Page 21 of Protecting Vera

His arms wrapped around her, and he pulled her closer as she tilted her head. She opened for him, their tongues sliding together, twisting in a dance that spoke of promises their bodies would deliver.

The feel of him up close, his hands on her back, her butt, her head overwhelmed her. Her nipples hardened as heat built inside. The insanely intimate closeness she felt with him pushed her to the edge.

When he palmed her butt cheek and applied pressure, drawing her to him, she lifted her leg, curling it around his body. The pressure in her core changed. She wasn’t going to last if he pressed against her again.

He was positioned just right so she could feel the hard ridge in his pants. His cock ground against her pussy. The friction of his body against hers made all of her nerves tingle. She couldn’t hold back and came hard.

She pulled out of the kiss, gasping as her body pulsed. Hop held still as she came. Embarrassment hit, but then she met his gaze, and he cupped her cheek.

“That was amazing. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while.”

Shock pulsed through her. “But why? I’m nothing.”

It was his time to laugh. “You’re joking, right? You’re so freaking sexy.”

She shook her head, unable to take in what he was saying. “No, I’m not. You are.”

“Trust me, Vera, you’re very desirable. I’ve had a hard time keeping my hands off you.”

A shiver snaked through her, and he held her tighter. “You really find me attractive?”

“Yes. You’re very sexy. I’ve had to stop myself from doing something like this multiple times.”

She met his gaze again. “What exactly are we doing?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t usually make commitments.”

His words made her take a step back. “No commitments?”

His eyes changed, going softer. “I don’t want to let you go. I don’t understand. I’ve never felt like this with anyone else before. But you have to know, I’m a Navy SEAL. Our jobs are demanding. Very demanding.”

She nodded. “I get that.”

“I could be gone for weeks or months at a time.”

“I don’t need someone constantly around.”

He took a step back, and she thought she was losing her opportunity before she even had a chance. She wanted to beg him to stay close, make promises she didn’t even understand, just to have him in her arms. He held up one hand, silently begging her to listen.

“Before we go any deeper, I want to make sure you get that I could be called out at any time. I might miss your birthday or Christmas. I’ll be deployed at some point, which will be six months to a year. If I get called in, I have to go. I can’t just stay home because you have something going on or I have something going on. Military guys miss the births of children, they miss funerals, they miss big events. It is just the way the military is.”

“It sounds stressful for you.”

His bark of laughter was unexpected. “No, not as stressful as it is for the families left at home. I’ve seen a lot of guys get screwed over because their partner can’t be chill about the SEALs leaving. And yes, when we get the call, we want to go. It’s what we spend our lives training for. But that doesn’t mean we also don’t love coming home.”

She thought about his words, contemplating what it would mean to be with him. She shook her head and saw the light die a little in his eyes.

“Hold on. Let me say this. I don’t think I need constant attention. I understand that I’d have to be flexible, but being flexible isn’t difficult. I mean, I know that means you could end up being gone when we have plans, but we can also be careful with plans.”

“It’s tough on those left at home. You end up doing everything on your own.”

She reached for his hand, and he wove their fingers together. She took a step closer, her gaze staying on his face.

“You want to know what’s important to me?”

“What?”

“That you’ll never hit me or trap me in a closet or try to harm me. If I walk away, you’ll let me go and won’t try to kill me. Being left alone on Christmas won’t be hard. We can celebrate holidays on any day of the week in any month of the year.”

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