Trusting the SEAL (Saving the SEALs Series Book 3) (5 page)

Twenty minutes passed before he returned and took his seat in the interior dining room again, clicking the safety on his weapon before replacing it in its holster. He cocked a brow at her and gave her a challenging stare. “Satisfied?”

“Yes.”
No.
The blatant suggestion in his tone left little doubt about his double meaning, but she refused to take the bait. Honestly, they were both a bit stir crazy, having been holed up in here since the mini-conference first thing this morning, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to face any more crowds downstairs, so she tried some small talk instead. “Your team have any new thoughts on who this SHEEPSKIN person might be?”

“Other than your father?” he asked, his tone deadpan. “A few.”

“Care to share?”

“Not really. Other than when I talked to my team leader earlier he said word on the black ops street was they may be using a nearby village as a training center for their fighters.”

“Wow. Anything else?”

He narrowed his gaze on her. “Ready to share your passcode yet?”

“Nope.”

“Then nope. I got nothing else either.” He sat back and crossed his arms, ending their conversation.

Fine with her. Frankly, this quiet time was precious to her. After today, her schedule demanded she be in the public eye constantly until her trip was done, and she really just wanted to savor the last few hours of privacy she had in peace. She got up to stretch her legs and wandered over to the doorway to peer at the windows beyond. The day outside
was
beautiful—warm and sunny with blue skies as far as the eye could see. Seemed a shame to stay cooped up inside, even with the threat of imminent gunfire at any time. Toni glanced over at Spencer, gaze narrowed. He was a trained SEAL, paid to keep her safe and secure no matter the location.

On her previous trip to Jubail, she’d asked her driver to take her someplace off the beaten path, someplace green and lush and full of natural wonder. He’d driven to a remote oasis that had been like a dream come true.

She hadn’t thought there would be time to revisit it on this trip, but with Spencer’s help she’d managed to get the mini-conference business handled with time to spare. He’d stepped in where her assistant usually would have, proving himself helpful in more than just a bodyguard capacity by putting his military-trained strategy skills to good use coordinating each facet of her event precisely and organizing the disparate volunteers into a cohesive whole. For that, she was both shocked and grateful.

Looking at him now, Toni noticed the way he kept fidgeting in his seat then toying with the tie he’d tossed haphazardly on the table earlier. Maybe they could both use a break. Decision made, she walked over and picked up her phone, quickly dialing the number for their personal limo driver, Omar, then relaying her request in broken Arabic. He assured her the car would be downstairs in half an hour and excitement burst inside her like fireworks. She ended the call then closed her laptop. “C’mon.”

“Where are we going?” Spencer stopped with a hummus-filled cracker halfway to his mouth. “There wasn’t anything on your itinerary.”

Toni tucked her computer beneath her arm then headed for the hall. “I’m in the mood for an adventure.”

“No. Too dangerous.” He shoved his food in his mouth and rolled his eyes, then trailed along behind her, waiting at the door to her bedroom. “This does not sound like a good idea.”

“It’ll be fine.” She wrapped a pastel-colored floral scarf around her head and slid on a pair of huge black sunglasses, then tossed him a baseball hat. “Put that on.”

“Mind telling me where we’re going?” he asked, jamming the hat on his head. “Because this really isn’t what I would call a good disguise.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I need to call Kyle and give him our location.”

“No,” she said, rushing over and covering his phone with her hand before he could finish dialing. “Please. I just need a few short hours away from all this craziness. Please.”

He stared at her for several seconds then sighed and lowered his phone. “I want it on record that I don’t like this idea. At all.”

Her smile widened into a full-blown grin of gratitude. “Thank you! Now.” She adjusted his hat a bit. “It’s not the perfect disguise, you’re right. But it’s enough to get us out of the hotel undetected. Oh, and grab your swimsuit, if you have one.” She locked her laptop in the small safe in her closet, then grabbed her purse and bikini before checking her appearance one last time in the mirror. Modest white skirt, modest yellow high-necked top, hair hidden beneath her makeshift
habib
. It was all good. She brushed past him and headed for the elevator doors. Ayaan met them in the foyer. “We’re going out and will return shortly. If anyone asks, I’m napping.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the man bowed and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Spencer pushed the Down button and cast her a side glance. “What if I don’t have a swimsuit?”

“Then I guess you’ll be going au natural.”

