by Zoe Dawson
So, the doctor in Cuba could have been compromised. But they wouldn’t know that until Beau went hunting for him.
He was determined to keep Kinley out of any more firefights. He had to give her credit. She had reacted quickly and even taken down targets without hesitation. With her being such a bundle of uptight nerves, that had surprised him. But in a battle, she threw down and threw down hard.
Daniel, the bastard, had been a fool to treat her like he had.
He had never discounted a woman. He might have had a long string of them, but he always chose the kind that knew the score and didn’t mind playing with him for a night. His reaction to the way Daniel was trying to get a second chance with her was something that Beau didn’t understand. But all he could think about when Daniel had cornered her in the snack area was that he wanted to break his face, even though Kinley was more than capable of taking care of herself.
He sat up and ran his hands through his hair again, swearing softly. Sweat broke out on his brow. Struggling for breath, he knew he might have made a mistake here and he wasn’t used to admitting that. He felt his short leash getting shorter. If Daniel touched her again, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Beau flexed his hands, weapons in their own right.
All he could think was mine. She was his. It might be temporary, but for now, right this freaking second in time, she was with him.
He also realized that they were going to Cuba. He’d already suggested to Chris that he take this mission solo. Mostly because he was trained for this kind of covert op and he would be able to get the job done quickly. In and out, smooth as butter. She could stay in the Bahamas. He gritted his teeth at the thought of leaving her anywhere near Daniel. But Cuba would be dangerous.
Solo. Yeah, that’s what he’d been doing for a number of years. Taking the warmth women had to offer in brief spurts, meeting the needs of his body, but never engaging his heart. It had been simple…until now. From the moment he’d met the fiery redhead, he’d been…intrigued. Besotted.
He rose out of bed and slipped on a pair of shorts. Knocking softly on the adjoining room door, he waited.
The feelings that were growing for her were impossible. Especially when she wasn’t interested in a relationship that could jeopardize her career. The only factor that played a role here was how involved she was in her career, as Jennifer had been. He was long over his ex, but not the ingrained fear of trusting the wrong person again and getting his heart broken. Yes, Kinley was different than Jennifer in so many ways—her coloring, her outlook on life, her confidence.
Trouble. God, he was in trouble here.
She answered the door in one of those nothings that women wore to sleep in. This one was hot pink.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when she saw his face.
“Nothing.”
When she snuggled into his arms, he maneuvered them both back into her bed. Just where he’d wanted her.
Her eyes were a sleepy green. She said, “You should be sleeping.”
“Couldn’t,” he said, then dipped his head and pressed his mouth to hers. The clamoring in him settled down immediately. He kissed her for a few more minutes. “How are you doing?”
She shrugged. “It’s been a crazy week so far.”
“Yeah, that is for sure.”
“I’m glad you’re on our side.”
He smiled.
“Can you show that knife trick to me sometime?”
“Sure. It’ll make you more of a badass.”
She laughed softly. “Right. That fits.”
Without saying a word, he settled against her. With her soft, steady breathing, the intoxicating scent of her filling him up, he sank against her and fell right to sleep.
He woke up at her restless movement as she groaned softly and kicked off her sheet. He looked down the length of her body. A damp sheen of sweat covered her skin, from the backs of her calves, in the tender hollows behind her knees, up her thighs, and over the incredible curves of her butt. Was there a woman on this planet as put together as Kinley Cooper?
She made a soft sound in the room and he straightened. Was that a whimper? Suddenly she thrashed and he knew a nightmare when he saw one.
“Cher. Wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open and she stared up at him.
“You were having a nightmare.”
“It was a bad one,” she shivered, wrapping her arms around his neck. Settling against him, she closed her eyes.
He held her close, knowing what she was going through. This had been quite a case so far. She made a contented sound and he let himself drift until he fell asleep again.
The warmth of him was a surprise when she woke up but hadn’t opened her eyes yet. His arm was around her waist and his face buried in her hair. She could feel the heaviness of his breath against her neck. She sighed. That was all she could do. The scent of him wrapped around her, a scent that told her he was all male, hot and spicy.
She looked at the clock. Breakfast was going to be here in a few minutes. He shouldn’t even be in her room, but she couldn’t dredge up enough energy to protest with his heavy muscles against her back.
She tried to slip away from him, but he tightened his arm around her waist, and dragged her under him.
“Where you goin’, cher?”
His accent was thick, his voice husky in the morning.
“Breakfast will be here any minute,” she said, looking up into his arresting face.
“Mmm.” He nuzzled her. “I think I found my breakfast.”
“Beau, no,” she said weakly. “We have a briefing in an hour.”
There was a knock on the door and he sighed.
She slipped out of bed and grabbed her robe as he rose and watched her walk away from him to open the front door. He disappeared through the door to the adjoining room. Both male agents turned, their gazes going over her.
Kinley smiled at the woman who rolled in the tray and ignored the male interest. When the girl raised her head, she stopped in midroll as Beau, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans came back through the door, it was quite obvious that the way the man looked knocked the poor girl for a loop.
