Better Late Than Never Read online

  Desiree winked as she slinked toward the dance floor, passing Danita and high-fiving her as Danita reclaimed her seat at the empty table.

  Danita motioned for Landon to sit down beside her.

  “So, how’s it going?” Danita asked.

  “Pretty well,” Landon said. “We were actually just stopping by to say good night. But fate—and your husband—apparently had other plans.”

  She laughed. “That’s my man.”

  “He’s a good man,” Landon said.

  “True that,” Danita agreed. “And so are you, Landon. Treat my girl right, huh?”

  “Didn’t I always?”

  “You’ve got a point, white boy. So what’s the plan for the rest of the evening?”

  He shook his head. “Oh, hell no. You’re not getting a thing out of me. You can get the rewind from your girl tomorrow. We’ll see you guys at the beach.”

  “Awww, party pooper,” Danita groused. “Not even a little hint?”

  “Well, don’t be surprised if Desiree isn’t in the mood to go for any long walks on the beach tomorrow.”

  “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about,” Danita said, grinning. “You go, boy.”

  “Oh, I plan to. Just do us all a favor and get your hubby off the dance floor before he embarrasses our fine race any further, eh?”

  “Will do,” Danita said. “Our nightmare is over. Here they come.”

  “Thanks for the dance, Dez,” Mawhorter said. “Hope I didn’t embarrass you too much out there.”

  “No more than usual, hubby,” Danita said. “Our friends were just leaving.”

  “So soon?”

  “Yeah,” Landon replied. “We’ll hook up with you guys at the cookout tomorrow.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Mawhorter said. “You two have fun.”

  “We will,” Landon said. “Ready, Desiree?”

  “Lead the way, baby.”

  Landon took Desiree’s hand and led her to the elevator. Neither said a word as he pushed the up button and they waited for the elevator to arrive. The door opened with a loud ding. Desiree entered first, Landon following and enjoying the view.

  “Third—” The rest of Desiree’s intended sentence was muffled as Landon pushed her up against the back wall of the elevator, kissing her hard, his tongue invading her surprised but eager mouth. Desiree’s hand went to Landon’s crotch, where his cock was hardening by the second.

  Landon broke the kiss. “You were saying?”

  “Third floor,” Desiree gasped, out of breath.

  The elevator dinged as it reached the…twenty-seventh floor.

  Landon smiled. “Looks like we have to go down.”

  “That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all night,” Desiree cooed. She dropped to her knees, undid Landon’s belt, and unzipped his fly.

  “Desiree! We can’t do this in here!”

  “Mm-hmm,” she hummed as she inhaled his cock in one gulp.

  Damn, Landon thought as he tried to maintain his balance in the small elevator. He sure as hell hoped there were no security cameras. Or else he’d have some major explaining to do.

  The elevator dinged its arrival on the third floor as Desiree reluctantly released Landon’s cock from her mouth with an audible pop.

  “Saved by the bell,” she said with a mock sigh.

  “Uh-huh,” Landon said with a nod as he uncomfortably stuffed his uncooperative package back in his pants.

  “Follow me, sailor boy,” Desiree said seductively.

  She sashayed down the hallway, her curvy ass swaying more than necessary as she rummaged in her oversized purse for her room key.

  She opened the door and he waited for her to enter, sliding in behind her as she did. Landon pushed Desiree up against the door, both of them ignoring the loud slamming sound as Landon kissed Desiree deeply, each tearing at the other’s clothes.

  Landon unbuttoned her black, silk blouse with one hand, caressing her ass with the other. The blouse slid off Desiree’s shoulders as she shrugged out of it.

  He unzipped her skirt with his free hand, and she stepped out of it—now clad in only a red bra, matching garter belt, and black heels. No panties.

  Landon smiled. “Someone was confident of this evening’s eventual outcome when she chose her attire.”

  Desiree giggled. “Hopeful would be a better word—” She again didn’t get to finish her sentence, as Landon kissed her again, even more forcefully this time.

