Chapter 10

ten

As Autumn pulled into Seth’s driveway, she mentally started making excuses for not going into his house. Yes, she had insisted on him offering her food, but that was just a joke. She had things to do, like check back in with her hacker friend about a few things and check on Freddy.

“Don’t even think about it.”

She glanced at Seth. Even in the dim light from the streetlight, he mesmerized her. There had always been something that drew her to him. He was gorgeous, even pretty for a man. Those eyelashes—they should be illegal. But there was something beneath the surface, something that was good and true.

And she was broken.

“Think about what, SEAL?”

His mouth twitched. “You want food, and I promised. Come on. Bring your container of food.”

“I’m not sharing my leftovers with you.”

He chuckled. “No, but you also don’t want the bugs to get them.”

True. Autumn slipped out of the car and followed him, carrying her container. Once in the house, he turned off his alarm as she slipped off her sandals. The wood floor was cool beneath her feet.

He led her down the hall to an open area with a nice-sized living area and a decent kitchen.

“Nice. Also, I’m trying to figure out how I ended up here.”

It was true. It was like he was the pied piper or something. She would try to avoid him, and he just marched on, dragging her behind him.

“I’m used to commanding people,” he said, taking her food container and putting it in his fridge. “I’ll make sure you don’t forget it.”

A thousand butterflies exploded in her belly. This man.

“I don’t need to be taken care of.”

He crowded her against the kitchen counter, caging her in by putting a hand on either side of her hips.

“Yes, you do.”

“I’m a grown woman who can handle herself.”

He made a rude noise in the back of his throat. “Did I say you couldn’t?”

“No.”

“What I mean is, it’s nice to have a soft place to land every now and then.”

Her body went hot, her heart beating so hard against her chest she was sure there would be bruises. She had never been so charmed and turned on at the same time.

“You don’t want to do this.”

He leaned forward, his gaze connected to hers. He nipped at her bottom lip. “I think I know what I do and don’t want.”

“This is a mistake.”

“We won’t know until we make it. And let’s be honest…mistakes are sometimes amazing.”

She could hear the humor in his voice, the need that matched her own. Her nipples were hard, and it was taking every bit of her control not to lean forward and turn his butterfly kisses into something more.

“Mistakes can also cause a lot of problems.”

“We’ve been dancing around this for months, Bradford. Why not see what happens when we both let go?”

“The consequences could be terrible.”

“They could also be delicious.”

She smiled, her defenses crumbling bit by bit. This man knew just what to say to get her to give in. And she wanted to. With every fiber of her being, she tried to fall into bed with this man. For just this night, she wanted to forget about everything and just feel.

She leaned forward and deepened their kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth. Everything seemed to still, even the air around them, before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. She could feel his heart beating out of control precisely like hers. He tasted of temptation and something else—something she could never hope for. She regretted that…because this man would be wonderful to have in her life. She gave herself a quick second to regret that she wasn’t a normal woman, then let it go. Soon, she wouldn’t have a choice but to walk away to protect him, but she deserved this one night with him.

He lifted her up onto the counter, then kissed his way down her neck, nipping and licking her skin as he delved between her breasts. All the while, he was inching the skirt of her dress up her thighs, his callused fingers trailing along her skin. God, he was killing her with that mouth of his and the touch of his hands, and they were both fully dressed still.

He eased her back on the counter, then stilled as he pushed her dress up to reveal her bare pussy.

“Jesus,” he muttered, his gaze zeroed in between her legs. “I would have never lasted if I had known you weren’t wearing anything beneath this dress.”

“I rarely wear underwear,” Autumn said, her voice breathless, even to her own ears.

His gaze traveled up to capture hers. Darkened eyes, flushed skin. “I did not need to know that. You know that’s all I’ll think about whenever I’m around you?”

She blinked. “Sorry.”

He took her hand and tugged her into a sitting position again, and she frowned. Was he so disgusted with her that he was done? She never understood these moments because she had only had fast, furious fucks, but now, he was looking at her with such tenderness and heat…it was odd. It made her stomach flutter.

“Don’t ever apologize for being who you are, Autumn. You’re an amazing woman who is as lethal with her sarcasm as she is with a gun. You. Are. Amazing.”

