Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge) (32 page)

“Never
again, Nina.
As much as I can, when I’m home, I’m yours and you’re mine.”

If Nina could suck
Mace into her soul she would. “Will you move in with us?”

A brilliant smile lit
his eyes.
“God, yes.”

“Good,” she piped up.
“Because I have a ton of renovations to
finish.”

He laughed.
“Whatever you want, babe.
I’m your man.”

She followed his
bottom lip with her finger. “You are my man. That’s never changed.”

Mac
e’s lips lightly brushed hers. “I want to kiss you.”

All the air vacated
her lungs, and she shuddered. “I think you better, I’ve forgotten how—” He cut
her off and reminded her why she loved this man so much. His strength engulfed
her and her mind was sing
ing with the angels. Her
body melted against his, and he squeezed the last breath from her.

 
“Hi, Uncle Tony.
Mommy and Mace are kissing again.”

“Come here, squirt.”

Nina glimpsed Tony
sweeping Gabbs into his arms and carrying her up the beach.

* * * *

T
he alarm went off, and Nina smacked it with her hand. Gabbs
came running into her room, her favorite stuffy in one hand, and jumped on the
bed between her and Mace. “What’s for breakfast? I’m hungry.”

Nina was tired as hell
after a marathon of lovemaking l
ast night. It had
been the first time Mace had stayed the night since Gabbs arrived. She didn’t
seem bothered at all, in fact normally her little miss was a grump in the
morning, but she was all smiles today.

Mace rolled over,
grabbing Gabbs in a big bear
hug and growled at her.
Little girl squeals can break eardrums, and her daughter was no exception. Nina
escaped while Mace got even, tickling Gabbs until
she
almost peed her pants.

A few minutes later
Mace found her in the shower and stepped inside, pressi
ng his chest against her back. He palmed her stomach,
then
his finger trailed the crease by her
thigh. “We’re going over building schematics today. I’ll just be down the hall.
I’ll come get you for lunch.”

Nina’s body was
already quaking while he strummed
the sensitive
bundle of nerves. He lifted her in his arms and pushed her back against the
shower wall. With a gentle upward thrust he was inside her. “You feel so good,”
she stuttered.

“I think we should
have lunch at home.” He nibbled her earlobe. “Then I
can take my time eating you,” he growled.

Mace mouthed the pulse
in her neck and plunged in and out of her with a rhythm that had them both
moaning into each other’s mouths as they came.

Breakfast was a quick
few bites,
then
Mace hustled them into the car
to drop Gabbs off at school and drive to the base. They
made it to work on time, and once they got to the third floor they had to
separate. Mace snagged her and kissed her hard just as the other elevator door
opened and Alpha Squad exited, whistling and c
at
calling.

Tinman grabbed Mace’s
arm and pulled him away. “Think you’ve been spoiled enough, lover boy?”

“Bye, babe, I’ll see
ya at lunch.”

She blew him a kiss
and ran for the ops room. Gail had been watching from her roost at the admin
counter. Hope the
busybody got an eyeful. Nina smiled
to herself as she pushed open the heavy door to the anteroom.

“Who’s ready to go
home?” she asked, throwing her bag on the desk.

Chapter Nineteen

Laughter reached him
from inside the house when Wade got out of his
car.
Gabbs and Nina he recognized, the other made his feet hasten to Nina’s stoop.
He was long past the knocking stage and pushed the front door open. Rounding
the corner, he stalled.

The laughter petered
away. “Wade, we saved a plate for you,” Mace said,
sitting at the kitchen table with Gabbs on his lap. Her math book was open and
she squeezed a pencil while making an entry with her tongue caught between her
lips

He took a few hesitant
steps. “Petty Officer Callahan, unexpected surprise.”

Nina’s bright s
mile vanished and she got up. “Are you hungry, Wade?
Quesadillas and Spanish rice.”

“I suppose.” He sat
down in the chair Nina vacated and stared at Mace.
What
the fuck was he doing back here?

“Guess what, Dad?”

Wade’s eyes dropped to
Gabriella, sitting co
mfortably on Mace and not in any
hurry to come to him. “What, Gabbs?”

“I got an ‘
A
’ in math.”

“Good girl,” he said,
forgetting to put a fake happy note in his voice for the kid’s sake.

“Gabbs, Lexi finished
eating. I think you should take her outside,” Nin
a
suggested.

