Her Sexy Marine Valentine (8 page)

It was a huge turn-on to be wanted. And she had no doubt Brody wanted her—at least sexually. And for now, she was fine with that.

“This is Lieutenant Brody Williams,” she said, introducing him to Michael. They shook hands. He slipped his arm around her.

“So, Mari, I have some folks who are looking for an interior designer. I wanted to send them over to you, but I wasn't sure after, uh, everything that happened you'd want to still do business with us.”

Mari shrugged. “I don't see why not?” Michael was an architect at Gary's firm and handled most of the high-end clients.

“Excellent. Maybe we could meet for lunch one day next week.”

Brody's hand was on her back, propelling her away. “Text me on Monday,” she called out to him as she and Brody moved away.

“That was business,” she grumbled, but she didn't mean it. Her Marine had an intense gaze.

“He touched you,” he growled again. “And he asked you out to lunch with me standing right there. I don't like it.”

She laughed. “You're playing the possessive boyfriend really well.”

“Mari, I'm not joking. I don't care how it makes me seem, I don't want you spending time alone with that guy. He wants you in the worst way.”

“Brody, don't be silly. I've been friends with him for a long time.”

“Yep, and you're friends with me and in two minutes I will be inside you.”

This time, she faltered. Her knees wobbled. “We can just leave,” she whispered.

“No.” He guided her through the throng of partygoers. “I can't wait that long.”

“Hey, Mari.” One of her old friends came up to talk to her, but all she could do was wave.

“No stopping,” Brody said in her ear. “You have one minute before I bend you over the table in the middle of this room and rip those panties off in front of everyone.”

Heat infused her body from head to toe. She was so aroused, ready. “Can we? Here?”

“We can,” he said. The huskiness in his voice gave her power. He needed her. When he glanced down at her with that look in his eyes, the one he got right before he was about to possess her body and soul, she all but climaxed then and there.

Someone else called out to her, but she didn't turn around. A new sense of urgency filled her. She needed him, too. Once they were alone in the hallway, he started opening doors. The second one on the right they discovered was a guest bedroom. “This will do,” he said, and she followed. He shut the door behind them and didn't bother switching on a light. It was pitch-black, but their mouths and hands found one another. He hiked up her dress and pushed aside her panties.

She gasped. His long fingers slid into her slick heat, and his tongue plundered her mouth. She unzipped him and stroked his shaft. “I want this just as much as you do,” she said, panting. When she squeezed him, he hissed.

“Turn around and put your hands on the door.”

She did as he'd asked. Next there was the sound of the condom packet ripping. He paused, but only for a second. Then he entered her from behind.

She quickly matched his pulse-pounding rhythm. She loved every pressing thrust as he pistoned harder and harder. The growing feeling deep inside her overtook her like a gathering storm that she couldn't outrun. Here—with Brody—she didn't want to. Instead, she wanted everything he could give her.

“Touch yourself,” he said, as his fingers teased her nipples through her dress.

They'd done so many things together, but not that. He took one hand off her breast to put her hand on her slick heat. Then he nipped her ear, pressed kisses to her neck.

She wanted to giggle, to let loose all the emotion and happiness bubbling up within her.

Never in her life had she felt so elated. Touching herself like this was something she'd only done alone, most recently to thoughts of what Brody was doing to her now.

He pulled out, his tip poised at her opening. “You can do it,” he mouthed next to her ear.

She worked her fingers slowly at first, but then quicker over her nub. The sensation of him thrusting behind her and the friction of her touch brought her to orgasm in seconds.

As he captured her cry with his mouth, he caressed her breasts, her hips, her thighs, sending waves of pleasure from her core through every inch of her. Still he claimed her, until her body quickened again. This time they sped over the edge together, her bones melding into his as if they were one. The only thing that kept her upright was him supporting her.

“Mine,” he said as he found his release. “You're mine, Mari.” She'd never felt so strong, knowing that meant he was hers in kind. It was heady and wonderful. His body shuddered around her.

“And this is the guest room,” a voice said from the other side of the door. Oh, no. Someone was about to find them.

She should have been mortified about the possibility, but she didn't care. She was so happy, so fulfilled. She so, so didn't care.

Brody nuzzled her hair, gently let go of her and then righted himself. She slipped her panties into place and smoothed down her dress. The absurdity of the situation hit her as funny and she slapped a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing out loud. The voices faded away and the door remained shut.

She faced Brody and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her again and again. “That was...” He hesitated, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Amazing,” she filled in. “I've never had sex where someone might walk in. That was daring.” So not vanilla.

