Wet For Her Warriors (Book 5 of the WILD -- Warriors Intense in Love & Domination -- Boys of Special Forces) (18 page)

Right now, they
had a more daunting task. Getting Leo to say farewell to this damn cave, before
they had to breaststroke their way out at the bottom while watching the jeep
get carried out to sea. Shockingly, Tait didn’t appear to share her urgency. The
man smirked at Leo as if they were just kicking it at Waikiki, cruising the
sand for babes.

“Nice face
paint,” he finally said, pointing to Leo’s bruises. “Though I may need a
four-one-one on what you’re going for. I’ve narrowed it down to marble table on
crack, or zombie apocalypse wannabe.”

Lani rolled her
eyes, only to watch Leo guffaw at the joke. “Really?” she whispered to Ike, who
was laughing, as well.
Men
.

“Just tell me
you smacked the same into Smythe,” Tait went on.

Leo snickered
again. “You and Slash sharing hard drives again?”

Tait cocked a
grin. “He said the same thing?” At Leo’s nod, he chuffed. “Figures. Ass-munch
steals all my best lines.”

Leo slammed his
chin atop his knees again. From Lani’s corner, she watched his face contort
again. “Feeling you, man. Only the ass-munch in my world makes off with other
guys’ women, too.”

His head dropped
again. Tait wrapped an arm across his quaking shoulders. “Leo—”

“He even ripped
off my words, T. All that stuff I practiced with you, speaking from my heart
and shit? Kalea loved it. All of it.” His shoulders shook harder. “That choad
took it all and retooled it to sound like his own. Everything about his game is
a pathetic reboot.”

“I know,” Tait
said softly. “And I’m sorry, But—”

“Don’t you dare
give me some lecture now about losing shit and setting it free, then sitting back
and watching if it’s ‘meant to be’ while smiling like an idiot in the rain.”

“Sitting on a
pink fluffy unicorn?”

“Right.”

Tait curled his
hand up to Leo’s head and ruffled his hair. “Unicorns are good for target
practice, and not much else. Having your heart broken, in all the billions of
ways this douche-nozzle of a universe can dreamed up for us? That’s another
story. It sucks, plain and simple. I can’t teach you how to talk this one into
a bridle, or tell you it’s going to get better tomorrow, because it probably
won’t.”

Leo tilted up a
quizzical glare. “You sure you came to
help
?”

Lani released a
small huff of triumph. She couldn’t have said it better herself.

Tait yanked on
his ear. “Listen to
everything
, you dork.
I said it wouldn’t get
better tomorrow. But it will get better…eventually. You’re an awesome guy, Leo.
Another Kalea is going to come along who sees that.”

Leo shrugged him
off and howled. “No! There won’t ever be another Kalea. Not for me.”

“Yeah, dude;
there
will
be. And she’ll be amazing. I guarantee it.”

Her brother
straightened. Stared Tait nearly directly in the eye, as if examining him,
before issuing what was clearly an open challenge. “Just like you believe
there’ll be another Luna for you, huh?”

Lani’s breath
caught. She dropped the gloating stance she’d been throwing Tait’s way, now
wincing in sympathy for the man—and feeling weirdly responsible for Leo’s
knee-jerk words. But the man bore the blow with dignity, returning her
brother’s scrutiny with carefully-considered words.

“Tell you what. I
promise to work on my pain if you promise to work on yours.”

Leo took a
second to ponder that. “It’d be a hell of a lot easier to die up here, thinking
of how much Kalea’s day will suck when I do.”

Ike snickered
softly. Lani elbowed him. Tait barely moved before volleying, “No, it
wouldn’t.” He finished it by lifting his gaze to her. The look only lasted a
moment, but it tackled her with a million sensations at once as he reassured
her, supported her, and adored her, all between one blink and the next. “The
only one you’re going to devastate here is your sister. You really want to do
that to a woman as incredible as her, who’s going to support you through
everything and anything?”

Leo shot him a
grimace full of sixteen year-old disgust. “Dude, she’s cool, but I’m not going
as far as ‘incredible,’ okay?”

