by Dale Mayer
She smiled and reached up, her hand covering his against her cheek, and she whispered, “That’s what I would wish for too. Just keep me close.” She closed her eyes and rested. Then her eyes popped open. “Get me the hell out of here so we can share a bed tonight. You can just hold me in your arms. I doubt I’m up for much more.” She coughed again. “But it would be nice to not be in a hospital, not having anybody chasing after us, just for it to be the two of us. Just hold me please.”
He snagged her into his arms, settled himself on the hospital bed and whispered, “As soon as you’re discharged, we’re getting out of here.”
She rested her head on his chest and fell asleep.
Chapter 15
When she woke the next time, she was being moved into a wheelchair. She stared up at Kanen. “Do I get to leave already?”
He nodded. “We’re breaking you out,” he said in a whisper. But his big grin belied his words. “Charles arranged it.”
She smiled and said, “Ah, the secret, shadowy Charles. Will I ever meet him? Not right now though. I’m still so damn tired.”
“And your chest will hurt for a long time,” Nelson said. “There can be no exertion. Wheelchair all the way.”
She wrinkled her nose up at him. “I’d rather not.”
“Just to the cab,” Kanen said. “I promise. And, before we head stateside, we’ll stop in and meet the elusive but very excellent Charles.”
He bundled her up in a blanket, and the cabbie drove them back to her place, where Kanen carried her to the elevator and up to her apartment.
She looked at him. “I knew you were strong but …”
“Sweetie, no way you’re walking. No way I’m letting you out of my sight. Besides, right now, all I want to do is hold you.” He carried her into the apartment and all the way to the bathroom, dropped her gently on her feet, and said, “Get ready for bed and then straight under the covers.”
She coughed and nodded. “I can handle that.”
Her nightgown hung on the back of the door. She changed into it, and, when she opened the door, her face scrubbed, her teeth brushed, he was right there to assist her across the room.
“I can walk, you know,” she said and then started coughing. “You don’t have to keep looking after me.”
“How about we forget the looking after part, and stick with the keep part.” He said flashing her a big grin. “I’ll just keep you period.” He kissed her gently then helped her into bed. “I’ll get you a cup of tea. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded. “Fine.”
By the time he returned, she was nodding off. She opened her arms. “Can you lie down with me?”
He chuckled. “I’m getting into bed with you.” He closed the bedroom door, stripped down as he walked to the bed and crawled into it beside her. He wrapped her into his arms and drew her close. “Now sleep.”
She smiled and murmured, “Thank you,” and closed her eyes again.
But her dreams were full of bad guys and fire and smoke and chasing after Kanen because he had disappeared. She woke up, remembering. “Where were you?” she cried out, sitting up slightly.
He woke from his sleep and stared at her. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“The only reason I left the storage unit was because you were gone for longer than you should have been. You didn’t answer your phone either. Do you know how terrified I was?”
“We were searching for Bob. And I couldn’t answer my phone or the backlight would give away my position. When I got back to the storage unit, it was engulfed in flames. I thought for sure you were still in there,” he said.
She smiled at him. “Oh.” She collapsed beside him again. “That makes sense.” She leaned up on one elbow and kissed him. And then kissed him again and kissed him again. “You taste smoky,” she said.
“No, I think it’s you who tastes smoky,” he said with a chuckle. He rolled her over gently onto her back. “You should be sleeping. You’re still keyed up and sore from the CPR. It’s too early for you to be awake.”
“I’m fine,” she announced, rolling over atop him again. “Besides, this is my bed, and you’re in it. And I’ve thought about this a lot over the last few days. I’m really not prepared to let you leave until I’m ready.”
His eyes lit with interest. “Oh? What did you have in mind?” His hands already tugged her nightgown, taking it over her hips, up to her ribs.
She could feel his bare skin beneath her, and a very interesting ridge nestled against her hips. She wiggled ever-so-slightly, watching his eyes turn a smoky color, and she chuckled. “I’m up for anything. Maybe a little gentle to begin with, but, after that, I suggest we see what might appeal.”
One eyebrow rose. “Sweetheart, I’m up for anything anytime you are.” And he bumped his hips up against her, so she could feel exactly what was up.
She chuckled, leaned over and kissed him gently. “Maybe you should prove that to me. I’m not exactly sure how this will work.”
“I’m sure you understand how all of it works,” he murmured teasingly.
His tongue traced the shape of her ear, sending shivers down her back, his warm breath against her throat sliding down to warm the space between her breasts. When he cupped her plump round breasts, she moaned gently. She arched, filling his hands fully as she whispered, “But I’ve never done this with you, so maybe you’re full of tricks I don’t know anything about.”
“No tricks,” he murmured, “just love. Maybe now it’s our time.”
She sighed as he took one nipple into his mouth and suckled deeply. Feeling an answering tug deep in her groin, her belly tightened, and her body softened. She stroked his arms, sliding her fingers through his hair, kissing where she could reach.
As he shifted them both on their sides, facing each other, he gently and carefully treated her like a china doll as he explored her from one end to the other. By the time he slid his fingers along her leg, tickling the back of her knee, then to the inside of her thigh before finding the curls at the apex, she was already moist, ready and more than willing to take the next step.
As a matter of fact, she was past willing. She slid into demanding. She tugged on his arms, “Come to me,” she ordered. “Now.”
He chuckled. “So impatient,” he murmured.
“Absolutely,” she said. “I hate being thwarted when it’s something I want.” She grabbed his hair and tugged him gently toward her.
He rolled her to her back again, separating her legs wider as he hooked his arms under both her knees, and sat up, whispering, “Are you ready?”
Open, vulnerable and never more in love than she was right in that moment, she whispered, “Absolutely.”
