Protecting Cheyenne (SEAL of Protection Book 5) (11 page)

Cheyenne watched as Caroline’s eyes filled with tears and she lay her head down on Cheyenne’s knee. Cheyenne lifted a hand and put it on the back of Caroline’s head. “I…you’re welcome.” Cheyenne didn’t know what else to say, she was uncomfortable and touched at the same time.

Caroline finally lifted her head and gave Cheyenne a watery smile. “You, my friend, will have good karma for the rest of your life because of what you do.”

Cheyenne was embarrassed and hoped the conversation would soon switch so it wasn’t focused on her anymore. She still wasn’t ready to jump up and down with glee about her job, but Caroline and Faulkner had started her on the path to thinking that maybe she really did make a difference in the world. At least for some people.

“So…how about them LA Kings huh?” Benny said, trying to lighten the mood of the room, and succeeding.

Everyone laughed. Caroline stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She walked back to Matthew and he pulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply.

Cheyenne watched as Matthew put his hand on the back of her head and shifted her until she was lying sideways over his lap. Her legs were dangling over one of the arms of the chair and her upper body was supported by Matthew’s arm. Wow.

Cheyenne shifted in her chair and shivered when Faulkner whispered in her ear. “Told you
you
were amazing.”

She just smiled.

After a bit more time had passed, Hunter turned on the television. The group was feeling mellow after the large meal, emotional revelations, and spending time with good friends.

After watching a mindless sitcom, the evening news came on. Cheyenne stiffened in surprise when she heard the newscaster say her name. They all watched in fascination as the anchor spoke while a clip from the day before was shown.

“
In other news, Cheyenne Cotton was released from the hospital last night after suffering only superficial wounds in the bomb threat at Kroger yesterday afternoon. Five men were killed after they strapped a bomb to Ms. Cotton and tried to negotiate their way out of the store. A bomb ordinance technician from the Navy was called in to defuse the explosive. Here they are leaving the store after the bomb was neutralized.”

Cheyenne watched in shock as a video of her and Faulkner coming out of the store was shown. She looked pale and she was holding his hand as he led the way across the broken glass from the front of the store toward the ambulance. She watched as they were surrounded by reporters and Faulkner put his arm around her waist to steady her. The clip ended and the camera panned back to the anchorman sitting behind a desk as he finished his story.

“
The five men who were killed, seemed to be working independently. As of now, the police can’t confirm or deny if they were part of a gang. The authorities are withholding their names because of the ongoing investigation. Ms. Cotton has declined any interviews and the Navy isn’t releasing the name of the bomb technician that defused the bomb and saved many lives yesterday. We will continue to investigate the story and will report back with any new information. Next up is Tina with the weather for the week…”

No one said anything for a moment until Mozart breathed, “Jesus, Cheyenne, we had no idea that was
you
. Are you all right? Should you even be out and about?”

Cheyenne couldn’t help but giggle. Jesus, these guys were all the same. Protective to the bone. “I’m okay. Faulkner got there in time.”

Dude spoke up. “The bastards wrapped her up in so much duct tape it took me ten minutes to get to the damn bomb. The tape ripped off parts of the skin on her arms and you can see the black eye she has from the assholes as well.”

Cheyenne glared up at Faulkner. “I can talk, you know.”

“I know, but what would come out of your mouth would probably be something like, ‘I’m fine, thanks for asking,’” Dude said in a high pitched voice, mocking her.

Cheyenne could hear the other women giggling. She tried to keep her mouth from twitching, but couldn’t. It was funny, dammit.

“Well, I
am
all right, Faulkner, and it was nice of them to ask.”

That made everyone around the room laugh out right.

“You guys are hilarious,” Fiona told them. “We’re so glad Faulkner was there yesterday. Seriously, he’s the best at the bomb thing.”

“The bomb thing?” Dude mock growled.

“Yeah, the whole bomb thing.”

Cheyenne watched as the group bantered back and forth. She’d never had friends like this. Hell, her own family didn’t tease each other at all. When Karen picked on her, it had been vicious, and not teasing at all. This was nice. She really liked Faulkner’s friends.

Cheyenne didn’t realize she was fading until she heard Faulkner say, “It’s time for us to go. Shy can’t keep her eyes open.”

At that Cheyenne forced her eyes to open all the way and watched as Faulkner stood up and shook his friends’ hands.

