by Kaylea Cross
At the thought of him, that awful tightness took hold in her throat, a raw ache that signaled she was close to tears again. Shifting her gaze back to the window before anyone could see the moisture in her eyes, she stared out at the plane and the baking tarmac beyond it, not focusing on anything, lost in her own head. She still couldn’t believe Hunter had limped out of the hospital against medical advice with two barely closed bullet wounds and God knew how many shrapnel wounds, and gone to chase down a suspect.
Okay, yes she could. Didn’t mean she had to understand or like it though.
Swallowing hard, she thought about the two most important things he’d said at the entrance of the emergency room. He’d told her he’d fallen for her, which still shocked her as much as it thrilled her. It wasn’t I love you, but it was close. When he hadn’t said the words back to her right away, she was sure he wasn’t going to. It clearly hadn’t been easy for him to say, but he had. And then he’d said the most telling thing of all.
I wouldn’t be good enough for you if I left the rest of the guys to take care of this without me.
When she boiled it all down, that was the very essence of Hunter, wasn’t it? It was what formed his core, and what distinguished him from any other man she’d met. And he believed in that code of brotherhood so strongly that he would willingly die for any one of his teammates if necessary. The same way he would die to protect her.
She sighed and covered another cough. That sense of loyalty and honor was a big part of why she’d fallen in love with him. Much as she was worried about him, when it came down to it she wouldn’t change that part of him for anything.
The gate agent’s voice broke into her thoughts as she announced the pre-boarding call. People all around her began to gather up their belongings and get in line.
Time’s up. The vise around her heart cinched a little tighter.
Ray laid a fatherly hand on her shoulder. “You ready?”
Not trusting her voice, she nodded and bent to retrieve the new purse she’d bought in the airport gift shop, containing only a lip gloss and a bottle of water since all her other belongings had been destroyed in the hotel fire. Tom was over at the far side of the gate lounge speaking to his men, but had an eye on her and nodded when she stood. He met her and Ray at the Jetway door where the gate agent was checking passports and boarding passes. Khalia handed her documents over without feeling much of anything except the aches and pains in her body and the hollowness inside her. A few days ago, the thought of boarding a flight out of Pakistan would have had her sprinting down that waiting Jetway. Now it made her feel strangely empty.
Ray led the way down the corridor, with her following and Tom bringing up the rear. They stopped partway down where the end of the line of passengers waited their turn to board the aircraft. Someone called out behind her, back near the gate agent, but she was too lost in the numbing fog to pay attention to what they said.
When Tom touched her arm, she jolted and whirled around to face him. “What?” she asked when she saw the twinkle in his eyes.
He looked behind him and nodded back toward the gate, stepping aside so she could see. “Pretty sure I just heard someone call your name.”
What? She jerked her head up and saw the line of people moving out of the way, heard her name at last in that beautiful, familiar voice.
“Khalia!”
Her throat closed up and her eyes stung. Dropping her purse, she rushed back up the Jetway, shoving her way through the lineup, and caught sight of him pushing toward her.
Hunter.
He was limping worse than ever, his face pale and drawn, but he was okay and he was here. She kept running. People moved out of her way. The relief in his eyes when he caught sight of her was so strong that she choked back a sob and launched herself into his arms. Ignoring whatever pain the bullet wound was causing him, he wrapped both arms around her, warm and strong. She hugged him hard in return and pressed her cheek to his, breathing in the lingering scent of smoke and the underlying musk that was all Hunter.
“You came,” she managed in a hoarse whisper.
He nodded against her cheek, his stubble scraping her lightly. “We got him, baby.”
That made her lift her head to search his eyes. “You did? Who?”
“Youssef. He’s the link to the cell, and he already confessed to sending you the math equations.” A huge grin split his face, his white teeth gleaming in his grime-streaked face. “He’s being questioned by a whole lot of pissed off government agents right now, ours and the Paks’.”
Finally, a light in the darkness. “That’s great news. And you don’t have any more holes in you than you did the last time I saw you?” She said it in a teasing way, but leaned back enough to do a quick scan in case he was trying to hide something from her—because she knew him well enough that he would try.
“No more holes,” he said with a chuckle. How bizarre, that they could both joke about something so awful. Maybe it was a coping mechanism thing.
Hunter slid the hand of his uninjured arm around the back of her neck, drawing her gaze back to his. “Got him way quicker than any of us expected, and wanted to see you off. Gage is real pissed at me right now though, because I made him do double the speed limit all the way here and we got pulled over. Twice.”
She laughed. “I’m sure he’ll forgive you.”
Hunter shrugged. “He knew it was for a good cause. Said to tell you goodbye.”
“Tell him the same from me.” He was a sweetheart beneath all those tattoos and testosterone.
With the hint of a smile playing at the right side of his mouth, Hunter bent his head and kissed her, that hand strong and steady against her neck. Khalia opened to the stroke of his tongue and tasted a hint of coffee and the unique flavor that was all Hunter, didn’t care if they were making a spectacle or if the entire airport was watching them.
