by Anna Blakely
The combination of her fingers and his words set her off. Crying out, Gracie rode out the rest of her orgasm as he got himself there, too.
In a sudden and unexpected move, she felt him pull out at the last second and grunt loudly. Several spurts of hot liquid hit her lower back until his body was completely spent.
With loud, heaving breaths, he said, “Stay there.”
Not trusting her legs just then, Gracie had no problem obeying the order. She laid her head on the flat surface and waited.
Within seconds, he was back. He first wiped her skin clean with a warm, wet cloth, and then dried her off with another.
Some women might have been offended by his primal act, but not Gracie. On a deeper level, she understood it had nothing to do with taking preventative measures, but was more like he’d staked his claim.
Nate had marked her as his. And she loved it.
After breakfast, they began discussing their afternoon plans. She and Nate were trying to decide whether they should go fishing or hiking when his phone rang.
“Carter.” There was a short pause as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. “Hey, Matt.” Nate’s eyes went back to hers. “Yeah, she’s right here. Hang on a sec.”
Nate lowered the phone and tapped the screen. “It’s Matt. He asked me to put it on speaker so you could hear, too.”
Nodding, Gracie said, “Hey, Matt.”
“Hey, darlin’. How are ya? Hope my man Nate is treating you well.”
Though, Matt couldn’t see her, Gracie felt herself blush. “Uh, yeah. He’s been really…nice.”
Nate’s jaw dropped, looking appalled by the sentiment. Nice? He silently mouthed.
She cringed, giving him an apologetic look as she shrugged and whispered, “Sorry.”
He bit his lip to keep from laughing.
“Nice.” Matt repeated. He waited a few beats before adding, “Okay, then. Good to know.”
Shit. Was he suspicious? Thankfully, Nate changed the subject before she could find out.
“Tell me you found something.”
“Oh, we found something, alright. Gracie, you said Craig never sent you anything, correct?”
For what felt like the billionth time, she tried not to sound as frustrated as she felt.
“No. I never received anything from Craig. Not in person or in any other fashion.”
“See, that’s interesting, because he said you did.”
Chapter 13
Gracie’s eyes flew to Nate’s then back to the phone. Trying to make sense of what he’d just told them, she stammered, “I-I thought Craig was dead.”
“He is.”
Gracie’s shoulder’s fell a little. Damn. For a second there, she thought maybe they’d gotten the identification wrong or something. In a sweet, comforting gesture, Nate rubbed his free hand across her back a few times.
“You need to explain that, Turner.”
“It’s kind of a long story, but I’ll try to keep it like Gracie. Short and sweet.” Beside her, Nate rolled his eyes as his friend kept talking. “Basically, after all you guys left, Jake arranged for your mail to be forwarded to the office.”
“Oh, crap!” Gracie exclaimed. “With everything going on, I didn’t even think about my mail.”
“Don’t worry,” Matt told her. “That’s why Jake makes the big bucks.”
Despite the reason for the phone call, Gracie smiled. “Sorry to have interrupted. You were saying?”
“Right. So, anyway, between the regular R.I.S.C. mail, Sarah’s and Kole’s, and yours, there was quite a bit.”
“Thought you said you were making this short, Turner.”
“I’m getting there, jackass. Jake was taking the mail back to his office when some of it fell out of his hand. He picked it up off the floor and noticed something on one of the envelopes addressed to Gracie.”
“What about it?” Gracie asked, feeling as though she was on pins and needles.
“The name on the return address was Craig Wyatt.”
She couldn’t hold back her gasp. Her hand flew to her chest. “It was from Craig? H-how is that even possible?”
“That’s the thing. There was a note scribbled on the back of the envelope. A nurse at the hospital Craig was in wrote you a short note explaining how Craig had asked her to mail the envelope to you the day after you left for Texas. It got mixed up with some other papers and she forgot all about it. Apparently, she found it a few days ago and went ahead and mailed it.”
“What was in it?” Nate demanded.
His back was straight and his voice was tight. Focused. He was back in operative mode, just like that night in the alley.
“A letter addressed to Gracie.”
Her heart raced. “What did it say?” she asked, not caring in the least that Jake had opened her mail.
“Basically, Wyatt was letting you know he sent you something important. Something other than the letter. Once he felt it was safe, he’d be in touch to retrieve it.”
“Did he say what it was?”
“Not specifically, no. Just that he had evidence against Edric Yavuz that would change President Russell’s mind about signing the treaty with Turkey. He didn’t go into detail.”
“That’s why he was killed,” Gracie whispered the obvious.
“Agreed,” Matt said firmly.
“You don’t know what the evidence was?” Nate asked again.
“Unfortunately, no. He purposely didn’t go into detail for fear he’d be putting Gracie into danger.”
Nate snorted. “Yeah, that turned out well for the asshole, didn’t it?”
“Nate!” Gracie scolded, but she could tell he didn’t feel a bit sorry for what he’d said.
Those sexy, fierce eyes locked with hers. “That letter is the reason you’re in Yavuz’ crosshairs. Sorry if I don’t have much sympathy for the man who put you there.”
“Maybe.”
