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

by Natasza Waters

  “How about forked tongue, lying bastard,” she yelled at him. Holy shit where did that come from?

  Thane’s eyes sparked with anger. “I didn’t want to do it. There is a difference. I know the difference, but you can’t seem to accept that. You’ve never had faith in me. Why the hell is that?”

  “I had faith—for about two days, and then you were making love to another woman. You’ll have a great excuse for the next woman with six-foot-long legs that comes along too.” The children and their mothers sauntered down the sidewalk, hands filled with their treats. She’d never have that. She’d never have normal, and she’d come so close. Why did fate decide at the last minute to rip it away from her? “I hope it felt good. I hope you came so hard your head blew off.”

  “I didn’t make love to her, Kayla. I didn’t finish…”

  Cutting him off before he could go into detail she didn’t need, she said, “What happened, did you get bored after screwin’ her three times or did you get caught crawling through the silk curtains of the maid’s quarters?”

  Thane’s jaw clenched tighter than a bear trap.

  “Sphinx got your tongue.”

  Finally, he craned his head. His blue eyes darkened to a turbulent sea. With measured words, he said, “I told you I came home a day after I woke up.”

  “I don’t want my son anywhere near your pompous princess.”

  “I did what I had to do to keep us alive. The mission is over. That’s all it was to me, a mission.” Thane concentrated on the road holding his emotions in check. “What about Lapierre? You made love to him. I have to live with that, and I hate it. It’s all I can see in my head when he’s around you.”

  “I didn’t even know you then.”

  “No, but you didn’t do a damn thing when he showed up in the camp, and had his hands all over you. You didn’t stop him from pawing you every chance he got when he was here.”

  “You ended that pretty quickly, didn’t you?”

  “Damn straight, and I’d do it again. I’m not going to back down while he tries to lure you away from me. Why didn’t you tell Zara to hit the fucking trail when she was spouting her bullshit?”

  She folded her arms. “You want me to fight for someone like you. Me?” She pointed at herself. “This is a mistake.”

  “Our child is not a mistake, dammit! I fucked up, all right? I fucked up royally in Syria, but our son is not a mistake. Making love to you was never a mistake. I could have worn protection, but I didn’t, because I wanted forever with you. When we made love the first time, there was no doubt in my mind I wanted you, and a baby if we made one. Crazy, I know, what guy in his right mind would want that, right? Me, I wanted that, with you.”

  Setting her eyes on the scenery, she refused to listen.

  “Get it out, Kayla. Tell me how much it hurts. Tell me you hate me. Wipe the slate clean.”

  “I don’t hate you,” she said, her bladder beginning to twinge. “I want you to get on with your life, and I’ll get on with mine. That’s how we’ll wipe the slate clean.”

  “My life is with you.” He folded his hand over hers. “Kayla, I’ve never strayed from that.”

  That was it. “Are we playing word games now? What do you call it when you have sex with another woman, Captain? No—you didn’t stray, you had an intermission. Would that be a better word? Save your bullshit for someone else.” She snatched her hand away from his. “Shut up about forever. You’re a man-whore and you always will be.”

  “Just to get the story straight in that stubborn-ass head of yours, I had the barrel of a gun pushed in my temple, while ten men watched. I’m not a fuckin’ porn star. I went through the motions, but I sure as hell didn’t enjoy it.”

  “Liar,” she spit at him.

  “Kayla, you don’t want to hear this because you’re afraid. Stop being afraid baby, and believe for a change.”

  “I did believe you, you son of a bitch. That’s the problem.” She made it back to the car with Thane close behind her. “Why the hell can’t you just give up?”

  Thane’s arm swung around her chest before she could open the door. “Because you don’t want me to.”

  “You’re deranged.”

  “I’ve had to struggle for the things I’ve wanted most in my life, Kayla. You’re the most important. Deal with it.”

  “Give up.”

  “Wouldn’t you just love that, then you’d be vindicated, wouldn’t you? You’re forgetting who the man is that loves you.” He turned her and leaned in, a hairs-breath away from her lips. “This time you’re going to the finish line, baby—with me. I won’t ring the bell,” a common phrase every SEAL understood, in reference to the infamous bell of forsaking any further training in the BUD/S program. The bell tolled for those who gave in.

