Chapter Fourteen

T he team set up their base of operations in a safe house located near the area where they planned on diving that night. Once the warhead was secured, they’d hunt down the pirate. The map indicated the missing nuke was sitting on the seafloor off the coast, in dangerously shallow water less than fifteen feet deep.

“It’s a wonder no one’s found it yet,” Corey said as they dragged their gear inside the house.

Nearby, Wes was checking out the ROV Dylan and Hollis Ford let them borrow. “How exactly does this work again?”

Lex sidled over. “It’s cool as shit. We lower it into the water and use a joystick to move it around. Like playing a video game. Since I picked it up, I think I should be the one to control it.”

“I went, too,” Xander reminded him.

“No way.” Chaz moved up beside them and grabbed the control out of Lex’s hand. “Why should you guys have all the fun?”

“Because we flew down to the Big Easy to pick it up.”

“You look hungover, by the way,” Brand said, voice dry.

Lex gave an innocent shrug. “How am I supposed to visit the Big Easy and not party a little? That would’ve been disrespecting the city itself. It expects debauchery. Besides, did you know Dylan owns a jazz club on Bourbon Street? Lucky 13. They were mixing us Sazeracs the whole time, and I don’t know about you, Hawke, but I have a standing invitation to go back.”

Xander rolled his eyes.

“I’m sure you do,” Jayson said, smirking. “I hope Dylan doesn’t have any sisters.”

Lex’s face fell. “He does, I met her. Absolutely gorgeous. But she’s married to some big dude who’s a billionaire.”

“Too bad for you,” Chaz said, his tone not sorry at all.

“She has a friend, though.” Lex gave them all a shit-eating grin.

“You didn’t.” Corey shook his head and Lex only smiled wider.

“Oh, he did,” Xander confirmed.

“That has to be a record. Even for you, Battle. In and out of a city in under ten hours and you got laid, too?”

“Six hours,” he informed them smugly.

“Glad you had time to party while on Uncle Sam’s dime,” Brand commented, and they all laughed.

“What can I say? It’s the New Orleans effect.” Lex slanted a side-eye in Xander’s direction. “If I remember correctly, you seemed to be having a pretty good time, too, Hawke. With that blonde.”

Xander shrugged a shoulder. “No idea what you’re talking about, man.”

“Liar!” Lex laughed.

“Okay,” Brand said, redirecting the conversation back to the mission. “Let’s go over everything one more time. I want to find this tonight. We can’t let it fall into the wrong hands.”

They all grew serious. A nuclear warhead in enemy hands meant nothing but certain devastation.

“Murph and Corey will be in the water. Sorry, Lex, but I’ll be operating the ROV while Jayson and Hawke watch the live video stream on the monitor. You and Chaz will be our lookouts and make sure we’re not interrupted by any pirates or treasure hunters. Got it?”

“Roger,” they all said with a nod.

The plan seemed easy enough, but a small ball of anxiety twisted in Wes’ gut. He knew Ellie would be with them on the boat, safely surrounded by six, capable, former military men and one badass former CIA guy, but something had him worried. Maybe it was the fact Ellie was back in Indonesia or the possibility they could run into more pirates. Whatever it was, he pushed his worry aside and focused on getting into a mission mindset.

They could not fail. Getting their hands on that warhead was priority number one tonight, along with keeping Ellie safe. In the meantime, they had the rest of the day to themselves because they weren’t going out until sunset. As the team scattered, Ellie came down the steps wearing a tanktop, jean shorts and flip flops. Her brown hair was in a messy bun on top of her head and his heart caught in his chest when she smiled at him. Somehow, each smile she bestowed on him seemed more beautiful than the last.

“Are you done until tonight?” she asked, walking up to him.

“I am.”

Her eyes lit up. “Care to go for a little walk on the beach with me, sailor?”

“I’ll go anywhere with you, Ellie.” It was the truth. He’d follow her into the deepest, darkest, hottest part of hell if she asked.

As they moved past Corey, his friend grinned. “See you two lovebirds later.”

Wes couldn’t miss the adorable blush that stole across Ellie’s cheeks, and he discreetly bumped knuckles with Corey as he walked by. He felt like he was walking on air. Like the Prom Queen just agreed to go out on a date with him. How the hell had he gotten so damn lucky? It was a question he couldn’t stop asking himself.

They stepped outside and Wes followed Ellie through the jungle down a narrow trail that opened onto a quiet section of beach. Walking through the shifting sand was hell with a prosthetic, so they headed over to the water’s edge where it was more stable and compact.

“Is it strange being back here?” he asked, trying to get a read on her mood.

“A little. Honestly, I keep thinking about the sea turtles I used to feed every morning. I hope they’re doing well.”

