SEALs of Summer: Military Romance Superbundle - Navy SEAL Style

by Sharon Hamilton

  Leaping up, Darci went back inside, found a small pad of paper with the hotel logo and a pen in the desk drawer and returned to the chair. She began scribbling down the words to the song bouncing around in her head when Jack returned.

  When a hand landed on her shoulder she jumped, tossed her pen and dropped the pad of paper. Her hand flew to her chest. “Jack. I’m going to put bells on your shoes.”

  Jack grinned down at her. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I have breakfast.”

  “Is that coffee I smell?”

  “It is. I also brought coconut bread, bagels, cream cheese and eggs and toast, with peanut butter on the side. Come on, let’s eat, then we can talk about the weather.”

  The weather? Darci frowned as she followed Jack inside the room. He was back to his old self and pretending nothing had happened. She didn’t want to talk about the weather. She wanted to clear the air. Unless…

  She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Jack’s back. Unless in his eyes nothing had happened and last night meant nothing to him.

  What a fool. Here she was writing songs and having delusions of love while Jack thought about breakfast and the weather. He obviously didn’t share her feelings. Last night had been good, but not good enough.

  But wasn’t this what she’d wanted? For them to go their separate ways? Yes, but not like this. As a dreamer, she’d expected something along the lines of mutual vows of love and understanding that it could never work out between them. That they would always cherish what they’d shared but accepted they could never be together.

  Jack wasn’t going to proclaim his love for her, not now and not ever. She’d made the first move, she’d thrown herself at him and he’d done what any red-blooded male would do, taking what was offered. How could she have fallen so hard and fast for a man she hardly knew anyway?

  Burying her hurt and anger, she took Jack’s cue and pretended everything was back to the way it had been before the mind-blowing sex, and accepted a cup of coffee. Jack sat on the bed and opened up the containers of food. Darci settled for a piece of toast with peanut butter and forced herself to eat it even when she didn’t feel hungry. She didn’t want Jack to know how he’d hurt her, so she ate all of it and washed it down with rich, sweetened coffee.

  “The tropical storm watch has been upgraded to a warning,” Jack said, tossing his empty cup in the trash.

  “A warning?”

  “Yeah, it means the storm will hit within twenty-four hours.”

  Her hand stopped midway to her mouth. “What?”

  “I hoped it wouldn’t happen, but the storm’s heading straight for us.”

  Darci set her cup on the bedside table. “You mean this isn’t the storm?”

  Jack shook his head. “It’s only just begun.”

  “Then we’re stuck here? For how long?”

  “Depends on the storm. Sometimes they blow right over, but we have to be cautious. For now we’re safe here.”

  A tropical storm didn’t fit into her agenda. Spending time alone with Jack in a hotel room with one bed. Not exactly ideal. Especially after his rejection this morning. She’d barely made it through the first one. She wouldn’t make it through another. And given her strong attraction to him, keeping her distance would be difficult.

  This just kept getting worse and worse. The good news: they were safe for the moment. The bad news: she still wanted him. Even after the intense lovemaking they’d shared last night, which left her exhausted and reeling. She’d had no idea she could be so insatiable.

  “Jack—”

  A knock on the door interrupted her.

  *

  Jack held a finger to his lips to silence her and reached behind his back as he moved with predatory grace toward the door.

  The transformation in him intrigued her. One minute he was relaxed and the next he had a gun in his hand and every muscle on alert.

  The man she didn’t know. The Navy SEAL. The one with skills that kept her safe.

  Jack moved to the door, gun ready next to his cheek. With a quick glance at Darci, he cracked the door open and looked out.

  Darci fought the urge to hide behind the bed. Of course it was their bodyguard, but her heart thumped in her chest and the irrational side of her knew for sure Heath waited outside the door. Somehow he’d found her and would go through Jack to get to her.