  “Walk away,” she yelled. “You don’t get another chance, Captain. No one is ever going to hurt me again.”

  Thane’s jaw flexed, and he swallowed heavily. “I know I hurt you, and it’s the last thing I wanted.” He shook his head sharply. “If I’d known you wouldn’t forgive me…” He raised his gaze to hers. “I would have taken the damn bullet, and let the princess take her secrets to the grave.”

  His words wrenched her guts tight. The thought of him dying extinguished her anger. “Captain, I have nothing to forgive,” she said deflated, and tired of fighting. Thane’s hand slid down her arm. “I—just can’t take another chance on you.” She stared into his handsome face. “You don’t have to ring the bell. I already did it. You’re free of me.” She pulled away from him and got in the car.

  “Kayla—” He squatted beside her. “Please, we never got a chance to fall in love like two people normally do. Neither of us expected it. Caught up in our professions, war, the Shark, I was pulled away from you too many times. We both deserve another chance. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve just spent three uninterrupted weeks together. Even though you’re angry with me, they’re the best three weeks I’ve had in my life. ”

  Unscrewing a bottle of water, and taking a deep gulp, she fought the same thought. “I don’t need you. Stepping up to the plate, and doing the honorable thing is not necessary. Go back to Coronado.”

  “For all the challenges we’ve faced, we survived, and now we’re together with nothing in our way, but us. The only thing that scares me about tomorrow is not having you in it.”

  She sighed unable to offer anything but a sullen expression. “I’m the mother of your child, but I’m not your forever, Thane. You’ll have to find someone else to do happily ever after with.” She tucked the bottle between her thighs, and snagged the seatbelt, slipping it into the clip. “If you’re done trying to bullshit me, I’d like to go home,” she said, looking straight out the window.

  Thane’s large palm gently settled on her stomach. “What about him, Kayla? Are you going to lie to him too? Are you going to be able to hold our son, then walk away, and pretend you don’t love him? Just like you’re pretending you don’t love me.”

  Her chest squeezed tight with loss, but her coiled anger found motion. She slapped his face, hard. Stunned, she took a stuttering breath. Thane could have stopped her, but he hadn’t. Relief, instead of fury, filled his gaze. Tears blurred her vision.

  “Do you love your son, Kayla?” he whispered. “Would you give your life for him?”

  She wrapped her arms around her belly to protect her child. Thane’s finger swept the tear away from her cheek. “Yes,” rushed from her lips. He leaned in and kissed her.

  “He knows that too, as do I.”

  When Thane wanted to, he went straight for the jugular.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  As soon as he parked the car at the ranch, she was up and out. Thane watched her disappear down the trail to the lake. Forcing her to see the future instead of shy away from it was hard, but she needed to feel her choice, not just analyze it. Another small step. He couldn’t move too fast, or she’d catch on and clam up out of sheer stubbornness. Nope, this miss
ion called for skills he hadn’t learned from the SEALs, except one—patience. Slowly he’d seduce her, reel her in. She was the most important target of his life. Steady as she goes, SEAL.

  He strode toward the house. “A boy, shit yes!” he shouted, and pumped his fist in the air. His little sister wasn’t going to be far behind. Could they even push for a third? Why not four? Four was a good number. He wanted a whole loud, crazy house full of children. Diapers and baseball games, ballet classes and soccer practice. Camping trips in the summer and spring break in Hawaii. He could see it all, his mermaid and him at the helm.

  Stopping, he stared at the forest. He’d heard some guys had a thing for pregnant women. Sure, some were cute wobbling like little ducks, but they’d never appealed to him, until now. Kayla’s breasts were becoming fuller. The sexy little mound that was once her stomach filled as their son grew. Their son; the thought made him want to flex his muscles and act like an idiot. It wasn’t often Kayla let him touch her skin, but it was silky smooth, and her hips… Pheww, if he kept his thoughts going on this track it’d make him crazy. Guess he did have a thing for pregnant women, at least one pregnant woman. He felt so fucking possessive it was like being half-insane.

