Jostling Joker (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (A SEALed Brotherhood Novella Book 3)

by Victoria Bright

  “Is that your go-to line when you lose?” she teased.

  She squealed in delight when he spun her around, which was music to his ears. He had to give her credit. Despite what she was currently going through, she still found joy in life. He didn’t know if it was because she actually did feel safe with him or if she was simply just living life like every day was her last, but he knew he wanted to do anything he could to make sure she was happy while she was here with him. Now that he thought about it, it was probably a good thing that she was here. If he were by himself, he probably would’ve been sulking around the woods shooting targets, which probably wouldn’t have been the best way to cope with a loss. But having Parker around— a woman so full of life despite her reality— was enough to remind him that there was still something good to hold on to during a trying time.

  He put her on her feet, but didn’t let her go. She turned in his arms and looked up into his eyes. Her skin was warm against his, a brown vanilla sugar scent tickling his nose at their close proximity. The water lapped against their thighs and the sun heated their skin. Her eyes sparkled at she looked up at him, her lips slightly parted. Time felt as if it’d paused for a moment, both of them entranced by the other. Parker ran her hands along his thick biceps before locking them behind his neck, pulling his head closer to hers and connecting their lips. He didn’t fight her, instead holding her closer to him as her soft lips moved against his. A soft moan slipped from her mouth as her hands went up into his hair, loosening the hair tie that held his hair up. She pulled back when his hair fell down his shoulders and smiled.

  “You should wear your hair down more often,” she murmured, running her fingers through it.

  Joker chuckled. “Why’s that?”

  “It’s sexy that way,” she said, her voice soft. “And yet you don’t think you look like Tarzan.” He smirked and released her.

  “Because I don’t look like him. I think I’ll stick with keeping it up for now. It tends to get in the way,” he said, retrieving the hair tie that floated on top of the water and pulling his hair back up.

  They waded a little deeper and swam around for a few moments, randomly splashing each other and playing around. Parker swam in front of him, finally flipping over to float on her back.

  “Random thought. I’ve never been to prom,” she suddenly said. Joker looked at her.

  “Yeah, that was definitely random. Why are you thinking about prom?”

  “I don’t know. I have a lot of random things in my mind that has nothing to do with anything. But I just realized if I died, I’d die without going to prom.”

  “You’re not going to die. Besides, you’re not even in high school to go to prom.”

  “Hey, I could be someone’s chaperon or something.”

  “Do you even know any prom-aged kids?” Joker asked with a smirk. Parker was quiet for a moment.

  “Good point. So do you have a close relationship with your family?” she asked. Joker shrugged.

  “With my mom, yeah. Not so much with my dad.”

  “That sucks. You should bring your mom here sometime. I think she’d really like it if she likes nature,” Parker mused.

  The muscle in Joker’s jaw ticked as he ground his teeth. “She’s the main reason I’m here,” he admitted, a lump forming in his throat.

  “Oh? Did she tell you about the cabin?”

  “No.” He took a deep breath and released it. “She recently passed away and I came up here to grieve for a few days.”

  “Oh.” She stood upright and swam a little closer to him. “Ethan…I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah, well being sorry won’t bring her back. It’s fine,” he said tightly. Parker dropped her eyes to the water, causing Joker to sigh. “Sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s all still fresh and—”

  “No, I get it. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if something were to happen to one of my parents. It probably doesn’t help that you can’t properly grieve with me being here,” she said softly.

  A small smile formed on his lips. “To be honest, it’s actually a little better to have someone around. After a few hours of being here alone, the silence was getting to me anyway. A little company hasn’t hurt anything,” he said.

  “That’s good to hear then,” she said and smiled. “Maybe we should head back to the cabin.”

  “Yeah, I need to run to the store anyway,” he replied. They swam closer to the shore, finally walking when they’d reached the shallow end. Neither of them said a word as they gathered their shoes and now damp clothes from the sand and walked back to the cabin.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” Parker said when they’d entered the cabin, heading down the hall. He watched her as she moved, her sexy hips swaying with every step. He blew out a breath and shook his head. Keep your mind together and off her ass, he scolded himself before heading to the master bathroom to take a shower himself.

  Chapter 6

  Parker

  Parker entered her bedroom and closed the door, a silly grin on her lips as she walked over to the mirror. Her lips still tingled from the kiss at the lake. It was a sweet moment. The way he looked at her nearly made her melt into a puddle of nothing, only to float away. He could see why his nickname was Joker. When he was in mood, he really did like to joke around.

  She giggled at their Tarzan conversation. He really did look like Tarzan, or a blond version of Fabio. He’d probably kick me out if I told him about that.

  [Unknown Number]: I’ll see you soon, princess. I can’t wait to get my hands on you.

  Parker’s heart quickened in her chest as she read the text message. Even though she’d blocked his original number, he was still texting her from other numbers. He knew where she was. She knew she couldn’t stay here much longer, but she had nowhere else to run. She’d run out of money, her parents were out of town, and she knew she couldn’t stay here with Ethan forever. She clutched her towel a little tighter. What the hell was she going to do now?

