"Pink." She heard a groan, but wasn't sure if it was hers or his.
"The satin, or the lace one?" It might have been his, because his voice was hoarse now.
"Satin." But so was hers. She bit down on her lip, drawing blood as the tip of a key snagged her bra, peeling the cup from her breast.
"And your panties?" he demanded softly. "They're cut high, aren't they?" His other arm came down then, and he finally touched her. But it was just one finger—at the point of her hip. "About here?"
Exactly there.
"Yes." It came out on a hiss.
His bead turned and lowered until his smoky breath was in her ear. "Relax, honey. I'm not going to kiss you. Not on this ship." The key grazed the areola of her breast, but still he didn't touch her. "I promised, remember?" The keys slipped lower. She knew where he was taking them—and she wanted it.
"Yes." The word was a shameless plea now. He had to have heard it. And she didn't care.
"No, not here." She gasped as the key circled the base of the nub, his voice thick and strained now. "But when I do kiss you, it's going to be right—" he scraped the tip "—here."
She closed her eyes then—and moaned. But the keys were gone. And so was he. By the time she opened her eyes, her door was closing.
She drew a deep, ragged breath as she heard the door to his stateroom open and shut. And when she heard the faucet running, she could almost see him shoving his head beneath the icy flood. But it didn't help.
Not one damn bit.
* * *
Chapter 13
« ^ »
"Will you look at that, less than an hour in port and he's already abandoned ship. This has to be a record, DCA—even for you."
Jade pulled her hand back from mid-knock on Reese's door and glared at Dillon. "What are you doing here? I thought Medical already sprayed this section for roaches."
Dillon smirked as he shoved a stack of papers under his arm. "Very funny. But that just proves your rapier wit isn't why Mack jumped ship the first chance he got, doesn't it? Must be because of your other—" he coughed "—skills."
Jade rubbed the skin above her stitches as she fought the familiar urge to throttle him. "Okay, Mike. You obviously think you've swallowed a canary. You'd better spit out the bones before you choke on them."
He shrugged. "What's to swallow? I just find it damned amusing to see you panting outside Mack's door when he's not even on the ship."
Reese wasn't aboard? For a split second she stiffened, almost believing him. But then she relaxed. "Since when does Reese clear his schedule with you?"
"He doesn't. But it looks like he doesn't clear it with you, either. Too bad. If he had, you'd know he split ten seconds after the brow hit the pier. And from what I saw, he looked anxious to leave. Maybe it had something to do with that hot date he had planned for tonight?"
Oh, God, he wasn't kidding. Even Dillon couldn't fake that pompous sneer. Reese really had left the ship. And he hadn't even bothered to tell her. She sucked up the shock as she cruised by Dillon and stabbed a key into her own lock. She twisted the knob, shoving the door open as she held on to her hope. Maybe—just maybe—he'd left a note in her room.
Dillon stepped up behind her. "Guess you weren't worth waiting around for again, eh, honey?"
"Drop dead, Mike." She slammed the door in his face, collapsing back against it as she glanced down at her desk.
Nope.
She straightened quickly, casing her rack, the mirror and, finally, the back of the door. Damn. No Reese, no note, no clue. No nothing. Just peachy. She pulled her dress-white cover off her head before tossing it upside down on her desk and hooking her keys into it.
Those keys.
She tore her gaze away before she succumbed to the memory and stalked over to the porthole, staring out at the frigate parked on the opposite side of the pier. Where the hell was Reese? Had he found something during his search of the staterooms? Something that forced him to leave the ship before she was able to break away from the bridge? Something so important he didn't have time to leave her an explanation—or even a phone number?
Sighing, she turned away from the porthole, pulled her overnight bag out of a drawer and began filling it with laundry. There was no sense sitting around. Liberty call would be going down any minute and she might as well be on it.
Rap, rap, rap.
Reese?
She dropped the bag on her rack and practically sprinted for the door. "Oh. It's you."
