Page 40 of Being Bold (Tactical Operations & Protection (TOP) Security #1)

When he was out of the jacket, he let the wind rip it from his hands. Bo blinked watery eyes. The objects on the ground were starting to look bigger. With a curse, he pulled his BASE-jumping chute and braced himself as it jerked, slowing his descent.

The whole process had taken a matter of seconds, but he’d had precious few left before he would’ve become a splatter on the ground. Where a month ago he might’ve hoped his parachute didn’t open, now, all he could think about was staying alive—for Selene.

Gritting his teeth, Bo fought to steer against the power of the wind. When he nearly smacked into the side of the building, he let out a slew of curses worthy of a sailor.

“This isn’t how it ends for you.”

Bo blinked to find Nugg floating down next to him, dressed in a wingsuit. Despite not having his chute open, he fell at the same rate.

“I fucking hope not,” Bo muttered.

Nugg sighed. “But you gotta let me go, man. Go live the life you deserve. Hell, go live it for the both of us.”

The words resonated through Bo, making something powerful shift in his chest. Maybe it was the fall, but he felt as light as a leaf spiraling in an air current. “I know.” He smiled sadly at Nugg. “Catch you on the flipside.”

Nugg grinned back. “She’s worth it, man.”

Before he could respond, Nugg pulled his parachute and disappeared. Bo knew Selene was worth facing his demons for, and if he lived through this, he’d make sure she knew that he knew it, too.

He’d beg her for another chance because there was no way in hell he’d be able to walk away from her. Thinking he could was not only stupid, it was cowardly.

She’d risked her life for him. He might have wanted to strangle her for it, but if he needed a sign that what they had was worth living for, that was it. He wouldn’t throw it away. Not if he could help it.

He might not deserve her, but he would damn well spend the rest of his life trying to.

If she let him, he’d spend every day working to be worthy, to be a better version of himself, for her.

He’d even see a counselor if that was what she wanted.

Anything to help him cope with his past so he could have a future with her.

He loved her enough to try.

No. To hope.

That he could heal.

Glancing past his feet, Bo aimed for the avenue between the buildings. Thankfully, there weren’t any trees on this side. There were a lot of people, though, crowded around what he could only assume was the body of the man who’d fallen off the roof with him. At least the crowd had stopped traffic.

Bo’s boots hit asphalt, and he stumbled to a rough stop that shot pain up his left leg before the wind grabbed the chute, face-planting him hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs.

Fucking A!

Car horns and sirens blared around him as he rolled to his back, trying to get air in. The blue and yellow colors of the parachute ballooned above his face, filtering the afternoon sunlight. When he could breathe, he took stock of his body. He didn’t think he’d broken anything.

Then get your ass up there!

Concerned voices reached his ears, but his sole focus was getting back to Selene.

He snapped off the rig, extricated himself from the chute, then ran into the building straight for the elevators.

Waiting for one to open, he tried listening for his team, only to realize his comms device had come out in the fall.

Motherfucker!

Now he was deaf as well as blind.

Palming his SRK, he slammed his finger on the elevator button again. When he was ready to give up and run up sixty flights of stairs, the damned thing opened.

“Holy shit, frogman,” Victor breathed, eyes widening. He and Romeo both held up a despondent Selene.

At the sight of her, his chest squeezed so tight he had to croak, “Is she okay?”

Her head snapped up at his voice. “Bo! Oh my God, Bo!” Selene ran out of the elevator and plowed into him.

He hugged her, catching her weight as she collapsed into his arms. She was crying and trembling so violently that he wanted to panic.

He tried to run his hands over her to check for injuries, but her legs didn’t hold her weight.

Scooping her up, he held her bridal-style while looking to his team for answers.

“Dao?” Just saying the man’s name made him glower.

“Eliminated,” Victor stated.

Bo nodded. He’d wanted to be the one to end that fucker, but knowing he was gone gave him a measure of peace.

Romeo had a huge grin on his face. “Don’t worry, Bo-man. We cleaned house.”

“Let’s move this reunion to the van before the local authorities show up,” Victor directed, and led the way outside.

Bo followed, carrying Selene while Romeo brought up the rear. She’d stopped crying by the time they reached the florist van, but he could still feel her body shaking. The door swung out, revealing Herc inside, sitting with his leg elevated. Romeo hopped in while Victor took shotgun.

