Hot Alpha SEALs: Military Romance Megaset

by Sharon Hamilton

  “Oh, really?” Disappointment that he didn’t seem as eager as she was to pick up where they’d left off the night before shot through her.

  Jack started to open the duffle, paused and turned. “You know, we’re all alone in here and, no matter how hard I’m trying to be a gentleman, I can’t resist.”

  Her pulse hammered through her veins. “Resist what?”

  “This.” He pulled her into his arms and crushed her lips with his.

  Natalie melted against him, her breasts tingled and her core heated when their bodies pressed together.

  “We don’t have to go, you know,” he suggested, tracing kisses along her jaw.

  What she wouldn’t give to have the boat to herself, just her and Jack and an entire night lying naked in her bed, making love until the sun came up over the ocean. She sighed. “Unfortunately, we have to. I can’t let my team go to town without me. What if something happened to them? I would feel responsible.”

  Jack kissed her again. “I know. But asking didn’t hurt.” He pulled several gun parts out of the duffle bag and slipped them together, making a wicked-looking rifle.

  Natalie’s stomach flipped. She remembered what Mac had said. “Is something like this very expensive?”

  He filled a clip full of bullets and nodded. “Yes. I collect guns as a hobby. And since I only have so much room…this one fit the best. Remind me to tell you my life story when we have time. It’ll give you a little insight into who I am, and won’t take more than fifteen minutes.” He winked. “My stories are really kind of repetitive.”

  Placated by his explanation for the gun, her interest piqued by his promise to tell her his life story, Natalie banished Mac’s misgivings about Jack and followed him out of the room and down the hallway to Steve’s.

  A quick knock and Steve answered. “I was just on my way up to take a turn on the deck and give Ronnie a break.” He glanced at the rifle in Jack’s hands. “What have you got there?”

  “A little extra oomph, in case someone tries to board the Nightingale without your permission.”

  “Sweet.” Steve took the gun from Jack. “Wish I had time to practice with it. You sure you don’t need it in town tonight?”

  Jack grinned. “I’m not sure the locals would like seeing a tourist wielding a high-powered rifle on festival night.”

  “Definitely not,” Natalie agreed and then glanced at Jack. “Are you carrying a gun?”

  He nodded and stuck his hand inside his shirt, pulling out a nine-millimeter pistol.

  Natalie bit her lip. “You think we’ll need it tonight? Maybe we should cancel our trip into Trujillo for the festival.”

  “The decision’s up to you. As big a town as Trujillo is, I figure the guerillas won’t attack. Especially during a festival when the town will be full to overflowing with tourists and additional police to help keep the peace.”

  Natalie chewed on her lower lip, debating whether or not going to the festival was safe. “If we don’t go, I know at least one person who will be unhappy.”

  Steve answered with a grin, “Hallie.”

  Natalie pushed back her shoulders. “We won’t stay long.” She touched Jack’s arm. “And we have you to protect us.”

  “Only if we are really good about staying together. I can’t be in more than one place at a time.”

  “We’ll have to be clear with the team to stick together.” Natalie glanced at Steve. “Are you sure you and Ronnie will be all right out here by yourself?”

  “I plan on staying wide awake and watching the water for any craft in our vicinity.” He patted the rifle. “And now that I have this, I can take care of anything that comes too close without permission.”

  Jack’s brows puckered. “Yeah, well, don’t shoot us when we come back to the boat.”

  Steve grinned. “I won’t.”

  Natalie led the way to the rear of the boat where Mac, Hallie, Daphne and Dr. Biacowski waited for them to board the dinghy.

  “I’m glad you decided to come, Craig,” she said.

  He shrugged. “I’m feeling so much better, I thought the night out wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Dr. Rhoades and I will take the jet ski,” Jack said. “No use overloading the skiff.”

  “I’d love to ride on the jet ski,” Hallie said. “And I’m not wearing a long skirt, like Dr. Rhoades.” She stood, waving a hand at her long, slender legs in a short mini skirt.

