by Jen Talty
“Do you have any idea how fucked up that is? Last year I asked her why she never took me with her to Boston.” Clover shifted on the sofa, tucking a foot under her butt. She rested her elbow on the back of the couch, letting her hand cradle her cheek. The sun had disappeared from the sky, leaving a blanket of stars to dance across the dark water lapping at the shore. Her last three songs were written out on her patio while she daydreamed of when Wyatt would return and how she would finally tell him she had feelings.
Her pulse jumped, and her insecurities tickled the back of her mind. Right before her father died, she’d confided in him about her growing feelings for Wyatt. Her father reminded her that Wyatt was a broken man and that would never change because his emotional scars ran too deep and close to the heart. Men like Wyatt didn’t do anything halfway, so when they did love, it was all in.
Only Wyatt had his heart trampled on, and she thought he might never give it again.
“Are you going to tell me what she said, or do I have to guess?”
Clover shifted her focus from the foamy water that hugged the sandy beach, to the lights at the bottom of the pool making the liquid dance. “She was testing my father to see if he loved her enough to chase her, but he never came, so she knew she was no longer needed or wanted. Of course, that wasn’t true, but my father was tired of her games.”
“What about you? What did she say about leaving you?”
“Mostly the same stuff about how my father stole me from her and wouldn’t let her see me.” Clover shrugged. “But this time, she also told me that she didn’t know how to connect with me. That I was too much like my father, cold and distant, and that it was difficult for her to be around me, but that she tried to gain visitation rights.”
“Yeah, your mother is a piece of work. I’m sorry.”
“She married some guy less than a year after leaving my father. She’s got a bunch of stepkids, and she managed to raise them no problem. So really, it was she who never loved me enough.”
Wyatt tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Trisha has issues that have nothing to do with you, so don’t take her leaving as a reflection of who you are.”
“Now you sound like my grandmother.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Elsa cracks me up. I plan on visiting her later this week. How’s she liking the nursing home?”
“She’s director of activities, and I think she’s smitten with a gentleman who just moved in down the hall.”
“Why am I not surprised.” Wyatt rested his arm on the back of the sofa and stared out the sliding glass doors.
She took the opportunity to examine his strong profile. A few deep-set wrinkles lined the corners of his eyes. Under his chin, he sported a faded scar. His skin appeared soft and freshly shaven, but she always preferred his five-o’clock shadow look.
His full lips curved slightly. “You’re gawking at me.”
“A little.” She swallowed her pounding heartbeat, but it pumped right back up to her throat. “You have a birthday coming up.” That had nothing to do with why she couldn’t take her eyes off him. “A big thirty-nine.” Yeah, it’s so sexy to talk about someone getting older. She needed to forget about her nerves and get on with it. “I thought I’d take you to Ronnie’s Stake House for a special celebration.” God, she hoped she could get a reservation for Friday night.
He raised his glass. “I’ll never turn down a steak from Ronnie’s, but do we have to call it a birthday celebration? During the training mission, I was constantly reminded that I was the oldest man on my squad. Hell, the next oldest just turned thirty. It feels like forever since I was that young.”
“Age is just a number,” she said, scooting a little closer, setting the wine on the table. “And you’re far from old.”
“In ten years, when I’m taking you out for your thirty-ninth birthday, I will remind you of that statement.” He batted her nose.
Smiling, she rested her chin on his shoulder. His biceps flexed against her touch.
He cocked his head. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you might be trying to make a move on me.”
“Maybe you don’t know me well enough,” she whispered with a trembling voice. It became impossible to swallow, and she couldn’t tear her gaze away, even though right about now, she wanted to hide under a rock.
Both brows arched, and his lips parted.
But he said nothing.
She held her breath and counted to ten before exhaling. “I’m trying to be subtle.” She pressed her breast against his forearm.
His gaze lowered before snapping back up. “You weren’t just being funny with those texts? You’re hitting on me?”
“I wouldn’t call it that.”
“What would you call it?”
“More like expressing my feelings and attraction.” She kept her gaze locked with his as she angled her head and licked her lips. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”
“No. I mean yes. I’d love to kiss you, but no, I can’t.”
“I see.” Well, she just crashed and burned, and thankfully the only person around to witness it was the object of her affection. She pushed away, leaning her back against the armrest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come on to you or flirted with you in anyway. Let’s pretend it never happened.”
“I can’t do that.” He downed his wine before sauntering across the room and filling his glass. He chugged half of that as if it were a shot before standing in front of the sliders with his back to her. “I watched you grow up from this freckle-faced preteen who believed she could do anything, to a confident young woman who took the world by storm.”
“Really. Stop. I get it. You’re not interested, and I don’t need to be embarrassed anymore with some long-winded explanation.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “You brought this up, so you need to let me finish, okay?”
She waved her hand. “By all means.”
