by Jaime Lewis
She gasped when her chest met his firm body. She tilted her head back, and her breath caught in her throat when her eyes locked onto one very gorgeous man staring down at her. He stood over six feet with broad shoulders, jet black hair that was a little longer than military regulation and a pair of blue eyes that immediately drew her in. He screamed sexy in a rugged way, and she couldn't help the smile she gave him, "Hi."
He smiled back, his eyes crinkling at the corners, "Hi," he replied in a low, raspy voice.
She stood perfectly still, as she couldn't pull her gaze from his eyes. She was captivated by the blue orbs. His thick black eyelashes made the blue irises pop. He shifted on his feet, and she realized she was still wrapped up in his arms, holding onto his forearms. She started to feel awkward standing in the middle of the mess hall as if the two of them had just been named prom king and queen and were beginning their dance. But damn, did it feel good to be held by those arms. She shook her head. Oh, for heaven’s sake, what is wrong with me?
She tried untangling herself from him, but it seemed she only made matters worse because the crowd around them grew larger. Someone bumped into her from behind, forcing her closer to the man holding her up.
"Hang on," was all he said, and with no warning, her feet were off the ground, and she clutched his shoulders as he moved them both out of the mosh pit to an area less crowded along the wall.
She gasped when her back hit the wall, and he set her down. He grinned. "That was fun."
Fun? She wasn't sure about fun, but she knew her face probably showed how embarrassed she was, and she started rambling—something she didn't do very often.
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t see you. I’ve never seen it so crowded in here before. Are you okay?”
He chuckled, appearing amused, but didn’t release his hold on her. “It’s all good, are you okay?”
No! “Yes, I’m fine.” As long as I don’t look into your eyes or listen to your voice, I’ll be fine. He had one of those deep, raspy voices that made her insides melt and gave her goosebumps.
Amusement twinkled in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward, "That was a pretty hard collision. Are you sure we don't need to exchange insurance information, phone numbers, maybe?"
She could feel the redness creeping up her neck and into her face. But she also knew his type, and that angered her, knowing she’d fallen for his charm. He chuckled again, then released her and, without another word, turned and walked away, leaving her standing there staring at his back. She shook her head. What in the hell just happened?
She took a couple of breaths before starting towards the door she had been trying to get to. Just as she was about to push the door open, she picked up a weird vibe. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder, her breath hitched as she met those familiar blue eyes staring back at her from across the room. Not wanting to embarrass herself further, she quickly made a beeline for the exit as if her ass was on fire.
As she made her way back toward the convoy, she tried to think about the upcoming assignment, but it was hard to when her subconscious kept throwing up images of the blue-eyed stranger. What bothered her was how flustered she felt. She could go toe-to-toe with some of the meanest sons of bitches on the planet and not blink an eye. But one look into a particular set of blue eyes had her heart pumping double time.
She was checking her emails as she passed by a group of men and had to roll her eyes behind her sunglasses when one of them whistled. Sorry, buddy, ain’t that kind of woman. Ignoring their teenage hormonal behavior, she trucked on until a familiar voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
“Are you seriously just going to walk right on by and ignore me?”
There was no way it could be him, she thought to herself. Although with their careers, it wouldn't have been a complete surprise if their paths had crossed. She turned toward the voice, and there was no stopping the huge smile from spreading across her face.
"Oh my gosh, Stitch!" She sprinted over toward him, and when she was close enough and knew he would catch her, she leaped into his open arms. She hugged him tightly. They'd been friends since they were both in diapers. There were four of them who grew up together and were still best friends to this day. But this guy was like a brother to her. Both him and Frost were SEALs, ironically were assigned to the team under her uncle’s command. It had been over a year, maybe close to two years since she had seen either one of them. Being constantly on the go with their jobs and living in separate states made it hard to get together often. Hell, she didn’t get to spend enough time with her best friend Tenley, and she was a nurse. She suddenly felt a little emotional and blinked to dispel the moisture from her eyes.
He squeezed her tight, then kissed the top of the head. "I have missed you so much."
She sniffled and knew she had to rein in her emotions before she became a blubbering mess. She usually wasn't the mushy, easy to cry type of woman. But when it came to family, that was her soft spot. "I've missed you, too."
He set her down and took a step back as three other men walked up and stood beside him. Stitch introduced them as teammates of his.
“This is Dino, Skittles, and Diego. Guys, meet Alex. Derek’s daughter.”
She shook their hands. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, honey,” Dino said and gave her a smile that would make women’s panties fall right off.
"Damn, this just made my day. What brings you to this part of the world?" Stitch asked, and she gave him a funny look before he chuckled. He knew she wouldn't divulge that type of information, but she would give him credit for trying.
“I should ask you the same thing,” she grinned back at him.
He smiled. “Touché.”
“Are you staying or just passing through?”
“Passing through. How about you?”
"The same." She looked at her watch and damned the time, as she would love to stay and visit more with him, but she needed to get going. "I wish I had more time to stay and talk, but I need to get going, or I'm liable to miss my ride." And she was confident that Bert would leave her high and dry without a backward glance if given a chance.
