A SEAL's Surrender (Alpha SEALs Book 3) (9 page)

More like a cobra, she thought.  He seemed ready to strike at any moment.

“We’ll get there,” Lexi promised.

“Let me know if you need anything,” he said, appraising her.

“Of course,” she said.

He nodded curtly and left.  She exchanged glances with one of the military men she’d been working with all afternoon.

“Is he always such a hard ass?’

“That was nothing,” the guy said, chuckling.  “He’s been nothing but civilized to you.”

“I can’t wait to catch him on bad day,” she muttered.

They’d given her room to take the lead on this investigation, but she needed to get some results.  She’d played around with the idea of upping the network security, making it impossible for anyone to ever find their servers at Little Creek, let alone attempt to hack into them again.  Or she could set up a honey pot—a trove of false information that would be utterly irresistible to the hackers.  After they downloaded the falsified files, a Trojan horse virus would infiltrate their systems, leaving them open to an attack.  And one hundred percent traceable by Lexi.

She wished she had a clue as to who was after the information stored on the classified databases.  If it was just some dumb college kids fooling around, seeing what they could hack into, they’d be prosecuted, but it wouldn’t be worth setting up the dummy data and honey pot.  If, on the other hand, it was indeed foreign nationals or some other adversary after Top Secret government data, then it had to be dealt with using the fullest extent of her capabilities.

She straightened her stack of papers and shoved them into her briefcase.  The jumble of IP addresses wasn’t classified information, and she’d cull through them later on back at the hotel, seeing if she could glean anything new.  The IT night shift on base would search through some of the code they’d been able to pull from one attempted penetration, seeing if the hackers had left any inadvertent clues.  And after a couple of hours of shut-eye, they’d reconvene at oh-seven-hundred.

Eight hours spent analyzing data, and they weren’t any closer to finding the culprit than when they’d started this morning.  Her chances of returning to Arlington on Friday were looking slimmer and slimmer.

She called Kenley as she climbed into her SUV, leaving the phone on speaker as she started the engine.  “How was the game last night?”  AC cranked up, windows cranked down.  She was ready to roll.

“Nat’s won, Yankees lost.”

Lexi laughed.  “You didn’t take Cassidy to the game, did you?  She would’ve been pissed.”

“Nope.  Just me, myself, and I.  How are things at Little Creek?”

“Disastrous,” she said.

“You can’t solve the computer mumbo jumbo?”

Lexi rolled her eyes.  “Of course I’ll figure that out—eventually.  It’s more the entire male species that’s causing me problems.”

“You met a guy?”

“Just a blast from the past.”  More like a freaking brick wall.

“Wait—you mean the guy you ran clear across the country from?”

“The very one.”

“Holy shit.”

Lexi laughed.  Nearly a decade of friendship, and she’d never once heard Kenley utter a single swear word.  “Now imagine how I feel.”

“That’s insane.”

“That it is.  Anyway, I’m not sure if I’ll be back by the weekend, either.  The computer ‘mumbo jumbo’ as you so eloquently put it is major.  I many have to bail on you and Cassidy for girl’s night.”

“Sure you not just busy getting hot and heavy with the ex?” Kenley teased.

“I’m up to my eyeballs in work.  Besides, he’s a complete ass,” Lexi said, choosing to leave out that fact that she’d slept with an ex.  Perfect.  Now she was lying to her best friend, sleeping with the enemy, and not any closer to tracking down the hackers than she had been this morning.  What a catastrophe of a day.

“Hmmm.  Maybe Cassidy and I can take a trip down to the beach for the weekend.  You’ll have some free time, right?”

Lexi smiled.  “Yeah, definitely.  You want to crash at my hotel?”  She pulled onto Atlantic Avenue, already feeling lighter with the salty air blowing in through her open windows.

“If Cassidy comes, too, we’ll probably just crash at the condo.  We’ll come by though.”

“Awesome.  Let me know what you guys decide.”

