An Honorable Seduction

by Brenda Jackson

  That thought made her smile and pull him closer. Feeling exhausted, she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

  * * *

  Flipper slowly opened his eyes, taking in the sight and scent of the woman lying beside him, snuggled close to his body. He was so sexually contented, he could groan out loud. He didn’t. Instead he tightened his arms around her.

  Things had gotten wild. They had finally fallen asleep after four rounds of the most satisfying lovemaking possible.

  While making love with Swan, he had discovered there was a vast difference in making love to her versus making love to other women. He’d known it before but she had made that point crystal clear tonight.

  With other women, he’d usually had one goal in mind—seeking sexual pleasure and making sure she got hers. With Swan it had been about that, too, but it had also been about finding closeness. No other woman had made him want to stay inside her. It had only been the need to replace condoms that had forced him from Swan’s side. And then he had been back inside her in a flash...like that was where he belonged. Hell, he was still thinking that way and the twitch in his aroused manhood was letting him know just what he desired.

  Flipper was known to have a robust sexual appetite. When you lived your life on the edge, engaging in covert operations as his team did, then you needed a way to release.

  Usually, unerringly, he found his release in some woman’s bed. He made sure she knew it was one and done. Due to the nature of his occupation, he didn’t have time for attachments or anything long-term. Some SEALs did; he didn’t. He’d tried it once and it hadn’t worked out. Now he preferred being a loner. It didn’t bother him that he was the lone single guy among his close friends. To each his own.

  So how could one night in Swan Jamison’s bed have him thinking things he shouldn’t be thinking, especially considering why he was in Key West in the first place?

  It had everything to do with the woman he’d had mind-blowing sex with for the past four hours or so. Now he saw her as more than an assignment. Now she was also a woman who had the ability to match his sexual needs one-on-one, something he found invigorating and energizing on all levels. He was a totally physical male and Swan Jamison was wholly, utterly female. Almost to the point that she’d blown his ever-loving mind.

  Now she was sleeping peacefully while he was lying here thinking, knowing his honor was being tested. As a military man, he always did what was honorable. On top of that, his mother had drilled into all five of her sons that honor was not just for their country but extended to humans just as much, especially women. Why had that thought settled deep into his mind now?

  One reason might be that he’d read the report on her. He knew about those elderly people residing at the senior living complex that she visited on her weekends off and how she’d championed so hard for the homeless. She was working with the mayor to help find funding to build a housing complex for them.

  She was a caring person. He’d witnessed her love for her country, for her father, that night at the fireworks and the more he was around her, the more he believed in her innocence.

  She made a sound now and he glanced down and met beautiful brown eyes staring at him. Immediately his senses connected with those eyes. She trusted him. He could see it in the gaze staring back at him. Otherwise he would not be here in her bed.

  What would she think when she learned the truth? Would she still trust him? He pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

  She gave him a beautiful, sleepy smile that melted his insides. Made him wish he had come here to the Keys for a real vacation, a much-needed one. He wished he had entered her shop with no ulterior motive but to do as he claimed, which was to buy his mother a birthday gift. He would still have tried his hand at seducing her, but things would have been different. Specifically, he wouldn’t feel as if his honor was being compromised.

  “You didn’t try my key lime pie,” she whispered.

  “We can get up and eat some now if you want,” he said.

  “No, I like being just where I am. We can always eat some later...or even for breakfast.”

  He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Um, breakfast sounds nice. Is that an invitation to stay the night?”

  “Only if you want to.”

  He wanted to. And when he brushed another kiss across her lips, he slid his tongue inside her mouth to kiss her deeply and let her know how much he wanted to stay.

  He knew at that moment that his commanding officer and the admiral weren’t the only ones with a personal interest in Swan Jamison. He now had a personal interest in her as well.

  Seven

  The next morning, Swan woke up to bright sunlight flowing in through her window and a powerfully male body sleeping beside her.

  Last night was rated right up there with Ripley’s Believe It or Not. It had been just that spectacular. They’d made love a couple more times before getting up after midnight to eat the pie she’d prepared for dessert. After clearing off the table and loading the dishes into the dishwasher, he’d suggested they walk on the beach.

  So at one in the morning, they had strolled hand in hand along the water’s edge. It had been a beautiful night with a full moon in the sky. The breeze off the ocean had provided the perfect reason for him to pull her close while walking barefoot in the sand. He told her more about his family; namely about his parents’ medical supply company.

  Then at some point, they began talking about her company and she found herself telling him just about everything about jewelry making. He was curious about her stones and complimented how beautiful they were and inquired how she was able to create so many pieces.

  No man had ever taken an interest in her work before and she was excited that he thought what she did for a living was important. She had found herself explaining the day-to-day operations of Swan’s. He couldn’t believe how she found the time to handcraft a number of the items sold in her shop.

