Page 17 of Forgiving His Past (Eagle’s Nest Securities #5)
“There’s coffee,” he shared. “There’s plenty left if you’d like some.”
“Now, that is an offer I cannot refuse.”
“Mugs are in the cabinet above the pot.” He lifted the one still clutched in his hand and motioned toward the boat’s interior. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, her entire face radiant beneath the morning sun. “I’ll get changed and grab a cup, and then we can discuss the next step in our plan.”
Kam spun on the balls of her adorable as fuck feet and padded her way back into the cabin.
He opened his mouth with the intention of asking what she’d meant by “our” plan, but the words refused to fall from his gaping lips.
Instead, Van ended up just standing there, doing everything in his power not to watch her luscious ass as she walked away .
Seriously, Braddock. Get your mind off of her…assets…and back in the damn game.
He looked away from the door and back out onto the water, doing a mental run-through of all he knew about the perplexing woman up to this point.
Thanks to the intel Webb had shared with the team during a closed meeting several weeks before, Van and the others knew of her background, educational experience, and the basic information on both of her parents.
They’d also been given classified intel containing details of her involvement in several anti-government protests, as well as the names of unsavory individuals she’d supposedly associated herself with.
Men who were willing to do anything for the right price. Which, according to reports from Webb’s now-deceased asset, included procuring help from the Taliban forces to take out an entire team of American SEALs.
Van’s gut tightened as he considered the information he’d gone over again and again in his head. The intel was there. The reports had been clearly written. And yet there was something keeping him from taking it all in at face value.
Were Logan and the others right? Were his personal feelings toward Webb clouding his judgement where Kam was concerned?
He wasn’t arrogant enough to believe it simply wasn’t possible. But there was this nagging feeling running deep inside of him that he couldn’t seem to shake. Like they were missing a huge piece of a puzzle he wasn’t sure would ever truly be complete.
“Much better.”
Once again, the sound of her accented voice pulled him out of his own thoughts. Van turned to find Kam had returned with a steaming mug held securely in her hands. The second he spotted her, his heart immediately gave a hard kick against his ribs .
Army green cargo capris hung low from the curve of her hips. The material hugged her feminine form in a way that made his mouth water and his fingers twitch with the urge to touch.
The top of her cream-colored t-shirt fell into a V, the modest collar giving him a tiny glimpse of cleavage he couldn’t help but admire.
The swells of her breasts stretched the cotton in a way that made him long for just a touch, and the shirt’s hem stopped centimeters before reaching the waist of her pants.
A breeze picked up around them, blowing a few dark strands that fell loosely around her face as the rest of her thick hair lay over one shoulder in a long, dark braid.
So beautiful.
Of its own accord, Van’s mind began to play a fictional scenario. One where he stormed across the deck, pulled Kam into his arms, and slammed his mouth to hers.
Thankfully he came to his senses before he could act on his primal urges, and instead, he heard himself rushing to ask, “Does the coffee taste okay?”
Does the coffee taste okay? Seriously? That’s the best you got?
If Kam sensed anything other than genuine concern for her preference in the caffeinated beverage, she didn’t show it. She simply smiled with a slow nod before taking a small sip.
“It’s delicious,” she answered after a quick swallow. “Thank you.”
“I should have warned you, but I don’t have any of those fancy syrups or flavored creamers or any of that stuff. There should be some milk in the fridge, and I have sugar if you need it. But other than that…”
“This is fine, Van.” Kam strolled over to the same spot near the railing where she’d stood last night as they’d talked briefly before retiring to their respective beds. “I prefer my coffee black, as nature intended it.”
“Really? ”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am.”
The space between her brows crinkled as she tilted her head with a perplexed expression. “Why is that?”
“I don’t know.” His shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I guess because my teammates’ wives all drink caramel lattes this and pumpkin spice that. By the time they get whatever they’ve ordered, it always looks more like watered-down chocolate milk than actual coffee.”
Kam laughed, and for a second, it felt as if the sound had somehow reached inside his chest. Its soft, sweet tendrils wrapped themselves around his heart, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Soft, sweet tendrils?
What the fuck did that even mean?
“What do you know?” The gorgeous woman flashed him a smile that lit up her eyes. “You and I have at least one thing in common.”
Then she lifted her mug carefully a few inches into the air.
“You want to go for a ride?” Van heard himself asking.
He hadn’t planned on taking the boat out into Elliott Bay today. Until now, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
But since he needed to find a way for her to trust him enough to really open up to him, he decided the impromptu invitation wasn’t a half-bad idea.
“You mean out there?” Kam motioned toward the water.
“That’s usually how that works.” Van’s reflexive response held his usual, sardonic tone.
Clearing his throat, he attempted a quick recovery by adding, “I mean, yeah. Figured if we’re going to be stuck here for a couple of days, the time might go by faster if we’re on the move, rather than staying docked that whole time. ”
It wasn’t a lie. Time seemed to stand still when he just sat around doing nothing. And if he got her out onto the water, there was a good chance she’d stay relaxed enough to hopefully continue willingly answering some of his questions.
Kam remained quiet at first, her gaze falling out onto the calm morning water as if considering the offer. When she looked back at him and smiled, he thought she’d give a resounding “Yes!”.
Instead, she shocked the hell out of him with a confession he hadn’t expected.
“I’ve never been on a boat ride before.” Her focus returned to the water. “Actually, until last night, I’d never been on a boat.”
“Seriously?” For a guy like him, that seemed damn near impossible. But when he considered the country and culture in which she’d grown up, it made perfect sense. “Yeah, I don’t suppose you probably had many opportunities for something like that.”
When she looked back at him, he didn’t miss the way her smile had faltered slightly. The length of her braid brushed back and forth along the left side of her chest as she gave a slow shake of her head.
“No,” she told him softly. “I did not.”
The gentle squeeze of his heart Van felt moments before grew tight with a sense of regret. Not for himself, obviously, but for…her. And just like that, he couldn’t wait to be the one to help her experience what—in his opinion, anyway—was one of the best feelings in the world.
“Then it’s settled,” he rumbled, making his way to toward the cabin door. “You finish your coffee, and I’ll get the boat ready to go.”
“Really?”
He stopped just shy of going inside and turned to meet her widened stare. “Unless you don’t want to.”
“As long as you aren’t planning to kill me and dump my body in the middle of the ocean.”
He could tell she was teasing. Or at least, it sure seemed like she was. But just in case there was any confusion, Van decided to make sure his intentions were clear.
“I didn’t bring you here to hurt you, Kaamisha.” He used her full name in hopes of making her see the truth behind his words. “And if someone does try to hurt you while I’m around, I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.”
“I believe you truly mean that, Donovan.” She spoke his given name, as well. Most likely for the same effect.
“You’ll find I’m not one to mince words or blow smoke up your ass.” Van held onto her gaze. “As long as you’re honest with me…and you don’t pull another stunt like you did back in Kandahar…we’ll get along just fine.”
“I don’t blow smoke either,” she promised. “I meant it when I said I do not wish you or your friends harm. And while I may not be trained like you and your team, if anyone tries hurting you and I’m around, I will do whatever I can to help. Regardless of the danger to myself.”
Van thought about the way she’d reacted when the jet had first started to plummet toward the ground. She hadn’t hesitated to reach for her seatbelt solely for the purpose of helping him.
And as he left her standing by the railing, he couldn’t help but think that a shared love of black coffee may not be the only thing the two of them had in common.