“Okay, Mom.” Mace
lifted her by the waist and gently put her down.

“Thanks for helping me
get an ‘A,’ Mace,” she said and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

What the fuck was going on here?
Wade followed Nina with his eyes as she
set a plat
e down in front of him with a set of
cutlery. Mace surveyed him with a pleasant, but bland look on his face.

“It’s
a pretty
mean Spanish rice,” Mace said.

Wade picked up his
fork and had a mouthful. “So, old friends catching up?” he asked. Nina sat down
in
the chair across from him, pyramiding a cup in her
hands.

“Gabbs invited Mace
for dinner.”

He chewed slowly,
digesting his food and what was going on. “Think it was wise accepting?” he
asked, keeping his gaze on his competition.

Mace’s brow rose
slightly.
“Can’t
think of a reason not to.”

“I left a few messages
on your phone, Wade. I wanted to talk to you,” Nina said.

He set down his fork.
“About what?”

“About Gabbs’ best
interests after I move in with Nina,” Mace answered.

As a poker player he
had plenty
of practice keeping
a tell
from his expression.
Un-fucking-believable.
He’d played Nina’s game for over two
months. With Mace out of the picture the future looked pretty good for him.
He’d been a gentleman; put his attentions on Gabbs to earn her trust and
Nina’s. He’d been inches away from Nina’s bed. A little
while longer and she would have given in to need. Helping her fix this place
had earned him some rights if not some of the value in the house.

Today had been a shit
day all around. Pedro’s goons had
caught up to him,
giving him another warning to pay his debt. Everything was unraveling.

“Gabbs loves spending
time with you, Wade. That isn’t going to change.” Nina watched him carefully.

Game
time.
“Of course not, she’s my daughter.” He forked in a mouthful of quesadillas.
“When are you moving in, Mace?”

“I’ll be out of town
for a couple weeks.
Probably after
that.”

Gabbs came like a
swirling red-haired moppet into the kitchen. “Mace, Lexi won’t go
to the bathroom.”

Mace rose. “Let’s go
throw a ball around for her.”

“You’re taking this
better than I expected,” Nina said, picking up her plate and shoving it onto
the counter behind her.

He shrugged. Did he
have a choice? “I didn’t know you were seeing
each
other again.” He had to play this hand without any screw-ups or he could lose
Gabbs. He reached for Nina’s hand and she gave him a placating squeeze. “I’m
disappointed, obviously. I thought things were going well between us.
Now Gabbs will be caught i
n the middle.”

“I don’t agree, Wade.
I think she has love for all of us. I don’t want us quarrelling in front of
her. If she sees that we are acting like adults and she feels safe, she’ll be
fine.”

Nina nipped on her
lip,
her only tell that she was uncomfo
rtable.
“Can’t
say I’m not jealous.”
He offered a subdued smile. “Mace is a good guy. I know
that. I just wanted you to see me as a better guy.”

“You’re a good man
too, Wade. I didn’t lead you on. I was never part of the package. I told you
that.”

“You did
.” He wiped his mouth with the napkin. “I still want us to
be a family, Nina.”

“We will be,” she said
pulling her hand away from his. “But so will Mace. He’s important to her too,
and he’s important to me.”

He had to get out of
here or his anger would star
t venting from his
tongue. “Listen, I’m going to go. Tomorrow’s Friday. Tell Gabbs I’ll come by
and pick her up and take her to a movie.”

Nina leaned over and
gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Sure.”

He grasped her around
the waist and pulled her tight. “You
can change your
mind, Nina. Any time you want.”

Nina ran her hand
through his hair and shook her head. “Thanks for understanding.”

He closed the front
door and let out a deep breath, shaking his head. He needed to vent this out
over a game of five-card stu
d.

“Hold up, Wade,” Mace
called as he reached his car.

“Gonna give me the ‘we
can all get along’ speech?” He faced the man fucking up his plans.

Mace stood a few feet
away like a marble statue. “Nope, don’t have to. It’s the way it’s going to
be.”

“Glad yo
u think so, but I wouldn’t get too comfortable.” Mace
snorted out a laugh. “If you think you’re going to squeeze me out, you’re not.
I don’t give a shit about your SEAL buddies. I’m Gabbs’
father,
nothing you can do will change that.”

