KissedByASEAL (7 page)

“Not only am I missing a job, but it’s at some fancy resort in the Keys too. Damn.” Rick scowled.

Brody let out a snort. “No kidding. This assignment is a hell of a lot better than the ops I get sent on.”

“Don’t worry, Rick. There’ll be lots of jobs coming down the pike, I’m sure. Your turn will come soon enough.” It was easy for Chris to be magnanimous. He was the one going. Though he did wish it weren’t alone.

Not that he thought anything would go down at this thing. Watching a bunch of rich folks eating and drinking too much at an exclusive resort was hardly a high risk assignment, but an extra set of eyes never hurt.

“So what’s the plan?” Rick asked Chris.

“I figured I’d fly down early Thursday and head back Sunday morning.”

“What’s the set up? Does he want you in a suit standing nearby like secret service?” Brody asked.

“I wish. That’d be easier than what this guy wants. Get this. His daughter, the bride, doesn’t want any security there at all I’m supposed to pretend I’m a guest.”

Rick laughed. “So you’re supposed to be what? Some long lost cousin from the Alabama branch of the family? Forgive me, Chris, but you don’t exactly blend.”

“I know, which is why I’d hoped you’d be there.”

“Because two random guys, both built like brick walls and who move like SEALs wouldn’t stand out?” Brody let out a snort.

“Yeah, you’re right. It probably is better I’m alone, but damn, it would be nice to have some kind of backup on site, if even just to keep an eye on things so I can take a piss.”

Chris’s gaze cut to Darci. She glanced up from whatever she was chopping on the cutting board and he cringed. “Excuse my language.”

Surrounded by Brody and Rick, he’d reverted back to his days in the teams and had forgotten to watch his manners in front of a lady.

She smiled. “Chris, I’ve heard a lot worse. Believe me.”

Not from his mouth she hadn’t. “Still. My apologies.”

Darci put the knife down. “You know, if you are supposed to act like just another wedding guest, it might help if you brought a date.”

“A date? Who’s he supposed to get on such short notice?” Rick asked.

Chris had to agree with Rick. It wasn’t as if he had a girlfriend he could ask. If only Jon could have taken the assignment, he could have brought Ali along as his cover.

“I could go.” Darci’s suggestion had him choking on the swallow of beer he’d just taken.

Chris was still trying to control his cough when Brody grinned. “I think that’s a perfect solution.”

“Wait, what? She can’t go.” Rick sputtered almost as badly as Chris.

“Why not?” Darci crossed her arms.

“You’re not trained, that’s why.”

Brody shook his head at Rick’s objection. “I don’t think that matters. Chris has enough training for both of them. All he needs is a cover and another set of eyes to be where he can’t be. Darci could easily be both.”

“But—”

“But what?” Darci cut off her brother. “You’re just mad you can’t go, so you don’t want me to. Like Brody said, I can help Chris and since no one else can go, he needs the help.”

“I guess.” Rick blew out an unhappy-sounding breath.
 

Rick might have run out of reasons to protest, but Chris had plenty running through his head. Four days in close quarters with Darci. Worse than that was the thought of the three nights alone with her. How the hell was that going to work?

Maybe he could ask the client for a room with two beds. Hell, he should ask for two rooms. He was very aware of the condition he woke up in most mornings, thanks to thoughts and dreams about Darci and his current lack of any sexual outlets. Only separate rooms would keep him from embarrassing himself around her.

“What do you think?” Darci focused her blue gaze on him.

The direct question knocked him out of his stupor. “Uh, I guess we can run it by Jon and the client and see what they say.”

“You don’t mind I’m not trained?” She was obviously needling her brother, but all Chris could think was that she was just perfect for what he had in mind. Of course, that had nothing to do with the security assignment.

He swallowed away the dryness in his throat. “Um, no. It’s fine.”

Darci sent Rick a look filled with satisfaction.

Even while she was gloating and being obnoxious to her brother—actually, especially then—Chris was ready to back her against the cabinets and kiss her silly. Her being full of sass turned him on even more than she usually did.

He could only hope she was on good behavior during the assignment or he’d be one big distracted walking hard-on, and the client wasn’t paying GAPS for that.

“Call Jon and see what he thinks.” Darci looked more excited than he’d ever seen her.

“You said not to bother Jon tonight. It’s Valentines Day, remember.” Rick turned Darci’s words back against her.

All this upheaval over one phone call just because it happened to be Valentines Day. On deployment holidays were just like any other day except maybe, if they were lucky, they’d get a real meal instead of an MRE for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Darci reached for the phone on the counter. She sashayed her cute ass around the island and thrust the phone toward Rick. “Ali will forgive this. Trust me. Besides, she owes me one since I fixed her and Jon up in the first place. Call. Now.”

Chris reminded himself it wasn’t the idea of being with him that had her eyes bright and the color in her cheeks high as she demanded Rick call Jon. It was the prospect of traveling to the resort, and maybe about being included in an assignment after being excluded from the details of Rick’s missions for so long.

Rick put the phone down on the table and looked toward Chris. “You should probably call him. You’re the one going.”

“Fine.” Chris stood and wrestled his cell out of his jeans pocket.

