Stranded with the Navy SEAL

by Susan Cliff

  “Yes,” she said, to his bare chest.

  “Yes what?”

  She moistened her lips, unsure what he was asking.

  “How do you want it?”

  She pushed her dress to the floor. “However you want to give it to me.”

  He must have bought condoms at the pharmacy this afternoon. He took one out of his pocket, studying her naked body. It took him about ten seconds to drop his pants and suit up. She wrapped her hand around his latex-covered shaft, biting her lower lip. He was deliciously hard and thick.

  He pushed her hand away and lifted her against the wall. She let out a strangled cry as he thrust inside her. Then he paused, as if gauging her reaction. He didn’t have any trouble holding up her weight. She felt pinned by his gaze, impaled on his length. Watching her face, he withdrew halfway and drove deep again.

  “Ohh,” she said, her eyes rolling back in her head. “God.”

  He gripped her bottom with big hands, rocking her body with every thrust. He did it again, and again, driving her wild. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders, sobbing. Her cries were getting really loud.

  “What do you need?” he asked.

  He knew what she needed. His erection throbbed inside her, huge and hot, but it didn’t pinpoint her pleasure. It brought her to a fever pitch, teetering on the edge.

  “Please,” she said.

  He took pity on her and carried her away from the wall. When he reached the bed, he fell down on his back. His shaft went deep and high, hitting a place no one had ever been before. She was stretched tight around him, filled to the hilt. He groaned at the sight. His hands roved her body, skimming her waist and hips. He pinched her hard nipples while she rode his slick shaft. She felt a surge of wetness between her legs and moaned, moving up and down.

  He licked his thumb and placed it right where she wanted it. She bucked her hips as he stroked her slippery sex. “I love this,” he said, burying one hand in her hair. The other stayed between them, strumming gently. “Tell me you do, too.”

  “I love it.”

  “Tell me you love me.”

  “I love you,” she said, her inhibitions gone. She tipped over the edge, her body shuddering with the most powerful orgasm she’d ever experienced. It rocketed through her like a freight train, going on and on. He petted her expertly, drawing out the pleasure. Then he covered her mouth with his, swallowing her cries with a sensual kiss.

  She was still feeling the aftershocks when he rolled on top of her.

  “I love you,” he said in a guttural voice. “I love your body and your mouth and your hot, wet—”

  He broke off, his shoulders quaking from the power of his release. He buried his face in her neck and thrust hard, driving deep one last time. Then he collapsed over her, sweaty and spent. She hugged him close, listening to his thundering heart. She relished his loss of control, his intense lovemaking. He was raw and wild.

  Here, in this middle place between reality and fantasy, they were wild together. They were meant for each other.

  He was hers, she was his, and nothing else mattered.

  Chapter 22

  Logan woke the next morning with a massive sex hangover.

  It felt pretty great.

  He’d spent the entire night in bed with Cady. Well, mostly in bed. He’d also taken her in the shower, against the sink, and on the floor. They’d gone out for ice cream once. They’d napped between encounters. But they’d made the most of their time together and then some. He’d worshipped her body. She’d worshipped his. He’d told her he loved her again. She’d said it back to him—on her knees.

  It didn’t get any better than that, did it?

  He curled up next to her, kissing her bare shoulder. She was fast asleep, facing away from him. The sheets were tangled around her hips. He studied her soft hair on the pillow and her smooth, dark skin. His blood thickened with arousal, and his chest swelled with emotion. He’d never get his fill of her.

  She made a sleepy sound and snuggled into the covers. Most of her back was exposed, almost to the cleft of her buttocks. He pressed his lips there, at the base of her spine. Then he worked his way up to the nape of her neck. By the time he arrived, she was awake, reaching back to twine her fingers in his hair.

  He growled against her ear, pushing the blankets aside. His erection pulsed against her bare bottom. He wanted to enter her from behind, maybe bite her neck a little. He was an animal with her, insatiable. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to her.

  She shifted her hips, encouraging him. He toyed with her taut brown nipples, which were so damned succulent, he couldn’t stand it. Then he smoothed his hand down her flat belly. She spread her sleek thighs. He kissed the side of her neck and slid one finger into her snug heat, groaning.

  He was always hard for her. She was always wet.

  He gripped his shaft and imagined thrusting inside her, just like that. He’d been using condoms every time, and he had a box by the nightstand. The urge to proceed without one was tempting. It would feel good, going bare. He wouldn’t do it, but he wanted to. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes half-lidded.

  Then someone started knocking on the door.

  Not her door, but his, which was adjacent.

  His stomach dropped. He scrambled out of the bed, searching for his pants. His erection could pound nails.

  The knocking continued, along with the murmur of male voices.

  “Who is that?” Cady asked.

  Logan wasn’t sure which team members his commander had sent. He yanked his pants up his hips and went to the door. When he opened it, he saw three SEALs standing in the hall outside his room. Gonzales, Pepperdine and Samir.

  “I told you we had the wrong room,” Samir said.