  Don’t give let him control your mind by instilling fear in it, Ethan had said earlier, but she couldn’t deny that she was terrified. She didn’t feel prepared to face him. Although learning self-defense had been great, she knew that Jarrod wouldn’t be following her across the country just to end this in hand-to-hand combat. When he finally found her, he was going to make her suffer. He’d stated it in the many text messages he’d sent her over the last two weeks.

  She looked back through the text messages.

  [Unknown Number}: You can’t run from me forever, Parker.

  [Unknown Number}: I can’t wait to watch the life leave your eyes when I strangle you.

  [Unknown Number}: Do you know how long it takes a person to bleed to death? You’ll soon find out.

  [Unknown Number}: Killing you will give me great satisfaction.

  She blacked her phone out and tossed it behind her on the bed, putting her face in her hands and trying to take deep breaths to calm herself. Time was running out and she was cornered. She knew she had a high chance of being killed if she left the cabin now, especially since she had no real plan for where she’d go next. Once Ethan’s vacation was over, he’d go back to his life and she didn’t want to burden him with her issues. She shouldn’t have been here in the first place. Calling her parents would only put them in the crossfire, and she didn’t want to do that either.

  “I’m so fucked,” she whispered to herself, tears burning her eyes. No matter what, she was unintentionally endangering anyone that she got involved with.

  She wiped the tears that managed to fall and finally stood from the bed. Walking over to her duffle bag, she pulled out clean clothes and quickly pulled them on. Her only option right now was to leave. She’d have to figure the rest out along the way, but she had to keep moving. There was no telling where Jarrod was or how close he was and she didn’t want to stick around to find out.

  Just as she walked out into the hallway with her bag on her shoulder, Ethan appeared in the doorway of the master bedroom,
still wet, with a towel wrapped around his waist. Her mouth went dry as she watched a few beads of water roll down his abs before disappearing into the towel.

  “Going somewhere?” he asked, nodding toward her bag.

  She shuffled uncomfortably, tearing her eyes away from his body and down to the hardwood floor.

  “Um…I thought it would be best if I went ahead and left. I’ve intruded long enough.”

  “And go where exactly?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe. She shrugged. “Not a good enough answer.”

  “Ethan, I don’t—”

  “Come in here,” he said, cutting her off. She raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Come in where?”

  “In the bedroom with me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need to get dressed and I don’t want you sneaking out of here while I’m doing that.”

  She frowned. “Joker, you can’t make me stay if I don’t want to,” she said firmly.

  “Ah, you’re back to calling me my nickname, I see,” he said. “No, I can’t make you stay, but what are you going to do out there besides get yourself killed? At least let me get dressed and we can make a plan for you if you really want to leave.”

  She stared at him for a long while before sighing. “Whatever,” she mumbled.

  He held up two fingers. “Give me just two minutes and we can talk,” he said and disappeared.

  She made her way into the living room and dropped her duffle bag on the floor, plopping down on the couch. Once he knew that she had no real plan once she left here, he would try to convince her to stay. Whether or not he believed it, he couldn’t help her. No one could. Unless he was able to track Jarrod down and kill him before he got to her, there was nothing he could really do to stop him. She didn’t even know if Jarrod was coming alone. He rarely ever did his dirty work by himself and she didn’t see how this would be any different.

  Ethan sat down next to her, pulling her out of her brooding. “So what’s going on? You seemed fine at the lake and now you’re trying to leave. Did something happen?”

  She swallowed hard, unable to meet his eyes. “No. I just think it’s better if I leave. You need time to grieve and I—”

  “That’s not the issue here, Parker,” he interrupted, his voice flat. “Do you think things are weird because we kissed?”

  She finally looked up at him and shook his head. “No, it’s not weird at all. I just honestly think it would be better for you if I left.”

  “How would you going out into the unknown with someone after you be better for me? Because all that would do is stress me out not knowing what’s going on with you and whether or not you’re safe.”

  Tears burned her eyes at his words. This man hardly knew her and yet cared about her well-being. With everything that had been going on in her life lately, a simple act of kindness was enough to break the dam that held back her tears. She put her face in her hands and sobbed, letting everything out that she’d been holding in for the last two weeks. Ethan slid closer to her and pulled her into his strong arms, holding her against his chest. She cried until she had nothing left but small hiccups as she tried to catch her breath. Ethan rested his chin on the top of her head and allowed her a few moments of silence as he continued to hold her.

  “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Parker,” he finally said softly.

  She sighed and closed her eyes. “You can’t save me, Ethan,” she whispered.

  “But I’m not going to let you die either.”

  She pulled away and looked up at him with wet eyes. “How? Once you leave here, you’ll go back to your own life as if you’ve never met me.”

  “If I have to call in a few favors to make arrangements for you, then I’ll do that. But I’m not leaving here until I know you’re somewhere safe.” He brushed a few damp curls from her face. “I promise you I’ll keep you safe, but I can’t do that if you leave. Do you think you can stay a couple more nights until I can get something set up for you?”

