Desert Exposure

by Zoë Normandie

  “Please,” Aidan said.

  While her dad went into the kitchen to brew the coffee, Olivia motioned Aidan to a small living area, and they sat down together in matching armchairs.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” Olivia began, dabbing more tears from her eyes.

  “Thank you for being discreet.” He was referring to how she’d handled the report at the firm, but he spoke to a question that still troubled her: what should she do next?

  Sitting comfortably in the chair, he said, “I had Ryder flown home, and he’s here in Washington,” Aidan explained, analyzing her reaction.

  Olivia’s heart skipped a beat. “Where?” she demanded.

  Aidan shook his head. “I can’t say anything further. I’m only telling you this because I promised I would do something for you.”

  “Can I see him?” she followed up quickly, her voice shaking. “I need to see him.” Her shaking hadn’t stopped. She knew that the Sahel would never leave her. Ryder would never leave her. She had never fallen like that before, with such passion. It had thrown her.

  “There’s a way we could make that happen,” Aidan said slowly.

  Olivia nearly jumped at the words, but felt uneasy at the insinuation in his voice.

  “Would you be interested—” Aidan began, but he was cut off by his phone vibrating in his pocket.

  He glanced at it, and his brows snapped together. “Excuse me.”

  Olivia watched as he feverishly typed into his phone, clearly upset about something. She took the moment to process what she’d just learned. Ryder was okay. There was a way she could see him.

  She had fallen hard and made a few bad judgment calls, losing his trust in the process. She shouldn’t have gone behind his back, disregarding his warnings. Ryder was right: she’d put them both in danger when she blew their cover. It was not strategic, nor was it smart.

  But now she was home. She wasn’t in that world anymore. And it was time to get back to being herself, a confident and secure woman.

  Olivia leaned forward and watched Aidan tuck his hone back into his pocket. He locked eyes with her and grinned, noticing the change in her demeanor.

  “Where were we?” he asked.

  Silently, she reached into the bag beside her chair and pulled out a thick white document, neatly stapled at the top. It made her feel powerful. It was the same power she’d felt when she told Fuller to fuck off. She reminded herself how resilient she was. Ryder saw that in her too.

  “Aidan, last night I printed something out.” Fingering the edge of the papers, Olivia knew she was about to make a big decision, but it was something she had thought about long and hard. Handing the document over to Aidan, she exhaled a slow, hot breath. Was it the right path? She didn’t have a crystal ball. All she had was a lodestar: Ryder.

  She was doing it for Ryder. Because he believed she would do the right thing. He believed in her.

  And she’d promised to avenge him.

  “This is for you to read,” she said.

  Aidan received it and reviewed the front page. “A research drive into criminal misconduct, a venomous climate of leadership failures, lack of accountability, and the negative impacts of overtasking in the Development Group of the Navy SEALs,” he read out loud.

  She had worked her ass off on that, putting it all together in a chronological order. She’d detailed names, ranks and orders, juxtaposed against policies and rules. It was a foundation for an investigation. A foundation for questions.

  It was not an innocuous HR cultural study.

  “This is incredible.” His mouth opened in awe. He was breathless. She got the impression that didn’t happen often. “Really incredible.” He looked up from his reading and considered her thoughtfully.

  Olivia did not shift. She did not stir. She sat with her back straight, confident.

  She was back, and she was going to do whatever she could to avenge Ryder, even if that was a different path than she’d first imagined. The end goal was still the same.

  Aidan nodded, as if seeing how she had turned a corner. He understood her. The man saw everything. He continued thumbing through her pages. Then, as he rolled the document up and stuffed it in his jacket, he smiled at her.

  “You are very talented,” he complimented her. “What are you going to do next?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” She motioned to the document in his hands. “This is the first step.”

  “Do you like your job?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I used to, but I don’t know how I’m going to do another contract after this one,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve suddenly stopped giving a fuck what the client wants. Or thinks.”

