Chapter 7
I’ll let you know when I find something.
Cassie waited and waited for the follow up, but Claudia was apparently done texting for now. It was almost eleven local time which made it… Cassie sighed. She had no idea what time it was in Chicago, headquarters of the Guardian Agency. The math was just beyond her right now. It might not even matter. Claudia worked remotely and probably lived somewhere else.
Cassie was so tired.
And weary of the growing list of unanswered questions.
The sweet, clear island breezes were gone, tempered by the ash cloud that seemed to get worse every time she stepped outside. Maybe it wouldn’t be that hard to follow Swann’s order to lay low after all.
Pocketing her phone, she shifted to study Lane. “You have quick moves,” she observed.
“Thanks for noticing.” He tossed her that carefree smile and suddenly the poor air quality and weariness faded out of her mind.
The man was hot. Along with all the other attributes she shouldn’t be noticing, she appreciated his protective streak, even if she didn’t really need his direct and persistent intervention. “Do you always care this much?”
“No.” Another grin while he waited for the traffic light to change. “As I said, you’re special.”
“Hmm.” The light turned green and he pulled forward. Did she dare trust those words? “Where are we going?”
“A bar my buddies and I stumbled on. Quirky and local, hence the name. Good beer. Excellent nachos. Pool and darts, if you’re in the mood.”
“You’re serious.” They were just going out to a neighborhood bar? That felt weird and significant and couldn’t possibly be either of those things. She was overtired and overthinking.
“You don’t like quirky?”
She saw him check his mirrors as he slowed for the next turn. Resisting the urge to swivel around and look behind them, she said. “Quirky has its place.”
“What about pool?”
She shook her head. “Pool is fun. Maybe not tonight.” She wasn’t sure she had the energy for anything more than drinking a beer right now.
“Agreeing to a second date, already. Nice,” he teased. “Relax. I won’t hold you to that. I figured some time to unwind would help before we call it a night.” Again, his eyes cycled through the mirrors.
She eyed the road ahead. They’d left the brighter lights and busier streets near the resort behind. “Are we being followed?”
“Yes.” His fingers stretched and curled around the steering wheel. “Not much room to hide out here.”
If the driver following them tried anything, Lane would be forced into the trees that grew right up to the road. “The bar is close?”
He lifted his chin. “Right around that corner.”
She eyed the bend in the road with more than a little dread. There didn’t seem to be anything but air on the other side. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
Everything about him appeared relaxed. Shoulders, hands, legs. Everything but his jaw, she noticed with a smidge of relief. That’s where he hid his tension, behind a short beard and that disarming smile. Good to know.
“Any chance they’re just headed to the same bar?”
“Anything is possible.” He navigated the turn, taking a deep breath once they were through it without incident.
She was grateful for the dark, suspecting a steep drop off was on the other side of that curve. At least she wouldn’t learn the hard way tonight.
As stated, the bar came into view and Lane pulled into the parking area. The car tailing them drove on by. She tried and failed to get anything more than the make and model. “No idea on the plates,” she said.
“No worries.” He squeezed into a space as close to the front door as he could manage. “They won’t bother us here. Assuming they were actually tailing us.”
Her gut said they were, but it seemed counterproductive to dwell on it. He’d brought her here to relax. She eyed the bar as they walked inside. Wood gleamed, burnished gold in the low light. Colorful island decor ranging from Tiki masks to surf boards were mounted on the walls. Music pumped from a jukebox tucked back by the bar. Even at this hour, all the barstools were filled as were most of the tables both inside and out under the covered patio. “How did you find this place?”
He laced his fingers through hers. “My friend, Raider, has a knack for finding things. Including places like this one.”
She could see there was more to the story, but he was leading her to a table where the friends who’d helped Drake were seated.
“Make room.” Land tipped his head, suggesting Waylen move over to the bench with Kian.
Kian laughed while Waylen grudgingly obliged.
Lane urged her into the vacated seat. “Any beer allergies?”
She laughed. “Any and all IPAs will land in your lap.”
“Noted.” With a wink, he strode away to the bar.
For a moment, she was at a loss, facing Lane’s friends. “Thanks for your help with Drake,” she said at last. “I hope I’m not intruding here.”
Kian’s gaze narrowed as he studied her. “Waylen? Am I drunk or hallucinating?”
Waylen smirked. “Neither.” He elbowed his friend. “Be polite.”
“I’m always polite.”
