Page 39 of Securing Jane

She thought it was cute the way Storm scowled. “I know you’re right, but I feel cheated out of your presence for even the ten minutes it takes to get to the base.”

Jane laughed. “I think we’ll survive.”

He put a hand on her arm and turned her to face him. “What have you done to me?” he asked.

“The same thing you’ve done to me,” she returned.

“I mean it. Two weeks ago I couldn’t think about anything other than work. I lived and breathed it and dreaded coming home. Now I think about you constantly throughout the day. When my phone vibrates with a text, I can’t help but think it might be from you, and I get excited. I’ve been thinking about ways to experiment with food to make things that I think you might enjoy. I swear…I hadn’t truly been living until I met you.”

Damn. That was the best compliment Jane had ever received. “I feel the same way,” she told him.

Storm took a big breath. “Okay, you’re right. It’s better if we have our own transportation, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”

She laughed.

“I’ll follow you. Be safe.”

“I will,” she told him.

It was still dark outside, since the sun hadn’t quite begun to rise yet. She’d always been startled how it could be dark one moment and then light the next. The sun seemed to sprint up into the sky once it finally woke up.

Storm leaned in and kissed her. It was a long, deep kiss that had Jane’s toes curling in her shoes. “I’ll walk you in when we get to our building.”

“Okay,” she agreed easily.

He kissed her once more, a brief kiss that time but no less powerful, then turned and headed for his car.

Jane unlocked her own reliable Camry and climbed inside. She put her overnight bag on the passenger seat, now quite a bit lighter as she’d left her toiletries, her sleep outfit, and the clothes she’d worn yesterday inside Storm’s townhouse. It had felt like a big step, and she couldn’t help standing in his closet and staring at her things mixed with his in his hamper. Yes, they’d moved fast, but things between them felt right. She wasn’t in her twenties anymore. She knew what she wanted—and what she wanted was Storm.

Smiling to herself, she started the engine and headed for the exit. Looking in her rearview mirror, she saw the headlights from Storm’s VW Golf behind her. Even though it was early, and she had a long day ahead of her, Jane had never felt more awake and energized than she did right at that moment.

Chapter Nine

Jane nervously walked next to Storm as they headed for the beach on the following Saturday. They were late, but Jane wasn’t as worried as she might’ve been. Storm had kept her up way past her bedtime the night before, and she wasn’t complaining.

He’d worshiped her body, going down on her and giving her two bone-melting orgasms before he’d encouraged her to get up on her hands and knees. He’d run his hands over her ass, telling her that he’d fantasized about taking her from behind before proceeding to do just that.

Jane had had sex in that position before, but she’d always felt self-conscious about it. She knew her butt was big. No matter how hard she tried to lose weight—which wasn’t very hard, if she was being honest—she’d never been able to lose it from her butt. But last night, Storm had made her promise to never lose her ass, swearing that he loved it too much.

He’d taken her hard and fast, even pushing her down to her elbows at one point as he worshiped her butt while he fucked her. She’d felt more cherished than she might’ve expected while being taken from behind. Storm never let her think for a second that he didn’t know it was her he was fucking. He said her name often and encouraged her to look back at him as much as she was comfortable with. In short, he was absolutely perfect, and they’d both slept like the dead, waking up late and not even caring.

But the closer they got to the beach and the more people Jane saw, the more she regretted being fashionably late. The second they stepped foot on the beach, heads turned to stare at them, and the familiar feeling of overwhelming shyness overcame her.

Unconsciously, her steps slowed just slightly, and she started thinking of excuses that would let her leave early.

“Easy, baby,” Storm told her softly. “It’s okay.”

Damn, she thought she’d hidden her reluctance.

These were his people. His SEALs. Raising her chin, she put on a brave face and made a vow to herself to do whatever it took not to embarrass the man next to her.

“That’s my girl,” he told her.

And even that little bit of praise made her feel better.

Storm walked them over to Rear Admiral Dag Creasy. Except he looked very different than the way she usually saw him. Instead of his uniform, he had on a pair of swimming trunks and a tank top. Jane knew he was only a few years older than her, but he was still very much in shape.

“'Bout time you made it,” Dag teased Storm.