His Plus One by Kate Aster

Chapter 14

- GRAYDON -

For the record, this feels like a low point in my life.

And yet… not. Because I’m with her.

A new day is just dawning, the sun’s rays warming the ship’s pool deck. And if I were destined to spend my morning out here rather than in bed with Hailey, I’d prefer sharing one of those two-person chaise lounges as we sip our coffee.

Instead, I’m stooped over, trying to mimic a position I’m told is called “downward dog.”

I’m failing miserably at it.

If my brothers see me doing this, I’ll never hear the end of it.

“I feel like an idiot,” I mutter quietly to Hailey who is next to me. She’s far more adept at this and makes me look like even more of a fool as I stand, then bend, then stretch and finally wind up in a new position until the yoga instructor has us all on our backs again.

“You’re doing fine,” she whispers back, as I stare up at the sky now, which is cloudless—perfect weather for the surprise I have planned later for Hailey.

If I can just survive this morning.

“And now, close your eyes,” says the instructor at the front of our group. She speaks into a microphone, but her voice is still calming. “Relax your body. Slow your mind. Breathe in. Breathe out…”

My gut tells me that we’re closing in on the end. I turn my head, watching Hailey. She looks so relaxed right now.

“Keep your eyes closed—”

I swear that instructor directed that at me.

“And block out all your thoughts. It’s just you… and your steady breathing… in… out…”

But I can’t block all my thoughts. Not right now, as I’m realizing that this is the first time I’ve tried something like this… something new and totally unlike me.

While I truly can say without any hesitation that I hate yoga with a passion that shouldn’t even be legal, I love that Hailey is the one who dragged me out here to do it.

I’ve always thought of myself as the adventurous type. You don’t get to be a SEAL without having an ample dose of audacity in your bloodstream.

But for all the bold, ambitious things I’ve done, I feel like this is the first time in ages that I did something that completely contradicts my norm.

I never really considered that aspect of relationships. By dating a bunch of women who, athletically speaking, pretty much were the female versions of myself, I was limiting the scope of my experiences.

Maybe part of the fun of being in a relationship with someone is that it helps you grow as a person, expand your interests, open your eyes to something that you ordinarily wouldn’t see.

Like yoga. Or something more interesting if you’re luckier than I am this morning.

I think about my brother Mason. He once told me that he bonded with Freya over the book she was writing at the time. She needed his SEAL expertise and he needed… well, her, apparently. They couldn’t have been more different—those two.

Carson, who used to use his downtime to improve his chess game and perfect his cooking skills, is now birdwatching every chance he gets with Natasha, and Colt is playing photographer’s assistant. Hell, he’s even changed careers; I can’t imagine that would have happened without Max’s influence.

And all three of them are… so damn happy.

After the instructor has us going back to a seated position, she has us bringing our hands forward and saying “Namaste.” I almost crack up as I do. Almost, but I don’t because it would be completely disrespectful.

I’m just not a namaste kind of guy. But maybe, given time, I could be.

As the woman starts to finally get up, I glance over at Hailey. “Does that mean it’s over?”

She smiles. “You sound relieved.”

“I’m not used to making an ass of myself in front of a class of fifty women,” I admit. “You better keep up your end of the deal. I do yoga, and you do karaoke.”

She groans in response. “I will. I’ve always wanted to. But I always end up losing my nerve.”

“Well, I’m holding you to it this time.”

She gives a resolute nod. “I promised. Besides, they’ve got it the last day of the cruise. So if I embarrass myself, it’s not like I’ll see any of these people again, anyway, right?”

I stand and reach down a hand to help her up. “You can’t possibly embarrass yourself more at karaoke than I just did trying to do the half-moon pose.”

She takes my hand, and when I touch her, this warmth that flows through me is undeniable. A familiarity that I suppose was always there.

I’d feel it in the field sometimes, when I’d first see her. I always attributed it to a kind of comfort of knowing that our tech team was the best out there. There’s nothing worse than feeling like our Team of SEALs is ready for anything, but wondering if your civilian counterparts are quite up to the challenge. With Hailey on our side, I never had to wonder.

But now, I’m pondering whether all that warmth I always felt when I’d see her in the field was more from an attraction I didn’t allow myself to recognize, especially in those days when she had a ring on her finger.

