Chapter 16
Harlan held Storm against him. Her breath had deepened over the last few minutes. She must have fallen asleep. She needed the rest, and he was rather proud of himself for helping her get there. He wanted to make love to her again, this time watching her eyes when he entered her. But it would have to wait.
He wasn’t sure she would want another round and not because she hadn’t enjoyed it. He was certain that she had been pleased. Asking him to hurry up had almost made him come on the spot. For a woman who hadn’t wanted to talk about sex, she had found her voice just fine.
No, he had to wait and see if she regretted what they had done. Feeling alive after almost dying was a common want. He had been convenient. He hoped that wasn’t the case. He liked her. He wanted to spend time with her, but he couldn’t confuse lust with more.
He had possibly broken his one-night stand rule, but he had been overtaken by her in ways that a woman had never done to him. She was incredibly smart with her big words and fancy school job. Her beauty was unique, and he wanted to watch her all the time. He wasn’t ready to part ways with this woman.
Remembering the reason he was in a hotel room with her would be beneficial. He was supposed to protect her and help her find out who wanted to hurt her. He still needed to talk to the people in her inner circle and should take advantage of the time left in the day.
He also needed to check on Meg. It would be after dinner in New Jersey. She should be out of recovery by now. With reluctance, he untangled himself from Storm. She didn’t stir. He dressed, then went out onto the balcony.
Balmy air blew over him. The ocean was calm. Low tide had arrived. A few people still sat on the sand or jumped around in the water, but most of the tourists had returned to their rooms. The waitstaff hustled around the white tables on the grass below with white plates and crystal for each, and a bartender wiped glasses at a portable bar on the edge of the grassy area as they prepared for some type of reception.
He pulled up Meg’s number from his favorites list and hit call. Aria had Meg’s phone and would most likely be the one to answer. He would just get a quick update and hop off.
“Har Har?” Meg’s crackling voice came across the line.
Relief pushed him into the nearby chair. He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. All this time he told himself he was doing fine. He had to be strong for Meg, but it wasn’t until this moment when her voice reached out to him that he could honestly say he wouldn’t know what he’d do if anything happened to his sister.
“Hey, sis. How’s it going?”
“Oh, you know. Living the dream.” Her voice drifted toward him as if she stood at the other end of a tunnel.
“Did I wake you?”
“I think I drifted off. It’s okay though. I wanted to talk to you.” Something crinkled in the background as if Meg had shifted in her bed.
“How was the surgery?”
“Great. They got it all. I’m going to be fine.” Some of the strength returned to her voice.
He squeezed his eyes shut and fought the tears that threatened. He would never tell her what he had feared. She needed him to lean on, not the other way around. “I knew you would be.”
“You can stop worrying now.”
She knew him too well, even if he wouldn’t admit it. “Not possible. Listen, I got hung up on a kind of assignment here. And last I checked, all the flights out were still delayed. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“I told you not to come. Go be a big bad retired Navy SEAL. Come home at the end of the summer when all the tourists are gone.”
“I’ll be home before that. Is Aria there for you?” He wouldn’t be able to stay away for the entire summer. He would gladly deal with crowded restaurants and people on the boardwalk to spend time with Meg and the kids.
“I sent Aria home. She needed to get out of this smelly hospital and give Hawk a break from the kids. She’ll be back tomorrow. I think they’re sending me home then.”
“So soon? Did they explain why?”
“The doctors want me taking tap dancing lessons and not lying around using a bed when someone else needs it.”
“What?”
“It was a joke. They don’t keep you for long if all goes well. It’s better if I rest at home anyway.”
“Okay. Okay. As long as you’re joking. But if you weren’t, I could call the doctors myself and ask them to explain it to me—if you want. I can probably make some calls and see if an officer over at Earle in the medical branch can pull any strings.”
“Harlan, you do not have to manage this for me. Though I do appreciate you wanting to and acting all officer in charge on my behalf. If I need anything, I’ll let you know.” Her voice had regained its strength and she was once again his spitfire sister who would not allow her big brother to take care of her.