“Yeah, it’s time for all of us to get going too. PT is gonna suck in the morning,” Mozart groaned.

“You want to use the restroom before you go, Cheyenne?” Caroline asked politely.

“Please.”

Cheyenne followed Caroline down a hallway to the small guest bathroom tucked away. Caroline turned to her before she entered.

“I was serious about what I said in there, Cheyenne.”

Cheyenne merely nodded. She didn’t really want to get into it again. She liked Caroline, but there was only so many “thank you’s” she could handle in one night.

“I’m so glad you and Faulkner are together. He deserves someone like you in his life. I’d probably be dead if it wasn’t for him and the rest of guys in there.”

“I’m not sure we’re actually together, Caroline,” Cheyenne told her honestly. “I mean, we just met yesterday, under pretty extreme circumstances.”

“I know you think that, but you don’t really understand these guys. The only time we met any woman of Faulkner’s was when we met at
Aces Bar and Grill
or a restaurant. He was never serious about any of them. Ever. He had a wall up. He’s a black and white kind of guy. He’s either one hundred percent in, or he’s not. And believe me, girlfriend, he’s one hundred percent into you. As much as I like you, I have to say this. Faulkner is my friend. Don’t hurt him. If you aren’t into him, leave now. I’ll call you a taxi. He’ll be pissed, but he’ll get over it. If you don’t want a long term relationship with him, don’t lead him on.”

“But…”

“Let me finish. Please.”

At Cheyenne’s nod, Caroline continued. “These guys fall fast. They’re really big teddy bears under all their gruffness. Faulkner wants you. I can see it. We can all see it, but I’m not sure
you
see it. If you just want to sleep with a SEAL, please find someone other than Faulkner.”

“Are you kidding?” Cheyenne didn’t want to piss Caroline off, but she really couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

“No.”

“I mean seriously, you think I
wanted
to come over here tonight? Really? When the gorgeous man I’ve been semi-stalking in the grocery store saves my life and seems to be, by some freaking miracle, interested in me, wants me to come and meet his teammates and friends, do you think I
wanted
to go with him? I knew you guys would judge me. I
knew
it. I don’t make friends easily. I didn’t know how you guys would take to me. I wanted you to like me and I wanted to like you back, but I thought it was too soon. But I did it. Because I want to be with Faulkner. I’m into him. I’m so into him that if he wanted to tie me to his bed and have his wicked way with me tonight, and every fucking night, I’d do it, without a second thought. I trust him that much.”

Not noticing the attention her raised voice was garnering from the group who was now standing at the end of the hall behind her, gaping at them, Cheyenne continued. 

“I appreciate you looking out for your friend, I really do, but I don’t appreciate you insinuating that I just want to bag a SEAL. Jesus, Caroline, I’ve lived in Riverton most of my life. You think any SEAL has ever
wanted
me before? It’s not like I can pick one off the street like I’m ordering take out. I have no idea what Faulkner sees in me, and I’m still hoping he’s serious and not just playing with me, but I can guaran-fucking-tee you that as long as he’s interested in me, I’m his.”

Cheyenne was breathing hard when she finished. She noticed Caroline was smiling at her. What the hell was she smiling about? She figured it out when an arm went around her waist, and one went around her chest and she was pulled back into a hard body. Faulkner.

“I’m interested in you, Shy.”

Not looking behind her and not moving, Cheyenne looked at Caroline, who was no longer trying to hide her amusement and whispered, “Please tell me he didn’t hear all of that.”

“Sorry, Cheyenne, I think they
all
heard it.”

Cheyenne closed her eyes as she heard the rustling of clothing and the quiet footsteps of more people joining them in the narrow hallway.

“Jesus Christ.” She couldn’t say anything else. All Faulkner’s friends had heard her lose her shit on Caroline, the apparent matriarch of the group? Fuck.

“Okay, we’re leaving now. Thanks for the meal, Ice. Wolf. I’ll see the rest of you in the morning.” Dude was all business. He shifted until Cheyenne was against his side and he put an arm around her waist, making sure she stayed there, and led her through the group of people now smiling at them.

“Bye, Cheyenne, it was nice meeting you.”

“We’ll call you soon!”

Cheyenne heard Caroline’s voice say through her embarrassment. “We’re having a girl’s day out shopping soon, I’ll call ya!”

