Chapter 5

September 18, Coronado, California

As Dan arrived back at NAS, the Naval Air Station North Island, the day was cold and dreary. The marine layer hid the sun, and he craved the warmth on his skin. Standing in the middle of Aria’s old apartment, he could barely believe how little she had gotten done. Guess it was up to him to wrangle this mess.

Even on only a few hours of rest on the plane, his adrenaline was pumping joy juice through his bloodstream. He was married and they were moving into their first home. Putting his mind and body into hypergear, he moved like lightning, getting back to Aria’s apartment. He snuck in and gazed at his wife, peacefully sleeping. This place is a mess. There were half-packed open boxes and stacks of stuff everywhere. She had dark circles under eyes and there were files from work surrounding her on the couch. Let her sleep.

Within two hours, he’d packed everything and had carried all the boxes out to the truck. The apartment looked bare, but it was good to go.

“Dan?” Aria called. He walked in to find her stretching across the bed. Lord, was there anything sexier? “Where did all the boxes go? This place looks amazing.”

“I’m magic,” he said as he scooped her up in his arms.

“Hold on. What about my office and my files?”

“All set. I even swept the floors.” He kissed her lips, so soft and sweet. He wanted more, but not here. They were done with the place, a furnished apartment where she had been single. Their needs were bigger than this place. “C’mon, let’s get moving. It’s time for…our new home to welcome us. Somewhere that can fit us both.”

***

Aria was stuck in chatterbox mode. She gushed about her work and everything that had happened over the past few days. He liked it. Her voice was easy on his ears and psyche.

Checking the rearview mirror, he let out a silent sigh. He could have done without Mark following them in his truck, but the man refused to let anyone else drive. Granted, it was useful to have all of Aria’s boxes piled in there. It would have taken them at least ten trips in his Mustang otherwise. Selfishly, he preferred to have this moment be just theirs.

“Are you listening to me?” She poked his thigh with her finger.

“Yes,” he answered automatically. He’d heard her. There wasn’t a lot for him to add, especially when she complained about her job. Of course, whenever he brought up her giving up the occupation that drove her batty, she threw a fit. His salary could support them both. Maybe at some point she’d want to quit her job. If not, that was fine, too. The only requirement in his mind was that Aria be happy.

“Good, because I have a lot more to say. I couldn’t believe Josh hated the proposal. He’s a longtime client, but he hadn’t really told us what he truly wanted until I badgered the answer out of him. So I had to stay up all night and do it and sent the info at 3:00 a.m. and then crashed out.” Aria threw her hands up in the air. “You understand, right?”

“Sure. I don’t rile easily. You’ll find I’m pretty basic. All I need is you…and food.” He winked at her.

“You’re right. Stick to the basics. I’ll let the work stuff go. We’re moving into our first home. Yay!” Her hands fluttered in the air before her face. “After we finish, let’s grab my car and some takeout. Okay?”

“Fine with me. But is it for us or him, too?” He gestured to Mark’s truck. “You know I could have had a few buddies help us out. We wouldn’t have needed Mark’s help at all.”

“Don’t start that again. He wanted to help, and I want him here.”

He shelved the food discussion as his Mustang rounded the corner. He didn’t want their first meal in their new home to be overshadowed by an argument; this experience needed to be celebrated. Maybe they’d pick up something later…just the two of them.

They pulled up in front of their first house, the one that would be theirs together. His. With his wife. This was pretty freaking cool. It was as if his childhood dream had come true—a normal family—and it was happening.

Of course, carrying Aria over the threshold might have been a tad much for his wife to put up with, and yet he enjoyed every second of it. He knew she was a bit of a control freak. Thus, holding the squirming bundle of redheaded womanhood with her ire up and her body pressed against his chest for even a few extra minutes pretty much made his day.

“Put me down! Daniel Gregg McCullum, let me go…now!” she chided through gritted teeth, kicking her legs in the air and punching his arms like a five-year-old. “People are watching.”

