Pulling her close as they walked toward a bird exhibit, Dominic said ruefully, “I was fully educated by Uncle Sam. It’s what I call a degree in life.”
They stopped for a few moments to laugh at the parrots before Gwen asked softly, “Was it hard? Your time in the Marines?”
He was quiet for so long, she was starting to wonder if he’d heard her. Then he began speaking slowly as if searching for the right words. “It was—tough some days. It taught me the true meaning of unity and trust because I would have died to save a brother or a sister and I know that they would have also, without thought. We were a family, and as such, there were days you would want to choke one another and would give anything for just some peace. But none of that mattered when we were on patrol. Then we just watched our partner’s back no matter what.” His voice thickened as he continued. “As careful as we were, we still lost people, and that’s something you never forget. I considered being career military, but when Mac and the others left, I just didn’t have it in me to stay. I missed my family, and I needed a change.”
Running her hand soothingly up and down his back, Gwen said, “So, here you are.”
“That’s right,” he agreed, “and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”
“Me, either.” Thinking they needed to change the subject to something lighter, she stepped out of his arms and grabbed his hand. “If I don’t see those penguins now, I’m just going to freak out!”
Dominic’s face, which had been so somber a minute earlier, now carried an easy smile. “Well, we certainly can’t have that. And it’s funny you should mention that because it’s one of the surprises I have for you.”
Gwen had jumped up and down before she caught herself. Yikes, she must look like a sight, bouncing braless in a zoo full of children. When she glanced down, she was grateful to see her jacket still covering enough to keep her PG-rated. “What is it?” She tugged on his hand as he looked at her indulgently.
He checked his watch before answering. “In about fifteen minutes, we have an appointment to help feed the penguins.” When she could only stare at him in shock, he added, “That means you get your own bucket of fish.”
Squealing loud enough to pop a few nearby eardrums, Gwen launched herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He staggered for a moment from her surprise attack before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her even closer. “I can’t believe that,” she shrieked. Her heavy boots started to lose purchase, and she would have slipped down if not for his hands tightening on her hips and holding her steady.
“Me thinks my baby likes,” he teased as he dropped a kiss on her upturned mouth before putting her gently onto her feet. “If I’d known it was this easy to impress you, I’d have had you here months ago.”
Gwen gave him a skeptical look. “I don’t know what my response would have been had you shown up on my doorstep offering to show me some penguins.”
Leering, he asked wolfishly, “How about if I’d asked to see your monkey instead?”
Biting her lip to hold in her laughter, she swatted his arm before taking it and pulling him forward. “Come on, pervert, I don’t want to be late.” Suddenly, she halted in her tracks and looked around. When she saw that no one was near, she stopped a few inches from his body and pulled her jacket open. He looked confused for a moment before he zeroed in on her taut nipples pushing against the thin material of the tank top. “As a special thank-you for this trip, I might show you my monkey later . . .” Pulling her jacket closed, she took off, walking quickly to the penguin habitat. Dominic was still standing where she had left him, looking like a man battling for control when she turned back. When she waved and motioned him forward, he narrowed his eyes at her and put his hands in his jean pockets. She figured he was trying to make some more room in his boxers as discreetly as possible. “Problem, honey?” she teased as he reached where she was standing.
Through clenched teeth, he growled, “Not at all, baby. Of course, you might have a problem tonight when I extract my revenge upon you.”
Doing her best to look innocent, she asked, “What do you mean?” When he pointed to her chest, she gave what she hoped was a dumb look. “But you didn’t buy me a bra—or panties. You told me to put on what was in the bag. Did I miss something?”
The poor man flinched before asking in a strained voice, “You aren’t wearing panties, either?”
She gave up all pretenses and just smirked. “Nope, afraid not. I guess I follow directions too well. You should have specified that I needed to include my own undergarments along with the clothes you supplied.”
