Seized (Hostage Rescue Team Series, #7) (29 page)

Ethan nodded. “I know. I
know
it, man. So if for some reason you and her don’t work out in the long run—which, come on, is just totally ridiculous—well...” He shrugged. “Look, bottom line, unless you dick her around, which I know you’d never do, you’ve got nothing to worry about with me. You’re part of the family, you know that.”

Christ, now he was getting choked up. He cleared his throat brusquely, glanced away for a second, then back at him. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

Ethan stared at him now and shook his head, those golden eyes so like his sister’s. “You’re like a brother to me, dammit.”

Hell, his damn eyes were starting to sting. He turned his head to stare at the spot where the bus had just disappeared, flooded with relief and gratitude, and nodded. “Same here.” He paused a second, shot Ethan a sideways glance and raised his eyebrows. “So we’re good?”

Ethan grinned that familiar grin, and Sawyer knew everything was cool between them. “Yeah. We’re good.” He slapped him on his good shoulder. “Now let’s get back to HQ. Sooner we finish up there, the sooner we can see my mom and Carm again.”

Sawyer was
so
down with that plan.

––––––––

A
fter watching the first five minutes of the news broadcast, Summer Blackwell couldn’t take it anymore. The reporter in Anchorage was talking to some of the passengers who’d been aboard the cruise ship that had been attacked by terrorists. The male passenger had mentioned seeing an American military team on board and Summer
knew,
even without being told.

Adam and his team had been in Seattle when the attack had commenced. Only a few hours’ flight from Alaska. And taking back a cruise ship from armed terrorists was exactly the type of mission they trained for.

There’d been a lot of casualties. The passenger described seeing dead bodies all over the place.

She left the TV on and went into the kitchen to grab her phone, which she’d left charging on the counter. He hadn’t called, but that wasn’t surprising given the situation there in Alaska, and not given the state of their marriage.

She just needed to know he was okay.

After dialing his cell she sat on one of the stools at the center island, the fingertips of her free hand drumming on the cool granite. He wouldn’t answer, but if she left a message he’d probably call her back.

Maybe.

“Summer?”

She was so startled by him answering that it took her a moment to respond. “Yeah, hi. I...are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Relief slid through her. She let out the breath she’d been holding. “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

“No,” he said, and she could hear the hint of a smile in his voice. “I’m really okay.”

“Thank God.” She rubbed at her forehead for a second, suddenly feeling nervous. Which was crazy. She’d been married to this man for almost eight years.

Then her gaze strayed to the envelope containing the paperwork on the kitchen table. The damning evidence right there to remind her of how bad things had gotten.

He didn’t know she’d been talking to a lawyer to see about a legal separation and she didn’t plan on telling him until after he got back. They should probably have split a long time ago but they just couldn’t seem to let each other go. And the last time they’d spoken, the other night, he’d sounded like he missed her.

Which was likely wishful and ridiculous thinking on her part. But the truth was, she still loved him. Would always love him, because he was the love of her life, no matter what had happened over the past two years. Even if she did leave and file for separation, she knew in her heart she’d never get over him.

Well it sure seems like he’s gotten over you.

She pushed the crushing thought aside. “I was just watching the news and thought you guys must have been involved in the rescue mission of that cruise ship,” she continued, refusing to feel guilty. It wasn’t like she’d actually filed for separation, she was just exploring the options and what was involved, legally speaking.

Just so she knew what to be prepared for if it came to that.

“It was a joint op, but yeah, we were.”

He sounded tired. “And the rest of the guys are all right too?”

“Vance screwed up his shoulder pretty bad during the extraction, but everyone else is okay.”

She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her. “Glad to hear that. I’m just sorry we didn’t find out what the attack was going to be or who the leader of the cell was in time to stop it.” The ensuing silence made her shift restlessly on the stool. There was an invisible wall between them now. A slow but steady construction they’d both participated in, brick by brick.

