That was when all hell broke loose.
Chapter Four
Whunp! Whump! Whump!
The sound was deafening. Wind whipped Mia’s hair around her face, the ends lashing her cheeks. Explosions rocked the ground under her feet, and she staggered. Aiden steadied her, his hand locking around her upper arm. She could feel the shock impact of his gun conveyed through his body as he fired. “Run!” he bellowed.
Terror stuck her tongue to the roof of her mouth. This is where I came in the first time. No time to think. A burst of gunfire rat-a-tat-tatted too freaking close. Mia ducked, her heart trip-hammering, and ran. Aiden pulled her faster. She needed no encouragement. She flew over the ground. Four minute mile? Easy! Her laboring lungs felt like they were going to burst.
Blurred blades were suddenly ratcheting overhead. Aiden gave a massive heave, boosting her upward. Other hands reached out, snagging her shoulders and arms, hauling her up. Mia felt herself screaming, but she couldn’t hear herself over the awful noise. She sprawled on a hard metal surface, the impact squashing air out of her lungs. Mia sucked for breath. A metal door slammed shut. “Clear!”
Then she was pressed down, the huge hand of gravity on her back. The noise of battle dropped away, and there was just the whump-whump-whump.
Mia was dazed. I’m on a helicopter. A damn helicopter! The pieces of her scattered mind started coming back together. What the freaking hell!
She felt someone take hold of her, lifting her, and she lashed out with her fist.
“Mia!”
She stared up wildly. It was Aiden. He was the one holding her. But she didn’t want him to. I want to go back! I want to go home! She burst into noisy tears.
He pressed her face against his shoulder. His familiar scent— musky sweat and gunpowder—surrounded her. Strangely, she was comforted. He raised his voice, leaning close to her ear, so she could hear him above the noise. “It’s okay! It’s going to be okay!”
“Sir? Is the lady hurt?”
“She’s fine. She’s just shaken up a bit.”
Shaken up? Shaken up?
Mia reared straight up, almost clocking Aiden in the chin with the back of her head. He made an umph sound, but she didn’t pay attention. She was mad, really, really mad. “Shaken up? You nimwit! I’ve been shot at! Things are blowing up all over! I’m hauled into a helicopter like a sack of potatoes! And I’m just shaken up a bit?” Mia slapped the side of his head.
She was glaring, but Aiden didn’t seem to care. He was grinning at her. Mia heard several weary chuckles. She whipped her head around. That was when she saw there were more men dressed like Aiden, with camouflaged faces, and they were all grinning at her. Even the ones who looked drawn and were sporting bloody bandages.
Mia shut up, but she shot Aiden a really dirty look.
* * * *
At Mia’s dagger-glance, Aiden grinned. It relieved him that Mia seemed to have recovered somewhat from her fright. The helicopter came down almost on top of us—like they were looking for us! He couldn’t have planned it better, except for the firestorm that the appearance of the helicopter had generated. That had been a little hairy. He couldn’t believe how quickly Mia had reacted. Her instincts had been right on target. She had taken off running straight for the ’copter.
When he had tossed Mia into the helicopter, she had been shaking, practically hysterical. She was obviously terrified at finding herself suddenly in the middle of a running gun battle, and rightly so. Aiden’s own heart had been bounding with fear—fear for her. Fear, that she would be hit—he shuddered—or worse.
Those terrible minutes, until they were safe aboard the helicopter, he had cursed himself, up one side and down the other, for getting her into danger. He shouldn’t have let her stay with him. He had known how hazardous it could turn out to be. He should have insisted she go home. But I didn’t want her to leave me, selfish bastard that I am!
Now here she was, wrenched out of her familiar life and thrust into circumstances that had to be frightening to her. Yet she seemed to be handling it all right now.
Aiden tightened his arm around her. She didn’t pull away but nestled closer against his side. He rested his chin on top of her head. The soft, tangled strands of her hair caressed his jaw. He drew in his breath, and he could smell her wonderfully distinctive scent. He smiled to himself and closed his eyes. Almost, he could persuade himself that they were back in her small apartment, shut off from the dangerous world in their own private intimate cocoon.
