by Lexxi James
“A hot, steamy tank with all the right equipment.”
Okay, hot-blooded professionals.
“Kathryn’s a very, very lucky girl.” Julian winked. “And she kept your jibbly bits hidden the entire time. She insisted on polishing the old beaver-basher herself.”
Shaking his head, Jake laughed. “Wow. I’m not sure I’ll ever look at it again without hearing those words.” Before Julian could leave, Jake said, “Thanks for wrapping my hands.”
Curiosity lifted Julian’s brow. “What makes you think it was me?”
“These,” Jake said as he held out his hands, “were done by someone who works in plastics. And you, my smooth and wrinkle-free friend, have just the perfect skin to mean one thing.”
Julian nodded. “Lead plastic surgery nurse at the best damn clinic in the state. At your service.” He smoothed his hand across his jaw. “Perfect skin, huh? Smart. Charming. Built like a lord of the underworld. No wonder Kathryn loves you.”
Smiling to himself, Jake closed his eyes, overthinking absolutely everything and afraid to believe it. She loves me?
There was barely a knock before Dana and Laurie swarmed him. One took his pulse while the other pressed a hand to his forehead. Hating to point out the obvious, he said, “I’m pretty sure I don’t have a fever.”
Julian jumped in. “Oh, they’re just looking for excuses to touch you.”
Jake threw a concerned look at Kathryn, who set a tray of breakfast on the bed beside him.
“Don’t give me those terrified puppy-dog eyes,” Kathryn said with a warning look. “They saved your life. Letting them paw you is a cheap price to pay.”
The girls each rubbed an arm. Amused, he relaxed his arms behind his head, giving them a better gun display to manhandle.
“All right, all right,” Kathryn said loudly, shooing them away. “The man’s paid his debt. That’s enough.”
“Fine.” Dana huffed, feigning a mighty big eye roll.
“We’re glad you’re all right,” Laurie said with a smile.
Jake held Kathryn’s gaze until the click of the door closing clued them both in that the trio had left.
“I can remove the IV if you like,” she said.
He extended his arm.
With a gentle touch, Kathryn removed the IV, and bandaged him with a soft caress.
He rubbed her hand. “Did you just save my life again?”
Shyly, she shrugged. “Technically, Julian found you.”
“How did Julian find me?”
“It’s a long story.”
Jake slid over, giving her room to sit beside him. “I like long stories.” When she finally sat down, he pulled her tightly to him.
“I like long stories too.” She sighed, snuggling in his hold. “You can tell me anything.”
“I know I can.” Unsure where to begin, Jake started with the name that triggered him. “Dominguez,” he said slowly, trying to hold the name in reverence.
Kathryn nodded against his chest but said nothing.
“He was my commanding officer. We’d become as close as brothers. We always had each other’s backs . . . until that day. The day you saved me was my last day in the Army. Not just because of the medical discharge, but because I couldn’t do it anymore. I thought I saw something, something I couldn’t have seen. In the heat of an attack, adrenaline pumps. Your senses are heightened. Alert. And then I saw it, just before all the gunfire exploded. One of our guys . . . turning his weapon on Dominguez.”
Taking a deep breath, Jake said, “I aimed my rifle right at the man’s heart. Both he and Dominguez turned to me, staring as if they thought I’d snapped. Then the gunfire started. I was still stunned, wasn’t fast enough. I was hit, but I kept firing, taking hit after hit until I couldn’t shoot anymore.”
He squeezed her tighter. “The only thing that kept me going, making me fight to survive, was knowing that Dominguez was fine. He’d survived. But . . . I was right. Wasn’t I?”
Again, she nodded.
“There was a policy on Dominguez. And they weren’t going to let him go. When I didn’t hear from Dominguez after my discharge, I thought he was uncomfortable. Didn’t want the association of a loose cannon. But he’s gone, isn’t he?”
