She touched his face with her fingertips. “You’re right.” She kissed him again. Who was hungry for food when Bennett was near?
Time was fleeting. She was determined to make Bennett the pilot who would be going into space, and who knew what was going to happen up there? She needed to cherish the present; all of their time together was precious. Another five minutes wasn’t going to change their world. At least, this current stretch of time wouldn’t affect them negatively. Bennett filled her life with positives, and she wanted as much as she could get of him before she sent him into the unknown on a shuttle of her creation.
* * *
Of course, in the end, they waited for Melo. The trip back to the Lester Facility was quiet, except for brief congratulations to Melo. Alisha was pregnant, and he was thrilled about becoming a dad.
All three of them ate their food in the car, and no one spoke.
Melo was less animated without his wife’s presence, and Kimberly could see how the two of them fit together and complemented each other’s personalities. Did she and Bennett do that?
Sliding a glance in his direction, she could see his pensive expression. “Anything I can do to help?”
“What? No. Just wondering how Melo was doing on his assignment, a small project I asked him to work on for me.” Bennett elbowed the seat and heard Melo grunt behind him.
“Almost done. Hold your panties.” Melo was frantically typing on his phone.
“Anything I can do to help? I’m good at other things besides design.”
“Pfft!” The noise Melo made was rude. “Hardware and software are on opposite sides of the discussion, as estranged as designers and programmers. Stick to what you know.”
“I programmed Sally. She’s pretty amazing.” Kimberly’s hands gripped the wheel tightly.
“Speaking of which, I’d like to chat with Sully. Any chance I can access the shuttle before we finish the pilot-assessment process?” Bennett stared at her with that gorgeously penetrating gaze.
She wanted to say yes, and that she would take him inside her greatest design creation. But if she did, he might lose his place in line as he would have an advantage. “I’ll work on it.” If she could figure out a way to get the security off-line and sneak him in, she could make it work. Why was she jeopardizing everything for him? She bit her lip. Because she was sweet on him, wasn’t she? No, that wasn’t it. She really, really liked him…more than she should.
Going through the main gate and down the long roadway to the facility, Kimberly wondered how she could keep her perspective when it came to Bennett. The best pilot needed to be behind the shuttle controls. He was trained for this type of thing, with years of flying and space training under his belt. Learning her system and getting behind the stick had to be something he fought for. She needed time to think this all through. She wasn’t going to just hand it to him—or was she?
Chapter 6
Kess paced the parking lot. They could see him from the windows of Kimberly’s car.
“Do you need my help?” asked Bennett. He was calm, the kind of peaceful that let a fighter land significant blows and do serious damage to his opponent.
“Our help,” corrected Melo from the backseat.
“I can take care of myself. He’ll blow his top and then retreat.” Kimberly waved a hand at the SEALs and pulled into her parking place. She set the brake and got out of the car. When the men were out, she pushed a button on her key fob and locked the doors.
As they walked around the car, Kess charged Kimberly, his hands outstretched and his tone high and squeaky. “How could you take off like that, without even leaving a message for me? I need to know where you are at all times. We’re only days away, and you’re gone…simply vanished…for two hours. I was losing my mind. How could you?”
Melo and Bennett eased in between Kimberly and Kess, forming a human wall. The man could still see her, but it forced him to back down and to lower his voice.
Kimberly sighed. “Now Kess, I did leave a message with your secretary—the one you hardly ever check with—that I was going to visit BIST.”
Kess checked his phone and confirmed the message from her. He choked on his next words. “I didn’t realize, I… BIST? What happened?”
“They had a few quality issues, and we’ll have replacement parts by tomorrow. It’s handled. Wrapped up in a bow.” She couldn’t help herself from adding that last bit. The SEALs forming a wall added to the humor of the situation.
“I, uh, you missed a meeting about the pilot results. The medical staff has notes for you on the candidates, and two systems are ready to be put online in the shuttle.” Kess straightened the collar of his shirt. “If I had known where you were, then I could have kept you better updated.”
She touched Bennett’s back. He was staring daggers at the man. If Melo hadn’t given him a warning look, which she had caught, this conversation would have ended at Kess’s first charge. “I will send you a summary of my meeting. I’m sure Sally will update me on what I need to know when I’m back in my room. Thank you for your concern. Good day, Kess.”
Sweeping past the SEALs and Kess, she walked regally into the building. There wasn’t a chance in hell that she would let anyone see her sweat. Rather, she’d have more fun leaving them in the dust. “Choke on that,” she murmured under her breath.
Stepping into the white room to get decontaminated, she smiled to herself. Strength, she told herself, is the power behind courage and success. Her mother had said that to her often when Kimberly was a child, and sure enough, it was proving true. She wasn’t going to let anyone step on her ever again.
* * *
Watching Kimberly get bawled out by Kess had been tough. Holding his tongue had been significantly harder for Bennett than he realized. Hell, it was right up there with not punching out his BUD/S instructor during the first week of training, at least until he had figured out that it was all a mind game meant to separate the weak from the strong. But here, Kess was a control freak without any real purpose.
