Securing Caite

by Susan Stoker

  “You can’t guarantee that,” Caite protested.

  “How about this then—I’ll do everything in my power to treat you with care. To think before I speak and to make sure to always put you first in my life.”

  Tears filled Caite’s eyes at that. “And I’ll do the same with you,” she told him.

  Rocco hugged her tighter.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  “It’s still light out,” Caite said.

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m not done with you yet,” Rocco said drowsily. “Didn’t get to eat you out. And I need to make sure you know what just happened was an anomaly.”

  “Making me orgasm so hard I saw stars?” Caite teased, feeling weirdly energized. Funnily enough, it seemed Rocco was the one who passed out after sex rather than her.

  “No, that should happen every time we make love, otherwise I’m not doing my job and being a selfish asshole. What I meant was me coming first. I don’t like doing that, and I promise I won’t make a habit of it. I needed to be inside you too badly this first time.”

  “It’s okay,” Caite said, not lying.

  “All the same, I’m gonna take a nap, then when I wake up, I’m gonna eat you out and take you the way I wanted to all along. Slow and sweet. Then fast and hard.”

  “Oh. Um… Okay.”

  “Sleep, Caite. It might be light outside right now, but I guarantee by the time morning comes, you’re gonna wish you could sleep for a few more hours.”

  “You aren’t going to PT tomorrow?”

  “No. I’m going to get all the physical training I need right here in our bed tonight.”

  Caite blushed. She wasn’t used to this kind of frank talk.

  “I’m not sure your commander will go for that.”

  Rocco chuckled. “Sleep, ma petite fée.”

  Every time he called her his small fairy in his adorably bad French accent, something inside Caite rolled over and showed its belly. She liked caving to him. Not that she’d do it all the time, but here in his bed? Safe in his arms? Pressed to his naked body? She had no problem with it.

  Despite feeling wide awake, Caite was asleep in minutes. She had no idea Rocco watched her sleep for at least an hour before he eventually succumbed as well.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A week later, Rocco was even more frustrated than he’d been when he’d found out Caite had been targeted by an unknown assailant.

  They’d met with NCIS and she’d been interrogated behind a closed door for five hours. Five hours during which Rocco thought he was going to lose his mind. If it hadn’t been for Bubba and Ace holding him back, he would’ve stormed through the interrogation room door and carried her out of there.

  They’d given her a book full of names, pictures, and ranks of every naval officer stationed at the base in San Diego, and when she hadn’t been able to recognize any of them, they’d pulled up records of every admiral and captain in the entire navy. It had been hundreds of names overall, which only served to stress out an already exhausted Caite, rather than help her remember.

  His mood hadn’t gotten any better when he’d seen how tired and haggard she looked when she’d finally emerged from the room.

  But with all the investigating on NCIS’s side, and Commander North keeping his ear to the ground, and even with Tex trying to see what he could find, they still didn’t know the name of the person behind the attempts on Caite’s life.

  The man who’d tried to run her down was long gone. Even the guy who’d held up the convenience store was in the wind. The carjacker was dead, and for some reason no one could figure out who he was. Inexplicably, the search for fingerprints had been a dead end, which didn’t make sense…unless whoever was the mastermind behind all this had some serious connections.

  Tex had put pressure on Customs and they’d intercepted three shipments of ancient artifacts that had tried to enter the country. Rocco knew as well as anyone that losing those deals wasn’t going to go over well with the person organizing everything. The buyers would be pissed, and that meant the man in charge was going to have a lot of pressure on him to deliver.

  It meant lost money, and losing money was never a good thing when it came to criminals. Not only that, but his reputation was on the line, and men who dealt with stolen antiquities wouldn’t take kindly to having their priceless artifacts intercepted.

  Rocco could feel the tension in Caite. He wouldn’t let her go back to her apartment by herself, and everywhere she went, either Rocco or one of his teammates was by her side. He suspected she was frustrated with the lack of progress in the case and the way he was hovering. Rocco knew they both needed a break.

