The Protective SEAL

by Knight, Katie

  “This looks nice.” She blinked at Jack over the back of the driver’s seat. “Are you sure your cousin won’t mind us crashing here?”

  “Nah. He’ll be fine with it.” Jack cut the engine, then hooked his arm over the back of his seat to face her. “Besides, technically it belongs to all of us, since we helped pitch in the money to buy it. Plus, we won’t be here long, but I did call my cousin earlier, before I talked to my friend at the marshals’ office, to let him know the cabin would be occupied for a couple of days so he didn’t make any surprise visits.”

  They got out and Sam started unpacking the back of the SUV while Jack went inside to check everything out and turn the power and water on. It was quiet here in the woods, with only the rustle of the leaves in the slight breeze to break the silence. After the adventure earlier in the field, it was a welcome change. Sam made sure to make as little noise as possible to avoid waking poor Glory as she unloaded the bags of supplies they’d bought at the superstore and carried them up to the small porch that ran the length of the front of the building.

  The cabin wasn’t big by any means, maybe twenty-foot by thirty-foot total. Even at night, the thick log beams that made up the walls and the shiny metal shingles on the roof were visible. There was a loud click and suddenly warm golden light glowed out the windows. It looked downright homey.

  Jack grabbed the bags from her while she went back to the SUV to get Glory’s car seat out. As she carried the baby inside, she got another shock. She’d expected a sort of bachelor pad feel to the interior. Maybe a few lawn chairs, a cooler, a cot or air mattress on the floor. But nope. Inside, the cabin was basically one big room, with two doors on the far end that she suspected led to a bathroom and a bedroom. The floors, walls, and ceiling were all done in warm honey-colored maple with a large stone fireplace against one wall. In one corner was a small kitchen with an island, and even a breakfast bar with stools. Perfectly fine for a weekend or even longer.

  “Wow, this is really nice,” she said, staring up at the thick, exposed wooden beams in the ceiling. “You guys had this built?”

  “Yeah. It’s actually not as expensive as you’d think. It’s all pre-fab—you pick the one you want in a catalogue. They make them in the factory then just ship the parts out to the location and reassemble them there. Pretty efficient, eh?”

  “Agreed.” She smiled at him, not quite sure how to act since their kiss in the driveway. With all the chaos of the last few hours, those memories had receded to the back of her mind in favor of survival instincts, but now that they were out of danger—at least for a little while—they zoomed back full force. It was different back in the SUV when they were talking. He had to keep his eyes on the road, and she was tucked away in the backseat, which made it easier to open up. Now, though, they were close enough to touch. She shifted Glory’s carrier from one hand to the other and looked around, anywhere but at Jack. “I, uh, I guess I’ll start unpacking some of these bags then.”

  “Great.” He shuffled his feet, looking as uncomfortable as she felt. “Yeah, I’ll just, um, finish getting the stuff out of the SUV, then park it out in the woods a bit farther so if anyone walks by, they won’t see it. Then I’ll check the perimeter again before locking up for the night.”

  “Sounds good,” she said, moving into the tiny kitchen and setting Glory’s carrier on the island. Her daughter had been exceptional tonight, but she’d be waking up hungry soon and Sam wanted to make sure she had a bottle ready. Jack hesitated for a moment, looking at her as if he wanted to say more, then he turned and walked out. Sam got busy putting stuff away to avoid overthinking that kiss. It was nothing, right? They’d both been caught off guard, a heat of the moment kind of thing.

  That’s all it was.

  Except as she emptied one bag and started on another, the tingle on her lips and the warm clench in her stomach certainly felt like something.

  The kitchen was actually fully functioning, which Sam appreciated more than she could say. There was a small fridge, a stove, oven, even a microwave. The only thing missing was a dishwasher, but she wasn’t about to complain. She’d stayed in far more rustic conditions down in South America when she’d been on her research trips.

  Costa Rica.

