SEALs of Summer 2: A Military Romance Superbundle (20 page)

Ivy swallowed. “Then I guess we better not drop it, right?”

‡

T
hey stayed at
the nightclub for three hours. Dane nursed two beers during that time, and Ivy finally agreed to have a glass of wine. She drank exactly half of it. They ate and watched the crowd and the bar. He kept in contact with mission control throughout the night, but their target didn’t show up. Dane didn’t know how the other guys were doing, though he hoped it was going better for them.

Around midnight, Matt sent a message and told him to wind it up. Dane signaled for the check and then helped Ivy out of the booth.

He put his arm around her waist and ushered her from the club. The minute they got outside, the night breeze hit them, bringing with it the smells of tropical flowers and the salty tang of the ocean. Ivy stepped out of his embrace, and he clenched his fist as he forced himself not to reach out and drag her back into the circle of his arm.

He liked having her there. More than he should. He knew all the reasons Ivy was wrong for him, and yet he’d spent the entire night fighting an erection because she was so damn close and smelled so good.

And then there was the dress she was wearing. It was the same one from earlier, the same body-hugging silky fabric, but she’d added a pair of high heels. The way her legs peeked out from the slit when she walked nearly had him drooling.

She wasn’t tall, but he knew those legs would wrap around his waist just right. He really shouldn’t be thinking those thoughts, shouldn’t be prodding her and asking her if she was as wet as he was hard, because there was no time for this kind of thing right now.

He couldn’t seem to help himself though. Whenever she gave him an opening, whenever she seemed flustered at his nearness or he heard that little hitch in her breath when his fingers skimmed her bare arm, he couldn’t seem to stop.

He’d told her he wasn’t concerned about hurting his career because this thing between them was different. But the truth was he knew it wasn’t a good idea to lust after his mission partner even if she was his ex-wife. No commanding officer in the history of the world was going to be thrilled with a soldier or sailor who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants during a critical operation.

Dane’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Matt.

Slight detour. Swing by the marina on your way back. Three of our suspects there with a boat. Getting ready to go out. Flash & KR can’t get close enough. Maybe you can.

Dane texted a one word reply:
Copy
. “Let’s take a walk down to the marina,” he said to Ivy.

She turned her head. “Now? It’s midnight, Dane.”

He reached for her hand and glanced around at the street. There were people out, drinking, carousing, and having a good time. It was definitely a tourist town.

“I know, babe. But you know how much I like boats.”

She looked at him for a long minute. And then she nodded. “Okay.”

“You gonna be all right in those shoes?” he asked as they walked.

“It’s not that far.”

“You let me know if it gets to be too much. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”

She snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They headed down an alley and cut over to another street along the waterfront. There were several marinas on Emerald Key, but this one was run by one of their suspects. Omar Baz was a citizen now, but his parents had emigrated from Afghanistan when he was ten. He had suspected ties to radical groups, though he’d never done anything illegal. He had, however, made several trips to the Middle East—specifically Qu’rim and Acamar—over the past few years. That wasn’t a crime, and yet it was somewhat suspicious considering his business didn’t take him there.

Dane led Ivy down the plank dock and toward the shuttered restaurant on the water. The sound of laughter came from a boat parked in a slip where a group partied hard. Not the boat Flash was talking about, probably.

“What are we looking for?”

“Nothing special.”

“Dane.” She was frowning at him like he was a kid caught in a lie.

He pulled her in close and put his arms around her. She stiffened for a moment, and then she went soft in his arms as he lowered his head and nuzzled her ear.

“Boat,” he said, breathing her in. “Getting ready to go out.”

She lifted a hand to his cheek, and a lightning bolt of need shot to his groin.

“Okay.”

The sound of voices came across the water and hit their ears. It wasn’t the laughing people this time. The language was foreign. He couldn’t tell what it was though.

“It’s not Spanish,” Ivy said as if she’d read his mind.

“Come on.”

She went with him down the dock, toward the sound. They moved slowly, feeling their way along based on the tone of the voices. A change would mean they’d been seen or heard. But the men kept talking like nothing had interrupted their conversation.

Dane led Ivy to the railing of the restaurant. The deck was higher here and looked down on another part of the marina. A light shone along one narrow arm of docking. Three men stood together, smoking and gesturing toward a boat.

“Can you see the name of the boat?” Ivy asked.

“Too dark.”

“Then we need to get down there.”

He grabbed her hand as she turned and started to walk toward the stairs leading down. “Too dangerous.”

“And what we’re searching for isn’t?”

She had him there, but still. He wasn’t going to risk taking her closer. If he could get her to the bungalow and make sure she was secure, he could double back.

“We know which slip. That’s enough.”

“No, it’s not.” She took his hand and a jolt rolled through him. “Can you act drunk?”

“What?”

“Drunk, Dane. Can you act the part?”

“That’s not what I was saying ‘what’ about. You aren’t going down there.”

Ivy sidled up to him then, laid her palms on his chest before sliding them up and over his shoulders. “Yes, I am, sugar. With or without you. Now, I suggest you act drunk and follow my lead. Can you do that?”

He let his hands slide around to her ass. It was cheap of him, but shit, she was gorgeous and she made him horny.

