The Captivating Warrior (Navy SEAL Romance)

by Cami Checketts

Sutton shook his head, and he took a step back, clasping his hands behind his back so he didn’t reach out to her. “I don’t need your comfort.”

  Liz pressed her lips together and looked him over with a level glare. She seemed to study every inch of him before she focused on his eyes, and he felt his control slipping. “You need a lot more than that, but you’re too gormless to realize it.”

  Sutton couldn’t help it. He smiled at the insult. A complete lack of common sense. Yep. That fit him pretty well regarding how out of control he felt any time she got close to him.

  “Oh, you think that’s funny?” She stepped up close, went on her tiptoes, and got right in his face. Grabbing on to his shirt, she pulled herself even closer. “You used to love me. You used to think no one else in the world was as important as me. Now, the blooming mission comes first. You need to remain focused? Well, focus on this.”

  She was so close he could smell vanilla and feel her soft form against him, and he was in so much danger right now. You used to love me? Couldn’t she see that he still did? Focus on what? Kissing her sounded much too tempting. He leaned closer, but she wasn’t done cussing him out.

  “You think the mission is all important? Guess what, Sutton? This mission can and will probably fail. What will we have then?” She arched an eyebrow at him.

  Sutton was reeling from so many things right now, but her saying his mission was going to fail ticked him off. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her flush to him. “My missions never fail.” He bit the words out.

  “Blimey! You don’t know how to lose, do you?”

  “I lost you.” He kept his voice in tight control when he wanted to yell out his anguish. “I lost Doug. Now, I’ve lost my home. What do you mean I don’t know how to lose?” He glowered down at her.

  The silence in the room stretched and scratched. It felt awful and tight, and Sutton wondered how he’d gotten here. Holding Liz in his arms. Wanting nothing more than to kiss her. Fighting about who knew what instead of talking about why she’d ditched him in the first place.

  “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through, Sutton,” she said quietly. She was so close her clean breath brushed his mouth. “But at some point, you have to realize it’s not about winning. It’s not about fighting and the battle.”

  He shook his head at her and pulled back slightly. “I don’t even understand what you’re saying. All I have is the battle.”

  “No.” She let go of his shirt and framed his face with her hands. “You have the memories. That’s all any of us will ever have.”

  Without waiting for an answer, she pulled his face down, arched up, and kissed him. The sweetness of her perfect mouth pulled a moan from deep inside of him. Sutton lifted her off her feet as he gave himself to the kiss and demanded as much from her as he gave. He loved her and he supposed she was right. If everything went wrong, he’d rather have this memory.

  Liz pulled back and released his face. Sutton set her on her feet. She stared at him for a few seconds before whispering, “I’ll always love you, Sutton. Maybe someday you’ll wake up enough to realize that winning isn’t as important as loving.”

  She pulled from his arms, strode to the door, and pushed through it.

  Sutton knew he should run after her. Tell her he loved her too. Demand to know what she meant. When she had ditched him at twenty-three, he hadn’t been trying to win. He’d been trying to prove that he was more than just some punk who’d been born with a silver spoon. That he was able to fight and protect and serve.

  He sank down into his office chair, feeling like the air had been robbed from his body. Maybe that’s exactly what she’d been saying. He always thought he had to prove himself, and all along, she just wanted him. But that couldn’t be true. Liz deserved the best. He wasn’t the best all those years ago, so he’d gone to prove he was. He’d risen in the ranks and gained respect from his men and his superiors faster than any man in the Queen’s Navy. Then he’d been dishonorably discharged.

  Now, he was at the top of his game again. He was the best. And his purpose now was to take Gunthry down and protect Liz, Ally, and so many other victims in the process.

  He flipped open his laptop and started reading through the emails from Kingsley, Barry, and Zane. Everything in him wanted to chase after Liz, declare his love, and kiss her until the sun rose. But she couldn’t understand why he had to win. She couldn’t understand that he was a warrior in the middle of the most important battle of his life, and the warrior didn’t claim his love until after the battle was won.