“Me too. Damn, Frost is going to be pissed that he missed you.”
“Frost is here too?”
“Yeah, he and the rest of the team are here somewhere.”
"Shoot. Will you tell him I said hi, and I'm sorry I missed him.” She was disappointed, as she would have loved to seen Frost as well, even if it were just for a few minutes.
"I will, sweetie." He stepped forward and gave her another hug, and she snuggled against him. She missed this. She missed her friends. Hell, she missed just having a life. "It was so good to see you. Maybe one of these days, our schedules will mesh, and we can get together," he told her as he released her.
“I’d like that.”
“Be safe.”
“I always try.”
She started to walk away, and she quickly put on her sunglasses because she felt the waterworks coming on. Seeing Stitch hit a nerve and made her realize how much she missed home. Once she was clear and around the building's backside where she was supposed to meet her ride, only then did she let one tear escape. But she was quick to wipe away the evidence before anyone saw.
◆◆◆
Lt. Commander Marcus “Ace” Chambers made his way through the crowd of people. He was in a foul mood after getting off the phone with his mom back in Oklahoma. His oldest sister, Mikayla, who was pregnant with her second child, had gone into labor prematurely. From what his mom explained, the last two months for his sister had been difficult. The doctors had her on bed rest to try and alleviate the symptoms. Between the extremely high blood pressure and the fluid she was retaining, her doctors thought it was best to induce labor. Ace had hoped he would be stateside when she had the baby, but their deployment had been extended because of unforeseen issues during the team's latest mission. Now, they we
re being reassigned to aid in the search and rescue of a group of security contractors who had been kidnapped. This is what he signed up for when he joined the Navy, and he did love his job, but that didn't stop the guilt he felt at times. His family understood and always made it a point to remind him of monumental times like this when he couldn’t be there.
The only positive from the call was that it led him to the mess hall, wanting to grab a cup of coffee before he met up with the rest of the guys. If he didn't, he never would have bumped into that woman. He rubbed his jaw as his thoughts kept going back to the green-eyed sprite, who took his breath away. The moment his hands touched her body, he felt a spark. It was like nothing else he had experienced before. He had to smile at the way her tanned cheeks turned a beautiful pink color. She looked so innocent, and he was stunned at the instant attraction he had felt. She wasn't in uniform, so he wondered if she was a civilian contractor. The fact that she was carrying didn't go unnoticed either. He felt the small weapon tucked against her back in her jeans' waistband, which added to her appeal. A woman who was skilled in weaponry was a huge turn on.
Ace saw Frost and Potter hanging out by the door. He scratched his head before looking over his shoulder, hoping to get one last glimpse of the sexy brunette who stirred something inside him. He couldn't get over how incredible the woman's eyes were. The deep green irises were the perfect color against her complexion and dark hair.
“Who are you looking for?” Frost asked as they walked outside.
"Nobody." It wasn't like he was going to see her again, so why dwell on it.
Potter chuckled beside him, and Ace gave him a sideways look, wondering what was up with his best friend.
"I think the Lt. just fell in love." Ace whipped his head around and stared at Potter, who looked ready to burst at the seams.
“You saw her, too?”
Potter barked out a deep laugh. “Who didn’t is the question you should be asking. I think she turned the heads of every male in that room.”
"You met a woman? When? I didn't see anyone," Frost exclaimed, trying to look back into the mess hall through the open door.
Ace waved them off. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll never see her again.” That bothered him because dammit, he wanted to see her again. He wanted to ask her name, where she lived, and why in the hell was she here.
"Maybe you will, and maybe you won't. Maybe it was fate."
"Since when did you become fucking Cupid?" Ace said, turning to Potter.
Potter threw his hands up in the air in mock defense. “Hey, I’m just saying. You never know.”
They walked through the base until they met up with the others.
"Damn Ace, you look flustered? What's wrong? Did the mess hall run out of coffee?" Irish teased, and Frost chuckled.
“Ace met a woman.”
“You met a woman?” Stitch asked as if he was surprised now.
“Jesus, you fuckers make it sound like I don’t date.”
“Well, you really don’t.”
“Hey, speaking of women, Frost, you’ll never guess who you just missed.”
“Who?”
“Alex.”
"Our Alex?" Frost replied, and Stitch nodded. "What in the hell is she doing here?"
"Don't know, and she didn't say. According to her, she is just passing through. She said to tell you hi."
Ace didn’t miss the concerned look that passed between Stitch and Frost.
“Who’s Alex?”
Stitch smiled. “A friend we grew up with.”
"No, shit. What branch of the service is she in?"
Stitch laughed. “None. She freelances for a private firm.”
Ace nodded his head. He’d heard Stitch and Frost talk about their friend. Then it dawned on him.
"Is that the commander's daughter?" He asked, and Stitch nodded his head. Ace had never seen a picture of her, but the commander talks highly about her. She must be good at what she does to be over this way.
"Where did she go?" Frost asked, looking around as if he was going to spot her.
“Don’t know. She was running late and needed to go.”
Ace glanced at his watch. "Well, we’d better get a move on, or we're going to miss our ride."