  * * * *

  Desiree felt Landon’s muscular chest flattening her breasts as he pressed her against the door.

  Landon slid his hand between her legs. Finding her moist slit, he slid first one and then a second finger inside her wet pussy, his thumb rubbing her erect clit at the same time.

  “Is that for me?” he whispered in her ear as she gasped and broke their kiss.

  “Yes,” she moaned. “Bed.”

  “Not yet, beautiful.”

  Desiree smiled at hearing him use that long-ago pet name again.

  Landon hoisted her into the air, bringing her back down onto his rock-hard cock in one fluid motion. Desiree screamed as Landon’s cock hit her sweet spot. He kissed her again to muffle her cries.

  Desiree wrapped her legs around Landon’s waist as he raised her up and down, keeping complete control of their movements. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and held on for the ride.

  It wasn’t long before Desiree felt an unfamiliar feeling building deep inside her.

  A non-self-induced orgasm.

  “Landon,” she whimpered.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m going to… oh God…”

  “I know. Cum for me, baby.”

  “Oh my God!” Desiree screamed as her orgasm exploded. She held on for dear life as Landon kept thrusting his cock deep inside her quivering pussy.

  Landon supported both of them as Desiree’s orgasm slowly subsided.

  Desiree was sobbing uncontrollably.

  “I hope those are tears of joy, beautiful,” Landon whispered.

  “Oh, they sure as hell are,” she managed to gasp. Her heart was pounding.

  “Good. Now we can go to bed.” He carried her over to the bed, gently breaking their coupling and even more gently laying her on top of the comforter.

  Chapter 7

  They both laid there for a long time, neither saying a word. Desiree was out of breath; Landon not so much.

  After she caught her breath, Desiree began to explore Landon’s toned body with her eyes first, and then her hands. Her attention was immediately drawn to several scars on his torso.

  “Rough line of work, huh?”

  “It can be,” Landon replied.

  “Where did you get this one?” Desiree asked, running her index finger along a three-inch scar just above Landon’s belly button.

  “Somali pirate,” he said, smiling at the memory. “Just pissed me off really. He ended up with the short end of our little encounter.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask. What happened?”

  “He came at me swinging some big machete, knife, some shit like that,” Landon recalled. “I took away the knife, broke his arm, and then when I got tired of listening to him scream, I cut it off. He swung at me with the other arm, so I broke that one too. I threw his sorry ass overboard. Shark food. Scoreboard.”

  “Ouch,” Desiree winced. “What about this one?” She pointed at a four-inch scar just under his right nipple.

  “Al-Qaeda. He lost too.”

  “Damn. Do you always win?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if I’d lost any of those battles,” he said. “Remember how seriously we all took the football shit in high school?”

  “Of course,” she said, rolling her eyes. “We treated you guys like gods.”

  “Yeah,” Landon said softly. “We all thought that shit was life or death. It isn’t, Desiree. What I do now? That’s life or death.”

  She nodded. “How much longer do you plan on doing this?”r />
  “Hard to say. It’s definitely a young guy’s game. Every one of us is playing with house money, and every one of us is living on borrowed time. There’s a bullet out there with your name on it. Or a knife. Or a grenade. Or an RPG.”

  “RPG?”

  “Rocket-propelled grenade.” Landon smiled sheepishly. “A lovely weapon that is more than capable of bringing down the choppers that ferry us to and from some of our missions.”

  “Ouch,” she said, unable to suppress a shiver.

  “You probably see reports on the news where a group of SEALs were killed on a training mission.”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s usually bullshit.”

  “I see.”

  “Do you?”

  “I think so.”

  Landon exhaled. “Military life is hard on families, Desiree. Constant deployments. Uprooting and moving all over creation at a moment’s notice. Your entire life dictated by the whims of Uncle Sam, or his hordes of enemies around the world. And it’s even worse for us.”

  “Danita and Joe have made it work.”

  “They sure have,” Landon agreed. “But they’ve been crazy for each other since seventh grade.”

