She knew some men enjoyed eating pussy, but Mark took it to a whole new level. He was insatiable when it came to her, and Zoey had never felt more cherished than she did when Mark was making love to her.
After she’d finally stopped shaking, Mark had entered her slowly and reverently. He’d stared into her eyes the entire time he made love to her, whispering words of adoration. Finally, when neither of them could take it anymore, he’d turned her over on her hands and knees and fucked her to within an inch of her life.
Zoey couldn’t say what she enjoyed more. The oral sex, the slow, sweet lovemaking, or the hard and fast fucking.
She knew Mark wasn’t asleep, as his thumb was making small circles on the small of her back as he held her to him. Out of the blue, remembering something Jess had said to them, she blurted, “So, I guess Jess was right? The key to a good relationship is cunnilingus.”
He chuckled. “Actually, what she said was, the key to a good marriage is cunnilingus. And I’d have to agree with her.” Mark leaned over and grabbed something from the small table next to the bed. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now she could only stare at the small black velvet bag in his hands with wide eyes.
He opened it and pulled out a beautiful emerald-cut solitaire diamond ring.
Zoey gasped.
“I know this is fast, but fuck it. Our entire relationship has been unconventional. Will you marry me? I can’t imagine going through the rest of my life without you by my side. I might be a tough Navy SEAL, but without you, I’m nothing. I don’t care how long our engagement is. A week, a month, five fucking years, as long as you’ll eventually be mine, I’ll be happy.”
“I’m already yours,” Zoey told him quietly. “A marriage certificate won’t change that.” When she saw the uncertainty enter his eyes, she quickly went on. “But of course I’ll marry you, Mark. I love you.”
He smiled then and hugged her. Hard.
When he pulled back and slid the beautiful ring down her finger, Zoey couldn’t help teasing, “But only if you promise to keep up that cunnilingus thing.”
“As if you could keep me away from your beautiful body,” Mark said with a grin. “In fact, I think I’m hungry again.”
Zoey shrieked as Mark grabbed her around the waist and helped her kneel, then slid under her in a quick movement. She was on her knees above him, and he continued sliding down until he was between her legs. He stuffed a pillow under his head, and when Zoey looked down her body, all she could see was his eyes looking up from between her legs with an intensity that was almost scary.
“I love you, Zoey. With everything I am. I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy. I’ll put you first in my life when I can, and I’ll fucking kill anyone who tries to hurt you.”
“I’m not sure about the killing part, but okay on the rest.”
Then he smiled and pushed her thighs apart until she had no choice but to grab ahold of the headboard to stay upright.
“Hold on, sweetheart. I’m starving.”
Zoey threw her head back at the first touch of his lips to her sensitive clit and did as he asked, hanging on for dear life.
After he’d rocked her world, again, and she was lying on her side cuddled up next to him, she stared at the ring on her finger. She was going to marry Mark Wright. The man she’d wanted for most of life.
Life sure worked in mysterious ways.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Rocco asked Phantom. They’d just gotten done with PT, and Phantom had pulled his friend aside to ask a favor.
“Yeah. I know the therapists on base have clearance, but I’d like you there to listen to whatever I say when the hypnotist puts me under.”
“You’re that sure you’re missing something that happened back in Timor-Leste?” Rocco asked.
“Yes. I saw something, but in all the chaos when we had to get out of the orphanage because the rebels were closing in, I’ve forgotten what it was,” Phantom told him.
Rocco frowned. “What is it you’re hoping to find out from this?”
“That’s the thing, I don’t know.”
“Phantom…Kalee’s dead. We all saw her body. She’s not coming back,” Rocco said gently.
Phantom ground his teeth together. “I know,” he lied.
The thing was, he’d had this nagging feeling that the woman they’d been sent in to rescue wasn’t dead. But he knew if he said it out loud with no proof, his friends would think he was just as crazy as Kalee’s dad.
Mr. Solberg had been released from the mental hospital and was back on his medications. Phantom wanted to go see him. To ask him about his daughter. To hear stories about what she was like. But he was too chicken. The last thing he wanted was to either give him false hope that Kalee was alive or to make the man have a relapse and end up back in the hospital.
But that niggling feeling inside him wouldn’t subside. Wouldn’t shut up. He’d second-guessed himself time and time again, and he’d done everything possible to remember the moment he’d found the pit with the bodies of the murdered children, but no matter how hard he tried, there was a tiny moment of time that was a blank.
One second he’d discovered the mass grave, and the next, he and his teammates were fleeing the area with Piper and the three orphaned girls.
“If you really want me to go, I will,” Rocco said.
Phantom nodded. “I appreciate it.”
“Just let me know the time and place.”
“Will do.”
The two men shook hands, and Phantom headed for his car to go home and shower before heading back to the base. They were gearing up for another mission. They hadn’t been on one in a while, and he was more than ready to get back to what it was he did best. As soon as Bubba got back home from his short vacation, they’d hit the intel hard and most likely be shipped out within the week.
Unlike his teammates, who now had families and women of their own, Phantom still looked forward to their missions. It would take his mind off the hole in his memory…and the undeniable fear that he’d somehow fucked up. Huge.
He’d asked Tex for his help and didn’t know what “rumblings about something interesting” meant, but he knew Tex would tell him once he had something concrete. In the meantime, he needed to stay busy, meet with the hypnotist, and try to fucking move on with his life.
Rex had just gotten out of the shower and was eating his four-egg omelet standing up while watching the morning news when his cell phone rang. He and his teammates had gotten back from a short mission the day before, and he had the day off. He was looking forward to sitting around and decompressing.
“It’s Rocco,” his teammate said as soon as Rex answered. “You need to get back to base ASAP.”
Rex was moving before Rocco had finished talking. He scraped his remaining eggs into the trash and asked, “What’s up?”
“We’re leaving as soon as everyone gets here.”
“Shit,” Rex said. There had been times they’d been called out to a mission without a lot of prep work, but their commander liked to have as much information as possible before sending them into danger. “What’s up?”