Looking over his shoulder, he didn’t see anyone special staring at them. Sure, there were neighbors outside tending their lawns or walking their dogs, but it wasn’t as if they were having sex on the front lawn. “The only person out there is your ‘bestie,’ Mark, and he’s pulling boxes out of the back of his macho truck, the one with the humongous tires.”

“Shush, he’ll hear you!” she whispered.

“Oh, please, a man who has giant tires is compensating for something, and it’s not a small ego. It’s usually another part of the anatomy that…” He didn’t get to finish that sentence, as Aria finally wiggled free and elbowed him in the diaphragm, relieving him of his air supply.

“Low blow,” he finally got out when he got his wind back.

“Not yet, but it could be, if you don’t let up. I promise I’ll make it an even lower blow, if you upset my friend,” she said, eyeing him and tapping her left foot. He knew from experience the action was a precursor to some well-intentioned and yet unpleasant tirade, so he disengaged while he was still ahead. But he was still thinking about it.

The house was a basic single-story, one-bedroom/one-bath unit attached to another, supposedly of a similar design. There was a separate dining room that Aria immediately called dibs on for her office, a living room, a kitchen, and a fenced-in backyard. He had learned from the housing office that the Silver Strand neighborhood was constructed mainly of single and double housing units.

There was a bike path that would bring him to the base in under a couple of minutes; they’d save a fortune in gas. Also, he could take a shortcut to get to the ocean side, or he could take his time and kayak all the way around Coronado, which was—actually—a peninsula, but everyone referred to it as an island. Whichever way he decided to go, he’d use the opportunity to train.

“There’s no refrigerator. No washer and dryer. Only hookups. We’re still going to have to buy a lot of stuff.” She sounded worried.

“That’s military life. There are rarely appliances in the housing units.” He added, “We’ll make it work. Just relax.”

They were lucky there was a stove, an unremarkable electric one, but they could make coffee and cook. That was handy.

“Did you see this view?” Somehow Aria always managed to find a silver lining. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

The outside patio was situated right on the edge of Glorietta Bay. A gated path ran around the whole neighborhood, and it was ideal for evening walks, or they could slide over the fence and skinny-dip. Of course, most of their neighbors’ houses faced out, too, but on a foggy night, as long as they stayed close to shore, it could be fun. She turned to grin at Dan.

“Yeah, pretty choice, huh? Glad you like it. Now you know why I was so excited to get a house here. There are an endless amount of options. Maybe you’ll finally learn to stand up on the paddleboard.” He made a mental note to pick up his double kayak and surfboards from Hammer’s house. His buddy’s father-in-law had built them a place in Ocean Beach, and the garage was insanely huge. Half the Team stored beach equipment there. Maybe he’d even snag JC’s canoe.

“I did a pretty good job last time I was on one. I sat and I kneeled. The standing part’s just a little tricky.” She mocked herself, showing the expression she made the last time she hit the drink.

He laughed. Dropping the last box of books in the living-room area, he picked up the last bag of his gear and headed toward the bedroom. The place was a nice size, with ample closet space, and he believed it would suit them well. Unless, of course, his bride decided to set up the entire contents of her past bedroom in here; then they would probably have to stand up while they slept. Maybe he could convince her to spread her treasures throughout the new house.

He hung up his uniforms on the left side of the closet. Behind that, he placed his small collection of blazers, Brooks Brothers shirts and pants, and his tie rack. After high school and before he joined the Navy, he’d lucked into a position working in an office designing logistics programs, something he had a knack for. He’d met the owner through an internist at a rival company, who’d been hired away. It padded his bank account nicely and gave him time to figure out what he wanted before he committed to training for his real dream…the Teams. Using triathlons to help improve his times, he worked out six hours a day in addition to his office job. All in all, by the time he joined the Navy and made it through boot camp and into BUD/S, he’d known he was in the best shape of his life. None of that stopped him from making it even better. Every day he tried to beat his best time, willing to laugh at himself and work harder when he didn’t and able to enjoy the achievement when he did.

His stomach rumbled, pulling his mind back to the present and its vast emptiness. They’d worked all day on the coffee and donuts they scarfed down for breakfast. He was starved. Grabbing a power bar out of his pack’s new stash, he downed it in three bites.