  His mind circled around the doctor’s visit. He’d taken a chance letting his fingers swim across Kayla’s skin, but she’d relaxed instantly. Biting on his top lip and surveying the treetops, he deliberated. Her mind might be rebelling against him, but he’d bet a million bucks her body felt differently. Before he knew it, he’d reached the path to the trail.

  Oh, and the sight that met his eyes had his insides jumping with friggin’ joy. Kayla was up to her knees in the clear water, her body gloriously naked. Thane to Base Command, mission elevated to high priority. Target acquired. Expedite plan and conquer one stubborn, beautiful mermaid. He ran through the trees, jumping stumps and ducking limbs. Crouching behind a fallen tree, he watched her finger the surface of the water, her head back and her dark curls reaching halfway down her back. Most days, she wore it in a ponytail, but now the ends played with the wind.

  It had been months since they’d made love, but he hadn’t forgotten the feeling of her body next to his, and neither had the fast approaching hard-on between his legs. She’d put on a little weight. It made her curves fuller, and her ass had to be the most glorious thing he’d ever seen. He wanted to grasp it in both hands and never let go. The woman had been pure, unadulterated catnip to him since the moment he saw her. The coloring of her skin had always intrigued him, the faintest, most delicious olive. He cleared his throat quietly, feeling his tongue go dry.

  His target swayed back and forth gently, sending ripples out across the lake, the water teasing the round, full globes of her ass. She really was a mermaid, the most enticing he’d ever known. For an instant he worried she’d reject him, but if he let himself believe that, he might as well pack it in now. They’d come too far for him to walk away from her. He adjusted himself, his zipper biting into his flesh. Kayla was more than just his idea of a sexual fantasy. She was as brave as she was noble. They would spend the rest of their lives in love, arguing, making up, but their bond would be to the end of their days. He stripped off his clothes, waited until she faced the other way, and slid into the water. When she turned, he took a deep breath and slipped beneath the surface. The distance was a little more than one pool length, no sweat.

  * * * *

  Kayla’s attention lingered on the water to the right of her. Small rings ranged outward and she disregarded it, probably a small fish nipping at bugs close to the surface. She waded deeper, until the water covered half her belly, enjoying the coolness. Something rose up behind her, hands following her legs and clenching arms around her waist. Memories of Jason from Friday the 13th pushed a shriek from her throat.

  Thane chuckled, and pressed himself against her. Feeling his shaft in the hollow of her back, her pulse kicked into a different gear. “Hot day, thought I’d cool off,” he said against her ear. “Mind sharing?”

  There was no way she was going to turn around and look at him, not without wilting. Thane’s right hand cupped some water, and he tipped it against her hip, following the droplets with his fingers.

  “You feel warm.” His lips barely touched her throat, but it scorched like dragon’s fire, and her body switched into autopilot. With gentle strokes, he singed a path across her stomach, and when his fingers cupped her breasts, brushing her nipples with his thumbs, a groan left his throat.

  Being pregnant made her body unbelievably sensitive. The rough tips of his fingers tenderly circled her peaks, stiffening them. Thane lingered at the pulse in her throat. His confident hands slipped between her thighs, and he groaned again, caressing the wetness from her body. Coils of desire released themselves with the perfect pressure of his practiced hand passing over her sensitive need. Her walls of restraint dissolved like a sand castle under pounding surf. Stopping his attention became an irretrievable thought.

  “Don’t ask me not to love you. It’s the one thing I can’t do.” His other hand squeezed her nipple as he kept up the sensual pace, separating her from her anger, and drawing her into his sensual trap. A trap her deceitful body craved. Her hips swayed with every soft stroke, and the heavy thumps of his chest began to beat faster, in rhythm with hers. Folding her in his arms, he turned her, drawing her tight, their bodies pasted together. “Let me show you how beautiful you are.”

