“Shhh. Shhh. You’re safe. Can you hear me, Kiley? You’re here right now with me, and you’re safe.”
“Yes. Love me, Jason. Please make it go away.”
“I’m right here, sweetheart.”
Their lips collided with need. His fingers worked up the back of her spine, into her hair. His lips caressed her neck, her ear. The more he kissed her the more she felt his fire, his passion.
“You’re okay, Kiley. Everything’s fine.”
“Love me, Jason. Please, love me.”
He moaned, holding her so tight she thought perhaps she wouldn’t be able to breathe again. Those soft words brought her back to life as his flesh made her body tingle with desire. She was beneath his massive form, her arms at the sides, fingers entangled in fingers, her inner thigh rubbing against his hip, needing him with a burning she’d not felt before.
He inhaled, crouching above her, not pressing into her body, but angling over her. His face down, he leaned closer until he covered her mouth. His tongue sought refuge inside her while his cock pressed, finding the glory trail that led inside her. Inch by slow inch, she felt the power of his pulsing cock, rooting out all doubt and cancelling all her worries.
There was freedom in the way he played her like an instrument, letting her body soar. She grew wings. She drew light from him, her hands touching his patterns and loving the stories there without even knowing what they were. His deep guttural moans sang of welcome satisfaction when he began their descent. He held her shaking body, whispering things she didn’t understand until her breathing settled, and she glowed from the feel of his flesh pressing into hers.
He covered them with the bedsheet, still inside her, and commanded her to go back to sleep.
Light from the morning covered her face and chest. She was alone in the bed. She smelled coffee. Opening her eyes, she saw a dark form sitting in the corner of the room, not making a sound. Afraid at first, before she saw him raise a mug to his lips and drink.
She wondered what he was thinking. Was there a dark cloud hanging over his head? Had she ruined her welcome?
“Ready for coffee?” he asked softly.
She sat up, rubbing her eyes and repositioning her hair. “Yes. That would be wonderful.”
His naked form, a combination of oversized muscle mass and tiny waist, was just as beautiful to watch from behind as it was to see him come back. His careful hands cupped hers and placed the mug there so it wouldn’t tip. He took up a seat next to her. His face stayed close while she drank her first sips. He brushed the hair from her face and studied her, concern creasing his forehead.
“Do you wake up like that a lot?” he asked.
“Just started happening again. I don’t remember where I was but it felt so real. No idea what triggered it. I’ve always been afraid of getting trapped under water or buried alive. It’s a dream I used to have when I was a child.”
“Can you remember when it started?”
She smiled, remembering playing all afternoon in the lush backyard of her family home. Her mother would let her play there for hours all alone.
“What’s the smile for?” he asked.
“I used to have this playhouse, it was an old abandoned greenhouse covered in vines at our old house. We’d moved into a new neighborhood, and I didn’t know any of the kids, so my dad repaired it, converting it into my special playhouse and I loved being there.” She looked up at Jason. “I felt safe there.”
He nodded. “That sounds like a happy memory, not the stuff of nightmares.”
“It is.” She shook her head. “I mean, it was. It was my sanctuary, and I’d hide there all day. What about you?”
“I used to have a pretend house, a fort, really. I made this special place in the foliage, cutting branches and making room for a private space only I knew how to get into. It had a winding path, completely obscured from the outside so I could sneak in there and watch people walk by, listening to them without being detected. I used to pretend I was on a secret mission.”
“Like you do now?”
“No, it’s completely different. But I guess the sneaking in and out is the same. I liked knowing I could be very quiet. Learned to hold my breath and avert my eyes so they wouldn’t know someone was there. I’d surprise little ground squirrels when they discovered my hiding place.”
Kiley took another sip and smiled. She wondered whatever had happened to that little house they left behind when they moved again. Her dad had strengthened it so well it was probably still there, she thought.
“I loved that garden. I had a bedroom that overlooked the yard and the greenhouse. The house had two upstairs bedrooms and two big attics, and while my parents and my brother slept downstairs, I had the whole upper floor to myself. One night, I locked myself in the attic and couldn’t get out.”
“What did you do?”
“I cried myself to sleep. I spent the night there. I woke up in the morning hearing my mother screaming, thinking I’d been kidnapped. I used to wake up remembering that when I was a kid. Hearing her scream was worse than being alone.”
He pressed his palm against her cheek. “I think under stress, perhaps part of that fear gets launched, like some kind of pattern. Don’t run away from it. Embrace it until it no longer makes you afraid.”
“Jason, I’m so sorry about this morning. I haven’t had that dream for years until this week. Not sure why it’s coming up now.”
“Well, look at the situation you’re in. I think it’s perfectly understandable, considering.” He examined his fingers curled in his lap. “It’s a form of stress. We’ve seen it on the Teams. As medics, we’re always on the lookout for someone who doesn’t get enough sleep or can’t sleep. Perhaps that experience held more trauma than you realized at the time.”
“Maybe.”
“That’s why I want you to consider carefully what you’re doing.”
“I have.”