She blinked once more, her chest warming, and, for some reason, she almost felt like crying. Sam and Ian always said things like that, but it was different coming from a man like Seth. They loved her like a relative. They had to say things like that.

“Thank you.”

He stepped back, and she opened her mouth to argue with him. She didn’t get a chance. Instead, he yanked her off the counter into a standing position. Then, he bent and took hold of her, rising with her over his shoulder.

“What are you doing? And I’m too heavy for this.”

He chuckled. “Darlin’, I’m trained to carry men like this. You weigh practically nothing compared to that.”

Oh, God. He had put a little twang in his accent. She knew he wasn’t from the South, but damn, just that little bit had her wet. There was something so sexy about being called darlin’ by a big, strong man. It went against everything she would typically want from a man, but it made her feel special.

He walked them down the hall and stepped into his bedroom. He tossed her on his bed. It surprised a laugh out of her as she bounced on the mattress. He had been advancing toward her when he paused.

“What?” she asked as he continued to stare at her.

“I love your laugh. Not the fake one you use with everyone else, but that one.”

“How do you know I have a fake laugh?”

His mouth curled. Yep, she was a goner because she almost came from that little smile.

“I do. Maybe you don’t realize it, but you hold back. Of course, I take credit for that laugh.”

She loved it when he got cocky like that. “Oh, you do?”

He nodded as he took hold of the bottom of his shirt, tugged it over his head, and tossed it on the floor behind him. It was dark in the room, but, good God in heaven, the man was built. Muscle rippled beneath his flesh.

Every drop of moisture dried up in her mouth, and her fingers itched to explore all that.

“Yes.”

“What?”

His mouth twitched. “Yes, I take credit for that laugh. But I also plan to take credit when you scream my name.”

He joined her on the bed, crawling over her body until she was lying flat. He kissed her then while still balancing on his hands. Autumn wanted to feel his weight on her, have him crush her into the mattress.

The kiss was quick and wet, and she wanted more, but he pulled away.

“Nope. I’ve been dreaming about having my head between your legs for far too long.”

Then Seth eased her dress up once again and settled between her legs. He kissed the top of her mound, his tongue barely teasing her clit before he pulled back.

Irritated, she tried to move closer, and a bark of laughter filled the room.

“Oh, no, you don’t. I’m in charge of this.”

“Excuse me?”

Another laugh. “Listen, you can tie me up and do whatever you want to me later. I don’t care. But right now, I’m going to enjoy this delicacy, and all I want from you is your pleasure.”

She was so stunned by the comment that she said nothing before he dipped his head again. This time, he licked her thigh leisurely, almost lovingly. Nope, she would not think that way. Men didn’t think about her that way. She wasn’t fragile or needed to be treated like something special.

He moved, but only to give her other thigh the same treatment. Finally, he worked his way up to her pussy. He pressed her legs apart further.

“Fuck, you’re so wet.”

That was definitely true. She was fairly dripping with need. He drew in a deep breath.

“Heaven.”

It was all he muttered before he slid his hands beneath her ass to lift her up to his mouth. The moment his tongue slipped between her pussy lips, she was lost. Lost in pleasure, the feel of his mouth on her most intimate parts, and, dammit, she was lost in him. He was teasing her over and over, his tongue dipping into her just far enough to get her close to orgasm, then moving away before giving her completion.

Autumn wanted to demand that he finish her off and give her what she needed right now, but that would be a sign of weakness. She wasn’t ready to share that with him now, not the soft underbelly of her heart. So, instead, she dug her fingers into the sheets as her toes curled.

He hummed against her before pulling back to slip his fingers up and inside of her. He curled them just right before adding his mouth once more. He took hold of her clit as he pumped his fingers in and out of her. At some point, she lost her mind, unable to really think at all. Instead, all she cared about was the pleasure he was promising her with his fingers and his mouth.

He lifted his mouth off her as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her. “Come for me, Autumn. Let go. I’ll catch you.”

Then he was on her again, this time driving her up and over that edge. Pleasure hit her hard, sending her over the edge into chaos. Every nerve ending in her body seemed to explode as delight washed over her entire body. She screamed his name, just as he had promised. He continued his onslaught as her orgasm faded, only to have another one explode in her so fast and hard it stole her breath.