The rest of the men added their goodbyes as well and Faulkner herded her out the front door to his truck. He opened the passenger door and got her seated and comfortable. Then Cheyenne watched as he rounded the front of the vehicle and got in next to her. Without a word, he started the car, did a U-turn in the middle of the road and drove down the street, presumably to his place.

Cheyenne didn’t say anything on the trip to Faulkner’s house. She was embarrassed beyond belief that Faulkner, and all his friends, had overheard her. She wasn’t upset about
what
she’d said to Caroline though, every bit of that was dead-on true. She appreciated the fact Caroline was trying to protect her friend, but jeez, Caroline should’ve known by just looking at Cheyenne, she wasn’t like that.

But knowing all of his friends, and Faulkner himself, had heard what she’d said was embarrassing as hell. Even now he hadn’t said much to her. He’d been quiet all the way to his house. Cheyenne had half expected Faulkner to take her back to her own apartment and drop her off without a word, but he hadn’t.

They pulled up to a small, well-kept brick house with only a small overhang over the front door. There was a long driveway which led to a one-car garage along the side and back of the house. The yard was well maintained, with no overgrown bushes lining the sides of the house, and the grass seemed to be freshly mowed.

Faulkner turned into the driveway and pulled to the end and shut off the truck. He didn’t open the garage, simply got out and came around to Cheyenne’s side of the vehicle. He helped her out, then opened the back door and grabbed her overnight bag from the back seat. Still without speaking, he put his hand on her waist and steered her to the back door. He put the key in the lock and led her inside.

They entered into a laundry room that had a basic washer and dryer in it. Without giving her a chance to look around, Faulkner all but pushed her through the small, but functional kitchen, and into the living room. Faulkner had a huge television mounted on the wall, not surprising, and a couch and love seat set in an L arrangement around a small coffee table.

The walls were a slight gray color that offset the dark browns of the couches. It was definitely a masculine looking room that fit Faulkner to a tee. 

Still not stopping, Dude encouraged Cheyenne to keep walking. He steered her into a bedroom in the back of the house. Once he entered, Dude dropped her bag and turned Cheyenne in his arms until he was holding her upper arms and she was looking up at him.

“I’m sorry…”

Dude cut Cheyenne off before she could get anything else out. “Don’t you fucking be sorry. You have no idea how much your words meant to me. I don’t even know where to start. First, I’m pissed that Caroline had the nerve to try to warn you off.”

“She loves you, she was looking out for you.”

“I don’t give a shit. It was rude. But, having said that, if she hadn’t confronted you, you wouldn’t have said what you did and I wouldn’t have been there to hear it. I think your words are gonna stay with me forever. I knew you weren’t thrilled to go over there tonight, but after we talked, I thought you were okay with it. But you weren’t were you? You did it because you thought I wanted you to. You did it for me.”

Looking at her, as if waiting for her agreement, Cheyenne gave a small nod.

“Yeah, you did it because you wanted to please me.”

Again, when Faulkner didn’t say anything else, Cheyenne nodded again, giving him the reassurance he needed. For once he didn’t demand she say the words.

“You’re into me. You said it. I heard it. All my friends heard it. I’m not letting you take it back.”

“I don’t want to take it back. I’m not an idiot, Faulkner. As much as you push me and boss me around, if I didn’t want to be with you, I wouldn’t be. If I didn’t want to be standing in your bedroom right now, I wouldn’t be here. I’m not a complete moron.”

Cheyenne was fascinated at the affects her words were having on Faulkner. She could see his pupils dilate. His fingers squeezed her biceps a bit harder and she saw him clench his teeth before he continued.

“You have no idea what I see in you.”

Cheyenne just shook her head at him, agreeing. She had
no
idea what he saw in her.

“Jesus, Shy, it’s everything. You’re level headed, you’re loyal, you’re independent, you’re humble and shy, but then you’re all piss and vinegar when you have to be. You’re a walking contradiction and it turns me on so much I can’t stand it. But hearing you say you trust me? That you’d let me tie you to my bed? You have no idea what you’ve shared with me. I don’t think you even understand your own needs, or mine, but I’m going to be there to help you figure it out. You said you were mine as long as I’m interested. Well, Shy, I’m interested and you’re fucking mine.”

Embarrassed, Cheyenne whispered, “Are you talking about BDSM?”

