Page 25 of Kai (Alpha Heroes #13)

Kai

The drone was only six feet away from Serenity when it changed course, gained altitude, and sweeping dangerously close to the mast, soared above the reef. It made a last pass high over the cove, and minutes later, landed on the merc’s boat.

Talk about a close call.

I released a silent exhale. We’d been lucky, and once I returned stateside, I’d be able to report that BB’s cloaking technology had held its own. The mercs had come close to finding Serenity , and yet, they hadn’t.

“My nerves are shot.” Cece slumped against the rocks. “Why the hell are you smirking like a wolf?”

“We’ve achieved a tactical advantage,” I said as the motors roared to life and the merc’s boat sped toward the south end of the island. “Those fuckers down there? They think they’ve cleared the grid assigned to them.”

She rolled a hand in the air. “And?”

“They’re not coming back, at least not right away.” I wiped the sweat from my face. “You’re safe for now.”

For the next half hour, we remained on the ridge, surveilling the speeding watercraft until it rounded the point and made a beeline for the channel. As the sun became a golden orb and dropped toward the horizon, the craft disappeared from view.

Only then did I disarm the RPG, stow it back in its case, and return it to my weapons cache. We’d avoided detection. Not that I was gonna let my guard down, but from a security standpoint, we were in decent shape.

When I turned around, I found Cece sitting at the edge of the western rim with her legs dangling over the cliff, taking in the spectacular sunset.

The orange rays of the sinking sun caressed her upturned face, coating her skin with a gilded glow that ignited her figure as if she were a living flame.

I lowered myself next to her, and leaning back, braced on my hands to enjoy nature’s ultimate performance and, even better, to admire the wonder that lit her gaze.

Her eyes followed the sun’s descent as it nestled into a bed of low clouds swathing the horizon.

Like Cece, the clouds seemed to catch fire, kindled with burned oranges and firing a fan of golden rays into the sky, the sun’s last, desperate attempt to maintain its rule over the sky.

Cece’s chest rose in a deep inhale as she took it all in. With her next exhale, I sensed her releasing the stress of the long day, or perhaps the tension of the three long years she’d spent alone. The stiffness that squared her shoulder relented. Her body relaxed.

She surprised me when she settled her right hand over my left. It seemed natural when I took her fingers, brought them up to my lips, and kissed her knuckles before I held her hand against my chest.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump . My heart beat a little harder, as if it wanted her to hear it, to acknowledge its existence amid the silence between us.

The smile she gifted was more than I could’ve hoped for, a beautiful sight on her usually serious face. When she leaned against my side and rested the side of her head against my shoulder, my heart skipped.

I lifted my arm and settled it over her shoulder.

The contact soothed me like the view of the cove’s serene waters below.

It also thrilled me. I couldn’t help feeling as if something was shifting between us, as if the coming darkness promised me the light of Cece, and the fire in the sky was a sign of rebirth.

We sat together, listening to the waves pounding the cliffs behind us, and to the last tweets of the birds as they found shelter among the cliffs and the trees.

The cove below reflected the colors of the sky, adding fuchsias to the gilded water.

For a moment, it was as if Cece and I existed all alone in the safety of each other’s company.

It felt right, sweet as sugarcane, and yeah, meant to be.

I didn’t say a word, didn’t want to spoil the moment’s perfection, or interrupt the sense of peace that settled on us. Then the sun sank into the ocean and gave dusk its turn, short as it may be.

“That was… beautiful,” Cece whispered, her voice soft with awe.

“You’ve never noticed the amazing sunsets in these parts?” I asked.

“I was always too busy with my work.” A gleam of sadness passed through her gaze. “It seems as if I’ve been missing a lot.”

I planted a chaste kiss on the top of her head. “Time to catch up, then.”

Tightening her grip around my hand, she closed her eyes and took in another deep breath. “Even the air smells different tonight.”

“Different?” I asked.

“Sweeter. Crisp but floral with whiffs of pineapple and coconut. Special.”

“You’re smelling Hawaii, Sorceress, perhaps for the first time, even though you’ve been here for a while.”

“Well…” Her gaze roamed the view. “I’m glad I saw it, smelled it, felt it today.”

“What did you feel?”

“Something new,” she offered quietly. “Something… beautiful.”

Her pale eyes fell on me. Hope fluttered in my chest. Was she talking only about the view?

