“Thank you, Logan, for caring enough about me to defend me like you did. You should know, although I did assume you and Goodman had slept together, I didn’t believe you were in a relationship with her.”
“Harper, there was never anything between Goodman and I. Not a kind word or hello in the morning. I’ve avoided her since the first time I laid eyes on her. You, on the other hand, are all I think about. No matter what I’m doing, you’re in my mind, invading my every thought.”
Logan’s voice dips to this incredibly sexy, gruff tone, setting my soul on fire and my thoughts to mush.
“You do the same to me.”
“You're not wearing my bracelet.”
Looking down, my fingers automatically wrap around the naked flesh of my wrist. I hadn’t wanted to take it off but knew it needed to go back to him. With new light shed on the truth, I needed to correct the wrong and put a smile back on his face.
“I have it.”
Moving the pillow over and grabbing the box I tucked the bracelet into. “I took it off,” shrugging my shoulders.
“Well, you can imagine why I did.” Sliding the cold metal over my hand, resting in the center of my wrist, the tiny package sparkling from the light of the lamp.
“I can’t say as I blame you.”
His eyes are fixated on my wrist, a new smile spreading across his lips, the very set I want to touch and get lost in.
“Although, seeing you wear it now does some pretty powerful things deep inside.”
I can’t help the smile, which takes over my entire face, filling me with a level of happiness I haven’t experienced in a long time.
“What would you think about keeping it on? Letting the rest of the world know you belong to me.”
The way he says, belonging to him does something to me, his possessiveness is sexy, which surprises me and yet makes me feel incredible.
“I think, considering how much time you have left in the military and the miles which separate us, wearing this, and calling you mine, is one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time.”
The beam of his smile matches mine, and I can't help but giggle like a schoolgirl, covering my mouth with my hands, pushing myself into the back of the couch.
“Harper, I know you’re no stranger to this life I live. The months we have before us, unable to be a normal couple, going out to dinner and movies. But I promise, if you can be patient, I’ll make up for every single mile that separates us.”
I'm mesmerized by the scruffy beard on his face, how it makes him look intimidating. For a brief second, I wonder what it will feel like against my thigh?
“I’m going to hold you to it.”
Squinting my eyes and pulling my knees to my chest, “As long as we’re discussing keeping things on.”
I pause to collect my hormones, the need to rub my thighs together to relieve the pressure building in my core.
“What’s the chance you can keep this ruggedly handsome thing you’ve got going on?” Tapping my finger against my chin.
Logan takes in a deep breath, moving his large fingers against the scruff of his face and my mind wanders to what those fingers could do if I allowed him to explore me.
“With my new orders, this is the last you’ll see the beard on me for a while, but I promise to grow it out for you the second my time with Uncle Sam is paid.”
“I can live with that, and who knows, by the time you're back in the States I might prefer you clean shaven.”
He has less than a year left on his contract, and until this moment I’ve never thought about where he will live. I assume since his family is from New York, it would make sense he would return there. I won't think about it now, I’m too happy to let the thought of this being a temporary thing ruin it.
“Whatever you decide will be fine with me, babe. I’ll follow your lead.”
Chapter Fifteen
Logan
“LT, the guy in triage one is asking for something for pain.”
Glancing up from the lab work of the young man I would be taking to surgery soon, my HM2 replaces his stethoscope around his neck.
“The one I discharged twenty minutes ago?” Using everything he has to keep the smile off his face, pausing for a moment before confirming.
“Yes, his wrist is hurting now.”
Tossing the lab report into the bin to be filed, not having the energy to deal with people who cried wolf to get out of doing their job.
“Tell him to quit jacking off so much and get the fuck back to work.”
As I suspected, not everyone was receptive to how I did things, as many complaints had come across my desk. Most from disgruntled corpsman who didn’t appreciate being called out on their shit. I had been schooled in the thought if you were going to do something wrong, you better be available to have your ass chewed.
One young man, in particular, felt his time was more precious than the rest of us, and became upset when I didn’t agree. Today’s complaint was a nonexistent rash on his arm, and in his mind, it rendered him unable to stock the rooms and take the vitals of our patients. The kid with abnormal labs had a hot appendix and it needed to come out, something that is truly deserving of my time.
Crossing the yard, heading toward the mess tent, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, that eerie feeling you get when someone is watching you. I drop to one knee under the pretense of tying my boot laces as I scan the surrounding terrain.
My first pass catches nothing out of the usual, but as I study the ridge line, I find the reflection of a signal mirror. Looking over my shoulder, I see a response from the ditch beside the road that leads into the compound.
Something's about to happen, I can feel it in every fiber of my being as my heartbeat quickens and beads of sweat collect along the back of my neck. From the corner of my eye, I notice the Captain walking around the Hummer we stole from Aarash. He is proud of the vehicle, and has been trying to figure out a way to take it back home with him.