  Chapter Eight

  Liz leaned against the ship’s railing, staring out at the dark water sliding by the yacht. She’d been waiting here for far too long, the warm breeze whipping her hair into her face. Sutton wasn’t coming after her. She was acting daft as a bush. Like an ankle-biting child.

  She touched a finger to her lips, savoring the remembrance of his firm lips on hers. The way he’d lifted her off her feet and held her so close. Oh, that had been heaven.

  Sutton was the daft one! Why couldn’t he see they had to savor each moment? James had already blown up Sutton’s home. He must’ve turned at least one of Sutton’s men or staff against him. They weren’t safe and never would be. No matter how strong, brave, powerful, and smart Sutton was, the duke was ruthless and manipulative and just evil through and through. How did anyone win against that?

  Throwing her arms in the air in frustration, her wedding ring struck the railing. She’d worn it for so long she hardly noticed it any longer. As she looked down at the 12-carat oval cut solitaire, her stomach curdled. Sliding it off her finger she stared at it, loathing it, wishing she could make it burn. She hated this ring almost as much as she hated James, so why did she still wear it? What she held in her hand was a mockery of the sacred institution of marriage. A wedding ring was nothing more than a symbol, and she was staring at the symbol of her slavery. The shackle that bound her to the duke. Even though in her mind she hadn’t been married to the duke for years, her divorce had only been final yesterday morning, and it felt wonderful to not be legally tied to that monster. She wanted all remembrance of her servitude gone.

  Liz pulled her arm back and chucked her tiny fetter out to sea.

  A million dollars. She’d just thrown a million dollars to the sharks. The blissful feeling was worth a hundred times that.

  “It’s over!” she screamed at the ocean. “You will never own me again! I will die before I become your slave again!”

  A delicious freedom circled around her. Sutton’s mission might fail. James might always be chasing her, but she wasn’t his prisoner or his slave any more. Sutton and his men were willing to stand up to him for her. She was finally free, and if James captured her again, she’d fight him with everything she had. She would never be subject to him again.

  “Are you all right, Duchess?” A deep voice came from her right.

  Liz whirled to face the blond young man. “Steve?” She couldn’t keep them all straight.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He had a cute Southern accent and a concerned expression on his face.

  “I just threw a million-dollar ring into the ocean.”

  His eyebrows rose, and his gaze darted to the dark water as if considering diving in after it.

  “I’m doing brilliantly.” She smiled at him and strolled along the walkway toward the interior door. She was suddenly famished. She was going to find the galley and some food then sleep until someone woke her up and told her James was dead. Her smile grew.

  Chapter Nine

  The next day passed slowly, and they reached the Panama Canal in the morning. After exiting the locks, they headed northeast toward Puerto Rico. Sutton had slept for a few hours then kept himself busy with his plans and his research. He tried to force thoughts of Liz far away and not allow the disappointment to creep in that she hadn’t sought him out at all today. Steve and Blayze had both reported that they’d seen her and she was doing fine.

  Steve told him about watch
ing her chuck her million-dollar wedding ring into the ocean. Fire raced through him. She’d kissed Sutton then thrown away the symbol that tied her to James. He wanted to sprint to her cabin, but he held himself in check and changed the subject, asking Steve how extensive his training was in hand-to-hand combat. He wasn’t a specialist in it like River, but Sutton was satisfied that his man could hold his own with just about anyone. He commended Steve for the quick action after discovering the bomb then dismissed him and sat back down to his desk.

  Agatha brought dinner to his suite.

  “You look like rubbish,” she muttered as she sat his plate down.

  Sutton glanced sharply up at her.

  “I simply speak the truth.”

  He pushed a hand through his hair and inhaled the savory scent of chicken marsala. He’d prefer the smell of vanilla.

  “How are you doing?” he asked Agatha, cutting a bite of chicken and mushrooms.

  “Good as an old body can be. Just worried about you, my boy.”