  “Makes sense.” Mac held out his hand to Natalie. “Come on, you don’t want to get that pretty dress all wet.”

  Natalie glanced from Jack to Mac and back. Though she wanted to ride with Jack, she didn’t want to disappoint Hallie, so she helped Hallie out of the boat. Mac helped her in and they took off.

  Had she known Jack would take the jet ski, she might have opted for a shorter skirt. Now she was stuck watching Hallie climb on the back with Jack, wrapping her long, sexy, younger legs around him. A stab of jealousy rocked her more than the boat, and she squeezed her hands into fists to keep from saying or doing something stupid.

  Jack wasn’t hers to tell whose body he could or couldn’t have wrapped around him. They’d had one night of incredibly hot sex. That didn’t make him her property or her his.

  Rather than watch Hallie laughing out loud as Jack spun the jet ski around and zoomed toward shore, Natalie closed her eyes and held on as they motored over to the dock and tied off.

  Not the best start to the evening, but Natalie refused to let it taint her fun. She gave Mac a bright smile as he helped her out of the boat.

  The town was lit up and raucous music blared so loudly from the town square, they could hear it all the way out to the docks.

  “Come on!” Hallie cried. “Let’s party.” She grabbed Jack’s hand and started to drag him toward the town center.

  “Wait,” Natalie called out. “We need to establish a few ground rules.”

  Hallie’s face fell. “Really? We’re all adults. Don’t you think we can use our common sense?”

  “Normally, yes.” Natalie smiled to soften her words. “With the guerilla faction so close, we need to stick together. Don’t wander too far away from the others and stay near the center of town. I don’t want anyone kidnapped and dragged off to God knows where.” She stared around at the group. “Agreed?”

  They all spoke as one, “Agreed.”

  “We’ll leave here at eleven o’clock to head back to the boat.”

  “Eleven?” Hallie wailed. “The party will just be getting started.”

  “We all have to get back in the same boat, and I know some of us don’t want to stay that long, me included.” She glanced around the group. “So, rather than leave at ten, we’ll split the distance between ten and twelve and leave at eleven. Sound fair?”

  Hallie pouted. “I suppose.”

  Daphne shrugged. “I’m good with it.”

  Dr. Biacowski frowned. “I’d rather leave at nine.”

  “Come on, Craig.” Natalie hooked his arm. “We’ve been working hard. We should stretch our legs and have a little fun. Besides, you owe me a dance.”

  Natalie shot a glance at Jack as she led Craig into town. Was that a twinge of a frown denting his forehead?

  Her smile broadened. Not that she was the type of woman to play games and make a man jealous, but if it did…so be it.

  Craig grumbled all the way into the center of town, complaining about the crowd and too many people. The man was an introvert and all the people crammed into the town square made him uncomfortable.

  Natalie was surprised he’d volunteered to come in the first place. She wove through the throng until they reached the area where people were dancing in the street. A mariachi band with fiddles, accordions and trumpets perched on a wooden stage in front of an old church.

  Women of all shapes and sizes twirled in brightly colored skirts. Men raised their hands and clapped in time to the music.

  Natalie led Craig out into the middle of the street and showed him how to do the Salsa-style o
f dancing, using the most basic steps. After a few minutes, his fierce concentration turned to a tentative smile.

  Jack twirled Daphne around, while Mac danced with Hallie. The group was holding to Natalie’s words of warning and staying close together.

  When the next song started, Mac switched with Craig. For the following five minutes, Natalie danced with the former Army medic, smiling and laughing at something he’d said. The entire time, she could feel Jack’s gaze on her and it made her warm inside, knowing he couldn’t keep his eyes off her when he had the pretty deckhand, Daphne, to dance with.

  As the second song wound to a stop, the group met on the edges of the street to catch their breath.

  “Man, I needed this.” Hallie fanned herself with her hand. “I call dibs on Jack for the next dance.”

  The band slipped into a slow dance.

  “Sorry.” Jack glanced at Hallie. “Next dance? I promised this one to Natalie.”

