Melting Ice (SEALs On Fire)

by Nicole Austin

  Taking a deep breath, Syn blinked back the tears forming at the corners of her eyes and went to him. Immediately, she was enfolded in his strong arms and crushed against the wide expanse of his hard chest. With his tight grip, she could hardly draw a breath, not that she’d complain. In his arms was her favorite place to be.

  He pulled back slightly and stared down at her. Something odd in his expression made her heart seize up in her chest.

  Be strong, Syn admonished herself.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” she blurted out.

  “Wait…Syn.”

  They’d both started talking at once, but she couldn’t hear what he said.

  “What?” Ice hollered. At least that’s what she thought he said.

  “This is ridiculous,” she shouted back. “I can’t keep doing this. It’s killing me.”

  Ice glanced over his shoulder at the team. The guys were all antsy, yelling for him to get his ass on the chopper. God, she hated the loud whoosh of the blades slicing through the air and the whine of the rotors, sounds that meant being alone once again.

  “Need you…for me. Only…months.”

  She caught a few words. Not enough to understand what he suddenly seemed frantic to say.

  “I can’t hear you,” she yelled. “Dammit, Ice. This is goodbye. I’m done.”

  He shook his head. Next thing she knew, Zeus and Jagger were there, trying to drag him toward the waiting aircraft. Ice fought them hard. She might not be able to hear the words he yelled, but she knew he cursed them.

  When the two men were unable to make any headway with the stubborn SEAL, Trip, Ghost, Dagger and Coyote joined in the ruckus, forcing him into a seat and strapping him down tight. Trip yelled out what she figured to be an apology. She didn’t bother to respond. They wouldn’t hear her. Feeling numb, Syn watched it all through blurry eyes filled with tears.

  A few seconds after the door slammed shut, the helo lifted, hovering as it turned direction then shot off into the sun. She watched as the grey speck got smaller and smaller before staggering over to the Jeep to collapse in the driver’s seat. Dropping her face into her hands, she gave in to the emotions ripping her apart and had a good, long cry.

  Various personnel moved around the runway performing their duties. Thankfully, they let her suffer without interruption.

  ****

  “Let me go. You sorry bastards. I’ll kill all y’all.” Obscenities rolled off his tongue. Ice fought with everything he had, but they outnumbered him five to one. He didn’t stand a chance against team Arapahoe.

  His stomach turned to stone in his abdomen as he took in the tears streaking down Syn’s cheeks. He heard only a few of her shouted words. Of course, he didn’t need to hear them. He’d realized they were coming. Coward that he was, he’d hoped the rush to reach NAS wouldn’t leave any chance for them to talk. He should probably thank the team for their intervention, but Ice wasn’t feeling particularly friendly.

  Christ, her tears tore his heart out. And like a dumbass, he’d blurted out a marriage proposal knowing full well she couldn’t hear him.

  The guys shoved him into a seat, five sets hands holding him down while Trip zipcuffed his wrists and buckled him in tight.

  “What the fuck,” he roared. “Cut me loose or so help me God, you’re all going down when I get my rifle in my hands.”

  His head snapped back from the solid fist that slammed into his jaw, stunning him and making his head swim drunkenly. Trip slapped a headset over his ears, making communicating in the loud craft possible.

  “Shut the fuck up, Westervelt. Not another word. Threatening your own team won’t just get you a dishonorable discharge. It will land your ass in Leavenworth.” Zeus got right up in his face. “I will knock you out and gag you myself before I’ll let that shit go down. So here’s what just went down. With the considerable noise of the helo, nobody clearly heard what you said.” A muscle in Zeus’ jaw ticked. “But keep it up and I won’t be able to save you.”

  “Fucking moron,” Jagger piped in. “We were extricating you for your own good. Every one of us reads lips well enough to know what was going down.”

  Yeah, he got that the whole damn team knew she’d been trying to blow him off, and he’d tossed out a lame ass proposal.

  “Get your head out of your ass, and we’ll remove the restraints before we land.” Trip shot him an evil grin, enjoying the moment a little too much.

  The team watched him warily. He kept his teeth clamped tight through the endless trip while working out what to say to Syn. Eventually, he decided to keep it short and sweet, hopefully limiting any misunderstanding. Ice wanted his intentions to be crystal clear.

  Dagger leaned over, slid a hand in his boot, and came out with one of his favorite blades. Damn thing was ten inches of curved, serrated steel with a wickedly honed edge. Trusting the other man, Ice held out his arms. The knife slid between his wrists, slicing the plastic cleanly in half.

  He immediately reached into his pocket and grabbed the phone.

  ICE: Hey

  Less than a minute later, his phone pinged.

  SYN: Hey

  ICE: U ok?

  SYN: I guess but we have to talk.

  Knowing damn well what she wanted to say his thumbs flew over the keys, tapping out his own message before she could cut him off at the knees.

  ICE: Need you to hold on, babe. 4 more months will be at my 20 years.

  SYN: I can’t keep doing this.

  ICE: STOP. Don’t say anything else. Not one word.

  He raked a hand though his hair, took a deep breath, and typed in the most frightening words he’d ever say. Well, write, but same difference.

  ICE: Taking retirement. Want to set down roots, start a real life. Get a dog. A house. Have a few kids.

  SYN: Sounds nice. U going to get married or have bastards?