“Sure thing.  Talk to you soon?  I’ve got to wrap up some stuff at the office.”

“Sounds good.  Bye, hun.”

“Bye.”

She pushed “end” and tossed her phone onto the passenger seat.  She’d left base without another confrontation with a frustrating Navy SEAL.  Her best friends may turn her extended business trip into a beach weekend.  The day was suddenly looking up.

Christopher pulled out of the parking lot on base, trailing behind Lexi at a safe distance.  He’d wanted to nab her before she left for the day, but the drills he’d joined his SEAL team for out on the water had taken longer than he’d expected.  He’d sprinted out to his car just in time to see her pulling away.  Maybe it was for the best, because what he had to say needed to be done in private.  Far from the guys on his SEAL team, who’d been ribbing him about the fuck-up at Anchors last night.  Lexi storming out on him was now permanently engrained in all of their memories. Hell.

He followed her for ten minutes, his mind flashing back to tailing Rebecca all those months ago during the stalker incident.  Lexi didn’t seem to have the first clue that he was hot on her tail, and his gut churned.  Maybe after they spoke about the mistakes that had haunted him for a decade, he’d teach her some basic safety precautions.  A single woman couldn’t be too careful.

She pulled into a parking garage off Atlantic Avenue, across the street from a long strip of hotels.  He signaled and turned in behind her.  Christopher’s hands gripped the steering wheel as she chose the spot in the far corner.  Granted, there weren’t any other open spaces left on this level.  He’d tell her to use the valet at her hotel so she wasn’t walking around alone in parking garages all the time.  Not that she was his concern anymore, but hell.  The thought of something happening to her left a tightening in his chest that he didn’t want to examine too closely.

She was a big girl.  A grown woman.  Somehow she’d survived the past nine years without him.  Fuck.  There’d probably been other men, other boyfriends around.  Maybe she wasn’t married, but she’d never said she was alone.  The thought of another man’s hands on Lexi made his blood boil. Seeing her again after all this time sent his brain short-circuiting, filling him with primal urges to make her his again.  So what if he’d screwed up a decade ago.  He wasn’t some young kid anymore, he was a man.  And hell if he wouldn’t protect and defend those he cared about.

Lexi was mad at him, but hell.  If he had to get down on his knees and fucking grovel, he wasn’t above doing so.  Just for a damn chance to make the ache in his heart go away—to let her know despite everything, no matter what happened, she was the one thing he cared about in his life.  He’d screwed it up royally, but if he had the tiniest shot at making things right, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

She remained in her SUV as he pulled past, driving up the ramp to the next level.  His pulse pounded as he realized this level was also full.  If he followed her all the way here only to lose sight of her in the damn parking garage, he was going to lose his shit.  No fucking way would she let him in her hotel room.  Not after she’d snuck out this morning.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, turning up another level.  Christ.  He was about ready to leave his pick-up double-parked while he chased her down.  Finally, he saw a car up ahead backing out, and he sped up, waiting for their spot.  It took them several minutes to make an easy maneuver out of the parking spot, and he half considered jumping out of his truck and offering to back it out for them.

At this point, Lexi was probably already long gone.

Finally they pulled away, leaving him the precious empty space.  He easily pulled his pick-up into the spot and jumped out, running to the stairs in the corner.  Lexi was on the ground level, and maybe if he sprinted down he could spot her on the street.  He needed to find his girl.

***

Lexi grabbed her briefcase from the passenger seat and climbed out of her SUV.  She clicked the remote, setting the alarm, and walked through the lower level of the garage.  The place was filled with cars, but oddly enough, there were no other people around.  The clicking of her heels on the pavement was the only sound, aside from the street noise drifting in, giving the garage an eerily deserted feel.  The bass from a stereo thumped loudly as a car sat at a light, and a moment later, the engine accelerated as it drove off.  She wrinkled her nose in disgust as exhaust filled the air.

