Harrier's Healer (17 page)

“To me, you and your father are family. But I have no romantic

feelings for you at all. None. I wasn’t lying to Alexis, she holds the key,

the only key
, to my heart. I am in love with her.” Scott watched as his

words sank in.

“You don’t even know her!” Stacey cried.

“I’ve known her for two years. I can’t ignore what my heart is

telling me,” he said gently.

She pouted. “What about my heart?”

“I think your heart is holding onto a childhood crush. Nothing

more. Are you telling me there is no one who has caught your eye at

school?” he asked, arching a brow.

“They are all boys. I want a man,” she revealed. “I want you,

Harrier. I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember. You

are the one that I compare all other men to. I know you would feel the

same if you would just give it a chance,” the young woman pled.

“I will always be there for you, Stacey, and love you, but there

will never be an ‘us’.”

“I hate her!” Stacey spat.

Scott might not be the wisest man when it came to matters deal-

ing with the “fairer” sex, but he sure knew who Stacey meant. “Don’t

say that,” he ordered in a hard voice.

“But you were supposed to marry me!” Stacey whined, pound-

ing her fists on the mattress.

“I’m sorry, Stacey, that you somehow got that impression. You

will find the right man one day.” Scott retook a seat on the bed, this

time sitting beside her, slipping one strong arm around her shoulders.

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“I wanted you to be that man.” Her suddenly solemn voice was

barely over a whisper.

A gentle smile crossed his face. “Darlin’, you don’t want me. I

am fifteen years older than you. You want a man who shares your

interests, your desires. And I will be right there with your father,

scaring the crap out of him when that day comes.”

“I am so sorry for my actions today.” Stacey laid her head on his

shoulder. “I just wanted you to see me in trouble, to rescue me, and

realize how much you loved me.”

“Oh, Stacey. Promise me you won’t do anything like this again.

And when we get upstairs, make sure you apologize to your father.”

“Do you hate me?” she asked quietly.

“No. I could never hate you.” He brushed a kiss over her fore-

head. “I will
always
love you.”

“I will always love you, too, Harrier.”

Neither of them witnessed the woman walk silently back up the

steps, her own feelings conflicted at the emotional words she’d heard

between the two people in the small cabin room.

By the time Scott and Stacey made it up to the outside deck, the

party was back into full swing. Music poured out of the speakers and

folks munched through the large spread of food and drink. Alexis and

Tag were dancing together in the sunset.

Stacey apologized to everyone individually after speaking to her

father and soon the incident was behind them as people began to eat

and drink more. Scott walked over towards the dancing couple, trying

hard not to be jealous. “Mind if I steal her for a bit, Tag?”

“Of course I mind, but since I don’t want you to kick my ass, I

will back off. Another dance later, my dear?” he asked as he kissed the

back of Alexis’s hand.

“Definitely, Tag,” her velvet voice responded as she smiled at

him. “What?” Alexis asked after Scott directed her to a spot that was a

bit more secluded.

“Thanks for everything you did today, for Stacey especially.”

Scott stood there looking down at the woman whose features where

highlighted by the soft light of the setting sun. Her eyes were expres-

sionless and it scared him.

“You’re welcome. Is that it?”

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“What the hell has happened since we made love in the cabin to

change your attitude so much?” he snapped.

She shrugged, not meeting his eyes
.
“Nothing. I just want to put

on my shirt and pants.”

“Let’s go then.” He gestured for her to lead the way.

Wordlessly, she walked into the room and went straight to her

clothes, slipping them on over her now-dry bikini, covering up her

amazing body even more. “Excuse me,” she said, stopping in front of

him since he was blocking the door.

“Lex, talk to me. Baby,” he coaxed. “What’s wrong?” One hand

reached for her face, but his heart still shattered as her soft smile didn’t

reach up to her exotic eyes.

“Nothing,” she insisted even though she knew they both knew

that was a lie. “I want to enjoy time on deck with our friends. And

watch the evening arrive.”

Scott did know she loved watching sunsets so he moved aside.

Alexis slipped past him and was back at the party before he could

decide on his next thought.

As the yacht pulled into its designated slip, everyone was tired.

It had been a full day. Alexis had been flirtatious and fun with all the

guests and only Scott knew something was missing from her seemingly

joyous attitude.

Walking off the boat with Terry and Tag, Alexis had a grin on

her face. “Thank you so much for letting me be a part of the group.”

“Sweetheart, anytime you want, you are welcome on board,”

Terry said.

“Well, as tempting as the offer is, I’m stationed on the other

coast. But if I’m ever back this way…I’ll take you up on it,” Alexis said

as she kissed his dark cheek.

“What about me?” Tag jokingly asked.

With a wink to Terry she said, “Well, okay, I’ll move so you can

kiss him too!”

The trio burst out laughing as Tag slid his arm around her

shoulders. “Not what I meant.”

“I sure figured on you being out on this coast,” Terry said as

they walked up the pier.

“Why?” she questioned, looking between both men.

“Harrier,” they answered simultaneously.

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101

Brows furrowed as she fought the urge to look over her shoul-

der at that very man. “Explain please.” Her voice somehow managed

to stay modulated.

Terry spoke first. “He has never brought a woman here on the

boat with us. When he would date someone, he always told them it

was ‘guys only’. Then Devón brought Jakobie, eventually they were

married, and then the same with Brian and Randi. So you must be

something special to him. I almost fell over when he said he was

bringing a date.”

Tag took over. “We meet a few times a year, and for a long time

it was only Stacey, Jakobie, and Randi as the women on the boat. Have

you met his Team yet?”

