He propped his shoulder against the wall and tucked her in behind him. “Few things. First, you’re shuffling.”
“What does that mean?”
He slid her flat against the wall and shifted until he loomed over her. The only thing holding their bodies apart was her hands, which she had balanced between them.
His gaze traveled around the enclosed space just in case the owners of the voices he heard on the street decided to step inside. “You need to pick up your feet. The goal is quiet.”
“Sorry.” A pink stain raced up her neck and colored her cheeks.
When she started rubbing her hands together, her fingers brushed against his stomach and both of them froze. This close, he could see the green flecks in her eyes and the round angel face with full lips that begged for him to run a finger across them. She was a beautiful woman, curvy behind her conservative black suit and tall enough for her mouth to reach his chin. The lacy white shirt under her blazer hinted at her feminine side.
And her ability to stay calm and on her feet while the world crumbled around her . . . well, that was sexier than any of her other obvious female attributes.
He put his hand over hers and held them against his stomach. Something sparked in her eyes and her body went still. He sensed the second she remembered where they were.
“You are safe with me.” He waited until she nodded to go on. “Hold my pants or my shirt. Do not let go.”
“Got it.”
“Also might be a good idea for you not to yank the pants up so high.”
He gaze shifted to his lower half and her mouth dropped open. “I didn’t—”
“Any higher and my belt will be at my neck. I can fight through most things, but having my pants at my ears will slow down my running speed.”
She let out a half-laugh that sounded more like a squeak then put her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’ve got swim trunks on, so we’re fine.” When her shoulders stopped shaking, he skipped to the tougher stuff. “The sun is at full power. You need to lose the jacket.”
At this time of year, the temperature bounced from cool fifties at night to boiling high-nineties with no wind in the afternoon. A dark blazer might hide her identity but heat stroke could kill her. Wearing nothing but a blinding white shirt would put a target on her back.
She slipped the blazer off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He tried not to notice her bare shoulders or the way the shirt stretched across her breasts. The slight definition of muscles down her tanned arms suggested she worked out. His brain processed the fact and stored it for later use in their escape. The not-so-smart part of him wanted to reach out and test her skin to see if it was as smooth as it looked.
She rubbed her hands over her exposed arms. “Better?”
“Yeah.” He untucked his shirt and slipped it over his head, leaving the top of his wet suit on. “Slip this over your shirt. It will give you a bit of camouflage”
When she just stood there staring at him, he tried again. “Megan?”
She visibly snapped back to attention. “Right.”
The shirt fell to her upper thighs. The baggy clothes took her from business and in charge to vulnerable. The bunny slippers probably had something to do with the change.
“We’re going to get to the edge of this neighborhood then wait for the signal. Once we’re clear, we’ll get to the water and get you out.”
She swallowed hard enough to make her throat move. “You do mean by boat and not by swimming.”
“Are you afraid of the water?” He could knock her out if he had to, but he sure as hell hoped it didn’t come to that.
“Terrified of sharks.”
A phobia he could handle. “Won’t let them near you. Promise.”
She pushed away from the wall and put a hand on the back of his shirt. “Ready.”
“I like your style, Megan White.”
They crept along the hall until they hit the kitchen. The place was abandoned and looked as if no one had moved in. No groceries or signs of life other than the coffee maker and a few dirty mugs in the sink.
“No one eat around here?” Hal asked.
“I can barely boil water.” And that wasn’t an exaggeration. She’d lived in a series of small apartments overseas with limited cooking facilities and a host of restaurants right outside her door. One didn’t even have a stove. A mix of embassy receptions and late night take-out substituted for a healthy diet. Good thing she liked to run or she’d weigh twice as much as she did now.
He stopped at the refrigerator long enough to grab two bottles of water. He slid one into each of the lower pockets on his cargo pants. “I have some energy bars if you need them.”
“In your pants?”
He shot her one of those deadly sexy smiles. “You’d be amazed what I have in there.”
“You can show me later.” Once the words were out there she couldn’t call them back.
“I might just do that.” He motioned for her to stay still as he cracked open the back door and peered out.
With his gun up and his body pulled tight as he prowled, he stepped outside. She couldn’t hear him walking around, but she knew he was out there. She repeated that fact several times to keep her heartbeat from racing straight to a heart attack.
The door creaked open and he held out a hand to her. “Remember. Do what I say when I say.”
“I can guarantee it.” Her fingers brushed against his on the way to his waistband.
They took two steps down into the sandy yard. She tugged on his shirt to get him to stop. “Wait.”
The flat line of his mouth and the way a nerve in his cheek ticked, she knew he didn’t like the delay. Without stopping to explain, she bent down and scooped up a handful of the dark brown sand that made up the terrain of the island. With a few pats, she turned her clean fuzzy slippers to a dirty mess. The important thing is they no longer stood out as much.
Hal flashed rows of shiny white teeth. “Nicely done, Ms. White.”
“Since I intend to hug the crap out of you once you get me out of here alive, you should probably stick to calling me Megan.”