“
Mahalo
to you, too, twerp.” Lani threw him a smile full of loving sarcasm. When her
stare scooted back to Tait, she softened her lips into a thankful smile. The
man was right, of course. If she’d lost Leo tonight, much of her world would
end. In the twinkle of his eyes, she still had a little of Mom. Thorough his
broad and easy smile, Dad reached out and brightened each of her days.

There wasn’t
anything she wouldn’t do for the kid, though lately his needs were getting more
complicated. A plate of cookies and half a pizza often weren’t enough to help
Leo anymore. Why didn’t life come with a guidebook? Just like the island maps
carried by the stores in Lihue, she needed a set of directions for what curves
were coming ahead. If she knew what to do, she’d do anything short of
resculpting the Na Pali Coast for him. Maybe that, too.

She just wished,
so desperately, that she could do something to help Tait Bommer in the same way.

Kellan wondered
how many times he’d have to pace Franz’s lanai before the boards wore out
beneath him. The estimate didn’t stop him from walking the same line as before,
shooting a worried gaze up the driveway, then back toward the empty beach—and the
looming storm.

“Fuck.” The sky
looked like a page out of an Edgar Allen Poe story, dark as slate being chewed
by demons. He cursed again, pivoted, and hoped the wind would hold the storm
off a little longer.

As he finished
the thought, the first plops of rain hit the dunes.

A second later, headlights
from a jeep blared across the beach.

“Shitheads did
that on purpose,” he muttered sarcastically. The vehicle bounced over the berm,
barreled down the access road, and circled around to park next to the house. He
observed Ike at the wheel. Tait was his wingman in the front passenger
position. Lani was in the back—with Leo.

The air left his
lungs in a thankful whoosh while watching Tait leap out, then open the door for
Lani. Leo came around and yanked both of them into the same hug before turning
to throw a hearty wave toward Kellan, too. He raised his hand in return. With
the other, he rubbed at the ache that persisted in his chest, despite his
relief.

What the hell?

The thought hit
him more as confusion than complaint. The pressure was actually…good. Just
unexpected. It usually hit him on occasions like Christmas, when first dropping
his pack in Mom and Dad’s foyer. Or when he looked out the window of a
transport and saw the summit of Mount Rainier. Or when his phone rang, and the
window lit up with Kadie’s face along with the title she’d given herself in the
device:
Goddess Sister, ruler of your universe. Pick up at once
.

Belonging. Home.
Family.

After Leo
released Tait and Lani, the kid swung back into the jeep. Ike backed the
vehicle away. Kell frowned in deeper perplexity. He redirected the look at Lani
as she bounded up the steps, not that she noticed. The woman was too busy launching
herself into his arms, then clinging with zealous strength.

“It’s over.” She
released a sigh into his neck that sounded both happy and tired. “Tait’s
instincts were right. He led us right to Leo. The
hupo
was playing lone-man-dipshit-of-despair
in a cave in the cliffs.”

He countered by
pulling her perfect curves tight and close. So this was how it felt to hold a
live flame. “Wish I could tell you this’ll be the last dumbass move he makes,
but sweetheart, he’s a guy.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She
pulled back to peel wet hair off her face, emitting another sound that bordered
on a sob. “But for now, thank the gods, he’s safe and it’s over.”

He helped her
with the hair-clearing effort, sifting his fingers through her soft tendrils.
“Then where the hell is he going?”

“Kid’s pretty
dirty and hungry,” Tait explained. “We were only halfway here when he put in a
request with Ike for a ride home, a shower, and some chow.”

Lani gave that
an open pout. “I still don’t understand why he didn’t want me along. I had at
least the chow covered.”

Tait flicked a
teasing glance. “No offense, Sister Kail, but tonight, you’re the wrong gender
in his book.”

As Lani tossed
back a huff, it sealed the deal on an impression which had only been a guess to
Kellan before now. There was a new energy in the air between those two, a bond undoubtedly
forged by the ordeal they’d just weathered together…though his senses
registered something more. An unnamed “more” for now, but if so, then what? He couldn’t
figure it out yet. He
did
know that he hadn’t seen Tait banter with a
woman like this since—

Fuck.