  Thanks to Ryder, Olivia was starting to realize that it didn’t matter what anyone else thought of her. Only him.

  “My thoughts exactly.” Aidan said, draining his coffee. “You aren’t going back to that job.”

  35

  Olivia vibrated in anticipation in Aidan King’s black Audi, which was currently parked in the lot outside a tired hospital on the edge of Washington.

  Placing his hand on the door, ready to open it, he turned to her one last time. “Are you ready for this?”

  She nodded, exhaling deeply. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Olivia slinked out of the car in her tight black pencil skirt, a carefully chosen vehicle of seduction. Without the Sahara under her feet, her stilettos could be a thing again, and she took full advantage. The white blouse she wore gave her a sense of professionalism. A high, sexy, brunette ponytail topped her trademark tortoiseshell glasses. Damn straight, she was trying. She was about to see Ryder for the first time in… too long.

  It was quiet in the hospital, with many patients still asleep. She and Aidan were early birds. They were there to get the job done.

  She confidently followed Aidan down the halls, her black stilettos hitting the vinyl flooring with ferocity. Sure, she was nervous to see him, but she was on a mission. The butterflies in her stomach that morning had fluttered away as soon as she reminded herself of the plan.

  She had spent the previous three days preparing herself to see him again. She knew exactly what she was going to say. She knew exactly what she wanted. What she didn’t know was how Ryder would react—or what he wanted.

  She marched up to the fifth floor, ward five east. All the way, she told herself she was fierce. She was strong. And, damn, she felt more alive with every inch her heels brought her closer to Ryder.

  Outside the ward door, Aidan paused. “I’m going to grab a coffee,” he said slowly and too knowingly. “I forgot that it’s all the way downstairs. You go ahead. Room six.”

  Olivia didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Nerves bubbled up, but she turned her head and went into the ward.

  This is it, she breathed silently to herself.

  Without pausing, she walked into the private hospital room, letting the door close behind her. She hadn’t taken more than two steps into the small room when she saw him.

  Ryder.

  Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Ryder Luciano.

  He stood at the end of his bed, his bare chest shining under the hospital light.

  He was in gym shorts and nothing else.

  Jesus fucking Christ.

  The wide expanse of his tanned chest, adorned by a large, winding tattoo, was breathtaking. Olivia remembered just how it felt to run her hands over it, her fingers trailing down to his hard abdomen below.

  Her mouth watered.

  “Holy fuck,” the dark-haired beast growled, looking her up and down, hungrier than ever. “Olivia…”

  Everything she’d planned to say, do, feel—it all went out the window as she observed the jacked operator, with faded bruises and healing scars, half-naked before her.

  She didn’t know whether to burst out in tears or a smile.

  Her stilettos click-clacked the necessary four strides between them as she lunged at him. He immediately opened his arms, completel
y taking her in. Scooping her up. Holding her tight.

  Their lips locked as soon as he had her close enough. He pulled her against him and kissed her deeper and deeper.

  “Ryder. Oh my god,” she cried out in between kisses. “Oh my god. I thought you were…” She moaned softly as she kissed him harder, knowing only then what it felt like to kiss someone you truly cared about.

  Someone you were in love with.

  36

  Ryder was dreaming or something—he was clearly absolutely fucked up. The painkillers had led to some sort of hallucination. Because there was no way in hell that he was standing there with his tongue halfway down Olivia’s throat.

  Looking sexier than words could ever describe, she was there.

  She moaned as he held the back of her head, deepening his kiss. And as he ran his hands up and down her body, ripping her blouse out of her skirt so he could feel her tender skin, Ryder’s gym shorts tented in the crotch. Everything about her body turned him the fuck on. Every time. Instantly. Being the naughty girl she was, Olivia somehow managed—even in a skintight, knee-length skirt—to straddle his erection and rub it in all the right places, knowing exactly how to drive him wild. She had a knack for finding his kryptonite, because she was it.

