Above All Else: A Bad Boy Military Romance (Easy Team Book 2)

by Gemma Hart

  But I breathed in deeply and tried to think of anything that could give me a sense of calm. Literally a traffic jam in Manhattan would be more calming than carrying Sofia around at the moment.

  “Here are your tickets. You are in Gate 24B to your right,” the woman said, handing over our tickets.

  “Thanks,” I said. With an arm around Sofia’s shoulders, I pulled her along with me, ignoring her squirms.

  When we got to the gate, I pushed her into a seat, wondering if this was what it must be like to take care of a toddler. Always on alert, always telling them to stop doing something, always trying to stop them from wandering off.

  “Alright, are you hungry?” I asked, now able to finally breathe since we had reached out gate. “You didn’t eat any of your dinner last night.”

  Now I really did sound like I was talking to a toddler, I thought with some dry amusement.

  Clearly Sofia heard it as well and she was not amused. “No, I am not hungry. And I do not feel like getting on that plane!” Her voice rose higher and higher as she spoke, drawing some curious stares.

  Not wanting people to think I was trying to kidnap a girl, I plunked down on the seat next to her and shoved down the baseball cap Sofia wore even further down over her face.

  “Hey,” I whispered, “wanna take it down a notch? Or do you want every person here with a smartphone to take a photo of the runaway Loranzian princess?”

  With my hat and large jacket, it was hard to make out Sofia’s features. I had sunglasses for her as well but they were too big and made her look more suspicious than casual. So we opted for just hat and jacket. Or, really, I opted for hat and jacket since at that point, she had lost all her rights to have a say in the matter.

  “Well,” she responded in the same strained whisper-yell, “maybe I want someone to report my kidnapping! Then maybe someone will listen to what I want for once!”

  I looked at her in frustration. Those blue eyes were narrowed at me with her full lips set in a firm line. I suddenly had the urge to kiss her attitude away. Quiet her mouth with my mouth. But I shook that thought away. That was not appropriate thinking for someone on duty and definitely not appropriate when the target you were protecting was a sovereign head of state.

  “Don’t you think that kind of attitude is what got you in this little mess in the first place?” I said. “It’s not always about what you want. Sometimes you have to do shit and say shit you don’t want to for the betterment of the situation. You think your uncle flew your ass this far and risked his neck just so you can pout and go on national TV to say that you didn’t like not getting your way for once?”

  I saw Sofia rear back a little, as if I had slapped her. She stared at me. Her large blue eyes lost their anger and suddenly she looked like a child, her face soft and her gaze confused and frightened.

  I sighed, suddenly feeling a little guilty even though I hadn’t said anything untrue or wrong.

  “Look, we’re going to be boarding in a few minutes,” I said, trying to make peace. “Do you want something to drink or eat from the food court?”

  Sofia shook her head and instead, sank into her seat, letting the large jacket consume her. She tucked her head down and the bill of the cap nearly covered her entire face. The message was clear: I don’t want to talk anymore.

  And that was the mood she was in all the way through boarding. Once we took off, I bought a sandwich and some chips from a flight attendant and handed it to Sofia. She really hadn’t eaten much at all. A bite from dinner and we had had no time for breakfast. And she had already had that slightly sunken look when I had met her in Commander Wolffe’s office that said she probably hadn’t eaten properly for days.

  But when I handed the food to her, it just sat in her lap. Sofia had looked out the window, ignoring me. I decided to give her some space but when I checked on her again, I saw that she had fallen asleep. Her eyes still roved underneath her lids and I could see the tight line of her jaw. She was sleeping but it was a fitful sleep.

  Finally able to take a breath for myself, I leaned back in my seat.

  “Sir? Could I get you something to drink?” a flight attendant asked as she stopped with the drinks cart.

  Yeah, a Jack and Coke. In a bucket. And keep ‘em coming.

  But instead I shook my head and said, “No thank you.”

  From the minute I had woken up, Sofia had been determined to find a way to stay in L.A.

