Chapter 19

Aaron grunted as he jogged along with his teammates for PT at oh-five-hundred. The week had felt like it was moving at a snail's pace, and he knew it was partially because he was so eager to see Emersyn again. She'd been putting in long hours at work, and he'd only seen her one evening. After taking her snorkeling that one Saturday, the past weekend had been more low-key. He'd taken Emersyn to a calm beach to work on her swimming basics, showing her specific strokes and watching her attempt to get the hang of it.

When she'd been exhausted and Aaron had declared them finished for the day, he'd laid her down in the sand like he'd wanted for weeks, kissing her as the waves crashed in the distance, feeling her soft body and feminine curves beneath him.

He grinned as he hustled along now, a fresh burst of adrenaline giving him more speed. Emersyn had been sexy as hell beneath him. He'd absolutely loved feeling her smaller body writhe against his own as his hands had skimmed over her. Aaron's cock had been rock-hard when they'd finally both come up for air.

She'd been blushing furiously when he'd pulled her to her feet, but damn. His girl was irresistible.

While he still hadn't made love to Emersyn, he knew it would be happening sooner rather than later. They'd showered together again after her swimming lesson, Aaron feasting on her pussy once more after he'd spread her silken thighs apart. Her pink, feminine flesh against his mouth was something he'd never get enough of. Emersyn tasted sweet as honey, and her sexy cries filling the shower were a sound he'd never forget. But just like he'd told her on their very first date, he wanted to wait to actually bury himself deep inside her body. Thrusting into her silken walls wouldn't just be incredible, it would be everything. Once he claimed Emersyn as his, he wasn't sure he'd be able to let her go.

She'd already been in Hawaii for a month, and the days were flying by faster than he liked. He didn't know for certain if she'd be staying after her TDY. Neither did she. And for a guy that was used to a level of uncertainty in his life—deploying at a moment's notice, flying all the way around the world and roughing it for an unknown amount of time—he didn't like not knowing what would happen between Emersyn and him in the future.

"Yo, Anchor!" Hudson called out, smirking.

Aaron's head swiveled toward his friend. "Yeah?"

Hudson chuckled. "I asked how Emersyn was. You've had a shit-eating grin on your face all morning. Figure she's the reason why."

"Asshole," Aaron muttered, and the rest of his teammates chuckled. His buddy wasn't wrong though. Aaron felt like his head was in the clouds, the gorgeous blonde on his mind with every step. He might be thirty-three, but it felt like he was a high school kid again, crushing on the pretty girl. Thankfully Em was all woman—smart, strong, funny as hell, and drop-dead sexy.

"How's her sister doing?" Ryan asked, elbowing Hudson.

Aaron raised his eyebrows as his buddy muttered a curse. "Layton's good. Might come out here again sometime from what I gather."

"She's coming back?" Hudson asked, sounding surprised.

Aaron shrugged. "Well, yeah. Supposedly. She wants to visit Emersyn again while she's here in Oahu. Why wouldn't she?"

His teammates didn't answer, and they reached the midway point of their run on the beach and turned around to head back. There was hardly anyone around right now, just a few early birds there to watch the sun rise. "Damn. Lex would love that sunrise," Austin said. Aaron's gaze tracked over the water, looking at the sun rising above the ocean, the colors dancing across the Pacific. It was a sight to see, and he couldn't believe he got to live here in a tropical paradise.

A brief hint of worry coursed through him as they jogged along, and he tried to push it aside. Worrying about his future with Emersyn wasn't going to solve anything. She wasn't even halfway through her TDY yet. While Em hoped the office would ask her to stay on, that didn't mean it would happen. He didn't like knowing there was a chance she'd eventually leave Honolulu.

She was from Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. Sure, he could attempt to switch to Little Creek if she moved back there, but it wasn't his call. And Little Creek was hours away from Northern Virginia anyway. Aaron's duty was to God and country. He served in the Navy and went where he was told. Someday, he'd be off the teams. He'd forge his own path. Aaron had little choice in his own life right now. For a guy that was used to being single, happy to play the field and never too serious about committing to one woman long term, he found himself wanting a whole lot of things he hadn't before.

***

Aaron frowned as they sat around the bullpen, listening to a briefing from Commander Madden. There'd been a cable from State that morning reporting that a man fitting Eric Wilder's description had been approaching American tourists at an airport in Cancun. One of them had gone to the local consulate office, reporting the suspicious behavior.

"We need confirmation it was actually Wilder," Wyatt said, leaning forward in his seat. "Otherwise, it could be some other fool stirring up trouble. A story broke the other day about a U.S. government contractor who'd gone missing in Mexico. It was blasted all over the national news, so there're bound to be attention seekers trying to get their claim to fame."

"The description sounds exactly like Wilder though," Sawyer said with a frown. "You think the tourist made it up?"

"State deemed it to be credible. If it is Wilder, I'm not sure what his game plan would be to draw attention to himself like that," their CO said. "Analysts are looking at the various possibilities now."

Aaron listened, his mind instantly going to Emersyn. Would she ever be involved with the Wilder incident given she was a DEA analyst? Or was she strictly focused on the drug issues here in Oahu?

"If we confirm this is Wilder," Commander Madden continued, "a team will be sent in to locate and retrieve him. His bank account was emptied last week. Given he's the only person on it, he's accessing from somewhere."

"Why the hell didn't the Feds freeze his assets?" Ryan asked.

"It's a damn good question. Although it's possible he was forced by the cartel to empty his bank accounts, his possible sighting at the airport pokes holes in that theory. If he's taking orders from the cartel under duress, he could've asked someone for help. Caught a flight out of there. Analysts assess that he withdrew all of the money willingly."

"Maybe he wants attention," Aaron said. "Notoriety. It seems where Wilder was involved, too little was done too late. He flew under the radar at DEA and played us all."

"When will we obtain the surveillance footage?" Wyatt asked. "Are there other sightings that have been reported?"

"Negative. And I'm working on getting the airport surveillance footage from our allies. If Wilder is hanging around Cancun, he won't be for long."

Hudson cocked his head. "Something's not adding up with this."

"A hell of a lot of somethings aren't adding up," their CO barked. "Federal authorities want to question him. The Pentagon will be sending us in if Wilder is found in Cancun. U.S. Marshals will be there assisting, but given our prior joint operation with the Mexican Special Forces in the rescue operation, they want our boots on the ground as well."

"Well shit. There go my plans for the week," Sawyer snarked.

The CO reprimanded him, then continued to brief the team on several other updates. Aaron listened in, but his mind kept tracking back to Emersyn. There'd been a huge drug bust on the island over the weekend that had made the news, with a cartel leader named Antonio Lopez brought under arrest. Emersyn had been working nonstop recently, and while she couldn't share what she was doing due to the classified nature of her job, he had the strangest feeling that they were both involved in the same case. Em sure as hell wouldn't be heading off to Mexico like Aaron and his team. She'd be safe in her cubicle. In the back of his mind, however, he couldn't help but worry that she'd somehow end up in danger.