by Elle James
Buck draped an arm over Marly’s shoulders. “You were awesome.” He shot a glare at Pitbull. “We’re alive, aren’t we?”
Pitbull returned his buddy’s glare and then nodded, letting the tension seep out of his body. “You’re right.” He held out his hand to Marly. “You did great landing the plane.”
She stared at it for a moment, but didn’t take it.
Pitbull dropped his arm, somewhat relieved. The last time she’d touched him with her hand, electricity had ricocheted throughout his body. He’d be better off enforcing a hands-off policy with Marly.
“I thought we were going to have zebra stew for dinner, as close as we came to landing on them,” Harm said. “How did you know they’d get out of the way in time?”
Marly ducked from beneath Buck’s arm. “I didn’t. That was pure luck. Landing without damaging the plane...” She straightened her shoulders and flung back her ponytail. “That was all me.”
It was true—Pitbull had been in the copilot’s seat the whole way down. Marly had done a hell of a job piloting the craft to the ground among a herd of zebras and on bumpy terrain. “I guess I should thank you. But all I can think about is the fact you broke your promise.”
She shook her head. “No I didn’t.”
“You said you wouldn’t crash the plane,” he told her.
“No, I said I wouldn’t pass out while flying.” She winked. “Those are two completely different things. And I didn’t crash the plane.”
Pitbull waved his hand toward the aircraft. “It’s not flying.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “But it will, once I get the replacement part.”
“How soon will that be?” Pitbull panned the surrounding savanna. “There aren’t any aviation superstores anywhere nearby. And you can’t seriously think you can take off on this field.”
“I’m sure I can get a replacement part within a couple of days. And when I can find a smooth enough stretch, long enough to build up some speed, I can get this bird off the ground.” She shook her head, a disgusted look on her face. “What do you know about avionics, anyway?”
Marly walked several yards away and stood staring at the animals in the distance, her back to the men. The band holding her ponytail had slipped loose. Strands of silky, sandy-blond hair caught in the breeze.
Pitbull couldn’t tear his gaze off her slim, athletic figure encased in the form-hugging flight suit.
Buck leaned close to his friend and whispered, “You’re a knucklehead.”
“What’s your point?” Pitbull snapped back, too engaged in his view of Marly to care what Buck had to say.
“She landed the plane,” Buck said.
T-Mac added, “That’s right. We’re alive. You should be down on your knees, groveling at her feet.”
His teammates were right. What was it about Marly that got Pitbull all fired up? She was smart and sexy and knew her way around her airplane. Why couldn’t he leave her alone?
She turned, a smile on her face.
That smile hit him square in the chest like a round from a .55-caliber machine gun. He almost staggered back a few steps with the impact.
“Here comes our rescue team.” Marly pointed to a cloud of dust rising from the grass, heading straight for them.
The men gathered around Marly, like cowboys circling their wagons.
“Are you sure that’s our rescue team?” Pitbull asked.
“Who else would be out in the middle of nowhere?” Marly’s brows dipped. “Seriously, the ATC had our coordinates from the transponder. They had to have passed them on to whoever they called.”
“We’ve seen some of the welcoming committees here in Africa,” Harm said, squinting at the oncoming vehicle.
“If you’re worried, wait behind me.” Marly unzipped her flight suit to reveal a pink bra beneath and a shoulder holster. She pulled out a nine-millimeter handgun.
The team all backed up several steps, every man raising his hands.
“Whoa there, Marly,” Buck said. “Do you know how to use that thing?”
She glared at him. “Do you think I’d carry it if I didn’t?”
Buck shrugged. “Some women do.”
“I’d be a fool to fly around this country unarmed, now, wouldn’t I?” She nodded toward the vehicle now visible through the cloud of dust. “Looks like a safari wagon.”
“And it’s not empty.” Pitbull dove for his backpack, unearthed the M4A1 he’d stashed inside and quickly assembled the main parts.