He turned his focus back to the ocean. “You’re beautiful, and smart, and everything a man could ever want in a woman. I’d be lying if the thought of us being together hadn’t crossed my mind a time or two. But I’m a SEAL, and that isn’t something that will ever change.”
“I would never ask you to leave the military.”
“Then by wanting to be with me, you’re breaking your own rule.”
“My rules can change.”
“My marriage to Gwen failed in part because of my grueling schedule with the Navy as did yours with Reagan. You made that rule up for a good reason. I’m not going to be the one you break it for only to have you regret it later when we don’t work out.”
“You sound way too confident that we are an impossible couple.”
“We are. Just like you and Reagan were. You’re the type of woman who wants and deserves the full attention of her other half, and that doesn’t happen with military families. You know that better than anyone.”
“This is your reasoning for turning me down? Have you seriously forgotten why Reagan and I split in the first place?”
“Because he was deployed all the time.”
“Not even close. I broke up with him because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants when he was deployed in exotic locations.”
“And if you were to get involved with another SEAL who was shipped out all the time, you’d always be wondering what he was or wasn’t doing.”
Tired of staring at his back, Clover rose and stepped between him and the sliding glass doors. “You’re not that kind of man.”
He let out a short chuckle. “I won’t argue that point, but you still don’t want a man who is owned by the Navy. You’ve said it a million times.”
She nodded, unable to rebut his statement because up until a few months ago, she wouldn’t have acted on her desires. Seeing what Keanu and Ainsley had changed Clover’s perspective on many things. “Will you answer me something?”
“What?” He rested his hands on her shoulders and massaged ge
ntly. Did he even have a clue how his actions encouraged her to continue to try to seduce him?
“How do you feel about me?” she asked.
His eyebrows shot up again. “That is a loaded question with many answers.”
She shook her head. “You either care, or you don’t. And don’t go off half-cocked with all these excuses. Just be honest with me, and with yourself.”
He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her head against his chest. “I care very much for you. I always have. You’re one of my best friends. We’ve been there for each other through some serious shit.”
Pounding her hands against his firm pectoral muscles, she gripped his shirt. “Stop trying to let me down gently. You don’t like me that way. I get it. Now please, for my sanity, can we forget—”
His mouth closed over hers so fast she hadn’t realized it was his tongue swirling around inside her mouth. His strong hands smoothed down her back, cupping her ass.
She dug her nails into his shoulders. Her muscles tensed. The kiss grew wild and desperate. A wave of dizziness rolled across her body as he hoisted her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist.
He stumbled back. “Shit,” he mumbled as he fell over onto the sofa, cradling her against his hard chest. He groaned.
“Are you okay?”
“Physically, yes,” he managed with a shaky breath. “But my ego has taken a huge hit and might go down in a fiery ball.”
Straddling him, she rested her palms on his firm pecs. Her hair flowed, pooling on either side of his body.
He reached out, fanning her face. “I care about you more than I should, which is why I’m going to end this right here. I’m sorry, but we can’t do this.”
Before she had a chance to register his words, the outside light flashed on, making her squint. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket.
Wyatt lifted her with ease and set her on the sofa. “Stay put.” He raced through the sliding glass doors. He stopped in the middle of her patio with his hands on both hips as he looked left and right.
Her fingers trembled as she pulled up the alert from her beachside security camera. “Wyatt?”
“What is it, babe?” he asked, closing and locking the doors, holding a small box.
She held out her cell. “I’ve got a blurry image of someone running across my property.”
“Whoever it was left you another present.” Wyatt set the box on the coffee table. “You call the cops. I’m calling my team.”
“For what?”
“Round the clock surveillance.”
She blinked. “Isn’t that over the top, and don’t they have things to do?”
“We’re on vacation for a week. They aren’t doing anything but drinking and chasing tail. I think they’d rather keep their skills sharp by helping me out.”
“Sounds more like you want them around so you will keep your hands to yourself,” she said.
“Until just now, I’ve successfully kept my hands away from you ever since I returned to Virginia. I’m sure I can manage to do it again.”
“What were you doing when the light went on?”
Why did Keanu have to ask that question?
Wyatt’s cheeks heated. “Talking.” He focused his attention on Clover, who sat at the kitchen table with her laptop, showing Dave all the security camera footage. Wyatt always knew she would be successful at anything she put her hands on. Her restaurant was a thriving business, and he could only guess the kind of money she made on the sale of her songs, but based on the house, she was doing better than average.
“You didn’t see anyone?” Keanu asked.
“I already told you that I didn’t.” Wyatt squeezed his hands together. Had he not been making out with Clover, he would have been more aware and probably would have seen whoever dropped a box on her patio that contained a picture of Clover with a big X placed over her face. “But I should have.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Keanu said.
“Has Dave said anything to you?”
“Only that the prints they found on the package delivered to the bar don’t show up in the system, and every local courier confirms no one used them to bring a package to Clover at the bar.” Keanu pointed to the ocean. “Let’s step outside.”
Wyatt didn’t like the sound of that. “What’s going on?” he asked as he closed the sliders.
