SEALs of Summer 2: A Military Romance Superbundle (60 page)

“That’s why you petitioned the Guardians for funding?”

“Yes. To perfect the serum from the animal testing stage to human healing.”

He exhaled. “If you and I ran the world there wouldn’t be any diseases. No sick kids. Too bad this bottle doesn’t have a genie in it.” He lifted his beer and thought about his little girl. The old familiar panic shot through him. He never wanted to see lifelessness or pain in his baby’s face again.

“What is it? Are you feeling all right?” Ysabeau cocked her head, trying to read him. It stuck him that he couldn’t hide anything from her. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

“This afternoon Tico brought me one of my most valuable possessions.” He handed Sunny’s picture to Ysabeau. “I’m really missing my girl.”

She looked at it a long moment. “She’s beautiful, Luke.”

“Yeah. She’s something, isn’t she?”

When her gaze met his again tears clung to her long lashes.

A flood of feelings rushed through him. “Her name’s Sunny. She has hair now, thick and black just like her mother’s was before…you know.”

Dabbing at her tears with her linen napkin, she studied the photograph. She did know. It was easy to see what was chewing him up and killing his daughter.

“She has your eyes,” she said softly.

He stated the obvious. “And her mother’s Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.”

“Oh, Luke.”

“A month after Soli passed, the doctors gave me the news. Sunny had leukemia. And a tumor right here.” He touched his neck, just above his own collar bone. “She has it, Ysabeau. She is going to get every sort of cancer known to man. How can this be happening again?” Grief clogged his throat.

“I’m so sorry.” Her lip shivered.

He had the insane desire to round the table and kiss that trembling lip until they both stopped crying.

“Now you see why I do what I do. My daughter is missing the guardian gene, so by God, I will be her Guardian. I fund cutting-edged research in the hopes of finding something to cure her. That damned disease won’t win this time! Cancer cannot have my girl.” He was talking too loud. Shouting really. He couldn’t help himself. His grief, fury, powerlessness all combined to create a beast in his soul he could barely contain on good days. Bad days were all about not letting the beast eat him alive. He had to survive for Sunny’s sake.

“I’m so sorry.” She repeated, punctuating her statement by rubbing his arm. It was amazing how much her touch helped.

He didn’t normally dump his trouble on others. There was no good explanation for why he’d burdened Ysabeau, except he knew she’d understand. And he was tired of carrying the load all alone. Tired of being so damned scared.

“Sunny is in total remission right now. Which gives me more time to look for cures. It’s like waiting for the monster under her bed to reach out and grab her. Never knowing which form of cancer will strike next,” he said.

“That must be so scary. Thank God for the Guardians,” she said.

Her comment made his stomach twist. There were some things he still couldn’t tell her. Would she despise him if she knew the whole truth?

“I’d like to meet her one day, your Sunny.” She took a sip of her water.

“I’d like that too,” his voice was a whisper.

He hadn’t brought any women home to meet Sunny before. How would that work? Would Sunny like Ysabeau? He mentally slapped himself. Stupid question, of course she would. Everyone loved Ysabeau. He hadn’t wanted to like her, and yet here he was falling all over himself to be near her. She’d healed his battered body and was a balm to his wounded heart. What if she could heal Sunny too, in a way that only a kind, loving woman could? Like a mother?

The idea both surprised and scared the shit out of him.

When the waiter brought the first course, Ysabeau lifted her fork. “Ah good, the roasted grillot salad. Try it.”

He took a bite and smiled. “Wow! That is good. What exactly is grillot?”

“Goat.”

“Hmm.” He chewed. “Can’t say I’ve ever eaten goat. It’s tasty.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Luke.” Her smile was so genuine, so beautiful that it stole his breath from his chest.

“Me too, Ysabeau. You know, I didn’t want to come to Haiti.”

“You didn’t?” She was surprised.

“Hell no. Investigating less than successful medical trials is the worst part of the job, especially when it involves a clinic like yours. I was dreading it. But if I hadn’t come?” He shook his head. “Not getting to know you would’ve been one of my greatest mistakes.”