As they rounded the corner of a building, Ace heard Frost say something before taking off into a sprint. When he looked in the direction of where Frost ran off to, Ace came to an abrupt halt when he spotted a woman leaning against one of the vehicles. His chest tightened when he realized it was her, the brunette from earlier. She appeared deep in thought as she typed away on her phone until Frost called out to her, and she looked up and smiled. Jesus, she was breathtaking.
Potter’s voice pulled him out of his head. “You okay, man?”
He glanced over at Potter, then nodded his head toward the woman. “It’s her.”
When they looked back, Frost had the woman lifted into the air hugging her. Then it hit him. The mystery woman he had a hard-on for was his commander's daughter. Fuck me!
◆◆◆
Alex couldn’t stop smiling as she hugged Frost. He lifted her off her feet and twirled her around. Her brain was still trying to process the fact that Stitch and Frost were both here in Afghanistan at the same time as her. Now that she got to see Frost, it brightened up her day.
"Damn, woman, you look really good," he told her as he set her back down.
She couldn’t stop grinning. “Thanks. I was upset when I had missed you earlier. I’m so glad I got to see you.”
As it had been a while since she’d spoken with him or Stitch, she was consumed with the conversation and didn't realize they had company until she sensed movement behind her. She turned to the left, and her eyes widened when it dawned on her that the guy standing next to her was the guy from the mess hall. He had removed the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing earlier, leaving him in just a tan t-shirt that clung to his torso and well-defined biceps. He was broader than Stitch and Frost, and her mouth started to water as she remembered how her body felt being held in those masculine arms.
“We meet again,” he spoke in that raspy voice that turned her into a puddle of goo.
She smiled up at him and felt her heart skip a beat when he removed his sunglasses, and her eyes met the blue of his.
“Seems so,” she replied.
Reaching to shake her hand, he smiled, "I'm Lt. Commander Marcus Chambers. The guys call me Ace."
As soon as his large hand enveloped hers, she felt a zing right to her core, and holy hotcakes did her insides start to warm. That feeling stunned her for a brief moment, and she looked up into those baby blue eyes again. She saw a flare in his gaze, but it passed just as quickly, and she wondered if she had only imagined it or if he had felt something too.
Remembering they weren't alone, she cleared her throat and reluctantly pulled her hand away. "I'm Alex. It's nice to meet you." She apologized again for running into him earlier–not that she would mind bumping into him again. "I swear I'm not clumsy, it's just that sometimes the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies, and in your case, people just get in my way." He let out a bark of laughter, and she wanted to melt at the sound.
"Wait, you two met? When?" Stitch asked, looking between her and Ace.
“Over at the mess hall. Right before I bumped into you,” she said.
Stitch squinted his eyes as he looked at Ace. But then a slow smile crept upon his face. Alex sensed there was some sort of silent communication between the two men, but about what, she hadn’t a clue.
"Well, now that you two have been properly introduced, would you like to meet the rest of the team?" She pulled her gaze from the god next to her and saw the amusement on Stitch's face. Her best friend knew she was totally checking out his team leader. Oh hell, they all probably knew it.
Stitch made the introductions, starting with Potter, the team's second in command. Just before she shook his hand, Potter smirked at Ace as if trying to hold back a laugh.
“What i
s so funny?” She asked on the defensive.
"Nothing, sweetheart. It is a pleasure to meet you finally. We've all only heard great things about you from the commander."
She eyed him over, knowing there was more to the story, but before she could respond, Stitch continued down the line. Some she had met earlier. Diego, she learned, was an explosives expert. With blonde hair and blue eyes, Irish was the team's sniper and seemed like the comedian of the group. Then there was Skittles, the team's intelligence specialist and tech guru. He looked a lot younger than the rest of the guys. And lastly was Dino who, as Stitch put it, could kick anyone's ass in hand-to-hand combat.
They were all attractive men, but her focus kept zeroing in on one in particular. One she wouldn’t mind getting wet and sandy with. She stole another glance in his direction and again locked eyes with him. Dammit! This was so out of character of her. She had been around and worked with plenty of good-looking men during her career, but never once had she felt the pull she got with this guy. Why now?
Pulling her gaze from his, she glanced at the group. "It's nice to meet you all."
“The way you hauled ass earlier, I thought you’d be long gone by now,” Stitch said.
“I’m still waiting on the others. They should be here any minute.”
Stitch looked at Ace. “Do you know who we are supposed to meet?”
Ace pulled out his phone, “The POC says the guy’s name is Alex.”
Suddenly, everyone got quiet, and Alex found herself placed in the spotlight as she realized their contact point was her. Holy shit! This was the team she was going to be working with. The funny part was Ace thought Alex was a guy. Surprise!
"I guess I've been waiting on you guys," she said, grinning, but still partially shocked, these guys were the team.
Ace looked at her. “I thought you worked for a private firm. This says there should be three agents from the agency.”
She looked up at Ace, and thankfully, he had put the sunglasses back on. "I do work for a private firm; however, I'm the lead for this assignment. Those men you are referring to are on loan from NSA. I was a last-minute addition, you could say."