  “What’s up,” Logan said. He was glad to see them, even under these circumstances. “Give me a second to get dressed.”

  “Don’t bother,” Pepperdine said, lifting a rucksack. “I brought you some utilities.”

  All three men strode toward his door. Logan accepted the rucksack with a grunt of thanks. It held a combat utility uniform, which meant they were leaving Nuku Hiva right now. “I’ll be ready in ten.”

  Gonzales seemed amused by Logan’s cagey attitude. “We took a twenty-four hour flight to get here, and you’re going to make us wait outside?”

  Logan had opened the door partway to set down the rucksack. He couldn’t slam the door in their faces without arousing suspicion. He also couldn’t prevent them from crowding around and glancing in. They all got a glimpse of Cady, wild-haired and obviously naked, with a sheet clutched to her chest.

  “Oh,” Pepperdine said.

  Gonzales licked his lips. “Who’s that?”

  Logan dragged a hand down his jaw. They knew who she was. They wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t been briefed. Gonzales was angling for an introduction. Logan stepped back, letting the door fall open. “This is Cadence Crenshaw,” he said. “Cady, this is Petty Officer John Pepperdine, Petty Officer Omar Samir and Petty Officer Richard Gonzales.”

  “Ma’am,” Pepperdine said.

  Samir said hello.

  “You can call me Ricky,” Gonzales said, flashing his movie-star smile.

  Logan gave him a warning look.

  “We’ll be downstairs,” Pepperdine said. “See you in ten.”

  After they walked away, Logan shut the door. “Sorry,” he said to Cady. “I didn’t expect them this early.”

  “You’re leaving right now?”

  He opened the rucksack and pulled out his pants. “I’d stay if I could.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. You already got what you wanted.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “I want more than one night with you
, and you know it.”

  She rose from the bed, wrapping the sheet around her body. “You already took more than one night.”

  He didn’t know what she meant, and he didn’t have time to argue. “Can we talk about this when I get back?”

  “You wrung a confession out of me. That wasn’t fair.”

  He put his pants on and tucked himself in. “I didn’t make you do anything but come a lot. If that’s a crime, I’m guilty.”

  “Tell me you love me,” she said, mimicking his masculine voice.

  His face suffused with heat. He had said that. He’d said it with his finger on her trigger, after he’d reduced her to begging. “Okay, you win. I made you say it. I made you admit that you feel the same way I do.”

  “Maybe I didn’t mean it.”

  He tossed his shirt aside and stepped forward, gripping her upper arms. “I don’t believe you.”

  She jerked away from his hold, as if he was hurting her. Then her brow furrowed, and she turned her back on him. He studied the bare shoulders he’d kissed this morning, wishing they hadn’t been interrupted. He didn’t want to say goodbye like this. He knew she cared about him, or she wouldn’t be so upset about him leaving. But did she love him? Or had she told him what he wanted to hear in bed?

  “You did mean it,” he said. “You’re just afraid to feel. You’re afraid to take a risk.”

  “I’m afraid of losing you, you idiot!”

  He grasped her upper arms, gentler this time. “I’ll come back to you,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I promise.”

  “Just go,” she said, her voice choked with tears. “Go be a hero.”

  He grabbed the rucksack and left without another word.

  Chapter 23

  Cady didn’t have much time to cry over Logan.

  She paced around the room for a few minutes and threw some pillows at the door. That wasn’t satisfying, so she crumpled to the floor and pounded her fists against the carpet. She hated this feeling. She cursed him for leaving her, for making her fall in love with him and for being too damned good in bed.

  Then the phone rang, interrupting her pity party. She wiped the tears from her eyes and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

  “It’s Logan.” He sounded as miserable as she felt.

  “What do you want?”

  “We’re leaving now, and I might be hard to reach for the next few days. I thought I’d let you know what to expect while I’m gone.”

  She shifted the phone to her other ear. “I’m listening.”

  “Two intelligence officers are on the way from Tahiti. They’ll interview you about the kidnapping, and all of the events between then and now. Tell them whatever you want. Whatever you remember.”

  She interpreted that as an invitation to be honest about their sexual relationship. “Okay.”

  “After the interview, someone will escort you to Papeete. It’s a more centralized location. You’ll be safe there.”

  Ironic, that he was concerned about her safety.

  “I left some money for you at the front desk, but you won’t need to pay for anything. You’ll be well taken care of.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll be fine. This is a level-two mission, very low risk.” There was some noise in the background, a combination of voices. “I have to go now.”

  She hung up before he could turn her into mush with another declaration of love. She was still mad about him leaving. He’d almost died on that island more times than she could count. He knew how she’d feel about him going back. Even so, he’d jumped at the first chance to return, completely disregarding her concerns. She wasn’t ready to let him off the hook yet.

  She put on her flower-print dress and walked across the street. She used his cash to buy some underwear, a canvas bag and a second outfit. After she ate breakfast, a man in a suit arrived with two US Marshals, one male and one female. They escorted her to the Gendarmerie Nationale. The marshals waited in the front office while she sat down in a private room with the intelligence officer.

