CHAPTER TEN
Lisa felt the water rain down on her shoulders, and she rested her head against the shower wall, wondering what it was about Ace that made her lose control.
What they’d done last night was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and not only did she not have a lick of embarrassment with how dirty they’d gotten but wondered what else they might eventually try.
The sound of the door opening broke her out of her thoughts, and she moved the shower curtain aside and saw Ace standing there with a grin and a hard-on. “Morning.”
He stroked himself a couple of times and winked. “You want your morning loving in there?”
“No, I want to wash my hair in peace.”
Laughing, he stepped in and crowded her against the wall. “I’ll wash it for you.”
“Not necessary.”
“I want to,” he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. “I’m head over heels and want to take care of you in all ways.”
“That’s very sweet, Ace, but…”
He leaned back and pushed her hair off her face. “What?”
“Are you even real?”
Snorting, he pushed his hips closer and nodded. “Does this feel real?”
“Very much so.”
“You want to ignore it or take advantage of it?”
She bit her lip as he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. “You are a bad man, Ace Henderson.”
“Your wet pussy doesn’t agree.” Rocking himself against her slit, he grinned. “I think you want to ride me in the shower and start your day off filled with my cum, but don’t want to admit it.”
“You have such a dirty mouth.”
“True, but I know you love it because some of your sweet juice just leaked down my cock.” He pressed his face to her neck and nipped. “Can we do it without a condom?”
“Why do you want to risk it?”
“Because I don’t want anything between us.” He rested his head against hers and hugged her tighter. “I’m crazy for you.”
Feeling his words over every inch of her body, she melted into his embrace as her body pulsed with need. “I’m crazy about you too, and it scares me how much.”
“Just know that I’m in way deeper than you.”
Letting her body open, she smiled as she sank her weight onto his cock, feeling the connection beyond their bodies. “Don’t you break my heart, Ace.”
“Not a chance in the world,” he replied as he stilled himself. “When you give it to me, I’m going to spend the rest of my life protecting it.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded. They were completely entwined, and the vulnerability she’d feared didn’t seem quite so scary. “Go on then and show me how a good day starts.”
“My pleasure.”
Feeling his hips move, she let out a laugh and decided now was the perfect time to take her hands off the wheel and see what happened if she let herself fall for the amazing man in her arms.
Lisa slid a plate in front of Ace and laughed. “Why do you look so happy?”
“You made me breakfast and, in my world, that’s a freaking miracle.” He slid his arm around her waist and hugged her tight. “I’m going to have to get you tied to me before too long if only to keep my sanity.”
“It’s an omelet, Ace. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
She kissed his cheek and took her own seat. “Eat.”
Laughing, he nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She watched his face as he ate and loved how much he enjoyed it. “So, what does a SEAL do when not deployed?”
He drank some coffee and then wiped his mouth. “We work in cycles, and I’m currently in a post-deployment cycle. That means we’ll run some platoon training exercises and I’ll keep my special skills training current.”
“How long does this cycle last?”
“Usually sixty to ninety days give or take. Depends on what’s happening in the world, but that’s a pretty safe estimate.”
“And then what happens?”
“We go into a pre-deployment that’s around thirty days and then deployment which can last from thirty to one hundred and eighty days.”
“Six months?”
“Yeah, those are not as common though because we’re running direct action missions regularly when we’re out, and battle fatigue can be deadly. The cycles have been shorter over the last couple of years, but we’ve caught back-to-back deployment cycles over the last fourteen months, so I’m ready for a little downtime.”
“Sounds like you could use it, especially if what I saw in Yemen was any example of what you are facing out there.”
“It was actually relatively easy. Most of the time, we’re in places with a lot more going on, and I expect that to continue because the world is not becoming less conflict-ridden.”
“Tell me about it. I think I’ve been around the world twice over the last several years and there are very few places with nothing brewing.” She noticed his brows knock together and took his hand. “What?”
