Retrieval (12 page)

Life could be such a bitch sometimes.

Chapter 9

If there was one place in a house Sky felt normal, it was the kitchen. From the time she’d been little, just five or six, she’d loved to watch Sarah McKannon baking pies or cakes or cooking up meals for her family. There’d been such a peace to her adopted mother’s face as she’d mixed, molded, and cooked the food she fed them. Sky had wanted that feeling deep inside of her. She’d needed that feeling.

Sarah McKannon had seen the desire written plainly on her young charge’s face and willingly devoted the time and effort to teaching the child the ins and outs of a kitchen. She’d spent countless hours letting Skylar mix and mold, bake or dice, chop and sauté. Skylar had loved it, and looking back she took heart that Mama Sarah’s face had been happy during those times as well. The woman had helped to develop her love for cooking, and it was a skill that had kept her sisters fed when the pickings had been slim. Skylar had used every one of those aforementioned skills to make what little she did have palatable.

Tonight though, she had plenty, and with the rumbling in her stomach she knew food was going to be another way to help her get through the ordeal of telling these men about her life. She also needed the nourishment. She was tired and still hurting a little from being shot, but hunger was overriding the tiny bite of pain.

Sky had no illusions about what Smythe-Ward would do to these men if he found out they were harboring her. He’d destroy Sebastian and his men as if they were nothing more than fleas on his hairy ass. Skylar could not and would not allow that to happen. Sebastian had saved her in that cornfield. It was debt she’d repay. She’d do what she could to protect him.

It had nothing to do with the feelings he aroused in her. The intensity of those feelings had her thrown off balance, but they weren’t the reason she wouldn’t let anything happen to him. He’d done something only her sisters and adopted parents had ever done. He’d put his life on the line for her. She wouldn’t repay it with lies or danger.

He was definitely a man’s man, and if he knew that her goal was to protect him while keeping her family safe as well, he’d more-than-likely puff out his chest and laugh. He’d mock her petty womanly attempts to keep him safe. If he only knew.

Hell,
when
he only knew.

After the little talk she was about to have with them that would hopefully change. It would take a big man to protect her but an even bigger one to accept that she was way more powerful than all of the men in that room put together.

Her thoughts brought a smile to her face. A hand snaked around her to snatch a seasoned French fry from the platter she was filling.

A stinging rebuke for the offender hovered on her lips, but she wasn’t prepared for the breath that warmed her neck and then blew softly in her ear.

Her body automatically softened for him. Sebastian’s scent had given him away, and her natural awareness of him had let her know, long before he’d tried to filch a fry, exactly where he was in the room.

“Can I have a fry?” he whispered next to her jaw.

“I promise, as many as you want if you keep breathing on me like that,” she whispered back throatily.

A bark of laughter sounded, and he pushed away from the counter but kept his body right behind hers.

She turned her head and met his gaze, startled at the need reflected back at her.

“You feel it too, huh?” she asked him in a low voice.

“You have no idea, baby. No idea at all.”

The endearment sent a shiver through her. His gaze lowered, tracked over her face, neck, and down toward her breasts. There was a spark, then his swift inhalation.

“You are dangerous,” Sebastian said and then took the platter from her and set it on the table.

Morrissey groaned from the doorway to the kitchen. “Could you guys hurry up? I don’t know, maybe cook instead of feel each other up? I’m hungry, and if you keep that crap up, I’m gonna lose my appetite.”

Sebastian threw him a mean look that promised retribution, but Skylar simply laughed and called the other two, as well as King, in to eat.

She’d taken steaks from the refrigerator, marinated, and then grilled them on the indoor grill. She’d sliced potatoes and made home fries, coating them with a special blend of olive oil, parsley, red pepper, sea salt, thyme, and oregano. Tomatoes were sliced, and garlic toast as well as lemonade rounded out the meal.

Once everyone was seated and had their plates full they dug in. She cleared her throat, and they all looked up, confusion written on their faces.

“You guys don’t say grace?” she asked calmly.

“Grace,” they all said in unison and started right back in on the food.

