Harrier's Healer (18 page)

“Ready when you are, ma’am,” the driver said as he climbed

back behind the wheel.

“Right.” With one last longing glance at the house and then

down to the beach, Alexis gripped the handle of the door. There was

still no sign of the man she was hoping to see.

Opening the door, she was just about to slide across the seat

when she heard a man yelling, “Wait! Lex, what the hell is going on

here? Where are you going?” Scott was running up the path, sweaty

from his jog.

“Just give me a minute,” she said to the driver before turning to

meet the handsome SEAL partway.

“What is going on?” Scott was furious and panicked.

“I waited as long as I could–” Alexis began.

“You have only been here for three days. Don’t run away from

what we have, Lex. Stay. Stay here with me.” His eyes searched hers.

“I left a note for you inside on the breakfast bar.” Twice she

reached for him only to pull back and ball her hand up into a fist.

“A note. You left me a note. I leave you sleeping in bed and you

were going to leave me a note?” He was incredulous.

Her eyes met his without flinching. “I was recalled. I have to

go.”

She heard him curse under his breath
.
“Do you want to?” Those

four words were asked in a quiet voice as he twirled a loose tendril of

her hair around two fingers.

“No.”
I don’t ever want to leave you.
Heedless of the sweat cover-

ing his body, she reached around his neck and hugged him tight.

“Thank you for the best vacation I ever had, Harrington Prescott

Broderick Leighton the Third, even if it was cut short.” Her words were

whispered into his ear.

Arms of steel encircled her curvaceous body as his lips teased

the skin behind her ear. “Thank you.” Pulling back so he could see her

face, he sent her a smile that turned her bones to mush. With a kiss that

embraced both of their souls, he said his farewell.

“Goodbye, Commander,” Alexis said as she stepped back from

his touch.

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Aliyah Burke

Scott walked with her to the cab and held the door as she began

to climb in. When her golden eyes looked up at him from where she sat;

he knelt down so they were at eyelevel. Oblivious to the voyeuristic

gaze of the driver, he captured her face within both his hands.

His thumbs skimmed lightly over the lips he had just kissed and

his fingers played in the silkiness of her hair. Scott kissed her one last

lingering time, draining her body of support. Moving slightly back until

he could look into her eyes, he held her gaze and spoke. “I love you,

Alexis Milele Rogets. I will always love you.” Another kiss and he was

gone and she was being driven out of his life.

C h a p t e r S i x t e e n

“General quarters! General quarters!” The horn blared along

with that damn grating voice. “Damn it all to hell!” Alexis swore as she

scrambled out of her rack and away from the best sex she’d had since

her vacation three months ago. Of course, she’d expect it to be great, for

even in her dreams it was still Commander Leighton who piloted her to

the stars and beyond.

Two hours later, she’d been granted permission to disembark

the ship at the port where they were docked. Walking with another

woman from the
Everett
, she strolled along the streets of Hong Kong

and enjoyed browsing through the items for sale in the numerous

stands.

“I will be so glad when we are back home,” Katie, who was also

a chief, said.

“Me too. I want the rest of my vacation,” Alexis complained.

Take me away from the best sex I had in my life. Damn it all!

Katie chuckled. “I would, too, if I was with a hot man.” She

winked. “Who was this mysterious man who rocked your world?”

“I never should have told you about that. And we both know

that you have hot men all the time.” And it was true; Katie was a

beautiful, voluptuous golden-skinnedwoman of Spanish descent and

had that dark coloring that could drive men wild…and did.

“Honey, you could have just as many if you wanted. In fact, you

do have as many; you could have more if you would just flirt.”

I had the best man there ever will be.
“My life is full enough with

Jay and this gig. I sure don’t need no man trying to control me.”

Sliding her arm through Alexis’s, Katie stated, “No, what you

need is a man’s man to spirit you away, tie you up, and do horribly

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Aliyah Burke

wicked and wonderful things to you with chocolate sauce and edible

oils.”

Alexis remembered Scott and whipped cream. With a shudder-

ing breath she teased, “That sounds like your kind of man, Katie.”

Remember what it was like to lick whipped cream off his…?

“Oh, Lex, don’t be a prude!”

More and more images of making love with Scott in the cabin on

the yacht flooded her memory.
I don’t think I am a prude!
“I will always

be a prude compared to you. Now, let’s go eat. I’m hungry for some

good food.”

Laughing, the two friends went and ate at a sidewalk café. Lex

and Katie were hopelessly unaware of the hazel eyes watching them

before their owner flipped open a phone and made a call.

By the time the meal was over, Alexis was stuffed. “Now I re-

member why everyone always takes a siesta after lunch,” she groaned,

clasping her hands over her belly.

“Please,” her friend scoffed. “You need to eat more. You are get-

ting too skinny.”

Alexis just rolled her eyes. “I am the same size as you.” She

arched a brow. “My clothes are just a bit bigger.

“I know, I wear them,” Katie admitted, which just got a look that

said “duh” from Alexis.

The women walked on, joining more people from their ship as

well as the carrier
Endeavor
. The large group entered a dance club and

grabbed a table and drinks.

“God, I’ve missed this,” Alexis said over the loud music.

“Come on, let’s dance!” Katie grabbed her arm and led them out

on the floor. Alexis was totally enjoying herself when she felt a tingle

down her spine. It was almost as if someone were watching her. She

shook her head, however, telling herself she was imagining things and

let herself have a good time.

Four hours later, Alexis was done. She wanted to catch some

rack time. Waving to Katie and the rest of the group, she turned her

exhausted body towards the door and slipped out, unaware three

figures followed her down the street.