“I know it’s what you’re telling yourself what you want to do, but is it really something you can handle, something that is healthy to be involved with?”
She was unclear about his intentions. Did he not understand how important it was for her to do something to save those victims? That she had the power to stop some of it. Surely he didn’t expect she could just walk away? Anger began to spread as her heartbeat kicked up.
“Are you telling me I should abandon my cause? Do you know what I’ve seen, uncovered? If I told you—”
“I don’t want to know, because I’m not supposed to be involved. But I can imagine. I’ve seen some pretty awful stuff too. We’re trained for that, or at least try to be. You’re a civilian. Don’t underestimate the effects of fear on the human body. Sometimes long-time criminals who get away get tired of looking over their shoulders and commit a crime just to be caught so they don’t have to live with the uncertainty of it. It takes lots of training to not allow your fears to make choices that might not be in your best interest. Think about that, Kiley.”
“I can handle it.”
But she could see he wasn’t convinced, and that bothered her. Maybe he didn’t believe in her abilities to finish her mission.
“Don’t you think I’m strong enough to deal with it?” she asked.
“How can you prepare for something you don’t completely understand? Did it occur to you that what you’ve stumbled upon is bigger than it appears on the surface? What if you’ve hit a hornet’s nest? Make sure you’re not spinning a fairy tale, Kiley. Very dangerous to underestimate the enemy. And it comes at you when you least expect it.”
“Now you sound like my editor. Although at first, he didn’t believe a word I was saying.”
“I believe you, Kiley. But I’m not sure you’re seeing the big picture. You didn’t sign on as a detective, and you have no training in that. These guys do this sort of thing all the time, and even they miss stuff. They get blindsided by things out of their control. And they’re trained to look in all the right places. You could have stumbled onto som
ething like that.”
“You’re scaring me, Jason.”
“Good. I think you should take on a heavy dose of reality. Not fear, but the reality of the situation.”
She winced. The more they talked about it, the worse she felt.
“Kiley, let’s just wait to see what happens with the story. Maybe you’re right. Maybe shining the light on their activities will cause other wheels to grind into motion and the authorities can do the rest, like you hoped. But it takes more than hope and determination to come up against these guys.”
She finished her coffee, frowned and handed him the mug.
“I think you worry too much, Jason. I must have just forgotten where I was. That must have caused the dream. You’re acting like I have some form of latent trauma, which is ridiculous. I’m going to take a shower.”
The warm water completed the job of bringing her back to life. She thought about the other SEALs she met last night and the women who were with them. She had expected to hear war stories, but all they talked about were the practical jokes they played on each other all the time and the things they did while they were waiting. Lots of waiting. It was a surprise to learn that was their biggest complaint, to be all geared up and ready only to have to wait and hope that their timing wasn’t off.
She told them a little about what she’d been doing, trying to expose abuses going on in women’s shelters and how young women and children were being smuggled into the city and used for sex. She’d uncovered a network of City-sponsored women’s shelters that were fronts for what looked to her like organized crime enterprises. That’s when the team guys got silent. The questions stopped and she hesitated to go into much more detail. She saw their eyes travel from her face to Jason’s. Some kind of signal was given.
“You’re naming names in this article of yours?” finally asked Cory.
“Some, yes.”
Corey returned her comment with a whistle. Jason’s former teammate, Andy, made a point of telling her he hoped she was taking precautions and that she should be very careful.
“Hell, I’d just stay here,” Cory answered.
The conversation ended. After they’d consumed all the beer, Andy handed Jason a guitar and asked him to sing.
As the water continued sluicing down her body, she remembered Jason holding the guitar with reverence. She remembered how his magic fingers toyed and tuned the strings just like he’d played her body. He closed his eyes and began singing old favorite Hawaiian songs, his voice lilting and full of passion. Into the firelight, he sang his gift that soared to the heavens with the fingerlings of fire.
As she dried off, she remembered the hush that came over the group and his peaceful smile as he dedicated a Hawaiian love song to Kiley he refused to translate.
When she walked into the bedroom to gather her clothes, Jason was on his phone. He hung up, a somber expression taking over his face.
“Bad news?” she asked.
“I’m afraid so. I’ve got orders to report back to Coronado.”
“Just you?”
“No, Damon and another guy here from our Team. We’re to catch a flight tomorrow around noon. So this is our last night here.”
She was crestfallen. There was so little time. So much had not been said.
“So what does that mean?”
“Well, it means we’re going to get together tonight, like we planned. But it will have to be an early night. Then I’ve got to leave you, Kiley.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Can’t say, and we really never know.” He shook his right shoulder. “They’ll have all the details worked out by the time we get to California tomorrow. We could fly out right away, or it could be hurry up and wait.”
“Is this how it always is?”
“More and more, yes. We’re called as needed. Stuff happens. It never happens on schedule.”
He watched her get dressed. She could tell he wanted to say something but was holding back. Then he whispered, “I’m so sorry, Kiley. I truly am.”
