Page 43 of A Moment Never Forgotten
Yeah, what was the deal with Micah? That was a damn good question. She didn’t know whether to be pissed off or flattered that her son was concerned about the man she was dating.
Go with the truth. “We’re friends. Good friends.”
“Mom, he’s the commanding officer of SEAL Team Two. That’s like…” He paused, obviously searching for the right word. “Captain Reid is at least ten levels higher than me. Around here, he’s God. And he was in my house last night and I was a fucking wreck. You took my baby and slept at his house last night.”
“Stop right there Makensey Barker.” She needed to set this boy straight from the beginning. “Your mother took your baby last night so the son she loves could get some sleep. I just happened to be spending the night with Captain Reid. I have never interfered with your dating, or who you slept with, so don’t you dare start questioning my decisions.”
“Mom! You’re sleeping with Captain Reid?” When Mak said it, it sounded dirty.
“Obviously you didn’t get it the first time, son, so I’ll repeat myself in a different way.” She was fuming now. “Who I sleep with, when, and where, is none of your damn business. To be absolutely honest, I don’t want to know who, when, or where you sleep with anyone. This conversation is over and will never be repeated again. Do you understand?”
“Yeah.” His single word was filled with anger. “I get it.”
“Besides, Micah is leaving the teams the end of the month.” She’d smacked him down pretty hard and needed to soothe his ego. “He’s been transferred to the Pentagon, out of your chain of command. If you feel any blowback from whatever happens between Micah and me, I want to be the first one you tell. I won’t tolerate my personal life affecting you professionally. I know how important your career is to you.”
“Changing the subject, when are you going to return my daughter?” The teasing in his voice lightened her spirits.
“I should be able to meet you within the hour.” How about I buy you lunch, then we check out the on-base daycare?”
“Sounds like a plan. Mom…” Mak’s hesitation didn’t bode well for whatever he was going to say next. “I’m glad you’re dating again and…Captain Reid is one of the good guys. He’s good to his men. But you saw that back in Arlington.”
“Yes, son, and I saw that last night when he took me and Kenzi into his own home after suffering through an hour of shopping.”
“He should be given a fucking medal just for shopping with you.”
Her brain automatically went to Micah’s bedroom and everything they’d done there last night.
Yes, Micah Reid should definitely be given a fucking medal. He was very good at it.
Chapter Fifteen
As Micah drove toward DC, Berit slept. She needed it. Kenzi had been up twice Thursday night, but he’d kept Berit awake, sharing their bodies with one another. She was a magnificent lover, very responsive and adventurous. They didn’t get much sleep either Friday or Saturday night, but it wasn’t the baby waking them. They seemed to have an insatiable appetite for one another. He hadn’t had a sex marathon like that in years. Perhaps even a decade. Pushing forty-five, he was good for at least twice in one night. Berit had him up four times Saturday night, as long morning sex was included.
After their wonderful start to the day, Berit took Mak and Kenzi crib shopping and Micah went back into the office, knowing very few people would be there. It was the perfect time for him to search the archives for the failed Syrian mission ten years ago. What he’d found, shocked him.
As he drove northwest on the interstate, he wondered if Berit would invite him to spend the night at her home. He enjoyed her company as much as her body. She was so intelligent, able to slide from a conversation about an African country most Americans couldn’t find on a map, to the proper way to cook a roast in an Instant Pot, another new purchase she’d made for Mak’s home. The pot roast she’d made for Mak’s crew on Friday for supper was the best he’d ever tasted. There was not a single leftover from a seven-pound roast, a large bag of carrots, five pounds of potatoes, and a grocery bag of other vegetables. She actually made her own gravy from the juice. Christ, the woman could cook.
He grinned at no one as he remembered their argument Saturday afternoon. She wanted to go back to her son’s condo and cook for his friends again. Fortunately, he’d won. He’d taken her out to dinner where they’d watched the sunset from a rooftop bar overlooking the beach and ocean.
The sun disappearing behind them put on quite a show, reflecting glorious hues of pinks and peaches against the clouds before purples and blues blended into the night.
They’d dined on the bounty of the ocean in front of them; fresh-caught fish, blue crab, scallops, and shrimp. Stuffed, they walked barefoot on the beach at night, holding hands like young lovers. Since neither was into public sex, they went back to his home and showered together, rinsing off the sand and saltwater.
Shower sex had lost its appeal several years ago for him. It was a wonderful place for foreplay, though, and he and Berit had taken advantage of water and soap. When she walked to him and bent down over the edge, he lost his mind when she asked him if he would take her from behind.
Sunday morning, when he suggested her on her knees, she gave him a devilish grin. Instead of rolling over onto all fours, she pushed him down, swung her leg over his hips. She then reminded him that she was on her knees. Then she rode him. He loved playing with her bouncing breasts. She had very sensitive nipples, he discovered, when he nipped one. It sent her flying. As her inner muscles tightened and released, he went with her.
Waking before she did, with her satiated body draped over his, he wasn’t sure sex got any better. Then it did.
They had the talk.
Micah was shocked to hear that Berit hadn’t had a lover in over eighteen months. He, on the other hand, didn’t bother counting how many women he’d bedded during the last year and a half. Thankfully, he’d had his annual physical last week, in preparation for his transfer. They were both clean.
The first time he slid into Berit bareback, he was sure he’d gone to heaven. In the nearly thirty years he’d been sexually active, he’d only trusted two women enough to enter them uncovered. The first was his virginal girlfriend from high school, and the second was his fuck-buddy in college. Neither relationship had worked out. He wasn’t sure how long he and Barrett would be together, but he loved the idea of this first together for them.
Since she’d missed cooking for the men she fondly calledher boysSaturday night, Sunday morning she had insisted upon making brunch for everyone at Mak’s place. Because all of these men worked for him, he tried fervently to bow out. Berit could be a bulldog when she wanted something. He finally agreed, but only if he paid for all the ingredients.
Shopping in a grocery store with Berit was nowhere near as painful as their adventure in Target. She knew exactly what she wanted and quickly made decisions. Thank God.
