Ignited (Titanium Security Series) (19 page)

Another pause. “Tom made you call me, didn’t he?”

He smothered an ironic chuckle, hating the lingering estrangement between them. “Yep. Well, he made Hunt order me to.”

“Hunt’s there?”

“Yeah, he’s team leader on this job.” And he’d proven his worth yet again today out in the middle of that firefight. Their team was solid, even with Ellis and Dunphy being newcomers and Gage was glad to be a part of it. Especially since gainful employment over here meant he didn’t have to be home staring at the walls of his empty apartment and being constantly reminded of all he’d lost.

“Khalia’s lucky to have you guys.”

He had no idea what to read into that response or what to say in reply. “Thanks,” he mumbled lamely.

Claire expelled a long breath. “All right. I’ll see what I can do and get back to you. Or should I contact Tom?”

For some reason the hopeful note in her voice on that question was the hardest to take. He clenched his jaw. “You can contact Tom if that’s more comfortable for you.”

“That’s not what I said,” she argued. “I’m an adult, Gage. I know how to leave personal feelings out of my professional relationships.”

Great. So now he was a grudge
and
a professional relationship in addition to being her ex. Tamping down the angry response ready to burst out of his mouth, he shifted gears and went with shock tactics instead. “So, what are you wearing right now?”

A snort, followed by a grudging chuckle. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Depends on what the answer is.” Actually he’d rather know what she was wearing
underneath
whatever she had on, though he could guess. She had a fondness for lace and satin and sexy thong panties because they didn’t leave lines beneath the snug ass-hugging skirts and jeans she liked to wear. And a fine ass it was, too.

“You’re such an idiot,” she told him, this time without any bite.

He smiled sadly, feeling that yawning ache opening up in his chest again. He’d made so many mistakes he could never put right and now he had to live with the knowledge that he’d lost her forever. “I know.”

“Well. I’ll be in touch. Bye, Gage. Take care of yourself.” She disconnected before he could reply.

Gage lowered his phone and stared at the picture of her on screen that came up with her contact info, the one he’d taken on a ski trip last year with her and his daughter. Her light brown hair spilled around her shoulders, dotted with snowflakes, and those gray eyes sparkled with life and laughter as she smiled up at the camera.

Gage shook his head at himself. Every time he’d convinced himself he’d moved on, something drew her back into his life. Like Janelle reaching out to her about something instead of him, or the order from Tom tonight. He was starting to think he’d never get over her, no matter how much time went by. He made himself delete the image before putting his phone back into his pocket.

Feeling almost as shitty as he had on the night Scottie was killed, he walked out to face Hunter. He was sprawled in the chair doing something with his phone and looked up when Gage came out of the bathroom. “Well?” he asked.

“She said she’d see what she can do.”

Hunt smiled. “You still got the old charm going, huh?”

He didn’t have shit, and was reminded of that on a daily basis. “What’s the story with Khalia?”

“Tom booked her on an eleven-hundred flight tomorrow. She’ll be glad to get out of here and go home.”

Maybe, but Gage wasn’t blind. She and Hunt had been striking sparks off each other from the first moment they met. “You staying with her tonight?”

Hunter looked down to fiddle with his phone some more, a sure sign he didn’t want to answer. “Told her I would.”

Gage didn’t begrudge the guy a night with her, especially since the job to protect her was officially over tomorrow and all that was left was to put her on that plane in the morning. “Well why are you still sitting there then? Get in there and make sure she gets her money’s worth.”

Hunter’s head snapped up, the blaze of anger in his eyes disappearing when he realized Gage was only teasing. A grin spread across his face as he got to his feet. “Will do. I’ll check in with you later.”

“Yeah. Don’t forget to use protection, son,” he added when Hunter hit the door.

Hunter answered with a raised middle finger as he walked out, leaving Gage alone with thoughts and memories he’d rather not face. Was gonna be a long-ass night, but at least one of them wouldn’t be alone.

Chapter Eleven

When Hunter opened the door Khalia came up onto one elbow on the bed and pushed the hair out of her face. He slipped inside, flashed a smile.

“Everything okay?” she asked, not fooled by the smile.

“Yeah. Gage was looking into something for us. It’s all good.” He nodded at her phone on the nightstand. “You talk to your family?”

“My mom. She was really upset.” Khalia was thankful her mother wasn’t involved in this side of the foundation so she hadn’t been subjected to any of this.

“Understandable.”

She nodded, wishing she’d taken the time to have a shower instead of just changing into her sleep shirt and yoga pants. “I texted my brother too. I told them I’d let them know when my flight is leaving.”

“Eleven hundred tomorrow.”

Oh.
She frowned, confused by her conflicting reactions. She wanted to go home more than anything, but she couldn’t help feeling responsible for those girls and the thought of never seeing Hunter again set off a stab of pain beneath her ribs. On top of that there was the unrelieved arousal that hadn’t gone away since he’d pinned her to the wall and kissed her into a state of mindless need. Never in her life had she experienced that kind of molten heat before.