Growing up, Meg had often told him to take a hike, that she could handle things herself. She always could, but that didn’t mean he was going to stop trying.
“I’ll call you tomorrow and see how you’re doing. If Aria needs anything, she can call me, okay?”
“You need to have a kid or get a dog so you can have something else to worry about now that your stateside again.”
The sliding door from the living space opened. Storm stepped out wearing his shirt. Her legs were bare, her thick hair a wavy mess. Sleep weighed down her eyelids. His heart stumbled. This woman already wreaked havoc on him. How was it possible?
“Maybe someday I’ll get one or both of those.” Maybe with Storm. “Good night, sis.”
“Night, Har Har.” She ended the call.
Storm came over to him and stood between his legs. She smelled like sleep and rumpled cotton. Her fingers ran through the front of his hair. He wanted her hands all over him again and again.
“Is everything okay?” She tilted his chin and searched his gaze. He wondered what she saw behind his eyes, if anything at all. He had become an expert at hiding what he really felt.
He pulled her close, taking a second to breathe her in, and rested his cheek against her chest. Her heart beat in a slow rhythm, unhindered. He took this moment, holding her warmth against him, to compose himself before he spoke.
“My sister’s surgery went well.” Even so, fear and joy still warred under his breastbone. He should be relieved, and yet he wasn’t entirely.
“That’s great news. How’s she feeling?”
He eased back to look up at her. “She’s good.”
“What are you thinking?” She brushed her fingers through his hair again.
“She’s all I have besides my teammates. I’d like you to meet her sometime. I think the two of you would get along.”
“I’d like that too. And you have more than just Meg and your teammates. You have me now too.”
He stood. “Storm, this thing between us, we don’t know what it is.”
“I don’t have a word for it. For the first time, I don’t need one or want one. I know how I feel around you.” She ran a hand over his arm.
He had never wanted to please a woman as much as he wanted to with Storm, not even with his wife. And he hadn’t given much thought to the fact this could be a one and done thing while he had his hands on her gorgeous body. No woman had ever been able to make him forget that rule.
He cupped her face, and she smiled for him. His heart stuttered. “I’d like to take you back in there and see what else we can share.”
She kissed him hard and full. He gripped her bottom and lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist. She had nothing on underneath the shirt. He wanted to press her against the wall and take her on the balcony until she yelled his name, but he had some sense left. He would at least wait until they were inside and out of the possible view of others.
Still carrying her, he went back inside. Their lips never parted. She pressed her breasts against his chest. The thin material of the shirt she wore did little to create a barrier between them. His blood pumped hotter.
A knock at the door startled him. He broke the kiss and placed Storm on her feet. Her face twisted in confusion.
“Who could that be?” she said.
“No idea. I’ll go look. You wait in the bedroom. I’ll get rid of whoever it is.” Unless whoever it was had something to do with the attempted murder. Then he would have to put his desires on hold and handle the situation.
“You’re going to need this.” She whipped off his t-shirt and handed it to him, then placed a quick kiss on his lips before hurrying into the bedroom—naked.
He wanted to run after her. It took all his willpower to stay put. To hell with the continued knocking at the door.
With a curse under his breath, he threw on the shirt, then ran his hands over his face. He pulled himself together and checked the peephole. Robin stood on the other side. She shifted from one foot to the other.
He opened the door and placed his body in the doorway. He didn’t invite her in. “What’s up?”
She gave him the once-over. Something dark passed over her eyes. “Is Storm here? I’d like to speak with her.”
“She’s in the other room.” Probably putting clothes on over that sexy body. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“I wanted to make sure she’s okay. Can I come in?” She shifted on her feet again, but this time her gaze searched up and down the hall.
He could send her away and get back to the lovemaking or he could let her in and ask her some important questions, starting with what was she looking for. He stepped aside.
Robin marched past him into the living space with its modern furniture and wide windows. She turned in circles before fixing her cold blue gaze back on him.
