Tuck tightened his hold on her before pulling her down to straddle him. He hadn’t thought about it that way and part of him was embarrassed about how he’d treated her. Granted it was a small part, but at least it was something.
“I get it.” He reached up to smooth his fingers along her lips. “I’m still a man who wants to protect his woman.” A shake of his head. “Who
will
protect her.”
“Then you don’t get it,” she said sadly. “I don’t need your protection. I don’t want to be in a man’s shadow, Tuck, waiting for him to slay my beasts and keep me safe from everything. I want to be at his side, as equals.”
“We are equals.”
She looped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his. “Not if you want me one or more steps behind you, so you can keep me safe. I’m a Marine, Tuck. I don’t run from, but
towards
danger. You trying to protect me and thinking you know why I’m doing something isn’t going to work. I didn’t grow up in a bubble and I’ll be damned if I allow myself to be put in one now.” She brushed a kiss along his cheek and stood up. “I’m going to get something to eat now.”
He watched her walk from the room, boxers showing off her long legs and the raggedy tee hiding more than it showed but tempting him beyond reason. As he dressed in his jeans, he thought about what she’d said. And grudgingly, it made sense. Truly it did.
“Still don’t mean I like it,” he muttered as he padded barefoot out to the rest of her apartment in time to see her unwrapping a frozen pizza. One he and Steve had brought over for her.
He gave her a smile when she looked up at him. Her return nod was a bit reserved but he took it as a good sign she wasn’t telling him to get the fuck out.
“I can’t promise I’ll change,” he said. Tuck went to her cupboard and withdrew two glasses. “But I will try to keep what you said in mind.”
“Thank you.”
After they’d eaten the pizza, he led her to the bathroom and put her in the shower with him. Ariel sank to her knees in the streams of water and wrapped her full lips around his cock.
Up and down his shaft she moved, lapping the underside, swirling her tongue around the head. Torture, plain and simple, that’s what it was. He wrapped his hands in her wet hair and held her where he wanted her as he thrust deep into her. Her nails dug into the backs of his thighs and she continued to watch him, with hunger and trust in her eyes.
She alternated the tightness of her suction on him and he tipped his head back to rest it along the wall of the shower. Her nails bit harder and he looked at her. She took him in fully and he shot his load—there wasn’t any way to stop himself. She stayed there and took it all until he could release nothing more.
Lifting her, he reversed their positions and took her against the wall until her screams of pleasure echoed off the bathroom’s surfaces. Then he took her again. And again.
Once their shower was finished and they’d dried off and dressed, Tuck sat on the couch with her burrowed against him, the television showing a baseball game. Beers sat on the coffee table and he wasn’t paying much attention to anything but the woman curled up beside him.
“How are things with you?” she asked.
“Busy. I’ve got the investment for my architecture firm and construction company so am getting that set up to open.”
She sat up and squealed. “That’s wonderful, Tuck. I know you’ve been wanting that for a long time now.” She hugged him.
“Thank you.”
“Have you figured out a name?”
“Mulling a few over but I think the one I like best is Carter Architectural and Construction.” He slanted his gaze to her. “What do you think?”
“Likes it muchly. Sounds very professional.” She squeezed his arm as she settled back to his side.
“Thanks.” It was important to him she like the name.
“Do you have logos and that already?”
He nodded, feeling a bit like a geek. “I do.”
She lifted her shoulders and waved a hand. “Go get them, I want to see.”
“You sure?”
“Tuck, just go.”
So he did, slipping in and out of his place in moments. Then he was back on the couch with Ariel and handing her the binder. She opened it and he watched her flip through the various pages.
“So which one is it going to be?”
“What do you like?”
“I asked you first,” she said.
“I know which one I like the best, I want to see if it’s the one you pick.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “Come on, it won’t bite you.” He nipped her neck. “I might, but it won’t.”
She burrowed closer and got comfortable, holding the book on her knees. “I like this one.”
He stared at the one she’d pointed out. It was the one he’d chosen as well. “Good pick,” he whispered in her ear. “That’s the one I’m going with. Business cards are on their way and the building for my office should be ready this week.”