  “We were like that once,” Desiree said wistfully, trying in vain to blink back tears.

  “We were,” he agreed with a nod. “And there’s no sense in beating ourselves up over what we did or didn’t do all those years ago.”

  “Do you forgive me, Landon?”

  “Forgive you?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Landon pulled Desiree closer. Her head found a perfect spot on his hairy chest. She inhaled his manly scent and closed her eyes as his arms enveloped her.

  “Of course I forgive you, Desiree. That was a long time ago.”

  “Something in my heart all those years ago told me I was making a big mistake.”

  “Uh-huh,” Landon said. “This should be good.”

  Desiree punched Landon on the arm.

  He winced. “Oww! That hurt!”

  Desiree stuck out her tongue. “Shall I continue?”

  “Please do.”

  “I listened to everyone and everything except what really mattered—my heart.”

  Landon nodded.

  “Danita tried to tell me Derek was no good,” Desiree continued. “But I bought into the whole ‘I should be with my own kind’ bullshit. I was such a fool.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I’ve got two great kids, but there’s something missing.”

  “And that would be?”

  “You, Landon,” Desiree said with a sigh. “I’ve thought about you often over the years. And when Danita told me you’d been transferred into Joe’s unit…well, I saw a chance to make things right. Or at least try.”

  Landon smiled, shaking his head. “Joe assured me that there were purely professional reasons for him requesting me. I guess that wasn’t exactly one hundred percent true, was it?”

  “No,” Desiree said with a demure smile. “It was Danita’s idea. But Joe didn’t need much convincing.”

  “Does he ever?”

  “Nope.”

  “I was all set to get my own platoon,” Landon said. “Then Joe calls and asks me to come be his Number Two. It was a lateral move. And I was more than ready to move up and run my own outfit.”

  “So why didn’t you?”

  “Joe. I’d follow that guy to the gates of hell, kick them down, and then fall in line as he led us in.”

  “He’s a good man.”

  “The best,” Landon said. “He and I have been through shit you can’t even imagine in your worst nightmares. But we always have each other’s backs. I can’t imagine serving under anyone else but him. And I hope I never have to.”

  Desiree shifted in Landon’s arms, absorbing his warmth, looking up into his green eyes. “So, where do we go from here?”

  “To sleep?” Landon braced for another shot to the arm. “Just kidding, beautiful. I don’t know. Can we take it a day at a time, and just enjoy each other for now?”

  “Sure,” she said, kissing him softly.

  Landon rolled Desiree over onto her back in one smooth, fluid motion as their kiss deepened. She reached down for his cock, finding it rigid and ready. As they continued to kiss, Desiree guided Landon’s cock inside her.

  There was no frantic rush this time, no sense of urgency, no clothes-tearing frenzy. Their first coupling had fallen under the category of ‘fucking’. This time, they would make love—slowly, deliciously, sweetly.

  Landon took Desiree’s hand and moved it to his ass. He found her other hand and put it on the other buttock. They rocked together slowly until they found just the right rhythm; not too fast, not too slow.

  With every thrust, Desiree felt Landon reaching places inside her she had forgotten existed.

  After what seemed like an eternity—not that either cared—they climaxed together.

  “Whew,” Desiree exclaimed as she caught her breath. “Is this what I’ve been missing out on all these years?”

  “I reckon so,” Landon said, pulling her close as their heartbeats and breathing returned to some semblance of normal.

  “Then I’m a damn fool for denying myself this kind of pleasure for so many years.”

  “No comment,” Landon said with a roguish grin.

  Chapter 8

  Desiree awakened as the first rays of the San Diego morning sun began to invade her room. She rolled over in the king-sized bed, finding herself alone.

  Well, damn, that was one hell of a dream I had last night.

  And one hell of a hangover this morning.

  She rubbed her eyes until she heard a room key click in the lock. Landon entered, carrying a couple of McDonald’s bags.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Landon said as he put the bags on the table. “How long have you been up?”

  “Good morning to you, baby,” she replied as she tried in vain to stifle a yawn. “Just a few minutes actually. What about you?”