As if he’d just realized Matt was still on the phone, Nate cleared his throat. “What do you mean, maybe?”
“Unless Yavuz saw that letter, he found out about Gracie another way.”
“Damn. You’re right.” The crinkles on Nate’s worried forehead smoothed instantly. “Sonofabitch. You think Wyatt gave her up?”
“Wait. What are you talking about?” Gracie interrupted. She hated that they were having this discussion about her when she was standing right there.
Nate looked at her with a somber expression. “You saw the picture, Gracie. You know what was done to Craig. There’s only one reason someone does that to a person.”
Yeah. She knew. “To get information.”
“Right.”
Gracie shook her head. “No. Craig wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t knowingly put me in danger like that.” Hating the sympathy flashing in his eyes, she looked to the phone again. “Matt, you said yourself he didn’t put any details in the letter for fear he’d be putting me in danger. Why would he be all covert about whatever it was he had on Yavuz, just to turn around and give me up to him anyway. No, I’m sorry. I don’t believe he would do that. Not for a second.”
The picture of Craig’s mutilated body ran through her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut to make it stop, sending a tear she didn’t even realize had formed down her cheek. Cursing, Nate squeezed her shoulder as he tried to comfort her.
Gracie opened her damp eyes and looked into his again. She pleaded with him to believe what she was saying about her friend.
“Craig was a good, kind man, Nate. He was funny and sweet. Most importantly, he was a Navy SEAL. Now, I may not have been in the military, but I understand what that means. What kind of training he had to go through. And, I know we weren’t friends for all that long, but Craig never would have given my name to Yavuz or anyone else. No matter what. In my heart, I know that.”
“I agree,” Matt said through the phone’s speaker. “I read Wyatt’s record. He was as tough as they come. He would have known they’d kill him after he gave th
em the one thing they wanted anyway. Don’t see a man like Wyatt giving Yavuz that much satisfaction.”
Nate nodded. “It’s possible Yavuz found out you and Craig spent time together and he assumed Craig gave you whatever evidence he had. A man like Yavuz would’ve grasped at any size straw to find something that important. With his money and resources, it’s not really a stretch to think your name popped up as a possibility.”
Gracie reached up and squeezed the hand still covering her shoulder. “Thank you.” She wasn’t sure why, but Nate’s opinion of Craig mattered to her.
He took a deep breath and went back to Matt. “So, what’s the plan?”
“We keep digging.”
“Why not use Craig’s letter?” Gracie asked both men. “We could take it to the authorities. Somehow get it to President Russell so he’d know not to sign that treaty. If that was Craig’s goal in this whole thing then maybe, if we do that, Yavuz won’t have a reason to come after me.”
“Can’t,” was Matt’s only response.
“Why not?”
Nate answered for him. “There’s no proof. Right now, all we have is Craig’s word that he had something on Yavuz.”
“Nate’s right, Gracie,” Matt agreed. “We have no evidence of Yavuz doing anything illegal. Without knowing what it was Craig supposedly sent to you, we have to sit on this until we have tangible proof to take to President Russell.”
“So, we’re back to square one.” She didn’t even bother to hide her frustration.
“More like square two,” Matt answered her. “At least we know now, with one hundred percent certainty, that what happened to both you and Wyatt are related. We also know that Edric Yavuz is definitely involved. So, really, we’re at like square three.”
Matt was trying to make her smile again, but it didn’t work. Gracie wiped her eyes dry and asked, “What now? Do we just stay here?”
“That’s what Gabe wants. For now, he’s ordered the two of you to remain there and Sarah and Kole are continuing their pre-wedding whatever it is.”
Resigned, she walked away. Standing by the sliding door, Gracie stared out at the water, wishing like hell she and Nate were out there swimming instead of in here, learning that her friend may very well have gotten her killed.
From behind her, Nate finished up the call with his teammate.
“Thanks, Turner. Appreciate the update. I’ll try to keep looking on my end, though without knowing what it is I’m looking for, it’s going to be the luck of the draw.”
“I hear ya, man. I’ll be in touch if and when we find something. Stay safe.”
“You, too.”
Nate’s soft footsteps travelled closer before a set of strong, caring arms wrapped around her from behind. Pulling her back against his chest, Nate kissed the top of her head.
“It’s going to be okay, Gracie.”
“I hope you’re right.” She turned and wrapped her arms around him, resting the side of her face against his chiseled muscles. “I’m just ready to be home and past all this.” His heart thumped heavily against her cheek.
“All of it?”
“Well,” she pulled away just enough to look up at him. “I’m hoping this can continue on after we get back.”
The loving expression in Nate’s eyes was surprising as he leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers. His tongue breached her lips as he continued to ease her worry in the sweetest way possible.
When he ended the kiss, he tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. With a low rumble said, “You’re stuck with me, baby. Better get used to it.”
Nate was torn. Part of him wanted to be home and have things back to normal. The other part—the bigger part—wanted to stay here. With Gracelynn.
He glanced up at her from over the top of his computer. She’d been a trooper throughout this whole thing, but he knew Matt’s phone call yesterday had hit her pretty hard.
