by Elle James
“Wait?” she wailed. “How can I when I want you inside me now?” How could the man tease her when she was on the very edge of the most profound lovemaking she’d ever experienced?
He laughed as he dived sideways, rescued his trousers from the floor and pulled a foil packet from the pocket.
When Jake righted himself on the bed, Alex took the packet from his fingers, tore it open and rolled the protection down over him. Without pausing, she gripped his hips and guided him to her aching, dripping channel.
Jake took over from there, easing into her, letting her adjust to his girth before taking it all the way. He sucked in a deep breath and held steady, buried deep inside her. Then he pulled back out and slid in again, settling into a smooth rhythm that grew faster with each thrust.
His body tensed as he slammed into her once more and remained deep inside. His shaft shook in spasms as he spent his seed.
Alex lay against the mattress, her mind blown, her body deliciously sated and her heart already grieving the loss. Because when they went their separate ways, she’d never see this amazing man again.
* * *
JAKE DROPPED DOWN on top of Alex, gathered her in his arms and rolled onto his side, taking her with him. He maintained their intimate connection, reluctant to leave her body when he felt so right inside her.
She’d been every bit as passionate as he had, taking charge when she wanted more and giving him her all. Not only was she gutsy, she was beautiful and amazing in bed and out. How could he walk away from her when their mission in Niger ended?
He lay beside her, stroking her hip, her arm, her hair, memorizing how she felt beneath his fingertips. When they parted, all he’d have left were the memories of making love to her and hiking through the hills of Niger with her at his side.
“I’ll miss you when this is all over,” Alex said and yawned, her eyes drifting closed.
Jake smoothed a strand of hair off her cheek. “We can see each other again. This doesn’t have to be the end.”
Without opening her eyes, she gave him a sad smile. “I’ll be somewhere in Africa, teaching. You’ll go on to your next mission...”
He didn’t want to think they would never see each other again. Now that he’d found Alex, he didn’t want to let go. “You’ll eventually come back to the States, won’t you?”
“Probably, but I don’t know when or where I’ll land. You can’t wait for me.” She rolled into his side and pressed her lips into his chest.
“What if I want to?” he whispered.
She didn’t answer. Slowly Alex’s breathing became more regular and her pulse slowed as she fell asleep snuggled into his side, her cheek against his heart, her arm over his chest.
For a long time, Jake lay awake, wondering what the next day held in store for him and his SEAL team. Mostly he wondered where it would lead with Alex. He couldn’t let her go back to the village.
He and his team could launch an extraction mission to recover the missionaries, but they’d need additional ammunition and support from the rest of the unit back in Djibouti. That would take time. He wasn’t sure Alex would be okay with waiting for that support to arrive.
Somehow, he had to convince her it was the right thing to do. If not, he might have to go it alone. He wouldn’t want to risk the lives of the small contingent of SEALs there in Niamey on a promise he’d made.
The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself going in alone would be the answer. At the very least, he’d be able to assess the situation. If he could get the couple out without the assistance of his team, all the better. The trick would be to keep Alex from coming with him.
To do that, he had to put one of his buddies on her to hold her back. As he lay with Alex in his arms, a plan formed.
Well before sunrise, Jake pressed a gentle kiss to Alex’s lips without waking her and then rose from the bed. He took the time to slip into his pants and padded barefoot around the room gathering the rest of his clothing. Jake exited the room, pulling the door closed as quietly as he could. He hurried to his room, shucked the suit pants and climbed into his freshly laundered uniform, impressed by how quickly the embassy staff had cleaned and returned the items. Dressed and ready before sunrise, Jake made his way to T-Mac’s room.
His teammate answered the door quickly. Jake knew the man wouldn’t have gone to sleep with so many questions still up in the air.
T-Mac shoved a hand through his hair and yawned. “What are you doing up so early?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” Jake stepped past T-Mac and his friend closed the door behind him. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“Name it.” T-Mac strode barefoot back to the desk where he’d set up the borrowed laptop.
“I need you to run interference with Alex and the rest of the team.”
T-Mac frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I’m going back to that village to see if I can locate the missionaries. If I’m able to get in and get them out, I’ll bring them back with me. If not, I’ll return for assistance. But I at least want to put eyes on the target.”
Before he’d finished speaking, T-Mac was already shaking his head. “No way. You can’t go there alone.”
“I can, and it makes sense.” Jake paced the short length of the room and turned. “If I go alone, I can get in and out without being detected. If I’m caught, I’ll say I went AWOL and tell them the rest of the team knew nothing about my reconnaissance mission back to the village. You will all be in the clear.”
“Thanks, but I’m not as worried about what the higher-ups will think as I am worried that you will be caught and used as an example of what happens when US military gets involved in Niger affairs.”
“It’s a chance I have to take. I can’t drag everyone else into this, and I can’t sit around and wait until Alex takes matters into her own hands and attempts a rescue on her own.”
“Are you going to do this whether or not I agree with it?” T-Mac asked.