  The only time she seemed completely relaxed was at night when they made love. She lost all inhibitions when he touched her, and he loved being able to get her out of her head, to think about nothing but him. But in the morning, he could literally see the stress leak back into her eyes, and he hated it.

  Rocco had already talked to Slade “Cutter” Cutsinger about seeing if he could pull some strings and find a contractor job for Caite. Cutter was one of the best administrative assistants he’d worked with in the navy. He worked for a different commander, but Rocco figured he probably knew enough people to help Caite.

  He hadn’t told Caite yet, as he didn’t want her anywhere near the base until whoever wanted her dead was behind bars, but he knew she needed to work. It had only been a week since the carjacking attempt, but even so, sitting in his apartment all day was beginning to get to her. She wasn’t the type of woman who would be content to just let him bring home the bacon, so to speak.

  Caite was currently sitting at the table in his kitchen, absently doing a word search puzzle and drinking coffee. He hadn’t planned on taking her anywhere, but was desperate to see her relaxed and happy.

  “There’s a thing this afternoon that I thought you might want to go to with me.”

  “A thing?” she asked, interest sparkling in her eyes for the first time in a week.

  “Yeah. Every few months, the Navy SEAL units try to have family events at the beach. Get all the families together and have a good time without having to worry about rules and regulations.”

  “So it’s a beach party?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

  “Yes and no. It’s not held on the base, so there’s alcohol allowed, but since there are kids there, it never gets completely crazy. There are a few beaches we rotate around to and it’s generally a laid-back good time.”

  “Is it safe?” Caite asked.

  Rocco loathed that she even had to worry about that. But he wouldn’t lie to her. “As safe as it can be. There will be several SEAL teams there. I know how hard the last week has been for you, and I hate it. I’d love to introduce you to another SEAL team I know, and their families. Wolf is one of the best SEALs I’ve ever met, as are his teammates. I know being with me isn’t a walk in the park, and I thought having other SEAL women to talk to would be good. I told you about them earlier. You can ask them stuff you might not want to ask me. Get their perspective on what it’s like to be married to a SEAL.”

  At his last words, her eyes got big.

  Rocco went over to her side and got down on one knee. “I’m not asking you to marry me right this second, ma petite fée, but I am saying I want you in my life long term. Neither of us knows what the future will bring, but the last couple weeks, having you by my side, has been amazing. Even with both of us being stressed. I figure if we can be happy while all this is going on, we’ve got it made.”

  Caite nodded. “I am happy with you. I just wish this was all done with. I don’t enjoy sitting around, and I feel as if I’m holding you back from doing your job. I hated the impatient looks the investigators were giving me when I was flipping through that damn book of names and pictures. After a while, they all started to blur together. Everyone looked the same and after reading all those names, I barely remembered my own.”

  �
�Things will get back to normal, I know it. Either you’ll remember who the Bitoo brothers mentioned, or the investigators will figure it out on their own. You’ll get a job, I’ll go on missions, and we’ll live happily ever after.”

  “You have it all planned out, huh?” she asked with a small chuckle.

  “Damn straight.”

  She sighed. “Okay, then yes. I’d love to go. I can’t promise that I’m the best in social situations, but I admit to being curious to meet other SEAL wives and getting their perspective on things.”

  Rocco stood and picked up her hand, kissing the back. “Thank you, ma petite fée.”

  “No, thank you,” she retorted. “Thank you for not bailing at the first sign of trouble. I mean, you’ve put a lot on your plate. An unemployed, getting-broker-by-the-day girlfriend who just happens to have someone who wants to kill her. It’s a lot, Rocco.”

  “Don’t get used to this,” he warned her. “This is not our life. It’s just a blip on the radar.”

  She smiled. “Okay.”

  “Okay. Oh, and I thought maybe next week we could take a trip up to San Fran to see your folks.”

