Cord SEAL Team Seven (Book 5) (6 page)

“I hope you know what you’re doing brother, she’s young.”

“Leave it Con.” I wanted to tell him then and there that she was mine and to back the fuck off. But my control kicked in and I held myself in check. Only I knew what I felt and what that feeling meant. Only I understood what the fact that she made my dick stay hard the whole time she was anywhere near meant, or the fact that for the first time in my life someone made me want.

I pushed the memories aside as we headed out into the night. Though we’d taken care of Stockton, there was still whoever had been working with him on the local base. The tunnel we’d found that ran from his place to the water was too sophisticated for them to just put it out of commission. And since we had no idea when they would strike next, we had to patrol every night in the hopes of catching them in the act.

The two old guys who had been the first to sound the alarm months ago assured us that things had been quiet when we were gone, even though we’d told them to stay out of it. Apparently they’d spread the word that we weren’t the gang of cutthroats the town had believed us to be when we first moved here, because there was a warmer reception whenever my brothers and I went into town these days. That could also have something to do with the fact that we’d settled down with four of their women.

The night was still with a slight chill as we made our way to the water’s edge. There was a smattering of stars in the night sky that made me wish for something as simple as a walk on the boardwalk with my girl. That’s what we were fighting for wasn’t it, a future void of all the bullshit?

“I think these humps got the message. I don’t see them using this place now since they know we know about it. Not unless they’re beyond fuck stupid.”

“I don’t know Dev, this operation is too put together for them to give it up that easily. They might move down the beach some but I think that tunnel is there for a reason. That shit took time and planning. Whatever they’re up to, I think they might still need it.”

“We’ve checked the tapes and there haven’t been any movement down here in a while Cord. I’m thinking those boys came up with another plan.” We should be so fucking lucky.

I could hear the same exasperation I felt coming through loud and clear in my brother’s voice. But we both knew that’s not how Lo works. That fucker is like a dog with a bone. Until we know for sure that this place is no longer in use, he’s gonna keep coming back here.

Ty and Zak wanted to dynamite the tunnel but it was decided to leave it alone for now to avoid another headache. If they moved the operation from here, where would they take it? And how the fuck would we keep an eye on things? It was a catch twenty-two.

So every night give or take we make the rounds, hang around for a little bit, and look for signs of any activity. So far we haven’t had any since the night we grabbed the two assholes, but that didn’t mean anything. And now with the rumor that The Fox might be coming here, we had to be even more vigilant.

We spent a couple hours down there, resetting traps and making sure the little toys we’d left behind were still there and still in working order, before heading back to the compound and our women. I didn’t like leaving her alone for too long at night, even with all the security we had on the place, and I knew my brothers felt the same.

I didn’t breathe easy until I climbed into bed with her and pulled her over into my arms with her head on my chest. Time to count fucking sheep again.

SUSIE

***

T
hese women are going to get me in trouble; again. I peeped through the curtains and looked out across the way to the big house, where the men have been disappearing for the past couple days since we came back from our little holiday trip. “Hurry up Gaby, you know my brother is Cord’s little spy and he’s not over there with them, he could show up any second.”

“No worries Susie Q almost done. So Kat you haven’t found anything yet?” Now they’ve gone and involved that poor woman in their craziness, like the five of us weren’t enough. I hope she knows what she’s doing. That Colton guy does not look like he’s playing around, and I’m pretty sure like Cord, he’d told her to stay away from this mess. Of course my new sisters didn’t understand the word no, and were hell bent on getting my ass beat and poor Kat strangled.

Cord is gonna have my ass if he finds out that we’re trying to figure this thing out after telling me implicitly to ‘keep my little ass out of it’. Ha, he thinks because he’s hot and has turned my own body against me that I lost all my faculties. Though I wouldn’t dare risk his wrath, I knew just how far to go without tripping over the limit. Unlike some people I know.

It never fails. To look at them you wouldn’t guess the shit they can get up to. I thought I was strong-headed, thought for sure I would leave these women in the shade. What with the way they all seemed to toe the line whenever their men laid down the law. Boy was I ever wrong. They put new meaning in the saying ‘when the cat’s away the mice will play’.

Gaby as usual was leading the pack, though I sometimes get the feeling Nessa is just humoring her. She usually reins her in when she goes too far on one of her escapades. I know one thing, as bad as they think they are, the threat of their men finding out what they’re up to can bring them to a full stop like nobody’s business.

I glared across the room at the four of them and rolled my eyes. They think they have it hard; they have no idea. What, Connor growls at Danielle, Logan roars at Gabriella, Zak gives Vanessa smoldering glares that promise retribution, and Tyler the big softie cajoles Victoria-Lyn when they misbehave. Me, I get my ass spanked and half the time I’m the innocent one, just following behind them and their hair brained schemes.