“A few times on the carrier. After a mission,” she said.

“Let me guess,” Tag conjectured. “He waits for you to check him

over.”

Maybe.
“It just happened that way,” Alexis protested. Both men

laughed, looked back at Harrier, and laughed again. “Guys, come on,”

she begged.

“He has got it bad. Not that I blame him.” Tag hugged her with

the arm around her shoulders. “Welcome to the family, hon. Welcome

to our family.”

“You have it all wrong,” she tried again.

“Nope,” they both stated immediately. “He has a radar lock on

you, girl,” Terry added, sounding positively gleeful.

Alexis kept her mouth shut since Scott had walked up to them,

dislodging Tag’s arm and putting his own there. “I’ll thank y’all not to

fill my lovely little healer’s head with stories.”

“So I shouldn’t believe what they were telling me?” Alexis won-

dered as she instinctively leaned into him.

“Depends,” he purred, sending pulse after pulse of desire

through her. “Only believe what makes me more impressive to you.”

“Well, then, I can’t believe anything they said,” she teased as her

hand found its way into the pocket of his jeans.

Halting at the end of the pier, the group said farewells. As Tag

hugged her he murmured in a stage whisper, “Whenever you want a

real
man, let me know.”

“Tag!” the barely-contained roar came. “Get the hell away from

my woman!”

His woman.
She was so conflicted about the feelings he stirred in-

side her. With a quick hug, Alexis stepped back from Tag and imme-

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diately found herself hauled up against the hard physique of the one

Navy SEAL who had captured her heart.

“Goodnight all. I am going to take her home before one more

man presses his lips to her. Y’all have no sense of boundaries,” Scott

grumbled playfully—sort of.

“Until we meet again, Dr. Lex,” Terry said with a wink as she

waved a farewell and was led back to the Corvette that sat under a

lamppost by the man who was madly in love with her.

C h a p t e r F i f t e e n

Scott opened the door for the woman tucked into the side of his

body. “You know you are eventually gonna have to tell me what’s

wrong,” he said in his resonating timbre as he helped Alexis into the

car.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Alexis insisted.

“You shouldn’t lie to your future husband,” he growled in her

ear, making sure her door was securely shut.

“I’ll keep that in mind for when I meet him,” she retorted,

watching him out of the corner of her eye.

His body rippled as he flexed his muscles and tried to remain in

control of his emotions.
You have met him, and I’ll be damned if I let some

other man touch any part of your delicious body.
“Your firm ass is sitting in

his car right now,” Scott grumbled. He vaulted over the driver-side

door, landing gracefully in the seat.

Her tiger eyes widened at his effortless movement. “Perhaps

you aren’t as well as I first thought. Maybe you shouldn’t drive.”

“Oh, I’m fine.” His intense gaze swung over to meet her half-

skeptical, half-amused one. “And I wasn’t joking.” Scott started the

Corvette and drove off into the night.

Biting her lower lip, Alexis watched him, but he stayed focused

on the road. “Weren’t joking about what?” she asked, playing dumb.

Scott knew it. With a mild curse, he jerked the car off the road

and killed the engine. Before Alexis could say a word she was strad-

dling his lap, her butt resting on the steering wheel. “About us,” he

snarled before his mouth claimed hers in a dominating kiss.

His tongue demanded entrance and turned her body into a qui-

vering mass of hormones. Scott’s large hands grabbed her ass and

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squeezed as he continued to preside over the kiss. Small whimpers

moved up her throat and she pressed herself down over his rapidly

hardening erection. Her pelvis rocked back and forth, driving them

both closer to the edge.

Leaving her ass, his hands grabbed her hair and pulled her head

back, separating their mouths. The moon offered the only light as they

sat on that deserted stretch of road. “Do you know how much it hurts

to have you doubt my feelings?” he ground out.

“Do you have any idea how it feels to me to hear you tell anoth-

er woman you will always love her?” came her own hissed response.

Well, now I know what made her attitude change. She overheard me

talking to Stacey.
“I don’t want Stacey.”
I know you love me, Alexis, you

have to.
“Oh, God, Lex, I’d marry you right now if you’d let me. I want a

family, I want a family with you.” His lips pressed against hers as he

spoke. “I want to know that you are mine to love, mine to hold, and

just, well, just mine.” Scott didn’t even bother to hide the anguish in his

voice.

She sighed and held him tighter. “Take me home and make love

to me,” she muttered against his mouth.

With one last, long, soul-drugging kiss, Scott lifted her back over

to her side of the car. In moments, they were driving back towards his

cabin, hands still touching as if breaking contact would somehow

shatter the spell they were under.

Whipping into the yard, Scott had bounded from the car before

the engine had totally died and was around to her side of the car, lifting

her bodily out and carrying her to the door. He held her as she un-

locked the door to the cabin.

Alexis slammed the door shut behind them as Scott pressed his

lips back to hers. He maneuvered through the dark house toward his

bedroom, where he longed to lay his woman down and love her like

she deserved. Her arms wound trustingly around his neck as he took

the stairs without hesitation.

It was with the utmost care that Scott laid Alexis upon the bed.

He removed her clothes and then his. Her skin, which had been mo-

mentarily chilled from the ocean breeze, was warmed once again as the

raw power of Harrington Prescott Broderick Leighton III settled over

her, pressing her into the mattress.

Only the moonlight filtering through the curtains was allowed

witness to the expressions of love that they shared throughout the rest

of the night.

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Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn!
Alexis swore to herself as she

watched the cabbie placed her last suitcase in the trunk of the taxi.