Code Name: Ghost (A Warrior's Challenge 1) (18 page)

The plane left the ground and her heart
turned into a piston with several misfires. Within seconds, they
gained altitude. She looked out the small window across from her,
and it certainly was a different kind of feeling knowing she
wouldn’t be coming down the same way as she was going up—terrifying
pretty much summed it up.

The pilot’s voice burst into her headset,
“Two minutes to jump.”

Oh, God, could she actually do this? The
guys all sported grins as they watched her, probably knowing her
guts rolled like a cement truck.

“Goddammit,” the Commander barked in their
ears. “Captain Holmes, take another pass.”

“Commander?” the pilot questioned.

“On your feet, Mace,” he ordered
abruptly.

“Sir, what’s wrong?” Mace asked, getting to
his feet as ordered.

“She’s jumping with me.”

Confusion replaced her nervousness.
“What?”

“Mace, now,” he said gruffly.

Mace didn’t argue and they quickly exchanged
equipment as the plane veered, taking another turn in the sky. The
large door in the back began to open and the wind tore into the
aircraft, pulling at everything with its force, sending the
equipment into a chaotic dance. Mace and Fox attached her to the
Commander, snapping on the clips, and making sure the harness was
tight. It was then every drop of moisture evaporated from her
tongue. Like Sherlock Holmes, she knew something was afoot, and she
was pretty goddamn sure it was terror.

The rest of the men lined up, preparing to
jump. She heard Thane release a gust of air as he wrapped his arms
around her, nudging her toward the door. Her legs shook so badly
she thought she would collapse.

His helmet touched hers, and even through
all the clothes and gear, she felt him squeeze her. “It’s just like
making love, Snow White, let go and feel,” he said in a low voice,
sending sparks ripping through her, squashing the fear and
replacing it with desire.

“You’re clear,” the pilot said, but there
was definitely humor in his tone. “Have a good orgasm, Snow
White.”

“Very funny,” she muttered.

Cobbs gave the order to jump. The men took a
few quick steps, just like she was told they would, and then
vaulted from the plane.

“Ready?” the Commander asked, his voice
reassuring and calm.

She nodded once sharply.

A quick laugh rumbled in her ear. “Let’s
make love, Kayla,” and the Commander’s weight pushed against her as
he held her protectively in his arms.

As they leaped from the plane, her heart
leaped from her chest. They sliced through the air in the forward
roll. She was along for the ride, and kept her eyes wide open,
sensing the wind and the Commander around her as they flattened
out. For forty seconds they fell free between heaven and earth,
unencumbered—together. “Oh, Gawwwwd,” vaulted from her throat as if
she were having the longest orgasm of her life.

The wind didn’t totally eradicate the
chuckles she heard in her ear.

“You know how to treat a woman, Commander,”
Cobbs said, followed by a bark of laughter.

“I’m not finished pleasing her yet.” His
legs wound tight around hers. “Kayla, close your eyes.”

With a gentle arc of his body, he rolled
them. The exhilaration sent a wild tingling through her body. “Do
it again,” she said, opening her eyes wanting to see this time.

His low warm chuckle opened her heart, and
this time she let her fear go and helped him. His large fingers
forked through hers, and the ecstasy of trusting her life to his
strength as they rolled came about as close to aeronautical orgasm
as it could come.

“I’m going to open the chute, Kayla, you’re
going to feel a jerk,” the Commander warned.

The chute deployed and she felt a hard jerk
as the wind roared in her ears, and then the world went silent.
They seemed to be falling fast now, and as if he knew her anxiety
increased with every second he said, “Easy, Kayla. We’re good,
sweetheart.”

She looked up into the ballooned chute, the
edges rippling with their descent.

“The landing is the toughest. Remember what
Mace taught you. We’re going to do this together, two bodies moving
as one,” he said.

The ground and the people watching came at
them faster than she expected. When they were five hundred feet
off, the Commander maneuvered the chute toward the circle painted
on the desert floor, and she took a few deep breaths. The rest of
the team had landed, and she could see them gathering their
chutes.