They rode down to the lobby in silence and she clutched Spencer’s arm tight as they traversed the crowded entrance to make sure they didn’t get separated. In the crowds, it would be easy to lose track of him and she didn’t want to lose him. He was her rock right now, her protector, her confidant and…
friend.

Once they were safely ensconced in the back of the air-conditioned limo and on the road, Spencer pulled off his baseball hat, leaving his auburn hair in disarray. She longed to run her finger through the soft strands, but didn’t dare touch him for fear she’d never stop. So, instead, she sat back against the cushy leather seat and stared out at the arid landscape.

“Seriously, where are we going?” He raked a hand through his hair and frowned out the window to his right. “We just left the city limits.”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“Don’t you ever just want to be spontaneous?” Toni slid her sunglasses down her nose and peered at him over the top. “You know, have a little fun?”

“In my line of work, spontaneous gets you killed.” He crossed his arms, the material of his shirt stretched tight over his muscled forearms. “And fun isn’t exactly at the top of my list these days. Right now, I’m more of a ‘work ‘til you drop’ kind of guy.”

“Then you need this even more than I do.” She pushed her glasses back into place as the driver turned off the main highway and headed down a dirt road into the open desert. To the untrained eye, it looked like they were veering into nowhere, sand dunes stretching as far as you could see in both directions. But she knew what lurked just behind those wind-swept hills—her own private paradise. They rounded the base of a massive dune and her breath caught, just like it had the first time she’d seen this place.

Spencer sat forward and removed his aviator shades, openly gawking. “Wow!”

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” She grinned at his obvious amazement. “The locals call it
Alshshati Alssilmi
meaning Peaceful Shore.” They pulled up next to a brilliant blue pond surrounded by palm trees and blooming tropical plants and she took a deep breath. “I call it heaven.”

The driver opened her door and she got out, a gentle breeze blowing down off the dunes. Spencer followed, his hand lingering on her lower back as he took in the scenery. “Yeah, heaven seems like a pretty apt name for this place.”

She told the driver to wait around the other side of the humongous dune and return for them in an hour, retrieved the tote of supplies she’d asked Omar to pack for them, then waited until the limo had disappeared back around the dune before unwinding the scarf from around her head and taking Spencer’s hand. “Follow me.”

S
pencer slumped back
in his seat on a cushy gold velvet divan and checked his watch for the umpteenth time. Since Ayaan had given them their tour of the suite, which comprised the entire top floor of the luxury hotel and was dripping with priceless mosaics and artwork, thick Persian rugs and intricately hand-carved wooden furniture—plus the numerous sparkling crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings—Toni had been locked in her chosen bedroom for an eternity. She’d asked him to wait for their luggage and to choose whichever room he wanted, then disappeared into her quarters. He’d done as she asked, but for a guy who kept busy and on-the-go, waiting around like this drove him crazy. Not to mention the fact he was starving again. A burger and fries and sundae only lasted a man so long.

He pulled out his phone again to check for new messages from his team. Nothing yet. He suspected they were probably still stuck at the airport, waiting to land or in line at customs. Hopefully Gage had discarded his illegal contraband before entering Jubail airspace, or they’d be facing another international incident again. Definitely not what they needed, now that they were closer than ever to finding Nick’s real killer. He wondered if Hayley had cracked the encryption on the e-readers yet and sent Kyle another text for an update once they had service again.

Chuckling, he put his cell away. Even though they were a monumental pain in his ass sometimes, he missed the guys when they weren’t around. Not that he’d tell them that.

Finally, Toni’s door opened and she stepped out, looking dead tired and decidedly adorable in her PJs, her face scrubbed clean of makeup and her hair pulled back in a messy bun at the nape of her neck. She padded over on bare feet and settled on the other end of the divan from him. He noticed for the first time her toenails were painted a deep pink color with tiny white polka dots. Her thumbs were furiously flying over the virtual keyboard on her screen as she texted someone. Spencer tried to casually lean over and see who she was messaging, but she hit send and put the phone down before he saw anything.

“Sorry. Fell asleep in the bath.” She sighed and and rolled her shoulders, the movement highlighting the deep scooped neck of her fuchsia tank top and the delicate lines of her collarbones. “Would you be completely opposed to staying in and ordering room service?”

It took a moment for her words to penetrate the fog of lustful images now clogging his brain—Toni sprawled against the side of a sunken tub full of bubbles, her head thrown back in ecstasy as he thrust hard into her, bringing them both to the pinnacle of climax again and again. His cock twitched in eager response and he shifted away from her to hide his body’s reactions. Dismayed by his seemingly complete lack of control whenever she was around, Spencer forgot all about revisiting his favorite local Fattoush places. “Fine. Whatever.”