  She told him the truth, but she didn’t say anything about having sex with Logan, on the island or anywhere else.

  Officer Sloan listened carefully, making notes here and there. “We don’t have footage of the kidnapping. Several witnesses saw you leave the bar with Petty Officer Starke. There were signs of activity in the cabin, but no proof of foul play. Investigators called it an accident. They thought you’d fallen over the balcony, and he went in after you.”

  Cady inhaled a sharp breath. “Was I considered missing, or...?”

  “You were presumed dead. Both of you.”

  She clapped a hand over her mouth, making a sound of distress. Her parents had been notified that she was dead? Tears filled her eyes at the awful thought.

  Sloan wanted to know about the kidnappers, but she could only give vague descriptions. He opened a laptop and showed her some photographs. The main suspects were two brothers. They had a cousin with red hair. All three were from an island called New Caine, on the edge of French Polynesia.

  Cady couldn’t identify them. The only man she’d seen up close had been Polynesian. “Why would they want to kidnap me? Or Maya O’Brien?”

  He closed his laptop. “They belong to a faction called the FNF, or French National Front, in New Caine. France bought the land to use as a penal colony in the 1800s. It recently achieved independence, with help from the UN. There’s been a history of unrest between the descendants of French prisoners and the natives.”

  “The natives are Polynesian?”

  “No, they’re Melanesian. Like indigenous Australians. The Polynesians in New Caine aren’t friendly with these natives. Neither are the French nationals, who don’t want to cede any territory to them, as directed by the UN Security Council.”

  “President O’Brien is involved in that.”

  “Yes. The FNF threatened retaliation against him specifically.”

  She found the news unsettling. She’d always liked President O’Brien. She’d been eighteen when he took office, and so proud to be an American at that moment. She’d watched his daughters grow up. They didn’t deserve to be targeted by terrorists. “I’m glad they failed,” she said, her voice quavering.

  “So am I,” Sloan said.

  “Should I be worried about someone coming after me?”

  “I don’t think so. Three of the four perpetrators are dead. The other will be captured in short order. His associates have no reason to harm you, and they’re all on a watch list, unable to enter the US.”

  “When can I go back?”

  “Now,” he said, his brows raised. “If you feel well enough to travel.”

  She did, so the female marshal drove her to a tiny little airport. They took a plane called an “island-hopper,” which made her stomach lurch with every dip in elevation. She closed her eyes, wishing Logan was there. She really needed to hold his hand.

  They reached Tahiti in the early afternoon. A bone-deep fatigue settled over her, making her brain fuzzy and her eyelids heavy. She’d hardly slept last night, but she couldn’t wait to go home. She couldn’t wait to see her parents, and feel safe again. The marshal booked them on the first flight to LAX.

  The next day, she was back in Long Beach, sobbing on the couch with her mother. Her parents were over the moon. Even her dad cried. They’d been planning a wake! She told them about the kidnapping, and being lost at sea. Then she crawled into bed and slept for hours.

  When she woke up, she had a note on her door about a doctor’s appointment. She was supposed to see a doctor as soon as possible because she’d been exposed to so many health hazards during her extended stay on Eiao.

  Her mom took her to the appointment, after making a giant breakfast to “fatten her up.” Cady ate ever
y bite dutifully. There was nothing like home cooking.

  The physician at the Army-Navy hospital seemed alarmed by the fact that she’d been stung by a stonefish and received no medical attention afterward. Cady got a full workup, complete with blood and urine tests. She waited for the results in an exam room, hoping she didn’t have scurvy, island fever or brain damage.

  When the doctor returned, she had a serious look on her face.

  “Oh, God,” she said, holding a palm to her heart. “I have malaria, don’t I?”

  The doctor smiled. “No, no. Nothing like that.”

  “What is it?”

  She reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “You’re pregnant.”

  Cady heard a series of warning bells go off inside her brain. This couldn’t be true. There had to be some mistake. “Are you sure? Because I have irregular periods, and I was unconscious for two days, and I lost ten pounds in a month, and I was under so much stress...”

  “The test results are positive.”

  “Oh, God,” she said. She moved her hand from her chest to her flat stomach. “Oh, God.”

  Logan had been right.

  How was this even possible? The only time she’d ever had unprotected sex—the only time she’d ever taken that kind of risk—she’d ended up pregnant.

  Unbelievable.

  “I understand that you were the victim of an international crime,” the doctor said.

  “Yes.”

  “If there was a sexual assault...”

  “No,” she said, swallowing hard. “It was consensual. The man who rescued me is the father.”

  “Okay,” the doctor said in a calm voice. “You’re only a few weeks along, so you have plenty of time to think about your options. If you don’t wish to terminate the pregnancy, you can start taking prenatal vitamins and make an appointment with an OB. There shouldn’t be any ill effects from the poison, because implantation occurred after the sting.”

  Cady remembered her nightmare about the stonefish baby. Feeling queasy, she accepted a free sample of prenatal vitamins and walked into the lobby. Her mother knew something was wrong at first glance.