Chapter 21
LUKE
I’m becoming more aware each moment I’m awake. As I crack open my eyes, I see a tangled mess of blonde hair on the pillow beside me.
I was dreaming. In my nightmares, it’s always Garrison after me. I feel like I’m losing my mind more every day as the wedding approaches.
It’s today.
My stomach roils. Every part of my body hurts. I feel like I’ve been pulverized by a semi-truck on the highway. I groan out loud, wishing I could die already.
The bedhead curls slowly flip to reveal her pink lips and ocean eyes. She must have been awake already.
Despite the churning in my stomach, the memory of her taking care of me last night brings on a strange sensation of need.
I need her—now.
She blinks at me, her brow pinching in concern. “How do you feel?” she whispers.
I’m guessing I don’t look so hot, if my memory of brawling with Garrison actually happened.
“Never better.” I reach up to touch the cut on my lip, tasting fresh blood as it cracks open with the movement.
She props herself up slightly on an elbow, revealing the strap of a silky red tank top. She’s sexy in anything, but this look might be my favorite so far. I wonder if I can engage in any physical activities in my current state.
“Do you want some ice?”
I shake my head, reaching under the covers for her.
She sucks in a breath as my fingers make contact with her thigh, gripping the space right below her butt.
I pull her toward me, and she doesn’t resist. A thought in the back of my head is telling me to keep her at a distance, but I’m exhausted from fighting my desire.
“Let’s go surfing.”
She squints her eyes, a smirk forming on her lips. “Don’t you think you’d vomit all over yourself out there?”
“No.”
She looks doubtful, so I guess I’ll just have to prove it to her. If I can surf right now, I can do other things.
I reach over and grab my phone off the nightstand. As I roll to a sitting position, I start to regret the decision as the nausea forces me to the bathroom to be sick. I empty the contents of my stomach, but it makes me feel so much better.
As I brush my teeth, I observe the purple skin, complete with a black eye on the side, a split lip, and blood crusted and drying on my knuckles. My ribs are definitely bruised, but I experienced worse in the field. Actually, the last fight I got into with Garrison was worse than this.
This weekend is the first time I’ve seen him since then.
I still don’t think I can go to their wedding today.
Maybe after last night, Fallon won’t want me there.
She knows I detest Garrison—even if she doesn’t know why.
Surely, she’ll forgive me. I’ve wanted to tell her the truth, but it will only put her in danger.
Classified information puts a target on your head in my world.
Guilt pools in my gut at how I ruined her rehearsal dinner by attacking her fiancé. I wonder if this will be the last straw for our relationship.
I tap on my phone screen to see if Kate got any messages last night. My muscles tense as I see photos of me and the SEAL Team, followed by an article about Reid.
Who did they come from?
She’s clearly working with someone, most likely a hacker. The small town’s article about Reid shouldn’t exist anymore. I clench my jaw as the last shred of evidence I needed seems to have fallen into place.
You should take her out now. Can you?
A gentle knock sounds on the bathroom door, and I swing it open to see Kate in an emerald-green bikini with tiny white flowers on it. She has a sheer green skirt tied around it, barely covering any of her skin.
“Are you okay?” She blinks up at me, twisting a piece of her hair.
I nod, observing the slight golden hue to her skin that she must have gotten from being in the sun yesterday.
Her body has perfect proportions, perky breasts dipping into a slim waist. She’s got the classic hourglass frame with just enough fullness to be soft. So much sexier than the thin who usually attempt to talk to me when I’m with Fallon.
She’s acting. Everything about her is designed to entice you.
“You know, I’m not exactly coordinated,” she says, walking into the bathroom and grabbing her toothbrush.
“You’ll be fine. It’s not as hard as it looks.”
“That sounds like something an ex-Navy SEAL would say.”
My body stiffens at the words, but she doesn’t seem to notice. I walk into the bedroom, blood pumping in my ears.
She slipped. She’s not supposed to know that.
The night’s events aren’t clear in my head, but I know I talked to her about things I shouldn’t have. I don’t know exactly what I said, but I’m sure she’s feeling smug about finally starting to crack through my guarded exterior.
Killing her would fix this.
I change into my swim trunks, wincing as I feel another massive bruise on my shoulder.
She walks back out, and I turn on the charm. She’s going to have to work hard to get me to lay down my defenses again. I don’t trust myself to do what’s necessary. After we get back, I’ll call the FBI and turn her in.
Will you?
“Ready, gorgeous?” My suggestive gaze sweeps over her, letting her know I like what I see.
She blushes on cue, crossing her arms as she nods.
