by Lea Hart
“Were your parents disappointed when you joined the Navy?”
“My mom wasn’t, but my dad was because he wanted as many of his children involved in the company as possible. I tried my best to get interested after I graduated college, but the convenience store business isn’t where I wanted to spend my life.”
“I can’t really see you sitting at a desk all day, so it makes sense.”
“My mom still wants me to move back to Cincinnati, but I’m not interested because I don’t like the assumptions people make about me because of my family’s wealth. When I joined the Navy, all people cared about was how well I was performing. Less than a handful of people in San Diego know about my family’s money and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Makes sense.” Wiggling, she said, “Let me go, so I can call my mom and pack an overnight bag. We have five hours of driving, so we should get on the road.”
“Roger that.” He slid his hand away from her back and laid it on her cheek. “Give me a kiss first.”
Resting her hand on his cheek, she looked into his deep topaz eyes and found her usual reticence about showing her feelings was notably absent. She lowered her head, touched her lips to his, and he let out a sigh as he deepened the kiss, letting his tongue tangle with hers, creating a heat she had forgotten existed.
Sparks flew between them, igniting the chemistry into flames. Winding her arms around his neck, she kissed him and moved closer…seeking more. He must’ve sensed her need because he took the kiss deeper as he alternated long, lazy strokes of his tongue with faster thrusts, hinting at what might be possible when and if they decided to consummate their attraction to one another.
On and on it went as his hands threaded through her hair, her fingers gripping his T-shirt, and his mouth making love to hers.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on her door and she pulled away. Dazed, she looked around and then pressed her fingers to her lips. Another knock had her moving off his lap. “I should see who it is.”
“Let me.” He stood stiffly and put her on her feet. “Could be anyone.”
Watching him walk out of the bedroom with his hair mussed and his T-shirt wrinkled was going to let whoever was at the door know what they’d been doing. Hearing the door open and then Carrick’s low voice made her wonder who it was. Stepping into the hallway, she saw that it was a messenger with an envelope. Carrick signed for it and then shut the door. “What is it?”
“Something from Titan, probably my passport and paperwork.”
“It might be the new contract.” Holding out her hands, she wiggled her fingers. “Let me see.”
“Patience, woman.” He strode over as he opened it. “It’s both.” He handed her the contract and looked through the paperwork.
“It’s a copy of the revised contract I signed yesterday with my name on it instead of the publisher’s.” Setting it down on the table, she turned and smiled. “Better call mom and let her know we’re coming. If I don’t, then she’ll be mad because she’ll want to make my favorite for dinner.”
“And that is?”
“Chicken pot pie and Caesar salad.”
Tapping her tush, he pointed toward her phone. “Get to it because I don’t want your mom to be unhappy when we arrive.”
“Yes, sir.” She shook her butt and then walked away. Hearing the sound of his rough laughter was welcome and, unfortunately, the week in Syria probably wasn’t going to give her the chance to hear it very often.
***
The sun was starting to set as Carrick drove along the I-95N through New Hampshire in Audrey’s Subaru Forester. It had taken more than a bit of convincing for her to allow him to drive, but once he told her it would be worth it in the long run, she had acquiesced.
Not defining what the “worth it” could possibly mean didn’t seem to faze her like he thought it would, and he assumed since she was a talented and successful trial lawyer, she was giving him the win in exchange for a peaceful drive.
Call him a control freak, but he was a lousy passenger and she must’ve sensed it because when she handed him the car keys, she gave him a pitying smile and climbed into the car. Which was probably going to define their relationship going forward.
And, yeah, a small part of him wanted something with Audrey that lasted beyond this assignment. Which was some crazy shit as far as he was concerned. Not once in his thirty-five years had he ever wanted much more than a couple of weeks with a woman.
Brendan and Locke had always said it was because he had a short attention span, but he knew it stemmed from not meeting anyone who A) was interested in him for more than his family’s money and B) he was interested in, beyond the physical.
Audrey was smart as hell, curious, and had her own dreams and plans that had nothing to do with him and what he could do for her. Beyond his ability to protect her, he didn’t have a thing she needed. And nothing made him happier because when he was growing up, there were a lot of girls interested in his family, and then when he’d joined the Teams, there were women who were frog hogs and liked to bed a SEAL whenever they could. Both situations had afforded him opportunities that he’d definitely taken advantage of, but they were never more than a one-time roll in the sheets.
Glancing over, he saw her looking out the window as she sang silently along to whatever song was playing in her headphones. Not one to fill space with empty chatter, she had been in her own musical world for the last couple of hours, and he hoped she was going to be done soon.
