Her Loyal Seal (12 page)

“There’s two ways we can go about this.” He stroked his hand from the top of her head down to the curve of her waist, again and again. She softened against him, no longer caring who was watching.

“What are my choices?” She was hoping one of them included going back up to the room and skipping food. They had yet to make real love, and that’s what she wanted. Clint kept insisting she ‘rest’. And dammit considering how fast she fell asleep each night apparently he was right.

“What did you ask?” His breath tickled her ear.

“I asked what my choices were.”

“One, I give you my credit card and you go into the shop and buy whatever the hell your heart desires. Lucky for you I happen to have a very high limit with an excellent credit rating.” She giggled.

“It sounds like you’re trying to sell yourself to me.”

“Fuck yeah. I want you to know I’m a good bet.”

“Okay, that was option number one, what’s number two?”

“You fulfill a fantasy I have ever since I got off the phone with Jenny. I go into a shop with you, and you go into a dressing room and come out modelling outfit after outfit, making me so hard that by the time we get to the room we’ll have to eat dinner for breakfast.”

Clint’s heartbeat was no longer the slow and easy rhythm it had been, it sped up to match hers. She prayed they had lingerie at the shop and a discreet salesperson.

****

Clint carried the two shopping bags in one hand, and kept his other hand securely around Lydia. She damn near killed him at the boutique and it was wonderful. He saw a flirtatious side to her that was new. He expected this is how it would have been if they met in Mexico City.

The girl had moves! When she came out in a little red number, he damn near swallowed is tongue. The clerk found some sexy red heels to go with the dress, and the skirt hit her mid-thigh. Lydia explained this was a clubbing outfit. Clint wasn’t sure about her ever going out in public in the outfit, as least not without him there to warn off the riff-raff, but he loved seeing her eyes light up.

“I just couldn’t resist trying it on. This is not one I want to buy, this was a ‘torture Clint dress’,” she explained.

“It worked,” he said hoarsely. “It goes into the ‘buy’ pile.” She twisted and grabbed the price tag.

“Oh hell no. But I’m glad to see it worked.” She gave him a wicked smile and closed the curtain of the dressing room. He called over the salesperson.

“Jessica, can you make sure to wrap that up where Lydia can’t see it?”

“You’ve got it.” She winked at him. “The shoes too?”

“Of course.”

When he opened the door to their room, the scent of food hit them immediately. She looked at him curiously. His hand slid over the blue silk of her top that went with her new Capri pants.

“I called the hotel and arranged for dinner to be sent up while Jessica was ringing us up.”

Lydia went over to the balcony and saw there was a bottle of champagne chilling as well. “Just how much do Navy SEALS make?”

“I’m a saver. I rent a two bedroom apartment that isn’t much. Sometimes I do side computer consulting work. Want to see my bank statements?”

“If I do, I won’t have to ask, I’ll just hack into your bank.” He laughed as she lifted one of the lids from an entrée. “Geez Clint, how much food did you order?”

“I eat a lot. I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I ordered a variety. Trust me, whatever you don’t eat, I will.” He moved behind her, and tucked the fall of her hair over her left shoulder so he could kiss the right side of her neck. She shuddered.

She turned and slid her arms around his waist. “Keep doing that and we won’t eat.”

“Food first, we’re going to need our strength for what I have planned.” He pulled out the chair for her to sit down. He watched as she crossed her legs and he saw her painted toes in her new sandals.

Picking up her plate, he asked her what she wanted. He served her bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms, a piece of salmon, a couple of beef medallions and some potatoes.

“Clint, I’m holding you to your promise that you’ll finish what I can’t eat,” Lydia said as she started in on her meal. “I just wanted to taste everything, but there is no way I’ll finish all of this.”

“Trust me, I’ll make sure everything gets taken care of.” He poured some champagne and sat back in his chair. He couldn’t ever remember having had such a romantic night with a woman before. She was glowing, he had wanted to spoil her, to make her feel cherished, and seeing her look of delight convinced him he had succeeded. It was a heady experience.