Karin arched her brows. "Nice to see you, too."
She flushed, swinging the door wide. "Sorry. Come on in. Just packing up to head home." She turned back to her laundry drawer and yanked out her dirty khakis, glancing over her shoulder as Karin shut the door and tsked.
"Such a long face. Could it be you were expecting Reese?" She whipped a hand from behind her back, dumping a box on the desk before brandishing an envelope. "Or maybe you were expecting this?"
Jade stared at the envelope, crossing her arms and reigning in her hope as Karin grinned and waved it tauntingly. "And that would be…?"
"From Reese."
Karin's dimples cratered as Jade snatched it from her hand. The only mark on the outside was her name. Her heart kicked into double time as she stared at the bold script.
"Well, are you going to open it and tell me what the key is for?" Karin's dimples rivaled the grand canyon as Jade glanced up in shock. "Yeah, there's a key. I held it up to the light. And I have a pretty good guess what it opens."
Right. In her dreams. She stared back down at the envelope, wishing Karin was right. But the odds were against it. It was probably the key Reese had been searching for. And on that chance alone, she couldn't afford to open it in front of Karin. She laid it carefully beside the box. "Is that for me, too?"
Karin rolled her eyes as she groaned. "I can't believe it. You're not going to put me out of my misery? That thing has been burning a hole in my pocket for the last four hours and you won't even give me the satisfaction of letting me know I'm right?" She shot her a filthy glare as she huffed, "Fine, see if I ever play messenger for you two lovebirds again."
For once Jade welcomed the heat torching her face—because it got her off the hook.
"Stop that, it makes me feel guilty and you know it." Karin groaned again, snatching up the present as another wave scorched Jade's face. She thrust the box into her hands and turned back to the door. "Sometimes, I think you blush on purpose just to get me to leave you alone."
Jade managed to smile through the next blast. "It works, doesn't it?"
Karin laughed. "Yeah, it does." She jutted her chin toward the box. "I held that back on your birthday because I wasn't sure you were ready for it, but now I think you are. See you at the hail-and-farewell party tomorrow." She paused at the door. "You are going, aren't you?"
She wrinkled her nose. "If I don't, I'm going to get a lecture by the Captain come Monday about how I snubbed the Supply Officer at his own party."
Karin arched a brow as she opened the door to leave. "Since when has that stopped you before?"
She grinned. "Never."
Her smile evaporated as the door closed. She slapped the box down and pounced on the envelope, tearing it open. The key dropped to the deck as she yanked out a slip of paper.
15 Camarillo Court. Had a meeting.
If you get home before me, turn down the covers.
R.
He'd sketched a map underneath.
She scooped up the brass key and stared at it. A house key. His house key.
His trust.
She swallowed quickly, wondering why she was getting choked up in the first place. Hell, who was she kidding? She closed her eyes and sighed. There was no use pretending—not anymore. For days her mind had been denying what her heart already knew. But she couldn't deny it any longer. She slumped back against the wall unit, the truth piercing her gut, twisting around for good measure, causing her to gasp with the double-edged joy and pain of it.
&n
bsp; She was in love with Reese.
She pressed her head back as her heart and mind raced against each other for the second time in her life. Only this time her heart was ahead. By a mile. The only question left was, what was she going to do about it? Or specifically, how she was going to keep Reese from finding out?
She glanced back down at the box Karin had left behind, her curiosity managing to shove the turmoil aside for a moment while she pulled off the lid.
What the—
Hooking her fingers into the spaghetti straps, she slid the scarlet silk out of the box, dangling the teddy in shock. This was no innocent little nightie. Her fingers shook as she held it up to her uniform, the white fabric underscoring how little it would cover, should she ever dare to don it.
Heat suffused her as she turned to stuff it back in the box—but something else caught her eye before she had a chance. Her eternal furnace blasted out yet another round, her face no doubt darker than the silk by the time she finished reading the label on the box within the box: Prophylactics—100 Each.
