by Zoe Dawson
She nodded.
“No,” Shea said, looking up at Hemingway. “He hasn’t.”
Carolina sighed as she wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist.
“What? I thought they dropped all charges?”
Jason smiled. “They did. I took an honorable discharge instead of re-upping. I’m going to BUD/S to become a SEAL! Hoo-yah!”
Max laughed and his team echoed Jason’s shout. “Hoo-yah!”
Shea groaned. “I’m going to go commiserate with Paige. Excuse me.”
It had been a lonely month since he’d left Paraguay and got out of touch with Renata. He was hoping she was going to end up at her father’s practice in San Diego, but no luck. He was pretty sure that even time wasn’t going to help him with this ache. Maybe even a lifetime wasn’t enough to mend his broken heart.
He understood that she had a major life change to handle or reboot and realign with what she had left behind. He wouldn’t diminish her struggle. He just wished she’d throw him a bone.
Max turned toward the door and his heart skipped a beat. He caught a glimpse of a woman through the press of bodies with a load of black curls. He rubbed at his eyes. Man, he needed some sleep. He was seeing her everywhere. Then she pushed through, and the crowd parted to make way. His breath left his lungs in a whoosh. With her hair loose and framing her beautiful face, she looked gorgeous and sexier than he remembered.
Dressed in a simple white T-shirt and dark jeans, she could pass for a college student.
Her eyes lit from within when she saw him, and there was no hesitation in her step as she reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “How do you look more amazing than ever?”
“I think that’s all smoke and mirrors, babe.” He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. “How the hell are you?”
“All sorted out. I thought I would find you and tell you all about it.” She leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Preferably in bed.” She ran her lips over his jaw, and he sucked in a breath. “I really came for the sex.”
He grinned. “Did you now? Who am I to argue?”
She let him go. “Just let me say a quick hello to Carolina and Jason, then we can go and have some raging monkey sex.”
He was already hard. She brushed by him on purpose as she gave him a sassy, sultry glance before disappearing into the crowd.
Dodger came over. “She came back. I’m happy for you, mate.”
“Thanks.”
He waited for her at the door. When she reached him, she slipped her arm through his. “I hope your place isn’t far.”
They barely made it through the door before his mouth captured hers, and it was a while before there was any conversation.
With her snuggled against him, he said, “So, what did you sort out?”
She looked up and smiled. “I’ve got some catching up to do and my license to figure out, but the bottom line is I’ll be working with my father as soon as that’s all settled.”
“That’s great. You aren’t going to miss anthropology?”
“Oh, I’ll figure out something there. In fact, I have to finish up my last Paraguayan assignment. Are you interested?”
He laughed softly. “I’d go into hell for you.”
“That’s so romantic,” she said, pretending to swoon. “My hero.” She cupped his jaw. “Hey, did you know that I love you?”
“I had heard a rumor.”
She giggled and he said, “I love you right back. How’s that for symmetry?”
“Pretty convenient.”
He kissed her and there was nothing else to be said. She had expanded him beyond his own limitations, taken his heart and turned him inside out. What more could a man or SEAL need?
Epilogue
Renata looked up as the snorkel, tank, and gorgeous man broke the surface of the river. At first, she was leery of asking him to go in there where there were piranhas. But then laughed at her silliness. He was a Navy SEAL and water was his refuge. They’d had more threat from land predators. Yesterday, she’d seen a jaguar across the river taking a drink.
“You’re doing a great job holding down the beach,” he called, pushing up his facemask and treading water.
She smiled, glancing up, then back down to her work, cataloging the stuff they had already discovered, namely more armor, weapons, and a small chest of gold. Most likely part of the payroll. Together they’d uncovered the site when Max had seen an outline of a ship below the surface. The earthquake had stirred things up, and the ship had been excavated from the deep river bottom and pushed closer to shore, shifting sand and debris to make it visible.
“Aren’t you supposed to be silent and deadly. Silent being the important part.”
“Yeah, I got that.” He tapped his temple. “I haz the brains.”
When he didn’t say anything else, she looked up. He was still treading water, watching her. She tilted her head and said, “Aw, you bored, baby? I think I’ve got a ball around here somewhere.”
“I bet you think that joke never gets old?”
She could hear the grin in his voice and looked up. Sure enough, he was grinning, and it broadened when their eyes met. There was something about the way he smiled that revealed a very comfortable familiarity, and Renata experienced a warm rush. She would never have believed she could find so much pleasure from silly banter.
She made a face at him, sticking out her tongue, then shrugged. “Hey, it amuses me and that’s all that matters.” He swam closer to shore, removed his fins and then picked his way to the beach.
He was dressed in an abbreviated wetsuit, all wet and muscular. The black, wet neoprene outlined every muscle the man had on his delectable body. She was a big fan of pullups, and Navy SEALs did a lot of pullups. God bless them.
He flipped his fins at her and water flew, landing on her. She drew up her legs and huffed. “Hey, you bully. Don’t you know sugar melts in liquid?”
“Are you sure about that?” His eyes twinkled. “I thought I heard something about water and ding-dong the witch is dead.”