Neither of them was blameless in this. And she knew she’d purposely withdrawn from him emotionally over the past few months. Ever since...

Automatically she put a hand to her abdomen, fought the all too familiar surge of sadness and anger.
No. Don’t go there again. The past is in the past. You have to move on.

But that was exactly the problem. He’d moved on and she hadn’t. Not really. And for her the struggle was still very real.

“Think you’ll be coming home soon?” she finally asked, hating the uncertainty the question created inside her.

“Hopefully in a few days. What about you, will you still be in town?”

Another stab of guilt made her mentally wince. “Ah, actually, no. My boss wants me to go with him to London for a series of meetings with MI6.” He didn’t need to know that she’d volunteered for it after finding out Adam planned to come home in the next day or two.

Purely because she was a coward and didn’t want to face the reality that their marriage might be over. She was so afraid that when Adam came home next he would end it, tell her he was leaving.

“Ah.” Just one syllable, but now his voice was flat with resignation and it made her stomach corkscrew.

“But I’ll be back early next week,” she added quickly.

She heard voices in the background and Adam muttering a response to whoever it was. Then to her, “I gotta go.”

Summer blinked at the abrupt tone, feeling even more awkward. “Oh. Okay.” The hesitancy, the tentativeness she felt now was foreign. And she didn’t like it.

“Another briefing.”

“Sure, I understand.” But he was no doubt relieved to have a reason to end the call.

And just like that, tears stung her eyes. She thought of the newscast, the cruise ship he and his teammates had taken from dozens of armed militants. What was pride compared to what he’d just been through?
Are you going to give up, or are you going to fight for your man?

Her heart pounded. “I miss you, Adam.” Saying that out loud was both terrifying and liberating at the same time.

He let out a heavy sigh, heavy with a mix of relief and frustration. “I miss you, too.”

The warmth was back in his voice again and gave her hope. It also made her eyes sting. “I’ll see you when I get back from London then.” She was amazed at how normal her voice sounded when it felt like an invisible fist was squeezing her heart. “Safe travels.”

“You too, doll. Bye.”

The “doll” bit made her feel slightly better, but not much. “Bye.”

She ended the call, slid her phone away and dropped her head onto her folded arms atop the counter, and let the tears come. Before Adam, she’d never known love could hurt this much.

****

N
othing on TV captured her interest and when she flipped past a news station Carmela caught a glimpse of Wira’s face along with the headline Terror At Sea.

She quickly turned it off and tossed the remote onto the bedside table. The hotel had had food waiting for them when they arrived a couple hours ago. Carmela made sure her mom was settled before coming to her own room and taking a long, hot shower.

Her stitches were sore and her head hurt but more than anything she was exhausted and wanted to see Sawyer again. He’d texted a while ago to say they were wrapping up another meeting and that he’d try to come by if he could sneak away so she’d given him her hotel room number and had been waiting ever since.

It was almost ten in the morning and she hadn’t slept since the night before the attack. Her eyes burned, her lids too heavy to keep open any longer so she laid down and drifted off.

The sound of a keycard in the lock made her eyes fly open. She shot to her feet, heart thudded, anticipation curling inside her. The door pushed open a few inches and Sawyer appeared there in jeans and a T-shirt, his wide shoulders blocking most of the light from the hallway.

A look of pure relief came over his face when he saw her. He stepped inside and let the door shut behind him and she noticed his arm bound in a more secure sling. “Hey, babygirl.”

She couldn’t hold herself back another second.

With a glad cry she ran at him. Sawyer caught her around the waist with his good arm and hoisted her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips and grabbed his face between her hands, covering his mouth with a desperate kiss.

He groaned and shifted her higher, turning her until her back was against the wall and pinned her there with his weight. His erection swelled rock hard against her abdomen, his big body vibrating with the same tension running through her own.

Their mouths met hungrily, tongues stroking, his hips moving against her core in a rhythm that made her desperate for more. His heat, the powerful, solid feel of his muscles, made her feel safe. She reveled in the taste and feel of him, drank in his obvious need for her.

