RULES OF LOVE (A Navy SEALs Romance)

by Bella Grant

  “You woke up the same way last night—screaming.”

  “I did not—”

  “Yes, you did.” He looked deeply into her cold, green eyes, waiting to get decked as her hands curled into fists on the sheet. Two could play at this game, and her fiery attitude perfectly matched his own. The challenge delighted him. “You need to talk, Naomi. It’s the only way the nightmares will stop.”

  Naomi’s eyes narrowed, and he saw a different glint in her eyes, a deadly one. The look of someone who would kill. He blinked, not believing he’d really seen it, but it was still there, staring back at him.

  “You think I’m going to listen to that bullshit? I’ve been through it once, so save the speech, Navy. I can handle it just fine.” She threw the sheet off, grabbed her cane, and walked stiffly out the door.

  “I can see that well enough,” he muttered before Naomi reached the door.

  “You know nothing about what I’ve been through.”

  Beau stood so his face was level with hers. She gripped her cane hard, and her knuckles turned white. She didn’t meet his gaze. He’d seen men like this before when they’d returned from fights, watched those they knew get killed or injured. It was never pretty, but sometimes, the gentle route was not the way to help them get over it. With Naomi, he would have to be harsh.

  “You’re stubborn and proud. I would be too if I walked around with a cane all the time, pissed no one could fix my leg. There’s something else, though, and one of these days, you’re gonna have to open up before it eats you alive from the inside out.”

  She laughed harshly. “And you think you’re much better, do you? I can see past you, Navy. You’ve built a wall around your emotions. Oh, you try very hard to hide it, but I can see right through it. Have you opened up to anyone?” Beau didn’t answer, shifting restlessly on his feet. “Didn’t think so. Now, back off.”

  “Why do you flinch when I try to touch you?” he blurted before she could escape. Much harsher approach. Her eyes bored through him. Very dangerous territory. She could whack me anytime if she wanted with that damn cane, and I’d probably let her.

  “That is none of your business.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  The question caught Naomi completely off guard as she fumbled for words. “What? That… that was a very long time ago.” She tried to walk away, but he held her there, his hand on her shoulder. She flinched immediately at the contact, and he heard her curse.

  “Talk to me, Naomi.”

  She chewed her bottom lip, and without any warning, hauled off and punched him square in the jaw. He grunted in pain. Despite anything else he might not know about her, she packed a punch.

  “I’d rather beat you senseless first.” She stormed out of the room and disappeared down the stairs.

  Beau watched her, holding his jaw. He’d definitely touched a nerve, and a part of him wanted—no, needed—to know what she lived through. The question about the man had been a guess, but it worked well enough. She had been pissed, but he saw a little fear seep into her face. Beau wondered if that could be the reason for the nightmares, because he was now sure they weren’t caused by just a car accident.

  Eddie didn’t know what to do with Savage. She’d punched him, but she’d wanted to beat the shit out of him for pushing. She reached her office, closed and locked the door, and pulled out her cell to call Jackie. She needed to talk to someone who might not piss her off.

  “You better be dying to call this early,” Jackie muttered when she answered.

  “No, but our dear friend Savage might be,” she snapped.

  “What he’d do? I know Shane said you’re chomping at the bit to tell him the truth. Is that it?”

  Eddie rubbed her knuckles, remembering the satisfaction she’d felt when she hit him. “No, not that. I… uh, I punched him just a few moments ago—”

  “You what?!” her friend yelled. “Why the hell would you do that? I thought you said this one exhibited potential, and you knocked him out.” Jackie clicked her tongue.

  Eddie waited for the lecture about damaging a man who might do her some good. Her friend always harped on her needing a man in her life.

  “Why, may I ask, did you do that, or is that confidential information?”

  Eddie sighed. “He was treading on thin ice. My nightmares have started again, Jackie.” The silence stretched on and she gritted her teeth. “Jackie, look—”

  “You are dead when I get there, woman! You told me those stopped a year ago. Did you lie to me then, just like you lied about taking your meds?”

  “What? Who the hell told you that…? Shane, that jackass.”

  “No, not jackass, smart-ass. Despite your current issues with the man, he still acts like he has your best interests at heart. As of right now, there are two things I want you to do.”

  “And those would be?” Eddie asked, gripping her cane and regretting that she’d thought calling her friend would be a good idea.

  “This man seems to like you and wants nothing more than to help you, so stop being a proud, bitchy little girl about it and talk to him.”

  Eddie’s jaw dropped. Her friend rarely cursed unless she was extremely mad. “So you’re giving me permission to drop my cover so I can tell him what happened to my pathetic little life? Then why can’t I just tell him the truth about everything right now?”

  “No, Sage, you can’t, and you know it. You can say enough to give him an idea, but do not use this as an excuse to break your cover.”

  “Agreed, but if he pushes, I’m punching him again.”

  Jackie groaned but didn’t argue. “Fine, get a baseball bat and hit him with that, as long as you talk.”

  “And the second?” Eddie said, chuckling a bit.

  “Take your damn meds—twice a day, every day, just like the therapist told you.”

  “But—”

  “Don’t argue with me, kid. I really don’t want to pull rank on you. Got it?”

