by Tawny Weber
Nic hit him from behind, sending him flying into the table. Chairs crashed to the floor as Jarrett groaned. He tried to lift the gun again, but a chop to the wrist sent that clattering, too. After a quick glance to ensure that Darby was safe, Nic slammed his fist into the face of his superior officer.
“That’s for Darby, motherfucker,” he said. He followed it with an uppercut, then threw the man down the length of the table. Jarrett bounced off the far end, hit the floor and crumpled into a whimpering ball. “And that’s for Powers.”
* * *
HOLY CRAP.
Darby’s heart took a deep dive into her toes as reaction set in. She shook so hard, it was only the zip tie around her wrists that kept her from falling to the floor.
Nic saved her.
She’d known he would.
She almost screamed when a roar filled the air. Poseidon poured into the building from door and windows, surrounding Darby in a protective wall of furious SEALs. Diego clipped the plastic, freeing her hands as Elijah helped her to her feet. The tension that’d held her in its viciously tight grip drained out of Darby’s body, leaving her so weak she had to grab his arm to stay upright. As one, the men tightened the circle.
Darby tried to see around them, through them, to locate Nic. “Is he safe? Is he okay?”
“Nic’s fine,” Diego assured her. “He and Admiral Cree are dealing with Jarrett.”
Darby wanted to see for herself, but nobody would move. So she had to go by sound, listening to the discussion between the Admiral, Carson and what she thought was the judge.
“Here, you might want these,” Louden said, holding out a pair of sadly damaged Jimmy Choos.
Darby’s heart melted a little, not just to see her favorite shoes again, but that these men would care enough to rescue them, too.
“Thank you,” she murmured, petting the damaged leather. While she tried to shake off the realization that she could have been just as damaged, she thought she heard Nic cussing from afar, but before she could ask, Lansky nudged Elijah.
“You think this is it?”
“I don’t know. I hope not,” Elijah said quietly.
“Is it what?” Darby asked.
“The argument will be made that Poseidon should disband,” Louden said, turning so they were face-to-face instead of standing with his back to her. “It’s been said time and again over the years. But this just gave it weight.”
“Savino will take all this to heart,” Danby told her quietly. “For Nic, it’s always about the greater good. After all this, he’s going to ask himself if the existence of our team is a detriment to our duty. If Cree brings the hammer down and Nic agrees, we’ll be saying goodbye to the sea god.”
As the men continued to discuss the possibility, Darby felt the weight of their concern. Not fear. These men feared nothing. But a heavy sort of mourning. Her heart ached for all of them, but for Nic most of all.
Finally, as the voices faded, the men loosened the circle. They didn’t end it. Darby still couldn’t see through to the door or either window. But at least she could breathe.
“I’m really okay,” Darby insisted, trying to move around the wall of men surrounding her. “Guys, seriously. You don’t have to guard me.”
“Savino said to cover you until he returned,” Louden said, looking like a giant mountain as he stood with his arms crossed and his eyes locked on her like she might disappear.
“I’m fine. I’m perfectly safe. Those big MPs with their mean guns hauled the bad guys off, remember.”
“We’d feel better if we stay with you,” Elijah said in such a reasonable tone that she wanted to scream.
“Don’t bother arguing. You’re our responsibility. Besides, we like you,” Diego told her with a wink.
Instead of hulking over her like half his team, he’d sprawled on one of the crates, legs stretched out and his hands crossed over his belly. For all his relaxed appearance, though, he snapped to attention at the sound of the door opening.
“Gentlemen,” Nic said quietly. “Thank you.”
The last of the tension that’d been rippling through her system faded at the sound of Nic’s voice. It wasn’t until the sea of manliness parted that Darby could see him, though.
She gave a soft gasp when she saw the purple bruise shadowing his jaw. He’d ditched the jacket and tie and rolled up his white shirtsleeves. Even dressed down and bruised, he still commanded attention.
“So, we’ll give you that space you wanted,” Diego stated, patting Darby on the shoulder before crossing over to shake Nic’s hand.
One by one, each man did the same.
And each gave Darby a pat or nod or, in Elijah’s case, a hug. Then gave their Commander a handshake, or in Louden’s case, a punch to the shoulder.
And just like that, Darby and Nic were alone together.
Suddenly remembering her panicked declaration, she brushed nervously at the pieces of hair spiked around her face and tried to smile.
“Is Jarrett in custody?”
“Cree, Trenton and your boss took charge there. They took a couple of MPs along with them to escort Jarrett to the brig. I’m not sure if they are concerned he’d get away or if they just wanted to make sure I didn’t get near him again.”
“I can’t believe you kept it to a single fist to the face,” Darby said, still a little awed. “I mean, I punched him more than you did.”
“You do have a solid right hook,” he agreed. But despite his smile, Darby could see the tension radiating from him. The nerves that’d finally subsided jumped up again and started bouncing through her system.
“What did you guys do with Paul?” Seeing the question in Nic’s eyes, she revised her query. “Lieutenant Thomas?”
