Ride with the SEAL (Norse Security 1)

After finishing his call to his usual pizza place for delivery, he walked back to his bedroom and stripped, ignoring the sound of rushing water from Everly’s shower and all the wicked images it conjured. He stalked into his own bathroom and jammed on the water in the travertine-tiled stall, letting the steam build before stepping inside the thick glass walls and scrubbing down. It felt good to clean off the grit and grime of the last hours and have time alone to think on everything that had happened.

If someone would’ve told him last week that he’d be running around the Virginia countryside with his old high school flame by his side, Cam would’ve laughed in their face. Once they’d graduated, he’d honestly never expected to see Everly again. They’d never run in the same circles and she’d certainly never looked at him twice back then.

Things sure had changed.

Despite all the conflict between them and the mess her attempted sale of the Aeon had caused, no way had she been faking the passion burning like wildfire between them in the car this morning. He’d felt her pulse kick into high gear, seen her pupils dilate, smelled the slight tang of her arousal. Jesus, even the memories got him all hot and bothered again.

Letting his head fall back under the warm water, Cam closed his eyes and slid a soapy hand down his chest, deciding to take care of business now before it caused problems later. His cock was so hard it hurt and he clasped it firmly in one hand, stroking from base to tip as he leaned a shoulder against the slick tile wall and imagined it was Everly touching him, teasing him, making love to him with her fingers and her mouth and her tongue. Pressure built inside him, urging him onward, urging him to go faster, faster. He bit his lip, panting as his need surged to nearly unbearable levels. What he wouldn’t give to have Everly ready and willing, those dark eyes filled with desire for him and him alone. He’d worship every sweet inch of her with kisses and licks then bury himself so deep inside her they wouldn’t know where she ended and he began. She’d cry out for him, cry out for more, cry out his name over and over as he brought her to climax again and again and…

With a deep groan, Cam’s balls tightened and he came hard all over his hand and lower chest. His knees wobbled and threatened to buckle and if he hadn’t had the wall for support, he would’ve crashed to the floor. Edge off his tension, he cleaned up then exited the shower, drying off fast and slinging the damp towel around his hips before walking back out into the bedroom to pull on fresh sweats. The pizza guy would be there any minute. Once dressed, he grabbed his wallet off the dresser and headed back toward the living room just as the doorbell rang.

Checking the footage from the security cameras mounted on the garage for the driveway and on the front porch first for confirmation, he unbolted the front door and handed the pizza guy a fifty, told him to keep the change, then quickly grabbed their food before relocking and securing everything. He and Everly had dealt with more than enough trouble the past few days. The last thing he needed was to bring it right to his doorstep by letting his security slip now.

He’d just finished setting everything out on the breakfast bar, along with plates and napkins, when Everly wandered into the room. She looked so adorable and small inside his clothes that his heart did a tiny flip. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her, mesmerized. Her long hair was damp and her cheeks were pink from her hot shower and Cam didn’t think he’d ever seen a more beautiful sight in his life. Forget his crush in high school. That had been a kid idolizing the girl he knew he’d never get. Now, they were both adults, both here and attracted to each other, both single. At least he was. He’d not really gotten around to asking her about that yet.

“Food ready,” he said, clearing his tight throat as the words emerged rougher than he’d intended. “What would you like to drink?”

“Soda’s fine,” she said, slipping onto one of the stools at the bar. “This looks really good.”

“Oh, it’s amazing. Trust me. Martello’s has the best pies in the area.” Cam poured them each a glass of soda then took a seat beside her, sliding her glass over toward her plate. “Dig in.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Everly said, loading her plate up with two breadsticks and cheese sauce, two slices of pizza with everything but anchovies, and a glob of marinara dipping sauce. She took a huge bite of food then glanced sideways at him, as if just realizing he was there. Her pretty doe eyes widened slightly as she chewed, covering her mouth with a napkin. “Sorry. Don’t mean to act like a pig, but I’m suddenly starving.”