Before Alexis turned the corner a male voice yelled, “Lex!” The

men following her swiftly ducked into the shadows and watched.

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109

Turning quickly, Lex honed in on the person who had bellowed

for her. A brilliant smile crossed her face as she ran towards the man.

“Piers!” she screeched, launching herself into his embrace and placing a

kiss on his lips.

The man was tall, dark-skinned, and very muscular. He hugged

her tightly. “Why didn’t you tell me you were here?” he demanded,

setting her on her feet only to place a thick arm around her shoulders.

“We just got in today. What about you?” she asked in a de-

lighted tone.

“Come back with me to my hotel room and we will catch up.”

“Works for me, I was just on my way back to my rack. So a real

bed sounds great.” Her arm slid around his trim waist with a comforta-

ble and familiar action.

A body rigid with anger watched as the couple walked off arm

in arm.

Two nights later…

“Wow, Lex, you look great!” The man waiting for her at the ho-

tel lobby said with a long whistle.

Alexis wore a dark indigo formal dress that fit her curvaceous

form tightly all the way down. A long slit went up the left side, expos-

ing flashes of one very smooth, sepia leg. Her three-inch heels put her

closer to the height of the man escorting her.

“Thanks, Piers. I wasn’t sure I was going to find something. This

isn’t exactly what’s normally in my sea bag.” They walked from the

hotel to the waiting limo and climbed in.

He chuckled. “Well, you look amazing.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself there.” Piers wore a tux that

was handmade to drape perfectly over his muscular frame.

The ride to their destination was of companionable silence as

Alexis looked out the window at their surroundings.

“Wow,” she breathed. “This is amazing.” The limo pulled up in

front of an enormous and spectacular pagoda-style mansion.

With a smile, Piers led them into the grand ballroom where

there were formally dressed people everywhere. “Ready to schmooze?”

he teased.

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Aliyah Burke

Alexis laughed. “Oh, no. You are the schmoozer. I’m just the

schmoozer’s date.” Her eyes took in military uniforms, both foreign

and domestic, tuxedos, and very expensive dresses. She smiled her

thanks at the waiter who gave her a flute of champagne and began to

mingle with her date.

Two hours later, Alexis stood on a stone balcony off the second

floor overlooking the twinkling lights of the portside city. “This view is

unbelievable. I love it,” she murmured, running a finger over the

smooth alabaster marble.

“I agree; this balcony offers a perfect view.” A velvet whisper

broke through her peace.

Alexis just about fainted, not from fright, but from the raw emo-

tions that poured into her body. Scott. Commander Leighton. Turning,

she laid her eyes on the real version of her fantasies…which, conse-

quently, only increased after their time together. She couldn’t say a

word.

“Hello, Lex,” he purred in his deep, seductive timbre.

She couldn’t believe how much she wanted to run into his arms,

to feel his lips upon her body. Before her bedazzled brain could form a

coherent thought, Piers called to her from inside and with a single

longing look, she just slipped away.

Scott swore a round of curses that would shock his SEAL team.

From the second he’d gotten Tyson’s call, he had been on her six,

shadowing her, wanting to ignore the fact he was a superior officer and

kiss her senseless like she was his whole world. And she was.

The Megalodon Team was in Hong Kong to keep an eye on the

proceedings going on at one of the wealthy homes. However, Scott was

spending all of his free time following his sexy little healer as she

moved around town.

He’d seen her first at the club, and after three months, she’d still

been a sight for sore eyes. She had been out on the floor dancing, her

full hips swaying before his eyes like she were a snake charmer and he

were the cobra in a basket. As he’d watched from the sidelines unseen,

she’d danced freely and expressively with different partners, always,

however, keeping within sight of shipmates.

The moment she’d walked out into the night, he’d planned on

approaching her. With him in civilian clothes, no one would have

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111

recognized him in the dark and it wouldn’t have mattered they were of

different ranks.

That plan had gone to shit the second she’d had her attention

grabbed by the handsome black man she’d called Piers. It had killed

him to watch
his woman
run so easily into another man’s arms. Two of

his teammates had had to hold him from running out there when the

man had suggested going back to his hotel and she’d accepted.

The next day he couldn’t leave his post to follow her and find

out who that man was. Scott had called the
Everett
to find out how long

they were in port and had finagled a trip home with them instead of

staying on the
Endeavor
.

Then this morning, Scott had found Alexis once she’d left the

ship only to meet that Piers man and go off with him. Scott had fol-

lowed their steps but didn’t understand what was said, for they’d been

speaking Spanish fluently.

Unfortunately, Scott had to abandon his scouting to go to his ho-

tel and get ready for this evening. Part of him, the primitive part, had

wanted to dig and find out about the unknown man, but he hadn’t.

Scott was determined to talk to her first and give her a chance to ex-

plain.

He’d arrived to the gala before Alexis, but when he’d finally

seen her, Scott had been blown away. Her entire body was dressed in a

sinful wrapping, and for the first time in his life, Scott had run away.

He’d gotten almost used to the feelings she evoked in him: frustration,

lust, anger, desire, joy. Even the fantasies, daydreams, and heart-racing

moments had become old hat to him. The jealousy he could deal with,

to a certain extent. But the force of love that had hit him tonight scared

him.

He’d known for a long time now how he felt, but Scott had not

been prepared for the intensity of those feelings. When he’d seen her

before in Hong Kong, part of him had always been focused on the man

at her side and trying to control his temper, but tonight…tonight he