One Night of Pleasure: Military Romance Featuring a Sexy Navy Hero (Take a Chance Book 5) (2 page)

She peered at his hand for a brief moment before she met his gaze directly.  “I’m not into playing games, Captain Smith.”

He leaned close and the smell of her, a sexy combination of woman and a clean citrusy perfume, added to his growing desire.  Against the shell of her ear, he whispered, “The name is Mark and I’m not into games either, contrary to what you might have heard.”

With her sexy fuck me heels, they were the same height.  That made it possible for her to lean forward and whisper back, “I’ve heard you’re an honorable man, so don’t disappoint me.”

Her action brought her enticing breasts against his chest and had his cock at attention, but he wouldn’t disappoint her.  Not now and not in bed later if things hopefully reached that point.

He retreated until their faces were barely an inch apart and said, “I promise I won’t let you down.  In the meantime, I’ve got you, Maggie, and Trevor with me at the main table if that’s acceptable.”

She smiled and nodded regally.  “That sounds wonderful.”

Without missing a beat, he shifted to her side, brought his hand to the small of her back, and encountered nothing but smooth creamy skin.  Fighting back the urge to run his hand across all that satiny flesh, he exerted gentle pressure and guided her in the direction of their table.

As she moved past him and he caught site of the non-existent back of her dress, he sucked in a breath and tried to cool the heat she was creating.

It was going to be a hell of a hard night.

Chapter 3

The feel of his calloused palm riding against her skin was making her wet and achy because it was way too easy to imagine him moving that hand all over her body.

He looked fabulous in his tuxedo, all lean and powerful male. The black brought out the strands of silvery salt in his chocolate brown hair, adding a touch of elegance to his otherwise I-can-kick-your-ass military vibe.

Captain Mark Smith, U.S. Navy, Retired, was clearly a M-A-N and it was difficult to battle the primal call of all that maleness.

Against the soft satin of her dress, her nipples were tight little peaks just waiting to be touched.  As she shot him a look from the corner of her eye, she knew who she wanted to do the touching.

Which was insane.

She wasn’t a one night stand kind of girl and yet that’s what she suddenly wanted.

One night of pleasure with this incredibly handsome and amazingly competent man.

As much as she had told herself all day long that someone like Mark would have no interest in someone like her, there was no denying how he had looked at her just moments earlier.  Or how that simple touch of his hand at her waist was somehow communicating much much more than politeness.

As they reached the front of the ballroom, she said hello to Rafe and Elena, glad the couple would be at their table.  Since being part of the honor guard at their wedding two months earlier, she’d gotten to know them quite well and liked them a lot.

She’d barely finished greeting the couple when the rest of their table arrived en masse.  Maggie and Trevor.  Tommy de Salvo and his ex-Navy Corpsman wife Jasmine, who was sporting a noticeable baby bump.  Tommy’s sister Nicole and her Marine Lieutenant husband Jase Hart.  Both Trevor and Jase were in their dress uniforms while the other ex-military men and women had opted for formal wear.

She was grateful for the couples at the table, all of whom were friends and had made her transition to civilian life a little easier.  If there was one thing she was uneasy about, it was that they were all couples when she and Mark clearly weren’t together.

Luckily, two other women arrived just as they were sitting down.  Both were in their early thirties and quite attractive.  They obviously knew Mark well since they kissed him and slipped their arms around his, forming a picture of a sexy little ménage.

She gritted her teeth against the instant rise of jealousy.

Mark sensed Bridget’s pique and couldn’t deny that he was pleased by her annoyance.  He’d been getting mixed signals from her during their various encounters, but now he had something inkling that she might be interested in him.

While he could have played on her jealousy a little more, as he’d told her earlier, he wasn’t the kind to play games.  Because of that, he quickly introduced the two women.

“Guys, this is Lieutenant Commander Samantha Whittaker.  We served together many years ago before she left us for the Coast Guard.  This other lovely lady is Pete Decker’s wife, Nancy. Pete and Nancy are at the company’s other table.”

