Delta Recon (SEAL Team Phantom Series, Book 2) (10 page)

Tay knew he could work around most systems and do the same thing. The U.S. government didn’t do such things to civilians, yet a drug cartel, especially one as dirty as the Bloque, who dealt in human and drug trafficking wouldn’t think twice about tapping a phone line. More than likely they already had those closest to Jaqui in their sights. Jose Medellin didn’t like to lose, even if it was just an American, but especially if it was someone he felt he could use.

“I can get around anything they might have on the lines if I find something. I’ll just need my computer and a few other things from my place.” Tiredness swept over him.

“Take your ass to bed, or the floor. You can’t do anything tonight. We all need sleep. Tomorrow we’ll make plans.”

Alexa groaned. “You and your plans.”

Kai stood, tossing Alexa over his shoulder. “I think you’ll like some of the plans I have, luv. G’night, guys. Don’t wake us unless it’s an emergency.” He swatted Alexa on the ass.

Tay stood too, the need to check on Jaqui strong. “I’m turning in. Let me know if you hear anything.”

Oz gave him the finger, while Dallas waved dismissively.

Outside the room he’d left Jaqui in, he listened for the sound of the shower running, but the doors were thick. He gave a knock. Waiting a full thirty seconds, he turned the knob before entering, then came to a stop in the entryway. There on the side of the bed lay Jaqui. Her hair was still wet from her shower, and she was sound asleep.

Gathering a pillow and extra blanket from the closet, he made himself a pallet between the bed and the door. He locked the door, then went into the bathroom for the quickest shower, looking down at his hard cock and ignored it. No way was he going to jackoff with Jaqui in the other room and too injured to do anything about it. He was a man of discipline, and his dick was going to learn to go without. Damn, it was going to be a long few weeks.

****

J
aqui came awake at the sound of the shower coming on. Slightly disoriented, she held her breath, noticing the light from the bathroom, then remembered where she was. Her mind raced back to the last time she’d seen Taylor Rouland naked, and wished like all get out she could join him in the steamy shower. The aches in her ribs reminded her why she could do no such thing, and she got up to get a pain pill out of her bag. Looking around the room she realized she didn’t have anything to swallow it down. The sound of the water shutting off was a relief, but also sent a little trepidation through her.

She looked down at herself. Wearing one of his T-shirts, she wondered if he’d be mad, or if he’d even notice. Feeling foolish as she stood by the bed, she sat down and waited.

Tay walked out, a towel wrapped around his hips. “What’s wrong?” he asked, stopping to look around the dark room, light illuminating her.

“I needed to take a pain pill, but didn’t have anything to drink. I didn’t want to go to the kitchen so I thought I’d just wait for you to finish showering.” She held her hand up, showing him the small pill in her hand.

He turned and went back into the bathroom, returning with a small paper cup filled with water. “Here you go. Do you need to eat anything before you take that?”

She showed him the little package of crackers. “I’m going to eat a couple of these first.” The next couple minutes she spent eating, then popped the pill into her mouth, swallowing it and the water. “I hate taking pain meds.”

The bed dipped as he sat next to her. “Me too, but you need the relief. If nothing else so you can sleep. Besides, you’re safe here.”

“I know.” And she did. Tay and the other guys would risk life and limb for her. The heat from his body was like a balm to her soul.

“Why don’t you climb under the covers and try to sleep. I’ll be right down here if you need anything. Want me to leave the bathroom light on?” Tay eased up off the bed.

“Will you sleep with me? I mean hold me?” She was glad it was dark and he couldn’t see the blush that stole up her face.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice was a rough rasp.

The sound of his need matched her own. “Yes. I just need to feel you next to me.”

“Damn, you undo me. Let me get dressed.” He crouched down, coming up with some clothing and then disappeared into the bathroom

Jaqui wanted to tell him to not get dressed, but her poor abused body was not in any shape to handle anything other than holding. Gentle holding at that.

Tay came back out wearing a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else. Damn, the man was all six pack abs and gorgeous tanned skin. She’d seen him naked and had thought at the time he must’ve sunbathed nude, having seen no tan lines. The idea made her grin.

