The Marine’s Seduction (Storm Corps Book 1) Read online

  It was all too much. He barely pushed his jeans off his ass before he was sliding the head of his cock into her tightness. Together, they moaned at the moment of impact. Their coming together like two explosive stars in the night sky. A roaring sound in his ears blocked out everything but the spasming sensation of her body around his. He pushed harder and deeper, gripping her wrists in his and pinning her to the floor as he fucked her. Her head tossed, hair flying as she panted for air and begged him to keep going.

  They were never supposed to be here, and yet Roan had never felt more at home as he felt her tightening around him, her pussy milking his cock until he’d completely emptied himself inside her. He’d never felt anything like it in his life.

  Bristol’s mouth felt like it was full of cotton, and she was sweating. She couldn’t remember the last time she was hot while she slept. She usually burrowed into her blankets to fight the chill. Arching her back, she stretched, only to feel a tightness around her middle and her bare feet brush over the crinkly hair of a man’s leg.

  The entire night came rushing back in a flash. From the third and fourth tequila shots to the bowl of cereal she’d shared with Roan between rounds of incredible sex. Lord have mercy, the man was dynamite in bed.

  It was his arm that encompassed her midsection, holding her tightly against his massive chest in her bed. She’d never realized how narrow her full-size bed was until that moment either.

  Roan’s phone beeped from somewhere on the floor, and he jerked awake, his arm releasing her as he sat up. Without so much as a backward glance, he stumbled across the room to scoop up his jeans in search of the beeping phone. When he laughed at whatever message was on it and turned back to face her, Bristol’s eyes couldn’t stay above his six-pack abs. She vaguely remembered complimenting his size last night, but suddenly, she felt the need to do it again.

  A blush stole up her cheeks, and she pulled the blanket over her head as Roan stared at her in stunned silence. While she hid from reality, he was stuck facing it, and she swallowed hard when she felt him approach the bed.

  “B, you can’t pretend it didn’t happen,” he murmured, sitting next to her, tugging on the blanket.

  “Yes, I think I can. In fact, I think it’s for the best. You put on your clothes, and I’ll stay here until I hear the front door close behind you. We will never again speak of this insane moment of drunken awkwardness.”

  The blanket disappeared, and she found herself naked with her best friend, only this time, she was stone sober.

  “For a military man, you’re terrible at following instructions,” she squeaked, rolling away from him and off the bed. Her robe was in the bathroom, and her dresser was on his side of the bed. That left her with only the closet to hide in.

  Thankfully, the moment she was ensconced in the tiny space, she was able to grab a sundress and tug it over her nudity. The door opened, just as the dress covered her bits.

  Roan didn’t seem bothered by his nudity or the weirdness of the situation at all as he leaned against the closet doorframe with a smirk on his face. “I don’t see why you feel the need to cover up. I’ve seen it all now, and I plan to see it all again.”

  “No. No way,” she said, pushing past him out of the closet. “If we let it, this will ruin our friendship. We’re going to pretend like this whole night never happened. You slept on the sofa, and I slept off the alcohol in my bed, alone. Got it?”

  Roan’s eyebrow arched. “I didn’t realize I was so forgettable in bed.”

  Rolling her eyes, she began to pace like a nervous animal. “You’re not forgettable. Far from it. In fact, it was the best sex of my life,” she looked up to find him grinning, “that’s why we have to forget it. If we don’t…”

  He stalked toward her, slowly, like a cat on the hunt. “If we don’t, what? You’ll want to do it again?”

  Her hesitation gave her away as he stepped close to her and lifted her chin, so she had to meet his gaze.

  “I’ll meet you halfway, baby. I’ll agree to put it aside until I’m back and we can talk about it more. If I don’t get going, I’ll be late, and I’m not getting stuck with KPERS just because I was arguing with you. For the next eight months, we’ll pretend this never happened. Deal?”