There was an unfamiliar hunger beating in his chest to find out what made her tick, and he wanted to get to know her. Which was as about as unfamiliar to him as anything could be. Was it possible she could feel the same way about him?
If she did, he might be in trouble because he wasn’t half as interesting as her because his life had been built around a singular focus since he’d joined the Navy. He’d never had much opportunity or inclination to spend a lot of time focusing on anything outside his career and knew that was going to have to change. Not only because he wanted to evolve as a human being, but because Audrey wouldn’t be interested in him otherwise.
Flipping the visor down against the sun, he felt something on his leg and looked down. He saw Audrey’s small hand rest on his jeans and was surprised how happy the gesture made him. He looked over and saw her still looking out the window with her mouth moving and realized it was simply a sign of affection and nothing more.
A rare occurrence in his life.
Smiling, he laced their fingers together and felt a warm feeling spread across his chest that he probably hadn’t experienced since he was a kid. It was like Christmas morning, his birthday, and coming home to find his mom had made his favorite cake rolled into one.
“Carrick.”
Turning, he saw she’d slipped her headphones off and was looking at him. “Yeah, babe.”
“Need to make a pit stop.”
“Roger that, I’ll get off at the next exit.”
“It has to be a fast-food restaurant, not a gas station. I can’t go potty in a gross bathroom.”
“All right.”
“And before you ask, I’ll be fine in Syria. I’d rather pee outside than in a disgusting bathroom.”
He tightened his hold on her hand and nodded. “Good to know.” Seeing a sign for McDonald’s, he pulled off and parked before a couple of minutes had passed. “Go on and I’ll meet you inside.”
“Okay.”
He watched her get out of the car and run into the restaurant and wondered if she really was going to survive the brutal conditions they were about to be living in for a week. Not having a clue either way, he decided not to worry about it. They were in it together and, one way or another, they’d make it work.
Taking a quick walk around the parking lot to stretch his legs, he then ambled into McDonald’s and saw Audrey in line. He joined her, wrapped his arms around her middle, and rested his chin on top of her head. “What are you getting?”
“A Diet Coke and
an apple pie. They’re baked now instead of fried so they’re not as good as they used to be.” She looked up and grinned. “Want one?”
“No, because I don’t want to be full when I sit down at your mom’s table.”
“Unless you’re a mouse, that’s not possible because they’re tiny.” She leaned against him and let out a laugh. “If you’re watching your girlish figure, just say so and I won’t tempt you.”
“I’m 6’4” and over two hundred and forty pounds. There’s nothing girlish about me.”
“Is that a yes—I want an apple pie or a no?”
“I’ll have a root beer and an order of fries.”
“Salty.”
“Always.” When the line moved, he released his hold and stepped forward. “We have about an hour and a half before we get to Portland, do you think just the one pie will hold you over?”
“If you want to live a long and healthy life, never make a snide comment about what I eat.”
“Noted.” Feeling an elbow in his stomach, he stepped back and laughed because Audrey was never going to let him get away with anything.
A prospect he couldn’t be happier about.
CHAPTER TEN
Sunday, October 15
Audrey walked through the jack-and-jill bathroom that separated her room from Carrick’s and knocked on the door. When she didn’t hear anything, she cracked the door and peeked inside.
“What are you doing, babe?”
Padding in, she went over to the bed and sat down. Ignoring Carrick’s bare muscled chest as best she could, she gave him a small smile. “I think we should enter through Kobane and not Aleppo.”
Lifting his arm, he looked at his watch and then at her. “This was something you needed to tell me at three in the morning?”
“I can’t sleep. All the questions my mom and dad were asking at dinner made me go over all our plans again and my mind is swirling.”
Moving over, he patted the bed. “Get in and we can discuss it.”
She stood and bit her lip. “I guess it can wait until morning.” Hearing the sheets rustle, she saw him flip them open and then point to the bed. “If you can’t sleep in your childhood bed, then you must really need to talk about something, so get in and we can do it lying down.”
“That’s a massive line I’d be crossing.”
“We can start sleeping together now or wait until we get to Turkey. It’s up to you.”
Sliding into the bed, she laid down and turned on her side. “I suppose it’s better to find out if you snore now because if we’re lying on the floor in a base in Syria, I don’t want to be surprised.”
“When we’re lying on the floor, my snoring is going to be the least of your concerns.”
Moving a pillow under her head, she rested her face on her hand and sighed. “Sorry I disturbed your sleep.”
“If losing sleep is the price I have to pay to have you lying next to me, then I’m more than happy to pay it.” Moving his hand to her hip, he pulled her closer. “Want to fool around so you can get your mind off the trip?”
