Saving Serena (Hawk Security #1)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Serena

I pulled Duke up the path to the house.

I was Duke Hawk’s woman now, and the burning need I had for him would not wait until we got home. After watching him demolish George, I hadn’t been able to concentrate on a single thing my brothers had said. Only Duke existed for me.

Minutes ago, Kelly had commented. “ Duke is quite a…man .”

“ You can’t have him ” had left my mouth so fast I couldn’t stop the words.

She’d backed away. “ Down, girl. I’m only wishing I was as lucky as you .”

I apologized and resolved to keep food in my mouth after that to avoid more embarrassment.

When we reached the house, I pulled open the door and headed for the stairs. “My old bedroom.” Bringing a boy back to my bedroom for some kissing without my parents knowing had been a frequent childhood fantasy. Even though I hadn’t heard from Duke after camp, he’d starred in several of them. As a grownup, today’s fantasy included more than kissing.

“Your father won’t?—”

“No.” I cut him off. “But we should be quick before somebody notices your car is still here.” I ran a finger down his chest. “But if you’re too scared, we could?—”

He gave my ass a swat. “I’m only afraid you’ll die of embarrassment when they hear you scream my name all the way out back.”

Of course, my SEAL wasn’t afraid of anybody or anything. We reached the landing, and I turned us right. I was on fire with need.

“Here.” I opened the door to my past, the place I’d vowed I’d never return to. Inside, I dropped my bag and turned.

Kicking the door closed behind us, Duke took me in his arms, and our bodies welded themselves to each other. His kiss consumed me—hard, deep, and wet. There was nothing soft or tentative about this afternoon. No, this was about want and need.

I struggled with his shirt as he palmed my breasts. “Duke,” I moaned.

He pushed me against the door, moving from my lips to the sensitive skin of my neck. He rested a hand on my thigh and then slowly slid it up under my dress.

As his fingers ignited sparks along my skin, I made space to palm his erection. “Faster,” I urged. “You better have a condom with you.” He was hard and hot beneath my touch.

“A SEAL is prepared for any contingency,” he mumbled as he lifted my dress over my head.

“Less talking, more doing.” I pulled at his belt buckle.

While he backed up to lower his pants and sheath himself, I unhooked the strapless bra this dress required and slid my panties down, kicking them to the side.

“Are you ready? I’m not going to be able to hold back.” He threw his shirt off.

I nodded confirmation and grabbed his covered length. “I can’t wait one more second.”

He pulled me toward the bed.

I resisted. “Door.” It had always been a fantasy of mine.

“Hold on, baby. This is going to be a rough ride.”

I wrapped my legs around him as he lifted me like I weighed nothing. I still wore my wedge heels.

He backed me against the door, raised me up, and brought me down on his cock, instantly filling me with sensation. “You’re so fucking drenched for me, baby.”

I grabbed a fistful of hair. “I told you I was turned on.” I clawed at his back as he drove into me, pinning me against the wood.

The door creaked with each of his powerful thrusts.

Every time he went deep, I ground against him and nearly came apart. Since he’d eviscerated George, I’d been wound so tight, I was ready to explode. He cupped one hand under my ass, and the other went to my breast. I was a goner with the way he knew how to manipulate me.

“Serena. Marie. Benson,” he croaked out with each brutal thrust. “You. Are. Mine.” He was in control, and all I could do was hold on for dear life as pleasure invaded every cell of my being.

The wood bit into my back, but that wasn’t what caused my tears. They formed because of his words. I’d never been wanted like this before.

When he freed a hand and brought it to my clit, my vision blurred, and I came, screaming his name. I clawed at his back, pulling him closer to make our two bodies one, the way I felt our souls were in the moment.

He plunged in again and tensed, releasing into me with a loud groan. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

I was determined to get the last word. “You’re mine, Studly. And don’t you forget it.”

He held me against the door as our breathing slowed. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Sexually sated for the moment, all was right with the world. Luckily, I had tissues in my bag to clean up with. As he turned to put on his shirt, I saw the claw marks I’d left on him. I touched one. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“Totally worth it.”

Then, I noticed something worse. I ran my fingers over the ragged patch of scarring on his side. “What happened?”

