Brent: Military Heroes (The One I Want Series Book 2)

by Ellie Masters

  “Where’s your partner?” She realized there was no sign of their number three. It was almost time to push off. Not that there was a strict timetable she was aware they had to keep. The details of this job were still clear as mud.

  “I should probably warn you about Donald.” Brent dragged his fingers through his hair and sucked in a breath.

  “Really?”

  “He can be rough around the edges and crude on the best of days. If you think my comments were inappropriate, wait until you meet him. Hope that’s not a deal breaker.”

  “Your comments weren’t all that bad. In the big scheme of things, child’s play. Not that I’ll let you get away with it. As for Donald, I work in a man’s world. I can handle him.”

  “What about me?” There was that twinkle in his eyes again.

  Her cheeks heated, and there would be no hiding her blush this time. Not beneath the scrutiny of his hungry gaze. Actually, he wasn’t looking at her face.

  His gaze dipped below her chin, taking its time as it slowly worked down to her tits. He lingered there for a moment, before sliding his gaze back to meet her hard stare. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, but she refused to let him win this round.

  She expected a challenge, but instead his expression filled with admiration. He checked her out, made no excuse for it, and yet she hadn’t felt objectified beneath that hungry gaze.

  “You’re my boss.” She felt it needed to be said.

  He broke eye contact and stared out the window. The tension swirling between them fizzled but still reverberated in the bridge.

  “Believe me, I know.” He pointed down the dock. “Here he comes, and from the look of it, Donald’s had a rough night. I’m sure his mood will reflect it.”

  She bent around Brent’s tall frame, taking the opportunity to breathe in his amazing scent. Dark, warm, masculine, and intoxicating, his natural cologne should be bottled and sold to the masses. Women would go crazy to have their men smell that good.

  A man with a mop of blond curls sauntered toward the Pendragon, looking a bit unsteady as he zig-zagged and barely missed tripping off the dock and into the water.

  The two men couldn’t be more opposite. Where Brent was tall and muscular, Donald had more of a linebacker build; dense and compact.

  “Come.” Brent urged her toward the stairs. “Let me introduce you.”

  She followed him down the short flight of stairs to the main deck.

  Donald grabbed hold of the rails as he navigated his way onboard, looking far too unsteady. He gave Brent a sheepish grin, then turned his bleary gaze to check her out from tits to toes and back again.

  “Well, hello.” His brows lifted and he wobbled. “When you said chick, you didn’t mention you found a supermodel to drive us around.” He thrust out his hand. “Donald Talbot, at your service.” His clammy hand wrapped around hers and she couldn’t take her hand back fast enough.

  “Nice to meet you. Is it Donald or Don?” She wiped her hand on her shorts and tried her hardest not to show her revulsion.

  “I’m not big on nicknames. It’s Donald, like the duck, but way cooler.” His dark chocolate eyes took her in, then dipped to stare at her tits again.

  She did a double-take between the two men. By all accounts, she should be attracted to Donald, but she found him highly unattractive and somewhat repulsive. Brent on the other hand, with his charismatic smile and confident aura, had her buzzing in the most exciting and forbidden way.

  “Behave.” Brent gave Donald a significant look. “We’re locked and loaded, ready to push off.” He gestured to the bridge. “Donald and I will take care of the lines if you want to take us out.”

  “Don’t you want me to sign the contract first?”

  “Once we’re out of the channel, we will. Unless you want to back out?”

  For a split second, she considered it. Two weeks on a boat with Brent sounded dreamy. Two weeks with Donald? With a sigh, she decided she could put up with it if she had to, and there were several thousand reasons for her to do exactly that.

  “Engines first,” she countered. “I always inspect the engines.”

  “As you wish.” Brent gave a wave down below. “Do you need me to show the way?”

  “I think I can find the engine bay.” It wasn’t necessary for him to show her, although she would appreciate his presence. Everything about Brent was something to admire.

  “Okay,” he said. “Donald and I have a few last-minute things to discuss. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

  She left the men and headed down to inspect the engines. Brent bellowed another behave to something Donald said. Fortunately, whatever lewd comment he made was below the threshold of her hearing.

  A quick inspection of the engines had her giving a nod of respect to Brent’s mechanical skills. He said he maintained them himself and it was obvious he took great care of his engines. That implied routine maintenance was a priority, and that boded well for their trip. She returned topside and found the men waiting on the deck. Most of the mooring lines had been removed.

  Donald glanced up, the curly mop of his bangs obscuring his eyes. He gave a brief smile, then looked away. Brent’s gaze smoldered and he looked at her with open interest.

  There it was again. That sizzle in the air.

  “I’m ready,” she said.

  “Gotcha.” Brent’s grip on the rope tightened and his gaze dropped. No doubt he checked out her ass as she turned around. At least she hoped he had.

  In less than twenty minutes, they were underway. Brent stayed with Donald to secure the deck before climbing to the bridge. She had one leg propped up on the console and an eye on the water. It was good to be back at sea.

  He lifted a roll of papers. “You where we can talk?”

  “Yeah, it’s easy sailing from here on out. Last channel marker is dead ahead and then we’re cruising south. You did say the Keys, right?”