  He waded to a pile of boulders sitting along the shore, his mouth demanding a response, possessive, then playful, like he was confused himself. One large boulder angled down toward the water, and he settled her against it. For a second, he dipped below the surface, and then he rose out of it like an erotic advertisement, the drops of water slipping down his smooth skin, catching on the rippling cords of muscle. His hands wound around her thighs, bringing his handsome features and firm lips to hover at her mound. With his gaze cemented on her, he buried his tongue, causing her hips to buck, and a cry escaped her. Fingers parted her, and his tongue swept one sensual, slow lick against her tender nerves.

  The burn of need cloaked her mind, shrieking at her to spread her thighs wider, and offer herself to him. Kneeling on a rock, he rose above her, his eyes burning with meaning. “You’re the only woman who can feed my hunger. Six months of starvation, Kayla. You—only you.” He ran a line of wet promises against her lips, tempting her to open.

  Nipping her shoulders, and working his way down, he placed gentle kisses on the soft bottom of her breast. With pelting flashes, fire ripped through her. He ran his teeth across the tip while his fingers stroked her, bringing her close, but not allowing her over the edge. He’d never loved her like this before. Higher and higher, she climbed, breathless, crazy with passion. The words tumbled from her. “Thane, I need you inside me.”

  His swollen crown circled her entry, teasing her. “Sweetheart, open your eyes. See me.”

  As he entered her with a slow, upward stroke, her anger let go, and her love for him rose up and nearly suffocated her.

  “I need you more,” he confessed. “This is where I belong.”

  They both shuddered hard as he stretched her, and her muscles softened, accepting him and then clutched him hard, never wanting him to leave her. Drawing out, then sweeping in with a plunge, his body quivered madly in rhythm with hers. Every muscle on his body strained, his stomach solid as marble. His passion found voice with a loud groan, and he dove deep inside her, thrusting forward, and clamping his mouth on her breast, sucking on it. They’d lost their humanity, and craved each other at instinctual levels. A handful of strokes, and they were both coming hard, their bodies shaking with release. He shuddered, the roar of pleasure leaving both their throats at the same time.

  She lay against the rock, absolutely sated, staring up at the bluest sky she’d ever seen. The wind caressed her conscience, and eventually she propped herself up. Thane tread water at her feet, looking up at her, his hair slick against his head, the water reflecting the bluest points of
his eyes. “Happy Birthday, Snow White.” A small impish grin pulled at his lips. “You are the love of my life. Our son will make us proud because he’s half you and half me. There’s no other woman who’s given me faith like you have. Never forget that.” He swam away from her, his strong arms stroking through the water with ease. With incredible speed, he swam the entire length of the lake and then half way back, finally reaching the shore and disappearing into the trees.

  * * * *

  Entering the house, he stopped short. Caught in his thoughts, his mind went from joy to threat in a millisecond, until he realized who lazed on the couch with a beer in his hand.

  “Thane.”

  “Hey, old man.” He remained where he was.

  Pat picked up a beer and swayed it at him. “Cold one?”

  “Sure,” he said, sitting down cautiously across from him.

  Pat stared at him with his steel gray eyes. “I knew something was up when I got wind Red was trying to stop the memorial service. Didn’t fit, ya know, and I haven’t heard from you in three weeks,” he blustered and slammed down his beer.

  “Sorry, bud.”

  “Yeah, sorry. What’s going on?”

  “Heard you passed the physical.” Pat glared at him, calculating, and he could read the man’s mind, ‘Not good enough of an answer’. He sighed and sat back in the couch. “The fewer people who know, the safer Kayla is.”

  “I get that. Am I people?” he spit out. “Is Marg just people? You know, I still catch her in tears.” Pat shook his head. “You two are something else. You’re so wrapped up in yourselves, you don’t think about anybody else.”

  Thane lowered his head. “It’s complicated right now.” He kept shoulder-checking. In about thirty seconds, Kayla was going to be coming through the door like a harpy on a mission from hell. She’d be angry at herself, and spitting fire at him, because she’d let herself be seduced. Ah, well, it wasn’t like Pat and Marg hadn’t had their share of knock-down, drag-out fights when they were younger. He never really knew what they were about, but Pat broke a lot of stuff and killed a lot of ‘T’s’ getting it out of his system.