Breaking Protocol (Firehouse Fourteen Book 3) (13 page)

Dave offered her a smile then tugged on her hand, pulling until she got up from her chair and sat across his lap. She tucked her head on his shoulder and he dropped a kiss on her head. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, holding her just a little too tightly.

"And here you are. Do you regret it?"

"No. No, of course not. And I don't resent him either." Her voice was relaxed now, more like her normal self now that she was no longer reliving the past. Now that the memories were simply that: memories. "It wasn't easy, not at first. And I had to go through all sorts of hurdles to get my job back. But it all worked out."

"Then I'm glad your dad fought for you. You know that's what he was doing, right?"

"Yeah, I know." She tilted her face up, her gaze catching his, holding it. She reached out and traced his lips with her fingers, and he could feel the slight trembling in their gentle touch. He lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers, the kiss sweet, gentle, reassuring. Lingering.

He ran his hand down her side, past her hips and along her leg, further to the soft skin beneath the hem of her shorts. Lower, to the ropy scars that covered her calf. His touch was gentle, reassuring, as he lifted his mouth from hers.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad he fought for you, too. Not because of your leg, but because I may not have met you otherwise." His whisper was as quiet as the night, meant for her ears only before drifting away into the torch-lit shadows surrounding them. CC's answering smile was bright, lighting her eyes with a glow.

"Mom and Dad are going to think you're something pretty special."

"Yeah? Why is that?"

"Because even though I accepted it, I've never been very big on others seeing it, including them. My leg, I mean. Except for when I was in physical therapy, I think this is the first time they've seen me in anything but long pants."

Dave pulled back, surprised at her words. He hadn't expected to hear her hesitant admission and didn't know what to make of it. "Really? I would have never thought that of you. Why not?"

"You get enough stares and questions, you tend to get a little self-conscious. I told you, it freaks most people out."

"Well, most people are assholes."

"And that right there is why they're going to think you're something special."

He looked down at her, his eyes searching hers, not knowing what he was looking for. Not knowing what he was seeing. And he wanted to ask if she thought the same, realized he wanted to know the answer to that question. But then she leaned up and kissed him, and the only thing he could think of was how good she felt in his arms, and how much he wanted her.

The bite of tangy salt air. The sweet smell of coconut-laced lotion. A heavy breeze that whipped the waves with white foam.

Up. Down. Up. Up. Down.

Dave grabbed the railing and closed his eyes as the large boat cut through the waves, putting the coast further behind them. Closing his eyes didn't help. In fact, it made the rolling in his stomach worse as the bourbon and cigar from last night mixed into an unwelcome sour concoction with each rise and dip.

A hand closed over his arm, dry against the clamminess of his skin. He cracked one eye open and glanced down at the hand, but couldn't make the effort to look over at its owner.

Not that it made any difference. He knew it was CC, coming to check on him.

"You okay, Big Guy? You're looking a little green."

Dave swallowed and managed a nod. He may have even mumbled something but he couldn't be sure. His entire focus was on keeping the contents of his stomach in place.

"Why didn't you tell me you get seasick? I could have made some excuse not to go."

"I didn't think I did." He accepted the bottle of water she held out to him, torn between drinking it or pouring it over his head. He opted for drinking it and took a cautious sip.

"Here, try this." He looked down at her hand to see what looked like two pieces of wrapped candy. "They're ginger chews. They might help."

Dave unwrapped them and quickly popped them in his mouth, the sharp taste of ginger exploding on his tongue. He took another sip of water then looked over at the three men standing in the wheel house of the boat.

Ed. Bubby. Tippy.

Hell of a way to make an impression on her family.

He turned back to the railing and closed his eyes, swallowing. Hard. Yeah, the only way he could make an even better impression would be to hang his head over the side and empty the contents of his stomach into the rolling waves around them.

His hands tightened on the railing, turning his knuckles white, and he clenched his jaw. He was not going to toss his cookies. He just wasn't.

"It'll get better once we get out there."

Dave nodded but didn't say anything. As bad as he felt, he could still hear the slight doubt in CC's quiet voice, and he wondered if she was trying to convince him—or herself.

This fishing trip had been her mother's idea. A chance for the boys to bond, as she had put it. And CC had joined them, no questions asked. Almost like she was afraid to leave the four of them alone.

Her father, the former Marine.

