CHAPTER TWENTY
Friday, April 27th
Daphne pushed her hand across the bed and discovered that it was empty. Rolling over, she checked the clock and realized she had slept in. Not hearing anything, she figured that Bryce had left for the base and knew she should get up and start her day.
She’d been working for seven days straight and she needed to get her chores done in case she got called back to the base.
The front door opened, and she leaned forward and saw that Bryce had a bakery bag in his hand. “I thought you left for the day.”
“No way. You have the day off, so we’re spending it in bed and ravaging one another. I don’t have much going on except you, so get yourself ready.”
Holding out her hand, she wiggled her fingers. “Give me a donut and I’ll think about what you’re offering.”
He handed her the bag as he kneed her legs apart. “You eat your donut while I eat you and then we can go from there.”
“Bryce!”
“Why are you acting scandalized?” He spread her legs wide and licked his lips. “You know I love nothing better than getting my head between your legs in the morning, and you can’t deny me what’s mine.”
She fished out a donut hole and waved it around. “You think you own me?”
He gave her a wink and then lowered himself as he ran his hands up her legs. “I sure as hell do.”
Shoving the donut hole into her mouth, she flopped back on the bed and felt his hands slide over her stomach and down to her damp center. His fingers parted her slick folds and his growl reverberated off the walls. “Animal,” she mumbled.
“Damn right, darlin’.”
His head lowered and he licked her thoroughly, sliding his tongue along her folds. Tasting and teasing, he ate at her like she was a bowl of ice cream. She rolled her hips beneath him and he clamped his hand down on her thigh. “Hold still and let me have my honey.”
“It feels so good, I can’t.” His talented tongue drove her mad and everything inside her coiled tight as her body prepared to explode. But he was teasing her and licking and sucking everywhere but where she needed most. He slid a finger inside and still didn’t touch her throbbing center. “Oh, please.”
Sliding his finger out, he added a second and created an ache she wasn’t sure she’d survive. He drove his finger in and out and she was so close. “Bryce!”
“What, darlin’?”
“More.” Her legs shook as he took his time making a meal out of her with his mouth and tongue, fucking her with his fingers. “Please.”
Relenting, he clamped his lips over her clit and nipped her hard as stars flashed. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her as she gyrated her hips against his mouth until she collapsed.
Long minutes passed until she could open her eyes and, when she did, she saw Bryce standing above her, naked and ready. He stroked himself slowly as he watched her, his eyes glazed with heat, and his lips damp with her juices.
“Now, do I own you or not?”
“You own me, Bryce.”
He gave her a satisfied smile and fell on top of her, kissing her with abandon. “Damn straight I do.”
His thick erection slid directly over her damp pussy and she moaned.
“Feel good?” he asked as he rubbed his cock over her clit.
“Heaven.” He moved it harder against her and gave her the rhythm she needed and, before she knew what was happening, a second orgasm exploded across her body.
Lifting himself up on his elbows, he thrust into her, and she accepted him easily. He filled her completely and then drew out and pushed back in until he was buried completely. Tightening her inner walls around him, she smiled. “This is the best feeling in the world, when nothing is separating us, and we’re fused into one.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
He shifted his hips and she sighed in delight.
“I want you to come again and scream my name.”
Arching up, she pulled him deeper. “Go on then and make me.”
His dark gaze locked on hers and he grinned. “My pleasure.”
Plunging into her with need and desire, she moaned in time to his thrusts. In and out, he brought her closer and closer.
Their slick bodies came together as he kissed her with ferocity “Oh, Bryce.”
“You close, darlin’?”
“So close.” Her body trembled as he built the friction; grabbing his shoulders, she arched closer. He picked up the rhythm and she was on the crest of the wave. “Bryce, yes,” she cried as her world exploded and he came in long hot spurts, filling her with his seed.
He collapsed on top of her as he gulped in air. His big warm body felt amazing and she held tightly as her mind floated away.
“Love you, Daph.”
She stilled and then waited. Maybe her mind had unraveled and she was hearing things. Deciding that must be it, she relaxed because there was no way morning sex resulted in love. Even she knew that.
Until she felt the weight of his stare. Opening one eye, she saw he was propped up on one arm, staring at her intently. “Did you say something?”
He ran his finger over her cheek and nodded. “I love you.”
“How is that possible? We haven’t known each other for very long.”
“Because when you know, time has nothing to do with it. I know it’s crazy to say it now, but I don’t like waiting. Better you know now so you can get your mind right.”
“My mind is right.”
He leaned down and kissed her nose. “Good ‘cause I’m gonna love you until they bury me in the ground.”
Feeling like her heart was going to explode, she cupped his face with her hand and closed her eyes. Not many people had loved her in this life and to have a man as perfect as Bryce declare his feelings was mind-boggling.
She felt his lips against her cheek and opened her eyes. When he lifted his head, she looked into his deep green eyes and sighed. “I probably have similar feelings for you, but I don’t have much experience with people loving me, so it’s going to take me a bit to process everything. I haven’t had the chance to experience much love, so please be patient as I navigate this.”