They passed through the smoke of several
flares three of the men had ignited on their way down to impress
the crowd. The Black Hawks hovered above them from four directions,
as if to protect them. They hit the ground running, but the force
was hard, harder than she expected. A tweak in her ankle, followed
by a sharp pain, shot up her leg, but she ignored it, her heart
hammering with exhilaration.

The Commander steadied her quickly,
disconnected himself and turned to control the chute ruffling in
the desert wind. She looked into the sky. “Holy shit,” she cried. A
hand grasped her shoulder, taking her attention from the
heavens.

“Kayla, what’s wrong?” Mace barked at her
with concern.

“What?” She realized she stood like a
wounded dog with her toe propped on the ground taking the weight
off her ankle. “I’m fine. I just twisted it.”

But as her adrenaline eased the pain
increased. She blew her breath out, her heart still pumping madly.
The Commander appeared in front of her, grasping her arms. “Kayla,
what’s wrong?”

“She hurt her ankle landing,” Mace said as
the rest of the team circled around them.

“It’s nothing you guys, don’t worry about
it.” Several hands freed her of the harness. When she put her
weight on her foot, she immediately retracted it.

“Ah, shit,” the Commander groaned.

Just about to tell him to stop overreacting,
her words were cutoff when he swooped her into his arms, lifting
her into the air.

“Ooo-kay. Do I get to make your life a
living hell now?” Mace drawled.

“What?” she exclaimed, ripping her helmet
off. “Did you threaten Mace?” That would explain his nervousness
earlier.

“Just with his life. Nothing he’s not
prepared to give up,” the Commander offered with a wicked grin.
“Stitch—”

Caleb, the squad’s corpsman, had already
slipped her boot off, inspecting her ankle as the Commander walked
toward the prep tents.

“It’s definitely sprained, if not
fractured,” Caleb reported.

The crowd clapped, but watched intently,
knowing something had gone wrong. The men continued to wave as they
walked from the landing site.

“I’ll get my kit. I’ll meet ya there,” Caleb
said, running ahead of them.

“That was amazing,” she said, throwing one
arm in the air, the other snagged around the Commander’s neck.

“Does this mean he took your virginity?”
Tony asked, laughing.

The catcalls followed, making her blush.
Wrapping her arm around his neck, she leaned against his chest,
resting her chin on his shoulder. A gust of laughter escaped her
lips, remembering last night. It was the closest she’d ever come to
feeling like a true harlot, and now she’d have to ride out the
embarrassment.

“Not yet,” he breathed in her ear.

Good thing he had her in his arms, hard to
walk with legs made of melting chocolate.

* * * *

She lay on her bed reading a magazine with
her leg propped on a stack of pillows and ice packs surrounding her
ankle like an igloo. The Commander walked through the doorway
adjoining their rooms.

The well-used bed creaked as he sat down
beside her and placed his hand on her thigh. “How’s it
feeling?”

“It feels fine, besides, I like the way I
earned it,” she said heartily. “It’s only a sprain. I’ll be up and
being a pain in your ass in no time, sir.” Her breath stopped short
in her lungs when his fingers wove through her curls. “Is everyone
gone?”

“They’ve gone looking for round two at the
Beer Garden.”

“Well, have a good time,” she said, forcing
her attention back to her magazine. She was amazed the damn thing
wasn’t fluttering like hummingbird wings.

“I’m staying here with you.”

She flopped the mag down in her lap and gave
him a stern look. “Go. I don’t need a babysitter, I’ve got hours of
TV to watch and the guys brought me enough magazines to read for a
year,” she said, looking at the heaped pile spilling over the
surface of her night table.

“Kayla—” his features melted into a tortured
expression. “I can’t. You understand why, right?”

She knew he wasn’t talking about leaving
anymore, but she feigned ignorance. “Commander, you’re not going to
pick up a blonde bombshell sitting next to me. The team has a
healthy lead on you, get going.” The Commander’s fingers twined
through hers, lifting them and kissing them tenderly. Tears
threatened to sprout in her eyes at the sensitive gesture. “Go,”
she prompted, a smile pouring across her features.

His brows shot together. “He’s right. You
smile to make everyone else feel good, no matter how you feel.”