Goddamn sea turtles. As much as he wished they’d all just disappear into extinction, he knew they gave Ellie so much joy. “That’s why you came here. To study and help those little bastards.”

She tilted her head up, shading her eyes, and chuckled at the growl in his voice. “May I ask what they ever did to gain your wrath?”

“Sorry. I know you love them, Ellie-Bean. But I blame them for the past year and a half of misery.”

“It’s the pirates you should be blaming.”

“I blame them and anyone responsible for taking you away from me. But most of all, I blame myself.” Guilt made his chest tighten. He stopped walking and turned to face her. “After I heard what happened here…knowing how far away I was…Fuck, I’ve never felt so helpless in my entire life.”

“You sent security with me and planned to meet me in a few days. It wasn’t your fault, Wes.”

“I shouldn’t have let you go. It was too dangerous.”

Ellie scoffed. “I may not remember much, but I’m pretty sure denying me the thing I love to do, my job, would only have resulted in a huge fight. You can’t keep me tucked away or taped up in bubble wrap. Things are going to happen. And they’re not always going to be good. That’s life. It gets messy and scary and sometimes it rips your heart out.”

He narrowed his eyes, not liking her response one little bit. “It’s my job to prevent as much of that as possible. To protect you.”

“You’re an amazing protector,” she told him, reaching up and cupping his face. “I know you will always keep me safe, Wes.”

His stomach clenched and the knowledge that he hadn’t been able to keep her safe before was a nasty reminder that it could happen again.

Over my dead body, he thought as he grabbed her, his mouth crashing against hers. No one was going to hurt her again.

The kiss was more rough than he intended, but a wildness surged up inside him. The urge to claim her, mark her as his. He wanted his wife, on her back, perfect thighs spread open as he thrust inside her hot core.

Scooping her up into his arms, Wes turned back toward the jungle and Ellie squealed.

“Wes! What’re you doing?”

“Finding a secluded spot to fuck my wife,” he stated bluntly.

Her eyes widened before she tossed her head back and laughed. “You’re not serious.”

“Oh, I’m very serious.”

Once they reached the cover of the dense jungle, he turned her body, wrapping her legs around his waist, and captured her mouth in a demanding kiss that made his intentions crystal clear. Her arms wound around his neck and he pushed her back against a palm tree. Holding her face in his hands, he drank deeply, savoring her sweet taste. His hips rocked forward and she sighed into his mouth as their tongues tangled.

“I love when you make those sounds. Telling me you need me.” He trailed his tongue down along her jaw and licked her neck.

“I do need you.” She ground her hips, rubbing herself against his straining cock. “When I’m with you, I feel whole. You make me feel alive and more like myself, how I once was…how I want to be again.”

Shoving a hand between their bodies, he managed to undo her jean shorts and slide his hand down into her panties. “So wet,” he murmured, tracing her seam then plunging two fingers into her slick pussy. Ellie arched, whimpering as he moved them, finding the right rhythm and pressure.

“Wes…please…” Need and desire edged her breathy voice as she clamped down around his fingers. He felt her inner muscles begin to pulse and his cock throbbed, desperate to be inside of her.

“Come for me, my love.” He worked her clit and her head dropped back against the tree, her lower body moving against his hand.

“I want you inside me. Now,” she demanded. “Don’t hold back. Give me everything.”

“Almost,” he promised, watching the raw desire wash over her gorgeous face. Her mouth dropped open and she gasped, her entire body shaking hard as the orgasm hit. It was beautiful to watch her lose control and know her pleasure was because of him. Once she lifted her head and met his gaze, he carefully set her feet on the ground. “Take your shorts off.”

While Ellie hurriedly stepped out of her shorts and panties, Wes lowered his pants and boxer briefs enough to release his aching dick. His need was a fierce beast and his hands shook as he grabbed Ellie and lifted her up again. Her wetness touched his tip and she wrapped herself around him, clinging tightly as he grasped his cock and lined their bodies up.

“Hurry,” she pleaded and bit his shoulder.

Wes surged up, gliding into her slick heat, then retreated. His hips pumped, filling her then nearly pulling all the way out before sinking into her welcoming body again. Ellie cried out, squeezing her thighs around him, moving with him. As he plunged deeper, one word filled his passion-addled brain: home.

Their mouths slammed together, devouring each other, and Wes groaned when her nails dug into his shoulders. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t see straight. All he could do in that moment was feel. Feel her sweet pussy clenching around his cock, milking him hard. Feel her nails scraping along his skin. Feel her teeth nipping at his neck between kisses. And feel a love so goddamn fierce it nearly knocked him over.