She cleared her throat again, louder this time, and the men groaned as they dropped their silverware and wiped their hands on their napkins.

They each looked at her expectantly.

“You could at least say it like you mean it,” she teased in a mockingly stern voice.

Then she held her hands out to first Sebastian on her right side and Rover on her left.

Both men stared at her hands like they were foreign objects they’d never seen before. Finally they took hold of them.

She nodded at the others who looked so forlorn she almost laughed but managed to keep a straight face. They were so much like her sisters it wasn’t funny.

The other two reluctantly joined in. Once they all held hands, she bowed her head but peeked out to see if they did the same.

“Grace,” she said, then dropped both Sebastian and Rover’s hands as she began digging into her own food.

“You’re kidding me right?” Morrissey asked in confusion.

“About what?” Skylar asked innocently.

He huffed. “Nothing,” he replied and started eating again.

“That’s just wrong, Sky. You don’t mind if I call you Sky do you?” Rover asked her gently.

“Not at all.
I
don’t mind my name being shortened, unlike some people.” Sky rolled her eyes in Sebastian’s direction.

“Oh come on, you aren’t talking about our Seb, for sure, yeah?” Rover teased her giving her a conspiratorial wink and nod in his friend’s direction.

“Yeah, I’m talking about
Seb
. So what’s that about, Bastian? I can’t shorten your name, but they can? That’s not the way to start off a marriage. A wife should have equal rights. You get to shorten mine. And if they get to shorten yours, I get to shorten yours. See? That’s the way it goes if you’re going to be fair,” Sky slipped in slyly.

Every man at the table, including Sebastian, stopped eating at whatever stage of the process they were currently in. Sebastian’s fork hung at his mouth, a succulent piece of steak poised on the brink of decimation by those luscious lips and strong jaw. His eyes cut to her quickly, then looked at the other men.

At the same time, Bleak and Morrissey shook their heads and began chewing slowly, as if they couldn’t comprehend the meaning of life, much less the startling, though false, news that their friend was getting married. And Rover? Well Rover just picked up his napkin, covered his mouth and coughed to cover up his laughter.

Sebastian threw him a nasty look and continued eating, not answering the question or picking up the gauntlet she’d tossed down on the table.

He took a drink of his lemonade, wiped his mouth, and looked over at her. His face seemed lighter all of a sudden, and she was amazed to see the hard look he usually carried had dissipated under a teasing smile that brought out the masculine beauty of his face. It lit every corner of her mind, heart, and soul.

He’s a heartbreaker. Wonder if I can handle what he’s about to dish out?

“So, guys, I was going to wait to tell ya’ll about this, but seeing as the little woman here decided not to keep it a secret,” Sebastian sighed heavily, threw her a look that said “it’s on” and continued, “Skylar popped the question last night. I know. I know. You’re all concerned that she’s on the make, that it isn’t true love. But she fell hard ya know? And how could I resist? Now, there’s no reason for alarm just yet. I haven’t given her my answer. I’m still thinking about it, but I think I need a taste of the milk before I buy the c—mphhh.”

Sebastian was cut off by Skylar’s hand. She clapped it over his mouth as she tried not to bust out laughing. She struggled to affect a stern, slightly mortified look, but it was damn near impossible. She’d cut him off and was about to give the man a taste of his own medicine.

“Now, Bastian, baby, there’s no reason to be shy and try to put it off on our mutual attraction. You know you asked me, and I haven’t given you
my
answer yet. Anyway, I think what Bastian is trying to say is that he’s head over heels in love with me already. I mean really. Who falls in love that fast anymore? But I think we’re fated to be together, and he obviously can’t resist my, um,
allure
, so he popped the question last night.”

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I know you watched my ass earlier,” before she continued in a normal voice.

“I was so excited that I immediately gave him my list of conditions if he wanted me to say yes. But I think my poor little Bastian is scared he might not be good enough for me. Yep. I know you’re all wondering how big, tough Sebastian could possibly be scared of meeting my conditions, but you’ll have to ask him. I’m busy making wedding plans and picking out baby names. I don’t have time to pander to a man’s fears. Even if that man is my future husband. Well, future husband if I say yes. And that’s not quite in the bag for you yet, my man. You know what though, I bet ya’ll could help him out, maybe give him some pointers?”