He looked up and shrugged. “I hate thinking of you in the middle of a conflict.”
Not knowing what to say to make him feel more comfortable, she lifted her coffee cup and took a sip. “You think I like the idea of you in combat?”
He shrugged and crossed his arms. “Never thought about it.”
“Well, try, and then you’ll know we’re both in the same position.”
“Seems the good news there is that you care about me and want to see me alive.”
“Of course, I do.”
“Wasn’t so sure after I hurt you the way I did by not calling. My situation is crap, and I’d totally understand if you ghosted my ass.”
“Would you accept it?”
Laughing, he shook his head. “Hell, no.”
“You give a whole new meaning to the words pig-headed.”
“Honey, you have no idea.” He took her hand and grinned. “How do you think I became a SEAL?”
“Fair point.”
“Are you going to take me on, Lisa?”
She folded her napkin carefully and studied the small blue flowers that decorated it. “I’m trying not to, but it’s almost impossible because I know if I don’t then I might be giving up on something really extraordinary.” Lifting her eyes, she saw his vulnerability and decided to say what was in her heart. “Something about you feels like home, and I’m not sure if that’s wishful thinking on my part or my soul recognizing its mate. Maybe it doesn’t matter because, as much as I’d like to walk away, I can’t.”
Bowing his head, he nodded. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure we end up eating Jell-O together in the old-folks home.”
“That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me but know that I plan on treating my children so well that they’ll never want to put me away.”
“Our children, Lisa.”
Tipping her chair back, she snorted. “You should take me on a date before you say things like that.”
“I plan on it.”
Nodding primly, she folded her hands. “I expect to be courted properly.”
“Of course.”
Seeing the smile play across his face, she burst into a laugh. “You are either the best thing that ever happened to me or the thing that will break me.”
“I’d break my own heart and use the pieces to mend yours, so know you’re one hundred percent safe with me.”
Leaning forward, she kissed him gently. “Ace, I would do the exact same thing, and that’s what makes you so dangerous.” Feeling his hand against her cheek, she accepted that some things were not choices and Ace was one of them.
***
Ace walked out of the team compound at NAB and knew the prep for the next mission rehearsal was ready. Seeing a familiar face at the end of the hall, he whistled and watched Mark stop and give him a wave in response. “Brother, are they luring you back to the dark side again?”
“Not a chance.”
Ace shook his former commander’s hand and slapped his back. What brings you over?”
“Had lunch with Frisco so I could see how he’s settling into life at TOC.”
“Heard he’s kicking ass and running missions like he was born doing it.”
“Yeah, he’s made the right move.” He slapped Ace on the back and nodded. “How are you doing, brother? Heard you had a long ass deployment that landed you and the boys in Yemen.”
“All true.” Pushing his hands in his pockets, he rocked back on his heels. “Turned out to be the best assignment of my life.”
Lifting an eyebrow, Mark made the gimme motion with his hand. “Lay it on me.”
“Ran into a journalist and well…”
“No shit, man?”
“Yeah, and she’s as deadly as any tango I’ve ever run into.”
“That good?”
“Fatal.” He opened the door and walked out into the sunshine and crossed his arms over his chest as Mark came up and stood beside him. “I remember the day you met Birdie and was wondering…”
“How in the hell I made it from there to where we are today?”
He ran his hand over the back of his head and nodded. “You two seem really happy, and I’d love to know what the secret is to making it work.”
“The best answer I can give you is that I work my ass off to make my wife and kids happy. Nothing works better than sustained effort, and I’ve found marriage isn’t much different than being on the Teams.”
“You two make it look easy, though.”
“Some days it is, and some days it’s not. Right now, we’re hip-deep in kids and sleep deprivation, so we’re definitely in a tough cycle. But I’m lucky because the woman I married is stronger than anyone I know.” He let out a laugh and rolled his shoulders. “Seeing her give birth to our kids and take care of them the way she does has shown me in no uncertain terms that the toughest person in the Frazier household is her. She’s also incredibly caring and shows me every day how much she needs and loves me.”