“I like that you have an appetite,” Cam said, grinning. He loaded up his own plate then dug in, speaking around a mouthful of breadstick. “Shows me you’re not afraid to indulge your passions.”

Everly shrugged and swallowed another bite of pizza. “Well, I am Italian. We’re a passionate people.”

Cam battled the torrid images of them tangled in his sheets, writhing together, driving each other to new peaks of desire, and instead devoured his first piece of pizza in three enormous bites. He took the second one a bit slower, thankful his daily workouts kept his metabolism high.

They ate in silence for a while, enjoying the food, until finally Cam couldn’t help from asking a question that had been bugging him since that morning. “So, tell me the real reason you decided not to sell the Aeon. You had a pretty sweet deal going there.”

Exhaling slowly, Everly pushed her empty plate away then wiped her mouth. “Truth?”

“Always.”

“The truth is, I realized that if I sold that car to a guy like that, I’d be no better than my father. My whole point in getting out of there and getting away to start over fresh was to stop doing illegal things. That sale was so illegal it wasn’t even funny, and that was before we discovered a whole trunk load of cocaine.” She snorted then leaned an elbow on the granite counter, resting her chin in her hand. The move caused the wide, stretched-out crewneck of the old sweatshirt he’d given her to sleep in to slip precariously off one shoulder, exposing an expanse of creamy flesh. Cam forced himself to concentrate on her words and not the luminous softness of her skin. “So, yeah. I decided that I couldn’t start my new life like that, have it based on criminal activities and fraudulent funds. Yes, I need the money, but not that way.” Her smile turned sad. “It’s funny. My entire life I thought ‘legal’ was a place I could get to, like a dot on a map, and once I was there I’d be free. Turns out it’s not like that at all. It’s the same world, just a different street.”

“What are you going to do now?” Cam asked, finishing the last slice of pizza.

“Not sure.” She picked at a non-existent dot on the smooth countertop. “Guess I’ll have to apply for a loan like everyone else. My credit’s crap, but if I want a no

rmal life, I have to begin by going through the same things other people do. Not that I like feeling scared for my future and vulnerable. That parts sucks.”

She sniffled and his heart broke. Without realizing it, he reached over and took her free hand, squeezing her chilled fingers gently. “Believe me, I understand. Went through something similar after my discharge. If the guys at Norse Security hadn’t come calling, I don’t know where I’d be. But please know I’m here for you. I’ll help you any way I can, I promise.”

“You will?” she asked, blinking teary eyes at him. “Why?”

Cam couldn’t resist any longer and reached up to cup her cheek, stroking the wetness from her skin with his thumb. “Because I care. I know that sounds nuts after all the stuff you’ve put me through these past few days, but I do. I want to help. We’ll figure this mess out together, okay?”

“Okay.” Everly flashed him a watery smile and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. The scent of her—soap and floral shampoo and warm, clean woman—nearly made him dizzy with want, but he didn’t need her thinking he was taking advantage of anything. He rose to collect their trash and toss it in the bin under the sink before shoving their dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

“Relax,” he said to her over his shoulder while he rinsed their plates in the sink. “Go watch TV or whatever. If you like videos games, I’ve got it all set up in the living room.”

“Not much of a gamer,” Evelry said, her stool creaking as she got up. “Or a TV watcher. No time.” She came around the island to stand beside him at the sink. Cam shoved the last plate in the dishwasher then clicked the door shut. Towel in hand, he turned to find her far too close for his comfort. She was staring up at him with those expressive dark eyes and the walls he’d built around his heart melted. Everly reached out and placed a hand on his chest, right over his thudding heart and stepped closer still, until her breasts brushed against him and made his blood race with need. “What I’d really like tonight is to finish what we started in the car this morning.”

Cam held his breath, afraid that if he spoke this dream would disappear like smoke. Finally, he managed to whisper, “Why?”

“Why what?” She slid the hand on his chest up to the nape of his neck, stroking the sensitive skin there and making him shiver. “Why do I want to make love to you?”