As I pick up our two yoga mats and head to the stack of them on the other side of the pool, I spot Harris sitting in a corner with his coffee.

A grin slides up his face. “Have fun at yoga?”

I narrow my eyes. “A blast. And if you tell my brothers you saw me here, I’ll tell Freya where you hang out in the morning.”

He sets down his coffee and holds up his hands. “Good God, don’t do that.”

Hailey laughs. “None of Freya’s set-ups have worked out?”

“No. And she’s run out of wedding guests to push on me, so now she’s spanning out to include every single woman on the ship. I should have done what you two did.”

My eyes snap to his. “What do you mean?”

“Brought a fake date.”

Holy shit. He knows.

Harris shakes his head. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. Looks like it worked out in the end for you, though.” His eyebrows rise as he gives us a knowing look.

“How did you—?” I begin.

Lifting his hand casually, he cuts me off. “I’m an intelligence officer. It’s my job to know. See you tomorrow morning.”

And with that, he walks away.

“We could use him at the NSA,” Hailey says with a laugh.

“If I wasn’t positive he’s got TS clearance, I’d be worried he’d slip up to someone. But I think we’re safe.” I turn to her and cock my head. “So how does a computer guru like you end up getting into yoga, anyway?”

“It was kind of a necessity for work, believe it or not.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. About two years ago, I started having really bad lower back problems. It’s actually not uncommon for us techies. We sit a lot. My physical therapist said I was way too young to be having these kinds of problems and told me to get into yoga to maintain my flexibility and build up my core.”

“I’ll be damned.” As we head down the stairs to our suite’s deck, I’m suddenly wondering whether I should have arranged a massage for her rather than the other surprise I have planned today. “My brother got a bad back from jumping out of too many aircraft. And you got one from sitting too much?”

“Ironic, isn’t it?”

“Well, you look like a pro on a yoga mat.”

She laughs. “That was a really basic yoga class. I look like a fool when I do the intermediate ones.”

So Hailey is into yoga. It makes me want to know all the other things I don’t know about her. “Tell me something else about you that I never knew before.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m curious. I’ve known you for four years and I never knew you did yoga. I never knew about your mom. I certainly never knew that your version of the Electric Slide has the potential to go viral.”

She laughs as I swipe our key in front of the lock and walk into our suite. “Can you please forget about that?”

Never, I think but don’t say it. Because, outside of the sex we’ve enjoyed these past couple nights, I think it’s one of my favorite memories of this trip, watching Hailey dance with abandon… or skill for that matter. “But I’m serious. What else don’t I know about you?” Finally alone, I tug her close and my body responds immediately to the feel of her in my arms. “I want to know it all.”

She looks thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I hated Java when I was a kid. That usually surprises people.”

“Coffee?”

“No. JavaScript. Come on, SEAL. Remember who you’re with?”

I trace my hands down her back and cup her bottom. “Hard to forget right now. So, you hated Java,” I say, trying to sound interested. I was hoping for something a little more revealing than that.

“Yeah. I didn’t mind it until I became a Python snob. And then when I learned C++, it was… like heaven,” she says with such dramatic flair that I think she’s being sarcastic. But with her, I’m not quite sure.

“I’ve often heard it described that way,” I try to deadpan, but fail. “But tell me something that doesn’t have to do with computers. Not that that’s not incredibly interesting…”

“…said no man ever,” she interrupts with a laugh, sliding her hand beneath my t-shirt.

I suck in a breath at the feel of her warm hands on me. “I mean, what are the things I’d never guess about you?” I struggle to get the question out.

“No. It’s your turn.”

I frown, thinking. “Ah. Okay. I, uh… I hate vegetables.”

“That’s a cop-out. Everyone hates vegetables.”

I kiss the curve of her ear as I give her a gentle tug, easing her toward the sofa. “My brother loves them. But he’s a really good cook, supposedly.”

“Which brother?”

“Carson. And it’s your turn.” My kisses migrate down her neck, hoping to tempt her into revealing a lot more than just little-known facts about her.

She purrs in response.

“I…” She giggles as I pull her onto my lap after I sit. Her legs straddle me, and she lets my fingertips brush her skin just under the bottom of her t-shirt. Her eyes flash. “This is hard to do when you’re doing that.”

“Not true. I already know what a good multi-tasker you are.” I pull the oversized t-shirt over her head and trace my fingers up her sides to her sports bra.