“Go sit on the bed, Shy,” Dude ordered, not answering her question and dropping his hands from her arms and taking a step back.

“What?”

“Go sit on the bed. Do it.”

Not understanding, Cheyenne took a step backward. Faulkner matched her steps. Every time she took a step back, he took a step forward. She took another, then another. Cheyenne kept her eyes on Faulkner’s as she slowly backed into the room until the back of her legs hit the mattress. She sat, still looking up at Faulkner. Without thinking she brought her thumbnail up to her mouth and chewed on it. She was nervous as all hell. What was going on here?

“Not BDSM, Shy. Never that. I’m not down with labels. Who we are together is who we are. Nothing more, nothing less. But think about what just happened here. I asked you to do something and you did it. Why?”

Cheyenne thought about what he said. “I don’t know.”

“You know.”

“Because you asked me to and I wanted to please you.”

“Exactly. That’s what this is about. I want to please you and you want to please me. We do that by me taking charge. It’s what I need, and you submit to it so beautifully.” Dude dropped to his haunches in front of her. He took the thumb Cheyenne had been chewing on and brought it to his mouth. “What’d I tell you I’d do if I caught you doing that again?” He waited for her to answer.

“That you’d do the same thing.”

“Damn straight.” Without looking away from Cheyenne’s eyes, he took her thumb into his mouth. He nibbled on the pad, then wrapped his tongue around it. He sucked, he caressed, he bit.

When he finally let go, Cheyenne felt boneless. “Seriously, is that supposed to be a deterrent, Faulkner? ‘Cos I have to tell you, it’s really not.”

Dude chuckled at her words and wrapped his bad hand around hers. “Mine, Shy. You said it. I heard it. My friends heard it. Thank God I wasn’t on a mission and was available to be there yesterday. Oh, someone else probably would’ve been able to disarm that bomb, but it wasn’t someone else. It was me. We have this combustible connection that I’ve never felt before. We’ll figure this out as we go. But I’m warning you, I don’t think I’m going to lose interest in you anytime soon.”

“Okay.” It was all Cheyenne could think to say. It wasn’t like she was going to argue with him.

“Okay. Here’s how tonight will work. You get changed into whatever you’ve brought to sleep in. I know I told you I’d sleep on the couch tonight, but I don’t think I can. I’ll sleep in here with you. In my bed. Nothing will happen. I promised you that. You can trust me. I want you relaxed, and I want you to get used to me, to get more comfortable with me before we explore that part of our relationship. We’ll get up in the morning, I’ll make you breakfast then drive you home so you can get ready for your shift. We’ll figure out the rest as we go.”

Cheyenne noticed immediately that he wasn’t asking. He was telling. She thought about it for a moment. Realizing she was okay with everything he’d said, she simply nodded as if Faulkner had actually asked for her approval.

He smiled and leaned over, bringing his mouth inches from hers. “You please me, Shy. Fuck, you please me. Now, go get changed.”

Dude stood up and helped Cheyenne to her feet. He watched as she padded over to her bag, picked it up, and headed toward the little bathroom connected to the bedroom. The door closed behind her and Dude sagged onto the bed. Jesus, he was screwed. He’d barely known Cheyenne for a day and he was so far gone it wasn’t funny. He’d always thought insta-love was a fallacy, something romance authors made up to sell books.

But he was knee deep in it. It was scary as hell, especially for someone used to being in control of every aspect of his life, but Dude welcomed it all the same. Sleeping next to Cheyenne, and not being inside her, would be one of the most difficult things he’d ever done, but he couldn’t deny the thought of holding her in his arms all night sounded like heaven. He’d never, not once, spent the entire night with a woman. Oh, he’d catnapped and dozed after having sex, but he’d always woken up and left before the night had ended. Looking back, he knew it made him somewhat of an asshole, but it was the way he was and the way it had to be. But now, just the thought of holding Cheyenne in his arms all night felt right. Instead of the panicked feeling he usually got at the thought of having to deal with a woman “the morning after,” Dude couldn’t wait to see what Shy looked like first thing in the morning.

He left the bedroom, not wanting Cheyenne to feel awkward when she came out of the bathroom. Dude killed some time in the kitchen making sure he had what he needed for breakfast in the morning. Figuring he’d given Cheyenne enough time, he made his way back to his bedroom.