She shifted her legs to ease the unsatisfied ache between them. “What about you, are you going back to the States?”

He set his phone on the small table where he’d left his sidearm, and spoke without looking at her. “I’ll be here a few more days at least. Might be home by next weekend though.”

It was obvious he didn’t plan on picking up where they’d left off against the wall. Did he regret what they’d done? If he was worried about her reporting him to Tom or issuing a complaint, that was beyond insulting. Of all the things she’d experienced on this life changing trip, those few mind-blowing minutes with Hunter was the only one she didn’t regret.

“And where is home, by the way?” she asked, feeling the need to maintain a civil conversation.

“Georgia Sea Islands. St. Simons.”

He said it with such pride that she smiled. “I’ve never been there but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”

“It’s heaven on earth, as far as I’m concerned.”

For a former SEAL it must be, living right on the edge of the ocean. “You don’t have a Georgia accent though.”

His lips quirked as he faced her. “That’s because I grew up in Nebraska.”

She sat up fully and looped her arms around her knees. “My dad was from there.”

“I know.” He looked away from her when he said it and something in his tone bothered her. Maybe he’d read it in the file Tom must have given him about her and her family’s background.

Since she didn’t want to think about her father right now, she changed the subject. There was so much she wanted to know about Hunter and he certainly seemed to have dropped the “no friends” rule with the kiss. She just wished they hadn’t been interrupted because she didn’t have the guts to make a move on him a second time. If he wasn’t reciprocating now that he realized how much she wanted him, then clearly she’d overestimated his interested in her.

She pushed the embarrassing thought aside. “Did you always know you wanted to be a SEAL?”

Stretching out on the small sofa that was about two feet too short for him, he laid his head on the armrest and stared up at the ceiling. “No. After high school I had no clue what I wanted to do, beyond leaving Nebraska. I joined the Navy and they put me through college.”

“You have a degree?”

He turned his head to look at her, amusement on his face. “Yes, Miss Yale grad, I do. And a Master’s in business administration.”

She hadn’t meant to sound so surprised, it was just that she didn’t understand why he was working as a contractor and putting his life at risk rather than using his education for a safer career. “If you have all that, why did you become a SEAL? No disrespect intended,” she added quickly, “I’m just curious.”

He crossed one ankle over the other, his long legs dangling over the far end of the sofa. His expression was thoughtful. “It was the toughest challenge out there and I’d always wanted to serve my country. The SEAL Teams gave me the chance to be part of something bigger but I promised my mother I’d wait to report to BUD/S until I finished my undergrad degree.”

“But you’re still not using your degrees even though you’re out of the Teams. Why?” She couldn’t understand why he’d continue taking on such a risky job when he had so many other, less dangerous options available to him. She’d seen him in action enough to know that he was highly skilled and an expert at what he did, but he had to know he couldn’t do this forever.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Not as hard as going through BUD/S, I bet.”

He cracked a grin at that and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Once you’re part of something like that, it’s hard to quit. Leaving the Teams was hard enough without giving up the rest of it. Our skill set is unique and there are only so many careers where we can put them to use.”

“Did you quit? The Teams, I mean?”

He shook his head, not seeming offended by her questions. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in the Teams forever. It’s hell on your body. I blew out one of my knees for the second time on a training mission and started my Master’s while I was laid up after surgery. I knew I couldn’t keep up with that lifestyle for much longer and needed to look at my options. I always thought I’d apply to the FBI once I got out but I never did make it back to active duty after that surgery.”

That would have devastated a lot of men in his position. “That must’ve been hard. I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, his gaze shifting over to her. “I don’t regret it. That Master’s degree’s gonna help me get a partnership in Titanium. And the money I make as a contractor is pretty damn hard to pass up, especially when I get to do what I love and what I’m good at.”

Yeah, she could certainly understand that part of it. The man never ceased to amaze her. “You mentioned your mom earlier. Are you close with her?”

A fond smile spread across his face, softening the harsh lines of his face and warming his eyes. “Yeah. She raised me on her own so it was just the two of us. Makes me appreciate the work your foundation is trying to do even more. Without a college degree my mom would’ve wound up on welfare in the projects and we both would’ve been stuck there. Instead she busted her ass working two jobs and went to school at night to earn her degree. Took her seven years but she finally got her accounting degree and moved us into our first house when I was eight.”

An impressive lady, and even better role model for her son. Khalia shook her head in bemusement. She’d found out more about the man in the past five minutes than she had during the whole three days she’d known him. “Good for her.”

“I don’t know how she did it, but I’m proud of her. She’s amazing.”

“Kind of like her son.”

That made him grin. “Glad you think so.” He sat up, clearly done with that sort of intimate conversation. “You get enough to eat?”

“I’m good.”
Just tired, worried and extremely sexually frustrated.
And really confused about why you’re over there and I’m over here.