“I feel like I should say I'm sorry, but I'm not.” He smiled and his fingers trailed across her face tenderly. He could have all the time he wanted for this; this she loved.

“No, don't apologize. That was fun, Brody. Unexpected, but fun. And we've stayed more than the required twenty minutes. Take me home, please, Marine. We haven't christened the dining room yet, or the pantry or—”

“Whatever you want, babe.” He kissed her on the lips. She wanted more. When he lifted his head, he said, “But just so you know, for the rest of the night I'm taking my time with you.”

She shivered with anticipation.

Before he opened the door, he swept her into another long kiss. They finally came up for air. “While we're doing this, Mari, promise me that you're mine and only mine. I can't handle another man touching you.”

“I promise you it's not like that with Michael. He's like a brother to me. But I'm flattered, Brody. I still can't believe this is happening between us. Whatever it is. Exclusive is good and it works both ways, right?”

He held her close. “Yes, it does. Until we are done.”

She didn't want to think about the done part. Instead, she concentrated on how his touch was sending shivers down her spine.

It was crazy. She'd never been this responsive to any man. Of course, they'd established she hadn't been hanging out with the right men. But she had a feeling Brody was one of a kind. That hurt. One day soon, when the house was finished, it would be over between them. Or he might get transferred or even deployed overseas. She forced those sad thoughts from her mind.

Don't get caught up in the future. Enjoy today.
Yes. That's what she had to remember.

After they made sure their clothes were in order, he swung open the bedroom door and they ran smack into Gary.

Mari started giggling. She couldn't help it. Even though they'd sorted themselves out, there was no doubt from her disheveled hair and the heat warming her cheeks that they'd been up to some very naughty things.

Very, very naughty.

“Hey, man,” Brody said to her ex. “Again, thank you. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Oh, and you've got some great walls in this place. Ultra soundproof.”

Gary stared at them, his jaw hanging open. He glanced from her to Brody and then back again. He knew exactly what they'd been doing.

“We've got to go,” Brody said. “Can't keep my hands off her, practically made love to her right in front of all your guests.” Then he pulled her through the party as if they were rushing away from a fire.

Maybe they were, because Mari was burning hotter than she ever had before.

Danger. Danger.

She just didn't care. Whatever time she had with Brody, she would make the most of it.

10

S
OMETHING
WAS
WRONG
and Brody had no idea what it was. As they reached the pier where the CO's rented yacht was docked, Mari was continuing to be quiet.

After the party at her ex's on Friday, he and Mari had made love for most of the night. She'd been fine before she'd drifted off to sleep. But that was hours ago. Now it was Saturday afternoon, and ever since he'd picked her up at her house, she'd been silent. For the life of him he couldn't figure out what he'd done, but he was sure it was bad.

“Are you okay? You don't seem like yourself,” he asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

“I'm fine.” The slight shake in her hand said something different.

“The CO likes you, and you met almost everyone who's here at the picnic,” he said, trying to encourage her. “If we weren't dating he'd probably be all over you. Every time I run in to him at the base, he asks how you are.” He frowned. He didn't like the idea of anyone being hot for Mari except him. Yesterday when the CO had cornered him to make sure Brody was bringing Mari on the boat, he'd almost told him to get lost. But he also didn't like the idea of having to dig latrines for the next millennia, so he'd kept his thoughts to himself.

He wasn't sure what had happened to him exactly, but he felt protective toward her, possessive even. He didn't get that way over every woman. The line between them pretending and the real thing was long gone, he suddenly realized. He cared about her. Didn't want her dating anyone else.

That's not good
.

“It's not that. We should just go,” she said, reaching for the car door handle. He had the urge to stop her. Instead, he jumped out quickly to help her down from the truck. Then he leaned in behind the seat to get the present she'd chosen and wrapped the day before. She wouldn't say what it was, only that it was something the CO would like.

He followed her down the ramp to where the yacht was moored. The late afternoon sun was warm, and a gentle breeze lifted the skirt of the blue dress she wore. She nervously pushed it down.

“You are so pretty,” he said.

She gave him a quick smile, but it wasn't her normal sunny one.

“If you aren't feeling well, I can make excuses. I'll drop off the present and we can go.”

“No,” she said abruptly. Then she put on the fake smile. “I mean, we're here. We might as well say hello.” That smile would have worked on anyone else, but he'd spent enough time with her to know it wasn't genuine. When she got to the yacht, he assisted her across the ramp. Again, her hand shook.

Why won't she tell me what's wrong?

