“You didn’t see her eyes just now. For one second, she was really excited. Have you ever looked into her eyes, Commander? She smiles and even though she does, there’s a part of her that never really gets to happy. She smiles for people around her, but the smile is for them, not for her.”
“Yes,” he answered quietly. “I’ve looked in the woman’s eyes.” The Commander stood up and approached him. “I’m not going to take the chance she could be hurt—ever. Do you understand me?”
It was right then Mace realized what he’d thought was hate in the Commander’s eyes, wasn’t hate at all, it was restraint. And the biggest shock of all—jealousy. The revelation made him blink, his head jerking back. He considered finding a Bible, because the end of the world had to be close at hand. “I won’t let anything happen to her, Commander.”
“Mace, why is this so damn important to you?” He swung a quick look into the ops room. “She’s not some sweet young skirt. She’s professional, and she’ll keep it that way. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s time for a wake-up call. She’s tough as nails. You think you’re going to impress her into bed? You’re not.”
His brow crushed together. “I don’t know. She’s just…she’s just.”
The Commander rested a hand on his shoulder. “This isn’t about getting in her pants, is it? It’s about your sister.”
He’d taken it pretty hard when cancer took Leslie from the family last year. He had four brothers and three other sisters, but Leslie and he were the closest. She was the oldest while he was the baby of the family. Turning thirty last month was harder on him than he thought. It was his first birthday without her. She’d practically raised him, taking care of the house and her siblings while their mom and dad worked hard to give them everything they needed.
“Kayla even looks a little like her, doesn’t she, Mace?” the Commander noted, cocking his head at him. “And I know you miss her.”
He stared at the ground, dwelling on the Commander’s words. Maybe there was some truth to it, subconsciously. Kayla simply made him feel good. She laughed at his jokes, and when she smiled at him, his heart melted. The reality was, he had a horrible crush on her, but he knew there was no way in hell anything would grow between them, other than friendship.
Commander Austen sighed. “Mace, I’ll talk to her, all right? If I feel she really wants to come, I’ll let her.”
How had he missed it? It was obvious as hell to him now. Just great—the Commander had the spoiled hearts of so many women behind him it was like the tail on a meteor. The only thing that would stop him would be the fact she worked in the Command center. He hoped it was enough. He didn’t want to see Kayla hurt, because the last thing the Commander would ever do in this lifetime was love someone for more than one night. “Thank you, sir.”
* * * *
Kayla darted past his door on her way home. “Ms. Banks.” He heard her footsteps continue across the tiled floor and around the corner to the elevator. Before he could catch up to her, the elevator doors closed. Vaulting down the stairs, he pushed through the door on the main level and waited. With her head down, she walked straight into him exiting the elevator.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized before looking up. “Sorry, Commander.”
He crossed his arms, watching her weave her way through the people who entered the building. Instead of turning toward the main gates to catch her bus, she strolled toward a small park sitting on the edge of Glorietta Bay. Stopping at an empty picnic table, she flung her bag on top, and climbed up to sit next to it. With fingers tucked between her knees, she stared out toward the water.
Sliding onto the table beside her, he considered what he’d say. It wasn’t often he went back on his word. He knew jumping out of a plane wasn’t the only reason he didn’t want her to come. “I may have been too hasty in my decision, Kayla.”
“You never call me Kayla, don’t start now,” she said. “And you’re right, I am a grown woman. If I was stupid enough to want to jump out of a plane, I would do it.”
Holy crap! She had to have the ears of a fox. Either that or he should consider soundproofing the office.
“Have a good weekend, Commander. Take care.” She jumped off the table, slinging her pack over one arm and began walking toward the beach.
Like a little clam, she’d closed herself up tight. It bothered him, more than it should have. There was absolutely no animosity in her voice. It sounded pleasant and professional. She’d shoved her disappointment deep inside, and for some reason he knew, only a woman who’d had to deal with defeat a lot could cope like that.