After dinner, they’d ended up taking a walk along one of the trails near their cabin. Gracie shared sweet stories of when she and Sarah were younger. He entertained her with tales of his and Scott’s many youthful antics that often resulted in one or both of them being injured.
Their stroll was filled with both laughter and comfortable silence. Then, there were those moments Nate was fully aware Gracie was thinking of Craig. Not only his horrific death, but also how he’d inadvertently put a target on her back.
The night ended with them making love to the sound of the rain on the cabin’s roof. Nate had purposely gone slower that time, determined to give her as much pleasure as he possibly could while at the same time, taking her mind off her unfortunate reality.
She fell asleep almost immediately afterward, but then tossed and turned throughout the night. Nate hated not being able to invade her dreams and make them better.
He’d spent most of today working every angle he could think of to try and figure out what the hell Craig could possibly have had on Yavuz. Unfortunately, that hadn’t left much time for her.
Sitting by the cabin’s small fireplace, where she’d been most of the afternoon, he saw her shiver beneath the thin throw they’d found in one of the bedroom closets. With all the rain they’d had lately, the temperature at the lake had dropped significantly.
Pulling the blanket more tightly around her shoulders, Gracie grabbed the poker and stoked the bigger of the two logs he’d put in there a few hours ago.
“You cold?” he asked.
She swiveled her head toward him and gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “A little. It’s okay, though.”
“I’ll go get some more wood.”
“This was the last of it, remember?”
Shit. That’s right.
“We can run to the campground store and grab another bundle.”
“That’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
Nate stood and stretched his back. “I need to take a break, anyway.” He walked to the door and began putting on his boots.
“You mind if I stay here?”
The question surprised him. “Uh, not a good idea.”
“Come on, Nate,” she said, giving him a look. Standing, she kept the blanket around her as she walked over to where he was. “No one other than Jake and your team knows we’re here. There haven’t been any other incidents or signs of the men who tried to take me before. I’m pretty sure I’ll survive the ten minutes it’ll take for you to drive down the road and back.”
He finished tying the second boot and went to her. Rubbing his hands up and down her upper arms, he said, “I’m sure you would, but I don’t want to risk it. I don’t want to risk you.”
“It’s ten minutes, Nate,” she pleaded, then sighed. Unwrapping herself, she slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what my problem is today. I’m just in a funk and thought a few minutes alone might help.”
Hugging her back, Nate kissed the top of her head then rested his cheek there. “First, there’ll be no apologies. I said before, this is a lot to take in, and I meant it. Second, you’re probably exhausted. I know you didn’t sleep well last night.”
“No,” she raised her head and looked up at him. “I didn’t.” Her brows creased. “I hope I didn’t keep you up.”
“I got plenty of sleep,” he lied.
Almost nervously, she licked her lips and asked again, “Can I please stay here? I’ll lock the door behind you and I promise to stay inside the entire time you’re gone. I just need a few minutes to…I don’t know. Regroup, I guess. It’ll be easier to do that if you aren’t here.”
Nate got it. He really did. And she was right. Nothing else had happened and it was just a short trip down the road.
Even though his gut said otherwise, Nate looked back down into those gorgeous, pleading eyes and caved.
“Fine.” He’d barely gotten the word out when she smiled wide.
“Thank you.”
When did I become such a pushover?
Forci
ng a serious expression, he squeezed her a little tighter and said, “You know, I’m not sure I like the fact that my leaving makes you so happy.”
She chuckled. It was the closest she’d come to laughing all day.
“That’s not it. I love being here, with you.”
He raised a brow. “You’d better.”
Raising on her toes, she gave him a quick kiss. “I do. And I promise I’ll be a new woman when you get back.”
“Don’t want a new woman, sweetheart. I like you just the way you are.”
This made her smile grow even more. “Yeah? Well, you’re not so bad yourself.”
Unable to keep from it, Nate leaned down and put his mouth to hers. What was meant to be a quick kiss turned into something more.
Unfortunately for him, she pulled away before he was ready. Although, he had a feeling when it came to this woman, he’d never be ready to say goodbye.
“Go. Get the firewood and come back. I think I’m going to run a bath. And who knows,” she raised a brow. “Maybe I’ll still be in there when you get back.”
“I’m going,” Nate blurted, making her laugh. “Right now. And I’m begging you, please…whatever you do…do not get out of that tub.”
Still chuckling, she pushed a hand against his chest. “You’d better hurry, then. Don’t want the water getting cold before you get back.”
He turned to leave, spun back around and gave her a hard, fast kiss. “Lock the door and do not open it for anyone but me. No exceptions.”
Using a finger, she crossed her heart. “No exceptions.”
Taking her for her word, Nate grabbed his keys off the small, metal hook above the double light switch and walked out. He prayed lake security wouldn’t be out this way, because thoughts of Gracie naked in a sea of bubbles had his foot pushing the gas pedal down as far as it would go.
Of course, his ten-minute trip took twice as long, thanks to a couple who’d messed up the registration paperwork and had to start over. This was followed by their four kids spending another five minutes deciding which snacks and drinks they wanted to buy.