  Her breath panted out and no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t slow it down. She kept her eyes glued on Jack and noticed he’d lowered the gun so that it rested on his thigh behind the door, well out of sight. He spoke quietly to whoever stood on the other side, though his body language hadn’t changed.

  This life wasn’t for her. She couldn’t live in fear like this. It made her stomach hurt and gave her heart palpitations. A simple knock on the door had about given her a stroke. She had to get off this island. No, she had to get out of the Caribbean. Screw the tropics, she wanted rainy, foggy Boston. She wanted her apartment and her friends and cable. The fun had ended and she wanted out.

  Wrapping her arms around her waist, she scooted back against the headboard and waited for Jack. Only a couple minutes passed before he closed the door, his gun once again tucked beneath his shirt. Now she understood why he wore loose shirts—to conceal a weapon. This deadly game suddenly seemed all too real. The euphoria she’d felt last night seemed like a dream now.

  “Who was it?”

  “Hotel manager.” Jack picked up an empty container and tossed it in the trash. “He’s personally making sure everyone knows about the storm. He assures us the hotel will see to our needs and safety.”

  A relief, but she trusted no one except Jack with her safety. “Like a doctor making house calls?”

  Jack grinned and threw out the rest of the leftover boxes from their breakfast. “You could say that.”

  “Well, I’ll be sure to call him when I need more towels.” She had intended to make the comment light and easy, but it came out flat and barely disguised her emotions. Too late to try and cover them up.

  Jack picked up on the anxious, slightly panicky note in her voice. “We’re going to be fine, Darci. You know that, don’t you?”

  She tossed him a careless smile. “Of course.”

  His eyes narrowed as he studied her face. She wouldn’t hide much from him. He was too perceptive.

  “I have everything under control.”

  For some reason that didn’t reassure her. Usually, but not this time. Instead it made her angry.

  “Yeah, I know. You have this amazing ability to control everything around you. Even the weather.” Angry, she jumped off the bed and glared at him. “How about that? Maybe you can wave your magic wand and make the storm travel around us. No, I got it, you can use your super powers to put a shield around the island and protect all of us.” Hurt and anger bubbled inside her and she knew she was losing it, but she couldn’t stop. “What do you say, Jack? Are you going to save the world?”

  *

  Oh, boy. He’d expected this, but that didn’t make it any easier. He would give anything to protect Darci from the horrors she’d witnessed and to keep them at bay, but they would only stay dormant for so long. And by the looks of things they had been dormant long enough. He’d known the instant he closed the door that she was on the edge. He’d gotten a little tense when the knock came. Bad guys didn’t usually knock on the door, but Darci didn’t know that.

  He let her insults roll off him. He knew where they came from, knew more than anyone, because he’d reacted much the same way on his first mission when he almost lost a teammate. Stress needed an outlet and sooner or later it would find one. Darci’s outlet was open now and she couldn’t keep it under wraps. He didn’t want her to keep it in; he wanted her to let it out. Once she purged it from her system she would be able to handle the rest.

  Right now she looked angry enough to spit nails. Putting his arms around her probably wasn’t the best choice. Instead he silently let her get it out of her system. When she crashed he’d
be there.

  She pushed past him, pacing the room. He had a hard time focusing on her and not the long legs that had been wrapped around his waist just a short while ago. Not going there. No way would he add to her regrets. He didn’t like thinking about last night as a mistake and only part of him believed Darci did.

  “…can you do that?”

  Jack snapped his attention away from her legs and found her staring at him, tears swimming in her eyes.

  “Sweetheart—”

  “No. Tell me, Jack, can you teach me how to shut it off like you do?”

  Jack felt the sting of her words. Shutting it off was a necessary part of his career and it had become a normal part of life for him, so much so that when someone like Darci pointed it out, it came as a shock. He didn’t want her to view him as a machine, someone so accustomed to violence that he appeared cold. Though that was exactly how he functioned most of the time. He had to. That, or risk losing his life.