  “Really?” she asked excitedly.

  “Really. I know they’ve been worried about you, and getting out of town is probably a good thing.”

  Her smile dimmed a bit at the reminder of why they’d be getting away from the naval base, but she asked, “Can I call and tell them we’ll be visiting soon?”

  “Absolutely. I already got the approval for a few days’ leave from Commander North.”

  Caite leaned forward and kissed him. “Thank you.”

  Rocco ran his thumb over her lips, remembering what she’d done with them the night before. “Anything for you, ma petite fée.”

  She blushed, and he knew she was remembering too.

  Standing, he picked up his cell as he made his way back to the other room. He needed to call Wolf and Cutter to make sure they’d be at the quarterly picnic. Not only because he wanted to introduce them to Caite, but because he wanted the extra backup, just in case.

  He heard Caite talking excitedly to her mom in the kitchen and nodded to himself. He loved making her smile, and made a vow to do whatever he could throughout their lives to keep her happy and content.

  Caite held on to Rocco’s hand as he led them down from the parking lot toward the sand. She’d been expecting a few people hanging out on the beach. But the reality was much different.

  There were at least a hundred people there. Children were running amuck and everyone seemed to be laughing and having a good time. There was a bonfire off to one side of the group and she could see kids crouched next to it, probably roasting marshmallows for s’mores.

  Caite was overwhelmed with the thought of being the “new girl” and meeting more of his friends, especially the other SEAL team he was constantly talking about. The last thing she wanted to do was make a bad impression on them, or their wives.

  “Relax,” Rocco said, squeezing her hand.

  “I am,” Caite lied.

  Rocco stopped and turned to face her. He put down the chairs and basket he was carrying and took her face in his hands. “You aren’t,” he countered, then dropped his head and covered her lips with his own.

  By the time he stopped, Caite felt like mush. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of his kisses.

  “I know it seems overwhelming, but we’re gonna go and sit with my team. You already know them. I see Wolf and his wife Caroline are already here, as are most of his teammates. “Trust me, ma petite fée. You’re going to enjoy this.”

  “If you say so,” she muttered.

  He smiled down at her. “I’m sure Wolf has some embarrassing stories he can tell you about me,” he teased.

  Caite perked up at that. “Ooooh. Now that’s something I’d love to hear.”

  “You’re so mean,” Rocco told her, bending down to grab their stuff.

  Caite walked next to him, her hand in his, and tried not to get worked up. It was good that she was getting this out of the way all at once. And Rocco was right. She liked his teammates, and she was glad they were here. They could act as a buffer between her and everyone else. As much as she could be an extrovert, at times, it was hard.

  Rocco said hello to just about everyone as he made his way toward his teammates and the section of beach they’d claimed as their own. It seemed as if everyone knew Rocco, and he knew everyone else.

  By the time they’d reached Gumby, Ace, Rex, Bubba, and Phantom, Caite understood a bit more what being a part of the SEAL “family” meant.

  Rocco put their stuff down, then tugged her toward a group sitting nearby. Two men stood as they approached. He dropped her hand and gave each of the men one of those manly macho-men hugs that were more back slapping than actual hugging, then reached for her hand again.

  Caite hung on as he smiled at her, then turned to the men. “Caite, I’d like you to meet Wolf and Slade. They’re two of the most amazing men and SEALs that I know.”

  The man on the left reached out his hand and Caite shook it.

  “I’m not sure the rest of my team would agree with that,” he said as he shook her hand. “I’m Wolf. It’s nice to meet you, Caite. Rocco has said nothing but good things about you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she said politely.

  “And I’m Slade. I’ve been looking at your resume. Pretty impressive,” he told her as he shook her hand. “Fluent in French is a highly marketable skill. Especially with all the smuggling going on from French-speaking African countries. I don’t know what that idiot was thinking, firing you. But don’t worry, I’ve been talking about you with a contact at NCIS, and I’m fairly certain if you want the job, it’s yours.”

