* * *
A.J. looked at his watch as he crouched in the reeds waiting for the helo to pick them up. Moments after he’d left Sienna, he’d been deployed. He wondered if she would ever be able to let go of the need to be safe.
He heard the blades of the Huey making the familiarwhop-whopsound as it moved through the night. He grabbed the US diplomat he’d just rescued from terrorists by the back of the jacket. “When I say go, we go.”
The man nodded. As soon as the Huey landed, A.J. made the signal to head for the chopper. His team rose seemingly out of the ground and made their way to the waiting ride.
As the chopper lifted into the air, A.J. let the rush of emotions regarding Sienna come to the fore. He intended to ask his commander for some R and R when he got back to the base. It was all he could do to keep his concentration on the mission at hand. She was never far from his thoughts.
If only he could resist the memories that refused to diminish. But he wasn’t able to resist her, he admitted. The sexual tension that crackled between them would have overwhelmed a stronger man than he. And the other things—her gentleness, her caring, her kindness—those things overwhelmed him even more. She had made him feel more alive than he had ever felt in his life.
He needed her. He needed Sienna in ways that had absolutely nothing to do with the incendiary sexual attraction he felt for her. And the thought of never holding her in his arms again opened up a chasm in his spirit, a place that would ever afterward be empty.
As a SEAL he knew about patience. It would be hard to wait for her to come to him. But she had to understand who she was and what was holding her back. Until then, no amount of talking to her would make a difference.
* * *
“What are you doing here, David?”
“In all the confusion, I guess I never gave you an official statement. Someone called and said I had to come by the station house and see you.”
“Sure. Have a seat. How are things going?”
“Pretty well. My shoulder is a lot better.”
“That’s great. How’s your family?”
“Mom and Dad are fine. A.J. is leaving today on this top secret, hush-hush mission that’s really dangerous. Of course, every time A.J. goes on a mission it’s dangerous, but this one sounds really dangerous.”
Sienna jumped up from her chair. “Hey, Robbie, could you take this guy’s statement?” she called. “Where is A.J. now?”
“He’s in Coronado, probably getting ready to deploy.”
“I need to see him.”
“Who’s stopping you?”
* * *
Sienna rushed out of the building and put on her siren as she drove to the base. When she got there, the guard walked over. She flashed her badge.
“Yes, Detective Parker, arrangements have been made for you.”
Sienna didn’t bother to question her good luck. She drove onto the base, following the directions the guard at the gate had given her.
She got out of the car and saw two figures on the beach just coming out of the water.
“A.J.!” she called and began running down the sandbank. A.J.’s head snapped up at the sound of her voice. He watched as she came flying across the sand, throwing herself into his arms. The smell of him, the warmth of his face against hers, was like the same wonderful feeling of coming home.
“I was wrong about you, about us. Please tell me it’s not too late. I love you.”
He closed his eyes, a shuddering breath easing out of him. “It would never be too late.” He cupped her face between his hands. “I still love you. I don’t think I could live without you.”
Her gaze softened and she smiled. “You were right. I was using my job to keep my family away emotionally. I was trying to do that to you with all my excuses as to why we couldn’t be together. I don’t want to be safe anymore. I want to take a risk on you.”
His mouth was hot on hers. Her system overloaded, her pulse heavy, her heart laboring against it. She was so sure if he stopped kissing her, she would cease to exist. The sensation was like being absorbed into a heated vortex where she was lost and out of control, but she knew, in A.J.’s arms, she would always be anchored.
A.J. slid his fingers in her hair, cupping the side of her head as he deepened the kiss. Sienna made a helpless sound and opened her mouth. A.J.’s tongue slipped inside in a deep, searching kiss that drove every ounce of strength out of her body and made her knees buckle.