Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Remi had no idea how long they’d been bobbing in the ocean, but she was getting tired. And extremely thirsty. And a little nauseous. She’d wanted to ditch her face mask and snorkel, but Vincent insisted on her keeping them…just in case.

It was that “just in case” that was making her uneasy right about now. The only thing keeping her from freaking out was Vincent’s calm presence. How sure he was that someone would be coming to get them. But now the sun was beginning to set, and the thought of being out here in the dark wasn’t a pleasant one. She’d never been afraid of sharks and other marine animals before, but this situation was changing her mind.

She’d never been the clingy type either, but she couldn’t seem to let go of Vincent. His arms felt so warm and assuring around her, and he’d proven more than capable of keeping them both afloat.

They’d talked about everything from their favorite books, to foods they liked, to more serious things like their political leanings, terrorism, and the state of the world in general. He was funny, but he could be serious and deep at the same time.

“Hear that?” he asked suddenly.

Jerking in his arms, because she’d actually been on the verge of falling asleep, Remi lifted her head. She followed his gaze to the horizon…and saw what she thought was a boat coming straight for them.

“Holy crap, you were right!” she exclaimed.

“You doubted me?” Vincent teased.

She had but was too ashamed to admit it. “Of course not. You’re one of the few and the proud.”

He chuckled. “That’s the Marines, honey.”

“Right, sorry. Army Strong?”

“Remi,” he warned.

She giggled. “Oh, I know! Born Ready.”

“How the hell do you know all the military slogans?” he asked with a shake of his head and a grin on his lips.

“Love me a man in uniform,” she quipped.

“The only easy day was yesterday,” he informed her. “That’s the SEAL motto.”

“Well, they aren’t wrong,” she said dryly. “Yesterday, I was sitting on the beach with a drink in my hand and my tablet in my lap, drawing Pecky sitting on a beach with a drink in his hand.”

She smiled at Vincent, but saw that his eyes were glued on the horizon…and he was frowning. “Vincent?” she asked nervously.

He turned his attention to her, and the intensity of his gaze made her suck in a breath. “Don’t panic,” he said firmly.

“You know saying that makes me want to panic, right?” she asked.

“I’m not sure the boat coming toward us is my friends.”

“How can you tell? I mean, it’s too far away for me to see much of anything.”

“I just can. I need you to trust me.”

“I do,” Remi said immediately, without thought. It was weird, but she totally trusted this man. If she’d been stuck out here on her own, she would’ve been in a heap of trouble. But having him here, his calm demeanor, his belief that his friend would track him and send help, had been a lifeline.

“We need to go under the water. If this is my friends, they’ll stop right where we are because they’ll have the tracker coordinates. If it’s not, they’ll go by and we’ll know.”

Remi saw his lips say the words, heard them, but they didn’t make sense. “I’m not sure how long I can hold my breath,” she whispered.

“We’ll share my air,” he said, as if suggesting they were going for an after-dinner walk on the sand.

“I don’t know⁠—”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You know why?”

Glancing at the boat, which was still heading for them at a fast clip, Remi found she was having a hard time breathing.

Then Vincent’s finger touched her chin and gently forced her to look into his eyes. “You know why?” he repeated.

Remi shook her head.

“Because I want to meet your grandmother. I want to thank your parents for starting their condom company because I’ve used Crown condoms many times over the years. I want to share my Thin Mints with you and introduce you to my Girl Scouts. I want to watch you draw your Pecky cartoons. I want to introduce you to my teammates. I want a future—with you, Remi. It can’t be a coincidence that we live in practically the same city and met thousands of miles away. And I can’t have any of that if I don’t keep you safe right now. Understand?”

Remi couldn’t have looked away from Vincent if someone paid her. She wanted all that too. Desperately.

This was the craziest meet-cute ever. No romance novelist would ever write about this because it was so unbelievable. And yet, here she was. Falling hard for a Navy SEAL who’d just said they had to go underwater to be safe and he’d share his tank of air with her.

All she could do was nod.

“Good.”

Then Vincent shocked the shit out of her by covering her lips with his own.

Even though the odds of them getting away from whoever seemed determined to see them dead weren’t great, her nipples hardened and her inner core tightened. The kiss was rough and desperate on both their parts.

When he lifted his head, his pupils were dilated and he was breathing hard for the first time since she’d met him.

“I want you, Remi Stephenson.”

Holy shit. This man was intense. And Remi was there for it.

“I want you back,” she said simply.

He grinned. The intense look disappeared from his face, and he stared at her as if they were the only two people on earth in this tropical paradise, instead of two people about to be run over by a boat moving way too fast toward them.

“Right. Take a deep breath, sweetheart, and put your mask down. We’re going under. We’ll pass my regulator back and forth and take turns breathing. I’ve got you.”

Remi nodded, although she definitely wasn’t sure about this.

Vincent fiddled with something on the vest he was wearing, pulled down his own mask, and way before she was ready, they began to slip beneath the surface. Luckily, she’d taken a breath when he’d told her to. Even as they sank deeper beneath the waves, he held out his mouthpiece for her.

For a second, she didn’t think she’d be able to get her body to obey what she was telling it to do. Breathing in while underwater wasn’t natural, even with the regulator in her mouth. But then Vincent squeezed her waist, he hadn’t let go of her even for a second, and she forced herself to relax.

She took two breaths, then nodded at Vincent, and he brought the mouthpiece to his own face and took a breath. Vincent held them steady several feet under the surface, and they took turns breathing in the air as the sound of the boat grew louder and louder. Looking up, Remi saw the vessel zip over their heads seconds later, going just as fast as it had when she’d first seen it.

