If only he’d come into her life when he could have made a difference.
Cosky watched Mac pace from one end of the strategy room to the other as Jillian finished talking. And that’s what this place was—a strategy room, Wolf’s covert ops base.
The remote, defendable location had been the first sign that the place was more than a collection of cabins; the array of antennas on top of the roofs had been the second sign, the giant gas tanks that ran a generator strong enough to power a third world country, the third. But this room had been the biggest giveaway.
The bare log wall across from the dining room table bristled with pinholes. A cluster of desks to the far right housed half a dozen computer monitors, along with a slew of surveillance equipment, white-noise jammers, electronic scramblers, GPS trackers…There were so many top-tier electronics, it should have given Rawls a hard-on.
Except, Rawls hadn’t noticed.
Frowning, Cosky shot his roommate a hooded glance. His buddy was standing with his back against the wall. Frozen. His body rigid. His face bone white and tense. He looked like a sharp sound could shatter him.
What the hell was going on in his closed-mouthed teammate’s head?
He hadn’t been the same since Kait had healed him. Physically he was fine, but mentally he was off—jumpy as a rabbit in the shadow of a hawk. He was losing weight too. Christ, he hadn’t even touched the chocolate-chip cookies Dr. Ansell had baked. Considering Rawls’s sweet tooth, that alone was cause for concern.
But there was a bigger concern, like the fact Cosky had walked in on him shouting savagely into the empty corner of their cabin…as though somebody was in there with him.
Cosky pushed the worry aside as he turned back to Mac’s restless pacing. Rawls would talk when he was ready.
“You got the list of names?” Mac snapped at Beth, who’d been writing down everything Jillian had told them.
And Jillian had told them a lot. Her brother’s given name, the dates and branches of his military service, the names of his friends and business acquaintances. Hell, she’d even given them dates and the countries he may have been in based on the gifts he’d brought back.
The woman had been a fountain of information.
Beth ignored Mac with cool, regal poise and handed the sheets to Zane, who paused long enough to run a hand down the back of her blond head before handing the notes off to Mac.
The byplay had Mac grinding his teeth and a grin edging the corners of Cosky’s lips. Mac still wasn’t used to Beth being underfoot. Which was too damn bad; their commander would simply have to adjust. Zane was enthralled with his soon-to-be wife, and Cosky—hell, he understood the condition.
He was pretty enthralled himself, only not with Beth.
His gaze drifted to Kait, lingering on her deceptively slender figure with its rope of braided hair. She was an odd mixture of amiability and gritty determination. Most people underestimated Kait, taking her tall, blond beauty at face value without recognizing the intelligence in her eyes, or her determination to stand up for what she believed in—be that her insistence on healing, even knowing it put her life in danger, or the emotional courage that allowed her to calmly let the men she loved disappear into battle.
It was an uncomfortable feeling, how his heart seized when he was around her. How she made him want to be a better man. A more open man. Something he’d never cared about before.
Frowning uneasily, he scrubbed a hand down his face. They needed to get away from this mob and spend some time together. Cement the bonds forming between them. He’d come too damn close to losing her—repeatedly—during the past week and a half. Christ, hearing her say she loved another man had almost brought him to his knees.
He never wanted to hear those words come out of her mouth again.
When Mac swung toward Wolf, Cosky forced himself to listen.
“I need to call these names into Radar,” Mac said, his black eyes hard on Wolf’s face, the words a demand rather than a request.
They’d been using the satellite phone Wolf had on the premises. Nobody had questioned whether the phone was clean. No way would their host want his base camp locatable.
As Mac rang Radar, Cosky headed for Kait. He snagged a chocolate-chip cookie as he passed the counter. At least Faith Ansell had found a way to combat her tension. The counter was overflowing with cookies and cakes and various sweet breads.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Mac’s voice rose.
Cosky turned, finding his commander on the phone.
“No,” Mac said tightly. “What channel?” He listened for a second and swore. “I’ll call you back.”