Dan checked his watch—it was 1830. He had ten hours until he had to be on base. He set the timer on his watch. The alarm would sound tomorrow morning at 0400.

Looking around the room, he sighed. They had completed the majority of the work, but there was still a lot to do. Amazingly enough, they’d managed to move the contents of Aria’s entire apartment and his clothes, footlockers, and gear into the house. His possessions were paltry compared to hers, not that it mattered very much. What was hers was hers, and if the rumors were true from his married friends, what was his was hers. He was fine with that, too. If he didn’t want someone in his stuff, it wouldn’t be in the house and he wouldn’t have joined his life to another’s. As it was, he was more concerned about the darker details of his life—never being able to explain what he did or where he was going.

The only question he had now was…where to stash his guns. He’d been collecting them since he joined the Navy, and there were at least thirty of them. Someday he’d share the reason for their presence in his life. For now he just needed to make sure they were safely stored. “Aria, I know I must have asked you this before, but how much training have you had with firearms?”

He opened a case, extracted one of his favorites, pulled the slide back, and inspected the barrel of the 9 mm Sig Sauer. Empty and clean as a whistle. He held the sweet weight in his hand, then wiped it off and laid it back in its case. Securing the latch, he tucked it among the others. “Aria, did you hear me?”

“Yes.” Her voice carried from the kitchen, where she was unpacking dishes. “I told you before, I can shoot single and double-barreled shotguns. I used to hunt with my dad. We have deer, bear, and a ton of other game in Vermont. I think I ate game before I ate cow for the first time, which was when I was seven.”

He nodded his head. Right. “We definitely have a lot of work to do, and we most certainly need a gun safe.” Looking in the master-bedroom closet, he saw the perfect place for one. It was hidden enough not to be obvious to strangers, yet an easy spot to access if necessary. Tucking the collection of guns and cases into his semi empty duffel, he zipped it up and slapped a combination lock on it. It wasn’t much protection, but it’d have to do for now.

“What did you say?” she shouted. The sound of pots and pans clanging together was an annoying cacophony. “Speak up or come in here.”

When she didn’t get an immediate response, she yelled, “Dan!”

“Yes,” he said softly, standing behind her.

Startled, she leaped into the air, dropping the pans she was holding onto the floor with a loud bang, and then reeled on him. “Don’t do that.”

Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her soundly on the lips. “Don’t do what?” His arms wrapped tightly around her.

“That,” she said, rubbing her nose against his and responding to his touch. “You scared me. Don’t do that Spec Ops sneak thing.” She wound her arms around his neck and rubbed her lips on his.

“Oh, but I enjoy watching your body move so quickly.”

“Jerk!” She pushed her hands against his chest.

He refused to let her go. “I’d never hurt you.”

“I know. I just…don’t do well with surprises.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “My first surprise ever wasn’t pleasant. Remember, I told you…when my parents died.”

Of course he remembered. She’d been nine years old, about to turn ten. Her mom and dad had gone to buy “special” Ben & Jerry’s ice cream from the store. They’d been expecting Jimmy any day, so her mother’s pregnancy cravings ruled the house. A drunk driver had hit them head-on. Her father had been killed instantly, and her mom had gone into labor. She had survived long enough to give birth before she died too.

Aria drew in a ragged breath. “It was the worst day of my life.”

He could feel silent tears soaking through his shirt. With one hand, he gently rubbed small circles on her back, and with the other, he held her tight.

“It was up to me after that to keep the family together.” She sniffed a few times.

“I’m sorry.” He hugged her.

“I know. Thanks for the apology.” She rubbed her face on his shirt and then groped in vain for a tissue. Giving up, she blew her nose on a piece of discarded wrapping paper.

She pressed her body along the line of his and kissed him back. “I have so much to do. Let’s get it done so we can relax.”

“It can wait until tomorrow. There’s no rush, Aria. Our life together has already begun. How it unfolds…is literally up to us.” His lips were raining caresses across her chin and down her neck. Sliding his hands past her waist, he reached around and cupped her bottom, tipping her toward him. “Let’s enjoy it.”

