Page 8 of Joel (Guardians of the North #6)
JOEL
“The what?” Kylie asks, eyebrows drawn in confusion as my phone chimes again. The sound is similar to that of an emergency warning siren on a submarine.
“You met a few of the J-Squad members yesterday,” I explain as another obnoxious chime sounds. “Captain Steele—Jasper, Captain Devano—James, and Petty Officer Black—Jonas.”
“All J names,” she says.
“Yes. There’s also Jaxson and Jordan.”
“And Joel.”
Another loud siren sounds.
“Yes.”
“That’s fascinating and all,” she says, repositioning herself until she’s on her knees.
Her tits dangle when she presses her hands into the mattress in front of my knees.
“But what does that have to do with you fucking me senseless with that Hammer of Thor?” She nods at my cock.
The proud fucker stands at full mast, begging for her mouth.
The vision of that wavy blonde hair splayed out over my thighs as she sucks me into oblivion replays in my mind.
“Believe me, all I want to do is ignore my phone. But if the group text has been activated, then they’ve spotted my truck in the parking lot.”
“Did you tell them you were coming here?” she asks, eyebrows drawn in confusion.
“No, of course not. They’d have been harassing me long before now if I had. It’s just a small town, and my truck stands out.”
“Because it’s orange.”
“Well, yeah.”
She lets out a laugh, and nods to my phone as it sounds again. “Better check it so we don’t get sent to the principal’s office.”
“Sorry,” I say, reaching for my phone on the nightstand. A notification warns me there are over twenty text messages.
Blakely: Joel, we need to talk.
James: Leave the poor man alone.
Ella: We know what happened yesterday out on the Bering Sea.
Jasper: Don’t bother denying it. I was there. I told them everything.
Serenity: We saw your truck at the hotel.
Blakely: Saw it? It’s still there.
Jaxson: Can you all lay off the man? If he’s getting laid, you should be happy.
Ella: Getting laid???
Jordan: It’s about fucking time, man.
Mara: We can’t lay off! What if his soulmate leaves and he never gets to tell her how he really feels!
Jonas: I’d apologize for outing you, but this is just too much fucking fun.
Jasper: Don’t steal all my credit.
Jonas: It was a joint effort, and you know it.
“Fuck me,” I say, running a hand over my face. I switch the sound to silent, but the texts just keep on coming.
Vanessa: Don’t be like me and waste years before you find each other back.
Jasper: My incredible, beautiful, talented wife has a point.
Blakely: We want to meet her.
Ella: Yes! Bring her to The Iceberg tonight!
“You okay there?” Kylie glances purposely at my softening cock. There’s a sparkle in her eyes that suggests she’d be more than happy to bring it back to life. But also an understanding that something is…off.
“They mean well,” I say, tossing my phone aside. “But right now, I kind of want to kill them.”
Kylie places her hand on my thigh. “Want to tell me about it?”
“It’s stupid, really.”
“Stupider than renting a boat from a shady old man, ignoring your instincts about renting it in the first place, and having to watch it sink two hours later?”
“I’m going to have a word with Mr. Thorton,” I say in a growl.
“Hey,” she says, cupping my face until I meet her amber gaze. “Talk to me, Joel.”
“There’s six of us in the J-Squad,” I explain. “We’ve been together since bootcamp. We’ve also all been single until we got stationed together here. And one by one, they’ve all gotten married.”
“You’re the last one standing?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not a bad thing. Marriage is a big commitment.” Her words are casual enough, as though she’s just talking about the weather. But there’s something in the way she looks past me, to the framed picture on the wall that suggests commitment isn’t her strong suit.
“You don’t want to get married?”
“Nah,” she says, shaking her head. “Not after watching my mom get married and divorced twice . It’s made her…bitter.”
Ah, Todd. The asshole I need to look into and deal with.
“Do you want to get married?” Kylie asks me.
“Sure, someday. When the time is right.”
“Your friends think that time is now?”
