Wet

by Angel Payne

  Leo shot him a grimace full of sixteen-year-old disgust. “Dude, she’s cool, but I’m not going as far as ‘incredible,’ okay?”

  “Mahalo to you, too, twerp.” Lani threw him a smile full of loving sarcasm. When her stare scooted back to Tait, she softened her lips into a thankful smile. The man was right, of course. If she’d lost Leo tonight, much of her world would end. In the twinkle of his eyes, she still had a little of Mom. Through his broad and easy smile, Dad reached out and brightened each of her days.

  There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for the kid, though lately his needs were getting more complicated. A plate of cookies and half a pizza often weren’t enough to help Leo anymore. Why didn’t life come with a guidebook? Just like the island maps carried by the stores in Lihue, she needed a set of directions for what curves were coming ahead. If she knew what to do, she’d do anything short of resculpting the Na Pali Coast for him. Maybe that too.

  She just wished, so desperately, that she could do something to help Tait Bommer in the same way.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kellan wondered how many times he’d have to pace Franz’s lanai before the boards wore out beneath him. The estimate didn’t stop him from walking the same line as before, shooting a worried gaze up the driveway and then back toward the empty beach—and the looming storm.

  “Fuck.” The sky looked like a page out of an Edgar Allan Poe story, dark as slate being chewed by demons. He cursed again, pivoted, and hoped the wind would hold the storm off a little longer.

  As he finished the thought, the first plops of rain hit the dunes.

  A second later, headlights from a jeep blared across the beach.

  “Shitheads did that on purpose,” he muttered sarcastically. The vehicle bounced over the berm, barreled down the access road, and circled around to park next to the house. He observed Ike at the wheel. Tait was his wingman in the front passenger position. Lani was in the back—with Leo.

  The air left his lungs in a thankful whoosh while watching Tait leap out and then open the door for Lani. Leo came around and yanked both of them into the same hug before turning to throw a hearty wave toward Kellan. He raised his hand in return. With the other, he rubbed at the ache that persisted in his chest, despite his relief.

  What the hell?

  The thought hit him more as confusion than complaint. The pressure was actually…good. Just unexpected. It usually hit him on occasions like Christmas, when first dropping his pack in Mom and Dad’s foyer. Or when he looked out the window of a transport and saw the summit of Mount Rainier. Or when his phone rang and the window lit up with Kadie’s face along with the title she’d given herself in the device: Goddess Sister, ruler of your universe. Pick up at once.

  Belonging. Home. Family.

  After Leo released Tait and Lani, the kid swung back into the jeep. Ike backed the vehicle away. Kell frowned in deeper perplexity. He redirected the look at Lani as she bounded up the steps, not that she noticed. The woman was too busy launching herself into his arms and then clinging with zealous strength.

  “It’s over.” She released a sigh into his neck that sounded both happy and tired. “Tait’s instincts were right. He led us right to Leo. The hupo was playing lone-man-dipshit-of-despair in a cave in the cliffs.”

  He countered by pulling her perfect curves tight and close. So this was how it felt to hold a live flame. “Wish I could tell you this’ll be the last dumbass move he makes, but sweetheart, he’s a guy.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” She pulled back to peel wet hair off her face, emitting another sound that bordered on a sob. “But for now, thank the gods, he’s safe and it’s over.”

  He helped her with the hair-clearing effort, sifting his fingers through her soft tendrils. “Then where the hell is he going?”

  “Kid’s pretty dirty and hungry,” Tait explained. “We were only halfway here when he put in a request with Ike for a ride home, a shower, and some chow.”

  Lani gave that an open pout. “I still don’t understand why he didn’t want me along. I had at least the chow covered.”

  Tait flicked a teasing glance. “No offense, Sister Kail, but tonight, you’re the wrong gender in his book.”

  As Lani tossed back a huff, it sealed the deal on an impression that had only been a guess to Kellan before now. There was a new energy in the air between those two, a bond undoubtedly forged by the ordeal they’d just weathered together…though his senses registered something more. An unnamed “more” for now, but if so, then what? He couldn’t figure it out yet. He did know that he hadn’t seen Tait banter with a woman like this since…

  Fuck.

