Page 70 of Kai (Alpha Heroes #13)

Kai

Aboard the submarine, the guys crowded the small sick bay.

Tracker Team’s corpsman, Matt Ferranti, my green-eyed, curly-haired friend, teamed up with the sub’s corpsman to doctor me.

Medicated, sutured, hydrated, dried, warmed, and fed, I felt like a new man.

The sub’s corpsman took his leave as soon as Dagger and Bozeman arrived.

As for Guzman, he hadn’t stopped pestering me since he had bullied his way into the room.

Propped on a couple of regulation pillows, I sat on the narrow cot, leaning against the wall, surrounded by the purr of the engines. No windows, no wind, not even a peek of the ocean. Good thing I wasn’t claustrophobic.

At this depth, the sub was stable, even though my body somehow registered the movement as it raced to drop us off. I’d been talking to Dagger for a while, answering his questions, and reporting the details of my mission and our fight to defeat Levine. It was my turn to ask questions now.

“You’ve got the bastard secured?” I asked.

“Packed like canned tuna.” It was Guzman who answered.

“I’ve assigned an entire unit to transport duty,” Bozeman volunteered. “Cooper is with them. He’s got control of Levine.”

Fin Cooper was our team’s sniper, a strapping blond with a big beard and a mountain man vibe. An excellent marksman, Coop always shot to kill. So, yeah. I wasn’t worried.

“Once we’re back on land, we’ll have some long, extended talks with the bastard,” Dagger said.

“It’s a pretty epic story.” Ferranti grinned as he bandaged my mangled chest.

“One for the annals,” Bozeman agreed.

“Annals?” I pretended to scratch my head. “Tracker Team’s got annals?”

“Allow me to translate,” Guzman quipped. “What Bozeman means is that Tracker Team has anuses. Sounds right. We’ve plenty of assholes.”

Everyone laughed, even the boss.

“You should know,” Dagger said, looking unusually pleased with us and with himself. “ Serenity is underway and heading to port.”

“ Mahalo .” I set my hand over my chest and dipped my head. My team always had my back, and after a few repairs, Serenity would sail again.

“How the hell did the lot of you hitch a ride on a submarine?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Guzman seconded, eyeing Dagger. “I wanna know, too.”

“That’s classified information,” Bozeman announced formally.

“I made a phone call.” Dagger surprised the hell out of me by answering. “The NWO is a national security threat. The cogs engaged, the wheels got turning, and the Navy and the Coast Guard wanted in the action. The President is grateful for your service to the country.”

“The President?” I whistled aloud. “You’ve got friends in high places.”

“I always knew you were fancy, boss,” Guzman teased. “I just didn’t know how fancy.”

“Let’s just say that our leader accessed his excellent connections and drop the subject.” Bozeman’s suggestion was an order. “Are we clear?”

“Clear as mud,” Goof teased, then returned his attention to me as Ferranti secured the bandage and a wince twisted my lips. “Do you need me to hold your hand?”

“Fuck off.” I teased him with a shove. “You don’t got a pretty face and pale blue eyes that melt my insides. That’s about the only remedy I need.”

Goof glanced over his shoulder before he wiggled his eyebrows at me. “You’re in luck. Your medicine just arrived.”

I spotted Cece sliding through a narrow gap in the door and squeezing herself into the tiny room.

She was dry and safe, even if the smudges under her eyes revealed she was still tired.

The sub’s corpsman had taken care of her, and Dagger had ensured she was warm, hydrated, and fed.

Wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of sweats that swam around her hips and legs, she met my gaze.

The sense of Zen that had been failing me lately returned to fill me up. It now resided in the pale hues of Cece’s eyes. The private smile she aimed at me pierced through me and brought the light of the moon pouring back into my soul.

“Everyone out,” Dagger ordered, and the others hustled out of the room. My boss hesitated at the door. “We will speak about your obligations to Cece and the family at a more suitable time.”

“Oh, please.” Cece rolled her eyes at Dagger. “Kai has no obligation to the family. He’s my choice, and the two of us will handle ourselves as we see fit.”

“Of course,” Dagger said, but his eyes broadcasted a different message to me— we will talk, do not hurt her, and you will suffer my rage if you don’t treat her right .

“We’ll talk,” I assured my boss, appeasing the warning in his stare.