“Don’t make me feel old, Captain.  It wasn’t that long ago that we served together,” Samantha replied with a smile.  She shook hands with all those at the table just as Pete came over and excused himself and his wife so they could head across the ballroom to their other location.

Mark held his hand out in the direction of the empty seat beside him and Samantha sat next to Tommy de Salvo.

Up on the stage, the band members were taking their spots as the Master of Ceremonies he had hired for the gala walked toward the mike in the middle of the stage.  At a signal from the MC, the lights dimmed to warn the attendees it was time to find their tables.

Mark took a spot next to Bridget, leaving the seat between him and Samantha empty.  After another flash of the lights, the crowd quieted down and a spotlight jumped to life on the MC.

The man, a local comedian with a nice following, quickly launched into a welcome speech peppered with jokes about the various military branches.  Laughter greeted his quips as well as the murmur of good-natured ribbing from those at the many tables scattered through the ballroom.  As his monologue wore down, he waved his hand in Mark’s direction.

“Of course, we wouldn’t be here tonight for such a worthy cause without the help of Captain Mark Smith and his fellow volunteers.  Mark, come on up here,” the MC said and urged him toward the stage again.

With a tight smile, he rose and walked to the podium to take the microphone that the comedian offered.  Uncomfortable with the attention, he forced out the speech he had rehearsed countless times over the last few days.

“Thank you all for being here and for your generous support.  Thanks to you, we’ve raised nearly $150,000 that will be used to provide assistance to local veterans and their families for everything from mental health counseling to rehabbing homes for wounded military men and women.  I want to take a moment to thank all the volunteers who made this possible.  Please stand up and the rest of you, please put your hands together to thank them.”

At assorted tables throughout the ballroom, men and women rose from their seats and the crowd applauded with their appreciation for the work they had done.  As the noise died down, he continued.

“Most of all, thank you to all the veterans and active duty military men, women, and families who are here tonight.  God bless you and God bless the U.S.A.”

As raucous shouts and more cheers erupted throughout the room, he handed the microphone back to the MC and returned to his seat.

Bridget leaned close and whispered, “Very nice, Captain.”

“Mark,” he repeated, but as he peered her way, he caught the mischievous grin that said she was just baiting him.

The comedian finished up with a few other jokes and urged the couples to share a little dancing before dinner as the lights snapped back to life.  A second later, the lead singer for the group walked to the microphone and started crooning a classic about being under the boardwalk.

He rose, held out his hand, and said, “Would you like to dance?”

Chapter 4

Bridget stared at his outstretched hand and squeaked, “Dance?”

Mark smiled and wiggled two fingers in a walking motion.  “Yes, dance.  It’s like when two people hold hands and move their feet to the music.”

The holding hands part wasn’t what had her worried.  It was the being pressed to that lean muscular body and having his hands on her part.  Especially as she once again imagined those hands all over her.  Between her legs, damp heat erupted and her breasts tingled with the thought.

“So, will you dance with me?” he pressed at her prolonged silence.

She shot to her feet, a mistake given the very high heels Maggie had convinced her to purchase.  As she wobbled, he stepped close and laid his hands on her hips to steady her.

“I guess that’s a ‘yes’,” he said and eased an arm around her waist to escort her out onto the dance floor.

With a smooth and practiced move, he shifted her into his arms, keeping a respectable distance, but as the song played on, they moved closer and closer until they were pressed against each other.  Her head was tucked against his cheek and his warm breath spilled against her forehead as they moved together.  Body rubbing against body in a way that made it impossible for her not to feel every hard muscle beneath the fabric of his tuxedo and his very obvious erection against the flatness of her belly.

His hands bracketed her hips, but as she rubbed them across his cock, he raised one to the bare skin at the small of her back and shifted the other higher to hold her ever tighter to him.

He nuzzled the side of her face and whispered, “I wish we were somewhere more private.”

“Tell me why,” she said, feeling a boldness that was so unlike her.

He jerked back a bit, as surprised as she was at her response.  As their gazes connected, he said, “Why?”