And he slid home. All the way to the heart of her. She cried out, her body tensing against a long year without any form of intimacy. He gave her a moment to relax, releasing her legs, his hands gently stroking her thighs and hips before cupping her breasts. Then he started to move.
She gave a cry of joy, her hips rising and falling, meeting him, matching him stride for stride, loving the feeling as the two came together, in a way of celebration, in a way of joy.
When he finally neared his release, she moved with him, harder and faster, a cry of urgency inside. She was so damn close.
Then he reached down between them, found that little nub between the folds of her skin, and her body exploded with her own climax, then his.
She lay shuddering in his arms, their bodies slick with sweat. She whispered, “That was a long time coming.”
He rolled over, brushing her hair off her face and whispered, “No ghost?”
She knew what he was referring to. At some time she’d tell Kanen what her captor had said about Blake. She wanted to believe it was all lies, but she knew, no matter what was the truth, Blake was a part of her. And Kanen? … Well, Kanen was a part of her too. Hopefully a permanent part of her future. She kissed him gently on his lips and whispered, “No ghost. Only angels singing. Because you gave me a
touch of heaven. And it’s a place I want to stay.”
“With you in my arms,” he whispered, “we’re both in heaven, now and forever.”
Epilogue
Nelson Brown sat on the living room couch the next morning. He folded up the blanket and set the pillow on top. They were heading back today. He wasn’t exactly sure what Kanen and Laysa were planning on doing, but Nelson figured it would take a few days to get her moved over.
Everything in the storage unit that she’d owned with her husband was lost. However, she still had an apartment full of furniture to be dealt with. Taylor was making coffee. They’d already booked flights for eleven o’clock this morning. They were heading back to their regular jobs. First they were scheduled to go for training—training they were anxious to get to as it was on torpedoes. It was more of an information session, but it was fascinating. Nelson wanted to see how the bombs themselves were made. There was a lot of science and engineering that went into them.
Taylor came toward him, holding up his phone. “Hey, apparently there’s officer training at the same time.”
Nelson wrinkled his face. “Great. That may not be fun.”
“A couple engineers are coming as well. They’ll be on staff, working on the deployment of the new torpedoes. They’re integrating a new chute system into the battleships.”
Nelson nodded. “That part at least makes sense.”
“Yeah. Remember the woman who gave that lecture we went to? She talked about how the maintenance was so important on these chutes, and you got really mad at her because you felt she was implying the navy wasn’t doing their job.”
Nelson frowned. “Sort of. She was kind of arrogant.”
Taylor nodded. “She was, indeed. But she’s also the one who’ll be part of this torpedo tour.”
“Where’s the tour?”
“On the USS Independence,” Taylor said. “It would be good to go to the manufacturing plant, but that’s not happening. At least we’ll see them on the ship. She’ll be there to show us how these are different from the older ones.”
Nelson shrugged. “What difference does it make? They’ll still have a certain payload. They’ll still have an automatic delivery system. I doubt we’ll have to retrofit anything on the battleships.”
“Apparently something is different about these.” He smiled. “She’s not the speaker, but she’s one of the engineers working on the project, so she’ll be there.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Nelson said. “I barely know the woman.”
“That’s good, but apparently she knows you.”
Nelson looked up at Taylor and frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I just got a text from Mason. Let me read it to you.” He flicked through the texts on his phone, stopped and said, “Make sure Nelson comes back with you. The engineer wants to speak with him specifically before the tour starts.” Taylor looked at Nelson. “Does that mean anything to you?”
Nelson shook his head. “No. I don’t know the woman. What the hell does she want with me?” Just then his phone buzzed. He saw a text from Mason.
Meeting one hour in advance of tour tomorrow morning, 8:00 a.m. on shore. At the dock.
He texted back with What’s this all about?
Engineer wants to talk to you.
About what? he asked.
Mason typed No clue. But she mentioned you specifically.
I don’t even know the woman.
Maybe but she knows you. Be there at 8:00 a.m. sharp.
Nelson tossed his phone on the coffee table, then snorted. “Who the hell is this woman? And why the hell does she give a damn about me?”
Taylor walked toward his buddy with two cups of coffee. “I guess you’ll find out tomorrow morning, won’t you?”
Nelson just stared at him. “Maybe. If I show up.”
But it was only bravado. When the navy called, he stepped up each and every time. But it sure didn’t stop him from wondering who this woman was and what she wanted with him.
This concludes Book 20 of SEALs of Honor: Kanen.
Read about Nelson: SEALs of Honor, Book 21
SEALs of Honor: Nelson (Book #21)
Nothing is what it seems … ever …
Nelson’s early morning meeting at the docks with Elizabeth Etchings offers only bad news. Her brother—and Nelson’s old friend—has gone missing on his days off while his ship was docked in Ensenada. A trip to where he’d last been seen shows the local color … and reveals Nelson’s friend has gotten into bigger trouble than anyone could imagine.
Elizabeth might have had a hand in now sending two men to Baja to look for her brother, but she will not stay behind. Her brother is in danger … and he’s the only family she has left.
It doesn’t take long for Nelson to realize that Elizabeth has caught the eye of someone who rules that corner of the world. She’s now in jeopardy too—possibly more than her brother. Keeping her safe moves up Nelson’s priority list.
Until both issues merge, and everything goes south …
Book 21 is available now!
To find out more visit Dale Mayer’s website.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Kanen: SEALs of Honor, Book 20! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review here.
Dear reader,
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Cheers,
Dale Mayer
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About the Author
Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).
She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!
To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.
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KANEN: SEALS OF HONOR, BOOK 20
Dale Mayer
Valley Publishing
Copyright © 2019
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1-773361-15-4
Kindle Edition
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