Bubby, the FBI agent.

Tippy, the Charleston PD cop.

And him. The seasick, green-gilled paramedic.

When Joyce had first mentioned it, he thought they were taking the small boat he had noticed docked at the pier. That the four of them would go out and play in the calm waters. Toss their lines in the water and just kick back and relax for a leisurely day. It wasn't until this morning, before the crack of dawn, that he learned otherwise.

And he had no idea why he thought this was going to be a fun excursion when they left the house over two hours ago. Her brothers had shown up bright and early, just in time for breakfast and introductions. Then they had loaded up in two trucks, stopped at a store to buy snacks and drinks and sunscreen, and headed toward a marina in Pawley's Island.

Somehow Dave had ended up in the truck with her two brothers, both of whom were miniature versions of her father. Only not so miniature because they were closer to Dave's height and build.

They had been casual in their questions, even joking and laughing during the interrogation. And Dave didn't think for one minute that it was anything less than just that.

How did you meet? At work.

How long have you been seeing each other? A couple of months. And yeah, he knew that was a stretch, but figured it was technically true, sort of, since they had met each other the beginning of September and it was now October.

How serious are you? He had deflected that one, telling them they needed to talk to CC if they wanted an answer.

They had been like three alpha dogs, scratching, sniffing, clawing for top spot, and Dave still wasn't sure who had won. The irony wasn't lost on him and he knew he owed Angie yet another apology.

Now if only he could get his stomach to settle down.

"I think you made an impression on them."

Dave grunted, then looked over his shoulder again. "Yeah. It'll be an even better one if I hurl."

CC laughed and ducked under his arm until he released his death grip on the railing. He draped his arm over her shoulder, taking some comfort in having her close.

"Don't worry, they like you. So how'd the interrogation go?"

He grunted again. "Remind me to apologize to Angie when we get home."

CC laughed, the sound floating in the wind around them before being carried away. "Sucks being on the other end of all that brotherly protection, huh?"

He didn't answer because he didn't need to. CC had summed it up perfectly in her usual eloquent way.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath of salty air and sunscreen. Was it his imagination, or had his stomach settled just a bit already? At this point, he didn't care. As long as his body stopped threatening to turn traitor on him, he'd take it.

Thirty minutes and an additional two ginger chews later, he was almost back to normal. It helped that they were stopped now, the waves no longer quite as intimidating. The conversation was light-hearted and casual as they assembled rods, reels and lines, the slightly rotten smell of herring and squid filling the air. Dave briefly closed his eyes against the slight churning in his stomach, then opened them again at the chuckle coming from behind.

"Keep it down, Big Guy. I don't feel like losing my bet."

Dave turned to see Rob grinning at him with a crooked smile that almost looked out of place on the rugged planes of his face.

"Bet?"

"Yeah. I got twenty riding against you hurling. Tim still thinks he has a chance to win. Don't spoil it for me."

"Great. I'll do my best, trust me." Dave ignored the chuckle and looked down at the rod in his hand, not quite sure what to do with it. He had been fishing before, but never deep sea fishing, and he was waiting to see what everyone else did before he made an even bigger ass of himself.

He looked around, searching for CC, and saw her standing near the stern, slathering more sunscreen on her legs and arms. She must have sensed him watching her because she glanced over her shoulder and smiled, a slow seductive smile that dried his mouth. She grabbed the hem of her tank shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing a bright green bikini top that matched the colorful board shorts she was wearing. The top wasn't revealing, was actually modest, but it still allowed him a glimpse of her full breasts and generous cleavage. She winked at him then stepped onto the transom and dove into the water.

"Dammit CC!" Rob and Tim shouted in unison while her father mumbled under his breath. Dave looked at all three, wondering at their sudden scramble as they moved to the stern, watching.

"That damn girl is going to kill herself one of these days."

"I swear to God, she has a death wish."

Dave moved closer, sudden unexplained worry clenching his gut as he searched the water, waiting for CC to surface. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that my sister thinks she has to keep proving herself, and it's going to kill her one of these days." Rob spoke between clenched teeth, his gaze intent as he scanned the water.

"But she's a strong swimmer, she does it all the time."

"Yeah, but cold water cramps her calf. I don't give a shit how strong a swimmer she is, she gets a leg cramp and it won't be good."

"And the water isn't exactly warm."