He was deliciously tousled, his hair mussed, beard stubble making him look even more appealing and quite dangerous. That girl was too young to have any defense against him.
“I’ll take that for you,” he said with a smile.
She came back to herself and relinquished the cart. He took the warmer off one of the dishes and wrinkled up his nose. Then the other. He looked up at her. “Ah, shoot, sugar, I like the Big Easy, but I don’t like eggs over easy. Do you think I could get `em scrambled with just a bit of pepper?”
“Of course, sir, right away.”
She picked up the dish and, blushing heavily, exited the room.
As soon as the door closed, Kinley arched a brow at him.
His lips curved. “What?” he asked innocently, holding her gaze. The combination of that twinkle in his eyes and his laughter was downright lethal.
“You know what.”
“Are you saying that you think I have experience in cajoling members of the opposite sex?”
“Oh, I don’t think I could stretch my imagination that much,” she said.
He laughed and picked up a blueberry off one of the plates and popped it into his mouth.
When Kinley entered the meeting room back at the embassy, she settled into one of the chairs and Beau took a seat next to her. As soon as Daniel and Ken entered, the widescreen came to life, revealing both the director and the commandant flashing on the screen.
“Agent Jerrott, your request to go into Cuba to track down a possible picture of Diego Montoya is granted, but your request to do this solo is denied. SA Cooper and Wescott will accompany you. Agent Westcott has a contact who may have information on the identity of the doctor. You and Cooper will pose as a wealthy married couple.”
Kinley stiffened beside him and turned to glare at him. He didn’t look at her. He had been trying to
cut her out of going to Cuba? Why? Didn’t he trust her to pull her own weight? Did he think she was incompetent? Couldn’t handle herself under pressure or undercover? Disappointment in him flooded her system, and on its heels, anger. Hadn’t she just spilled her guts to him about being discounted? Hadn’t he heard a word she’d said?
“Sir, with all due respect, I’ve logged hours of undercover work, covert ops—”
The commandant said, “I have reviewed your file, Agent Jerrott. But this operation is better served with subterfuge than brute force. You will not engage the Las Espadas. You will locate the surgeon with the ruse that Agent Cooper wants plastic surgery, get a picture of Montoya and then get out. You have three days. In your mission packet you will find the map of where you need to be for extraction. Don’t waste time. Good luck.”
Chris said, “You’ll acquire weapons once you’re inside.”
“Yes, sir,” he said.
She left the conference room and was directed to a room that had clothing laid out. So many different outfits, expensive jewelry, suitcases and a set of…wedding rings.
“Kinley,” Beau said.
She couldn’t look at him right now. “It would be better if you gave me a few minutes,” she said. What she couldn’t quite handle were her doubts. What if he was right? What if she messed up? There were so many things that could go wrong.
“Cher,” he said, his voice closer, which meant so was he. She had to look up, but she really needed more space, and more time. She was raw inside. Dealing with Beau up close in her personal space was more than she could take on at the moment.
“Don’t call me that. Not right now.” She took a steadying breath and looked up.
“Let me explain.”
“What is there to explain? You don’t trust my abilities. After what I said to you…” She stepped back, picking up an outfit, thinking it might be too big for her.
He took a step closer and she tensed. She tried not to show it, but that much was really beyond her at the moment. The stabilized world she’d thought she’d constructed for herself had just been proven to have very shaky foundations. And she didn’t know what to do about that. What she did know was Beau Jerrott was the last person she’d ever reveal that to. He’d already gotten too much of her, had a way of looking at her, into her, like he saw far past her defenses, to some other place she was unaccustomed to people reaching. And that was without her being stupid enough to hand it over to him.
“No offense to your commandant, I don’t do brute-force missions. SEALs are all about stealth.” He said it quietly, but somehow the softer tone wasn’t the least bit comforting. In fact, it only served to unnerve her further. He saw too much, too easily.
“You want me to stay here. Admit it. You don’t think I can handle this mission.” She put her hand out when he took another step. “I was a fool to ever think anyone in the good-ole-boys’ club would ever take me seriously. Just because we’re sleeping together doesn’t give you the right to make decisions for me. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”
It was hardly a blink, and if she hadn’t been expressly looking for it, she’d never have noticed it, but there had been a flicker. She pounced on it without thinking twice. She was being eaten up inside thinking that he didn’t trust her.
“If you have concerns of any kind, why not just voice them? Don’t go behind my back and—”
His eyes went hard and flinty, and she had to resist the urge to shiver.
“I didn’t go behind your back.” Gone was that soft Southern drawl. In its place was a flat, steely voice that showed the other side of Beau. The warrior side. “I didn’t even mention you.”
“Right. You don’t have to. It’s firmly in your head. I’m a risk. Thanks, Beau. Thanks a lot.” She went to push past him, wanting nothing more than to end this conversation. She’d been badly rattled by the whole thing and this confrontation only made it worse.
