by Tawny Weber
Montoya drummed his fingers on the table a few times before inclining his head.
“It is not my habit to inform civilians, especially nonresidents, of the status of anything to do with the policía. But in this particular case, I will make the exception.” He looked around carefully, as if making sure nobody knew he was making an exception. “In the process of looking into Senorita Adrian’s accusations, I have confirmed that Senor Rodriguez is missing.”
“Missing?” Lila prodded.
“He has not been home to his apartment. He has not reported in to work. Nobody, it appears, has spoken with him since the evening of your call.”
“Would that be the call I made telling you that I’d witnessed a murder? The one that you didn’t bother to investigate?”
“It was through my investigation that I was able to confirm that Senor Rodriguez is missing.” Montoya paused a beat, whether because the guy had a sense of humor or just for impact, he couldn’t tell. “I can tell you that the investigation is ongoing. Which is why I’d prefer that you stay away from Casa de Rico. Your presence here is causing stress to the proprietor and staff. We will resolve this matter as quickly as possible so that you can leave Puerto Viejo.”
Travis had a gut-deep urge to punch the man in the face. But since a night in jail would leave Lila unprotected, he decided to settle for viciously shredding the man with only his words. This time it was Lila squeezing his knee before he snapped.
“How about Mr. Hawkins? Are you planning to push him around? To order him to stay away from local businesses or celebrate when he leaves town?”
“Senor Hawkins is the guest of Senor Constantine. A man who owns property in Puerto Viejo and, as such, contributes taxes. As a resident, it’s my responsibility to offer protection to Senor Constantine and his guest.”
Damn, Travis shook his head. The man really did have a serious issue with tourists. That, and he obviously had an easier time trying to intimidate visiting women.
Enough was enough.
“Let’s go,” Travis ordered, getting to his feet and tossing enough cash on the table to cover lunch and a tip. As soon as Lila joined him, he smiled at Montoya. “You have a good day now.”
Not wanting to lead anyone to their hideaway, he headed for Paulo’s instead. He and Lila maintained silence all the way to the beach path that led to the bungalow. He felt her shaking against his arm.
Shit.
She’d been handling everything so well, he forgot just what that everything was. No wonder she was getting shaky.
“Hey—” he wrapped an arm around her, shifting so he could gauge her stress level. He was pretty sure there wasn’t any chocolate at Paulo’s place, but maybe he could distract her with sex.
Then he got a good look at her face.
“Why are you laughing?”
“The look on Montoya’s face,” she said, still giggling. “He looked like he was sucking a lemon when he claimed that you’re under his protection.”
“I don’t think he’s capable of protecting me. Or anyone,” Travis replied, ushering her into the bungalow. Once inside, his initial plan to settle her somewhere safe so he could follow Garcia faded in the knowledge that they were alone, with a bed right there in the next room. They’d done it in a lot of places so far, but they’d yet to make love in an actual bed.
Maybe it was time.
So instead of laying out his plan, Travis pulled her into his arms and took her mouth in a hot, wet kiss.
* * *
Oh, how she wanted him.
So much.
Too much, Lila acknowledged, pulling away before she lost the ability to think.
“So did we learn anything new?” Lila asked when she’d caught her breath. Wow, the man had a way with his lips. She was pretty sure every time he kissed her, a dozen brain cells melted from the heat.
“Enough that you’re going to hang out in a safe place while I track Garcia tonight.”
Ignoring the idea of being stashed somewhere like a child—or worse, a pretty toy he didn’t have time to play with—Lila focused on the rest of his plan.
“You think Garcia is the one?” Lila shook her head. “I didn’t see much of the shooter, but that arm had a little color and meat on it. So he might be behind it, but he didn’t pull the trigger.”
“He’s involved. I’m going to find out how deeply.”
“Are you going to wear camo and paint your face, skulk around in the bushes and do that serpentine thing?”
“I’m blown away at your knowledge and respect of all things SEAL,” he said with an amused smirk.
She opened her mouth to reel off facts, figures and details of the SEALs, from missions to training to team structure. Then snapped her teeth closed before the words could escape.
“You shouldn’t go alone,” she said instead.
“That’s not your call.” Pulling open the false front on a cabinet to reveal a safe, he spared her a glance. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re covered.”
Covered?
“Is that military speak for getting me a babysitter?”
“What’s the problem?” he asked, straightening with a wince.
“The problem is, I don’t want to be tucked away like a good girl and told to follow orders.”
“Have I tucked or ordered? Or, for that matter, even once indicated that I think you’re a good girl?”
“No.”
“Then what’s with the attitude?”
Lila hesitated. She’d bared her body to the man, and now she was afraid to be honest?
“I grew up with that attitude,” she finally confessed, walking over to stand close enough to him so she could see the minute gold flecks in his dark eyes. “All my life, I’ve been expected to be a pretty accessory. To sit silently where someone else decided I belonged until it was time for me to come out as decoration.”