But does Cord see it that way? Hell no, according to him as long as he tells me not to do something that should be enough. He has no idea of the pressure I’m under to be a part of whatever it is they’re building here, to fit in. How out of my element I am. So I go along most of the time so as not to be the odd man out, and ninety-five percent of the time my ass pays the price. As far as he’s concerned, as long as Cord says it, it shall be so; he’s so bossy.

I guess I shouldn’t complain because boy have I been reaping the benefits of that bossiness. All he has to do is give me that look and my whole body goes on alert. I never knew the prospect of a spanking could be so…invigorating. I think sometimes I do things just to get a rise out of him. Heaven help me if he ever figures that one out. The man can be a beast.

Which brings me back to this bunch and their penchant for getting my ass in trouble whether I want to be a part of it or not. They too have a creed of their own. Since our men are practically joined at the hip, we’re supposed to follow suit I guess. And most often than not, Gaby is our fearless leader.

I listened as she pumped poor Kat for information. “I don’t know but I do know since we got back they’ve been busy with something, and now they’re even more anal than usual. I mean I just asked Logan if I could go see my mom and he all but bit my head off.”

“Colton’s been acting like a bear with his paw caught too. Not that that’s any different from his norm, but now he has the kids under lock and key too, more so than usual. So I know something’s definitely up.” She sounded worried, but more so for her man than herself or her children.

“Dana Sue and the others said the same, but try as we might we can’t find out anything. We thought that whatever it was had to do with the smuggling that’s been rumored about down here, but the fact that the guys went to Law’s and then your place seem to say different. Do you think it could have something to do with them personally, something from their time in the navy?”

“I’m not sure girls, Colt was never in the armed forces, who would have him?” We all had a good laugh at that one and for a minute or so the conversation grew lighter as the women talked about the faults in their men. But there was still an element of unease in the room. We all knew that something big was going on, and the men keeping us out of the loop wasn’t helping.

That was the one place where I felt left out. Even though the other women didn’t know much, I was sure their men shared at least a little something with them. Not Cord, he tells me nothing. He seems to think my head should be filled only with him and his many dos and don’ts and nothing else. It doesn’t exactly make me feel like part of the pack.

I guess I shouldn’t complain, outside of him keeping me well away from whatever they were dealing with, everyone here has been welcoming to my brother and I without question, as if we did belong.

I loved that for my brother. He’s never really had that in his life and he seems to flourish under all the attention they show him. But for me, being the only one of the girls not engaged, it’s kind of hard to know just exactly what my place is here. Except that is, for those times when it’s just Cord and I. Then I know just where I belong, who I belong to, because he never lets me forget.

When I first came here that day looking for my brother, I had no idea what else I was going to find, how could I? It wasn’t like I was looking. I never paid much attention to my brother’s praise of the men he’d recently met. I had better, more important things on my mind. Like finishing school and getting the hell out of the small town that was all I’ve ever known.

Then I met him and everything changed. From the first moment I laid eyes on him, something inside me came alive, but not in the usual boy meets girl way. No, there was something more volatile ignited between us from the start; even then I felt it; like a simmering just beneath the surface of my skin.

He looked at me that day and I felt…something. I still have no words, no, explanation, for what he made me feel then. Or the way his words had seemed to whisper down my spine. It was unreal the affect he had on me from that day ‘til now. I’d never met anyone so…forceful. Even in the midst of all those forceful men, he still managed to stand out as just a little bit more. And now, I am completely under his spell.

The others tease me about the way we are with each other, the way he just looks at me and I mind him without uttering a word of protest. But they don’t know the half of it. They don’t know about the things he’s awakened in me behind closed doors. I would say in the bedroom, but he doesn’t relegate all of our dalliances to just one place. In just a short time I have become something I never thought I could ever be.

I was once the girl always telling other females to stand up, to take charge, basically ten steps away from becoming a full-blown feminist. I was made that way because of circumstances. No father; no male influence in fact, except for the commander, who had taken an interest in my brother and I because of his friendship with mom. That, and watching my mother kill herself to make ends meet, kind-of hardened me I guess you can say.

The commander did his best to fill the void, but he was gone more than he was here. So by the time I hit my teens, I was well on my way to hating anything male. I’m not dumb enough to think all men are idiots; I just had yet to meet one that wasn’t. And then he came along and turned my whole world upside down.

Everything about him speaks to that secret place inside me. That raw needy place that has been barren for so long. He’s kind, loving, protective, and such a bad boy. I doubt anyone else knows just how bad. My face heated up at the thought. These girls aren’t the type to discuss their bedroom antics thank heavens; I wouldn’t begin to know how to share at show and tell. But if their men were anything like Cord, then they must be some very happy women. Not that I would know, not entirely anyway.

