by Leslie North
Serena nodded beside him, staring across the well-manicured lawn in front of them and into the rainforest beyond.
God, he wasn’t sure how it was possible, but even after months in captivity, suffering who knew what, she was still gorgeous. Maybe even more so with her hair longer and her curves softer and more generous after childbirth. She pushed past Noah and headed outside, holding her baby close. “Let’s do this.”
An hour later, they arrived outside a nondescript wood and metal cabin hidden in the forest. After checking the exterior and perimeter for footprints or any signs of attempted forced entry, Noah unlocked the door and secured the interior before waving Serena inside. “It’s not the Four Seasons, but it’s clean enough and safe for the night.”
“Any place that’s not the villa is good by me,” she said, gazing around the sparsely equipped room. Noah tossed the keys atop the small round table set near a kitchenette furnished with the bare essentials—microwave, small fridge, toaster oven. The generator outside kept everything running, including the lights, which Serena flipped on before clicking on a small antenna TV in the corner. The air filled with the low noise of the news anchor’s voice, rattling off the news in rapid-fire Spanish.
Noah translated the words automatically in his head after years of practice. He spoke five languages, thanks to the SEALs, including English, Spanish, French, Farsi, and enough Mandarin to get by.
“So, what’s the plan now?” Serena asked, muting the TV and walking over to inspect the contents of the kitchen. From where he stood, Noah was glad to see the cabinets and fridge were fully stocked.
“The plan is to sleep here tonight, then head across the island to join the others tomorrow. The extraction team is waiting to get us back to the US. Stay here while I walk the perimeter again.”
He didn’t wait for her answer before heading out. He’d been operating in SEAL-mode up to now, fully focused on the task of getting them to the cabin safely. But now that they were out here in a somewhat secure location, all his emotions from earlier came rushing back—shock, unease, wonder, fierce protectiveness. He needed some space and fresh air to process it all and figure out how to handle things going forward with her. He’d still not asked her if the baby was his, but based on timing and looks alone, it was pretty obvious. As they’d been hiking, he’d gotten a better look at the kid’s face. Gracie’s face. And damn if she didn’t have his cleft chin too. He remembered his mom telling him once that that was genetic.
So yep. Gracie was his.
And didn’t that just make his pulse race harder. Having grown up with parents who’d been just as happy to scream as look at each other, he’d not been sure if he’d ever want a family of his own. Hard to decide when the one you came from was so dysfunctional. Not that they hadn’t loved him, because they had. Just not each other. Theirs had been a quickie marriage, vows taken in the heat of passion, only to find as time went on that they weren’t compatible at all. His mom was cautious and concerned. His father was the polar opposite, a risk-taker of the first order. Noah had grown into a mix of the two, a careful gambler taking calculated risks, one foot on either side of the fence.
How that would play into being a dad himself, he wasn’t sure.
He finished checking the property and found nothing amiss, then inspected the generator again, happy to find a half-full gas can nearby to keep them going through the night, before heading back inside. Enough uncertainty. Time for the truth.
Serena was in the kitchen, the baby in one arm while she punched the buttons on the microwave with the other. She was crooning softly to the kid, and Noah found his heart lodged in this throat again. But he was no coward and he needed to get the question out before he couldn’t anymore.
“Is she mine?” he asked quietly.
At first, the only sign that Serena had heard him was that she stilled and stopped humming. Then slowly, she turned to face him, her serious expression telling him everything he needed to know even before she spoke.
“Yes, Gracie’s yours,” she said at last.
He nodded, denial not an option. His instincts had known it from the start.
“I don’t expect anything from you,” she said, turning back around to face the microwave, her voice a tad shaky. He had the crazy urge to rush over and hug her but stopped himself. Harder to suppress was the urge to argue with her. He might not be father material, but he took care of his obligations. He wasn’t going to leave her to raise his kid by herself. But even as he worked at formulating the words, she continued speaking. “I mean, I’m sure this comes as a huge surprise to you, but Gracie and I are fine on our own.”
“You’re not fine. And I’ll do my part,” he said, his words gruff. “But first, we need to get you both back to the US. And we’ll need more supplies for—” he hesitated, waving at the baby. “It.”
“She’s your daughter, not a chair,” Serena snorted. “And sorry, but there aren’t any baby supply stores in the middle of the rainforest.” She shrugged as the microwave beeped. “Don’t worry. I’ve got some supplies in my knapsack. And we used cloth diapers at the villa, so I can just wash them out and reuse them. The low supply of baby wipes might be a problem, but if you can find me a pair of scissors, I can cut up some of the sheets in the closet over there to make some spares to use in a pinch. And as long as I’ve got my boobs, I’ve got food for her, so that’s covered too.”
“What about carrying her? You can’t use that sling forever.” Noah frowned. “We’re going to be on foot for a while tomorrow and the terrain is rough. You’re already at a disadvantage with those shoes.”
