“I think your past is a little more colorful than mine. Maybe you should answer her text, Tony. It’s the polite thing to do.”
Hope winked out of existence and he released her, feeling like a teenager rebuked. He cleared his throat. “Technically you’re part of a mission, or you could be, and we don’t get involved with people we’re meant to rescue.”
“I don’t expect dinner and a movie. I don’t need to be rescued. I just need a little guidance. By tomorrow I’ll be out of your hair.”
Lumin spoke intelligently, but seemed so damn innocent for some reason. Not likely. She worked in Las Vegas. City of sin.
“What?” Leaving? She wanted to leave? He shook his head as she sprung onto the kid’s merry-go-round. “You can’t go,” he said, watching her step with bare feet across the beams that sectioned the platform into pie-shaped pieces.
“You know the whole story now. I’m sure your admiral will do something about it. You don’t need me for anything.”
He slowly palmed the beams of the round platform hoping to bring her closer, but she jumped from bar to bar as he turned it. The only way to reach her was to climb onboard. He gave the child’s ride a push before he leaped on. With her willowy arms outstretched, she balanced on the small bar and bowed low before him like a lady from the 1500s. He couldn’t help but smile at her performance.
“I am but the messenger, sir,” she said with a British drawl.
“Not a ‘sir.’” He vaulted over the beams quickly, catching her around the hips and snatching her from her perch. For the second time in five minutes she was in his arms. “Stop that. You make me nervous.”
“I thought SEALs were brave men who remained calm in the face of danger,” she teased.
“No, we pray we don’t get our asses shot off, and use our training to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Her dainty hands rested on his shoulders. Following the sway of her tiny waist and gently palming her hips had his thoughts jumping to this position without their clothes, and the ache in his groin intensified.
With a quick swivel and a hop, she leaped onto the bar once again. “Up you go,” she said, gently tugging on his hand.
“What? You want me to stand on that?”
The ride spun in slow circles. Crazy, but he found his footing and rose with a few jerky movements. It seemed easy enough, but she was still holding his hand. When she released him he lost his equilibrium, or maybe that was just the effect she had on him.
“Stay there,” she said, and jumped to the ground. Placing her hands on the bar, she pushed to make it go faster, then jumped back on the ride.
“Woman, are you crazy?” His arms twirled to keep himself upright.
“Crazy is going on dangerous missions and putting your life on the line,” she said, reaching for his hand. “Walk.”
“The Admiral is going to be pissed if I fall and break an arm.”
“Head up,” she instructed.
He did as she said.
“Now close your eyes.”
“No way.”
“Try it,” she urged.
He closed his eyes and felt himself lose his balance. She gripped his hand, and he found balance again.
“Put your concentration on what isn’t in motion,” she said. She hopped to the platform and her hands circled each of his thighs. “You and I. Everything around us is moving, but we are the center. We are balanced.”
It was the strangest thing. He closed his eyes and realized she was right, and the feeling he was going to fall evaporated.
“Where did you learn that?” he asked as the ride stopped spinning and he eased himself down to stand in front of her.
“My mother. It was one of my first lessons as an aerialist.”
“My mother worked at a bar and brought a different guy home every night.” The small smile she wore disintegrated, and he wished he hadn’t said it.
“I’m sorry.”
His hand rose to touch her cheek, and he couldn’t help but wonder how many men had the honor of having her in their arms. “Don’t be. It taught me to be self-sufficient. I had to figure things out on my own.”
Before he could touch her face, she intercepted his hand and drew it to his side. “That sounds lonely.”
He didn’t have the best start in life, but it made him tough, and he needed that when he faced the challenges his profession brought. “It gave me good instincts, and those instincts are telling me you’re not going anywhere.”
“I think I’ll turn in,” she said, stepping from the ride and heading toward the condo.
“I changed the sheets on my bed.” Hell, if he couldn’t be with her, at least her scent would be left on his sheets.
She stopped. “I’m not taking your bed, Tony. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Ah, yeah you are.”