So Vincent had been right. These weren’t his friends. It wasn’t someone coming to rescue them. It was probably whoever had left them out here in the first place, wanting to make sure they were dead.

The thought made her shiver, and Vincent’s arm tightened around her once more. Reassuring her. Keeping her calm.

How long they stayed under the water, sharing the air in the tank on Vincent’s back, Remi didn’t know. But when he tapped her shoulder and pointed up, she wasn’t sure she wanted to surface just yet. If whoever had come back for them was still nearby, he could spot them and finish what he’d started.

She shook her head.

Vincent palmed her cheek and stared at her through his face mask. He wasn’t rushing her, would give her all the time she needed…well, all the time they had left in the tank. She wasn’t stupid; she knew they had to be getting low after all the diving he’d done earlier in the day. But the patience Vincent showed gave her the bravery she needed to nod.

Without hesitation, he turned a knob on his vest and air bubbles burst forth, heading for the surface, just as they did.

Remi looked around frantically as their heads broke the surface. She saw nothing. No boat.

Vincent didn’t hesitate to push the mask off her face to the top of her head. He gently took the mouthpiece from her and pushed his own mask up. Then he took her face in his hands and pulled her roughly toward him. She let out an oof as she made contact with his chest, then his lips were on hers once more.

And this time, Remi didn’t hold back. She kissed him deeply, almost frantically. Showing him without words how much he was already beginning to mean to her. How grateful she was that he was with her. How much she admired him. It was crazy, she’d just met this man, but somehow she felt more herself around him than she had with any other guy she’d dated.

Their tongues twined together, just as their legs did. She wrapped her arms around his back, trying to get closer.

“Easy, sweetheart, you’re okay,” Vincent crooned.

It wasn’t until she heard him speak that Remi realized she was breathing way too fast. Almost hyperventilating.

“They’re gone. You’re okay.”

“I can’t believe we just did that,” she panted against his neck as she held onto him as tightly as she could.

“Kiss?”

She huffed out a breath. “No. That was awesome. Stupendous. Amazing. I mean, sharing your air thing.”

“You were amazing. Are you sure you haven’t done that before?” he joked.

Remi pulled back. “Not even close,” she said.

At her tone, his smile died. “I mean it,” he told her. “There aren’t many people I’d trust to do that with.”

“Will they be back?” she whispered, referring to whoever was in the boat.

“No.”

Frowning, she said, “You can’t know that.”

“Then why’d you ask me?”

“I don’t know.”

“They aren’t coming back. They came out to make sure we were well and truly gone, so they could report back to either Douchecanoe or Bertie. The next people we see will be my Navy SEAL friends. I give you my word.”

“Okay,” Remi whispered.

“Okay,” he echoed. Then added, “I was serious, you know.”

“About what?”

“About wanting to be with you once we get on dry land.”

“Your hotel or mine?” she quipped.

“Don’t care. But I want more than that, Remi. I can’t believe you actually live near me. This feels like it was meant to be. I want to introduce you to my team and show you around Riverton. There are lots of SEAL wives there who I think you’d really love. My mentor’s wife, Caroline, is a lot like you. Smart as hell, a little introverted, but as sweet as she can be. And Wolf couldn’t love her more.”

He was talking fast, too fast for Remi to be able to get a word in.

“And you can come camping with me and my Girl Scouts. I can even put in a good word for you and get you in the Thin Mint supply line. Anything you want, I’ll bend over backward to make happen. Just please tell me you’ll give me a chance.”

When he paused to breathe, Remi asked, “You done?”

“Um…maybe?” he said a little sheepishly. “No, actually, I’m not. My job…it’s intense. I’m gone a lot. It’s why Bertie broke up with me. She said that I was never around when she needed me. I love being a SEAL, but I can promise you that I’ll do whatever I can to make your life easier when I’m not there. I probably didn’t do enough of that with Bertie, but Caroline can help you. She and her girl posse will love to take you under their wing.”

“She knew what she was getting into when she agreed to date you,” Remi told him sternly.

“What? Who?”

“Bertie,” Remi said in a tone that was more calm than she felt. “I’m not an idiot. I’ve read books, seen movies, watched the news. I know that military people are deployed. And since you’re special forces, you’re probably sent off more than a regular sailor or soldier. I can handle it, Vincent. The truth is…I’m not a very outgoing person. I’m happy with my own company and I’m home alone more often than not. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t miss you, but I have my best friend Marley, who lives nearby. And my parents aren’t far away. I’m also sure you have lots of friends and connections who could help me if something came up that I couldn’t deal with.”

Remi paused and scrunched her nose.

“What was that for?” Vincent asked. He had a tender smile on his face, and Remi wanted to pinch herself that he was apparently as interested in a relationship as she was.

“Just that…this is all so…fast. I’m not the kind of woman men fall for instantly.”

“Then they’re idiots. From the first second I saw you on that pier, I fought with myself over wanting to get to know you better. There’s something about you that’s…”

Remi practically held her breath, waiting to see what he’d say.

“…calming,” Vincent finally said after a moment. “Because of my job, I’ve had to become really good at reading people at a moment’s notice. I’ve had to figure out if they’re going to pull a weapon and try to kill me and my team, or if they’re willing to assist. I didn’t realize how stressful my relationship with my ex was until we were over. For as long as we dated, every time I knocked on her door, I always had a knot in my belly. I never knew if she’d be sweet and happy, or a total shrew. I’ve known you for mere hours, but with every minute that passes, you’ve shown me how brave, even-keeled, and strong you are.”

