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The mood was somber as they donned their swimsuits. She went to the extra effort of donning the pretty sarong too, an action that told Justin he’d pushed her. Now she was set to withdraw and put some distance between them. Not that she didn’t smile when he teased her about forgetting to rub sunscreen on her bottom. But her smile was strained, which filled him with regret and a little anger—not that he was proud to admit that.
He’d told her he didn’t expect her to reciprocate his feelings, but he’d hoped that if he took the plunge first, put it out there, that she might feel comfortable enough to open up.
Obviously, she wasn’t anywhere near ready to admit this thing they shared was something special. He had no doubts. Not a single one. It was only a matter of time before she recognized it as well, but he was working against the clock. She’d be leaving at the end of the week. If she got on that plane without declaring herself, she would have all the time in the world back in ugly, gray Chicago to decide what they shared was only a vacation romance. She’d talk herself into believing that the sorrow she felt was wrapped up in her missing the sun and sea, that Justin Walsh was only one ingredient in her summer vacation, and all she needed was a SAD lamp and some vitamin D to feel better.
His course of action now had to be to keep things light so she didn’t withdraw, closing up like a clam. They’d swim, then eat their meal while he entertained her with funny stories of his exploits, and then he’d do his best to charm the pants off her again. Because the only time she lowered her shields was when they were naked and in each other’s arms.
Of course that plan was more than a little selfish. He couldn’t wait to hold her again, to lose himself inside her sweet body. He picked up the blanket and shook out the sand, watching her from the corner of his eye as she rounded the boulder, heading back onto the narrow strip of beach. But she halted, her expression pulling into a frown.
Her head swung his way. “Justin? Why did the boat leave?”
Justin drew in a swift breath and dropped the blanket. He walked quickly to where she stood and stared out at the lagoon. Sure enough, the Clementine was gone.
Several possibilities blew through his mind, the least unnerving the only one he was willing to share because he didn’t want to frighten her. “Look, when I said yesterday that I had to work last night, I did. My job was to dress in Halloran’s clothing and make several appearances on the deck, which I did last night while you slept.”
“Why did you have to pose as Mr. Halloran?”
“He’s in the middle of negotiations to acquire a company. When I picked you up at the airport, I spotted someone following us. Dex and I suspect someone was hired by a competing company to keep tabs on Halloran’s movements. After the dive yesterday, Halloran slipped out with the escort boat, made it Andros Island where he took a helicopter to the airport at Grand Bahamas Island.”
“Which explains the pink shirt you were wearing last night.”
“You saw?” An eyebrow rose.
“Yes. But it’s not much of a disguise,” she said, eyeing his hair.
He shrugged. “I wore one of his straw hats.”
“The boat?” she said, pointing toward the lagoon.
“Earlier, the captain said a fishing boat seemed to be following our route. He must have seen it on the radar again.”
“They’ll be back?”
“They know where we are. We might have to wait until dark for it to return for us.”
She studied him, her frown easing from her face. “Is there more to this I should be worried about? I mean, after that dive crew took the yacht…”
“We’ll take some extra precautions, sweetheart.” He reached to grab her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “If the boat was tracking us, they might check out this island to see why the yacht stopped here. We have to leave the beach.”
She nodded. “All right. What do we need to do?”
“First, I need to pull the boat into the trees and then sweep the beach to remove all traces.”
“I’ll get some branches.”
At her totally appropriate response, he grinned.
“What?” She shrugged. “I watch movies. We have to hide our tracks.” A small smile tugged her mouth. “Lace and Maya had their adventures. I guess I’m due my own.”
They packed the picnic basket, and she went in search of leafy branches to sweep away their footprints. Keeping an eye on the water for any sign of the fishing boat, he headed to the skiff and pulled it by a rope to the tree line where he masked its outline with more brush and fronds. After Susan swept the beach, they watched the lagoon for a few long moments. There wasn’t a single blip on the horizon.