The familiar, clamoring din of the helicopter beat at his ears.
* * * *
The helicopter ride didn’t take long. Everyone got off. Aiden kept Mia close, standing kind of off to the side. He was holding her hand, but he was busy directing things and exchanging laughing quips with the other men. One of the men nodded to her, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. “You’ve got a handful there, lieutenant.” Mia glowered at him. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected he was laughing at her. He walked off, chuckling.
Finally, Aiden was done. He and Mia climbed into a waiting jeep and they were whizzed off toward a silver tootsie-roll-shaped building. It looked like she was on a military base somewhere. It looked kind of familiar. Well, a lot familiar. Mia was really puzzled by that. She preferred to think about that smaller weirdness instead of the whole big picture.
Her brain imploded. Picture? As in—in an action flick? As in—in? The fantastic idea seized hold of her mind. Her careening thoughts ricocheted and stuttered. Oh shit, oh shit. Mia’s heart started thumping like a hormone-mad bunny. I am officially, certifiably around the bend—lock me up and throw away the key! She knew she was totally wigging out, but she couldn’t help herself. She was hyperventilating, gasping for air.
Long, warm fingers squeezed her hand.
Mia quickly turned her head. Aiden was looking down at her with his gorgeous electric-blue eyes, concern in his expression. He looked so cute when he was worried. She couldn’t help but smile. Her racing heartbeat slowed down. She squeezed his hand back, earning herself a blindingly sexy grin. Mia blinked. Well, maybe crazy isn’t so bad.
The jeep jerked to a stop in front of the building. They got out and went inside the silver tootsie roll. The interior was brightly lit, and there were several desks and chairs and tables, all occupied by uniformed personnel, and Mia saw a lot of fascinating electronic equipment. She got the impression of quiet efficiency.
Several people were bustling around, carrying folders marked “Top Secret.” Aiden snagged one of them and asked a question Mia couldn’t hear. The man nodded. “Follow me, lieutenant.”
Aiden took her hand again, and their guide ushered them to the center of the building, where there was a small area cleared of everything except for a large table covered with some maps. An older man with a stocky build was standing in front of the table, staring down at one of the maps.
Aiden and Mia’s guide cleared his throat. “General, sir, Lieutenant Smith is here to report in.”
The general abruptly turned around. He had an iron-gray buzz cut. An unlit cigar was clamped between his big white teeth. His winter-gray eyes were cold. “Smith! We thought we had lost you. Good to see you back.”
“I’m glad to be back, sir!” Aiden snapped to attention. He had dropped Mia’s hand. She stood beside him, feeling kind of awkward.
“At ease, Smith. I’ll want a complete debriefing.”
“You’ll have it, sir.”
“Who’s this, Smith?” The general barked the question. He was looking straight at Mia, and he wasn’t smiling. She could feel the coldness of his gaze flicking over her. It was pretty uncomfortable, but she tried to look him in the eye.
“She’s a civilian medic, sir. She came back for me when I was wounded, got me to a safe house, and stitched me up. She helped me get back to the extraction point.”
The general looked at her with approval. The atmosphere turned a degree warmer. Mia cautiously let out the breath that she hadn’t kno
wn she had been holding. “Good job. Your name, ma’am?”
“Mia Haven.” The general nodded and turned his attention back to Aiden. Mia felt like she was no longer on the spot, and she relaxed. She looked around curiously. She’d never been in a movie before.
Mia felt a hysterical giggle bubbling up behind her breastbone and trying to break free. In a movie! Tee hee tee hee! It was like running to the bathroom at the movie theater and discovering a wait line a mile long. The urge was just that bad.
“Ahem. Ahem!” Mia pressed a fist against her breastbone. Okay, focus! Look at all the bright lights and pretty uniforms and high-tech stuff! It worked. She calmed down and she looked around again.
She wondered if this was a control center. The general bombarded Aiden with questions, but Mia didn’t pay much attention. She looked at the maps. There was one of an island with several flags pinned into it. Half-hidden under that map was something that looked like a blueprint. She started to move the map off of the blueprint so that she could see it better.