He walked around the bed, getting in on the other side and lying on his back. “I’ve never been as scared as I was when I heard you’d been taken.” His deep baritone broke into her musings.

She didn’t want to think about that time. “I thought you were on leave still?” That was why she had been in Columbia in the first place. They’d needed someone to break into the cartels security system, and they needed it done onsite since a remote location wouldn’t work. Jose changed his password daily, but they’d found he was to be in town for the Carnival, and she knew if she was in close enough range, she could hack it. Just as Tay could have. However, the doctors hadn’t released him from his injuries. They’d assumed she’d be safe. She wasn’t even in the same town as the kingpin or the SEAL team, hadn’t even made inquiries. There should have been no way for the man to have known she was there, let alone what she looked like.

Leaning up on his elbow, he stared down at her. “If I’d known you were sent in my place, I’d have crawled over broken glass to get to you. When I found out you were...I couldn’t get there fast enough. My heart felt like a vice was squeezing it. Until the moment I felt your own reassuring beat, until I knew you were going to survive, I didn’t want to. You are the rainbow in my world. My ray of sunshine in an otherwise gray existence. Don’t ever leave me again.” His hand came up, almost hesitantly, then brushed damp strands from her forehead.

“You left me remember?” she pointed out in a whisper.

“Cause I’m a dumbass. I need you to make me a better man. Clearly you are not doing a good job.” He smiled, the teasing clear in his rumble.

She wanted to reach up and touch his beard roughened face, but the little pill was starting to work. “I’ll do my best to remind you of that daily. So tired, Tay.”

“Sleep, my sunshine. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Hold me.” Jaqui didn’t care if she was pleading. After a near death experience, a girl had the right she assured herself.

“I’ll be right next to you, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

She sighed, hearing his voice next to her relaxed all her muscles, mixed with the pain meds and she let herself go. “Mmkay,” she mumbled.

****

T
ay kept the chuckle to himself. When he felt the tension leave Jaqui, he made sure she was covered, then allowed his own body to relax. Sleeping next to her was a form of heaven and torture mixed.

He woke to the feel of a warm weight pressed to his side. Yep, the next few weeks was gonna be his own form of hell.

Four weeks later...

Tay and Jaqui had moved to his cottage a mile down from Kai and Alexa. With the base having such a high security and no word from Medellin, they felt relatively safe doing so.

Every morning he got up, went on a jog to Polihale State Park and back. The nearly five miles pushed him, but made him feel like he was getting back to where he was before he was injured.

The alarm pad glowed red. Once he entered the code, he entered through the backdoor, intent on showering before checking in on Jaqui. Her bruising had faded to almost non-existent, and he hadn’t seen her wince in over a week. It was becoming harder to lay next to her each night. Holding her was one of the things he looked forward to, yet he was also beginning to go to bed later, and get up earlier.

“Hey stranger.” The woman of his dreams murmured, a coffee cup held up to her lips.

She looked delectable standing with her back resting against the counter wearing another one of his T-shirts. He realized she’d taken to using one of his concert shirts as her sleeping apparel, and damn if she didn’t look sexier than a lingerie model wearing next to nothing. His mouth watered. “How are you feeling this morning?” He had to reach around her to grab his own mug, and was pretty sure she had placed herself in just such a position.

“Here, you can have the rest of mine. I just made it.” She smiled up at him, a teasing light in her voice.

His dick got hard, or maybe it had been hard since the night he’d first slept beside her. Turning the cup around and placing his lips where hers had been, he took a sip. Closing his eyes at the refreshing taste of the rich brew, he hummed. “Delicious.” He handed the cup back, but didn’t step away. Only an inch or so separated their bodies. He could see the hard tips of her nipples pressing against the black material, making the band’s name stick out a little more.

“You cold?” He asked, eyes dipping down then back up.

Her own eyes dipped below his waist, then back up. “Nope. You?”

“Sweaty, but far from cold, sunshine.” He’d taken to calling her the term of endearment. The word fit Jaqui to a T.

She licked her lips. “I could use a shower, too. I feel a little sweaty coming on.”

