Seducing the Colonel's Daughter: Seducing the Colonel's DaughterThe Secret Soldier

by Jennifer Morey

  Were it not for the storm, he’d spend some time exploring what made her so testy with people who gave orders. “I only meant it would be safer there.”

  With a huff, she headed for the hall closet and began pulling out blankets. He tried to ignore her prone butt, and the reminder it gave him of his hand on her shoulder...so close to those fantastic breasts.

  He set the box down on the bathroom floor. “Do you have a battery-operated radio? We both have cell phones, but service will probably be patchy or nonexistent.”

  “No radio.”

  “Do you have an extra flashlight?”

  “I think so.”

  “Good. Go get it.”

  “You remind me of my father,” she snapped.

  And that was a bad thing? “Flashlight?”

  “Are you always this bossy?”

  “Would you rather tell me what to do?” He had a good idea that she would. She was telling him he was like her father when she was the one with the resemblance. Minus the attitude. Travis had never met Colonel Roth, but a man like that had to be in control of his ego. So maybe his daughter was different….

  A hard gust of wind slammed against the cottage, rumbling and creaking the roof and walls. A near-continuous hailing of debris banged against the siding and windows now. Something tangled with the patio railing off the kitchen. Sounds came from everywhere, above the garage, the corner of the kitchen, bedrooms.

  Travis saw Raeleen walk back into the living room. A violent crash came from a neighbor’s house. There may as well have been ten freight trains roaring by. The television wavered between a clear picture and disturbance, the image of a weatherman gesturing toward a huge swirling red mass over the Caribbean.

  Yep, things were about to get real interesting.

  The lights flickered, went out and came back on. Standing at the threshold of the hallway, he watched her frightened eyes and the soldier in him began to take over.

  “Stay calm. We’ll make it through,” he said.

  A loud crash in the garage made her jump. Something had gone through the roof.

  “Oh, my God.”

  The lights and television flickered again, this time going out.

  “Bathroom. Now.”

  She started toward him—not arguing, amazingly enough. The door to the garage banged open and wind and rain came roaring in.

  Shrieking, she threw herself against him. He lifted her and turned, taking her into the bathroom and depositing her in the tub, easily and gently.

  “Stay here.”

  Leaving her standing stiffly in the dark with freight trains swirling everywhere, he went back into the living room, shut the door to the garage and dragged the sofa in front of it. Then he grabbed his duffel bag, got out the flashlight and returned to the bathroom, all the while wondering if he was going to have to take Raeleen from this cottage to find more secure shelter.

  Closing the bathroom door behind him, he put down his bag and rested the flashlight on top.

  Raeleen got out of the tub and sat on the toilet seat, putting her head in her hands. He wished he could reassure her. The waiting would be the worst. How long would the storm last? All night, at least.

  Travis stepped into the tub and sat on the blankets. “Come here.”

  When she looked at him, he patted the blanket between his legs. The tub was a good sized one that had a Jacuzzi and enough room for the two of them. She left her perch on the toilet and climbed into the tub, sitting down and leaning back against him. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on the wall behind him, glad the hurricane would deter his baser instincts. She let her head fall back onto his shoulder and threatened that rationale.

  “Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked.

  He lifted his head off the wall. What an odd question at a time like this.

  “I’m not asking because...you know...I’m interested or anything,” she said. “It’s just...talking helps.”

  He relaxed again, keeping his senses tuned into the storm at the same time. “I met a woman last week. I was going to take her out for a lunch date when I got the call to come and get you. I doubt she’ll be interested in seeing me when I get back.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “When I called to cancel, she didn’t sound very happy. I already know she was skeptical about my job.” She hadn’t liked that he was called away so abruptly, part of his profession.

  “What did you tell her you did for a living?”

  “The standard. I’m a security consultant.” He couldn’t tell them the truth.

  “So, she knew you weren’t telling her much.”

  He lowered his head, his mouth close to her ear. “It happens a lot.”

  “Is that why you never married?”

  Was she really asking him all this just to calm her nerves? “I’m in no rush for that. I just haven’t met the right woman. If it’s right, it’ll happen on its own.”

  Sometimes he wished that would be sooner than later. Not that he regretted his choices. Doing what he did for TES gave him a sense of purpose, one that had deep-seated meaning to him, meaning that he never discussed.

  “Would you change professions to settle down with someone?” she asked after a while.

  “I shouldn’t have to. I like what I do. The energy. The cause. The unpredictable schedule. I hope the woman I fall for can understand and appreciate that.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  He’d read about her show. “It must have taken a lot of hard work to get where you are.”

  He felt her head nod.

  “You’re busy a lot.”

  “Yes.”

  “On the road a lot.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Actually, I do.”

  Her head tipped up and she looked at his face, his eyes. He wished she wouldn’t do that. Didn’t she know he was trained to put things like a hurricane on the back burner if it meant his survival?

  “Why do you do it, then?”