“I want my dessert now.” Her voice felt like velvet across his skin. When he put his hand on the lid that covered the chocolate torte, she covered it with hers.

“That’s not the dessert I want. I want something a lot more rich and decadent than mere chocolate.”

“Thank fuck.” He pushed back his chair and it started to tip over, but he grabbed it before it fell. “Damn woman, you go to my head.”

She stood up a hell of a lot more gracefully than he had. She moved like a dancer. He imagined her dancing in that red dress and all the blood in his body rushed south of his belt buckle. He stood staring at her.

“Clint?”

He picked her up, cradling her like he wanted in the jungle, with one arm around her back, and his other under her knees. She fit him perfectly, and he wasn’t hurting her. She sighed and smiled.

“I love your strength. It saved me.” He walked taller as he moved them inside. He laid her down on the white down comforter of the king sized bed.

“Lydia, your strength has amazed me from the moment we met.” He looked at her carefully, and saw a hint of vulnerability beneath the excitement.

“We’re not going to do anything you don’t want to do tonight, you know that, don’t you, Baby?”

“I want everything.” She wiggled into a sitting position and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, then the second, and the third. She splayed her hand inside, teasing his chest hair. “I love how warm you are.”

He stayed still as she finished unbuttoning his shirt, and then she nuzzled her cheek against his chest, breathing in deeply.

He grabbed a handful of her silky hair and brought it to his face and inhaled. The scent went straight to his cock. Everything about her was so intensely feminine. His hand brushed the zipper at the back of her top and he lowered it. He couldn’t wait to see which bra she was wearing. Lydia stiffened in his arms. He felt the scars.

“Shhh, I saw them the other night.”

“I–I know.” He thought it through. She’d been so tired. He’d been giving comfort as much as making love. Tonight was different.

“What do you need?” Was she going to be shy? Did she need the light off tonight? He’d do whatever this woman needed.

“It’s pretty ugly.” She was looking down at her hands resting on his chest. He tipped up her chin so she couldn’t fail to see and hear him.

“Every one of those scars is a badge of honor. The only reason it will bother me to see them is to think if we’d only gotten there sooner we could have saved you the torture.”

“No! You can’t think that way.” Lydia cupped his face, and placed a tender kiss on his lips. “You saved me. The beating is on them.”

Brown eyes met hazel. “If I can begin to forgive myself, can you believe me when I tell you I see only beauty?” She finally nodded, and his eyes lightened, and laugh lines fanned from the edges.

“Ever since you bought those three bras, I’ve been dying to know which one you decided to wear tonight.” He pulled the top over her head.

“Ah Ha. You wore the silver one.” She laughed at his silliness. But then his expression turned carnal.

“Look at your nipples. I can see them through the lace. You’re gorgeous. You’re going to kill me tonight.” He tangled the fingers of one hand in the curls of her hair as he took her mouth in a voracious kiss. His tongue plundered, as his other hand found the latch on the back of her bra and released the bounty. He lowered her slowly against the pillows, barely able to think as she met his passion. The prick of her fingernails in his scalp only added to the spice of the kiss.

Their bodies were in perfect accord. She spread her legs in welcome, and he was now resting against her, while she rocked upwards.

“This feels so perfect, please. Please now.”

“Soon. I promise, soon. But first I want to explore you. I want to cherish every moment of our time tonight.”

Clint slid her bra totally off her body, and then swept downwards so her slacks and panties followed. He lowered his head toward her breast and she shoved against him. Hard.

“What?”

“We did this before and I don’t want a repeat.”

“Huh?”

“I missed out.” He was totally confused. All he understood was she was looking at him with a really serious look, and he better get his head in the game if he wanted to get close to Lydia. Then she stroked her hands downwards to the button at the top of his jeans.

“I didn’t get equal playing time last time,” she said as she started to unbutton the top button of his jeans. Feeling her hand as it brushed against his lower abdomen made him lose all focus. He got up off the bed.

“Clint,” she whined.

“If you help me out of my jeans, this will be over too fucking fast. Your hands that close to my cock will drive me out of my mind.”