“What’s up?” Zane asked. He’d taken a seat beside Beth on the couch, one of his arms wrapped around her waist, his other hand resting on her belly.
Cosky had an instant of yearning as he watched them. Good God, who would have guessed he’d wind up with white picket fences on his mind.
“Radar says we’re on the news.” Mac tossed the phone on the table and headed for the bank of computers against the wall.
“Which channel?” Cosky followed him.
“All of them.” Mac sounded grim. Everyone clustered around the desks as Wolf started the computer up. It must have cost him a mint, but the building had Internet. It didn’t take long to find the breaking news report or the reason for Mac’s grimness.
Particularly with the news report titled “From Heroes to Murderers.”
A cold tension slicked Cosky’s skin.
Video footage rolled, showing a trio of armed men in NVDs cutting a hole in a chain-link fence. One of the men disappeared around the left of the building, the other around the right. The third waited in the shadows of the shrubbery for a few moments and then slipped through the building’s gaping door. Cosky recognized the three figures instantly. They were standing beside him.
Zane swore, his voice tight.
The film fast forwarded to the unmistakable sound of gunfire. Minutes later, the three figures rushed out, dragging a fourth man between them.
The scene shifted to a newsroom and a pretty brunette behind a waist-high counter.
“The men involved in the shooting have been identified as Commander Jace Mackenzie, Lieutenant Commander Zane Winters, and Lieutenant Seth Rawlings,” she said into the camera. “The victims were unarmed security guards in the process of securing the facility. Local police have issued alerts for the three men involved. If sighted, call nine-one-one. Do not approach. They are considered armed and dangerous with a possible hostage.”
“Son of a bitch.” The words were forced through Mac’s teeth. He gripped the back of his neck with white fingers and glared down at the screen.
“We’re obviously getting too close.” Zane was the first to break the dead silence as the reporter moved into the attempted hijacking from four months earlier. “They know we’re aware of who and what they were after on that plane. They’re throwing up damage control.”
Mac rounded on his LC, his face livid with rage. “And how does that do us one fucking bit of good? We’ll be arrested the moment we show our fucking faces.”
Cosky frowned. “We weren’t all named. I’m in the clear.”
“I’m not on the film,” Amy said, her face thoughtful as she stared at the computer screen. “I was there, so was Faith. We should have been on the footage.”
“She’s right.” Mac’s voice calmed. “They spliced her and Faith out of the film. Why?”
“So they can’t claim they were there, and events didn’t happen as reported?” Zane suggested, absently drawing his white-faced fiancée against his side.
“Maybe.” But Amy didn’t sound like she believed it.
Cosky sighed, suddenly craving Kait’s warm weight cuddled against him, like Zane was cradling Beth. “At least we have two avenues open. That’s more than we had two weeks ago. Branson’s background might point us toward who’s behind this. And there’s Dynamic Solutions. We need to track down Leonard Embray. The
bastard’s got to be involved.”
Grim nods traveled the room.
As though tracking down the mysterious, intensely private, and obscenely wealthy founder of Dynamic Solutions was going to be a piece of cake.
Assuming the guy wasn’t already missing, or dead, as Dr. Ansell suspected.
Her chest tight, Kait listened as the men discussed strategies. Was it too much to ask for a week of calm before everyone launched into battle again? Was it too much to ask for some time to get to know Cosky before he was wrenched away?
After five long years, they were finally tiptoeing into a relationship, damn if she was going to let him take off before they took the next step.
Her feet were moving before she was aware of it. She skirted Wolf’s bulky frame, catching the knowing glance he cast her. When she reached Cosky’s side, Kait took hold of his hand and held tight.
The touch didn’t just turn his head, his whole body shifted and curved toward her. That instant, unequivocal response steadied her, made it easy to put herself out there, something she’d sworn barely a week ago she’d never do again.
“How about we get out of here for a while?” she asked, her hand clinging to his. “Wolf says there’s a waterfall up the mountain. We could pack a lunch, have a picnic.”
