Waiting for Him (16 page)

Biting her bottom lip, she pushed on his shoulders until he was laying down the bed with his feet still on the floor. She climbed on top of him and straddled his hips with her knees. Boomer sensed, despite their position, she needed to say something important and he rested his hands on her waist.

“I’m scared.”

The words came out on a whisper and he almost didn’t hear them. “About what, baby? I told you, the boys and me are not letting those bastards anywhere near you. I’d die first.”

Kat’s eyes widened and filled with tears. He could have kicked himself in the ass at that very moment.

“Shit, Kitten. That’s not what I meant. I mean, it is what I meant, but nothing is going to happen to me. I promise. Ian, Devon, and the rest of the team, we’re damn good at what we do. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.” He rubbed his knuckles up and down her sides. “I just got you back, and I’ll be damned if someone comes between us ever again.”
Tell her
, his mind yelled at him,
tell her you love her!
But he couldn’t. Not yet. She wasn’t ready for that yet. But soon. Soon she was going to know she belonged to him. And he belonged to her. She was the only woman who would ever hold his heart in the palms of her hands.

She was staring at her hands where they touched his chest. “I’m just scared someone else will get hurt because of me. Jake could have lost his eye.”

“And he could’ve been killed a thousand times over on one of our missions. He could be hit by a bus walking across a street tomorrow. It’s the way life is, baby, you should know it better than anyone. But we will protect you, and whether you agree with it or not, your life comes before the team’s. Everyone one of them will tell you that. It’s who we are and who we trained to be. And when this is all over, you and I…I want a future with you, Kat. The future I never thought I’d have.”

“I want that, too, but I can’t bear the thought of losing you. So if you get hurt,” she clenched her fists, taking his T-shirt with them, “I’m going to kick your ass, you hear me?”

“Damn, you’re fucking sexy as sin.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m serious, Benny.”

Before she realized what was happening, he sat up and pushed her down to the side so she was halfway across his lap and face first into the comforter. Lifting his palm, he let it slap down on her ass cheek. Not too hard, but enough to make it sting.

“Ouch! That hurt!” She reached back with her hands to cover her backside. Since this was new to her and they weren’t actually playing at the moment, he let her. But when she looked over her shoulder at him, he saw heat in her gaze and his cock stirred.

“It was supposed to hurt, Kitten. The next rule is…no rolling your eyes at your Dom. That and sarcasm are the fastest ways to get a spanking.” He helped her to stand. “And the only thing saving you from a proper spanking is we have to head to the airport soon, so finish packing while I grab my stuff.” He got to his feet as well, and patted her ass. “But real soon, my hand and your butt are going to get very well acquainted, and you’ll be begging me to let you cum. Trust me.”

Ignoring her gaping mouth, he began to gather his things, chuckling to himself. Oh yeah, teaching her was going to be fun.

Kat was trying to concentrate on reading
Leather & Lace,
but was finding it very hard to not replace Master Xavier with Benny in her mind. Master X was paddling Rebecca for lying by omission. She hadn’t told him she’d been getting death threats, and he’d found out when someone tried to run her off the road. Kat imagined she was the book’s female lead, draped over a spanking bench, and tied down with her bare ass in the air. Master X/Benny was pausing after several strikes and caressing her red-hot cheeks. The fictional heat and pain were going straight to Kat’s pussy and making it throb. Oh, she knew Rebecca was crying and not enjoying her punishment, but Kat was remembering how the sting of Benny’s quick smacks had startled her both times. And then they had made her wet. Wet and wanting more.

She squirmed a little in her first-class style seat on the private jet taking them back to Tampa. They’d had some time to kill before the plane landed in Charlotte to retrieve them, so Devon had taken them to one of his favorite places for lunch. It was a sports bar, which she hadn’t minded, having grown up watching almost every sports game her brother and Benny had played in high school. In the fall, it’d been football, followed by hockey in the winter. Then springtime came and Alex had pitched while Benny played third base. Kat had always been on the sidelines, cheering and giggling with her girlfriends over how hot the guys all looked in their uniforms. But unlike some of her friends, Kat had paid attention to the games and learned enough to be able to hold her own when it came to men talking about sports.

Devon had introduced her to the main reason he’d pick that particular restaurant—the hamburgers. Kat almost ordered a house salad, but the men had all insisted she get a burger, telling her they were the best ones she would ever have in her life. When she gave in, Benny had smiled and squeezed her knee under the table. She knew he was worried about her weight loss, which was still noticeable, but she had to admit, it felt nice knowing he wanted to take care of her.

Devon and Marco had filled her in on some more funny stories about Benny while he’d rolled his eyes and tried to put a different spin on things. It’d been obvious he was very close to these men, respected them, and valued their friendship. A pang of loss hit her again and she wondered if Alex and Benny would’ve still been best friends if things had turned out differently for everyone. She liked to think so, and then wondered how the boyfriend/girlfriend thing would have worked out between her and Benny.

