She stumbled as the sub swayed. Even deep under the ocean, there were currents. Aiden wrapped his arm around her, and his pulse took off like he was in a swim competition. The pressure of her beautiful form close was too tempting. He had to keep reminding himself Melene wasn’t a date but a protection detail.
She smiled up at him, and the ship seemed to tilt on its side.
Aiden had to stay strong. Even though doing so with temptation like Melene this close may be harder than not ringing the bell in BUD/S training.
Off limits, he repeated sternly to himself.
This sweetheart was definitely off limits to a salty dog like him.
ChapterFour
Melene was grateful to Lieutenant Aiden Delta for a multitude of reasons, starting with him miraculously saving her life, but the pressing reason right now was that over the last seventy-four hours—she thought that’s how long Aiden had said they’d been traveling—he’d kept her eating saltines, sipping water, taking motion sickness pills, holding her hair out of the way when she puked, getting her to the “head” as they called it for a shower or to brush her teeth, and cleaning up her vomit while she was gone.
Miraculously, they’d made it off their final ship transfer. She’d stopped counting how many times she’d thrown up and simply focused on Aiden’s solid presence that never left her side. There was a comfort, protection, and sense of home the highly accomplished yet compassionate SEAL exuded that she wanted to cling to. She wondered how she’d made it through the last ten years without him. It was probably just the dehydration and lack of sustenance that made her so needy, but Aiden didn’t seem to mind.
She should be humiliated that she’d sullied her last set of clean clothes, hadn’t had time to take a shower before they left the last large ship, had forgotten her toothbrush and military-issued toiletry kit on the same ship, and Aiden had seen her at her lowest point in years.
She was usually the strong one. The person who took care of others. But as much as she loved to swim in the ocean, she’d never done well on the rocky seas and usually avoided traveling by boat. She’d lost track of how many ships, some of them “submersibles” that were worse for her sea sickness because of no fresh air, they’d been on. The larger battle cruisers and submarines were okay but still not completely free of rocking or swaying if they were above the sea and strong ocean currents if they were below. She never settled completely before they were transferring back to a smaller boat.
It was nighttime when they were brought across a crazily peaceful bay on a small dinghy, angling for a long, wooden dock. The lights of a large resort lit up the ledge on the left side of the sheltered bay. Melene could hear upbeat music and see an outdoor party going on at a large pool that overlooked the ocean. How would they remain incognito if they spent time with that large crowd? Or maybe they were hiding in the crowd. She had no clue how hiding from psychopathic generals worked.
Aiden had a baseball cap and sunglasses on and she had her hair covered and her face partially wrapped in a shawl. She’d seen a gun on his hip and wondered what other weapons he had. On the ships, she’d seen him toying with a knife he seemed to always have in his pocket, but he hadn’t worn a pistol since that first night.
A man from the Navy ship handed them up onto the dock, then tossed Aiden’s large waterproof backpack up. They hadn’t exchanged names with anybody since they left Aiden’s SEAL team on that submarine. Melene felt detached and miserable and so, so tired.
The only other emotion she had was gratitude for Aiden and his solid comfort. He’d proven himself patient, kind, and witty as they’d gone through their torturous sea journey. He’d told her stories from his time with the Navy and stories from home to distract her. He was similar to how she remembered him from high school, just more handsome with bigger muscles and a little darker humor. He’d made her laugh even through her seasick misery. Especially when he told stories of his “ugly” twin Thor and the trouble they used to get into. She remembered a few of the pranks but hadn’t known who was to blame.
The night air was salty and fresh and she took a few slow, cleansing breaths to settle her stomach. Even though they were off the ship, everything still seemed to rock. Maybe the dock was rocking from the waves created by their small boat.
Shouldering his bag, Aiden thanked the man and took her arm. The man motored away. Melene walked unsteadily up the dock, grateful for Aiden’s constant support. Where would she be without him? Lying in a mess of puke in the dark cabin of a military ship somewhere.
No. She glanced at his strong profile in the soft light. She’d be dead without him—or in General Phillip’s hands, which would be a fate worse than death.
Aiden was an amazing man and her personal hero. Her Aquaman. If only she could give him one sweet kiss of gratitude. But no. She had to stay strong and not get her heart or his in a bind when they went their separate ways. Also, she needed some strong toothpaste and mouthwash and definitely mint-flavored floss and maybe even some mints or gum to rid her mouth of this taste.
She glanced around at the horseshoe-shaped beach lit with tiki lamps. There were lay-down beach chairs with thatched umbrellas perched above each pair of chairs, a bar, and a small outdoor restaurant. A stack of paddleboards and kayaks were next to the dock. All was quiet and deserted, but she imagined tomorrow afternoon this place would be bustling.
“You all right?” Aiden asked softly as they walked off the dock and through a hard-packed sand trail past the restaurant before they reached some wooden steps. Thankfully, his hand on her elbow steadied her.
“Just feeling a little tipsy,” she said.
He chuckled. “You’ll fit right in here.” He gestured with his chin to their left where the party at the pool was partially visible on the bluff a couple hundred yards away.
“Are we going to stay at this resort?” She doubted General Phillip really had connections in every corner of the world like he seemed to believe, but she’d prefer to stay out of sight until he gave up on pursuing her. If she had a million-dollar price on her head and the general could get her picture and the word out, she might be in danger anywhere in the world.
She was grateful Aiden was with her for however long she needed to hide out, but she wondered how they’d both handle the boredom. They were used to being busy and needed. Children and teenagers competed for her attention all day long. Some volunteers complained the children were draining, but Melene gained energy from their vitality, simple humor, and zest for life. Even in the midst of heartbreaking circumstances, the children usually kept smiling. They taught her more than she taught them most of the time.
“Yes,” he said.
They climbed lots and lots of steps.
“But not that section of the resort.”
As they reached the top of the steps, he directed her to the right. She wished she knew what direction they were walking and what country or island they were on. She was so drained she didn’t even ask.
The path was lit by tiki lamps and made of wooden slats. They walked through thick vegetation. She imagined a bike ride would be a nightmare on these paths, but the sauntering walk was lovely. Her stomach seemed to settle, finally, and her legs that were so used to action and running races with the children were grateful to be moving again after three days on boats. She’d been so sick she’d been unable to walk and unable to move much at all.
“We’re in the private villa side. On our honeymoon, you see.”