Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Butterfly (Kindle Worlds Novella) (SEALed Fate Book 1) Read online

  “Shins?” Heim asked.

  “Hurts pretty bad if it’s done right. But I probably would have gone for the kneecap, more damage,” Katya quipped.

  Heim tossed back his head and laughed. The sound was large and full, just like him. And he had dimples. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the man had dimples. He was a god; that was what he was. A delicious, rippling muscle, dimple-having god. She couldn’t help it; when he lowered his head, still smiling hard enough for the dimples to show, she stuck out her tongue and licked one.

  “Like those I gather?”

  “They just got you laid. That answer your question?”

  “Where have you been all my life?” he joked,

  “Stuck up in a tower,” she said, not so jokingly.

  Heim noted the change in her tone and his smile smoothed out. “Waiting for a prince, Katya?”

  “What’s Heim short for? That’s an odd name,” she asked. She didn’t want to answer his question.

  “Heimdall,” he answered before he fingered her chin, forcing her gaze to his. “You didn’t answer my question,”

  “I don’t want a shiny prince. They tarnish.”

  “What would you rather have instead?”

  “A warrior who would just blow the whole thing down and catch me when I jumped out the window.”

  He studied her for a moment, an odd smile on his face. “Xavier Spencer is my name. They call me Heimdall.”

  “Who?”

  “My guys,” he answered. She’d been right, military. Hmm, but what branch, and did he know her father?

  “Are you a warrior, Heimdall, the all-seeing guardian of the Bifrost? Didn’t know many people were into Norse Mythology except seeing Idris Elba play your namesake in Marvel films.”

  “Beautiful and smart, too. Yes, you could say that,” he answered.

  “Coming to blow down my tower then?”

  “I’d probably have Glitz do that, he’s ordinance. But then, I’d have already infiltrated and taken you from the tower days before he got there to make it go boom.”

  She studied him and then placed her lips against his as she spoke. “Your room or mine?”

  “Mine. I captured the princess; now it’s time to have my wicked way with her.”

  One night. She’d get just one night of freedom, and then back to her cage of social stature and prestige. She wanted him for those hours any way she could have him.

  Chapter Three

  Heim

  Heim could think of plenty of things wrong with taking Katya to his hotel room. He liked her. She had sass and backbone. The little glimpses of her past told him that she had no fear and would push back as good as she got. And he’d never heard of a woman willing to help her prince free her from the tower. He might not be her prince charming, but for tonight they could both pretend that he could be. She could be his princess he battled to save, one worth loving, as she leapt in his arms to show her devotion.

  Those wild and dangerous thoughts spiraled through his head as he kissed her, pinning her supple body against the elevator wall. He couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather be. Right there, cradled between her legs as she bit at his lip was the most amazing place in his small little world. Her abaya, the long black robe to cover her body she wore in public, now resided on the elevator floor. He’d reserved the penthouse, and no one would see her after she got into the elevator until they both came up for air.

  “Have you ever made love in an elevator?” he asked against her lips. Grinding his hips against her core, he waited for her answer. Probably didn’t help that he kept hitting the spot that made her eyes close and her breath hitch when he asked.

  “No,” she finally pushed out.

  “Do you want to?”

  “Yes, after you’ve had me on your bed, in your shower, across your balcony raili—”

  He kissed her, getting harder with every word she breathed. He’d never been so turned on in his life. She spoke to him in a fresh way he didn’t know existed, open and honest with her desires.

  “Touch me, please touch me,” she begged. He shoved his hand between their bodies, searching for the edge of her underwear. Her inner thighs were like hot silk against his fingertips. She grew hotter the closer he got to her wetness. Then he was there, gliding his fingers across her skin and she screamed. It wasn’t a game or a way to seem sexier when she told him to do something. She said what she wanted, and when he did it, she flew.