“Captain Trenton requested his presence on the trip to the brig.” Nic’s smile was just a little vicious. “My impression is Thomas wasn’t a part of the treason ring. But there are questions he should have asked but didn’t in his zeal to prosecute.”
“Not if Jarrett’s bragging-slash-confession is true. According to him, he masterminded the entire plan, bringing Ramsey in because he hated your team. Paul was simply blinded by glory. That, and a chance to get back at you for keeping him out of Poseidon. In my opinion, it was easier for them to blame you than to accept their own shortcomings,” Darby said. Confession time, she decided. “That seems to be a theme.”
“A theme that’s been used to betray the country we’re sworn to serve. A far-reaching theme that’s caused death and destruction.”
His men were right. Darby could see the pain in his eyes, the heavy weight of responsibility.
“Don’t take this on,” Darby insisted, moving close enough to lay a comforting hand on his biceps. “You’re not to blame for any of this.”
“Aren’t I, though?” Nic strode to the window to scowl out at nothing. “Jarrett was able to lure men like Ramsey in to acts of treason because of their envy of Poseidon. Your brother died because he wanted to join the team. Naval Intelligence was able to prolong an investigation a year after it should have been dismissed, solely on the basis of resentment at Poseidon’s reputation.”
“So what?” Darby snapped, following him across the room. She grabbed his arm and tugged, wanting to look him in the eye for this argument. “Sure, there is a crap ton of envy. But that’s because there’s a reason. Poseidon is the best. You own that reputation because you guys bust your ass to go above and beyond.”
Sighing, Darby gave in to the need to pace. She wouldn’t let him take the blame that people like Jarrett, like Ramsey, hell, like she herself, had tried to put on him. Arms waving for emphasis, she ranted.
“So what if people get jealous. That’s their problem. You’re too smart to take on their problem. At least I thought you were.”
“I’m smart,” Nic fi
nally agreed. “I know a lot of this isn’t on our heads. But I can still hear the argument that if our team didn’t exist, these issues wouldn’t, either. There’s no argument that it’s a valid point.”
“It’s bullshit.” She snapped the words off in her fury. And she’d been afraid of emotion? Here she was, swimming in it. And damn if she wasn’t staying afloat.
“Maybe.” For the first time since she’d met him, Nic looked worn-out. She could see the pain beneath the polish as he scraped his hand over his short hair. “If Poseidon didn’t exist, we couldn’t be blamed for others’ crimes. But blame isn’t responsibility. Jarrett was already a criminal traitor before Poseidon was involved. He was selling secrets to the highest bidder.”
“So you’re not going to do anything crazy like disband the team?” Darby asked slowly, watching him carefully.
“Why would you think—” A look of understanding crossed his face. “I take it the team is concerned?”
Unwilling to betray the first confidence those men had shared with her, Darby shrugged.
Nic didn’t need confirmation, though.
“I’d disband Poseidon if I thought it was for the best. If I thought we were culpable in any way of the crimes we were accused of.”
“But you weren’t. You aren’t.”
“You know, this team is my family. They’ve had my back on every move I’ve made in the last decade. From training to missions to little things like workout changes or fighting this personal war.”
He gave her an expectant look. Darby wasn’t sure what the message was in his words, but she nodded anyway.
“They’re my family,” he said again. Something in his tone sent a tickle of panic through Darby’s belly. “And whether you realize it or not, their confiding in you like that? That’s their nod of approval.”
Oh. The last of the knots in her stomach loosened. Darby had never had that sort of family that Nic did, but the idea of them approving of their relationship made her feel pretty special.
“So I guess there’s something I need to tell you,” he said, his eyes so intense her body shimmered. For all her fear of emotion, Darby was desperate to hear what he was going to say.
“I’m listening.” With the knots out of the way, there was plenty of room for the butterflies in her stomach to do their loop-de-loop dance.
He frowned at the room, then shrugged. “I should probably wait for a better setting. But I suppose this one has special meaning to us given what happened.”
“Okay,” Darby said hesitantly, not sure where he was heading with this.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else, though,” Nic mused, giving the room a scowl this time.
“Oh, my God,” she said with an exasperated laugh. “Quit stalling and say whatever you have to say so we can get out of here and celebrate your vindication.”
“Are you planning to celebrate with me?”
“I’d like to,” she said softly, guilt over dumping him the way she had shining in her eyes. “I’d really like to.”
“How?”
Darby could see it clear as day. He wasn’t going to let her off the hook. Not because she’d hurt him. But because he was a man who lived in honesty. Because she’d told him they were through and they were unless—until—she said otherwise.
She could offer her hand to shake his in congratulations and they’d part ways without recrimination.
She could reach out and give him a friendly hug and he’d let her be a part of his circle, if not his world.
Or she could show him how she felt.
“This is how I want to celebrate.” Stepping into his arms, Darby cupped her hands behind his neck and, shifting to tiptoes, kissed him. By the time she slowly pulled away, he wore a smile that said he knew exactly how they’d be celebrating.
