Code Name: Kayla's Fire (A Warrior's Challenge)

by Natasza Waters

  “Make love,” he interrupted, but he refused to look at her, and his Adam’s apple bounced in his throat. “We talk all the time.”

  “When I leave….” His attention bulleted to hers. “It will be because I want to give you your life back.” She bowed her head scouring the sheets. “You have no idea how scared I was for you to find out about my past, and now you know. I thought for sure all you’d see is the real me, the broken one.”

  “Kayla, you’re not broken,” he said gently.

  She shook her head, and he stopped her by squeezing her cheeks between his palms. “I wanted to start over here in America. Cut myself off from my memories. I know that sounds impossible, and probably stupid, but I was determined to do it.” A breath escaped him as if he was going to interrupt her, but instead, seamed his lips. “I don’t want to paint pictures of a future we won’t have.” She swallowed tightly, and her insides soured. Damn, here were the tears again. What the heck? Thane gently swept them away as they rolled down her cheeks. “Let’s just appreciate each hour we have.”

  He drew her tightly into a warm embrace, and buried his face in her hair. She clung to him, happy for the stolen moments.

  Threading her fingers through his thick dark blond hair, and giving him a whisper of a kiss on his cheek, she said, “Now, how many treasures can I bring back on a bike?” Thane raised his gaze to hers, but she didn’t expect to see him on the edge of tears. He pulled away from her quickly, but not quick enough. “Thane?”

  He rose, and turned his back on her, swiping at his eyes. He cleared his throat. “I’m buying a set of leathers for you first, and then we’ll head south.”

  “Leathers, for one ride?” It hardly seemed worth it.

  Thane reached into his pants pocket, and cupped something in his hands. “How many hours are in fifty years?” he asked, kneeling in front of her.

  Huh? She shrugged. “I don’t know, why?”

  “That—Ms. Banks—is how many hours we have left together.” Spreading the chain attached to his trident, he slipped it over her head. His gaze burrowed into hers. “You will never take this off again. I worked my ass off for it, and I will work twice as hard to prove to you that I’m worthy of your trust, your past, and our future. I have always appreciated every hour I’ve spent with you, and those to come. Now get your beautiful rear end off that bed before I change my mind and we spend the rest of the weekend between the sheets.”

  She leaned back as he came in for a close encounter.

  “We only revert to sex because you are the most exquisite creature I’ve ever made love to.” His aqua eyes commanded her to believe him. “Made—love—to,” he stated firmly. She waited for his full lips to take what he wanted, but he stepped away, and she almost scrambled off the bed to stop him, but she anchored her butt to remain seated. Halfway down the hall he yelled out, “I can’t wait to see your ass wrapped in black leather.”

  Did he always have to have the last word? “No good, SEAL,” she muttered, but a smile cracked her lips as she fingered his trident.

  “With nothing underneath except black lace,” he added from the kitchen.

  Her boyfriend was getting a little controlling, then again, when wasn’t he?

  * * * *

  Standing outside of the motorcycle shop, clothed from neck to toes in leather, she scanned the street. They’d outfitted her with a jacket, body-hugging pants, and boots that capped at her knees. Thane appeared beside her, and his gaze slipped from her face to drop a few stories to the pavement and back up again.

  “Wow!” he said, a wicked grin tightening his lips. “You are one damn sexy woman, do you know that?”

  She swiveled her head, at the same time shaking it. A slap landed on her derriere, not hard, but enough for her to pay attention. “What was that for?” The same hand slipped over her ass with pleasurable pressure to soothe her as he folded her in his arms.

  “Don’t be stubborn,” he ordered, leaning over and brushing his lips against hers. He inched back, and his eyes shot back and forth looking into hers. “I love you, Kayla. I don’t care if you ever say it back, but I know you do, and I know you’re fighting it.”

  She swallowed, and her gaze darted across the road, landing on something unexpected. Standing next to a green Chevy, Paul, their young but overzealous security guard, stood watching them. Her brows pinned together, and that caused Thane to crank his head. He nodded, but Paul didn’t nod back.