Finally letting her up for air, Hunter pressed a tender kiss to the tip of her nose. “Gonna miss you like hell, sweetheart.”
“I’ll miss you too.” The thought of leaving him seemed almost unbearable. How was she supposed to cope with everything without him beside her?
“You heard me tell you how I feel about you, right?”
She grinned. “Yeah, I definitely heard that.”
A soft kiss on the bridge of her nose. “I’m so damn proud of you, baby. Can’t believe how you’ve held up through all this. Who knew math teachers were so tough?”
“Only because you were with me.” She meant it. Every word. “And at the moment I don’t feel tough at all, to be honest. I’m barely holding it together.” For damn sure she wasn’t up to going back into the classroom anytime soon. She planned to get herself together the best she could, then focus on the foundation until she figured out what to do.
“Never know it to look at you. And you’re way stronger than you give yourself credit for. It’ll be tough for a while, but you’ll be okay. Finding someone to talk to once you get home will help a lot. And you can always talk to me.”
“I feel like you’re the only one who would understand anyway.”
He made a low sound in the back of his throat, an affirmation. “We’re good together, don’t you think?”
“Damn good.”
He chuckled. “So I think we owe it to each other to give this a shot and find out where it leads.”
She blinked up at him. This was what she’d secretly been hoping for but never expected him to say. She just had no idea how they were going to make the logistics of it work. “Definitely.”
“I’m gonna be here for a while longer. A few days at least, maybe a couple of weeks, could even be a month or more. But when I do go home, I want to be with you.” He settled his mouth over hers in a firm, lingering kiss, dropped his voice to an intimate whisper. “Come stay with me when I get back.”
Her heart pounded frantically against her ribcage. “I’d love to.”
“Then promise you’ll come.”
There was no way
she was going to say no to that. “I promise.”
She felt his smile form against her lips an instant before he opened them with his own and slid his tongue inside for a knee-melting caress.
“Hey, PDA violators. Got a plane full of people waiting to fly to London over here.”
They broke apart. Hunter laughed and looked past her to where Tom stood by the open aircraft door. The Jetway was empty, and by the annoyed look on the flight attendant’s face, everyone was waiting for her to get her ass on board.
Khalia framed Hunter’s face between her hands and leaned up on tiptoe to kiss that beautiful mouth. “I love you, so come home soon. See you in my dreams tonight?” Because she was terrified of having nothing but recurring nightmares instead.
“And every night until you’re sleeping beside me in my bed. Or better yet, under me.” His eyes lit with a sensual glow that made her pulse race.
She couldn’t wait. “And?” she prompted, lifting an eyebrow, trying not to let him see how afraid she was to turn around and walk away from him. Especially now that she’d seen the dangers of his job firsthand.
Another grin. “And I’m yours,” he said, then kissed her forehead and gave her a gentle push toward the plane as he stepped back. “Safe flight, baby.”
“Thanks. Bye.” It hurt to walk away but it had to be done and under the circumstances it was best for both of them. He was right; she needed to be home safe and start processing what had happened. And she didn’t want anything to distract him while he was on the job and jeopardize his safety, including worrying about her.
Pausing once by the aircraft door, she looked back. Hunter stood where she’d left him, and raised a hand in farewell. With a smile that wobbled enough for him to notice, she turned and boarded the plane, wondering how the hell she was going to get through the next few weeks without him.
Chapter Twenty-three
Eleven days later
The last smudge of purple was fading on the horizon where the sky tumbled into the inky black ocean. A thin swath of light sliced over the dark surface from the crescent moon in the west. Stars winked to life overhead, a million sparkling diamonds appearing through the haze of high clouds. Another beautiful, peaceful night on St. Simons.
Hunter stood on the back deck watching the waves roll in, forearms braced on the wood railing he and Scottie had installed, ignoring the twinge in his healing triceps. His stitches were out and only some muscle soreness remained in his upper arm and calf. He took a sip of beer, set the bottle on the railing and let the breeze wash over him, pulling in a deep breath of salt-tinged air. Damn it felt good to be home. But there was an even more important reason for his relaxed mood.
Behind him the sliding glass door that led out to the deck opened and shut quietly. The sweet scent of vanilla twined around him a moment before Khalia’s arms slipped around his waist and she pressed her body flush against the back of his. He half turned and brought her against his side with his right arm, pleased when his hand touched thin, smooth satin. He quirked an eyebrow and swept his gaze down the length of her in that pale pink robe. Her long dark curls spilled down her back and danced in the breeze, the shiny satin covering her from shoulders to just above the knee.
“You naked under that?” he asked hopefully, reaching out to hook one finger in the lapel and draw it away from her skin.
Khalia smiled and caught his hand. “You’re gonna find out. Later.”
He huffed a laugh and drew her in tight against him. “Aren’t you cold?” The mid-September breeze had a cool edge to it.
She shook her head, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “Not at the moment.” The sultry edge to her voice and the feel of her made him instantly hard, but mostly their position was driving him crazy. The previous night—his first night home—he’d met her at the Savannah airport and brought her back here with him. After showing her around they’d stood out here just like this to admire the view and started making out. One thing had led to another and just when he’d been about to carry her inside to his bed, she’d sank gracefully to her knees in front of him, unzipped his jeans and proceeded to blow his mind with the warmth of her mouth.