  Since the night Luna had met the team at that seedy bar in Los Angeles, declaring herself their newest mission member. On a wet and windy night, after a crazy adventure of a day…

  Fuck.

  Paranoia came in a lot of fun new flavors these days, didn’t it?

  Wait. Was that what he really felt? Signing on for Special Forces meant he’d nearly agreed to have “Paranoia” embossed on his dog tags as a new middle name. He knew the burning, thumping tension he should be enduring, and this didn’t qualify. This shit skewed more toward deep curiosity, amplified by the profound affection he had for both these people. And it all still burned so deep in his gut, it could’ve easily been indigestion.

  Enough of this crap. It was time move on. To celebrate.

  With a casual smirk, he gave Lani’s nose a quick kiss. “Hate to say this, sweetheart. T’s probably right this time.”

  Tait pumped a fist. “Score.”

  “Don’t get cocky, asshat. I said this time.”

  Lani tossed the guy another mocking glare. “He’s been doing too much of that ‘being right’ shit lately.” She was answered with Tait’s chuckle and retaliated by poking her tongue at him.

  That officially ruled out indigestion for the strange gut twinges. The conclusion was confirmed by a ruthless squeeze in Kell’s chest, tighter than the broadside of two minutes ago. But that wasn’t what caused him to suddenly stiffen. The credit for that shock belonged to his developing hard-on.

  What the hell?

  He couldn’t deny it. There was something about watching these two and their growing connection…something captivating, nerve-zapping…

  His body instantly surged with the need to join the party. The private, illicit version of the event.

  Damn. The universe was wreaking its karmic revenge over their sinful forest romp right now—on his dick.

  You were mission leader on that episode, asswipe. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

  He covered his surprise by clearing his throat. His johnson had the growing rainstorm to thank for its camouflage, distracting Tait and Lani with a new boom of thunder. He was more than happy to help the effort along. After grabbing Lani’s hand, he opened the door to the house and guided her through. “Time for shelter, Starshine.”

  The living room, which had glowed so bright when he and T returned from lunch, felt dim with the gloom of the storm all around. But when Tait hastened to activate more lamps, Lani held up a hand. “Can we leave them off? It’s more relaxing. And gods, I could use a little of that.” As lightning flashed, turning the edges of the clouds into celestial mountains for a moment, she grinned. “See? Lono himself is helping us. No need for the lamps.”

  Tait spread his arms. “No argument from this corner.”

  “Lono.” Kellan repeated it on purpose, psyched about getting to impress her with the Hawaiian culture research he’d sneaked in. “He’s the god of storms, right?”

  Lani slanted an impish grin at him. “And fertility.”

  Damn. “Walked into that one,” he muttered, enduring the laugh shared by her and Tait.

  Fortunately, his buddy came to the rescue. “Awkward moment fixer, coming right up.” Tait jabbed a thumb toward the kitchen. “Anyone hungry? I think I know where to find a fully stocked refrigerator. I can manage a few BLTs.”

  Lani planted hands to her
hips, looking as if he’d just asked to serve them arsenic brownies. “Are you really offering to make sandwiches, Sergeant Bommer? After what you did today?”

  Tait let his thumb descend. “Uhhh…”

  “Shut up and hump your ass over here.”

  Tait’s face widened with incredulity—while he moved to obey her order.

  Kellan threw back his head on a loud chuckle. “Well, here’s a first.”

  “Shut it,” Tait snapped.

  “What?” Lani asked.

  “Sweetheart, don’t you remember what I’ve told you about T’s…umm…fondness for being the one in charge? Why he likes to be the one telling me where to shoot the bad guys?”

  “Hmm.” She shrugged on her way to meeting Tait in the middle of the room. “No bad guys here.”

  Kell snickered a little harder. Even as they neared each other, she was totally oblivious to his buddy’s textbook case of awkward, including shuffled feet, dropped head, and a slack jaw of watchfulness. Welcome to the Stupid-Over-Lani-Kail Club, dude.

