He wanted to say something poetic. He wanted to chuck the food and rush over and pull her close, but he simply stared at her. Her smooth, beautiful skin, dark eyes, and full lips were enhanced with light makeup. Her long, dark hair curled down her back and trailed over one perfect shoulder. Her pale blue dress outlined all the womanly curves that seemed even more pronounced by how thin she was. He loved that she wasn’t trying to be thin, but she worked so hard for the children in the heat that she struggled to keep weight on. She was genuine and so true to herself. She tucked her hair behind her ear and shyly smiled at him.
“You look amazing, Aiden,” she said.
Dang. She’d said it first. He tilted his chin up and tried to play it cool, but there was nothing cool about him right now. He was on fire. For her. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Melene,” he said far too huskily.
Her smile grew.
His phone beeped a warning.
Aiden’s eyes widened. He hurriedly set the food on the dining room table, then yanked his phone out as he returned to the entryway. Melene tried to follow him. He held up his hand to hold her back. Clicking on the cameras and sensors, he couldn’t see anything for a moment. He’d let himself get distracted.
Transferring his phone to his left hand, he jerked his pistol out and cocked it. He could hear Melene’s quick breaths behind him. He wanted to reassure her, but he had to figure out what was out there first.
He found the heat signature behind some trees and willed the person to move so he could catch them on the cameras and see if it was a worker pruning trees and he was overreacting or if it was a paid mercenary who’d somehow found them. They hadn’t interacted with anyone outside the Navy sailors who’d dropped them off here. He supposed one of the Navy men or women could’ve taken the million-dollar bribe and revealed they saw them get off a ship near Jamaica, but he thought they’d done a good job of hiding their faces. Could a security camera have captured an angle of Melene’s face and a resort guard sold them out?
The heat signature moved and he let out a relieved laugh.
“What?” Melene pressed into his back and suddenly there was a very different worry as her smooth curves filled him with desire. “What is it?”
“A deer,” Aiden admitted, showing her the video. He slid his Glock back into the holster, his phone into his pocket, and turned to her. She was so close, and so beautiful. He hadn’t been bothered by her smell at all when she was sick and claimed she didn’t smell great, but right now she smelled fabulous, like sweet mint and flowers. Hewasbothered by how alluring she was. It bothered him a lot.
“We’d better eat before it gets cold,” he rushed out before he hauled her close and tasted her lips first and then explored her slender neck.
“Okay.” She stepped back, but there was a disappointment in her dark eyes that dug at him. She swept toward the table.
He followed her and picked up the tray of food. “Do you want to eat out back?”
“Sure.” She grabbed water bottles from the fridge and he waited for her to walk in front of him out onto the patio.
They sat by the sparkling pool with the gorgeous scenery of greenery, flowers, and the ocean below. The food was delicious, and they chatted about their families as they ate. She wanted to hear all about his twin Thor and his fiancée Shelly, their upcoming wedding, and he even shared Thor’s funny text. Melene, of course, worried that she was keeping him from the wedding. He reassured her wouldn’t have been able to make it anyway.
Dinner was finished and cleaned up. She excused herself and went into her bedroom. Aiden hurried into his own bathroom, brushed his teeth, but stopped himself from spritzing on more cologne. He stared at himself in the mirror, his own blue eyes questioning. What was he doing? He’d never struggled like this, but Melene was so incredible. They could talk about anything and nothing. She was fun to play around with in the water, charitable and kind, and the most appealing woman he’d ever met.
He did his routine checks, almost wishing some mercenary would show up to distract him, passed a hand over his face, and walked back out. It was only eight o’clock. He couldn’t hide out in his room all night.
Melene walked out as well and inclined her head toward the beach. “Walk down on the beach?” she asked.
“Sure.” He should’ve suggested they play a card game or watch an action movie or something that wouldn’t be romantic. He couldn’t seem to help himself from wanting to be alone with Melene in romantic spots.
They walked out the back patio door and he barely restrained himself from taking her hand or putting his hand on the small of her back. Slowly making their way down the beach path, she tripped on her heels and he had no choice but to wrap his arm around her waist.
She stared up at him, her lips soft and full and her beguiling dark eyes sparkling at him. “Thanks,” she said, sounding out of breath and looking as if she wanted nothing more than to kiss him.
“Sure.” His gaze trailed over her beautiful face and his hands had a mind of their own as they slid along the soft skin of her back.
He saw the pulse point in her neck thud quicker and he felt his own heart racing out of control. He wanted to kiss her. Desperately. But he’d been the idiot who said nothing could happen between them. Getting involved was dangerous to the mission, wasn’t fair to her, and it would devastate him when he had to walk away.
Aiden used self-control honed from his upbringing and his years in the military and he thought even his drill sergeant from BUD/S training would be proud of him for stepping back and releasing her. It was harder than not ringing the bell, that was for sure.
He gestured her down the last few stairs. Her face reflected the loss of the moment and a sharp disappointment. He clenched his fist so he wouldn’t reach out for her again.
She walked onto the beach and slid her strappy heels off, leaving them in the sand. Aiden couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Had there ever been a woman as captivating as this one? Not that he’d ever met.
As she straightened, they were face to face and Aiden’s heart was thudding out of control. He tried to remember all the reasons he needed to keep his distance and stay strong, but his mind was suddenly blank of anything but Melene.
The fact was the three-quarters moon was giving off a romantic light, the lapping of the waves and the delicious smell of Melene and most of all the sweetness and appeal of her face, her body, and her very soul wrapped around him. He had no power to resist when she made the first move. She shifted closer, placed her lovely hands on his chest and then slowly, tantalizingly, she slid her hands across his chest, over his shoulders, and then around his neck.
Luckily, Aiden could hold his breath for over three minutes because there was no oxygen getting through to his lungs at the moment.