Sebastian bit her palm lightly and then laved the offended area with his hot tongue. She pulled her hand away as though scalded. Laughter and promise bounced in his eyes. She couldn’t handle the promise right now, not until Smythe-Ward was taken care of. Even then she didn’t know if she’d be alive to see the fulfillment of the promise so evident in his look.

Sebastian laughed. “Pointers my ass.”

The tension that knifed through her when his tongue touched her palm, eased into a mellow sort of afterglow. She was in a constant state of hot for this man. She wanted him. Had wanted him from the first moment she’d laid eyes on him.

“Oh my, Sebastian, you’ve got a live one here. My
maman
would love her,” Rover said around his napkin.

“Yeah, but I think you do need some pointers, man. Sounds like your, uh,
situation
, is all kinds of confused. But hey, better you than me, that’s all I’m saying,” Morrissey piped in before bowing his head back to the business of inhaling the food before him.

“Well congratulations. We started out on an op, and it’s deteriorated into
love
and fun and games. That’s friggin’ brilliantly wonderful,” Bleak spit out in a sarcastic, biting tone.

The man made the word love sound like a ripe case of Chlamydia.

“Lay off, Bleak,” Sebastian warned the man, all traces of laughter gone from his expression.

“Yeah, whatever,” Bleak bit out as he threw Sebastian an indecipherable look.

Skylar felt it better to let it go as well, and she too began eating but not before the warmth of Sebastian’s hand wrapped around her nape.

He’s reassuring me.
That moment etched itself into her memory.

She’d known the man for twenty-four hours, and
know
was very euphemistic at this point in their acquaintance, yet he was already trying to comfort and ease her. Her feelings hadn’t been hurt at all by Bleak’s words, but Sebastian hadn’t cared to chance it, and he’d offered her his support.

His care of her was out of her realm of experience. It pushed at her and made her heart pound. The truth was right there in front of her, but he could never know, and she could never acknowledge it. She had to bury this feeling deep and not let it out. She picked up her fork, smiled benignly at the men, and finished her meal.

* * * *

Forty-five minutes later, she was back on the love seat in the living room area of Sebastian’s rented condo. The meal had been good, and she was pretty damn mellow. Rover had poured her a glass of wine, to ease her mind, he’d said. She watched the men find spots to sit for her story. King was at her side, her protector and best friend. He watched the men too.

King had uncanny instincts. If he gave his bark of approval, whoever was receiving it was okay. King had eaten in front of these men and not attacked any of them. That was a bark of approval if ever she’d heard it.

Lord above she didn’t want to tell these men about what a freak of nature she was, and yet never in her life had she felt more comfortable with anyone outside of her sisters. There was relief to be found even in the intensity of Sebastian’s gaze that questioned her every move or word. Bleak and Morrissey, while definitely the more disbelieving of the group, had calmed down after the banter at the dinner table, and Rover was always cool it seemed.

She took a deep breath. “I know I told you all earlier that our story is quite unbelievable, and it’s true, unless you have some extensive background in the science of genetics, and a capacity to believe the unbelievable. I don’t even know where to start. How about this? How about you tell me how Smythe-Ward contacted you, and we’ll go from there?”

*

Her voice was quiet, but it reflected her inner turmoil and fear. This was virgin territory for her. Fear was natural.

Sebastian decided a little
quid pro quo
wasn’t uncalled for in this situation. She looked so tired all of a sudden, and his gut clenched when he thought of distressing her at all.

“Dr. Dolan Smythe-Ward is a close friend of a former colleague of mine, General Post of the United States Navy. General Post used to be my superior before I retired from active duty. He contacted me about a retrieval mission for a friend of his who’d lost contact with his daughters years ago. When I initially met with Smythe-Ward, he gave me a sad story about his lover running off with pregnant with his children, quadruplets he said.