  Aware of her one-sided opinion, he countered, “Why do you?”

  “You want a woman who’s never home?” she shot back defensively.

  “No. I want a woman who’s independent. Strong. Her own thinker. Not insecure.”

  “What about kids? A family?”

  This was a heated topic for her. Did she even realize that? Suddenly, her ignorance to Deet’s marital status became clear to him. But he’d go along with this for a bit longer.

  “I’m fine with that,” he answered neutrally.

  “But you’d never be home.”

  He leaned his head back, almost grinning. “I’d be home enough.”

  “According to whom?”

  Sass and attitude radiated from her. He loved it. “The woman I marry won’t have an issue with that.”

  “Don’t you think that’s asking a lot?”

  He lifted his head again, meeting her fiery eyes. “I’d be there enough.”

  Watching her register his innuendo, he cautioned himself not to flirt too well.

  “How many relationships have you been in?”

  Was that a challenge? “Is this working to take your mind off the hurricane?”

  Instantly, her tension vanished and she smiled. And with a little bit of a laugh, she said, “Yes.”

  Whatever darkness that had stoked her emotions was defused, softened with humor. He loved that, too.

  “Depends on what you consider a relationship.” This was too good not to keep going.

  “More than dating. You actually took the time to get to know them for a year or two.”

  “Not many of those. A couple.”

  “Have you ever been with someone you thought would go the distance?”

>   Now, there was a question he didn’t feel like answering.

  She moved her head to see his profile in his silence.

  “Have you?” he countered.

  “I’ve had a few relationships,” she said. “None where I fell madly in love, though.”

  The letdown of Deet’s deceit must have made that a reality. “Not even Deet?”

  “He fit my schedule.”

  Sarcastic response. “That’s what you look for?”

  “That and someone who doesn’t remind me of my father.”

  He chuckled. She really had a hang-up about men because of her father. “You want a man who sticks around and yet you get involved with the ones who don’t.” Interesting.

  She remained quiet for a time. “I was beginning to think Deet and I had a future. I would have moved to Anguilla. But then I met his wife. That ruined it for me.”

  “It would for me, too.” Fidelity was something he looked for in women. He needed to be with someone he could trust. That wasn’t easy to find.

  “Has it ever happened to you?” Raeleen asked.

  This was getting too personal. “I’ve had women leave me for other men, yeah, sure.” It was bound to happen.

  “Men who have stationary jobs?”

  “An executive, a dentist and a Critter Central manager.”

  “A pet-store manager? How did that happen?”

  “She had a dog.”

  Now it was her turn to laugh. “It’s not often things progress beyond dating for me. Most men want a woman who’s more available than I am. I don’t spend enough time with them to fall in love.”

  “Sounds familiar.”

  They stopped talking as it became obvious that he was thinking the same as her. They both had jobs that kept them busy. She claimed she didn’t want a man like her father, and he claimed he’d be around enough if he ever had a family. Were they both deluding themselves? Even more disturbing, he wouldn’t have to lie to her about his job. She already knew all about where he worked. Disturbing...and yet...intoxicating.

  She tipped her head back to look up at him. Warmth kept the storm in the realm of really loud white noise. He took in her eyes and mouth and wanted to kiss her.

  Allowing his training to keep the storm at bay for just a few moments longer, he moved his head down. Her eyes met his for seconds longer before he closed the distance. Passion flared. Fireworks spread. Like the storm tearing the landscape beyond the walls, desire ravaged him. How, he couldn’t fathom.

  Why her?

  A loud ripping noise broke them apart. The freight train was in the cottage. The roof above them broke apart with a sickening sound and sailed away. Rain and debris poured down upon them. Raeleen screamed. Wind created a suction. The bathroom door crashed in on them.

  Travis turned his upper body to protect her from flying wood. Then he stood, stepping out of the tub and grabbing his bag. After shoving the flashlight inside, he slung the bag over his shoulder so that it hung across his back. Taking her hand, he hauled her out of the tub and then the bathroom.

  Unidentified objects pelted them. Her cottage was being torn to shreds!

  Travis led her through what once had been her living room. The walls were demolished. The garage was no longer there. Water was everywhere.

  Jumping over mangled furniture and pieces of the house, he lifted her over one obstacle after another. Then he took her hand again and ran out into the driveway. Away from what was left of the structure of her cottage, the wind pushed Raeleen off her feet. Travis righted her, but he had to fight the force of it himself.

  Leaves, debris and rain spat down on them, the finer grains like a compressed air sander. He could barely recognize the street.

  Wind pushed Raeleen against him. She didn’t weigh enough for the force of it. She lost hold of his iron grip and fell, tumbling across the street in the strong wind. He went after her, using his bulk to fight the pressure. Just when he nearly reached her, she was knocked off her feet again, rolling onto a grassy surface, bumping into fallen debris. Digging her knees into the ground and crouching low, she tried once more to stand. As soon as she started to rise, she was knocked over again.