  Natalie’s cheeks heated as he extended his hand.

  Hallie pouted. “As long as I get to dance with you at least once tonight.” She winked and grabbed Mac’s hand. “Come on, this one is more your speed.”

  Craig offered his arm to Daphne, and they all blended into the crowd of dancers.

  Natalie slipped into Jack’s arms, her body fitting perfectly against his.

  He leaned his cheek against her temple and pressed a firm, strong hand low against her back.

  Natalie’s core sizzled and she wished they were back in the moonlight on the Nightingale’s deck, naked and making love. Laying her cheek against his chest, she listened to the steady beat of his heart.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

  His voice enveloped her like a warm blanket. “Only once. But it wouldn’t hurt to repeat yourself. I’m a sucker for flattery.” She looked up and fell into his deep blue eyes. “What is it about you that I find so incredibly attractive?”

  He didn’t smile as she’d intended for him to. Instead, he stopped in the middle of the dance and captured her cheeks between his palms. “I could ask the same.” Then he kissed her, drawing her into him with his lips.

  They could have been the only two people in Trujillo, or on the planet, for all Natalie could remember.

  When he set her away from him, he shook his head. “I don’t know what to do with you. I just don’t know.”

  She frowned. “What should you do with me?” Besides make mad, passionate love. God, had she said that out loud? She held her breath, waiting for his response.

  “I want to take you away from here, strip you naked and make love until the sun sets on the next day and the next.”

  She gave a shaky laugh and rested her palms on his chest. “What’s stopping you?”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at her again, his expression one of regret.

  Natalie’s heart sank. Not the one reaction she’d been hoping for.

  “There is much you don’t know about me,” he admitted.

  “You promised to enlighten me.”

  “I can’t now, but I will soon. There are obstacles that would make being together for the long haul impossible.”

  Her heart fluttered at the reference to a long-term relationship. She hadn’t realized it, but now that she thought about the issue, she wanted to see more of him. When she’d hired him onto the Nightingale, she’d gotten the distinct impression he wasn’t the kind of deckhand or security guy who’d stay around. He had that air of a drifter, someone who didn’t have roots to hold him down. She’d hired him anyway.

  “I won’t always be around,” he confirmed. “Natalie, you need a man who can always be there for you.”

  She snorted. “What did I tell you last night? You can’t bank on tomorrow. This life has no guarantees.”

  “And you have to grab for whatever happiness you can find, when you find it.” He sighed. “That’s why I grabbed you last night, and why I want you now. You’re an amazing woman. If I was anyone but who I am, I’d want to stay and get to know you better, make love to you every day for the rest our lives together. But I can’t, and I won’t lead you on.”

  “I knew when I hired you that you wouldn’t be around forever. I took my chances then, I’m willing to take them now.” She smoothed a hand over his muscled back. “Whatever you have to give, I’ll take, and give back to you in return.”

  “You don’t understand.” He pulled her against him and rocked to the slow, sad song. “I’ve kept secrets from you.”

  Natalie rested her cheek against his chest. “Unless you’re married, a serial killer or a drug dealer, I don’t care.”

  He stopped again and lifted her face to stare down into her eyes. “You’re a remarkable woman, Natalie Rhoades. I won’t hurt you. This, what we have between us, ends now before it goes too far.”

  Her heart clenched. “We passed the point of too far last night. You end it now and you hurt me. I know you’re not sticking around. I accept that. What you’re saying is you aren’t giving me a choice to continue with what we have until you leave. You’re making that choice for me.”

  “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  “Damn you, Jack. I’m a big girl. I make my own decisions and live with the consequences. If you don’t want to see me anymore, just say so.” She pushed against his chest and backed away, bumping into another pair of dancers. “Excuse me. I need to take a break.” She turned and ran to the edge of the crowd before she stopped. “I will not cry,” she said. “I will not cry.”

  “Hey, Dr. Rhoades,” Hallie’s voice sounded behind her and a gentle hand touched her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Natalie nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “Fine fine? Or not so fine fine?” Hallie laughed then her face grew more serious. “You and Jack have a fight?”