“I take it you guys don’t usually bring strangers to your favorite place to unwind?” she queried.
Kian continued to stare as if she’d turned into a unicorn. “No.” He exchanged a look with Waylen. “Not the norm.”
She wasn’t sure if he was referring to her, Lane, or the situation as a whole. It didn’t matter.
“We found this spot a few days ago,” Waylen explained.
“When we got tired of paying resort prices for a pint,” Kian added. He leaned forward. “So you’re Lane’s new assignment? He sent a text.”
“Seems so,” she said. “My vote against gaining a bodyguard didn’t count.”
“Or maybe the risks are more serious than you think,” Waylen said.
Drake’s fear of Greenlee came to mind. “Maybe.” She caught sight of Lane returning. “Either way, I’m sorry if my trouble wrecked your vacation.”
Waylen shook his head. “We’re blaming that on the volcano. That’s what the locals are doing.”
Lane set down the beers and slid in beside her until his leg was pressed against hers. “It’s a lager from a local craft brewery.”
“Perfect. Thanks.”
As the conversation progressed from the immediate crisis of the erupting volcano, she learned Lane had retired with four other SEALs and the five of them had been traveling for several months. It sounded as if they all enjoyed being tourists. Even—or especially—while hanging out in a local bar. When they shared a couple of anecdotes about their cruise ship experience, she regretted that she hadn’t made time for a real vacation in years.
“I’ve never been on a cruise like that,” she admitted. “When I finished my ROTC commitment, I went straight into private security.”
“That’s a shame,” Kian said. “Between job moves is the best time to blow off steam.”
She grinned. He made a good point. “My schedule hasn’t meshed with the friends I’d want to go with.” Something about taking a cruise by herself seemed sad and pitiful.
“So go alone,” Kian suggested. “Make friends on the cruise.”
Beside her Lane tensed up. It was there and gone so fast she wasn’t sure she’d really felt it at all. “I’ll think about it,” she said. Friends didn’t have to be forever people, although she did envy the tight connection these men shared. Of course, they didn’t get this close by hanging out in bars. They’d worked together on challenging operations and trained hard when they weren’t putting their lives on the line all across the globe.
“You could always take a new friend,” Lane said softly.
The back of his hand slid along the side of her thigh. She thought he was reaching for something in the side pocket of his shorts, except his hand stayed there. The casual contact felt good, the heat of his hand radiating through the thin fabric of her pants.
“Are you volunteering?”
“Depends on the destination.” His lightning-quick grin reminded her of their brief encounters on the beach. Because they had an audience? Whatever the reason, it stirred up doubts in her head.
This wasn’t a date. They weren’t here to decide if they were compatible enough for date two. They barely knew each other and she didn’t see much need for that to change. So why did she want to kiss him so badly? Right this instant. The adrenaline of the search had waned. She wasn’t tipsy at all. It seemed as if she was getting a second wind. She didn’t think that was good news.
“We should get going,” Kian’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Need to rest up before Hawk calls us back into the action.”
“What action?” Waylen grumbled as he slid out of the booth. “All we’ve been doing is standing around waiting for someone to need a hand.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Oh.” He glanced around before handing over the twenty-two she’d given Drake. “You’ll want this back.”
“Thanks.” Cassie tucked the gun out of sight and then nudged Lane out of the way so she could stand up. “And thanks again for helping with Drake.” She gave him a quick, hard hug.
“I was there too,” Kian said. “With all my medical expertise.”
“And I’m so grateful.” She hugged the medic. “You saved his life.”
When his friends walked out, Lane frowned at her. “You’re grateful, even though your partner might be working against you?”
“If he is, I’ll gladly take him down.” She sat down again, tucking the gun into her purse before reaching for her beer. “If he’s fooled me all this time, I’ll make it right.”
“Sorry.” Lane sat down next to her, rather than take an open seat on the far side of the table. He angled himself, as if shielding her from view. “I brought you here to relax, not to get you amped up again.”
“I’m relaxed.” She drained the last of her beer. “And I’ve had the prescribed one beer.”
“You’re allowed to have another one.” His smile was warm. “I’ll be your designated driver.”
She didn’t need more to drink. She needed to figure out which Lane was the real deal. “No, thanks. It is late and—” She yawned. “See? Sleep should be next on my agenda.”
“Fine by me.”
They walked out to the Wrangler and the events of the day caught up to her. She ached from head to toe, feeling as if she’d been flattened by a steamroller. When Lane opened the passenger door for her, she hopped in and buckled up. Noticing a piece of paper wedged into the driver’s seat, she pulled it out and smoothed the creases.