She didn’t know what that meant, but she
wasn’t going to ask.

The mattress lifted, relieved of his weight.
Grabbing the paper and pen on the night table, he scribbled
something on it. “If you need anything, call me. I’ll come right
back.”

“Have one for me.” But he didn’t go, instead
he sat down again, inches from her, and grazed her cheek with one
finger. She couldn’t blame what she’d done last night all on the
alcohol. “I’m not going to get any better with you staring at
me.”

His gaze trailed across the floor, at war
with his thoughts. The moment had turned too serious, and his mind
was troubled for no good reason.

“Commander?”

He gathered both her hands in his, but he
wouldn’t look at her.

“Thank you for letting me strike something
off my bucket list today. I’ll remember every second. Even though
I’m a grown woman, I wouldn’t have been brave enough to do it by
myself.” She bowed her head. It had meant so much to her. While
many women she knew ran marathons, road motorcycles, and jumped off
cliffs to mark their lives with challenges and milestones, she
lived a sedate life. She’d had enough action in her life, all of it
bad.

His finger gently stroked her wrist, pausing
on her pulse. “You’ve brought so much light into our world,” he
said quietly. “At least…into mine.” His fingers slid under her chin
and his thumb brushed her lips as if giving her a kiss. “I don’t
hate you, Kayla. No matter how much of a bastard I can be, never
think I want you to leave.”

Slowly, she reached up and touched his face,
there’d never be another chance. Her stomach somersaulted with
warmth seeing his eyes close. “Get going, Commander, the guys are
gonna get all the sexy women first.”

“I’ll be back early.” Twisting, he pulled
the packs from her ankle and laid them aside for her warming cycle.
“I know you won’t, but call me if you want me…If you need
anything,” he corrected quickly.

“I don’t need anything. Get movin’, SEAL
Commander. Your men need their leader.”

The Commander paused, his muscular form
filling the doorway, his hands gripping the frame, whitening his
knuckles. With his head bowed, he said, “You’re a beautiful woman,
Kayla. I held you in my arms today because I wanted to be the one
you experienced the jump with. I kissed you last night because—I…”
He turned to face her. “I could blame it on the alcohol, but that
would be a lie. I’m only leaving now because if I don’t, I’ll kiss
you again, and I won’t be able to stop.” His eyes hardened, his
fingers curling even tighter around the frame. “I made a decision
years ago, Kayla. I’d serve my country, but not my heart. There’s
no middle ground for someone like me. I don’t change my mind once
I’ve made it. Allowing you to come with us was the first in a long
time.”

Anything she said would sound like she was
trying to change his mind, so she remained silent.

“I cause enough pain in my service for this
country. I won’t add more by asking someone to share their life
with me, and then one day come home in a box.”

Glancing away from him, she said, “I
understand pain, Commander. More than you know. We—we’re just fine
the way we are.”

Dropping his powerful arms to his side his
gaze darkened. “No, we’re not, but it’s the way it has to be.”

His expression softened for an instant,
dropping his rugged façade, letting her see him unguarded. The man
hidden within the warrior made her entire soul come to life with
his power and intense warmth.

He blinked, confusion raining across his
expression. “In all these years, you’re the only woman who’s ever
given me a reason to doubt.”

* * * *

He and Cobbs left the rest of the team to
get shitfaced. Beautiful women hovered over them all night, but all
he did was check his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed a call
from Kayla. After his asinine speech this afternoon, did he
actually expect her to call? At ten, he couldn’t stand it anymore.
There were five stoplights between the airport and their hotel, and
every damn one went red, except for one yellow, and he wanted to
strangle the cabbie for not running it.

The lights in her room beamed into his, and
he turned the corner to find her fast asleep. Lying on her side,
Kayla clutched her pillow with both arms. One beautiful leg rested
on top of the white throw, and her red satin negligee clung to her
rounded curves, pulled up enough to see the perfect, soft edge of
her bottom.

He quietly made his way around the room
shutting off all the lights, and dimmed the one by the entrance.
Cast in shadow, her hair flowing around her peaceful features, he
gazed at the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Even in sleep
she radiated something he’d never seen before, never touched, never
felt in his entire life.