Carissa waved them on board. She was in white shorts that should have been illegal and a rhinestone-covered bikini top. He preferred Mari's dress. The blue brought out the color in her eyes and it molded perfectly to her figure.

“Everyone is in there,” Carissa said as she pointed toward a large living space. Then she looked past him and waved furiously. He glanced back to see his buddy Ben Peterson. Poor guy, he was in for it now. The CO's daughter had moved on.

It was crowded in the main area and there wasn't much seating. Mari seemed even more tense than she had been before they'd gotten on board the boat. They said hello to the CO and then took a tour of the massive yacht. It was stunning.

There were about fifty people there, the senior officers from the base and their significant others, along with some of the CO's friends. After the tour Brody got caught up in a conversation with Mark and Gray about the new fuel pumps going into the Vipers.

Mari excused herself to go to the ladies' room. He felt bad about her being excluded from the conversation, and made a note to himself to be sure they talked about things that might interest her when she returned. When she hadn't come back in twenty minutes, he went to look for her. She wasn't in any of the bathrooms or in the main area. He checked the bedrooms and then climbed the stairs up to the deck, slightly panicked. Maybe she'd gotten off before they left port. He hoped not.

He and Mari never should have boarded the boat. He'd known something wasn't right.

He'd almost given up when he found her sitting on one of the lounge chairs off the central deck with her knees tucked under her chin. She didn't look good. Her glowing skin was slightly green and there was a white rim around her luscious pink lips.

Seasick. He'd seen it before. Even the toughest Marine could get hit with it. They were just out of the harbor and the yacht sluiced through the water, barely rocking, but she was feeling it.

He sat down on the chair next to hers. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“What?” She kept her eyes on the water beyond the railing.

“That you either hate the water or boats.”

She shrugged.

“Or both,” he mused. Her dress was over her legs and she had her arms crossed over her knees with her chin on them.

She sighed. “I didn't want to disappoint you. And it's a big boat, I thought I could handle it. I wanted you to impress your CO.” She lowered her voice on the last part.

“You could never disappoint me, Mari. We could have stayed home in bed and it would have been a lot more fun.”

She tensed.

Was she regretting that they'd taken things further than they'd planned? Their relationship had hit a new level that caught him off guard sometimes. Such as, he always wanted to be with her. That had never happened before.

But they'd both been lonely and he truly believed that it was a good compromise for them to find some affection with one another. Their time was limited, and it was supposed to be casual. Maybe she thought it should be more.

He'd just admitted to himself that he was feeling a bit possessive of her. Or maybe she was done. He didn't blame her. She didn't normally have sex at parties. And the people there were her friends, or at least had been. She'd wanted to impress them, not run out with mussed hair and her face wearing the heat from their lovemaking. He should apologize again.

“Last night, I shouldn't have been so, ah, that is...”

“It's not that. It's nothing,” she said.

He grasped her chin lightly and held her face close to his. “Talk to me, please. You've been upset since this morning.”

“I told you it doesn't matter.” She pulled away.

But it did. She was backing away from him and he didn't like it. “It matters to me. I don't want you to be upset. Obviously I've done something stupid, but I have no idea what. If it's about last night, I apologize for how I acted. I always lose control when you're—”

“Don't you dare apologize for last night, it was wonderful. I enjoyed every minute.”

So it was something he'd done afterward.

“I told you I'm not good at relationships, but I thought our arrangement was working out well. I care about you, so tell me how I can fix it.”

She shook her head. “You're right. I'm not feeling well. It's kind of silly.”

He took her hand in his. “It isn't silly to me, but hold on two seconds. I think I have a solution for the first problem.” He found one of the waitstaff and explained the situation. A few minutes later he handed Mari two pills and a bottle of water.

“Take these.”

“I don't think taking anything right now is advisable.”

“Trust me. These are for nausea.” She swallowed the pills and had a sip of water.

Then he grabbed the plastic packet out of his pocket and pulled off one of the patches. After lifting her hair, he placed the patch behind her ear. “This will help, as well. Maybe even faster than the pills. It's an antinausea patch.”

She shivered. He took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Now talk to me,” he said. He wracked his brain trying to figure out what he'd done between last night and this afternoon.

“It's not a big deal.”

“Oh, but it is. Let's always be honest with one another. We have been so far. Tell me what's bothering you.”

She shrugged again. “You never stay,” she said, glancing away. “It's not the end of the world, but kind of makes me feel— It's dumb. I have no right to expect anything from you.”

It took him a moment to figure out what she was talking about. “Mari, I leave after you fall asleep every night in order to protect you.”