  Parker sniffed and nodded, wiping her eyes. “I can do that.”

  “Good,” Ethan said and smiled at her. “I know you’re scared, but constantly running without a plan isn’t going to help you.”

  “I know,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t even know what I was going to do out there. I’m out of money, my parents aren’t here, and I haven’t been in contact with friends in San Diego in years.”

  “See? You would’ve been in danger the minute you stepped out of the cabin. Being out in the open isn’t the best idea when you have someone on your tail,” he said, slightly loosening his hold on her, but not completely letting her go.

  She looked up at him. “Why are you doing this? You’re putting yourself in danger by trying to protect me.”

  Hurt flickered across his handsome features before he met her gaze again. “Maybe it’s out of guilt because I couldn’t save my mom,” he answered softly. “Maybe it’s because I don’t want another loss on my conscience if I have a chance to help. Or maybe it would be such a shame for a beautiful spirit to be snuffed out by a dark one.”

  “I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone has said to me in a while,” she murmured. He kissed her forehead.

  “Only stating the truth.” He brushed away a stray tear from her cheek. “Are you going to be okay?” She nodded and gave him a small smile. “Are you sure? I’m not going to have to worry about you trying to escape in the middle of the night, am I?”

  “No escaping in the middle of the night,” she promised and rested her head on his chest. “Thank you.”

  “Of course,” he said, giving her a slight squeeze. “I need to run to the store. Do you need anything?”

  She smirked. “How do you know I won’t try to escape when you leave?”

  “I doubt you will. But you’re coming with me. I was trying to give you the opportunity to ask to go. I wasn’t too sure how you’d take me picking you up, throwing you over my shoulder, and putting you in my Jeep in case I offered and you said no,” he teased.

  She giggled and pulled away from him. “I wouldn’t have said no.” They both stood and moved toward the front door. “Besides, I don’t think you’re that strong to just toss me over your shoulder,” she said with a smirk.

  They stepped out onto the porch and Ethan locked the door with a sigh. “I guess I have to prove myself then,” he said, bending down and lifting her up over his shoulder before she could react. She shrieked in surprise as he walked down the steps and over to the glossy black Jeep parked out front.

  “Okay, okay, you’ve made your point! You can put me down now,” she said.

  “In a sec,” he said and continued walking. She didn’t miss how one hand was firmly planted on her ass and the other on the back of her other thigh, tightening slightly whenever she’d moved too much.

  He finally stopped and lowered her back to the ground, her skin still tingling from his touch. “You shouldn’t doubt what I can do,” he said with a wink as he opened the door for her. She hopped in, immediately enveloped in the smell of warm leather and the sexy cologne he currently wore. The leather seats were warm against her skin, making her wish she hadn’t changed into a pair of shorts.

  “What kind of Jeep is this?” she asked when Joker slid into the driver’s seat.

  “2018 Wrangler Unlimited Sport,” he answered, putting on his seat belt.

  Parker nodded. “It’s nice,” she mused.

  “Thanks,” he said as he started the engine.

  The ride into town was quiet. Parker tried to push Jarrod’s text message to the back of her mind, instead deciding to focus on the warm breeze whipping around the Jeep as he drove. She glanced over at him and fought the urge to bite her lip. The man was incredibly sexy and during a time as stressful as this, she shouldn’t be having dirty thoughts about him. They were both going through things; sex would only distract them from their problems for a little while and leave them with regret later. She thought back to their kiss at the l
ake. There was something sweet about the whole moment that compelled her to want to kiss him. She didn’t know if it was the look in his eyes as he held her in his arms or just feeling as if things were normal for once, but whatever it was, it at least helped her forget about the danger around her. It reminded her that good people still existed and that if she could make it through this, something as simple as standing in the lake and kissing a handsome man could very well be a part of her future. Well, let’s work on surviving for now.

  Chapter 7

  Joker

  They pulled up in front of the grocery store and got out of the Jeep. He’d noticed Parker looking around, anxiety tightening her features. He took her hand into his and gave her a soft smile when she looked at him.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re safe with me.”

  Her shoulders sank a little as she let out a small breath. “Right. Sorry.”

  “It’s fine. Come on,” he said, guiding her through the automatic doors. Now that Parker was at the cabin with him, he would run out of food quicker than he’d planned. He wasn’t much of a cook and he didn’t want to feed the woman sandwiches the entire time, so he figured bringing her along to pick out what she wanted to eat would be the smartest course of action.

  “What are we here for?” she asked, still looking around.

  “More food,” he mentioned before gazing down at her. “Is there anything in particular that you want?”

  She shrugged. “I’d say anything is better than eating sandwiches forever,” she teased. “But really, I’m fine with anything.”

  “I mean you can pick whatever you want as long as you’re not expecting me to cook anything. I’ll admit I’m not the best when it comes to working my way around the kitchen unless it’s breakfast food,” he admitted.

  She put a hand on her chest and widened her eyes. “Wow! I finally learn something that you can’t do! And who would’ve guessed it was something as simple as cooking?” she exclaimed in exaggerated shock. He laughed and gave her hand a light squeeze.