“That’s the idea.” She rubbed her legs together, and her hands moved upwards towards her breasts and cupped them. Holy hell!

“You stop that right now Lydia Hidalgo. We’re taking this slow. You just got out of the hospital five days ago.”

“Exactly. I deserve my treat now. Fast first. Slow second.” She moved one of her hands towards her face, and brought her forefinger to her lips and sucked it. He shoved his jeans down. Where the fuck was the condom?

****

Clint destroyed her three nights ago. She had never been loved so thoroughly before. It never even occurred to her a man would give and not expect something in return. She wanted to give him the same kind of pleasure tonight. She wanted to be the type of woman men fantasized about, something she never managed to be for others, but a woman she knew she could be for Clint. She wanted to make all of his dreams come true.

Lydia pulled her wet finger out of her mouth, and trailed it down her neck to the upper part of her breast, loving how Clint’s eyes narrowed and followed her every move. Slowly she swirled it around her areola. As his eyes focused on her breasts, she glanced downwards and saw how hard and erect he was. Her thighs clenched together as warmth pooled. The idea of having that much power inside of her was arousing and… intimidating. She sucked in a deep breath.

Clint’s gaze cut upwards, and he was on the bed beside her before she could exhale.

“Talk to me, Baby.”

She lifted her breasts in offering, wanting to focus his attention back towards her body, not her nervous reactions.

He stroked the tops of her breasts with his calloused fingertips, dragging them across her sensitive flesh. Her hands fell to her sides, as the world narrowed to the shards of pleasure his touch evoked.

“Talk to me, what were you thinking a minute ago?” She came out of her pleasure induced trance, and rolled to her side. Tonight was about Clint. Looking at him and his body she had to touch.

“Want this. Need this.” She stroked down his rock hard abdomen and grasped his cock. So hot, so hard. “I need you, Clint.”

“We’ll get there.” He placed a soft kiss against her temple.

She grazed her thumb over the silky head of his penis and gloried when she felt him shudder. She raised her knee. “Now.”

“You’re amazing. But you’re not going to make me lose my head.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, and she felt his strained smile. “You, lady, need to be with me every step of the way.”

“But I want what you want.” She finally had to look away from Clint’s steady gray gaze.

“This is about both of us, love, which means you’re going to talk to me.” She gave him another stroke and he arched into her hand. He put his hand over hers and looked her in the eye.

“Lydia?”

“I’m not sure I’m ready for you.” She gave him a squeeze and looked up at him, praying he would understand. He searched her eyes and seemed to find an answer to his question.

“It’s my job to make sure you are. Do you trust me?”

“More than anybody else in my life. You would never let me down.”

He nodded, then he stroked down her body, and pushed out her raised knee, so that he could touch the intimate flesh of her core.

“You feel like wet silk.” He pushed a finger inside and she sighed in pleasure. Two, and she moaned as he made her feel so good. But when he tried to increase his presence even more, she winced.

His eyes narrowed. “We’re going to slow down, Baby.”

“No. I want more
now
.” She didn’t care it was uncomfortable. She needed to give to him this time.

He chuckled at her petulant tone. “This is too important. You’re too important.” He pulled her hand away from his flesh, and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. “Your touch is potent, Lady.”

Lydia smiled, and stroked the muscles of his back as he pressed teasing kisses down her body. She might have wanted to make this all about Clint tonight, but her greedy body took the choice away from her.

“Ahhh. Clint.”

His tongue swirled down her tummy, and then he was exactly where she wanted him. He parted her folds and when she tried to rise to his tongue’s forays, his grip held her down, which rocketed her arousal upwards. He delved deep as his thumb raised the hood of her clit, and then he sucked as he plunged his fingers deep finding just the right spot. She moaned her release.

****

As she crested he found heaven. This woman meant the world to him and no matter his needs hers would always come first. He continued to plumb her depths, swirling his tongue over her engorged flesh.

“No more, I can’t.” And then she did. This time she cried out.

He sheathed himself and slowly entered her hot depths.