Jake nodded. “I am.”
“Then get going. I’ll see what I can do to sit on Miss Parker.”
“And keep the team from coming after me, will ya?” Jake added. “This is my issue. None of you need to be involved.”
“Uh, yeah.” T-Mac turned away. “I can’t make that promise.”
Jake knew he was asking a lot of T-Mac. “Please. Don’t let Alex follow me. And at least wait until I’m gone before you clue the rest of the team in on where I’m going. And if things go south, let them know... Well, you know.”
T-Mac locked forearms with Jake and pulled him into a bear hug. “Don’t stick your neck out too far. ISIS won’t cut you any slack.”
Jake didn’t expect a promise not to do anything from his teammate; in fact, he anticipated T-Mac would notify his team before he had a chance to collect his weapon at the gate and find transportation back to the village. If he were in T-Mac’s shoes, he’d do the same. He just prayed he wasn’t leading them all into one hot mess of a confrontation with the ISIS militants. Without the supporting artillery and additional SEALs, they didn’t stand any more of a chance than they had during the first altercation.
But, this time, he had the element of surprise on his side. Who would expect a lone SEAL to infiltrate a stronghold? The SEAL would have to be crazy.
Or crazy in love.
Chapter Twelve
Alex woke to the sun creeping in around the edges of the blackout hotel curtains.
She stretched languorously and smiled. That was what incredibly great sex did for someone. It made her wake up feeling rested and deliciously satisfied.
The pillow beside her was empty, but that didn’t alarm her. She figured Jake was either in the bathroom or had gone next door to dress for the day, leaving her to sleep off the effects of two days in the hills.
She rose and took her time in the shower, lett
ing the warm water wash over her skin. Her nerve endings were strangely sensitized to anything that touched her, reminding her of every inch Jake had kissed.
Once she’d dried her hair and dressed in her laundered jeans and the shirt she’d purchased along with the dress the day before, Alex left her room and knocked on Jake’s door.
When she received no response, she knocked again, a niggle of irritation pulling her brow lower. She told herself it was okay. He’d probably gone to check status with his team or to find something to eat.
Alex went in search of the other men on the SEAL team. When she came to the corridor the other five men were staying on, she could hear voices behind T-Mac’s door. With her heart soaring in anticipation of seeing Jake again, Alex knocked on the door.
The voices grew silent.
A moment later, T-Mac opened the door. “Alex, please come in.”
She entered and smiled at the five men standing in the room that seemed far too small to hold their broad shoulders. Her smile faded. “Where’s Jake?”
Four of the five men looked toward one. T-Mac.
The SEAL ran a hand through his hair. “Alex...” T-Mac started, cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair again.
Her heart seized in her chest and she couldn’t find her next breath.
Harm stepped forward. “We were just discussing Jake, trying to decide what to do.”
“We can’t just go balls-to-the-walls after him,” T-Mac said. “We have to think through this issue and come up with a game plan—”
Alex sliced her hand through the air, cutting off T-Mac’s words. “What issue and where’s Jake?” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at each SEAL one at a time, her eyes narrowing until they were no more than slits.
T-Mac sighed. “He left this morning.”
“Left? For where?” Alex demanded.
“He’s going to find your missionaries,” Pitbull said. “He didn’t want you to go off all half-cocked, so he did.”
“Damned crazy if you ask me,” Diesel said. “If he doesn’t get himself killed, we’re gonna kill him for being a jerk.”
Her pulse pumped so hard against her eardrums she couldn’t hear herself think. “Let me get this straight... Jake went back to the village to find the Townsends?”
T-Mac nodded. “For the record, he didn’t want you to go after him.” The SEAL looked at the rest of his team. “He didn’t want any of us to go after him.”
Pitbull slammed his fist into his palm. “Well, that’s bullshit. What kind of team lets one of its own go solo?”
“Not this team,” Buck said.
“Damn right,” Harm agreed.
“The question is, what are we going to do about it?” T-Mac asked. “He’s got at least a two-hour lead on us.”
“Five or six of us are not going to win a frontal attack on them. We have to launch a subversive attack, sneak up on them and surprise them.”
Diesel nodded. “Yeah. We can’t let them know we’re coming. It gives them time to set up defense and repel our aggression. We have to hit them when they least expect it and run like hell to get away.”
“I’m going with you,” Alex said.
The room went deadly silent.
T-Mac held up his hands. “Jake wanted you to stay where it’s safe. I more or less promised to make sure you stayed.”
“Well, you’ll just have to break your promise. Because if you don’t take me, I’ll find my own way back to the village—with or without your help.”
“Alex, we can’t bring you along. Having you there will be a distraction that could get one of us or Jake killed.”
He had a point. But Alex wasn’t going to stay back in Niamey twiddling her thumbs while Jake and his team marched into the village and demanded the release of Reverend and Mrs. Townsend. Waiting for news would kill her. “I know which hut they were supposed to be in. If ISIS left them alone, they might still be in that hut. At the very least, if they left the mother and her baby there, she might know where they took the Townsends.”
