Authors: MJ Nightingale
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Beauty (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros. Book 5)
Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Stoker Aces Production, LLC. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Special Forces: Operation Alpha remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Stoker Aces Production, LLC, or their affiliates or licensors.
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To my sons. I love you more than life itself. You bring me such joy and happiness. I hope I am teaching you to always pursue your dreams.
-Mom
CATARINA STRETCHED HER hamstrings performing a subtle deadlift. She was being careful and not pushing herself to her limits per the doctor’s instructions. Bending deeply and slowly at the waist until her palms lay flat against the cool tile of the balcony just off her second story bedroom, she concentrated on her breathing exercises. The cool breezes coming off of the Gulf of Mexico in the morning was what tempted her to rise so early. She loved her mornings and this time of day especially. It was a fresh start. Each and every day.
Breathing out slowly, she relaxed even more. The weight of her abdomen shifted, and the heaviness she carried around her midsection moved with her. Her baby. Hers and Andreas’. It still seemed so unreal. She had a life moving around inside of her. She just never imagined, dreamed or hoped for this miracle. Yet here it was, and just two months from now, this new life would enter the world and have its own fresh start. A new beginning.
Catarina pulled herself back up slowly and breathed. The baby inside her, she didn’t know the sex yet, rolled and tumbled once more. He or she was doing his or her own gymnastics. She cupped her hands over her stomach briefly before repeating her stretch going slowly, following the doctor’s orders to the letter.
Resuming a standing position and stretching heavenward, she pointed her fingers straight up and breathed. The baby rolled again, stretching too. She smiled to herself. She had never been happier.
Catarina loved this island and this home. It had been Andreas’ for as long as he lived in Florida and he welcomed her into it. Their New Year’s Day wedding made it her home as well. The Florida home was nearly one hundred years old, but updated with the times. It had history which she appreciated. Coming from Europe, that had been important to her.
Looking across the bay and into the Gulf, she took in the few sailboats out already this early in the morning, bobbing in the harbor enjoying the day before the heat really kicked in. One was close to their dock and she saw a couple embracing on its deck. She was happy for them. And for herself.
As she bent at the waist for another modified downward dog, she heard him before she saw him. Her husband. He was another earlier riser too.
***
ANDREAS ENTERED THE bedroom carrying a small tray. It held a small glass of orange juice, a slice of cheese, some fruit, and a slice of buttered toast. It was his wife’s usual morning fare after she worked out. He had been up earlier and had run his usual 10k around the island before he carried up her breakfast. He enjoyed their morning routines.
The moment he entered their bedroom, Andreas saw the silk blue curtains ruffle from the overly large French doors that led to the balcony and the patio beyond. His wife had left the doors open to air out the room. His heart skipped a beat when he didn’t immediately see her in the opening. The billowing curtains had momentarily hidden her beauty from his view. But then a small hand came into view as she stretched to her left and the brief moment of panic subsided. Although it had been over seven months since she had been kidnapped off of his dock, he still worried and occasionally had nightmares about it.
He had been working for her then. Protecting her, from a serial killer who had plagued his family for over a decade. A serial killer, unknown to him then, who had started his killing spree because of his obsession with her. His beauty. Catarina.
Andreas set his tray down on the small table in the corner of their master suite and approached the windows. He wanted to watch his beautiful wife for a moment before he interrupted her workout regimen. He enjoyed these times immensely. Letting his eyes get their fill, it was hard to believe they were completely safe now. And, that she belonged to him and him alone. He was lucky. Very lucky. Catarina was remarkable. She was so delicate, yet strong, and seeing her body, her belly swollen with his child, she looked even more beautiful, if it were possible, than the day he had met her in his office when she came looking for him.
She was truly extraordinary in every way. It was not just her beauty though there was that. Her dark chestnut hair swung from a loose ponytail as she shifted from one foot to the other, remarkably keeping her body balanced on one foot for a prolonged amount of time. Despite her pregnancy, her physique was still sleek and toned other than her belly. He couldn’t wait to meet their child. He secretly hoped it was a boy. A girl would kill him. Not because he wouldn’t love a girl, but because he was terrified of having a daughter. Daughters meant boyfriends. He didn’t even want to think about it. But no matter what the baby was, he knew he would love that child more than his own life. He had lost a child once and that loss still bothered him. But he had gotten a second chance. Another chance at love and life, and another chance to be a father. He wasn’t going to screw that up. Ever.