  “Hmm.” Thane straightened.

  The kid continued to stare without waving at them. “Hey, Paul. How’s it going?” she said, raising her voice to reach him. “You don’t think…”

  “No.” Thane barely moved his lips. “He’s just a young, geeky kid.” Thane grabbed her hand, and they strode across the street. As they got closer, Paul started to fidget, but he didn’t take his narrowed attention off them. “Got a day off, Paul?” Thane asked in a friendly manner, friendly for an intimidating giant.

  “No, sir,” he said, his gaze shooting to the ground. “Hi, Kayla.”

  “Evening shift?” she asked. Thane wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her in.

  “Just lunch break.” Paul sucked on his lower lip, and then darted a glance at Thane. “That’s a nice bike, sir.”

  “That it is. Do you ride?” Thane’s words seemed harmless enough, but she knew the interrogation was underway.

  Paul began to roll on the balls of his feet. A signature sign he was uncomfortable. “No, but I want to get a bike. My girlfriend likes them.”

  Thane nodded with a relaxed grin, but evaluated his every movement. “You’ve got a girl, huh? Nice.”

  “Yeah, kinda. We met online. We haven’t met in person yet.” Paul shuffled backwards and then shoulder checked. “I mean, she is my girlfriend. We’re just both busy. I’m still training every day. I want to be a SEAL like my dad.”

  Thane’s hand meandered down her arm. “Your father is a good man. He’s on deployment right now, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “That’s his KA-Bar, isn’t it?”

  Kayla stiffened. KA-Bar? That was a knife issued to SEALs among other things. She scoured Paul, and saw the hint of a knife hilt near his belt.

  Paul shuffled uncomfortably again. “He gave it to me. It’s the one he got when he completed his SQTs.”

  “Whose name’s on it?” Thane asked.

  “Petty Officer Seth Nolan,” Paul said quietly. “Dad said he died in the eighties.”

  “That’s true. He spent most of his years in Little Creek. Team Two.”

  Paul seemed to saw-up enough courage to look Thane in the eyes. Do you carry yours, sir?”

  Thane shook his head. “No, I don’t. I keep it at the base. I’ve never taken it into combat with me.”

  “How come? Dad always used to take his. Said it was good luck.”

  “I never wanted blood to fall on the man’s name engraved on it. Enough was spilled when he lost his life in the service. Couldn’t think of a good enough reason to spill more on it.”

  Paul pondered Thane’s answer while he nibbled his cheek. “Are—” He paused and breathed in heavily. “Are you and Snow White, um, are you guys…?” His fingers knotted together.

  Thane waited patiently for him to finish his sentence, his jaw angling with humor watching the kid wiggle uncomfortably in his skin.

  “I didn’t know….”

  “That Snow White and I are friends,” he finished for Paul who nodded vigorously, his jowls jiggling at the same time.

  She could tell Thane was assessing his response. If he was telling the truth, then he couldn’t be the Shark, but it was hard to tell with Paul. He always seemed nervous.

  “Snow White is watched all the time. One of us is always with her.”

  “You’re protecting her from the Shark.” He visibly relaxed. “That’s good to know.”

  Thane’s head jerked a little, and a quirk of his brow told her he’d figured something out. “You haven’t been followin
g Snow White, have you?”

  Paul’s cheeks blushed on his pale skin. “Maybe, not that I see her out very often,” he admitted. “I thought she was living with Petty Officer Callahan. I thought he was her boyfriend. She lives at his place.”

  “Yes, she does, but it’s because we can secure the building.”

  “That’s good.” A smile bloomed on his expression, making him look even younger.

  “We’re gonna take off, Paul. Thanks for keeping an eye on her, but I think you can stand down. She’s in safe hands.”

  Thane forked his fingers through hers. They both waved and returned to the bike. Paul hopped into the old green Chevy, and gave them a healthy wave as he drove off.

  “Sociopaths don’t have to be old to be dangerous, Thane,” she said, searching every face that wandered by them as she mindlessly took the helmet he handed her.