  But the memory of the last time they kissed flashed to the front of his mind, and his mouth came off hers. He held her back.

  A small breath escaped her parted lips, and he saw his own agony reflected in her eyes: the emotional pain of wanting someone so bad but not getting to have them.

  “Ryder, I’ve got a lot to say to you,” she said, studying him, trying to pull him back to her. “Please.”

  But the words didn’t sit right with him, and he felt his stubborn hooves digging in. He was still hurting, physically and mentally. He knew then that there was too much between them. How could they ever come back from that?

  “No.” He pushed her further back. “I shouldn’t have done this.” He said the words with little conviction, and felt just as torn as he knew he would. He’d been to hell and back. They’d been to hell and back. He’d been betrayed by his woman, by his job, by his boss… It wasn’t easy to trust anymore. He wasn’t a man to easily forget. It was a strength in the military and a weakness in his personal life.

  She stood before him, shocked, searching for words. He knew what she wanted, but he didn’t know if he could give it. She felt so damn good in his grasp, but he wasn’t sure he could ever let down his walls again.

  Before she could say anything, the door to his room swung open, bringing a small contingent of unwanted humans into the fray. Jake Wilder’s surprised face was the first to be seen, assessing Ryder and Olivia standing so close, with flushed faces and aching chests.

  “Shit,” Jake called out, as he tried to turn around. “No, no. Back up.”

  He raised his hands to send the others back, but Mason was already being pushed in by Aidan, who was being pushed in by Phil.

  Ryder quickly took a step back to the other side of the bed. Olivia feverishly tucked her loosened blouse into her skirt, but her empty eyes followed him.

  Phil, Aidan, Jake, and Mason all crammed into the pint-sized hospital room. They looked at each other awkwardly, obviously crashing the party.

  “’Sup?” Jake coughed, shrugging.

  “Not much,” Ryder said as nonchalantly as possible, leaning against a hospital chair like nothing had happened.

  Then Olivia stirred, shifting her luscious hips from left to right, and his dick twitched again. He nearly groaned. There was a private washroom just to his left, and he clenched his jaw against the temptation to drag her in there.

  But that part of their relationship was over. His dick needed to get the memo.

  “I just came in to check his vitals, but I can see that’s not necessary.” Phil gave Olivia a knowing glance, and Ryder couldn’t escape the feeling that Phil was very aware of how aroused Ryder was.

  The nurse turned around and headed back out, leaving the essential crew in the small room. While Jake and Mason set up chairs, Olivia spun around to help Ryder sit on the larger lounge chair under the hospital room window.

  “How are you feeling?” Olivia asked as she bent over him, hovering close.

  “I’m fine,” he replied, low and fierce. Not because he was angry, but because it took everything in his power not to take her mouth again and bring her into his lap. But if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to stop. Not to mention that he’d already fucked her enough while she was on the job.

  Jake and Mason both stepped forward, sensing how close Ryder was to the edge, and offered their hands to Olivia.

  “You work with Ryder?” Olivia asked them carefully, raising an eyebrow. Ryder could sense her distrust, and he appreciated it. He’d obviously taught her well.

  “Used to.” Jake nodded back. “Now we’re just friends. And what about you two?”

  Aidan stepped forward. “She’s my new employee.”

  What the fuck? Now he really disliked Aidan King. That motherfucker.

  “Not yet,” she said lightly, seeming to sense Ryder’s jealousy. “I haven’t accepted the offer.”

  “She will.” Aidan grinned, happily pushing all Ryder’s buttons.

  Olivia turned slightly, looking into Ryder’s eyes. Her beautiful brown gaze absorbed him. Enchanted him. Turned him right the fuck on.

  He didn’t doubt her ability to do anything she wanted, including switching from PhD consultant to CIA officer. He just didn’t love the idea of her reporting to Dapper Dan here. Before Ryder could chew on it any further, the charming spy made it known that they had to talk.

  “It’s time for church, everyone,” Aidan stated.

