Page 22 of Protecting Clove (Loved by the SEAL #5)
B ud stayed over on Saturday night but installed an alarm at her place, so he stayed at his place on Sunday.
Clove wished they had more reasons for him to stay, but he needed to get back to his life, and the more times he slept on her couch, the higher chance they had of him just ending up in her bed.
She wanted to wake up with him but didn’t want Neo to think they were more involved with each other than they were.
Neo hadn’t picked up on the fact they were intimate, which she was thankful for.
If Neo knew they were starting a relationship, she might decide they would get married, and there was so much that could happen between now and any possible marriage.
She and Bud may never move past casual sex partners.
The sex was fantastic. Nothing casual about what Bud was capable of. The man was freaking hot stuff in bed, and they had to be quiet because Neo had been upstairs asleep. If they spent time really alone, she imagined it would be even hotter.
The school term ended, and she didn’t see Keith again. She hadn’t been followed home. She was sure of that. Bud had taught her how to make random turns and throw anyone following off.
With her school out, she pulled Neo out of the daycare, and they started going to the library every morning so Neo could find new stuff to study.
Knowing Bud meant Neo had new things to obsess over.
She wanted to learn about ships. Neo had just learned about shipwrecks and was deep in the middle of a book about shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.
Clove decided to learn more about child custody in California. She never wanted Keith to get any rights to Neo. He’d proven he wasn’t trustworthy, and Neo was too important to play games with.
On Friday, Bud came over after Neo went to bed, and they teased each other for almost thirty minutes before going to her room and locking the door.
Bud had just finished giving her the most delicious orgasm when a notification ran on her phone that someone was in her backyard, setting off the camera.
Bud was up and had on his underwear in seconds. “Don’t follow. Check the cameras, and if you see something that bothers you, call the police.”
Her hands shook as she grabbed her phone and pulled up the application that would show her the camera feed. It took her a few tries to get the application up and the video running. Fear held her, and worry for Bud made it difficult to breathe.
She didn’t even hear Bud moving through the house, but the alarm turned off, and the back door opened. The video played back, revealing a kid retrieving a ball that had been tossed in the backyard.
She pulled on her underwear and a shirt before she stepped out into the main room and spied Bud coming back in. He had on his shoes with his underwear and she wanted to laugh, but the stress of knowing her alarm had gone off made her want to cry.
“It was a kid getting a ball that was tossed in the yard.”
“Shit.” Bud shook his head. “We need to figure out whose kid it was and make sure they understand they shouldn’t be going into people’s backyards.”
She blew out a breath. “It really freaked me out.”
“I’m sorry. If you didn’t have the alarm, you wouldn’t have gotten a notification.”
She shook her head. “And I wouldn’t know if Keith showed up. I’m okay getting notifications and freaking out if it means I can be sure I’ll know if Keith is near.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed the side of her head. “That was intense. Let me hold you until you fall asleep. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”
She leaned back. “You don’t want to continue?”
He nuzzled her neck. “Let’s get back in bed, and if it feels right, we’ll get back to it. I need to calm down.”
She wrapped her arms tighter around him. “Can I rub your back?”
He shook his head. “I just want to hold you. That’s it.”
“Okay. I’d like that.”
She wished they would have gotten back to sex, but it was nice to fall asleep in his arms. The next morning, she found Neo and Bud eating breakfast. He’d made pancakes for her and was eating some, too.
“Good morning.” She kissed Neo on the head before moving to the coffee pot and pouring up a mug.
Bud winked at her when she turned around. Heat slid through her at the thought of the meaning behind that wink. She had no memory of him leaving her bed. She really had been exhausted.
Tonight, she would make sure to give him a blowjob. He’d been so good about getting her to orgasm, and he hadn’t asked her to reciprocate.
Bud left after breakfast, and she and Neo cleaned the house and started laundry. She worked on her budget and decided she needed to add a shopping day in the middle of the week. Neo would complain, but she would try hard to make it fun for her.
Once Neo was in public school, she could cut out the shopping. Working extra now in the summer would give them a safety net cushion she desperately needed.