  “I did.”

  “Well, at some point, I’ll need to know where we’re headed. Sooner would be better of course.”

  He gave her a smirk. “How much do you know about the history of the Keys?”

  “What everyone knows; something. I’m assuming we’re on some kind of salvage operation because it’s not legal to loot sunken shipwrecks anymore. I probably should have made sure this was legal.”

  “You’re good.”

  “As for what I know about the Keys?” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, there are dozens of sunken galleons that have yet to be found littered up and down Florida’s coast. The shallow water and shifting sands keep most of them buried. I’m assuming you’re hoping that hurricane uncovered something. I don’t think anyone knows how much has been lost at sea, but I’ve heard it’s in the billions.”

  “Try higher.”

  “Really?” She kicked her foot off the console and planted it on the deck. A slight turn of the wheel and they cleared the last channel marker.

  “And you’re correct. I’m hoping Julian uncovered something. There are about forty odd Spanish ships from the 1500s to 1600s that sank and a lot of gold lying around the sea bottom. Not all of it is gold though. Silver, bronze and precious stones are there as well, and there’s a fortune waiting to be found for someone who’s prepared.”

  “So you are a treasure hunter.”

  “Salvage operator and underwater archeologist. Treasure hunting is passé. The idea of keeping what you find is a notion which has come and gone.”

  “And we’re looking for one of these ships?” This gig was going to be much more fun than ferrying over indulged trust fund kids around on mega yachts.

  “No need to look. I know where it is. We’re going to salvage it.”

  “Treasure hunting sounds more exciting. A shame you don’t get to keep what you find.” She made a slight course correction. “Doesn’t sound worth it. And if you’re an archeologist, shouldn’t you have like a team of people to help you?”

  Why was it just him and
Donald? That didn’t seem right.

  Speaking of, where was Donald? Since leaving dock, he’d been completely absent. Maybe he was sleeping off the aftereffects of his bender from last night.

  “I discover likely spots where an object of interest might be. Then I obtain a permit to explore the shipwreck with salvage fees applied to the permit.”

  “Like a finder’s fee?”

  He rubbed at his chin and gave a nod. “Like a finder’s fee.”

  “How interesting. Everyone always talks about finding buried treasure and getting rich. It’s a shame you have to turn it all in.”

  “Well, that would be where the finder’s fee comes in and your NDA.” He unrolled the papers he’d been holding. “As you can imagine, anything regarding the location of this find is highly sensitive.”

  “I’ve signed NDA’s before.” He had to ask and yet she couldn’t help but feel a little offended. “You’d be surprised the kinds of things clients who spend forty-five grand for a week on a luxury yacht can do. My lips are sealed.”

  He glanced at her lips and his gaze lingered. Heat smoldered in his eyes. Pale blue turned to inky black as his pupils dilated.

  “Don’t do that.” The huskiness of his voice gave her pause.

  “Don’t do what?” Her tongue darted out and ran against the seam of her lips.

  A groan escaped him and his brows drew together. In a blink of an eye, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against his chest. His hand lifted and he threaded his fingers through her curls. The look he gave said one and only one thing.

  This was happening.

  A spark ignited, setting off a string of bad decisions. She should push him away. Say stop. Say something…anything. Goosebumps lined her skin, not the kind when she got cold, but rather the kind when nothing else mattered.

  Right here. Right now. Nothing else mattered.

  There would be no saying No.

  Her lips parted and the bottom dropped out of her world. Frantically, she waited for what came next, feeling foolish for wanting something, and thrilled anything happened at all. Her belly clenched as Brent leaned in.

  Chapter 6

  Brent

  Throat tight, Brent told himself kissing Brie was a bad idea. All morning he had bottled up his desire and struggled not to let it spill out. He worked hard not to let it reveal itself in his voice or betray him with his roaming eyes. But he couldn’t keep his hungry gaze off Brie, so that was a failure. His body ached to hold her in his arms. There had never been a more burning need to take a woman, and it felt like he’d been drugged.

  He should stop. His cock was so hard he doubted he’d ever ease the ache. All he needed was a moment to step away from what could only end badly. It wasn’t his intention to kiss her, but when her lips parted, there was no stopping what came next.

  Convinced she wanted this as much as him, he didn’t slow things down. Curling his fingers in her hair, he gave a sharp tug, forced her head back, and kissed her. There was no easy exploration, no cautious nips, licks, or tastes. She melted in his arms, parting her lips with the most delicious invitation as he devoured her with his hungry mouth. He charged in, taking control, and plundered as if he was a treasure hunter of old. He stormed in, demanded nothing but surrender, and took what he wanted.

  He was happily going to hell, because she tasted like sin and he wanted more.

  Her breathy moans had him hard as a rock and her pebble hard nipples pressed against his chest nearly had him coming in his pants. One of her delicate hands brushed against his chest. The other tugged at one of the belt loops of his jeans. He cupped the side of her face, deepening the kiss and needing more.

  A loud bang sounded below.

