Code Name: Ghost (A Warrior's Challenge 1) (38 page)

“I can read yours.”

He’d thrown up every roadblock to keep her
away. If the team could see how transparent he was, why couldn’t
she? He swallowed deeply. “Lapierre told me he was willing to leave
JTF for you, but you wouldn’t let him.”

“That’s true.”

Her hands trembled and she drew them
together to try to hide it from him. “Why?”

“It’s complicated.”

It was none of his business, but he knew he
was going to ask. Anchoring himself mentally, he said, “But you’ve
made love to him, haven’t you? You slept with him. I could see it
in his eyes, the way he looked at you.”

Silence. He’d wait it out until she
answered, and the answer was going to kill him.

“Once.”

That one little word did more damage to him
than an artillery of fire power could. It didn’t matter he was
being a hypocrite. He was no angel. Is this what possessiveness
felt like, because he wanted to annihilate something. Punching an
actual hole through her wall would be juvenile, so he envisioned it
instead.

“It was a weak moment on my part. A moment
of misdirected need, hot and out of control. He couldn’t stop and
neither could I—I needed to feel again, and Greg…”

He raised his hand for her to stop
explaining, and thankfully, she did. “Why are you going back to
him?”

“I didn’t say I was. I just said I was
leaving Coronado.”

He took the few steps to the bed. As he
closed in, she leaned away, but there wasn’t far for her to go
before they were within a breath of each other. His strength
hovered over her delicate body. Domination was not his style, not
with a woman, but even in her weakness, she was stronger than any
woman he knew, and to keep her that’s what he’d have to do. “Like
hell you are.” Her deep brown eyes widened. The submissive answer
to his command easy to see, but he also saw the argument forming on
her lips.

Never letting her voice it, he kissed her,
and kept kissing her until she quieted. His mouth wanted more and
his tongue slipped to the mounds of her breasts, following the
sensual curves, then back to her lips with a punishing kiss. Love
fed his lust, and it shot straight to his shaft. As he nipped at
the pulse in her neck, her shallow quick breathes brushed against
his cheek. The willpower it took not to rip the towel off her was
herculean.

“Thane?”

Brushing her swollen mouth, his gaze mingled
deep with hers. He shook his head. “You’re hurting, and until I
know what’s causing it, all of it, we’re not going to take another
step until you trust me.” She hadn’t touched him up until that
point, then everything inside him exploded as her soft hands curled
around his back, drawing him closer. It seared through him, but it
wasn’t lust or passion, it was so much deeper, and it tightened his
heart then expanded it to its limits.

“You don’t want me.”

He choked on his own air. “Not another word,
Kayla, because you’re all I want.”

“Going, going, gone,” she whispered.

“Don’t even joke about that.” The sway of
her hips against his almost broke his resolve. “Goddamn it woman,
stop,” he hissed, but his shaft hardened against her, and he bit
into his lip to stop himself from pressing back. A flash of
white-hot heat fanned his desire when her fingers slid across his
skin, following the contours of his muscles.

He’d gazed into the same expression when
he’d first seen her, a still portrait of beauty. Without a single
movement, she struck and destroyed every pressure point inside him
with her porcelain doll features. Brushing her jaw with his lips,
he closed his eyes, reining in his desire, and teased her nose with
his. “I know you won’t believe me when I say this, but you and I
are going to have normal one day. We’re going to fight for it if we
have to, but we’re used to fighting for what we want, aren’t
we?”

“Commander…” Her brow buckled and tears
swelled, finding a path down her cheeks. “I don’t want to fight any
more.” She choked on her words. “You’re right, I don’t have anyone,
or anywhere to go. I’m so tired.” She bit her bottom lip to stop it
from trembling. “The Shark is coming after me, and I’m not going to
survive, am I?”

“Hey, don’t you see me? I’m right here.” She
shook her head and he sensed her sorrow deepening.

“Please, go home. Be with your family.” She
pinned her lips together, and brushed at her eyes. “They need
you.”

“You need me,” he shot back and her gaze
popped to his. “And I need you to get some rest.” She looked so
frail and he knew what he had to do.