  Sudden memories of her and Jack doing far more than kissing swamped her exhausted brain—the way he’d held her, touched her, kissed her and stroked her, the feel of him moving inside her, strong and sure and so, so right…

  Whoops. No.

  Because having a repeat performance of that night now would be so, so wrong.

  She was on the run, in danger, as was her tiny daughter. Doing anything that might distract her from keeping herself and her daughter safe was a risk she couldn’t take. And Jack was definitely a distraction.

  Sam finished putting away the food, then took the bags of clothes and supplies to the bedroom and the bathroom. Both rooms were small and utilitarian, but clean. The bathroom even had a small walk-in shower that looked like heaven right about now.

  A small wail issued from the kitchen and she went back out to find Glory waking up in her carrier. She heated a bottle in the microwave, then started to feed her daughter as Jack walked back into the cabin and locked the door behind himself. He had his duffel in one hand and a final bag of supplies in the other. He glanced over at her, then put his duffel against the wall in the living room, across from the sofa, before walking into the kitchen and unloading the bag of water bottles in his hand into the fridge.

  “You and Glory can take the bedroom,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Sam smiled and cooed down at her daughter, then looked up at him. “So, what do we do now?”

  “Well, first we get some rest, relax a little bit, then we decide where to go from here.” Jack plugged his phone charger into the socket on the wall, then attached his phone. “Good thing I brought some extra gas with us for the generator. There’s a station not too far from here, up the highway, but with the SUV in its current condition, it’s probably best to stay away from Rally and out of sight at this point until my buddy in the marshal’s office gives us the okay.”

  Sam put Glory’s empty bottle in the sink, then cracked open a tiny jar of pears and applesauce, fishing out a small spoon from the diaper bag. Glory was still transitioning to solids, so she tried to give her at least one serving a day to get her system used to them.

  Jack took a seat on one of the stools at the island and watched her feed their daughter, his expression rapt, like he was watching the Super Bowl instead of a baby eating. “She’s a good eater, huh?”

  “Yeah, she is.” Sam chuckled. “Takes after me that way.”

  “And me.” Jack grinned. “I never turn down a meal.”

  “You hungry?” she asked, glancing over at him. “We’ve got all those snacks we brought.”

  “Nah. I’m good. What I really want is a nice hot shower and about fourteen hours uninterrupted sleep.”

  “That sounds amazing.” She smiled. “I don’t think I’ve slept through an entire night since Glory was born.”

  “I can get up with her tonight, if you want. That way you can rest.” Jack blinked. “I mean, if you want. No pressure or anything.”

  Sam was touched by his consideration but wasn’t sure how much experience he had caring for a small child. Glory might weight less than twenty pounds, but she could be more than a handful when she wanted to be. Still, she didn’t want to begrudge Jack the chance to get to know his child either, especially considering they might not have that much time together, depending on how quickly this all went down. “How about we play it by ear? If you hear her first, you can handle it. If I do, then I’ll do it. You know how to change a diaper?”

  “I can take apart and reassemble an AK-47 in under a minute. I think I can handle a diaper.”

  “Uh-huh. Let me just go over it with you, just in case.”

  After she finished feeding Glory, she showed Jack how to bathe her, and then they went
over diapering 101. “So, she’s clean now, but if she wasn’t, the first thing you’d want to do is remove the soiled diaper and throw it away, then clean her off with these wipes.” Sam held up the white plastic box. “Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies and between her fat creases.”

  “How many do I use?” Jack asked, looking like a guy cramming for final exams.

  “As many as you need. Sometimes one or two does the trick. Other times, things can get a bit…messy…and you’ll need more. Whatever it takes to get her clean.”

  “Got it.”

  “Once she’s clean, if any areas of skin look red or inflamed, then you want to use some of this.” She held up the tube of diaper rash cream they’d spent forever picking out at the superstore. “Then wait for her skin to dry before you do anything else.”

  “Check.”

  Sam gave him a side glance. “This isn’t like the military, you know.”

  “I know. I just want to do it right.”

