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

by Natasza Waters

  The girls gave Cobbs a quick wave and laughed at him as they headed out. “Tell mom where we are.”

  Cobbs cleared his throat. “Count yourself lucky, Thane. Raising kids, especially daughters—is hell.” Kelsey drooped on his shoulder, her eyes closed. “These girls have caused me more stress than our worst mission.” Cobbs turned his gaze from his daughter to him and his expression blanked just like that. “What—the—fuck,” he blustered.

  The problem with being swim buddies for twenty years, you often times knew what each other was thinking. “Something wrong?”

  “No way.” Cobbs scanned the guys standing in their circle, Caleb, Nathan, Clay and Fox had joined them, but it wasn’t until he hit Mace, he knew for sure. “Holy shit, man.” He raised his beer to him.

  “Am I missing something?” Tony asked, plucking an icy beer from the cooler.

  “Congratulations, old friend,” Cobbs said, waiting for the others to catch up.

  Fox clued in first. “Captain, are you?”

  “She’s going to kill me if she thinks I told you. I’m not saying a word.”

  Young Nathan still hadn’t clued in, but Mace let him off the hook. “Kayla’s, um. Well—she’s gonna be a mom.”

  “Frig-it frog, Kayla?” Two trains hit straight on as an enormous smile spread across Nathan’s face. “Who’s the dad?” he said and then laughed.

  “Hooyah,” they whooped and thundered his back with slaps.

  “Figured it out, did they?” Red said, limping up to join the circle. He surprised them, using his cane. No one said a thing, but they shared a quick look. “Well, here’s something else to celebrate,” he said, eyeing Mace.

  The old man didn’t miss anything, either.

  “You gave Nina the job?” Thane said.

  “I texted you, but I didn’t get anything back, figured you were too busy trying to take the Shark on yourself. Which we’ll talk about later, in private,” he warned.

  Thane’s brows popped under his bangs, and Mace chuckled, knowing he was going to get an earful from his old lieutenant.

  “Anyway, I was looking for your input, but we made the decision without you—figured you had other things on your mind.”

  Thane reached for his phone and spun through the emails, stopping on the one that said, Nina’s got the job. “Good choice, the other two guys didn’t impress me very much.”

  “Agreed,” Red said.

  “Mind if I share the news?” Thane asked.

  “Be my guest, and then we talk.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said, and headed for the house, before Red changed his mind.

  * * * *

  Kayla pulled herself out from underneath the sink, a wet cloth in hand, hearing a familiar voice. A noisy entrance by Carrie Watson drew a lot of attention, but until she stood to look for herself, Kayla couldn’t understand why.

  Carrie came in with three more girlfriends in tow, two ‘D’ cups and a ‘C’, all of it hanging out the tops of their blouses. Marg had told her it was common practice for the wives to bring along sisters or friends to keep the single SEALs company, but she hadn’t said she’d invited Miss Sweater-too-tight.

  “Isn’t that the secretary?” Nina asked, taking the cloth from Kayla’s hand and flopping it into the sink.

  “Yup.”

  “God, she’s really on the prowl, isn’t she? She better think twice before shoving those in the Captain’s face.”

  “She’s what?” Marg, Cobbs’ wife said, leaning against the counter. “I didn’t invite her, Kayla, believe me. The gals who come aren’t sidelining at the local strip joint.”

  Kayla tried to burn the grin.

  “Let me have a go at her,” Nina said, under her breath.

  Nina was all for it and took a step in their direction, but Kayla grabbed her arm. “Stand down, girl, Carrie can do what she wants and so can the Captain.”

  Nina’s mouth popped to say something, but Marg beat her to it. “Like hell.”

  They watched the women plopping premade dishes and paper bags filled with junk food on Marg’s large island. The women talked too loud as they shuffled their contributions into plastic bowls and paper plates. Carrie caught sight of her and stopped, tilting her head and sizing her up as usual. Kayla didn’t bother to paste on a fake smile. Carrie leaned over to her bleach bottle friend and whispered something to her. The girl cranked a look over her shoulder, and they both laughed.