“I’m so happy for you. Do you have jobs lined up or are you not to that point yet?”
“I have two that we’re starting with. A house and creating some plans for another. Richard wants those done first.”
“Richard? Your boss now?”
“Yes. He’s supporting me on this.”
“That’s wonderful. I’d love to see the house when you’re done.”
“Count on it, babe. You can count on it.”
Tuck kissed the top of her head and held her close as they relaxed with one another, just enjoying the company.
Chapter Eleven
Ariel stood at the edge of the wall and watched Connie fire the full magazine of her pistol, clear the weapon then set it down before moving the target towards them. Ariel took one of the ear protectors off her ear and released a slow whistle at the close groupings on her friend’s target.
“This is why you scare me, Connie. You are one hell of a shot.”
The petite woman smiled at her over the shoulder then looked back to the paper. “You can do better than this.”
“But I’m not a natural. I was trained to do that. You, my dear, you are a natural at it.”
Connie glanced at her again and winked. “I was trained, just not officially. But don’t tell anyone. Especially Slater.”
“Mum’s the word on that end.” She made the motion of zipping her lips and throwing away the key.
“Come on, make me a smiley face.”
Ariel laughed. “A smiley face?”
“No, no. A heart. I haven’t seen you do a heart lately.” She hooked a clean target up then moved it back. “With the AR-15.”
“Seriously? The AR?” She wiped her hands down her pant legs and cleared her throat. “Okay, I can do this.”
“Dinner’s on me if you do.”
Ariel lifted the AR-15 from the counter space and shouldered it. Sighting down the barrel, she made a few adjustments as Connie stepped back a bit more. After putting her ear protection back on, she blew out three sharp breaths and curled her finger around the trigger. A heart. The woman wanted a heart.
Twenty shots later, it was her turn to clear the weapon and move the paper up. Sure enough, over the target’s left side was a heart. It wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t bad either.
“You did it!” Connie said, taking the paper from her. “I love it.”
“Sweetie, the things you get excited over.”
“Hey, this is talent right here. Of course I’m excited over it. Plus you did it at my request so it’s not like a trick or anything.”
“Come on, woman. You have one more to practise on before quals.”
Connie sobered. “I hate guns.”
“I know. However, you know Slater’s rules. Everyone has to be qualified and certified to carry.”
“It seems so barbaric to me. To shoot someone. There’s no finesse anymore. It’s all about what you do from a distance away.”
“Spoken like a woman who’s good at hand-to-hand combat.”
“You have to admit, Ariel, there was something amazing about the monks who defended their monasteries with nothing more than martial arts. Nowadays, someone sends a missile if they want to take something out.”
“I know. Unfortunately it’s the way of the world now. Guns and missiles instead of swords and martial arts.” She nudged her forward. “Last one. Get some rounds in so you’re used to the feel of it in your hand.”
Connie picked up the revolver and loaded it. Ariel watched her as she fired it into a new paper hanging before them. The kickback was powerful but the small woman had a firm stance and it didn’t rock her as much as one would have expected.
Ariel waited until she had gone through three reloads. Then she tapped her on the shoulder and pressed the button to move the sheet forward. There were a few close groupings but she was definitely better with the semi-automatic.
“Pathetic,” Connie muttered, shaking her head.
“Not bad at all,” she corrected. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“Hard to stop after all these years.”
She dropped a quick hug to Connie’s shoulders. “I would assume so but you have to try.” She didn’t pretend to try to assume she understood the situation in which Connie had been raised. All she knew was that it hadn’t been the easiest of lives.
“Tell me about you and that hunk. Fix things once you got back?”
Ariel tugged at her collar. “You’re becoming obsessed with my sex life.”
“That’s because I don’t have one. I have to get my kicks from listening to yours. It was hell when you were gone.” Connie tossed her ear protection in the trash then picked up the weapons.
Ariel took the AR-15 and the two of them walked back to turn them in. After they’d finished that and were walking outside to her vehicle, Connie nudged her.
“So? Was he waiting with breakfast? Like, on his naked chest?”
“He rocked my world, Connie. No breakfast on his chest, though.”
