“Ditz, call for extraction.” He drew her into his arms. “Kayla, talk to me. Please, God talk to me.” She wasn’t moving. The rest of the team surrounded them, coming to a scuffling stop. Caleb’s hands slid over her body, prodding her, checking for blood. Warm liquid slid down her cheek. Blood? No, a tear—his. “Kayla,” he barked, his voice breaking.
Kayla’s eyes blinked open to his command.
Mace gripped her hand tightly. “Kayla, talk to us.”
She fumbled to reach for the belt around her chin, and Mace undid it for her, removing the helmet weighing her head back. Her hand slid to her skull, pressing against it.
“Come on, Kayla-girl. Tell the reaper he can kiss your ass. You’re staying with us,” Fox said, kneeling down beside them.
“Look at this,” Stitch said, turning her helmet so they could see.
“Holy shit,” Mace breathed.
Kayla closed her eyes again, and he squeezed her. A sound he didn’t recognize came from his own throat, but he choked it back. “Oh, sweet Jesus.” He curled her delicate body to his chest. Cold, he was so damn cold. “Don’t you fucking dare leave me here without you, Kayla.”
“How bad is it?” Cobbs said, kneeling down.
Stitch interjected, “It’s a concussion. Commander, give her room to breathe.”
Ignoring Stitch, Thane rose with her in his arms, but she started to squirm, forcing her limbs to move. “I can walk,” she said weakly.
Carefully he placed her on her feet, and she staggered like a drunken sailor.
“Easy, Kayla,” Mace’s hands steadied her.
The Commander leaned over, searching her eyes. “Kayla, look at me. Look at me, baby. That’s it. Breathe.” Her legs wobbled and she grabbed him to stop herself from toppling over.
“No rest for the wicked or the beautiful,” Mctavish said to her. “Good job, Snow White. I stand corrected.”
Pressing her palm to her head, she moaned. “Tabernac.”
Mctavish chuckled. “Even I know that word.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I guess Canadian women are responsible for saving our ass. At least today,” Mctavish whispered in her ear.
“You guys are friggin’ insane.” She inhaled a deep breath, wincing at the same time.
The men chuckled. All except Thane.
“All in a day’s work Kayla-girl,” Fox said, brushing her down.
“You’re underpaid.” She squeezed her eyes shut, swaying.
“No, Kayla open your eyes,” the Commander demanded.
“I just need a second to close my eyes,” she slurred. “Quit pestering me.”
He gave her a tight squeeze “A SEAL doesn’t sleep.”
“I’m not a SEAL, as you’ve pointed out Mr. High and Mighty.”
For the first time, her giving him lip was all he wanted to hear. “No, but your little heart is as brave as one.” He hoisted her into his arms and carried her toward the vehicles coming to a dusty stop in front of them. Nuzzling her ear, he whispered, “I’d hold your hand and walk straight into the gates of hell if it meant keeping you.”
Her lids slipped closed. “Let’s go home,” she said weakly. He gave her a small jolt to wake her. “Just you and me. Home. Together. Maybe…” her words dwindled as sleep tried to take her again.
“Kayla, I want so much to give you that,” he said. Even with her in his arms, she wasn’t close enough.
Her lashes fluttered, and he could see her trying to focus on her surroundings. “I didn’t mean to…I’m sorry.”
“What didn’t you mean?” Her eyes draped closed, and he gave her a little shake. “Talk to me, Kayla.”
“I love him. I didn’t mean to. No one will ever know. I promise,” she said, barely breathing the words.
“Lapierre?” The man’s name brought a bitter taste to his tongue. The son of a bitch had Kayla’s heart, and his exploded with jealousy.
A sleepy little chuckle erupted from her. “No, my Commander. The man who can’t love…”
“Kayla, wake up,” Stitch said sharply beside them. “Don’t let her fall asleep, Commander.”
The sound of men and equipment, shuffling feet and the rumble of engines close by stirred her, but he barely heard anything with her words echoing in his mind. She loved him? It couldn’t be true—could it?