  I had slept on the couch, giving Sofia the bed. She had closed the door right away and I had seen the light go off so I had assumed she had fallen asleep relatively early.

  But when I woke up and knocked on the door, I opened it to find her sitting in bed, her knees to her chest, with only the corner of the bed she sat on disturbed. She hadn’t even lain down once.

  “You didn’t sleep,” I said it in a statement but I meant it as a question. Clearly, the girl was exhausted. What had she been doing staying up all night like that?

  Seeing her sitting in bed, with her arms wrapped around her knees, she looked so small. It was incredible to think such attitude and chaos came from a body so delicate. And with a reckless history to boot. I realized now that those two men who had trailed after Sofia that night in Colombia had been royal guards. And she must’ve somehow given them the slip to head out into the wild to party it up.

  God, did she not know how goddamn breakable she was?

  I stood in the doorway, almost getting mad at her for something she had done months ago.

  Sofia raised her head, the smudges underneath her eyes darker. “I’ve decided that I am staying in Los Angeles,” she said with a regal air of command.

  I quirked a brow at that. “Funny,” I said casually, crossing my arms across my chest. “I think I remember telling you that we were flying to Wyoming last night.”

  Sofia bounded out of bed. “That’s right. You told me. But I never consented to such a plan,” she argued. “I’m not going.”

  She crossed her own arms and stared at me.

  I looked down at her. “That’s too bad, sweetheart.”

  “And stop calling me that!” she burst. “It’s much too familiar! And I am staying in Los Angeles. You can’t make me go.”

  “Wanna bet?” I countered.

  Sofia bit her lip before rallying again. “I want to speak your commander! Bring him here!”

  I gave her a slow smile. “Sweetheart,” I said deliberately, “as far as you’re concerned, I am the commander. I am the commander, general, and King when it comes to you and me. And as the all ruling great one, I’m telling you that you are going. Now,” I said, prepared to show a little mercy now, “do you want something quick to eat before we—”

  But before I could finish the sentence, Sofia slammed the bedroom door in my face.

  I had figured to let her stew in her own brattiness for now and decided to take a quick shower before we left for the airport. I was in the middle of letting the hot water sluice away the stress when I heard a sudden loud creak from outside the bathroom.

  I knew this apartment like the back of my hand and I knew that creak could only come from the front hallway near the front door. Gritting my teeth, I immediately jumped out of the shower, threw a towel haphazardly around my waist and shot out of the bathroom.

  And there was that little hellion opening the front door, about to sneak out. Immediately I rushed after her and slapped my hand against the door, slamming it shut.

  Sofia gasped and whirled around in surprise, her large eyes round and blue. But the eyes got rounder as she took in my steaming wet body looming over her.

  “And just where,” I whispered, water dripping down my temples, “did you think you were going, princess?”

  Sofia’s fair cheeks began to turn a rosy pink before deepening into a shade darker. She seemed to have trouble figuring out where to look. But I had no problems. Standing over her, my arm still stretched over her head, I had a good view of the top of her dress where her breasts swelled tantalizingl
y against the fabric. She licked her lips unconsciously and I felt my cock twitch at the sight.

  “I—” she started in a husky whisper before clearing her throat and starting again. “I have an apartment on the west side. I prefer to stay there instead of Wyoming.”

  Although she still had a tone of haughtiness in her voice, she had lost all the bite and power. Her voice instead was a breathy plea that made my pulse jump. I could see her own pulse beating rapidly against her throat. I wanted to wrap my lips around that pulse and feel the beat of her echo within me.

  Get your shit together, Vaughn! This is a goddamn mission!

  Right. I had to keep my head clear.

  “You think there won’t be photographers and reporters swarming that apartment by now?” I asked. “Hoping that you’d be dumb enough to show up there so they could snap the first photos of you here in the U.S.?”

  Sofia’s cheeks reddened in anger and embarrassment at the holes in her plan.