His brows pulled down. “Have you been overworking while I was out?” He sat the cup down, caging her in with his arms on each side.

“Excuse me, boss, but I do believe I can do what I want.” She slapped a palm to his chest.

He looked at the delicate hand, happy there was no visible sign of the IVs anymore. The feel of her touching his bare chest made his heart rate increase. “Of course you can. I just don’t want you out running or exercising without me is all,” he consoled.

Her finger began tracing between his pecs, making him shiver. “No fair,” he groaned.

“What’s not fair?” she teased.

Holding onto his composure by a thread, he let her finger walk up his chest and encircle one of his nipples. “You’re playing with danger. I haven’t released the valve on this pressure cooker in weeks. You keep it up and I’m not gonna be responsible for what I do next.”

She looked up at him. “You mean like this?” Then the little vixen pinched one flat disc between her fingers.

He looked at one of his favorite T-shirts that definitely looked better on her than him, and asked in a low growl. “You like that shirt, sunshine?” At her nod, he ran his palms down her sides until he reached the bottom. “You sure about this?”

“I’m not the one hesitating.” She bent and licked the spot she’d pinched. All thoughts fled except getting her naked.

With his hands skimming up her thighs, he lifted the black shirt, exposing the boy cut panties she preferred. After they’d moved to his place, they’d ran over to her home and packed up several bags of her stuff. Things she said she had to have. He enjoyed all manner of panties, but agreed when she had said thongs had their purposes, but loved to see her in the lace trimmed briefs and nothing else.

What breath he had left, escaped him in a gush of air as he stared down at the tiny pair of pink boyshort undies she wore. “Damn, you are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” His palms smoothed up her ribs, careful of her even after all this time.

“I’m not going to break, Tay.” Her hands brought his to her breasts, adding more pressure than he would have.

“You almost died.” He ground out between his teeth.

“Almost only counts in horseshoes, and hand grenades,” she whispered, then gasped.

Tay’s mind short circuited. His head bent, his full focus on claiming Jaqui’s lips like he had wanted since the first day he’d seen her, and every day since. There was no going back, no talking himself out of it. No sweet, tentative kiss. No, this was a hot, hard, all-consuming kiss that demanded she give him everything. She lifted onto her toes, and she opened her mouth as soon as his lips touched hers, allowing his tongue to sweep inside. Plundering, devouring. Her hands went to his biceps while he held her where he wanted her, and continued to sip from her.

She tasted like the rich coffee they’d drank, decadent and sweet. His sunshine. So damn sweet he feared he’d never get enough of her. His dick throbbed to be inside her, he burned to bury himself in all her goodness and be with her in every way imaginable.

With his mouth covering hers, he turned them toward the table in the middle of the kitchen. The old fashioned thing was made of solid oak, and was sturdy enough for what he had planned. He palmed her ass, and lifted until her ass was on the edge. Her breathing was just as hard as his when he broke the kiss. He parted her legs wide, making room for himself. The hard length of his cock pressed against the front of her panties through the thin fabric of his basketball shorts. Even through the material, he could feel how wet and hot she was and it made him harder.

Her legs came up and around him, and he shamelessly ground his dick against her. “Fuck, I love how you look right now.” His thrust his tongue back inside her mouth, his hands palming her breasts, tweaking the pebble hard nipples. Her small, soft hands found their way beneath the elastic of his shorts. He groaned and released her mouth to press kisses to her neck, raking his teeth as he went.

Using his teeth and fingers, he plucked and teased, all the while his cock throbbed to the point of pain. He promised to keep himself in check until she was satisfied, and clenched his jaw. Her breasts were sensitive he remembered, and the thought of sliding his cock between the two mounds had him twitching against her.

“You’re killing me here.” Her blonde hair had come partially down from the bun she’d pulled it into, her skin was pale and smooth like peaches and cream.

She reached out to push his shorts down, but he stopped her before she could. “Not yet,” he said, and when she looked ready to protest, he licked at one of her rosy nipples. “I plan to fuck you long and hard. But if you put your hands on me, it’s going to be over faster than I can decode a program.”