“Rina’s going to be doing a different kind of documentary. She’s highlighting a series of extreme jobs,” Mac said, and Cash forced himself to stand there and listen. “And Navy SEALs are going to be the series kickoff. Great exposure for the Navy and the teams.”
Yeah. X-treme exposure. The urge to cover his balls got stronger, and he wondered if the time with JAG made Mac’s brain go soft, although he knew better than to ask. Meanwhile, Rev and Justin nodded, Hunt muttered, “yes, sir,” without much conviction and Cash cleared his throat.
“Don’t you think…” he began, then stopped when Mac shot him a warning look.
“The powers that be were very impressed with her first video and her style. She was great to work with. Not intrusive,” Mac explained, and Cash knew not to even bother questioning the possible ramifications of having a video machine scanning their every move for the next weeks. Mac’s tone of voice let him know that it was a done deal and that anyone who had a problem with it would have to go through him.
Cash had tried that once and the results hadn’t been favorable. Of course, these days he was bigger and stronger, but wrestling the admiral wasn’t a match he wanted.
“Nothing at all to do with the fact that everyone’s tongues were too busy hanging out while they watched her,” Rev muttered while Hunt and Mac engaged in some small talk, just low enough so no one but Cash and Justin could hear. Justin snorted softly in response. And Cash wasn’t sure why the hell he wanted to kick Rev in the teeth for talking about Rina like that.
Because she’s Mac’s niece. That’s all.
“Cash, since you’re still on light duty for a few days, maybe you could help Rina with whatever she wants? She’s going to need some help acquainting herself with the lay of the land, and I know you wouldn’t mind showing her how things are done around here,” Mac said, and Cash prayed, just prayed, that Mac wouldn’t say anything else about Rina’s needs and wants. “I’ve been contacted regarding a significant case, and my time will be a little short this week.”
Rev, Justin and Hunt stood stock-still and Cash started to sweat. The admiral turned to Rina. “He’s hurt from his last time out.”
“You were hurt?” she asked, looked at him the way she had that night in Hawaii and for a long second he really thought she’d blown it. She’d almost reached out to him, but common sense must’ve reined her in at the very last second. It was all he could do not to heave a huge sigh of relief.
“Not a big deal,” he said. “I’m back in action as of tomorrow morning.”
“Never a big deal to these guys,” the admiral said, and there was no mistaking the pride in his mentor’s voice. “So Cash, you’re available, then?”
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
“Good. I’m going to show Rina my office, let her get settled there so she can make a few calls regarding the shoot. How much time do you need?” he asked Rina, who avoided looking at Cash.
“Half an hour would be fine,” she said, and that was okay because a lot could happen in half an hour. Battles could break out, hostages could be taken, he could be called away to the other side of the earth for months, away from all of this.
Half an hour was also enough time for Rina to talk to Mac, and there was nothing Cash could do but pray.
B REATHE , RINA. Just breathe.
“I’ll talk to Cash privately,” Mac was saying. “He’ll make sure no one gives you any trouble and that you’ve got the team’s full cooperation.”However, she barely heard anything, thanks to the combined sound of the blood rushing between her ears, the beating of her heart, the phrase Surfer Cash is really a Navy SEAL and I slept with him and this could not be happening.
“Cash is a stand-up guy,” Mac continued. “They all are. And he’ll guide you through a day in the life of the teams, show you the ropes, so to speak. He’s a great teacher, and when it comes to training, there’s no one better.”
No one better… “He didn’t look too happy about the prospect of the film. None of them did,” she said, because if she kept talking she wouldn’t have to think about what had just happened back there. In front of Cash’s whole team. Even though all the men were polite, she knew they knew everything.
“I never said it would be easy,” he said. “But you’re good. You’ll get them working with you in no time. I’m sure you run into this sort of problem a lot.”
“Not really, Mac,” she admitted. Most of the people she filmed, especially on the X-treme videos, were pushing each other out of the way to get more airtime. They wanted in, and they’d do anything to prove they were die-hard enough to make the cut. This proved to be the biggest challenge to date, but it was also the last shot at making the grant deadline. She’d make it work and how Cash would have no choice but to cooperate. He’d be under a direct order from her uncle, and that had to count for something, right?
“Don’t worry so much, Rina. I’ll talk to him, and once he’s on board, the rest of the men will be, too. He’ll take good care of you.”
She drew in a deep breath and considered when it would be best to tell her uncle that if he kept on like that, especially in front of Cash, she was going to literally die right here in the middle of his office.
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” she said. And it would. What had happened was a one-night-only thing. They’d both agreed, and Cash didn’t have to know that she’d gone back to Bobo’s surf shop that next morning, before she’d boarded the plane, and left her cell phone number for him. Really, no one was that pathetic. And if the stars were aligned perfectly, Bobo would have lost that note with her number before Cash ever got wind of it.
“It will. But no matter what I tell them, they’re going to test you,” Mac said, and she nodded. “Which means, you’ve got to stand up to them, prove yourself.”
“I understand,” she said.
“I’m not sure you do. Not yet.” Mac grinned. “If things get too tough, you let me know. I’ll be out of town for the rest of the week, but Jenny knows how to get in touch with me.”
