by Desiree Holt
Looking down, Slade could see some of the men from the camp making their way along the path the team had just taken. He didn’t let out a full breath until they were safely over the next mountaintop. He was one hundred percent ready for their next leave time and a break from the unforgiving terrain of the Hindu Kush mountains.
There was one downer they discovered when they returned to base camp.
“Good work, Slade,” his commanding officer, Captain John Washburn, said. “Glad to see you all back in one piece.” The man rubbed his hand over his face. “Too bad they don’t all end this way.”
Slade stared at the man. “Are you saying someone didn’t?”
Washburn nodded, regret stamped on his face.
“Charlie Team was out on a similar mission. They weren’t as lucky as you. “
“What happened?” A muscle twitched in Slade’s jaw. He hated news like this.
Washburn sighed. “They rescued the hostage, but one of the men on the team was killed.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Washburn nodded. “Exactly.”
This always brought home to all of them how very dangerous their work was and how ephemeral life could be. It made him think of Kari, and how deep he was getting into this thing with her. What if it was him in the body bag being ferried home? Any plans they made would be up in just so much smoke, leaving only pain behind. He’d have to find a way to handle this.
“Well, in any event,” Washburn went on, “congrats to you and your team for an excellent job. Orders came down to give you and your men another ten-day leave.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll let the men know.”
Yes!
He wanted to pump his fist. Ten days with Kari. Maybe this time he could find a way to bring up this whole situation with him and Delta Force to her again. Or was he just cutting off his nose to spite his face? Was he being a coward about it because he didn’t want to take a chance on losing something?
But when he retrieved his cell, the first thing he saw was her text.
Stalker outed. Under arrest. Celebration when you get home.
Any thoughts about discussing Delta with her and his commitment to it disappeared. He had to get back to her ASAP. He didn’t know if she was in a meeting or in court or what, but he texted her anyway. She’d see it when she could use her phone.
On my way to celebrate. Then he added, Hooah for good measure.
There was no question about their R and R destination this time. The guys were antsy to get to the women they’d met and even Marc hid in the corner with his cell, making a call. Slade rounded them up and hustled them off to their transportation in record time. All he could think about was Kari and getting to see her again.
God. He couldn’t wait.
He didn’t stop to think about his feelings. Just told himself he was anxious to enjoy her finally being free of her stalker.
* * * *
Teo waited for them again in San Antonio with the now familiar helicopter.
“Teo!” Beau called. “Mi amigo. Good to see you.”
“Crank that thing up,” Trey told him. “We need hot showers and cold beer.”
Slade rolled his eyes at their remarks, but he was glad they felt at home enough to be this relaxed with Teo. He ducked aside and waited until the other three had wrestled their duffels onto the bird before hoisting in his own gear and taking the co-pilot’s seat.
“Tough one?” Teo asked.
The headphones were set so Slade and Teo could talk to each other.
“Tough enough. We rescued our target just in time.” He swallowed back the bile that threatened to rise in his throat. “Another team wasn’t so lucky. They lost one of their guys.”
“Damn. That bites the big one.”
“No kidding. I’m damn glad this leave came up for us.”
The moment the bird touched down at the ranch, his men jumped out and ran into the house, headed for showers. Slade checked his watch and noted Kari’s workday should be over. He took only enough time to freshen up before grabbing his phone and calling her.
“Kari Malone.” He loved the crisp way she answered the phone.
“Slade Donovan. I may have committed a crime. Want to prosecute me?”
Her laugh was music to his ears. “I’d rather put you in handcuffs.”
At the images that evoked, his cock swelled and hardened to steel. “I can get with that program.”
“Where are you? The connection is really good.”
“Let me look around. Does a ranch just south of the city mean anything to you?”
“You’re home?” she squealed. “Oh, my God. Are you really home?”
He laughed. “Yes. And I take that to mean you’ll be glad to see me.”
“I will. Damned glad. Oh, Slade.” Her voice filled with excitement. “You liked my text?”
“Sure did. I want to hear all about it when I get there. Every detail.” He checked his watch again. “You got a couple more hours to go, right?”
“Yes. And it’s stuff I can’t put off.”
“No sweat. I’ll meet you at your office. Teo will drop me off.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She’d lowered her voice to a sultry tone. “I’ll be ready for you. And Slade? I’m glad it’s Friday. We have the whole weekend.”
His dick swelled so hard he worried it would poke right through his BDUs.
“On my way.”
He shaved so fast he was surprised he didn’t slice himself open. Five more minutes and he was dressed and yelling up the stairs to everyone.
“Yo! Heads up!”
Trey came into the hall from the kitchen and Beau and Marc hustled down the stairs.
“What’s up, Shadow?” Beau frowned at him. “You like to woke the dead.”
“Sorry. I have to rush out of here. I’ll get Teo to ferry me into the city in the truck and leave the SUV for you guys.” He frowned at them. “Can you make do with one vehicle or do any of you need a ride too?”
