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

by Natasza Waters

  “Well, you’re gonna share,” Pat said harshly.

  The door crashed open, banging against the wall. “Thane, you son of a bitch,” she yelled.

  Right on time, the three o’clock express train, with Kayla at the helm, came roarin’ into the living room.

  “….Oh.” Kayla breathed, stopping between the door and them, seeing Cobbs.

  “Kayla.” Pat rose. “Jesus Christ, I could kill both of you.” He pulled her into an all-encompassing hug, something rare for Pat Cobbs, who never showed a sign of weakness or warmth. “Bloody hell, woman,” he said, holding a hand to her stomach. “You’re beautiful.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, gazing up at him through her thick lashes, her breathing still labored. She must have fast-footed it to the house.

  “You damn well should be. Marg is going to tear a strip off you.” Kayla scowled, but it didn’t hide the guilt. “Come on, sit down. You look out of breath.”

  Pat watched as Kayla sat down, but in the chair instead of beside him. When she did turn her eyes on him, they were like an Eskimo in a snowstorm.

  “As much as I’m pissed you didn’t call me when you found her, I’d have to agree with you about hiding Kayla.” He had both their attention now. “The Shark has killed three women in the last two days. We still don’t have any leads. Nina’s fine,” he said, beating Kayla’s question with an answer. “She’s living with Mace.” He glanced between them, a smirk breaking his domineering features. “Don’t think that’s going to end when the Shark is caught, though. That guy is so fucked up over her.” They both smiled. “He wants to ask her to marry him.”

  Kayla’s anger was forgotten. “Soon?” she asked.

  “Don’t know. I think they’re waiting. No one believes you’re dead.” A squeak escaped the leather couch when he adjusted himself. “You made it a little obvious, disappearing off the face of the planet for the last three weeks, Thane.”

  He nodded. The teams were always interacting. They were family, and for someone to disappear meant trouble, which would send one or all looking. “Probably.”

  “The Shark, no doubt, is wondering as well, but I wouldn’t go back now. One glimpse and he’d be on your tail.”

  “I’m not going back.” Kayla made a little noise in her throat. “Not until our son is born.”

  Cobbs’ eyes flew open. “Son? It’s a boy?”

  He nodded and then held his beer in the air, and Pat met him there with his own.

  “Figures, I get daughters and you get sons.”

  “He only gets one,” Kayla said with emphasis.

  Thane cleared his throat. “I’m going to make some lunch.”

  “I’m in,” Pat said, but he kept his eyes on Kayla. “Want to join me outside?”

  “No.”

  “Get your ass out there, Ms. Banks, we’re going to talk lieutenant to lieutenant,” Pat said sternly. He reached a hand to help her up and she took it. “See ya in a bit, old man.”

  He couldn’t imagine what Pat wanted to say. Eavesdropping was a thought, but for now, lunch. He was starving and bloody proud of himself. Another step, this time a big one. There was no way she could ignore what just happened between them. Together they were hotter than Hades. He just needed to remind her of that. Leaning over the counter, he saw Pat and Kayla sit down on the patio, and he whistled to himself as he turned for the fridge.

  * * * *

  “I don’t need a lecture. I’ve already received one from Thane. I’m sorry I didn’t ask if I could stay here. I just needed time to plan.”

  “I’m not pissed that you’re here. I’m pissed that you ran away. That’s not you,” Cobbs said, pulling out a chair and motioning for her to sit in it. “You will never win this battle if you think you’re going to keep Thane away from you. Whether you know it or not, he’s plotting now, and he intends to win. Heartbreak is not good for the baby. Neither is any emotional trauma and you’ve got enough on your plate.

  “He’s the one who won’t leave.”

  “Why would he? I’m sure Thane explained to you what happened on the mission.”

  She nodded.