He tucked them both under the covers. It
didn’t take long. With her head resting on his chest, her even
breathing told him she’d fallen asleep. A smile crossed his lips.
He remembered when he and Cobbs had made it through Hell Week. At
the time, it was his greatest achievement. Watching Kayla get some
restful sleep, he realized she would be his greatest challenge.

The signs of emotional trauma were easy for
him to see now. It was more than being alone. More than Christmas.
For the first time since last night, he dwelled on what the cop had
divulged. Until now, he wasn’t ready to process it. He needed to
know more.

A noise cocked his body to attention,
cooling the sublime warmth. It sounded like a door, her patio door.
Gently removing himself from bed, he peered down the hallway.
Taking silent steps toward her living room, a movement caught his
attention in the glass of a picture in her hall. He shot across the
living room. A man scrambled over the side of the balcony as he hit
the door and flung himself out. Searching the early morning light,
he saw no movement. He wouldn’t chase and leave Kayla unguarded.
Turning, he paused. On the branches of her tree lay an envelope
with a smudged bloody fingerprint on the front.

Picking the envelope up by the edge, he
lifted it to the light. There was something inside. Searching her
cupboards, he found a sandwich bag and carefully slid it in, and
then grabbed his phone.

Twenty minutes later Cobbs tapped on the
door. “Here, drop it off at NCIS on your way home. Tell them what I
told you. If they want to talk with someone, they talk to me.”

Cobbs took the bag from him. “Where is
she?”

“Sleeping.” He didn’t miss the once-over
Cobbs gave him standing bare-chested and barefoot.

“Nice to see you finally came to your
senses.” Cobbs seamed his lips, but it wasn’t helping to hide the
smile.

“I’m going to have one hell of a firefight
on my hands when she wakes up. She already tried to throw me out
once. Don’t let your oversexed mind go running wild, either. We
haven’t consummated a damn thing,” he said gruffly.

“Good thing you’re not a quitter.”

A laugh rocked his shoulders. “Being half
mule, she makes the SEAL population look weak. If she won’t let me
stay with her, we’re going to have to watch her without her knowing
it. I’ll die before letting that son of bitch take her away from
me.” He considered telling Cobbs about Kayla’s past, but she’d kept
it from all of them but Fox. There was more to this, and until he
knew what it was, he would keep her secret.

Cobbs nodded his understanding. “Doesn’t she
have to work today?”

“I’m redirecting the center to the East
Coast. I’ve already spoken with Segal. They’re doing it now until
January first. Red is telling the staff there’s been a meltdown.
Techs are working on it. Segal owes me.”

“And you think she’s going to believe
that?”

He leaned against the doorframe and sighed.
“Not for a second, but she can’t do a damn thing except rant at me,
and she does that anyway.”

Pat nodded with a big grin. “It’s gotta be
love, since no one else gets away with that.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it.”

Cobbs’ mouth gaped open, then slammed shut.
“Holy shit, did I just hear a confession?”

“You’re an asshole,” he said cocking his
jaw.

“No, wait.” He gestured with his hands. “I
just want to get this right, because I think the earth just
moved.”

What…a…dick.
“Fine, I’m fucking crazy
in love with the woman. I always have been.”

“Bet you haven’t shared that with her, ya
chicken-shit bastard.”

Resting a hand on the door, he said, “This
isn’t exactly the right time.”

“Wake up, SEAL. Although we’re all wondering
why, pretty sure she feels the same way. Have a good Christmas,
Thane.”

He laid a hand on Cobbs’ shoulder. “Best one
of my life, old friend.”

Before Cobbs turned to leave, he said, “I’ve
got orders from Marg to bring her over on the twenty-sixth. The
rest of the team and their families are coming, too.”

“We’ll be there.”

“
We’ll.”
Cobbs snorted. “This is as
good as the second coming.”

He closed the door quietly and padded down
the hall. A peaceful sigh escaped Kayla when he slipped between the
sheets. Heat spread through him, seeing the towel had unraveled and
he traced her beautiful curves with his eyes. All right, so he was
a hero, but he sure as hell wasn’t Superman.

