This time, she didn’t react. That was a good sign. Grateful, Cav leaned down, kissing her cheek, her lips, not able to get enough of her.
“Same here,” she whispered, sliding her hand up his arm. “I missed you so much!”
He smiled. “Then why don’t you take me home with you?” and he leaned over, picking up his duffle bag. He liked the blush that graced her cheeks, making her eyes look even larger.
“In a heartbeat!” she laughed. “I’m parked in short term. Do you have luggage?”
“No, just this.” He held it up. “I always travel light in my business.”
She grinned and slid her hand into his. Instead, Cav lifted his right arm, sliding it around her shoulders, tucking her next to him. That was unexpected, but Lia loved it. Loved him. Sliding her arm around his waist, she said, “This way,” and led him down the busy hall toward an exit.
Just getting out into the evening air was a relief, and Cav breathed deeply. He hated airplane air. On Friday nights, Reagan International was a beehive of activity. Cav remained alert from habit, keeping Lia against him as they walked to the parking lot. Above them, the summer sky was clear and cloudless. On the horizon was a faint strip of yellow and orange, the last of the sunset.
“How have you really been?” he asked, gazing down at her. He could hardly believe they were together again.
“Busy. And I love what I’m doing.” Then, she admitted, “But I’ve been missing you terribly.”
He squeezed her gently as they slowed. “We’re going to build on what we started in Costa Rica. Sound good?”
“Does it ever!” she agreed. Halting in front of a silver Kia Sorrento SUV, Lia pulled out the keys from her small purse. “Come on, I’m taking you to my new condo.”
Cav opened the door for her and then threw his duffle into the back seat. “Let’s go.” As they drove down the freeway toward Alexandria, he asked, “Do you have the keys to my condo? Dilara said I’ve got one a floor above where you’re staying.”
“They’re in my purse.” She glanced over at him, overjoyed to see him in her front seat. “You’ll be home in civilization again. That has to feel good.”
“It always does. The more you travel, the more you know how good we have it here in the U.S.” He gazed at her profile, noticing how relaxed she’d become. “How’s your new job as department head suiting you?”
“Well,” she admitted, chewing on her lower lip, “I’ve never been a manager before. Dilara is hiring a lot of people to support our Home School Department.”
“Don’t worry, you’ve already been a manager at La Fortuna. What you do comes natural to you, Lia, and you’re good at it. You kept the entire charity moving forward without missing a beat.”
She gratefully accepted his compliment. “I guess I never saw myself in that capacity. I was just trying to keep things on an even keel so the teachers could teach the kids.”
“You did an outstanding job,” he praised.
She risked a quick glance. Cav seemed at peace. She loved his long, lanky body and the way he lounged like a cougar resting on an overhanging rock ledge. There was a dangerous quality to him, which thrilled her.
The danger for her was giving her heart to this man. They’d had so little time together, and Lia worried about how Cav would react to her belly scar. It was the worst one, and had disgusted Jerry. Would it him? It made wanting to love Cav a hot-and-cold temptation to Lia. Her heart and mind wanted him. But could he accept her?
She desperately wanted to broach the topic with him, but until he brought it up, she would wait. It would be foolish to discuss it right now. She knew he was tired. Somehow, they would ease into that conversation later. Still, Lia dreaded talking to him about it.
“I didn’t know you had a BA in Comparative Ethnic Studies. I’m impressed,” she added with a quick smile.
“Dilara must have told you. I know. We had no time down there to discuss such things. Trying to get personal info about each other was pretty tough under the circumstances, wasn’t it?”
“I couldn’t agree more. But we have time now.”
“You know, people have always fascinated me,” he told her. “And with my SEAL background in Asia, getting a BA in Ethnic Studies was a natural decision. I’ve spent a lot of top secret time in Africa, as well.”
“Your experiences are going to be so helpful to us if you take the job” she said, new appreciation for this man rising in her.
“I’d like a job where I can be near you, Lia. I’m tired of being a contractor. I’d like to have a job where I don’t have to travel and be away from you.” Cav liked the way the lights along the freeway danced on the gold and red highlights in her hair. “I like your longer hair. Do you?”
Touching a strand, she smiled. “Yes, I do.”
“Did you always wear it short?”
Her heart hitched for a moment. “Well,” she answered in a low tone, “until the assault five years ago, I had long hair. In the Army, I always wore it up or in a ponytail. When I wasn’t on duty, I wore it down. I loved it long.”
He reached out, sliding his fingers across her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re letting it grow again.” It showed him that she was working through the trauma and it no longer had such a tight hold on her. He saw her eyes change, saw hope in them. Hope for them, maybe? Cav didn’t know, but he intended to find out pretty soon.
“Me, too,” she murmured.
Cav didn’t want to start talking about her assault. Not yet. He saw fear skitter in her eyes for a split second, and then it was gone. But he could sense that Lia was nervous about their burgeoning relationship.
“You’ll be happy to know that the Delta Force team dismantled all of Medina’s network of soldiers,” he reported. “There were forty-two farms in a hundred mile area in the highlands where he’d forced farmers and their families to grow coca.”
“Was anyone hurt?” Lia asked.
