“Mack! You came.” She threw her arms around his neck before she could stop herself. Blame it on the exhaustion, or the worry dragging her under, but his strong neck was the only safe buoy in the crashing world.
She kissed him for all she was worth.
*
It was a complete surprise attack, and Mack was fully unprepared. He had no idea Jenna had tear ducts. She’d never wasted a single tear on him. This was not how their reunion was supposed to go down. He’d expected and half-wanted a fight. Not Jenna kissing him like she used to before she’d sliced the heart out of his chest. Muscles have memory, lips apparently, did too. Even as his brain spun in shock, his lips reacted, knowing exactly what they were made to do.
That kiss was no little “happy to see you” peck. Jenna held onto his neck and pulled him closer in a desperation he’d never felt before. She hadn’t lied. She did need him. Forgetting he didn’t want her anymore, he wrapped his arms around her back and lifted her toes off the floor. A bucket of want, sharp and hot, poured through him. His tongue pushed inside her mouth, tasting, probing.
The guttural sound she made nearly killed him. She ran her hands over his short hair and pressed into him, fitting perfectly. As if she’d never left.
His hands went on a roaming search of their own to touch her neck, shoulders, back. Jenna. No dream. No joke. It really was his Jenna.
The office door slammed open, bringing reality in with it. Jenna backed away quickly. Her eyes, still wet with tears, were filled with a wildness Mack had never seen.
Heels clicked across the floor. “Oh! Sorry. I…um…want me to come back later?”
A freckle faced young woman with spikey red hair stood in the middle of the office gaping at him.
Jenna tugged at her skirt, lining it up properly before saying, “Kat, this is my friend, Lieutenant Commander Mack Riley. Navy SEAL. Kat is my assistant and all-around communications slash IT guru.”
Friend? Mack narrowed his eyes. He’d sworn he’d never be her friend.
“Cool! Way to go, Jenna. You have your own SEAL.” The young woman handed Jenna a granola bar and a bottle of water. She wore all black. Her short nails were painted dark green, a diamond sparkled in her nose, and she wore a pink rubberband for a bracelet.
“No, she doesn’t,” Mack growled.
“He’s…Mack is…was—” Jenna blinked, clearly not sure what the hell he was. Strangely, it looked like she might cry again. She downed the water as if her sandaled feet were standing in the middle of Death Valley. “Go ahead, Kat. Play the recordings.”
“Yeah, sure. Follow me.” Kat led him to her desk, chewing on a green fingernail as she went. Then she pulled the rubberband back and snapped her wrist. “Ouch. Sorry. I’m trying to stop biting my fingernails. It’s a nasty habit.”
Her wrist was red and swollen. “Maybe today is not the best day to beat yourself up.”
“Yeah, maybe not. We’re all stressed. Our CEO, Duncan Fitz, has completely flipped out,” Kat told him. “He calls every half hour demanding updates. If he reminds me one more time about how bad the publicity is going to be from losing a billionaire, I will scream. Seriously. Loudly.”
He didn’t need to turn to know Jenna was behind him. He could smell her perfume.
“Duncan usually leaves us alone to handle the clients. He thinks I screwed up,” Jenna said quietly. “Maybe I did.”
Kat crossed her arms. “No, you didn’t! He can’t fire you if the clients ignore your advice and get themselves kidnapped.”
“At this point, I don’t care about the job. I’m sick over the Harmonds.”
Jenna had tension lines around her eyes. She was taking this hard.
“Duncan is a prick. Here, Lieutenant Commander Mack Riley, take a seat,” Kat pulled her desk chair out for him.
“Call me Mack.”
Kat pulled up the recorded satellite images on her computer, and Jenna played the phone recording. Intent, he watched and listened to the moments when the Harmonds were taken hostage. A few times, he looked up at Jenna perched on the edge of the desk chewing on her lip and marveled at how calm she had sounded on the phone. She handled the crisis better than some of the experts in the field. He was impressed. Very impressed.