  Bristol barely resisted the urge to cry, forcing herself to nod her agreement. Roan released her and scooped his clothes up from the floor.

  “I’m going to borrow your shower, then I have to hit the road. Don’t forget to send me some of those peanut butter cookies as soon as possible. I can’t survive more than a month without them.”

  While Roan showered, Bristol busied herself making a pot of coffee. She was snapping a lid on a plastic coffee cup when he reappeared, smelling like her honeysuckle soap.

  He grinned when she offered him the cup and kissed her forehead like always. Like nothing had happened between them. Even as he casually told her goodbye, she had a terrible sense of foreboding that everything between them was going to change because of their night together.

  Chapter Three

  Forty-one days.

  Her life had completely changed in forty-one days. Not that she was ready to admit defeat and pee on the stick, but Bristol knew, in her heart, she was pregnant. Her period was never this late. A day or two, perhaps. A week once when she was stressing her way through finals her first year of college, but never this long. She was nearly three weeks overdue, and the constant nausea plaguing her wasn’t exactly reassuring.

  Staring at herself in the mirror, she tried to list a dozen reasons why her period could be late, and they all wound their way back to pregnancy. She wasn’t stupid. She knew the signs, and she had them. Nausea, fatigue, mood swings, and her nipples hurt like crazy. There was only one explanation outside of pregnancy, and she wasn’t ready to believe she had a brain tumor any more than she wanted to be pregnant.

  How was she going to tell Roan?

  The box before her was pink and white, and the woman on it smiled as if she’d found the answers to all the mysteries of the universe written on a six-inch stick. Bristol wasn’t feeling so thrilled at the idea of her entire world tipping on its axis.

  Covering her belly with her palm, she imagined a tiny berry-sized baby stretching inside her, and her breakfast gurgled up instead. Dropping to her knees next to the toilet, she expelled everything inside her until tears rolled down her cheeks, and she sank back against the wall trembling.

  So much for forgetting about their drunken night. The one person she’d always talked to about her problems in life was the one person she couldn’t talk to this time. She had to know what she wanted before she told Roan, right? It wouldn’t be fair to tell him she was keeping the baby if she wasn’t.

  Sighing, she let her head hit the wall behind her. What was she thinking? Of course, she was going to keep the baby. It was her baby. Hers and Roans. She couldn’t imagine letting it go. Which meant she had to make a plan. Her job was full-time, so she had benefits, which was good. She’d have maternity leave, and her health insurance would cover the birth.

  Her stomach rolled again at the reminder of what was to come, and she reached for a washcloth, wetting it in the sink, and plopping it on her forehead.

  She would have to find a babysitter though because Roan didn’t make enough to support his child and his baby-mama. Cringing at the thought of being someone’s baby-mama, she pushed to her feet.

  None of this mattered if the test was negative. Tearing open the box, she quickly peed on the stick and placed it on the counter. It said three minutes, so she was going to give it five, just to be safe.

  Stomping away from the bathroom, she busied herself making her bed and starting a load of laundry. By the time she came back to the stick, she’d almost convinced herself the pregnancy was in her head. But there it was, in black and white.

  Pregnant.

  Bristol was pregnant with Roan’s baby.

  “Storm, it’s all yours.”

  Roan dropped the video game controller he
was holding and hurried to set up his tablet before the internet signal blinked out again. They’d had a hell of a time keeping the signal in Syria, but he wanted to see Bristol’s face and thank her for the two batches of peanut butter cookies she’d sent him. So far, they’d only communicated via email since he’d left, and he hated how polished and distant her words sounded. She hadn’t even insulted him once in any of her messages. That told him their night together was far from forgotten for her too.

  “Roan?” her voice sounded before the video caught up and loaded.

  “Yeah, baby, I’m here,” he responded as her pretty image filled the screen. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, baby. How you been?”

  “Good. I’m good. How are you? Are you staying in one piece?”

  She was chewing her lip like she always did when she was nervous, and he wanted to put her at ease.