Reluctantly, he punched the button to call Jon. Maybe Jon, as the boss, would nix the idea of a civilian female going on the op. Then Chris wouldn’t have to worry about spending the weekend with the one woman who consistently blew his concentration without even knowing she did so.

But crap, he was a civilian now too, and this wasn’t exactly an op. At least, not the kind they were used to.

“Rudnick.”

When Jon answered the call, Chris said, “Hey. Rick, Brody and I are here—”

Darci leaned against the counter. “And me too. Hi, Jon.”

Chris blew out a breath. “Darci too, and we had some ideas for the Florida job.”

“All right. Shoot.”

“You can say no to the idea. Just say the word.” Chris was tap dancing and he knew it.

Apparently Jon knew it too. Chris heard him sigh before saying, “Chris, what’s your idea?”

“Okay, well since the client doesn’t want anyone to know he’s brought in security, we thought maybe it would be easier to be uncover if Darci came with me and posed as my date.”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

“You do?” Chris heard the shock in his own voice.

“Sure. She can go places you can’t, like the ladies room. Hell, I’ll set you two up with communications. She can stay at the reception while you do a sweep of the building and the grounds. Pretend you went back to the room to get her a sweater because the air conditioning was too cold and no one will think twice about you being gone for a bit. It’s a brilliant idea.”

“Yeah, well you can thank Brody for coming up with it.” Chris would have to thank his meddling brother later.

“Then I’m happy he was there.”

“But aren’t you worried about the client? I mean he hired us based on the reputation that we’re staffed by veteran operatives.”

“He told me we were to handle the job the way we thought was best. I think he’ll like this idea. There’s no way his daughter or his wife will figure out who you are if you pose as a couple.”

“The wife is in the dark too?” Jeez. What was wrong with these people?

Chris could understand wanting GAPS to be low profile to not draw the guests’ attention away from the enjoyment of the wedding festivities, but to keep their presence from the family too? That was nuts.

Why not just hire security personnel and let them do their job, instead of making them—him—jump through hoops with all this deception?

“Yup. Only the father of the bride will know who you really are.” Jon’s confirmation only raised another question in Chris’s mind.

“That’s another thing. Who are we supposed to be? Won’t the relatives know we’re not part of the family tree?”

Jon laughed. “Yeah, that’s why he’s telling them you’re an associate he couldn’t risk offending by not inviting to the wedding.”

“An associate. Oh, great.” Chris knew guns and he knew how to fight. He knew how to predict what an insurgent was going to do, and he could practically read the bad guys’ minds, but the one thing he knew nothing about was politics or business. Or rich folk, for that matter, except for Zane.

“Don’t worry. He’ll go over everything with you when you arrive Thursday.”

When he arrived? Chris was used to being briefed in advance, so he could be prepped and practiced by the start of the op.

He let out a snort. “Nothing like being prepared.”

“I have every confidence in you. The job is going to go perfectly. Just relax. This one is a piece of cake. And hey, think how nice it will be to not have anyone shooting at you during an assignment.” Jon laughed.

Chris had to agree. That part would be nice. It was the other shit he was worried about.

His gaze shot to Darci, anxiously watching the conversation and probably going crazy because she could only hear his half. He had a feeling dodging bullets on this assignment would have been easier than dealing with his feelings and her.

CHAPTER 6

Darci was stirring the pasta in the pot when she felt him behind her.

“What can I do to help?”

She didn’t have to turn around to see who it was. That telltale southern drawl was enough to confirm it was Chris.

“Nothing. Just sit down and relax.” She glanced back in time to see him make a face.

“I’m not helpless in the kitchen, Darci. I can help, you know.”

As a lifelong bachelor at forty, he probably did know his way around the kitchen. “I believe you, but really. I’m good.”

He cocked a brow and she could see he didn’t believe her.

With a sigh, she figured she’d have to convince him. “The spinach is already in the pan with the olive oil and chopped garlic. The sauce is hot and ready to go. All I’m waiting for is the pasta to cook, and then we can eat.”

“Then I guess I’d better set the table.”

He was determined to help and he’d thought he’d found a way. She smiled. “Or we could put everything on the island and everyone can serve themselves.”

“I could do that too.” Without hesitation, he opened the cabinet above him and pulled out a stack of four plates.

Chris knew where she kept her dinner plates?

Sure, he and Rick had been friends for years, but he’d only eaten over a handful of times, and usually when he did they ate pizza out of the box with paper napkins. But if she’d learned nothing else over the years, it was that SEALs were observant, when they wanted to be, of course.

Rick was very good at ignoring her and anything else he didn’t want to be bothered with, but when he was interested, forget about trying to get away with anything.

She’d tried throwing Rick a surprise birthday party one year and had failed miserably. He’d guessed what she was up to weeks ahead of time, but he’d agreed to pretend to be surprised so their friends and family wouldn’t be disappointed.

Given that, it shouldn’t have surprised her one bit when Chris headed next to the cutlery drawer and pulled out four forks. He laid them on the island by the stack of plates and turned to her. “You out of napkins?”

Glancing at the napkin holder on the counter, she saw what he obviously had already noticed, that it was indeed empty.

“Uh, there should be a big pack of them under the counter.” She tipped a chin toward the cabinet next to the stove.