  “Why don’t you go back and clean up and find a jacket of mine you can wear?” I said calmly, trying to ease my nerves as much as hers. “Then once I’m dressed we can head out.”

  Sofia stood her ground, refusing to move and follow my orders.

  I gripped her chin and gently but irresistibly lifted her chin up. “Do you need help getting dressed?” I asked softly, my lips nearly brushing her cheek.

  I heard Sofia take in a shuddering breath before shoving me away. “No I don't!” she yelled as she ran back to the bedroom.

  I stood there and let the sudden heated shiver of her touch pass through me before I shook my head and chuckled a little.

  If I was going to get this kind of physical reaction every time I was near her, it felt good knowing that at least I wasn’t the only one walking away a little shaken.

  I had recognized the blush of her cheeks, the dilation of her pupils.

  But now was not the time for this. I had to hurry up and shower before Sofia got any other harebrained schemes into her head.

  ***

  As I drove, I took in deep, gulping breaths as the Wyoming air blew in through the window. Already, I could feel my body healing itself with the clear, wild air.

  I looked out the windshield at the rolling prairies and the huge, towering trees that were probably centuries old. I relished the wide open space that surrounded us without a hint of L.A. traffic or smog in sight.

  This was home for me. This was where I felt most at peace. With a chunk of land to call my own, I knew that no matter where I went, no matter how long I was gone, Wyoming would always be the place I returned to.

  I looked over and saw Sofia sitting restlessly in the passenger seat. She had taken off the cap once we had gotten into my truck, which I always left in long term parking at the airport. Once I was in Wyoming, I needed to have my truck. The two went hand in hand for me.

  I watched as the wind blew strands of red gold hair across her face. Suddenly, I wondered if she could possibly see the beauty of Wyoming like I could. It was weird. I almost felt as if I was introducing a girlfriend for approval. I’ve had a deep and long relationship with Wyoming and I wanted to make sure anyone else who saw Wyoming saw her through the eyes that I did.

  We finally pulled up to the entrance of my ranch.

  “Devil’s Horn,” Sofia read as we passed under the wooden sign.

  “That’s my ranch,” I said, unable to keep the pride out of my voice.

  “Why is it called Devil’s Horn?” she asked.

  “There’s a ridge to the east of my property where it’s about a thirty foot jump to a neighboring ridge. For awhile, it was a popular place for people to try and jump their horses over the ridge. But there were just as many people falling to their deaths on that ridge as there were people making it across. Hence, the name,” I explained.

  “So there’s just a pile of dead horse and people bones at the bottom of that ridge?” she asked, her brows raised a little in horror.

  My lips twitched at her comment. “Well, yeah I guess so. But Dead Horse And People Ridge seems less enticing to land buyers than Devil’s Horn, don’t you think?”

  I saw her pink lips twitch a little in amusement before she caught sight of a house coming into view down the drive. Then I saw a look of grim resolve cross her face.

  I pulled the truck along the side of the house, almost too excited to stop myself from running inside. I opened Sofia’s door and led her into the house.

  Opening the front door, I walked in, breathing in the smell of the old logs and enjoying the peace and quiet. God, it felt so fucking good to be back. I did a careful check as I walked in making sure everything was in order. The living room with its worn flannel couch and brick fireplace looked enticing and cozy.

  I walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge door and pulling out a cold bottle of water and an icy cold beer. One thing I made sure the house was always stocked with was beer and water. Just the essentials.

  I looked at Sofia who stood awkwardly in the hallway next to the kitchen. She looked a little pale, I realized suddenly. Being so excited about coming back home, I hadn’t realized just how pale Sofia suddenly looked.

  I reached out with the water. “Here, have some water,” I said, casually while I studied her. Her face so pale made her dark sleep deprived circles even darker. She almost looked sick. I was just about to ask her if she wanted to sit down when she suddenly shook her head.