Her smile changed before his eyes. It shifted from as sweet as a sip of rum on her lips to as hot as a sun shooting rays of promises. He’d gotten a small taste of her passion last night and longed for more. If she still wanted him, he wouldn’t put the brakes on. He doubted he could stop himself if he tried.

She held his gaze and turned his insides to liquid fire. “It would have been a crime,” she repeated what he had told her after they danced in her kitchen. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Luke Carter.”

His throat closed up and he had to choke down a half-chewed bite of goat. “Is that a good thing?”

“A really good thing. You make a girl want to visit San Francisco.”

“It’s a wonderful place to live too,” he rushed in.

With her eyes on his, she chewed the salad without answering.

“Ah look, the l’homard is coming. Lobster,” she explained. “I told them to make sure they aren’t moving on your plate.”

The lobster had to be the best thing he’d tasted so far.

Shortly after that, the waitress brought them a plate of something that smelled decadent.

“This is banana peze, fried plantains,” Ysabeau explained. “One of my favorite dishes. I hope you like it.”

He took a bite and rolled his eyes. “Like it? I’m in love.”

She laughed and he thought he’d never get used to such a beautiful sound. “You are in love with a banana?”

“Don’t laugh at my banana. Even a manly guy like me can admit it.” He winked. “My banana is magnificent.”

She blushed. He was getting a real rise out of making her blush.
Rise
being the operative word when her eyes twinkled like that.

“Um, Luke? Care to share?” Her voice was much too low, too sexy to be talking about fruit.

He raised his finger, hoping to signal the waitress, busboy, hostess, anyone. “Check, please.”

*

On the drive
to back to Ysabeau’s house, he couldn’t stop fantasizing about those delectable lips. It had been a long time since he felt nervous excitement bubbling inside him. If he was the one driving, he would have pulled over and kissed her. Right here, right now. Still, he worked to control himself. Rushing was not going to happen. He wanted to take his time getting to know every delicious inch of this woman.

After she parked in the driveway, he rounded the car and opened the door for her. When she stood up, he pulled her into an embrace. Her body trembled in his arms.

“I’ve waited all day for this,” he tipped her chin up and kissed her softly on the lips.

She sucked in a quick breath. Nervous? Scared to death? He longed to know what was going on inside her head.

He kissed her again, slowly, deeply, his thumb caressing her soft cheek, gently coaxing her to decide what she wanted. It was only a beat before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, just as deeply. He had his answer. When she sighed against his lips he broke away, just briefly, to see her face. Her eyelids were hooded with desire, her cheeks flushed, her lips parted for more. Want swooshed through him making that
don’t rush!
order he kept giving himself harder to obey. Leaning back against the car, he cupped her jaw in his hands.

“So damned beautiful,” he said.

Passion washed over her face and she kissed him. Her long fingers worked up his neck and into his hair. She tugged his head lower to better reach his lips and he willingly obliged.

It was a thrill to feel her tongue licking his bottom lip. He opened to her, letting her explore, probe him. He could still taste the last drops of rum on her tongue and he forgot why he didn’t like sweet drinks. She was scrumptious and he was a thirsty man. It was almost more than he could bear to slow himself down. His tongue joined hers, exploring, drinking her sweetness in. Ysabeau’s deep moan was his undoing. Going slow flew out of his consciousness. His hand cupped her breast before he realized it. She tore her lips away. Their eyes met. He froze, waiting to see if she was okay with his touch, waiting to see what she wanted.

Closing her eyes, she tipped her head toward the stars. Her back arched and she pressed into him, silently allowing his hand to stay right where it was. His heart pounded. Leaning in, he kissed her exposed neck, feeling her pulse jump under his lips as his thumb rubbed slow circles over her nipple.

Her breath came in short heavy bursts. His did too.

He ran his other hand down her slender back. Heat radiated off her. They were steaming up the muggy night. Thinking time was over. What the future would bring for them was tomorrow’s topic. Tonight was about hot, aching desire.