  Caite looked from Slade back to Rocco in confusion. “Job?”

  “Oh, shit. Was I not supposed to talk about it?” Slade asked, not looking sorry at all.

  Rocco rolled his eyes at his friend before answering Caite. “I asked Slade if he would see what he could find out for you in regard to getting another job on base. He’s one of the best admins we’ve got, and I figured he’d be the one to ask to see if it was possible for you to be rehired.”

  Caite knew she should probably be irritated that Rocco had gone behind her back, but she couldn’t be. She’d loved working for the government and had thought being fired meant she’d never be hired by them again. Turning to Slade, she asked, “Seriously? I mean, I’d love to be considered for something. I hadn’t thought about working for the investigation unit though.”

  “Nothing dangerous,” Slade assured them, although Caite saw the look he gave Rocco, as if he was speaking more to him than her. “I know they have a lot of wiretaps that they could use help interpreting, and speaking French would also come in handy when they’re interviewing witnesses and stuff.”

  “I honestly didn’t think I’d ever get to use what I learned in college,” Caite said, looking at Rocco excitedly.

  He smiled down at her. “It’s not a done deal,” he warned. “I just asked Slade to look into it.”

  “I know,” she said immediately, then turned back to Slade. “I appreciate you even taking the time to look at my resume.”

  “What happened to you was bullshit,” the older man said with a growl. “You never should’ve been fired in the first place. I also looked into your boss over there in Bahrain. He’s a schmuck, and I can’t believe he’s made it as long as he has. He’s lazy and likes to take credit for other people’s work.”

  “I know,” Caite muttered.

  “Anyway, that’s enough about work. I want you to meet my wife,” Slade said, and turned to gesture to a woman with long dark blonde hair. She smiled at him and came up to his side. “Dakota, I’d like you to meet, Caite. She’s with Rocco.”

  The woman smiled wider, in an open, friendly way, and reached out a hand. “It’s so good to meet you. Rocco and his teammates are great. They helped me when I needed them a while back. I love how all the SEAL team
s work together to get stuff done.”

  Caite had no idea what she was talking about, but she smiled and nodded anyway.

  “And this is Caroline,” Wolf said. Another woman had come up to join their little group as Caite was greeting Dakota. She was about the same height as Caite, and in fact, looked a lot like her. They had the same color hair and the same body type.

  “Hi,” Caroline said. “I’m so glad you could come tonight. Rocco hasn’t ever brought a woman to one of these get-togethers before.”

  “Ice,” Wolf said in an exasperated tone.

  “What?” she asked without a trace of guile in her voice. “She needs to know that Rocco isn’t a manwhore and that he’s serious about her.” Then she looked back at Caite and winked. “Rocco and his team are good men. If you were with someone else, I might not be as complimentary.”

  “I appreciate your honesty,” Caite said, smiling. She liked Caroline.

  “Of course. Us navy wives need to stick together.”

  “Oh, Rocco and I aren’t married,” Caite said with a blush.

  “Figure of speech,” Caroline said with a wave of her hand. “I know I had a ton of questions when I first got with Matthew, and I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I’d be happy to sit and talk with you later, if you wanted.” She turned to gesture to the other women sitting on the beach behind her, many who were occupied playing with children. “We’d all be willing to tell you how things really are.”

  “How about you don’t scare her?” Wolf suggested with a grin as he pulled Caroline into his side and kissed her temple.

  “I’m not going to scare her!” Caroline retorted in mock affront. “I’ll tell her how to deal when Rocco leaves for missions, how not to stress, and how best to pass the time until he gets back. She also needs to know what days are best for shopping on base, and which days to avoid it at all costs. I want to explain how important the women who are with other SEALs will become to her. Oh! And she needs to know what the best beaches are, and how important the commander is when her team is on a mission.”