The Elite: The Complete Series of Boomer and Player (With Bonus) (17 page)

Aaron scoffed. “Holy shit. You think I’m that big of an asshole. Damn, Boomer, that’s cold.”

“Well, you said she was in the lot and I don’t know. I got carried away—”

“You think I’d let her die out in the street?” Aaron’s anger was palpable over the phone, and I knew it was justified. I should have given him more credit. “After everything we’ve been through. No, she’s right here, and other than getting fat and spoiled on Uncle Aaron’s diet of steak and potato chips, she’s fine.”

I chuckled, imagining Princess sitting on the couch next to Aaron, sweet talking him out of every last scrap from his plate with the blink of her big, brown eyes.

Mid thought, my thoughts took another sharp turn, back to what Aaron had said about Holly, about her showing up at the museum, and out in the lot, crying and alone.

“Tell her I’ll be there soon. I’m on my way. Just stall her, okay? Don’t let her leave!”

“Boomer, I don’t—”

“Just do it, man. Please, don’t make me beg.”

Aaron sighed. “All right, I’ll see what I can do.”

I clicked off the call and started towards the door again. As I raced down the hall, I tapped out a quick text to Ricardo to let him know I had an emergency, and then pushed out the side door and ran across the lot to my Camaro.

I didn’t even go home to change, I hopped on the freeway and raced down the coast towards Holiday Cove, going as fast as I could without ending up with a horde of cops on my tail. I didn’t have the time to talk my way out of a ticket. I cursed myself—not for the first time—for never getting Holly’s number. For whatever reason, it hadn’t occurred to either of us to exchange basic contact information. Some part of me knew we’d eventually have to, and that would be the day we said goodbye, and having that picture in the back of my mind, always kept me from asking.

When I reached the first sign for Holiday Cove, my phone rang, Aaron’s name popping up once again. I flicked it to speaker phone and answered, “Did she leave?”

“Sorry man, she was gone before I even got back out there again. Where you at?”

“Ten miles to the exit.”

“Damn, dude, what are you doing? Ninety?”

I glanced down at the speedometer. “Close to.”

“Be careful. You’re no good to any of us, splattered all over some guard rail, all right?”

I smiled. “Noted.”

When I reached Holiday Cove, I drove up the bluff and stopped to pick up Princess, more relieved than ever to see her after the scare I’d had on the phone. She hopped into the passenger seat and I told Aaron I’d be back later, he was going to be stuck with me for at least another night.

Princess and I went down into town and drove over to Holly’s rental. I sighed with sweet relief when I spotted her SUV in the same spot. There was another car, a yellow Mustang in the spot next to hers, and I wondered if she had a new neighbor, or if her friend that she’d mentioned before had arrived.

My question was answered when I reached her front door and was greeted by a petite blonde who obviously wasn’t Holly.

“Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome?” She asked, with a knowing grin.

“Excuse me?”

She stuck out her hand. “I’m Rachel. I’m Holly’s BFF. You’re Jack, right?”

I nodded.

Rachel grinned up at me, looking a little starstruck for a moment, before she came to and pointed inside. “Holly went out with Hunter. He was giving her hell and she wanted to wear him out before bedtime. You’re welcome to come in and wait for her.”

I was about to accept the offer, when Princess caught a scent and tore off around the house. Night was falling rapidly, and I didn’t want to lose track of her down the beach. I bolted after her, and Rachel chased after both of us. Princess hit the beach and went into hyper drive, racing so fast over the sand, her legs looked like they were going in fast forward, blurred together as she streaked through the night. I chased her down, my legs quickly reminding me how much I’d slacked on my workouts after meeting Holly. Something that would have to change if we somehow managed to stay together.

That thought spurred me on harder, and after a few minutes, the object of Princess’s pursuit came into view.

Hunter’s silhouette.

He was digging a sizable hole near a large piece of driftwood, but stopped and turned when he caught Princess’s scent. He tripped over his clumsy paws as he raced to meet her halfway. Seconds later, a woman with wild hair, raced into view. I couldn’t see the color of her hair, but I knew just how it looked, remembering how she had looked the first time we’d met, when she’d been chasing Hunter down the same beach. I burst out laughing at the memory and sheer relief over having caught up to her before it was too late.