Surprisingly it was Marc who answered.
“If you can wait five minutes for me to get my shit together, I’ll bum a ride and you can drop me off downtown.”
“Downtown?” Slade asked.
In stunned silence the others looked at each other.
“What?” Marc gave them a belligerent glare. “I can’t go into town? You guys have driven me nuts telling me to get over myself. You change your minds?”
Slade recovered first. “Not at all, my man. Get your shit and we’ll split.” He looked at the other two. “What about you guys?”
“Beau and I will share the SUV,” Trey told him, “if that’s okay. Once we get into the city we can work out the rest of the arrangements.”
“Um, Shadow?” This from Beau.
“Yeah?”
“We’re, uh, taking our ladies out to dinner. Sorry we didn’t ask if you and Kari want to join us, but the invite is definitely there.”
“Thanks, but not tonight. Maybe another night while we’re still here. Okay?”
Beau shrugged. “Whatever works. Say hi for us.”
“I’ll do that.” He looked up the stairway. “Marc? Shake your ass.”
Marc came down the stairs three at a time. He carried a small duffel with him. Slade didn’t say anything, just raised an eyebrow.
Marc didn’t acknowledge anything, just said, “Let’s boogie.”
Slade did the driving into the city, not sure Teo would be willing to break speed limits the way he was. They dropped Marc at a corner downtown where he could take the stairway to the Riverwalk, then fought the traffic to the criminal district attorney’s office. Slade shoved the truck into gear and was out before it had barely stopped moving.
“Don’t kill yourself,” Teo said. “Not before you get to see your lady.”
“I’m good. I’ll let you know if I need a pickup.”
He remembered from his last visit where Kari’s office was. He took the stairs, too antsy to wait for the elevator, and hit
the corridor on her floor just as the end-of-day mass exodus was beginning. He gritted his teeth as he made his way through the wave of humanity heading out. She was sitting at her desk when he reached her office, but jumped up as soon as he walked in.
The first thing he did was haul her into his arms in a crushing hug, pressing her tight to his body so he could feel every one of her delectable curves. The kiss could easily have started a small fire in the office. At last he stepped back and feasted his eyes on her, from her slightly mussed hair to her kiss-swollen lips to the silk blouse caressing her breasts that he itched to palm, to the sedate business skirt that flared just slightly over her hips.
“I’d run my hands over every inch of your body,” he told her in a low tone, “but someone might come in and I’d get arrested either for sexual harassment or indecent behavior.” Then he pulled her in for yet another hug.
A breathy giggle bubbled up from her throat. “I take it you’re glad to see me.”
“Hell, yeah. Damn fucking glad.” He took her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Now tell me. It’s all over, right? The stalker business?”
Her smile was so wide it made the corners of her eyes crinkle. “Over for sure. God, Slade, it feels as if a ton of concrete has been lifted from my shoulders.”
“Let’s go back to your place and you can tell me all about it. And does pizza sound okay for dinner? I don’t think I want to share you with anyone tonight.”
“Suits me just fine. Let me get my purse.”
It was obvious to Slade that Kari’s smile was more genuine, her face less tense, her body language more relaxed. It pissed the hell out of him that she’d been going through that for more than two years. At least now he could be there for her.
Can I? Be there for her? Can I really deal with that kind of relationship?
God, I’m such a fucked-up mess.
But he parked that whole internal conversation in a dark corner of his mind. Nothing would ruin tonight. He kept repeating that as he held Kari’s hand on the elevator ride and the walk through the parking garage to her car. He could not believe how much he was looking forward to the evening. Or how glad he was they could celebrate without the shadow of the stalker hanging over her head.
Chapter Fifteen
The man had to hold himself back from rubbing his hands with glee. Things were working out so much better than he could have hoped. He had to pat himself on the back for being such a fucking strategist. More than two years of waiting were finally coming to a conclusion. Soon, very soon, he would have her and she would be all his.
He dropped two ices cubes into a rocks glass and poured some very fine bourbon over it. Then he lifted he glass to his lips and sipped very slowly, enjoying the fire and warmth of it.
Fire and warm. That could just as well describe Kari Malone.
He dropped into his chair and set the glass on a coaster on his desk. Unlocked a drawer, pulled an envelope from it and removed the bit of her lingerie he kept there. Lifting it to his nose, he inhaled a deep breath. He believed her essence still clung to the soft fabric. He closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair and licked the garment. Even though it had been in her lingerie drawer, her taste and scent still clung to it.
The plan had worked to perfection. So what if it had cost him a bundle? It had been worth it to have a tool to find out where she’d gone. At last he would have her as his own.
He needed the right location, a place that afforded the privacy he would need. He had time to find one, using the computer to narrow his search for him. Only a few days from now and it would be accomplished. This time he was not walking away. This time he would make her understand they were meant to be together. And tell her he would never let her go.