“The wives have been setting me up on blind date after blind date, convinced my soulmate is in every nice tourist they meet at the grocery store, the post office, or at The Sea Shack . It’s getting old.”
“So why is your phone blowing up now?” she asks.
“Because they know I rescued you yesterday, and they think?—”
“—that I’m your soulmate.”
“Yep.”
“That’s…”
“Crazy?”
“Well, yeah.”
Though I’m relieved she agrees with me, there’s a nagging whisper in the back of my mind trying to convince me to lay her flat on her back, plunge my cock into her tight channel, and claim her for my own. To never let her leave North Haven because she belongs to me.
It’s fucking confusing.
“They want me to bring you to The Iceberg tonight.”
“That sounds fun.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think you understand. They want to meet you—not just the J-Squad, but all the wives. They’ll try to play matchmaker and come up with reasons you should move to North Haven. They’ll probably try to plan our wedding before we even get to dessert. It’ll be a nightmare.”
The horrified expression I expect to see on Kylie’s face is not there. Instead, her lips are lifted into a warm, amused smile.
“They sound…nice.”
“They mean well…” And suddenly, an idea pops into my head. A very reckless idea. “What if we played a prank on them?”
“What kind of prank?”
“What if we show up to dinner engaged?”
“Engaged?”
“Not for real,” I say.
“You mean we should fake it?” She sits back on her legs and presses her hands into her thighs. For a moment, all I can focus on are those tits and erect nipples, wondering how they’d look covered in my cum. Next time .
“Just for a little bit.”
“You know what? Why not? This could be fun,” she continues, a twinkle of mischief dancing in her amber orbs. I have to admit, it’s fucking sexy. “It’s not like we have to fake the chemistry. I think we got that down pretty good.”
My soft cock begins to harden again.
“We should tell them we’re getting married on Friday,” I suggest.
“In two days?”
“Maybe if they think I’ve totally lost my mind, they’ll try to break us up and finally lay off this whole matchmaker bit.”
“It’s worth a shot. Worst case, they totally buy into it, and I’ll just skip town and leave you at the altar.”
“Oh, that’s good. They won’t try to force me on someone else while I’m nursing a broken heart.”
“Exactly.”
“When is this meeting with your friends?” she asks, sliding a hand up my thigh as she lifts on her knees.
“Dinner tonight.”
Her other hand moves up my shoulders and onto my neck. “Then maybe we should practice the kissing part.” She presses her lips to mine as her tits push against my chest and her fingertips tease my hardening cock. “Just to make sure we’re convincing.”
“Any other things you want to practice?” I ask, moving my hand between her legs and discovering how fucking wet she still is. I slip a finger into her channel and groan against her mouth. Fuck, she’s so tight.
“Oh, there’s a few things I can think of,” she says, wrapping her hand around my cock and giving it a squeeze.
I’m desperate to be inside her. To claim her.
Fuck, where did that come from?
I slip a second finger into her channel, curling them both inside until she whimpers. Her lips part, and I plunge my tongue into her mouth. Fingernails dig into my shoulders as I pump my fingers inside her, using my palm to create friction against her sensitive bud.
“Fuck, Joel,” she cries. “I’m going to come !”
She writhes on my hand, her entire body shaking violently. I hold her against me with one arm and refuse to show her an ounce of mercy with the hand I have inside her as she comes completely apart.
Fuck, there is nothing better than watching her come. Making her come.
Expect for maybe watching her come apart with my cock inside her.
Just as I’m about to lie her down on her back, my phone rings.
Dammit.
“I thought you put that on silent,” she groans.
“It’s an emergency. A real one. For work,” I say, rolling off the bed in an instant and collecting my clothes. “Sorry, sweetheart.” I kiss her hard on the mouth once.
“Go,” she says.
At the door, I stop and look back. “If I’m back in time, I’ll pick you up at six for dinner.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“Have your bags packed too.”
“Why?”
“Because as long as you’re in North Haven, you’re sleeping in my bed.”