Military Matchmate Read online

  “It’s more than an invitation, it’s a request. I can make it a command if you’d like.”

  “Ooh, Major Kensington. You’re very bossy.”

  I tugged on her legs, barely pulling, not wanting to get splinters in her delicate skin. She inched forward until her legs were submerged to the knee. “Oh,” she said. “I don’t have a swimsuit.”

  “Neither did I.”

  Pink flooded her cheeks. “Yeah? Sounds like a pretty good plan.”

  “Less laundry to wash,” I said.

  “Right. That’s the number one reason to skinny dip.”

  “I’m about to have a whole new reason.”

  “Is that so?”

  “I hope so.”

  She plucked the thin t-shirt from her arms and shimmied out of the white shorts. Before she jumped in, I got a second to admire her glistening sex, ripe between her legs, her flat stomach, and her round breasts.

  With a tiny jump, she dove in next to me. She resurfaced, pushing her hair from her face.

  “I’m glad you left a note,” she said.

  “I like knowing where you are,” I admitted. “So I thought you might like the same.”

  She nodded. “I do.”

  “How is Jacob?”

  “He’s mostly fine. He’s old enough to know life isn’t fair, but still young enough to be angry when it’s not.”

  “Is he missing his father?”

  “Not really. He doesn’t remember him that much.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t really remember my parents either.”

  “Yeah. I need to quit forcing the issue. I hate that you lost them, but you turned out fine, so I need to relax a little and quit pressuring him to wish for a dad he doesn’t remember.” She looked away. “I do need to talk to you about something. I told myself I’d wait, but that’s just not realistic for me.”

  “Okay. I’m ready.”

  “Jacob doesn’t need more memories of his father. I mean, I plan to continue to tell him stories, and have the memorial, and honor him, but that doesn’t do him any good on a day to day basis. I find the memories comforting, but they leave him lonely and missing having a dad.” “But he’s bonded with you.”

  “Maybe there’s something I can do to help. I lost my dad at the same age, and then I lost my uncle.”

  “I’m sure he’d be glad to talk about that, but I meant more of an active role. Like a mentor or an uncle, even if we don’t date. I don’t have a brother, my dad lives far away, and I don’t trust just anyone, and…”

  “I’d be happy to. Like you said, if we don’t date, I can still have a relationship with Jacob.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Oh. That is such a relief to me. It took him getting mad and letting me have it last night to show me how I’d been pushing his dad’s memory at him as if it was just as good as having a real male figure in his life.”

  “You’re doing a great job.”

  “Thank you,” she said. With a sudden motion, she let go of the dock and wrapped her legs around my waist under the water. Her bare breasts pressed against my chest. My cock immediately sprang to attention, going from interested to rock hard in half a second.

  My hands went to her bottom, squeezing her firm cheeks as her pussy pressed right up against my cock.

  “Ever done this in the water?” she asked.

  “No.” Still holding onto her, I maneuvered us closer to the bank where I could stand up and hold onto her. I angled us so I was leaning up against a dock post for extra balance. “I was always afraid of having a mishap with the condom.”

  “Now we don’t have to worry about that.”

  “No, we don’t.”

  While I kissed her, I pressed one finger into her sex. Even with the lake water, she was slick inside.

  She gasped. “I’m ready for your cock,” she said.

  I’d been with shifter females who talked dirty to me, but none had ever sparked this kind of arousal for me.

  I pushed my cock into her entrance, finding it slid in easily. “You’re so wet. I got right in.”

  “Because I want you,” she said. Holding on to my shoulders, she raised up, then slid back down my cock.

  I gripped her hips, holding her still. The water made her already small body even easier to hold. “Uh uh. I’m going to fuck you,” I said. I thrust into her, over and over. She threw her head back and ground against me.

  With no weight to balance, I got my hand between her legs and slid my fingers over her clit.

  “Hunter!”

  Before she could come, I let go and pulled out.

