The Elite: The Complete Series of Boomer and Player (With Bonus) (14 page)

“How was the flight?” Aaron asked when we stepped back inside. I glanced at Jack’s friend, still unsure of what to think about him. There was a degree of tension between the two friends, and although I knew it wasn’t my place to get involved, I couldn’t help but feel like it was somehow related to me.

“Right as rain, brother,” Jack replied, his tone curt as he handed Aaron the keys.

Aaron’s eyes danced over to me. “What about you?”

“Well, if I had a comments card, I would say it was a nine out of ten. I’m taking away one point for the unnecessary showing off.”

Jack shrugged. “I have to keep things interesting.”

I laughed. “That’s one word for it. Terrifying, nauseating, and insane, also come to mind.”

Aaron smirked. “So, where are you two running off to next? Princess and the little guy are in my office.”

I cringed, hoping Hunter hadn’t managed to get into anything too important. He had a thing for paper. Jack looked over at me. “I was thinking some lunch, that is, if you can stomach it.”

I elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “I’ll be fine. And this time, it’s on you. Payback.”

He grinned. “My pleasure.”

Aaron and the other patrons of the museum faded to the background as my mind flashed back to the night before, in Jack’s arms, his breath mingling with mine in frantic gasps as we crashed together.

I jerked back to attention as Jack reached for my hand. I blinked twice, clearing the daydream away, before following his lead down the hall to Aaron’s office. Princess was sitting in his office chair, and Hunter was on the floor below her, looking up at her with worshiping eyes.

We all laughed at the sight. “Well, hell, if Princess is willing to hold down the fort for the afternoon, I guess I can come out with you guys.”

I caught Jack give his friend a dark look, but Aaron didn’t back down. “Come on, there’s the Mexican joint up the beach, best fajitas you’ll ever eat!”

“Sounds great,” I answered, squeezing Jack’s hand to let him know it was all right.

Jack shrugged his shoulders back. “Fine, but you’re sitting in the back with the dogs.”

* * * *

The lunch out was not nearly as close to a disaster as Jack had made it seem. Aaron had warmed up and they told me some stories from their final tour together, and by the end of it, we were all laughing and the tension between the two men was gone.

Of course, the pitcher of margarita’s we’d all shared had probably gone a long way towards making that happen.

“I still can’t believe some of those stories!” I exclaimed, as we left the museum after dropping Aaron off. “You’re like this totally laid back guy, it’s hard to imagine you as this machine gun toting, take no prisoners, kinda guy.”

Jack chuckled. “To be fair, we don’t
tote
machine guns.”

I waved my hand, dismissing his correction. My limbs were warm and loose, and I settled back against the seat, closing my eyes as I tilted my face up to the sinking sun. The fajitas had been just as Aaron had promised, some of the best I’d ever had, and between the lingering effects of the drinks, and the indulgent meal in my stomach, I was ready for an afternoon siesta.

I must have dozed off somewhere along the way, and when my eyes fluttered open again, we were coming to a stop in front of my rental house. I struggled to sit up straight and flicked a glance over at Jack, hoping I hadn’t been snoring or drooling on his leather seats. He was watching me with a warm smile and after he cut the engine, he reached across to brush a thumb along my cheek.

“Here,” he said, dropping his hand, reaching for a brown paper cup he had tucked between his legs. “Vanilla latte. Carly said it was your favorite.”

“When did we…?”

Jack laughed. “You were lights out. I thought a little pick me up might help.”

I took the cup and sucked in a long, slow sip of the subtly sweet drink. “Mmmm. God, I think that woman has magical coffee making powers. Thank you.”

“No problem. Truth be told, it was a little bit of a self-serving move. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.” His brown eyes locked with mine, and I jolted out of my sleepy, Mexican food coma at the intensity held behind his stare.

“I wasn’t either.” I looked up at the beach house. “Do you want to come inside? Princess is more than welcome.”

A quick peek into the backseat showed that the dogs were just as tired as we were, they were curled together, lulled to sleep by the car ride.

Jack got out of the car and reached back to grab Hunter, carrying him as he had up the beach the first time we’d gone out. Princess stirred when he removed her sleeping buddy, and lazily got up and stretched before jumping out of the car.