  “No, I know that, but he doesn’t fit the profile. Kayla?”

  “Huh?” Sure that no one in the crowd looked like a serial killer, she gave him her attention.

  Thane’s large hand engulfed her neck, and his thumb slid down her jaw. “Sweetheart, today is about relaxing. Can you do that for me? Or do we have to spend the weekend in bed in order for you to put him out of your head?” Thane’s finger played with the tab on her jacket, and he slowly pulled it low enough to be indecent, showing her breasts plumping from her bra.

  “Thane, behave.”

  “We ride until five, and wherever that takes us, we stop, because I don’t have much more patience than that before I need my mouth on those.”

  Moist heat slid between her thighs, and she shifted, but it was enough to tell him his words affected her, and him. She slid the helmet over her head, and he did the same, but he wasn’t getting away with his comment this time.

  Thane started the engine, and kicked the stand clear. Just before he entered traffic, she purred in his ear, “I don’t want to go to Mexico. I want to go that way.” She pointed up the coast. “I want a quaint little seaside B&B, a balcony overlooking the ocean, and you naked against me, while I kiss every inch of you until you’re hard and moaning in agony.”

  They both slammed forward, her helmet knocking his when he hit the brakes. She heard him release a deep breath. In a gruff voice, he said. “We’re cutting it to four hours, instead. You are in a whole lot of trouble, woman.”

  Thane wove into the traffic, and she hung on with the G-force wanting to rip her off the bike. “Patience, SEAL,” she reprimanded.

  “Don’t have any when it comes to you.”

  Three hours was enough on her bottom, but it had been a glorious three hours. The sun warm, but not too warm, the coastal breeze filling her senses, and the enormous warrior she snugged up to, in control of her safety as he drove with confidence along the 101. With every mile, the Shark got farther away, and she gladly left him behind.

  Thane knew exactly where he was going, and didn’t waste a second getting there. Trees surrounded the B&B for privacy, but it had an endless view of the Pacific crashing against the rocks below their bedroom. As evening fell, he had dinner brought to them, and showed her his softer side, the one that set her defenses adrift. Candlelight and a failing sun completed the perfect moment when they stood on the deck. Thane’s arms draped protectively around her while their minds wandered, watching the ocean swell. His chest was warm against her back, their skin sensitive after making love.

  “Are you happy, Kayla?” he asked quietly against her ear.

  Her wandering thoughts paused. He never asked questions like that. Thane strategized every move, like she did. “Yes. Why?” But, she knew why. Greg was coming tomorrow.

  Chapter Six

  “Lieutenant Commander, welcome to San Diego.”

  Greg Lapierre swung the bag from his shoulder to the ground, and extended a hand accompanied by a wary glance. “Commander Austen, where’s Kayla?” A streak of worry made a debut, but vanished as quickly as it appeared.

  “It’s Captain now, and a team overseas needed support. They ran into a roadblock, the kind Kayla’s good at unraveling.” It was partly true, but he’d caused the roadblock, so he could get to Lapierre before she did. He had no doubt she’d figure it out, so he had to hurry.

  Lapierre nodded. “A chance for us to have a discussion, is that it?’

  “Feel like a beer?” Thane draped himself in his diplomacy cloak. It was the only way to deal with Lapierre and not risk losing Kayla. This man was his competition. It didn’t take thousands of training dollars in psychological specialization to read Kayla’s deep affection for her ex-brother-in-law. What worried him was that affection was one step left of a different kind of love, one that would have Lapierre’s ring on Kayla’s finger.

  “Guess I could do that.”

  Physically their statures matched, although Greg’s features were dark, his skin swarthy and his eyes brilliant green. The man didn’t show a single sign of weakness. If he was burning out, he obscured it with his dominance.

  Being good enough for JTF was on par with becoming a SEAL. He respected the Canadian forces; their expertise and commitment to ending the reign of terror was equal to the United States. The men they chose were like his own. If Lapierre was American, he had no doubt he’d want a man like him on his teams.

