Chapter 18
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LUCIANA JOLTED IN HER sleep and clutched onto the blankets, her heart racing. She wasn’t surprised that she’d awoken, but a brief flash of panic set in as she took in the dark bedroom and closed door. Had they moved her? This felt different.
Reality soon slammed into her. She was on a comfortable bed, warm and safe, dressed in pajamas she’d chosen. Her hair smelled of pine and the sea—the same scent she’d first noted on Harrison. She had a full belly, having actually eaten and enjoyed a meal.
Pressing one hand to her chest, she waited for her breathing to slow, then sat up.
The sheets were softer than a cloud. Bamboo maybe.
She was surprised a man like Harrison would have such nice linens.
Didn’t Navy SEALs sleep on the ground in sleeping bags?
Not that he’d do so in his own home, but she had a feeling he’d spent plenty of nights roughing it.
Having little luxuries in his home seemed unexpected.
Luciana had slept in tents before on assignment with Doctors Without Borders.
She’d used makeshift showers and traveled with little more than a backpack.
The room she’d shared with Avery near the Darien Gap had practically been a luxury.
And the storage closet where she’d been knocked out? That had been seconds of pure terror.
Her eyes landed on the closed bedroom door.
Of course, she’d closed and locked it. She was temporarily living with a man who was essentially a stranger.
Despite her connection to him through Avery, she wasn’t a fool.
Harrison might be a perfect gentleman, but she wasn’t about to tempt fate. Not after what she’d been through.
Swinging her legs to the side of the bed, she stood.
The hardwood felt cool beneath her bare feet, but it was smooth and polished.
Another reminder that she wasn’t still in that horrific home in Panama.
The cool air washed over her, feeling heavenly against her flushed skin.
She was both hot and cold at the same time, no doubt from her near panic attack after yet another nightmare.
While she longed to open the window to feel the breeze and breathe in the fresh Hawaiian air, she also hadn’t dared.
Just because Harrison had told her she was safe didn’t mean it was true.
Luciana padded across the guest room, deciding to go sit in the living room.
It was nice to do so simply because she could.
She turned the doorknob, hoping she wouldn’t wake Harrison.
He was planning to be up early for his run and then would head into base.
Avery would be coming with breakfast, and then Luciana would attempt to sort things out and begin to get her life back in order.
The home was quiet as she moved down the dark hall, Harrison’s own bedroom door closed behind her.
She hadn’t even peeked in there when he’d given her a quick tour, despite her curiosity.
Did he have a big, king-sized bed? Art on the walls?
Or was his bedroom minimalist like the rest of his home?
Cursing at not having a phone or watch to check the time, she spotted the digital numbers on the cable box beneath his flat screen TV. Three-twenty-two in the morning.
When she woke up in Panama, she had no idea if there were hours or minutes until dawn. It was simply endless night, where sleep brought little relief to her turmoil.
Letting out a small sigh, she moved to the couch.
Harrison had closed the curtains on the huge window she’d admired earlier.
Not that she wanted to be staring outside right now.
Was it only one night ago that Harrison and his team had rescued her under the cover of darkness?
It felt like both minutes and an entire lifetime ago.
Was anyone outside the home now?
She sank down on the sofa, feeling a little silly. She had no reason to worry. No one in the cartel knew she was here in Honolulu. She also had no reason to sit in the living room instead of the guest room, but now that she was awake, she knew she’d never fall back asleep.
Her head snapped to the hallway as Harrison’s door opened, and then he was walking down the hall. She could sense him before she could see him in the dark. Perhaps she should’ve turned on a light, the living room only lit now from the glow of the digital clock on the cable box.
“Luciana, are you all right?”
His deep voice rolled over her, husky with sleep, and she had a weird feeling of déjà vu, like they’d done this before.
They clearly hadn’t, but in that exact moment, she could see herself having a lifetime of moments like this with him.
It made absolutely zero sense. There was no logic to this thought, just a strong sense of belonging here.
