SEAL Defender (Brothers In Arms Book 1) Read online

  Geneva moved slowly to stand between his open legs. Gently, he placed his hands around her waist and rested his forehead against her bare stomach once more. “You are so beautiful.”

  “I’m not.” She caressed her fingers over his shaved scalp and he couldn’t suppress another shiver. It felt amazing when she touched him. “But thanks for saying so anyway.”

  “To me you are gorgeous.” Mark kissed the delicate skin just above the waistline of Geneva’s panties and she moaned. He moved a bit lower, to the front of her undies, and inhaled the spicy scent of her arousal before licking her folds softly through the material. With one hand, he nudged her legs a bit wider and licked her again, over and over until the material of her panties was drenched and her legs were shaking so bad he feared she’d fall to the ground if he let her go. Not that he planned to let her go any time soon.

  Mark stood and picked Geneva up again, laying her back on the bed before reaching to remove her lacy thong. Eyes heavy with passion, she looked at him. “Promise me you’ll leave the socks on, okay?”

  “Mine or yours?” he joked, tugging her undies down her calves and ankles, past the fluffy pink socks on her feet. When she didn’t laugh, however, he relented. Yeah, it was kind of strange and made him even more curious to see what was under there, but if the socks made Geneva feel better their first time together, fine with him. Her feet weren’t the part he was anxious to get to anyway. “Okay. Promise. Socks stay on for now, but one of these days I’ll kiss each and every one of your delectable little toes.”

  Geneva gave him an odd look as he slid down on the bed beside her. Mark turned to kiss her, but she ducked away. Frowning, he pulled back again. “What?”

  “Nothing. I just…” Geneva shook her head then glanced back at him. “Nothing.”

  Before he knew it, she pulled him down for a hard, open-mouthed kiss and couldn’t seem to keep her hands off his cock. Good thing he still had his jeans on or he might’ve embarrassed himself, he wanted her so damned bad.

  He hated to rush this first time, but his body demanded more. There’d be time to take it slower later. From the way she was moaning and arching against him, Geneva seemed more than ready too.

  Mark stood and stripped off his jeans in record time then grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer beside his bed and put it on. God, all he could think of right now was being inside her. His hands shook as he climbed above her again then traced his fingers slowly down her skin until his hand rested between her parted legs. She was so hot and wet and ready. He parted her slick folds and circled her clit with his fingers.

  “God, yes!” Geneva bucked hard, pressing her wet folds against his hand. “Right there.”

  He continued playing with her clit with his thumb while sliding two fingers inside her, preparing her for his body. Her pleasure only served to drive his own need higher, but Mark refused to take his pleasure until she’d climaxed at least once.

  With his other hand, he toyed with her nipple while sucking on its twin. Soon, Geneva cried out and arched against him, her inner walls contracting around his fingers as she rode out her orgasm.

  “That’s it, manamea,” he whispered against the side of her breast. “Give me your passion.”

  Moments later, she stilled beneath him and he positioned his cock at her wet entrance. Holding his weight above her with his elbows, Mark stared down into her half-lidded eyes. “Ready?”

  “Yes,” Geneva said, her tone sleepy and sated. “I want to feel you inside me.”

  He hissed in satisfaction as he entered her hilt deep then held still, allowing her body to accommodate to his. Her hands slid around his neck once more and she locked her feet behind his lower back. Mark moved slowly within her, his rhythm increasing gradually until they were both poised on the edge of climax. He reached in between them and stroked her clit, driving her over the brink.

  “Oh, yes!” Geneva’s head fell back as she lost herself in ecstasy again and Mark couldn’t hold back any longer. He drove hard into her—once, twice, three times—before he came hard. The world around him shattered into a million iridescent shards and he hung his head, his forehead pressed to her chest as he rode out his climax.

  Finally, relaxed and exhausted, he stretched out beside her then spooned Geneva to him, her back to his front before pulling up the covers. He was just starting to drift off when she wriggled out from under his arm. Squinting one eye open, Mark scowled across the room. “Where are you going?”