“No, nothing will cha
nge that fact. What can change is whether or not you’re a
part of Gabbs’ life. Are you going to be, or are you gonna be at the bottom of
the mighty Pacific attached to a cement block?”

His game face slid for
a second. “Your friend, Tony, misunderstood.”

“D
id he?” Mace’s expression darkened. “I don’t think he did.
You’ve got a problem, Wade. Every night you’ve been seen at Clayton Arms
Casino.”

“What the fuck?
You following
me?”

“I’m not, but it’s
obvious you’re neck-deep in shit, and I won’t let you drag Ga
bbs or Nina into it. You lied to Nina. You told her you
bought the house here on the island. You’re renting it.
That car?”
He pointed at his Lexus. “It’s leased.
You don’t own a god damn thing.” Mace took a solid step toward him, and the
warrior’s face was
daunting. “What else are you lying
about?”

“You’ve been a busy
sailor, haven’t you? I assume you’ve told Nina this,” he spouted, losing grip
on his reserve of calm.

“No,
none of my business.”

“Good to hear it.”

“My business is Gabbs
and Nina. If your
addiction has pushed you into a
corner, that’s your problem, but if it splashes over, I expect you to keep the
fuck away from them and deal with it, or I’ll deal with you.”

They glared at each
other for a moment. “See ya when you get back from the mission.
It would be unfortunate if you got your ass blown to
shit.”

Mace offered him a
two-finger salute before Wade started the car and backed out.

* * * *

Mace strummed Nina’s
back as the first rays of light broke through the bedroom window. She had him
all w
rapped up tight to her body. Her legs twined
with his, her arms snugly bound around his waist. He kissed the top of her head
to let her know he was awake. “Two weeks will go by fast, babe.”

She nodded and pressed
her cheek against his chest. “I hope so.”

A
warm growl rolled up his throat. “I love it when you hold
me like you don’t want to let me go.”

She wiggled her
breasts against his chest and his morning wood hardened from pine to oak. He’d
loved her thoroughly last night. Their last few moments before h
e had to leave for the base were meant for this, holding
each other close enough to become one. He inhaled her vanilla scent and nuzzled
her neck.

Nina dipped her head
back and looked into his eyes. “Since it’s not a black op, I’ll be watching for
your SIT
REPs,” she said and kissed his chin.

He grinned down at her
and brushed her nose with his. “Most gals can’t keep tabs on their men. Guess
that relieves me of duty to call every day.” Her hand was swift and she swatted
his bare ass.

“Think again.”

He chuckl
ed. “Come on, let’s take a shower and wake up Gabbs.”

Nina dropped him off
at the airfield. The rest of the squad had already arrived. A gale force wind
blew in from the ocean, swirling her locks into
a frenzy
. Nina threw her arms around his neck and held
on tight, and he wrapped his arms around her slender waist,
holding her even tighter.

“Mace—”

He kissed her quiet,
and then brushed her cheek with a finger. “I’ll keep my eyes open, baby.” It
didn’t stop her tears. He understood, but it didn’t make it any
easier.

“I know you will. Go,
so you can come home.”

He adjusted his gear
over his shoulder and joined the squad milling about and saying goodbye to
their wives. Tony fisted his arm.

Nina threw Tony a kiss
as well, and he caught it out of the air and broug
ht
it to his chest. “Be good, Ninja Girl. Say bye to squirt for me,” he yelled.

“Bye, guys!”

They all waved and
turned for the hangar.

“How did Wade take
it?” Tony asked Mace, pushing some boxes from a bench and sitting back, head
leaning against the wall.

“Kept it together, but
he isn’t happy,” Mace said, sitting down beside him and watched the other guys
checking their gear.

“You worried?”

“Nah, what’s to worry
about? It might be a couple bumpy days for Nina and him, but she’s got it in
hand.”

“Good.” Ton
y closed his eyes.

Mace cracked a bottle
of water and gulped most of it back. His nerves had started jumping
unexpectedly in the car. It surprised him. This first mission out after being
taken out of commission in Syria tingled with anticipation more than
fear. His physical abilities were at peak performance, but
his mind was doing a bit of a tap dance on his confidence. “You look tired,
what the hell were you up to last night?”

“Not sleeping well,”
Tony said without opening his eyes.

“Why not, man?
Somethi
ng
bugging you?”

When Tony opened his
eyes they held a bit of anger and he knew it was directed at him. “Yeah, I’m
pissed at myself.”