Luciana was comfortable with him. Safe. While a man like Harrison could easily overpower her, she knew he never would.
Not all men were evil psychopaths, intent on kidnapping and abusing women. Some men were good like him. Brave. Fearless. Honorable. He’d rescued her at great risk to himself, and she knew she’d never be able to repay him for that.
“I’m fine,” she said, watching his dark form move into the room. He was big and broad, his appearance suddenly sucking up all the air in the space. Luciana’s heartbeat sped up, but it wasn’t because she was afraid. “I’m sorry if I woke you. I couldn’t sleep.”
“I’m a light sleeper,” Harrison said, the low rumble of his voice stirring something deep inside her. “I heard you come out of the guest room and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“Si. I couldn’t sleep. The long nap on the flight over probably messed with my sleep schedule—not that I had restful nights over the past month.”
He cursed quietly and moved toward one of the end tables. “I’m turning on a lamp.”
Warm light suddenly bathed the room, and her heart caught as she stared at him.
Harrison was only in boxers and a tee shirt, somehow looking deliciously sexy despite the fact that it was the middle of the night.
She was shocked at her line of thought but couldn’t deny it.
He was an attractive man. His muscled form was on display, nothing but masculine flesh and impressive strength.
The tattoo peeked out beneath his shirt sleeve, and she had the weirdest desire to go examine it up close.
His forearm was still bandaged, which she’d changed for him earlier.
He was healthy and virile. Solid. Real. Her eyes ran up his broad chest, and she took in the stubble coating his jaw.
The corners of his eyes crinkled as he looked at her, seemingly to determine if she was truly okay.
She glanced down at her pajamas, suddenly flushing.
She didn’t have a robe or anything to put on over them.
In the rush yesterday, Avery and Ryan had gotten only the basics to tide her over.
“I’ll grab you a sweatshirt,” Harrison said, seeming to understand her discomfort.
He was back a moment later, handing it to her but still maintaining a respectable distance.
Luciana pulled the gray sweatshirt on, and she realized it smelled faintly of laundry detergent but also of Harrison, the pine scent she was growing to love wrapping around her like a hug. He froze for a beat, blinking at the sight of her in his clothes, then grabbed a seat across the room.
Keeping his distance, she noted. It was another thing she liked about him.
Harrison was doing all he could to make sure she was comfortable, and Luciana appreciated it more than he’d ever know.
She crossed her legs, feeling his gaze briefly land on her bare skin.
The pajama shorts and top weren’t any more revealing than the clothes she’d worn earlier, but it still felt intimate sitting here in his living room together in the middle of the night.
Besides, when was the last time she’d worn a man’s clothes?
She hadn’t dated in years and years, and Harrison wasn’t her boyfriend or lover.
She didn’t mind wearing it though. Not in the least.
Harrison clasped his hands together and leaned forward in the chair, eyeing her.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t sleep. I used to lie awake after ops some nights.
I’d be running over everything in my mind, recalling all the details, picking apart what I could’ve done differently.
Sometimes it’s tough to turn your brain off. ”
“It is,” she agreed. “I did better with it before my kidnapping. Working in the field was tiring. Avery and I both slept well after long days treating patients. The work could be grueling but was also rewarding. And I never feared for my safety given the building was secure. Now I don’t have a job like that to occupy my time or tire me out. ”
“I can put you to work on base if that would help,” he joked, and Luciana smiled, feeling her cheeks heat.
“Si, I’m sure they’d love to have an unlicensed nurse working on a U.S. Naval base.”
“We wouldn’t have to tell them,” he said with a low chuckle. “I’m already in a bit of trouble with the admiral.”
“Oh?”
Harrison nodded, a wry expression crossing his face. “Let’s just say I don’t typically deploy on ops with my men.”
She blinked in surprise. Avery had mentioned as much, but she was still having trouble wrapping her mind around it. “Why did you deploy this time? What made you come to Panama City with your men?”
“I couldn’t leave you there.”