“All your life? So it’s a family issue?” Seeing the acknowledgment in her eyes, he shook his head. “You’re all grown up now. Why are you still carrying it?”
“Some things don’t change with age. My father’s expectations being one of them.”
“Are you meeting those expectations?”
“Not a single one,” she said with a bitter laugh, crossing over to drop onto the couch. “I tried when I was younger, but finally I realized that who my father wanted me to be wasn’t who I wanted me to be. So I made a choice.”
At his questioning look, she said, “I chose me.”
She waited for him to ask how her father had taken that, what his thoughts were. So she was surprised when he said, “That’s the best choice.”
“Not according to my father. He’s still trying to control my life. That’s probably why so often I go out of my way to do the opposite of whatever I’m told.”
“Is that a warning?”
“More like a heads-up,” she laughed. “I always try to do what someone asks, but the minute it’s an order, I go in the other direction.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She watched him shift his leg, bend his knee, then straighten it again. Nothing showed on his face, but he had to be in pain. She’d spent enough time exploring his body to know that the scars were recent, pink and slightly puffy.
He’d obviously been injured.
On duty?
He crossed over to drop onto the couch next to her. It was only because she was watching for it that she saw the infinitesimal flash of pain.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“Fine.”
He didn’t snap the word but it was close. Message received. He didn’t want to talk about it.
Even though she knew every centimeter of his body, Lila gave him a thorough once-over. The man was gorgeous. So fit, even his muscles had muscles. Even after months on leave, swinging in a hammock, his body was
a machine.
Fitting, she supposed, since he’d made a career out of using it as a weapon. And he wasn’t the type to be careless with a military weapon.
Which meant that he’d been injured on duty.
Which, she realized with a tiny pang, was probably why he wasn’t on duty. Why he wasn’t talking about reporting in or needing to be back on base.
“Are you still on active duty?” she heard herself.
“Doubting my ability to take care of you?” This time he did snap the words.
“No. But I can see that you’re hurting. Maybe it’d help to talk about it,” she suggested quietly.
“Maybe we should talk about your family first. You know, you fill me in on all of the details you’ve skipped over. Who your father is, what you’ve done to rebel, why you refuse to ask for help.”
Lila blinked back her hurt at the ferocious tone, but couldn’t say it wasn’t fair. She supposed they both had their secrets. Even if none were really secrets any longer, that didn’t mean they wanted to bare their hearts.
But she couldn’t let him keep hurting like that.
Lila jumped up and grabbed a pair of bundled socks off the pile of laundry someone had left on the couch, then went to the kitchen to search the pantry for the bag of beans she remembered putting there last week. She poured the beans into a sock, executed a quick knot and put it in the microwave.
While it heated, she dampened a dish towel, wrapping it around the hot sock and carrying that back to where Travis sat.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a hot compress for your knee. You’ve been pushing it pretty hard. This should ease the swelling.” Kneeling, she laid the compress on his leg, taking care to tuck it under the joint to keep a slight bend in the knee. “There. That should help.”
Risking a glance at his face, she hid her wince behind a wide smile. She didn’t know if that was anger or embarrassment, but whichever it was, his face was like ice. Cold, sharp and deadly.
“Anything else you want while I’m down here?” she joked, hoping a little naughty humor would break some of that ice.
When it didn’t, she let out a breath and pushed to her feet. Looked around, desperate for something to do. The broken furniture had been hauled away, and the air was scented with lemon as if someone had polished what was left. So cleaning was out. A single glance dismissed the kitchen. They’d just had lunch.
“Where’s your face paint? I can get it for you while that works its magic.”
His expression didn’t change.
Lila knew that look. The, you failed so I’m punishing you with icy disapproval, look.
Give him a break, she told herself. He’d spent four days protecting her, keeping her company, making her moan with pleasure. He didn’t deserve to pay for her years and decades of father issues.
But she couldn’t help it.
“Okay, Hawkins,” she snapped, emphasizing his last name. “Don’t give me that look. You were in pain, I’m helping. I’m not mothering you, I’m not babying you. So don’t go all manly on me.”
His expression didn’t change, but he did arch one eyebrow.
“You know what I mean. All offended like I’m impugning your manhood or dissing the size and skill of your talent.” A wave of her hand toward his crotch confirmed which talent she was talking about. That got her a lip twitch.
“We’ve spent the last couple of days doing naked gymnastics together. Do you really think that I am so self-absorbed that I didn’t notice the scars on your knee or that you limp sometimes?”
“I never thought of you as self-absorbed. I did, however, believe I was so damned good at sex that you didn’t notice anything beyond the pleasure I was pouring over your body.”
“Well you did pour on an amazing amount of pleasure,” she teased, curling up on the sofa beside him. “But yeah. I noticed everything about you.”
His dark eyes sparked with something she didn’t recognize. She knew what the answering heat flaming in her belly meant, though.
