And wondering if by finished, he meantfinishedfinished. My head got stuck on the image of him under the shower spray, water raining down his body, cascading over his long limbs and muscles. He looked more like a modern-day warrior than I did.
Or at least what people thought SEALs looked like. Most of us were built like runners or swimmers because we did that a lot, especially running, but there were guys who looked like beefcakes.
Not that Daniel looked like a beefcake. No. He stood—unyielding, precise, devastatingly beautiful—a modern-day Adonis captured in marble by a master sculptor.
Knock. Knock.
Jerking around, I panicked, then remembered the food. Fuck! Swiping the cash from the counter, I raced to the door, slowing before I got there so I didn’t alert whoever was on the other side that I was there. Just in case the person at the door wasn’t delivering food, and was—god forbid—one of the team.
The door came closer and closer to my face as I leaned toward the peephole. Holding my breath, I focused on the image through the tiny glass hole. A skinny kid stood on the other side holding a takeout order.
The bated breath stuck in my lungs escaped in a rushed, deep, anxiety-relieving sigh that let the stress and panic fall away. Stepping back, I flipped open the deadbolt I turned earlier and unlocked the door.
“Mr. Lennox?”
I gave him a smile and a nod, handed him the cash, waved off the change, before shutting and locking the door, all without once meeting his gaze. Hoping that by keeping my head down,he wouldn’t be able to ever point at me and say, ‘Yep, I saw him in another man’s apartment.’
Kelly’s voice lived in my head every moment of every day, but it was times like this—off duty and away from the base, the team, my oath of service—that I heard him most.
“How are you, a greedy bottom who gets cranky when he goes too long without riding a cock, going to live that life?”
And I remembered my response—both of them.
“Carefully.”
Followed by.
“Kelly, there are nearly a million and a half active duty members of the military. They can’t all be straight. Which means where there’s a will, there’s a way. And I’ll find mine.”
But I’d yet to find mine.
“Good. The food’s here.”
I whirled. Daniel, in nothing but a towel, stood in front of me. Gorgeous. His usually even, alabaster skin, warmed from the shower, glowed with a slight pink.
“Fuck.”
The world stopped and faded away while I stood in awe of the man before me. From his feet, up his legs, skipping the towel, I cursed, and that hid the cock I’d craved since I left him standing in this very apartment. The same cock that twitched and tented the white terry cloth. My mouth watered. My eyes traveled higher—to his lightly sculpted abs, the slabs of muscles of his chest, the broad shoulders, the long length of his neck, sharp jaw, full lips, piercing blue eyes. The heat and passion there burned into me like a laser locked and loaded, already overactive libido.
The food slipped, teetered in my grasp, but I gave it no attention. I couldn’t. It was impossible to think, look, or consider anything but the ripple of muscle as Daniel surged toward me. His large naked body moved in a blink.
“Whoa. I know I’m a sexy motherfucker, but let’s not ruin our first meal together,” he said, catching the box lid of takeout containers between us before it hit the ground.
My senses returned. “It’s not the first meal.”
He chuckled. “You’re right, but breakfast after is a given. This is…”
I nodded. “A surprise?”
“A gift. I wanted to see you again.”
I wanted to agree because I’d wanted to see him again too. I’d wanted to get naked and roll around in the sheets, floor, shower, and over the back of his sofa, but that meant shifting my focus. I couldn’t risk it.
But I made it, so maybe?
“I wanted to see you again as well.”
The blue of his eyes darkened, and his face hardened. He took the food from me, set it on the table, and then turned back to me. The man reminded me of a threatened snake poised to strike or a panther set to spring as if he were about to pounce.