Dominic put his hand on her neck, probably resisting the urge to strangle her. “At any other time, this would be like Christmas come early. Unfortunately, having to walk around in a zoo full of kids with a painful erection seems wrong on many levels.”
Gwen slid her arms under his jacket and wrapped them around his waist. “Awww, I’ll keep everything covered up. You won’t even know.”
“Oh, I’ll know,” he promised as he squeezed her tight before releasing her. “Let’s go feed some damn penguins. I need a change of focus fast.”
* * *
Dominic bit back a smile as Gwen waved good-bye to Max and Sam. When she had decided that morning to go braless, she probably hadn’t reckoned on going to the zoo and having a very hands-on session of feeding penguins. She had sent his blood pressure through the roof earlier by flashing him a view of her braless breasts in a tight tank top and adding the tidbit that she wasn’t wearing panties. His cock had gone into overdrive and he’d been ready to find a secluded corner and have his way with her.
She had thought his reaction was hysterical, but as they say, paybacks were a bitch, and she got hers fairly soon after that. She had looked a bit uncomfortable when she had discovered that there were two twenty-something-year-old men who would be showing them around the penguin habitat. Dominic had grinned when she’d pulled her jacket closer around her body in an attempt to cover her breasts. Soon after that, Mark told them that it could get messy during feeding time so they should remove their jackets and pull on one of the smocks located nearby.
Dominic had made a big production of taking off his coat and then all eyes turned to Gwen as she stood there, shifting nervously. “Hurry up, babe, so we can get started,” he’d called to her. Her eyes had shot daggers at him before she stiffened her spine and took her jacket off. His jaw had dropped because truthfully, he hadn’t expected that. He figured she’d make up some excuse about being cold. That laugh was on him because Max and Sam couldn’t stop staring at her chest. Damn, why had he thought it was a good idea to buy a shirt that he knew was too small?
She had taken her time putting the smock on and by the time she was finished, all three of the men in the room were sweating profusely. After that little show of defiance, though, she’d folded. Max and Sam had fawned all over her, and she’d been uncomfortable with their attention. Hell, it had started to get under his skin as well after a while. He just knew the little horny bastards were plotting ways to stage an impromptu wet T-shirt contest with Gwen as the sole contestant. Maybe there hadn’t been too much payback, after all, because he’d ended up suffering as much or more than she had. Luckily, feeding the penguins had almost been enough to make up for it.
When she reached him, he took her hand and led her toward the park. “Please tell me that you didn’t give them your autograph or phone number.”
She blushed adorably, before pulling her jacket close. “Ugh . . . no. I think Sam was working up the nerve to ask, though. They’re not exactly kids; haven’t they seen a woman’s breasts before?”
“Not like yours,” Dominic teased. “I get a little crazy myself when I look at them.” Gwen laughed softly beside him as they walked toward a crowded deli. He had already arranged earlier for a picnic lunch so they were able to bypass the bulk of the line. He carried their food toward a quiet, grassy spot under a big tree, and they s
ettled there.
When they were finished with their sandwiches, he leaned back against the tree trunk and motioned for her to sit between his legs. He exhaled in contentment when her back met his chest and he curved his arms loosely around her. “This is nice,” she sighed, seeming to melt against him.
“It is,” he agreed, thinking that this had been one of the best days he’d spent in a while. Having sex with Gwen was amazing, but just spending leisure time with her also felt so damned right. “So,” he added, “I know you went to college in South Carolina and that you have a sister who bought you a zoo membership but tell me more. Does your family live near here?”
Gwen stretched lazily against him and he tried to block out the fact that she wasn’t wearing panties beneath her jeans. He wanted to enjoy this time with her without having his cock digging into her ass. There would be plenty of time for that later.
“My family lives in Columbia, which I’m sure you know is a couple of hours from here. My dad has his own landscaping business, and my mom handles his bookwork. My sister, Wendy, is married but has no children yet. She teaches the fifth grade and her husband, Peter, also works at the same school.”