She glanced back at him, frowning. “What?”

“I have night terrors. It's— I've had them since— I told you that I lost a lot of my men—my friends—in a crash. It's messed with my brain. I can't sleep and I wake up all hours of the night, sometimes violently. I've punched holes in walls and bloodied my hands before I ever woke up and figured out what was happening.

“I'd never want to hurt you. So once you fall asleep, I slip out. It's all so I don't accidentally harm you in some way. Trust me, leaving you every night is the toughest thing I have to do these days. There's nothing I'd love more than to wake up with you in my arms, but it isn't safe.”

She blessed him with one of her genuine Mari-lights-up-the-world grins. “I never thought of that,” she said. “You don't talk about what happened, not that you need to with me. I'm still so insecure sometimes, and I'm sure I'm letting the past color whatever this craziness is that we have. I thought maybe I looked really bad in the morning or you were secretly embarrassed about being with me.”

“Never.” He pulled her into his lap. “I will tell you this every single day and it will be the truth. Mari, any man would be proud to have you on his arm. I don't care what anyone else thinks. Whether you're wearing fancy party clothes, or that old Cowboys jersey and those tiny shorts, you're sexy. I especially love you in those tiny shorts.”

“You're so bad.”

He grinned.

“I've read about PTSD, Brody, but I've never met anyone who had it. Do you go to counseling?”

“I did when I first got back.” But then he'd moved to Corpus and hadn't found another support group. Maybe it was time he tried.

He felt bad that Mari didn't think he cared enough about her to stay through the night. It was that he cared too much. He had noticed since he'd been with her that he hadn't been having the nightmares or the headaches as often. He usually fell into bed exhausted by the time he made it back to his place. He'd even cut down his runs to one a day because he was making love with Mari every night. She was as insatiable as he was.

“We could try,” he said.

She frowned as if she didn't understand.

“Me sleeping over. You just have to promise that if I start moving around or yelling, you can't touch me or try to wake me up. You need to get away. If I ever hurt you, I'd never forgive myself.” He rubbed his fingers along her cheek.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I'll be careful, I promise. I hate that you have these nightmares. You've been through so much already.”

“It's the job and the sense of duty I feel. Sometimes there can be side effects.” People often asked him if he had regrets. Never about joining the military, but always about the friends he'd lost while serving. He was a proud Marine, and he'd do whatever it took to protect his country. But he did miss his colleagues.

“Still. I appreciate you and what you've sacrificed. And now that I know why, I'm good with whatever makes you feel comfortable. You don't have to sleep over.”

“Are you afraid of me now?” He couldn't blame her.

“No. I would never be frightened of you. But I don't want to push you into anything, especially if you're worried about it.

“We'll try,” he said. It did worry him that he might unintentionally hurt her. But he wanted her to know it wasn't just sex between them. Not that what they were doing was anything serious. But he cared for her.

A lot.

In the last few weeks, Mari had become the center of his world. For all his talk about keeping things casual, he was falling for her. That hadn't ever happened before. Her happiness was important to him. More than his own.

Crud.

“Hey, you two lovebirds,” Ben called out. “Carissa sent me to get you guys. The CO is cutting his birthday cake.”

“We'll be right in.”

“So I told you my secret.” Brody kissed her cheek. “You tell me why you hate the boats and water so much.”

She sighed. “It's more of a combo thing. I love swimming. The water doesn't bother me as long as I can put my feet on the ground. When I was about ten, I was kayaking down some rapids with my family. I struggled to get some air, right away the current picked me up. It was going too fast. I hit my head on a rock and nearly drowned.”

“You had to have been scared to death.”

She nodded. “I was. And then I blacked out. Abbott, who works with me, pulled me to safety. We've been best friends since kindergarten. When I moved here, she did as well. She was my roommate for years. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be alive. It's nothing like you've been through, but I've pretty much avoided boats until today.”

The idea of something happening to her tugged at his gut. He hugged her and kissed her forehead. “I'm really thankful for her right now. And you should have told me. I could have come alone, or we could have stayed home and worked on the house. As much as I want to impress the CO, you're more important, especially if being here makes you uncomfortable.”

She gave him a warm smile. “You are the sweetest. I'll be honest I didn't expect that the yacht would actually leave the harbor. I've been to parties before where it just stays at the dock. But I'm okay. I have you.” She kissed his jaw and his cock grew hard. “I know you'll keep me safe.”

“You can count on it.” He had her in his arms and he hugged her tightly, losing himself in her warmth. He would keep her safe, but he wasn't so sure about his heart.