THE KISS OF A SEAL (9 page)

Briefly, he got up to close the doors leading to the balcony and the drapes, too. He didn’t want the world to see what was his and hers only. This time belonged to them.

Her hands reached for him. She was eager for his touch. He loved that about Jessa, her boldness in bed. She knew what she wanted and had a variety of ways of seeking it.

As her hands skimmed the top of Link’s stomach and then teased along the inside of his thighs, he could barely contain the sigh of pleasure. When she cupped him between his legs and then used the tips of her nails to wake a not-so-sleeping beast, he flipped their positions. He needed to touch her and hold her and explore her, too.

Her eyes held to his as he caressed her flesh. When they began sliding to half-mast he knew she was close to coming, and he wanted her to have that pleasure as many times as he could bring it until she was too spent to move.

“Lincoln. I want you…inside me,” she whispered. Her hands urged him to do her biding.

“Not yet, my love. Just wait…a little while longer.” He watched her body writhe on the bed as she lost herself in the waves of enticement and completion. He refused to let her stop, to rest, to be still until she was begging for him.

Then he held himself over her, entering her slowly, tenderly, lovingly, and easing himself in one inch at a time until she couldn’t hold still and was thrusting onto him.

He wasn’t in a rush. Despite her urging, he set a slow rhythm, wanting to saver this moment. But, his bride had other plans.

Her nails sunk into his flesh of his shoulders as she used her thighs to hold him, rolling him to the side, where she was able to be on top and in charge.

He smiled at her. “I’m at your service.”

Her grin was wicked as she threw back her head and had her way with him.

The urge to close his eyes was strong, to give into feeling every sensation coursing through his body, but he didn’t want to lose this moment. So, he forced himself to watch her, to see her abandon and her joy as she cried out and took him with her.

His hands held her hips as he joined her in the bliss of consummation. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, this oneness and togetherness, as if they were indeed a single creature and solitary force.

Her eyes held his, a lazy cat-like happiness in them, as she smiled and laid her body slowly down over his.

Link held her. This was his wife. The woman he chose to spend the rest of his life with, and he knew deep in his soul, he had chosen wisely.

They made love for hours. Rising only to open another bottle of champagne or to eat the complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries from the hotel’s honeymoon basket.

As the sun began to set, he wrapped her in a sheet and carried her onto the balcony where they settled into a chair. The sky was filled with pink and blue tuffs of cotton candy clouds and, as the sun settled, red streaks washed away the colors ringing in the darkness.

The peacefulness of being close to each other was indescribable, like the world was silent and all was right for a short time. He could feel himself, and Jessa, relaxing as they cuddled together, feeling boneless.

Stars pushed through as the moon boldly showed itself as full and bright. It was the wrong night for an Op, but the perfect night for lovemaking.

Her hands reached between them stroking over their skin. “I’m hungry,” she whispered.

“I could order room service.” She smiled, and it was a wicked grin. The glint in her eyes was a dead giveaway. “Not for food…”

He gathered her into his arms and carried her into the room, fully aware that anyone who might be looking in their direction was going to see a full moon of another kind. His Jessa might have been wrapped primly in a sheet, but she was his cover. From behind, he was as naked as the day he’d been born.

Kicking the door closed behind him, he settled her onto the bed before he crawled in beside her. “What’s your request?”

She raised her eyebrows and smiled.

He knew exactly what that meant. His wife was indeed a very hungry soul, and he was glad for it.

‡

P
ulling on her
bright pink down coat, Jessa mused over the fact it was 30 degrees outside. She zipped up the front, secured the hood, and then grabbed her matching pink mittens. She slipped out the front door and admired the landscape. It was gorgeous here. Living on the east coast had its pluses. The change of seasons was one of them. Her favorite of which was winter. They’d be decorating the house and cutting fresh pine boughs for decorations soon.

They had moved to Virginia four months ago. Sure they missed the warm weather, but the tradeoffs had been amazing. A small house with a hot tub out back on the edge of a state preserve and both of them had great jobs. No neighbors close by, and the closest town was a half hour away. They both had traded in their California cars for four-wheeled drive vehicles, but being out here was worth it, even if the commute for Link was long.

She was working two towns over, in conjunction with a satellite Walter Reed and a VA program, to help veterans continue their physical achievement and effectiveness. She had a huge client list and was fulfilled by her work on an hourly and a daily basis. Link had been right, her heart had been with the military, especially our veterans as well as active duty, and she adored and admired these souls as friends and wanted to help them reach their goals.