  David also thought it was great that Rafe, through his connections with a huge distributor in California, was able to get some of Swan’s more expensive stones at a lower cost and had even helped her save on shipping by including them in the packaging with his ink.

  She glanced over at him now as he shifted in bed. He kept his arms wrapped around her while he slept. She studied his features and saw how relaxed he looked.

  She drew in a deep breath, still amazed at the depth of what they had shared last night. It had been the most profound thing she’d ever experienced with a man. Making love with David had touched her in ways she hadn’t thought possible. He had made her feel things she hadn’t ever felt before and those things weren’t just sexual in nature. While in his arms, she had felt safe and secure. Protected.

  As far as she was concerned, what they’d shared last night was more compelling and meaningful than any other time she’d shared with a man, even more meaningful than the time she’d spent with William. She’d never really allowed herself to fully let go with William. Now she could admit to herself that she’d known in the back of her mind that something didn’t add up with him.

  Yet she’d been so desperate for companionship after losing her mother that she had wanted to believe William was honest, even though he’d seemed too good to be true. She was glad Candy had become suspicious when he’d never wanted them to be photographed together or when he’d insisted that they spend the night at Swan’s place instead of the hotel.

  At the time, his requests hadn’t bothered her because she hadn’t wanted her employer or her coworkers to get in her business. But Candy had seen through all that and knew something in the milk wasn’t clean, as she would often say. It had been Candy who’d unveiled her own husband’s secret affair with a flight attendant. And once confronted, Don hadn’t denied a thing. He’d said he was glad she’d found out because he wanted a divorce.

  Pushing thoughts of Don’s and Wil
liam’s betrayals to the back of her mind, Swan continued to study David. She couldn’t help but recall the number of times he’d made her climax. Now that was simply amazing all by itself.

  She was enjoying her time with him, even knowing it wouldn’t last. Later this month, he would leave the island and she would probably not hear from him again. She knew that, accepted it. She had long ago learned to live for the now and not sweat the small stuff. Especially those things she couldn’t change.

  “You’re awake.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at the slumberous blue eyes staring at her. The dark shadow on his chin made him look even sexier. “Yes, I’m awake. I guess I should be a good host and prepare breakfast before you leave.”

  “Um, I’ve overstayed my welcome?”

  “No, but today is Sunday and I have a lot to do.”

  “Maybe I can help you.”

  “You don’t know what I’ll be doing.”

  He reached out and pushed her hair back off her shoulders so he could completely see her face. “Then tell me.”

  She gazed into his eyes. “The shop is closed on Sundays and I use my day off to visit Golden Manor Senior Place. My mom used to do volunteer work there when we lived on the island years ago. I would go with her on Sundays to visit everyone. I guess you could say it’s become a family tradition that I decided to continue.”

  “I think that’s a wonderful thing you’re doing. I’m sure the residents there appreciate it.”

  “Yes, they do, although those who knew my mom are no longer there. They’ve passed on. I’m establishing new relationships and friendships.”

  “Good for you. I’d love to join you.”

  “You would?” she asked, surprised.

  “Yes, and don’t worry about preparing breakfast. I’ll go home and refresh and be back here within an hour. We can grab breakfast somewhere before heading over. Afterward, we can spend more time on the beach. I enjoyed the walk last night with you.”

  And she had enjoyed it, too. The thought that he wanted to spend more time with her made her feel really good inside. “Okay, that sounds wonderful.”

  “I’m glad you think so, and before I leave...”

  “Yes?”

  He leaned over to kiss her and she knew where things would lead from there. She looked forward to getting wild again with him.

  * * *

  Flipper clicked on his phone the minute he walked into his hotel room. He noted several missed calls since he’d deliberately cut off his phone last night. One was from the admiral, who was probably calling for an update. But first Flipper would return the call to Nick.

  “Flipper, should I ask why I couldn’t reach you last night?”

  “No, you shouldn’t,” Flipper said, flopping down in the nearest chair.

  “You have heard the saying that you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure, right?”

  Too late for that, Flipper thought, running a hand down his face. Instead of responding to Nick’s comment, he said, “I hope you have something for me. There’s another angle I want you to check out.”

  “Okay, and yes, I have something for you. I found out the initial investigation was handed off to a group of civilian investigators, which means naval intelligence didn’t rank it at the top at first.”

  Flipper was very much aware of the part government bureaucracy played in certain investigations. If someone thought a case should be under naval intelligence’s radar, then they made sure it got there. “Why?”

  “Not sure yet, but first, let’s talk about Jamila Fairchild.”

  Flipper leaned forward in his chair. “Okay, let’s talk about her. What do you have?”

  “Not what you obviously think. What she told Swan was the truth. She does have a huge family who lives in the north.”

  Flipper raised a brow. “Then who made the error in the report from naval intelligence?”

  “Don’t know, but it’s worth checking out, although I don’t think it’s anything suspicious on Ms. Fairchild’s end. Especially when I tell you who her family is.”

