After several minutes he quickly shifted. He held her under the spray and, as her orgasm peaked, he spent inside her and then stroked her back. His chest heaved and then let out an enormous sigh, but he held her still, lovingly brushing down her shoulders and arms, finding her mouth and placing soft nurturing kisses there. At last he moved from side to side, cuddling her in his enormous arms as the water covered them both.
They didn’t speak the rest of the evening, and Brandy knew there was so much to say that it would take weeks to get it all out. But she didn’t want to spoil the sacred night. It was that little pretense, like they’d be separated forever and this would be the last time they could make love, making them so desperate for each other. Gallows sex, it had been called in one of her romance books.
She was filled, consumed with him, loving him in the flesh here and now, because time was so precious and unpredictable.
She had thought she was still awake, still dreaming about his powerful body, when she felt his kiss whisper over her skin, “Don’t wake up. Don’t open your eyes. It’s time.”
But she couldn’t help it and opened them anyway, giving him a tug as he was trying to stand up. He took her with him, squeezed her body and then settled her back down on the bed.
“Hold that thought, Brandy. I’ll be back before you know it. Maybe the next time you wake up.”
She smiled through her tears. “I vowed I wouldn’t cry, and I’m so sorry, Tucker.”
“Honey, don’t ever apologize for showing me how much you’ll miss me. Don’t ever apologize for that.” He kissed her and then left the bedroom.
Naked, still breathing hard from what she felt like was hours of uninterrupted sex, she listened to the front door close behind him and the roar of Brawley’s truck pulling out of the driveway.
She was filled with wicked thoughts like running outside and begging him to come back, of making a scene, but she tucked herself in the wet and warm sheets that smelled of him, rubbed her belly softly and allowed sleep to take over.
That afternoon, Brandy signed the confirmation to the escrow instructions for their future home over at Christy’s house. Her beautiful realtor was a mess just like Brandy was. She could see the traces of tears, and she knew that, even after what must have been a hundred missions, it still affected Christy the same way.
Her kids were playing in the backyard as she handed Brandy a tall glass of ice water. Even in sweats with her hair up in a scrunchie, Christy Lansdowne was one of the most beautiful women she’d ever met. She had the kind of classic beauty that Dorie had.
“Now, when we get time to sign the final papers, you’ll have to get your power of attorney out so you can sign for him.”
“Yes, I understand.” It had been one of the things required when she married Tucker. She had the durable power of attorney for illness, finances, everything. The Navy required all these things in case of the unthinkable. And for good reason, too. It would minimize the further pain of losing a loved one to have the “affairs”—meaning the things one had to do with the rest of her life—in order.
And everything else could be done with DocuSign, everything but a grant deed.
“So, I’ll order a pest inspection on Monday. I’ll get a home inspection contractor out there, and I think we should get one for the roof too, what do you think?” Christy re-tied her hair up atop her head.
“That sounds good. You have people you like to use?”
“Yes. But you can choose.”
Brandy had some poor experiences with the inspections for her father’s home and didn’t want to repeat that. “No, the guy that the buyers used was horrible. Remember?”
“Oh yes, the old guy who wouldn’t go under the house and called out tiny rips in the window screens? We didn’t get a choice, but don’t worry. We’ll not use them.”
“Great.”
Noise was coming from the backyard, and Christy was out the back door in a flash. Brandy heard a major scolding going on just before she returned to the kitchen.
“We have a couple of their friends over. It helps the kids to keep their minds off the fact that daddy is gone.”
Brandy understood the wisdom of Christy’s words. There was so much she needed to learn. Here she thought buying a house with Tucker being overseas was difficult, yet families did this sort of thing every day, with kids, illness, and all sorts of things going on at the same time. Brandy and Tucker’s life was rather uncomplicated in comparison.
“You’re so great with those kids and with all the Team wives too. And you work. I don’t see how you do it.”
“I did it just like you’re going to do it, Brandy. Bit by bit. I had great teachers. Kyle being a leader meant that came with the territory.” Christy stopped, took a sip of her water. “You know, Kyle thinks Tucker has some potential as a leader. Have you two ever considered sending him to OCS?”
“He thinks he’s too old. No. I don’t think he wants that. But he loves being one of the ones the Team guys, especially the younger ones, look up to.”
“It’s the healing side of him, the medic side. I can see that,” said Christy.
She was right. There wasn’t anyone else who could have helped save Brawley but Tucker. “He’s one of the guys you can count on. Always.”
“Then we’re all lucky to have him. Hang onto him, Brandy.”
“Oh, I intend to!”
They both laughed.
After she left, Brandy wandered through several large home improvement stores, looking at countertops, cabinets, and appliances. She picked up brochures for window coverings and paint samples.
She stopped by her favorite art store and purchased some new water color pencils and acrylics, along with several new paper tablets and two canvases. She’d taken the time to select colors she remembered from the house, as well as the color of the blue and white surf, and the beach. She wanted to do some sketches of color schemes for a new kitchen and a decent-sized bathroom. Making love in the shower was almost a routine for them now. That tiny one would have to go.
