Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Remi woke to the sound of a phone ringing. She reached out to slap her cell, which she always kept by her bed, but jolted awake quickly when she encountered not her table, but warm flesh instead.

“Morning,” Vincent murmured sleepily.

My God, the man was hot. Even half asleep, he was beautiful. And even though she’d woken up with him in the same room once before, this time was so different. She was in his bed, they were both naked, and she could still feel him between her legs. She was sore, which wasn’t surprising considering how big he was. But it was a good sore. An ache that reminded her of the mind-blowing way he’d made love to her.

He’d woken her up in the middle of the night, and they’d had round two. It had been less intense, almost sweet. He’d still made sure she was lubed up enough to take him without pain, and insisted on her coming before he did.

“Morning,” she mumbled into his chest. Then she lifted her head and said, “Your phone is ringing.”

“I know.”

“Aren’t you going to get it? It could be an emergency. Isn’t there a chance it’s your boss calling you to come in? That you have to leave on your mission early?”

“Would that bother you?”

Remi frowned. “Well, yeah, but only because I’d worry about you getting in trouble for ignoring the phone that’s rung four million times and still the person isn’t giving up.”

He chuckled, and the sound rumbled through her. “It’s not work.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve programmed a different ringtone for my team and the commander.”

“Oh.”

A moment passed. The phone rang again. Remi couldn’t help but press the issue. “But aren’t you curious? Something could be wrong.”

“What’s wrong is that my one morning to sleep in is being disturbed by someone who isn’t taking the hint that I don’t want to talk to them,” he grumbled.

Remi grinned.

Vincent sighed and rolled over to grab his phone, but he didn’t let go of Remi when he did, so she went with him.

She was still laughing when he answered tersely, “What?”

“I can’t fucking believe you!”

Remi blinked at the vitriol coming from the feminine voice through the phone. Even though Vincent hadn’t put the call on speaker, she could clearly hear what the woman was saying.

“You have some nerve sending the cops to my house to accuse me of trying to kill you! Are you insane?!”

“Hello, Bertie,” Vincent said with a sigh.

Remi’s eyes widened.

“I’m serious! Why would I do that? I mean, you’re an asshole for not letting me go to Hawaii with my friend, and it probably serves you right, but seriously? You think I’d pay someone to leave you in the ocean? You could swim back to shore with one hand tied behind your back—at least that’s what you always said. Were you lying? Maybe you did almost die and you’re pissed because your precious reputation is in danger if someone on base finds out you’re not as macho as you claim to be.”

“It’s routine, Bertie. Nothing personal.”

“Not personal?” she screeched. “They said that since I’m your ex, and I’m pissed at you, that I have motive. If I was going to kill you, I’d come to your house and blow you away the second you opened the door!”

Remi stiffened against Vincent, but he didn’t seem concerned in the least.

“Careful, that could be construed as a threat,” he drawled.

“It was a threat!” she practically screamed. “You’re a dick! If word gets out that I’m being questioned, I’ll be ruined! You need to fix this. Tell the cops that I had nothing to do with your fucking problems!”

“But I don’t know that you didn’t.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t antagonize her,” Remi whispered.

“Who was that? Oh my God, do you have a chick with you? It’s seven in the damn morning… Wait—she spent the night? You never let me spend the night! You sure moved on fast enough. You were probably cheating on me the whole time. You fucking Navy SEALs…such assholes! Maybe she set you up. Hey, bitch,” she called out loudly, obviously speaking to Remi, “he’s not worth it. He might have a big dick, but he doesn’t know how to use it!”

Remi knew her eyes were huge in her face. Was this woman kidding?

“She didn’t set me up. She was stranded in the ocean with me,” Vincent said calmly, his gaze on Remi’s as he spoke.

Bertie laughed, a bitter, ugly sound. “Right, so your hero complex kicked in, and she sees you as her savior. Take it from me, mystery woman, he’s no hero. Not even close. Run while you still can. Before he accuses you of something heinous too and sics the cops on you!”

“Not a hero? Are you kidding me?” Remi said. She couldn’t help it. She was pissed on Vincent’s behalf.

“She must have a golden pussy to earn the privilege of sleeping in your bed,” Bertie snapped. “I don’t give a shit. Leave me alone, Kevlar. I mean it. Call the cops off or you’ll regret ever getting involved with me.”

“I already do,” Vincent assured her. “This conversation is done. If you didn’t do anything, you have nothing to worry about. Just answer the police’s questions and they’ll be done. The more pissed you get, the more they’ll think it’s you. Goodbye, Bertie. Don’t ever call me again.”

He clicked off the phone, cutting off Bertie’s pissed-off sputter. Then he clicked a few more buttons before throwing the phone onto the table and turning, pushing Remi until she was on her back.

“I blocked her number so she can’t call back. Are you okay?”

“Me? Are you okay? She said some mean things.”

To her surprise, Vincent smiled.

“This isn’t funny,” she said with a frown.