Still, his fingers ached to be rolled into a fist and shoved down that jackass’s throat. But he couldn’t show his hand without getting kicked off this project. No, he had to figure out another way around Kess, one that allowed him to protect Kimberly, identify the killer of his brethren, and get the shuttle into space to complete the Op.
Bennett followed Kimberly back to her room, trailing a short distance behind her like a protective Rottweiler. He wanted to keep that jerk away from her, but he also knew he needed to encourage a positive response about his access to the shuttle. Life would be so much easier if he could wrap her in cotton wool and put her someplace safe. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t go for that.
Melo went ahead to their rooms, nodding at Bennett. They exchanged glances. So much was unsaid, but they both knew that things had to change. Time was ticking down to the launch and they needed to find answers.
Kimberly opened her door and gestured for him to come inside.
He entered the room, heading toward the center of it. He needed to find his bearings with her, and that meant communicating.
She closed the door behind them and turned toward him. “Did you need something, Bennett?”
“I wanted to brief you.” Why hadn’t he noticed it before? Now was when his mind really digested the details of her personality, scattered around the room like hidden clues. The personal quarters of Dr. Kimberly Warren were more businesslike than traditionally feminine. She sported framed degrees on her walls and enlarged airplane and shuttle designs rather than flowers and lace. He liked her no-nonsense style, but could he handle the no-regrets lifestyle that had her constantly putting her mind and body on the front line? Was he going to have to prove himself to her, show that he was of like mind in order to get the pilot’s seat? Was that being deceptive, or was that who he really was?
“Go ahead.” Kimberly was mo
re of a bold soul than he realized. Getting between the dueling scientists, flying the CarP, taking chances in confronting vendors…what else was on the horizon? Did it make her a loose cannon, or a good ally? Strength and bravery were definitely two of her greatest virtues. He wasn’t sure yet, but he had to draw some kind of boundary with her. In a firefight, his aim was always deliberate.
“I updated Ouster on the situation, outside the restaurant. I couldn’t tell you then, but he wasn’t pleased. We’re no closer to a solution—to getting the shuttle safely off the ground—than we were before.” Bennett scratched his chin, stalling and searching for words to soften the blow he was about to deliver. “He, uh, asked me about your medical readiness.”
“And?” She didn’t even bother to look up at him. Rather, she shuffled papers into piles, shoving a select few into file folders.
The least he could do was give the news to her straight. Ripping off the Band-Aid, he blurted out, “He wants you off the mission and out of the Lester Facility. Feels it’s too dangerous here.”
Her eyes locked on to his. Sparks of heat fired in his direction. “I bet he does.” Her foot tapped rapidly. “It’s not negotiable. I’m not going anywhere! This mission isn’t going to happen without me. That’s my baby in the hangar, and I decide who goes up and who doesn’t. So watch it on the orders, from Ouster or from you, Captain.”
“Killing the messenger—nice. That’s it, you’re always right. If I let you out of here, you’re going to blackball me from the flight. Is that right?” He closed the distance between them. “This isn’t how the situation works, Dr. Warren. I’m in charge here. My presence is the result of an order. If you have a problem with that, contact SECNAV.”
She stepped closer, her hands on her hips. Her mouth was mere inches from his. “Don’t press me. I have that number on speed dial—not the official one, but the personal cell number.”
The humor in the situation struck him suddenly, and a chuckle bubbled up inside of him. “I can’t believe we’re having a pissing contest. You’re not the enemy, nor am I.”
Her hands fell to her side and she laughed. “You’re right. I’ve fought so hard for such a long time that I forget to dial it back sometimes. I apologize for being sensitive on the subject. This…is my life. My creations are Sally, the scanning device, the CarP, and the Warren shuttle. I will not leave my babies behind.”
“I understand. I told Ouster as much. I stood up for you, Kimberly.” He pulled her into his arms. “You want to live every moment to the fullest, regardless of the cost. What I need is…I need to know that you will listen to me. If I say no, then trust me and don’t fight it. On the opposite side of that coin, I will listen to you. Okay?”
“Agreed.” She nodded against his chest. “I…I need you to know that living on the edge…it’s how I live. I’m alone, and I’ve had to pick and choose the important moments and fight for them. I’m managing my health issues. I really am. Yet, at times, I have to ignore it so I can go for my goals, too. I know it’s a fine line, but I’m aware. I’m a very deliberate person.”
“Just don’t outsmart yourself, Dr. Warren.” He tipped her head up so he could look her in the eyes.
“Fine! I’m bluffing! I wouldn’t do it, pull you from the running. You’re the only person I can imagine completing this mission. Not that you can tell anyone else I said that.” She sighed.
“Roger that.” Brushing his lips over hers, he kissed her tenderly until the tension eased from her body.
She pushed out of his arms and walked to her desk. She made a show of shuffling a stack of papers, creating distance between them. “I, uh, I have some messages to return.”
Bennett didn’t want to leave. He wanted her attention. “Is this you?” he asked. He examined the picture of a small child dwarfed by a giant stone statue, searching for a way to connect. Sharing his childhood—the story of how he’d gotten his name—had brought them closer. Would this situation do the same?