  Brie stiffened and pushed against his chest. Not wanting the kiss to end, he relinquished her with a groan. Before she separated from him, he clutched her waist and tugged her against his body, not ashamed of the hard length of his erection pressing against her tight belly. He tipped his forehead against hers as he stared into her eyes.

  “I’ve wanted to do that since last night.”

  She pressed against him. “We can’t…you shouldn’t have.”

  “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that as much as I did.”

  Her lids closed and she breathed out a sigh. There was no way he was going to let her run from this. Chemistry sparked and sizzled whenever they were in the same room. He’d dated more than his fair share of women, but had never felt anything like what crackled between them.

  “Where is everyone?” Donald called out from the main deck.

  Brent gave a low groan, cock-blocked by his best friend. This was going to cause problems because he’d seen how Donald checked out Brie. Now he was stuck on a boat with the woman of his dreams who he shouldn’t have touched in the first place.

  Life sucked.

  “We’re up here.” Brie pried his fingers off her waist and spun out of his grip. She pressed against her swollen lips, looked at him, and gave a slow exhale. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “That can’t happen again.”

  He stepped back, placing a respectable distance between them as Donald lumbered up the stairs to the bridge. If she thought that wasn’t happening again, they were going to have a real long talk.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Donald flashed his thousand-watt smile at Brie, but she ignored him as she turned back to the controls.

  Unaffected by her disinterest, Donald stepped beside her. He was close, not too close as to invade her personal space, but far too near for Brent’s comfort. Brie belonged to him. He smacked Donald with the rolled-up contracts which made Donald jerk. It also placed a few extra inches between Donald and Brie.

  “I was just getting ready to tell Brie about the find,” Brent said. “We were going over the papers.”

  Donald took the contracts out of Brent’s hands.

  “Ah yes, the treasure!” Donald’s eyes widened. “Um, was I supposed to say that? Guess I should have asked first.” He gave a sheepish look, then checked out Brie’s ass.

  It was going to be a very long trip if Donald kept that shit up.

  “It’s okay,” Brent reassured. “I told her the generic details.”

  Donald unrolled the papers and smoothed them out on the console. He fished in his shirt pocket and pulled out a pen. “Looks like you haven’t signed. Gotta sign or we turn around and drop your pretty ass off at the dock.”

  Brent held back a scowl.

  Brie gave him a sideline glance, then addressed Donald. “Brent says you have a salvage permit. How about letting me see that first? Just to make sure you two are on the up and up.”

  Donald flashed a sloppy grin. “I like her. She’s both pretty and smart. Gus didn’t ask for that. What’s the story with him anyhow?”

  Brie explained about Gus while Brent tried to figure a way to insert himself between Brie and Donald without his friend picking up on the underlying tension between him and Brie.

  He could still taste Brie on his lips, and he wanted more. But getting her alone was going to be a problem. Donald might be dense, but he wasn’t stupid.

  Donald pulled out his phone. “Here you go. One salvage permit, endorsed by both the United States and Spanish governments.”

  She took Donald’s phone and scanned the document.

  “We only recently obtained that permit,” Brent said. “Took over a decade and tens of thousands in easement money.”

  “Easement money?”

  Donald laughed. “He means bribes.”

  “That’s a lot of money.” She gave a low whistle.

  “It’s going to be worth it.” Donald rocked back on his heels. “Did he tell you what we’re after?”

  “We hadn’t gotten to anything specific. He just said a Spanish ship.”

  Donald’s eyes widened and the goofy grin returned. “Well, the ship we’re going after is from a fleet sunk by a hurricane in 1733. You may be familiar with one of them.”

  “Um, I’m not so sure.”
>
  “The San Jose sank during that storm. It was buried for centuries in less than thirty feet of water.”

  “And it was found,” Brent interjected, “after a hurricane blew through the Keys. That storm moved enough sand off the wreck that it was finally discovered. It carried nearly seven million pesos in gold.”

  “Wow, that’s impressive.”

  The way her lips parted had Brent thinking filthy thoughts. How was he going to find time alone with her and not have Donald find out? Sound transmitted through the bulkheads far too easily, which made taking her to bed problematic. He shifted, hoping Donald was too keyed in on Brie to notice the raging erection Brent tried to hide. Although knowing Donald, he was probably sporting a woody as well.

  “It’s now a historic preserve.” Brent focused on the history, a passion of his, in an attempt to tamp down his needy dick. “Most of the fleet made it safely back to Spain, but others sank during that storm, and others floundered before sinking. That means the fleet is spread out all over the Keys, and they were all packed with plunder for Spain.”

  Her eyes brightened. “This really is a treasure hunt.”

  “Yes, those ships were loaded with coins, ingots, objects made out of gold and silver. They travelled through the Caribbean, Central and South America, then gathered in Havana before heading back to Spain. Fortunately for us—unfortunately for those who perished—they passed by Florida during hurricane season. They survived pirates only to be ripped apart by the storm.”

  “You really do know your stuff.” She looked impressed and he couldn’t help but puff out his chest a bit.

  “I’ve been researching this particular find for the better part of a decade.”

  “I thought it was nearly impossible to get a salvage permit.” She scratched her head. “I thought they were considered graves or historic monuments.”