“I can handle it.”
Nancy, Mac’s secretary, popped her head into his office. “Admiral, they need you in the conference room for a minute. I told them you were busy, but it doesn’t seem anyone here can survive without you for very long.”
“It’s okay,” Rina told him. “I’ve got some work to do.”
“I’ll only be a few minutes,” he assured her. “If I’m not back before Cash gets here, tell him to wait. I need to speak to him.”
“Sure thing,” she said, and was dialing Stella’s number before the door closed. Because karma was going to have to do something about this one.
NONE OF THE SEALs spoke for a good few minutes, until Mac and Rina were well out of sight and hearing range.
“You’ve never done something this stupid,” Hunt muttered. “And that’s a bigger compliment than it sounds.”Cash sighed, back pressed against the wall, and knew Hunt was correct when it came to his love life. Well, hell, love had nothing to do with any of it. Sex, definitely, and lots of it. All with different women. And he did have the unmistakable, ridiculous and, at times, troubling ability to pick just the wrong women.
Yet, the women never seemed or felt wrong. Not right away. But inevitably, he’d find himself mired in some completely crazy scenario that more often than not had him humming a version of OPP—other people’s property. Sometimes, he’d slip quietly away and other times he’d find himself fending off the spurned boyfriend or, worse, husband.
It had gotten so bad that his friends and teammates started taking bets on every woman he seemed remotely interested in.
He cast a sharp look at Justin, who shrugged.
“You already bet on this one?”
“He didn’t share the action with any of us if he did,” Rev drawled.
“I didn’t need to bet, Cash. It was the surest thing going and I was freakin’ hoping against hope that she’d be the one to break your streak of picking the absolute wrong woman for
you,” Justin said.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a streak,” Cash muttered, regretting that his sex life had become fit for public consumption. Granted, he hadn’t had an actual date in months and the last woman he’d attempted to get to know pre-Rina ended up having a very angry boyfriend, who happened to be a Marine. “Besides, most of the time, they find me. And Rina was no exception.”
“Someone’s testy,” Rev said.
“She did go after him,” Justin admitted. “And she is single. And she did go back to the surf shop the day after to leave a message for you.”
“And she’s the admiral’s niece. I still can’t believe you slept with Mac’s niece.”
“Say it louder. I’m not sure the Marines heard you,” Cash said to Hunt, before turning his full attention back to Justin. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that your technique to distract her was taking her to bed?”
“Because you never asked,” Cash replied. “What did she say to Bobo?”
“She left her cell phone number for you.”
“You’re not going to actually…like date her, are you?” Rev cut in. “Because, if you start something with her, we’ll definitely have to do this video thing.”
“Didn’t you hear Mac? We don’t exactly have a choice,” Cash reminded his teammates.
“There’s always a choice. You’ve got to decide whose side you’re on,” Hunt said.
“Give me a break. I don’t want to be in any stupid video, but I’m sure as hell not disobeying Mac.”
“Not directly, but if things don’t go the way Rina planned, she’ll never make the video in the time frame the Navy’s allotted her,” Rev said.
“I can’t screw things up for her,” Cash went on. Not again. He looked to Justin for help.
“Somehow, this reunion isn’t going as well as I’d hoped,” Justin said.
“Wait a minute. You knew…?” Cash started. Justin put his hands up and backed away.
“I didn’t know until after we returned to base. By then, it was too late, and I didn’t want you to feel weird. You never came out and said it, but I figured you’d slept with her.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Cash said, even as Hunt and Rev howled with laughter. It wouldn’t help matters any, but it would sure as hell feel good.
“Too many witnesses here,” Justin said.
“I could take them both out, too,” he said, glaring at Rev and Hunt.
“I didn’t know she’d end up here. Karen was the one who actually made the connection. And funny thing, Cash. I’ve noticed that you haven’t tried to pick anyone up since we got back from Hawaii.”
“I’ve been busy. What’s your point?”
Justin shrugged. “Just wondering if maybe Rina…”
“Stop wondering.”
“You haven’t been the same since.”
“I’ve had a lot on my mind with the XO thing coming up. Hawaii was business, not pleasure. Well, for me anyway,” he said.
“Uh-huh.” Justin smirked for a second, and then it disappeared. “You think this video will be as big of a drag as it sounds?”
“Worse,” Hunt said. “She’s going to have the run of the entire base. Access to everything. And someone has to try and keep her in line without bringing Mac down on our asses.”
All eyes turned to Cash. “Aw, don’t lay all this on me.” Cash ran a hand through his hair. “Fine. I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything. First though, you all owe me something. No one tells Jason, or any of the guys about this. It stays here.”
“Yeah, that’s fair,” Justin agreed, and the other two SEALs nodded.
“It’s about time for you to give your tour,” Rev reminded him.
“Take one for the team,” Hunt said. “And make sure you get us out of camera range.”
6
STELLA WAS NOWHERE CLOSE to Little Creek, but she was in cell range and still had her sense of humor. One of them needed to have it and Rina could barely breathe, let alone laugh.