  “Since about four-thirty,” Landon said as he removed the food from the bags. “Or as we military types call it, 0-dark-thirty.”

  “Damn,” Desiree said as she summoned every ounce of energy she could muster to sit up. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “Believe me, I tried,” he said, chuckling. “You were out cold.”

  Desiree laughed. “Combination of too much to drink and too much good sex.”

  “I would have characterized it as great sex,” he said with a wink. “But maybe that’s just me.”

  “Okay, smartass,” she said. “Great sex. And now I’m hungry. For food.”

  “Then my instincts were correct.”

  “As usual. You always knew what I needed.”

  Landon smiled. “You don’t have to lay on the compliments so thick, Desiree. I know I’m good.” He braced for another playful punch. None was forthcoming.

  “So, what did you bring me?”

  “A Big Breakfast with hotcakes, orange juice, and a fruit and yogurt parfait.”

  “Just like you used to when you got off Saturday mornings,” Desiree said, the long-ago memory making her smile. “And for yourself?”

  “Steak egg and cheese bagel, no onions, no breakfast sauce, a hash brown, a large Hi-C Orange. And a parfait.”

  Desiree smiled again. “How often do you get to eat McDonald’s these days?”

  “Not nearly often enough,” he said. “Most of the places we go are a bit…shall we say primitive. We usually end up bringing a sack lunch.”

  “MREs?”

  “Affirmative, ma’am.”

  “I lost a bet with Joe once,” Desiree said. “I had to eat that shit for dinner. Nasty.”

  “Agreed. But they fit nicely in a field pack. And our business is definitely an ‘eat and run’ proposition most of the time. Especially when we’re on a mission.”

  “Well, you’re not on a mission right now, baby.”

  “I will be as soon as you f
inish that breakfast.”

  “Oh?” Desiree giggled as she slathered butter and syrup on her hotcakes and dug in. “And what might that mission be?”

  “Getting back inside that hot, wet pussy of yours.”

  Desiree shivered. “I thought the parfaits were going to be dessert.”

  “Oh, hell no,” he said with a wink. “We’re supposed to be at the picnic at noon. That leaves an hour for me to fuck you senseless before we have to leave. Then fifteen minutes to shower and get ready, and we’re out of here.”

  She laughed. “Hate to burst your bubble, sugar, but there’s no fucking way I’m going to be ready in fifteen minutes. Nice try though.”

  “Well, let me put it another way,” Landon said, downing the rest of his orange juice. “The longer you need to get ready, the less fucking you get.”

  “You’ve got me there,” Desiree conceded, balling up her McDonald’s bag and throwing it in the trash can. “So, I guess we’d better get to it, huh?” She shrugged out of her silk robe, her nipples already hard, since they’d been straining to get out since Landon’s return to the room.

  Landon smiled roguishly. “Good girl. Now, get that sweet ass of yours back in bed.”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied with what she hoped was a reasonable facsimile of a military salute. She pulled the covers back as she laid back and spread her legs invitingly.

  “You don’t need to salute me,” Landon said with a sheepish smile. “I get enough of that at work. Not necessary, babe. Your bed-shaking orgasms are salute enough.”

  “Well, you’re certainly saluting me,” Desiree said, trying to suppress a giggle as she pointed at the bulge in Landon’s shorts. “I just figured I’d be a lady like my mama raised me and return the favor.” She began running a finger over her pussy lips. “Ready for dessert, sailor boy? Because dessert is ready for you.”

  Landon was out of his shorts in an instant and between Desiree’s legs. He blew a warm breath on Desiree’s clit, and a full-body shiver ran through her.

  “Tease,” she gasped. “Get to work down there—ouch!” she said as Landon’s hand slapped her ass. “What was that for?”

  “For talking too much.”

  “Then handle your business and eat my pussy.”

  Landon flicked out his tongue, working Desiree’s clit back and forth. She moaned. Landon inserted a finger in her wet channel and worked it all the way up inside her pussy.