  Very quietly, Eddie agreed and slammed her cane against the floor to vent the rest of her anger. “Are you and Gareth staying out in the field for the duration?”

  “No, we’re being assigned to the house soon. Besides, a certain special day is coming up, and I’m not going to miss it.”

  Eddie glanced at the calendar and cursed. “No, we are not celebrating that. Not right now.”

  “Too bad. It’s happening with or without your consent. It’ll be fun… some wine, some cake, maybe a gunfight or two. It’s your damn birthday, woman, and after all the times I’ve watched you almost not make it, we’re celebrating,” Jackie said, her voice hard. “Deal with it.”

  Eddie didn’t even bother trying to argue, resigned to her fate. Fine, it was fine. It’d be a nice distraction from dealing with Savage, anyway. She hung up and, feeling as if she might not kill Beau, walked from her office back to her bedroom, expecting to see him there, waiting to argue more, but her room was empty.

  She tried to sleep but couldn’t, and Beau never came back to her room. No wonder, since she’d decked him, but his sudden absence caused her to itch with the need to find him. Not that she would apologize for hitting him. It was his fault—he’d pushed too hard—but Naomi’s memories didn’t seem to strangle her as much with him around. She flopped over again and stared at the ceiling, knowing it was either really late or really damn early.

  She glanced at the clock before she got up and limped for the kitchen. Four a.m. One of these nights she’d get a decent sleep again.

  The house was quiet now that the storm had finally passed, but rain was still coming down, overflowing the gutters and tapping against the windows. The tapping used to get to her, but she’d managed to tune out the noise and simply hear the rain again and not gunfire aimed at her. The events of her nightmares, however, were not so easily taken care of. They continued to play themselves over and over in her mind. When she turned the corner, ready to flip on the coffee pot, she found it already on and a s
mall bouquet of lilies sitting next to it. They were from her garden and still wet from the rain. She shook her head, smiling, and grabbed a vase for the flowers as the front door opened and slammed shut.

  Eddie tensed, and her hand slipped for the Sig tucked under the sink when she heard a familiar voice cursing the rain and relaxed, pulling her hand back just in time. Beau walked around the corner shaking his hair, which was completely soaked, and wringing out his tight, blue t-shirt in his hands.

  “And just where have you been? Swimming?” Eddie asked, eyeing him up and down before turning back to the flowers in her hand. Damn, there was a fine chest under that shirt, especially when wet. The drops of water left trails across the sinews and hollows, and her eyes followed them as an image of herself licking them burst in her head. In another time, she would’ve tackled him to the kitchen floor so she could feel those muscles, but she was a different woman. Her hands shook when she thought of being so close to him.

  “Getting the latest update from Ted at the gate,” Beau said cautiously as if waiting for her to explode again.

  She put the flowers in a vase, filled it with water, and set it on the counter. “Coffee?” She reached for a cabinet when he walked over and told her he would get the mugs. “Still trying to be a suck-up after this morning, are we?”

  Beau shrugged, handing her a mug full of coffee. He rubbed the spot on his jaw where a tiny bruise appeared. “It’s possible. Not every day I get decked by a woman as attractive as you.” He buried his face in his mug.

  Eddie’s chest tightened—along with other things—and she tried to ignore his half naked body standing in her kitchen so close she could virtually taste him. “You deserved it.”

  “You should still try to talk about it,” he added quietly. “And you can with me. I’ve seen a thing or two in this line of work. I can handle it.”

  Could you handle what I’d tell you? My brother could hardly handle it, or my dad, she thought. And why are you being so nice all of a sudden? His eyes glinted with a need to help her, but it wasn’t that easy for her to spill her guts to a man she barely knew. Hell, it took a year before she told anyone the full account.

  “And I’m not going to back off helping you. Starting with making sure you take those damn meds of yours.” Beau kept a wary eye on her as he fished out her unopened bottle of painkillers from the cabinet and set them on the counter. “I overheard you and Shane screaming about it the other day, and I think you should listen to him. He seems to care about you.”

  She caught the sharp tinge of jealousy in his words and couldn’t help but laugh. “Shane is an old family friend, nothing more,” she told him.

  Beau’s eyes lit up, but he shrugged as if he didn’t care either way.

  Eddie glared at the bottle on the counter as if the thing was going to cause her pain, not take it away.

  “I plan on repairing that roof of yours when this rain decides to stop so I can get out of your room. But first, I’m not letting you leave my sight until I see you swallow one of those pills.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down until she realized he was completely serious.

  Grumbling to herself the whole time—though she thoroughly enjoyed the sight of his muscles bunched barely a foot from her—she popped the bottle open angrily, dumped a pill in her hand, and swallowed it dry. “Happy, Navy?”

  Beau shook his head. “No. I’ll be happy when you tell me what happened to you so I can do to you what I’ve been wanting to since I first laid eyes on you.”

  Eddie was happy she’d already swallowed the pill. She probably would’ve choked on it otherwise. His gaze trailed along her body, and she leaned towards him as if to go to him but stopped herself and waited for him to leave. When he finally did, her brow rose in admiration at such a perfect form. Beau was going to be a tough one to get off her back. He was going to help her, whether she wanted it or not. But Beau could never learn the true identity of Naomi Veri. It would blow her cover and risk the mission.