Chapter Sixteen
Kari was sure she’d never had so much sex in her life, yet still she wanted more. Her desire and need for Slade just kept growing. She ignored the fact that this could come to a crashing halt at any moment and made up her mind just to enjoy it while she could. They had this incredible connection. Finding each other again after five years had to be some kind of sign, she was sure.
They barely made it inside her apartment before they began tearing each other’s clothes off like two sex-starved teenagers. No matter what they did, the raging desire never seemed to abate.
“Tell me what happened with your stalker,” he urged when they were lying in bed, temporarily sated.
“There really isn’t all that much to know.” She gave him every detail she had, answering whatever questions she could. “The thing is, I hardly even remember him. I’m sure I saw him several times. I appeared in Judge Glasgow’s courtroom a number of times, but I just never paid attention to him.”
He was quiet for a moment. “And they’re sure they got the right person?”
“Oh, yes.” She heaved a sigh of relief. “Ross did the questioning himself. He said Jerry confessed to everything.”
“Then we definitely need to do a lot of celebrating.” He tugged her until she was lying on top of him. “Whatever will we do?”
They took a break to devour the pizza later that evening, and slept in intermittent snatches. In the morning Slade went out for fresh muffins while she made coffee. He was like a man starved for sex. But then, she had to admit, so was she. She reveled in it, feeling totally hedonistic. She had never enjoyed sex the way she did with Slade. Finally, late in the afternoon, he demanded they get up and dress.
“I want to take you out someplace special.”
“I’m happy just to stay in,” she assured him. “I don’t need special. Being here with you is all I need.” She didn’t know long she’d have him for this time and she didn’t want to waste a minute. She’d decided that where Slade Donovan was concerned she was addicted to sex.
“I know, but this calls for a celebration.” He rolled over until he was on top of her, his very hard erection pressing into her.
She laughed. “Are you sure you don’t want to just celebrate here?”
“No, but we’re going out anyway. This will keep until later.” He brushed his lips over hers. “But then I expect you to give it your full attention.”
“That’s a promise.”
So here they were at Morelli’s, one of San Antonio’s top-notch restaurants with a reputation for the best in Italian cuisine. In her self-imposed isolation she hadn’t had a chance to check out any of these places. She certainly hadn’t accepted any offers of dates. Slade was the first man she’d been able to let down her guard with.
Kari looked around. “This place is everything I’ve heard about it and more.”
The restaurant was broken up into small intimate dining rooms. Barely audible music drifted on the air from concealed speakers just enough to set the mood without interrupting conversation. People spoke in hushed, muted tones, punctuated by the tinkle of fine crystal as glasses were filled and people lifted them to drink. Exquisitely framed prints adorned the walls along with dimly lit wall sconces. And the fragrant scents of gourmet food enfolded it all like a sensual cloak.
The maître d’ pulled out Kari’s chair and waited for her to sit then took the fan-shaped napkin, opened it with a flick of his wrist and placed it in her lap. He nodded to Slade, who folded his lean body into the opposite chair.
“Your waiter will be with you shortly.”
Slade thanked him and reached across the table to take Kari’s hand, wrapping his fingers around it.
She smiled at him. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“I wanted to make this special,” he told her. “We have something big to celebrate, right?”
“Yes.” She smiled, something she’d been doing a lot of for the past few days. “We most definitely do.”
A waiter materialized from someplace, setting menus in front of them, and Slade ordered a bottle of champagne. He waited while the waiter filled the crystal flutes.
“We’re in no rush,” he told the man now. “Just keep an eye on us, okay?” He looked back at K
ari. “That all right with you?”
“Yes. More than.”
“To the end of the stalker,” he said in his deep voice.
“I’ll definitely drink to that.” She took a sip, enjoying the taste of the bubbles on her tongue. “God, Slade. You have no idea what it’s like to have that off my back. I’ve been afraid to check my mail or answer my phone since this started. And that’s more than two years ago.”
When he picked up his glass and took a deep drink from it, she was fascinated by the workings of his throat muscles, the way his head tilted slightly as he drank. The long, lean fingers holding the glass—fingers that had stroked every part of her body. She remembered the feel of them, their touch. The pulse between her legs throbbed to life and her nipples tingled, wanting those fingers to pinch and tease them.
Oh, my God. All that incredible sex and yet it took so little to arouse her.
He caught her hand in his again and gave it a gentle squeeze, the press of his warm fingers sending little flames of heat rushing through her. Oh, she’d missed him a lot when he’d been gone, but she’d been able to compartmentalize. But now it seemed as if, with the end of the stalker situation, her body was on high alert for his every touch, every caress. She was afraid that with very little urging she might rip off her clothes and straddle him right there at the table.
At the thought, a tiny giggle escaped her mouth.
Slade quirked an eyebrow. “Something I said? Or did?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Maybe a little hysterical laugh at not having to be afraid anymore.”
“And now you can put it behind you.”