“Damn,” she teased. “Here I was hoping for visions of chocolate sauce on those abs or honey, butterscotch, or…” She cleared her throat. “Look at that, I have visions of it.”
Ariel laughed. “Come on, you sex-hungry thing. Let’s grab a bite to eat. And no, not off anyone’s chest.”
Connie sighed heavily as she slipped into the passenger seat. “Ruin my day, won’t you.”
“You need to get laid, my friend.”
“Tell me about it. I’m going through way too many batteries, it’s insane.”
She tried not to laugh, truly she did. But Ariel knew what that was like. Hell, it’d been her before she and Tuck had begun knocking boots with each other.
They went to the Hard Rock Café along the River Walk and ate an enjoyable lunch. She and Connie talked about a variety of things and after the meal was finished, they wandered along the paths working off the meal they had enjoyed.
“So, Connie. Tell me what’s going on with you and Slater?”
“Me and Slater? Nothing.”
“You said that really quickly and with a lot of force. Allow me to rephrase. What do you want to happen?”
She slanted her gaze to her friend whose face had turned a delightful shade of red. Connie averted her head. “Nothing. He’s my boss.”
“Uh-huh.”
“There can’t be anything more than that, even if I wanted there to be.”
“Why not?” She stepped up to a vendor selling ice cream and got some for each of them. “Why can’t you two have a relationship?” she asked after she had handed Connie hers.
“We work together. Come on, Ariel. I’m his bodyguard.”
She cackled wickedly. “Then you should know his body exquisitely, I would think.”
“Did you sleep with the man you were guarding?”
“No, but I wasn’t required to do so, nor was I his type.”
She paused with the spoon to her mouth. “Not his type? How are you not any man’s type? Look at you, you’re gorgeous.”
“Well, thank you but he prefers men, so I was kind of out of luck there.”
“Seriously? That hottie wants men?” She cracked her neck. “Another one taken from the women.”
“Not so sure women ever had him but okay. Look, my point is, the both of you are finding each other attractive. Why not go for him?”
“And if it doesn’t work out? Then what? He’s my boss, Ariel. It would make things awkward.”
“More so than they are now?” She pinned Connie with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve seen him try not to stare at you and I know your discipline is way more than ours, but I’ve seen the looks.”
“He’s a rock. He’d not bend even if I walked up and stripped before him.”
“There’s an idea.” She nudged Connie and winked. “But I have another idea to begin with. You’re going with him tonight, right?”
“I’m going. Not with him. He just wanted me there as another set of eyes. Like you. I’m not his bodyguard tonight.”
Ariel frowned. “That’s stupid. Who does he have in that role tonight?”
“Johnson.”
There was bitterness in Connie’s tone and Ariel understood it. She’d busted her hump to become his bodyguard, so to be replaced with another had to sting.
“Humph. Men. This can work to our advantage, however. Let’s go shopping.”
“Shopping? For what?”
“Dresses that will make his eyes fall out. You’re just there as an extra set of eyes, you don’t have to wear company attire. We’re going to find you a dress that takes his breath away and gets the two of you together for a night of sex.”
Connie’s grin was evil. “I’m in.”
The women returned to Ariel’s SUV and headed off to one of the nicer dress stores. Ariel sat in a chair and watched as Connie and an employee went through a number of dresses until she knew they’d got the right one—a sleeveless, jade-green maxi dress with a scoop neckline and a tight fit that showed off all her curves. It draped and had a side slit.
“You’re gonna be able to knock him over with a feather when he gets a look at you in this.” She lifted a pair of jade rhinestone, stiletto, peep-toe, sling-back heels. “And these.”
Connie rubbed her hands together. “Now you.”
Ariel stood and went through as many dresses as Connie had before she picked hers. “I want this one.”
“Good choice,” Connie said.
It was silver, fitted and offered another curve-hugging look. There was a perforated faux leather detail on the side, which ended mid-thigh on her. Sleeveless and with a scoop neck, like Connie’s dress, it also had the side cut out. Nearly floor length on one side, the one that boasted the leather showed a great deal of one leg. The saleswoman held up a pair of black stilettos and Ariel gave her a thumbs-up.