“Steve, one of Tanner’s operators, got wounded but nothing serious. The rest were a lot of stupid-assed soldiers. I got a bullet crease and it was nothing to write home about. They didn’t realize who they were up against,” and he smiled a little with satisfaction. “The families who were hostages and forced to work for Medina and the soldiers were liberated. They’re a pretty happy group right now.”
“I would imagine they are. I had no idea what Medina was doing in that region.”
“No one did until Dominguez spilled everything.”
“Is the government going to help those poor farmers get back on their feet?”
“Yes, it’s already in play. The soldiers we rounded up are already in jail and awaiting their trials. They’ll all get twenty-five years or more in prison.” His voice lowered. “Serve the bastards right.”
“A lot of good came out of this,” she whispered.
“Maybe so, but it will never make up for the loss of Maria and Sophia,” Cav said gently, moving his hand on her shoulder. “But we did get the best possible outcome.”
“Thanks to Dilara and Robert,” Lia added.
“They are two amazing people,” Cal agreed, then watched as Lia turned in to a twelve-story building that housed the condos.
She pulled into the parking garage beneath the building and got out. Cav brought his canvas bag and she walked him to the elevator. “What would you like to do now, Cav? You look really tired.”
He stepped into the elevator. “Come with me and see what my condo looks like. Then, I’d like to take a quick shower, put some clean clothes on and then come down and see what your digs look like. Sound like a plan?”
Did it ever! She stepped into the elevator with him, pressing the tenth floor button. “I made you some dinner if you want it.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Lia, but I’m glad you did.”
“It’s nothing special,” she warned. “But it’s edible.”
Chuckling, Cav said, “Thanks for being so thoughtful! Sure, I’ll take you up on it.”
Cav’s apar
tment was much like her own. It was fifteen hundred square feet, with two bedrooms, a large kitchen and living room, plus a bathroom and a half. It was a corner apartment like hers, the thin, transparent white curtains were pulled back so that they could look toward the capitol and the monuments. For Lia, it was always a beautiful sight.
“Nice digs,” he murmured, turning and tossing his bag on a flowery fabric sofa. Turning, Cav pulled Lia close to him. She placed her hands against his chest, looking up at him. “What I’m looking at right now” he whispered, leaning down while placing small kisses along her hairline, “is so much more beautiful…”
Lia closed her eyes, absorbing his cherishing kisses, butterfly light against her. “I like you spoiling me,” she admitted, smiling softly.
Cav eased back, watching her eyes go soft with arousal. He knew she wanted him, but needed to hear it from her. “Tell me what you want, Lia. Give me some boundaries so I know how to behave myself.”
When he saw relief in her eyes, he knew he’d struck the right chord with her. “Above all, I don’t want to pressure or crowd you. That’s why I’m asking.” He caressed her cheek, drowning in her sparkling gray eyes radiating love for him.
Cav knew it was love. And he’d bet a year’s worth of paychecks from Delos that Lia was worried about him crowding or pushing her too soon.
“I want to get to know you, Cav. When we were together before, it was always under dangerous circumstances. I couldn’t really talk with you because it would have been a distraction. And frankly, I was an emotional mess. I still am, but now that I’ve been stateside, I’m feeling lighter and less worried.”
“Being in a safe place always does that,” he agreed, trailing his fingers through her curly hair. He saw that his touch made her eyes grow luminous with yearning. Lia wasn’t a woman who played games, which he appreciated. What you saw was what you were getting.
When she was happy, it was obvious. If she was hurting, he saw it in her demeanor. She never tried to hide things from him.
For his part, Cav felt so damned lucky to have walked into her life. It was rare to find someone emotionally honest these days. And dating was its own version of a minefield.
“I want to really know who you are, Cav,” Lia said, as if reading his mind.
“Tell me more,” he encouraged her as he eased her against him. She sank against him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“What does that mean?”
“That if you take the job Dilara will offer you? I’d like to plan time outside of the office for just us.”
“What if I make you dinner some nights? Invite you up to eat here in my condo?” He suspected he was in for a long courtship, but the prospect didn’t deter him. He wanted Lia coming to him whole, not worried about her scars. Cav knew the only way he could make that happen was by putting her in comfortable circumstances and not crowding her.
“That would be nice,” she whispered, nuzzling beneath his jaw as she absorbed his warm embrace. Lia could feel his erection and her own body responded in kind. How badly she wanted to say, “I want to go to bed with you right now.” Because she did.
“If I take the job Dilara will be offering me next Monday? I’ve been thinking,” he tipped her chin upward, holding her lustrous gaze. “Next weekend we might want to explore some of those nice caves nearby. We had a great time spelunking at Venado, didn’t we? And I’d like to share that with you. What do you think?”
Instantly, he saw her perk up and grin.
The way into Lia’s heart was clearly through things she loved to do in her spare time. And Cav had more than a few ideas in that direction to lure her into his arms. Some day, she would want to love him fully, without worrying about her scars, and he was going to make it happen.
“I’d love to go caving with you again, Cav,” she whispered, touched by his consideration.