“No, I’m not,” she said, gripping the patio railing and springing over it like a deer.
He followed. With an easy sweep, he gripped her under her legs and swept her up into his arms. “Yes, you are.” He marched down the hallway and gently dipped her onto the bed. He couldn’t resist, and planted his hands on either side of her. “If I’m the man-whore you think I am, then you know that if I can’t share my bed with you, I’ll want a memory of you in it even if I’m not here.”
With only three inches to spare between his lips and hers, she stared up at him, her hands palming his chest, but not pushing him away. Her eyes spoke differently; they weren’t at half-mast with lust or flashing a sign of anticipation signaling let’s get down to hot and sweaty.
He gave her a wolfish grin, but it quickly melted away because it was a façade. The one he used to get between a girl’s thighs. He needed a canister of oxygen to clear his head and some distance between him and Lumin but instead, his mouth dipped an inch closer and the air thickened between them. Wanting to kiss her sweet lips overwhelmed him. A tremble of unharnessed need shot through him. It was just a kiss, but he desired it more than anything. Words came in place of his need. He said them just as he would have touched her lips—with a whisper. “I didn’t want to leave you on those steps, Lumin. I’ve never forgotten you.”
She barely breathed out the words, “Good night, Tony.”
Her dismissal extinguished his hope, but his need surged as he backed up. Stalling in the doorway, he said, “Sleep well.”
After he closed the door, he tugged at his jeans, the erection in his pants pulsing. He hadn’t missed the swell of her breasts with him hovering above her. He would definitely not forget her scent or the flush in her pale cheeks. When he closed his eyes tonight, her image walking on the beam under the moonlight would replay itself over and over again.
After making sure the doors and windows were secure, Tony checked his Sig 9mm, then set it on the lower shelf of his coffee table. His phone charged and within grabbing distance, he laid back on the couch, never imagining he’d be sleeping on it. A wide grin crossed his lips. Maybe he could feign sleepwalking.
With one arm tucked behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling, his SEAL brain pacing the options ahead. He’d wait for Admiral Austen to relay any info he might find out, and then—and then what? Keep Lumin close, that’s what, but the question was whether he could do it without breaking company policy. In other words, making love to her. Screwing her, damn it. Making love was for guys like his buddy Mace.
Kayla and Admiral Austen popped into his head. The Admiral had risked not only his job but his life, because he loved her. Nina would have traveled to the four corners of the earth to help Mace overcome his injury. Captain Cobbs was a cold, lethal son of a bitch, but when it came to Marg he turned over and put all four paws in the air. When the right woman came into a man’s life, he’d risk everything to keep her, protect her. With his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he glanced around his bachelor pad. He liked his space. Variety and no lingering responsibilities worked for him.
Why the hell was he thinking about this shit anyway? Lumin had asked for his help, not his han
d in marriage for Christ’s sake.
An hour passed by, then two. He glanced at the clock just as the short arm was about to strike zero-three-hundred hours.
The shattering of glass and Lumin’s scream vaulted him from the couch; he swiped the weapon from the table before his feet hit the floor. He nearly knocked her over in the hallway. He didn’t wait, snagging her hand and running for the living room. Two options. How many men were there? Fuck it. Front door. With a gentle push, he held Lumin against the wall, at the same time feeling her fluttering heart on his arm. He opened the door ready to fire. Clear.
With a thunk a bullet shot through the drywall left of his head. Pushing Lumin behind him and swinging around he fired back, missing the dark shadow who careened back into the hallway for cover.
“Let’s go,” he whispered. Eyes everywhere, he ran for his car, digging for his keys. The second bullet passed him on the left and dug itself into the grass. They were aiming for him, not Lumin. She dove into the passenger side of his car. “Head down.” Two more bullets struck the back window as the engine roared to life. He floored it, leaving a half inch of tread on the road. Lumin straightened, and he pressed her down again. “Not yet.” He glanced in the rear view mirror. Headlights, two blocks behind him. Time for some evasive driving.