He blew out a slow breath and placed his hand over mine. “Mission went sideways. I can’t say anymore.”

“Classified?”

He nodded. “Brett and Zane March, another team guy, took turns carrying me eight clicks to our evac point under fire.” His eyes misted up. “I owe those guys my life.”

“Your brother, Brett?”

“Yup. He’s currently deployed. You’ll meet him when he gets back.”

I knew that with spec ops, there was always a chance his brother wouldn’t come back alive, but the optimist in my man didn’t allow thoughts like that.

He finished with his shirt. “We should get going.”

Mom was at the base of the stairs when we descended. “Your father didn’t hear a thing.”

I turned beet red as I hugged her goodbye. “Thanks, Mom.”

Serena

The trip home was equal parts anticipation and dread.

The continued tingle between my legs reminded me of what we’d done and what would come next when Duke and I could get some alone time.

All week, I’d prayed he would come to me and say the words he’d used to stand up to my father. He’d proudly proclaimed that he wanted to be with me. I might be insane for feeling this way after the short time I’d known him, but Mom once told me that the heart wants what the heart wants, and it can’t be argued with.

Having Constance in the car with us on the way home allowed me to put off the conversation I had to have with Duke, the confession I had to make. Would he feel the same way once he knew the truth about me?

The mental lockbox that contained those painful memories shook and rattled around in my head, threatening to spill its ugly secrets. Thinking of all the blood turned my stomach.

Duke wanted, and now needed, to know about the Fox brothers, so there would be no avoiding the discussion about my past—about the events nobody suspected. Nobody beyond Lucas Hawk knew anything about what I’d done.

Except, of course, Harvey Fox. That thought chilled me to the bone.

After a few minutes, Constance asked Duke, “What’s next?”

“Do you have time to brainstorm possibilities at the house? Because I can’t help but think there’s a work connection now.”

“Sure thing.”

My leg started trembling as my thoughts returned to Harvey Fox and the talk Duke would insist upon.

It wasn’t fair. All I wanted was to curl up with my new boyfriend and lock us away for a week. Thinking about a week alone with Duke calmed me. Yes, that would be a perfect week . If I couldn’t have that, maybe I could have a day.

I dialed Nick. “Hey, are you guys still on for Anaheim tomorrow? There’s been a change in my plans.”

“Yep. Does this mean you can come?”

“It sure does, me and my boyfriend.” That word sounded so wonderful when I said it. I could see Duke’s scrunched-up brow in the rearview mirror.

“Perfect,” Nick replied.

“I want to ask my friend too. Is that okay?”

“Sure. I got plenty of tickets.”

“How’d you manage that?” I asked. They were super pricey.

“Top secret, need to know.”

“Okay, well, thanks.” After I got off the phone, I announced, “There’s been a change of plans.”

“I heard,” Constance said. “Where are you going?”

“Disneyland with Katelyn, my friend Gray, Nick, and his girlfriend.”

“Sounds fun. I had the best time at Disneyland as a kid,” Constance mused.

“You’re not going,” Duke countered. “It’s too risky.”

I added some volume. “Yes, I am.”

“No.”

I used my finger for emphasis. “Yes, I am, but you don’t have to come along if you don’t want to.”

“First, we have to figure out security for the park,” Constance warned me.

Duke shook his head. “I don’t like it.”

Constance’s smile was a good counterpoint to Duke’s scowl. “I can’t come because they’d recognize me, but Terry and I can be floaters nearby.”

“Not good enough,” Duke said. “I can’t cover all the approaches by myself in a place like that.” His eyes moved to me. “You have to get Constance invited.”

“Impossible,” I said. “They think she’s there to put one of them in jail.”

“Work on it. Otherwise, you don’t go. That’s final.”

Mr. Grumpypants was back. But I had a different and better idea. I dialed my friend.

“Hey, girlfriend,” she answered.

“A guy at work has tickets to Disneyland. Wanna go tomorrow?”

“Disneyland?” she shrieked. “I’d love to.”

“There’s one catch. You’re going undercover as my bodyguard’s date so he can guard me without the rest of the group knowing.”

“That’s weird.”