  “Wonder how many boxes of condoms they got in those bags?” Nina wondered aloud.

  Lydia, Captain Redding’s wife, approached with a graceful stride and a dishtowel hung over her shoulder. “Kitchen looks in order.” She followed their gaze. “Friends of yours, Marg?”

  “Please—I don’t think so, but someone invited them,” She paused. “Or hired them. I guess I should make nice, but I like Nina’s idea better. Think it would prove more fruitful,” she drawled.

  Nina nodded and grinned. “I like these friends of yours, Kayla.”

  They all watched as Marg graciously introduced herself, and saw the hesitation in Carrie’s eyes realizing this wasn’t a bang fest, twenty-somethings “girls gone wild” party. Two of the friends standing behind Marg pulled their lips together in a snide mewl behind her back.

  “Oh, fuck, they’re dead,” Nina hissed.

  Lydia’s eyes widened with that.

  “She’s kidding,” Kayla said quickly, placing a hand against her stomach. Nausea was not her best friend. Driving up she’d fought the need to ask Thane to pull over at least five times.

  A small glint slipped into Lydia’s eyes. “We take our husband’s jobs very seriously. Our position as their wives loyally, but what we don’t take is bullshit,” she said, emphasizing the word. A surprising comment, especially from a woman who wore a set of pearls, a stylish summer dress, and a neat Jackie Kennedy hairstyle. Lydia turned her beautiful aging eyes on Kayla. “As a SEAL wife we are as strong as our husbands, maybe stronger of heart, and we fight dirty, if necessary, when it comes to a threat. Like our husbands, we don’t give up.” Lydia’s gaze darted to her hand pressed against her stomach and she dropped it immediately.

  “Hi, Captain,” a girly drawl sounded from somewhere across the kitchen, followed by a few others.

  “Ladies,” Thane answered. Dressed in a T-shirt wrapped against his square, thick shoulders, he strode into the room. Rounded pecs filtered down to a waist that’d make any girl dream about indecent things. He looked like he was on a mission, his strong jaw set and his steely eyes locked on her.

  Carrie stepped right into his path. “Captain, can I make you a drink?”

  “No, thank you, Ms. Watson.” He put his beer down on the counter and stepped around her, but she took one to match.

  Rolling her head up at him with an obvious ‘see-my-D cups-close up’ look in her eyes, she said, “I’m good at,”—she paused, her eyes raking over his chest—“whatever it is you like.”

  Thane nodded slowly and his lips cocked into a one-sided grin. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Carrie tried to melt against him, he gently, but firmly pushed her aside. “I’d like you to get out of my way, so I can get to my beautiful woman over there.”

  Carrie’s expression morphed from temptress to shock. Guess she really thought she had a shot, but Carrie wasn’t a quitter. Her head twisted on a swivel watching his backside and popping her brows at her girlfriends.

  Thane’s gaze stretched across the kitchen to hers and warmed. Oh, crap!

  Reaching them, he leaned over and kissed Lydia on the cheek. “Thane,” she said sweetly giving him a pat on his.

  “You look lovely as always.”

  “What is that woman doing here?” Lydia didn’t mince words.

  He shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care.” He turned his attention on Kayla. “I have a message I thought you might want to see, sweetheart.”

  Marg joined them and she and Lydia shot a glance at each other. What the hell was he doing calling her that in front of everyo
ne? “Me?” She read the text Thane held up for her to see on his phone, smiling broadly, she took it from his fingers. “It’s actually for you,” she said, turning and letting Nina see it.

  “No way,” Nina squealed and hugged her. Spinning on the spot, she held her hand out. “Thank you, sir.”

  “You owe Captain Redding the thanks. We were a little busy last night—remember? He and the rest of the board members selected you, but I was impressed with your abilities as well. I believe you’ll make an excellent addition to Base Command.”

  “Oh sure, I get raked through the coals, but she just glides on in,” Kayla said, throwing her arm out. She was teasing of course.

  “I was wrong,” Thane said, lifting his oversized shoulders in a shrug.

