CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Snow woke because he couldn’t feel his left arm.
He frowned without opening his eyes and tried to move it, only to discover something, or more accurately, someone was lying on top of it.
Then he felt warm puffs of breath against his chest.
Snow cracked open his eyes and looked down, blinking once as his sleep-fogged brain realized it was Nova.
For a few seconds, he just stared at the top of her head.
Her curly hair was everywhere, half of it spread across his chest and the other half tickling his chin.
She was curled into his side beneath the tangled sheets, one leg thrown over his, her cheek pressed against his chest, and apparently she’d decided sometime during the night that his arm made an excellent pillow.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Well, shit. It really happened.
Last night hadn’t been some seriously detailed dream his sex-starved brain had cooked up after spending too many nights sharing a room with a woman he couldn’t stop thinking about.
He had slept with Nova. His grin widened thinking about how he had kept his promise and made love to her more than once.
And now his arm was completely fucking numb. But it was totally worth it.
Snow carefully flexed his fingers, checking to make sure they still worked, but he didn’t make any attempt to free himself. He would rather lose the damn arm than wake her right now.
She looked exhausted. Then again, neither of them had gotten much sleep.
A few flashes from the night before slipped into his head, and Snow had to bite back a laugh when the first thing that popped into his mind wasn’t one of the hotter moments. It was her panties.
Her fucking black lace panties dangling from her finger in the hallway while she had demanded to know why he had been carrying them around in his pocket.
Only Nova could have him ready to tear her clothes off one second and laughing his ass off the next.
Of course, his memories quickly moved past the hallway, and the humor gave way to something warmer. He remembered the way she had looked at him when all the teasing had stopped. The way she had said his name.
He liked hearing his name roll off her tongue. Probably more than he should.
Snow looked down at her again.
He had expected last night to be good. There had been too much chemistry between them for it not to be. What he hadn’t expected was how different everything would feel this morning.
There was no awkwardness. No immediate urge to figure out what the hell he had gotten himself into. He wasn’t lying there searching for an excuse to get out of bed before she woke up.
It was quite the opposite. He didn’t want to fucking move.
That realization should probably scare him a little. Instead, he found himself smiling like an idiot at the ceiling.
Yeah, he was in trouble.
Nova made a sleepy sound and burrowed closer, somehow managing to steal another inch of his chest despite already occupying most of it.
“Seriously?” he whispered. “You’re five-foot-nothing. How are you taking up this much space?”
She didn’t answer. All he got were some soft snores.
He smiled and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.
Outside, the brunt of the storm had passed, though some rain lingered. Snow didn’t care.
Yesterday, the storm had been an obstacle. It had kept him from Platform Three when every instinct he possessed was telling him he needed to get over there and figure out what Brett was hiding.
However, last night, he had been grateful for it. Because for a few hours, the storm had shut out the rest of the world.
It had been just him and Nova.
His smile faded as he thought about her family.
He despised her mother and father. But her siblings sounded like good people.
Protective, occasionally annoying from what she had said, but good.
Her sister had clearly been there for her, and her brothers seemed more than willing to step in when needed.
At least she had them. And now she had him.
He shook his head. Jesus. One night and you’re already mentally adding yourself to the family Christmas card.
He nearly laughed at himself. He needed to slow the fuck down.
Whatever happened last night didn’t mean Nova owed him anything this morning.
She had just ended a two-and-a-half-year relationship, and although it had technically been over for a while, she had only recently learned the full extent of the betrayal surrounding it.
Her parents were still attempting to manipulate her life, and somewhere on this rig was a very real threat they hadn’t identified yet.
Complicated didn’t begin to cover it.
If she woke up and told him she needed to slow down, they would slow down.
If she needed some breathing room, he would give it to her.
Would he enjoy either one? Fuck no. But he would do it because last night hadn’t changed the most important thing. He wanted Nova, and not just in his bed.
Snow stared at the ceiling for a moment, letting it sink in.
He felt Nova shift against him, her fingertips absently brushing his stomach before going still again.
