Page 24 of Forgiving His Past (Eagle’s Nest Securities #5)

Van was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming, and how? Because when he looked down at the woman lying in his bed, it was…

Kam.

His mind hadn’t conjured a dream this good in…he wasn’t sure how long it had been. Forever, maybe. No, definitely.

And it was just getting started.

In his unconscious mind, she lay beneath him with her long hair splayed out around her like a dark, silken halo. She was naked. Hot. And oh, so wet. He was driving himself in and out of her heated core as if she were his…and he were hers.

Hard. Fast. His hips thrust over and over again. Her long legs were wrapped fully around him, high above his waist, and the heels of her bare feet were digging into the flexing muscles of his ass.

His lips were on hers, her tongue fiery hot as it swirled in a sensual dance with his. He was close. So close. Any second now, he knew his entire body would implode. The combustion of passion was a heartbeat away from consuming his every cell .

“Van,” she whispered his name against his lips.

He continued moving like a piston, pushing himself in and out of her welcoming core.

“Van.” Kam said his name again, this time with a little more force.

Taking it as a sign that she wanted more, his dream-self pushed them both closer to the brink. The telltale tingling became present in his lower back and between his thighs, and he?—

“Donovan!”

Van’s eyes shot open as he woke with a start. Kam’s shadowed face filled his vision, and it took a full two seconds for him to realize…

She’s really here.

Kam was there. In his bedroom. Only she wasn’t in his bed. Instead, the woman was standing next to the mattress, and by the look on her face…

She’s scared.

All remnants of the magnificent dream vanished in an instant. Well, maybe not all , considering he had a raging hard-on, which was currently throbbing to the beat of his racing heart and pushing against the crotch of his boxers.

Focus, dammit!

“What is it?” Van asked, his voice rougher than normal as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I think someone’s outside,” Kam whispered low. “I think they may have found us.”

He frowned and considered their current location. It was highly improbable the people who’d gone after them before knew where they were.

But improbable wasn’t the same as impossible, and Van had learned a long damn time ago that it was better to be safe than dead.

Without a word—a single thought to the fact that he was wearing nothing but his boxer briefs—he threw the blankets to the side and swung his legs around as he sat straight up. Van reached over and grabbed the Sig Sauer P226 from his top nightstand drawer.

Out of habit and years of hard-nosed training, he pulled the slide back and double-checked the chamber. After confirming the gun was loaded and ready to fire—as it always was—he used his thumb to press the slide release while simultaneously disengaging the pistol’s safety.

“Stay here.” Van rose to his feet and headed for the door.

For the first time ever, Kam disobeyed his order and followed him through the shadows of the unlit cabin toward the short set of steps leading up to the deck.

The woman was damn near right on his heels, but he didn’t have time to argue. The boat wasn’t big, and if the enemy did somehow manage to find them, they would be sitting ducks if he waited any longer.

Van reached up and opened the door as slowly as he could. Thanks to his diligence to keep his houseboat well-maintained, it didn’t so much as squeak.

His pulse spiked as he took the first step outside, gun in hand, eyes scanning the immediate area for the first sign of a threat. Seeing nothing but the night sky, black waters, and the back deck of his own boat, Van moved slowly until he was fully outside.

A noise came from what sounded like the bow of the boat, and he felt Kam press her palm against his bare back.

“There!” she whispered softly. “Did you hear that?”

Yeah, he sure as hell had.

With no way of knowing for sure what had caused it—or how many potential threats there could be—he didn’t want to risk leaving Kam out here alone while he cleared the other side.

“Stay right behind me,” he told her in a low, hushed voice. From over his shoulder, he saw her head nodding in immediate agreement .

It wasn’t the ideal situation for either of them, but since she clearly didn’t want to wait for him inside…

Van began walking down the starboard side of the deck, his gaze focused on all that he was able to see. Luckily the moon was big and bright, which helped, but there were still too many shadows and places for an attacker to hide for him to consider letting his guard down for even a single second.

With Kam’s hand still resting against his back, the two walked in tandem along the length of the deck. When they got to the boat’s bow, he scanned the area with stealth and ease.

There’s no one there.

