Special Forces Seduction

by C. J. Miller

  “I haven’t decided what I will do.” She had saved enough money to grant her the luxury of time to decide.

  “What about your operatives and contacts?” Finn asked.

  Hyde had turned away jobs over the last several months. She didn’t have employees who relied on her, not in the traditional sense. She had referred operatives with special skills to jobs that warranted them and vetted agents in the field. When she’d quit, she’d washed her hands of it and had been comfortable with that decision.

  Finn was the one open item on the past. She couldn’t have Finn and a family. “Operatives I’ve worked with will work for someone else.” It was how the game was played. The network she had painstakingly built from influential contacts now felt unfulfilling. She had made herself a warrior for the cause, any cause she believed in, and most important, causes where a woman was in danger. Those were the ones closest to her heart. She was walking away from those women who had needed her, often in crisis, but she would find other ways to give back.

  He brushed at the hair at her temple. “When we last met, you loved your job.”

  When she had last seen Finn, they had spent three days in the Maldives Islands. She’d been fresh off an assignment, relaxed and excited. Stress relief, great conversation and mind-blowing sex wrapped up in one person were how she’d rejuvenated herself between missions. What he’d offered was everything she had needed, and for that, she was grateful. “I’m tired of this job. I want a simpler life.”

  Finn ran his index finger down her cheek. He was pure temptation. “You’ll be bored.”

  Not if she found the right career or hobby. Plenty of people lived in the same town, drove to the same job each day and collected a paycheck every two weeks. She could do the same and she would be happy doing it. A husband and family could be in the cards for her. “I’ll be busy.”

  “Busy isn’t happy. I don’t understand why anyone would want a house that breaks and a job that goes nowhere.”

  Hyde’s brain spun. It wasn’t as if she was thinking about marrying Finn, but to hear him describe the life she wanted in disparaging terms, Hyde was hurt. She needed more than Finn could give her. Though she had known Finn wouldn’t settle down with her, or anyone, hearing him speak the words felt like the death toll on their relationship.

  Finn closed his eyes, oblivious to how she felt. That was one downside of subconsciously masking her emotions out of habit. No one could read her. “I don’t see it that way. My new job will be exciting because it will be different. I’ll have time off. I’ll have friends I see more than once every few months or years.”

  “You are the most complicated woman I have ever known.”

  A compliment? Why the groan? “I don’t think I’m complicated.”

  He shifted in the bed, moving the pillows. “The secrets you keep would make the average person insane. You hide them like you hide everything. But I have no room to criticize.”

  If he knew her biggest, most painful secret, how would he feel? He may blame her. He might be angry. If he was relieved, she wasn’t sure she could handle that. She would interpret his relief as happiness not to be tied to a baby who would have been an inconvenience to him and his work. It wasn’t fair to leap to that conclusion, but right now the only acceptable emotions surrounding her baby were grief, loss and sadness. Thinking of her baby, sorrow crashed around her. She put distance between her and Finn. “I can’t be up late. I have a wedding brunch tomorrow morning.”

  “Isn’t that what the reception was for?” Finn asked.

  “Victoria and Thomas want to spend time with family, especially those who traveled a long distance, while they have the opportunity,” Hyde said. She and Finn hadn’t spoken much about their families. Did he get along with his?

  In the last three months, she had been to a bridal shower, a bachelorette party, a rehearsal dinner, three dress fittings and a craft show. She had looped orange ribbons on bells and tied bows on bottles of bubbles while drinking wine with her sisters and mother. A different experience for her and she had enjoyed each. “Don’t you want to spend time with your family?”

  “Family is overrated,” Finn said. Indifference emanated from his voice.

  Red flags went up. Much about this conversation was telling. She hadn’t realized how focused he was on his job. “I didn’t realize you felt that way.”

  “Too much drama.”

  Hyde didn’t press him. If family was unimportant to him, she couldn’t change that with a conversation.

  Finn shifted and adjusted the blankets. Though Finn rarely emoted, she sensed he was upset.

  “Tell me what’s on your mind.” She set her hand on his arm and Finn covered it with his own.

  “I was thinking about Simon. About his plans for the future. He wanted a wedding and a family. He met your sister and he fell hard. She and their life together were taken from him. Thea has Simon’s eyes. Haunting.”

  She and Finn harbored guilt about Simon and Lydia’s relationship. Hyde, for not warning Lydia to keep her distance from Simon, and Finn, because Finn believed he could have saved Simon from his untimely death.

  Hyde didn’t think any action on Finn’s part would have altered the outcome. She had voiced that sentiment before and he’d blown her off.

  Death was a reality they faced daily. Spies accepted dangerous assignments in unstable places. Hyde had been close to death a few times. She had been shot. She had broken her leg and been left for dead. She had been imprisoned. She had defied the odds and felt blessed to be alive.

  “Lydia will like to know that Simon cared deeply for her. I’ll be happy when I can tell her the truth,” Hyde said.

  From what Lydia had shared, she and Simon had talked about a future. They’d discussed marriage. Lydia also believed that Simon had manipulated her, promising a life together as a line to get her into bed. Hyde had wanted to spill the truth. Simon’s intentions had been genuine.