But it wasn’t enough; she desperately needed all of him, right now.

Tightening her legs around him she released his face and leaned back just enough to drag her shirt up and off, then tore off her bra, her hands unsteady in her haste. Her breasts spilled free and Sawyer’s eyes darkened with lust.

She grabbed hold of his head and arched her back, pushing her breasts up toward his mouth. He rubbed his face against her, the slight prickle of his goatee and the stubble around it adding to the layers of sensation. Then his mouth closed around one tight nipple and her entire body shook. Her head snapped back and she held his face to her, a sob of need and longing coming out of her.

More. She needed more. Everything he had to give. She wanted his weight on top of her, holding her down, anchoring her and keeping her safe while he drove into her body and made her completely his. Obliterating the images from last night she was trying to hold at bay.

God, he felt good. The throb between her legs was becoming unbearable. She rolled her hips against him, let the sensations careen through her. “Sawyer, need you,” she blurted.

He lifted his head and sealed his lips to hers in a full body kiss that left her shaking. She didn’t even realize he’d moved until she no longer felt the wall against her back. She kissed him with every bit of need and passion inside her.

Then he was bending to lay her back on the bed, the sheets cool and soft beneath her fevered skin. She released him only long enough to strip out of her yoga pants and panties, then sat up to help him undress. He managed to wrench off his boots and socks one-handed, but winced when he took off the sling and tried to pull the sleeve of his shirt over his sore shoulder.

“Let me,” she whispered, and gently got it off him, then undid his pants and pushed them down his long legs along with his boxers. She helped him secure his sore arm back in the sling, then reached for him.

“Wait, stop for a second and look at me.”

She did, wondering why he was stopping. The chance to be with him after everything they had gone through was a gift she intended to experience to the fullest.

He was kneeling in front of her on the bed now. Cupping her chin in his hand, he held her gaze, his dark eyes filled with emotion. “I love you. I have for a long time and I should have told you that long before now. I’m sorry I didn’t man up sooner.”

She gave him a wobbly smile, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re forgiven. And I love you too.”

He smiled down at her, slipped his arm back into the sling and paused to cup the side of her face with his free hand, his dark gaze delving into hers. “Don’t know how I got so lucky,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss her.

Carmela closed her eyes and let herself get lost in it.

Sawyer laid her back against the sheets. His lips were soft, the only soft part about him, and he kissed her like he couldn’t get enough. He blazed a fiery path over her jaw and down her throat, back to her breasts, dropping his hand to her hip in a possessive grip. The feel of his hot mouth on her sensitive flesh made her writhe in his hold.

“You’re mine, Carm,” he rasped against her breast, his voice deeper than she’d ever heard it. “All mine.”

She nodded, in complete agreement, loving the way he said it. She’d wanted this man for a long time, had been through so much and now she’d finally won his trust—his love. That meant the world to her. “Yours,” she whispered back, holding him tighter to her breast. And he was hers.

Her fingers dug into his scalp as he gave her what she wanted, sucking and licking at her sensitive nipples, the pleasure twisting higher with each pull of his lips and the glide of his tongue. Impatient, she slid one hand down to grasp the length of his erection. He hissed in a breath when she curled her fingers around his naked length and squeezed.

Desperation drove her, a frantic need to have him claim her. “Want you inside me,” she panted, lifting her hips and curling her legs around his thighs to pull him where she needed him.

Inside her was exactly where he wanted to be.

Sawyer’s hand shook as he curled his fist around himself and guided it to the soft flesh between Carmela’s open thighs. She was gripping his good shoulder with one hand, her elegant fingers slipping down to stroke her clit and he almost lost it the instant the head of his cock touched her entrance.

She made a soft needy sound and pressed her hips upward, trying to force him inside her.

He set his hand on her hip, his fingers squeezing before he paused, staring down into her gorgeous amber eyes.