With Jacob Harmond’s final words, anger and sadness swirled in Mack’s stomach. Even though Jenna had promised to get him out of the jungle, Mack knew the statistics. If the kidnappers hadn’t called in a ransom demand yet, one or all of the hostages were likely dead. A rescue team might turn into a body-recovery team.
“So will you help us?” Jenna’s deep brown eyes probed his face, dipping too close to his insides. He didn’t like it.
He stood up and paced, needing to let his legs work out some of the pent-up emotions. “You’re asking me to organize a covert intelligence operation into a heavily armed militant camp during a bloody Coke War to rescue a family of four and get them all out safely?” He turned his gaze on her. “Is that all you want me for?”
Her cheeks pinked and she swallowed hard. “Isn’t that enough?”
Hell no. Not by a long shot. He wanted her legs wrapped around his back and to be so deeply buried in the woman he’d never come up for air. Damn, he was getting turned on just by looking at her.
The old rage bubbled in his throat and he saw clearly for the first time since he stepped through the doors at EXtreme Adventures. Jenna Collins was his kryptonite. She needed him, she said, but once it was all over she’d toss his sorry ass under the tank. He’d be damned if he’d let that happen again. And yet, he had a direct order. The admiral would go apeshit if Mack refused this mission.
But Jenna didn’t know that. What would she do if he left her for a change? Now was the time to find out.
“No, it’s not enough.” Mentally, he crushed the Jenna-chain in his hands. And took a walk.
*
Mack was leaving? Why’d he come if he was going to turn back around? Jenna swung around to face Kat. Her assistant cocked her head toward the door. They both knew Mack was their best shot at rescuing the Harmonds.
Jenna ran. “Stop right there, sailor!”
She caught Mack in the hallway. His blue eyes raking over her made it nearly impossible to breathe. Or think.
“What?” His feet kept moving toward the parking lot.
“Where are you going?”
“To hell, most likely. Before that? A bar.”
“This is important. The Harmonds are my responsibility! They might die!”
He stared impassively at her. “The SEALs will move in when the war is over. Your clients will have to wait it out.”
She laced her fingers, determined to hide her shaking hands. “Jacob is only ten years old. His sister is thirteen. You know what those bastards will do to a young girl! And a young boy?”
“There’s nothing you or I can do.”
“Is it that the Navy won’t let you go on this mission? Because I’m sure Senator Tonell could get authorization for you.”
He didn’t speak.
“Or you won’t help because of what happened between us?”
The muscle in his jaw flexed. The fire in his eyes was answer enough.
“Dammit, Mack! This isn’t about us!” She poked her finger into his incredibly hard chest. It was as if he wore body armor under that black tee. But no, it was only muscle. Strong. Lean. Impossibly sexy. Lord help her. She poked him again for good measure. “Not you. Not me. It’s about a terrified little boy and his sister! You need to do the right thing here, Lieutenant Commander. Do the right thing!”
“Tell me why I should.”
Before he said another word, the cell phone rang inside in her pocket. She scrambled to pull it out and was shocked by the caller I.D.
“It’s the driver.” Horror swamped her and she grabbed Mack’s muscular bicep. “But it can’t be. He’s dead.”
“Answer it. This might be the ransom call.”
Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she wasn’t su
re she’d be able to hear.
He squeezed her shoulder. “Do it.”
“This is Jenna. Who…who is this?”
“It’s me, Jacob.”
He’s alive? Relief and terror hit hard. She gripped Mack’s arm tighter.
“Jacob,” she finally managed. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know. Anna and I are tied together in a dark room. I don’t know where my mom is…” he broke off, crying softly. “They took my mom and dad.”
“It’s going to be okay.” Her voice cracked. Liar. Since when was any of this okay?
Mack wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her in close. “Nice and easy, babe. Tell him to leave the phone on and hide it.”
“Good for you taking this phone, Jacob. We’ll be able to track your location now. Very good thinking. When we’re done talking, leave it on and hide it, okay?”
“I’ll try. When are you coming to get me?”
She blinked hard, willing her throat not to close. Mack rubbed her hair as if instinctually knowing she needed more of his touch to calm her down. It did the trick.