Since the night
Luna had met the team at that seedy bar in Los Angeles, declaring herself their
newest mission member. On a wet and windy night, after a crazy adventure of a
day…

Fuck
.

Paranoia came in
a lot of fun new flavors these days, didn’t it?

Wait. Was that
what he really felt? Signing on for Special Forces meant he’d nearly agreed to
have “Paranoia” embossed on his dog tags as a new middle name. He knew the
burning, thumping tension he should be enduring, and this didn’t qualify. This
shit skewed more toward deep curiosity, amplified by the profound affection he
had for both these people. And it all still burned so deep in his gut, it
could’ve easily been indigestion.

Enough of this
crap. It was time move on. To celebrate.

With a casual
smirk, he gave Lani’s nose a quick kiss. “Hate to say this, sweetheart. T’s
probably right this time.”

Tait pumped a
fist. “Score.”

“Don’t get
cocky, asshat. I said
this
time.”

Lani tossed the
guy another mocking glare. “He’s been doing too much of that ‘being right’ shit
lately.” She was answered with Tait’s chuckle, and retaliated by poking her
tongue at him.

That officially
ruled out indigestion for the strange gut twinges. The conclusion was confirmed
by a ruthless squeeze in Kell’s chest, tighter than the broadside of two
minutes ago. But that wasn’t what caused him to suddenly stiffen. The credit for
that
shock belonged to his developing hard-on.

What the hell?

He couldn’t deny
it. There was something about watching these two and their growing connection…something
captivating, nerve-zapping…

His body instantly
surged with the need to join the party. The private, illicit version of the
event.

Damn. The
universe was wreaking its karmic revenge over their sinful forest romp right
now—on his dick.

You were mission
leader on that episode, asswipe. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

He covered his surprise
by clearing his throat. His johnson had the growing rainstorm to thank for its
camouflage, distracting Tait and Lani with a new boom of thunder. He was more
than happy to help the effort along. After grabbing Lani’s hand, he opened the
door to the house and guided her through. “Time for shelter, starshine.”

The living room,
which had glowed so bright when he and T returned from lunch, felt dim with the
gloom of the storm all around. But when Tait hastened to activate more lamps,
Lani held up a hand. “Can we leave them off? It’s more relaxing. And gods, I could
use a little of that.” As lightning flashed, turning the edges of the clouds
into celestial mountains for a moment, she grinned. “See? Lono himself is
helping us. No need for the lamps.”

Tait spread his
arms. “No argument from this corner.”

“Lono.” Kellan
repeated it on purpose, psyched about getting to impress her with the Hawaiian
culture research he’d snuck in. “He’s the god of storms, right?”

Lani slanted an
impish grin at him. “And fertility.”

Damn
. “Walked into
that one,” he muttered, enduring the laugh shared by her and Tait.

Fortunately, his
buddy came to the rescue. “Awkward moment fixer, coming right up.” Tait jabbed
a thumb toward the kitchen. “Anyone hungry? I think I know where to find a
fully-stocked refrigerator. I can manage a few BLT’s.”

Lani planted
hands to her hips, looking as if he’d just asked to serve them arsenic
brownies. “Are you really offering to make sandwiches, Sergeant Bommer? After
what you did today?”

Tait let his
thumb descend. “Uhhh…”

“Shut up and
hump your ass over here.”

Tait’s face widened
with incredulity—while he moved to obey her order. Kellan threw back his head
on a loud chuckle. “Well, here’s a first.”

“Shut it,” Tait
snapped.

“What?” Lani
asked.

“Sweetheart,
don’t you remember what I’ve told you about T’s—umm—fondness—for being the one
in charge? Why
he
likes to be the one telling
me
where to shoot
the bad guys?”

“Hmm.” She
shrugged on her way to meeting Tait in the middle of the room. “No bad guys
here.”

Kell snickered a
little harder. Even as they neared each other, she was totally oblivious to his
buddy’s textbook case of awkward, including shuffled feet, dropped head, and a
slack jaw of watchfulness.
Welcome to the Stupid-Over-Lani-Kail Club, dude
.

She stepped
closer. Tait visibly tensed, but Kellan didn’t flinch. His fascination—and his
cock—swelled by the moment.