A large black SUV appeared in the entrance of the garage, its headlights flicking on as it pulled into the darkened structure.  She held a hand to her eyes, shielding them from the brightness.  Why the hell were they just sitting there, lights beaming right at her?

She sighed and turned toward the stairwell.  There was an exit to the street there, too.  She’d go out that door and cross Atlantic Avenue to her hotel.  No biggie.

The SUV pulled forward as she reached for the handle to the stairwell, stopping only a few feet from where she stood.  Uneasiness washed over her.  An entire parking garage, and they stopped beside
her
?

“Excuse me!” a man’s deep, authoritative voice rang out.

A tinted window in the rear of the vehicle unrolled, and she saw the slimy guy in a suit that had been watching her last night.  Dark hair slicked back, clean shaven, and still wearing sunglasses even though they were in a garage so dark that the driver had turned on his headlights.

A shiver raced down her spine.

It wasn’t like he was some random thug off the street.  He was staying in an oceanfront resort.  She was already at the stairway of the parking garage, only feet from the exit.  It’s not like he’d rob her or rape her in broad daylight, within spitting distance from traffic on the street.

Would he?

She pulled the handle of the door to the stairwell, surprised to hear someone running down the steps.  Someone big, judging from the loud thumping.  They were only one level above her.  Holy shit.  Were there more than just the guys in the vehicle?  What the hell did they want with her?

Her heart hammered in her chest, and she frantically looked around.  They were on street level.  She could run between the parked cars and climb over the concrete wall facing Atlantic Avenue. She’d land in a bunch of bushes, but that would be a hell of a lot better than being trapped in the stairs with Rambo or being pulled into the black SUV, occupants unknown.

She had to get the hell out of here.  She released the handle, the large, heavy door beginning to swing shut.  She’d rather chance running through the parking garage than risk the unknown.

“Excuse me!” the man from the SUV called out again.  The backdoor opened.

She turned away, clutching her briefcase in both hands.  If someone came after her, she’d have to use it as a weapon.

“Sorry, I’m late!” she shouted.  Would someone on the street even hear her if she screamed?

The pounding down the stairs came faster as the man neared the bottom.

“Lexi?”

She halted, a mixture of relief and surprise washing over her.  That sounded like…Christopher?  What the hell was he doing here?  A day ago, he was the last man on earth she would to run into, but at this moment, she’d never been so happy to hear his voice in her life.

She spun back toward the stairwell as the backdoor to the SUV slammed shut, and it quickly backed out of the garage, tires squealing as they took off.  She stared after them in shock as Christopher came pushing through the door.  She looked over at him, wide-eyed, clutching her briefcase to her chest.

“Shit, did I scare you?” he asked, rushing to her side.  “You’re white as a ghost.”

She lowered her briefcase with trembling hands.

“Lexi,” he said, his voice a low rumble.  She met his concerned gaze, and Christopher took her briefcase from her in one large hand, gently lifting his other hand to her cheek.  Without thinking, she relaxed into his warmth.  This was crazy.  For all she knew, those guys were asking her for directions or something.  But why’d they take off when they heard Christopher coming? And what was he doing here anyway?

She unsteadily stepped back from his searing touch, wobbling in her heels.  She blinked.  The ground spun beneath her.

His muscular arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back, holding her close to his side.  He still gripped her briefcase, not even bothering to use the handle.  Geez, his hands were massive.  Something sparked inside of her at the memory of them trailing across her skin.  She tried to pull away, to stop the onslaught of unwelcome memories, but he held her close.

Christopher was a wall of rigid muscle beside her.  His clean, masculine scent surrounded her, and the warmth from his frame seeped into her as he tucked her against his side, making her feel safe, secure.  Her body relaxed into him, her breathing uneven.  The adrenaline pumping through her was because of her fright.  It had nothing to do with the hard-edged SEAL holding her close.

“Lexi, you’re shaking.” He bent and set her briefcase on the ground before turning her to face him, his sure hands gripping her waist.  The weight of them sent her reeling, her head spinning.  She’d fall over if Christopher wasn’t holding her up.