She moans when my thumbs brush against her nipples. “I’m…drawing a blank. You take my turn.”

“Nope. Tell me anything.” I bend, pressing my lips to her belly.

“I… I used to believe in fairies when I was little.”

I pull my lips from her skin and cock my head. “Really? That seems… so unlike you.” I try to picture it, Hailey who has always been so matter-of-fact, so grounded in reality, being a little kid convinced that she shared this earth with fairies. I somehow wish I knew her then.

“Yeah, I know. Up until I was seven, I was absolutely positive they existed. I’d practically get into debates about it with the other kids. It was cute at first, maybe. But looking back, I think I was probably a pain in the ass about it.”

“What made you stop believing?”

“I don’t know. I just stopped,” she breathes out in a rush, and then, so spontaneously I can’t help thinking she wants to distract me, she yanks at the sides of my shirt and tugs it over my head. “Your turn,” she says with a glint in her eye.

I ponder as my hands stroke her soft skin, intermittently pressing a kiss to wherever I can reach with her straddling me like this. “Okay… when I was a kid, I saw my mom buying us one of those mac-daddy Erector sets as a surprise. I was so excited to open it at Christmas.”

“Oh no. Don’t tell me she got it for one of your brothers and not you.”

“No. Worse, actually—or at least it felt worse. I found the gift under the tree, but the gift tag said it was from Santa.”

“Oh, crap.”

“Yeah. I was five and definitely not ready to give up believing yet. Hell, even my oldest brother still believed. But Carson was pretty slow on the uptake when it came to Santa and nothing else.”

“Did you ask your parents about it?”

“God, no. I thought if they found out I knew, then I’d never get gifts at Christmas again. So I never told them anything.”

“Never?”

“Nope. For all I know, they still think I believe.” My chuckle is followed up by a frown when I realize this position on the couch limits us. So I stand with her legs still wrapped around me and carry her into the bedroom.

She laughs in response.

I toss her playfully onto the unmade bed. “So, your turn. Any holiday secrets weighing down your psyche?”

“No. Well—” she begins, her sudden pause making me curious enough to stop my fingers from sliding beneath the waistband of her yoga shorts—but only momentarily.

I trace a line of kisses from her belly… downward as I start to make those shorts disappear. “Come on. Fess up. I told you my Santa tragedy.”

She sighs. “I’ve always wanted to make a turkey for Thanksgiving.”

“You’ve never had a turkey for Thanksgiving?” My face elongates.

“No, no. I’ve had turkey. I’ve just never made one.”

“So, why don’t you? Did you have one as a pet or something?” I joke.

She giggles as I pull the tight yoga shorts from her legs. “No. And it wouldn’t really even have to be a turkey. Or at Thanksgiving. But I just want to make a big holiday meal like other families do. To play host. You know, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes. I’ve never done that. To set a fancy table. I don’t even think I own a turkey platter.” She pauses thoughtfully before reaching down to my shorts and giving them a firm yank downward—thank God. Because it’s good to know we’re on the same page.

She tosses them and my boxers onto the floor in one felled swoop, and then says thoughtfully, “I think I’m going to change that this year.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Her tone is determined, as though she’s making a belated New Year’s resolution. “I used to think you needed a big family for that. But I look at all the people here who took this wedding cruise—” She shakes her head. “—willing to take an entire week off and come all the way out here to the middle of the ocean to see Mason and Freya get married. At least half of them aren’t even family.”

“True.”

“And it makes me think of all the people I’ve worked with for so long at the NSA. Why haven’t I ever invited them over to my apartment? Why can’t I throw a party or have a big holiday meal just like I wanted? I mean, a lot of them probably have families, but others maybe would love a place to go for a holiday meal. They say that friends are the family you choose, right?”

“I’ve heard it said.”

“Well, maybe I need to start growing my family right now, rather than waiting for it to happen the conventional way.”

I grin, liking her idea. “That’s what commanders are expected to do for the holidays. They usually invite all their Team members who don’t have families to visit.”

Her eyes teasing me, she grins. “Well, then I guess I missed my calling in life. I want to be a SEAL commander.”

Or a SEAL commander’s wife.

Oh, shit. Did I really just think that?

Of course, I would. I mean, she’d be a natural. Smart. Focused. Supportive. Committed to our mission. Loves the idea of creating a family among a bunch of unrelated people.

