by Susan Stoker
He’d never met anyone as unselfish as Lexie. She worried about others before being concerned about herself.
A part of him wanted to shake her and tell her that she needed to look out for herself first, but he suspected that if he did, she’d just smile up at him, pat his hand, and tell him she’d be fine.
He’d never met a woman like her. And he ached to get to know her even better. He wanted to discover all her secrets. All her likes and dislikes. The favorite places she’d worked. Her hopes and dreams.
When she’d asked what came next, he’d laid it out as unemotionally as possible—but what he hadn’t told her was how much he wanted to keep in touch.
Nothing about his situation had changed. He’d have to go back to Hawaii and his job with the Navy would continue. He wasn’t a fan of long-distance relationships, but he ached to know what Lexie’s next steps were.
So while he hadn’t mentioned it earlier, he planned to stay involved in her life, if she was open to that. He wanted to talk to her on the phone, to email, or even write a damn handwritten letter if he had to. She’d definitely piqued his interest, and he wasn’t ready to just let her walk away as if they hadn’t spent some of the most intense hours of their lives together.
Lexie stirred against him, and Midas waited to see if she’d completely wake up this time or if she’d fall back asleep, as she’d done several times before. Midas wasn’t the kind of person to enjoy sitting or lying around. He’d always been a morning person, eager to get up and start his day. He didn’t watch much TV and, if given the choice, would always rather go for a walk or run or swim, than hang around doing nothing.
But surprisingly, he was perfectly content to lie there and hold Lexie as she slept. Yes, he had no choice at the moment but to stay where he was, but he had a feeling sleeping in on a lazy Sunday with her back home would feel just as amazing.
That should’ve freaked him out. Instead it just made him sad…because he was fairly sure that would never happen. He just couldn’t see how to get from hiding out with Lexie in a hole under a Somali shop to having her in his arms in his comfortable bed on Oahu.
“Damn,” Lexie whispered huskily as she woke.
“What?” Midas asked in alarm, his mind already making preparations to get out of this hole and get her some help for whatever was wrong.
“I hoped it had all been a dream,” she said.
Midas relaxed a fraction. “If it’s any consolation, things have been quiet for a while now. In another hour or so, I think we can get out of here and go find my team.”
She nodded. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”
“You needed it.”
“Were you able to sleep at all?” she asked.
“I rested,” Midas told her. There was no way he was going to let down his guard enough to sleep. Not when that could mean Lexie being hurt or kidnapped again. She was his mission…but she was also much more than that. Things were personal for him now.
Lexie shifted against him again. There wasn’t enough room for her to maneuver much more than that.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Just stiff,” she replied.
Midas felt her flex her feet one at a time, which made him think about her lack of shoes once more. It bothered him on a visceral level that she was barefoot. He should’ve taken care of her better. The thought of her having to walk around Galkayo without shoes was repugnant.
“What?” Lexie asked.
Midas jerked in surprise. “What, what?” he asked.
“You got tense. What’s wrong?”
Midas wasn’t surprised she was as in tune with him as she was. Then again, they were lying together like lovers, so it was hard to hide any physical reaction. “I was just thinking about your lack of shoes,” he admitted. “I feel awful about it.”
“Why?” she asked. “It’s not like you had a chance to find any for me. And neither of us expected we’d have to crawl out the window like we did. Besides, being barefoot isn’t anything most of the locals haven’t experienced at one point in their lives.”
“True. But I’m responsible for you. I should’ve anticipated something going wrong. I was too lax.”
“You are not responsible for me,” Lexie retorted heatedly. “I mean, okay, sure, in the eyes of the government, you’re responsible for getting me to the ship. But I’m an adult, Midas. I’m perfectly able to make my own decisions about my life. And I doubt you’ve got the psychic ability to know what everyone around us is going to do every second of the day. I’m more than grateful to you and your team for freeing me and Dagmar, but that doesn’t mean I’m an empty-headed damsel in distress. If I started screaming right now and brought all the bad guys running, would you be responsible for what happened to me next? Or if I insisted I needed to stop and go shopping on our way out of here, would you be responsible for whatever happened as a result?
“Shit happens, Midas. We can either deal with it as it comes, or freak out and have a meltdown. I haven’t had the luxury of being able to have a meltdown in my life. I’ve had to brush myself off and keep going. And I’m not about to stop now. Unless you tell me you’re some sort of seer and know what’s going to happen in the future, you need to quit beating yourself up for things you can’t control.”
God. She was magnificent.
She was level-headed and passionate and so far from being a spoiled diva, it wasn’t even funny. He wasn’t offended by her outburst. Yes, her argument was a bit over the top, and he hadn’t thought his comment would set her off like it had. But it certainly didn’t turn him off. He liked that she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
Midas had never given much thought to the kind of woman he wanted in the long term—but this was it. She was it. He wanted a strong and pragmatic partner, someone who could function when he was deployed.