“Well,” Serena said, pulling out a large bowl of what looked like vegetable soup from the microwave and setting it on the table. “I also found some boots in the closet over there. They’re men’s and way too big for me, but if I stuff them with more sheets, then maybe I can make them work. Problem solved. And we can share the carrying duties. She’s small and doesn’t weigh much yet, plus she naps a lot.”
“Hmm.” Noah still wasn’t so sure. Besides, the Serena he remembered had been feisty, but pampered. He didn’t completely trust this new, resourceful and adaptable woman yet. He took the seat opposite her at the table and watched as she dished them each out a bowl of soup, then handed him a spoon. He’d not eaten since that morning and after the long hike he was hungry. He tried a bite of soup, then eyed her from across the table. “How’d you become a prepper?”
“Prepper?” Serena laughed. “Like doomsday? I’m hardly that. Consider it being a responsible parent. Once I found out I was pregnant, I had to make some tough decisions pretty quickly. Like how I wanted to live my life and what kind of person I wanted to be. Everything I do now puts Gracie first.” She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes on him. “If you’re going to be in her life, then I’ll need to know that you have the same attitude. If you think being a dad means visiting her once or twice a year—on your schedule rather than hers—then don’t bother. Still sure you want to keep that ‘I’ll do my part’ promise?”
“Always.” He hoped he sounded more certain than he felt. Honestly, he had no idea what he was doing where the baby was concerned, but damn if he’d walk away now. “I’ll figure it out. Trust me.”
She put the baby over her shoulder and frowned. “I don’t trust anyone anymore.”
4
Later that night, Serena lay awake on the cot in the cabin, Gracie asleep beside her, and that’s when it finally hit her. She was free. Adrenaline buzzed in her system at the thought. There’d been days when she’d wondered if she’d ever get to think those words again. And sure, her captivity had been a walk in the park compared to what many people experienced, but still. Being held against your will sucked, whether it was in a cage or a castle.
Noah had bunked down on the sofa across the room, but she couldn’t help being attuned to his every move. Even though they’d only spent the one night together all those months ago, she felt connected to him, and not just because of Gracie.
Giddiness bubbled up inside her when she remembered him bursting through that door earlier, and she struggled to tamp it down. It had taken her longer than usual to get Gracie to sleep tonight, most likely due to the stress of the day and the weird surroundings, and she didn’t want to risk waking her again. It was hard to stay calm and still, though.
Every fibre of her being seemed to call out for her to get up and go to Noah, to confirm that all this was really real. For so long, she’d dreamed about him. He was her guardian angel. Today, he’d proved that beyond the shadow of a doubt. Thankfulness and relief and need melded into a warm rush inside her.
Saved. Noah Wild had saved her. How cool was that? Even cooler was the fact that she finally knew his last name. Wild. Like the nature outside. Like the man himself. Way back when, in that art gallery, she’d sensed it inside him: that feral, alpha streak. His eyes were kind, but his rocking bod looked ready to kick ass at a moment’s notice. Wild, indeed.
The rustle of movement whispered through the air and she called out quietly before she could stop herself, “Noah?”
“Yeah?” he said, voice low and rough from sleep. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She bit her lip, then moved to get up, slowly so as not to wake her daughter. On bare, silent feet, Serena padded over to the sofa, unable to resist any longer. In the darkness, she knelt down beside him and reached out her hand to lay it on his forearm, pale moonlight slanting in through the windows and casting a hazy glow around them. “I wanted to say thank you.”
“For what?” His dark brows drew together and his blue eyes glinted in the half-light.
“For everything you did today.” Tears prickled her eyes, but she blinked them away, unexpected desperation making her shiver. “I tried to be brave, for myself and for my baby, but deep down, I was so scared. I didn’t even realize how scared until that feeling finally went away. If you hadn’t arrived today, I don’t know what would’ve happened and I’m just so grateful to you for helping me and—” The more she talked, the more her voice quavered and now she was crying and oh God.
“Hey, hey,” Noah said, sitting up and trapping her between his rock-solid thighs. He cupped her cheek and stroked her skin gently with the pad of this thumb. For such a big man, he treated her like fragile porcelain and damn if that didn’t make her cry even more. “Shush. Come here. It’s okay.”
He drew her up off the floor and into his lap, rocking her slowly in his arms while she cried into his chest, his warm skin muffling her sobs so she didn’t wake the baby. While she got it out of her system, he murmured sweet nothings into her hair, rubbing soft circles on her back, making her feel cherished and protected and cared for all at once. It was too much. It would never be enough.
Not only had she been starved of freedom all these months, she’d been starved of basic human touch too. Yes, she’d had her sweet Gracie, but cuddling her baby didn’t make up for the fact that there was no one to make her feel cradled and cherished. She wanted to hold onto him, crawl inside him and never come out. She wanted to kiss him and stroke him like he was doing to her. Show him how much his actions meant to her.
Before she could stop herself, Serena raised her head and kissed his neck, nuzzled that sensitive spot at the base of his throat that she remembered drove him nuts and made him utter those low moans that drove her cravings higher. It worked just as well as it had before. Soon, she’d licked a path up to his strong jaw, then higher still until her lips met his.