  “That shit’s not funny.” So much for being clear. Syn had a way of muddling his thoughts.

  ICE: No, we’ll get married b4 kids.

  She didn’t respond, and after several long minutes, he got worried. His heart thrummed against his ribs, and he broke out in a cold sweat. When the phone finally pinged again, he was afraid to look at her response.

  SYN: U SOB! Did you just propose in a text message?

  Uh…yeah. What other options did he have while being carried away on a freakin’ helo? The phone pinged again, and he glanced down.

  SYN: Dumbass! At least I was waiting to see u in person to break it off.

  “Oh, fuck no!”

  ICE: Not happening. U R mine!!! U said so.

  Zeus edged closer. “Have you lost your mind, Ice. Don’t make me taser your ass.”

  He hadn’t noticed the compact device in the other man’s hand. Now, it was the center of his focus. “No, not nuts. Just asked Syn to marry me.” He shot them a nervous grin.

  Trip shook his head and mumbled something unintelligible.

  “In a fucking text,” Jagger shouted. “You moron.”

  “What?” He glanced around the cabin, and every one of the guys looked disgusted. Dagger had even slapped a hand over his face. “As if I had another option. I tried to ask in person, but a bunch of jerkoffs dragged me away.”

  Coyote sighed. “You tried to propose marriage by shouting at her on a runway while getting ready to jump in a chopper and leave for an undetermined length of time.”

  “Go ahead,” Ghost groaned. “Light up the idiot, Zeus. He deserves it.”

  “She was trying to dump me. What the hell else was I supposed to do?”

  Dagger’s phone pinged, and he pulled it out of his pocket then doubled over laughing. Zeus snatched the device out of his hand and got a wicked grin on his face. They passed the damn thing around until Ice finally grabbed it away from Coyote, who literally howled with laughter.

  SYN: Do me a big favor, hon. Pull out your gun and shoot Ice. Thanks!

  Ice didn’t even think about it. He yanked open the cabin door and tossed out Dagger’
s phone before pulling it shut again.

  Complete insanity erupted. Dagger ripped off his harness and lunged at Ice, who was ready for him. Within seconds, the entire team was out of their seats, fists flying. He distantly heard the pilot’s voice through the headset calmly asking for a medical team armed with sedatives to be on the strip when they landed. Then his headset was ripped away, and he heard nothing other than the loud hum of the helo and the sounds of fists hitting flesh.

  As the bird set down, it wasn’t medical waiting for them but the MPs. The entire team was carted off to face the commanding officer on duty. It was several hours before he got the opportunity to pull out his phone to find he had eight messages.

  His hands shook, and he dreaded seeing a big fat no on the screen. Idly, he wondered if she’d texted any of the other guys and asked them to shoot him when Dagger hadn’t responded.

  Manning up, he tapped the message button.

  SYN: Hello?

  SYN: U drop that bomb and disappear? WTF ICE?

  SYN: Um…you weren’t shot, were u?

  SYN: Dammit where the hell are u?

  SYN: Ice? Don’t do this to me!

  SYN: Fine, k. Yes. That was the worst proposal in history but yes.

  SYN: Ice?

  SYN: I SAID YES! U aren’t getting out of marrying me now, Master Chief, so pucker up, buttercup. And I want a really, really nice honeymoon in one of those places on stilts in Bora Bora. U paying attention? Call me, dammit!

  A huge goofy grin spread across his split lip. He ignored the pain as he looked at the guys, unfazed by the swollen eyes, broken noses, and various other injuries. His voice cracked, and he had to clear his throat and try twice before getting the words out.

  “She said yes.”

  As one, team Arapahoe rose to their feet, stood at attention, and shouted, “Hoo-yah, Master Chief!”

  About the Author

  Nicole Austin lives on the sheltered Gulf Coast of Florida, where inspiration can be found sitting under a big shade umbrella on the beach, sipping cold margaritas. A voracious reader, she never goes anywhere without a book, but started looking for something more. Something hotter.

  A passion for erotic romance led to Nicole’s creation of sizzling characters and boundary pushing stories. Now she lives in an incredible world where fantasy comes to life in bold, vivid detail. Well, until real life intrudes and she has to share the computer with the rest of the family.

  Visit Nicole at

  www.nicoleaustin.net

  To chat with Nicole Austin and other Wild Rose Press authors of erotic romance, join us at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thewilderroses.

  Also Available

  Jagger’s Moves

  by

  Allie Standifer

  Tyler "Jagger" Jaggerstein is ready to cast off the weight of his SEALs responsibility for a few days of fun and relaxation with his teammates. Except he's stuck in an airport waiting for his childhood friend. Maybe a quick lunch, a fast game of catch up, and he'll be out the door. Until a goddess steps off the plane and he's left breathless and eager to change his plans.

  In Key West for a conference, Alexa Westlake can't wait to see Ty again and prove once and for all her silly girlhood crush is just that, a crush. But when she finally sees him, all those old feelings come rushing back, combined with a woman's needs that leave her trembling with desire.

  A few days is all they have, but will it be enough for Lexa to finally put her fantasy hero in the past or will she permanently succumb to Jagger's moves?

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  this Wild Rose Press, Inc. publication.

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  please visit our on-line bookstore at

  www.thewilderroses.com.

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  contact us at

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  www.thewilderroses.com