I led the way and the dogs resumed their naps on the rug in front of the couch. I sipped at my coffee and let the caffeine work its magic. The house was too quiet, so I crossed the room and opened the windows and let the sound of the ocean rush inside. When I turned back from opening the last window, Jack was sitting on the couch, his legs off to the side of where the dogs were napping. I took a step towards him, but stopped short of the couch, suddenly unsure.

He looked up at me, sipping his own cup of coffee. “You gonna sit down?”

I sat on the other end, leaving a cushion between us and polished off the last of my latte. “Ugh, why does this feel so awkward?”

Jack chuckled. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“Any theories?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I think,” he started, dropping his voice even lower, “it’s because we’re both so busy fighting off what we really want to do…”

“Oh,” I replied, my lips parting. “And…what would that be?”

He got up and came around to where I was sitting, offering me his hand. I took it, doing my best to keep mine from quivering. He tugged me up from the couch, and I leaned back just long enough to set my empty cup on the side table. Jack pulled me into his arms, and all the sensations from the night before, flooded back to me in a rush.

“This,” he answered, lowering his lips to mine.

I sighed as our lips met in a kiss that started out as gentle and sweet, but quickly turned into a ravenous search of each other. Jack’s hands went to my hips and up the curves of my waist, slowly, like he was burning the sensations into his memory. When his lips went to the hollow under my collarbone, I shivered against him and he groaned, his breath hot against my skin.

My hands searched his body, tentatively at first, but I grew bolder at the response to my touch. His muscles were solid and firm and I could feel every curve and plane through his thin shirt. I slipped a hand under the soft fabric and spread my fingers as wide as I could over his flat stomach. Heat flooded over my body, centralizing between my thighs as I explored the ridges and dips of his carved abs.

Jack pulled the shirt off over his head, and I took a long moment to marvel at his body that would give underwear models a run for their money. “See anything you like?” He asked, his voice low and gravely.

My eyes flew to his and my cheeks warmed. He’d no doubt caught me staring, open mouthed, at his perfection. As my gaze traveled back over his body, I caught sight of a tattoo. I brushed my fingers over the ink, a small koi fish, done in black and grey ink, on his side, off center from his heart.

“Got that with some buddies a few years ago, after getting home from a tour overseas,” he explained, watching me finger the smooth skin.

“Why a koi fish?” I asked, meeting his eyes again.

“Wild koi swim against the tide, the meaning we chose to take from that was that we’d fight on, against all odds. It represents strength under hardship, not backing away from a challenge, character. That’s what my boys and I stand for. That’s what we fight for.”

I kissed him, the simple poetic words washing over me. It was impossible to listen to Jack talk about serving in the Navy and not get swept away with the passion he held for his job. His service. He was more deserving of the words honor and valor, than anyone I’d ever met before. I twinged with guilt as I remembered my first impression of him after he’d told me he was in the service. I’d painted him with the same unflattering labels that my ex had taught me, and I knew I would always regret that. Jack was head and shoulders above my ex. They weren’t even in the same category.

Jack lifted me up and I squealed, completely caught off guard. Hunter barked in my defense, and I laughed. “Oh, look who’s the hero now!”

“Not cool, dude,” Jack said, shuffling around the frantic puppy. “Killin’ my game here.”

I laughed harder, throwing my head back. “Hunter, baby, stop. It’s okay!”

Jack bolted for the stairs, and I grabbed a hold of his neck to keep from falling out of his arms as I bounced along. He carried me up the stairs, only setting me down when he’d stepped into the bedroom and shut the door to lock Hunter outside in the hall.

“Poor baby,” I said, frowning at the closed door. “He’s going to start howling, you know.”

Jack grinned at me. “I guess we’ll just have to drown him out.”

I shivered with anticipation as he gathered me back to him. My hands roved up his smooth back, loving the feel of his muscles moving under my fingertips as he set to work with removing my top. I let him pull the light sweater over my head. Even though I wasn’t showing more than I would in a bikini top, I blushed and shook my hair forward to cover as much skin as possible. Jack smiled and pushed it all aside, staring at every exposed inch with ever growing mischief in his eyes. “You’re a beautiful woman, Holly.”