  Olivia moved aside and sat on the edge of the hospital bed as Aidan spoke. Ryder stifled a groan as her sexy form moved in her tight black skirt. He wanted to do terrible, awful things to her in that skirt.

  “In this room, we have four men and one woman. Look around, folks,” Aidan began. They all exchanged glances. “This is the circle of trust here.” Aidan drew a circle in the air. “I’ve brought you together because we all have a common goal.”

  Aidan gazed at Olivia knowingly, and Ryder reminded himself not to let his blood boil over when other men gave her attention. But Ryder was Ryder—and Ryder was possessive. The reaction reminded him just how deep and complex his attachment was.

  “I’ve been cultivating sources and collecting intelligence for years in the Sahel,” Aidan continued. “Not long ago, accusations started getting too detailed. Too real. I knew something was wrong. That was all confirmed when I read Olivia’s report—the uncensored version.”

  Ryder felt something inside him shift when he heard that. Olivia’s uncensored report… went to Aidan? And not her old firm?

  “Where are you going with this?” Ryder demanded, low and suspicious, from the corner of the room.

  “I’m going to have a conversation with someone that I trust at NCIS,” Aidan replied. “A respected investigator. With my source information and Olivia’s report, I’ve got something that they can’t ignore. Something they can’t bury.”

  The words rang in Ryder’s mind, and for a brief moment he wondered if this was it—the first step down the path to righteousness.

  Olivia and Ryder locked gazes, remaining silent. The rest of the world could have stopped. They needed a moment. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, Ryder realized that she had done what she thought was right.

  Her lithe form reached into her tote bag and pulled out his black-and-tan keffiyeh. She handed it over to him. His jaw dropped. He’d never been a sentimental man, but having the bloodstained rag back in his grasp meant… everything. It was his lucky charm.

  Was it fate that she’d ended up with it?

  Ryder saw the trepidation in her eyes. The anticipation. She harboured the same regrets as him. The same inner conflict.

  Thank you, he mouthed at her, but he meant more than just the kaffiyeh. He was thanking her for every
thing. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down.

  Aidan checked his watch and spoke directly to Ryder. “I think you’ve been in the hospital long enough, Master Chief.”

  The words were music to his ears. “Get me the fuck out of here. I can’t eat any more fucking hospital food…”

  Jake stifled a laugh. “What? Is it not CrossFit approved?”

  Aidan nodded to Jake, ignoring his jeer. “Take him to the safe house.”

  Ryder didn’t miss how big Olivia’s eyes grew, as if the term safe house surprised her.

  “Done,” Jake said. “Got it covered.”

  “Unfortunately, I have urgent business, so we must leave,” Aidan explained abruptly, moving to the door and motioning for Olivia to follow.

  She seemed to understand what he meant and quickly turned to Ryder to say goodbye privately. But it didn’t surprise him when the guys craned their necks in an attempt to overhear.

  With her cheeks still flushed and her lips parted, she stood before him, but no words came out. He understood. What could be said? It was over. And it fucking sucked.

  After a brief silence in the room, with everyone watching, Olivia simply nodded at him and turned to leave.

  As he watched the woman he loved walk out of his hospital room after some fucking bullshit spy, a loose coil of anger ignited in his chest. It wasn’t fair that he’d met the woman of his dreams under such shitty circumstances. It wasn’t fair that their affair had happened under such duress. It wasn’t fair what he’d asked of her, and what she’d done to him.

  It wasn’t fucking fair. Full stop.

  But it had happened all the same.

  And as he watched Olivia disappear into the hospital, Ryder felt a familiar spasm in his muscles. Despite his broken body screaming at him in pain, he lifted himself out of his chair.

  He had to go after her.

  37

  Olivia watched Aidan making his way down the hallway, and she tried to keep up. It wasn’t that she couldn’t walk as fast as him, it was that she didn’t want to. Every step that took her away from Ryder was a reminder of how poorly their reunion had gone.