Kathryn’s warm tears dropped onto his chest. “Yes. Combat. He was sent on a back-to-back deployment. Killed in combat.”
“So I could’ve saved his life. If I’d just taken out that cocksucker when I had the chance.”
“And you’d have been dishonorably discharged. And probably jailed.” Kathryn wiped her tears and sat up, staring hard at him. “You couldn’t have known. It was just—”
“A hunch,” he said. Solemn, he stroked her hair. “I could never completely trust my instincts after that, no matter how right I thought I was. And now I . . .” He looked at the bandages around his hands. “Pain has been my go-to for a long time. My escape. A way for me to push myself until I’m numb. It’s a lot to deal with. I understand if it’s too much.”
She lightly stroked the dressing around his hands. “It is a lot to deal with .. . . alone.” She slid her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. “You don’t have to deal with it alone. I’m here. No judgment.”
Skeptical, he asked, “You’d stay? Even knowing this is part of who I am?”
Kathryn sat up and scooted away, giving him a stern look. “For big runs, I’ll strap a CamelBak on you. Dehydration solved. But when you do whatever the hell it is you did to your hands, you’ll let me treat you. I’m a nurse—it’s part of who I am. Okay?”
He looked away, uncertain how to break the news to her. Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t . . . know?”
Holding his hands toward her, he explained. “I sort of got used to Julian’s touch. What can I say? He spoiled me.” He watched her hard gaze melt into a tender laugh. “Can I take these off? And shower?”
“Let’s take a look.” From the nightstand that had become a makeshift nursing station, she reached for the medical shears. After a few snips, she slowly peeled back the bandages. “Wow.”
Prepared to lighten the worst of what she was seeing, he said, “Don’t worry. It’s nothing. I’ve had much worse.”
“Actually, it looks remarkable compared to last night. Fast healing must be your superpower.”
Caressing her cheek, he said, “According to Dana, my kisses are.” His mouth descended on Kathryn’s, grateful for her welcoming lips.
When he finally released her, she bit back a smile. “She’s right.” As she unbandaged the other hand, Kathryn pointedly asked, “Want to tell me what the hell happened, soldier?”
He smirked. “I might’ve had a knock-down, drag-out fight with a tree.”
Wadding up the bandages, she stood. “Did you learn your lesson?”
“Yes, ma’am. My first and last ass-kicking by a Douglas fir. Next time I’ll keep my fighting to river birches.”
She discarded her handful in the bathroom. Upon returning to the bedroom, she found him standing, staring hard at her.
“You’re in the same clothes you were last night.”
Twenty-Three
Kathryn froze beneath the power of Jake’s gaze. That and his bare-naked Adonis assets in all their glory. With a single step, he closed the distance between them, and she looked up to his darkening eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered, and then firmed her voice. “I was with you most of last night. Until your favorite nurse started whining about food.”
Jake reached behind her, tugging her ponytail free. “You need a shower.” Before she could respond, he’d stripped off her top and bra, and began tugging off her jeans.
Powerless, she tried to dissuade him. “Jake, you’re recovering.”
He dropped to his knees, pressing his mouth against her panties, breathing hot kisses into her sex. “Yes, and I need a nurse.” Inching her panties down, he scorched her core with his tongue.
Trembling, she said, “But everyone’s downstair
s. And the door isn’t locked.”
He stood, sliding his hand to the nape of her neck and gripping. He licked her lips. “Then use your safe word. And I’ll stop.”
God, don’t stop.
When she didn’t respond, he led her into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She tested the water and stepped in, tipping her head back to allow the hot streams to wash away everything on her mind but the moment.
Jake followed and adjusted the strength of the jets. “Temperature okay?” When she nodded, he pumped shampoo in his palm and gently lathered her hair, then rinsed her hair clean. “Does this hurt?”
She shook her head, letting out a breathy, “No. But your hands . . .”
“They’re fine.”