Among her first few days of the job, one of them had asked her about Lincoln. A thirty-one year old Army veteran with an indestructible spirit who had lost both arms and was using his feet like hands. He’d agreed to her newly designed therapy regime if Jessa answered one question for him. “What’s it like to fall in love?”

It had taken by surprise. Part of her had wanted to reach out and immediately comfort the soldier, because he’d asked like a soul who had never had a significant other truly dedicated to him. But that would have been a response that spoke down to him and his life, so she’d said, “The whole world falls away when you’re together. The only things that matter are each other’s next breath, desire, want, or need. And there’s laughter, so much laughter, and that gets us through the hard times when we’re angry or frustrated or sad.”

The man had nodded. “I want that. Hearing your description gives me something to look for.”

“Don’t look for it,” she’d added. “Let it happen to you. That’s the best way possible. Just stay open to the concept of it.”

Now, he was dating his neighbor, a caterer. They seemed happy. Life’s greatest moments always seemed to happen when no one was looking for them.

Lincoln was doing great. He was operational. He’d just come home from a brief hop, and for the most part–or what he could share of the mission–it had gone as planned. The only surprise for her had been how easy the rhythm of marriage had been. They fell into a routine that worked for them. When he was gone, if he could Skype or call he would; and if not, then she waited, secure in their love for each. Definitely, she would have preferred a less dangerous life for him; but he was happy and, having worked in that culture, she understood.

He was sound asleep in their bed. Naked and exhausted from being welcomed home the night before. She appreciated how he switched gears. When he was with her, he was one hundred percent present.

Last night, Lincoln had promised her that they would go skiing in the morning, so she was preparing to wake him up, Jessa-style. They were both Pink Panther fans and he enjoyed her Kato greetings. Any other SEAL might react negatively to be woken so abruptly, especially after a lot of combat, but her man was a rarity and liked being kept on his toes.

Her breath came out in soft visible puffs. The air smelled clean and crisp.

She kneeled in the snow and made twenty perfectly round snowballs. She filled her arms with them and went back to the front door. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a doe and a six-point buck serenely munching on the leaves of a bush. They paused and regarded her as they chewed.

She waved, and they disappeared into the forest with several long leaps. She waited a few more seconds, just listening to the sound of them moving away. Would there be a baby deer come springtime?

Was she ready to take that step herself? She would never have even considered the question six months ago, and yet, now that she was here with Lincoln she had been wondering about it more and more. In her heart, she knew she wanted a family with Link. Kids. Children. Babies. A wave of panic swept through her. Maybe we’ll take it one step at a time.

Going inside, she smiled to herself and pushed her boots off, and then made her way back to the bedroom. The door squeaked as it opened. It happened in older homes.

From out of nowhere, a snowball hit dead center in her load. She dropped them all to the ground with a squeal as Link fired off two more shots, landed them on her chest, and then leapt off the bed, and hauled her onto the mattress again. “Lincoln!”

“I know you very well, Mrs. Tyler.” His eyes were bright with laughter as he kissed her. “Am I supposed to gather by your attack that you’re ready to go skiing?” His fingers stroked her hair. “Hmmm, are you prepared for a day of fun?”

“Yes. Always!” She laughed as she wound her arms around his neck. “Just tell me. How did you know?”

“Ah, my morning lovebird. I know precisely what you are up to before it even happens,” he said smugly.

“Do you?” she asked as she rolled him onto his back and took advantage of his naked state. “What am I going to do now?”

He lifted his lips to hers. “Surprise me.”

“My pleasure, my love.” With that challenge issued, Jessa took off her gloves, unzipped her coat and untied her hood, and made short work of her clothes underneath. She was looking forward to surprising him now, and perhaps again a little later. Because love did that, made them incapable of keeping their hands off each other, and made them fill their hearts with every action, every smile, and every bit of laughter. Together, they made one.

The End

Award Winning
Romance Author ANNE ELIZABETH lives in the mountains above San Diego with her husband (a retired Navy SEAL) and a rather exuberant English Lab. She is also the Comic Creator of the PULSE OF POWER World and the monthly columnist for RT Book Reviews magazine on the topic of Comics, Manga & Graphic Novels. With a BS in Business and MS in Communications from Boston University, she is a regular presenter at the RT Book Lovers Convention as well as a member of The Author’s Guild and Romance Writers of America. Anne is multi-published, writing a spicy Navy SEAL series for Sourcebooks, Inc., as well as the popular teen comic book series. For more information, catch her at Comic-Con International in San Diego at Booth #2201 or at
www.AnneElizabeth.net
.

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