Narrowing his eyes, Andreas stepped forward. He had enough of watching. He opened the doors further and stepped out onto the balcony to join his wife. He needed her in his arms. Her and their child. He needed to hold them both. She was just that beautiful.
Catarina had approached the balcony’s railing the moment she heard Andreas open the door. The whisper of the curtains against his clothing alerted her to his arrival. She placed her hands on the wrought iron and watched the couple on the boat holding each other as she waited for her husband to join her. And just as she knew he would, Andreas mimicked the vignette of the couple on the small boat before her in the distance. His arms came around her, circled her girth as he held her and the baby close.
Cat sank into Andreas’s warmth, and felt the light caress he gave her before he kissed the side of her face softly. She leaned into that too and just enjoyed the moment for its beauty and serenity.
It was a picture perfect moment. Well, almost perfect. She slightly envied the couple on the water. She had grown up in Amsterdam and had been raised practically on her grandfather’s fishing boat. She couldn’t wait for Andreas to take her back out on the water. She felt even more at home there out on the sea. But they had decided they would wait until after the baby was born for their next excursion. Being in her final trimester, they wanted to be close to their vehicles in case of an emergency.
A seagull’s call broke the reverie created by the wind and waves, and she felt Andreas’ stubble on her cheek as he pressed one more kiss to her temple before he spoke.
“What are you thinking about, my love?”
She felt his breath like a soft warm blanket cup her cheek. She was so in love with this man. He had saved her. Protected her. He had brought her back to life. He was her everything. He and this child.
“Just watching that couple. They look like they are in love, don’t they?” Her answer was simple and honest. She always spoke what was on her mind.
“Like us.” His words were a gravelly reaffirmation of her earlier thoughts.
She agreed. “Yes. Just like us.”
“They are lucky then.” Andreas chuckled softly. His wife was not usually a person of romantic words or notions. Being pregnant had changed her somewhat. She was definitely more emotional.
“Yes, they are.” Catarina smiled into the wind and allowed Andreas to hold her for a moment more before she turned into his arms. She looked up into his amazing sky blue eyes. Eyes that spoke volumes to her as they pierced into her very soul. They were full of love, and promise—the promise to always keep her safe, protect her, love her, and cherish her. The same as the vows they had spoken seven months earlier.
Sensing her getting onto the tip of her toes, Andreas intuitively bent to meet her half way, and kissed his wife a proper good morning. When the brief kiss ended, his wife let out a little sigh tucking herself into him. She fit perfectly, but her body language spoke volumes. She had something on her beautiful mind.
He arched his dark eyebrow silently waiting for her to speak. He wasn’t disappointed. Her slightly European accent, the one he never tired of hearing, reached his ears. “I love the water. I love it. I love it here. And I love you. And our son or daughter will love it too. But I miss the water.”
He smiled down at his woman. She truly did love the sea. Her breakfast was waiting, but being this close to her he was beginning to have other thoughts, ideas on what might help ease his wife’s melancholy, and he began to hope she could wait just a while longer before breaking her fast. “I know, Darling. It won’t be much longer before you will enjoy it again.”
There were other things she enjoyed as well.
Catarina intuitively sensed her husband’s shift in mood. She heard the undercurrent of desire there below the surface. She felt it too when she was in his presence and this close. It was something neither of them could resist. Each other. She pressed into him feeling the evidence of his arousal in his running pants. He laughed heartily. “Speaking of enjoyment, I think I want to enjoy my wife now.”
Now her dark eyebrow shot up. “You think?”
His voice was instantly gruff, “Oh, I know.” And with those words he swept her off of her feet giving her no choice in the matter, and turned swiftly carrying her back into the recesses of their home.