“Who came first, the surfer or the SEAL?” Stella was asking, and then chuckling at her own awful joke.“I don’t care who came first, Stel. And don’t you dare tell Zoot or Keith,” she warned, concerned she wasn’t already on speaker phone.
“Not a word. They’re clueless, as usual. And they fell asleep fifteen minutes after we hit the road, anyway.”
“That explains your bad jokes—you’re probably exhausted.”
“I’m tired, but I thought my jokes were pretty good,” Stella sniffed. Her friend lived two blocks from Rina’s own apartment in Riverdale, where their places were close enough to Manhattan but not nearly as expensive. Stella had offered to drive the equipment, as well as Zoot and Keith, down to Virginia, allowing Rina to fly two days ahead of them to spend some time with Jenny and Mac.
“I can’t believe Cash is here. And that I’ve got to depend on him to get this done,” she muttered.
“Karma’s a funny thing, hon.”
“Karma’s killing me.”
“Let me pull a card and see what’s going to happen,” Stella suggested. Rina heard a shuffling sound and then an angry car horn blaring.
“Stel, it already happened, in case you weren’t listening,” Rina said, keeping her voice low as she spoke to her friend on her cell phone. “So put the cards away before you get into an accident and hurry to Little Creek. Now.”
“Hon, I’m driving as fast as I can, okay? With minimal stops, we’ll be there sometime after midnight.”
“We start shooting at five sharp.”
“You start shooting at five sharp. I’m planning on sleeping in and working on the script based on the footage you get tomorrow. And the second I stop for food, I’m pulling a card for you,” Stella promised.
Rina clicked the phone closed in frustration, took a deep breath and stared at the walls in Uncle Mac’s office. He’d been decorated during his years as a SEAL—that was apparent from the two stars he wore on his uniform—but she never realized how much time he’d spent on the front lines. In danger.
Though she’d asked and gotten an answer, she still didn’t comprehend how Jenny could stand it, watching the man she loved put himself in harm’s way time and time again, and the inevitable comparisons to Uncle David must not have helped. And then she thought about Cash, and knew that even though she’d been off about his profession, her instincts had been right on about everything else about him. He was crazy—his career and choice of hobby proved it, and she was better off steering clear of that. It might’ve worked out for her aunt, but the thought of losing someone close to her was something she didn’t think she could bear.
Finally, she forced herself to focus, became so engrossed in her list for the next day’s shoot that she didn’t hear Cash approach the door to Mac’s office. Head down, pen in hand, she scribbled notes and was not thinking about Cash or their night together or the fact that there was no way she would get through this. Even if she did write his name and cross it out a few times, like a wounded grade-schooler with a crush.
“Hey,” Cash said. She looked up and wondered if it was going to be like this every time she saw him, if her pulse would quicken, cheeks heat and leave her mind unable to concentrate on anything but him. He leaned against the doorjamb, his face unsmiling even as his eyes wandered over her. She’d worn a white, button-down shirt and she automatically brought her hands up to make sure it wasn’t buttoned too far down, which made him grin.
“Hey,” she said.
“Are you ready for me?” he asked.
She could never, ever be ready for him, not when those neon-blue eyes bore into hers, when even a glance at his strong forearms had her remembering the way he’d balanced her on the terrace railing, held her like he’d never let her go.
Maybe she should be filming sappy greeting card commercials instead. She had to call Stella again because maybe there was a tarot card that signified melodrama.
“Rina, are you okay?” Cash wa
s asking. He’d moved into the office and stood across from her at Mac’s desk, palms down and leaned in to stare at her.
God, this was humiliating. “Sorry, I tend to space out a little when I’m in the early stages of prep for a new film. It’s the way I focus. I kind of tune out everything around me, you know, and then I can visualize the way I want things to turn out….”
Babbling. Always a turn-on. Even though she didn’t want to turn him on, well, not technically, she didn’t exactly want him not to want her.
You’ve got to figure out what you do want and then prioritize. “I’m fine,” she said calmly.
“Good. Well, I can walk you through a typical life in the day of a Navy SEAL, but it’s not going to be as, ah, X-treme as you think,” he said.
“I think you’re probably selling yourself short,” she offered, and he let a slow smile drift across his face.
“That never happens,” he said, before pushing up off the desk and standing, arms crossed in front of her. “Let’s go.”
“Look, you don’t have to do this…” she started, but Cash was looking out toward where Mac stood, across the office but in full view of the two of them. Mac waved at them and they waved back and wasn’t this all so cozy?
“Yes, I do,” Cash said, his voice low, a neutral expression on his face, and how was he keeping it together so well?
Because that night meant nothing to him. Just another notch in his X-treme belt. The thing was, she was much better at seeing the wider scope behind every story, and on this one, she’d forgotten to pull the lens out and instead took the narrow view. She should’ve been able to scope out Cash’s military background, especially after spending time on the naval base, and with Mac.
Still, she had to admit that Cash was the most nonmilitary military man she’d met so far. Even now, dressed in jungle BDUs, his stance was casual, relaxed, like he was just sitting around waiting for the next wave.
“So we’re just not going to talk about this?” she asked finally.
“What are you trying to do to me here?”
Risking It All Page 6