I kissed him again and things ignited as our skin met. I pressed in as close as I could, loving the mix of hard and soft between us. Jack tongued the edge of my ear with expert strokes that had me panting and reaching for his belt buckle instantly. I wanted more of his skin against mine. I wanted him bare. Naked.

He continued to tease my ear while he unhooked the back of my bra. When the last hook was freed, I stepped back and slid the straps down my arms slowly, smiling up at Jack to watch his reaction when the cups fell from my breasts. His eyes went wide and dark. I bit my bottom lip and tossed the bra to the floor before crashing against him again.

Jack lifted me up and lay me on the bed. His hands ran down the outside of my legs, as he lowered himself to the bed. I arched against the soft mattress when his mouth moved down to my hard nipples. He sucked and licked at each one while I squirmed below, pressing my thighs together, getting more and more desperate for release. He kissed down my stomach, swirled my navel with the tip of his tongue and looked up at me, his eyes full of warmth, and desire and lust. Then he went to work on the button of my jean shorts.

He paused before stripping the shorts away to kiss along the sensitive skin below my navel, above the top of my low cut panties. I inhaled sharply at the heat of his lips and fisted the covers, more eager and nervous than ever. It had been so long since I’d been in bed with a man, and while it came naturally, an explosion of nerves went off as he slid the shorts down my legs. I heard them hit the floor and I closed my eyes against the sudden urge to pull a blanket over myself.

Jack’s lips pressed against the inside of my thigh, and I jolted upright, eyes wide open. The sight of him between my thighs made me moan and he looked up from where he was kissing dangerously closer to my soaking wet panties. “Trust me, Holly.”

I sucked in my bottom lip and nodded. He shifted his attention back to my leg and moved up another inch, before parting his lips to suck and nibble at the indent where my leg met my hip. “You smell so good, Holly. Lay back, baby girl, let me take care of you.”

I released the breath I’d been holding and lay back on the bed. Jack’s finger traced the edge of my cotton panties and I shuddered. “Jack…” He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he slipped his fingertip underneath and slid down the center, sliding easily over my pussy lips.

“Oh, baby, you’re so wet,” he groaned, pressing his mouth over me, the heat of his breath tingling through the thin fabric.

“Oh my God!” I groaned, and pressed my eyes closed. It was like I couldn’t even remember what it was like to have a man’s lips on my most delicate parts. My body was more than ready, every cell screaming for him to touch me. I swiveled my hips, hungry for more, and he chuckled.

Jack stripped the panties off just as slowly as he’d removed my shorts. “Baby, you’re so beautiful. Let me see that sweet pussy.” My eyes flew to his, wide with panic. “Come on, show me.”

He rested a hand on each of my thighs and I spread them at his prompting. He watched me intently and groaned when my legs were splayed open, showing him everything. He stood up and stripped his shorts and underwear, all the while looking down at me. His body was like a statue, every inch perfect and honed. I licked my lips at the size of him, and couldn’t wait to get my hands on him—around him.

Jack had other plans though. He lowered himself down to the bed, kneeling between my spread legs, and dropped his face down to taste me. Starlight burst behind my eyes as he sucked my clit, his tongue running over the bundle of nerves with slow, tantalizing strokes. Every muscle in my body clenched as he teased me with his tongue. My hands went from the covers to his bare shoulders, digging into the hard muscles as he kept my legs apart no matter how hard I bucked. He slipped his tongue down my lips, lapping up all the wetness, and then dipped the tip inside me, tasting and exploring further.

He groaned and the sound vibrated through my body, setting off sparks in every cell, making me even wilder and frantic. I was so close to coming, and when he brought his tongue back to my clit I saw stars again. He plunged a finger inside of me and stroked the velvet smooth walls. My nails dug into his shoulders and I cried out. He slipped the finger out of me just before I went over the edge, and I spiraled down from the heights, spiking up again when it circled a little lower, teasing my ass with the tip of his soaked finger.

“Jack!” I screamed, just about to pull away, but he slipped the tip inside. I lit up like a fireworks show, a series of explosives as I crashed into an outer space. My eyes rolled back as I fell back against the bed, riding out the height of it, before coming down again, shuddering as warm electrified pulses spread over every inch of my body.