  Settling on the patio at Breakers, the favored local hangout, Thane ordered a couple beers from the waitress, Amanda, who was giving the new man-flesh a healthy gape. Lapierre graced her with a once-over, like any trained warrior, he took her in without reflecting a thing. “Beautiful woman,” Thane said after she walked away.

  Lapierre gave a short nod, but didn’t chase her with his eyes. This guy really was dedicated to Kayla, either that or he already surmised why Thane had brought him here—interrogation.

  “How is she, Captain? I want the truth. She told me you know what—my brother did.”

  “Did she tell you what happened at Christmas?”

  “Her brevity leaves a lot of details out, and she does it so I don’t hop on a plane. Christmas is hard for her. Until this year, we spent every Christmas I wasn’t deployed, together. This year, she wouldn’t allow me to come.”

  “Yet, here you are.” He gave Amanda a nod of thanks when she returned, but wished like hell she hadn’t slipped a hand across his shoulders and offered an enticing please-let’s-fuck-again smile before she turned to another table. Lapierre’s watchful eyes filled with understanding, but he made no comment.

  “I’m here because Kayla is my family.”

  “Ex-family, and I know why you’re here. She sees you as a brother, but you don’t just see her as a sister. You want more.”

  “For twenty years I’ve been her protector and her friend, because that’s all she’d allow. I can hear it in her voice. She’s maxed out, and she needs a rest. Kayla’s always worked herself to the point of exhaustion, but she does it for a reason.”

  How could a guy like Lapierre not move on? For years he’d kept a flame burning for Kayla, Thane wondered if he might not do the same. “She didn’t tell you what happened when the Shark murdered the woman in my garage?”

  Lapierre leaned forward, his body tensing. “No.”

  “Since Christmas she’s been having minor Post Traumatic episodes. Mostly shaking, withdrawing into her mind.”

  Lapierre folded his hands, his jaw tightening as he listened.

  “When she saw how the Shark tore the woman apart, she had a major episode. We watched her relive the night your brother tried to kill her. Watched her fight to survive.” The memory made him sick.

  Lapierre’s forehead furrowed into tight lines.

  “She’s scheduled to see a doc this week, but it’s going to take a lot for me to get her there. She wants to deal with this herself, swears she already has.”

  “She did in the past. The first six months were the worst,” Lapierre admitted, staring down into his beer. “Thrashing, sweating, screaming—nothing I could do would bring her out of it, so I just held onto her unt
il it was over.”

  Thane’s stomach twisted.

  He nodded. “You too, huh?”

  “She’s experiencing these episodes because of her past, and now the threat of the Shark has made them swarm. Kayla’s watched twenty-four seven, and in the last two weeks they’ve eased off.”

  “I knew something like this would happen.” He sat back in his chair, and threw his sunglasses onto the table. “That’s why I want to take her away. Give her a break.”

  “You’re not fucking taking her anywhere.” Thane wasn’t going to beat around the bush. “You want to try and woo her into going home with you.”

  “You think you love her—”

  “I know it,” he shot back.

  “You don’t know her. Women like that waitress are more your speed, Captain. You’ve never had a serious relationship before Kayla, have you?” Lapierre asked with an accessing glare.

  That…was none of his business. “Kayla thinks you’re on mandatory leave because you’re burning out. You and your brother come from the same tree. Kayla thinks you handled your past, controlled your anger. I doubt that.”

  Lapierre’s jaw clenched and his eyes hardened. “If Kayla had chosen me, she wouldn’t be here. She’d be home, safe. We’d have a family, and be celebrating our twentieth anniversary, but I backed away, respecting my brother, and it was a mistake I will always regret.”

  Thane shoved his empty glass aside. “You’re probably right.” Confessing he knew how much Lapierre meant to her, didn’t change much. Lapierre was making an appearance because of her vulnerability, smelling opportunity. They both settled back, gazing at the landscape. The sea rolled calmly around the finger of deck built over the water. The pub wasn’t busy yet, and only a few tables held base regulars.