We exit the bungalow, walking the short distance down to the resort’s beach. There’s a stand with surfboards, and I select one for me and one for Kate.
I carry them both down to the pure water. Of all the beaches I’ve been to around the world, Tahiti and the French Polynesian islands are possibly the most magnificent. Scuba diving here is unreal.
“Would you rather dive?”
She laughs. “Luke, I’ve never done either. You should choose.”
The memory of her telling me that her mother passed away comes to the forefront of my mind. If Mark Dawson really is her father, his records showed he was a mechanic who eventually owned his own shop but never lived above a modest salary.
I nod, laying the surfboards in the water.
The conflicting emotions inside me make it difficult to know how to feel about her. On one hand, she seems like a sweet, uncomplicated girl I could see myself really getting to know. On the other, she could be a really great actress.
She has confidential information being sent to her. She’s clearly acting. Stop looking for a shred of hope that she’s innocent.
I demonstrate lying on the board to paddle out to sea, holding hers steady as she lies down, belly first.
“Use your hands like a paddle, alternating so you go straight.”
I get on mine, and we take off. She squeals as the first wave crashes over us, but she manages to stay on the board.
“Just let them roll over you. Don’t fight the ocean—you’ll never win.”
She smiles at me, nodding as she continues to paddle. I let her go ahead, my eyes moving over the round shape of her ass on top of the board.
She’s sexy as hell, but she doesn’t act like a stuck-up bitch because of it.
“See that wave? Watch how I let it take me to the sand.”
I get in a crouched position as the enormous wave gets closer.
The instinct of knowing the right moment has always been inside me.
I stand right in time to cruise underneath the C-shaped curve to the shore.
The smile that automatically overcomes my face is impossible to resist. The ocean is more like home to me than anywhere else.
Salt water sprays my skin, and my muscles tense as I close in on the sandy beach.
After I make it back to Kate, she’s sitting up on the board, grinning in the sunshine.
“Yeah . . . I’ll never in my life be able to do that.”
I sit up on the board, brushing my hair back from my face. My body aches, but it’s worth it.
“You can stay on your stomach until you feel comfortable with getting up onto your knees. You’re stronger than you think.”
A smaller wave is coming in, and I show her how to position the board.
“Ready?” I ask.
Her wide, fearful eyes look up at me as she shakes her head.
“You can do this, Cabernet.”
The water rushes at us, and I duck underneath the spray to let her ride it. Once I see her again, she’s nearly at the beach, turning the board around to paddle back to me.
“What did I tell you, baby? You’re a natural!” I scream at her.
She laughs at me, pure joy on her face as she paddles back to me. “Wow. Okay, you’re right. That was amazing.”
“I bet you can get on your knees this time.”
She shakes her head as she laughs. “You have a lot of confidence in an uncoordinated girl attempting to surf for the first time.”
As she gets close, I pull her board right up next to mine.
“Look, you’ve got strong legs and a solid core.” I reach over for her hips, wanting to touch her skin. “Stabilize yourself here and use the muscles in your quads and abs to balance.”
She blinks up at me for a moment before slowly nodding, our lips inches apart.
I squeeze her hips in my hands, leaning farther in.
My fingers trace up her side, slowly finding their way to her chest. I pinch lightly over the peak of her nipple through the top of her bathing suit, and she gasps at the contact.
“You know, even though you’re supposed to be here as my assistant, I like pretending it’s more than that.”
She reaches over to grab my shoulder, taking tiny, fast breaths in.
She’s phenomenal at this role. Whoever hired her should give her an award for her performance.
“Are you going to kiss me then or what?” The waves rock our boards.
I chuckle, grabbing the base of her neck and pulling her closer, millimeters from my lips. “If you insist.”
I dive in, savoring her salty, plump lips and enthusiastic return of the kiss. She bites my lower lip, harder than I expected on the cut I’d earned last night. My hand is still around her hip, and I squeeze her flesh. My tongue is exploring her mouth, but it’s not enough. I need to be closer.
It’s just a kiss. It means nothing.
Her hand trails down to the front of my swim trunks, finding that I’m hard and ready. The touch drives me a little insane, and I jerk her body toward me.
My fingers latch on to her hair as she moans. The sound goes straight down to my dick, arousal thickening the length. Our lips break apart, my forehead pressed to hers as we gasp for air.
I need this woman now.
“Let’s go back to the bungalow,” I pant, fingers still holding on to her.
It’s like she’s the only thing keeping me sane here. If I had to watch my sister marry Garrison without the distraction of Kate’s mouth, I’d lose my mind altogether.