His entire train of thought derailed at the feel of her hands on him.
“You’re playing a dangerous game for someone who’s asleep,” he muttered.
Her lips twitched against his chest.
Snow narrowed his eyes.
“You’re awake.”
“Shh…No, I’m not.”
He laughed.
Nova finally lifted her head, and the sight of her almost did him in. Her hair was a disaster; there were faint marks on one cheek, and her eyes were barely open. She was fucking adorable.
“How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough to hear you complain about me taking up too much room.”
He chuckled.
She yawned and settled her chin against his chest. “For the record, you were hogging the bed.”
Snow stared at her. “Sweetheart, you’re practically sleeping on top of me.”
“Exactly. Because you took all the good spots.”
He barked out a laugh. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“It does before coffee.”
“Ah.”
She smiled sleepily at him, and something inside Snow’s chest gave a hard, uncomfortable tug.
There she was. Not the polished attorney. Not the woman trying to convince everyone around her that she had everything under control.
She was just Nova. His Nova…
Whoa!
He was definitely keeping that particular thought to himself. For now at least.
Nova’s eyes moved over his face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re thinking something you aren’t going to tell me.”
Snow smiled and slid his hand around the back of her neck, drawing her closer.
“Maybe I am.”
“That's annoying.”
“You’ll survive.”
Her eyes narrowed, and he kissed her before she could argue. The kiss started soft, neither of them in any hurry as Snow slid his hand into the mess of Nova’s curls and drew her a little closer.
Before things could get out of control, his phone rang.
Snow groaned against her mouth, and Nova laughed and pulled away.
“I’m beginning to hate phones.”
The phone continued ringing from somewhere on the small table beside the bed, and for one seriously tempting second, Snow considered letting it go to voicemail. Whoever it was could wait five damn minutes. Maybe ten. Okay, twenty.
Then reality kicked in. They were still neck-deep in a mission.
With another muttered curse, Snow reached blindly toward the table until his fingers found the phone. Any lingering annoyance disappeared when Bear’s name filled the screen.
Nova noticed immediately, and she pushed herself up onto one elbow.
“Who is it?”
“Bear.”
That was apparently all she needed to hear.
“Okay.” She started untangling herself from him. “I’m going to shower. You talk to him.”
“You don’t have to leave.”
“I know.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “But something tells me you’ll be less distracted if I’m not lying here naked.”
Snow looked at her. Then deliberately let his gaze travel downward beneath the sheet before returning to her face.
“That’s probably the smartest thing you’ve said since we got here.”
Nova smacked his shoulder. “Ass.”
He caught her wrist before she could pull away and tugged her back for one last kiss. It was supposed to be quick. Just a peck before he answered the phone.
Apparently neither of them was very good at quick anymore, as Snow let the kiss linger another few seconds before forcing himself to release her.
“Go.”
“Bossy.”
“And yet you’re still here.”
She rolled her eyes and started to climb out of bed, taking the sheet with her.
“Hey.”
Nova glanced over her shoulder.
Snow looked down at himself, now completely uncovered.
She followed his gaze, and a slow, wicked smile appeared on her face. “Problem?”
“You stole the sheet.”
“I need it.”
“For the six feet between here and the bathroom?”
“Yes.”
“There’s no one else in the room.”
“Your point?”
“My point is I’ve already seen everything you're covering.”
Nova gathered the sheet more securely around herself. “Maybe I like making you work for the repeat viewing.”
Snow stared at her. And he had been worried this morning might be awkward. Apparently not.
She turned toward the bathroom, and Snow watched her walk away wrapped in the sheet she had stolen from him, trying very hard to remember that his friend and teammate was currently waiting on the phone.
At the bathroom door, Nova glanced back and caught him staring.
“Bear,” she reminded him.
“Right.”
Laughing, she disappeared inside and closed the door.
Snow shook his head. He was so fucking screwed.
“This better be important,” Snow answered.
“Good morning to you too, sunshine,” Bear joked.
Snow rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s early.”
“It’s almost eight.”