“What are you thinking so hard about, Kitten? You almost have steam coming out your ears.”

Benny sat beside her and took her hand in his. She shrugged then remembered what he’d said about honesty. “Just a bunch of what-ifs. I was wondering, if my father had never gotten mixed up with Volkov, how our lives would have turned out. Yours, mine, and Alex’s. Would you and I still have been together?”

His thumb rubbed the back of her hand in soothing circles. A sad smile appeared on his handsome face . “I want to say ‘yes’, but honestly I don’t know. I’d like to think so, but we’ve both changed so much in twelve years, it’s hard to tell. My parents’ marriage was in the minority when it comes to SEAL team members. Many of them don’t make it.” Kat turned in her seat to face him better and he lifted her legs so her calves crossed his lap. “Don’t get me wrong, there were times my mother wanted to throw him out on his ass. He’d come back from a mission, like most of the guys, and be in a deep funk for a while until his mind caught up to the fact that his body was back in the states. Sometimes, the things we’ve seen and done are hard to shake. And since SEALs aren’t allowed to discuss most of our missions outside of the team, it put a strain on my parents’ relationship. I’m just grateful they were able to stay together through the rough spots. My mother is a strong woman, stronger than most.” His smile changed and now lit up his handsome face. “And now that I think of it, so are you. So, yeah, I think we’d still be together.”

“I’d like to think that too. Do you think we’d have kids? As close as we used to be, there are so many things I don’t know about you now. I don’t even know if you’d want kids.”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap. “Kids with you? Hell, yeah.” He nuzzled her neck. She was glad his teammates couldn’t see them from where they sat toward the back of the plane as he cupped her breast, squeezing and massaging it. “As many as we can have. Don’t think of me as a caveman…well, in some ways I can be…but the thought of you ‘barefoot and pregnant’ with my children is a big, fucking turn-on. And just think of all the fun we’d have trying.”

His hand left her breast and worked its way between her thighs. He rubbed her sex through her sweatpants and she knew he could feel the heat and moisture emanating from her. Kat moaned lowly and separated her legs to give him a little more room to work with. She completely forgot they weren’t exactly alone. All she knew was the pleasure he was giving her. She squirmed on his lap trying to get closer to him and felt his rigid cock against her hip.

Benny lowered the tone of his voice. “Sit still, Kitten. Put your arms around me and your face in my neck. Try to stay quiet.”

Desire flooded her. She did as she was told as he loosened the tie to her sweatpants and put his hand inside them. His fingers brushed over her clit and went lower to her wet pussy. Her breathing increased as her lips touched his neck. Putting one finger inside her, he stroked her gently at first. “You like this, don’t you, Kitten? You like how I’m playing with you, knowing Marco or Dev could walk up here at any moment and see my hand down your pants. They could see how flushed and aroused you are.” He added a second finger, maintaining the same slow, torturous pace. “Answer me, Kitten. Do you like this, knowing you could get caught being so naughty? Do you want to cum?”

“Yes,” she moaned into his neck. “Please. More. Faster.”

She let out a low disappointed cry. Instead of doing as she wanted him to, he removed his hand from her pants, and brought it to his mouth. Pulling back to watch him, her eyes widened as he licked her juices from his fingers.

“Mmm. So sweet and delicious.” His hand went back down her pants and this time he began to play with her clit. His eyes were on her face, watching her reactions. “I wish I could throw you on one of the couches and bury my face between your legs. I could eat you for hours, making you come over and over again until I’ve had my fill. And then I’d put you on your hands and knees, and take you from behind. Fucking you. Claiming you. Owning you. You’re mine, Kitten. Mine.”

His last word had come out on a growl and she moaned with need and want. He’d spoken the truth. She was his. She always had been and always would be. He owned her heart, mind, and soul. No other man could make her feel the way Benny did. She loved him. Still. Now. Forever.

Her heart rate and breathing increased as her eyes closed. With his other hand, he grabbed her hair and pulled her mouth to his. She instantly opened her lips and let his tongue in to duel with hers. He increased the pace and pressure of his fingers against her clit, but it wasn’t enough to send her over. And, holy shit, she wanted to. She wanted to fall into an orgasmic abyss.

His teeth came out to nibble on her bottom lip and then along her jaw. Lowering his hand, he put two fingers back inside her as his thumb took over the assault on her clit. Sucking on her neck, he marked her as his fingers pumped harder and faster. “Cum for me, baby. Fly for me.”

Her orgasm hit her hard. Pussy walls squeezed and throbbed around his fingers as a rush of fluid escaped her. He’d taken her mouth again, muffling her sounds of release, and waves of pleasure assailed her. His fingers slowed while she floated back to him. He smiled at her flushed face and sated expression. “Liked that, didn’t you?” Pulling his hand out of her pants, he licked his fingers as she cuddled closer.

“Mmm-hmm.” Her cheeks flushed, but this time it wasn’t from arousal. “Do you think they heard?”