“Hold your fire, Zippy,” Marly said. “They wouldn’t come out without a contingent of armed men. The animals can cause enough damage, but the poachers and warring rebels are even more dangerous. Wait and see.”
“If we wait too long, we could all be dead.” Pitbull took up a position in the shadow of the airplane and lined up his sights with the driver of the oncoming truck.
“I’m with Pitbull.” Harm reached for his backpack and pulled out a .45-caliber handgun.
The other four men did the same. Soon, everyone waiting at the plane was armed and ready for whatever was headed their way.
The big truck pulled to a lumbering stop several yards away from the plane.
A woman appeared out of the cloud of dust, wearing tall leather riding boots, khaki slacks tucked into the top of the boots and a matching khaki shirt, unbuttoned to reveal an ample amount of cleavage. She swept a wide-brimmed safari hat from her head and shook out auburn curls. “We’re here to help.”
Buck let out a long, low whistle. “Wow.”
She was followed by three dark-skinned men dressed in khaki uniforms and carrying machine guns.
Pitbull aimed for the first one, keeping all three in his peripheral vision. If any one of them made a move, he’d take them down.
“Hey, don’t shoot!” a sultry voice called out. “We’re really here to help.”
Chapter Three
Marly shoved her pistol back into the holster beneath her flight suit and stepped forward, holding out her hand to the woman who came to a halt in front of her. “Marly Simpson. I’m the pilot. You got here fast.”
The other woman was shorter, curvier and stunningly beautiful. Next to her, Marly felt like the ugly stepsister to Cinderella. She shoved aside the thought and shook the woman’s hand.
“Talia Montclair. Nice to meet you.” She shook Marly’s hand with a firm grip and turned to the others. “I’m from All Things Wild Safari & Resort. We got a call from the local police to come pick up the passengers and crew from an aircraft since it went down closest to our operations.” She stared around at the others. “Anyone badly hurt? I’m also a trained paramedic.”
Buck lifted his hand.
Talia’s brows rose. “What’s the nature of your injury?”
He pressed the hand to his chest. “You just stole my heart.”
Talia planted her hands on her hips, her lips quirking on the corners. “Seriously, was anyone injured in the landing?”
“No.” Pitbull stepped out from the shadows and lowered his rifle. “Thanks to our pilot.” He glanced at Marly with a slight nod and then held out his hand to Talia. “Percy Taylor.”
Marly chuckled softly. Finally, the man acknowledged her skill in landing the plane. But did he have to hold Talia’s grip for so long?
“That’s his real name, but we call him Pitbull.” Buck bumped Pitbull out of the way and held out his hand to the safari representative. “Graham Buckner. But you can call me Buck.”
Talia grinned. “Percy, Graham, nice to meet you.” She faced the other four men. “I’m assuming the rest of you are Dalton, Harmon, Trace and Jake?” Her smile spread wider.
They nodded as one.
“Good.” She clapped her hands together. “My safari adventurers. And I see you couldn’t wait to get started and decided to land in the midd
le of our first stop for tomorrow.” She waved her hand toward the herd. “Welcome to Kenya. Like what you see so far?”
Marly’s lips thinned. For the most part, the men weren’t looking at the herds of wild animals. Instead, they were drooling over their safari guide, Talia.
Heat built in Marly’s gut. And not the good lusty kind. More the jealous, burning, I-can’t-compete-with-that kind. She glanced down at her flight suit that did little to disguise her lack of a voluptuous figure. She was too tall and lanky to be considered feminine. Not that it had bothered her. Until now.
She dared a glance at Pitbull. She was pleased to see he wasn’t looking at Talia.
Instead, his gaze was on Talia’s guards.
Talia must have noticed their regard. “Don’t let my men scare you. We have to come armed.” She nodded toward the SEALs’ weapons. “And I’m glad to see you brought your own firepower. We run into all kinds of four-and two-legged aggressors out here. It pays to be prepared.” Talia glanced toward the plane, her eyes narrowing. “Speaking of which, we might want to push the plane into the tree line.”