“Jack?” She called, stopping abruptly ten feet away. “What—are you—doing?” She panted. “Oh, God, did Aaron call you?”

I ignored her question and ran to cross the space between us, gathering her into my arms as soon as I reached her. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” her reply came out quiet, muffled by the fabric of my shirt, but the effects of her words were powerful.

There would be a much longer conversation ahead, but in those four words, she told me all I really needed to know.

Chapter Twenty

Holly

The night I was by no means prepared for, had arrived. In the morning, Jack would be making the drive back up the coast to rejoin his squadron and within days, he’d be on an aircraft carrier bound for some WestPac as he called it. We’d managed to go the entire day without talking about it, spending most of the morning lounging in bed, and only when the dogs begged, did we get out of the house for a few hours to walk the beach. We found a whole sand dollar on the way back, and Jack had given it to me as a gift, telling me it was lucky.

He was downstairs, preparing dinner, and I was up in the bedroom, under strict orders not to come down until he called for me. I needed all the time I could get to get ready. I’d already cried enough to wreck my first round of make-up. I had just finished reapplying my final coat of mascara, when there was a soft knock on the door. I jumped up from where I’d been sitting at the vanity in the attached bathroom, and smoothed my hands down the sleek lines of the skin tight black dress, silently thanking Rachel for insisting I pack it.

It was going to come in handy after all.

I smiled and spun to get one last look at myself, before pulling the door open and stepping into the bedroom.

Jack’s jaw dropped open and I giggled. “Hey there, fly boy.”

“Holly—I—you—wow…”

“You cleaned up pretty nicely yourself,” I said, raking my eyes down his body. He’d selected a pair of black slacks and a black, button up shirt, with the sleeves cuffed to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms. I’d been staring at his naked body for the past two days straight, but there was also something sexy about the way he wore clothing. Although, as I watched his gaze drop to my body, my fingers started to yearn to get stripped down together.

“Is dinner ready?”

“Just missing you,” he answered, extending a hand. I took it and he pulled me in close.

I giggled against his chest as his hands roamed freely over my body. “If you keep that up, dinner is gonna be wrecked by the time we get to it.”

“I’m really okay with that,” he growled into my ear, before nipping at my earlobe, teasing the tender flesh between his teeth.

I wanted to dissolve into him, to let him take me any way he wanted, but I also knew there were things that needed to be said before we gave ourselves over to the passion of the night. I placed my hands on his chest and backed up a half step. I smiled up at him and shook my head playfully. “You’re impossible.”

“Hey, you’re the one in the fuck me dress,” he fired back, winking at me. He cupped my ass cheeks and tugged at the already too short hem. “Mmmm.”

My breath caught and I shivered as his hands found my bare skin.

“Oh, God, you’re not wearing panties?”

I giggled and looked up into his lustful eyes. “You’re gonna have to wait to find out.” I pulled out of his arms and adjusted the skirt of the dress to cover the bare essentials.

He groaned, but followed me out of the bedroom, and down the stairs.

I gasped, at the sight at the bottom. I covered my mouth as my eyes filled with tears. There were rose petals and candles on the table, arranged in an elegant display. It was a simple gesture, but unexpected and so overwhelmingly sweet. Jack wrapped his arms around me and pressed a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“You deserve this and so much more, Holly.”

We stayed that way until a timer went off in the kitchen, pulling Jack away from me. He pulled out my chair and waited until I was seated with a glass of the wine he’d selected, before he hustled into the kitchen to finish the last minute touches. I watched him work, and although I could see a pile of boxes on the counter and knew most of the meal had come compliments of the frozen food aisle, it didn’t matter. It was the sweetest thing anyone had even done for me before.

“I know I probably shouldn’t say this…but it was nice of your friend to clear out for the rest of the weekend,” he said, placing a salad in front of me.

I nodded. “Yeah, she was pretty cool about it.” Rachel had packed up and went back home after Jack and I reunited on the beach. I’d asked her to stay, but with a glint in her eye, she came up with some excuse about having to work and drove away. She didn’t ask a lot of questions—just a silly grin on her face—but I knew when I got back to Irvine, she’d likely be in my condo, waiting to pepper me with a million questions.