He called after her. “You’re not jumping by yourself. One of the men will have to take you, do you understand?”
She stopped, and stared at the water instead of looking at him. “What if I chicken out at the last minute?”
The Pacific’s breeze caught her curls and played with them while the wind flapped at her sea-green colored sleeves. “Somehow I doubt that,” he said with a twist of bitterness in his chest. He hoped she did. The thought of her falling ten thousand feet made his stomach roll.
She pivoted slowly on her heel, and tilted her head at him. “I can go?” she asked carefully.
He shrugged.
She took five quick steps towards him. “Was that a yes, Commander?”
He slowly turned his gaze to her. What the hell was the matter with her, anyway? Most women who looked like her wanted to get their nails done or go shopping for hours on end. “What the hell do you want to jump out of a plane for?” She took two more steps to stand right in front of him, within grabbing distance. Then he realized he wasn’t breathing.
“Is that a yes? I can go?” she asked, blinking up at him.
He cleared his throat, restrained by her beautiful eyes. “Yes, you can go, Ms. Banks.” For a second, a brief one, he saw it. He saw the light in her eyes Mace described, and then she grabbed both his hands in hers and squeezed.
“Thank you, this is great. I’m scared shitless,” she said, a sweet laugh following.
He’d never seen her smile so brightly. The woman kept herself hidden and reserved every hour of the day. He sure as hell didn’t expect her to hug him. It took him off guard. Instantly he curled his arms around her slender waist, and gazed down into her face, a smile spreading across his lips. His body tingled and popped like embers from a fire. She felt so damn good in his arms. “Mace better not screw up or he’ll be vacuuming the bottom of the sea with his teeth if anything happens to you.”
So excited, she clapped him on his shoulders twice. “I have to go pack, where should I meet you?” she asked, pulling from him ready to run for the bus. He grabbed her hand and she spun around. “What?”
“I’ll drive you home, Ms. Banks. We don’t have time for you to take the bus, wheels up in one hour.”
“I can do one hour, come on,” she said almost breathless, and started to yank him behind her. If a heart could actually swell with warmth, he knew his just had. He was the anchor and she was the beautiful vessel swinging around him drifting on a tropical sea, but he was in danger of dragging, and he knew it.
They caught a ride on one of the C-130s demonstrating at the air show. Lieutenant Cobbs and Mace had her wedged safely between them, and when Mace saw the loudness of the plane bothered her, he placed a set of headphones over her ears. She’d turned down the opportunity to ride in the cockpit, opting to stay with them. Not wasting time, Mace was already showing her the equipment and explaining the rules of parachuting.
Cobbs shot a look his way, and it definitely had humor, if not a few questions roving around his expression. Thing was, he didn’t have any answers, at least none he wanted to admit.
* * * *
The large door in the aft of the aircraft rumbled open. Mace held her around the shoulders as if afraid she’d go running out before it settled on the ground. She turned, looking for the Commander, but he was standing behind the team, hidden from her view. All the men wore a light version of
field fatigues, pants and sand-colored T-shirts. With the opening of the door, she understood why as the Arizona August warmth blasted inside the aircraft. The smell of jet fuel, the sound of whining engines and the hub of activity on the landing area made her excitement spiral.
“Beer Garden!” Caleb shouted.
“Beer Garden,” the rest echoed.
Her brows rose at Mace.
“The Beer Garden at this air show rocks. If we weren’t part of the entertainment we’d probably come anyway,” he said, pulling her along with him as their boots fell on the nonskid ramp toward the tarmac. Everyone carried their equipment and personal gear as they left the aircraft, including her. When Fox offered to carry hers, she shook her head. She didn’t want special treatment. Commander Austen wasn’t getting one excuse to stop her from jumping.
“Where do you all stay?” she asked.
“Normally, we throw up a few tents, but we’re going in style this time. We’ve got rooms at a hotel close by.”
“Um, I’m thinking that it’s pretty much sold out for the show.”