  “And who is her family?”

  “Her mother’s brother is Swan’s grandfather.”

  A frown covered Flipper’s face. “The grandfather who disowned Swan’s father?”

  “Yes, from what I’ve gathered. But I can find no record of her grandfather ever reaching out to her.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Yes, it is. I take it Swan Jamison doesn’t know about the family connection.”

  “No, she doesn’t.” Flipper decided not to try to wrap his head around this bit of news just yet. Instead he asked, “What about Rafe Duggers?”

  “Personally, I think something is going on with him.”

  Flipper lifted a brow. “What?”

  “First of all, certain aspects of his info are sealed.”

  “Sealed?”

  “Yes. I would think if naval intelligence was checking into something related to Swan and her story, they would see that sealed record for her tenant as a red flag. For them not to have flagged it raises my own suspicions about a few things.”

  That raised Flipper’s suspicions as well. Was Rafe a double agent? Someone working undercover? Was someone in naval intelligence deliberately setting Swan up as the traitor? If so, why?

  “You weren’t able to find out anything about him?”

  There was a husky chuckle. “I didn’t say that. There are ways to find out anything you want when you know how to do it.”

  And Nick knew how to do it. He’d been an amazing SEAL, but as far as Flipper was concerned, Nick’s natural investigative talents were better served at Homeland Security. “When will you let me know something?”

  “Give me a couple of days. In the meantime, don’t say anything to anyone about my suspicions about Duggers.”

  “Not even the CO and admiral?”

  “Not even them for now. You mentioned Swan had a third godfather who was someone high up at naval intelligence. Was his identity revealed to you?”

  “No, it wasn’t but then I didn’t ask,” Flipper said.

  “It wasn’t hard to find out,” Nick replied. “All you have to do is find out who Andrew Jamison’s SEAL teammates were at the time he died and do a little research to determine where they are now.”

  “I take it you’ve done that.”

  “Yes, and would you believe Swan Jamison’s third godfather is Director of Naval Intelligence Samuel Levart?”

  Flipper would not have considered Director Levart in a million years, but it all made sense now. In order for someone to have delayed making formal charges against Swan, that person would have to be someone in power. The admiral had alluded to as much. “Swan doesn’t know how favored she is to have three powerful men in her corner.”

  “Yes, but we both know it wouldn’t matter if one of her godfathers was the President. If naval intelligence believes they have enough evidence to prosecute her, they will,” Nick said.

  Flipper knew that to be true. Now more than ever he had to find the person intent on framing Swan. To him, it was beginning to look like an inside job.

  “So what else do you have for me to check out?” Nick asked, reclaiming Flipper’s attention.

  “It’s about something Swan told me.” He then shared with Nick the information about Rafe Duggers’s association with some huge distributor in California. “I need you to check that out.”

  “I will. I know time is of the essence so I’ll get back to you soon, Flipper.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  * * *

  “If you’re so concerned about me, then why not return to the Keys and keep an eye on me, Candy?” Swan asked. She moved around her bedroom getting dressed while talking to her friend on speakerphone.

  “You know why I won’t return, just yet. But
I did hear something that’s interesting.”

  “What?” Swan asked as she shimmied into her skirt.

  “I talked to Francola the other day and she said Marshall mentioned to her that Don is thinking about moving away from the island.”

  Swan paused. Francola and her husband, Marshall, had been close friends of Don and Candy’s while they were married. The two couples often did things together. Personally, Swan didn’t care much for Francola because the woman had been aware Don was cheating on Candy but hadn’t told her friend. “I would take anything Francola says with a grain of salt these days,” Swan said as she continued dressing.

  “I know you still fault her for not telling me about Don and I admit I was angry with her, too, but now I understand her not doing so.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes. Her relationship with me is not like our relationship, Swan. You and I have been best friends since grade school and we have no secrets. You would have told me about Don had you suspected anything.”

  “Darn right.”

  “Well, Francola and I didn’t have that kind of relationship. We only met through our husbands, who worked together. Besides, I’m not sure I would have believed her even had she told me. I would have been in denial.” Candy paused. “Now, enough about me. Tell me more about this David Holloway.”

  Swan smiled while putting hoop earrings into her ears. “He’s a real nice guy. Thoughtful. Considerate. Handsome as sin.” She glanced over at her made-up bed. Although there were no signs of anyone sleeping in it last night, it didn’t take much for her to remember all the wild action she and David had shared under the sheets. “And he’s great in bed. More than great. He’s fantastic.”

  “Just be careful, Swan. Protect your heart.”

  Swan slipped her feet into her sandals. “My heart? It’s not like I’m falling for the guy, Candy.”

  “Aren’t you? I can hear it in your voice. You like him a lot.”

  Yes, she did like him a lot. “It won’t go beyond me liking him,” she said, trying to convince herself of that more so than Candy.