  He’d been right about the man in her past, but the last thing she was going to tell him was how he’d almost killed her. Eddie rubbed her knee absently as she tried to block the nightmares she’d been having ever since. Those nightmares were her memories, the past she kept trying to escape. Nothing helped, and they still haunted her every waking second.

  The rain pounded down as she stood at the back door, watching it until the clock closed in on six a.m. Shane and the three other agents would be starving for breakfast soon, so she set about whipping up some scrambled eggs and sausage, her thoughts straying from the kitchen to the man two floors above her. Something was definitely different about this man, but Eddie didn’t plan on finding out what. She couldn’t risk this mission, no matter what emotions were involved.

  Beau was trying extremely hard to get Naomi out of his head, but it wasn’t working. After pacing the bedroom with the leaky ceiling, trying to figure out how best to fix it, he decided he would start on the roof, replace those tiles or position and affix them better, then come in here and put new plaster up. His hope was the work would distract him from those cold, green eyes that glared at him this morning.

  Deciding the best place to look for tools would be the garage, he headed in that direction, glad to see the rain appeared to have stopped for now, though dark clouds waited on the horizon, threatening to move in. Inside the garage, he found not only what he needed but an unmarked black Hummer as well. It wasn’t too strange a sight, considering the men protecting the house, but the vehicle gave him pause. He glanced back at the garage door to be sure he was alone and opened the door.

  The back was filled with duffels of ammo and several grenades packed securely in a case. Two emergency radios and phones along with knives, gear, and maps were also there. He put everything back the way it was when he found it and moved to the front seats. A briefcase lay on the floor, and he popped it open and found a stack of files.

  Why are these out here?

  Perhaps he shouldn’t go through them, but he was in charge of protecting Naomi. If files were being withheld from him, he needed to know what they contained. When he checked the first few, he realized they were some of the same files he’d seen before on possible targets. In the back were the names of agents currently on the case. Most of them he’d met on his first day here… All of them except one.

  “Eddie Sage? Who the hell is this guy?”

  He tucked the name away for the future and put the files back where he found them. He was supposed to know every man on the team, but this Sage guy had either purposely avoided meeting him or Beau’d missed him.

  He returned to his search for tools, and when he couldn’t find a ladder, decided the exercise would be a good distraction. Scaling the old house wasn’t as hard as he’d thought—definitely easier than scaling some of the mountains he’d climbed in the past for other missions while stuck in the middle of some jungle or other. From the three-story roof, Beau took in the perfect view of the entire front- and backyards and could see a good distance past the stone wall. He could also see Shane with the three other agents coming back from the front gate, deep in conversation. Shane looked up and saw Beau. He shook his head and waved at him, laughing.

  Beau set down the few tools he’d carried up with him and began to fix the tiles on the roof, fitting them back together so they wouldn’t leak. He’d only been working for a few minutes when he heard someone yelling his name from below. Carefully, he walked to the edge of the roof to find Naomi staring up at him, one hand gripping her cane, the other shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing up there, you bloody idiot?” she called.

  Beau barely heard her because he was too occupied with admiring her muscular legs and obvious curves in those tight jeans and white tank. Her hair was blowing around her face, drawing his attention up.

  “Fixing your damn roof. What does it look like?”

  “Get your stupid, Navy ass dow
n here before you give me more problems than I already have!”

  Beau ran a hand through his hair, yelling back that he’d be down in a minute. He gathered his tools, muttering to himself that he really needed to find a better distraction than this. It simply wasn’t working, especially when she came stomping outside looking like that to scold him. She was too sexy for him, almost reminding him of other women he’d worked with in the service—strong, stubborn, and excellent in bed.

  As he reached the back patio where Naomi had been standing, he heard her call from the kitchen to come on in.

  “Is there a reason you’re going all G.I. Joe on me, or did you just feel the need to have a macho moment?” she asked, leaning on the counter and drinking a glass of iced tea.

  Beau shrugged, setting his tools down by the door.

  “You might want to pick those back up. I have something to show you.” Naomi limped up the stairs with Beau behind her, trying desperately to keep his eyes on the back of her head and no lower.

  They walked to the room where the ceiling fell in, and Naomi pointed to a ten-foot step ladder underneath the hole and a small crawlspace that allowed easier access to the roof tiles than his way of scaling the house.

  “I had Shane get it for you when you said you were going to work on it. Thought this way might be a bit easier and wouldn’t give me a bloody heart attack. I’ll see you for a late lunch?” She didn’t wait for an answer, just left Beau rubbing his neck in annoyance at the situation. When he was getting ready to climb up, she poked her head back in the room and said, “Oh, and two friends of mine will be stopping by soon. They’ve already been cleared with your boss and what not, so no need to worry.”

  “What? How did you get them cleared?”

  “I have my ways.” Beau opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. “It’s just two people, Beau. It’ll be fine.”

  “There are people trying to kill you, remember? What if these two lead them straight here?” Damn the woman. She’s trying to drive me insane.