“We can’t stay out in the sun all day.” He shot a glance over her exposed skin. “Baby, you’ll fry. There’s a cabin…”
“Do you even know where it is?”
“Can’t be far. This island is tiny.”
They entered deeper into the forest, the sound of birds and the crunch of their steps in fallen leaves the only sounds around them. He found a beaten-down path and they followed it, reaching a clearing.
“It’s a shack,” she said, eyeing the ramshackle cabin.
The structure sat on piers, with a small planked porch and wooden walls with large gaps between the boards. But the shanty was shelter. “It’s a fishing cabin. One of Halloran’s friends purchased the island. I’m sure he has grander plans, but it’s a hideaway.”
He glanced at the satellite dish on the side of the roof and counted that as a bonus. “And maybe they have a phone,” he said, grinning. They climbed the porch and entered the small-one room cabin.
“So, no toilet?” she said.
“Check out back. There has to be an outhouse.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I’m not clearing out the cobwebs and snakes.”
“No poisonous snakes are indigenous to the islands.” But her frown said she didn’t care, poisonous or not, so he rifled through the kitchen, found a broom and headed outside. The outhouse was surprisingly tidy. Just like the cabin. He surmised not much time had passed since the owner visited because the pantry was full of dried and canned goods. Plus there was plenty of bottled water and propane to light the small kitchen stove. If they had to camp out here long, they wouldn’t go hungry.
Leaving her to search the perimeter of the shack, he found a nearby lean-to with a generator and plenty of fuel in a barrel to run it, but they’d have to go without, for the time being, because the engine sound would mask the noise anyone approaching the cabin might make.
The one thing he’d hoped to find was missing. No satellite phone. Nothing to connect to the dish on the roof to get out a message.
Still, he wasn’t unduly worried. The captain aboard the Clementine would either return for them or contact Dex to arrange a rescue. All Justin could do was sit tight, and keep Susan comfortable and distracted.
Yeah, things were looking up. They had nothing on their hands but time. Time alone to get to know each other better, time for him to seduce Susan into admitting their relationship stood a chance.
Although the situation was a little unnerving, knowing there might be a sinister someone out there looking for them, Susan felt surprisingly calm. She’d been the one partner in the agency who had yet to choose an adventure vacation to broaden her experiences. When the three of them decided to add adventure tours to the their offerings, they’d wanted to be able to add their personal recommendations to their clients. But after the trouble both of her friends had run into, she’d been sure the third time would be anything but charmed. And yet, here she was. Not exactly a travel package, but her own little adventure and, luckily enough, with her own SEAL along to make her feel safe.
Accustomed to high-end vacations, she found the rustic cabin oddly appealing. Cozy, even. The small room had a kitchenette in one corner, a small dining table, a comfortable plaid sofa, and a full-size bed with a brand-new mattress. While Justin was outside, doing whatever it was that acti
on men did to assure their safety, she made up the bed with fresh cotton sheets from a drawer beneath the bed. She set the table with a checkered oil cloth and laid out the food from their picnic basket. It was still chilled from the ice blocks packed around the covered dishes, keeping the items safe to consume, so she didn’t have to tackle the gas stove. If they were still here come morning, she’d make them powdered eggs and corn beef hash, items she’d found inside the surprisingly well-stocked micro-pantry.
There was even a pump next to the sink, one of those things with the long gooseneck handles that she’d seen in old movies, but she’d let Justin figure out how it worked. She poured the last of their bottled water into glasses she’d found, then sat on the sofa waiting for his return.
As the minutes stretched, she smiled over her bout of domesticity. At home, she rarely cooked. Takeout boxes regularly filled her fridge. But then, with only herself to feed, she felt no incentive for cooking experiments. Therefore, she wasn’t much of a cook. Her own mother’s idea of a cooked meal had been whatever frozen dinner could be popped into a microwave. Not that her mother was neglectful, but she’d had to work hard to keep them afloat after her father left.