As Lani hauled
him into a crushing hug, Tait’s breath left him on an audible grunt. The
collision was perfect fodder for another good laugh, but Kell matched his
buddy’s burst with a hard gulp, falling into silence, instead.

They looked so
damn perfect like that. And as he looked on, all he could feel was one
overwhelming sensation. Gratitude.

He wasn’t the
only one. Lani affirmed it as she fervently whispered her thanks into Tait’s
shoulder. “
Mahalo
.” She twisted her head, tucking it against his chest.
“Thank you for helping to find him. For talking to him. For caring. For…everything.”

For an instant,
Tait bent his head toward the top of hers. One of his hands clenched tight
against her back.

In that simple
action, Kellan observed that the thankfulness had reached full circle. Lani would
never know how many needs she’d just met for Tait, but Kell did. Tait would spend
the rest of his life trying to compensate for what he’d never been able to do
for his mother—living for moments like this, where he
could
make things
okay. Thanks to Lani, sharing her joy with him so openly, Tait soared as close
to Heaven as he could without dying.

When they pulled
back from each other, and Lani sealed her gratitude by giving T a sincere
little kiss, Kellan wasn’t surprised—or hurt. The moment simply felt like
another sublime gift from fate. And the instant tent that popped in his friend’s
crotch? Wasn’t a stunner, either.

Nevertheless, he
watched the exchange in more silence…and deeper curiosity. He waited for the
“raging jealousy” part of the equation to rush in, but it never came. A lot of
other sensations were more than happy to step up. Camaraderie.
More
erotic demand. But most of all…completion. To watch the two people closest to
him right now, perhaps closest to him ever, sharing the same bonds he felt to
them both…it really was a gift.

No. It was more.

A blessing.

The only things
that didn’t fit were the scarlet flags across Lani’s cheeks, and the guilty
twist of her lips. Huh? Why was she looking at him like that?

Okay, he
understood the conventional answer to that—but when the hell had “conventional”
applied to them in the last six days?  Plain and simple, this was a moment for
triumph and joy, not shame and embarrassment. How the hell could he yank her
out of the societal straight jacket and see that?

The sky flashed
again, but didn’t equal the burst of his mental clarity. The answer was easy.
Were intense ops ever attempted alone? The truth was perfect as it was plain.
He and Tait would be in this together, working together on the best mission of
their lives: bringing this woman to the ultimate heights of her passion. The
best thing? It wasn’t just what Lani needed. It was what
Tait
needed.
And if the pressure in Kell’s cock could talk, it was sure as
hell
what
he needed.

Lani was in the
process of stepping back from Tait—and looking pretty reluctant about it—when
Kell made his way to her side in three forceful steps. “Stop.”

Lani flashed a
confused stare. “Excuse me?”

He nodded toward
Tait. “You need to thank him again.”

“Uhhh…she really
doesn’t,” Tait rebutted. “Dude, we’re good.”

“No, you’re
not.” He didn’t waver his tone, more sure of this than aiming a tranq dart at
an elephant’s ass on a windless day. With the same confidence, he guided Lani’s
fingers back up to Tait’s neck. The air clutched audibly in Tait’s throat.
“Guess that proves my point already.”

“About what?”
Tait growled.

He ignored that.
Balancing the command of his words with the tenderness of his touch, he smoothed
back Lani’s hair. “You’re not done yet. Thank him again, starshine. Like you
mean it this time. I’m going to watch every second. I want to be sure you don’t
skimp on the effort.”

“Kell.” Tait’s
comeback was a helix of shock and disbelief. “What the hell are you—”

“With all due
respect, shut up. You want this, too, meathead. Every square inch of your body
is clamoring for it.” He swiveled back to Lani, lifting a soft smile. “And
sweetheart, every inch of
yours
is, too.”

As she snorted
at him, the color intensified on her face. Goddamn. A little pissed-off turned the
woman into a lot of enticing. “That has nothing to do with this.”

“That has
everything to do with this.” He bit back a chuckle as they both fumed. “I care
about you. And God help me, I care about this asshat, too. So what’s wrong with
wanting to see you two share some joy after the ordeal of today?”