  “No, this won’t do,” she said in almost a mumble. My denim jacket slung over her made her look even tinier in comparison. “This won’t do at all. It took us nearly an hour and a half to get from the airport to here. That is much too far away. And when I saw the departure boards at the airport here, there was only one flight going to Europe from that entire airport. One!” She gave me a look as if to demand who could possibly live in a town with only one departing flight to Europe.

  I gave her an understanding although a slightly exasperated look. “The more remote we are, the safer you are. That is the whole point, after all,” I said. “And—”

  “No, no,” Sofia interrupted, shaking her head. I thought I detected a sudden shudder run through her slim frame. I took a step towards her in concern but she suddenly jerked back, as if wanting to keep away.

  “I refuse to stay here! I’m heading back on the next flight to Los Angeles right now, whether you approve or not!” she cried out as she whirled on her heel and headed back down the hall towards the front door.

  “Sofia! Wait!” I called out, not wanting to physically overpower her again. With how pale and tired she looked, I really just wanted her to give in of her own will.

  I followed after her but before Sofia could take one step out onto the front porch, she collapsed suddenly and gracefully like a dying swan.

  Chapter Five

  Sofia

  I groaned, blinking slowly. My head felt like it was swimming. I tried to rub my eyes but found my arms trapped against me with something warm and fuzzy keeping me still.

  “There she is,” a deep voice murmured above me. “Welcome back.”

  I peeked open one eye and looked up to see the rugged jawline of Xander Vaughn. His caramel brown eyes looked down at me with gentle exasperation. “It’s no wonder you passed out,” he admonished. “You went nearly three days without a scrap of food no matter how many times I told you to eat.”

  I looked down and saw that he was holding me in his lap. I was wrapped up in a soft flannel blanket like a burrito and held close to his chest. The way he held me with such ease made it feel as if I weighed no more than a pillow. I felt a flush bloom in my cheeks as I realized just how close I was to his body.

  Xander reached over me towards the coffee table to pick up a large mug. “I bet you don’t eat until a palace maid literally throws food down your gullet, huh? I bet you’ve passed out before from not eating haven’t you? What’s your record? A month?”

  I knew he was teasing but I answered without thinking. “Five days.”

  Xand
er’s hand paused halfway in the air, mug held aloft. He stared down at me in surprise. “Five days? What do you mean, five days?”

  “Five days is my record without eating.” I shifted a little in the blanket. “And I do not have a gullet,” I reproached, eyes narrowed.

  Xander stared at me consideringly. “Why would you go five days without food?” he asked softly, clearly taken aback by my answer.

  I rolled my eyes a little in exasperation. “No one tries to go five days without food.” I stared at the large mug that was held frozen above me. “What is that?”

  As if my question snapped him out of some reverie, he brought the mug down and I got a whiff of something delicious and savory. He pressed the mug to my lips. I tried to lean away, not liking being force-fed something I don’t even know but Xander put an iron arm behind me, keeping me still.

  Having no choice, I opened my mouth and tasted the thick creamy soup. When Xander had made sure I had gotten a good mouthful, he pulled the cup away. “If you can’t be trusted to feed yourself, then I’ll do it for you. Number one goal as a bodyguard is to not have your ward die of starvation, no matter how pigheaded she is.”

  Mouth full, I glared up at him, unable to say anything else. Xander grinned.

  “What is this?” I asked, swallowing. Before answering me, he pressed the cup against my lips again, forcing down another delicious mouthful.

  “Potato soup,” he said as I swallowed. “Old family recipe.”

  It was delicious. Rich, creamy, with soft pillowy potatoes that melted in my mouth. Already, I could feel my head clearing up and the dizziness dissipating. It had been because I hadn’t been eating. It was a stupid mistake but the stress of the last few days had scattered my brain.

  Xander pressed the cup to me again, urging down another mouthful.

  “I have hands!” I gurgled, dribbling a little bit of soup down my chin. Xander clucked reprovingly and transferred the mug to his other hand so he could swipe his thumb across my chin, cleaning up my mess.

  “Yes you do,” he said in reprimand. “And I’ve seen how use them to toss away good food. Now why not try to eat without drooling?”