“Probably.” He paused. “Oh, right,” realizing she didn’t have one.
“She can have mine, I’ll bunk with Cobbs,” the Commander said, falling in step beside her, as they all walked in a sprawling line toward the military jeep waiting for them.
“No, Commander, I’m not going to put you out.”
“Then you can bunk with me, I don’t mind sharing.” An ultra quick smile flashed below his sunglasses and his stride increased the distance between them without a second look. She swallowed hard.
“He’s kidding,” Mace said, giving her a squeeze, then his brow wrinkled. “I think.”
Their driver wore a green ball cap, shades and khakis, and maintained a look straight ahead as if sitting at attention, his hands clutching the steering wheel at ten and two.
Before she could object, the Commander whisked her into his arms as the guys hoisted themselves into the back of the jeep. Mace and Nathan reached for her and pulled her into the back. When she was seated, the Commander jumped into the passenger seat.
The airport hummed with activity as they ripped around the herds of people wandering around inspecting the military and commercial aircraft. Black Hawk helicopters—four of them, hovered overhead while flagmen motioned them to a spot, their enormous chopper blades stirring up the small grains of sand and dust on the airfield. The warm wind brushed her face. Tomorrow would be an amazing day, and she felt giddy nerves biting at her already.
Once all the guys had checked in, she stepped up to the desk. The Commander slipped a plastic card into her hand, and curled his arm around her, pulling her away.
“Commander, there might be a room left.”
“There’s no room, Ms Banks, these hotels sell out months in advance for this event.” He led her to the elevator where the squad waited. “Ten minutes, men, and then—” He grinned at them, sliding his shades from his eyes. “It’s the Beer Garden.”
She covered her ears with the shout of hoo-yah that resounded from all of them. The problem was they were in the elevator, and she was squeezed between a lot of tall, muscled man flesh. Not the most uncomfortable of feelings, if not for the flush of heat racing through her with her back pushed against the Commander’s hard frame. She flipped the card in her hand, but of course there was no room number on it.
For the second time, the hair stood up on the back of her neck when his voice brushed past her ear. “Three-oh-five. You’d better write it down on your hand. Tonight when you come back drunk, I wouldn’t want you crawling into the wrong bed.”
Twisting, she gave him a “yeah right” look. “Commander, getting me drunk would be as difficult as making me a virgin again.” She shot out the doors as it opened, the hoots of laughter following her.
“You’re on, Snow White,” Tinman barked. The doors opened down the hallway as they all found their rooms. Glancing to the right, she saw the Commander and the Lieutenant enter the room next to her.
Crossing the modest, clean suite, she tossed her bag on the bed and scrunched the thick curtains in her fingers, pulling them open to see the Arizona mountain range rise in the distance, with hues of red and dark brown. The sand glowed with a brilliant orange as the setting sun fired its dying rays onto the landscape. Her heart beat a hundred times faster than normal as she pulled open the sliding glass door and walked onto the balcony. She felt like she was twenty, not lumbering toward her forties. The slide of a door to her right caught her ear.
The Commander rested his forearms on the railing, giving her a look across his shoulder. “A little different than the ocean, but a balcony nonetheless.”
Reaching up, she released her hair she normally kept in a neat, tight bun at work. “Yes, but it’s beautiful. I’ve never been to Arizona.” She leaned over the railing and played with the band in her fingers. “I really haven’t traveled all that much.”
He stared at her with an absent nod, as if he were caught in some kind of trance. “We’re heading out in ten minutes. I think you should come with us.”
“Thanks, Commander, but I’m just going to take a walk.”
“Walk, see, listen,” he said, remembering what she’d told him. “I think the men would be disappointed if you didn’t come.”
“I don’t want to cramp their style. There’s still light in the sky, and—”
He cut her off. “You’ve got eight minutes to get ready, Ms. Banks,” and he left.
* * * *
Flinging her small bag open, she yarded out a halter top made by her grandmother. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d really partied, but it had been literally years. Tonight she was going to break the trend, just in case it was her last one!