It’s perfectly natural that I’d think something like that.

What’s not perfectly natural is picturing me as the commander she marries.

Hell, I don’t even know if they’ll pin an oak leaf on me at this point, much less give me command one day.

I brush away the line of thinking—far too deep for a guy like me at this hour of the day. “I like your idea. So, I guess the big question is, do I get an invitation to one of these big meals?”

“Well, now, that really depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you promise to eat all your vegetables.”

I wince. “Ouch. I can see my earlier confession is going to haunt me. Is there maybe some other way I can earn a seat at your table?”

“Oh… I don’t know. Maybe you could try to find a way…”

I blanket her body with my own and dip downward to steal a kiss, silently cursing the sports bra that is still clinging to her. I break our kiss momentarily to pull it over her head and my eyes are met with taut nipples that I simply must taste.

The tiny buds become even harder when my tongue plays with them, and when she moans with satisfaction, I can feel the vibration of it against my lips. I feel her struggle to pull off her panties, which is all the invitation my greedy hand needs to slide downward and explore her softness.

My fingers toy with her as she murmurs against my mouth, kissing me as though to urge me on. When she shudders, I pull my mouth from hers for a moment just to watch her respond.

I love seeing her this way, with fires of passion lighting her eyes and lips plump from my overabundance of attention.

She has no idea how gorgeous she is right now, and my mind memorizes the image of her, the gentle curve of her cheeks, the nearly iridescent blue of her eyes, the way her hair flows across the pillow.

And the way she gasps right now as her eyes flicker to half-mast and her pelvis arches instinctively. She’s so ready—poised to shatter.

I could make her come right now so easily—just one more slide of my finger against her moisture, and I’m sure she’d explode.

But selfishly, I want to be inside her when she comes for the first time today. I pull my hand from her—and reach for the box of condoms I bought yesterday.

“Hurry,” she urges—not that she’d have to. I’ve got the damn thing on within seconds and waste no time in sliding into her and feeling the wonder of her immediate release.

Her channel seizes up around me, squeezing me gloriously as I move in and out at a rhythm set by sheer urgency from both of us. When the last shudder leaves her, I watch her breasts rise and fall in a slower motion, her breath returning to normal.

She pushes me sideways and then nudges again until she’s on top, a sight that I swear I’ll never tire of. Her motion along my shaft is slower now, and when I’m fully buried in her, I watch her rub her clit against where we are joined.

Each time she does, I feel the moisture inside of her build—so slick and perfect around my cock. We continue this slow and steady dance until long after I know her body has fully recovered from her climax.

I drag my fingertips up along her belly until I’m filling my hands with her breasts, my thumbs drawing tiny circles around her nipples. She purrs in response, a low, long, and lush murmur that I could be content to hear every minute of my life.

The sound of it is enough to almost push me over the edge and give in to the release that threatens.

But not like this. I suddenly am desperate for her to be beneath me. The instinct to claim her is surreal, so basic and primal I feel I shouldn’t even give in.

My hands grip her shoulders—too tightly, I admonish myself briefly. But when I flip her onto her back again and drive into her, she rewards me with eyes filled with a mix of shock and desire.

She doesn’t mind me like this. Feral, hard, and selfish. And as I thrust into her now, the lust in her eyes only seems to grow. Thank God. Because I don’t think I could rein in this need.

I lift her hands above her, pinning her to the bed as my rhythm quickens. With every slap of our skin together, she cries out a glorious yes.

Urgency claws inside me, desperate and greedy, pushing me to my very limit. I ache for release at the same time I’m dreading it, because nothing in me—not a single shred of my soul—wants this to end.

The heat in her eyes builds and I can see her climbing up to the precipice of her own desire, ready to explode the moment my body does.

I finally give in and shatter inside of her with an unapologetic moan that’s drowned out by the sound of my name expelled from her lips.

As I lower myself onto her body for only a moment before turning us both on our sides, my lungs gasp for air.

Minutes pass in silence as we both recover. Until finally, I watch a sly, satisfied grin shape her full, moist lips.

She sighs. “I can’t think of a better way to spend our last full day in Bermuda.”

I smile back, wide, Cheshire-cat-style. “Ordinarily, I would agree with you. But I actually have a surprise…”