Before she returned home, she stopped by the house they had in contract. With the memory of Tucker’s kisses still fresh on her skin and her sex swollen from all the lovemaking they’d done last night, she slowly walked down the green path toward the front door.
This would be the home they’d raise their baby in. This exciting new chapter was the start of something bigger. She was ready for it all. She wanted to remember every sight and smell of it all.
She had thought her life had started when she met Tucker that New Year’s Eve at Dorie and Brawley’s wedding. But this was the real start. This is where it would all begin.
Chapter 7
The hardest part of any trip was always the transport across the Atlantic. They usually rode in a troop transport plane that lacked any amenity but a bathroom, and some didn’t even have those, which made a ten-hour flight even longer. But this sleek jet had been chartered, and Tucker knew it had something to do with the girl’s father.
So far, so good.
There were ten of them who went this time, a smaller number than those who went to Nigeria last month. It was thought that the extraction would be quick, just like some of those snatch and grabs they used to do in his early Afghanistan deployments—before the rules of engagement had changed, when you could actually do those. Now those poor guys had to practically post it on the front page of the Times and then try to go in by “surprise.” These days, you had to get permission for something you knew you weren’t going to do, so you could execute Plan B, which had been the real plan all along. Or so Tucker had been told by some of the older guys who remained in after Tucker left.
He took a window seat, placing his bag on the spot next to him. He was hoping to be able to get his large frame comfortable and then catch up on some of those erotic dreams he knew he’d have. He wanted to imagine what it would have been like to extend their lovemaking session another three hours or more. Nothing wrong with the way it went, though.
Absolutely nothing fuckin’ wrong. Last night was perfect.
One by one, the rest of the Team wandered down the aisle. Several people noticed his bag, taking up the seat space, but most just kept walking past him. Kelly Fielding hesitated for a second, but when Tucker didn’t move his bag, she kept going.
Behind her was Sven, who whispered in her ear, “Sorry, darlin’, but he was saving it for me. Hope your feelings aren’t charred.”
Tucker actually saw that Sven was kind of sweet on the Special Agent, which was a big surprise. He didn’t like himself for trying to be too wary of a woman on the mission, but he was grateful for Sven’s save. Personal politics was never Tucker’s strong point, unless he was the teacher, of course.
He pulled his bag off the seat and let it hit the floor with a thud.
“How about we do this like adults, Tucker.” Sven picked up the pack and placed it in the overhead bin—also something not usually found on their transport plane. Sven loaded his pack up next to it.
“Thanks, man. I guess I wasn’t very nice.” Tucker turned his head around to see if Agent Fielding could hear him. She was way to the back of the plane.
“I was saving you from pissing off the most important person on this plane,” said Sven as he sunk down hard in the seat.
Tucker was shocked. “Excuse me?”
Sven lowered his voice until Tucker could barely hear. “She’s the nurse’s sister-in-law.”
“No shit? Don’t you think Kyle should have mentioned it?”
“I don’t think he knows.”
Tucker let his head hit the back of the seat. The take-off instructions were announced, and within minutes, they’d taxied and were in the air. Tucker looked down with pride at the Navy’s fleet, some of the finest ships and equipment in the world and the men who were dedicated to using every gadget to keep the world safe. Being a Fleet Commander was like running a small foreign country but paid far less.
So this was going to be another mission with secrets. They were walking into something and even though they were to put their lives on the line, they were still not good enough to be made aware of all the little minute details that could blow the whole thing sky high.
“Question for you. Are we the hired help, or working for Uncle Sam?”
“Depends on who you ask. If you asked her father-in-law, he’d say the POTUS works for him. But I think he exaggerates a bit.” Sven scrunched up his nose with that last comment.
Tucker searched for Kyle and found him up front with Cooper and Fredo and several of the others. Par for the course, Kyle wasn’t letting them sleep, but laying out maps and showing them pictures, while the person with all the information was sitting in the back near the bathroom. He started grinding his teeth.
“Don’t even think about it,” grumbled Sven.
“I have to tell him. He’d do the same for me.”
“When the time comes. When we have to. Right now, we need him raw. You don’t know Kelly like I do,” he said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
“Oh, really?” Tucker said with a grin.
“Well, almost. I like to move slower than the ladies. You’d be surprised what the result gets you.”
Tucker knew what he was talking about. It was exactly what happened with him and Brandy. If he strung it out and then let her take the lead, he was in for a mind-blowing experience.
Sven chuckled. “I thought maybe she liked ladies. So I asked her, and she took it on herself to prove me wrong.”
“Son of a bitch. I rescind your invitation to visit us in San Diego. Consider yourself disinvited.”
They both had a big laugh over that one. Tucker was pulling down tears he laughed so loud.
“You Viking assholes have some moves, I’ll give you that.”
“We have to. We’re smaller than you Yanks. When have you ever heard a lady boast of balling a Norwegian? But how about an American SEAL? I’m just trying to catch up. My heritage is on the line.”