Seeing Cheyenne in his bed made him feel funny. He swallowed once, hard. Without a word he went into the bathroom. Knowing Cheyenne didn’t have a direct line of sight into the room, he didn’t bother closing the door. The room smelled like her. It smelled of toothpaste and some sort of sweet lotion. Dude took a closer look at the bottle on his counter, Gingerbread. Fuck. He’d never be able to think of Christmas again without thinking about her and her damn gingerbread lotion. Dude supposed it should have irritated him, her stuff strewn all over his counter, but instead it thrilled him.

He brushed his own teeth then stripped off his clothes down to his boxers. He usually slept nude, but knew that wasn’t happening tonight. He probably should’ve pulled on a shirt, but Dude couldn’t resist the thought of having Cheyenne close to his skin. He was pushing his control, but he couldn’t stop himself.

He walked back into his bedroom to see Cheyenne lying on his bed and the covers up to her chin. She was obviously nervous and unsure.

Not wanting to prolong her anxiety, Dude strode across the room, turned off the light then turned back to the bed and pulled back the covers next to her. He climbed in and immediately turned over and pulled Cheyenne into him.

He arranged her so that she was up against his side, with her head resting on his shoulder. Dude put one hand around her and placed his other hand on her waist.

Dude relaxed when he felt Cheyenne’s hand flatten against his chest. He relaxed further when he felt her muscles loosen and finally melt into him.

“Comfortable?”

“Surprisingly, yeah.”

“Why surprisingly?”

“I’ve never spent the night with a guy before.”

At Faulkner’s sharp inhalation of breath, Cheyenne hurriedly explained. “No, Jesus, Faulkner, I’m not a virgin. Jeez. Relax. I just meant I’ve never slept in the same bed all night with a guy.”

“I don’t want to hear you talk about another man when you’re in my arms and in my bed again, Shy, but just saying, they were idiots. I’m getting more satisfaction out of having you here in my arms and knowing you’ll be here in the morning, just like this, than I ever have fucking a woman before.”

Cheyenne propped herself up quickly and tried to glare at Faulkner in the darkness. “If I can’t talk about other men, you can’t talk about fucking any other women either,” she snapped, irritated.

Chuckling, Dude raised his hand and soothed it over her back, feeling the soft cotton of her sleep shirt. “You’re right, I’m sorry, Shy. I won’t do it again.”

“I mean, I know you’ve slept with a shit-ton of women, but I don’t want to hear about them.”

“It hasn’t been a shit-ton.”

“Whatever.”

Dude chuckled.  “All I meant, was that I’ve never felt as satisfied as I do right now, simply holding you.”

“Good save.” Cheyenne smiled. How could she stay mad at Faulkner when he said something like that?

“Go to sleep, Shy. I’ve got you.”

“I know.” After a moment Cheyenne whispered, “You didn’t kiss me goodnight.”

“I can’t. If my mouth touches you, I’m lost. I’ll taste whatever flavored lip shit you used, and it’ll go straight to my head. It’s bad enough I’m lying here smelling the gingerbread lotion you used tonight. I’m imaging how your skin will feel under me and how good you’ll smell when I finally go down on you. If I even get a hint of gingerbread mixed with your slick arousal, I’ll lose it. So it might be a simple good night kiss to you, but it’s a slippery slope that I’m holding on at the top of with my fingernails. So just shush and close your eyes. You’ll get your kisses. I promise, Shy. Just not tonight, and not right now.”

Giggling softly, Cheyenne simply said, “Okay.”

“Sleep, Shy. For the love of God, close your eyes and sleep.”

Dude lay in the dark waiting for Cheyenne to fall asleep. It didn’t take long. The excitement of the last couple of days and the nervousness she’d felt tonight had obviously taken a toll on her.

Dude hadn’t lied to her. Holding her in his arms was one of the most satisfying things he’d ever felt. Knowing she was just the kind of woman he needed and that Cheyenne wanted to please him was heady stuff. It wasn’t just that he had a woman in his bed who Dude knew would be open to just about anything he wanted to do to her. It was that he had
Cheyenne
in his bed who would be open to anything he wanted to do to her.
That
was what made his control hard to hold on to. He never expected when he’d been called to a bomb threat that he’d meet his match, but Dude knew he’d spend the rest of his life thanking Christ he had.