  “She deserves at least that,” Finn said. “When she tells Thea about her father, it shouldn’t be to explain he was a loser who abandoned them.”

  They lapsed into silence, lost in their thoughts.

  “Are you planning to be a spy forever?” Hyde asked.

  Finn propped his head on his hand. “I’m good at it. I don’t know if there’s anything else that would make me as happy as this work.”

  She’d had similar thoughts in the past. “You might see it differently one day.”

  “You sound like my mother,” he said, and he sounded exhausted.

  Interesting that he’d mentioned his family again. “Does your mom know you’re a spy?”

  “She thinks I work as a contractor for a defense firm. She doesn’t know specifics,” Finn said. “That’s something I like about you. You know what I do. I don’t have to hide much from you.”

  “We have secrets,” Hyde said.

  “When I’m with you, I can relax. You know the ground rules. You don’t pry.”

  Prying was exactly what she wanted to do except she had no interest in pressing him for details about his missions, past or future. She wanted to know more about him, his life, his childhood. They had spent time together, and she felt like she had barely scratched the surface learning what made him tick. It may not change anything. Finn was against having a family, and having a family was her new dream. If she had an explanation, would that make parting easier?

  Finn rolled and slung his thigh on top of hers, his leg between hers. “You smell good.”

  Whether his desire was taking over or he was avoiding delving into a deeper conversation with her, she couldn’t tell. Sex was often on Finn’s mind. “What you smell is soap and shampoo. I showered when I got home. My hair was sprayed into place and it was too stiff to sleep in and it was giving me a headache.”

  “I would have liked to help you,”
Finn said.

  “Shower?” she asked.

  He ran his nose along her jawline. “That and take the clips from your hair. Alexandra?”

  He almost never used her real full name and it shook her and stirred her desire. Her stomach fluttered. “Yes?” She met his gaze. The fire in his eyes matched the heat in his voice.

  “I want to kiss you.”

  Could she let him kiss her? Would one kiss change anything? A kiss wouldn’t make her permanently decide to return to her life as a spy. A kiss couldn’t change her feelings about the future. But a kiss could feel good and comforting. Comfort was something she was missing. No one knew how much she was hurting. No one had sensed her sadness and reached out to comfort her.

  Finn was offering physical comfort and Hyde reached for him, drawing him close. His arousal pressed at the apex of her thighs. She ignored that and focused on his lips. His perfectly kissable, sexy lips. When their mouths touched, a hundred sparks lit in the air around them. His lips were soft and pliant. Unhurried and seductive, his tongue danced with hers. Heat smoldered inside her and she wished she knew how to cool it.

  They had fantastic chemistry, and getting naked with him held a great deal of appeal. But that appeal was lost when she thought of the last several months. How lonely she had been in Bearcreek and how the time alone had affected her. Time to think was good, except when it brought to light unsettling questions. Her extensive traveling over the last decade had prevented her from being close with anyone, from forging close relationships or letting anyone inside. She wanted those things, and Finn wasn’t the man who could give them to her.

  A tear slipped from her eye. Finn pulled away, questions in his eyes, and then wiped at the tear with his thumb.

  “I won’t hound you to tell me what this is about. I know spies keep secrets close to the vest. But I’m here if you want to talk. I don’t need to say anything. I can listen.”

  Hyde wanted to confess everything and bare her soul to him. But making herself vulnerable scared her. She kept her mouth shut.

  Chapter 3

  Hyde clasped Victoria’s hands before she climbed into the limo with Thomas. “Promise me you’ll be careful,” Hyde said.

  Victoria laughed and looked over her shoulder. “I will be fine. This will be the first vacation I’ve had in years. Don’t worry so much.”

  Hyde shouldn’t worry, but Victoria had never traveled outside Montana and now she was flying halfway around the world with her new husband. Hyde’s paranoia pinged. She had learned to be suspicious of everyone. That suspicion was misplaced with Thomas. He was a good man and could be trusted.

  Lydia was standing close by with Thea. Thea was sleeping in her arms, likely tired from the night before. Lydia had dark circles under her eyes, her clothes were wrinkled and her hair knotted in a messy bun.

  As Hyde waved goodbye to her sister and Thomas, Finn strolled toward her. He had skipped the family brunch, choosing instead to sleep for two more hours. No details had been mentioned about his last mission, and Hyde hadn’t reviewed the details for their upcoming one.

  “Ready to leave?” Finn asked.

  Hyde had assembled a bag that morning. She hadn’t forgotten how to slip undercover and pack the essentials quickly. “Yes.” Speaking the word held weight and evoked sadness. Leaving her family was harder than she’d anticipated. Staying away had been easier, jumping from one assignment to the next. Reconnecting had touched her more deeply than she’d expected.

  She had felt a shift between her and Finn, as well. They were embarking on a mission together. Their career and relationship were colliding.

  Hyde’s father approached and Hyde braced for impact. She didn’t want to lie to her family, but she didn’t have a good, clear way to explain Finn’s sudden presence in Bearcreek or why she was leaving.

  “Alexandra, are you coming by for dinner tonight? The caterer dropped off the leftover food from the wedding. There’s plenty for everyone. Even for your friend.” Her father gestured at Finn.