He was hanging on by a thread, on the verge of losing control, when Ellie cried his name and her pussy spasmed around his throbbing cock. Once she came, Wes erupted inside her, spilling his seed, shuddering hard. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, hips still pumping, emptying every last drop. Savoring their connection, making it last as long as possible.

“Christ,” he groaned. Twenty-eight years and he still couldn’t get enough of her. Lifting her away from the tree trunk, he ran his hands down her back and felt scratches. “Are you okay?”

She gave him a wicked smile. “I love when you lose control like that.”

He arched a brow. “Rough can be good.”

“Sooo good,” she murmured, melting against him.

“Slow can be pretty amazing, too.” He flicked his tongue against her ear and she let out a shaky breath. “Slow…dragging…thrusts. The kind that hit you right where you need.”

“Mmm, I’m ready whenever you are,” she teased, squirming against him, and he chuckled.

God, I love you. He didn’t say the words out loud even though he wanted to so badly. The last thing he wanted to do was put any pressure on her to say them back. When she was ready, she would. Until then, he vowed to let her move at her own pace and not rush her.

He loved her too much to do that.

◆◆◆

After their romp in the jungle, Wes and Ellie made their way back to the safehouse. Corey had whipped up a taco bar while Wes had fucked her senseless against a palm tree, and she’d definitely worked up an appetite. Now the team was circling it like sharks, filling up their plates.

It didn’t take long for the banter to begin. God, they were a motley crew. Ellie munched on a taco, completely entertained by their antics. When it came to ribbing each other, it seemed like their favorite subject was tossing around the old man jokes.

“I’m telling you guys, he’s sporting a crisis beard.” Lex gave Chaz a smug smile then bit into his third taco. It was so full that one bite caused almost everything to fall out on his plate.

“Crisis beard?” Chaz echoed with a scowl. “I swear to God, you just make this shit up.”

“No, I don’t. You always used to be clean-shaven, but not anymore. That’s the first sign.”

“First sign of what?” Chaz scoffed. “Corey and Xander both have beards.”

“Their beards are different,” Lex insisted.

“You’re an idiot,” Chaz grunted, and everyone laughed.

“Hear me out.” Lex wiped his mouth and swallowed. “Their beards are full and bushy beauties that say ‘I don’t give a fuck,’ while yours is a cry for help. When a normally clean-shaven man stops shaving, it’s to let others around him know he’s fully engaged in resolving said crisis and not worrying about minor things like hygiene. That’s a crisis beard.”

“You’re so full of shit,” Chaz shot back. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“What crisis is Chaz facing?” Jayson asked.

“He’s trying to figure out what to do about Lottie and the magical pull she has over his little man.”

“Fuck off, Battle.” Chaz set his taco down. “There’s nothing little about him.”

“Lottie is off-limits,” Brand stated. “I’ve already made that clear.”

“Who’s Lottie?” Ellie asked, looking from Chaz to the others.

“She’s the little ray of sunshine who works at Old Glory and makes Chaz go all mushy,” Wes told her.

“Mushy? Or hard?” Lex teased.

“She’s too young for me,” he growled. “Besides, she needs someone who will marry her and become an instant stepfather. No thanks. Marriage burned my ass once. I’m never making that mistake again. Besides, I’m no good with kids.”

Even though Chaz was saying one thing, Ellie picked up on something entirely different. He might be bitter from a past relationship, but she saw the longing in his green eyes. If she had to guess, the big, gruff former military man had a massive crush on the waitress and would do anything she asked.

They eased off Chaz and started talking about the mission. The plan was to leave at sunset, so there was still some time to kill. Finishing her taco, Ellie turned to Wes and batted her lashes. She had a mission of her own to accomplish, but she’d need to persuade him to accompany her.

“What?” he murmured, the look on his face telling her he already knew she was up to something.

“Could we take a little field trip before your mission?”

“Where?”

“I’d really like to check on my sea turtles.” Before he could say no, she very softly added, “Please. I want to give them the leftover lettuce from our tacos.”

He sighed and she wondered if he had ever denied her anything. “Fine, but we only have an hour.”

Ellie popped up, a huge grin spreading across her face as both Lex and Chaz lifted their hands into the air, flicked their wrists and made whipping noises.

“If you’re saying I’m whipped,” Wes said, standing up, “you’d be right. Maybe one day you’ll be just as lucky, boys.”

“God forbid,” Chaz grumbled.

“They have no idea what they’re missing,” Brand said.

“Nope,” Wes agreed, sliding his arm around Ellie, guiding her over to the counter to fill a bag with the lettuce. “No clue.”

Ellie pushed up onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his angular jaw, unable to miss the way Wes’ face lit up. He proved he’d do anything for her and she felt a rush of warmth at the thought. If ever the situation reversed and he needed her, she wouldn’t hesitate to return the favor.