  “Fuck me,” he said, shocked. Her face flushed red, eyes at half mast, and she clung to him, trembling with need. He gripped her harder, lifting her into his arms and holding her weight as the elevator chimed and the doors opened. They stumbled into his room, falling to the floor. He rolled to eat the impact. She giggled, tightening her legs around his waist.

  “Not soft enough to be a bed,” she played. His eyes crossed when she rolled her hips against him when she said soft.

  “Keep doing that, and it will be before you get to have any fun.”

  She formed her mouth into a moue and furrowed her brow. Framed by the white carpet, her tanned golden skin stood out. Her dark hair fanned out around her head on the floor, a dark halo for a hellcat. He nipped her pouty mouth.

  “Don’t be a naughty girl,” he chastised.

  The pout disappeared so quickly he almost wondered if it was ever there. She arched under him, tilting her head back and lifting her hands above her head. Then she straightened her legs, forcing him to move for her and adjust until he straddled her hips. In one fluid motion she flipped over, pressing her ass up against him and lifting up on her knees.

  “Then teach me a lesson.”

  He couldn’t get her damn clothes off fast enough. Buttons flew and pinged on the ground as he ripped his shirt off and tossed it away. He fell to the ground in a slow sweep, completely at odds with his motions. Next he ripped at his belt, jerking it from the loops. His weight shifted, and he remembered his gun.

  “Wait, hold on,” he said.

  He climbed off her and helped her to her feet. She turned on him, her gaze questioning at the sudden change. Heim rubbed his hand across his face and wondered how the hell he was going to explain disarming. He knew he shouldn’t have gone out with his weapons, but so close to coming off a mission he didn’t feel comfortable without them. Now this vixen was going to see more than she bargained for.

  “Did I do something wrong?” she asked. It was the first time she seemed vulnerable since he met her. He wondered if she’d ever been able to let go. If anyone ever accepted her wildness for what it was. Or did they always try to contain it. Up in the tower, she said.

  “No, hell no. I’ll be right back to teaching you that lesson in a minute, but I need to take some things off.”

  She snorted. “You didn’t have to get up for that.”

  “Ah, well, the thing is…” he trailed off, not sure how she’d take seeing his weapons, and not wanted to scare her off either.

  “You’re in the military, Xavier, so you carry weapons, I gather,” she said.

  He liked the way his name sounded coming from her mouth. A lot. “Yes,” he answered.

  “I’m not afraid of weapons. I probably could shoot you under the table, big boy.”

  “Really?” he questioned. No one could outshoot Heim. It was where he got his name. He was his SEALs team leader and sharp shooter. The only reason he wasn’t just a sniper was because of his proficiency in other areas. No, she wouldn’t shoot him under the table.

  “You’d be surprised what I could do,” she tossed back at him.

  He pulled his gun and holster from his back and she lifted a brow. “Sig P226. Nice. Not normally standard issue. Unless,” she shook her head. “Leave the outside world out there.”

  He was interested in what she would have said. No too many people knew his weapon by sight, let alone know what was normally standard issue.

  “Are you in the military?” he asked.

  “Can we leave it at the door, please?” She wrapped her arms ar
ound herself, covering her breasts and looking down.

  “Won’t you answer?”

  She sighed and bent over. The delicate knobs of her spine stood out under her skin as she picked up her dress.

  “You don’t have to leave” he told her.

  She didn’t answer him, just pulled her dress on and strode past him, leaving him holding his gun and half naked. Not happening. He moved, not even aware of his actions. Not after he saw her vulnerable. Not after he started realizing he wasn’t going to meet a woman that did it for him like she did again. He dropped his weapon on the nightstand and met her at the door. He pressed his palm against the wood, stopping her from opening it

  “No more questions,” he promised.

  “Just until tomorrow,” she said.

  “Until you’re ready,” he urged. Tears pooled in her eyes as she turned in his arms. He didn’t think tomorrow was going to come and his heart lurched in his chest. She was already saying goodbye and he hadn’t even gotten a chance to convince her to stay.