  “I was so close,” she wailed. I lifted her and sat her on the edge of the dock. The dock was the perfect height for me to stand between her open legs. “I need to taste you,” I said. I pushed her legs open, careful not to pull her bare skin over the wood.

  Her gleaming sex was open to me. I closed my mouth over her clit and sucked. “Be still,” I said. “You don’t want any splinters in that cute backside.”

  “You’ll have to be the one to get them out,” she said back, while she moaned and pushed her legs open more, holding them open under the knees. Her ginger scent rose as I tasted her core. My fingers went inside, rubbing, while I circled my tongue over her clit. Each time the wall of her pussy tightened, I back off and changed the direction of my tongue. Then I stopped circling, flattening my tongue against her clit and making a flicking motion.

  “You taste so good,” I said. “I could stay between your legs forever.”

  “Hunter!” She yelled, pulsing around my fingers. Lemons and ginger burst on my tongue, flooding my senses with her essence.

  As she came down from her orgasm, I slowly pulled my fingers from her body and helped her sit back up straight. “Be right back,” I said. I needed to get her in the cabin so I could get inside her body and make her come again.

  Once she seemed steady, I swam down to the end of the dock and pushed myself up on the edge. I dried my leg off with my t-shirt and put my prosthetic back on. She was still at the other end of the deck. Her blonde hair shone in the sunlight.

  I didn’t put my clothes on. Once I reached her, I bent down and scooped her into my arms. She blinked up at me with hazy eyes. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “To your bed. The water was a great idea, but I need to see your body while I fuck you.”

  “I can go again,” she said.

  “I’m counting on it.”

  In her bedroom, I laid her down. “Turn over,” I said. “I want to see this bottom.”

  She flipped over, pushing her round bottom into the air. I rubbed my cock over her dripping pussy. “Get in me,” she said. “I’m still slick from before.”

  I dipped my finger inside next to my cock. “You are.” I rubbed her cream around, wetting her clit with her own slick. I leaned down to kiss the back of her neck, inhaling the mixture of her coconut sunscreen and her own scent. I braced myself over her, teasing her pussy with my cock.

  “Hunter! Now!” She shoved back, impaling herself on my cock.

  Groaning, I pinned her down and fucked into her, giving her sharp thrusts. My hips pressed up against her lovely bottom, while I kissed over the tattoo that covered the skin on her back. I traced my tongue over each curve of the wings while she screamed and writhed.

  “I’m going to fill you up,” I said.

  “Yes,” she breathed. I flattened the palm of my hand and rubbed over her clit. With a sharp cry, she froze and held still while her pussy fluttered around me.

  Fire coursed through my blood. My bear roared.

  Mine, he said.

  Letting myself go, I pulsed inside her.

  Cassandra

  Still, inside my body, Hunter kissed my neck, and then my cheek. Holding on to me, he rolled us to our sides and then pulled me close.

  “You might have taken a hiatus from dating, but you obviously know what you’re doing,” I mumbled into his chest.

 
“Huh?”

  “You heard me,” I said.

  Under my cheek, his chest rumbled with a low laugh until he sighed. “I really don’t want to, but I have to get back to work. I’m on duty right now,” he said.

  Snuggling in a little closer, I didn’t make any move to get up. “Mmm. I don’t want to get you in trouble at work.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t get in trouble. They’d probably throw me a party.”

  “Yeah?”

  He rolled to his back, still holding onto me, but his gaze left mine. It went to the ceiling and stayed there. “Yeah. They’ve been giving me a hard time about not seeing anyone.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “No. Some of them know what it’s like. It’s taken a few from my unit a while to get back in the saddle -- I’m not the only one who’s had a dry spell.”

  “Well, I had you beat on that.”

  A tiny smile showed up, but he was still quiet. Contemplative.

  “What’s on your mind?” I asked.

  He rolled back to his side and met my eyes again. “We agreed that we don’t want to date.”

  Where was he headed with this? “Right,” I said.