  “What he didn’t tell you is that I was in the mansion, because he didn’t know I was there. I heard him talking to her. In between assuring Zara they were going to get out alive, and what his plans were, he talked about you. He told her this was his last mission, because you needed him and he needed you. Zara didn’t want to hear a word of it. She had a bad case of rescuer’s infatuation. It’s natural in extreme situations to confuse emotions of gratitude for something else. We’ve all been in that position before. Thane’s been on enough missions through the years to deal with the psychology of it.”

  “There was no confusion, Lieutenant. I saw what was in her eyes.”

  “Yeah, but have you looked in Thane’s? Can’t you see what’s there? You’re using this as an excuse. Kayla,” he leaned forward. “I’ve known Thane for a long time. We’re closer than brothers. He would have never done what he did unless it was the very last option. If he says he imagined you when he had to do what he was forced to do, then I believe him. Thane doesn’t lie, he never has. No matter how hard or what the consequences are, he always tells the truth.”

  “I know that,” she said quietly.

  “Then why are you sitting eight feet apart? Before the mission, you two didn’t leave the bedroom upstairs the entire time. You love him, and he loves you. Is there anything else that really matters?”

  Kayla watched a bee hover over the table checking for something sweet. Cobbs brushed it away. “Yes, there is. I’m not enough,” she said quietly. “Zara is regal, important, beautiful. She’s the type of woman who should stand beside Thane.”

  “Really?” Cobbs said, a grin pushing onto his lips. “It’s hard to swallow certain things in life. You never really forget them, but you can’t let them conquer you either. I’m betting that Thane never told you about Marg and him.”

  Kayla felt her eyes widen. “What?”

  “Yeah, he met her first. We were eighteen. We’d just finished BUD/S and were out partying our brains out. Marg was at the same club. Thane and Marg left and spent the night together.”

  Her mouth gaped.

  “The next night, we ended up at the club again, because we were being sent for our qualification training in a couple days. I saw Marg and Marg saw Thane, and realized we were swim buddies. Thing was, I fell in love with her at first sight. If ya don’t think I dwelled on the fact that he’d had her first for a helluva long time, you’d be wrong. If you don’t think I wondered whether they still wanted each other, you’d be wrong again. Thane didn’t want to settle down, but I could see Marg was attracted to him.”

  “Thane is a man I respect, and would do anything for. I drove myself crazy, knowing he’d made love to her, even though it was before we met. I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that maybe, just maybe, she wanted him instead of me. Since Thane wasn’t the kind of guy to stick with one woman, I was sloppy seconds.”

  “Marg wouldn’t give in, and she had good reason to. Her family hated my guts, because I was a sailor. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth like she was. She looks as soft as silk, but she’s tough as gator skin. She wouldn’t let me ruin our future or my relationship with Thane. We moved on. I had to have faith it was me she wanted.” Cobbs nodded. “No matter what, where or when the details are, you have to look at the roots to see where the truth grows. Thane never looked at another woman after he saw you. He had opportunities Kayla, plenty.”

  Her heart squeezed tight.

  “He was loyal to you and your future together—even before he knew you were his. In hindsight, it is kind of ironic. His mind had already settled on you. The times he was offered no strings attached sex came from some real beauties. They were the type of women he used to take to bed without a second thought, but he didn’t slip once.” Tapping the edge of his beer bottle on the table, he gave her a crooked smile. “If Thane said he ha
d no other options, than I believe him, and so should you.”

  She swiveled in her chair and watched Thane as he worked in the kitchen, putting together their lunch. Tears surfaced as she glanced back at Cobbs. “But I’m…”

  “Kayla, you are beautiful, inside and out, and Thane loves you just the way you are.”

  “Why? I’m so messed up. You know that, why doesn’t he?”

  “It killed all of us to watch you come unleashed at Thane’s. You hide your PTSD well, but while the rest of us feared there was too much damage, Thane refused to believe it. No matter what road you travel down, Kayla, he’s going to be right there beside you. You’re his one and only, just like Marg is mine.”

  Before she realized it, she was standing in front of Thane, her heart hammering with fear. Thane glanced at her, and his expression morphed to confusion, then doubt. “Kayla?”