Dave gulped down the sudden concern seizing him as he kept watching, waiting for CC to surface. Tense silence gripped the four of them, but none of the other three men seemed ready to jump overboard in a rescue attempt.

So maybe Dave was just overreacting.

CC's head broke the surface more than ten yards away. She whipped the hair from her face then waved at them with a broad smile.

"Carolann Marie Covey, you get back to this boat right now." Ed bellowed the command in a voice not be argued with, his finger pointed in her direction in parental demand.

"I just wanted to cool off."

"No, you wanted to show off. Now get back here, you're scaring the fish." Tim shook his head then turned away from the stern, moving to get his rod from where it leaned against the side. Rob and Ed watched her for a few seconds before they, too, moved away. Rob paused next to him, a frown on his face.

"Keep an eye on her, make sure she actually listens for once."

Dave merely nodded then looked back over the water, watching CC as she bobbed in the waves, her strong strokes pulling her through the water toward them. He opened the transom door and stepped out onto the platform, kicking the swim ladder down. Cold water splashed over his feet, chilling him. He ignored the sensation, waiting, watching, as she swam closer.

She stopped about ten feet away, smiling up at him as she tread water in the waves. "Hey Big Guy. Care to join me?"

"No, I'll pass. It's a little too cold for me. C'mon, get back up here."

"Don't be a chicken. Remember how much fun we had the last time we went swimming?"

Instant heat erupted inside him, going to straight to his groin. Remember? How could he forget? He still relived that night—and every night they had been together since—in his mind. He felt his face turn red and he glanced behind him, wondering if her father or brothers had heard her, wondering if they would be able to see the guilt written all over his face.

But they didn't seem to be paying attention, more focused on the fishing gear surrounding them. He turned back to CC, noticed that she was laughing as she looked up at him.

"Are you blushing?"

"No idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah, you do. Your face is all red."

"That's sunburn."

CC's grin clearly told him that she knew better but she didn't say anything. She kicked her legs behind her, her strong arms pulling her closer to the boat as the waves fought to keep her back. She closed the distance by several feet then stopped, a grimace suddenly contorting her face. Dave watched as she took a deep breath and let it out, her hands disappearing under the surface. He straightened, nerves taut, on edge.

"CC?"

"I'm good." She took another deep breath before her head disappeared below the surface for a frightening second. She came back up, her right arm flailing against a wave as she was pulled a little further from the boat.

Another grimace twisted the delicate features of her face. She looked at him, tried to smile as another wave tugged at her.

"Shit." Dave pushed off the swim platform, his body slicing through the cold water, salt stinging his eyes as he kicked his way under the waves. He surfaced just in front of CC and reached out, grabbing her.

"I'm fine, it's just a cramp."

He didn't say anything, just held on to her and swam toward to the boat, his free arm pulling with strong strokes, his powerful legs kicking behind them. Three concerned faces looked down at them, hands outstretched to help them back in. They were almost to the boat, Dave ready to push CC in front of him so Rob could help her out, when her hands tightened around his arm, her nails digging into his flesh.

Dave looked down, his pulse rate off the charts, afraid that something else was wrong, something more than just a cramp.

As if that wasn't bad enough.

But CC's eyes were clear of fear and anxiety, filled with something different. Determination. Stubbornness. Pride.

"Don't tell them what happened." Her whispered plea barely reached his ears, nearly lost in the cold water lapping around them. Then she pushed away from him, breaking his hold on her, and swam the last few feet with awkward strokes.

Dave watched as two sets of hands reached for her, pulling her up as she tried to brush them off and climb the ladder on her own. He could tell she wasn't putting any weight on her left leg, could tell that it was still cramping.

Did she honestly think nobody else would notice?

He clenched his jaw, his concern morphing into misplaced anger, and climbed up after her. She was standing at the stern, a strained smile on her face, doing her best to convince everyone that she was fine, that Dave had overreacted, that there had been no need for him to jump in after her.

CC was so convincing that even he almost fell for it and he started to wonder if maybe he really had overreacted. Then his gaze locked on hers for a brief second and he realized it was all a sham, a show put on for the benefit of her father and brothers.

He turned away and reached for a towel, drying himself off. Trying to brush away the irrational anger that gripped him, trying to figure out where the anger was coming from.

And trying his damnedest not to admit that she had scared the living hell out of him.