  “I do want to date you. I don’t want a fling. I want a relationship.”

  Now that was a shock. My mind spun. It was one thing to have a casual fling, but another to try an actual relationship. “This seems sudden.”

  “Maybe. I was tempted to ignore it, and go on as we have been. But having you and Jacob in my home has changed me. For the better.”

  This kind of forthrightness was unexpected. Caught off balance, I didn’t know what to say. I adored Hunter. But there were so many reasons the two of us dating was a bad idea.“I figured having us around twenty-four-seven would be enough to change anyone’s mind -- but in the opposite direction.”

  “You’re both awesome, and you know it.”

  “I mean, you are right, I’m just not sure everyone appreciates us.”

  “I do. And my aunt does.”

  “Does she have anything to do with this change of heart?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “She does!” I smacked his bicep, which was so firm that it hurt my hand.

  “It’s my decision, but she knocked some sense into me.”

  “I would have liked to see that.”

  “I’m thankful you didn’t.” He reached out and took my hand. “You don’t have to answer now. I realize it’s a big deal. I’m the first person you’ve been with since Richard died.”

  He didn’t shy away from using my husband’s name, and I appreciated that. “I need to think about it. If I’d never been married, and I didn’t have Jacob, you’d have to beat me off with a stick.”

  He laughed, but I shook my head. “I’m serious. You are a catch, and you have a lot to offer. But I come with a lot of baggage too, and I have to think about Jacob.”

  “I get it.”

  “Jacob looks up to you. And that’s part of why I’m hesitating. He wants this to work, so much.”

  His blue eyes focused on mine. “If you want, even if it doesn’t work out between us, I’d be happy to hang out with him when I’m stateside,” he said.

  “I told him I thought you would. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “I’d actually like that a lot,” he said.

  For a few moments, neither of us said anything until he kissed me on the cheek and pulled away. “I really should go,” he said.

  “Alright. If you insist. You can use my shower if you want.”

  He left me lounging in my bed. “I’m going to check the perimeter of the cabin. Don’t leave this room,” he said.

  After the perimeter check, he headed into the shower and came out smelling like fresh soap and mint. He had his prosthetic on but was otherwise naked. He was getting more comfortable with me seeing his leg.

  He was also hard again, with his big cock standing erect against his defined abs.

  I felt my eyebrows lift. “Did I not satisfy you well enough?”

  “You did. But this is what happens when I’m around you. It’s pretty much a permanent state of existence.”

  Having this hunky guy, who was so sweet and thoughtful, be so open about his desire for me was a real turn on. “Why don’t you let me do something about that before you go back to work?”

  “I don’t want to wear you out.”

  “Oh, I fully expect you to wear me out, as often as you’re up for it.”

  “I accept that challenge.”

  “Now.” Letting the sheet pool around me and slip away, I moved from the bed to stand in front of him. “I need to do something about this.” I wrapped my hand around his cock.

  His eyes rolled back in his head.

  Dropping to my knees on the carpet, I settled my hands on his hips.

  His hand caressed through my hair. “You don’t have to do this,” he said.

  “I want to.” I gripped his cock with more pressure. “I want it in my mouth,” I said.

  He groaned and took a big step back, bumping into the wall. I moved forward, grasping his thighs. I licked along his cock, while my stomach spun with satisfaction. Making him hot turned me on.

  His fingers traced over my ear, and across my cheek. His thumb ended up by my mouth, where he swiped it across my bottom lip.

  I swallowed, and licked over my lips, wetting them more.

  “God, sweetheart, look at you.”

  The pet name sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t need to be called sweet names, but every now and then it worked for me. And right now? It was really fucking working for me. This was for Hunter, but I couldn’t resist slipping my hand between my legs.

  Tipping my head back, I gazed at Hunter through half-closed eyes while I hollowed my cheeks. Hunter’s eyes were glued to my mouth but darted down to the space between my legs.

  “Are you touching yourself?” he asked, voice rough.