It sounded more like a final good-bye than a good-bye for now. Her stomach began to burn. She was fighting inside—fighting something she would have to accept later. This untimely mission might mean that the relationship which had begun between them would forever be dashed, never given a chance to grow and develop into something she was sure would be beautiful and everlasting. But was this her imagination running wild again? Was he right? Was she chasing windmills and trying to do things that were impossible? Was any of this real?
His face was without emotion. A mask had covered what was once there.
Unsure whether or not it was her right to ask, she decided to pose her question.
“Will I see you again?”
“Of course. Sort of depends on you, though,” he said.
“How do you mean?”
Jason’s face was hard to read. “We’ve had a nice time together. Kind of took me by surprise, to be honest. I normally don’t do this sort of thing,” he said.
“What sort of thing?”
“Jump in fast. Play house on the first date, that sort of thing. Maybe I’ve been unfair to you. I’d like to stay in touch, but I have no expectations, nor do I have any claim on you, Kiley. You’re here, in Florida, but your real life’s in Portland. My life’s in Coronado, and it has to remain that way. I expected we’d have some time to talk, you know. Get to know each other more, but—”
“We’ve talked,” she joked, trying to keep it lighthearted, but her insides were shredded. She hoped her mask was holding up as well as his was.
“Yeah, we did.” He looked down at her with a grin that sent sizzles down her spine.
She knew he was right. They’d jumped in so deep without knowing anything about each other, and now separating so soon felt like the end of a beautiful dream. It was going to be hard to concentrate, thinking about what a wonderful time they’d had. It was more than sex for her. She was going to miss him for reasons she couldn’t work out yet. She just knew it was going to be the case.
“You didn’t get to see the best part of Florida,” she finally said.
He studied her body slowly, the grin deepening. “I think I saw all the best parts of Florida. Those are places I’d like to return to, some day, when the time is right.”
“So would I, Jason. Is it wrong for me to want to see you again? After I get home, can you visit me up there?” A tiny slip of fear cooled her veins. She didn’t want to hold on too tightly. She could scare him away.
“You’re still thinking about going back to Portland?”
“I can’t stay here forever.”
Jason looked through the window to the beach and waves beyond. “There are worse places to be. It’s kinda grown on me. But I understand. Hawaii will always be my true home, too.”
She walked to the sliding glass door, looking out at the ocean. She didn’t want this to end, but she was a grown up. The best thing she could do right now was to show him that. Besides, there had never been any promises made, like Jason said. Their worlds were so far apart it was hard to imagine they could stay connected, as nice as it felt to think about it that way.
“Come on. Let’s take a walk,” he urged.
He took her hand, and they made their way down to the surf. Kids were digging in the sand, creating forts and collecting shells. Couples of various ages walked slowly by. The bicycle crowd was missing today, but a group of women runners greeted them. It was almost painful for her to see normal life breezing by, seemingly carefree, while she was carrying such a heavy burden, knowing that she was going to have to let go of something she wasn’t ready to release. She was going to miss him.
Barefoot, they let the water lap at their feet. The full noonday sun wasn’t out yet. He pulled her hand and they walked along the shore.
“Tell me about Hawaii?” she asked, thinking it might be the last time they could talk about it.
“Hard to describe how I feel about her. Whenever I think of home, I smell flower
s, I see dancing, family get-togethers, the little kids running around, barbequed pig and fresh fruit. Hawaii is like a beautiful woman with a perfect body, who will never grow old. The sunsets are like here.”
“Sounds beautiful.”
“People come from all over the world. We used to say in high school that Hawaii always breaks everyone’s hearts. They want to come back, but most never do. I guess that’s like here,” he said.
Kiley didn’t agree. “No, you’re wrong. People come here to heal. I have this plaque at my place—”
“I’ve seen it. The beach heals everything.”
“Yes. That’s the way it is. There’s a part of me that never wants to leave. Yes, I’ve carved out a place in Portland, but when I’m done saving the world, maybe I’ll come back here and just heal.”
“That’s when you’ll fall in love, Kiley.”
The comment disturbed her. He was slipping away right in front of her and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. And then his final thought drove the final wedge into her heart.
“When your work is done, you’ll find someone on a beach just like this. And you’ll set down roots. I’ll go home to Hawaii and pick myself a nice island girl and make lots of keiki, kids.”
She turned so he wouldn’t see her tears. Mustering all the strength she could find, she bravely continued, trying not to let her voice waver.
“After you’re done saving the world.”
He nodded, “Yes, after I’m done.”
The timing of all this sucked. Why couldn’t they have met in a different time. Maybe same place, but different time.
“So why did you say it was up to me?”
He led her to sit on the sand several feet from the surf.
He kissed her hand. “When you’re done battling those demons in Portland, if you come back here, maybe I’ll join you. But only after you’re done. And only after I’m done.”
What was he saying? Was there hope, still? Taking a deep breath, she stopped short. She didn’t have words to answer him.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Kiley.” He faced the ocean, but his hand still held hers. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
Escape To Sunset: One Night Stand Romance-Hiding From The Mob (Sunset SEALs Book 4) Page 8