“Where are we going?” she asked, fingers gripping his leg.
“The base. They can’t follow us there. Hang on.” He took the corners hard and sharp. If he attracted a cop’s attention, all the better, but whenever ya needed one...
The engine roared with his foot heavy on the gas as they slid onto the Strand. The lights weren’t behind him anymore, but that didn’t mean shit. Braking hard in front of the security gate, he showed his ID.
“And who’s that?” the young security guard asked.
This guy had to be new.
“A guest.” He darted a look behind him. A black two door Ford Acura crawled by.
“She’ll have to get clearance, and…”
“I need in these gates. Call Admiral Austen for clearance.”
“You know the Ghost?” The kid’s face lit up.
“Kid, I’m gonna have your job in thirty seconds flat if you don’t let me in.”
“Sir, if there’s a security issue, I need to know about it.”
“I’m not a sir. Ah, fuck it.” He hit the speed dial for the Admiral. A groggy Kayla answered.
“Tinman, what’s wrong?” Before the sentence was out, she was fully awake.
“Bad guys came looking for Lumin. I’m at the base gates. The new kid doesn’t want to let me in without the red tape.”
A couple seconds later, the phone in the security hut rang and the kid answered it. “Yes, sir. Immediately.” The kid hung up. “You’re cleared. I’m sorry, sir.”
“Told you kid, I’m not a sir.” The bar rose, and he drove through with a sigh of relief. His cell rang. “You mind getting that?”
Lumin answered. “Hi, Kayla, yeah we’re in. Okay, I’ll tell him.” She disconnected. “Kayla said we need to go to Admiral Pennington’s office. Admiral Austen is on his way, and he’s got information.”
“We’ll make a quick stop at the team boatshed.”
“Why?”
Lumin had put things in perspective quickly. He liked the fact that she had her head on straight. He stopped the car and got out. “Come on.”
They entered the boathouse, but since luck seemed to float between good and bad, the shed was filled with a class of recruits. They watched as he and Lumin strode in with him shirtless and her pant-less and a skimpy slip of a top. Of course, she was getting all the attention. “Eyes front, assholes,” he barked at them. CPO Barber looked up and his brows popped. “Don’t ask.”
Barber gave him a halfhearted salute. “Put your eyes back on your gear, gentlemen,” Barber ordered, but that didn’t stop a few sideways smirks.
Tony cracked his locker and pulled out a shirt, and handed Lumin some pants. “Can’t be meeting up with the Base Commander and the Admiral with those gorgeous legs to distract them.”
“Thanks.” She slipped them on and he chuckled seeing them drape from her hips.
He snagged a belt from his locker and slipped it through the loops, not minding the close contact while he worked it around her waist.
“I can do that, ya know,” she said, followed by a quirk of her lips.
“What fun would that be?” He stepped away and let her buckle it. “Did you see them?”
“Only for a second.”
“Caucasian?”
She wrapped the extra belt halfway around her waist, and tucked it in. “No, dark-skinned. At least the first guy who came through the window.”
Tony buttoned his shirt. “Well, we know you were right about being followed. They must have been on your tail since you left yesterday morning.”
“They tried to kill me,” she said it as if she didn’t quite believe it herself, swallowing and gazing up at him. “Thank you. I don’t think I’d be alive now if I hadn’t called you.”
His fingers itched to palm her delicate jaw and draw her to him, but he couldn’t, especially not with an audience. “You’re a smart woman. Even on your own, I think you could have outwitted them. Ya ready to meet the Base Commander? He’s a tough old bastard, but he’s also one smart SEAL.”
“Tony?” He nodded, taking a step to distance himself. “Do you think I’m going to have to hide for the rest of my life? Is everything I’ve worked for gone because of one lousy decision?”
“No, Lumin. I know you’re out of your comfort zone right now. Most civilians would be, but you’re not most women.” He gently palmed the hollow in her back, guiding her out.
“But you have to leave on deployment soon. I keep asking myself, what then?”