“Vincent,” Remi whispered, overwhelmed with his assessment of her. For as long as she could remember, she was the odd duck out. She didn’t fit in with her fashionable and outgoing parents, though they adored her exactly as she was. She didn’t make friends easily, and boyfriends were few and far between. But here was this amazing Navy SEAL, a true-life hero, telling her that he thought she was brave and strong.

“I’m not,” she blurted. “I’m scared to death. Even though you’ve said you’re sure someone is coming to get you, I’m afraid we’re going to have to spend the night out here in the ocean. I’m thirsty and hungry and trying not to think about either. I also can’t help but think about sharks and stingrays and piranhas feasting on my toes and going up from there.

“I’m worried that if we do get rescued, you’re going to take one look at me and my frizzy hair and my definitely-eaten-too-many-malasadas-on-this-vacation body and wonder what the hell you were thinking. I’m wondering how long it’ll be until you’re trying to politely take back everything you said about wanting to get to know me. And on top of it all, even if we do get out of this stupid ocean, I’m worried that Douchecanoe is going to try again, to get rid of me once and for all.”

She was practically winded by the time she was done talking.

Vincent hadn’t taken his gaze from her. He was completely focused on her and what she was saying. That was a novelty. She always had the impression that Douchecanoe was thinking about anything but her when they were together.

“Being strong even when you’re scared is the very essence of bravery,” Vincent told her firmly. “We aren’t going to have to spend the night out here. I’ll make sure you get all the water you can drink and those tacos you love so much as soon as we’re rescued. And there aren’t any piranhas in these waters.”

He smirked a little when he said that, and Remi suddenly had another idea for a Pecky the Taco cartoon. It involved Pecky on vacation, floating on a raft in the ocean, and being surrounded by lost piranhas who only wanted to get home to their river in the Amazon. She forced herself to pay attention to what Vincent was saying.

“…think I’ve missed what you look like, you’re wrong. Your hair is a lot like you, bursting at the seams with energy. And your body…it’s perfect, Remi.”

It wasn’t, Remi knew that. But somehow, the way Vincent said the word made her believe that he was honestly attracted to every inch. She didn’t know what she’d done in her life to deserve the interest of this man, but she was extremely thankful.

“And as for our exes, I don’t know which one set us up like this, but you have my word that I’m going to do everything in my power, use all the connections I’ve got—and I have a lot of them—to figure this out and make sure we’re both safe from anything like this happening again.”

“Okay,” she said after a moment or two.

“Okay?” Vincent asked, raising a brow in question.

“Uh-huh.”

“There you go, being all calm and strong again,” he murmured.

“You want me to scream, thrash around, cry and pout?” she asked.

Vincent mock shivered. “No way. I’ll take you exactly how you are, sweetheart.”

Remi knew he meant that he was relieved she wasn’t panicking. But for some reason, his reply felt like more. Like a promise of some sort. His words were a balm to her soul, because for so long she’d felt as if she’d always had to be someone she wasn’t in order to impress a man.

“How’d I get so lucky?” Vincent asked after a moment.

Remi couldn’t hold back the snort-laugh. “Lucky? Vincent, we’re still stranded in the middle of the ocean, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“I haven’t forgotten. But my SEAL friends will be here in less than three minutes and we’ll have blankets, water, and food. How could I be anything but lucky?”

Alarmed, Remi looked toward the mainland—and saw another boat headed in their direction. She inhaled sharply.

“Relax. That’s the Navy,” Vincent said, sounding completely confident.

“How do you know? It could be that other boat coming back!” she exclaimed.

“I can tell by the motor. It’s definitely the Navy,” he replied.

Remi looked at the man she was still holding onto almost desperately. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Taking a deep breath, Remi nodded. “It’s almost over.”

“No, it’s only the beginning,” he countered.

“Are you always this…reasonable?” she asked. “Because I have to say, it could get annoying.”

Vincent grinned. “Yup. It’s a hazard of being a SEAL. I just can’t get worked up over most things after what I’ve seen and done.”

“That’s fair,” Remi had to admit. “I’m thinking Pecky needs to meet a Navy SEAL and have adventures with him.”

The boyish grin that came over Vincent’s face was adorable. “Everyone will be so jealous if I get written into a Pecky the Traveling Taco cartoon. I can’t wait to brag about it.” Then he kissed her again, and the next time he lifted his head, the boat was much closer.

Remi tensed involuntarily. Vincent had said he was sure this was the good guys, but the memory of looking up as the other boat raced over their heads was still too clear.

Vincent raised his arm, his hand in a fist as the boat neared.

A shout came from the boat, and it slowed, coming at them much slower.

“Told you,” Vincent said, smiling at her.

“Yeah, you did.”

“Hey! Tex called and said you might need a ride. Looks like he was right.” An older man with hair much longer than Vincent’s and a graying beard smiled at them as he maneuvered the large black rubber boat closer.

“Baker!” Vincent exclaimed. “Never thought I’d see you out here. Couldn’t wait for our get-together tomorrow to see me, huh?”

“Well, Mustang and his team are on a mission right now. They’re gonna be pissed they missed out on fishing you out of the ocean for sure. And for the record, you owe me. I was minding my own business, watching my woman hang out with her high school surfers, when I got word that you needed assistance.”

“Appreciate it. I’ll make it up to both of you tomorrow, if we’re still on.”

“We’re still on,” the man in the boat, Baker, replied. “Now how about we get you into this Zodiac and the hell out of the ocean.”

“Absolutely. Remi first.” Vincent turned to her. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you out of the water.”

