AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pierce sighed.
“It’s okay.” Those were rote words, but Riley was astounded as she said them, to realize that they were true. Itwasokay. Ten years had passed, ten years in which she had been immersed in her studies and had had a couple of demanding, fulfilling jobs. It felt like a lifetime ago and in one sense, it was. She was an entirely different person from the scared, needy young girl she’d been.
Her ‘father’ had missed out on her. His loss. She’d have been a loyal and loving daughter. But he didn’t want her and that was that. She’d gone on to have a life, a good one.
“What an asshole,” Pierce mused and Riley snorted a laugh.
“Yeah, you’re right. He is an asshole. But I’m not alone in the unlucky genetics department. Hope’s grandfather tried to have her killed. Hard to beat that. Families are hell.”
Hope’s grandfather, a powerful man, hadn’t approved of his son’s love affair with Hope’s mother, and had arranged an accident that killed her mother and put Hope in a coma.
“Mostly, yeah. Mine isn’t. My parents are teachers and my sister is a teacher and my brother is a biologist, and they’re good people and we get on really well. I only ever fought once with my parents, when I announced I was joining the Navy. Nobody in my family has ever even held a gun in their hands. Everyone expected I’d become a teacher too, but the sad fact is that I wasn’t academically inclined.” He grinned. “What I really wanted to do was blow shit up. Being in the military was not what they envisaged for me. My mom wouldn’t speak to me for a week. That really hurt.”
“Well, you’re not in the military anymore.”
“No, but I work for a security company and carry a gun. We avoid talking about it.”
Riley looked at him, at that handsome face behind which was a good soul. Those broad shoulders that took on the burdens of others, those big capable hands she entrusted with her life. “I’m glad you do. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
And leaned forward to kiss him.
13
Pierce let himself be kissed. A soft, gentlethank youkiss. It helped, because while eating, he’d been so turned on he was glad the table hid his woodie. It had subsided while she told the story of her family, a real downer.
Well no downers now, only things that made him go up.
The kiss was a start.
He dug his fingers in her hair, soft and fragrant, cupping her head. Deepened the kiss. He ran a finger along her neck and felt her gasp.
Oh, now that was interesting.
Pierce lifted his head. “You know, we’ve gone so fast I haven’t had a chance to map your erogenous zones. I was really good at map reading during training.”
She lifted heavy eyelids. Those eyes were so amazing. Long, dark eyelashes framing eyes like a glowing dawn, filled with light. A smile. “You were?”
“Mmm.” Holding her head still, he rose, and she rose with him. He kissed her, deep and long. Opened an eye and measured the distance to the master bedroom, walking with ahardhard on. The door to the bedroom looked miles away and he wasn’t going to make it.
But! He was a former Navy SEAL and nothing was too hard, no mission too impossible. He could make it to the bedroom if he tried really hard.
Trying really hard was the essence of being a SEAL.
Step by step.
He made it to the living room rug. One of those plush Chinese deals that were as soft as a mattress. That was really tempting because kissing Riley was making him so hot it was embarrassing. He was hard as a rock.
Riley licked his tongue and, for a second, he thought he was going to come in his pants. Really embarrassing. He was known for his self-control. He hadn’t come in his pants since fucking high school. She licked inside his mouth again and an electric streak ran from his backbone to his balls and oh God. No.
Pierce tightened his ass and thoughtfuck this, and swung her up in his arms. She was going to interpret it as a romantic gesture, and only he knew it was so he wouldn’t shame himself in Harrison’s living room.
When he swung her up, she made a small noise of surprise, then melted in his arms.
Pierce made it to the edge of the bedroom, which was valiant, braced himself, and made it to the bed, which was heroic. Couldn’t believe he’d made it. He sank down with Riley in his arms. She felt so good, like she was made to be there. Slender, supple, soft.
And now his brain split in two. One part really liked lying here on that big comfortable bed, holding Riley in his arms. The other part wanted to take her, hard and fast.
Maybe he could try self-control for a change.