“Commander—”
“What?”
“Don’t let her fall asleep,” Stitch ordered.
“Don’t listen to him,” she slurred.
He placed her in the closest DPV, and slid in beside her, pulling her tight to his side. “RTB, Master Chief,” he ordered. Kayla’s head rested against his chest, and he kissed the top of it. Tipping her chin, he looked into her eyes, sleepy, beautiful and alive. “I know you’re not going to remember what you just said, but I’ll never forget.” And he never would. They were the sweetest words he’d ever heard, from the only woman he ever wanted to hear them from.
“What?” she asked, blinking up at him half-dazed.
“Nothing, Ms. Banks. Rest.”
* * * *
Thane kept prodding her any time he thought she nodded off as if she could with the DPV bucking and kicking over inclines and rocky ground. Hours later, they poured from the vehicles as the sun came over the horizon, the heat of the day already embracing the barren landscape.
After showering, she stumbled back into the common area and poured a coffee. Caleb had given her medication to dull the pain, and she couldn’t stay focused. She should be sleeping, but her mind played back the events over and over again. The aroma of coffee drew her lips to the cup, but a hand stopped her before it reached them.
“That’s not going to help,” Thane said, taking it from her and setting it on the table.
A helmet plunked beside it, and her eyes sluggishly veered up to his. “What?”
“Look closely,” he said, his narrowing.
She focused on the helmet. The right side of it had been sheared away, leaving only the thinnest piece of protection. She shook her head, not understanding.
“That’s your helmet, Kayla. That’s how close I came to losing you. Come on, I’m putting you to bed.” She followed, but he deviated toward his accommodations instead of the one she’d been assigned.
“Angel Face,” Greg called out, and within a heartbeat, he had her in his arms.
Tilting her chin, her head snapped back drunkenly.
“You’re hurt. What the hell happened?”
“I’m fine, Greg, I just need some sleep,” she said weakly. She needed a damn pillow, and soon before her legs gave out.
Thane’s expression darkened into pure malice. One move had her out of Greg’s arms stumbling backwards. In a blink, Greg was on the ground, Thane’s massive hand digging into his throat. The other hand poised to send his nasal bone through his skull.
“Commander,” she yelped, and grabbed at his fist, even though she knew she wouldn’t have a hope of stopping him.
“Listen good, Lapierre, Kayla is never coming back. Her home is with me. You take your love-starved heart into the fucking desert and bury it. Forget about her. And if you ever touch her again in front of me, I’ll bury you in the desert.” He drove his elbow into Greg’s chest with a sharp jab as he got off him.
Greg jumped to his feet and swiped the dust from one arm.
“Greg, I’m sorry, I—” Kayla began, horrified at the Commander’s brutal attack.
Greg swayed his head, controlling his breath and his anger. “It’s all right, Angel. I know how he feels.” His gaze softened. “More importantly, you know how I feel.”
“Greg, you’re the bravest, most wonderful man I know.”
“Just not wonderful enough to spend the rest of your life with,” he said, giving her a pained smile. “Don’t let what happened eat you alive, Angel. I know you’re safer in the States, but I miss you—every day.” Greg raised his eyes to the Commander. Something passed between Thane and him, some crazy-ass male message that they both seemed to understand. “Take care of yoursel
f. Although this warrior thinks you’ll never come home, know you’ll always have one, with me.” Greg straightened to his full domineering height and walked away.
If she could, she would kick the Commander’s ass herself. Closing her eyes was what she wanted most, but first—“What the fuck is wrong with you, Commander—Thane—Austen!” Swinging around, she read the contrite expression on his face, but it wasn’t going to stop her. “Of all the Neanderthal, redneck, pompous, stupid-ass, unSEAL-like, arrogant, childish…” She wasn’t finished when he yanked her into his arms.
His lips blazed hard against hers, then softened to a sensual depth as if branding her and apologizing at the same time. Large, warm hands slid across her back, pressing her closer. The angry response fizzled, but she pushed herself away from him before another emotion took hold. Thane gently pulled her toward his accommodations.