Marly glanced around the open field, searching for a stand of trees large enough to park the plane beneath. “The engine isn’t working.”
Talia smiled. “I’m sure you can get some old-fashioned brawn to help get it where you want it to go. I wouldn’t leave it out in the open. You never know what might happen if it’s left alone.”
Familiar with the nature of the inhabitants of the savannas and jungles of Africa, Marly agreed. Gangs of miscreants, poachers and rebels would have the plane stripped of anything salvageable in no time.
She located a copse of trees three hundred yards to her south. “If we could get it to that stand of trees, I’d feel better about leaving it.”
Pitbull stepped forward. “Let us handle it.”
The six SEALs and the three guards positioned themselves around the aircraft at Marly’s direction and began pushing the plane across the bumpy terrain and toward the trees.
Talia followed in the truck.
Once they had the plane positioned between the trees, Talia hauled out a large bundle from the back of the truck and dropped it on the ground. “You can use this camouflage netting to conceal the plane. Trust me, I wouldn’t want anyone to find it. We’ve had some near misses with a local rebel group. The cowards try to get our people alone. Then they attack and steal whatever they might sell on the black market. They’d steal this plane piece by piece if they found it.”
“Should I stay with the plane until the part comes?” Marly asked.
“I think it will be okay as long as you conceal it well enough.”
“Great,” Marly said, grabbing a corner of the netting.
The others took up the other ends and dragged the net over the nose and wings, and finally over the tail.
When they had secured the ends to the ground using sticks and rocks, Marly stood back and examined the effect. From a distance, it would blend into the shadows of the trees.
Talia waved toward the truck. “We can fit two inside—me and one other—and the rest in the back. I’ll let you figure out who goes where.”
Pitbull hurried to the front of the vehicle and opened the passenger seat. “Marly,” he barked like a command.
Marly, unused to having men open doors for her, glanced toward the rear of the truck. “I can ride in the back. You guys are the clients.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Buck hooked her arm, marched her to the passenger side and handed her off to Pitbull. “You’ll ride up front. We’re used to eating dust.”
“So am I,” Marly argued.
Pitbull leaned close and whispered in her ear, “Are you always this disagreeable?”
She frowned at him. “Sometimes I’m even more so.”
Pitbull gripped her around the waist and lifted her up to the seat, ending the argument.
Marly sat down hard, shocked that he’d manhandled her so easily. She’d always considered herself to be too big to be girly. But Pitbull had just proven he was strong enough to sweep this independent, no-nonsense woman off her feet.
Her heart fluttered and her cheeks heated. Where his hands had clenched around her waist still tingled with awareness. She clamped her mouth shut and stared forward, refusing to look back at the man who’d set her blood speeding through her veins and pooling low in her belly.
What was wrong with her? This man was a US Navy SEAL. He probably had a woman in every port. Even if he didn’t, his job had him traveling the world at the drop of a hat. Nothing could ever come of a relationship with such a man.
Nothing.
* * *
PITBULL DIDN’T REGRET ending the argument with Marly by lifting her into the truck. He did regret the lingering electrical current running up his arms and down to his groin. Focus, man. Focus.
They were in Kenya for only a week. Let’s go on a safari, his teammates had said. It’ll be fun, they’d assured him. Nothing was fun about the raging lust spinning through his body for the woman he’d just touched, not when he knew it wouldn’t go anywhere. He wouldn’t be able to act on it. Thankfully, Marly would be gone as soon as she had her fuel pump. Hopefully that would be by the end of the day. Then he could concentrate on having a good time seeing all the animals and enjoying the resort. And maybe they could convince the 160th to send a helicopter out to retrieve them. They could call it a training mission to extricate military personnel from a hostile environment.