He stopped her once they’d cleared the entrance to the boathouse and away from prying eyes. “One step at a time, my lady.” His itchy fingers got their way and he brushed her cheek. So soft. “I think it would have been me who’d be lost if you’d been hurt.” He held his breath, and when her gaze shot to his lips it was like a HALO, High Altitude Low Opening, jump from a plane. He dove for her parted mouth…and oh, heaven help him, it was more than beautiful.
His other hand snaked around her waist, crushing her against his chest. The sound of the sea close by went silent while a white surf surged inside him. His soul opened up and roared at him. With palms flat on his back, she clung to him. He’d felt lust before, but he’d never known thunder. With two steps, he had her pinned against the wall. His mouth and tongue had a mission of their own, and it scared him because every woman before her vacated his memory. The smell of her skin, the taste of her lips rallied together, overwhelmed him, leaving him senseless.
The sound of the men preparing to depart the boathouse rallied his senses. Opening his eyes, he allowed himself to drown in hers. She looked as overwhelmed as he felt. His heart thumped with an uneven beat as he drew her delicate hand into his. The impending meeting had better be quick. If her kiss could do this to him, making love to her would shatter both of them.
Chapter Three
Admiral Austen intercepted them as they entered the Base Commander’s office. Lumin’s bravery fizzled seeing the admiral’s business expression which looked more like a man on a mission to kill. It turned out he’d been on the phone to Washington when Tony had called to request entry onto the base.
Admiral Pennington was already in his office waiting for them. After the introductions were made, they each took a seat. Lumin gazed around the room pausing on the pictures and awards tacked on the wall behind the large maple desk. Nothing was out of place, and every surface shone. Pennington greeted them with a serious expression on his aging face.
Admiral Austen settled in a chair to her left. The guy was huge. Lumin wondered how he didn’t crush Kayla, a waif of a woman, when they made love, but what did she know about that? Nothing. At least not until a few minutes ago when Tony left her dizzy with his kiss.
&nbs
p; “I called a friend in Washington to get details,” the Admiral announced, breaking into her foggy thoughts.
Admiral Pennington leaned forward. “You called the President at this hour, Ghost? Christ!”
Austen deflected the comment. “They’re three hours ahead of us, and he’s up at zero-five-thirty to jog every morning. I asked him if he had been given any details on this threat.”
“And?” Pennington sat back and waited.
“The answer was yes. For security reasons only he, Boiston of CDC and Harrelson at the CIA know the details, although they are scant. Miss Edenridge provided more information than the White House possessed. After what just occurred at Petty Officer Bale’s home, I’d say the threat has merit.”
“Agreed.” Pennington turned his shrewd gaze on her. “Miss Edenridge, we’ll put you in protective custody. Under Naval law we can do this, and keep you here for national security reasons.”
Tony leaned forward. “Sir, I have offered to stay with—”
“You’re deploying in five days, are you not, Petty Officer Bale?” Admiral Pennington’s gruff words suggested Tony cease and desist.
Tony shot a look at Admiral Austen then said, “Yes, sir.”
A muscle ticced in Tony’s neck and Lumin’s pulse stepped up the pace to match it. Tony was being ordered away from her.
Admiral Pennington’s shaved head and perma-frown unsettled her.
“You’ll be protected, Miss Edenridge, I promise you that,” he said.
“Sol?” Admiral Austen stood. “I need Petty Officer Bale to remain with her. If she’s a target, he has enough experience to keep her safe until we know more.”
Pennington eyed Tony then her. Not flinching under his scrutiny was difficult. She knew absolutely nothing about the politics of the Navy, but she was thankful Admiral Austen was trying to keep them together. She wasn’t sure who outranked who, but she prayed it was Admiral Austen.
“You can accompany Ms. Edenridge for a week, Bale,” Pennington said. “I’d like to speak with Admiral Austen in private. You’re dismissed, Petty Officer Bale. Thank you for bringing this information forward, Ms. Edenridge. I’ll approve temporary quarters on the base for you.”
Code Name: Luminous Page 4