Something in those blue eyes sparkled. “Fair enough.”
He kept an arm pressed against her side as they jogged through the small yard behind the house to the shack just over the property line at the back of the property. Gunfire echoed in the distance. Men chanted and the sky to the north lit up with orange.
“A fire.” She pointed.
“We’re not going that way.” He veered to the right, taking them past a row of worker houses, which resembled oversized storage sheds.
Pebbles and grit crunched beneath her feet as they pressed against the grimy wall of an alley, following the wall until it turned to the right at the end. Hal didn’t stop or knock at the door in front of them. He pushed it open, ignoring the squeak, and pulled her inside behind him.
It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the near-black space. Without windows or light, the walls closed in on her and the stale air clogged her throat. Despite Hal’s need to be able to move, she pressed up against him and wrapped her fingers around his arm. “Where are we?”
“Safety.”
She inhaled and coughed on the cloying smell of old incense. People on Erites burned it during many of their traditional ceremonies. The smell lingered over the island. In the tiny five-by-five square, it was concentrated to the point of sucking all the fresh air out of the space.
“Does someone live here?” she asked.
“It’s used for storage. I staked it out. We’ll be safe here for a few hours.”
“Hours?” The idea of hanging around for more than another five minutes made the bit of breakfast she had earlier churn in her stomach.
She felt him shift then heard the scrape of metal on metal and dug her fingernails into his forearm. A slim band of light sliced across the floor and far wall. With the sun she could see dried herbs hanging on the wall and jars lining
the shelves on the wall next to her head. Not everything shifted into focus, but she could see a bit and it was enough to keep her from jumping at every little sound.
“Sit.”
She didn’t see the slim bench until he pointed to it. With her head balanced against the wall and her feet stretched out in front of her, she let her body relax for the first time since the Ambassador started reviewing his reports that morning. When she moved her head, she crushed the herbs beneath her hair and strong puff of lavender fell over them.
The wood groaned when Hal sat down next to her. “You okay?”
“Believe it or not, this is not my usual workday.”
“Really? It’s what mine tend to look like.”
She laughed until he smiled, then she realized she could spend the whole day staring at him. Even this awful day. She’d initially noticed the broad shoulders and obvious strength. Now she saw a man, handsome with high cheekbones and slightly crooked nose. A white scar stretched diagonal from the bottom of his cheek and ran down his chin. He didn’t have the perfect look of an untried boy. He wore the marks of a warrior.
“Is Hal your real name?”
His head fell to the side as his gaze wandered over her face. “You think I made up a name?”
“I’m wondering if it’s short for something.”
“Just Hal.” He must have picked up on her skepticism because he smiled. “Only child of Harry and Alice.”
“Where are they now?” She chatted about nonsense because it stopped her nerves from jumping around in her belly. And the soothing sound of his deep voice let her believe she might just survive this day.
“My parents live in the small once-thriving but now barely functioning mining town in Pennsylvania.” He shifted his leg until his thigh rested against hers. “And you?”
“Parents are college professors in D.C. Older sister is, as of a few months ago, a college professor in D.C.”
He snorted. “I’m sensing a pattern.”
“They are plan people.” When he frowned she guessed he didn’t get it. “They plan out everything. Schools, careers, life events. There’s no room for surprise or adventure. The fact I’m not working my way toward tenure at a prestigious university is a constant source of anxiety for them.”
“You’re not exactly living a wild life. From what I understand, the foreign service is pretty regimented.”
“It’s an embarrassment for them.” She rubbed the space right under her breasts to ease the growing tension there. “The older I get the more I wonder if my need for travel and excitement is really just a way to prove my independence. If I’m trying to find something or run from something.”
The words long unspoken rushed out of her. Amazing how the darkness and not knowing someone made it easier for her to dissect her life. Thoughts she pushed out of her head every day came flooding in but accepting that her life may have veered in the wrong direction was another.
But today wasn’t the day for big decisions. The shock of the attack still hadn’t left her system and danger still lingered. She had to push it all out and concentrate on surviving.
“Since we’re sharing . . . ” Hal let the sentence drop.
“No husband.” She bit her bottom lip to keep from saying anything else stupid. She wanted to know if he had a wife or anyone waiting for him, but she knew her thoughts were silly and misguided.
She might not teach like everyone else in her family, but she had her master’s degree. She’d worked in this field for years. She knew how this worked. No matter how handsome he was, how safe she felt by his side, this moment was about adrenalin and fear. He thrived on it. She stumbled through it.
When this was over, he’d sneak back under the protective tent of privacy the SEALs provided. She’d be debriefed and shipped somewhere else, probably to a desk job for a rotation. Once he got them out of there she would never see him again. That was the right answer but it still left her feeling hollow.
“That wasn’t my question but it’s good to know.” He lowered his head until his mouth hovered right over her ear. “I thought we’d talk about that hug you want to give me.”
“I was kidding.”