The sound came again, and this time, when it did, the boat rocked as if something had just bumped up against its side. Van stumbled to the right, briefly losing his balance before regaining control of his six-six frame.

After making sure Kam was secure in her steps, they continued moving as one until they’d checked the bow and the length of the port. And still, there wasn’t anything or anyone that he could see.

Van led her back to the front of the boat, keeping his weapon up and at the ready, just to be safe. When he was confident there weren’t any intruders on his boat, he opened his mouth to tell her as much when they heard the sound again.

They were standing near the railing just before the slight curve of the bow. And this time, Van didn’t just hear it with his ears…he finally saw the source.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“It’s a whale,” he grumbled, letting his gun-wielding hand fall back down to his side. With a quick flip of his thumb, he secured the pistol’s safety before looking Kam’s way.

“A what?” Her eyes were as big as saucers.

A reaction he’d expect from someone who grew up where she did .

“A whale,” Van repeated moving closer to the railing near the sound’s most recent origin. He glanced down into the water in time to see the enormous creature as part of its back broke through the shimmering surface. “Looks like a humpback.” He pointed so Kam could see. “See it there?”

She eased her way to the railing, stopping right next to him. When she spotted what he was trying to show her, the woman’s soft gasp of surprise cut through the late-night air.

“Oh, my gosh!” Her excitement was impossible to miss. But then she looked up at him and asked, “Is it dangerous?”

Van gave a quick shake of his head. “Not to us, it’s not. Those guys eat things like krill, shrimp, or plankton.”

“You’re sure?” She clearly wasn’t convinced. “Because it looks to be quite large. Couldn’t it…sink the boat or something?”

He found himself fighting the urge to grin. “Trust me, Kam. There hasn’t been a single attack by a humpback against a human on record.”

“Not ever?”

“Nope. Their throats are too small to swallow a human, so even if they wanted to, they couldn’t.”

She looked back over the railing again, and this time, Kam leaned in for a better look. And for the next several minutes they watched in awe as the gigantic whale continued exploring the area of water right next to where they were anchored.

The impressive mammal grabbed hold of Kam’s attention, and from that point on, she was completely enthralled. While she watched the whale slowly dance beneath the light of the moon, Van found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her.

Her hair was in a slight state of disarray from having woken up not long before. She was dressed in the pink, silky pajamas Cassie had loaned her, and the look on her face was …

Fucking gorgeous.

She looked over at him, her lips parting as if she were about to say something about the entertaining whale. But when she realized he was watching her instead of what was happening a few feet from where they stood, she corrected her original course and gave a small tilt of her head.

“What?” Kam asked as she searched his spellbound gaze.

“Why are you looking at me like…oh!” Her hands flew up to the top of her head as an uncharacteristically sheepish grin flashed his way.

“I didn’t even think about my appearance.

When I thought men were trying to board the boat, I shot straight out of bed and went to you.

And then we came out here, and now there’s a whale…

” She chuckled nervously. “I must look so incredibly awfu?—”

“Beautiful.”

Van’s deep rumble cut through her untrue words. She thought she looked awful? He nearly choked at the thought. Because from where he was standing, the woman looked anything but.

“What…what did you say?”

Van knew he should turn his ass around, go back inside, and crawl into bed. His bed…alone…without the real Kam or the fictitious one from his earlier dream. Instead, he felt himself inching closer and closer, not stopping until they were mere inches apart.

“I said”—he stared down into those incredible eyes—“you look beautiful.”

Her lashes fluttered with a look of surprise, her lips parting slightly with the softest of gasps. “Oh. Um...th-thank you,” Kam stuttered, the compliment obviously taking her completely off guard.

He found he rather enjoyed knowing he could keep this woman on her toes.

The whale surfaced again a few yards away, sending a spray of water high into the air as it flew from the blow hole at the top of its head.

Van watched and waited, expecting Kam’s attention to be pulled away. Instead, she looked even deeper into his seeking gaze. Her adorable feet carrying her even closer to where he stood.

“You’re beautiful, too, you know?” Her voice held more confidence than in the seconds before.

His chest grew warm and tight as her words drew him in. He’d been called a hell of a lot of things in his life, but beautiful? Not even once.