Condoms?
Karin had given her a box of one hundred condoms?
She stiffened, clenching the wisp of silk in her hands. She was going to kill the woman. She was going to hunt her down with a heat-seeking missile and blast her off the face of the earth. She was going to—
She faltered, the fire within her dousing suddenly as the real message behind Karin's gift cut through her haze. Karin was trying to tell her to follow her heart. To put aside the pain, fear and regret and just go for it. She was telling her to take another chance. To reach for what she really wanted.
Reese.
Jade picked up the key, glancing between it and the teddy. She didn't even have to make up her mind—because her heart had already made it up. She shifted the teddy and key to one hand and snagged a handful of condoms with the other before turning to drop them beside her bag.
And then she dumped out her uniforms and started to repack.
* * *
Jade pulled her jeep into the drive, her mouth gaping as she killed the engine. This was no crude bachelor pad.
It was a bloody house.
Still bemused, her gaze traced the adobe arch leading into a courtyard and the sprawling red-tiled ranch beyond. Maybe it was the wrong house? Her fifth glance at the number welded to the yawning iron gate finally convinced her she was in the right spot. Fifteen Camarillo Court.
Reese's house.
She left her bag on the passenger seat, slamming the door to her jeep before fishing his key from her olive shorts. She probably didn't need it. Even though her car was the only one in the drive, surely the open gate meant he was already home?
He was.
She was barely inside the courtyard when the double doors opened. Then Reese was standing in the doorway, that heart-stopping smile on his lips, looking too damn sexy for his own good in bare feet, faded jeans, a white T-shirt, with a cordless phone crooked at his neck. The only thing out of place was the holster under his left arm—and the Glock inside it.
He met her halfway, tucking her under his free arm as he hugged her fiercely.
God, he smelled good.
"Yeah, TJ, I'm still here. Did you get anything back yet on the ships I asked about?" He brushed his lips across her bangs, then lifted his head and sighed. "Damn."
He shook his head as she tried to move away and pulled her back to his chest. "All right, stick with it. I know it'll be rough getting it over the weekend, but I think he's going to move soon and we need to be ready."
Her breath caught as his fingers burrowed into her braid, pulling out the pins and rubber band, dropping them at their feet as he listened to the guy on the other end. She sighed as he dug his fingers in again, massaging two weeks' worth of drills, watches and sleepless nights from her scalp.
"Sounds good. One more thing, make sure you do a cross-check with the names I gave you. I want to know the second you come up with anything." He wrapped a swathe of hair around his hand and brought it to his lips. "You got it, buddy. Oh, try my pager first this weekend. Dan's watching the ship. If this guy does suspect me, maybe he'll make a move when I'm gone. I'll be back Monday morning. Fine. Talk to you then." The handset beeped as he severed the connection.
He didn't bother with preliminaries. He just tossed the phone to one of the teak chairs and plowed his hand deeper into her hair, sealing her body to his with the other one as he lowered his head. A groan escaped as he swept his tongue deep in her mouth, exploring every inch, laying waste to the fears that had plagued her the past few days.
She was breathless by the time he lifted his head. He stared into her eyes, desire burning clearly in his. "Hi, gorgeous. Welcome home."
Her lungs nearly stopped altogether as she realized he meant it. Oddly enough, it felt as if she had come home. But it had nothing to do with the house.
It was him.
It was also the way he couldn't seem to keep his hands off her. He kept running them over her, into her hair, down her neck, pausing to flirt with the collar of her cream T-shirt, then down her waist—as if he couldn't get enough.
She drew a shaky breath. "Hi, yourself."
She shuddered as he cupped her rear again, pulling her tight against his rigid form. And then he kissed her again, hard and deep, his breath shallow by the time they tore apart. "God, I missed you."
She managed a chuckle. "I missed you, too. And if you let me inside the door, I might even show you how much."