“No rush, Daph. I’m glad I threw caution to the wind and told you how I feel because you need to have my love sooner as opposed to later. It’s not going to be a perfect thing, but it will be true and probably bigger than anything you’ve ever seen. What I lack in finesse will be made up with the sheer quantity of the love I’m going to surround you with until we leave this earth.”
Pulling him as tight as she could, she buried her face in his neck, and let his words wash over her. This was a moment she was going to cherish for the rest of her life and she wanted to hold on to it for as long as she could.
***
Shit had gone sideways fast and he didn’t know how to navigate the storm that was about to hit. Daphne and Selah were squared off in the kitchen and it looked like it was going to be a draw. “Maybe we could…”
“Be quiet,” they said in unison.
Crossing his arms, he rocked back on his heels and hated the fact that there was nothing he could do. It wasn’t a familiar feeling and he prayed it never became one.
“I looked into Don because his kutte indicates he’s part of a one-percenter group and I was worried. Since gathering intelligence is what I do, I did a deep dive on him and discovered he’s about as bad as you’d imagine,” Daphne said with measured patience.
“You don’t need to fix me or save me, and I’m damn tired of you trying. I’m never going to follow the straight path you have, and the sooner you accept it, the better.”
“I don’t give a flying fig what path you follow, but if some asshole is bothering you, then I’m damn well going to get involved. I’m not like our parents and I don’t ignore reality and pretend like God is going to save anyone. We both know that’s not always possible, so you’re stuck with me and my nose in your business.”
“I hate this shit,” Selah spit out.
“Too bad.”
Stepping forward, Bryce held up his hands and looked at them both. “All that matters is that Don stays away from Selah, and one way to accomplish that is by me having a little convo with him. Bruce set the stage yesterday and I can drive the point home by having a follow-up chat. Nothing more and nothing less.”
Selah looked him up and down and shook her head. “I handle my own business; I always have and always will. I don’t need you or your brother to fix things.”
“We’re family and we’re not leaving this shit alone. It’s happening one way or another.”
Daphne looked at him with raised eyebrows and he shrugged. “That’s the way it is.”
“He always this way?” Selah asked.
Leaning against the cupboards, she shrugged. “I think so because no matter how many times I close my eyes and pray, this is what I get. Big, bad Captain America swooping in and trying to save the day.”
“Now, darlin, you know that there’s no tryin’ and only doin’.”
Groaning, Selah tapped her head against the wall. “Why is this happening?”
“Not to put too fine a point on it, but what did you expect to happen when she fell in love with a SEAL? Did you think I was going to have a couple of heart to hearts and leave it at that?”
“My sister is in love with you?”
“Mostly,” he replied with confidence. “She just has to get used to it and then we’ll be cranking on all cylinders. Since she hasn’t had much of it, she’s not sure if she can trust it, but once she settles in and embraces it, we’ll be fine.”
Selah looked over at Daphne and raised her hand. “Really?”
Looking down at the ground and then at Bryce and finally at her sister, she nodded. “Yeah, it seems so.”
“Does this mean I’m stuck with Bryce as family for the rest of my life?”
“Not just me, darlin’, my siblings, my folks, and the whole extended crazy bunch of us. Trust me when I say you’ll fit right in because there’s only maybe a dozen in the whole lot of them that can be considered sane. The rest are what we like to call colorful characters — bless their hearts.”
“Did he just insult me?” Selah asked.
“No, I think he just tried to say we’d be welcome.”
“I’m calling bullshit.”
“That’s not the point,” Bryce bristled. “You’ve got Bruce and me and whatever teammates I call in to handle the asshole that’s harassing you. Nothing more and nothing less.”
“But that’s everything,” Daphne whispered. “We’ve only had each other and Grams. We’re not used to anyone defending us.”
Bryce tapped his chest and grinned. “Honey, you have not only a bunch of SEALs who would do anything, but a damn world champion who’d be more than happy to demonstrate what a rear-naked choke hold feels like.”
Daphne looked at Selah and held out her hand. “What do you say, sister? Can we call in some backup in case this douche is as bad as I think?”
“What do you mean?” Selah asked.
“He’s been convicted of aggravated assault and domestic battery. The club he’s associated with runs guns and drugs, and he’s an active member. If he’s obsessed with you enough to keep showing up at your work, then I’m thinking he’s willing to do more. My job has allowed me to see what can happen when someone gets fixated, and I don’t take it lightly. It doesn’t matter what the cause is; it only matters how far they’re willing to take it.”
“Fine.”
Bryce looked between the two sisters and waited. That couldn’t be the end of it, could it? He kept his mouth shut and waited; it was a strategy that had always worked with his sister and mom, and he saw no reason why it wouldn’t here.
“Fine,” Daphne repeated.
“So…I’ll look the asshole up tomorrow and let him know what’s what.”
When they both nodded, he decided not to say more. Sometimes, it was best to enjoy a quiet victory and he suspected this was one of those times.