He really, really loved this deck.
Khalia nudged her hip against his erection, let out a low laugh. “Again? Already?”
“Already,” he confirmed, nipping her ear. “We’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.” Didn’t matter that he’d been buried inside her less than two hours ago, listening to her erotic cries of release as she clenched around him. He’d never get enough of her.
Still smiling, Khalia stepped in front of him and let him cradle her against his chest, her ass pressed snug against the ache between his legs. “Did you hear back from Tom yet?”
He made an affirmative sound against the side of her throat and sucked gently. “Can’t tell you the details, but suffice it to say the hunt’s still going on.” The ex-ISI agent, Hassani, was still out there, the analysts said likely somewhere in Afghanistan or maybe down in Yemen.
No one knew if he’d acted on orders from the military or ISI. No one knew how far up the chain this went in the ISI. The good news was that Youssef had given up all the information about his dealings with his TTP contact and was fully cooperating with authorities. With the full resources of the US and Pakistani governments working on bringing the whole network to justice, sooner or later they’d find something useful. And when they did, Hunter was more than ready to go back and help finish it in whatever capacity they wanted him, even if he hated the idea of ever having to leave Khalia again.
At his words she stiffened ever so slightly, and he was coming to know her well enough to read the subtle changes in her body language and what they meant. She was dealing with her traumatic experiences the best she could and kept daily appointments with her therapist via Skype, but it wasn’t easy for her. He understood that better than anyone.
Last night, holding Khalia in his own bed, he’d felt more at peace than he had in a long time. Maybe ever. She’d told him he made her feel safe, and he was glad. He’d do anything for her. “I’ll be home for a while yet, so don’t worry,” he murmured, grinning when she sighed and relaxed in his arms.
“Good.”
They stood wrapped together and stared out at the endlessly changing ocean. “I just got off the phone myself,” she announced.
“Yeah?” He was more interested in sliding his hands into the vee of the robe’s neckline and cupping her breasts in his hands, just to hear her moan and feel her wriggle against him while he played with her sensitive nipples.
A nod. “I wanted to surprise you.”
He glanced down at her profile, caught the smug grin she was trying to hide. “With what?”
“A project I’ve been working on. Concerning you.”
That piqued his interest enough for him to shelve the breast cupping thing for later. But not too much later. “Me?” He turned her in the circle of his arms and read the joy and excitement shining in her eyes as she stared up at him. God, she made him feel ten feet tall when she looked at him like that.
“I want you to help me run a veteran’s foundation. To help provide private counseling, business training and other things they’ll need when they make the transition back into civilian life. You said yourself that’s one of the biggest holes in the system, so let’s plug it. And we’ll name it after Scottie.”
Hunter stared at her, at a loss for words. He’d known she was working on something, he’d assumed for Fair Start, and the few times he’d caught her at her laptop she’d quickly shut the lid so he couldn’t see. But this? After going through the hell in Pakistan and undergoing intensive therapy while still grieving for her father, she’d still been thinking of this? She blew him away. She couldn’t possibly know how much the gesture meant to him, let alone the effort and commitment behind it.
“You don’t need to—”
She swatted his chest playfully. “Don’t even. You know I don’t want to teach anymore and that I
want to do something meaningful besides Fair Start, especially since I only have an administrative role now that the school’s going to be back in session soon.”
“Because of you,” he pointed out. “The Paks would never have stepped up security there if it weren’t for you.” Didn’t she realize that yet?
“Well, whatever. But back to Scottie’s foundation.” Her expression softened, the conviction and love in her eyes making him want to drop to his knees and press his face into her belly out of sheer gratitude. He had no idea what the hell he’d done to deserve her in the first place; just that he couldn’t imagine going through life without her now.
She kept talking, seemingly oblivious to the swell of emotion she’d evoked in him. “I have the means and the will to do this, but if it’s not useful or you think it’s not a good idea then we can do something different—”
“It’s amazing,” he interrupted. “It’s…unreal that you’d be willing to do that.”
Her smile was impossibly tender, filling all the empty places inside him with a warm glow. “I love you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, and I think this has the potential to make a real difference for veterans.”
He swallowed and glanced away toward the ocean, struggled to find his voice. “Scottie would’ve liked that.” Maybe not being singled out personally, but he’d have loved the chance to help fellow vets.
“I’m glad. But what about you?” She tilted her head to search his eyes. “I’d totally understand if you need some time to think about it. I know I’ve sprung this on you and you’ve got a lot going on already.”
He shook his head to stop her words, threaded his hands into her hair. When he spoke his voice was rough with emotion. “I’d love to do it. I love you.” She went still at the pronouncement, then a joyous smile lit her face. The admission was so inadequate and bordering on cheesy, but the words were all he had. Sometimes with her his heart got so full it seemed like it might burst. He’d never known he could feel this way about anyone until Khalia.