“Like I said. Early.”
There was a moment of silence, then Bear chuckled.
Snow’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“That wasn’t nothing.”
“I just don’t remember you ever complaining about an eight o’clock call before.”
Shit.
Snow glanced toward the bathroom as the shower started running.
“Did you call to analyze my sleeping habits, or is there a reason you’re interrupting my morning?”
“Oh, did I interrupt something?”
“Bear, either tell me why the fuck you called, or I’m hanging up.”
“All right, all right.” The humor disappeared from his teammate’s voice almost instantly. “We’ve got movement.”
Snow’s feet hit the floor. Just like that, all traces of their banter disappeared.
“What kind?”
“Feds didn’t waste any time. They picked up Matisse early this morning.”
Snow reached for his jeans and pulled them on one-handed while keeping the phone pressed to his ear.
“Seriously?”
“Yup. Got him at a private airstrip in the Turks.”
“Have they gotten him to talk?
“No. But his second-in-command is singing like a fucking canary. Turns out that your buddy Brett has been helping Matisse move shipments through the Gulf using the rig as a cover.”
“Well, that would most likely explain all those entries in Capperson’s notebook.”
“Yeah. And about Capperson. According to Matisse’s guy, Capperson apparently discovered what Brett was doing, and Brett took care of him.”
“Shit.”
“There’s more. Matisse is also financing whatever Brett’s building out there, and acting as a broker for the sale of it.”
Snow stood up. “The device in Nova’s pictures?”
“Exactly. The Feds had specialists look at them. They believe it’s a modified UUV capable of carrying and detonating a payload.”
“Explosives?”
“Explosives and/or chemical agents.”
Snow stopped pacing. “Chemical warfare?”
“Potentially.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“They already have buyers interested too. International and domestic. People willing to pay a shitload of money for something that can move underwater undetected and deliver a payload into ports, shipping lanes, or other maritime targets. And we believe that the device is ready. Also, the Feds found a property deed in Grenada bought through one of the Matisse’s shell companies.
The name on the deed is listed as Anthony Telesford. ”
“Fuck, that’s the name on the passport that Nova found in Brett’s office.”
“Exactly. Brett had definitely been planning his exit strategy.”
Snow dragged a hand over the back of his neck. “What’s happening on your end?”
“Derek’s coordinating with the agencies now. Federal warrants are being served at Gulf Tide this morning, and we’re already heading back toward you. Coast Guard is en route as well. Our ETA is forty-five minutes to an hour. They tried to get the chopper up, but it was grounded because of the wind.”
“So, what does Derek want me to do?”
“Once those warrants start getting served, we have no idea how long it’ll take before somebody warns Brett. You need to find that UUV before he realizes the walls are closing in.”
Snow grabbed the key card that Nova made for him from the desk.
“Okay. And if I find it?”
“You secure it and make damn sure Brett doesn’t get anywhere near it. If that thing is operational, he could try and use it.”
“Alright. Let me get dressed, and then I’ll start hunting. If anything changes, let me know.”
“Will do. And Snow, be safe.”
“Always.”
As soon as Snow disconnected the call, the bathroom door opened.
Snow looked up just as Nova stepped out, her damp hair falling around her shoulders. Her gaze dropped to the key card in his hand before returning to his face.
“I’m guessing our nice morning is officially over.”
Snow let out a slow breath.
“Yeah, sweetheart.” He looked down at the card. “I’m afraid it is. Get dressed quickly, and I’ll explain.”
As Nova hurried to get dressed, Snow slipped the key card into his pocket and felt the weight of the situation settle over him.
He needed to get onto Platform Three and find that device before Brett realized his operation was falling apart, but there was one thing Snow knew with absolute certainty that Nova wasn’t leaving his sight.
He knew she could take care of herself, and God knew she’d proven that more than once, but this had just gone from dangerous to a whole new level of fucked up.
Whatever happened next, they were handling it together.
He would find the damn UUV, keep it out of Brett’s hands, and make sure Nova got off this rig safely.
Everything else could sort itself out later.