The gray eyes looking down at her warmed. He shot his teammates a contemplative look and turned back to Kait, his gaze glittering with intensity. “We’ll need a blanket. Does Wolf have a day pack?”
She tried to smile around the fluttering in her stomach. From the heat shimmering in those silver eyes, there’d be more than lunch consumed on that blanket. “You find the pack and blanket; I’ll make some sandwiches.” He nodded and started to turn away when she abruptly remembered his knee. “Wait—” Her hand clung to his slipping fingers. “Is your leg up for a hike?”
His face softened. “My knee’s fine thanks to you.”
Kait frowned. “You’d tell me if you weren’t up for this, right?”
The smile that twisted his hard mouth held more arousal than humor. “Trust me. I’m completely up for this.”
Okay, she’d left herself wide open to that zinger.
Her facing heating, Kait let go of his hand and turned toward the kitchen, ignoring his low laugh. Ten minutes later they were on their way, a backpack strapped to Cosky’s shoulders and the rudimentary map Wolf had scribbled for them in hand. Kait tried not to think of the amused, knowing looks that had followed them out the door.
Hell, Cosky’s teammates hadn’t even asked him why he was leaving in the middle of their strategy session.
The forest was dusky, cool, and slightly damp, the pine needles a thick cushion beneath their feet as they followed the path Wolf had outlined. A mile later, they left the smell of pine pitch and rotting vegetation behind as the forest canopy thinned, and they headed up a rocky slope blanketed by knee-high alpine grass and waist-high shrubs. The last half of the hike was almost straight up the mountain with the sun burning hot above their heads.
Kait kept an eye on Cosky’s legs as the hike grew more and more strenuous. At the first sign of a limp, she was sitting him down for another healing. But as the elevation climbed and the path wound up the mountain, his stride never faltered.
By the time they crested the bluff, they were damp with sweat, their lungs laboring. But good God, the beauty below was worth every bit of wobble in her legs.
Sighing in content appreciation, Kait paused to gaze down at the lush little valley below. The meadow was in the shape of a bowl, quilted by a thick pad of emerald grass and rimmed by cliffs, two of which sported healthy waterfalls.
At the base of the cliffs, the waterfalls cascaded into a shimmering pool of blue green.
The spot was absolute perfection.
“It’s beautiful, just like Wolf said,” Kait murmured, mesmerized by the foaming water as it steamed from the rocks above, colliding with the pool below in a foaming spray that peppered the air and rocks and grassy meadow surrounding it.
“Beautiful,” Cosky agreed, his voice husky.
Kait turned a smile in his direction, only to find his gaze locked on her face rather than the idyllic scene below.
A flush warmed her cheeks at the gleam in his platinum eyes. There were equal parts masculine appreciation and arousal stamped across his face. Her face burned even hotter as she turned away; more flustered by the fact he wasn’t trying to hide the emotions than by the hunger itself.
As she took a step down the rock-strewn slope that led to the pristine valley below, she skidded. Quick as a dragonfly, his hand flashed out, caught her elbow, and steadied her. Only he didn’t let go. Instead, he slipped his arm around her waist, drawing her against him.
Their T-shirts were damp from the hike, but she melted into his embrace anyway. As his arm tightened around her waist, anchoring her against him, she skimmed her palms up his back beneath the clinging cotton of his shirt until his day pack stopped her. He felt so good against her palms, wet sleek skin stretched over a pad of solid muscle.
Without hesitation, she lifted her face to his, watching through the fringe of her lashes as his lips came closer, watching the passion in his eyes burn brighter. It still amazed her how easy he was with his kisses now. How open with his need.
His lips, when they brushed hers, were gentle rather than urgent, soft rather than hard, teasing rather than driven. Her eyes drifted shut and her mouth stretched into a dreamy smile beneath the lazy, sweet pressure.
When those lovely little caresses ceased, she opened her eyes in disappointment and discovered the face staring down at her was anything but lazy. No, sir. It was tight with hunger. Red flags rode his cheekbones.