  Sutton shook his head. “Don’t worry. Everything’s falling into place.”

  “I’m not talking about your silly revenge quest. I’m talking about the lovely woman who’s pacing the ship. Any time she encounters another body, she lights up in the hope that it might be you.”

  Sutton swallowed some of Agatha’s creamy mashed potatoes without tasting them. He took a quick drink of water. “Liz is wandering the ship?”

  “Get your well-shaped keister out of this chair and go see for yourself!” Agatha gave him a significant scowl and then slammed her way out of his room.

  Sutton chuckled at her exuberance. Agatha would never change. His chuckle slid away quickly as he thought of Liz. What he wouldn’t give to be with her right now. He finished his dinner and pushed the plate to the side, returning to work. He’d already contacted the original builder of his house and explained he needed it rebuilt quickly, along with a large number of upgrades he’d been considering. The man had seemed thrilled with all his requests, and promised that demolition would begin the minute the police and firefighters finished their investigations. Money could definitely get things done.

  Worry over who planted that bomb still gnawed at him. Zane and Cannon hadn’t found any motivation or suspicious activity with any of his cleaning crew or personal security team yet, but something would come up. The traitor would be revealed, and in the meantime, they had to stay the course.

  The sun set outside his windows as he worked. He stretched and knew he needed to do something physical or he’d find himself rushing to Liz’s suite and ripping the door hinges off. Changing into a t-shirt and shorts, he slipped out of his room and down the hall to the onboard gym. His yacht didn’t lack much and could give some small cruise ships a run for their money.

  Pounding through reps, he was on his third set of seated rows doing heavy weight and low reps when the door eased open. He spun to see who would intrude on his quiet time. His men were welcome to use anything of his, and that included his jet, yacht, and homes, but they were pretty good about giving him his privacy. He’d made himself into an enigma, and nobody seemed to want to disrespect his authority by intruding.

  Liz sauntered in, her head held high, looking unreal in a fitted tank top and yoga capris. Sutton almost closed his eyes to protect himself, but that would be much too telling. He should’ve given Agatha strict instructions to buy Liz only loose-fitted clothing.

  “Liz,” he whispered.

  She planted a hand on her hip. “What?”

  A small chuckle came out. “Nothing. I, um, you’re welcome to use anything in here.”

  “Thank you, 008, for being so generous.”

  The way she said his nickname had him grinning. She’d always been a smart aleck. “Anything for you.”

  She held his gaze for so long he almost shifted, but he couldn’t back down. He was afraid she was going to make a comment about him saying “anything for you,” but she didn’t. She simply inclined her chin and walked past him, grasping a pair of fifteen-pound dumbbells and starting a set of lateral raises.

  Sutton had always been impressed by her, but his estimation kept going up notches. She was tough, and she was sassy. He needed to tread very carefully.

  Liz could hardly keep her head on straight in this enclosed space. Sutton’s sandalwood and musk scent permeated the small gym. Why couldn’t he reek of sweat like any normal man? There were mirrors on every wall in the workout space that boasted plenty of free weights, two different cable systems, a treadmill, a spin bike, and an elliptical.

  Agatha had run to her room a few minutes ago and demanded she put on the “sexy” workout clothes she’d bought for her and get her skinny keister to the gym. Liz knew it wasn’t a great plan to chase down Sutton, but honestly, how could she resist?

  She kept sneaking glances in the mirrors as she lifted, throwing her balance off even more than the steady motion of the ship that she was still adjusting to. Sutton’s muscular form was beautiful. The teal-blue, fitted t-shirt he wore displayed well-built muscles in his shoulders and chest, and the biceps and triceps peeking out of his t-shirt sleeves made it hard for her to concentrate.

  She grabbed heavier weights and, resting the toes of her back foot on a bench, dropped into a deep split squat.