“Great.” Toni reached over and grabbed a large black binder he assumed was the hotel directory and flipped it open to the in-room dining menu. “The kitchen downstairs is Michelin Three Star rated. Looks like they’ve got a pretty great selection of stuff. I think I’ll have the hummus platter with a side of tabbouleh.” She handed the menu to him. “What about you?”

“Hmm.” His stupid stomach rumbled and he glanced up at her to see if she’d heard. From her sly grin, he guessed she had. “Hand me the phone and I’ll call it in.”

He punched in the number for room service and a moment later, a man with a thick accent answered the phone. “Thank you for calling Al Ewaans. How may we serve you this evening?”

“This is the Palm suite. We’d like one hummus platter, one side of tabbouleh, one order of jumbo prawn kebobs, one side of grilled halloumi, and four bottles of pale ale.”

“Very good, sir. May I interest you in any of our delicious Baklava or Knafeh for dessert?”

Spencer gazed over at Toni, who now had stretched out on her end of the divan, looking like some kind of frigging centerfold come to life, and he swallowed hard. The guy could’ve offered him dung on a stick at that point and he would’ve readily agreed. “Fine. One of each.”

“Very good, sir. We’ll have your order delivered to you momentarily.”

He fumbled to replace the receiver without taking his eyes off Toni. “Food’s on the way.”

“Thanks.” She clutched a large throw pillow to her middle, blessedly blocking his view of her. Torn and twisted, he sat back and scrubbed a hand over his face, his stubble scratching his palm.
Damn.
Here she’d gone and taken a bath and he’d barely changed out of his suit. Of course, he’d been busy scouring the suite for bugs and taking mental inventory of all the exits and possible sniper hideouts just in case. Wouldn’t do to accompany his target halfway around the world only to have her taken hostage. His glance slid to her phone laying on the cushion beside her. If he reached out ever so slightly, he could slip it away from her and check her texts, make sure for himself she wasn’t talking to her father on a regular basis.

As if reading his thoughts, she grabbed the cell and set it on an end table beside her, out of his reach.

Exhaling loudly, Spencer pushed to his feet and walked over to a nearby set of French doors that opened out onto a small balcony. The sun was setting now over the rooftops of Jubail and the whole thing looked like some kind of fevered dream—hues of purple and deep orange staining the horizon. Maybe the fresh air would do him good, help clear his mind for the mission ahead.

During the team’s stopover in Paris, he and Kyle discussed adding extra security for Toni on the trip, but considering there were only four of them now and they were stretched thin as it was, Kyle had thought it best to continue with only Spencer for the time being, though the team would remain only a text or call away, if needed. Meanwhile, Kyle and the team would keep working to discover who was responsible for the shooting at Toni’s office a few days earlier.

Now that he’d secured the entire suite, he pulled his phone out again, glad to see there was finally a response, short and not quite sweet as it was, from Kyle.

Tracking, huh? The only reason he could think of for terrorists wanting to track anything was to organize attacks. Spencer leaned against the sturdy stone railing, peering down into the streets far below. Seventy-four floors up, there was a constant wind and a near constant, subtle sway of the glass and steel structure beneath his feet. Then again, maybe he was just still dazed from his beautiful suite-mate.

“So,” Toni said, joining him. She rested her forearms on the railing beside him, her position inadvertently giving him a nice view right down her shirt. “What makes a man become a SEAL?”

He looked away from the too tempting expanse of her creamy chest and turned his back on the dazzling skyline. “Can’t speak for everyone, but for me it was 9/11.”

“Did you know someone in the attacks?”

“Not personally, but I watched it all on the news when I was a kid. I’d always been pretty handy with a gun,” he shrugged. “Hunted with my dad since I was old enough to walk. So, when the attacks happened, I wanted to do my part to defend freedom. The minute I was old enough, I went straight down to my neighborhood Naval office and signed up. After boot camp, they accepted me into the marksmanship program then into SEAL training. Now, here I am.” He picked at some non-existent lint on the front of his dark blue T-shirt. “What about you? From what I read, I figured a pretty gal like you would give Paris Hilton a run for her money.”