“Damn.” Laugh or cry? She had no idea how to react to another print out of that stupid picture from the beach with the red circle and slash over her face.
“Cassie?” Lane climbed into the car. “Talk to me.”
She fought the urge to look around for whoever might be watching for a reaction. “First, promise you won’t do or say anything.”
“No.” That stern tone sent a shiver over her skin. “What’s in your hand?”
“Just some trash,” she said, a little louder than necessary. “Let’s go.”
He obliged, starting the engine. “Show me.”
She shook her head. “No need. It’s the same photo they planted on Drake. You think it’s related to whoever tailed us here?”
“Seems likely,” Lane replied. “No shame in having lots of enemies, though.”
“Gee, thanks.” She used her phone to send a text documenting the incident. “Just be careful.”
“Always. Alert and careful, that’s me.”
As he drove, the wind caught in her hair, teasing strands of it loose from her braid. Alert and careful was not how she’d describe the man who’d approached her on the beach. No, that guy had been carefree, in full vacation mode, hunting up someone to be a new friend, to use Kian’s phrase. A far cry from the man who’d come to her aid tonight.
She marveled at that. He’d shown up for a stranger and he’d made a difference. Multiple times. With no hesitation, he’d just done the right thing at the right time.
There were layers to Lane Benning. Strangely enough she liked each one more than the last. “Are we being followed?”
“No. I’m not surprised,” he added. “They know where you’re most likely to go.”
Resort or hospital. “True. Should we be unpredictable?”
“Let’s save that for tomorrow,” he said. “It’s late and not the best day to try and find other accommodations.”
It occurred to her that the wind must’ve changed. The ash and sulfur odors weren’t nearly as potent now. “Have you visited the Volcanoes National Park?”
He shook his head. “It was on my list. I’m sure they’ve closed the park until the eruption dies down. What about you?”
“I was out there with the family a couple days ago. Drake too,” she remembered. “It’s…” She struggled to find the right words. “It’s awe-inspiring. A completely foreign landscape.” She laughed at herself. “That probably sounds like something out of the brochure.”
“Nah. You sound sincere. Like a tourist who enjoyed the experience.”
Encouraged, she continued. “The hike was incredible and the views were amazing. I could’ve stayed up there for days taking pictures of everything from the ocean and sky to the black rocks under our feet. I wasn’t alone, obviously, but I felt alone. If that makes any sense.”
“Does to me.”
“I confess, it freaks me out that we were right there, about forty-eight hours before an eruption.” She hadn’t let herself think about that. Natural disasters were outside her scope as a protector, of course. Didn’t make it any less unsettling when she thought of how close they’d come to danger and tragedy.
“You keep asking me who gains if I’m out of the way.”
“And?” he prompted.
“No idea. I’m more like a cog in a wheel. I know I do good work, but I’m hardly irreplaceable.”
“Matter of opinion.”
She ignored the comment. He had to be teasing her. “I do know countless people and businesses would suffer if Judith Knowles disappeared.”
“How so?”
“Billions in government contracts would be left in limbo. She has competent staff and I’m sure everything is documented and organized correctly, but it would be a big mess for a while.”
Lane didn’t respond and she figured he was considering how that might explain or fit into the mystery she was tangled up in. At the resort, he parked and took her hand as they walked inside. The big question of where she should sleep loomed in her mind. She didn’t want to kick him out of his room, but she didn’t quite trust herself to be alone with him any longer than necessary.
“I’d love to see the pictures you took the other day,” Lane said. “Not tonight, though.” At his room, he tapped the keycard and opened the door, keeping her just behind him.
She didn’t realize she was braced for the worst until her shoulders unwound. Thankfully, everything was just as they’d left it.
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Yeah, me too.” Releasing her, he walked over to the far side of the bed and grabbed a pillow. “I’ll take the floor.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Cassie.”
“No.” She stopped him, suspecting he was ready to argue the wrong point. “I know you want to stick close.”
“I did promise your boss I would.”
“That’s not the problem.” She didn’t know what to do with her hands so she shoved them into her pockets. “You should take the bed. I can sleep in the chair or on the floor.”
He advanced on her. “No can do.”
“Why not? Because I’m female?” He shifted and she knew she was right.
“Chivalry. Manners. Whatever you want to call it,” he said too casually. “You’re taking the bed.”