As she brushed by, he took her arm gently but firmly and turned her around to face him. “I’m not going to lie to you. Do I want you safely here? Yes. I do.”
She winced at that.
“You’ll be out of your element, Kinley. I don’t… I couldn’t handle you getting hurt.”
“Admirable,” she said, trying to maintain the steely facade, thinking her heart might melt out of her chest any second. “Is this about my abilities or my safety?”
“A little of both.”
Sex with a fellow agent could lead to this and it was her lapse to deal with. Men were overprotective of women; it was second nature. With Daniel, he’d thrown her to the wolves. But, what was happening here with Beau? Was it his feelings for her that was making him hesitate or the fact that she was going to be in a situation she hadn’t been fully trained to handle warring with the need to protect a woman he was intimate with?
His response changed things. “You need to put your feelings aside, Beau.”
He gave her a startled look.
“What feelings?” he growled.
“We’ve been intimate. You want to protect me. It’s part of the reason you want me to stay here. I can hold my own. I’m not as well-trained as you are, but I can adapt and perform my duties. I know my way around a case, so stop with the macho bull.”
His jaw flexed as if he was gritting his teeth. “I like and respect you, Kinley. You can—”
“What? Trust you?” she demanded, embracing the righteous anger that filled her—along with the fear of failure, that it could all unravel at once. She tried to yank free, but he didn’t let her. “You should have told me your concerns. How can I trust that you’re not holding something back?”
“I don’t hold things back. Not to spare anyone’s feelings. Not when the stakes are high.”
His gaze locked to hers, so intent, so focused. So trustworthy and steady. Still, she wavered. She was so tired of the fear of not trusting herself. Maybe that was more the issue here.
“You think I can handle this?” she asked flatly. He wasn’t the only one who could do steely.
“If I said I’m not sure, would that piss you off?”
She felt the blood drain from her face. So it was true. He did harbor doubts. The blood came rushing back, flushing her cheeks until they felt hot, as she realized that he had a right to his own opinion. It was up to her to prove him wrong. He took both of her arms then, pulled her closer. “But, then again, I’ve seen you hold your own, act when you needed to, and you did a fine job. It’s purely instinctual that I want to protect something I feel is…precious.”
“You’d better not be charming me.”
“I would, if it would help, sugar.”
“Don’t call me sugar. It’s distracting,” she said, without meaning to, which only caused his gaze to intensify.
“I can’t help it. You melt in my mouth.”
She didn’t know what to say to that except, Oh, God. Standing this close, looking into his eyes, she saw no sign of deception, no wavering. He was either charming her, or he was telling her the absolute truth. She wished the stakes on knowing which it was weren’t so high.
“What exactly are you worried about? Let’s get this out in the open so that I’m aware what you consider a liability.”
“It’s mostly combat that worries me, and the undercover aspect,” Beau admitted.
“We’re thoroughly trained in the Coast Guard. Military training, Beau. I was trained hard, maybe not as hard as a SEAL, but I will not slow you down. We may be tasked with protecting the coast, but, make no mistake, we’re no pushovers. You need to let go of your elitist attitude here. The Coast Guard is part of the military. You should give me the respect I deserve for that.”
He rubbed at his forehead. “Kinley, you’re right. Sometimes I lose track of the fact that any other branch of the military may not be trained as thoroughly as the SEALs, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do what needs to be done. They prove that every day by doing their duty. Maybe I was reacting to the fact that I want you to b
e safe, instead of giving you the respect your abilities and time on the job has earned you. You’ve already shown me that you are quite competent. But you will give me this. When we go into Cuba, we’re on our own. It’s a totally different situation than taking down go-fast boats from the deck of a cutter with cannon and mortar fire at your fingertips.”
“Granted,” she said.
“Daniel is seasoned. He’s been undercover and in some hairy situations where he had to rely on his own abilities. I’m talking about experience here, not training. Is that clear?”
“Okay, I will give you that as well. I will follow your lead, but I am resourceful and think quickly on my feet. I will not be a liability.”
“I guess you can’t prove anything by sitting in the Bahamas and not being challenged in a job you’ve vowed to uphold in any capacity the US requires. Your boss and the commandant have faith in you. But, the strength of the attraction between us isn’t something to be easily dismissed. I think we can both hold our own. You can be a firebrand when you want to.”
She fought the urge to smile then. How did he do that? He had concerns about her…and he was making her smile.
“Firebrand? If you start calling me Red, I’m going to slug you.”
“That might be worth it. You think you’re tough enough to take me?”
“I’m soft enough to make you.”
The corners of his mouth curved. “You are. I think nothing gets by you, not even me. Especially not me. You pull no punches and take no bull.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t, and maybe you have a point with me skewing my feelings toward being a bit overprotective. I’m aware you can hold your own. You already have.”
And that was just it. Looking at him, so steady, so strong-willed, so profoundly sure of himself, she could only hope that his trust in her wasn’t unfounded.
Because she wanted to do right by him on the job. It was important to her.
She needed that.