  His eagerness made her heart give a warm squeeze. If things were different, she wouldn’t have minded having a guy like Jack in her life, someone nice and kind and dependable and responsible. As it was, he didn’t deserve to get wrapped up in all her life’s drama.

  “Okay. So, once she’s clean and dry, then you take a new diaper and slide it under her bum, like this.” Jack moved in closer beside her to see everything she did. He stood near enough for her to feel the heat of him through her clothes, smell the faint hint of his woodsy aftershave and the fabric softener from his clothes, hear his steady breaths. A yearning, both deep and powerful, sizzled through her before she tamped it down. Now wasn’t the time and this wasn’t the man.

  Sam shook off those silly thoughts of her and Jack having another fling for as long as they were together and instead concentrated on the task at hand. “Right. So, you slide it under her, then bring the front part up between her legs and bring the sides up and fasten them using the tabs here at the waist. That’s it. Then you put her in a clean onesie and you’re both good to go. Any questions?”

  She turned to look at him, finding him only inches away. His gaze flickered from her eyes down to her lips then back again, his pupils dilating, and the sexual tension pulsed heavy and thick between them. Neither of them were thinking about diapers now.

  Then Glory gave a happy little gurgle and they both snapped out of it.

  “Uh, I think I got it,” Jack said, backing up fast. “If you don’t mind, um, I’ll hit the shower first. That way, I can guard the cabin while you take your time.”

  Swallowing hard, Sam picked up Glory and held her to her chest like a shield. “No, that’s fine. I need to get the rest of my clothes put away anyhow. And I’ll get Glory down for the night.”

  Thirteen

  Jack sat alone in the living room, staring at his computer screen. There was no TV in the place and no Wi-Fi, but he’d used his phone as a hotspot to get Internet access. Glory was still sleeping in the bedroom and the only sound was the running water from Sam’s shower. It felt peaceful, despite the danger lurking beyond the woods.

  He pulled up yet another video on infant care on YouTube and watched a tutorial on infant bathing. There was so much to learn, so much at stake. God, he was still amazed that Glory was his. They’d come together that one night in Costa Rica out of loneliness and a sense of desperation, with no idea that something so amazing would come of it.

  Now, they were back together again, under similar circumstances.

  An image of them making love from that long-ago evening flashed back into his mind, along with the rush of lust generated by that kiss outside his house earlier, and his body responded. Annoyed with himself, he coughed and shifted his position on the sofa. No matter how he might want her, sleeping with Sam again would be a mistake. She had so many things on her plate right now. Nothing could last between them since she’d be returning to witness protection soon. There was little Glory to think about.

  Nope.

  Sex with Sam was definitely off the table.

  His traitorous cock twitched.

  Or is it?

  No. No. It definitely was. Making love with her when they were both stressed and off-kilter and vulnerable would be ridiculous. Besides, there were still so many unknowns between them. His past, her future. The fact that he could very well be leading them into a trap with no way to defend them.

  Shit. Just shit.

  God, he hated this. Hated not knowing if he’d be enough to keep Sam and their daughter safe against her hellish father and his warmongering beasts. For over a decade, he’d fought and defended his country against all enemies. But now that he was a civilian—with too many years under his belt, not to mention bad knees and faltering confidence—he wasn’t sure he could meet the definition of “hero” anymore. It was ironic really, when you thought about it. A decorated soldier who feared conflict. Not because of his own life, but because of those of the people he cared for.

  His mom, his daughter, and yeah, Sam too.

  Contrary to popular belief—and despite the actions of some of the guys from his own SEAL team—they weren’t all sex fanatics. Sure, Jack had had his share of lovers in his life, but he wasn’t generally the kind of guy who slept with a woman just because he was bored or it was on offer. For him, there needed to be something more, some kind of feeling or attraction that went beyond the physical.