He gave her pussy one last, long lick before he rolled out of bed. He had his pants off in record time. The man was a god. If his chest and shoulders took her breath away, the rest of him left her mute. He turned away to open his bedside table drawer, giving her a view of the most fantastic ass she had ever seen, like in person, not in a picture or on a video. She reached out and slipped her fingers over him. He smiled over his shoulder at her.

Oh, damn, that smile. It did weird things to her insides. It turned them mush, making her want things she couldn’t have. She could only have this one night and needed to remind herself of that. It was all she could have, even if she didn’t deserve it.

“You have a lot of clothes on, Bradford.” His voice deepened and turned him even hotter. How did he keep getting hotter? Was it a SEAL thing?”

He turned to face her, his cock drawing her attention. Another beautiful part of this man. It was long, thick, with a drop of pearly pre cum wetting the head. She swung her legs off the side of the bed and sat up. Wrapping her fingers around his length, she pumped a couple of times before taking him into her mouth.

She tasted his precum, sweet and salty, then lost herself in exploring his cock, slipping her hand down to squeeze his balls. He groaned at that, causing her to look up at him. His gaze was blazing with heat.

“Look at you. You look so fucking pretty with my cock in your mouth.”

He untied the knot of her halter dress so the fabric fell away. Cool air hit her breasts.

“I would like to squirt all over these, but first, I want to be inside of you when you come again.”

She pulled back, releasing his cock. “Oh, you think you can make me come again?”

He laughed as he tugged her off the bed to her feet so they could get rid of her dress. It joined his clothes on the floor.

“Yeah, I know I can make you come again.”

He quickly slipped on the condom, then tumbled them both back onto the bed. He landed on top of her, and she loved it. Usually, she didn’t like a guy on top of her. It made her feel out of control. With Seth, it didn’t seem to bother her. She was sure it meant something, but before she could figure it out, he took his cock in his hand, notching it against her center, before thrusting into her in one hard, deep move.

Their mingled groans filled the room. At that moment, it felt better than anything in her life. He held himself there for a moment. Then…he started to move. Slow and easy at first, bending down and taking a nipple into his mouth. The pleasure of being filled by him and the graze of his teeth against her sensitive tip was driving her insane. Slowly, surely, he teased her body, mind, and soul. This…this wasn’t fucking. This was completely different, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that now.

Before she could order him to hurry up, he increased his rhythm. It was as if he could read her mind. He rose to his knees, dragging her hips up with him. It gave him the perfect angle, driving him impossibly deep inside of her. She could feel the orgasm right there, out of reach, and it was driving her crazy. Every nerve ending seemed on fire, ready to react to the release, but she couldn’t do anything in this position. While she loved the feel of that cock of his slamming into her over and over as deep as he could go, she hated that she couldn’t control anything.

“Let go, Autumn. I’ll catch you.”

He hit the perfect spot—or maybe it was the words. She exploded, screaming his name as pleasure washed over her, jolting down to her soul.

He followed her a moment later…his shout even louder as his fingers dug into her hips. He collapsed a little while later, right on top of her. She grunted.

“Dude, you weigh a ton.”

He chuckled as he rose up, resting his weight on his elbows on the mattress. He stared down at her long enough for the back of her throat to tickle. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to make light of the situation.

“Don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’t make a joke. Let me enjoy this moment.”

She wanted to argue with him, but something had her holding her thoughts in.

“And don’t do that. You don’t have to hide from me. Just don’t pretend this didn’t mean anything. We might not know what it is, but it is something,”

She didn’t like that idea. It made her itchy from the inside out, thinking it could be more. And sad. So unbearably sad.

He reached up and pushed her hair back from her face. “Stay right here.”

He slipped out of her, then out of bed, getting rid of the condom before coming back to bed.

“I might have had plans,” she said as he pulled her into his arms.

“If it’s screaming my name a few more times, then I’m down with that. Let’s get some rest first.”

She couldn’t help but smile as she snuggled closer. “You think a lot of yourself.”

“Yeah, I do. Go to sleep, Bradford.”

“Shut up, SEAL.”

Then, she quickly drifted off, knowing it was a mistake to stay, but she couldn’t force herself to leave. Just this once, she would indulge.