Against his mouth she murmured, “We don’t even have a bed. I shouldn’t have rented my apartment furnished. I could have been acquiring stuff.” Her bottom lip pouted slightly.

He caught it between his teeth and bit it playfully before letting it go. “Picking furniture that is new to both of us is better. It’s a fresh start.”

“Agreed, but tonight…” she began.

“Ah, my lady hasn’t seen our outdoor bedroom yet. Follow me.” He escorted her through the glass doors onto the patio, pointing at the concrete slab, where an air mattress and two sleeping bags—zipped together—awaited them. “Your royal chamber for the evening, m’lady.” It wasn’t the Del, but after a whole afternoon of moving stuff, he knew it’d beat the floor.

“When did you do this?” She sounded incredulous. There it was…her natural spark of happiness sneaking through the pain. Good. He’d stoke it, help it burn brighter…and bring his bride a smile. He’d ease her out of her habit of worrying.

“While you were bitching Mark out for breaking your favorite lamp. He must really like you to put up with that tone. I’m not sure I would have dealt with it so easily.” He hadn’t meant for the comment to come out so harshly, but he’d wanted to broach the topic ever since it happened. She had been really unkind to someone who was helping her out; that didn’t seem right. Besides, Team guys called each other on their shit. If she couldn’t hack his forthrightness, he’d need to know. It was an indicator for how she’d deal with bigger issues.

“Dan!” There was a moment of shocked silence. “I…I don’t bitch!”

“What would you call it?” He tilted his head to the side, curious about what she was going to call her terse display.

“Guidance.”

He laughed. Yeah, she’d hack it. He was proud of her. There were no tears, recriminations, or denials. She’d do just fine. Humor worked well to lighten the weight of misspoken words, and problems too.

“Ha, ha.” She smiled and then began to laugh, too. “I guess it is funny. Crap, I’m such a pack rat. I hate losing anything. I’ll call Mark tomorrow and apologize.” She looked up at him from under her lashes. “You’re right, by the way. Damn, I just wasn’t thinking. I was in reaction mode. I hate hurting anyone and…letting anyone down.”

Wrapping his hands around her shoulders, he drew her toward him and kissed the top of her head. “Won’t happen. Let go of the fear. Aria, we’re in it for the long haul. There will be ups and downs, yet I promise I will always listen, and together we’ll figure out the rough patches. We’re partners.” He gave her a squeeze. “Besides, if a friend cannot forgive you, is he really a friend?”

“No. You’re right. Thanks…for being even-keeled and for being you.” Placing her hand over his heart, she rose up on tiptoe and kissed him. “I feel better.” Walking her fingers up his chest, she asked, “Now, what’s this about bedtime?” She stroked her fingers down his chest, aiming lower.

He chuckled, and then he helped her down onto the mattress. Using his teeth, he opened her shirt one button at a time. His lips, tongue, and teeth tantalized and teased her flesh until she was pulling the rest of her clothes off herself and tugging at his.

“Dan, am I ever going to get enough of you?” Her hands were struggling with his pants, trying to pull them off of him.

Lifting his hips, he helped her slide them off, and then they were both naked, stretched out on the air mattress on the patio. The foliage on either side of their yard, courtesy of past residents, hid them. “I hope not…though I imagine you’ll get used to me.”

Her finger stroked his flesh. “I want it to always be like this…new. Can we make a promise to be perpetually in heat for each other?”

“I’m in,” he said. “Though that type of promise will mean both us will have to be very imaginative.”

“Oh, I can do that.” She rolled off the mattress and extended her hand.

His eyebrows drew down. “What’s up?”

“Trust me.” He shrugged and took her hand. Getting to his feet, he followed her into the house. When she sat down on the living-room floor, surrounded by boxes of books, he didn’t know what to make of it. As she began unpacking them, he opened his mouth to comment and she shushed him.

“Give me a few minutes.” Watching his bride, he saw her dig out some large tomes, which she laid out in a rather peculiar design. Draping herself onto them, she beckoned him with open arms. “This is a fantasy of mine. Help me…make it come true.”