  “You said there’s a guest room, right?”

  “Yeah, next door. But—”

  “Hey, you said you liked openness, yeah?” She gathered up her clothes then headed for the door. “Well, here’s me being open. I’m not looking to settle down. I’m here for a job and that’s it, okay? This was nice, but now I need to sleep.”

  She was gone before he could answer.

  With a sigh, Mark lay back against his pillows and rubbed his tired eyes. Lord help him. She was a puzzle, but there was something about Ms. Geneva Rios. Something beyond her snooping reporter ways and her weird socks-stay-on thing. Something that went far deeper. He was intrigued enough to want to find out exactly what it was, but given her current skittishness, he wasn’t sure he’d ever have the chance.

  11

  The next morning, Geneva rose before dawn and showered before putting on her clothes from the day before and sneaking downstairs, hoping to get out of Mark’s house and back to her hotel before he was even awake.

  Unfortunately, beating a former SEAL out of bed was harder than she’d anticipated. Her stockinged feet had barely hit the hardwood on the first floor when Mark called out from the kitchen. “Want some coffee?”

  With a sigh, Geneva crossed the living room and took a seat on the same stool she’d sat the night before. Mark looked bright eyed and bushy tailed and far too sexy for this early in the morning. He slid a steaming mug across the breakfast bar to her and she mumbled her thanks before spooning in some sugar and topping it off with a dash of cream. Not surprisingly, Mark took his black.

  “So,” Geneva said, looking anywhere but at him. “Last night was…nice.”

  “That’s one word for it.” He watched her over the rim of his cup. “Sleep well?”

  “Great, thanks.”

  Awkward silence descended as he took a seat beside her. Finally, Mark tapped his fingers on the granite bar top and nodded. “We’re, uh, doing more classes today at Brothers In Arms, if you want to stop over.”

  “Same group I rappelled with?”

  “Different one, I think.” Mark took another sip of his coffee. “Jace and Vann are running things today while I catch up on stuff in the office. But I’ll let them know you’re coming to watch, if you want.”

  “Sounds great, thanks.” She took another gulp of caffeine, and then checked her watch. “What time do they start?”

  “Nine.”

  “I better get back to the B&B and get changed then, so I can be ready.” She stood and smoothed her hand down the legs of her jeans then pulled the SUVs keys from her pocket, not wanting to rush out but not wanting to stay either. She needed time to process everything that had happened between them last night, not to mention small talk wasn’t exactly her forte in the morning. “You need a ride or anything?”

  “Considering I live here on the premises and my office is just across the parking lot I should be fine.” He watched her with a narrowed gaze, a spark of passion in his smile. “Unless you have a different kind of ride in mind.”

  Right.

  Heat prickled up from beneath the collar of her shirt and Geneva looked away fast from the wicked twinkle in his eye. Definitely time to go before she tackled him to the floor and ravished him all over again. “I’ll see you later this morning.”

  “See you around.” Mark raised a hand as she backed toward the door.

  “I had a good time last night.”

  “Just good?” He chuckled. “I must be losing my touch.”

  Remembering his t
ouch, bringing her to orgasm again and again, Geneva tripped over her own feet. She fumbled with the door handle and didn’t dare look at Mark again as she scrambled outside with a muttered. “Bye.”

  At least by the time she drove back to the Fireside Inn, she felt a bit calmer. Her raging pulse had quieted and her hormones seemed back under control. She parked the SUV near the front door and walked into the lobby of the bed and breakfast that catered to mainly business people. This morning, however, a gaggle of people wearing press badges filled the serve-yourself breakfast nook. Curious, Geneva stopped by the registration desk before heading up to her room.

  “What’s going on?” she asked the clerk.

  “Oh, they’re in town to cover the big fundraiser this afternoon.”

  “What fundraiser?”

  “For Frank Sutton. He’s running for Congress.”

