Formatted Seal Of Honor edit2 (2 page)

strode across the room and opened the door. Instead of a criminal, Jordyn stood in his doorway

soaking wet and shivering.

“Jesus, Jordyn, are you crazy being out in this storm?” Zack ushered her inside.

“The bus only brought me to the bus stop up on the highway. I walked the rest of the way.” Her

teeth were chattering. “I needed someplace to go, somewhere safe.”

“Jordyn, that’s over a mile. Who’s after you? Wait one second.” Zack pul ed the blanket he kept

over the couch and put it around her, rubbing her shoulders. “Are those bastards in your

neighborhood threatening you?”

“No, no, it’s…” He watched her face crumple and the tears start. “I…I’m cold and wet and tired,

my feet hurt and I haven’t had dinner…”

“Oh, baby, how about you tel me later after we get you comfortable?” he crooned.

She nodded and spoke through her tears. “Okay.”

“There’s a good girl. First, you’re getting a hot shower and then you’re going to sit in my bed

and eat some hot soup and bread,” Zack said.

“Do you have hot chocolate?”

Her voice sounded so smal and hopeful that if she had asked for molten lava, he would have

climbed a volcano just to get it for her.

“You can have anything you want.” Despite her being wet, he pul ed her into a hug and felt the

baby kick. Zack chuckled. “You too, Little Bit. I’l add marshmal ows just for you.”

“Why are you so nice to me? Most guys would have seen this bel y and ran in the opposite

direction.” She sniffed.

“Because you did something to me the first time you handed me my coffee,” he answered

honestly. “Because I don’t care who the father of your child is, only that you’re her mother and that

makes her special. And because when I couldn’t reach you while I was away, I felt like the world

stopped spinning. Does that answer your question?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. Now let’s get you into that shower and into some warm, dry clothes,” he said.

He led her to the master bathroom and showed her where the towels were. Luckily, last summer

he’d revamped the house and made the master bath bigger. Being six-three meant he needed more

room and, yes, a pulsating showerhead for his tired and overly strained muscles. Zack grabbed her

some of his sweats and an army T-shirt she could change into and laid them on the bed before

heading down the hal to the kitchen. He pul ed out two cans of Progresso potato soup and grabbed

a bag of yeast rol s from the freezer. He put a few on a cookie tray and popped them in the oven and

then started on her hot chocolate.

Al the while he was preparing the food, he was thinking about the woman in his shower. What

could scare her so much that she braved bad weather and walking in the pouring rain and cold?

Whatever or whoever it was would have to go through him to get to her. He was quite an obstacle; it

would take God to move him.

Jordyn slid under the covers in Zack’s big bed and sighed. She should feel uncomfortable, but

when the shit hit the fan and they found her, her first instinct was to grab the keys he had given her

and run. She was stil surprised that he trusted her enough to put his home in her hands while he was

gone. Jordyn knew that she would find safety at his place. She didn’t expect him to be home, but

when she saw his car in the driveway, relief made her knees weak. When he answered the door he

didn’t even blink an eye, but brought her inside and comforted her. Zack was a good man. She felt

horrible to bring this kind of drama to his doorstep.

“I hope you and Little Bit are hungry,” Zack said as he came through the door carrying a tray.

The baby moved in her tummy as if responding to his words. Jordyn laughed. “It seems we are,

Zack.”

“I have potato soup, rol s and hot chocolate. Sorry it’s not homemade,” he said apologetical y.

“Everything looks wonderful.” Jordyn smiled up at him. “Only you would apologize for trying to

take care of me.”

“In my opinion, you should be taken care of every single day of your life,” Zack said.

Her heart jumped in her chest, but she kept her face as featureless as possible. “You know

nothing about me and may change your mind when you hear my story.”

“Eat first, then tel me. The little one is hungry, remember?” Zack teased.

Jordyn focused on the food and tried not to look at the man sitting on the other side of the bed.