He apparently didn’t respond fast enough for her, because she asked, “Are you pissed at me? I’m sorry. Now that I’ve thought for two seconds about what you said, and I realize I kind of overreacted. I can also admit I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here. I’d have no clue what to do next…other than going back to the Food For All building, which I’m guessing wouldn’t be in my best interest right now. I’m not saying I’m not scared, because I am. But if I let my fears overwhelm me, things could get even worse.”
“I’m not upset, and I agree. And I never saw you as a damsel in distress,” Midas said. “From the moment I saw your name on the reports and realized that I knew you, this mission ceased to be like any other for me. I appreciate and admire how you’ve conducted yourself so far, Lex. You’ve been amazing. I just… I don’t like the thought of you being in a disadvantaged position. I could carry you if I needed to, though it would be harder for me to protect us both. But you not having shoes means that you could get hurt, and I can’t do a damn thing about it. That’s what bothers me about you being barefoot. It makes you more vulnerable. That’s all.”
He felt Lexie take a deep breath, then nod against him. “I’m sorry. I’m always cranky when I first wake up. You know what I miss most?”
“What?”
“Coffee. The good kind. The kind that’s way too sweet and doesn’t really even taste like coffee. The kind where you take a sip and your taste buds wake up and take notice. That first swallow, it’s like heaven.”
Midas chuckled. “I like it black.”
“Gross.”
His smile widened. Then he sobered. “What are your plans after we get you to safety?” he couldn’t help but ask. He knew his way of changing subjects irritated people. They were just talking about coffee, and suddenly he was turning the conversation in a more serious direction. But now he was thinking about her sitting on his back deck, watching the sunrise, sipping a cup of way-too-sweet coffee and smiling about it.
He knew the odds of that ever happening were slim to none. And he couldn’t help but wonder where she would go when they got out of Somalia. Would she go back to the States? Take another assignme
nt immediately? If she took time off, it didn’t sound as if she had any family or close friends to hang out with until she was ready to start work again.
But instead of asking him how the hell he’d gotten from coffee to her future, he felt her shrug against him. “I don’t know.”
The short answer didn’t make him feel any better.
“I need to talk to my coordinator at Food For All, see what my options are. For all I know, I don’t have a job anymore.”
“That’s bullshit,” Midas said angrily. “It’s not like you were gallivanting around the city causing trouble when you were taken. You were with one of the head honchos and were outside their headquarters. If you don’t have a job, you should sue.”
Lexie patted his stomach as if trying to calm him down. “I was just saying it’s a possibility. I don’t really think they’d fire me because I was kidnapped.”
“They better not,” Midas growled.
“The thing is, I like what I do,” Lexie said. “I like helping others get back on their feet. It’s so satisfying to see the men, women, and families I work with be able to make it on their own. To not need Food For All anymore. I’d like to keep doing what I’m doing…but I think I’m ready to choose my assignments a little more carefully.”
Midas closed his eyes in relief. “Good,” he said.
He felt more than saw her looking at him. “You’ll go back to Hawaii, huh?”
“Yeah,” Midas said as he opened his eyes and saw the same damn boards above his face that he’d been staring at for hours. He tucked his chin and looked down at Lexie. Her hair was in disarray around her face and he could feel some of the strands sticking to the stubble on his face. “Any chance Food For All operates in Honolulu?”
The question came out without thought, and he desperately wished he could see the look in Lexie’s eyes.
“I don’t know. But I would think so. I mean, they’re in a lot of the big cities in the States. New York, Chicago, Detroit, Orlando, Houston, LA… I would think Hawaii has its share of homeless and hungry families.”
“It does,” Midas confirmed.
They stared at each other, neither saying anything. Midas wanted to tell her how much he’d love it if she came to Hawaii, but wasn’t sure how she’d take it. Yes, they’d known each other in what seemed like another lifetime, but they were both very different people than they’d been back in high school. And Lexie seemed to be content with her job. And she was good at it. She could help the needy in Hawaii, but would she want to settle in one place after all the exotic locations she’d lived and worked?
He wanted to ask, but instead, Midas kissed her forehead gently. He let his lips linger on her skin, wanting more, but not wanting to take advantage of the situation.
He felt Lexie’s hand on his stomach move. It skimmed up his chest, brushing over his Kevlar vest and the various tools that were attached to it, and then her fingers were on his cheek.
“Lex?” he whispered.
She didn’t respond verbally, but he felt her shift against him. Her chin lifted and then their mouths were only inches apart.
God. He wanted to kiss her. Wanted it more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life. It was as if his soul was crying out to taste her. To make her his.
That was crazy. They were still in danger. He was a SEAL who lived in Hawaii, and she was a hostage he’d rescued.
But she was so much more than that.
Lexie licked her lips, then moved her head closer.
Their lips brushed against each other lightly. Once. Twice.
Midas growled. He hated not having more room. Hated not being able to touch her the way he longed to. With her hand still on his face, Midas licked against her bottom lip, asking permission for entry.
She gave it immediately, but instead of waiting for him to make the first move, her tongue pushed into his mouth.
Midas smiled even as he kissed Lexie back.
She kissed as she did everything else…with enthusiasm and damn the consequences. Their kiss was more emotional than passionate, but it was no less life altering for Midas.