“I love you,” he said, his tone almost as intense as the look in his eyes. “I didn’t want to. Not because I don’t believe in love or didn’t want it in my life. But I had a plan. Career first, then family. I told myself that love, a relationship, those were things to have after I made Captain.”
“Oh,” was all Darby could manage to say. Love? Family?
Her smile dropped. Her knees started trembling even harder than they had when she was being held at gunpoint.
“Oh?” He scowled. “That’s it? Nothing else to say?”
“Okay, yes.” She wet her lips, then took a deep breath. “I love you. I didn’t want to, though. My career has been my whole life. The only thing I wanted. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to matter as much to me as my career.”
“Oh.”
Darby blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter.
“That’s it?”
“No,” he said, sliding his hand through her hair. The feel of his fingers brushing over her cheek made Darby want to cuddle in and purr. “There’s more. A lot more.”
Her stomach did a fast tumble as Darby waited for the more.
“I knew I cared. I knew I was fascinated. I knew you’ve spent a lot more time in my mind than any woman before. The sex is mind-blowing. The conversations are fascinating. And the downtime? Those moments when we just hang out and chill? They relax me.”
“Is relaxing good?” Darby asked, even as she heard herself echoing his feelings. She felt the same about him, but it was the relaxation part that scared her. “You live on the edge, Nic. Do you ever worry that if you relax too much, you’ll lose that edge?”
“You’re kidding, right,” he said with a laugh. “Didn’t you notice? That edge is ingrained. It’s who I am.”
“But it’s not who I am.”
“You don’t think so? You put your career on the line to fight for my future. Watching while you were in danger, it made me realize just exactly what I wanted in that future.” He shifted his hand to rub his thumb over her bottom lip. Desire shivered through her at the delicate touch. “More to the point, you’re what I want in my future.”
“You want a future? With me?” Did that mean what she thought it did? Did she want it, too?
As Darby stared into those dark eyes, drowning for a moment in their delicious intensity, she knew that’s exactly what she wanted.
A future. With Nic.
But she sucked at relationships. Fear slammed through her, drowning the pleasure in jagged waves of anxiety.
“What about your plan? The whole waiting until you make Captain? Can you juggle your career and a relationship?” Afraid he’d say yes, she pulled away a little. She needed some space between them to breathe.
“Plans change.” Nic shrugged. “The question is, do you want mine to?”
“I don’t know. I’m afraid,” Darby admitted. “I’m afraid that caring about something more than my career means I won’t be as good at it. That it won’t be a priority. Your edge is ingrained, it’s who you are. But I don’t know that mine is.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Nic’s frown was ferocious. “You’re a kick-ass attorney. Everyone says so. You’re one of the best and you’re only going to get better. Why would you worry about that?”
“Because I put you before my career,” she confessed. “There were options. Even options that would have still cleared you in the end. But I took the riskiest route to clear your name, to win this case. If that risk didn’t pay off, my career would be over.”
“You took that risk because you’re good enough to make it work,” he argued. “Darby, every mission I go on requires I take the riskiest route in order to achieve a specific outcome. If the risk doesn’t pay off? I’m dead.”
“That’s not going to happen,” she snapped. The very idea made her ill.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re too good at what you do. You’re the elite, the best.”
“So are you. We’ve worked too ha
rd to be less than that, Darby. Our training is ingrained. Our instincts are instinctual. That’s never going to change.”
And just like that, Darby’s fear faded.
And all that was left was love.
“You love me,” she said quietly, letting her body relax against the hard planes of his.
“I do.”
“And I love you.”
Nic’s smile spread, so warm and sexy that Darby almost melted.
“So what are we going to do about it?”
She gave herself a moment, waiting for fear. Looking for nerves. But all she felt was pleasure. Pleasure, and anticipation.
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to try forever.”
Oh.
She waited for the fear.
But it never came.
So Darby blinked hard to clear the tears burning her eyes. No way she was doing this in tears. Instead, she gave Nic her best smile, letting all the love she felt show in her eyes.
“Forever sounds like a good start.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from NIGHT MANEUVERS by Tawny Weber.
In a sizzling prequel novella to her new trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Tawny Weber introduces the sexy, powerful Navy SEALs in the Poseidon team as they take on the ultimate mission: love.
Read on for a sneak peek at NIGHT MANEUVERS by Tawny Weber!
Night Maneuvers
by Tawny Weber
CHAPTER ONE
“AND THAT MY FRIENDS, is how it’s done.”
With a cocky grin and a cockier salute, Chief Petty Officer Aaron Ward flipped his empty shot glass into the air, caught it upside down and placed it with the others on the tower already stacked on the table.
Across from him, blurry eyed with a slack expression, his opponent reached for his shot of tequila. He overshot the distance by a few inches and lost his balance. With the speed and dexterity they were known for, one of the SEALs on the team opposite Aaron slid a chair under his wavering teammate.