He exhaled, blowing a warm breath across her cheek. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Chapter Four
Megan turned her head right as he leaned in. Another inch and his mouth would cover hers.
A huge red warning light flashed in Hal’s brain.
He eased back, ignoring the desire flaring in her eyes and the need boiling in his gut. He’d never messed up a job. He’d never lost his concentration. If anything, after ten years with the SEALs, he’d learned to block out the world except for the assignments in front of him. He’d lost two semi-serious girlfriends who needed more than he could give, or so their notes said. He regretted not having someone to come home to but never saw a future with either, so the break-ups left him more confused than upset.
But over the last year his priorities had shifted without him knowing it. For years the job had been enough. Now he wanted more. Finding a woman who understood and accepted the danger and could handle the secrecy proved impossible. Not that he tried. He’d always insisted he lacked the energy to handle more than a few nights, but as he got older he wondered if a guy could change.
She brushed her hand over his cheek. “I know it’s inappropriate, but I think you should kiss me.”
He didn’t realize he was staring at her mouth until she spoke. He shook his head to break the spell sitting so close to her wove around him.
“We have to stay focused,” he said, trying to ignore the soft caress of her skin against his.
“Do I threaten that?”
He flipped over her hand and kissed the center of her palm. “Hell, yes.”
The steady thrum of conversation from the street grew louder. The roll of truck tires stopped close to their position. Hal pressed his hand against her mouth. When she nodded, he let his hand slide down to rest below her chin.
Heavy footsteps sounded all around them. Walking and talking, Hal guessed the voices came from rebels checking the area. The marching sounded synchronized and every now and then one of them would fire a weapon. Since he didn’t hear the sounds of victims’ screams or a house-to-house search, he assumed the gunfire was nothing more than warning shots.
But a search was a huge concern. If the rebels started looking, Hal’s limited options decreased even further.
As he sat with Megan, stiff and unmoving, the talking passed right outside their door, increasing in volume then receding again. Hal didn’t breathe until all evidence of soldiers and potential attacks died out.
He exhaled, letting his shoulders fall as he slowly removed his hand from Megan’s face to rest on her collarbone. “We’re okay.”
“That was close.” Her wide eyes didn’t blink.
“The kiss or the attackers?” He regretted the words as soon as he said them. He needed to let this topic drop before—
She kissed him. Her soft mouth danced over his, light and unsure. She pulled back as quickly as she’d started. He nearly followed her back and dragged her down on the wobbly bench beneath them.
If possible, her eyes grew wide enough to take over her whole face. As if in a trance, she rubbed the tip of her finger over his lips. “I don’t usually do stuff like this. I mean, I date but I don’t throw myself . . . ”
He tried to swallow but something was blocking his airway. “It’s a reaction to the danger.”
She sighed. “Yes.”
He waved his hand, hoping to take the memory of her mouth with it. “The proximity.”
“Exactly.”
He nodded. Sat there. Balled his hands into fists. None of it worked.
“Screw it.” He slipped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in close. “One time.”
Then he kissed her. Not a light touch of thank you. This was a hot mouth, blow-your-mind kiss. His lips slanted over hers. His tongue swept into her mouth. Every cel
l in his body sparked to heated life. When her hand fell against his chest and her tongue touched his, the last of his control snapped. All that mattered was holding her, touching her.
The click of his radio bounced off of every surface of the small room and right into his brain. He stopped kissing her and focused on reining his breathing to a normal level. Megan pulled back, taking her body right out of his arms as she glanced around the room. Her movements were jerky as she shoved against him.
He rushed to calm her building panic. “It’s okay.” He reached up for his earpiece and removed it, bringing it between them so they could both lean in and listen. “Beamer? I need a status.”
Clark’s voice came through a clear as if he was standing in the room with them. “Our ride is here and the hotel is empty.”
Hal considered ignoring Megan’s presence for the rest of the call, but she sat there, staring and listening to every word. He gave up trying to hide any of the harsh truths from her and pressed in closer. “Ellison?”
“Still looking.”
Hal shoved the piece back in his ear. He stood up and took Megan’s hand to drag her with him. “We’re on the move.”
He adjusted his belt and checked his gun for the tenth time in a half hour. He was about to fill her in on their next move when she started talking.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I was doing some recon. Saw the men break into the house and—”
“I mean on Erites.”
There was no need to pretty this part up either. “Intel on a military coup. The U.S. position on the military leadership keeps changing. We’re here to gather some information.”
She rolled her eyes. “Wish someone had warned me there was a potential problem. All I got was the peaceful beach nation speech.”
“In the State Department’s defense, word was we had another week.” He put his hand on her lower back and brought her to his side at the door. “We’re headed for the water.”
“I’m ready.”
He glanced down at her. The small shake to her voice was the only indication of her worry. She stood still, ready and waiting for directions. No panic or screaming. She was ready to follow orders and do what she had to do to get out of there alive. He was tempted to kiss her again but refrained.
SEAL of My Dreams Page 14