She looked up at the boat and shook her head. She hadn’t known the boat had an official name until Baker mentioned it, and she filed that information away, having a feeling she was going to draw a cartoon in the not-so-distant future with Pecky in a Zodiac, his lettuce flying away in the breeze and a huge smile on his face. But for the moment, she had to get into the thing. From a distance, the boat didn’t look that big, but floating right next to it, she knew there was no way she was going to be able to climb into it on her own.

Almost as soon as she had the thought, Baker grabbed her arms and pulled upward at the same time Vincent placed his hands on her ass and pushed.

She was sitting in the bottom of the Zodiac before she had time to take a breath. And then Vincent was there next to her. He’d pulled himself up and over the side of the boat as if it was child’s play. He immediately ripped off his face mask, shrugged off the air tank on his back, and sat next to her on the bottom of the boat. He put his arm around her and pulled her tight to his side.

Baker passed him an emergency blanket folded into a small square, and within seconds, Vincent had wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Water?” Baker asked, holding out a bottle.

Remi grabbed it and began guzzling the best-tasting water she’d ever had in her life. It was Vincent’s low, “Easy, hon,” that made her slow down.

She looked at him sheepishly. “Want some?” she asked.

Vincent grinned. “I’ve got my own. Just don’t want you throwing that up from drinking too fast,” he told her.

Baker had already turned the Zodiac around and was headed back toward Oahu at a much slower pace than he’d arrived. “You want to tell me how the hell you ended up floating in the middle of the ocean when you were supposed to be on a diving trip?” he asked.

“Seems we both have exes who are pissed enough at us to try to make us regret going on vacation without them,” Vincent said almost nonchalantly.

Remi couldn’t believe he was as unfazed as he sounded.

“I’ll do some digging tonight. Will let you both know what I find out, if anything, when you come up to see me tomorrow.”

Wait, what? Remi looked from the hot man at the wheel back to Vincent. As good-looking as Baker was, and there was no doubt he was a silver fox, she couldn’t take her gaze from her SEAL. The man who’d made the worst experience of her life almost feel like an adventure instead of the attempted murder it actually was.

“Tomorrow when we see him?” she asked Vincent.

“I had plans to head up to the North Shore to visit with Baker and his wife tomorrow. Come with me?”

She’d already been to the north side of the island, but the thought of experiencing it with Vincent wasn’t something she could turn down. Besides, she still kind of thought maybe all his sweet words were a result of the situation they were in. That once they were rescued, he’d come to his senses. If he wanted to spend more time with her, she was down with that.

“Remi?” he asked, looking concerned when she didn’t answer right away.

“Yes, I’d like that.”

“Good. You been to the Dole Plantation yet?”

It was almost surreal that they were talking about being tourists minutes after being rescued from the ocean. “Yeah, but I didn’t do the maze, didn’t want to risk getting lost and not getting out before they closed.”

“We won’t get lost,” Vincent said. Then he reached over and took the hand that wasn’t holding her water bottle. “I didn’t even ask how much longer you were going to be here. In Hawaii.”

“My flight leaves the day after tomorrow.”

Vincent smiled. “Mine too.”

What were the odds? Goose bumps broke out on Remi’s arms.

Of course Vincent noticed, but luckily he misinterpreted the reason they’d appeared.

“Hang in there, we’ll be back before you know it,” he said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “We’ll get you warm soon.”

Nodding, Remi realized she should be nervous about what might happen next. If Vincent would perhaps drop her off at her hotel and not contact her again. Or if she should be worried about Douchecanoe. About Marley’s reaction to what happened to her. Her parents’ reaction. About a million different things. But, surprisingly, she wasn’t.

She was more excited about tomorrow. About spending time with Vincent outside the ocean. About getting together when they got home to California.

She just hoped everything he said he wanted was true. That he wouldn’t figure out how big of a nerd she was, and change his mind about wanting to spend time with her.

The captain was sitting at a hole-in-the-wall, open-air bar near the marina when he saw the Zodiac approaching.

Fuck!

He’d thought the man and woman were dead. He’d even gone back to check to make sure, and when he hadn’t found any sign of them, he was satisfied that he’d done what he was paid to do. Seeing the man and woman climbing out of the boat, looking none the worse for wear, wasn’t going to please the person who was paying him a shitload of money.

Double fuck!

He pulled out his phone and shot off a text.

A minute after it sent, his phone rang.

Knowing who it was, the captain considered not answering, but that would only make things worse. “Hello?”

“You asshole! I can’t believe you fucked up such an easy assignment!”

“Hey, I did what you wanted. I left ’em in the middle of the fucking ocean. Even went back to make sure they were dead and didn’t see anyone out there. It’s not my fault he somehow got in touch with someone to come and get him.”

“Shit! What’d the person who picked them up look like?”

“Old. Gray in his beard. Tattoos.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! This isn’t good. Not at all.”

The captain didn’t like the sound of that. “What now?”

“Well, obviously you can’t call the cops and inform them your customers disappeared during your charter, like we’d planned. You need to disappear instead. Go underground.”

“That takes money,” the captain protested.

“I already paid you.”

“Half. I want the other half of the money you promised me. I did what I was hired to do. If I don’t get what you owe me, I’ll go to the police and let them know you’re behind this whole thing.” The captain was bluffing, of course. If he went to the cops, he’d be arrested too. But he was desperate. Living in Hawaii wasn’t cheap, and if he had to hide out for an extended period of time, he needed cash.

“And admit your part in attempted murder? Not likely,” the man growled, as if reading his mind.

“I can’t go underground unless I have some cash.”

“Fine. Get rid of your burner phone. It won’t be traceable back to you. Go home. I’ll send my guy to you tonight with the money. Then you need to be a ghost.”