“Breathe.” His lips touched her ear lobe.
She gulped air. “Soon. You keep being brave. And help your sister, too.”
“Promise to hold my hand when we walk out of this place?”
Oh, Lord. “I promise.”
“Okay. I’ll be brave, Jenna.”
A loud commotion on his end meant that Jacob hid the phone, or at least, she hoped that’s what it meant.
Jenna tipped her chin up and looked into a face full of steely resolve. Why couldn’t she be that strong, that brave? “Mack, please, I need your help.”
With the back of his knuckle, he gently wiped the wetness off her cheek. “I’ll do it.”
She pulled back and looked at him closely. “You’ll organize a team to—”
“Yes, Jenna, I said I’ll do it.” His voice was gruff. “But let’s get one thing clear. When this is all over, we go our separate ways. No calling me to take out the trash, or pound something into submission, or find your cat. Got it?”
She swallowed hard. “Yes.” She understood all too well. This was payback. Who said it was a bitch? To her it was one long, lean, heart-stealing, chiseled man.
“Fine. I’ll call you when the mission is over and let you know where to pick up the Harmonds.” He put his sunglasses on. His long legs strode into the parking lot as if he couldn’t wait to get away from her.
She raced in front of him, blocking his path. “My company will pay for everything—salary, essentials, private jet, whatever you need. I’ve been instructed to make this worth your while. Get your team together, and we’ll put you up in any hotel of your choosing for the night. Let Kat know which one you prefer, and she’ll make the arrangements.”
“Don’t worry about me. Have the jet ready to leave in the morning. Good-bye, Jenna.” He said it like he meant it.
Damn him. “Good night. See you tomorrow.”
He gave her one of those looks—jaw muscle flexing, nostrils widening. If she could see his eyes behind the mirrored lenses, they’d be narrowed, intense. “I can find the hangar without help.”
“I’m sure you can. I’m going with you.” She straightened her back, readying for the coming fight.
He lifted his sunglasses. Those beautiful blue eyes bored into her. “What?”
“These are my clients, Mack, and my responsibility. I will do everything I can to bring them back home.”
His voice was dangerously low. “I understand that your boss wants you to take care of things, but this is outside your job description. By a mile. Shit, by thousands of miles. Stay out of the way, and let me do what I do best.”
Nothing made her angrier than to be dismissed. Who did he think he was? She planted her feet and fisted her hands on her hips. “I know you’re good at your job. That’s why I’m hiring you! But get this straight, the Harmonds are my job and this is my mission. I’m seeing it through. I’m going to Colombia.”
“Like hell you are!” He stepped closer, his frame blocking the sun.
“I promised Jacob. I’m in charge here. Got it?” She raised her hand to jab him in the chest again to make her point.
He grabbed the end of her finger. “So help me, Jenna, if you poke me again, I’ll tie your hands behind your back.”
The sizzling hot vision that sprang into her mind had sweat breaking out over her lip. “I’d like to see you try.” She knew her voice was far too sexy for the moment, but dammit, he started it! “I suppose you’d like to spank some sense into me too.”
“Don’t tempt me, woman.” It was a cross between a whisper and a growl.
She was tempted to grab him and kiss him again. He smelled so good—the delicious, clean, fresh, Mack-scent. Her senses were on overload. Lord, being this close to him did all sorts of things to her body. She had missed him so much. “What time should I meet you at the jet?”
“You aren’t meeting me. You’re staying home where it’s safe. I mean it, babe, I’m not bringing my team in unless you do as I say.”
She crossed her arms. “Of all the pig-headed…do as you say?” Since when had she ever done what men ordered her to do? “Is this how you’d respond to your commanding officers?”
“Babe, you’re no C.O. The way I see it, you’re out of options here, and I’m doing you a favor. I say how it all goes down.”
“A favor? Is that what you call saving an innocent family?”
“Dammit, Jenna. Just this once, would you listen to me? I know what I’m doing. This sort of mission is what I’m trained for.”