I’ve been ready for weeks now, but he won’t seal the deal. He keeps saying that I’m not ready, ready for what I’d like to know. Sure I’ve never had sex before, who had the time? But I was pretty sure we both had all the necessary equipment, and boy was he equipped; cue the fiery cheeks. Then again he could be stuffing his shorts for all I know. Part of his thing is that I’m not allowed to see him until the time was right. I call it the big reveal.

I’ve barely felt his manhood against me on those rare occasions when he lost control, but other than that, he could be lacking in that department. Who am I kidding? No one with that much self-confidence could be anything less than all man. I was pretty sure that when the time came, he would be more than capable of delivering.

Personally, I think he’s trying to make me crazy and it’s working. I want to see him so bad, feel him, all of him, that I’m willing to risk his wrath. He’s turned me into a damn cock hound and I haven’t even had any yet.

For the past couple months I’ve been on a wild rollercoaster ride. Before Cord, I always thought I’d end up with some nice nine to five guy with two point two kids and a little white picket fence, where I could live out the rest of my life in boredom. Maybe that’s part of the reason I wasn’t in an all fired rush to find someone and settle down, plus the fact that I wasn’t quite ready for the shelf yet.

After meeting Cord, I now know there is so much more to look forward to. If only I could be sure that I was enough for him. I still have doubts about that. It had taken him forever before he went beyond a kiss. At times I felt he was treating me with kid gloves, so it was I who’d tried to force things, take them to the next level. What did he expect when he did things to my body with just a touch that made me want to tear my clothes off? But he always pulled back, always said ‘not yet, you’re not ready.’

I’d been so pissed the last time he said that I’d yelled at him and told him I was going home never to return. I’d said some pretty harsh things to him that night in my anger. It was then I saw the real Cord for the first time. The beast I sometimes sensed lurking just beneath the surface of all that control was fully exposed and boy was he a sight to behold.

It was my threat to go find someone to put out the fire he’d started that had done it. I’d never seen anyone go from hot to cold and back so quickly. That night was also the first time I found myself over his knee. At first I’d been too shocked to do more than scoff before I found myself half naked and his hand was raining blows down on my ass.

I’m still not sure if the tears were from the outrage I felt, or from actual pain. I still haven’t figured it out the half dozen times he’s done it since then. That night was the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.

That’s when he’d sat me down and explained things to me. His reasons for holding back, for all the things he’d been doing to me that I in my innocence of men had not realized weren’t the norm. I mean the men around here all treat their women with that masterful take-charge attitude. How was I to know that Cord took his a step farther?

“You have to be patient little Susie. I will give you what you want, but only when I feel the time is right. I will not be rushed, you have no idea what I will ask of you, what it is that I want…” Those were the first words he said to me after the spanking.

“But what if I want the same thing?” Did I mention that after he’d heated my ass up he’d turned me over in his arms and kissed the living hell out of me? It was so hot I’d wanted to jump his bones, but once again he’d held me off. I sat on his lap feeling twitchy and needy with my ass stinging in a not unpleasant way. Something had been awakened in me that night and all I could think about was being with him in every way.

By then I knew my feelings for him were more than for the big gruff protector he’d become. I knew that I was all the way in love with him and it tore me up inside to think that he didn’t feel the same. Now he’d shown me another side of him, but all it did was make me want even more.

“You cannot know that until you know what it is that I want.” He looked at me for so long without saying anything else that I begun to get nervous. Then he trailed his finger down my cheek as he looked into my eyes and I lost all thought.

“Have you any idea how much I want you, how much I wish I could just take you into my bed and tie you there for a week? I want to get so deep inside you that you’d feel me even when I’m not in you. But it’s because I feel these things for you that I can’t take you now.”

“But why? I don’t understand. You’ve been leading me on for weeks, all the sweet kisses and little touches here and there. Were you just toying with me?” I tried getting off his lap but he just held me tighter. “I would never do that, not to you, look…there are things about me…” He broke off again and looked towards the fire he had going.

There was a tic in his cheek and I could feel the tension in the thighs under me. “What?” He was beginning to scare me. If he was about to tell me he was a killer or something I could tell him I wasn’t surprised. I mean all you have to do is see him and his brothers in action and you’d know they’ve done a thing or two. But I didn’t care.

“Do you know what a dominant is Susie?” I had to think about that one, I knew the word, but was he saying…? How could I have missed it? Of course that’s what he is, everything about him screamed it loud and clear. But his brothers all seemed to be made from the same mold, so what was the problem? If Dani and Gaby could deal with Connor and Logan, I’m sure I could too. Vanessa and Vicki are a bit more street wise so they didn’t count.