“That’s not a valid reason.”
His gaze dropped to the pillow in his hands. “You want to share?” He tossed the pillow aside and slowly advanced. “We can be adults about this.”
Adults, yes. That’s what she wanted to be. A consenting adult sharing a bed with Lane. With each step he took, her pulse seemed to lurch into a higher gear. Some small voice warned her that the next few minutes were fraught with life-changing potential. Consequences could wait. Some risks were worth the fallout.
Right now, the heated promise in Lane’s pale blue gaze was too tempting. She licked her lips, anticipating what might come next. What she wanted to happen. A tremor rolled up from her feet, but this time it had nothing to do with the island or its high-achieving volcano. It was as if her body was simmering, ready to boil over at the first touch.
Lane’s first touch, to be precise.
She couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt this pull, this need that refused to be suppressed or denied. “What is it about you?” She hadn’t meant for the words to escape her head. Too late to call them back.
His mouth tilted into a wry smile. “I could say the same.”
He was close enough now that his warmth wrapped around her. She barely resisted the urge to burrow into him. She knew if she did, he’d hold her close for as long as she liked. So tempting. She recalled the way he’d prevented her fall during their search for Josie. The power of his hands and arms, the breadth of his chest.
“I really want to kiss you.” Understatement of the year. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold herself back.
“Then let’s do that.” He bent his head, his hand sliding up under her hair.
His breath feathered over her lips and then—finally—his mouth covered hers. Sensations swamped her, one after the other, leaving her breathless and delighted and longing for more.
For as much as he’d give.
Her hands gripped his shoulders and she pulled herself closer. He drew her in until she was pressed against him, chest to thigh. She sighed over the wonder of him, taking the kiss deeper still. His tongue stroked over hers and a heady shiver skipped down her spine. The world fell away to just this, the two of them and all these delicious sensations. Everything about him seemed to ignite something deep and exciting inside her, leaving her breathless and weak and empowered all at once.
He eased back and she gulped in air, staring up at him. “That was… Um, wow.”
Somehow, she felt cheated and rewarded all at once. Who knew kisses could be like that? No one in her past had stirred up this fire in her blood with a simple kiss. His palms glided up along her ribs, stopping short of her aching breasts, and slowly back down. His fingers flexed at her waist.
“A big wow.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “We should probably hit pause here.”
Was that a question? It took her a beat to agree with him. Pausing couldn’t be the right move when her body was all-in on whatever pleasure he was willing to explore with her.
“You’re right.” She pressed up on her toes and kissed a path along his jaw. He skimmed a hand over her hip as she retreated. “You are also irresistible.”
“Thanks for noticing.”
She laughed, her hands smoothing over his chest.
He stroked her lower lip. “Same goes.”
Was it terrible that she wanted him to touch her forever? She should give him space. He’d been the one to mention pausing and she didn’t want to be clingy or pushy. She looked to the bed and quickly away. “We could share,” she offered.
“Our feelings?”
“Ha.” She wasn’t ready to go there. Sex was one thing, but whenever she shared more than her body, problems cropped up. A therapist had labeled it “abandonment issues”. Oddly enough, naming the problem didn’t automatically fix it. Though Cassie had tried, she still found it challenging to trust personal connections enough to really open up with someone. “I meant the bed.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He ran a hand through his hair and took a step back. “That’s mission impossible for me, Cass. You’re too tempting.”
“Pillows between us?”
He retrieved the pillow he’d grabbed earlier. “I’ve taken down fortresses,” he said. “A pillow is hardly enough of a barrier if the prize is you.”
He saw her as a prize?
“Stop that,” he grumbled.
“What?” She had no idea what he was talking about.
“That. The look on your face,” he circled a finger in the general direction of her face. “Like you don’t know how desirable you are.”
She really didn’t think about it much.
“I’m not rushing this,” he stated. “Not tonight. Take the bed.”
She recognized an order when she heard one. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her cheek as he passed her to pull an extra blanket down from the closet shelf. “And sleep well. I’ve got your back.”
She knew he was right not to rush whatever was happening here. The moment her head touched the pillow, bone-deep exhaustion weighed her down. Despite the lust swirling in her system, she couldn’t fight the weariness. Figuring out what Drake was scared of and who was harassing her would require energy and clear thinking.
Besides, when she and Lane did take the leap and share a bed, she wanted to be doing it for the right reasons. There were already enough regrets to haunt her from this assignment. She didn’t want Lane Benning to be one of them.