Relief swept over the captain. The ten thousand bucks coming his way should be enough for him to hole up off the grid for a while. “I will.”

“Don’t contact me again. Ever. Our business is over from the second we hang up. I’m getting rid of this number and you need to destroy that phone. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck, this is a disaster,” he muttered. “I’m gonna have to reassess. Make sure my name is kept out of this.”

Then the line went dead.

The captain took a deep breath and powered down the burner he’d been using. Thanks to all the competition, his charter business had gone downhill in the last few years. He’d taken this job because he was desperate for money, and everything had been planned out carefully. The cops would interrogate him, of course, when his client disappeared into the ocean. But he’d been ready for all the questions, and had been reassured that even though there would be suspicions, he’d be cleared eventually. No body meant no proof he’d actually done anything wrong.

But now that both passengers had been found, alive and well, everything was going to hell.

Powerful and extremely smart people would be looking into him, his business. Scrutinizing everything, down to what size underwear he fucking wore and what he’d eaten for breakfast this morning. And those survivors would immediately tell their side of the story. How he’d simply left them in the middle of the ocean.

Fuck!

He tipped his bottle of beer to his lips and guzzled the rest down. He nodded at the bartender, putting the cell into his pocket to dispose of later, then turned and walked away, slipping into the sunset as the ghost he now needed to be.

“Thanks, man,” Kevlar said, shaking Baker’s hand after they arrived at the small marina. Baker had called in a favor, and a sailor was waiting in the parking lot to take them wherever they wanted to go—along with the police. He and Remi had both given their statements…not that there was a lot to tell. Now the police were tracking down the boat captain, and Remi was standing about twenty feet away, waiting for him, giving him space and privacy to say goodbye to his friend. She didn’t have to do that, but he appreciated her consideration anyway.

“No thanks needed,” Baker told him. “And you should know, Tex is already on this. When he realized something was hinky, he hacked your email. Found correspondence about the charter booked for today, hacked the captain’s site and found Remi’s name. He knows all about your girlfriend being the heir to the Crown Condom business, about her ex…and yours too. He’s looking into the owner of the boat you chartered. And I’ll see what I can dig up as well, as promised.”

Kevlar could only laugh. He shouldn’t be surprised that Tex had hacked his email and already knew about Remi, but somehow he still was. And hearing Baker call her his girlfriend felt…good. Really good. “You’ll let me know if it was Douchecanoe or Bertie?” he asked.

“Of course. But does it matter which one it was?”

“Not really. Although I’d like to know to be prepared for any surprises in the future.”

“There won’t be any surprises if we can help it. Tex and I don’t like to leave loose ends.”

“Right. Again, thank you.”

“Whatever. What time you comin’ up tomorrow? If you’re going to stop at the Dole place and do the maze, you gonna be later than we planned?”

Kevlar thought about it for a moment. “Lunch-ish? That should give us time to get to Dole and then to the North Shore without having to get up at the ass crack of dawn. I’m sure Remi’s gonna be exhausted tonight and she’ll want to sleep in.”

Baker glanced over at Remi, standing with an emergency blanket still around her shoulders. Her hair had dried from the wind as they were coming back to shore, and it was currently in a crazy tangle around her head.

Kevlar thought she looked adorable, and he couldn’t wait to run his hands through that wild hair. But he didn’t like how unsure and lost she looked, standing by herself while he and Baker spoke.

“My gut’s screaming that something is off,” Baker said when he turned back to Kevlar once again.

“What do you mean? About Bertie?”

Baker shrugged. “About this whole situation. I mean, we both know you would’ve had no problem making it back to shore, even if you had to swim the whole way. Seems more likely you were caught in an attempt on her life. Are you sure you want to get involved?”

“Absolutely,” Kevlar said without hesitation. “I wish you could’ve seen her, Baker. When she realized we’d been left, she didn’t panic. There were no tears. She was determined to stay strong and calm. That asshole captain came back too.”

“He did?” Baker asked in surprise.

“Yeah. I wasn’t feeling warm and fuzzy vibes with how fast he was coming toward our location. He obviously wasn’t out there to save us, as if he suddenly realized he left the only two people who’d been on the boat with him earlier. I went under and buddy-breathed with Remi until he was gone.”

“And she didn’t freak out?”

“No. Not at all.”

Baker stared at him for a beat. Then said, “Buddy-breathing with someone you just met isn’t easy. She must be special.”

Kevlar wasn’t surprised the former SEAL understood the magnitude of sharing his air with someone else. It wasn’t as if he had a choice; that boat was coming straight for them and if whoever was driving realized they were still alive, things could’ve gotten dicey. But if Remi had panicked when they’d gone under, things could’ve gone just as bad. Buddy-breathing was the ultimate act of trust with another human.

“She is,” he said firmly, acknowledging Baker’s comment.

“Go,” he ordered. “Get your woman warm. And feed her while you’re at it. Make sure she drinks plenty.”

“I will. See you tomorrow.”

“Later,” Baker said, jumping back into the Zodiac and preparing to head away from the dock.

Kevlar didn’t know where Baker was going, but his attention wasn’t on the legendary former SEAL anymore. It was on Remi. She was still wearing the shorty wetsuit. Her cheeks were red from the sun and probably the salt and wind as well. He’d never seen anyone as beautiful as she was at that moment.

He strode up the wooden deck toward her and pulled her into his embrace the second he was close enough.

“Everything all right?” she asked as her hands rested on his chest.

“Yeah. Are we going to your hotel or mine?” he asked, not beating around the bush.