“A dip in ice-cold water sounds damn good right now,” he said tightly, pressing his hips against her belly until she cradled the hard ridge of his penis.
Kait blushed at the evidence of his desire, but didn’t pull away. She’d known from the moment she’d suggested this hike that she was suggesting more than an afternoon in his company—that at some point they’d be naked on that blanket, entwined in each other’s arms.
Anticipation stirred as he caught her hand, and side-by-side they carefully picked their way down the rocky slope toward the mountain pool below. She’d been ready to accept him back into her heart as well as her body for days now, maybe even since they’d fled Wolf’s burning cabin.
He felt something for her, that became more apparent each day.
She wasn’t sure what he felt, but it was strong—so strong he’d chosen her safety over his naval career when he’d refused to let her heal the fake Pachico. For a man obsessed with rejoining his team, that instant, furious refusal said a lot.
And then there were the smaller clues. The way he worried that the healings on his leg would drain her. The way he’d reluctantly eased up on his suspicions about Wolf for her sake, the way he instantly found her with his gaze when he entered a room, and the way he’d squeeze in beside her at the table or wrap an arm around her while sitting beside her on the couch.
The way he’d left his team planning their next moves so he could spend the day with her.
But mostly it was in his eyes when he looked at her—the gleam of tenderness and passion.
Oh yeah, he felt something for her—something strong enough to build on.
A mixture of anticipation and nervousness gripped her as they spread the blanket out on the lush grass and emptied his day pack.
“Do you think Rawls is doing any better?” she babbled in an effort to fill the silence as she unpacked sandwiches, oranges, banana bread, and several thick, gooey chocolate-chip cookies.
Cosky frowned, worry dimming the passionate glitter in his eyes. “He’s still damn jumpy and closemouthed about it.”
Kait’s hands slowed as a heavy weight settled over her.
“I think…I think he’s having hallucinations.”
“Yeah.” Cosky didn’t look surprised. Instead, the worry crept from his eyes across his face.
>
“What if my healing damaged his brain?” She forced the question out her tight, guilt-stricken throat.
“Hey.” Cosky drew her into his arms and ran his palms up and down her back. “He’s alive because of you. I don’t know what the hell’s going on with him. But he’s alive. He’ll work through this. He just needs time, which you gave him.”
His assurance would have been more comforting if he’d looked like he believed it himself. Instead, the worry dug deep creases into his forehead.
She thought she was imagining it when the rhythm of his hands shifted from soothing to caressing until she caught the hungry glitter in his silver eyes. He didn’t give her nervousness time to roost. Instead he bent his head, his lips seizing hers, and swept her straight into a storm of sensation.
His mouth wasn’t soft this time. Or teasing. Rather it was urgent. Insistent. His lips hard, almost bruising, as they forced her mouth open so his tongue could surge inside. She met the symbolic thrusting of his tongue with flirty little rubs of her own, which sent a current of white-hot electricity through her.
Her breasts swelled. Her scalp tingled. The flesh between her legs throbbed.
“Christ,” he said on a groan as he wrenched her T-shirt over her head and flung it aside. “I wanted to go slow. Give you the loving you deserve this time.” He unhooked her bra and shoved it down her arms, his face tense, urgent with lust. “But I touch you and I’m fifteen again—no fucking control.”
“Slow’s overrated,” Kait managed on a gasp as his mouth found her right nipple, and he started to suckle.
He abandoned her breast long enough to jerk his shirt over his head, and then dragged her down to the blanket, his mouth returning to her breast and that strong, urgent suckling.
“I didn’t think you could taste any better, feel any better than the first time,” he whispered, his voice smoky with arousal. “I was wrong.”
Liquid fire raced through her. Kait wasn’t sure whether the source was his admission or the tug of his lips against her nipple. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she ground the aching cleft between her legs against the bulge of his penis.
Forged in Ash (A Red-Hot SEALs Novel) Page 37
