Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert

Chapter Thirty

Arthur

“So you’re dating now?” Sabrina looked up from her iced coffee as we lounged on my microscopic balcony. The Seattle summer was really starting to heat up, and below us a crew of sweaty-but-ripped graduate students were moving into one of the lower units. Sabrina had spied them on her way in and had insisted we take our drinks out here to appreciate the view. “Like actually dating? No bet?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?” I took a sip of my drink, which she’d brought from our favorite local place. All the sweetened cold-brew goodness still didn’t taste as good as the slushy half-melted coffee had at Lake Crescent.

“No reason.” Twirling her straw, she was the picture of innocence. “But you were the one who was rather loudly opposed to such a prospect.”

“I know.” I groaned and made a vague gesture. “But Derrick’s rather...”

“Hot as hell?”

“I was going to say persuasive, but yes, that too.” I glanced down at the guys moving in. Objectively, they were quite possibly as hot as Derrick. Tall. Muscular. Deep voices and great laughs, but I still wouldn’t take any of them or all three together in place of Derrick.

“Look at you, all dreamy.” She tapped my outstretched leg with the heel of one of her gold sandals. “When do you see him again?”

“Tonight.” My tone came out a little guilty because I should have been catching up on work, not doing coffee with Sabrina, and also I’d purposely scheduled her for now so that I could have Derrick all to myself without the interrogation. “He’s on duty until three and then has twenty-four hours off, so he’s coming here to hang out.”

“Hang out.” She gave me a pointed look over the top of her jeweled sunglasses. “Yes. Because that’s worth the ferry ride.”

“It’s not all sex,” I protested. “I’m going to show him the composition I’ve been working on.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But speaking of him coming over, I should probably change my sheets. Good host and all.”

Snorting at that, she sloshed her coffee around in the cup. “You need a bigger bed.”

“Or a smaller computer setup.” Getting a small bed had made sense when I was the only one sleeping in it and when I seemed destined to die a virgin, but these days I was spending a lot of time debating how many monitors I truly needed and whether my next contract should go toward a new mattress.

“So what happened with you and that ensign?” I asked, eager to change the topic from Derrick and me and the dating that still felt new even though it had been a couple of weeks now.

“Oh, sailor boy?” She made a dismissive gesture, sunlight glinting off her metallic nails. “That was a one—okay, four-night deal. Nothing serious.”

“Did he know it was that casual?” I teased. Below us, the guys moving in were good-naturedly bickering over where a couch went. Sabrina had undoubtedly already picked out which of the trio was her next target. “You probably broke the poor boy’s heart.”

“Says the guy who’s going to break Derrick’s heart.” She tapped my chest with the sharp tip of one her nails.

“I am not. This isn’t that serious!”

“Does he know that?” Pulling her sunglasses down this time, she gave me the full force of her skeptical glare. “Because this dating thing sure sounds like he’s after more than just a repeat hookup.”

“He knows it can’t last,” I said weakly because she had a point. The sex might be a good motivator, but Derrick wasn’t coming over here whenever he had time off simply to get laid. We watched movies, ordered takeout, played chess and my dice game, and talked until we were too sleepy to do much more than make out clumsily in my too-small bed. “Damn it, why do I have to like him so much?”

“Because he’s a catch?”

“Says the one who practices catch-and-release fishing like she’s going for a tournament record.” I tapped her right back, lightly poking her arm.

“Hell, sweetie, if I landed a Derrick, I think I’d put away my net for good.”

“Me too,” I said miserably, a mood that carried me all the way through Sabrina leaving and Derrick arriving. I liked him too damn much and that was a fact, and yet I still couldn’t stop the thrill that raced through me as I opened the door.

“Hey.” I tried to sound as casual as I’d told Sabrina this thing was, but my heart was busy tap-dancing over how damn good Derrick looked. It had only been a few days since I’d seen him, but he’d had a haircut since then and his black T-shirt stretched over his chest in an extra-sexy way. I narrowly refrained from licking him in the entryway.

“Hey.” He sounded as dazed as me, and we just stood there stupidly grinning at each other until he held up a white bag. “I picked up bread from the bakery by the bus stop.”

“No car?”

“Nah, not worth the car ferry and parking hassle when the bus option is almost as quick.” He shrugged and let me shut the door behind him. “Anyway, I was thinking I could make soup if you didn’t want to order out again.”

“You want to cook for me? I’m not turning that down.” I smiled at him. And yeah, the bread alone was proof this wasn’t strictly casual, but I couldn’t be bothered to care. Derrick wanted to cook for me, and dating him—hell, just smiling at him like this—felt so damn good. “But we should probably be nice and make enough for the other guys when they come in.”

“They’re not here now?” His smile widened.

“No. Liam mainly telecommutes, but he had an in-office meeting today. They should both be back pretty soon, though. And you just missed Sabrina.”

“We’ll have to hurry.” He grabbed my hand.

“Hurry?” I made a surprised noise as he hauled me down the hall. “Wait, where are you taking me?”

I had a good feeling, but making him say it was fun too.

“To that tiny bed of yours.” He winked at me as we reached my room.

“Sorry. I know it’s crowded.” Locking the door behind us, I pulled him to me. The room definitely felt smaller than usual with him in it, and his nearness combined with the yummy scent of his aftershave made him the focal point instead of my musical clutter.

“I’m used to it. Besides, I like crowded with you.” He gave me a soft kiss, a greeting that had me sighing with its sweetness. “And at least in your bed, we don’t have to strap in.”

“You have to strap yourself in on the sub?”

“Yep. Every time unless you like concussions and broken collarbones. Everything gets strapped down.” Eyes flashing devilishly, he pulled my shirt loose from my shorts. “At first it was hard to sleep so confined, but now I’m used to it. And as it turns out, it was good practice for you.”

“I’m not the one who turns into a baby koala in his sleep.” Laughing, I helped him remove my shirt, then turned my attention to his clothing.

“Maybe I was just trying to get back the covers you stole.” After shrugging out of his shirt, he neatly draped it and mine both over the back of my office chair.

“I miss the bed at the cabin.” I used his belt loop to pull him back to me so that I could kiss him again.

“I miss that tub.” He kissed me longer this time. By now he knew exactly how to heat us both up, but somehow the familiarity of his mouth was even sexier than it had been brand-new. “But this room is nice too. It’s got you. And later, you’re going to show me your music. Couldn’t do that in the wilderness.”

“True. But I did play your instrument rather nicely there...” I blatantly grabbed for his fly. He’d wanted to hurry and my body was all over that plan.

“You are rather gifted—damn.” He ended on a low groan as I freed his cock.

“You were saying?” I kept my tone casual even as my pulse raced.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here with you.” Cupping my face, he gave me a kiss so tender that I forgot all about the plan to be fast and simply clung to him.

“That type of sweet talk will get you whatever you want.”

“Show me.” And I did, pushing him onto my bed. As we kissed and moved together, I hoped that what he wanted was me and that I had it in me to give him everything he needed, body and soul, because he deserved it.