  “Wha…what was that again?” she said, coiling a hand to her ear and squinting. “Did I just feel the earth wobble?” The women cleaning and prepping around them tuned in on their exact frequency. She leaned closer. “You were what?” not wanting to let the moment go.

  A huge grin crawled across his face, and he tongued the front of his teeth. “Hey, I admit when I’m wrong.” He leaned forward until they were almost nose to nose. “Do you?” His voice lowered to a hot, low timbre that made her shiver.

  “No.” She gave him a quick pat on the cheek. His lips split into a wolf grin, and before she could backup, he snared her in his arms. Oh, shit! His mouth covered hers, long, hard, and he moaned, for God’s sake. A flush spread through her from toes to fingertips. He’d just exposed them to the entire room full of women. “What are you doing?” she breathed against his cheek.

  “No more walking in the shadows, Kayla.”

  Nina, Marg and Lydia sprouted enormous grins.

  “Besides, I heard more than a few of my SEALs making mention you’re here. You’re mine, and I’d hate to fracture their jaws, but I’d damn well do it.”

  The look in his eyes practically melted her underwear. Ignoring him, okay trying to ignore him, she turned to Nina. “Are you sure you want the job, Nina? With everything going on, I wouldn’t blame you for retreating.”

  “Of course I do. I’m in, I’m in,” Nina said doing a little jig.

  Kayla laughed when she saw the Captain’s expression. “She always does that when she’s happy.”

  “Good to know.” The Captain turned her, keeping her tight to his side, his hand stilling for a second on her stomach. “Can I steal her for a while?” he asked Lydia and Marg, but kept his attention on her.

  Lydia practically beamed. “Of course.” Placing a hand on both of them she said, “You two should take a walk, a long one. Dinner won’t be ready for another two hours.” She looked up at Thane. “Time passes quickly, don’t waste a second of it.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t plan to.”

  Sweeping the back of her hand across her forehead, she said, “I think I could use the air. Unless it’s hotter out there.”

  Thane didn’t answer until they were abreast of Carrie and her friends. “It’s always hot when you’re around, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Holding her hand, Thane led them down a trail carpeted with needles and hubs of weeds weaving through the forest. She was content to follow and enjoy the scenery. The late February afternoon seemed lazy in its passing, with the sounds of birds and a warm wind filtering through the trees. They met couples coming from the other direction. The men nodded, and added a “Captain, Snow White.”

  She only knew one or two of them, but obviously, they knew her. Thane offered a polite hello and acknowledged their wives. They bumped into Lieutenant Law and his wife.

  “Alina, nice to see you,” Thane greeted.

  “Captain.” She leaned forward, and he gave her a peck on the cheek. “This must be Snow White,” she said with a friendly smile. Her blonde hair framed a sweet, young-looking face, but she had to be in her mid-thirties, and she was very pregnant.

  “How does everyone know who I am?” she asked, unable to stop from staring at Alina’s belly.

  “You’re quite the subject actually, among a lot of the SEAL wives.” Alina grinned up at Thane.

  “Why is that?” Kayla asked.

  Alina blushed slightly and she gave a small shrug. “We get together often and chat. You should join us sometime.”

  “Gossip, you mean,” Law said, twisting a grin at Thane.

  “Are you going to have children, Kayla…I mean—” Alina’s forehead wrinkled and her cheeks tinged.

  Thane chuckled, and slid his arm around her shoulders. He wasn’t even trying to hold back the shit-eating grin on his face. “It’s a possibility, I suppose,” she said.

  Thane nodded. “Definitely a possibility.”

  Law looked over at Thane, and they were mirror images of each other, both looking extremely happy with themselves. Whoever said a woman glowed when she was pregnant forgot to mention the caveman ego aura that flared around the fathers.

  “I’m taking Kayla down to the lake. We’ll see you later,” Thane said, his hand falling to the hollow in her back.

  When they weren’t more than two paces away, she gave him a swat on his ass.

  “Close one, hey, sweetheart?” Weaving their way through the trees, he said, “Sounds like you’re the topic of a few conversations.”