This wasn’t about lust. It wasn’t about passion either, not entirely. This was about life.
She was alive and well and it was all because of Noah Wild, her saviour. She kissed him hard and long and deep, savoring the taste of him—salt from their soup dinner and a hint of mint from the toothpaste he’d used, and something uniquely Noah. For a moment, he seemed taken aback by her actions, but soon enough, he responded, one hand holding the back of her head in place, the other drifting down to grip her hip and rock her against the growing bulging of his cock beneath her.
She’d missed this. Missed him, even if she hadn’t known it until now.
Forgetting everything but him, she groaned and shifted to straddle him, grinding the heat between her legs against him, frantic to have more of him, before he disappeared again, before she was locked away and never found again, and…
Her chest seized and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. The small cabin seemed to grow smaller by the second. She felt hot and dizzy and completely disoriented.
OhGodOhGodOhGod.
“Serena? Hey, darling?” Noah had cupped her cheeks again, forcing to meet his blue, blue eyes. He was the only steady thing, the only rock in her shattered, flustered universe. She clung to his wrists, digging her nails into his skin. Some small part of her mind registered that she must be hurting him, but he didn’t even flinch. Just kept hold of her, kept focused on her, until his words slowly calmed the raging storm in her head. “Baby, darling? Just breathe. Just relax. I’m here and you’re safe. Gracie’s safe. Everything going to be okay. No one’s going to hurt you again. Never again. Not while I’m here.”
Time narrowed to just this man, just this moment, until finally the weight on her chest lifted and the pounding of her blood in her ears eased. All the fight went out of Serena and she slumped against him once more, boneless, weightless, breathing in his scent of soap and safety.
“Thank you,” she said, closing her eyes—not to sleep, just to rest in this sense of comfort and security she’d been missing for so long.
5
Noah sat there in the dark, holding Serena, for a long while after, his own mind racing despite his outward calm. Shit. That had been the mother of all panic attacks. He’d seen enough of them on the battlefield to know. He’d not really had much time to think about what her time in captivity had been like, but now he wondered.
Wondered and worried.
He slipped his fingers through the silky mass of her hair and sighed against her scalp. “Was it awful?”
“What?” she whispered through the shadows.
“Being held hostage,” he said at last, needing to know. “Did they hurt you? Torture you?”
She hesitated, then shook her head against his chest. “No. No one hurt me. Not physically. It was just hard, being alone so much, especially with the baby coming and me not knowing what to expect. I knew they wanted me dead, but I guess they wanted to wait until after the baby was born.” She gave a sad little snort. “Like that made it better somehow, what they were doing to me. Anyway, it was like slow torture. Waking up and wondering if today was the day I died.”
His arms tightened around her of their own volition. The thought of Serena by herself, pregnant with his child and scared, dug claws deep into his gut. She should have had all the good things for herself and their baby—pink nurseries and lots of baby showers and gifts. Instead, she’d had a gilded cage, solitary confinement, and suffocating fear. He wanted to punch something, namely the bastard who’d taken her. Instead, he just held her close and vowed to find the person responsible and make sure they never hurt anyone else again.
The longer they sat there together, the more questions arose in his mind and so he asked, a strange intimacy forming between them. “What about the delivery? Did you have a doctor?”
“A midwife,” she said, shifting slightly so she could look up at him. “They brought her in from the village for regular visits.”
“Do you have any idea who was behind your abduction?” he asked, frowning. He’d been kind of hoping she did, since he and his team had precious little intel to go on themselves. They had that message she’d apparently sent from the midwife’s cell phone, but that was about it. It had been an Argentinian phone number, which had prolonged the search for her whereabouts. That country was on the other side of the South American continent from where Serena had actually been located. Whoever her abductor had been, they’d know
n what they were doing, throwing everyone off their scent.
Assholes.
He growled before he could stop himself and Serena chuckled.
“Everything okay, big guy?”
“No.” He smiled despite himself, loving her names for him. He’d always been a huge fan of the Hulk in the Avengers movies, relating to the gentle giant with a heart of gold and a fist made for crushing. “But it’s getting better now that you and Gracie are here, and safe.”
“Same.” Her answering grin radiated through her tone. “And to answer your question, no. I have no idea who took me.” She traced idle patterns on his bare chest with her fingers. “Believe me, I spent hours trying to figure it out, but came up with nothing so far. And there was no contact with anyone who seemed to be in charge the whole time I was at the villa. The only people I saw were the staff.” Her hands stilled against him. “I paid attention, though, befriended some of the maids. Learned from them. Plotted my own escape. If you hadn’t shown up when you did, I was going to leave myself as soon as I could. That’s why I had the knapsack ready.”
Right. He’d forgotten about that in the midst of everything else that had happened that day. “What did you have in there?”
“Some cash—the equivalent of about two hundred American bucks. Some food, water. A map.” She shrugged. “Not much, but at least something to keep me going. Figured if I could get to the American Embassy, I could figure out my next steps from there.”