After a minute or so of the best, most intensely emotional kiss he’d ever had in his life, he felt Lexie pull back. She stared at him as her thumb brushed back and forth over his cheek. He wasn’t sure she was even aware she was doing it.
Midas ached to touch her, as well. To cup the back of her head, tangle his fingers in her untamed hair and devour her. But all he could do was meet her gaze and make sure she knew how much he admired her and wanted to keep in touch.
He took a breath to say the words, when the back door opened and someone entered the store.
And just like that, the mood shifted. Midas’s hand tightened on his rifle and all his attention was on the footsteps above them. But instead of continuing into the store, they stopped. Scraping sounded on the wood, and Midas tensed further.
He felt even more protective over the woman in his arms now. No one was going to take her from him. No way in hell.
One of the boards above them shifted a fraction, then whoever had moved it stepped back.
“It’s okay. Safe,” a deep voice said from above.
Midas didn’t move. And when Lexie shifted against him as if to push the boards back, he shook his head sharply. She settled back down.
“Lexie? It’s Shermake.”
“Shermake?” she asked, loud enough for the person to hear.
Midas pressed his lips together in frustration. He remembered that Shermake was the name of Astur’s oldest son, but he had no way of knowing if it was really him above them. If he was on their side or the side of the kidnappers.
But he had no choice now, the person in the store obviously knew they were there, so he needed to act.
In one swift movement, he sprang upward. He knew he’d jostled Lexie way too hard, but it couldn’t be helped. He’d rather her be bruised than dead.
The boards above them flew out of the way as he exited the small space under the floor. Midas’s muscles protested after being in one position for so long, but he ignored the insignificant pain. He pointed his rifle at the young man in the small back room as he stood.
Shermake immediately raised his hands, showing he was unarmed.
Looking around, Midas saw that he’d come into the store alone, but that didn’t mean there weren’t others outside waiting to ambush them.
“Friend!” the boy said quickly.
Midas felt more than saw Lexie coming up to her knees at his feet, and he said, “Stay down, Lex.”
“Shermake?” she asked again, ignoring his warning.
Then she stood all the way up and sat on the edge of the hole.
“It is me,” the boy said with a small smile for Lexie.
She tugged on Midas’s pants. “It’s okay, Midas. I know him. He’s Astur’s son. We’re good.”
Midas couldn’t be completely sure of that, but he did lower his rifle so it wasn’t pointed straight at the kid.
“Don’t—” Midas said, but it was too late. Lexie had already climbed out of the hole they’d been in for hours, taking the few steps to reach Shermake. Then they were embracing as if they were long lost friends, separated for years.
“You’ve gotten so tall!” Lexie said with a small laugh.
“And you short,” Shermake retorted.
Midas did the math and realized the kid in front of him was less a boy than he was a man. He was probably closer to seventeen now, and around here, that meant he had way more responsibilities than a kid the same age in the United States. He was a few inches taller than Lexie, would probably be over six feet tall when he finished growing. He had on a black T-shirt, brown shorts that went to his knees, and a tattered pair of sneakers on his feet. His hair was cut short…and he was looking at Lexie as if he worshiped the ground she walked on.
It was that look that made Midas relax. He saw nothing but worry for her in the boy’s expression.
“What are you doing here?” Lexie asked.<
br />
Shermake looked down at her as if she was crazy. “Helping you,” he said. “Mother said you were here. Had to wait for dark. So happy you okay. Sorry my people steal you.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Your English has gotten really good,” Lexie praised.
“I be practicing,” Shermake said. “Come, we go. I know where American and Denmark soldiers are.”
“And Dagmar?” Lexie asked. “The man who was kidnapped with me?”
Shermake shook his head. “I know not.”
“Wait,” Midas said, not quite ready to fully trust this young man yet. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know you. How do we know we can trust you?”
“Midas,” Lexie protested, but he didn’t take his gaze from Shermake’s.
“You trust me,” he said. “I know men who watch for Lexie. They not good. Lazy. No want to work for money. Abshir Farah. He was in desert. Not killed. Came back here to tell story about desert fight and get friends to try to take Lexie again. Want money. I can get you back to friends. Trust me.”
Midas pressed his lips together. It was always a possibility that they hadn’t killed all the kidnappers, but it was surprising how fast this Abshir person had gotten back to Galkayo and gathered the troops. He and his team had made an error in coming back. They should’ve gone straight to the ship. But the Jaeger Corps had talked them into agreeing to Magnus’s plan. Money talked, and it was obvious the Brander family had some serious power to be able to influence the special forces the way Magnus had.
“I swear on my family life, Lexie is safe with me,” Shermake said in a low, earnest tone.
Midas finally nodded. He still didn’t one hundred percent trust the kid, but it would be preferable to have a guide through the streets of Galkayo. Especially if he knew where his team was holed up.
He held out a hand to Lexie and something within him settled when she immediately came to his side.
“Stay next to me at all times,” he ordered. “If I go too fast, tell me. If you’re in pain, tell me so I can help you.”