“Nah.” She scrunched her nose and stared up at the darkening sky. “I’m more of a peace and quiet, recharge with nature kind of girl.” She sniffed the air then smiled. “Do you smell that? Garlic. My Aunt Nana--she wasn’t really my aunt, but I always called her that anyway—she had this Italian restaurant and I used to hang out in her kitchen all the time when my mom was working. Dad never came around, so I was on my own most of the time.” She gave a small shrug, her sad tone tugging at Spencer’s heart. “This one time, when I was about nine, she got called away on a family emergency and put me in charge while she was gone.”

“Put you in charge? At nine?”

“Yep.” Toni grinned at him. “I loved it. I ran everything for the whole night. Front of the house, back kitchen. Everything. All the staff knew me, and most likely they were just playing along to appease me, but that’s when I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“That I like running the show.”

“Only child?” he asked.

“Yep.”

“Me too.”

“Really?” She faced Spencer, her hip grazing his. “Guess we do have something in common then.”

“Guess so.”

Her gaze lowered and she wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry again about that disagreement on the plane. I tend to get pretty passionate about things I believe in, but that’s no reason to be rude.”

“Forget about it.” He gave a small shrug. “I understand the whole passionate thing. That’s why I’m here after all.”

“To serve God and country?”

“No, to—” He wanted to say more, but was interrupted by the ding of the elevator arriving in their foyer. He straightened and cleared his throat before stepping back inside from the balcony. “Bet that’s dinner. Be right back.”

Spencer showed the room service waiter into the dining room and watched while he unloaded their meal onto the black marble tabletop. The smells of curry and garlic and lemon tickled his nose and made his stomach rumble anew. Toni wandered in and took a seat across the table from where Spencer stood. Once the guy had laid everything out, Spencer tried to give the man a tip.

“No, sir,” the waiter said, bowing. “You are here under the hospitality of the sheik. To take your money would be an insult to his royal highness.”

“Of course.” Spencer made a small bow of his own to the man, thanking him in his native tongue. “
Shukraan.
”

“
’Ahlaan wasahlaan
,” the man said, bowing once more before leaving.

Toni lifted the domes off of several plates and inhaled deep of the rich aromas of roasted shrimp and spiced beans. “Man, I’ve missed this kind of food.”

“How many times have you been to Jubail?” Spencer asked as he waited for her to fill her plate, then did the same himself. He took the seat across from her and dug in to the delicious meal.

“Only once, several years ago. I’ve visited Jordan and Dubai a few times too for the foundation.”

Her mention of Williams Wishes brought his thoughts back around to the mission. “How many of these e-readers would you say you hand out in a given year?”

She frowned, chewing and swallowing a large bite of pita bread slathered with hummus before answering. “Last year we donated over twelve thousand in five different countries around the world. We’re on track to double that amount this year. Why?”

“Just wondered.” He filed the information away to share with his team later and opened two bottles of the pale ale, passing one to her before taking a large gulp of his own. The prawns on his kebobs were each nearly the size of his hand and tasted like pure sweet and sour goodness. “That’s a lot of reading.”

“Books help kids use their imaginations. They teach them that anything is possible.”

“No argument here.” He tore off another bite of grilled shrimp with his teeth. “I love to read.”

“Really?” She gave him a skeptical look. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for the bookworm type.”

“Looks can be deceiving.” Spencer winked then took another swig of his beer, the alcohol doing its part to relax his tense muscles and ease his overactive mind. “And tempting.”

Toni blushed under his watchful gaze, her dark eyes glittering with sensual promise and a lingering hint of caution. Her eyes lowered to his lips before meeting his gaze again and he felt the movement like a caress. “Yes. They most definitely can.”

* * *

T
oni woke
up before dawn the next morning. She had a lot of work left to do on her big PR presentation to be ready. All she had to do was prove the e-readers’ worth to Sheik Saaed and his cohorts. It was worth a try to get them into the hands of Jubail’s children.

Yet, as she stepped under the steamy spray of the shower, she couldn’t seem to shake a niggling of unease. It had started as nervousness over her upcoming presentation, then sprouted into full-blown anxiety about her father. As she scrubbed shampoo into her hair, she thought back over the last twelve months. He’d taken an unusual interest in her foundation over the past year, most especially into her proposed distribution channels. Then right after the explosion at his publishing company he’d just vanished again, without a word to her or anyone else. Given the fact she could count on one hand the number of days she’d spent in her father’s presence growing up, it wasn’t his disappearance that bothered her so much. What bothered her was that he’d abruptly left behind his business pursuits. He never did that. Ever.