Ignoring it, she rubbed her hand over his arm and gave him a beseeching smile.
“Please. Will you tell me what happened?”
She wasn’t surprised when he shrugged, but she was when he told her, “I blew out my knee.”
Well, that wasn’t much in the way of details, but that he’d actually opened up enough to share that much melted her heart.
Then she noticed the pain in his eyes. Pain beyond his physical injury.
“That kind of injury isn’t going to go away quickly, is it?”
“Already did months of physical therapy. This is about as good as it’s going to get.”
Lila’s heart sank into her toes.
“Which undoubtedly affects your ability to perform your regular duties as a SEAL.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“What’s your rating?” At his frown, she quickly added, “Special Ops, I know. But what else?”
“EOD.”
“Ahh.” She didn’t have years of Special Ops training, but decades of socializing in the vicious jungles of high society had taught her plenty. So she kept her smile easy, her expression upbeat and her tone light.
But her heart broke for him.
She knew what his words meant to his career. There was no way he could perform the required duties given his injury.
He wasn’t on leave.
He’d been discharged.
Lila couldn’t imagine the devastation he must feel. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, cuddle him tight and promise to do anything to help him feel better.
But she could see the pain in his eyes, and knew that there was nothing that’d make it better. Not hugs. Not talking it out. Not even hot, wild sex.
A part of her wanted to curl up and cry. Her father was right. When push came to shove, she couldn’t hack it. She didn’t have what it took to help the man she...
Liked. Liked a lot. More than she’d ever liked anyone else. Liked, teetering on loved. Which terrified her more than men with guns, dirty cops and her father all rolled into one.
“Don’t look so freaked out,” he said, clearly reading her expression but not the reason. “I’m alive. My brain is solid and my body, while not up to SEAL standards, is still working. I can keep you safe.”
“Who’s questioning your abilities?”
“You are. You’re acting like you figure I can’t handle simple recon because I’m a cripple.”
It took Lila three seconds to haul her chin off her chest. As soon as she did, she threw her hands in the air.
“What is your problem? Who the hell thinks you’re a cripple?”
“The US Navy, for one.”
“Ooh, the perfect Navy. Don’t get me started on what I think of the military and their idea of perfection.”
“You have issues with the military?”
Oh, let her count the ways.
“Explosive ordnance disposal means you have nerves of steel and specialize in electronics. That’s in addition to all the other training you’d have had. Nobody reaches the rating of chief petty officer without leadership skills. And then there’s all that SEAL tech training. Did you store all that in your knee?” She gave him a frustrated stare. “You have everything to offer. So why would I doubt that you’d keep me perfectly safe?”
“You have an interesting grasp on navy terminology, heavy on understanding how the SEALs work. Why?”
“Maybe I read a lot.”
“Or?”
She wanted to brush aside the question with some innocuous response. She had one right there, on the tip of her tongue. But she couldn’t do it.
He’d cared enough to open up and share with her. How could she do any less?
“Actually, my father is tight with a Navy SEAL and talks about him all the time.” Incessantly, as a
matter of fact. “I’ve picked up some things over the years.”
There, she thought with a smile. She bared one of her secrets. Okay, so she’d more danced around the edges of it, but she’d still shared.
“Yeah? What team?”
Nope. She’d share her body, she’d tell him her every secret fantasy. But explaining that her brother, the most perfect man in the world, was a SEAL and had served on the same team as Travis? That was simply TMI.
“I’m pretty sure the guy retired,” she said, sidestepping, swallowing the bitterness coating her tongue at the memory of the party her father had thrown for that event. Despite his fury at losing bragging rights to a SEAL offspring, he’d made sure to wring every drop of notoriety out of it while he could with a huge retirement party for her brother.
“So is all of this your way of saying you don’t think I can handle going after Garcia alone?”
Lila blinked, a little amazed at how much poison was dripping from that voice.
“I think Garcia and his ilk are small potatoes for you. They don’t stand a chance against someone with your skills and talents. Unless you keep up this pity party you’ve got going on.” She shoved to her feet and crossed the room, needing to pace off the anger. “You’re a freaking Super SEAL, aren’t you? Just because you aren’t on active duty doesn’t mean that superpower goes away. A SEAL is a SEAL forever, Hawkins. That brotherhood, it’s forever. So contact one of your team. Some of them must have retired. See what they’re doing. Better yet, do whatever you want. Find another military option. Work in the private sector. Security or police or, hell, keep swinging in a hammock.”
She had to throw her hands in the air to keep from throwing them around his body and holding tight in hopes of easing his pain.
But there was only one way she could think of that would matter. She didn’t want to do it for a million reasons, not the least of which was being put in a safe corner to wait while the qualified grownups did the job. But she could see that Travis needed this.
“Let’s go,” she said, sweeping her hand toward the door. “You need to fill me in before you drop me off wherever I’m going. I don’t supposed it’s a spa or salon? I could really use a little pampering.”