With a handful of soap, he dedicated his hands to her body. He lathered her slowly, massaging her slick skin as her sudsy hands moved against his taut muscles.
He’s beautiful. Perfect.
Her fingers slowed over every scar as she admired the body of a man whose return from hell shaped him into a god. Each wound, memorized long before this, had been sealed closed with her fingerprints.
She’d laid her claim on him years ago.
“There’s something you need, kitten.” His words were more than those of a man eager to plunge into her desire. This was an offer. Just for her. His fingers dipped down, sliding back and forth through the slickness of her folds.
“Y-yes,” she said, her lips quivering. His hands seduced everything at once, caressing her sex and ass together.
His low voice whispered, “Say red if you need to.”
With her nod, his tongue pushed through her trembling lips. As he flicked at the blooming nub of her clit with one hand, his other roaming fingers skimmed back and forth between her cheeks.
Rising to her toes and whimpering with want, she held him in as he took her to a forbidden pleasure she’d never imagined. Her breath stuttered as her nails raked across his skin.
He sighed in pleasure, coaxing her for more. “That’s it, little kitten. Harder.”
Her fingers curved, and she ran her nails harder across his skin. She could feel herself building, with more sensations exploding from every sweep of his hands. His teeth bit sweetly, and the tug of her nipple was too much.
“Come for me,” he demanded, with a gentle finger forcing through the barrier of the sweet spot between her cheeks.
Her body shuddered as the ecstasy erupted in a throaty cry. When she collapsed back against the wall, his mouth was on hers, crashing through her open lips, hungry to swallow each moan.
He pulled back from her still wanting mouth. “More, kitten?”
Her heavy eyes met his, and she nodded.
His voice softened. “What do you want?”
She shuddered, still filled with his finger, afraid to set the words free.
“Say it,” he whispered.
“You, Jake.” Her finger traced his jaw. “Since the moment I laid in your arms . . . blindfolded, baring my soul and my secrets. You’re what I want.”
“I’ll be right back.”
“No,” Kathryn said, still panting. “You don’t need to get anything. I’m covered. And I want you. All of you.”
His powerful arms lifted her, and her legs wrapped around him. His tip slid to her entry as his fingers again dipped in before he shoved the length of his shaft inside her core, stretching her in crashing waves of hard thrusts matched to the tempo of the finger working her ass.
“I—I can’t breathe,” she said, panting.
“Then say red,” he growled.
“No,” she huffed out, slicing her nails down his arms.
Merciless, he thrust her hard against the wall, forcing the length of himself deep inside before her cries echoed with his on the glass walls of the shower.
Twenty-Four
Kathryn enjoyed having breakfast with a bigger group than usual, this one decidedly more feminine than the usual gang around the table. Dana, Laurie, and Julian didn’t stick around after demolishing the spread as if it were a trough. Though eager to be back in the swing of the investigation, she found concentrating on work was a lost cause.
Jake’s casual wardrobe somehow made him sexier. And the way he dove into full-on operational mode made him even more attractive. How is that even possible? His hand rubbed her knee, and heat surged across her cheeks.
Thank God everyone’s eyes were on him. She sipped her cold juice, praying she’d cool off before someone noticed her odd rosiness.
“If we can verify how they’re getting their information, we can push the trap. Couples who are on the outs. Ones where there might be a big payday if the military member suddenly became deployed.” Jake tore a hot muffin in two, sliding a knife of butter across the steaming half before taking a bite.
“No.” Zach shook his head. “Nothing sudden about this MO. They have to be better thought-out than that. People are being picked through. Prime candidates are decided on.”
Jake picked up muffin number two. “I know it sounds unlikely, but base chaplain?”