He sat down, setting his fins beside him and shrugging out of the tanks.
“If that were true, you better be careful I don’t put a hex on you.”
He grinned as he smoothed his hand across her shoulder and up her neck.
“You would sell a million of those wetsuits if you were a model.”
“Oh, yeah?” he responded, his eyes twinkling. He grabbed a towel, drying his face and roughing up his hair, pushing it back with his big hands.
“Oh, yeah,” she breathed.
His expression softened, and he gazed at her with a hypnotizing warmth. “Maybe I’ll do that on the side. You know, become a SEAL-slash-model.”
She reached for a bottle of water, then threw it to him, her arm brushing against him. She grabbed one for herself, cracked the cap, and took a sip then slanted an amused glance up at him. “Is that like a waitress-slash-actress?”
That made him laugh. “Yeah, something like that.” He sidled closer. “You almost done with that?” He kissed her neck, sending shivers throughout her body, tingling into her nipples and making them hard.
She caught him in the ribs with her elbow. “Don’t bug me while I’m working.”
“Has anyone ever told you those are a great set of legs?”
There was something about the way he said it that made her insides flip-flop like crazy, but she managed to keep her voice light. “Don’t try to butter me up, either.”
“Wow, you are tough.” He pulled one of her braids. “You only brought me because I can dive,” he said, his eyes gleaming.
She gave him a pained look, making a dramatic gasp. “You caught me. That’s it. If it weren’t for that, I would have kidnapped Jugs from his kennel and brought him. He has no problem fetching balls.”
Suddenly, she was on her back, her laptop sliding to the blanket, and Max was on top of her.
“You are a sassy piece of work.”
“So, I’ve been told.” She ran her hands over his broad shoulders and down to those impressive biceps, the springy fabric the only soft thing on this man. “You need some help getting out of your wetsuit?”
He grinned. “Yeah, those damn zippers are in the back.”
“You mean, this one?”
He grinned again as she pulled, and work was simply forgotten.
Later, she caught a dorado and with their other staples made an amazing dinner using her dirt oven technique. Max was fascinated and totally impressed at her survival skills. He was such a SEAL. He couldn’t wait to tell the guys.
“So, I was thinking,” he said after they had finished eating. “We’re about done here, and my leave is almost over. How about we visit this place I heard about around here? There’s a waterfall. We can bring food, sunbathe, and swim naked. It’s secluded.” He waggled his brows.
“That sounds wonderful. I’ve already sent in all my notes and reports. They’ll be here tomorrow to pack up all our finds and transport them to the ministry, and we’re free to go back to San Diego. I talked to my dad. I’m all set to start with him as soon as I get home.”
“You’re going to stay with me, right?”
“Yes, but I would like to look for something a bit bigger if you don’t mind.” She ran her hand down his arm. “Maybe a house?”
He nodded. “That sounds good. We can start looking when we get back.”
The next day after everything was handled and the people working for the ministry thanked her for a job well done, she and Max broke camp, packing up their personal belongings and stowing them in their vehicle. Then, with one pack across Max’s back, they hiked into the jungle until she could hear cascading water.
As they got closer, the lush jungle closed up behind them. She found herself in a natural basin, the cliff towering over them. Twin sheets of water on either side of mossy rocks, perfect for standing under, flowed down the rock face and splashed into a clear pool.
“This is gorgeous, Max. My favorite so far.”
“Me too.”
He shrugged off his pack and they stripped off their clothes. Renata left on the black thong of her bathing suit.
They enjoyed the beautiful spot, swam, ate, made love in the pool, and stretched out on the rocks, soaking up the sun, the soothing sound of the cascading water the only music they needed.
Finally, it was time to go, and although Renata was reluctant to leave such a beautiful place, she was eager to begin her real life with Max back in San Diego. They got dressed. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it was going to be filled with love. That was one thing that she knew for sure. Everything else she’d sort out later.
“Wait,” he said. He reached for something in his bag but concealed it in his big hand, tucking it into his short’s pocket.
He faced her. He swallowed hard, then met her gaze. He hesitated as if trying to find the right words.
“You’ve turned my life upside down, and I have never been this happy in my life,” he said huskily.
Something started gathering in her chest, something wild and wonderful. The flutter in her belly made her palms sweat. “We’ve overcome quite a bit to get here, and I’m as happy as you are,” she said softly.
“It was more than obstacles, Renata.” He hesitated, then continued unevenly as he explained, “You saved my life, taught me that I was not living up to my full mental potential. It’s opened my eyes to many things, namely being more calm, open, and taming my damn temper. I’ve harnessed the energy instead of dispersing it all over the place, losing something in the process.”
He stepped closer to her, taking her hands and intertwining his fingers with hers. “I gave up on love because I thought it would be too hard to be a SEAL and maintain a relationship. I don’t think that way anymore because of you. Now I want everything that comes with a committed relationship.”
“This hasn’t happened in a vacuum, Max. If I hadn’t found you out here, if you hadn’t needed me medically, I would never have realized how much I loved it. It would have been one of the biggest regrets of my life. You were the catalyst that led me back to what I loved most.”