She blushed a little, but didn’t question him. Simply lifted her head and asked, “I don’t know. Where are you staying?”

“The Holiday Inn on Waikiki.”

She wrinkled her nose, and it was all Kevlar could do not to kiss her again. “Mine then. I’m at the Hilton. I have a corner suite with an ocean view.”

Kevlar chuckled. “Yours it is.”

“But we can stop by your hotel so you can get your stuff if you want.”

“I don’t need anything.”

Her brow rose. “Um, Vincent, you’re wearing a wetsuit.”

“And I’ve got my board shorts under it. But if I need more to wear, I can pick something up at an ABC store along the way. They’re everywhere and it won’t take long.”

“And it won’t take long to stop at your hotel so you can get your own stuff,” Remi said firmly.

Kevlar liked that she didn’t back down. That she didn’t just go with everything he said. It was funny, because Bertie was notorious for disagreeing with him, and he hated it—but the difference was, Remi was contradicting him on something that would be a nuisance for her, but would benefit him. He couldn’t even imagine Bertie being in the situation Remi had faced today. And if she had, right now, his ex would definitely be insisting she be taken immediately to her hotel without any side trips.

“You okay with me coming back to your hotel with you?” he asked. They’d been in an intense situation together, and she might be having second thoughts about being with him now that they were safe and on dry land again.

In response, she grabbed his hand and turned toward the man waiting for them in his SUV. She towed him toward the vehicle and opened the back door. “In,” she ordered.

Kevlar grinned. “Yes, ma’am,” he said obediently.

Once they were in the backseat, she thanked the sailor who’d come to chauffeur them to their hotel, and politely asked if he wouldn’t mind going by the Holiday Inn before heading to the Hilton.

Even with the short exchange of pleasantries, Kevlar could see that Remi had the young sailor wrapped around her little finger. Her kindness, even in the face of what she’d been through, was charming and endearing, and Kevlar couldn’t blame the sailor for staring and smiling in a way that hinted he was slightly besotted with the bedraggled woman in his backseat.

Kevlar had no idea what time it was when they finally arrived at her hotel. But it was fully dark and he was tired. And if he was this tired, Remi had to be exhausted. Even though she was obviously flagging, she was still friendly and kind to the hotel staff. She’d had to go to the front desk to get a replacement key and she struck up a conversation with the clerk about the beautiful flower in her hair.

While Remi chatted up the employee, Kevlar opened his favorite food-delivery app and arranged to have dinner delivered to Remi’s room. Comfort food. Stuff that wasn’t too spicy—so tacos would have to wait. After spending the day in the water, they both needed carbs and protein. Easy-to-digest stuff that would be gentle on their stomachs.

When Remi opened her hotel room door, Kevlar couldn’t stop the low, impressed whistle from escaping.

She giggled. “It’s a bit much for just me, but this view is worth every penny.” Then her nose scrunched up again, something he’d already realized was a habit. “I mean, I thought that before, but now…staring at that huge expanse of ocean has a different meaning for me.” Her voice wobbled on the last few words.

Kevlar couldn’t stay away from her if his life depended on it. It was the first true crack in her iron strength he’d seen all day. He dropped his bag—he’d quickly packed a change of clothes at his hotel, leaving his scuba gear behind—and strode toward her. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms.

She melted against him, and nothing had ever felt better to Kevlar. Had Bertie ever felt this good against him?

No. She hadn’t.

Remi was soft and yielding, and she snuggled into him almost as if they’d done this a hundred times before. She wasn’t that much shorter than him, only around four inches or so. Her hair brushed against his face as she rested her head on his shoulder, and he couldn’t stop himself from lifting a hand and sinking his fingers into the unruly strands.

How long they stood like that, Kevlar didn’t know. All he knew was that he didn’t want to let her go. Although he hadn’t been scared when he realized the boat had left them in the ocean, the day hadn’t been without its stressors. He needed this hug as much as Remi did. As a Navy SEAL, he was supposed to be Superman. Plenty of people thought men like him didn’t feel strong emotions, that he wasn’t affected by the things he saw and did. But he was.

At that moment, his brain flashed to Blink, the SEAL who’d lost some of his teammates and was having a hard time coming to terms with what happened on his last mission. Kevlar wondered if having someone like Remi to come home to would’ve made a difference in how he coped with his trauma. Not Remi herself; she was taken by him. But someone like her.

Thoughts of the traumatized SEAL were set aside as Remi pulled back and smiled up at him a little self-consciously.

“I should shower.”

“Yeah,” Kevlar agreed. But he didn’t drop his arms from around her.

“I’m okay,” she said quietly. “I admit that I had a…a moment. Seeing the ocean and realizing if you weren’t with me today, I’d still be out there. Probably trying to swim back to shore, and we both know how that would’ve ended up. But I’m good now. I can’t wait to get out of this wetsuit and into something warm and soft. Not to mention, my hair is probably never going to recover from the salt, wind, and sun.”

“I like it like this,” Kevlar told her.

She snort-laughed.

It should’ve turned him off. Instead, it made him smile.

“Yeah, right. The Medusa look is so attractive.”

He hadn’t taken his hand out of her hair, and he tightened his fingers around her scalp as he pulled her closer.

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t pull away. Satisfaction swam through Kevlar’s veins. He leaned in and smiled when her chin tilted up, giving him easy access to her lips. But he couldn’t kiss her right now. If he did, he wouldn’t want to stop. And he was keenly aware of the large bed behind them. He wanted to lay her down and peel off that wetsuit to discover all her hidden secrets. But she was exhausted. Now wasn’t the time.