  Travis reached her and went down onto his hands and knees, caging her so that she’d stay put.

  He put his mouth right next to her ear. “Hold on to me. I’m going to stand.”

  “Okay!” she yelled above the supernatural din.

  He slowly inched his way up. She hugged his leg and crawled up his body, the wind at his back. While Raeleen clung to him for dear life, he scanned their surroundings and saw the neighbor’s cottage still in one piece. It was made of stone. Anchoring her to him with his arm, he moved forward, keeping his back to the wind.

  They made it to the side of the cottage. In the back, the wind wasn’t as strong. Travis checked a garage door. It was locked. He moved on to a small window. A bathroom window. He put her back against the stone of the cottage.

  “Grab hold of the bush!” he yelled.

  She sat down and turned her face away from thrashing branches, grabbing twines and wrapping them around her arm. The wind rocked her, tugged her toward the abyss of the backyard.

  Travis worried she’d be swept away again. Working quickly, he used a broken piece of fencing to bash the plywood covering the window. He hammered the side until the nails loosened, then pried the plywood free. Picking up the wood again, he broke the window and cleared the glass.

  He bent for Raeleen, his body wavering in the brutal wind. Grabbing hold of her, he lifted her up to the window sill. She fought her way over and inside, falling onto the bathroom floor and bumping her head on the toilet.

  “Ah!” She scooted back just before Travis followed, landing partially on top of her.

  Their breathing joined the hissing wind and missiles of unidentified objects outside the broken window.

  “Come on.” He got to his feet and went out of the bathroom.

  Raeleen followed, shutting the bathroom door. Leaning her back against it, she caught her breath. The hall was pitch-black.

  “Hello?” Travis called.

  No one answered. The house was vacant. He lowered his duffel and unzipped it, removing the flashlight.

  “I don’t want to die,” Raeleen breathed, obviously scared.

  Turning the flashlight on, he illuminated her face without blinding her and stepped closer. Brushing his damp fingers across her cheek, he said, “You won’t.”

  She blinked once as though believing him for a split second.

  Flashing the beam of light up and down the hall, he was relieved to see this cottage was holding together well. The sounds were more muffled. The interior was very similar to Raeleen’s, except the bathroom was right off the living room and it wasn’t as nicely appointed as hers, with older furnishings and outdated colors.

  Travis checked all the doors and windows and began to feel better that they’d be okay until morning. He found a hammer in the garage and went to the backyard, wind, rain and debris swirling. Quickly boarding up the broken window, he hurried back to the garage, seeing Raeleen waiting for him. Dropping the hammer onto a workbench, he picked up the flashlight he’d left there and followed her inside.

  She stood in the middle of the room, turning in circles, listening to the storm.

  “You’re going to be okay,” he said.

  She stopped moving. “How do you know that? You said you weren’t Poseidon.”

  “You don’t need Poseidon. You only need me.”

  As he hoped, her attitude shifted into high gear. She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need you.”

  “No? Not even when you were tumbling across the ground in the wind?”

  “That isn’t fair.”

  “Do what I tell you and you’ll m
ake it just fine.”

  “Or what? You’ll send me tumbling again?”

  He fought a grin. “Not exactly.”

  She observed him shrewdly, the storm nearly forgotten. “You’re using your military brawn to control the situation.”

  Military brawn. So it was the military streak he had in him that she didn’t like. Her father was all military and therefore she despised all men who resembled that.

  “I plan on surviving this storm,” he told her. “Stay with me and you will, too. You can be the boss when we get back to the States.”

  “When we get back to the States, I’ll never see you again.”

  For a moment he regretted that, and then he remembered his mission. He’d bring her back to her father. It didn’t matter what else happened on the way. If Raeleen meant to ignore the obvious chemistry that was brewing between them, he’d let her.

  “The invitation is open in case you change your mind,” he teased, anyway.

  Chapter 3

  A muffled gust of wind rushed against the cottage. Though not as violent as previous torpedoes, the sound crept into Raeleen’s dream. The same way noise woke her, the absence of it did now. No more creaking and banging. No more freight trains roaring by. She ran her hand up her bumpy mattress. Mattress? It took her a moment longer to remember she was on a sofa. Underneath her, Travis moved in response. She moaned, vaguely aware of her breasts smashed against him.

  It was dark. Travis must have turned off the flashlight. Her hip rested between his legs. She could feel the walls of his thighs on each side of her. She lifted her head and grunted with the aches that came to life everywhere in her body. Travis still slept. One of his arms was bent and supported his neck and head, muscles tight and sculpted. His other arm draped over her lower back. His body felt hard and big and strong against her smaller, softer curves.

  His eyes blinked open then and she came face-to-face with their awaking intensity. Even in the darkness she could see their blue color, close to the color of hers, except she knew that in the light there were hints of gold in his.

  “The wind is dying down,” he said.

  His raspy voice brought her attention to his mouth. “Yes.”

  They’d survived.