“It’s a little funny,” he returned. “Your ex pitching a fit. Mine doing the same. Sounds like something a guilty person might do.”

“Which one do you think did it?” she whispered, staring up at him.

“Honestly?”

“Of course.”

“Neither.”

Remi felt relief course through her at his answer, but on the heels of that was confusion. “If it wasn’t either of them, then who set it up, and why?”

“I don’t know. Tex is still digging into it. But I know it’s no one in your life.”

“How do you know that?” she asked.

“Because you’re too nice. You make friends wherever you go. I think you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You got caught up in my shit, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

“You’re nice too. Who would want to hurt you?”

Vincent barked out a laugh. “I’m not nice, Remi.”

“Yes, you are,” she protested.

“God, you’re too good for me,” he told her. “But I’m not letting you go. You go right ahead and keep on thinking that I’m a nice person. I need you to do me a favor though.”

“Anything,” she said without hesitation.

He smiled a little sadly. “See? Too good for me. If someone is pissed at me for some reason, I need you to be extra careful. Just being around me could put you in danger.”

A shiver ran through Remi. Not at the thought of someone wanting to hurt her to get to Vincent, but because someone might be out there with a vendetta against him. “Okay.”

“I mean it,” he warned.

“And I heard you. Vincent, I don’t go anywhere. If you want me to hang out here in your apartment, I will. It’s not a hardship. I can draw Pecky anywhere. I can get Marley to go with me if I need to go to the store or something, and worse comes to worst, I can hang out at my parents’ estate. They have enough security to keep even a cockroach from farting.”

Vincent stared down at her without saying a word.

“Vincent?” she asked, getting worried.

In response, he said, “I know you’re sore, but exactly how sore are you?”

“Oh, um…not sore enough to say no,” she told him.

“I need you. Need to show you how much you mean to me.”

“Okay,” she said, completely onboard with that.

“I’m on this,” he told her. “Tex will eventually find something. I just need you to be cautious in the meantime. I think whoever set up that shit in Hawaii is a coward. Doesn’t want to directly confront me. Which means you’re probably good, but just in case, be careful.”

“I will.”

Then he sat up and threw the sheet back, exposing her body to the morning light.

“You have a problem with oral?” he asked as he crouched over her.

Remi smiled. “No. As long as I get to partake too.”

“You want to suck my cock, Remi?” he growled.

Vincent had a way of making her feel utterly shy, yet turned on at the same time. “Yes, although there’s no way I can take all of you. You’re too big.”

“The thought of just your tongue on me makes me hard as a pike. You can do whatever you want, take as much or as little as you want…after I’m done with you.”

He grabbed her hips and pulled her down, making a small shriek escape Remi’s mouth. Then she snort-laughed as he made motorboat noises against her belly. But she wasn’t laughing when he spread her legs and lowered his head.

Hours later, after Remi had given him the best blowjob he’d ever received, after they’d showered together, after he’d made them a late breakfast and gotten her set up at his desk in the second bedroom of his apartment and made her promise to be there when he got home that night, Kevlar drove toward the base feeling both happier than he’d ever been in his life…and more worried.

Something Bertie said wouldn’t stop running through his head. Not the shit about him or the way she’d tried to warn Remi, but something she’d said about her setting up the Hawaii thing—that she knew what he was capable of. He hadn’t been bragging when he’d told her that he could swim for at least twenty miles if he had to. She’d have known that leaving him in the ocean off Oahu wouldn’t do a damn thing other than piss him off. He was certain she hadn’t been responsible for what happened.

So if it wasn’t her, and it wasn’t Douchecanoe—he honestly didn’t believe that twit had the brains to plan something like that—who had it been? Kevlar couldn’t think of anyone who might try to get rid of him by stranding him in the ocean. No one who knew his skills in the water, anyway. Another former girlfriend? A different jealous boyfriend? Neither made sense, as he hadn’t been with anyone for months before hooking up with Bertie, and Remi said her boyfriends were few and far between.

He’d been honest with Remi, he was sure it was someone who’d been trying to piss him off, not someone who was targeting her. She was good down to her core. He’d previously had no thought that she could be in danger just being around him, but now the idea wouldn’t leave him. He wondered briefly if he should break up with her, for her own good…but screw that. He wasn’t going to risk losing the best thing that ever happened to him over an unconfirmed threat.

No, he’d just have to figure out what that Hawaii thing was about and nip it in the bud.

He needed to call Tex, but he didn’t have time right now. He was already cutting it close to being late to the base. He’d lingered too long making sure Remi was set up and good to go in his apartment. Until he could contact his friend, he’d just have to be extra vigilant and check in with Remi more than he had been. At the slightest hint something was wrong, he’d act. And he knew if Tex learned anything important, he’d reach out to Kevlar first.

He hoped the man found some intel, because Kevlar had a feeling he and his team would be heading to Africa sooner rather than later. And he’d prefer to have answers before he left. If something happened to Remi because of him, he’d never forgive himself. Ever.