The general slapped his palm down on the map. He stared hard at her, rolling the cigar around between his clenched teeth. Mia got the message. She quickly stepped away from the table, somehow managing to stumble over a big utility cord. Aiden reached out his hand and caught her elbow, steadying her. She gave him a quick, grateful smile. “Thanks.”
“You look like you both need some rest. I’ll have someone escort Ms. Haven to the VIP quarters. You’re dismissed, lieutenant.”
Mia edged closer to Aiden and took tight hold of his uniform sleeve. “I’m staying with Aiden.” She didn’t want to be separated from Aiden. He was the only thing that connected her to home. He was the only thing that connected her with sanity.
The general stared at her. His hard, unblinking eyes regarded her for several seconds. Mia didn’t dare speak or move. Finally, his sharp gaze moved beyond her face, and his voice was dry. “Fast work, Smith.”
Mia quickly glanced up at Aiden. Between the streaks of black camo on his face, she could see the red flush staining his cheekbones. “As you say, sir.” He sounded very stiff, maybe even defensive.
The general snorted. “Very well! Lieutenant! Show Ms. Haven to your quarters. She will be your responsibility as long as she is with us.”
Aiden saluted smartly. “Yes, sir!”
Shaking his head, the general turned his back on them. Aiden and Mia looked at each other. Aiden grabbed her hand, and they hurried to make good their escape.
They left the command center and walked a short distance to a cluster of small buildings that all looked alike. Aiden motioned, and Mia turned with him to walk up to the front door of one. Stepping onto the small porch, Aiden opened the door and politely ushered her inside.
Mia stepped past him, and he followed her, the wooden door falling closed behind him with a hollow thud. She looked around slowly. The room was divided into living room and dining room, judging by the sofa and matching armchair and coffee table and TV on one side, and the small dining table and four ladder-back chairs on the other. A big circular rug covered the floor. It was a plain, utilitarian place, not a thing out of place, all clean and tidy. She could smell the invigorating aroma of Pine-Sol.
Mia turned until she was facing Aiden. They looked at each other, both of them kind of serious, neither of them, obviously, really knowing what to say.
Aiden slowly shook his head. He looked troubled, and his wide chest lifted in a long sigh. “I didn’t want this, Mia. I wanted you to be safe at home.”
“Yeah, well, that makes two of us.” Mia lifted her shoulders in a confused shrug. There was a lot going on in her head. She was being tugged in too many ways. She could be safe at home, right now, lying in her own familiar bed. Alone. All alone, so alone. But here she was instead, with Aiden, in a scary, different world.
Mia wasn’t sure what she really wanted, so she just walked forward into his arms. His massively muscular arms closed tight around her. Her cheek pressed against his hard, warm chest, and Mia felt it rise beneath her cheek with his breathing. The sound of his heart thudded solidly in her ear. She felt safe. She felt like she was home.
He eased her back from him, and his large hands came up to cup either side of her face. His thumbs brushed her cheeks. She looked up into his eyes. He was looking down at her with the most serious expression. The black camo streaks really added to the seriousness. “You’re so very beautiful and brave, Mia. I love you.”
The man was delusional. But she didn’t try to bring him to his senses. Instead, she gave a breathy-sounding laugh. She didn’t know where it had come from. It sounded far too sexy to be hers. “Take me to bed, Aiden.”
His electric-blue eyes instantly heated. He picked her up in his strong arms, like she weighed nothing—she really loved that part—and carried her through an open door into a small bedroom. He laid her down on a wide bed, and then he undressed her, and she undressed him. There were lots of murmurings and touchy-feely exploration, and then he was hot inside her, and Mia was losing her mind.
When Mia floated back into her body, she was tucked against him, wrapped up in his arms with her head pillowed on his lovely, hairy chest. His chest was rising and falling rapidly beneath her cheek. He smelled good, all musk and male and expended sex. With her eyes still closed, Mia grinned. She couldn’t help it. This was the way-coolest thing that had ever happened to her in her life.