He kissed her forehead instead, holding her against him, keeping his lips on her skin. She tasted slightly of salt and sweat. Even that didn’t turn him off.

Kevlar inhaled deeply, then regretfully took his hand out of her hair. He put both hands on her shoulders and turned her toward the bathroom. “Take your time, sweetheart. I need to make some calls to my team. If dinner arrives, I’ll get it.”

Remi nodded, licked her lips, then walked toward the bathroom.

Kevlar felt like a voyeur, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her ass. That wetsuit she had on showcased every inch of her body, even as it covered her. It was a tease that, at any other time, would’ve driven him out of his mind. But with tiredness pulling at him, he was content to simply admire her curves.

He didn’t move until the door shut behind her. Then Kevlar took a deep breath and headed toward the balcony. He needed some air. Being this close to Remi was both torture and heady at the same time.

Thankfully, he’d left his phone back at his hotel that morning before he’d headed out to the pier. He pulled it out of his bag and stood on the balcony as he dialed Safe’s number.

“Hey, Kevlar. How’s Hawaii?”

“Interesting.” Kevlar quickly summed up what happened that day.

“Holy shit, seriously? That bitch!”

Kevlar couldn’t help but smile. He loved how supportive his teammates were.

“Yeah, if you’d’ve asked me a week ago if I thought Bertie could ever do something like this, I’d have said no way, but now…I just don’t know, man.”

“What do you need from us?” Safe asked.

“Nothing right now. I’m meeting with Baker tomorrow. He picked up Remi and me today and he said he was going to look into things. See if he could find any hint that Bertie had set this up. He’ll also look into Remi’s ex. And of course, Tex is going to be in on things too.”

“Good thing you had your wetsuit with the tracker on,” Safe commented.

“Yeah, made things move a lot faster than they would’ve otherwise. I’ll talk to Tex tomorrow and thank him for being on the ball.”

Safe chuckled. “Oh, he’ll love that. You know Tex hates being thanked.”

“Well, he’s going to have to put up with it this once,” Kevlar said.

“And Remi?” Safe asked.

Kevlar swore he could hear the smirk in his friend’s voice. “Yeah. She’s…unlike any woman I’ve ever met.”

“You think a long-distance relationship can work?” Safe asked.

“That’s the thing. She lives in San Diego.”

“Holy shit, really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow! That’s crazy lucky, man.”

Kevlar thought it was more than luck. It was fate. But he kept that to himself. “It is.”

“You gonna see her again?”

Kevlar couldn’t keep the smile from forming on his face as he turned to look back into the hotel room. “Yeah.”

“Cool. Try not to be too much of an asshole and maybe she’ll give you a chance.”

Kevlar chuckled at that. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Anytime,” Safe said with a laugh.

“What’s happening there? Everyone enjoying their time off?” Kevlar asked.

“Pretty much.”

There was a note of…something in his friend’s tone. “What’s wrong?” Kevlar demanded.

“Nothing really. Everyone’s kind of restless. You know we don’t do well with downtime.”

“And?”

Safe sighed. “Howler’s been hanging out at The Golden Oyster more than usual. Talking smack.”

“About what?”

“Not about what—who,” Safe admitted.

Kevlar frowned. “About me?”

“I guess. But he’s full of shit. It’s the alcohol talking.”

“What’s he saying?”

“Stupid shit.”

“What’s he saying, Safe?” Kevlar repeated.

“Just the usual…stuff about how you could’ve canceled your trip and gone on that mission to Syria. How if he was team leader, he would’ve put his team and country first.”

Irritation swamped Kevlar. He loved Howler like a brother, but he got stupid when he drank, which was more and more often lately. There was a time when Howler had expressed interest in being team leader, but their commander had put Kevlar in the position instead. He and Howler had a long talk about it, and he’d thought his friend was all right with everything, but apparently there was still a bit of resentment there.

Kevlar made a mental note to have a long chat with his teammate when he got home. If Howler really wanted to run his own team, it might be time to encourage him to do just that. SEALs switched teams all the time. He’d miss his friend, but he wanted the best for him at the same time.

“I’ll talk to him,” he told Safe.

“I figured you would.”

“Everything else all right?”

“Yup.”

“Good.”

“You still coming back this week?”

“Of course.”

“Cool. I’ll see you in a couple of days. Try to stay out of trouble until then,” Safe teased.

“Whatever.”

“Kevlar?”

“Yeah?”

“Glad you’re all right. If I hear anything from the gossip network here, I’ll let you know.”

“Appreciate it. Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Kevlar hung up and stared off into the ocean, his mind spinning. He was going over everything that had happened today, his call with Safe, worrying about Howler and what the hell was going on with him.

A noise behind him had Kevlar turning, all the heavy thoughts going up in a puff of smoke as his gaze landed on Remi.

The bathroom was full of steam behind her, and she was standing at the door in nothing but a towel. Her skin was flushed from the hot shower and there was still water beaded on her shoulders and upper chest, above where the towel was barely covering her lush body.

“I forgot to grab some clothes,” she said, sounding embarrassed.

Kevlar stared at her for a long moment, before he realized he was adding to her discomfort. He spun around and stared back out at the ocean, his heart thumping in his chest as he did his best to control his body’s reaction to seeing Remi practically naked.

“I’m really sorry. I’ll be out in a minute or two,” she said from behind him.

Kevlar could hear drawers opening and the sounds of her shuffling things around.

“It’s okay,” he managed to say. “Take your time.”

When he heard the bathroom door shut, he let out the breath he’d been holding. He’d never been this affected by a woman, especially one he’d just met. It was disconcerting and exciting at the same time.