“Gray, you’ll like him. His name is Terry Goodwin.”

“That douche? No way.”

“Wait, what? You know him?”

“Wish I didn’t. I’ll pass.”

“It’s only one day,” I argued.

“That’s one day too many with that overbearing ass.”

She’d obviously been exposed to a different Terry than I had. “Santa Monica,” I said calmly. I needed this, and I had leverage she couldn’t refuse.

She sighed. “You suck, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know. But it’ll be a fun day. We’ll pick you up in the morning.”

“Whatever.”

After I ended the call, Duke spoke. “Is there a problem?”

“It sounds like she and Terry have some history. Not the good kind.”

“Her name’s Gray?”

I nodded. “Grace Brennan.”

He made a face. “That could be an issue. This whole trip may not work.”

“What’s the problem between them?”

Duke bit his lip. “Her brother, Pete, and Terry were good friends. When Pete went missing, Terry got put in charge of the trust their parents had set up for her. It didn’t go well.”

I’d known Grace’s brother had been assumed killed, but declared MIA when they couldn’t recover Pete’s body. After also losing her parents, she’d been traumatized by it. She’d chafed against the trustee of the life insurance payout, but she’d never put a name to him. He’d always been his assholeness , his lordship , or merely the tyrant .

I threw Duke’s words back at him. “Work on it. I’m going, and that’s final.”

Duke shook his head, knowing I had him. “I’ll deal with Terry. We still need you, Constance. You’re going to be a lone floater, in disguise, so they don’t recognize you.”

“No problem,” she answered.

Duke

When we arrived at the house, Terry parked behind me.

While Constance stayed with Serena, the two of us cleared the place. I couldn’t stop thinking of the Disneyland stunt Serena had just pulled. As soon as we finished, I took her into the study and shut the door.

Before I knew what was happening, she had a hand behind my neck and pulled herself up to kiss me. As soon as her soft tits hit my chest, I was a goner. I grabbed her ass to lift her up. Wrapping her legs around me, she kissed me eagerly.

I gave the kiss back to her in spades, going instantly hard and rubbing her against my length. “I want you so bad, baby.”

She moaned into my mouth, then broke the kiss to nibble on my earlobe. “I want you too. I want to jump your bones again.”

When she ground against me, I almost gave into the temptation to lock the door and explore that possibility right there and then. Instead, I pulled her loose. The work couldn’t wait, and this could. “What were you thinking?”

Her tongue darted out to lick her lip. “I was thinking I didn’t want to wait any longer to kiss you again.”

“Not that. You shouldn’t go to Disneyland.”

“Why not?”

“It’ll be crowded,” I argued.

“Exactly. Because a lot of other people agree with me that it’s a fun place to go.”

“Crowds are dangerous. Somebody can get close without us seeing him.”

“You know what you are? You’re a fun-sucker-outer. You want to suck the fun out of everything.”

This conversation had gone all wrong somehow, so I dodged. “You need to tell me how you know my boss.”

Instantly, I recognized the fear in her eyes. “Next week.”

“Today,” I insisted.

“And you need to tell me why you hate my dad.”

Checkmate. Now, we both had a place we didn’t want to go.

I didn’t intend to wait a week. “Tomorrow.”

She sighed out her response. “Monday.”

Before I could say anything else, a knock sounded on the door. “Constance said you want to brainstorm stuff.”

“Yeah,” I called. “In just a minute.” I needed that minute—or more likely three—to get my dick back under control. “Okay, Monday.”

Serena ran her hand over my crotch as she walked to the door. “A minute, huh?”

“You’re not helping.” When I got her alone again, she was going to pay.

It was actually three minutes before I could open the door and follow.

Serena was on her phone at the base of the stairs. “Hey, Alice, can we talk again later? We’ve got a meeting about to start… Great to talk to you, too.” She lowered the phone before I reached her.

“You’re talking to my sisters?” That was bound to cause me problems.

“Sure. Mostly Alice because Em boarded her cruise.”

Emily hadn’t shared with me that she’d booked a cruise.

“Alice and I are going to meet up when she comes down.” That sounded like trouble.

“We don’t have all day,” Constance called.