  Sure, that first night in Costa Rica had been hot as hell sexually, and lust might’ve been the deciding factor at first, given the amount of adrenaline that had been pounding through his system. Rescues always got him worked up. But afterward, in the wee hours of that morning, he and Sam had talked, about everything from current events to her job as a marine biologist to his dreams of one day raising therapy dogs. He felt like he knew her, really knew her, even if they’d spent relatively little time together.

  Then again, maybe that was just the fatigue talking. He’d not gotten more than four hours sleep in the last three days, so…

  The bathroom door creaked open and Sam came out, looking far too adorable for her own good in her flannel pajamas, her cheeks pink from the hot shower, and her feet bare. Her dark hair was still damp and curled around her face, making him long to catch a strand around his finger and see if it still felt as soft as it looked.

  “Feel better?” he asked, not looking at her for fear his want would be written all over his face.

  “Yeah. Nice to wash all the crud away.” She peeked in the bedroom at a still snoozing Glory, then took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa from him, tucking her feet beneath her. He glanced over to see her toes were still visible. Pink painted toenails. And didn’t that just add to his naughty fantasies of what he might do to said toes to make her scream his name in ecstasy.

  Get a grip, dude.

  “What are you watching?” she asked, leaning closer to peer at his screen. The clean scent of his shampoo wafted from her hair and he bit back a groan of frustration. “Is that a baby video?”

  “What?” Jack shook off the latest steamy images filling his head and squinted down at his computer, doing his best not to sound as flustered as he felt. “Oh, yeah. I like to be prepared.”

  “In case of imminent projectile vomiting?” Sam snorted.

  “Huh?” Jack scowled at the clip playing on his laptop. Apparently, somewhere during his tutorials, the feed had switched over to funny videos of kids doing hilariously gross things. Heat prickling up from beneath the collar of the black T-shirt he’d pulled on after his own shower earlier, he rubbed his damp palms on the thighs of his plaid sleep pants then closed the computer. Normally, he slept nude, but under the circumstances, that wasn’t wise. “Uh, no. I was watching tutorials on how to do baby stuff, like bathing and feeding. In case you need more help.”

  “Right. Okay.” She grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it to her chest. “Pretty soon, you’ll be as good as me with all this.”

  “I doubt that.” Jack set the computer on the coffee table in front o
f them, then sat back, stretching out his legs. His bad knee gave a twinge. Arthritis had set in after his surgery and didn’t that just make him feel ancient. Jesus. He was only thirty-three, but there were days he felt more like one hundred and three. He looked over at Sam again. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and a brittleness about her that he didn’t remember seeing before. “Well, we should probably get some rest. Who knows what we’ll face tomorrow.”

  Sam gave a weary sigh that he felt clear to his bones. “I’m so tired, you know?” she said, her voice so quiet he might have missed it if he hadn’t been paying such close attention. “Tired of being scared. Growing up with a dad like mine—violent, controlling, hair-triggered—I’d thought that was hell enough, and that by going to the authorities and agreeing to testify, I could put a stop to it. Make things better. But they’re so much worse now. I want to be strong for Glory, you know?” Her breath hitched, and her words caught, her lovely eyes filling with tears. “But I don’t know how much more I can take.”

  All his good intentions, all his well-constructed barriers where she was concerned crumbled in the face of Sam’s honesty. Before he could reconsider his actions, Jack reached over and pulled her into his arms, the pillow on her lap falling to the floor as he settled her on his lap, her head buried against his chest and his chin resting atop her head.

  “Shh, sweetheart. Shhh. Don’t cry. Please. I’m here. I’ll always be here for you.” He kissed her hair and closed his eyes, praying it would be enough, that he would be enough to keep them safe. He’d been afraid of getting too attached to her, but if the tight squeeze around his heart was any indication, it was already too late. A riptide of emotions swept through him—yearning, lust, protectiveness, need—threatening to pull him under and drowned him. He pulled away slightly, cupping her cheeks and forcing her to meet his gaze. “I swear to you, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and Glory safe. Even if it costs me everything. Understand?”