In four long strides Andreas was at their bed, and he gently laid her down upon it before sinking onto the bed with her. Capturing her cherry red lips, kissed already by the sun, he took her mouth, plunging inside the moment she opened for him. Just her lips could drive him wild with desire.
But her responses had him helping her to remove her clothing as she did the same for him. It was a fevered frenzy of anticipation.
When they were both naked, breaking the kiss only long enough to remove her tank top, he changed their position in a heartbeat. He lie beneath her, she poised above him. Both of them stared deeply into one another’s eyes for a moment before his quaking shaft at her entrance dove home.
“I love you,” she purred just before she sank onto him.
“And I love you, Beauty,” he moaned as she began to ride him.
And she was his Beauty. From the moment he met her. That was the singular word that had come to his mind. Beauty. Just beautiful. And with his baby inside of her, it was truer than ever. They were his and he would always protect them.
HER MAN TOOK her breath away. It was almost two years ago they met and so much had happened in that short time. So much. And this was the first time they had been able to just relax. Just be together without fear or worry. It was exactly what their doctor had ordered. As Melody climbed up from below deck of the small rented sailboat, stepped foot on deck and gained her balance, she saw her husband standing by the rails and took in his form. Gorgeous. Stunning. He was all muscle and sinew. She barely noticed his prosthesis now. It was part of him. And despite having lost one leg during his time in Iraq as a Navy SEAL, his body was still in perfect condition. His workout regimen undeterred by any disability.
Melody still couldn’t believe he had chosen her. True, they had met on line, and he practically admitted to falling in love with her before he had even seen her, but she was glad for every moment she had been with him. She remembered their first face to face meeting all too well, and the immediate attraction she felt for him despite her tenuous situation. She had been stalked for over six months and hadn’t known who to trust. Alone, terrified, hiding out in one hotel room after another had been a harrowing experience. Her loneliness and fear had abated only somewhat by her on line friendship with Tex. For a while they had been messaging every day. And even though she had never met him in person, she had trusted him . . . and reached out when she’d lost all hope. It paid off in the long run, tenfold. He turned out to be her soul mate. And she was his. He’d told her that too.
Tex was gazing across the bay seemingly deep in thought as she approached from behind. Melody was not naïve enough to think he wasn’t aware of her presence. Once a Navy SEAL always a Navy SEAL. He was always on alert. Always scanning their environment keeping vigilant for any possible threats. That kind of training didn’t just go away because of a medical discharge and “retirement” from active duty. Tex still worked with his buddies from his military days. He was now a consultant for security and tracking, and he was great in his job. He kept her safe, and all his friends’ wives safe while they were away on missions. And that, in and of itself was not an easy task being as spread out as they were. But that might change. They were considering moving closer to their friends since her parents were thinking about moving to Nevada when they retired.
Safety, though, was Tex’s number one priority. Hell, that had been his self-proclaimed job from the day they met online, to keep her safe. And he had, along with their friends, her friends, her dog Baby, and now their adopted daughter, Akilah. From the moment she had put her hand in his, she felt safe. Protected. Loved. And she’d always returned the sentiments when she could. And the actions.
But she pushed thoughts of their life aside for a moment. This vacation was about them. Hell, they hadn’t even had a real honeymoon when they slipped away to Vegas for their quick nuptials. They jumped in right away wanting it all. A life together, a family, a home. But in all that time, and they had even been trying before their marriage, Melody had failed to get pregnant. And that’s why they were here now. Doctor’s orders. Get away. Have fun. And relax. Don’t think about anything but each other. So they made the arrangements for their first ever vacation alone. Their adopted daughter was spending time with close friends in California, and her coonhound, Baby, was being watched by her dear friend in Pennsylvania.
And that’s what they had been doing for the last four days, with ten glorious sun filled days ahead of them.
Just as Melody reached the rail, her husband quickly swept her into his arms and she laughed softly as he positioned her between his massive thighs and gazed down at her with desire in his warm brown eyes. His smile was bright, but she saw the lust behind it as he took in her form. She had gone below to slip into her bathing suit. It was a simple one piece. She wasn’t self-conscious about her body. But a two piece was something she didn’t think she could make work with the extra ten to fifteen pounds she could never seem to get off around her midsection and hips.