“You won the fricking wife lottery; that’s for sure.”
“A lot of our buddies have too; I think it’s just a matter of finding someone who has a crazy that complements yours.”
“That’s good advice, brother.”
“Only kind I have,” Mark replied with a laugh as he checked his watch. “I should head out, so I can get my paperwork done for the class that just made it through hell week.”
Nodding, Ace put his hand out and shook Mark’s. “Thanks for the talk, man.”
“Any time.”
“See you at the monster mash on Friday.”
Mark saluted and then walked in the direction of the parking lot as Ace leaned against the building. He pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text to Lisa and wondered if their crazy matched up as well as he suspected.
If it did, then there wouldn’t be an obstacle they couldn’t overcome, including the situation with Victoria. Hearing his phone buzz, he pulled it out and saw the devil herself had texted him, letting him know she was on her way to the hospital.
Sliding his hands on his hips, he looked up at the sky and tried to talk himself out of going. When it didn’t work, he texted Victoria back and let her know he was on his way.
He strode across the expanse of grass that separated the buildings from the parking lot and hoped this wasn’t an omen for how the next several months were going to go.
***
Ace checked his watch and saw that it was past nine and knocked lightly on Lisa’s door. When she didn’t answer, he tried again and let out a breath of relief when she opened it. “Hi.”
“Did everything go okay?”
“Yeah.” Leaning his hand against the doorway, he lifted his chin and grinned. “Can I come in?”
“For a little bit.”
“I’m grateful for whatever time you’re willing to give me.”
He stepped in, kissed her cheek, and then closed the door with his foot. “Sorry about having to cancel tonight.”
“It’s okay.” Pulling her sweater tight, she walked over to the couch and collapsed. “It gave me a chance to get some work done.”
He sat down and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. “What are you working on?”
“Background on a series my editor over at the Guardian is interested in. It’s possible it could run in both the US and European editions.”
“I thought you were done taking assignments and were going to try the teaching thing.”
“I am, but decided I had enough time to fit this last one in before classes start.”
“Then, I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Don’t say that yet; we’re still working out the details.”
“What’s the series on?”
“The current administration’s immigration policies. I’ll probably do a swing through South America and do a couple of articles on the current conditions that contribute to people wanting to seek refuge, and then spend some time along the border between Mexico, California, and Texas.”
“That’s really…”
“Exciting?”
“Well, I was thinking more along the lines of dangerous. There’s a ton of violence going on in the border towns and the idea of you being down there is…”
“What I do, Ace.” Turning, so they were face to face, she crossed her arms. “I’m not a lifestyle reporter and going where the news is happening is how I do my job.”
“I know, Lisa. In case you forgot, I had a front row seat to you doing your job in Yemen, and it wasn’t something I’ll likely forget.”
Scooting back, she let out a huff. “I think you should go. I’m tired and not feeling very patient. So, let’s avoid an unnecessary argument and discuss this later.”
He took her hands and let out a breath. “I’ll leave it be if you don’t kick me out.”
“I still think you should go because I’m ready to crash. A certain man didn’t let me get much sleep, and I’m dead on my feet.”
“Can I stay if I promise to behave?”
Slumping her shoulders, she laid her head against the couch. “I doubt you’ll behave for more than a minute.”
Ace sat up and squared his shoulders. “Are you suggesting I’m not capable of keeping my word?”
“No, but I am suggesting you won’t keep your hands and…other body parts to yourself.”
“Let me prove it to you.”
“Why is this so important to you?”
“Because I want to wipe the last six hours out of my mind and connect with you and what’s important.” He watched her stand and waited, hoping his words had worked.
“All right, then.” She held out her hand and smiled. “But we’re sleeping.”
“Absolutely,” he replied with a smile. When she didn’t move and raised an eyebrow, he held up his hand. “Promise.” And he meant it because spending together was all he wanted.