  “No.” So she’d been obvious. Great. “He’s just our security guy.”

  “Uh-huh.” Her hands fisted on her hips. “I see the way you look at him.”

  Natalie sighed. “The feeling only goes one way, though.”

  “No, ma’am. I’ve also seen the way he looks at you. The man’s got it bad for our pretty doctor.”

  “No, you have it all wrong. He just ended it before anything had a chance to start.” Natalie laughed, choking down a sob.

  “Oh, sweetheart, that’s man-speak for I want to stop before I hurt myself.” Hallie slipped an arm around Natalie’s waist and hugged her.

  Natalie’s gaze followed Jack’s confident figure as he wove his way through the throng to the opposite side of the street and made a broad sweep around the town square. “You think so?”

  “Absolutely. Look at him.” Hallie nodded toward the sexy man. All the ladies’ heads turned as he passed. “He’s running away.”

  “From me. As fast as he can go.”

  “No, he’s running away from his feelings for you.” Hallie shook her head. “Men are so predictable. They’re rather face a dozen enemy soldiers than their own feelings.”

  “How do you know so much about men?” Natalie turned to the younger woman.

  Her lips twisted and her eyes glazed. “Let’s just say I’ve had my share of bad relationships.”

  “Thanks.” Natalie leaned against Hallie. “For keeping me balanced.”

  “Sure.” Hallie glanced toward Craig who was dancing with Daphne and Mac with a heavyset female tourist. “Should I end Craig and Mac’s torture so we can head back to the Nightingale? They didn’t want to dance in the first place.”

  Natalie shook her head. “I’m content to people-watch for a little while, and getting some exercise won’t hurt Craig and Mac. You came to dance.”

  A handsome young Honduran man held out his hand to Natalie and, in Spanish, asked her to dance.

  Smiling, she shook her head. “Gracias, no.” Natalie turned to Hallie and gave her a shove forward.

  The man offered his hand to Hallie.

  “Second choice? Ah, who cares? Gracias.” Hallie grinned and placed her ha
nd in his. He whisked her out into the middle of the dancers and spun her around again and again. She laughed out loud, her smile outshining the stars.

  Natalie couldn’t help smiling with her, before searching the crowd for Jack. Several minutes passed before she spotted him. When she did, she frowned. He stood at a street corner talking to another man with equally broad shoulders and tanned skin.

  Who did he know in Trujillo?

  Natalie stepped into the crowd, headed toward him.

  Jack would have followed Natalie when she’d walked away, but Gator had news he wanted to share in person. Keeping a close eye on Natalie, Hallie, Daphne and the guys, he made his way through the crowd to the corner of a small church. “Whatcha got?”

  “The drone picked up movement outside of Trujillo on a less-traveled dirt road that leads into the interior.”

  “What kind of movement?” He tensed, knowing this was what they’d waited for.

  “Two trucks that appear to be loaded with men.”

  “Road workers or guerillas?”

  “Men carrying weapons.”

  Jack’s jaw hardened, his gaze slipping to Natalie. “Headed this way?”

  “Yes.”

  Jack faced Gator. “When?”

  “Just before sunset.”

  “Great.” The guerillas could be positioning themselves on the outskirts of Trujillo, ready to stage an attack. Jack’s gaze returned to Natalie as she worked her way through the crowd toward him, a frown marring her pretty forehead. “I’ll gather the medical team and herd them back toward the dock. I don’t want them caught in the crossfire. A moment ago, I spotted Dustman and Irish in the crowd.”

  “Good. I have men stationed at as many of the town entry points as we could find. They are well hidden. The trouble is, we don’t know if some of the guerillas are already here, among the festival goers.”

  Jack stared at the crowd, his senses on overload.

  A dark-haired man captured Natalie in his arms and swung her around to the beat of the music.

  Damn. Jack took a step forward and stopped when Natalie laughed and ducked under the man’s arm, leaving him dancing by himself in the middle of the street.