“Hmmm, I’m sensing a pattern here,” Dominic mused. “If you follow in your family’s footsteps, you’ll be marrying someone that you work with.”
He had felt her tense against him for a split second before she relaxed. “Well, my immediate supervisor is kinda cute.” Now he was the one tensing until she added, “I wonder how he feels about having two wives.”
As she giggled against him, he started tickling her, which led to other things . . . Before he knew it, she was lying under him, and he was sipping from her plump lips. Things were beginning to get out of hand when he heard a voice that was as effective as a cold shower. “Mommy, is he putting a baby in Gwen’s tummy?”
He jerked away from Gwen and sprang to his feet so quickly that he overbalanced and crashed backward. “Holy fu— fudge,” he corrected at the last moment as he looked up into the curious eyes of Maddy, Megan, and Shannon.
While they were staring at him, Gwen made her way to her feet, zipping her jacket discreetly. “Hey, guys, what are you doing here?”
“Mommy said she needed to get out of the house before she tore all of her hair out,” Maddy said matter-of-factly.
Megan fingered her own hair before looking at Gwen in confusion. “Why would she want to pull her hair out? Do you think it’s because Cameron keeps playing with it?”
When the adults looked around awkwardly without answering, Maddy spoke up. “I think that it’s ’cause he made her scream last night. I was in my bed and she yelled ‘don’t stop.’ He must not have listened the first time, though, because she kept saying it. Doesn’t he know that Mommy doesn’t like to repeat herself?”
“Oh, my God,” Shannon moaned, looking horrified. “Maddy!”
Gwen walked over to put her arm around a rattled Shannon. Dominic heard her asking the other woman under her breath, “Who is Cameron?”
As Maddy and Megan walked a few feet away to chase a butterfly, Shannon said, “Cameron is a doctor I work with. We’ve been having dinner together some nights at work, and he came over last night. I should never have—I thought the girls were asleep.”
Dominic was trying hard not to listen to the conversation between the two women. He knew Shannon was probably embarrassed enough by now. When he felt a tug on his jacket he looked down to find Maddy staring up at him. “Do you play with Gwen’s hair, too?”
The question was innocent enough, but he knew this was a train heading off the tracks. He should have run when he had the chance. “Er . . . sure. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Maddy, ever persistent, continued her interrogation. “Is that why you were lying on top of her? Did you have to get close ’cause you thought she had something in her hair?” Shit, if this kid didn’t grow up to be a lawyer, she was missing her true calling.
He had no idea that Megan had been following their conversation until she suddenly popped up next to him, saying, “I bet she’s got lice. Caroline’s little brother, Bastard, had that. It’s when you have bugs crawling around in your hair and you gotta get a special brush and shampoo to get them out.”
Dominic was trying very hard not to laugh. Surely, there wasn’t a kid named Bastard out there. “I don’t think Gwen has lice,” he tried to assure the girls. “She was just cold, and I was warming her up.” Maybe it wasn’t a great excuse, but that’s the best he could come up with on the fly.
Wrinkling her nose, Megan asked, “Are you sure? ’Cause Bastard didn’t know he had bugs, but he couldn’t stop itching.”
Gwen’s burst of laughter clued him into the fact that she’d overheard Megan’s statement. Shannon looked at her daughter, shaking her head. “Megan, I’ve told you that his name is Baxter.”
“No, I think it’s Bastard, Mommy,” Maddy added, “just like Daddy’s other name.”
Dominic tried, he really did, but he couldn’t keep it in any longer. He took a few steps away and bent over laughing. These girls were all kinds of crazy, and it should scare the hell out of him to think that he could have one anytime soon. Megan poked him in the side and asked, “Do you gotta go potty? The bathroom’s over there.”