  “Mostly,” he snickered. “Actually, I’ve been stuck here in the tent most of the time. The upper echelon hasn’t figured out what to do with us, so we’re sitting around with our thumb up our ass, getting fat on peanut butter cookies. Thanks for those, by the way.”

  “You’re welcome. Did you get both boxes? I sent them two weeks apart hoping to restock you when you ran out.” She tugged at her hair, and his hackles rose. She was upset about something, not just nervous.

  “Yeah, I got ‘em. What’s going on, B? You seem rankled about something.”

  “I do have something to tell you,” she nodded. “It’s important, but I need you to promise me you’ll stay quiet while I say this.”

  “Okaayy…”

  “I mean it, Storm. Lips zipped. I need to get it all out. Will you stay quiet?”

  “Who died?” he demanded, leaning closer to the screen as if he could flush out the news with his presence.

  “Nobody died. At least, not over here,” she huffed. “I just want you to be serious for a few minutes and let me talk.”

  “Okay, so get on with it.”

  Her pretty eyes closed, and she took a deep breath before she spoke again.

  “I want you to know, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, and it’s what I want, but that doesn’t mean it’s what you want, and that’s okay. I’m okay with it if you don’t want to be a part of it. I can handle it. It’s my choice. I mean, I want you to be a part if you want to, but I won’t—”

  “Bristol, what the hell is it?”

  “You promised you would be quiet,” she snapped. “I’m having a baby. It’s yours and mine, and I’m having it. A baby, that is. I’m pregnant. Eight weeks today, according to the doctor, and it’s yours. I mean ours, but I’m having it. So, if you don’t want to be part of it, I understand. I mean, you’re there, and I’m here, and I’m pregnant, so I get it if you don’t want—”

  “Y-you’re pregnant?” he asked, his voice a hushed creaky sound he didn’t recognize. Every emotion rushed through him, but an overwhelming sense of joy was what lingered. “We’re having a baby?”

  “Well, I am. You are if you want to, but I won’t force you into anything. I mean, we were both there and made the choice not to use protection, but you probably assumed I was on birth control, and I didn’t tell you different.”

  “Oh my fucking God, B. This is the best news! I can’t believe it. I’m going to be a daddy!” He shot to his feet as a few guys in the hall heard his news and yelled congratulations. “Eight weeks, so that puts you due when? Will I be home in time?”

  Bristol’s mouth hung open, and she stared at him in shocked silence for a moment.

  “Bristol, when is the baby due? I want to be there when he or she is born. It’s not every day a man gets to see his child born.” He could barely contain himself, he was so excited.

  “Um, in December. If you get to come back on time, and the baby is born on its due date, you can be there. If it comes early…”

  “No, I’ll be there. I have to be there. It’s my baby. I’m going to be a daddy. Holy shit.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to take some time to think about this? I mean, Roan, being a father is a lot of work, and I don’t want you to feel trapped into anything.”

  “Trapped? By my child? Of course not. I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily have planned it this way, but a baby is always a good thing, right? And we’re both adults with jobs. We can support our child. This kid will be lucky to have such kick-ass parents.”

  “I’m glad you’re not upset,” Bristol laughed at him and shook her head. “I wasn’t sure how you would react.”

  “This is the best news I’ve ever gotten, B. Seriously. You’ve given me an incredible gift. I promise, you and our child will never want for anything. Anything in my power, you’ll have it.”

  “That’s sweet, Roan, but I don’t expect you to stop living your life just because I’m having our baby. We’ll take this one day at a time.”

  “Of course,” he nodded. “So, you’ve already been to the doctor? Do they know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?”

  She laughed again, rubbing her temples. “I’m clearly going to have to send you some baby books. They won’t be able to tell what the sex is for a couple more months. Right now, all we know is I’m pregnant and when I’m due. My numbers are good—they took blood at the appointment—and I see them again in four weeks. They said I should be able to listen to the heartbeat at that appointment.”

