Alessandro motioned to Hudson and said, “SEAL too.”
“Of course you are,” Jesse laughingly commented.
“That wasn’t what I meant,” I told him, not referring to the fact they had SEALs for backup.
“I know.” Jesse looked over at me, his night-vision goggles still blocking his eyes. “But yeah, this is my life. You looking for it to be yours, too? Or are you out for good?”
My stomach dropped at what felt like an offer. But I didn’t have a chance to answer, because the thump of rotors overhead had me going still. I peered up at the sound of the whup-whup-whup chopping the sky and searched for a helo.
“A lot of people really want this list,” Jesse said under his breath before unmuting his comm. “Looks like it’s not game over yet. You ready?”
We all nodded before Alessandro said, “Yeah, let’s go toast these fuckers, shall we?”
“And try not to start a forest fire, if you don’t mind,” the Brit said as figures overhead began to fast-rope down.
“This is Alpha Two, they’re dropping in from the sky at our location,” Jesse told the team.
“Like shooting fish in a barrel,” Hudson remarked, shifting into position while readying his rifle.
“Oh, I like him,” the Southerner answered over comms.
“You would,” Jesse said. “He’s apparently one of you. A Team Guy,” he added before Hudson squeezed off a shot.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Maria
“Mmmm. That feels good.” I let free a moan as a pair of strong arms swallowed me up into a warm embrace, but the fog of sleep had yet to be lifted.
“I’m back, cara mia,” a husky voice whispered into my ear, and Enzo’s words officially shocked me out of my dreamlike state.
He was there in bed with me, and I wasn’t imagining it. Turning toward him, I felt him readjust his arm, settling it on my hip while drawing me closer, and my hands slid between us to cup his cheeks.
I wasn’t sure what time it was, but morning had to be around the corner. Syracuse by plane was a short flight, but had he really gone and come back before the sun came up?
“You’re here.” Tears of relief filled my eyes, and I slid my palm in small circles along his jawline. He kept his eyes shut, leaning into my touch. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I must’ve drifted off while waiting for you to call. But you’re here instead.”
“I’m here,” he murmured in a groggy-sleepy tone. “And I’m glad you slept. You needed it.”
“Sounds like you need it now.”
“All I need is you,” he returned in a low voice without opening his eyes.
I brushed my mouth over his and surrendered to the surprise of his tongue sliding between my lips for a soft but sultry kiss.
“Mmmm. I needed that,” he said a moment later, opening his eyes. “Long night.”
“I’m assuming if you’re cuddling me, everyone is okay. Your brothers and the guys you worked with?” My heart did an unexpected little tap dance against my rib cage when I noticed the slight curl of his lips downward. There was enough light in the room to make out every detail of this handsome man’s face, and I was glad to see it was unmarked by wounds.
“We’re all okay, but things didn’t go as planned.”
I let go of his cheeks and slid one hand into his messy hair.
“A lot of people wanted the man we were after, and we didn’t get to him in time. He was killed before we arrived. We were under heavy fire from more than one enemy. They converged on our location, and things got dicey.”
I snaked my hand around the back of his neck to pull myself even closer, and his tired eyes kept falling shut, clearly fighting like hell to stay awake. “I’m just so glad you’re okay,” was all I managed. “You don’t need to talk now,” I said, noticing his breathing slowing down, his body slipping nearly into sleep. “Get some rest, babe.”
“Babe?” His tone was warm and slid over my skin. “I like that.” And then he went quiet, and I was pretty sure my exhausted man had fallen asleep.
I stayed awake for a little bit with his arm protectively over me and my hand behind his neck, playing out scenarios in my head of the “dicey” situation and what may have happened to him while he’d been gone.
I fell asleep at some point, and when I woke up, I patted the mattress in search of him, finding myself alone. Terror climbed into the walls of my chest at the idea it’d been a dream and he’d never come back.