  “Leave it at the door,” he begged her. Whatever had brought them together, whatever the reason for wanting her in his bed, it was different now. As a SEAL, he couldn’t have a regular relationship, he knew that. But her accent marked her as American, and her knowledge of the military was promising. Maybe there could be something. He just had to make her see.

  “Okay,” she said. Her voice wobbled, but he ignored it. She may not be convinced yet, but by the time he finished with her, she would be.

  “Bend over the bed. I don’t like when my princesses run from me,” he commanded. And, fuck, but she did exactly what he wanted her to.

  Chapter Four

  Katya

  The white duvet over the bed was soft against her stomach as she stretched across it. Notes of lavender and a heavier musk covered the blanket as she pressed her face into it. She was in only her heels and nothing else, her dress not accommodating anything underneath. Heim stepped up behind her, close enough that his heat radiated against her skin without even a touch. The only sound in the room was the whirring swooshes of the overhead fan. It made goosebumps rise on her flesh as it spun.

  “Cold?” he questioned.

  She shook her head. There was a different quality to his voice. A focus that hadn’t been there before she’d tried to walk out the door. Before she’d watched his eyes go almost black. She jumped when he palmed one cheek of her bottom before gripping the other. She wondered how he liked the view of her spread before him on the bed. Then he bent over her, his breath warming the small of her back. He traced down with his tongue where his hands had been. Hot saliva cooled in the air, tingling her nerve endings.

  “Grip the cover.”

  Curling her fingers into the fluffy material, she arched her back, begging for more; the intensity from before, the headlong rush into passion they’d shared. She needed it to take her away from her mind, thoughts of this only lasting for a night. And keep her from remembering that tomorrow he wouldn’t be here in this place. She’d be back home in her tower, a protected daughter of an important man. When everyone watched her father and mirrored their whole careers after him, anything she did could cause unrest for him. Everything, from who she dated, to who she associated with, reflected on his stature.

  “Count each strike for me,” he said.

  She didn’t get much more warning than that. One second she had a tangle of thoughts in her head, and the next, fire raced over her ass. The echo of his slap thundered through the room. But before she could analyze it, he struck again in the same spot.

  “It seems your voice isn’t working, princess.”

  “One and two,” she said.

  “Good girl.”

  He didn’t strike her hard enough to pull her from passion, but it rode the edge. Nearly more than she could take, but liquid desire pulsed through her. His hand was large and rough on her skin, abrading it with every hit. She gasped, counting out loud. He never tired, smacking one, then the other cheek, until her ass was no longer skin and muscle. It was just a deep seated burn that she’d feel long after he was done.

  “Inside me, now,” she cried.

  “Such a bossy little thing.” His chuckle, deep in bodied, didn’t mask the sound of teeth separating as he pulled down his zipper. He pressed his hot skin against her, his cock resting between the globes of her buttocks. She wanted that. Wanted it deep and hard inside of her, but first.

  “I didn’t specify where,” she teased. She rolled over and slid off the bed so she rested against the side, and her prize was right in her face. He was thick and long, the fleshy head broader than the shaft. He flexed when she gripped him, swelling against her palm.

  “So pretty,” she said.

  “I’ll take that.”

  “Let’s see how far I can take this.”

  “Shit.” His groan faded as she swallowed him down. He was too long to take him all, her lips stretched to capacity around his girth, but she pushed as far as she could. Saliva pooled around him in her mouth. The moisture eased the glide. As his rough fingers tunneled into her hair, guiding her motions on him, she moaned. Salty fluid touched her tongue. The heated skin of his thighs anchored her as she gripped him. His balls were velvet and with each downward stroke they slapped her chin. They were even softer in her hand, the heavy sacs floated in her palm. She alternated clenching and relaxing her fingers around him.

  “I’m not going to last if you keep doing that.”

  She looked up from her crouch, along the rippled lines of his stomach and over the ridges of his chest to his downcast face. Then she smiled around his cock.