* * * *
She put on the breaks as he drew the door open. “I’m not going in there,” she said weakly. Another wave of dizziness struck, wanting her to slump her ass down in the sand and stay there.
“I’ll carry you across the threshold if I have to.”
With no energy to fight, she allowed him to pull her inside. “Why can’t you just talk to me outside?”
His hands slid her pants down her legs, and he kissed each thigh before she really comprehended what he was doing. Standing, he guided her toward the bed, and gently laid her down then rolled beside her, sliding his arms around her. “Sleep, Kayla.”
“I can’t.”
“Think of other things, and what you saw last night will go away,” he whispered in her ear.
“What am I supposed to think about? How you brutalized my friend?” but already her lids drooped lazily as Thane’s hands gently massaged her body.
“Think about home, about standing on your balcony. Think about the night you bought your place and we celebrated it together.”
She rolled on her back and he kissed her softly. “Why did you do that to him?” When silence returned, she opened her eyes to see his blue gaze sharp and possessive with emotion.
“Because he loves you.”
“Commander, years ago he helped me through a hard time. He’s always going to be a cherished friend.”
Anger flickered across his expression. “He doesn’t want to be your friend. He wants you—forever—to grow old with.”
She sighed and shook her head. “He thinks he does, but he’s like you and the rest of the warriors. Work hard, live hard, love hard, then die. Not necessarily in that order.”
“I’m not like him, Kayla.”
Arguing the point wasn’t worth it.
“I’ll admit to being selfish about you. If I ever came home and you weren’t there—”
“I killed five men last night,” she said, cutting him off.
“I know, and you saved dozens, maybe hundreds, because we got what we needed.”
She rolled over and reveled in the warmth of his chest, letting herself melt against his strength. “I don’t feel guilty. I don’t feel anything.”
He nodded. “You might not, you may never feel anything. Don’t question it.”
Running her fingers across the skin on his bare chest, she followed the hard, contoured muscles. “I won’t.”
He kissed her forehead, and held her tighter. “We’re sending you home tomorrow. Fielding from the East Coast is replacing you.”
“Did I screw up that bad?”
“No. But you being here with me could compromise the mission. Our team knows it, and by tonight, Dev’s group will, too. That’s why you’re here now, with me.”
“What?” she tried to push him away, but he wasn’t going to let that happen. “You set me up?”
“I’m sorry, but it’s the only way they were going to let you go, especially after you proved yourself last night. I’m going to have to fight just to keep you in Base Command after the tongues start wagging.”
Her mind darkened with blissful sleep tugging at her. “Am I going to be fired?”
He chuckled. “No, actually you’re going to be awarded a medal of bravery, and I’m going to be rapped on the knuckles. Don’t look concerned. It’s not my first time. They need both of us in the service, and they know it. Now go to sleep.”
“Commander?”
“What?” he whispered against her lips.
She slipped her fingers to the buttons on her shirt and his eyes heated. “I don’t sleep in clothes.”
“Oh, shit,” he groaned, drawing a deep breath. “If you take that off neither of us is going to be sleeping.”
Ignoring him, she undid all her buttons and sat up. Slipping the shoulders off, his eyes burned a trail across her skin. “I believe you have a lot of will power.” She unhooked the small claws on her bra and let it fall between them.
“Not with you,” and he pulled her nipple between his lips, grazing his teeth across the tip.
His tongue flicked the sensitive end and she gasped with the immense pleasure. Warm, rough fingers brushed her skin, hooking themselves on her panties, as he slowly eased them over her hips. “What would it feel like with our clothes gone?” she asked, laying kisses on his jaw and working her way down his neck.
“Unforgettable,” he breathed. His hands grasped her waist and he drew her up his body, his palms folding around her ass. “If there was ever a woman I wanted to be inside, it’s you.” She pressed her hips with a gentle sway against his. Her silk seeped through the fabric, and the friction of his bulge against her crease shot fire straight to her toes.
She gazed into the soul of her warrior. “What if you come home in a box?”