Chuckling, he gave her a quick kiss. “If they did, it’s nothing they haven’t heard before in the club.” He lifted her and placed her back in the seat next to him. “Stay here a second while I get a towel to clean you up.”

A few moments later he was back with two paper towels, one damp, and the other dry. “This was all they had on board.” She sat blushing while he quickly cleaned between her legs, and retied the strings of her sweatpants. He left her briefly again to dispose of the paper towels then adjusted himself before sitting beside her. “Next time, we’ll have to officially induct you into the mile-high club with my cock deep inside you.”

She giggled and snuggled against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You’re incorrigible.”

* * *

Boomer loved the feel of her in his arms. She fit like she’d been created just for him. And if he had his way, he’d never let her go. His fingers brushed against the mark he’d left on her neck. He needed the world to see he’d staked his claim until he could get a collar around her throat. Shifting slightly, he adjusted himself again. He was harder than granite, but would have to wait until later to take care of it. This had been all about Kat. About pleasing her and showing her she belonged to him. “What’s the first thing you want to do when this is all over? I can get some time off and we can travel a bit. Maybe go down to the Caribbean for a few days. Find ourselves a deserted island where we can walk around naked and fuck like rabbits.”

“Is sex all you think about?” she teased.

“When it comes to you, yup. I have a very long list of wicked things I want to do to you, and all of them end with my cock deep inside your body. But I’m sure we can find some time to do other things, like eat and sleep.”

As she shook her head in amusement, her hand settled on his cotton-covered six-pack. He squelched the urge to push it lower, not wanting to start something they couldn’t finish. “You know what I want to do the most?”

He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Name it and we’ll do it.”

“I want to go bowling.”

“Ha! What?” Boomer couldn’t stop the bubbly laughter which escaped him if he tried. “Bowling? Are you serious? I’m offering you a trip to the Caribbean, filled with incredible monkey-sex, and you want to go bowling?”

A wide grin and playful eyes lit up her face. “Yes. Bowling. And stop laughing at me.”

“I can’t help it, Kitten. You say the funniest things. You’ve always been able to make me laugh.” She pinched his side and he grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Okay. Okay. I’m not laughing
at
you. But why bowling?”

Her head went back to rest on his strong upper body. “Because we always had the best times when we were bowling. You, me, and Alex. Especially on the Retro Disco Nights we used to go to.” She lifted a shoulder and let it drop again. “I don’t know, it just seemed like that’s when we all let loose and didn’t care about anything but enjoying ourselves. I remember our last Halloween, when the two of you had everyone lined up in the alleys dancing ‘The Hustle’. You were dressed like John Travolta in
Saturday Night Fever
and Alex was the
Grease
version of Travolta. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my entire life.”

Boomer roared at the memory. “Oh my God! I forgot all about that. My mom taught us the steps. It took Alex two weeks to get it right because he had no sense of direction. He’d go left while everyone else was going right. So we ended up having him face everyone, like a dance instructor, and it worked out.”

“It was the best night ever, and it’s why I want to go bowling.” Her laughter died and she picked at an invisible piece of lint on his shirt. “I haven’t bowled since…since my world fell apart.”

Tightening his hold on her, he lifted her chin with his other hand. “I can’t change the past, baby. But I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you spend the rest of your life laughing and living life to the fullest.” His lips met hers. It wasn’t a seductive kiss, but one filled with promise. “I love you, Kitten.”

Kat froze then pulled back to so she could see his entire face and stared at him in disbelief.

“Do you want me to say it again?” She nodded slowly and he grinned. “I. Love. You. Katerina. Maier. I’ve loved you for a very long time. And I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me. You’re the only woman I will ever say those words to.”

Her eyes filled with tears at his declaration. His pounding heart tried to escape its confinement as Kat’s words came out on a whisper. “I love you, too. Always. And I’ll never say those words to another man.”

“Good. Now that we’ve gotten the mushy stuff out of the way, kiss me.”

And she did.

* * *

“They just arrived at compound. Girl, three men. Too many people. Vill have to vait until alone.”

Listening to his minion report in, Viktor the Bull paced back and forth in the bar’s office. It had once belonged to Volkov, but Viktor had taken ownership within days of killing the greedy bastard. The main difference between the two men was Volkov had been stupid and sloppy, whereas Viktor had common sense. He knew to make sure anyone who was privy to his secrets was eliminated as soon as they outgrew their usefulness. Sometimes even before then.

Growing up an orphan in the USSR, Viktor had come to rely on no one but himself. Making his first kill at fourteen had been a blessing in disguise. The perverted bastard had tried to molest him in an alleyway after catching the teen stealing food from a sidewalk vendor. While struggling on the ground, Viktor had managed to grab hold of a broken bottle and shoved it into the creep’s neck, slicing the artery. Instead of running, he stood there and watched the man’s life end in a puddle of blood. What he hadn’t known was someone else had been standing in the shadows as the whole incident unfolded. A man known only as Dmitry ‘Sishnik’—the Scavenger.