Johnny: #2 (Special Forces) Read online

  He groaned softly and wound his hand into the back of her head, slanting his mouth over her own. She moved closer to him, wanting to feel the heat of his body through the cool night air.

  His tongue traced her lips, and she opened to him. She ran her tongue along his.

  She felt her center clench at the moves, knowing on instinct what he was mimicking despite her virgin ways.

  Johnny pulled back and traced kisses down her neck and behind her ear, then back to her mouth again, her breathing heavy in the still night as he did so.

  The door banged open. Suddenly there was nothing but cold air between them.

  “Done with the shower,” Trent said, his words slightly slurred.

  She looked over to Johnny. His jaw ticked a little, and she could see he was trying to get his breathing under control.

  “I’ll be there in a sec,” he said.

  Trent mumbled something and walked back into the house. She could hear him rummaging in the kitchen.

  “That was—” She started but stopped when Johnny pinned her with a hard stare.

  “It can’t happen again,” he said firmly.

  A dagger would have been kinder.

  “What?”

  “Trent is my friend, and my brother-in-arms. I can’t risk the integrity of the whole team like this.”

  She stared at him through her tears.

  “You felt it,” she said. “I know you did.”

  Johnny stood and looked away. “It felt like kissing my kid sister.”

  Anger boiled in her. Kid sister?

  Maddy stood and pushed past him to the door.

  “You know it didn’t feel like that, but whatever. Good luck on your mission.”

  “Mads…” His voice was more a plea than anything, but she couldn’t look at him. Her heart ached too much.

  With one step, she walked away.

  * * *

  She’d written him over the years. More when he first left, hoping that he would say he was wrong. That things might be different someday.

  But when her letters went unanswered, she found it harder to keep writing. Instead, she wrote to Trent and hold on to the little pieces of information he would tell her about Johnny.

  With time his rejection hurt less, and she gave up the silly idea that they were made for one another. That was fairy-tale material and something that didn’t really happen to people. No, the handsome warrior who dedicated his life to protecting people would not return from slaying dragons for his loyal princess.

  Instead, she needed to be realistic. She accepted that what you could hope for was common interests and mutual satisfaction. Although the latter, she’d found, was the harder piece in the whole thing. Even David lacked the ability to impress her enough to go all the way with him, which often led to frustration on both their parts.

  But maybe tonight would change it all.

  After finishing putting the lasagna together, she turned to her father and smiled. She loved him and his ability to treat Johnny like a son. When her brother had been murdered, she wondered if he would ever recover. It always seemed to her like Johnny and Kace Allen filled that hole a bit.

  She walked over to him and stood on her toes as she kissed his prickly cheek.

  “I want you to have a nice dinner with everyone. I promise I’ll make an effort to all eat together on another day.” She smiled at him. “Just not today.”

  He nodded and sighed. Maddy stepped back and glanced at the clock.

  “Shit, I’ve gotta hurry,” she said and scribbled the cooking time and instructions on a paper. “Follow that, and you’ll be great for tonight.” She handed him the note and raced to the door. With a cheeky wink, she waved goodnight. “Don’t wait up.”

  Chapter Three

  Johnny didn’t take long to settle in at the house. A familiar comfort passed over him. Hell, it even smelled the same. He’d spent so much time there in the past that it really was more like a second home, more so than even his own brother’s.

  He quietly closed the door to the room, reflecting on how much things had changed in the last few weeks for him. He was grateful he had a familiar place to make the transition.

  A delicious smell wafted over to him. He inhaled deeply. Yeah, definitely good to be home.

  He walked down the stairs and smiled when he heard laughter.

  No arms dealers. No terrorists. No looking over your shoulder. Just good people and good food. Home.

  It felt good to be back.

  Johnny stepped into the kitchen and found everyone at the table. Rich was just setting the lasagna out. His stomach rumbled at the mouth-watering sight. Having a deep connection with the cook was a spice of sorts.

  Besides, Maddy always did make a great lasagna, although he’d never tell his Aunt Marilyn that. Not if he wanted to continue breathing.

  He smiled at the pretty woman sitting next to Trent, Lisa. Her long brown hair was pulled back. Trent patted her shoulder.

  Though Johnny still hadn’t quite gotten used to the idea of Trent settling down with a woman, the pair looked very natural together.

  Of course Johnny knew her from years ago. She had been the woman Trent’s brother Paul had saved. The heroic act cost him his life and left a void in Trent’s family.

  Still, he held no bad feelings against the woman. It was the duty of the strong to protect those weaker than themselves, even with risk, maybe especially with risk. Paul had done what any honorable man would do.

  Johnny liked to think that he was following in his friend’s footsteps by joining the SEALs and that a part of Paul lived on in him by doing so.

  A little sigh slipped out. This house really was like home to him. Not long after Paul’s death, Johnny’s mother had passed away fairly quickly from cancer. His dad sort of recoiled into himself, and since Johnny was the last one home, he just sort of gave up.

