Desert Alpha: A Lady Boss Press Navy SEAL Novella, Bethany Lopez [readict books .txt] 📗

“How’s the family, Chief?”

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and into the present.

Lori and I were at a table by the bar with Rip and all of his buddies. I could feel eyes on us and was sure some people were wondering why we got to sit at this table, while others, namely Rich, were questioning the dynamics of the group.

“They’re doing good. One of my old teammates, Caleb Montgomery, invited them over for the weekend. His wife and kids get along well with mine, so they’re all excited to get away for a while.”

“That’s nice of him,” Hummer said. “I always heard good things about Montgomery.”

“Yeah, he’s one of the great ones,” the Chief replied fondly.

I felt a shiver run through me when Rip leaned into me, his lips mere inches from my ear.

“You wanna get out of here?” he asked gruffly.

I kept my attention on the group but nodded.

I wanted to spend time alone with him so badly I could taste it. After seeing him at the pool in nothing but swim trunks, then enduring all of the little touches he’d been doling out all day … a caress here and a brush of the fingertips there … it felt like we’d indulged in hours of foreplay.

“C’mon,” Rip whispered, and I felt his hand squeeze my leg briefly.

We both stood up, but before we could try and slip away, Scotty asked, “Where are you two off to?”

Rip may have growled before saying, “We’ll be back.”

I caught Lori’s eye and she winked at me, so I gave her a grin and moved to follow Rip.

“Let’s grab round two first,” he said, and once we had our drinks, we made our way out of the Cantina seating area and out onto the dark path that led to Tent City.

Nerves began to hit as we walked. Yes, I’d been thinking about getting Rip alone all day, but was I ready for this? I mean, if anyone found out, I’d get in trouble.

I felt nervous laughter bubble up in my throat and swallowed it down. The last thing I needed was to start laughing like a loon out of nowhere and have Rip think I’d gone off the deep end.

“You good?” Rip asked, grabbing my hand and holding it in his once we were alone and away from prying eyes.

I glanced up at him and smiled, “Yeah. You?”

“Never better,” he said, returning my smile with a sexy grin.

Lord, I felt that one in all the right places.

When we entered the tent city, I expected us to turn toward the tent I knew he and his team was in, but instead, Rip turned in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“You’ll see.”

He stopped in front of the last tent on the row, one I knew to be empty, and opened the flap.

“What’s all this?” I asked as I walked inside, my head swiveling as I took it all in.

There was a small seating area set up with a couple chairs, a TV stand with a TV, as well as a bunk bed set up off to the side. Obviously, it all looked familiar, since I was in charge of the storage of all of the furniture.

“Let’s just say King and I were able to requisition a few items…”

“I’m not going to ask,” I said, holding up my hands. The last thing I needed was for one of my guys to get in trouble because they didn’t know how to say no to a couple of SEALs.

Rip chuckled and crossed to me, taking my hands in his.

“I know it’s hard for your rule-following heart to see this and not call Security Police,” he joked. I rolled my eyes at him, causing him to laugh harder. “But just think of how much fun your Airmen will have when you all just happen upon this place after we leave. There will be so many theories about what happened out here … oh the possibilities.”

He was right, they would have a field day trying to Sherlock their way to an answer.

“You know, one time we found a bunker with a mattress and blanket. They talked about it for days, had all kinds of scenarios imagined.”

“Well, that one’s easy, someone made themselves a fuck pad,” Rip said dryly.

I shot him a look and asked softly, “Is that what this is? A fancy fuck pad?”

Rip got really still.

“Is that what you want it to be?” he asked.

I flexed my hand in his and shrugged as I gazed up at him.

“I don’t know … I don’t know what I want … I mean, I do, but I don’t know what I’m allowed to want,” I admitted.

“What you’re allowed to want?”

I sighed, found my courage, and said, “Look, I know you’re leaving. I know I could wake up tomorrow and find your tent empty. I completely understand it and totally want to be right here with you now. And, yes, I’m hoping sex is on the table.” I felt my face start to heat but the look on his face told me he was not only interested in what I was saying, but he was listening. “That being said, the fact that I want to have sex with you, as many times as possible before you leave, even though it’s against the rules and I could get in serious trouble if anyone found out, doesn’t mean I’m not hoping for more.”

I squeezed his hands tightly when it looked like he was about to respond.

“Let me get it all out before I lose my nerve,” I said in a rush. When he lifted his chin in acknowledgement and kept his mouth closed, I continued. “We barely know each other, but I like what I know, and I think we’d both agree there’s a certain something between us. Call it chemistry, or a spark, or whatever you want, but it feels like I’ve known you for a long time. Like we’re in