She knew what she was doing too. If Mack didn’t bring his guys, she’d have another team ready to go. They wouldn’t be nearly as skilled or capable as Mack’s team, but they’d do in a pinch if Mack refused to help. Jenna Collins was all about the backup plan. She bit her tongue to keep from telling him where he could stick his condescending, pushy, alpha-male attitude.
“You act like I’m a liability. I have a few skills of my own, Mack. I’ve personally led clients on expeditions in the jungles of Colombia. I have contacts and speak the language. I’m heading up this mission.”
His dark eyebrow ticked up. “Well, in that case… Make sure the jet is ready to roll by oh-five hundred.”
Was he being sarcastic? If not, something was up. He’d agreed far too quickly.
Watching him take off at a jog toward a red Jeep, Jenna felt something twist in her chest. The sweat on her skin had become cold drips down her back. It had been a mistake to call Mack. But he really was her best option. If saving the Harmonds came with a price, she’d gladly pay it to get Jacob and Anna home safely. Besides, her heart was such a small thing to sacrifice. She’d done it before and lived. If she could call it living.
Mack Riley.
God, how she still loved him.
Chapter Three
‡
In the black of night, Mack loaded his Jeep for battle. After calling his team, he’d gotten exactly two hours of sleep in the hotel’s far too cushy bed and popped up before the alarm went off. It was the first time before any mission that he’d gone to bed thinking about a woman and woken up still thinking about her. Kissing her had felt so damned right it was scary. Touching her had reawakened the hunger in him that he thought he’d hacked out of his life. Like kudzu, the damned feelings grew right back, covering everything. He needed distance. Lots of distance.
Colombia should be far enough.
Following Kat’s instructions, he drove to EXtreme Adventures’ private hangars and located the jet. The cabin door and luggage hatch were wide open. Good, the pilot was ready as planned. Kat had arranged everything while agreeing to keep Jenna in the dark about the true departure—two hours earlier than he’d told Jenna.
“Anything you need, ask me, okay? Just get the Harmonds out of there, Lieutenant Commander. I’ll take care of my boss.” Kat didn’t want Jenna going to Colombia either. It was too dangerous.
> He jumped out of his Jeep ready for battle. Well, mostly ready. He’d put on his Nomex aviator gloves, helmet, body armor, and the rest of his gear once he arrived in Quito. There was plenty of time.
Damn, it felt good to be wearing BDUs again. Some guys might feel comfortable in a suit and tie, but for Mack it was Battle Dress Uniform all the way. If a man could love clothes, Mack would be having a committed relationship with his cargo pants. They had lots of pockets to hold his gadgets, and each one was jammed full.
Deep in the leg pocket, he’d sewn in a diamond ring. He should’ve hawked the damned thing, but he’d hung onto it like a former smoker stashes away his last cigarette. If anyone asked why he had the ring, he’d say it was bug out loot. In times of capture, he could trade the ring for a buddy’s life. It was only half-true. He’d never admit the other half, not even to himself.
He unloaded the Jeep. It also felt good to be going in again, proving the point that he wasn’t a behind-the-desk guy. He was DEVGRU all the way and would re-enlist after this little jaunt into the jungle. With the exception of Tavon, he was confident that the other guys would re-up when it was their time too. It’s what they did.
He and the guys were more like brothers than teammates. Even though the Handly brothers had trouble keeping their pants zipped up, he looked forward to seeing those horn-dogs. They were experts in their fields and he had difficult tactical questions for them that he was sure they’d answer with ease. The Handly boys had hinted that they were bringing something special for the trip. He grinned. What did those lunatics have in their possession this time?
Taking one final look at the quiet, misty landscape, he thought about Jenna. She was…different. When her lips had pressed his with such raw hunger and desperate need, he’d nearly lost it himself. Was she breaking under the stress, or was something else going on?
Tipping his head toward the purple sky, he mentally kicked himself in the ass. Shut up, Riles. It’s not your pig, not your farm. It didn’t matter what happened with Jenna. He had to focus on the mission at hand.
SEALs of Summer: Military Romance Superbundle - Navy SEAL Style Page 82