Slowly, he lowered himself to her. He held his body in a push-up style, not wanting to crush her. It seemed strange, the way her hips were elevated and the rest of her body was lower. What was he supposed to do? “Aria…”

She beckoned him toward her. “Make love to me. I promise, you’ll like it. This is a great position, too, for me.”

Pushing up to his knees, he lightly touched her between her legs. Dampness bathed his fingers as she arched into his caress. He adored how free and uninhibited she was. Bringing his head down between her legs, he sought her clit with his tongue. When he touched the tiny nub with the tip of his tongue, she practically lifted off of her perch.

“Yes!” She drew the word into one thrilled, guttural sound, arching into his strokes.

God, she’s so sexy!

“Dan,” she sighed softly.

Hearing his name uttered in such abandon delighted him and made his pace swifter.

She sucked in a deep breath, raking her fingers along his scalp.

He held his rhythm, waiting, anticipating the moment when she—

“Dan!”

Slipping two fingers inside, he could feel her body shimmering with delight. Aria could give Aphrodite herself a run for her money.

Breathing in, a primal part of him screamed with possession. Her scent drove him wild…and this undeniable sweetness was his Aria. She was his.

His body ached for release. His craving for her would never be sated. Using his whole face, he scraped his beard tenderly and intimately and oh, so gently over her private parts before he went back to teasing her tasty clit. Little noises of pleasure were coming from the back of her throat, and he wrapped his lips around the small bud and suckled.

“Dan…” Fingernails scratched his shoulders as she tried to get a hold of him—either to stop him or hold him in place, he couldn’t tell—but the books prevented her from bending toward him and grabbing him. Again and again he brought her until he couldn’t take it any longer and she was begging for mercy. “Please, Dan. Please.”

Only then, kneeling before her, did he enter her. In one stroke, he slid into her and felt her body spasm with release. Guttural moans came from her throat. Again and again he moved in and out of her body until she was weeping for yet another release. Using his finger to rub over her clit, he brought her in sync with his motion.

He let go…released…and the sensation washed over him in a full body spasm.

Her body drank in his seed more deeply than it had ever drunk before.

They both stilled, letting the peacefulness and oneness wrap them in an afterglow embrace. Wanting to hold her, he reached for her.

She gave him her hands and he lifted her up and cuddled her to him. Holding her tight was special to him, indescribable in its value to him.

With her still in his arms, he climbed to his feet and carried her outside to their waiting bed.

“Aria?” He studied her face. It was bathed in moonlight. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. He laid her within their makeshift blind. She didn’t even roll over to her usual position. His wife was sound asleep before he could even crawl in next to her. Wrapping his body around hers, he spooned her and tucked the covers around them both.

“You are the love of my life,” he whispered in her ear. He doubted she heard him. The power of the statement felt right, and it warmed him down to his toes better than any blanket. Closing his eyes, he willed himself to sleep.

***

The smell of roses and lavender, leftovers planted by the house’s last residents, drifted in, carried by the gentle bay breeze. His nostrils flared as he breathed in the sweet scents.

He opened his eyes to see it was still dark out. Checking his watch, he could see only two hours had passed.

Stretching his arms above his head, he pulled the kinks out of his body and noticed the marine layer had drifted in while they slept, adding another level of shielding from any neighbor’s prying eyes even more effective than the foliage and darkness.

Lying on the air mattress, sandwiched in between the sleeping bags, was warm and relaxing, keeping any chill far away, but something was missing.

His eyes scanned the area. Where was his wife? Being out here was nice but not much fun without her. “Hey, Aria, what are you doing in there?”

“Trying to find stuff.” Her voice sounded annoyed. It was followed by a loud bang. “Ouch! There it is!” A light came on over the stove. “I knew that light was somewhere in here.”

“Do you need some help?”

“No, my stomach woke me. I’m hungry.” Aria banged around for a few more minutes, and then she appeared in the doorway. Standing naked and looking like some kind of warrior woman, she held a tray at her waist. The bounty she carried consisted of a bottle of red wine, two glasses, a package of dried fruit, and a plastic-wrapped salami that sat alongside a box of wheat crackers. “Dinner?”