“Uh-huh.” Kimberly crossed the room back to him. She took the driftwood-framed picture off the wall. “My mother took this shot at Easter Island. I was three years old. She used to talk about the substance of the statues, which was volcanic tuff—basically, compressed ash.” She laughed abruptly. “The stories she would tell me about these statues were amazing. They were carved to honor and celebrate the spirits of ancestors, to draw them and keep them close, and welcome them as they returned. The religious rituals were extraordinary and private.”
“You traveled extensively.”
“She loved it. We each had one bag and one book that went everywhere. I was so enthralled by space. Even then, my favorite book was Goodnight Moon. I would take the book and read it to the statues. I used to call them the star gods. My mother never knew where I got that term, but it seemed to fit. When she passed so abruptly, I couldn’t call them anything else.”
She looked up at Bennett, her eyes lost in the past. “Maybe I knew even then that there was more out there in the universe. The day the Hubble Telescope discovered new solar systems and Earthlike planets, I wept with joy. I have a search engine on my computer that gathers all the information it can on space, planes, and new technology.” Shaking her head, she finally looked up again and focused on him. “Sorry, I get lost in this…all of it. If I could travel to distant planets, or even just orbit the Earth once, my life would be complete. Pretty silly, huh?”
He pulled her into his arms. “Never. I understand completely.” He kissed her and then pulled his phone from his pocket. He brought up an article from phys.org about a star that had three super-Earths. “We think alike.”
“I saw this piece! It blew me away, considering three new civilizations. Who could be on those planets? I’m in awe of the possibilities.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up into his lips. She kissed him, and his world rocked on its axis.
“So we’re on the same page,” he murmured.
“Yes.” She sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but what are you asking of me?”
“Help me.”
“How?” She leaned her body against his. “I’ll do anything, except leave.”
“Roger that. I get it.” He held her close, relishing the woman in his arms. His feelings for her were immense. He hated dragging her further into the chaos and unknowns of this mission, but he couldn’t figure out how to do it without her. “Just trust me.”
Her eyes met his. “I do.”
He held her gaze, amazed by the trust and the wealth of emotion. “Thank you.” He kissed her. It wasn’t an ordinary brush of the lips or a simple caress. Instead, he put the weight of his own feelings into that moment.
His arms wrapped tightly around her as hers cradled the back of his head. Her fingernails dug into his hair, turning his head slightly so she could pillage his mouth with hers.
Passion rocketed through his body as he held her tightly against him. Her strength and fragility, this duality, made him cherish her even more, as if she were the treasure he would protect with his own life and at the same time worship with his soul.
He caressed her hips with his hands before he cupped her bottom. The two beautiful rounds filled his hands as she drew her nails along his back until she reached his backside.
Clothes lay thickly between them, an unacceptable boundary. Together, they pulled at each other’s clothing frantically, until they were standing naked in the middle of the room.
“Beautiful! I’m a blessed man.”
She laughed. “Enough small talk, SEALman. I need you…inside me.”
He saluted her. “Aye, aye.” Grabbing a condom from his wallet, he slid it on and then took her into his arms. He lifted her high and she squealed excitedly. Then he slowly lowered her until she was poised over his cock.
She wiggled against him, squeezing his shoulders. “Bennett.”
He kissed her, lavishing her lips a
s he lowered her inch by inch, enticing her body to welcome him, until he was fully sheathed inside of her.
Kimberly sighed with delight. She wrapped tightly around his waist and used his shoulders for balance as he used the power in his shoulders, biceps, and core to lift her up and down on his engorged shaft. The sheer sensuality nearly buckled his knees as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“Kimberly…I…”
She pulsed upward.
It took his breath away. He opened his feet wider, for stability, and braced his legs, his hips moving in rhythm with her body until their mouths were frantic to touch, to kiss, to explore, and to share the moans of pleasure that escaped their lips. As their actions grew more eager and their passions rose, they climaxed together in twin cries of delight and collapsed onto her bed.
Entwined in each other’s arms and legs, they closed their eyes. Sated. Complete.
They rested, trusting in the power and beauty of each other and their shared lovemaking.
Bennett’s mind drifted as his body relaxed. It was the first time all day that he’d felt somewhat at peace. It didn’t hurt that sex released the tension, but being with Kimberly was more than that. She wasn’t just a part of the mission anymore. The woman connected with him on a deeply personal level. He found himself biting his tongue, wanting to share things that he had never shared with anyone.
Would he take that step with her? Could he trust another female after his ex hurt him? She’d been a nightmare, a gold digger on a mission, and he couldn’t fault himself for being young and blinded by chemistry. They’d had nothing in common and even less to talk about.
With Kimberly, there were too many topics to discuss. Images played through his mind of the ways they had already connected. He wanted to know everything about her, and he yearned to bare his soul to her. Heaven help me, he prayed. His eyelids felt heavy, and he wanted to keep them closed and blot out the world temporarily. Even the best of SEALs could use some sleep to stay sharp.
The Soul of a SEAL Page 13