Don’t push her when she’s not sure, when you ’re not sure.

“Next up, a scramble down the cliff and a night swim.” I released her hand, got to my feet, and got busy covering my cache with a tarp.

We’d made progress today. “I brought headlamps for us.” I slid them out of my pack, turned with them in my hand, and found Cece standing only a few feet away from me.

“Are you ready to get the hell out of here?”

“No.”

The desire I spotted in her stare heated my blood. I inhaled a leveling breath. Framed by the dusk’s blue radiance, her silhouette shimmered with the light. Her gaze pinned me in place. When she lowered her eyes to my mouth, my blood went into an instant boil and my dick turned to metal.

“Kai?” she breathed.

“I’m here,” I murmured, holding my breath. “Right here.”

“You’re a rare and remarkable man.”

“Says the rarest and most remarkable woman I’ve ever met.”

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“About what?” I asked, even though my body already knew.

She shifted on her long legs. “About testing my sisters’ hypothesis.”

“Why?”

“This.” She lifted her hands, gesturing all around us. “You.”

My eyebrows shot up on my forehead. “Me?”

“You are brave,” she said. “Capable. Patient. Kind. You’re worth the experiment.”

My heart somersaulted in my chest . My Zen wavered, and my pulse picked up. The blue fire in Cece’s eyes combined with the stern set of her jaw to show me she meant what she said. My need for her sizzled under my skin, burned in my veins, and pained my dick.

She was ready much sooner than I’d expected or deserved.

Serves you right for trying to anticipate a woman whose brain is light years ahead of yours. The question is: Are you ready, Marine?

My desire for Cece didn’t falter, but the old memories showed up to taunt me. Gritting my teeth, I shut my eyes and fisted my hands. Not now . I willed them to go away. They were the only obstacle between me and Cece.

“Have you changed your mind?” she asked when I didn’t speak right away. A note of uncertainty honed her voice, a hint of the vulnerability that often complicated her strengths.

“No,” I said, resolved to listen to my body, to my feelings. “I have not changed my mind.”

“Good, because I want to kiss you.” She moistened her lips. “I want to kiss you very badly.”

It took all I had not to take her mouth and maul her. “I’m cool with that.”

She slid off her baseball cap and dropped it on the ground.

But her eyes? They stayed on me. She took a step forward, braced her hands on my shoulders, and seared my body with her touch.

She leaned her face forward, close, closer still.

Balancing on the tips of her toes, her mouth hovered over mine.

My respiration quickened, and so did hers.

I filled my nostrils with her scent—the hints of plumeria that always wafted from her and the salt on her skin. She smelled like my garden growing up, like my life when I’d been happy.

It was as if everything I’d ever wanted from life coalesced before me all at once. Keeping the memories at bay, I made a tremendous effort not to jump her on the spot when I wanted to rip off her clothes, lay her down on the dirt beneath the sky, and fuck her from now until dawn.

Instead, I dug my nails into my palms and waited.

She tilted her head, studying me with her sparkling gaze. Her slow blinks fluttered over my skin like dragonflies’ wings. Her stare was full of questions. I doubted she expected answers, but I took the risk, anyway.

“Yes, you can trust me,” I volunteered. “Yes, I want you to kiss me. Yes, it’s your choice. I’m here, right here. If you choose to kiss me.”

As the night approached, an obsidian specter swept its dark veil over the sky. It trailed along the first stars of the evening in its wake. Echoing the delicate sparkle in Cece’s eyes, the stars twinkled. The ocean stilled around us, as if holding its breath, just like I was doing.

I held motionless, wanting, needing, fearing, hoping, waiting, enduring the excruciating pull of her body on mine, willing and yet accepting of any choice she made.

She chose to kiss me, thank fuck.

Her mouth landed on my lips, a soft brush that turned firm and urgent as she tightened her arms around my shoulders and leaned into my space.

I held her gently at first, allowing her to set the pace, but she was eager.

It was as if after making her decision, every ounce of her reticence had evaporated.

Mine was still there, tormenting me in the background, but I pushed through it.

As soon as her tongue slid over the seam of my mouth, I parted my lips, eager to taste her again. She rewarded me with her passion, a dance of tongues and lips that stole my breath, a wave of need so powerful and perfect, I didn’t want it to end.