Reese groaned and damn near blushed at Jade's husky admonishment. She was right. He was so glad to see her he'd dropped the phone on TJ. In fact, there was no doubt he'd be taking grief the next time he saw the guy for turning incoherent when he opened the door. But he couldn't help it.
If Jade was beautiful in uniform, she was downright stunning out of it. He still wasn't sure how her legs could be that long—the top of her head barely reached his chin. But they were. And shapely, too. All the way down her dusky thighs and calves to those slender feet encased in sandals. And that T-shirt? What little it bothered to leave to the imagination, his memory was more than eager to supply.
But it was her expression that got to him most of all; for a second he'd seen the uncertainty before she'd masked it. From that moment on, all he could think about was gathering her close and reassuring her.
He hadn't meant to take her hair down—at least not so soon. He hadn't even realized what he'd done until it was down. By then, it was too late. He couldn't stop touching her. Hell, he'd practically ravished her on the front steps. So much for his ability to keep himself in check.
He framed her face. "You'll have to forgive me. I spent a very long, frustrating night alone. In fact, it's a good thing you had watch when you did because I was on the verge of picking your lock and slipping into your bed when you left."
An impish smile curved her lips. "It wasn't locked."
"Now you tell me?" He groaned as he pulled her close and dropped his chin to the top of her head. She would never know what it cost him to leave her standing in that room, alone. Hell, he'd shoved his head under that faucet so long, it was a miracle he hadn't sprouted gills.
The fire in his gut burned hotter and brighter as she looped her arms around his neck and stretched up to him. "Does this mean you're willing to finish what you started last night?"
Oh, yeah.
And then some. He smiled as he slid an arm down her back, trying not to hustle her through the door. "Why don't you come in and find out?"
They made it into the entryway before she stopped short. He glanced down at her quickly, praying she wasn't having second thoughts. "Is something wrong?"
She shook her head, seemingly at a loss for words. Pink washed her cheeks as she took a deep breath and plunged in. "My … ah … that is—" she cleared her throat gently "—I have a bag in the car."
Yes! He glanced back at the door, casually. "We'll get it later."
She shook her head, her gaze sliding to the oak floor. "It has so
mething in it we'll need." Her gaze snuck back up, somehow bold and demure at the same time. "Condoms."
His heart started pounding so hard, his chest was in danger of splitting open. God, he loved her. He loved her brains, her beauty and her blushes. The way she was cool and confident one minute, and then shy and self-conscious the next. But most of all, he just plain loved her. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell her.
It was too soon.
What if he scared her off? How could he expect her to believe he loved her after just two short weeks when he'd only realized it himself last night? In fact, it was the realization that had given him the strength to leave her. For the first time in his life, he was terrified of screwing up.
Yeah, it was a damn good thing he hadn't known her door was unlocked. Because they'd needed to wait until the time was right for them to make love, until they were off the ship—and not because of the Navy.
Because of her.
Because no matter what, he wanted her to be able to look herself in the mirror in the morning. And smile. But she wasn't smiling now. In fact, she looked downright unsure. He had to reassure her.
Needed to.
He tipped her chin up and lost himself in her smoky gaze as he confessed, "Honey, I want you so bad, I think I sprinted down that pier. I even stopped at a gas station before I went to the office."
He was rewarded with a smile. A steamy, sultry, come-hither smile that slipped into his heart and simmered his blood all the way down to his toes. And right then, he knew without a doubt, if he didn't back away from her now, he was going to rip the clothes from her body and take her right here in front of the door.
He took a deep breath and stepped back, linking her hand in his. "Would you like to see the house?"
Just your bedroom.
Jade bit the words back in the nick of time. The last of her doubts had fled the moment Reese mentioned leaving the ship. But she couldn't very well jump him in the foyer, could she? Nope, she'd wait until they reached his bedroom. And then she'd jump him. Even if she blushed her way through it. But first, she had a house to see.
FOR HIS EYES ONLY Page 17