He looked up and met her gaze. “I’d be lost without you.” His voice was so strained it was barely audible. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” He took a breath, slipped down to one knee, and her heart caught, then let go into a free fall.
He opened the black velvet box, and the square-cut diamond in the ring flashed like the sun as it caught fire.
“Will you marry me, Renata?”
She smiled at him through a sudden blur of tears, her chest aching with an immeasurable surge of love.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He stared at her, his eyes shining with tears, then came to his feet. Slowly he removed the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. He brushed some of her curls behind her ear, molding his hand against her jaw. His face was cast in soft tender lines as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. Then finally he smiled, his eyes filling with an intoxicating warmth. “I only ask one thing?”
“What’s that?”
“Could you once in a while be the damsel in distress?” he groused.
She cocked her head and laughed, looping her arms around his neck. “Yes. I’ll even play saucy, sexy princess slut for you, complete with glass slippers and see-through clothing. How’s that?”
Her suggestive comment caught him by surprise, and he burst into laughter as his eyes heated. Gazing at her for a minute, he then lowered his head and lightly brushed his mouth against hers. “That sounds amazing,” he said.
Renata was buoyant inside as if she was standing on air. She pressed harder against his mouth, kissing him with all the love she possessed, his mouth pliant against hers. She tightened her arms around his shoulders, losing herself in the infinite gentleness of his caress. His kiss filled her with a satisfied warmth.
Then he stepped away. For a split second it was as though time stood still, and Renata knew that would be one memory of him that would stay with her forever. He stood with his back to the waterfall, his head tipped to one side so that part of his face was touched by the sun. His expression was animated with laughter, and there was an incredible vibrancy in his eyes that seemed to reach out and physically touch her. And she knew, in the clarity of that one single moment, that he really did love her.
“I love you, Max.” She smiled as his eyes filled with a sensual light. “I love you so much.”
He was her warrior, would become her husband, and he would always be the man she would sacrifice a lot for, handle much, and compromise to be with him forever.
They had grown exponentially since they met, each receiving immeasurable gifts from each other
He was a once-wounded fallen angel that would forever be in her heart and in her life.
A breeze swept in through the open sliding glass door of the pitch-black room, stirring the wind chimes and making them sing. The sound intruded on Anna’s dream. She came awake, her heart pounding and her breathing so labored she felt as if she had been running. With the dream still fresh in her mind, she stumbled to the bathroom, her heart thumping as she pressed her hot face against the cool tiles. Again. It had happened again. That startlingly real, erotic dream, the one that made her whole body throb with a heavy, pulsating ache—the one that left her with a fierce emptiness when she woke up.
It was bad enough that Oliver “Artful Dodger” Graham permeated her waking thoughts, but now he had also invaded her dreams. Sweet, sensual dreams, hot, erotic dreams—dreams that left her so shaken, so aching, she was a mess inside. And now she’d had that hot, erotic dream three nights in a row, only it was getting worse. More intense. More explicit. More real. It was as if Dodger, that wicked, beautiful boy, was right there in bed beside her—and it was such an awful disappointment when she woke up, she could barely stand it. Her nerves were absolutely raw.
Lord, she had to make them stop. But she didn’t know how. She clo
sed her eyes. Okay, she knew—pinning him down and fucking the Artful Dodger’s brains out. Yeah, that would work.
None of the negative vibes he gave off detracted from just how devastatingly gorgeous the man was. And sexy. And so incredibly hot. Oliver Graham was deliciously sexy, from his thick, tousled dark blond hair to those wide shoulders of his, to his lean hips and muscular thighs…and certainly everywhere in between.
It didn’t help that she was the one who had conjured up the scenario she’d wanted to play out in that loft with a roll in the hay with him. Her mind had detailed every shivery touch, every movement of his body, the way he used his mouth on her…everywhere.
Groaning out loud, she stripped, yanked open the shower door and wrenched on the faucet. Even this distance between them didn’t help. She cursed at Dodger, Max, and the world in general. In Paraguay she had confirmed one thing. There was no mistaking the desire that flared to life in his striking eyes, and she reveled in the small victory. Dodger might have spent years skirting the electric chemistry between them, but she’d seen enough proof in Paraguay to confirm it.
One thing was for sure—she was going to go stark raving mad and become a total wreck if this kept up. It was simple. They lived in the same city. She could find out where. She could put on nothing but a trench coat and go knock on his door. Damn Max for interfering when he didn’t know a damn thing about how she felt about Dodger, and fuck Dodger’s freaking moral code and his brotherhood nonsense. All of that was easily overcome.
After getting dressed, she booted up her laptop and opened the file. With a sigh, she flipped through photos of Dodger she’d taken.
Her phone rang and she answered it. It was the deep voice of her boss.
“I have another job for you. Pack your bags.”
“Yes, sir,” she said.
Too bad Dodger was emotionally unavailable. He would never know the real her…no one really did.
Don’t miss the next SEAL Team Alpha book Artful Dodger as Dodger and Anna get deep into a life and death situation. As they spend every moment together outthinking and escaping their enemy, the explosive chemistry between them ignites. In a city where Anna can trust no one, Dodger is her only hope.