Seeing her mom work so hard for so little had given Susan her drive to succeed, to depend on no one but herself. And she’d been satisfied with her plans and her successes, until her friends, one by one, found love and left her—Maya moving to Miami to be with Angel; Lace relocating to the Bahamas.
And now, here she was. In a rustic cabin, wearing only a swimsuit, her feet dirty from her trek through the forest. And in need of a bath to wash away the sand and sun-screen lotion, but still feeling somehow content. With this new development, she had time alone with Justin that she might not have allowed for herself out of fear she’d become too attached.
But it was already too late. Her heart was involved. So many things about him appealed. His scruffy good looks, his casual fashion, the way he spoke, words rushing from him to fill the silences—a habit that could have irritated, but which filled her with amusement and joy. He talked to her, teased her, made her feel as though she was the center of his attention, in all things. He made her feel special and interesting, even when she was being a bitch.
The scuff of footsteps on the porch drew her off the sofa, and she glanced out the window from behind the curtain, letting out a deep breath upon seeing him there.
When he entered the cabin, he shot his gaze to the bed and then the table and a crooked smile stretched. “Honey, I’m home,” he called out.
Susan grinned and waved a hand at the small space. “I went all out.”
“I can see that. When we’re done with the meal, I’ll have to show you what I found.”
She tilted her head. “Another surprise?”
“This one, you’ll like. Promise.”
They ate in companionable silence, devouring the roasted chicken and rolls, crunching on crisp salad and croutons. The dishes held large squares of chocolate cake, which they both groaned over. After they’d emptied their plates, Justin rose and held out his hand. “Follow me.”
He led her outside, past a lean-to, toward something that looked like an open-doored closet with a ladder at one side and a large barrel on the roof. “A shower?” she asked, spying the large round head poking from the ceiling of the slatted closet.
“A shower. The water’s cool, and you’ll have to be quick, but I thought you might enjoy it.” He tipped open the lid of a small casket on a shelf built onto the side of the shower. “Soap and shampoo, milady.”
Without hesitating, she hung her clothes on hooks on the outside of the shower, then stepped inside, closing her eyes. A moment later, water rained down from the showerhead. She gasped. “Oh,” she said. The water was cool, especially on her slightly sunburned skin, but she didn’t complain, accepting a bar of soap and a wash cloth and washing herself as efficiently as she could. “Hurry,” she said, “your turn.”
Justin dropped his shorts and slid in as she stepped out, and she stood, drip-drying in the air while she watched him bathe. Such a simple thing, but the act increased the sense of intimacy and reconnected her with him. Warmth filled her chest, a tingling joy made her quiver.
When he finished, he tugged a cord, stopping the flow. Neither bothered to dress. They strode naked back into the cabin, through the small room toward the front porch where they sat side-by-side on the porch while the sun dried their skin and hair.
“I could live like this,” he said, sighing and leaning his head back against a post. “You and me. Alone. Naked all day.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Think of the bug bites. The sunburns in places sun should never burn.”
His eyes squinted open. “You look pretty happy there. Admit it, you’re a nudist too.”
She smiled. “I admit nothing.”
“You don’t have to say a thing,” he said, reaching across, his fingers curving beneath her breast, his thumb rasping the tightening tip. “Neither do I.”
Her gaze went straight to his cock, which was thickening rapidly.
“Come here,” he said softly. “I’ll risk the splinters if you do the work.”
“A fair division of labor,” she said breathlessly, rising and then lowering herself to straddle his lap, taking him inside in an easy wet glide. The sensation of bare skin entering her was delicious and incredibly sexy.
They made love, joining and separating in easy glides, smiling at each other until smiles were too much effort because they were growing more and more aroused.
Susan was entranced with the changes in his expression, from amusement, to solemnity, his dark eyes locking with hers as his hands caressed her everywhere. There was care in his touch, love, which now she didn’t shy away from. She couldn’t. She was quivering and free, rising and falling, sliding closer and closer toward the peak. When she crested, she melted against his chest, aware he’d held back to assure her pleasure.