  She stepped closer. Tait visibly tensed, but Kellan didn’t flinch. His fascination—and his cock—swelled by the moment.

  As Lani hauled him into a crushing hug, Tait’s breath left him on an audible grunt. The collision was perfect fodder for another good laugh, but Kell matched his buddy’s burst with a hard gulp, falling into silence instead.

  They looked so damn perfect like that. And as he looked on, all he could feel was one overwhelming sensation. Gratitude.

  He wasn’t the only one. Lani affirmed it as she fervently whispered her thanks into Tait’s shoulder. “Mahalo.” She twisted her head, tucking it against his chest. “Thank you for helping to find him. For talking to him. For caring. For…everything.”

  For an instant, Tait bent his head toward the top of hers. One of his hands clenched tight against her back.

  In that simple action, Kellan observed the thankfulness had reached full circle. Lani would never know how many needs she’d just met for Tait, but Kell did. Tait would spend the rest of his life trying to compensate for what he’d never been able to do for his mother—living for moments like this, where he could make things okay. Thanks to Lani, sharing her joy with him so openly, Tait soared as close to heaven as he could without dying.

  When they pulled back from each other and Lani sealed her gratitude by giving T a sincere little kiss, Kellan wasn’t surprised—or hurt. The moment simply felt like another sublime gift from fate. And the instant tent that popped in his friend’s crotch? Wasn’t a stunner, either.

  Nevertheless, he watched the exchange in more silence…and deeper curiosity. He waited for the “raging jealousy” part of the equation to rush in, but it never came. A lot of other sensations were more than happy to step up. Camaraderie. More erotic demand. But most of all…completion. To watch the two people closest to him right now, perhaps closest to him ever, sharing the same bonds he felt to them both… It really was a gift.

  No. It was more.

  A blessing.

  The only things that didn’t fit were the scarlet flags across Lani’s cheeks and the guilty twist of her lips. Huh? Why was she looking at him like that?

  Okay, he understood the conventional answer to that—but when the hell had “conventional” applied to them in the last six days? Plain and simple, this was a moment for triumph and joy, not shame and embarrassment. How the hell could he yank her out of the societal straitjacket to see that?

  The sky flashed again but didn’t equal the burst of his mental clarity. The answer was easy. Were intense ops ever attempted alone? The truth was perfect as it was plain. He and Tait would be in this together, working together on the best mission of their lives: bringing this woman to the ultimate heights of her passion. The best thing? It wasn’t just what Lani needed. It was what Tait needed. And if the pressure in Kell’s cock could talk, it was sure as hell what he needed.

  Lani was in the process of stepping back from Tait—and looking pretty reluctant about it—when Kell made his way to her side in three forceful steps. “Stop.”

  Lani flashed a confused stare. “Excuse me?”

  He nodded toward Tait. “You need to thank him again.”

  “Uhhh…she really doesn’t,” Tait rebutted. “Dude, we’re good.”

  “No, you’re not.” He didn’t waver his tone, more sure of this than aiming a tranq dart at an elephant’s ass on a windless day. With the same confidence, he guided Lani’s fingers back up to Tait’s neck. The air clutched audibly in Tait’s throat. “Guess that proves my point already.”

  “About what?” Tait growled.

  He ignored that. Balancing the command of his words with the tenderness of his touch, he smoothed back Lani’s hair. “You’re not done yet. Thank him again, Starshine. Like you mean it this time. I’m going to watch every second. I want to be sure you don’t skimp on the effort.”

  “Kell.” Tait’s comeback was a helix of shock and disbelief. “What the hell are you—”

  “With all due respect, shut up. You want this, too, meathead. Every square inch of your body is clamoring for it.” He swiveled back to Lani, lifting a soft smile. “And sweetheart, every inch of yours is too.”

  As she snorted at him, the color intensified on her face. Goddamn. A little pissed-off turned the woman into a lot of enticing. “That has nothing to do with this.”

  “That has everything to do with this.” He bit back a chuckle as they both fumed. “I care about you. And God help me, I care about this asshat too. So what’s wrong with wanting to see you two share some joy after the ordeal of today?”