  “Right.” She suppressed a shiver at the suspected sabotage to Mark’s vehicle. Mark didn’t seem to want to pursue it, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do some nosing around on her own. And it might give her an opportunity to get a sound bite or two directly from the candidate himself before his redneck battalion of supporters showed up. “Is it open to the public?”

  “Yep,” the clerk said. “Downtown, center square, three p.m.”

  “Thanks.” Geneva headed for the stairs. If she used her time wisely, she’d be able to hit both the classes at Brothers In Arms and the rally. Hopefully Sutton would have an opinion on the SEAL suicides she could use to beef up her article. Given Mark had told her Sutton was an ex-SEAL himself, maybe the congressman wannabe could give her some fresh insight on the whole issue.

  Two hours later, after a change of clothes and some breakfast, Geneva felt revitalized. She drove back through Ortega and saw firsthand the preparations for the upcoming fundraiser. From the size of the area blocked off and the number of banners and signs, it looked like they were expecting quite a crowd. She turned off the main drag and headed toward the outskirts of town and the Brothers In Arms compound. It was now a little after nine and the sun was shining. A good day for training, given the types of situations and terrain the guys said they prepared their clients for. You could never plan when or where you might be attacked and a lot of companies did business in areas where all sorts of nefarious behavior and unrest were prevalent.

  Images of the previous night—the terrifying moments before Mark brought the Jeep to a stop, the comfort she’d felt in his arms afterward, the passion they’d shared in the dark hours following—flooded Geneva’s mind before she shoved them aside. Time to work, not daydream about things that would never amount to more than a brief fling.

  The class had already started by the time Geneva parked her SUV beside the company’s Humvee. She climbed out and stood for a moment, one hand over her eyes to block the glare of the sunlight as she watched about twelve men of varying ages grapple with each other on mats spread out over a large field.

  “Glad you made it back,” Mark said, coming out of the nearby office building and striding over to her. “The guys are working on self-defense today. How to escape. The best tactics to employ when running away to increase your chances of staying free and alive.”

  “Huh.” Several of the students attempted what looked to her like a standard foot swipe without much success. “Seeing how inept your current batch of students is, looks like they’d all be dead in less than thirty seconds.”

  “The point isn’t to be tough. The point is to survive. And the best way to stay out of trouble is to avoid it in the first place.” Mark gave Geneva a look. “Are you always this cynical?”

  “Are you always such a boy scout?”

  “Whatever.” He sighed then pointed toward some bleachers along one side of the field. “Watch for as long as you want from over there. I’d join you, but I’ve got a conference call with a potential new client in five minutes. You want to grab some dinner again tonight?”

  “Um, sure.” Geneva shrugged. She didn’t have any other plans and he was just about the only person she knew in town. Plus, the possibility of another night in his bed and the chance to probe his past some more didn’t hurt either. “What time?”

  “Around seven? I can pick you up at the Fireside. Jace said he’ll have my Jeep fixed by then.”

  “Sounds good.” She started to back away, remembering the fundraiser later. “Don’t worry about picking me up, though. After I leave here, I’ve got a couple of other stops to make then I need to get some work done back in my room. I’ll meet you back here.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.” She grinned and waved. Truthfully, Mark could’ve picked her up, but him coming to get her would’ve been too much like a date and Geneva wanted to avoid any appearance of that at all costs. This was all about the sex, not romance. She climbed up the creaky wooden bleachers and took a seat on the top row to watch the action.

  By around two that afternoon, Geneva had seen Jace and Vann put the guys through what she thought of as a basic self-defense course taught at any YMCA, with maybe a few special SEAL-esque tricks mixed in for fun. She took notes of what she observed on her tablet computer, along with a few short video clips, and then stored it all away for later. Right now, she had a fundraiser to crash. The accident last night had gotten her riled and she intended to see just how involved this Frank Sutton and his supporters might be, even if Mark seemed more content to forget about the whole thing.