His tongue circled the berry of her nipple,
and a groan of pleasure escaped him, as it responded to his gentle
sweeps, plumping between his lips. With a light touch, he trailed
his finger down each rib, over her stomach, and crested her mons. A
little moan escaped her and her hips swayed. Temptation flared and
inflamed his shaft, releasing a bead of pre-cum. He swept it from
his swollen flesh and sensually slipped his finger between her
fold, mixing their silk. Drawing circles around her sweetest place,
her thighs opened, desiring more.

“Thane.” His name escaped her sleeping
lips.

“Shh, rest baby.” Tracing her lips with a
wet, gentle touch, he followed, kissing away the moisture. “You are
the one precious, beautiful thing in my life, Kayla,” he whispered
against her mouth. He curled her in his arms, her breasts pressing
warmly against his chest. He stroked her shoulder and laid a kiss
on her forehead.

The bloody print on the Shark’s envelope
fired all his defenses into action.
Come on, you son of a
bitch.
Holding her tighter, his mind churned with thought.
Make your move
.

January third Kayla’s world changed, but as
with everything in her life, it changed for the better and then
spiraled to ten times worse. It had been nine months to the day
since she’d first stepped foot in Coronado.

The Commander had pulled strings, and she
was still ticked at him. She knew he’d closed the Command center
over Christmas and rerouted it to the East Coast because of her.
She couldn’t prove it, but it didn’t stop her from accusing him.
The cocky bastard just returned a glib look every time.

He’d dragged her behind him through the
entire season like Linus drags his blanket. It took an enormous
amount of willpower not to collapse in his arms, but like John had
said, he’d married the service, but he would never love a woman. He
was trained to serve and protect and right now, she was his
mission. It was time to move on, but every time she asked him if he
was looking into a transfer for her, he refused to entertain
it.

During the last eight days, they’d gotten
along like gasoline and matches. Together they flared between
moments of peace, fun and then quarreled like an old married
couple. Finally, it occurred to her he had played her like a
well-strung instrument. He knew what buttons to push and he
instigated the arguments between them, and he’d done it to drag her
out of her darkness every time she tap-danced near it. In that
moment, she realized how much she loved him, and even though he’d
done it out of duty, she had lost her heart to him for good.

“Kayla Banks,” a voice called from behind
her, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yes.” She turned to see a deliveryman
escorted by security standing at the entrance to the operations
room. He held the most beautiful bouquet of roses mixed with bright
yellow and white flowers in a flora of green.

“Ms. Banks, these are for you.” She stood
up, shocked, afraid to touch them in case they disappeared.

“Ma’am?”

She darted a look at the deliveryman and
then nodded. He laid them in her arms like a child, and she simply
stared down at them. They were so beautiful. “Is there a note?” she
asked.

“Yes ma’am, right there,” he said, pointing
to a thin plastic stick hidden in the bouquet.

“Thank you.” A helo called her with a
position report and she took the call, then reached for the note.
Opening it she read,
They pale in comparison to you.
But it
wasn’t signed.

“What the heck is that?” Gord asked,
returning from his break.

She hugged them close to her chest.
“Flowers, doofus,” she murmured.

“Yeah, I can see that, Kayla, but from
who?”

“I don’t know. Can you listen out for me? I
want to find something to put them in.”

“Looks like you’ve got an admirer,” he said,
rolling his chair under his rear end. “Maybe one of those SEALs who
keep hanging around here has a bad case of puppy love.”

“I doubt that.” She couldn’t take her eyes
off the flowers as she wandered down the hall. She didn’t even look
into his office like she normally did, still in awe.

“Kayla, you had a delivery, I see,” Captain
Redding called out as she passed by. “Found yourself a boyfriend,
have you? Don’t let him take you away from us.”

“No sir, I think they delivered them here by
mistake. I’m just going to put them in some water in case they come
back for them.” She looked toward the Commander’s desk as he slowly
leaned his broad frame back in his chair.

He gave her a small smile. “Beautiful,” he
said, interrogating her with his eyes like he always did.

An overflow of emotions grabbed her. “I’m
sure it’s a mistake,” she said. “I better put these in water before
they wilt.”