“Did something happen?” he asked.  Gentle brown eyes searched hers.

“Those guys—I thought—”

“What guys?”  His brow furrowed.

“There was a car, right before you got here.  An SUV.  I saw this creepy guy watching me last night at my hotel.  And he was here.  Now.” She shook her head, trying to clear her disjointed thoughts.  Christopher watched her hair swish back and forth before once again searching her face.  She wasn’t even speaking coherently, just rambling like some lunatic.

“Lexi.”  His voice was soothing.  Quiet.

She met his gaze and swallowed.

“Tell me what happened.  Should I call the police?”  Anger sparked in his eyes.  God, he’d probably chase after them himself if she let him.  Christopher had always been one of those protective, alpha males.  He was cocky and arrogant with the goods to back it up.  But he was also fiercely protective of those he cared about—or was most of the time, she thought bitterly, recalling the way it had ended between them years ago.

She let out a shaky breath, her resolve strengthening.  “Just forget it.  I can take care of myself.”

“Hell, Lexi,” he ground out. “I know you’re still mad at me.  But so help me God, tell me what the fuck just happened.  If someone is trying to hurt you, I’ll rip their goddamn heart out.”

The aggressiveness in his voice startled her.  Calmed her.  Just because she was mad at Christopher her ex-boyfriend didn’t mean Christopher the Navy SEAL wouldn’t protect her.  Her eyelids slid shut, and she took a deep breath.  He was watching her closely when she finally opened her eyes, an unreadable expression on his face.  Anger, somehow mixed with…want.  Concern.

She explained about the man she’d seen when checking in last night and then how he’d pulled into the garage in his SUV and called out to her.

Christopher’s jaw ticked.  “Did you get his plates?”

“No.”

“I’ll get footage from the security staff at the hotel.  Otherwise I’ll look into whoever operates this garage.  One way or another—I’m finding out who he was.  Even if I have to hack into their damn systems myself.  License plates, names, everything.”

“It’s probably nothing—just some creep chasing after women.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Some men are pigs,” she said with a shrug.

“I don’t like it,” he said, his voice steel.

“Christopher—”

“I’m not letting anything happen to you.  Not after finally finding you again.”

The emotion in his voice startled her.  He sure wasn’t acting like someone who didn’t give a damn.  True, he had come back to her apartment, years ago—eventually.  But her heart was already shattered by then.  He wasn’t the man she thought that he was.  She couldn’t be with a guy who ran every time he panicked.  Not then; not ever.  And the concern he was showing right now?  It was too much. She didn’t want any of the thoughts or memories currently racing through her mind.  She wanted to forget about Christopher.  The fact that he’d shown up in her life again all these years later meant nothing.

She pulled away and bent down to pick up her briefcase.  She’d go back to her hotel room and pretend this little encounter never happened.  Whatever the hell he wanted would just have to wait.  She wouldn’t get answers by ignoring him, but maybe the truth wasn’t worth it anyway.  Sometimes the past was just too damn painful to revisit.

“So that’s it?” Christopher asked, crossing his arms in irritation.

“What’s it?”

“I tell you I’m not letting anything happen to you, and you act like you’re leaving.”  His thumb jerked toward the stairwell.

“I guess we’re both good at that.”

She turned, and his hands were on her in an instant.  He pulled her close, his large body hovering behind her as an avalanche of shivers raced down her spine.  He towered above her, his chin atop her head, and she crashed into his solid chest, loving a little too much the way her body fit perfectly against his.  She felt safe.  Shielded.  His warmth and scent surrounded her.  His lips brushed against her hair.  She was drowning in him.

His hands flexed, digging into her waist, sending her mind reeling.  One move, and he could turn her around and pin her against the wall, kissing her senseless.  Proving her wrong.  All his power and strength was attractive.  Arousing.  His entire body was tense, ready to spring at any moment, and she felt his thick arousal against her lower back.  Liquid heat began to pool at her center.