  She stood and waved to Jace and Vann. Jace waved back. Vann just stared at her. Typical. Then Geneva headed back to her vehicle. She had to say that Mark’s apparent pacifist tendencies where last night’s attack were concerned surprised her, given his military background, but Geneva had no problem going after the guilty party. Hell, given the career she’d like to build for herself as an advocate for those without a voice or representation, one might even say persecuting those in power was her life’s mission.

  Starting the SUV’s engine, Geneva cranked the AC, pulled out of the parking lot and headed back toward downtown Ortega. Already, the streets of the tiny town were congested with traffic and probably the entire police department was out in force, directing cars and corralling visitors for the fundraiser.

  It took her twenty minutes to find a place to park, and then she had to walk five blocks to return to the town square. Just as it had been the night before at the mansion, the attendees were predominately white and male and there was a general air of tension and anger permeating the air. A part of her wondered where everyone came from since Santa Barbara county wasn’t exactly known for housing white supremacists. Oh sure, there were a fair share of most any marginal group everywhere, but this seemed like way too many for such a bedroom community. The number of buses she’d passed as she walked were an easy answer but she couldn’t resist her curiosity.

  Geneva kept to the fringes of the crowd, hoping to snag some one-on-one time with Frank Sutton before his speech. She made her way toward the makeshift stage set-up toward the front of the area and spotted the candidate himself near the sidelines, talking with a white couple who looked to be in their early forties and quite affluent, based on their hipster designer clothes. Geneva inched nearer to Frank Sutton and not so accidentally bumped into him. The couple Sutton was with looked at Geneva with the same level of disdain that most people reserved for dog poo on the bottom of their shoe. She ignored their hateful stares and flashed her brightest smile instead. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

  “No problem,” Sutton said. He looked her up and down then gave her the same fake plastic smile every politician must learn before they hit the campaign trail. “Frank Sutton. Running for Congress.”

  “Geneva Rios. Reporter for the National Tribune.”

  “National Tribune, eh?” The interest level in Frank’s expression increased. “I’d love to be featured in their paper. Coast-to-coast syndication, right?”

  “They don’t call us National for nothing,” Geneva said, giving him a wink.

  “Are you here to cover my ca
mpaign?”

  “Not exactly, but I did have a few questions for you, Mr. Sutton.”

  “Anything for my friends in the press.” He put his arm around Geneva’s shoulders and pulled her in tight for a squeeze while a cameraman took their photo. “Need to get more Latino voters on my side. Ask away.”

  “You’re an ex-Navy SEAL, is that correct?”

  “I am.” His chest practically puffed with pride. “A true American hero.”

  “Frank,” the rich white woman from the couple she’d seen earlier pushed in beside Geneva. “We really need to finish our conversation.”

  “Just a minute, Kim,” Frank said, his attention still focused on Geneva. “I’m busy with an interview.”

  Kim gave Geneva a disdainful stare before turning back to her husband.

  “Have you met my biggest supporters yet, Geneva?” Frank asked, apparently oblivious to the sour expressions of the couple. “May I introduce Tim and Kim Rigsdale. They donated more money than anyone else to my campaign. Geneva here is a reporter for the National Tribune.”

  So these were the owners of the mansion.

  The Rigsdales each gave her a limp noodle handshake.

  “What kind of distribution rates does your paper have?” Kim asked, looking down her nose at Geneva.

  “Like the name implies, we’re nationally distributed.”

  “Yes, but we’re only interested in New York Times or Washington Post sized numbers,” Tim said, forming a veritable white-skinned wall by standing shoulder to shoulder with his wife. “It’s all about the fundraising. If you can’t produce that kind of money for us, then any interviews with you aren’t worth our candidate’s valuable time. You understand.”

  Yeah, Geneva understood all right.

  Asshats.

  “Oh, and here’s Kevin Quinn.” Frank waved over another white guy, with dark hair and eyes and a non-descript suit. “Kevin, this is Geneva Rios. She’s a reporter for the National Tribune and wants to interview me. Kevin here is an ex-SEAL too.”

  “Ortega’s just crawling with you guys, huh?” Geneva smiled as she shook the guy’s hand firmly.