  No chance of avoiding an introduction. Hyde pointed to Finn. “Dad, this is Finn. We used to work together.” Not a lie and didn’t give away anything about the past.

  Her father extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you in town on business?”

  Finn opened his mouth to answer.

  Hyde jumped in. “Finn needs me to go with him on another job.”

  Her father stiffened and annoyance crossed his face. “Why? I thought you quit that job and were planning to stick around for a while. We’ve liked having you.”

  Finn looked from her to her father, his gaze assessing. Her stomach was coiled with tension. She didn’t want her father to get the wrong idea about them. Having had a happy, forty-year-long marriage, her father wanted his three daughters to have the same. Hyde suspected he worried more about Lydia’s happiness since she was under so much stress, but Hyde concerned him.

  “I did quit. This is one last job. It requires my expertise. Big client and it’s important.”

  Her father appeared resolved. He indicated behind him. “Make sure you say goodbye to your mother. This time, call from the road so we know you’re safe. I don’t like this. I think you’ll get pulled back in by him.” Her father looked at Finn. “I thought my daughter might have been involved in a relationship and that kept her away. She came home, quiet and lost and I figured she had her heart broken. You show up and it pretty much confirms it.”

  “Dad, Finn didn’t—”

  “Come on, Alexandra. I wasn’t born yesterday. I have eyes and I have father instincts.” Her dad looked at Finn up and down. “You’re the type she’d go after.”

  Guilt ballooned inside her. How could she reassure her father that wasn’t the case? She wasn’t leaving Bearcreek to chase after a relationship with Finn. This was about taking Reed Barnett down and helping Lydia. “It’s just work.”

  “It’s never just work,” her dad said.

  Hyde looked away from her father, sure she would spill the entire truth if she met his gaze. “I’ll be fine, Dad. I’ll be home soon.”

  Her dad wrapped her in a hug. “Don’t stay away too long.”

  Hyde left Bearcreek with a heavy heart, but hopeful about the mission. She was doing this for the right reasons and for her family. Making Lydia happy would make this worth it. Being a spy for the last ten years, Hyde had learned to bury her emotions and when it came to Finn, she would do just that.

  * * *

  If she weren’t working an op, Hyde would have enjoyed Reed Barnett’s remote, private island, one of the nicest islands she had visited in the last ten years. Accessible only by private transportation via air or sea, it was the perfect getaway for two people who were harried, stressed and in need of some rest and relaxation.

  What waited for them on the island was none of those things. The West Company had briefed them on the operation, and Hyde was in the zone. The sooner she could nail Barnett and bring down his enterprise, the sooner she could return home. Her father’s words had stuck with her. He had seen something between her and Finn. Her feelings for Finn had delved deeper than she had realized if they were apparent to others. Keeping those in check would be part of the mission.

  She had promised her parents she would call. She’d have to remember to do that and make sure she had a safe way to communicate without dragging them into this operation. Barnett was crafty. He could trace phone calls to and from his island. He could have her and Finn under surveillance. Hyde was prepared for anything.

  The sea surrounding the island was crystal blue, the sky was dotted with white clouds and the weather warm without being humid. The island was ringed by white sandy beaches, blending into a picturesque foliage of palm, casuarina and prince wood trees. Nestled among the greenery at the tallest point on the island was Barnett’s compound, the light tan of the w
alls and red of the roof gleaming in the sun.

  Barnett was the king of his own private island. Though the island was officially part of a nearby chain, Barnett maintained its independence by paying off the authorities. On this island, Barnett was the law.

  Barnett was staying on the island and cooling his heels. The heat needed to die down after his last big score. The sale and transfer of thousands of pounds of cocaine into Miami, Florida, had netted Reed Barnett millions. If he chose to set foot in the United States, the government would arrest him and try to make charges stick. Barnett let others take the fall for his crimes and he was slippery, sliding into hidey-holes whenever he needed to disappear.

  Hyde exited the private villa where she and Finn were staying while on Barnett’s island. The villa was located on the beach about half a mile from the main compound. The little house was spacious and well furnished with high-end finishes and an open floor plan. Bamboo reeds covered the exterior of the hut and blended with the sand.

  She strode to a wooden lounge chair facing the ocean and adjusted the angle of the chair. Assuming her role as Finn’s jet-setting lover, she mentally prepared herself to meet Reed Barnett.

  Under other circumstances, taking him out quickly might have been her preferred course of action. They wanted to get off the island alive, and it was better to conclude the operation with evidence against Barnett and his cohorts to bring them to justice. When the opportunity presented itself to nail Barnett for his crimes, she would take it.

  Closing her eyes, she stretched out on the lounge chair and lowered her sunglasses onto her face.

  Finn whistled from behind her, and his shadow fell over her as he approached. “You can wear that bikini the entire time we’re here.”

  Hyde rolled her eyes. She was wearing next to nothing. The bikini was light-colored, strips of fabric and string, and left no place to conceal her weapon. She felt feminine and pretty for the first time in months. Though it had taken an extra twenty minutes, she’d dried and styled her hair, smoothing it into soft curls.