Tex never complained. He always told her how much he loved her body, her curves, her softness. She watched as he bit his bottom lip seductively contemplating her ample chest. Again she laughed. These past four days had been heaven. If they didn’t get pregnant on this trip she didn’t know what else would work. “Penny for your thoughts,” Melody asked, before her hungry as a wolf looking husband could devour her. It was looking like that was exactly what he wanted to do.
“I’m not thinking of anything,” he growled into her ear, nibbling her lobe once before pulling back and gazing down at the ample cleavage her bathing suit provided. “I’m just enjoying the view.” The direction of his gaze left no doubt in her mind what he was referring to. It wasn’t the bay, the beach, or the spectacular view of the Florida style homes on the island beside them.
“I thought we were going to lay anchor and go for a swim,” Melody chimed in.
“Hmm,” he murmured as he dipped down for a kiss and took her lips captive. Her body instantly responded though they had made love hours earlier in the predawn before leaving the hotel to pick up their rented boat for the day.
Although Tex could have easily continued what he was doing with his beautiful wife, something caught his eye on the horizon and he broke the kiss regretfully. He was thoroughly enjoying his vacation with Melody, but it was so difficult to take the soldier out of the man. A change in the view alerted him. He had seen someone come out onto the deck of the house that was situated across the bay from where his boat now bobbed. He quickly realized it was a small woman and he was able to relax once more, until a crashing wave rocked the boat.
Tex firmly kept Melody upright. “Mmm, I’m afraid we will have to pull out from shore a bit. We are in too close and these swells might be a tad too much if you’re not a strong swimmer.”
Melody nodded her agreement. Tex, of course, was a fantastic swimmer. She, well, she could handle herself in a swimming pool fine enough, but her husband was trained for this kind of thing. Melody turned in her husband’s arms to observe the swells he spoke of, and took in the view before her. The quaint island with the beautiful homes made for a picture perfect image. She loved the beach. She loved the water, and was considering a move to California so Tex could be closer to his friends and work buddies. And his friends had become her friends too. But she hadn’t made up her mind just yet. Maybe this trip might help nudge her in that direction. Tex wasn’t pressuring her.
Yes, it was true. Her family, and her dear friend and her life had been in Pennsylvania for so long. But with her job she could literally move anywhere. Her parents looming retirement was upon them and many of their friends had pulled up stakes and headed to Nevada. Life was changing all around her. She pushed that thought out of her head and focused on the horizon. This trip was meant to be stress free.
Gazing across the bay, Melody could see a woman with long dark hair, doing yoga on the balcony of one of the largest homes. She seemed so at peace. Looking closer, she took in the sight of her belly, and knew instinctively it was swollen with child.
A sign?
She felt a flutter in her stomach. The woman was pregnant, very pregnant.
Melody’s intake of breath alerted Tex to his wife’s change in mood. He gazed across the water in the direction she was looking. The woman he had noticed just seconds ago was bending deeply performing her exercises. He watched for a moment wondering what had caused his wife’s breath to hitch. Then he saw it as she stood and stretched and reached heavenward. Her belly. Swollen with child. He sighed inwardly. Melody, and he, wanted a baby. And so far, with over a year of trying, they hadn’t conceived. They hadn’t gone to a fertility doctor yet, but both agreed that they had plenty of options and time to add to their family.
Tex held his wife closer. “Melody. I love you. You are my life. If it doesn’t happen, I’m okay. We have Akilah . . . and of course, Baby. And we can adopt others if you want.” He had said these words before. He felt her nod, but her face was still turned towards the woman on the balcony.
“I know, love. And truly I’m okay too. If it doesn’t happen . . .I mean I want it too. I want to know what it feels like to have a child grow in my belly. To feel your child grow in my belly. I want to give you that. But if it doesn’t happen, I love our daughter, and there are so many other children out there, like her, who need parents.” Their daughter had been a refugee, wounded, and treated in America when she had lost her arm. She had also been in an orphanage. He heard about her through his military connections and his heart had known that she needed a man like him to help her through her ordeal. That was the kind of man she had fallen in love with. Selfless and always putting others first.