“Then tell us where to look,” Harm said. “But we’ll be the ones to go into the village.”
Alex shook her head. “The villagers might not talk to strangers. They will be frightened of repercussions from ISIS. If I can get in there... They know me, they’ll talk to me.”
“The answer is still no,” T-Mac said. “Jake wanted me to make sure you stayed away from the village. He put me in charge of securing you.”
Alex stared at T-Mac over her crossed arms. “And you think you can keep me from doing whatever the hell I want?”
T-Mac cast a glance at Harm. “You tell her,” he said, and turned away.
“If you go after Jake, you put him and the rest of the team in danger. We’ll be too busy making certain your life is not at risk to protect our own.” Harm took her hand. “Think about it. If Jake discovers you there in the village, he’ll lose focus and potentially get himself killed. Do you want to be responsible for Jake’s death?”
Alex’s mouth set in a grim line. “If Jake dies, it’s his own damned fault for running off without getting proper backup.” She lifted her chin. “Go ahead, plan your own operation. I have plans of my own.” She walked to the door, turned and glared at the SEALs. “Whatever you do, get Jake out of there alive. That’s all I ask.”
She’d launch her own operation and fly solo.
Alex hurried back to her room, grabbed her passport and left again. She had some work to do to access her bank accounts and rent a vehicle. The embassy staff should be able to help her with the details. That was one of the reasons they were there. To help American citizens in trouble.
And if all else failed, Alex would steal a damned vehicle. She was going after Jake, come hell or high water.
* * *
JAKE WAS ABLE to borrow a vehicle from the embassy motor pool, promising to return it the next day. What he didn’t tell them was why he needed it and that there was a strong possibility that he wouldn’t return the SUV—or live to explain why. No one else needed to know that he was headed out on a potentially suicidal mission armed with a rifle, one magazine of ammunition and his trusty Ka-Bar knife.
He should be able to enter the village under the cover of night, find the missionaries and get them out without raising too much of a ruckus.
And pigs can fly.
All he could hope for was a miracle. He just couldn’t wait around for Alex to make the same move he was attempting. She’d be in a much worse position as a single female targeted by ISIS. With him, he could fight back and they’d probably just shoot him and drag his body around for show. With Alex, they’d do a lot worse than kill her.
Jake got an early start, setting out before the sun rose in the east. He covered quite a few miles before the big orange globe arose from the horizon. For the next couple of hours, he squinted at the bright sun as he drove along the rutted road toward the very village he’d escaped from days ago.
Several times he was slowed by herds of goats or cattle crossing the road in front of him. He slowed and inched his way through. When he came within five miles of the village where the ISIS militants had ambushed them and where he’d subsequently met Alex, he pulled over a hundred yards off the road. In a copse of trees and bushes, he hid the SUV, piling branches and brush around it to hide it from anyone passing by. He would need to bring the missionaries back this way and have a vehicle to transport them away from their captors.
If he found them, if they were still alive and if he was able to sneak them out of the village.
If, if, if.
At a little past noon, he walked away from the SUV, moving through the trees and brush toward his goal. He wouldn’t attempt to enter the village until nightfall, but he could scout out the sentries guarding the perimeter.
By now Alex would be awake. The guys would have told
her he’d left, and she’d be in a lather to follow. He prayed T-Mac and the rest of the team were successful in keeping her from climbing into a vehicle and setting out on her own.
He couldn’t think about Alex now. Finding the Townsends was his major concern, and he focused all of his attention on getting close to the village without being spotted.
When he spied the first hut on the edge of the small village, he squatted between the branches of a bush, brought his rifle to his shoulder and peered through the scope.
A few women moved about the village, herding children or cooking and preparing food. On the surface, everything appeared to be normal.
Then he spotted a man in black garb shoving an elderly villager in front of him. The gray-haired old man fell to his knees. His tormentor kicked him in the side and yelled at him.
The old man staggered to his feet and kept moving toward one of the larger huts in the center of the village.
ISIS was still in charge, and the villagers were under their command. So much for hoping they’d only hit the village and moved on. Apparently, they were there to stay, and the Niger government wasn’t doing anything to change the status quo.
Jake couldn’t make his move until dark settled over the village, but he could look at the situation from all sides.
Over the course of the next six hours, he made a wide circle around the outskirts of the village, counting eight guards positioned at intervals all around it. Most carried AK-47 model rifles. They leaned against trees or squatted on the ground with their rifles lying beside them in the dirt. Evidently, they weren’t expecting much action.
Throughout the day, Jake looked for signs of the missionaries. So far, he hadn’t seen them. But the good news was he hadn’t seen any bodies, either. If the ISIS fighters had killed the elderly couple, they wouldn’t have done them the honor of burying them. That wasn’t their way. If anything, they would have found a way to parade them before the others as a deterrent against subversive behavior.