  “What’s wrong with it?” Lani snapped. “Kellan, you can’t go ordering me to simply make out with your best friend, like—”

  “Even if you want to? Even if I want you to?”

  She swiveled her sneer to Tait, obviously in a bid for his support. “Is he always this much of a paˋakiki?”

  Tait’s gaze narrowed. “Yeah. Pretty much.”

  Kell punched his shoulder. “Like you understood that.”

  “I know bossy asshat when I hear it in any language.”

  Lani arched her brows in victory. “And he agrees with me.”

  “Perfect. That’s another thing you can thank him for.”

  She bared her teeth, threatening to actually snarl. When Kellan didn’t alter his own certainty, her eyes joined the fight. “Fine,” she snipped, irises swirling with blue-and-silver heat. “You really want this?”

  She didn’t wait for him to answer. Without any more hesitation, she grabbed both sides of Tait’s head and pulled his mouth to hers again.

  Kellan’s cock surged with new blood. He’d be stunned if Tait’s didn’t too. The pure anger in which Lani first seized him coalesced into a passion that ignited the air and amped their connection. In a nutshell, it was fucking hot. If T wasn’t on board with that message with the first smash of her lips, he signed up for the program fast after that. A crease formed in his friend’s jaw as T shoved open Lani’s mouth with his own. The guy growled while stabbing his tongue down, ruthlessly invading her. Lani responded with a decadent moan, sweeping her arms around Tait’s shoulders.

  More thunder growled overhead. Like it mattered. The energy shooting off the two of them was a storm in its own right, whipping Kellan into its vortex. He gulped hard, one of his hands on the back of Lani’s head, the other on Tait’s shoulder. A glance down showed Tait’s cock was definitely up to speed on the direction of this mission. As his buddy continued kissing Lani, Tait cupped the generous swells of her ass, using the hold to slide her crotch hard against his.

  “Damn,” Kell grated. He smiled when Lani moaned. “Sounds like you’re enjoying that, Starshine.”

  “One of us sure as fuck is,” Tait declared between harsh breaths when he pulled from her a little.

  “Count me in as the next vote,” Kell drawled.

  T flashed an intense stare. “Are you serious?”

  “Hell yeah.” Kellan stepped in to
tug at Lani, redirecting her toward him. “Let me show you what I mean.”

  Her eager sigh told him she supported that decision. It blended with Tait’s growl as Kell drew her closer, fitting her curves to his body before slanting his lips over hers in relentless need. As she palmed his jaw in return, he felt Tait press in and squeeze her ass again, working at the flesh through her clothes. Kellan groaned and claimed her tongue harder with his own. Her taste was a heady assault of rain, desire, and the spicy edge that had come from Tait’s kiss.

  “Fuck.” Tait blurted it on a harsh breath. “You’re right, man. Watching’s as much fun from this distance as it was from the damn bushes.”

  Lani lifted her face and looked at them both. “Not more fun?” Her eyes were as bright as a misbehaving fairy. Her lips trembled with a touch of fear…and a lot of lust.

  To his credit, Tait breathed in and out, clearly thinking about his reply. Though Kellan was grateful for his buddy’s consideration, he finally prompted, “Just say it, man.”

  “Say what?” Lani’s voice had turned into a sexy rasp.

  Tait gave Kellan a meaningful glance over her head while pressing behind her. He fitted his crotch against her ass and tucked his mouth into her ear. “Sometimes, it’s not a good idea to let me slide too close, dreamgirl.”

  Lani’s eyes drifted shut. Her thick lashes trembled against her cheeks. Goddamn, she was breathtaking. “Wh-Why?”

  “Because when I’m this close, I’m tempted to…do things.” He snaked his tongue along the rim of her ear. “Demanding things. Dominating things.”

  She shivered. Her hands slid from Kell’s jaw to his shoulders, where she dug her grip in tight. “Like…what?”

  The muscles in T’s arms flexed again. When Lani let out a sharp yelp, Kell did the math. The guy had found a way to pinch her ass good and sharp, even with her pants on. T-Bomb could be a creative fucker when he wanted, a fact that didn’t always make Kell happy. This occasion a huge exception.