A knock at the door distracted him and he headed over, relieved to have something to keep himself busy.

He was setting the delivery bags on the table in the room when Remi appeared again. Her hair was streaming around her shoulders, and he could see little beads of sweat on her forehead from the hot shower and the steamy bathroom.

“I’m done. Your turn,” she told him with a small smile.

“Food’s here,” he said unnecessarily.

“I see,” she said, her smile widening.

Of course she did. Kevlar was rarely tongue tied. But here he was, sounding like an idiot. “Go ahead and dig in, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“No rush,” she told him.

Kevlar took large strides toward the bathroom, picking up his bag along the way. There was no chance he was going to make the same mistake she had. He couldn’t be in the same room as her wearing only a towel. He didn’t have that kind of willpower.

It was a relief to close the bathroom door behind him, but that relief only lasted a moment because the entire bathroom smelled like her. She was using the hotel’s lotion and body soap, something that smelled like coconut and flowers combined. He itched to smell it on her body.

Instead of the hot shower he’d planned, he ended up getting under a cool spray, willing his body to behave. The cold water did the trick, forcing the blood out of his cock. He quickly washed himself and his wetsuit before dressing as fast as he could.

It was crazy how eager he was to be back with Remi. He’d just seen her a few minutes ago, and yet he was acting like a smitten kid, desperate to see his crush again.

When he opened the bathroom door, he could only stare in surprise. While he’d been showering and changing, Remi had taken all their food out of the bags and arranged everything on the table. Complete with napkins under the silverware.

“I didn’t want to eat without you,” she admitted.

Kevlar didn’t know what he’d expected her to do. No…that was a lie. He’d thought she’d dig into the food because it was obvious she was starving after everything that had happened today. But she hadn’t. She’d waited for him. The simple gesture touched him in a way that was so unfamiliar.

He walked over to the table and slowly sat next to her.

Remi gave him a small smile and picked up a fork. “I know this is just mac and cheese, but it smells ridiculously good,” she told him.

Kevlar couldn’t take his eyes off her as she put the fork full of gooey, cheesy noodles into her mouth. The way her lips pursed and closed around the fork was almost erotic, and she wasn’t even trying to turn him on.

The moan that left her throat had him just as hard as he’d been before his shower.

“Oh my God, this is so good. I thought tacos were my favorite food, but I lied. This mac and cheese is my new fave.” Then she looked at him. “You aren’t eating. Are you okay?”

Absently, Kevlar dug into the plate she’d made for him. She was right, the cheesy concoction was exactly what his body was craving.

They ate in silence, but it wasn’t an awkward one. They were both concentrating on getting calories into their bodies and enjoying the feeling of their bellies being full. Kevlar made sure Remi ate some of the vegetables he’d ordered, to try to get as many nutrients into her as possible. There was also some delicious grilled chicken, which they shared.

By the time they’d finished eating, it was obvious Remi was hanging on by a thread. She’d yawned several times and her eyes were drooping. She was done for.

“You’re exhausted. Go to bed, sweetheart,” he told her. “I’ll clean up here.”

“It’s not even that late,” she protested, but Kevlar could tell it was halfhearted.

“So?” he countered.

Remi smiled. “True. I’m on vacation. I can do whatever I want, right?”

“Right.”

“Are you staying?”

Kevlar paused. He wanted to. Badly. But he also didn’t want to make her uneasy in any way.

“Please stay,” she said quietly. “I know it’s weird, and that we just met, but I’d feel better if you were here. It’s not that I think Douchecanoe can do anything to me when I’m in my hotel room, but I also didn’t think anything would happen on that snorkeling trip either.”

She was babbling, and while it was cute, Kevlar could also tell that she was stressed.

“I’ll stay,” he reassured her.

He could see her shoulders droop in relief. Practically feel it radiating off her.

“Thank you.”

She went straight to the bed and climbed under the covers without bothering to change. But then again, she’d put on a pair of leggings and a T-shirt after her shower, so she could easily sleep in those. She turned onto her side, and Kevlar could feel her gaze on him as he cleaned up their dinner dishes and put the leftovers, what little there were, in the small fridge in the room.

By the time he turned back to Remi, her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. She’d fallen asleep in seconds.

It struck him then how much trust she was putting in him. They were still practically strangers. Strangers who’d been through a very intense experience, but still.

He sat back down at the table and stared at Remi as she slept. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Had he ever been this fascinated with Bertie when she was sleeping—or any woman, for that matter? He couldn’t say that he was. What was it about this woman that affected him so deeply, so fast? He had no idea. All Kevlar knew was that if he screwed things up between them, he had a feeling he’d lose something precious.

This was his chance at having a true partner by his side for the rest of his life. He had no idea how he knew that, or why he was even having those thoughts to begin with, but he didn’t doubt his feelings.

As he watched, Remi curled her legs up and shivered in her sleep. That got him moving. He closed the balcony door, shut the curtains, and turned off all the lights in the room except for one on the other side of the bed.

Then he went to the small loveseat and sat in a position where he could still see Remi. For some reason, he needed to keep her in his line of sight. He wanted nothing more than to climb under the covers behind her, put his arm around her and hold on tight, but it was too soon for that. Even though he was thinking long term with this woman, he didn’t want to rush anything. Didn’t want her to wake up and be scared that she was in a strange man’s arms.

So instead, Kevlar scooted down so his head was resting on the back of the couch and his legs were stretched out in front of him. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable night’s sleep, but he’d definitely slept in worse places in his life. Besides, he was watching over Remi, making sure nothing disturbed her rest. That made the position perfect.