  His Aunt Marilyn tried to reach him, but he had already found a place of comfort with Trent and his family. When Johnny’s father passed away just after high school, Rich had taken him in as his own without a second thought.

  Johnny looked around the table, his smile slipping only slightly. “Where’s Maddy?”

  Rich glanced over to him as he served up the lasagna. “She had a date tonight,” he said stiffly, his frown deepening the wrinkles on his face.

  Johnny couldn’t hide his surprise if he tried. It had never even crossed his mind that she wouldn’t be there to greet him. In fact, as much as he didn’t want to hope for it, he’d been looking forward to seeing her.

  It had been quite some time. Far too much time, really. Despite what happened years ago, he still hoped they could be friends.

  “Oh, is she still seeing David?” Lisa asked and passed the bowl of bread to him.

  David? Who the hell was David?

  Johnny tried to force a blander expression on his face. Maybe this David was a great guy, the kind of man who could treat Maddy right and give her the love she wanted but Johnny couldn’t give. It’s not like he needed to be a SEAL, just a good man.

  Rich grunted, and Trent snorted.

  Not good. Johnny looked between the two men. “Not a fan?”

  “He’s a weasel,” Trent said. “The man hasn’t seen a day of hard work in his life, and that’s not even saying anything about how he treats her.” A dark scowl appeared on his face.

  Johnny frowned. He’d beat the shit of this David guy if he wasn’t treating Maddy right. “What’s that mean?” he practically growled.

  “Boy can’t even come to the damn door to pick her up. Just pulls up and honks,” Rich said. He waved his fork in the air. “Like he’s doing her a favor by showing up.”

  Lisa sighed loudly. “I think you two are being a little harsh, and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t approve of anyone she dated anyway.” She tapped her finger on the table. “You’re thinking about this the wrong way. David is just someone she goes and has fun with. Not everything has to be some sort of epic love connection.”

/>   Lisa’s defense did little to dampen the irritation growing in Johnny. What the hell did she mean about David being a guy to have fun with? It sure as hell better not be what he thought she meant. He stabbed his fork into his lasagna, frowning.

  “Whatever,” Trent said. “The guy is a prick, and he just better remember whose sister he’s dating, or I’ll have to remind him again.” He smirked. “Probably wet himself.”

  Lisa rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything else.

  Johnny nodded. Maybe he needed to let this David know where he stood.

  * * *

  Maddy frowned at her glass of Sex on a Beach, which was nearly gone. There wasn’t enough alcohol for her to enjoy the night considering the excruciating mixture of boredom and annoyance she’d suffered through so far.

  David acted so excited when he picked her up, so upbeat. A couple of his friends, who were already out of law school, were invited to some exclusive dance club that just opened, and they could bring guests.

  She was far less enthusiastic about the idea than him, but he seemed so happy, so she went along. That was a mistake.

  For starters, she’d never been a big club fan. Most times she was happier just developing pictures in the silence of her dark room.

  The whole bumping and grinding scene had never been her thing, but she still would have preferred to be on the dance floor than in her current hell: stuck in the VIP section with a bunch of lawyers talking shop. Not exactly the ideal date night.

  The waitress passed by, and Maddy waved for another drink. She wondered if David might give her stink eye for ordering another drink so quickly, but he hadn’t even noticed. He was too busy chatting up his friends and kissing their asses. After all, they all had scored positions at prestigious firms.

  This wasn’t a date. This was a chance for him to move up the ranks, and she was just the appropriate arm candy, if that.

  She doubted David would have cared if she didn’t want to come. He’d probably still be there. Can’t miss an opportunity to rub elbows and network, right?

  She scanned the group. Most of the lawyers were men. Their dates sat quietly next to them. Some pretended to listen while others just played on their phones.

  Maddy glanced at her watch. Two more hours before it was safe to ask him to bail.

  The waitress set the drink down and paused next to her. Maddy glanced over to David to see if he was going to pay, seeing as he had dragged her there. No dice.

  Irritation bubbled in her as she dug through her clutch and pulled out a card.

  “Put it on this and keep ‘em coming,” she said.

  The waitress glanced around the VIP table and then back to her. She gave a little wink.

  “How about a double?”

  How sad was it that the waitress was giving her more action than her own date? She didn’t really want to answer herself on that one. She nodded to the waitress and took several big gulps.

  The conversation droned on around her, and her mind drifted to Johnny. Maybe she should have just stayed home. Sure, it would have pissed off David, but he didn’t seem to give two shits she was there with her right now, so it didn’t really matter.

  She’d promised her dad that she’d make time to hang out though, so it was going to happen at some point.

  Maddy shook her head. She was freaking out over this, and there wasn’t anything to worry about. Neither of them had really spoken for years. Her confession was so long ago. She was sure Johnny had forgotten it.

  Even if he hadn’t forgotten, it’s not like he would care. He was a Navy SEAL. Women probably threw themselves at him wherever he went. He wasn’t going to care about the hometown girl with a crush from years ago.

  She would just pretend like it never happened and hope he did the same.