“Being in my brother Adam’s room and looking at his MMA posters isn’t really the place I want to be fooling around.” The moonlight coming from the window allowed her to see his face and she noticed he was smiling. “But, I’ll take a rain check.”
“Can’t ask for more than that.” Moving so he was lying on his back, he lifted his arm. “Come here.”
Raising her head, she debated with herself for thirty seconds before giving in and doing as he asked. Crawling up to him, she rested her head on his chest and felt his arm go around her shoulder. “Do all private military contractors provide cuddling services for freaked out clients?”
“No, I don’t think so. But considering our special circumstances, I think it’s only right that I offer to not only protect your body but your emotions as well.”
“And what special circumstances are those?”
“We have chemistry, a budding friendship, and raging lust for one another.”
Letting out a quiet laugh, she draped her arm over his stomach. “For your information, sir, my lust isn’t raging…it’s simmering.”
“I’m sure raging is just a kiss away.”
“Confident much?”
“Always.” He kissed her head and then stroked his fingers along her arm. “Audrey, this is going to be a fluid trip and until we arrive in Ankara and I get updated intel on the conditions in Syria, we won’t know the best point of entry. I know where you want to go and I’m going to do my best to make it happen, but I can’t make guarantees.”
“I understand, Carrick, and I promise not to give you a hard time when we arrive in-country.”
Clearing his throat, he said, “Wish I could make the same promise, but you make it impossible.”
“What?”
Moving so his explanation was resting against her stomach, he said quietly, “You make me feel like a teenager.”
“I guess there are worse things in life.” Moving her mouth against his warm skin, she kissed his chest. “We should get some sleep.”
A low growl was all he responded with, so she kissed him again, then closed her eyes and realized all the worry that had filled her mind had disappeared and she suddenly was exhausted. Feeling sleep take over, her last thought was how comfortable she was and how good it felt to be in Carrick’s arms.
***
Feeling the soft warm breast in his hand, Carrick wondered when his dreams had become so realistic. Not wanting to disturb the fantasy, he kept his eyes closed and tried to stay in that state between full consciousness and sleep.
When his body didn’t cooperate, he reluctantly opened one eye and saw Audrey’s soft hair draped over her shoulder. Moving his hand, he realized it was no dream and his hand was up Audrey’s T-shirt and her ass was snuggled against his morning wood.
Not a bad way to wake up, he decided as he moved his fingers and felt her nipple push against his touch. Wishing they were anywhere but in her brother’s room at her parents’ house, he silently groaned because all the things he wanted to do were not a possibility.
Moving his hips away, he closed his eyes again and tried to figure out how quickly they were going to be alone. When he realized they were going to be driving back late this afternoon, he relaxed because having her all to himself was only eighteen hours away at the most.
Which was completely manageable.
He slid his hand away from her breast and then kissed her head before getting out of bed. Once he stood and stretched, he looked down at Audrey and wondered if he should work harder at resisting his attraction to her. It was all kinds of stupid to get involved with a client, and yet he couldn’t make himself stop. From the kiss in the restaurant to the decision to join her on this trip, he hadn’t been able to fight his need to see where their chemistry would take them.
Moving away before he was tempted to get back in bed, he walked into the bathroom and decided to get in the shower and then go downstairs to check on the latest news in Syria. He hadn’t been blowing smoke when he told Audrey they were going to be in a fluid situation because that’s precisely what they were facing.
He turned on the water, got into the shower, and let the cold water clear his lustful thoughts. When that didn’t work, he stroked himself a couple of times. Closing his eyes, he decided his own hand was going to be no substitute for what he really wanted, so he dropped his head under the water and started thinking about calculations for a HALO jump.
Walking down the stairs quietly, Carrick wondered how early the Barnes family got up. Checking his watch, he saw that it was just past six, and was surprised when he walked into the kitchen and saw Mr. Barnes sitting at the table with the paper in front of him. “Good morning, sir.”
“Coffee is hot, help yourself, Carrick.” Giving him a smile, he pointed his cup at him. “And call me Nathan.”
“Thank you.” Filling a cup, he took it over to the table and set his tablet down. “Thank you for the hospi
tality; I appreciate how welcome you’ve made me feel.”
“We’re happy to have you and I’m sure we made enough of a fuss yesterday to let you know how we feel about seeing Audrey before she takes the trip.”
“Yes, that was evident with the screaming and crying she and her mom did the moment we got out of the car.”
“Imagine that much emotion times four for over twenty-five years on a daily basis.” Lifting his cup, he drained it. “My wife and girls don’t hold a thing back, so my sons and I just tried to be ready when the hurricane landed.”
Letting out a chuckle, Carrick nodded. “Can’t imagine what it must’ve been like since I grew up with two brothers.”