  This time when he didn’t answer, she spun away from him and wrapped her arms around her waist. She tried to appear angry, but the tears gave her away. She’d been scared when he opened the door. Her little streak of pride kept her going, but that had disappeared and she was falling.

  In one swift move he had her wrapped in his arms and when she came willingly he knew he’d made the right choice.

  “I hate this. I don’t fall apart over a stupid knock on the door. I am not a weepy female.” Her words muffled against his neck even as tears wet his skin.

  Jack smiled. “I know, babe.”

  “I thought it was…”

  His smile disappeared. “I know, but it wasn’t. And if it had been, we would have handled him, wouldn’t we?”

  She nodded and held tighter. Her tears were flowing heavily now and her shoulders were shaking. When she lifted her head, her eyes were red-rimmed and the tip of her nose pink.

  “But that’s the whole problem, Jack, I don’t want to have to handle it. I want to go home. This isn’t fun anymore. I wasn’t meant for this kind of life. I’m a singer, for Heaven’s sake. I should be on the road with my band right now, playing festivals and having a good time. I shouldn’t be here. I should be drinking green beer and dancing the jig.”

  Her words trailed off in a sob and Jack pushed her head down on his shoulder. She shouldn’t be here dealing with this. As he held her, he let her words sink in. She wasn’t meant for this kind of life, which confirmed what he’d been thinking all along: she couldn’t live in his world and he couldn’t expect her to. Her life was in Boston, his was in the Navy.

  Her tears subsided, but Jack didn’t let her go. He liked holding her, liked how natural it felt to have her in his arms. She fit him in more ways than he could count. Her arms were wrapped around his waist and every now and then she would hiccup.

  When she finally pulled away, her eyes were clear and her expression back to normal.

  “Better?” He wiped a damp strand of hair off her cheek. Even tear-stained and puffy-eyed, she was beautiful.

  “Much. Sorry I freaked out there for a minute. I don’t really think you have a magic wand.”

  She said it with a teasing smile that made him chuckle. “Hey, if I could control the weather, babe, I’d certainly do it for you.”

  A branch bounced off the window. Wind howled. They looked at each other and Darci shuddered. It echoed through Jack’s body and he responded instantly. Holding her close like this brought yesterday’s sexual gymnastics to mind and it wouldn’t be long before his body wanted to go again. Jack stepped abruptly back, letting go of her.

  “That’s just bad karma,” Darci said, not commenting on his sudden departure. “Should we stock up or something before the storm gets here?”

  “That might be a good idea. Who knows how long we’ll be here.”

  “Disguises again?”

  “Yep, though I bought you another. Here.” He walked over to the door, picked up the bag that sat on the floor and carried it back to her. She pulled out a baseball cap that resembled his and smiled.

  “We’ll be twins,” she said, putting the cap on and pulling her ponytail out the hole in the back. Her dark glasses completed the ensemble and changed her appearance completely.

  “You know Jack, I have money, I can help pay for—”

  He held up a hand to silence her. “Nope, none of that women’s lib stuff. It’s taken care of.”

  “Thank you.” Her expression turned serious. “I wouldn’t have my grandmother’s necklace if it weren’t for you.”

  “Nah, you’d have done just fine on your own. Come on, find some shoes. The stores are going to be swamped.”

  *

  Jack set the bags inside the door and watched Darci walk into the room and collapse on the bed. She held her head in her hands and didn’t look up when Jack sat down beside her.

  “I know this is hard, Darci, but you’re safe here.”

  “I know,” she murmured, head bowed.

  “Want to watch some TV while I put stuff away?”

  “Not the Weather Channel?”

  Jack smiled. “Not the Weather Channel.” He reached for the remote, turned on the television, found a movie and turned up the volume so she couldn’t hear the wind whistling outside the balcony doors.

  He got up off the bed but she caught his hand. “Wait. Sit with me for a minute?” she asked quietly and when he looked down he saw vulnerability in her eyes that cut straight to his insides.