  Now all she had to do was get through this night. Anything would look like rainbows and sunshine in comparison.

  Chapter Four

  Maddy had never wanted to hit her head against a window until falling unconscious before that night.

  After an hour she started to mention leaving. By two, she was pressing David on the issue, and when the three-hour mark hit, she couldn’t take the smug prick brigade any longer. Maddy put her foot down, not caring how annoyed he was with her.

  For a bit he was silent in the car, mad at her for making him take her home “early.” She didn’t realize that two in the morning was still early, considering how he tended to end their dates in a rush on most nights like he was going to be turned into a pumpkin at midnight.

  After a bit, he couldn’t really keep quiet and started talking about how great the night was going to be for his career. Not only had she just listened to them go on about their jobs, but now she was going to have to listen to it in the car as well. Pure Hell.

  When they pulled into her driveway, she would have leapt out of the car if it weren’t for David suddenly invading her space.

  His mouth was on hers before she could even brace for impact. The kiss was wet, and she backed up a bit to slow things down. Annoyance, not lust, was the only thing flowing through her.

  “Having you there tonight really made me look good,” he said. David leaned back in for another kiss but stopped when she placed her hand on his chest.

  “That’s great, but I really wish we could have gone out just the two of us,” she said as sweetly as she could manage.

  He laughed as if she just made a great joke.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  He leaned in again. This was the moment. She was going to have to end it here, and it would just be the fucking cherry on her shit-tastic day.

  A loud knock came from the driver’s side of the car. Maddy peeked past David, hoping her dad hadn’t been spying on them.

  Instead she found a well-built man with a full beard standing in jogging pants and a t-shirt. His shirt was damp along the chest from sweat.

  She didn’t recognize him, but there was something familiar about this man. Maybe a neighbor? She couldn’t place him in her alcohol-addled state.

  David rolled down the window. “Hey, pal, why don’t you—”

  “What the fuck are you doing, Madelyn?” the man said.

  She frowned. No one called her that but her dad and only when he was pissed.

  “What?” she said.

  She stared hard at him, trying to put some sense into the whole thing when it hit her all at once.

  “Johnny?”

  He frowned at her slurred words, which only rankled her. Who the hell was he to frown at her? She was an adult, and if she wanted to get drunk, that’s exactly what she would do. Of all the people who could boss her around, someone she hadn’t really seen in years was about last on the list.

  “Get out,” he said to her.

  She sighed loudly. She was so over all these men in her life telling her what to do.

  “Hey, buddy, we’re on a date here,” David said, trying to hide the anxious look in his eye.

  Johnny crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Not anymore you aren’t.”

  She wondered if Johnny could sense David’s fear. She’d been around him enough to get a pretty good feel for his mental state, but he was normally pretty good at hiding what he was thinking.

  Maddy grabbed her clutch. She wasn’t having this argument. The both of them could hash this out. She was done with men for the night, bearded, muscled or otherwise.

  “Good night, David,” she said and opened her door.

  David turned to her. “You don’t have to leave because this guy says so.”

  She stood and looked across the car to where Johnny was watching her and then looked back to David.

  “I’m not,” she said simply.

  She could hear him say something as she closed the door, but she didn’t really care at this point. It was either stay and break up or go inside and take a nice warm shower. Comfort won out. At least she could try and salvage some tiny bit of the night.

  Not caring what either of them
had to say, she turned to the stairs that led to her place.

  From behind she could hear the two exchange a few more words and then the sound of David as he peeled out of the drive. She was sure her neighbors were loving them right now. Ugh. Men.

  When she reached the bottom stairs, she stopped as a hand grabbed her upper arm and whirled her around.

  She stared at the man who’d been all but completely absent from her life the last few years. His face was now illuminated by the porch light above the stairs. His soft hazel eyes stared at her for a moment.

  “Aren’t you going to say hello?”

  She snorted.

  “Yeah, I don’t really think right now is the time for that. You know you looked like some sort of crazed mountain man knocking on the window like that. Right?”

  His brow furrowed as he continued to stare at her.

  “What the fuck were you doing with that guy?” he asked.

  She gave a small smile. “I don’t think I really need to spell that out for you, do I?”

  He frowned. She could see his soft lips under all that facial hair, and for a moment, her brain wandered to places it really shouldn’t be going. Stupid alcohol.

  “You’re too young to be getting drunk and having sex,” he huffed.

  She yanked her arm away and glared at him. If he thought he was going to come home and boss her around, he had another thing coming. It’s not like she did everything her father told her, and Johnny was far from her damned father.

  “I’ll drink whatever I want and fuck whomever I want.” She leaned forward as she spoke. Her words quieted to just above a whisper. “And you are the last person who is going to tell me anything different.”

  Anger coursed through Johnny. He’d been feeling that way ever since Trent and Rich mentioned the douche Maddy was dating.

  The bastard had worked his way into her life with such ease, and it pissed him the fuck off. All this time he’d kept himself away from her, trying to keep her from getting involved with a guy like him only to have some asshole step in.