  A sharp intake of breath came from Sutton. She glanced up and met his eye in the mirror. He was staring unabashedly at her. Liz arched an eyebrow and gave him a challenging glare. He hadn’t wanted to follow her last night. What did she care if it was hard on him to see her exercise? Eat your heart out, you git.

  Liz finished twenty reps and switched legs. Her hands were cramping from holding the twenty-five-pound dumbbells. Standing on one leg made this a balance and core exercise in addition to strength, and the constant motion of the ship wasn’t doing her any favors.

  She moved to lower her rear leg, and the heavy weight pulled her to the side.

  “Ooh.” She cried out as she tried to bring her leg down for balance, but her foot hit the edge of the bench, and the yacht rolled the same way she was tipping. She had no way to stop her fall.

  Sutton sprang across the open area and grabbed her around the waist, steadying her. Liz’s heart thudded against her chest as she found herself inches away from the one prize she’d always wanted. She glanced up and saw he was smiling at her.

  “All right, then?”

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly.

  Sutton released her waist and took the weights from her hands, turning and shelving them. She thought he would move back to his workout, but he stayed in her space and looked her up and down. It wasn’t creepy like James and his friends’ looks. It was intimate and made her feel like she was worth much more than the diamond she’d chucked in the ocean.

  “You’ve kept yourself beautifully, Liz.” His voice was soft and husky.

  She flushed from the words, spoken so sincerely. It was odd how Sutton’s simple compliment made her want to give him everything when many men had complimented her throughout her life, expecting something. She’d never wanted to give them so much as a thank you.

  “Thank you, 008. You look pretty fit yourself.”

  Sutton chuckled. “Fit” was much flirtier in England than in America. His eyes swept over her face. “I heard you threw a right sizeable diamond into the water last night.”

  Liz’s fists clenched, and she took a step back. Unfortunately, her calves hit into the very bench that she’d just tripped on. “I’m not his property anymore, Sutton.”

  His eyebrows drew together. “I never said you were.”

  “Then why …?” She couldn’t hold his gaze and focused on the dumbbells next to them.

  “Why?” Sutton touched her chin and gently turned her face up to his.

  “Why can’t you be with me?”

  Sutton released her chin like she was a hot poker. A muscle worked in his jaw. He finally blew out a breath and whispered, “Oh, Liz. If only you knew what you do to me. You consume me.”

/>   Liz’s heart was walloping in her chest now.

  “If you could understand that,” Sutton continued, “you would understand that the mission has to take precedence right now.”

  “Argh!” She threw her hands in the air. “You and your stupid mission. Why don’t you call it what it really is, Sutton? It’s a revenge quest.”

  His lips tightened. “Yes, I want revenge on Gunthry, but this mission is about taking him out. He’ll never be able to touch you or your daughter again. Isn’t that what you want?”

  Fear clawed at Liz’s belly. Did Sutton realize how evil and manipulative James was? What kind of resources and manpower he had at his disposal? “Of course, I want that, but you don’t understand how powerful he is.” Trepidation made her voice scratchy.

  Sutton’s brow lowered. “There you go again, thinking Gunthry can best me. You don’t understand how powerful I am Liz.”

  Liz looked over his muscular frame and his handsome yet determined face and the depth of his gaze that showed he was a man no one should trifle with. “I know you’re powerful, Sutton. No one would question that. But James is the devil.”

  “A saint can always prevail over the devil.”

  He smirked, and it infuriated her. Was he taking this seriously? He had some plan to take down James. Had he already forgotten what James’ men had done to River in Kauai? Yes, River and Ally had won the day the other night when they’d married right in front of him then escaped. But James would only be fooled once, and to prove that, he’d blown up Sutton’s home while it was crawling with Sutton’s men. He would aim to kill now.

  “You don’t know how well-connected and unscrupulous this devil is.” A shudder raced through her. It didn’t take much to remember James squeezing her until ribs cracked or holding her head under water until she thought she would die for sure. Then blaming her pneumonia due to aspirated water on how much time she spent swimming. He was as evil as the devil and twice as subtle.