“Mia, I don’t want us to be apart anymore.” His fingers were threading gently through her hair.
It felt very, very nice. She glided her own fingertips over his outstanding pecs and the mat of rough, wiry hairs. “I don’t want to be apart from you, either.”
His fingers went still in her hair. Mia could feel his chest stop moving before he took a really deep breath. His voice went all deep and rumbly. “Mia! Are you sure? You’ll marry me?”
Her eyes snapped open. Mia reared straight up. She stared down at him in shock. “Whoa, soldier boy! Where did that come from?”
Aiden sat up, too. She was momentarily distracted by the flexing of that magnificent manly chest matted with red-gold hairs. “I just asked you to marry me.”
Mia shook her head so hard that she thought her brain rattled. “Wow.” Her brain was still stuttering along on half-batteries, and her mouth didn’t work much better. “But–but you don’t know me! I don’t know you! We’re from two different worlds.” Boy, that was an understatement.
“I know it’s crazy! You’re right. I’m Special Ops. My life can be crazy. I never know where I’ll be sent.” Aiden placed his large warm hands on her bare shoulders. “But, Mia, I’m crazy about you! I want you in my life.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know.” She shook her head. She was all shaken up. She couldn’t think.
His hands tightened on her shoulders. “Mia, are you trying to say that you don’t…care about me?”
She looked up quickly at him. His face had gone all stony looking. His mouth was a tight line. He was looking at her with a fierce light in his eyes. He looked really scary with the black streaks of camo on his face. “Oh God, Aiden! You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me!”
He crushed her to him. His lips came down on hers. Mia just kind of melted against him. Then she didn’t think anymore while she kissed him back. He had her breathless in seconds.
When he stopped kissing her, he folded her close. One of his hands stroked up and down her bare back. His breath ruffled her hair. “We’ll work it out, Mia. I promise you.”
She nodded, but she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t, without sounding crazy to him. Oh, I’d like to stay with Aiden, all right! But she was inside of a movie! And she wasn’t part of the movie. Wasn’t there some sort of cosmic law against that? What happened if she suddenly got zapped home? What if she got zapped home, naked, and ended up at the hospital or the grocery store? Okay, okay, let’s not fall into a pit. She should think about the positive. Here she was, in a great movie, and a really hot action hero thou
ght he was in love with her and gave her great, hot sex. Duh! What was she thinking? Run the ball, Mia, run the ball!
Mia raised her head and smiled up at him. She traced Aiden’s nicely-shaped jaw with her fingertips. “We’ll take it as it comes, soldier boy.”
He nodded. He got a goofy, tender expression on his face. “That’s why I love you, Mia. You’re so damn brave.”
Mia felt tears prick her eyes. She swallowed. She tried to be a brave, brave woman and not burst into thankful sobs. How had she gotten so lucky? “You have duties, right? I don’t want to just sit around while you’re busy doing soldier stuff. What can I do?”
“They’re always short-staffed at the field hospital. Would you want to—”
“Perfect. That sounds perfect.”
He smiled down at her. “You’re amazing. All right, let’s get some sleep. We’ve been up a long time.”
Mia moved her hand down into his lap and stroked a certain large, warm part of his anatomy. He sucked in his breath. “I was hoping you’d stay up a little longer.”
Aiden chuckled. He rolled her under him. His knees spread her legs open, his lean hips settled over her, and he slid home. Mia gave a huge sigh of contentment. She wrapped her arms and legs around him. She grinned up at him. “Did I ever tell you that I really like rock and roll?”
He laughed again, and then he rocked her world away.
Mia must have fallen asleep afterward because the next thing she knew, she was being gently shaken. She opened one of her eyes. Aiden was sitting on the bed, smiling down at her. His face was clean and shaven. He was dressed in a fresh uniform. Mia opened both of her eyes. “Oh. You’re leaving.”
“The general wants to see me. Do you still want to go to the field hospital?”
She sat up. “Yes, will you take me there?”
Roberts, Sarah - Action Hero Junkie [Movieland] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 5