“What do I get for the trouble?”

Because he knew she wasn’t going to let this go, and if he went along with her, he could still control the situation.

“You get to touch my ass like you’re doing without me ripping your head off.”

He almost laughed. Then he squeezed her bottom appreciatively. “Might be worth it. Be more worth it if you’d let me kiss your ass.”

She patted his cheek. “One thing at a time, honey. One thing at a time.”

‡

I
vy tugged Dane
toward the stairs. She didn’t think he would go at first, but he followed her down until they were on the main dock. From there, it was a short walk to the dock that branched down toward where the men were. When they reached the entrance to that dock, she stopped and turned to Dane. He didn’t look happy, but at least he was cooperating.

“You ready for this?” she asked.

“As I’ll ever be… but Ivy…”

She turned back to him.

“If anyone makes a move toward you, I’m done doing things your way.”

Ivy sighed in frustration. “Don’t get twitchy on me. No jumping the gun. Make sure they’re really going to try to harm me first, okay?”

He snorted. “Haven’t you ever heard the saying shoot first and ask questions later? If I wait, it could be too late.”

“I’ve heard the saying… but let’s not start shooting anything without extreme provocation, all right?”

He sighed unconvincingly. “Yeah, all right.”

She started down the dock and Dane walked behind her. The men were still smoking, still talking, and hadn’t yet noticed them. But the click of Ivy’s shoes on the boards made them look up suddenly. One man reached behind his back.

Ivy knew it was now or never. If she didn’t do something, Dane would go all superhero in about three seconds. And that would ruin any chance they had of finding out information that could lead them to the submarine.

Ivy giggled like she had a head full of air and took Dane’s hand, her heart thrumming with adrenaline and a touch of excitement. He stiffened slightly, but she pushed him against a pillar and plastered herself to him. For a split second, she thought he wouldn’t cooperate. But then his hands went around her and her breath shortened as she found herself flattened against the full length of Dane’s body.

Oh God, what had she been thinking? This was insanity. Not the part where they came out here to find the boat’s name, but the part where she let Dane hold her. It was like she’d been subjected to sensory deprivation for years and now everything was lighting up at once.

If this lasted too long, she’d melt into a puddle on the planks below her feet.

“This is a private dock,” a rough voice said. “You need to go.”

Ivy looked at the man who’d spoken. Then she giggled again and stumbled against Dane for good measure. “We rented a boat. Isn’t that right, pumpkin?”

Dane grunted. “Fuck yeah, we did.”

“There are no boats for rent here,” the man said.

“Sure there are. We rented one… and we can’t find it. But we really need to because…” She wrapped her leg around Dane’s hip. She didn’t miss the burgeoning erection that pressed into her center or the strong urge she had to ride that bump until she came. “We have to go to bed.”

Dane groaned softly. “’S here, babe. I know it is. Need to get you naked before I e’splode.”

He lowered his mouth to her neck, pushing her hair aside so he could suck the skin of her throat. Ivy wanted to whimper.

One of the men laughed, and the other said something that sounded like a curse before turning back to the boat they’d left. The one who’d been doing all the talking stayed, but he didn’t pull a weapon.

“Sorry, but you’re on the wrong dock. You didn’t rent a boat from anyone here.” Laughter floated across the marina from the party boat. The man tipped his chin. “That’s probably where you need to be. Follow that noise and you’ll find your boat.”

“Are you sure?” Ivy asked, infusing her voice with disappointment and a touch of helium. Speak in a high little-girl voice and men didn’t take you seriously. She’d learned that over the years and used it to her advantage when necessary.

“Positive, lady. This is a working dock. Nothing but fishing boats here. You don’t want to get naked on one of those, I assure you.”

“But maybe it’s down there.” She pointed past where the men were gathered. Their boat wasn’t far, but she didn’t know if Dane could see the name yet or not. She couldn’t, but she was shorter than he was.

“It’s not down there, lady.” The man practically growled it.

“Come on, babe. Think the dude’s right.” Dane belched and stumbled back the way they’d come, holding on to her hand and tugging her with him.

“But, honey,” Ivy wailed. “You promised.”

“You need to turn that girl over your knee,” the man called after them as they walked away. He must have said something to the other men because they laughed, the sound following Dane and Ivy up the dock.

He didn’t let her hand go until they were on the street and he’d gone around a corner into a tight alley between two shops that were closed for the night, pushing her behind him. Then he pulled his gun and waited.

But no one was following them. He holstered the gun and stepped away from her, letting her breathe without smelling his scent for a change.

“That was fucking insane,” he said.

“But it worked. Please tell me it worked.”

He grinned. “
Bad Medicine
.”

“That’s the name of the boat?”

“Yep.” He took his phone out and sent a text, presumably to the team. Then he put it away and shook his head. “You’re crazy, Ivy. Reckless.”

“That wasn’t reckless, Dane. It was a plan and it worked.”

His eyes glittered as he took her elbows and tugged her in close. “That’s not the kind of reckless I was talking about, babe.”

Her breath didn’t want to fill her lungs. Her heart hammered hard enough to make her light-headed. Her body sizzled and sparked with need.