Staring down at the halter in her hands, she remembered the woman who’d made it. The beads and crushed animal hide were still in excellent condition. Her grandmother was native, born into the Haida tribe of British Columbia. Kayla had only seen her a few times growing up, but she did remember how beautiful she was. When her grandmother passed, her mother had given her the handmade piece, but she couldn’t have been any older than sixteen. Those were dark days for her, but the gift had given her a small connection she’d needed so desperately at the time.
Turning once in the mirror, she wrinkled her nose at the pair of light beige, leg-hugging pants clutching her hips. When the hell had her ass started to look like that? The modest pearl earrings she usually wore were tossed for hoops. Reaching behind her, she placed a wide necklace made of intricate beads layered in a multitude of colors across her chest. When her mother passed, her half-sister glommed onto all her belongings. She didn’t argue, but she kept the necklace with its native workmanship; like the halter, it connected her to her heritage.
Every once in a while the native blood, although diluted by her father, bloomed inside her. She fluffed her waves of hair, stuffed her feet into a pair of tawny, suede boots rippling down to her ankles, and opened the door in under ten minutes.
She heard the click of several doors opening, and the team emerged looking like regular men, without the hint of navy. Well, maybe the haircuts gave them away. They wore blue jeans and light shirts or T-shirts showing off their rolling abs and pumped upper arms. Some donned baseball caps and everyone had shades. The Commander’s door swung open and he and Cobbs exited, but both of them stopped in their tracks and stared at her. She stopped as well and then looked behind her. All the guys were staring. “What?” she said, getting the feeling something was terribly wrong. “What’s wrong?”
She swung around to stare at the Commander, and he slowly put his finger to his shades and slipped them down his nose. He cleared his throat. “Nothing.”
Across from her, Mace popped out of his room. His brows rose as he joined her, and they walked down the hall. “What’s the matter with them, Mace?” she whispered out the side of her mouth.
“What do ya mean?”
“Why is everyone looking at me strangely?”
He laughed and curled his arm around her. “Why do ya think, Kayla?”
They were quickly catching up. She shook her head.
He stepped back with a confused grin. “You’re kidding, right?”
Her brow twisted and she hit the down button. The guys gathered round and they squeezed into the elevator again, this time however, it was bone-chilling quiet. What the hell was the matter with them? She was at the back of the elevator this time, and she reached for the Commander’s arm as the rest of the guys got out. “Commander, did I do something wrong?” she asked quietly.
His shoulders rose with a quick laugh. “Uh-uh,” he muttered, looking at the ground instead of her.
Uncomfortable with the silence, even on the way back to the airport, she broke off from the team when they turned for the masses of people mulling about brilliant white tents.
“Kayla, where are you going?” Mace asked, stopping her.
“I’ll find you guys later. Beer Garden, right?”
“Kayla—” he placed a hand on her bare shoulder, and she stepped away from his touch. “Come with us.”
Something had happened. The air definitely changed. “I’ll see y’all later.” She quickly glanced at the Commander standing a few feet away. Hidden behind his shades, she knew his eyes were evaluating her again, and with a taut jaw, and his expressionless features, he didn’t approve of something.
It was the first time she’d ever seen him in civilian clothes, except for the day he’d helped her find her condo. The jeans he wore narrowed at his waist, and the light blue shirt matched the color of his eyes, wrapping around a perfectly toned torso. A belt, with a bronzed buckle had UDT embossed under the SEAL trident, looped around his hips. He waited for a moment and then began to stride toward them.
Turning, she meant for a quick get away, but the Commander stepped in front of her. “About face, Ms. Banks.”
Taking a step back, she shook her head sharply. The wind blew hot and dusty around them, but for some reason she grew cold. Her gaze crawled up his chest and into his eyes, his shades dangling in his fingers. “I’m going to walk with the wind for a while.”
Code Name: Ghost Page 11