After that, Shannon was more than ready to get the girls out of there before they embarrassed her any further. Dominic thought he’d heard it all from his nephews, but Megan and Maddy could teach them a few things. God help the world if those four ever got together. Gwen walked up to him as he stood grinning and slid an arm around his waist. “Is it wrong that I’m still a little turned on from earlier?” she whispered against his neck.
He felt his cock stirring back to life at her question. He would have thought that the girls had killed any chance of a hard-on for hours, if not days, but it seemed that it took only a few words from her to undo the recent buzzkill. “Maybe, but it appears that I’ve got some work to do since Cameron had your neighbor screaming last night. I refuse to be outdone. When we get home, I’m going to need to seduce you until you scream. Don’t be afraid to be creative, either. ‘Don’t stop’ has already been done. I’m thinking of the words harder, harder, and something about me being so big. The good doctor’s probably never heard anything like that.”
Gwen giggled against his chest, then almost made him swoon when she lowered her voice to a sexy growl and purred, “Oh God, Dominic, harder—harder. Oh baby, you’re sooo big. Yes . . . oh . . . yesss!”
Using her as a cover, Dominic adjusted himself for the second time since arriving at the zoo. This so wasn’t the place for that. “I can’t believe you did that to me again,” he growled into her ear. “I’m really regretting riding the bike today.” Putting an arm around her, he began guiding her toward the exit. “We’ve got to get out of here before one or both of us is arrested, or even worse, Megan and Maddy return and ask me if I have a squirrel in my pants.” When she started laughing again, he said, “If we run into them, I’m taking your jacket off and then you can explain why your boobies are sticking out.” Her laugh turned to a nervous chuckle as she zipped the leather jacket up farther. “That’s right, baby. If I go down, you follow closely behind.”
“You’re not scaring me,” she assured him, but her pace quickened to where he was almost the one running to keep up with her. When they reached his bike, she settled behind him as if they’d been riding together for years.
“Anywhere you need to stop?” he asked, although he desperately hoped the answer was no.
“Nope, home please—and don’t waste any time.” He said a silent prayer of thanks and took off through the streets. He wanted nothing more than to break all the speed limits to get home faster, but he’d never risk her safety.
When they made it home, he pulled her toward his apartment without asking. He couldn’t wait any longer or risk Gwen not having condoms. He’d bought a new box yesterday, and they were still sitting in a bag on the living room table. Obviously, he d
idn’t entertain much. As soon as they walked through the door, he shut it behind them and started removing his clothes. “This is gonna be fast, baby. I need you naked—now.” Her mouth fell open as he began unbuckling his jeans. He had to give her credit because she recovered quickly and had her boots and jacket off in the blink of an eye. It would be amazing if they could spend a night in bed together just touching and discovering, but there was always the need to take the edge off first. He wanted her too badly to go slow.
Soon, she was naked and attempting to cover her breasts with her arms. “Where . . . ?”
His cock bobbed stiffly against his stomach as he considered her question. “Over the arm of the couch,” he instructed. His obsession with her ass was something he couldn’t control. His hands wanted to be on it every second they were together. Strange he had made it to his thirties without ever knowing he was an ass man. He had always thought his interests in the female body were pretty evenly distributed until Gwen. He loved her body in general, but her ass held a special place in his heart.
He grabbed a condom off the nearby table and quickly sheathed himself. Gwen had gotten into the position that he’d requested, and her glorious backside was taunting him. He stepped between her spread thighs and dropped a hand onto one of her firm globes. “Dominic—please,” she begged as she pushed against his hand. He parted her gently until he could see her glistening pink slit pulsing for him. He ran a finger through the slick heat, spreading her juices from end to end. “I need you inside me,” she hissed as he continued to tease her.
In answer to her plea, he drove his middle finger into her channel, feeling her ripple around him. “Is this what you want, baby?” he teased, as he worked his finger in and out of her slowly.
“No,” she whimpered, although her hips circled urgently.
He was fast losing control but tried to hold on to torment them both a while longer. “Then what do you want?” Adding another finger, he asked, “Is this it?”