He needed her, all of her, and he wanted her to know it. Cupping her amazing butt, he pulled her closer, pressing her soft body against him.

Big mistake. “Holy shit!”

“What?” She stepped back. “What happened?”

The air hissed out between his lips. “Stupid ribs.”

“Oh no! Did I hurt you?” She rubbed his shoulder as if she was afraid to touch him.

“Hell, no. Let’s try it again.” He adjusted his stance.

Gently, she placed her palms on his shoulders. Something flickered across her face. Relief? Her smile was soft, but he sensed a shutdown, as if she welcomed the chance to put a little distance between them. “I think we’d better take you inside. You need to rest that beat-up body of yours.”

“I’m fine,” he said, wincing when he pushed up off the car.

“Yes, I can see that. Come on, I’ll help you to the couch.”

He couldn’t hide his disappointment. The couch. Again.

As they entered the foyer, Luke’s iPhone started ringing. He checked the I.D. and smiled. “Sunny.”

“You speak to her. I’ll be right back,” Ysabeau said and vanished down the hall.

Would he get to hold her again? Or was Ysabeau running for the hills?

“Hey, Sunny girl. How are you?” he asked.

“Good. Danny took me and my friends for ice cream sundaes.”

He winced. “Play nice with Danny. He’s not used to being around four squealing teenaged girls.”

“Ah, Dad. We didn’t mess with him.” She paused for effect. “Too much.”

“I bet.” He could picture her lying on her stomach on her bed twirling her short hair around her finger, figuring out a way to bend Danny to her will.

“When are you coming home?”

“Next weekend. I promised to give Ysabeau a little more time with her tests.”

“Huh.”

He hobbled over to the couch and eased gently into the cushions. “What’s ‘huh’ mean?”

“Normally, you don’t stay in one place too long. Except home, of course. Danny’s right. You like this doctor chick.”

Danny was going to get his ass kicked when Luke got home, but yeah, his friend was right. “Sunny! The doctor chick has a name.” And he hoped she wasn’t listening. “Ysabeau.”

“Pretty name. Do you have your computer yet?”

He shook his head. Sometimes it took a map to follow a teenage girl’s thoughts. Sunny’s brain jumped around like a long-legged frog. “I’m working on it. Why?”

“I’d love to Skype with you guys so I can meet Ysabeau face-to-face. Really check her out.”

“Yeah. No. That’s not happening.”

She popped her gum. “Too bad. Danny says she’s hot and coming from him, she must really be smokin’. I’d like to see you two together.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, next subject. How are you feeling?”

“Mega-wonderful. No worries. Seriously, live your life already.”

“What?”

“It’s time you stopped being all uber-protector father and lived a little. Maybe you could find a girlfriend, oh wait, I heard this Haitian doctor is really cute.”

“All right one-tracked-mind girl.”

“Seriously, Dad. Why don’t you try to fall in love again? It might be good for you.”

“I’m hanging up now. Get to bed early, you’ve got school tomorrow—”

“But Dad, Danny rented
Psycho
. I’ve never seen it and he says it’s a horror masterpiece.”

“No way.”

“Ah, come on,” she whined. “Danny is making popcorn the old-fashioned way and everything.”

“Danny will live. The shower’s a scary enough place with a teenaged girl in the house pre-
Psycho
. I’ll let you watch it when you’re thirty-seven.”

“Oh, you mean old like you are.”

“Hey!”

“See? This is what I’m talking about. You aren’t a young dude anymore, Dad. You’d better get this Ysabeau to fall for you before you’re too geezerish to catch chicks.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“I don’t want you to be alone.” Her voice turned serious. “I love you.”

His heart twisted. If anything ever happened to her… “I love you more.”

Hanging up the phone, a wave of homesickness overtook him. No, that wasn’t it—he was Sunny-sick. And lonely. As silly as it sounded, his fourteen-year-old daughter was spot on with her matchmaking advice. Love didn’t come around every day and life itself was too short. Far too short.