Returning my attention back to the ridge line where I saw the signal, buried behind dead bushes and barely hanging on trees, I find nothing. Just as I’m about to check the signal from the ditch, a man steps out from the cover of the rocks, his white clothing rippling in the breeze, as he takes a rocket launcher from around his back and aims it in the direction of the Captain.
I don’t have the luxury of my gun, or half the equipment I would have carried with me during a mission. The only thing I can do is get everyone’s attention and get them as close to the ground as possible.
“Get down! Get the fuck down!”
I scream and several frozen eyes turn toward me as I take off running toward the Captain and the Hummer.
“Goddamn it, get the fuck down!”
I try again, as Ramsey comes around the corner, gun still around his back as he walks his patrol. He notices my fix on the ridge line, and just like Reaper showed him, he drops to one knee and lines up his sights.
I press on full force, attempting to get to the Captain before the motherfucker with the rocket launcher can. His eyes find me, terror and confusion blocking his ability to do anything except stare open mouthed at my approaching form.
“You need to hit the fucking dirt!”
I roar at him, just as I launch myself into the air, my arm catching his chest as the hissing sound of the released rocket whizzes past me, hitting the armored vehicle and sending it into a ball of flame. I can feel the heat from the flames, the intensity of it something I will never forget.
The Captain is still under my chest, dirt smeared all over his face and the sleeve of his uniform torn. I look up as Ramsey pulls the trigger, his confidence from the last time I saw him in this type of situation is off the charts. He will make an incredible SEAL, one I would fight beside any day.
Jumping to my feet, men with fire extinguishers are already spraying down the now worthless Hummer, its charred remains still smoldering, black smoke from the burning carcass clouding the sky.
“You okay, Doc?” Ramsey runs over, his gun secured on his back, a look of pride mixed with smatterings of being scared shitless marring around the edges.
“Yeah, I’m good, but this one—”
Extending my hand down to the Captain, his hand is shaking so severely I’m going to have to check him for shock.
“Sir, let's get you over to medical and checked out.”
Standing on wobbly legs, his hair disheveled and covered in dirt, he nods his head in agreement and allows Ramsey and I to escort him to the hospital.
“Forbes, you saved my life.” Captain had a few scrapes and most likely would have a multitude of bruises, but he was alive. I put a butterfly dressing over a small gash he had above his eye, head wounds being notorious for bleeding like a sieve. He would be good as new once his nerves calmed down and we got a little sugar in his bloodstream.
“I won't forget it. As soon as I can get back to my office, I’m calling your detailer and getting you back to the States.”
I wasn’t going to hold my breath. Not even a month ago, the man making this vow to me claimed we were too short staffed to let me go back home.
“I appreciate it, Sir.”
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Harper and I have adopted a schedule, she calls me every morning as she is having her first cup of coffee, and I am getting ready to fall asleep. Tonight, I managed to get done with work early, as this afternoon was the sentencing for Goodman.
With all the evidence stacked against her, she remained motionless as the board handed down a unanimous decision to end her career. She was no longer allowed to enter the hospital and was confined to her quarters until time for her to leave. Her nursing license was revoked and she would face military jail time for theft.
“Um, what?”
Her eyes were focused on my bare chest, something I had wanted to do since we began dating. I'd caught her several times appreciating the way I looked, and wanted to show her what was waiting for her when I got back home.
“My eyes are up here, sweetheart.”
Tapping my temple, I was enjoying this far too much. Harper’s eyes go wide as she averts her eyes from my chest, focusing her attention to the bright pink cup in her hand.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t —”
“Harper, stop.” She looks at me with pink cheeks and the tips of her ears growing deeper red by the second, “I was teasing you, love. This is your chest, covering the heart, which belongs to you as well. Someday, and I hope it's soon, you will lay your beautiful head on it so I can hold you as long as I want to.”
“I think about that too, when you’re here in the States.”
“Yeah, what kind of thoughts do you have?” She looks at me with those big blue expressive eyes, thick lashes framing the pools of warmth I fall into every time I look at her.
“Honestly?” She hesitates, looking down at her mug and then back at me. “I question how this will work with you living in New York and me in Virginia.”
We’d never discussed it, stupid of me not to tell her what I planned to do when this was over. Right after my team left, Reaper called us from Viper’s house introducing the team to the new love in his life, Rayne. He shocked the shit out of all of us as he had shaved the beard and had a girl living with him, something he vowed never to do.
After listening to how each of them found the rules of civilian life too constricting, we decided to form a team, a pack of mercenaries for hire. Viper and the girl who wrote to him by mistake, Kennedy, became the group's first clients. I had no plans to practice medicine, my heart no longer feeling the need it once had to heal the sick. Now, I wanted to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves, not giving a fuck what the overcrowded court systems thought.
“It will work perfectly fine since I’m not returning to New York. I need to stay in the south where my heart has lived since you stole it.”
I wasn’t ready to tell her the rest. Since her brother had returned, he wasted no time airing his displeasure at being here. He, like me, was full to the brim with being away from the ones he loved.