“And I’d love that. Whatever you want to do, babe, as long as it’s with me,” he murmured softly against her cheek.
“Always,” she whispered into the wind still watching the beautiful woman across the sea.
Together they both watched the woman until a very tall dark haired man joined her on the balcony. Melody and Tex watched the couple as the man took the petite brunette in his arms, his hands circling her and holding her abdomen. It was a beautiful moment. A vignette frozen in time. A moment neither would forget.
As Tex watched the remarkable scene before him, he had to admit to himself that he would love to feel his child growing inside of Melody. But above all, Melody was who had given his life meaning. If it was him, or her, that couldn’t have children, he didn’t care. He knew all he needed to make him complete was her. They had discussed their inability to conceive and both agreed to let nature take its course. They were healthy. Their primary physicians saw no problems and advised them to wait it out. Give it a year. They were still young yet. So, they both decided they were not going to pursue medical options, or other more drastic measures. They both knew they could be happy and have a full rich life without biological children.
Tex felt his wife sink into him. Her body was warm. The sweat from her back coursed down between her shoulder blades as she pressed herself against his bare chest. A swim in the cool waters of the ocean was what they both needed. He should put the motor back on and guide them further out. But something stayed him for a moment longer. It was the couple across the bay.
Tex looked more closely. His chest constricted suddenly and a memory flashed in his brain. It wasn’t the couple. It was the woman. When she turned and stood in profile he was riveted and sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth. His head began to pound as the memories came flooding back. Could it be? Her? The beauty?
Melody turned her head and looked up at him. Concern in her eyes. He gazed down at her momentarily. Saw the flare of her nostrils. The apprehension in her gorgeous eyes, but then looked at the woman across the bay. The man was sweeping his hands across her face. A fall of dark hair came across her shoulder. She flicked it back and the shape of her chin and the movement of her wrist was all too familiar. The girl. From all those years ago. It was her. Beauty. It’s what they had all called her. Back in his days with the FBI. Before he became a SEAL. In fact, she was the reason he became a SEAL. Catarina. It was her. He knew it in his gut. The girl who had suffered on his watch. Just a child then. One of many. But this one, he couldn’t ever forget. Her piercing eyes had marked him. All of them. When she was finally rescued, they all wondered if it had been too late.
Melody sensed the change in him. Her easy going Tex was full of tension, more than she had seen in him in a long time. What was it? What was the matter? “Tex?” she questioned, not bothering to hide the worry from her voice.
Tex would never keep anything from Melody that wouldn’t harm her. There were no secrets between them unless it concerned a mission and would keep her safer by not knowing. This wasn’t one of those situations. And he didn’t want her to worry about this. His past. It had no bearing on their future. Although it pained him to see this woman now. It reminded him of his regrets. But what happened with her had made him the man he was. The man who was in love with the woman before him now. “I know that woman,” he admitted while gauging his wife’s reaction to his confession.
Melody’s heart began to race for a nano second as she looked in the direction he indicated. She saw the woman again, and her beauty was evident though she was too far to make out her features clearly. “Who is she?” Melody asked, wanting to know in what capacity her husband knew the pregnant woman.
Tex didn’t answer. Not right away. And that caused Melody once more to have a brief moment of alarm. Not doubt, no. She knew Tex loved her, but still she wanted to know how his life was connected to the woman across the bay.
Her fear slipped away when his arms tightened around her and he pulled her gaze away from the couple on the balcony. She turned into Tex and looked up into the eyes she had grown to love, though she had loved the man long before she had even met him. He loved her. Of that she was sure.
But she asked again when she saw a flicker of pain cross his face. “Who is she?”
He cleared his voice before he spoke and she sensed the regret in his tone. “She is the reason I became the man I am.” His words were unequivocally spoken and profound. Melody knew this woman had been important to him.
But how? Why?
Again Melody felt flutters. Tiny little flutters in the pit of her stomach. She wet her suddenly dry lips. “Is she from your past? A job? Personal?” She had to know.