He grabbed the TV remote off the chest at the foot of the bed and flicked through the channels while

she ate. She studied him as she bit into the soft rol . Zack was a fine specimen of a man. Merciful

heaven, he was tal and his back was so broad that she could just imagine crawling up to him on the

bed and wrapping her arms around him.

Admittedly, the first thing she noticed about him was his eyes. They were glacier ice blue and

seemed to pierce you with one look. His lips curved into a smile so easily, but when she was at his

door and she told him she was in trouble, those same lips firmed into hard lines of anger. He was a

SEAL and that meant he was dangerous to those who crossed him. She wondered how his big

hands would feel on her skin.
Stop
that,
she mental y chided herself.
You’re pregnant with another

man’s kid. No man wants to make love to a woman carrying such a load.
She wasn’t pretty; her

body had changed with the pregnancy. But, Lord, she missed the feeling of being held and being

loved. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed that Zack had turned back to

her.

“Al done?” he asked. The deep, gentle timber in his voice was like a caress and she gave a

little shiver.

“Yes, thank you.” She took the last sip of the hot chocolate and set the mug on the tray.

He took it from her and placed it on the chest at the foot of the bed. “Okay, so now we talk.

Jordyn, what are you running from?”

She sighed and began her story, knowing she would have to tel him at some point anyway. “I’m

original y from New York and that’s how it began. I was working in a marketing firm in Manhattan and

on my way home one day I almost got mugged. I say almost because a man named Sergei stepped

in and stopped the guy and then asked me out on a date, and I accepted. We had this whirlwind

relationship and when I asked him about his family he always managed to change the subject. That

should’ve been my first clue something was wrong.” Jordyn sat back and idly played with the hem of

the comforter.

“When I found out I was pregnant he was thril ed and he asked me to marry him. Ten weeks in

the pregnancy he told me the truth. His mother was the Brighton Beach Dame. She ran a criminal

organization. I was horrified. He wanted out, wanted to run away with me and start a life somewhere

new. He wanted the family we had started and I said yes to running away with him. We chose Hawaii

as our place to start over. The night before we were supposed to leave, he had one more thing to do

for his mother and we’d be flying out the next day. He got kil ed, shot by some rival, and suddenly she

was at my doorstep tel ing me Sergei was gone and that my baby was the only link she had left to

him.”

“That’s fucked up,” Zack said.

“She wanted me to move to Brighton and raise the baby in her home.” Jordyn felt tears threaten

and tried to hold them back. “Sergei wanted out of that life and here she was trying to bring me and

an innocent baby into it. Oh, she said we’d be protected at al times, but what kind of life would that

be for a baby? She could be hurt on her way to school or while at the park. I said no and she said I

didn’t have a choice. She said she would wait until I had her and take her from me and no one would

even know. I realized then that my life was in danger so when she left my apartment saying she would

be back to pick me up, I left everything, packed my clothes and fol owed through with what Sergei

and I had planned. I came to Hawaii and for a while I thought I was safe.”

“She found you,” he surmised.

“Yes. I started getting cal s soon after you left on your mission and then Sergei’s cousin showed

up at the coffee shop. I went home with Keelei, my co-worker, for a few days and when I went back to

my apartment tonight it was trashed and a note had been left on the table saying that I was far

enough along that they could cut her from my stomach and leave me to die.” Jordyn couldn’t hold

back the tears any longer. “So I came here… I’m so scared they’re going to take her. I didn’t have a

chance to real y love Sergei, but I love this baby. She’s my daughter; I can’t let them have her!”

“They won’t get a chance to touch you or the baby.” Zack came close and wrapped her in his

arms. His warmth was like a security blanket that cocooned her. “I’l keep you both safe.”

“They found my apartment,” she pointed out.

Zack cupped her chin. “Yeah, but this is my house, my domain, and trust me, no one fucks with

what belongs to me.”

“Does that mean me too?” Jordyn whispered.