Tucker found he liked Sven more each time he was around him. He was smart as well as good at his job. Not good at his job and stupid like Brawley was. He’d always thought the SEALs attracted men who had major flaws and needed their demons excised. The type of guys who could defend a whole village and then go home and have a salami sandwich and a beer and fall asleep in front of the TV. Those guys would wake up someday broke and alone, hardly speaking to their grown kids, and after they were out, they never were the same. Sven’s guys could probably do their jobs and then go back to being preschool teachers and think nothing of it.
American SEALs did the things everyone else was too damned scared to do, and for good reason. That was the real payoff for them.
“So I’m surmising you and Kelly spent some time together in Paris, then?”
“Actually, I visited her in the Canaries. We’re the ones responsible for the surveillance.”
“Now I’m really interested. Between the time we left Nigeria and now, you hooked up with Kelly on the Canary Islands—”
“We hung out in Morocco too. Spent a couple of days on Capri. That was strictly fun.”
“So you posed as a couple? Taking pictures?”
“Yup,” Sven said as he nodded.
“Drinking wine and wandering around the streets at all hours of the day or night?”
“Yessir! That’s exactly what we did.”
“A couple?”
“I already said we did. We made it convincing too.”
“I’ll just bet you did.”
“And the nurse’s dad, he knew about this?” Tucker asked.
“He paid for the trip.”
“But—Sven, I don’t want to ask you how you arranged all that. I’m assuming Kelly’s married to his son?”
“Was.”
Tucker looked straight ahead. “I’m not sure I want to know the rest of this story, Sven. You’re kind of creeping me out.”
Sven shrugged. “There’s a simple and perfectly logical explanation, Tucker. Kelly’s husband, the old man’s son, and Jenna’s brother, died of an overdose two years ago.”
“And he thinks this Dutch guy had something to do with it?”
“Indirectly. It doesn’t wrap up too pretty like that. But, Tucker, he’s already lost one son to drugs. Now his daughter is sold into some kind of sex slavery. If you had all the money in the world and no family to leave it to, what would you do with it?”
“I’d go find the bad guys and make them pay.”
“Exactly. And if your daughter-in-law is a Special Agent working for the State Department and has contacts and you have some cash for some fundraising parties for the President, don’t you think an accommodation could be worked out?”
Tucker was amazed Kelly had spoken to them and kept a straight face. She was good. Really good. But the situation still bothered him, and he had to bring it up.
“Sven, our Teams aren’t a private for-hire group that go in and do things for influential friends of the present administration.”
“Apparently, they don’t put that in your textbooks. There have been world wars fought exactly for that purpose, my friend. But make no mistake, these are the real bad guys. And if they could, and with enough time and money they’ll achieve it, they’d destroy any Western nation who tries to interrupt their income stream. Maybe I see it differently because we’re sort of neutral. Not really neutral, but we don’t have the money to go overseas and start or end wars. We give token support to the good guys, we hope.”
Tucker pondered this. How did they decide where to send the Teams in the first place?
“We’re helping one man get his daughter back. We’re helping to interfere with some bad elements preying on innocents and American interests in Africa, obstructing, among other things, their importation of drugs that are killing off your American children. I think it’s a fair trade-off, Tucker. Don’t you?”
Tucker knew he was right. But he didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t want to know what was too far below
the covers. He just wanted to do his job.
“And as for who hires whom, doesn’t this happen all over the world? You think we live in some perfect world where only the good guys win? You know that’s not true. I guess that’s the advantage of living in Europe. We can’t save everyone. So we don’t even try.”
Chapter 8
Brandy had Christy take her, Dorie and little Jessica over to the house they were buying. Dorie loved it. Jessica tried several times to escape, heading straight for the narrow stairs.
Dorie’s pregnancy was really starting to show, even though she was only five months along. But her body was skin and bones, and the dark circles under her eyes were worrisome. Even Christy noticed and asked Brandy about it while Dorie went out to the car to change Jessica.
“Everything okay at home?” she asked.
“He’s waiting on the Navy to get his paperwork processed. At this rate, she said the re-assignment might come just as he is finishing his twentieth year. She’s worried the discharge gets processed before his new job comes through.”
“That’s the Navy for you,” signed Christy. “But with so many on Brawley’s side, they’d get it fixed. But I get it. He wants to feel useful.”
“Now that he’s on outpatient, he has a lot of free time. Unsupervised free time. I just wish he’d help out with Jessica a bit more. I try, but you know.”
Christy gave her a hug. “You’re a good friend. I’m sure his doctor has explained that he might not be able to be there emotionally for her, to know what to do or how to help her. He’s disabled and not himself.”
“She knows it, but she’s tired, Christy. And they’re having twins.”
“Yes, well, you let me take some of the burden off your hands. Don’t try to help her out alone. Let me get some of the wives and we’ll see if we can be more present. You’ll see. We stand up for each other, Brandy.”
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