“You called your team, and I know they are out there, even though they are hidden really well. I’m impressed actually. But I want to know what you plan on doing with them?”
“Isaac, Parker, Austin, and Landon have all agreed to take shifts staking out the bar and Clover’s house until we have to go back to work.”
“What about Lincoln, Hudson, and Bryce?”
“They had plans out of town to visit family. Once they return, they said they’d step up and do whatever was needed to protect Clover.”
“Does Clover know you’re doing this?” Keanu asked with a cocked head.
“Sort of and she’s not happy about it.” Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck. “I also called Tex. He said that Cookie and Benny are at the base. They are going to come over so I can pick their brain.”
“I’m sure they can add some insight.”
“That’s what I figured,” Wyatt said. “I worry we are all too close to the situation.”
“Her dad goes way back with Cookie, Benny, Tex, Wolf, Abe, and Mozart. None of us will sit on the sidelines.”
“I know. Tex will be doing some digging, but I need to ask Clover if he can have access to her computer at work as well as her laptop.”
“She’s not going to like that.”
“No shit, but someone threatened her, twice. And in the same day. Once where she works, and once where she lives. That tells me it’s someone she knows.”
“Do you find it odd it happened on the day you returned?”
“You think this could be about me?” Wyatt asked.
“I doubt it. But we have to consider the possibility.” Keanu took a couple of steps toward the ocean. “Last year she dated this jerk-off from Nashville. All he wanted was a piece of her success as a songwriter. When she broke it off, he flew out here and harassed her. He went away, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s behind this.”
“You told me about him, but you never said what he threatened her with.”
“I promised her I’d never tell you, but I’m going to break that promise.” When Keanu gave his word, he never went back on it.
Unless it was a matter of life and death.
Wyatt’s pulse kicked up.
“He had some naked pictures of her in some compromising situations and threatened to share them with the world if she didn’t begin a writing partnership with him.”
“Dare I ask where he got the pictures and what they were of, exactly?” Wyatt tensed, bracing himself for the answer.
“Let’s just say she was a consenting adult, and she wasn’t alone in some of the pictures.”
Wyatt swallowed the bile that smacked the back of his throat. “Please tell me she didn’t make a sex tape?”
Keanu didn’t say anything.
“Fuck,” Wyatt mumbled. “What happened to the images, and how do we know they won’t come back?”
“I took care of them and made sure he understood what I’d do to him if he ever tried to contact her again.”
“Anyone else know about these images?”
Keanu nodded. “I sought the help of Tex, Benny, Cookie; hell, they all know.”
“Everyone but me,” he mumbled. A couple jogged across the beach with their two puppies. The moonlight danced across the calm ocean. The summer heat prickled Wyatt’s skin. “I should stay with her, or maybe she should stay at my place.”
“I’m in agreement with you there. If anything happened to her, Colorado would reach down from heaven and make sure we end up in hell.”
“She’s not going to like me coddling her,” Wyatt said.
“So, don’t coddle, but you hav
e to be firm. She might fight you on twenty-four seven togetherness.”
“She’s pretty shaken up. I’m sure she won’t fight too hard.”
“Well, while you’re spending all this time alone, you might want to tell her how you feel.” Keanu slapped him on the back. “It’s high time you’re honest with yourself, and her. I would suspect she feels the same way about you. Maybe it’s time to explore those things.”
“I’m not going down that road, and I don’t need the distraction while I’m trying to protect her from some crazy stalker.”
“I’ll agree that you don’t need any distractions, but you’re head over heels for her. You might as well stop fighting it and see where it takes you. And I know for a fact, her father would approve, so don’t let that stop you.” Keanu turned and pulled open the sliders. “If I were you, I’d stay here. Her security system is better than yours, and it won’t throw the stalker off, making it easier to catch him.”
“I don’t plan on leaving her side.”
“That means sleeping in the same bed.”
Wyatt growled. “I’m not having this conversation with you.” Reluctantly, he made his way toward the kitchen where Dave and Clover continued with their conversation. Wyatt snagged a glass of water and leaned against the counter. “What did we miss?” he asked.
“We’ve compiled a list of three people that might want to harm Clover,” Dave said. “We have the waitress she fired, though so far her story checks out. The ex-fiancé, Reagan, but we don’t know what the motive would be since there doesn’t seem to be ill will on his part. We have an ex-boyfriend from Nashville, which is our best bet, if you ask me. And a neighbor across the street who doesn’t like that Clover fenced in her yard where he used to cut through to get to the beach instead of using the public access. Another good possibility.”
“That’s a start,” Wyatt said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He’d talked the neighbor down when he’d helped put the fence up with the no trespassing sign. He was a bit hot under the collar, but he didn’t make Wyatt jittery. “Keanu and I were talking, and we’ve got a buddy in the private sector who is a master at finding people. His skills would benefit the police where your hands might be tied or you don’t have the manpower.”