Page 27 of Light on Love
“Laurel,” he breathes as she peppers his jaw with kisses, watching the hard lines of his face soften.
“And if I’m being honest, I have never seen anything sexier than you suited up to battle for me. You taking out all those guys alone, and then coming back and holding me in these arms? Sexy,” she says with a spark in her eye. “So gentle after being so fierce, I’ll never get enough of you.”
This breaks his resolve, and he groans as he twists his hand in her hair, guiding her head back and leaning in, kissing her deeply. His kiss is slow and searching, and she can feel how much he needed to hear those things. She kisses back with aneed for him to know she means it. Their lips crush together until she feels like she might burst, pulling back breathless.
Brett’s smile is ravenous as their lips pull apart. “So, sexy huh?”
Laurel laughs softly, “I’m glad my cocky cowboy is back,” she says, cradling his neck with her hand and kissing the corner of his upturned lip.
—
The phone rings only once before the captain answers, same as always. “Laurel, are you okay?” The question sounds more like a bark.
“I’m completely unscathed. I’ve never felt so safe anywhere,” she answers honestly, a knot forming in her stomach about having to leave this place and leave Brett.What happens when the threat is no more, she wonders, thinking about whatever is happening between them.
Pushing the thought aside hurriedly, Laurel continues, “Captain Ireland, is it only you and I on this call? It’s important you are the only person who knows what I’m about to say.”
Even as she reasons with herself that he couldn’t ever be the mole, and thus the likeliest person to trust, she still has a nagging concern that maybe he can’t be trusted either. But Laurel was out of options, so once he confirms it’s just him, she presses on.“The file you sent me, I think it was the catalyst for this attack. They didn’t attack before because they knew I couldn’t make the connection without it. And the information in it, it’s damning. I’ve poured over it and talked it through with Brett, and it always brings me back to the same conclusion. The threat is within special operations. And it’s someone who would have had a hand in Operation Dark Horse.”
Captain Ireland is silent on the other end of the line, aside from the sound of the tap of his pen on his desk. Laurel feels her pulse quicken as she waits, questioning her decision to make this call. She stands, ready to start pacing, when the captain speaks.
“You may be on to something,” he responds bitterly. Laurel feels her stomach somersault, and she’s not sure if it’s nerves about the mole, or relief that he believes her.
“First, we are going to tell everyone that I’m moving you to the naval base in San Diego. You’ll stay there with Hayes, but we’ll see who takes the bait. From there, what can I do to help you? Because I think you’re the best bet we have at catching this son of a bitch. And I really want to catch him.”
Me? He thinks I’m his best bet? Laurel is stunned by this comment but forces her thoughts back to his question of what she needs. She tries to process quickly, worried he’ll change his mind if he picks up on any self-doubt from her. “I need only two things, sir. All the information you have on each person related to that operation, and a promise that this stays solely between you, me, and Brett.”
“You and Hayes have become surprisingly fast friends. But he’s worthy of your trust, no doubt. If it’s between the three of us only, and it seems our internal server isn’t secure in this regard, I’ll figure out a way to get it to you.”
Laurel hangs up and buries her face in her hands, feeling overwhelmed.
“You alright, Laurel?” She turns to find Grey standing in the doorway with a tool bag. “Brett needed some tools he left behind and a hand getting everything set back up, he sent me here to get them and head his way.” Grey walks over and sits across from her at the dining table. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m honestly more worried about being able to do what is expected of me, than I am about them getting me. Even after last night. Is that weird?”
Grey sits forward and folds his hands together on the table. “Listen, I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through. But if Brett made my safety his top priority, I wouldn’t worry for a second about those terrorists.”
Laurel nods, “how long have you worked together? Did you know him before the Navy?”
“I’ve worked here for eighteen years, started at fourteen when Brett stepped in and had my back in a fight at school. Then he brought me back home with him so Mary could clean us up. Just a couple of wild boys running free on this ranch until we graduated. I stayed on to work full time and he went off to the Navy. I think he took off because of his old man, and the Navy gave him something he needed to prove himself. That’s until it tried to strip him of his soul, just like the dad he was trying to prove something to. Making him team lead that green was so messed up. And he just, took it on. Then when he was needed back here, he took that on instead.”
Laurel felt her heart shatter for Brett. Sadness laced in her words when she speaks, “he deserves so much better than that.”
Grey nods, “I agree. And between you and I, seeing him with you… he’s lighter.” With a smile, Grey stands. “But he can also be impatient as sin, so I’d better get these tools to him.” He picks up the bag and heads out the door.
16
Laurel awakens on the couch the next morning, a blanket draped over her that she doesn’t remember being there before. She had showered and iced her ankle after Grey left and then laid down to wait for Brett to get home. But she had dozed off before he returned last night.
She rolls over to find an orange post-it on the coffee table beside her.Cap called, files arriving hidden in an Amazon delivery today, it reads. She wonders how the captain managed that, and how illegal it is to do such a thing with classified documents. But it does at least show his willingness to take a chance and trust her.
Pushing herself up off the couch, she meanders to the kitchen for coffee and her favorite pastry. Laurel is halfway through a cinnamon roll when Brett strolls into the kitchen, a lazy smile spreading across his face at the sight of her. “I was hoping you’d be awake,” he says coming over to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. His forearms brush under the hem of her sweater and rest on her bare skin. Laurel leans back into him, greedy for every little touch.
Burying his face in her messy morning hair, Brett inhales deeply before reaching around her and stealing her cinnamonroll, bringing it up to his mouth for a generous bite. She tuns to face him and quirks her lip, lifting her hand to run a finger along the corner of his mouth. He tilts his head in a question, and she pulls her finger back, revealing a dollop of frosting that she’s captured from his lips. Laurel smiles sweetly at him as she puts it in her mouth and slowly sucks it off her finger. Brett goes rigid, his jaw flexing and eyes blazing as he watches her.
Amused by his reaction, she runs her hands up his chest and when she reaches the collar of his cream and brown flannel she grabs fistfuls of material, yanking him down until he’s close enough for her to kiss. Brett’s hand splays across the small of her back, pressing her to him in response. She brings her mouth to his, closing the small distance between them and he kisses her back hungrily, as if devouring her is as essential for him as breathing.
As they pull apart, she wonders if she’ll ever be able to catch her breath around this man. She releases her grip from his collar, instead reaching down to lift his shirt and reveal the wound.This man, this man who risked his life for me,she thinks, frowning at how much worse the gash looks in the harsh light of day.