  I tongued at the underside of his cock. “Yeah. I am. Having your cock in my mouth is getting me wet again.”

  The moan that came from his chest was primal. “Cassandra. I’m not going to last.”

  “Go for it,” I said. “That’s what I was aiming for.”

  Hunter’s hands came down to rest on the sides of my head, and he rocked forward, pressing his cock in and out of my mouth while I moved my hand over my cleft.

  It didn’t take long for me to finish. Instead of an explosion, soft waves washed over my body. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Hunter moving in and out of my mouth.

  He groaned and tried to pull away, but I caught his thighs and held on. His body stiffened and then he let go, flooding my mouth. I swallowed and wiped my face off. He bent down and pulled me up, kissing me right on the mouth.

  “You’re amazing,” he said. “That was amazing.” He pulled me close. “Okay, let’s get going. I’m going to follow you home. You really shouldn’t be out here without a guard.”

  “I know. Sorry. Let me brush my teeth while you get dressed, and I’ll meet you outside.” I’d had a moment of weakness, but he was right. It was stupid that I’d come out here unannounced. If I couldn’t follow the rules, then I was going to have a hard time getting Jacob to listen to me about the rules I set for him.

  I pressed my mouth to his once more. “See you in a few.”

  “Hey guys, I’m back,” I called out as I walked into Hunter’s house. No answer. Ah. In the backyard, Jacob and Debra were in the middle of building a bee box.

  It was close enough to lunchtime to eat. I smiled to myself. Hunter had made me work up an appetite. I was pulling ingredients out of the pantry when the door flew open and banged into the wall.

  “What the …”

  Hunter barrelled into me. “Get outside, head for the woods. I’ll get Jacob and Debra.”

  There was no way in hell I’d run until I had Jacob with me. “I will after we get them,” I said.

  He didn’t stop to argue. He ripped the back door open and ran. “Debra, Jacob
, let’s move.” He didn’t wait on them to respond, but simply hefted Jacob into his arms and ran toward the trees. I pulled my arm around Debra, and we went as quickly as we could toward the treeline.

  Hunter pushed us behind a broken-down shed.

  “Someone followed us. I’m going after him now. Stay put.”

  “What about the safe room,” I asked. On our first night there, Hunter had shown me the reinforced room.

  “If they have large weapons, we could end up trapped inside. It’s safer out here.” With a quick squeeze to my shoulder, Hunter was gone.

  “Mom?” Jacob asked with a quaver in his voice.

  Debra stepped closer, pushing Jacob between us. She had her arm wrapped tight around Jacob; I was so grateful to have her. “We need to get to the car,” I said.

  Debra nodded.

  Through the trees, Hunter shifted into his bear form. He fought the man, but a second one appeared, with what looked like a high-powered rifle. He shot Hunter from the back, and Hunter stumbled forward.

  He got back up with a powerful roar, but his movements were sluggish, compared to what they’d been.

  I pulled my phone out and texted his CO. Hunter had put his number in my phone as soon as we’d found out about the smugglers.

  Need help. Hunter’s house.

  Biting down on a gasp, I nudged Jacob closer to Debra. “Would you take Jacob and go through the woods to the Highway? I’m going to go around and get the car. I’ll meet you over there.” I put my phone in her hand. “I’ve already texted his CO. Call 911 if you need to. I know it’s not ideal.”

  Having the sheriff show up, no matter how much I might like the guy, would complicate everything. Explaining a giant black bear would be a pretty big problem, but I figured Debra would do whatever she could to help Hunter, and Jacob too.

  Debra nodded. “Thank you, honey. I’ll do whatever it takes to look out for this young man.”

  “No mom, Hunter said stay here,” Jacob said, tugging at my sleeve.

  “It was a good idea, but you’re too close to those guns. I’m going to get the car, pick you up, and then find help for Hunter, okay?”

  “You’re not going to fight are you?”

  “No, sweetie, I’m just going to drive.”