He shared with me how he wanted to open a kick-ass gym, one with physical therapy and private trainers. He had a business plan and a fair amount of money saved to get the gym off the ground. I tossed out the idea of going into business with him, teaching self-defense when I wasn’t off working with the team, and he accepted.
Ross found some new storefronts going up on a popular street, not far from where Harper's new building was. I called our family attorney and had him get the process going.
“You’re moving here?”
Harper’s voice shoots up a few octaves as the surprise of my announcement registers on her face. Those sweet lips of hers upturned into a delighted smile, one I’ve labeled my favorite.
“That’s my plan, know any places I could stay?”
Tossing her my best smile, throwing in a little sexy edge to up the game. Harper was the type of girl who appreciated honesty and being up front. I appreciated how she returned my honesty with a brand of her own.
“Well, there are these new condos going up not far from here, I saw the announcement in the paper. There’s also a couch directly above where I'm sitting I could let you have for free.”
“I was thinking a little closer to where you lay your head at night.”
“You know, it just so happens I have a vacant space on the right side of my bed.”
“Right side you say?” Playing along with her, enjoying the fuck out of the way she flirts with me.
“Did you know the right side is my personal favorite?” Her hand comes up to cradle her face, and my bracelet dangles from her delicate wrist. Seeing her wearing something I gave her makes me want out of this place that much more.
“Shall I put a hold on it? Save it until you get home?”
“Put a reserved sign on it, babe. Being beside you is where I belong.”
Morning had come before the sun took its place in the sky. I wanted to check on the Captain and make sure he was doing all right, but as I opened my door to begin my day, Ramsey is hurrying across the yard, his heavy steps telling me he is on a mission.
“Hey, Doc.”
“Hey, Ramsey, you ready for a run?”
“No, Sir. I was sent by the CO to have you come to his office right away.”
“Is he okay?”
“Oh, he ain’t hurt. He’s been on the phone since a little past midnight.”
“Thanks, Ramsey. I'll head over there now.”
With the earliness of the hour, the amount of people around was low, making my trip across the yard pleasantly quick. The offices outside the CO’s were dark and quiet, giving me the ability to hear him talking to someone at the back of the building. As I approached the open door, he was sitting in his chair, talking to his computer screen, his normally pressed uniform exchanged for a college t-shirt and sweatpants.
“I love you too, I’ll call you later.” He smiled at whoever he was talking to, my approach to his door catching his attention as he ended the call. The smile created by his call didn’t diminish as he motioned me forward and offered me a seat.
“Forbes, sorry to get you out of bed, but I have news that I didn’t want to sit on.”
“Did I or did I not tell you to go to your bunk and get some rest?” Ignoring the offered chair, choosing instead to lean over his desk, my arms locked and supporting me.
“You did, and I attempted it, but I made you a promise and I am a man of my word.”
“Clearly, by the way you ignored my instruction, your word includes the things you are interested in. As far as waking me up, I was coming to see you after I got some caffeine in my system.”
CO laughed, easing himself back into his chair, his night of not sleeping was catching up to him as dark circles were beginning to form under his eyes.
“Forbes, have a seat, would you? The quicker I share the news with you, the quicker I can get to bed.”
“Fine,” I agreed, droppi
ng into the seat directly behind me. “Let’s hear it.”
Shaking his head, a genuine smile on his face, “You're something, you know that, Doc?”
“So I’ve been told.”
“As I said before, I’ve been on the phone with your detailer, pulling more strings than a bass guitarist at a rock show. I managed to get you transferred to Twenty-Nine Palms. You report in two months.”
Twenty-Nine Palms was clear across the country from Harper. What the fuck was I going to do for the remainder of my time in the middle of nowhere?
As midday allowed me to take a lunch break, I declined an invitation to eat with Kincaid and stormed to my room. I had sworn to myself I would keep my word to Uncle Sam and remain in the military, but being close to Harper was more important than saving face with my family.
“Fuck it.” Picking my cell off my desk, I scroll through my list of contacts until I locate the number I need. A quick look at my watch, not taking time to calculate the time difference, I pressed send on the green button.
“Congressman Green’s office. How may I direct your call?”
“Yes ma’am, I need to speak with Congressman Green, please.”
“May I ask who is calling, sir?”
“Tell him it’s Logan Forbes, Meredith and Weston’s son.”
“P-please hold.”
Goddamn, I hated name-dropping, but from the stutter his receptionist showed, my parent's name still held enough clout to get me through to him.
“Logan Forbes, to what do I owe the honor of this call?”
Congressman Green and my father had attended college together, pledging the same fraternity and ran in the same circles. A few years ago, his wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor, my father stepped in and helped save her life. He told my dad if we ever needed anything from his office not to hesitate to give him a call.
“Congressman Green, I hate to bother you, but I need a huge favor.”
“It's David to you. After what your family has done for me, you name it and it yours.”
Operation SEAL: Book Two Trident Brotherhood Series Page 16