“Looks great,” he said, getting out of their makeshift bed and taking the tray from her. He laid it down next to their nest and watched his sexy wife wiggle down between the covers. Damn, she was beautiful! He was hungry in more ways than one. “So you’re starved?”

“Yes, for food. Though I was also concerned about you. If you get any skinnier, I might have to divorce you. My husband has to have a bigger butt than me,” she teased and turned to the side so she could show him her behind. “At least for now. After a couple of kids, I reserve the right to change my mind.”

“Duly noted.” He grinned, taking advantage of the opportunity and swatting her playfully. “For the record, your size doesn’t matter to me one bit. It’s happiness and health and pleasure I care about, got it?”

“Yes.” She licked her lips. “Thanks for saying that. I want you to always find me sexy.”

“I will.” It seemed strange for her to be unsure. Aria was one of the most confident women he knew. Little unknown elements tripped her sometimes, but he knew she’d pick herself up. She was unstoppable when she wanted to be.

He used the mini corkscrew on his key ring to open the wine and poured her a glass. Then he broke into the salami, sliced it, and made her a sandwich with the crackers.

“A little dry, but it will do.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss. “Thanks for making me breakfast.”

After stuffing a few salami-cracker sandwiches in his mouth, he brushed off his hands and stood. “What do you say we scope out what we’re going to need for the kitchen?”

The room was littered with packing materials and partially emptied boxes. He pushed a few of the bigger boxes aside, creating a better pathway, and then he stuffed hunks of empty wrapping paper into a half-filled trash bag.

He eyed the largest clear space, obviously outfitted for a refrigerator with a water hose and electric hookups behind it. He had a ten-inch hand span from thumb to pinky, and he used it to measure the approximate width, depth, and height. “We can do a width of about thirty-six inches with a height of up to…let’s say seventy-three or seventy-four inches and a depth of about twenty-five, but no longer than twenty-six, inches.”

Aria was behind him with her cell phone browser already open to a page that showed a range of fridges. “That’ll work,” she said. He looked over his shoulder, and he could see her expanding the description and double-checking. The look of concentration was so intense, he had to stop himself from chuckling at her. His wife did not make decisions lightly. She could ponder and examine something so long, all the newness was squeezed out. “Promise me that you won’t analyze everything to death, okay? Otherwise, it’ll take forever to buy furniture.”

She frowned. “I just don’t want to rush into a mistake.” She glared at him for a moment or two and then shook her head. Her eyes were soft and filled with a glint of laughter. “How is it that you know me so well?”

“I’m intuitive.”

“Well, what am I thinking now?”

“That I should order the fridge before I ravish you again.”

“You’re so smart. Imagine me getting turned on by an appliance.” She winked at him.

Coming back onto the patio, he sat on the bed, took the phone and logged in some information, and then pressed Send. He leaned over and kissed her. “Well, the refrigerator is done. It will be here in two days. They have your cell phone for the main contact. Don’t book anything for that day, or they’ll leave it outside the door. FYI, those things are a pain to move inside without a dolly.”

“Oh! Ah! I’m so hot for you.” She teasingly tapped his nose with her finger. When he didn’t immediately reply, she said, “I got it!”

He grinned at her. She looked so sweet—her hair was messy from their lovemaking, and her lips were red from his kisses. Aria made him hungry…all over again.

Putting her hand up against his chest, she stopped him. “And the bed?”

“Really? You want to talk about that now?” Pushing the tray away, he laid his body down next to her.

“Yes.” She rubbed her nose against his. “Remember my ‘Oh! Ah!’” Laughter bubbled out of her.

“That, my love, we’ll have to go pick out in person. Sounds like an interesting experience to me, bouncing around from bed to bed. Testing them. Seeing which one works for us. Too bad we have to be in a store.” He reached for her, pulling her on top of him. He looked into her eyes. “Everything’s okay?”

“Definitely.” Her lips came down on his, claiming him and expressing her wish, a craving and hankering…for him, too.

From deep in his throat came a noise too primal and possessive for words. With her wrapped around him, he was content.