He climbed into the back of the truck with the other members of his team and held on tight. The trip to the resort was across the savanna and into a forest. An hour later, they pulled up to a large, rambling house made of wood and stone. The house was surrounded by smaller huts with a similar wood-and-stone design—individual cottages Pitbull guessed were options for their guests.
Talia parked the truck in front of the main house and climbed down.
“I have each of you in your own bungalow, but meals will be in the main house dining room,” Talia said. “Breakfast and lunch are casual. Dinner is formal. Please dress accordingly. Follow me, if you will.” She entered the house, leaving the door open behind her for them to follow.
The main house had a grand entrance with staircases on each side curving up to the second floor. Shiny mahogany handrails and furniture gave the rooms elegance in a rugged land of wild animals and dangerous people.
“The dining room is to your left. Normally I rent out the guest rooms, but they are unoccupied at the present time. I thought you would prefer your own bungalows while you are with us at All Things Wild Resort. You’re welcome to take advantage of the living areas and the sitting room on the main floor. At the back of the house is a game room with a pool table and a bar. I’ll leave you to explore for yourself while I get Miss Simpson situated and gather the keys to your bungalows.”
“I’m up for a round of pool.” T-Mac started for the rear of the house. “Anyone else?”
Buck pushed past the others and followed T-Mac. “Count me in.”
“I could go for a beer,” Harm said.
“Me, too,” Diesel agreed. “Maybe two.”
“You’re welcome to the beer, wine and the liquor cabinet. It’s all included in the price of the week,” Talia informed them.
Big Jake laughed. “You might regret telling them that.”
“No worries. We have a well-equipped bar, and the wines are from local vineyards.” Talia motioned for Marly to follow her. “I have a satellite phone in the study, if you’d like to call someone about fixing your plane.”
“Thank you.” Marly followed Talia into a beautifully appointed study. The walls were lined with built-in bookshelves. A massive mahogany desk graced one end of the room. The room had a masculine scent of books and wood.
Talia crossed to the desk and lifted a portable satellite phone. She handed the device to
Marly and then turned to a computer monitor, bringing up a browser. “Help yourself to the internet. We do most of our communications via satellite. Unfortunately, we’re too remote for most cable or electric companies to keep up with those pesky lines.”
Marly thanked Talia, sat down at the computer and pulled up an internet browser to locate a replacement for the fuel pump. An hour later, she had a man on the phone with her answer. Not the one she wanted to hear, however.
“Five days?” Marly shook her head, despite that the guy on the other end of the communication couldn’t actually see her face as she spoke. “You can’t get it to me any sooner?”
The man answered, “It’s the best I can do. Take it or leave it.”
Marly drew in a deep breath and let it go. “I’ll take it. Thank you.”
She stood and stretched. What now? She hadn’t come prepared to be here for almost a week.
Talia poked her head through the open door of the study. “Find your part?”
Marly nodded and grimaced.
“Let me guess.” Talia tipped her head to the side. “It’ll be a week before they can get it to you.”
Marly laughed. “You know how things work in these parts, I take it.”
“Yes, indeed.” Talia crossed her arms over her ample chest and leaned against the door frame. “The kitchen stove quit working once when I had the resort booked solid. It took over a month to get a replacement. My chef and I had to cook everything on the outdoor grill, rain or shine. We were not amused.”
“Thankfully, it’ll only take five days, not a month. But I didn’t come prepared to stay overnight, much less five days.”
“No worries. I can loan you clothes to last you, and we have extra toiletries for guests who’ve forgotten items.” Talia touched her arm. “I can even cut you a deal on a room for the five days, since we’re not full at this time.”
“Thank you for the room offer.” Marly bit her bottom lip. “Though I’m not sure your clothes will fit.”
Talia ran her glance from Marly’s head to her toes. “You’re taller, so the full-length pants won’t fit, but I have some formal dresses that will be ankle-length on you and shorts and capris you might fit into. We’ll make it work.”