“Do you want to be mine?” he asked huskily.

“I want a lot of things. Doesn’t mean I’m supposed to have them,” she answered honestly. “I had

a sucky childhood and every relationship I’ve ever had seemed to end badly. I don’t want to do

anything to hurt you, Zack.”

He chuckled. “I’m a big boy. I’l take my chances.”

“These are some bad people, Zack. I don’t know how they found me—”

“The Dame may be able to strike fear into Brighton Beach immigrants. Those people are

innocent and scared, trying to make a better life for themselves and she feeds into that,” Zack said

angrily. “But she has yet to deal with me. Tomorrow you’re going to stay here, relax in safety, and I’m

going on base to see what I can find out. I’ve got resources they don’t even know about.”

“Zack, I don’t…”

He held her shoulders and stared at her. Jordyn couldn’t look away from his gaze, a gaze she

would happily drown in. “Jordyn Royale, you came to me because you feel something for me and you

thought I could help, right?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He kissed her hard. “Then let me help. I want to be the man you lean on.”

“You’re a strange man.” Jordyn sighed and then yawned.

“You’re tired, baby. Lie back and get some sleep,” Zack encouraged. He stood and began to

pul a pil ow from behind her to take with him to the couch.

Jordyn caught his hand. “Wil you stay with me?”

He looked at her. “You want me to sleep with you?”

Insecurity flooded her. “I’m sorry, what was I thinking? You wouldn’t want to share a bed. I’m so

huge.”

“Shut up, Jordyn.”

Zack continued to get her comfortable and then she watched as he pul ed off his shoes, jeans

and shirt. “I kind of run hot when I sleep,” he said apologetical y. She looked at his sculpted form in

appreciation. Pregnancy didn’t put a damper on her desire, but in fact heightened it.

“I don’t mind,” she said as he climbed into bed.

He held out his arms to her and she scooted into his embrace without hesitation. She was

unable to help the sigh of pleasure that escaped her lips. He felt delicious and when he gently

rubbed her tummy the baby kicked in response.

“She’s feisty,” he said with a laugh.

“She wants out, I think,” she replied. “We’ve got about six weeks left. She’s supposed to be a

New Year’s baby.”

“Did you pick a name for her yet?” His voice was low and its sound relaxed Jordyn.

“Not real y. I’m batting around a few ideas like Scotia, Heaven or Joy,” she said. She noticed

that his hand had stayed on her bel y even though the baby had stopped kicking.

“There is one thing we can do, one thing that could ensure her safety and yours,” Zack said. “I

was thinking about it in the kitchen while I was fixing your soup.”

“What is it?” Jordyn asked.

“You could marry me, then both she and you would have my name.” Zack cut her off before she

could speak. “We could do it on base and then go to military police and Oahu PD. Trust me, they’l

think twice before coming after the wife of a Navy SEAL.”

“Zack, you can’t be serious. I can’t accept or let you do that for me.” Jordyn looked up at him and

protested. “You’re taking on something that you don’t have to. A child that’s not yours, a woman—”

“That I can’t stop thinking about.” Zack cupped her cheek. “Does it real y matter who sired her

by blood if I’m asking to be her father? I’ve always wanted a family, children and a wife. Couldn’t you

see me as a father and a husband? Someone you could go to bed with and watch our children grow

up?”

“I could see you as that and more,” Jordyn answered truthful y. “But is this the way we start a

relationship and life together, with danger at our doorstep and an impulsive decision? I’m trying to be

the voice of reason here.”

“It’s not ideal, I admit. I wanted to romance you a bit more first, but I learned long ago its best to

go with my gut,” Zack said. “I’ve been dreaming about you and watching her grow in your bel y from a

distance. Now that I have the chance to be in your lives, I don’t want to give that up. We can get to

know each other in the process of building something real, al the while you and the baby wil be

safe.”

Al his words sounded so very good to her, especial y since she’d heard only negativity most of