  “Sure,” he said and climbed on the bed with her, pulling her against him and propping his back against the headboard. She cuddled into his side, her head on his chest and her arm around his waist. There was nothing sexual in the position and it surprised Jack he was content to just sit there with her.

  Had he ever simply enjoyed a woman’s company? Never. He’d never met a woman like her. If she’d been more comfortable with their lovemaking, he would have considered seeing her again after this was over. But he respected her and wouldn’t give her any more regrets.

  “A romantic comedy,” she mused. “You’re a complex man, Jack Taggart.”

  Jack grinned. “Nah, I’m a simple guy.”

  Shifting her position so that she draped across his chest she said, “You are anything but simple.”

  Jack’s mouth went dry. No way he read her signals right. She couldn’t possibly be interested in making love again, not after this morning. Could she?

  Making light of it, he said, “Sure I am. I love food, old movies and sailing. My favorite color is green and I got straight B’s in school. The water is my second home and I love my mom. Nothing complicated about that.”

  Silence, then she looked up with heat in her eyes that he hadn’t expected. He’d never been the cuddling type but with her he liked it. He certainly didn’t think she’d want him after…ah, hell, maybe she could.

  “Jack?”

  She had that tone and he started sweating bullets. He had to stay strong for both of them. Now wasn’t the time to be distracted by sex. Dammit, he was determined not to give her any reason to regret her time with him. Well, any more reason, that was.

  Her hand slid up his chest.

  Ah, hell. Get up. Move.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered.

  He should be running out the door. Right now. Yep, getting up right now.

  Jack kissed her. He not only took her mouth, he possessed it, parting her eager lips and dipping his tongue inside the sweetness of her mouth. She met him with the same possessiveness and it ratcheted up the tension.

  His vow to stay away from her flew out the window when she slid onto his lap to straddle his thighs. She needed a distraction. He hadn’t stopped wanting her, had died a slow death wondering what color lace she had on today. He knew he shouldn’t wonder, but that didn’t stop him. The mystery of what she wore beneath her clothes had him in knots.

  She broke the kiss to lift up her arms so he could help her out of her shirt. It hit the floor. Jack let out a low, tortured groan. Pink
. God help him. The bright colored lace beckoned him and for a moment he froze, happy to just sit there and take her in. She smelled of soap and that spicy, exotic scent that was strictly Darci. Orchids. That’s what it reminded him of. Rare, exotic orchids.

  With a shaking hand he traced a path from her ear to her collarbone, watched her pupils dilate and her chest rise and fall. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. He traced the edge of lace, seeing her nipples pebble beneath his touch and her head fall back when he lowered his head to tease her through the lace. He drew a lace-covered nipple into his mouth and tightened his arm around her waist to draw her closer as she gasped in pleasure.

  “Have I told you how much I love brightly colored lace?” he murmured, switching to the other side and giving it as much attention as he’d given the other. He sucked deeper, hearing Darci’s moan.

  “I…don’t…ah, yes…think so. Please, don’t stop.”

  “I don’t think I can,” he growled, cupping her in his hand. So perfect for him, just enough to fill his hand. If he didn’t know better he’d think she’d been made for him.

  She moved restlessly on his lap and he groaned, taking her lips again in a searing kiss that left them both breathless. Her hands were under his shirt, sliding over his ribs.

  “Clothes off,” she said against his mouth and together they shucked his shirt. Wind rattled the balcony doors but neither of them cared as Jack rolled Darci beneath him and removed her shorts, leaving her in nothing but pink lace.

  “You are so beautiful.” He feathered his fingers down her navel, flirting with the edge of her lace panties. She raised her hips, reaching for him. He wanted to take it slow, savor her as if this were the last time, which may be true. After this there was no telling how she’d react. Though he could ignore his guilt right now, it would come back to haunt him later.

  His clothes hit the floor then he was inside her, taking what he swore he didn’t want and giving her what he knew she would regret. He followed her over the edge while they looked each other in the eye.