  She opened her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out, yet the tears sure did. Pregnancy was hell on a woman’s emotions.

  “What’s wrong?” He took a careful step toward her. “Kayla, talk to me.”

  “Why me?” she squeaked. “Zara is….” All her insecurities unlocked at one time, and they stampeded from the corral inside of her.

  Thane looked over her head toward the patio, and then back at her. “Because my heart chose you. I will always choose you, Kayla. You’re my Achilles heel, the only woman who could cleave my armor in two and get inside me. I’ll take all the bad with the good, and any second I can have with you. It’s been that way since we met. It will be that way until one of us is gone.”

  She wasn’t finished being angry as her emotions shot through her like a fireworks display. “You hurt me,” she yelled. Thane leaned over, and kissed her lips gently, remaining calm as she spun with anger.

  “I know.” His gaze washed across hers nervously.

  It wasn’t good enough, and she balled her fist, and whacked him as hard as she could in his chest.

  His chin dropped and his eyes squinted. “Sweetie, you’re not…,” his teeth came together with an uncomfortable smile and arched brows. “You’re not big enough to beat the crap out of me.” She hauled back, and he grabbed her by the wrist. “You’re just going to hurt yourself.” With one finger he traced her cheek, caressed her jaw, ending at her chin. “I can’t undo it, but I can promise you, the only woman who will ever touch me again is you. You’re the best decision I ever made.” A grin tightened his cheeks. “And Zara is a bitch.” Thane’s eyes roved across hers. “Break our agreement.”

  “I…” How could she do that? “That would mean….”

  “That you have to admit you love me. That one day we’ll stand on our porch and wave goodbye to our son, and hopefully daughter, as they make their way in life. We’ll retire and travel, and do all the wonderful boring things a couple whose made it through all the tough times and good times together does. Our children will always have a home with a mom and dad who love them, and if God cuts us a break, we’ll get to play with our grandchildren.” He tipped her chin up to look in her eyes. “That’s the agreement I want.”

  He sounded so sure, spinning a future for them, seeing it in his mind, and showing her the threads of a life woven together with both of them. “Oh, God,” she breathed as he lifted her in his arms. “What are you doing?”

  “He can make his own damn lunch.”

  Thane stepped around the massive island, and crossed the living room with great strides, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. “Sweetheart, I need you. I need us.”

  Her baby-crazy pheromones flared as he slid his shirt from his golden skin, his muscles flexing across his shoulders and down sculpted arms. Within seconds, he’d undressed her and was laying her down. When she tried to pull the sheet in front of her, he stopped her hand, his eyes slowly heating her skin as he took her in. Thane hovered over her, and kissed her stomach, stroking her roundness. God, she had a bulbous bow. Her brows flexed together with concern. Her son was going to be just like his father—big.

  “I don’t know what he said, but I love you, and I love my friend, and my son. I don’t need anything else in this world, and I will never ask for anything else ever again.” Thane’s hand rounded her belly, and slipped sensually to her hips, following her curves. “You make me feel strong.” Thane closed his eyes when his fingers touched the wetness between her thighs. “I have never wanted you more than I do now, and considering what just happened at the lake, I thought that was impossible.”

  Following the angles of his strength, his body ruptured in small quakes as she explored.

  “I’m yours, Kayla, and you will always be mine.” Gently kissing her thighs open, he made them one, and kept them there—crying out, falling again and again as he stroked her carefully. Her mind spun as his lips sucked on her swollen breasts. “You are so beautiful, so amazing.”

  The depth of Thane’s words dove deep inside her, his gaze never parting from hers. “Mine,” she breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pulling him down on top her. She wanted to feel him, all of him, but he cautiously slid them to their sides.

  “I’ve missed you, Kayla,” he whispered before bringing them to the edge, and catapulting over it with her in his arms.