CHAPTER 18
After dinner at Lia’s condo, Cav rose and walked into the living room. The open concept gave her modern looking condo an openness he appreciated. She had slid the cream-colored curtains aside so the corner windows would give them a full view of the capitol gleaming in the darkness. Turning, he held out his hand in her direction.
“Come sit with me for a minute. I’ll help you clean up in a bit.” Because they’d worked well as a domestic team back in La Fortuna, Cav thought this was a nice habit he wanted to encourage.
When they’d arrived at her condo, Lia had gone into her bedroom, climbed out of the business suit she’d worn at Artemis and put on a pair of loose jade green trousers. She remained barefoot and topped the pants with a soft, sleeveless, pale orange tee. It had felt wonderful to be able to no longer hide herself from Cav. She’d seen the hunger in his eyes when she’d come out of the hallway in her comfy clothes. It made her feel good. Feminine. Wanted. And now, her lower body was quivering, wanting Cav to touch her. At last, there was an opportunity for him to do that.
He stood by the pale blue leather sofa, watching Lia move, that sway of her hips that made his erection grow thicker. Cav had traded in his clothes for a pair of worn jeans and a black t-shirt, along with a pair of black Nike sneakers.
Lia came to him, sliding her hand into his. He saw the yearning in her eyes, even though they’d kept their conversation light and social.
Cav was hungry for personal time with Lia, and he sat down in the corner, releasing her hand so she could decide how close or far from him she wanted to sit. He couldn’t believe it when she came and nestled beneath his arm, turning her body toward him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder, her hand on his upper chest. Yes! This was what they wanted, what he’d been waiting for all his life.
Lia was teaching him about a new approach to intimacy—creating trust between them. Now, he curved his hand around her shoulder, feeling her nuzzle his neck, hearing her sigh and relax against him. He pressed a light kiss to her hair. More than anything, Lia was helping him heal from the many old, open wounds created when he was so young. One day, he would tell her just how much she had dressed those open, seeping wounds so deep within him.
“This is even better than that chocolate cake you made for dessert,” Cav teased, and she laughed softly.
“Much better,” she agreed.
Moving his fingers lightly across her bare upper arm, he leaned his head against hers, closing his eyes as she melted into him. “This is nice. Very nice,” he admitted in a gruff tone. Cav wanted to do so much more. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, move her across his lap, embrace her, open her up to all the pleasures he knew he could give her.
There was a special hell for men like him, he decided sourly, as he felt her press her breasts against his chest, snuggling like a cuddling bunny into his arms. If Lia didn’t make a move, a signal to indicate she wanted something further from him, he was going to stand down as much as it killed him physically.
“I never thought,” she whispered, sliding her fingers across his t-shirt, “that I’d see you this soon.” And then she added, “I even wondered if I’d ever see you again.”
“No chance of that,” he growled. “Just because we crashed into each other’s life doesn’t mean we don’t have something serious to build on, Lia.”
She eased back a bit, her head resting on his shoulder, eyes half closed, studying him in the silence. “I feel the same, Cav. It’s just that I have a lot of issues to work through. But you know that, and I appreciate you giving me the space to deal with them—actually, within myself.”
“It’s been a long, tough five years for you,” he agreed quietly, seeing the concern in Lia’s gaze. “You’re not a woman who can be pushed or corralled into what a man wants her to do.”
“That’s true,” she said, one corner of her mouth pulling upward. “I just needed time, Cav. And now, we have it.”
If he could get his physical body to agree to that, Cav could easily go the distance with Lia. “My mother always said that good things were worth waiting for.” He touched her hair. “You’
re a good thing in my life, Lia.”
“I wish,” she said, “I’d gotten to meet your mother. I think you’re probably a lot like her.”
He nodded and tipped his head back against the couch, satisfied just to have her warm and in his arms. “I took after her, thank God,”
Cav realized belatedly that Lia wasn’t wearing a bra. He could feel the firmness of her small breasts against his chest, feel her nipples hardening, becoming points, and teasing him mercilessly. He wondered if she got rid of her bra every chance she could. A lot of women hated wearing them.
He had always enjoyed looking at woman’s breasts moving freely, watching their nipples pucker behind the silky clothes they wore. It was sexy. Sensual. Fully feminine.
And it was a pleasant surprise for him to see that, behind closed doors, Lia was comfortable with her own body. Except for those scars. With time and patience, Cav hoped to ease her up and over that last hurdle between them.
“When I found out Dilara wanted to talk to me about a job offer,” he told her, “I did a little SEAL investigating. I scoped out the area for nearby caves you might want to visit.”
“And what did you find?”
“There’s Grand Caverns, near Harrisonburg, Virginia,” he said. “I checked it out on the ‘net and it’s not offered to the public as a spelunking cave, but it’s an interesting one. I thought this coming weekend we might drive out there, maybe leave on a Saturday morning, take the cave tour and do a little hiking in the area afterward. There’s a nice restaurant nearby where we could finish off the day with a nice meal, and then I’d drive us home.”
In fact, Cav wanted to make a reservation at a civil war era bed-and-breakfast nearby, remain over night, love the hell out of Lia, wake up on Sunday morning, love her again, get a late breakfast, and then see where things led. The SEAL in him always planned in detail.
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