  “Dammit, woman.”

  When he pulled her off him, she squeaked, surprised at his strength. She sailed in the air before she landed on the bed with a bounce. He followed her down, crawling up between her legs. She sucked in a breath as he curled over her, pressing his hips against her and arched his back. She couldn’t move, trapped by the heat growing between them. His pelvis met hers as he held his chest off her. That single point of contact burned. When she swung her gaze to his face their stares locked. The world darkened and closed in. All that mattered was the way he watched her, the pull inside of her that reached for him. She never looked away as he reached off to one side of them and lifted a foil packet to his lips.

  It should have broken the spell. Should have brought reality back. Instead it was more intimate than anything she’d ever done. His white teeth were brilliant against the gold wrapping as he ripped it open. Then he let the foil drop as he gripped the condom.

  “Come get it,” he demanded.

  Her hands moved of their own volition, searching out his offering. There was no turning back for her. No way she’d let him walk away. They matched, locked, and fit. The world could disappear around them and she wouldn’t care, as long as he was inside her. When he lifted his hips away from hers, she took the invitation to roll the condom on. She took her time, learning his shape, the way he sloped a bit upward. A deep rumble vibrated through his body before it broke the silence. And then he lined their bodies up, still holding her gaze, and slid inside of her. His fullness stretched her and she winced.

  “Relax, you can take me. Follow my breathing. You’re so ready, princess. So fucking hot and wet for me. Let me in.”

  She took a deep breath and released it. As she exhaled he sank into her another inch. The burn spread. It had been so long since she’d let herself go. Since she’d let a man touch her. Her muscles clenched around him, trying to fight him, to push him out, but she wanted him. Wanted this between them so much.

  “I can’t.” Ignoring the need to cry, she tried again to relax. Another inch of him felt sweet, but the pain grew.

  “Shh, I’m here. Hold on. I’ll make it better. You’re so small. Just wait.”

  She nodded her head before she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips met in the center. He didn’t move his hips, just kissed her, drugging her with smooth kisses. His tongue was masterful and sure. All
she could do was follow him, back into blind passion and need. A fine sheen of sweat coated her as she rocked her hips. This time it didn’t burn, but he remained frozen. Instead of giving in, he kissed and sucked his way down the side of her neck. His tongue swirled over her pulse, leaving behind a blazing trail of need. Air from the fan fed the flames, pushing them higher. Her skin was sensitive from the opposites of hot and cold.

  Each silky caress over her skin was perfect. A nip there, a suck here. No matter where he touched, it exploded over her senses until she dug her nails into his shoulders. And he only gave her more. When his mouth clamped around one engorged nipple, she cried out. There was a direct line from her nipple to her vagina, and each draw pulled that string tighter than a bow string. He plucked it until it vibrated a full bodied note deep inside of her. Until she wept and wanted him to move.

  And still he didn’t.

  “Please,” she begged.

  “Not yet, princess.”

  He trailed coarse fingers down over her stomach and through the fine hair covering her groin. A sharp sting morphed into odd pleasure as he pulled on the hair. It awakened nerve endings she didn’t know she had. She spiraled out of control when he fingered her clit. All the preparation, all the kisses and sucks. Every time he waited to push into her made sense. Now the pleasure ripped through her with each stroke. He flicked her in sweeping, circular motions, pushing her higher until she bucked against him.

  “Now, princess.”

  He slammed into her and she wailed. Her vision dimmed, her ears rung, and her throat went dry. The firm bed under her was only a counterpoint to the strength in Heim’s body. A pause, a hold, the she flew, adrift in the air, her grip on his shoulders the only anchor. He kept her there. Working in and out of her faster and faster. Pleasure swelled from her groin, driving higher and higher until her heart stuttered and her breath caught. For a few seconds she was weightless, before slamming back down toward earth, blazing through the atmosphere and screaming as she struck the sea.