  “The heartbeat? Man, I wish I could be there. I hate that you’re going to have to go through this all alone.” He resumed his seat. “Are you okay? I mean, you’re not feeling sick or anything?”

  “A little, but mostly when I first wake up. I’m just really tired lately. That’s normal, according to the doctor, and it should pass in a few weeks. I haven’t made too many plans yet because they say the first trimester is the riskiest.”

  “Trimester?”

  “First twelve weeks. If a miscarriage is going to happen, it’s generally in that timeframe.”

  “A miscarriage? Is that possible?”

  “Anything is possible, but right now, I’m healthy and so is the baby.”

  “Thank God.”

  “I’ll send you some info to read. I hit the bookstore and came home with a huge pile. It’s very informative, but a little daunting too. I never imagined I’d be a mom anytime soon.”

  “Tell me about it. Then again, my mom was having babies by twenty, and here we are at thirty-two. I’m sure we can handle this. Together.”

  A shout in the main hall had him jerking around. “That’s my squad, I have to go, B. Send me what you can in an email, and I’ll try to Skype again tomorrow at this same time, okay? We have more to talk about.”

  “Okay, stay safe, Roan.”

  “Always.” Roan waited until she’d disconnected because he couldn’t bring himself to hang up on her. She was carrying his child. A piece of her and him was growing into a human being inside of her. That was incredible. And slightly terrifying.

  Chapter Four

  Disconnecting the call to Roan, Bristol’s heart felt lighter than it had since she’d realized she was pregnant. He wasn’t fuming mad at her. He was actually thrilled with the idea of being a father. She wasn’t going to lose her best friend.

  Telling Roan had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done, but like ripping off a band-aid, it had been important. Now that he knew, she could begin planning her life with her child. The next step was telling her sister the joyous news.

  Like the heavens had a plan, her phone rang just as she reached for it, and her sister’s number appeared on the screen. She answered with a smile on her face.

  “Hey, Liv.”

  “What are you doing?”

  Olive’s blunt response wiped the smile off her face.

  “I just had a video chat with Roan, why?”

  “I’m stuck at the intersection of twenty-first and Memorial. I’m pretty sure the car is tanked. Can you come?”

  “Well, yeah, but wouldn’t it make more sense to call a tow truck?”

>   “I don’t have the money for a tow truck.”

  “So, you’re just going to leave your car on the street?”

  “No, we can push it into the gas station’s parking lot and leave it there until I figure out what to do.”

  “I can’t help you push your car, Liv.”

  “Why not? You’ve done it before.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell her sister her news but now didn’t seem like the best time for it.

  “I just can’t. Call Lole—er Garret, he works at that auto body shop when he’s here. I bet he can get you a discount on the towing.”

  “Ugh, fine, text me his number.”

  “Why don’t you have them bring you here after they pick you up? I want to talk to you about something.”

  “If this is about your blue sweater, I swear I’m going to get it back to you after I have it dry cleaned. I just haven’t had the funds to do it yet.”

  Rolling her eyes to the heavens, Bristol laughed, “It’s not about the sweater, but we can talk about that too. I’ll see you soon.”

  With her sister taken care of, Bristol went searching for something to eat that wouldn’t turn her stomach. Morning sickness aside, her only other pregnancy issue so far had been an aversion to foods that had a strong smell. Just thinking about things like bacon and eggs made her queasy.

  A box of saltines and a jar of peanut butter called to her, and she had just settled onto her sofa with a plate of cracker sandwiches when her doorbell rang. Grumbling, she managed to untangle herself from her blanket without spilling a single cracker only to trip on her way to the door and dump the whole plate all over the carpet.

  The doorbell rang again, and she cursed loudly, stepping around the mess to answer it. On the other side was a pretty woman with a shocking head of orange hair and a face covered in freckles.

  “Can I help you?”