“We should probably move this inside,” he said, kissing her temple.
“Justin?” She lifted her head to meet his gaze.
His smile was back, soft and hopeful. “I’m here.”
“Don’t ever let me go,” she whispered, nestling her cheek against his firm chest.
His arms tightened around her. “I won’t, baby. And I won’t let you take back those words.”
Not quite ready, she hadn’t said she loved him, but he seemed to understand. He rose, his strong arms holding her against him, and reentered the cabin. When he laid her on the bed, she opened her arms, welcoming him. Inside, the last doubts she’d harbored crumbled away. Her fear was gone. She trusted him. As simple as that, she opened her heart.
Just as dawn broke, footsteps pounded on the wooden steps, several sets coming quick.
Blood pounding, Justin jackknifed up, whipping the sheet over Susan just before the door flew open. He reached for the table knife, the only weapon he’d found in the cabin, and stood, ready to rush toward the intruder.
But the arrival was only Dex, then Angel, and behind them, Lace and Maya crowded into the entrance, their eyes widening. He whipped up the pillow from the bed, a little too late to preserve his dignity. With the soft bundle held against his groin, he set down the knife, feeling foolish—for being caught nude, but more so for not noticing their arrival earlier.
Dex cleared his throat. “Thought you might be in need of rescuing…”
Trying to get across a message, Justin gave him a pointed glare. “We were doing just fine.”
“Looked like you were doing more than fine,” Maya murmured, her smile stretching across her face as she peeked from behind Angel’s shoulder.
Justin rolled his eyes. “I take it all’s well with Halloran?”
“The deal was finalized,” Dex drawled. “That boat was just a group of tourists doing some deep-sea fishing. The Clementine’s captain brought the yacht back to dock to pick us up.”
“He couldn’t have come straight back here.”
“When h
e radioed, giving the all-clear, I told him you might appreciate the privacy. Wasn’t wrong, was I?” he said, his gaze sliding toward Susan who was sitting, the sheet clutched against her chest.
“You weren’t wrong,” she said, giving Dex an easy smile.
Actually, her smile was very, very smug. The sight caused an instinctive squaring of his shoulders. Justin snorted. “Don’t suppose you could leave us for a minute while we dress.”
Lace stepped forward and held up a satchel. “We brought you fresh clothes. Thought you might need them.”
Their rescue party retreated to the porch and Justin pulled the curtains closed before glancing down at Susan. “Guess the adventure is over.”
She shook her head. And although her hair was knotted, her cheeks slightly whisker-burned, she’d never been more beautiful. Happiness glowed in her eyes. “I’m disappointed you would even think that. We’re just getting started.”
Wrapped in sheets, they ran to the shower then dressed, taking their time. The satchel had been filled with some surprising items—linen pants and shirt for him, a pretty white eyelet lace dress for her.
She gazed down, her hands shaking as she smoothed the garment over her hips. “Do you think they’re a little too hopeful?” she said in a small voice.
“The captain has the power, but it’s all up to you. We’ll worry about the licenses later.” He swallowed over the sudden lump in his throat.
Her gaze rose until it connected and held. “I love you.”
“Then there’s only this left to do.” He dropped to one knee and reached for her hand. “Will you marry me, Susan? Will you live with me here? Will you let me love you, forever?” As he waited, he stared into her blue eyes that were as warm and open as the Caribbean Sea.
“I’m not sure that’s long enough.”
At her final capitulation, he smiled, sweeping her into his arms as he rose. Their kiss was filled with passion and promise. “Better get back and tell them their plot worked.”
“Think they planned this?”
“Every single minute of the experience,” he murmured, nuzzling his lips along the column of her neck and inhaling the scent that was uniquely her. A scent he would never tire of.
SEALs of Summer: Military Romance Superbundle - Navy SEAL Style Page 7