  * * * *

  Kayla slept soundly, but all he could do was stare up at the cedar boards strung across the ceiling. He wanted to stay with her, but he knew he should go downstairs and talk with Pat. Careful not to disturb her, he pulled on his jeans and made his way to the living room. A note sat on the table.

  Mission complete, returning to base. Keep in touch this time, asshole.

  Your friend always, P.

  He saw the sandwich he’d made was gone—all but the crusts—Pat hated them. He pulled out his phone.

  “I didn’t mean today,” Pat answered when he picked up.

  “I don’t know what you said, but I will be forever grateful.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Are you going to tell me?”

  “Nope. Classified.”

  He laughed. “Roger that.”

  “I’ll give ya a week, and then I’m bringing Marg up, so you better prepare Kayla, because she’s gonna get an earful.”

  “She can’t tell a soul. The Shark’s still out there.”

  “I know. We’re still working with Manchester. We’re going to find him, so you both can come home.”

  “Thanks for letting us stay here. We needed this, but if it wasn’t for you, I was going to tie her up and drag her to the closest church to make her believe me.”

  “What’s mine is yours, buddy. All except one thing, and you know what that is. I might be a bit selfish in all this, but I can finally rest easy.”

  “You’re kidding me, Pat. Come on. I’d never do that, besides Marg loves you past reason.”

  “Maybe, but it doesn’t change the past. Keep that in mind with Kayla. It doesn’t disappear, we just deal with it.”

  “I hear ya, loud and clear.”

  “Take care Frogman. I’ll see you in a week.”

  He checked the house and locked the doors and windows, then slipped back into bed before Kayla woke. A second chance, he thought resting a hand on his son. They still had rough water ahead. The Shark had to be brought down, then the rest of life would be a cakewalk. Cake! Holy shit, her birthday. How the heck could he make it special all the way out here? He leaped from the bed. Think fast, SEAL.

  Kayla slept longer than he thought she would. When he heard her footfall on the stairs, he took a deep breath. Dinner, fire crackling, candles on the table, his guts tied in knots. Check. She stopped on the last step, and panned a gaze across the room. He’d filled it full of wild flowers, and mixed them with vegetation. SEALs were trained to hide in veggie brush to conceal themselves. It just meant being inventive to turn veiling into revealing. He’d made dinner and dimmed the lights. Crap, he’d seen enough women set a scene for him, he’d just never done it himself before. He held his breath.

  Kayla’s lips
curved into a warm, little grin. “What’s this?”

  He strode toward her, and held out his hand. “A birthday dinner for two?” He led her to the table. She darted a glance at him as he pulled the chair for her. In his mind, they stood at the halfway point of a long journey. The last part would be hard for both of them, but it had to be done, now, before her demons jumped into the driver’s seat, and began mowing down the tender new shoots he’d sewn. They’d controlled her for too long, and they’d try to tear out the roots of truth he wanted Kayla to nurture. She wouldn’t be alone in any battle from this day forward. She could stand beside him or take cover behind him, but he was taking command of the sword she’d carried all her life.

  After dinner, it was time. He offered a warm smile, and patted the couch beside him. The wildness in her sensed something was off, and she looked nervous, and those nerves grew legs as she said, “I think I’m going to head to bed.”

  She wasn’t going to evade this. “Stop,” he commanded. Her step faltered, and halfway shocked him. Maybe he was getting better at this. Relaxing his body and hopefully the air around him, he sat back down on the sofa. Her small frame tensed. The time had come and she knew it.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Kayla kept her back to him, but she was listening. “You told me once we barely know each other. I want us to sit here in this room, and keep talking until every minute of our pasts are on the table. We’re going to laugh, question and cry, but we’re going to do it together.”

  Kayla remained still.

  “What are you scared of? That I’ll learn something I already know? I’ve held you in your worst moments. I’ve seen you fight to keep all those demons hiding inside you at bay. Nina’s right. Let them out. Give them to me, and I’ll crush every one of them until there’s a foot of dust on this floor.”