Kathryn checked her reconstructed notes. “Doubtful. The three we know of were of different faiths. I mean, base chaplains can serve all faiths, but one service member had a strong connection with his family rabbi, so I can’t see this guy dishing any marriage dirt to a stranger. That eliminates a common thread. But,” she flipped further in her notepad, “yesterday I was working on building a search using the same basic premise, to see how many overinsured service members we might be talking about. I got a ton of hits. Some are easier to eliminate because the deaths, though overseas, weren’t in contingency areas. And I also brought in a list of those that met all the criteria, who happen to still be alive. Cross referencing both lists, I’m up to about a hundred fifty-three, most active duty, but some reservists on active-duty status.”
Ben spoke up next. He and Ed had done a divide-and-conquer on the lists of UMOs. “We’ve pretty much crossed one off the list because the position has been vacant. Two other UMOs were working the bases in tandem. We’ll keep digging.”
Zach helped himself to another croissant and asked Kathryn, “Is there anything else you need? You don’t have a car right now.”
She was about to accept when Jake said, “I’ve got a Range Rover that’s all gassed up and ready to go. It’s yours if you like. I can load your phone with the apps for the gate and the house.”
Zach gave him a frown. “Well, hell, Jake. I’d like a Range Rover. Or the least you could do is gas up my car, since getting out here is like going on friggin’ safari.”
“Well, maybe,” Jake said, grinning at Zach. “If you do for me what Kathryn did, we just might have a deal.”
Everyone’s eyes popped, Kathryn’s widest of all.
“I mean,” Jake said as his smile grew, “she did save my life, after all.”
Everyone laughed as he gave her a playful glance.
As the day flew by and should have been winding to a close, Kathryn’s momentum came to a screeching halt. What the hell? She looked through the information again. Then a third time.
Rattled at what she’d found, she searched the house, following the echoes of laughter to the largest office on the first floor. She knocked on the door frame, and all the men looked back at her.
“Hey,” she said shyly. “Jake, can I steal you for a moment?”
“Sure.” He stood up from his laptop and followed her outside to the large deck. “What’s going on?” He caressed her shoulders, rubbing out the tension as they soaked in the sunny view and the crisp air.
“I’ve been refining my search, and now I have a good list of candidates. Mostly women. All likely beneficiaries.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Who’s Chelsea Anders?”
His hands dropped from her shoulders as he moved next to her, bracing himself against the wood railing and staring off into the distance. “Was she one of them? A beneficiary?”
Kathryn took an eternity getting the smallest word past her lips, reconsidering
her initial thought of yes. “Maybe. I can’t be certain because it looks like the final signature never happened. But the system was set up like the claim was going to be processed anyway. Technically, it looks like it had been processed, then pulled back. But I can’t find policy payments. And if an insurer canceled the policy, returning any premiums paid is the industry standard. I can’t find a trace of that either.”
He stood up and headed back into the house. “Look, I need to check this out. Personally. Find out what happened, and—”
“I completely understand,” Kathryn lied, hating that he was leaving, and full of questions.
Why can’t the king of cyber investigating check on this here?
Where is this person?
Who is this person?
“I’ll be back.” With a quick peck to her lips, he left.
Twenty-Five
“I’m glad you could see me.” Jake hung his Ray Bans over the neck of his T-shirt as he was ushered in through the front door.
“God, Jake, how long has it been?” Chelsea asked.
“Three years.” His words came out flat.
The stunning brunette still had a body most men would do anything for. But Jake had long ago risen above the ranks of most men. As usual, her makeup was impeccable. Like a Kardashian who’d always be ready for any camera.
He stepped into the foyer. The contemporary house in the middle of suburbia was set prominently in a gated community within an upper-crust school district. “Still in real estate?” he asked, tossing out a nonchalant conversation starter.
“And loving every second of it.” She strolled to the kitchen. “Can I get you a drink? I’ve got Gentleman Jack.”
“I’ll take water. Tap is fine.”
With a suit yourself shrug, she filled a glass and handed it to him. They made their way to a large living room with expensive furnishings that were clearly oversized for the house, and too garish for his taste.
“You’ve done well,” he said.
She sat, patting the sofa for him to join her.