With a nod to his team, Bo shut the door without getting inside. “Can you stand, ocean-eyes?” he asked, desperate to set her on her feet and get a good look at her to ensure she was all right.

She nodded, so he let her down, but didn’t release her arms. Those beautiful eyes met his and took his breath away. “How,” she whispered, “how are you alive?”

Tears still glistened on her cheeks. He cupped her face, wiping them away with his thumbs. “I had a parachute. For BASE jumping.”

She blinked at him a couple of times, then a laugh bubbled out of her mouth. “Just in case?” she asked before her laughter intensified, sounding hysterical.

Releasing her face, he ran his hands over her body, checking for injuries. He didn’t see any blood, but he had to be sure.

She finally stopped laughing. “What are you doing?”

He cupped his hands around her waist. “You’re not hurt?”

“No.” She took a deep breath and ran a hand over her heart. “Not anymore. God, Bo. When I thought . . .” Her eyes filled as she trailed off.

“Shh, don’t cry, ocean-eyes,” he begged, brushing the hair from her face.

Her eyes were shiny but fierce as she said, “I love you, Bo.”

His heart somersaulted as his chest filled with warmth. A smile stretched across his lips before he huffed out a laugh and pulled her lips to his own.

She tasted warm like the hope shining in his heart. Her soft sigh of contentment as their tongues twined flooded him with relief.

She was safe, and she was his.

He released her mouth. Lifting her against his chest, he squeezed her and told her, “I love you, too. And if you’re willing to let me, I’ll stay. I don’t want to leave your side. Not now, not ever.”

The smile on her face stole his breath. Setting her down, he lowered his forehead to hers. “You’re my rainbow,” he murmured.

He might’ve been fighting against the waves of a storm for the last few years, but she’d thrown him a life preserver and pulled him to dry land. The deluge had stopped, allowing the sunlight to shine through and create a beautiful, ocean-eyed rainbow.

“That’s all I want.” She cupped his face, her hands gentle against the scrape of his beard. “Forever with you.”

Forever didn’t scare him anymore. It didn’t fill him with guilt or anger. Not when he couldn’t face the alternative—not having her in his life. Taking her hand, he kissed her palm, promising, “Forever.”

The van doors flew open, nearly hitting them. Duke yelled from the driver’s seat, “As touching as this is, it’s time to go, love birds.”

Selene touched the comms device in her ear and giggled. It was adorable. “Oops.”

When they climbed inside, everyone started to rib or congratulate him.

For once, Duke’s jabs didn’t get on his nerves.

Nothing they said could touch him. Not while he had the best part of his life snuggled in his arms. He didn’t know if he’d ever been this happy.

His chest had certainly never felt so warm.

The pit lingered, but the sun shone on it, keeping the gloom at bay.

He hugged Selene to his side and nodded to Herc. “Glad you’re not dead.”

Herc’s grin took in him and Selene, then he shifted with a wince, and Bo met him halfway, releasing Selene to slap Herc on the back as they quickly hugged.

“Likewise, man.” The hug didn’t just mean ‘glad you made it out of there with only a graze.’ It also conveyed his thanks to Herc for protecting the woman he loved.

Romeo said something in Spanish that Bo didn’t catch, but Selene glanced at the SEAL and smiled, responding in the same language.

When Bo sat down, he pulled her close again and asked, “What did he say?”

Her head rested on his shoulder, so he felt the smile spread across her face. “Love is a rainbow with gold at both ends.”

“What is that? A Spanish proverb?”

She chuckled. “I think it’s a Romeo proverb.”

“Yeah? Well, I don’t need gold. I just need you.” He kissed the top of her head, and her wildflower scent wafted over him. He was going to buy a case of her shampoo and shower with her every day. His blood stirred just thinking about it.

“Lucky for you, you have me.” She lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of his.

He was lucky. Lucky to be alive. Lucky to have found her. Lucky to have a second shot at living. He’d spend the rest of his days being grateful for that.

She squeezed the hand she gripped. “I found my next adventure, Bo. It’s you.”

Words of love filled his heart. Before he could spout them at her, something vibrated against his leg. He grumbled when Selene shifted away, reaching into her pants pocket for her phone. “What is it?” he asked, trying to read the text.

“It’s Yumi.” Her head lifted to meet the stares of his team. “She found the servers.”