He took the seat beside me. “Bon appetite,” he said, raising his fork. We ate the salad and lasagna he’d prepared, and were picking at the piece of chocolate tart he’d picked up at Carly’s earlier in the day, when he broke the easy conversation and shifted to a more serious tone.

“I do think there’s one thing we need to clear up before…tomorrow,” Jack started, hesitating over the last word.

I dabbed at the corner of my mouth with the linen napkin. “What’s that?”

He grabbed for my other hand, holding them both between his much larger hands. “It’s not going to be easy, Holly, so I’m not going to sugar coat it. I won’t be accessible all the time. We’re going to have to rely on email and sporadic phone calls. It’s six months, and I can guarantee you, it’s gonna suck, it’s gonna be hard, but what I’m asking of you, is that you hang tough with me until it’s over, until I can get back to you again. After that, we’ll take it one day at a time, but right now, going into this, I need to know you’ll wait for me.”

Tears stung at my eyes at the solemn tone of his words. “I promise, Jack. I’ll be here, waiting.”

Relief flashed in his eyes.

“Now, you have to promise me something,” I said, squeezing his hands.

“Anything.”

“You have to promise,” I paused, swallowing back the lump in my throat. “You have to promise that you’ll come home.”

His dark eyes glistened in the flashing candlelight. He placed a hand on my cheek, cradling my face tenderly. “I promise, Holly. I’ll come home.”

He leaned over the table and brought my lips to his, letting the kiss seal the promises we’d made. Jack dragged his lips from mine, and trailed up my jawline with soft, lingering kisses. “Let’s take the rest of this upstairs,” he said, reaching for the dessert plate.

I giggled as he led the way, wondering what he was planning for the last few bites of the tart.

I had my answer within minutes. Jack had me stripped down to nothing but my heels and was drawing a line down my stomach with the chocolate filling, and made a final dot with a blob of whipped cream right below my navel. I sighed with pleasure as he made his way down my body, licking and sucking the chocolate. The lower he inched, the more my excitement grew, and my laughter died away when he dropped even lower, hungry for something else.

I dug my fingers into his short hair, writhing and grinding against his face as he slipped his tongue inside me. “Jack,” I breathed, his name turning to a moan.

“Two can play at that game,” I said, smiling when he came up for air. Before he could pin me down, I rolled to the side and reached for the plate. I swiped up a dollop of whipped cream and crooked my finger at him. “Come here, sailor.”

Jack smirked and crawled towards me. “Yes ma’am.”

With my free hand, I pushed him down onto the bed. I licked my lips slowly, and then stuck my finger into my mouth, slowly sucking the rich cream away, hollowing my cheeks suggestively.

“Holy shit, Holly. You’re killin’ me.”

“Not yet,” I said, my voice husky as I went for another swipe of cream. This time, I stroked the tip of his cock with the puff of sugary treat, and grinned at him before shifting down the bed and lowering my mouth to lick it away. Jack groaned as my lips and tongue teased his tip. “Mmmm,” I purred, lapping away every last trace.

When the whipped cream was gone, I slid my tongue down his cock and over his balls until he was panting. His hands dug into my wild hair and he brought my mouth back to him. I took all of him in my mouth, his length filling all the way to the back of my throat, before I slid back up and down him again. Jack groaned and tugged my hair, begging for more.

“Wait, wait, not yet,” Jack said. He pulled away, sitting up halfway on the bed. He reached for me and I climbed up his body, straddling his hips. He kissed me long and slow, and I rolled my hips in slow circles, teasing him with my slick pussy over his cock.

“Whatcha waiting for?” I asked, rubbing against him again.

He rolled me to my back and knelt beside me on the bed. He ran his own hand over his cock and my eyes went wide. There was something incredibly sexy about watching him handle himself. He moved faster as I stared at him, licking my lips, and writhing on the bed, getting more turned on with each stroke. I dropped my hands between my legs and played with myself, moaning at the relief of my touch.

Jack groaned and lowered to rub himself between my breasts and came all over my chest. “God, Holly,” he growled into my ear. “You’re so fuckin’ sexy.”