“Then I’ll die a sated man.” His eyes searched hers as she released his shaft and stroked his hardness. With every touch, his body shuddered with a need for more. Wetness from his head slid against her thigh, and she played with its fullness. They both groaned with pleasure when his erection entered her. “Oh, God, no going back. You do belong to someone. You belong to me.” His words were a declaration of desire before his mouth possessed hers.
Feeling his swollen head penetrate her, she cried out and stroked him deeply. Every plunge begged for another. Was it possible to die just from being in this man’s arms?
“Oh, Christ.” Sucking her breast into his mouth, his moist tongue laved her nipple. “God, you’re so wet, you feel so beautiful.”
He bit her, slashing his tongue at the tip, creating a fiery coil inside her stomach. “Thane, please don’t die.” His hands gripped her waist and he slid himself sensually in and out of her. With every stroke, her desire rose like hot embers shooting from a fire.
“Baby, I won’t. I promise.”
Deep thrusts gripped her with a heady, deep passion. “Thane, don’t stop.” His shaft pierced her sending her catapulting into a wall of heat. She exploded in a violent seizure of pleasure. Her eyes flashed open, consciousness flinging her to the surface from the dream.
The Commander had her curled in his arm, one hand slid to her hip and squeezed her. The wetness between her thighs made her pause. She lay still, feeling her body. She was pretty damn sure she’d just had an orgasm. He kissed her cheek, the hardness of his shaft pressing against her back beneath his pants. “I bet that was a beautiful dream,” he whispered, his fingers caressing her thigh, wet with her silk. “I’m not like him, baby. I could never walk away from you.”
“Commander?”
“Shhh, my sweet mermaid. You’re safe. Sleep. Dream. I’ll be there with you.”
That’s when the tears came. The sour pang enveloping her, the loneliness in her heart under attack from his kindness, and he kissed them all away until darkness took her.
Chapter Eighteen
She picked up the phone. “Coronado Control,” she answered, glancing at the clock. Zero two-thirty.
Crackling silence. “Kayla?”
“Good morning, Commander.” The line remained silent for so long she feared she’d lost the connection. It had been four weeks s
ince she returned home, and the emotional side of her hoped he’d call every day.
“How’s the head?”
“Still have a few bats in the belfry,” she said. Her heart began to beat hard at the sound of his voice and she bit her lip.
He chuckled, the phone’s delay causing an echo. “I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”
“Of course.”
“I need something from my safe. I’ll give you the combination. There’s a file in there called dead recall. On the second page there’s a list of names. Can you send those to me?”
He gave her the combination. “Yes, sir, I’ll do that now.”
“Are you being careful?” he asked quickly.
“I am,” she said, picking up the pen on her desk and beginning to doodle.
“I—ah, think—” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know when I’ll be back. This one might be a long one. I—just wanted to make sure you’re being cautious. I’m, well, I—”
“I’m fine, sir,” she said. “Put your concentration on the bad guys. I’ll get the information and send it to you right away.”
“Kayla, there’s no rush.” He paused, and a nervous laugh escaped him. “I just wanted to make sure you’re all right,” he admitted. “That’s all.”
A small flare lit in her heart. “I’m fine, Commander.” She sensed he just needed a second to touch home base.
“Sweetheart, I have to go,” his voice softened. “Promise me you’ll be safe.”
“Bring everyone home, okay? And that includes you.”
“I will.” She heard the wind, the high-pitched sounds of fighter jets and alarms going off in the background. It reminded her of the sounds from an aircraft carrier.
“Kayla—”
“Still here.”
Breathing out a gust of air he said, “I’m proud of you, sweetheart. You did an amazing job, but I couldn’t do mine if you were here.”
“I understand.” She heard the door to the anteroom click open. “Hello?” No one answered back. “Can I help you?”
“Kayla, who’s there?”
“I don’t know,” she said getting up. The silhouette of a man stood within the darkness. “Paul is that you?” The figure remained still. “Um, you’re not supposed to be in here.”
Code Name: Ghost Page 22