“Nice room. How’d you get a suite like this? When I booked my room, I was told no suites were available.”
“Lucky, I guess.” He would not reveal the way his team operated. They had taken care of each other in countless ways over the years through mission after mission. No one had to ask twice for help and no one ever said no, if they could perform what was asked of them.
“Storm’s in there?” Robin pointed to the closed door.
“She is.”
“Great. Then I’m going in and checking on her myself.” She took a step toward the bedroom.
“I prefer you wait out here.” He headed her off without much effort, keeping his hands at his sides. He didn’t want to freak her out.
“Why?”
“She’ll be out in a minute.” He wanted to give Storm time to get dressed if she wanted to come out and see who was here. Robin didn’t need to walk in and see the tousled sheets and clothes on the floor.
“How did she end up hiring you?” Robin took a seat in the chair by the slider. “She doesn’t know a soul in Hawaii and now she has a bodyguard.”
“I was available. I’d like to ask you something.” He dodged her questions because she didn’t need any extra information about him and Storm. As far as he was concerned, even Robin was a suspect.
“What’s that?”
He moved closer to her, using his height advantage since she sat. “Where were you the night Storm was poisoned?”
She tried to back away in her seat. “What are you getting at?”
“I want to get some information about that night. That’s all.” He also wanted to see her reaction to his intrusive questions.
“I don’t have to answer you.” Her words didn’t hold a lot of conviction. She crossed her arms over her chest, but that gesture was most likely to protect herself.
“No, you don’t. I assume you would want to help your boss. Someone wants her dead.” He paced in front of Robin to unsettle her with his movement. He could sit to keep her calm and get her talking, but he wanted to frazzle her a little so she might say something sooner rather than later.
“I was at the gym, and then I went home.”
“What time was that?” He would have to check with Storm to see what time she believed Robin had left work that day.
“I think I finished up at the gym around six. I wish I had stayed late at the office that night. I would’ve ordered takeout for her like I always do when we stay into the night. The only time she orders from the dining hall is when I’ve left for the day.”
“You didn’t intend for this to happen.” At least he wanted her to believe that was what he thought. He had no idea if she intended for this to happen. He could be talking to the killer for all he knew.
“Of course not. Storm and I are more than just colleagues. We’re friends.” She pushed out of the chair.
“A friend that you report to.”
“She isn’t that kind of a boss. She’s just like everyone else. No pretenses with her. I liked her from the first moment I met her. Are you sure she’s coming out?”
“Who do you think would want to hurt her?” He ignored her question. Robin might not stick around much longer. She wiped her hands on her legs or brushed her hair out of her face on repeat. Her nerves were getting the better of her with all that soothing motion she was doing.
Robin looked over her shoulder at the closed door, then back at him. “Honestly,” she lowered her voice. “There are a few people. Don’t let Randal fool you with his nice guy routine. He’s hated Storm since I’ve known her and that’s been about five years now. He would like nothing more than to see her lose her job as president.”
“Enough to kill her for it?”
“I don’t know. People are capable of anything. He’s weird too. You’ve spoken to him now. You must see it.”
He hadn’t noticed anything off-kilter, but he’d be sure to pay close attention when they spoke.
“Weird doesn’t equal murderer. Anyone else at the school have it in for her?”
“There’s Dennis. He’s one of the VPs. I heard him telling someone, I didn’t see who, in the hallway the other day that he wished Storm was dead. She was a giant pain in his backside, he had told this person. Have you spoken to Dennis?”
“No.” And he wasn’t sure Dennis would be the one. Dennis wasn’t here in Hawaii. In fact, only the three people who had come could possibly be the one to have tried to kill Storm.
“If you’re going around asking questions on her behalf, then you should make sure to talk to Dennis. Now, I have a question for you.”
“Okay.” He would wait to see what it was before he decided if he would answer.
“Why aren’t the police involved? Why are you asking the questions?”
“The police are involved,” he lied. He needed to see her reaction. And she gave him exactly what he had hoped for.