  “Me! More like you,” placing her hand on his back as he took the lead, the trail narrowing tightly. Thane held the branches back for her before releasing them.

  “There might be a lottery.”

  “Seriously?”

  He turned and looked down at her, a warm smile in his eyes. “Nope.”

  “I bet there is. Wonder if it’s too late for me to get in on it?” she grumbled.

  “Kiss me.”

  “Nope.”

  “Ya think you’re going to play hard to get for the rest of our lives?” Thane let go of a branch and it swung back draping over them. Thane’s kiss was harsh but loving, and it made everything inside her tremble. He threaded his fingers through her hair, and a small growl escaped his throat. “I can’t stop thinking about her, Kayla.” His palm rested against her stomach. “Our little girl’s right there.”

  “Thane, don’t—get too attached.” She didn’t know how else to put it, but he needed to take a step back. She stepped away from him, but not far enough that she couldn’t press her hand to his heart. “Thane, I know Manchester or Fox told you about my childhood.”

  Thane’s mouth cracked open for extra air, and nodded his assent, but he also looked away from her.

  “My uncle didn’t just…use me. He shared me. The only reason I’m telling you this is because it’s unlikely that I can keep the baby. Some of them, most of them, were pretty boozed up or high, and they didn’t just rape me, they used things…”

  “Aw, God” he groaned. “Kayla, stop—I can’t—” He snatched her into his arms, and squeezed the life out of her, a silent appeal that he couldn’t listen anymore. She let him come to terms with it. “She’s going to make it,” he whispered to her. “I’ll admit, I’m a little scared, but only because I don’t want to screw up.”

  “That’s not possible.” Thane would be a wonderful father if he had the chance.

  “This might sound strange, but I am honored that you are the mother of my child. That you’ve let me in your life.”

  “We should have used pro—” His finger rose to her lips.

  He swayed his head. “I had some in my wallet,” he said gazing at her, “but unless you asked…ah man, I’m not very good at this communicating stuff. What I’m trying to say is I’ve never not used protection. I wanted…I’d decided.” Looking unnerved, and that just didn’t happen with Thane, he took a big swallow of air before saying, “Is that selfish? To want what everyone else has, and to have it with you?”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “I know it’s our child, but I also know it’s your body.” He brushed a wave of hair over her shoulder. “It’s important to me that you know I can already feel her little hand i
n mine as she takes her first shaky steps. I want to cuddle you and her against me until you both fall asleep in my arms.” He shook his head. “It’s the craziest fucking thing. I’m probably going to suck at being a father, but I need both of you.” He gently palmed her jaw. “Come on.”

  Breaking from the trail, she paused, looking out over the lake and the trees close by, hungry to get their roots to the water. “It’s very beautiful here.” On the other side, a group of young people splashed around, the girls shrieking and the boys laughing. “Remind you of anyone?” she asked.

  “Yuh, our daughter’s being home schooled, and she isn’t leaving the house until she reaches twenty-one, deal?”

  “Seriously?”

  “I am serious. If she’s going to look like her mother, we’ll have a lineup at our front door.” He drew her behind him, and they wandered down the path following the shore. Once they’d found a secluded area among a crowding of trees, Thane reached for her hands, and pulled them to his chest. “Kayla, I thought about what you said last night. You’re right. I guess you’re thinking with your head not your heart like me.”

  “I know you’re thinking with your heart, but you shouldn’t. Your team needs you more than me.”

  “That’s debatable.” He cast a concerned gaze across her features. “You’ve never been worried before, why now?”

  Could she rally enough courage to tell him? She was scared to death something would go wrong. They’d been very lucky in the past. No one had been seriously injured since she’d come. “I’ve always worried about you.”

  Thane swallowed heavily. “You never showed it.”

  “I understand what being a SEAL means to you…” she faltered, seeing a fetching smile lighten his features.

  “It used to, but I have a more important mission, one that needs my absolute attention.” He surprised her by kneeling down and kissing her stomach. Grazing a gentle hand across her hip, he said, “Your mom and I love you, and I can’t wait to hold you in my arms.”