Shooting a quick glance around at everyone in the place and back to the table where the very gorgeous Samantha still sat, she locked her gaze with his again and said, “Yes, why?  You could have your choice of lots of women in this room, but you picked me.  Why?”

His full lips thinned into a tight slash.  “Do you really not know how beautiful you are?  How interesting you are on so many levels?”

She tilted her head defiantly and without hesitation said, “I didn’t think you were into women like me.”

A harsh chuckle escaped him and he pressed her just a little closer, trapping the long hard ridge of his erection between their bodies.  “I so want to be into you in every way you can imagine and some you might not have imagined.”

Heat blasted across her cheeks as she let herself think about all those ways.  Luckily the song ended and the band launched into a much faster beat, ending their dance.

They stood there, plastered together.  Bodies nearly shaking from the desire running through both of them before Mark took a deep breath and stepped away, but he kept his hands on her as he guided her back to the table.

Samantha’s shrewd gaze was on them as they approached and sat down, the seat between her and Mark still empty.

As the band continued to play, waiters came around to serve them dinner.  A salad of spring greens topped with caramelized pecans, pears, and goat cheese.  A succulent steak that was so tender you could cut it with your fork.  The sides were some of her favorites, roasted potatoes and creamed spinach, but she barely tasted any of the food put in front of her.  She was too consumed with Mark as he sat beside her, from the subtle press of his broad shoulder against hers to the way the muscles in his jaw played as he chewed.

Every now and then they’d exchange some niceties about the meal, but she couldn’t fail to notice how he watched her and the heat in his gaze.

When the waiters whisked away the plates for the main dish and laid out a decadent chocolate cake in front of them, she hesitated for a moment, drawing Mark’s attention.

“Not a fan of chocolate?” he asked, dragging a chuckle from Maggie, who was sitting beside her.

“Are you kidding? Bridget loves chocolate,” her sister said.

“Do you?” he asked, forked up a piece of her cake, and held it up to her lips.

She didn’t know why she felt like Adam being tempted by Eve.  Maybe it was the challenging gleam in his icy blue eyes or the sexy little quirk of his lips.  Regardless, she wasn’t going to pass up this challenge.

She laid her hand on his thigh and his muscles jumped beneath her palm as she leaned forward and ate the piece of cake off his fork.

The cake was sinfully moist and sweet.  She swallowed, licked her lips and said, “Delicious. Try some yourself.”

She imitated his earlier action, forking up a piece from his plate and bringing it to his lips.

As she had, he laid a hand on her thigh, his calloused palm hot against the bare skin revealed by the slit in the leg.  He swooped forward and snatched the cake off her fork.

“Sweet and creamy,” he said, but as he delicately rubbed his hand along her thigh, she suspected he wasn’t referring to the cake.

Mark moved his hand up and down her thigh, encountering the soft satin of her dress and her even smoother skin.  Her body trembled beneath his caress and as he looked toward her plate to scoop up another piece of cake, it was impossible not to notice how the tight nubs of her breasts pushing against the fabric of her gown.

His mouth watered, but not from thoughts of the chocolate cake.

He offered her up another piece and she slipped it off the fork with her deliciously full lips, licked them, and he nearly came as he thought about her doing the same to his cock.  Especially as she shifted her hand across his thigh.

He wanted her hands on him and to have his hands on her, but not here.

Leaning close, he whispered, “I’m ready to call it a night.  How about you?”

She shot him a quick look before scanning the various couples, and Samantha, at the table.  “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m a little tired.  Maggie wore me out with all her shopping today,” she said.

“Yes, we did do a lot of running around.  I’m a little tired, too,” her sister chimed in, helping her out.

Maggie and Trevor popped up out of their seats and Bridget did as well.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll walk you to your room,” he said and shot out of his chair as well.

“I don’t mind,” she said with a secret kind of smile.

After goodbyes to their friends, they hurried out of the ballroom.  Trevor and Maggie were in one tower of the casino, while Bridget was in the second.  They exchanged hugs and handshakes in the lobby and went their separate ways, all of them eager for some time alone.