of them.  “All right lover boy, how was she?”

Christopher clenched his fists.  “None of your goddamn business.”

Mike laughed.  “Hell, I figure any woman that has your lousy ass chasing her down the block must be pretty damn fine.”

“Fuck you,” Christopher spat out, slamming his locker door shut.

Patrick’s cool blue gaze slid to him.  “Just don’t let a woman get in the way of the mission,” he said, throwing Christopher’s words from months earlier back at him.  Their SEAL team had gotten sent out on an op right after the confrontation with Rebecca’s stalker and subsequent argument between Patrick and Rebecca.  Patrick had been broken up over it, and Christopher had told him to keep his head in the game.

Not that he and Lexi were anything remotely like Patrick and Rebecca.

“Hell.  You and Rebecca were together when I said that.  This is old news—a decade old.  That ship has sailed.”

“Right.  That’s why you’re always bitching about your ex from California.  Because you’re over her,” Mike laughed.

“Both of you can go to hell,” Christopher muttered.

“You’re welcome,” Patrick smirked, starting to walk away.

“Already on my way,” Mike quipped.

Christopher stalked out of the locker room, biting out a curse.  He should’ve known his advice to Patrick all those months ago would come back to bite him in the ass.  Since when was he a goddamn expert on relationships?  Lexi wouldn’t get in the way of anything.  She wasn’t even on his radar enough
to
get in the way.  Maybe their night together was just him blowing off some steam, scratching an itch that had been bothering him for a decade.  That shit didn’t mean anything.  It sure the fuck didn’t mean he couldn’t do his job.  Jesus.

He stormed down the hall, clenching his fists.  Maybe they could solve this shit today and Lexi would be on her way back to her office at the Pentagon by nightfall.  She’d walk out of his life, and he’d move on.  Again.

Fucking hell.

Maybe if he didn’t have to worry about being near her he could actually breathe again.  Maybe his pulse would stop pounding and his body wouldn’t be on full-blown alert.  His chest clenched just thinking about sitting across the table from her all morning long.  He’d gone years,
years,
without seeing her, and now he’d finally be able to feast his eyes on her for hours on end?

Hell.

How was he supposed to look and not touch when he’d just spent an entire night with her wrapped around him?  How was he supposed to play it cool when hours ago his cock had been buried so deeply in her tight heat he barely knew where he stopped and she began?

He didn’t need a cup of coffee to clear his head, he needed a whole damn pot.  And quite possibly a cold shower.  Jesus.