Cece was right. Our relationship was nobody else’s business. But Dagger was also right to demand my honorable behavior toward Cece. What he didn’t understand was that his warning wasn’t necessary. Cece was the woman I was gonna honor for the rest of my life. End of story.

“He’s fastidious about being—well—fastidious,” she muttered, closing the door behind him.

“I like him anyway.” I waved. “Come here.” I took her hand and pulled her down onto the cot. “You must be exhausted.”

“I’m so tired my tired is tired.” She eased down next to me. “It seems exhaustion has also severely limited my vocabulary.”

I laughed and gathered her to my side. “How about we take a nap together while the bubbleheads drive us land-ho?”

“A nap with you sounds great.”

We snuggled on the narrow cot. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

“We’re both alive,” she said. “That’s enough for me, but I feel bad for you.”

I cocked my head and met her gaze. “Why?”

“Because I’m in love with you.” She settled a hand on my chest. “Me. In love. If that’s not trouble, I don’t know what is.”

I shook my head, marveling at my good fortune. “No matter how many times you say it, my heart still flutters.”

“That’s because you’re a masochist.”

“Or a wise man who adores you.” I entwined my fingers with hers and gave them a little squeeze. “You can try all you want, Cece, but you won’t scare me away.”

“Huh.” The little vertical lines popped between her eyebrows. “Is that what I’m doing?”

“I won’t let it happen,” I said. “I know what I want.”

“Such wisdom, Obi-Kai Kenobi.” She teased me with a look. “Do tell.”

“I want a life with you.” I brushed my lips over hers.

“I want a life with you, too.” She smiled. “What does that look like to you?”

“It means you and me together, no matter what.”

“I still have a lot of work to do,” she cautioned. “Long hours. Lots of research. A goal.”

“I’m cool with that,” I said. “Are you cool with me and my job?”

“You love it, and you’re the best at it, so of course I’m cool with your job.” Her throat rippled. “What about the rest?”

“Whatever you want, I’m game.” I planted a kiss on the top of her head. “All I need is to be with you. For good. Forever.”

Her eyes went wide. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

“I’m telling you that if you ever want my promises formalized on a piece of paper, you will have them,” I said. “No pressure. We can make other decisions on the go. From now on, we live in the present and enjoy each other.”

Another smile came easily to her face. “I like the sound of that.”

“Will you let me give you my pledge, then?”

“Your pledge?”

“It goes like this.” I took her hands between mine.

“Cece Astor. You’re a testament to strength.

You’re a fighter, a survivor, and a badass.

You never quit. You’re kind, strong, fiery, and passionate, and I love everything about you.

You’re the rogue wave I follow, the moon to my sun, the win to my losses, and the light in the darkness, my own personal lighthouse. Aloha Aku No, Aloha Mai No .”

“Sounds pretty,” she whispered, her eyes wide and liquid. “What does it mean?”

I brushed my lips over hers. “I give my love to you, you give your love to me.”

***

Cece

The things this man said had me sighing and sniffling like a love-stricken fool. And yet if love was a disease, as I’d once believed, I’d caught it. I had no hope of recovery from such a sweet emotion. I was okay with that.

Kai’s aura was in full and glorious display. Heat licked my skin, a new sensation I might’ve missed had I not been so present in the moment. I lifted my arm and stared at my hand, blinking several times before I recognized the light that radiated… from me.

I gasped, turning my arm one way and then the other.

Kai cocked his eyebrows at me. “What is it?”

“It’s my aura!” I marveled at the sight. “My life energy! For the first time, I can see it!”

“What color is it?” Kai asked. “No, wait. Let me guess. It’s… multicolored.”

He was right, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the soft radiance. A quiet hum caressed my ears, not unlike the one that sang to me when Kai’s aura made an appearance.

“I bet it looks like a rainbow,” Kai offered. “Why do you look so surprised?”

“More like shocked.” I examined my wrists and my fingers. “I’ve been so angry for so long I thought my aura would be blah, you know, creamy brown, maybe even black.”

“I’m not surprised,” Kai said. “While Matt worked on me, I asked him if he knew anything about life energies. Turns out he took a class on alternative healing in college. If I understood him, rainbow auras are common in those who can visualize auras, light workers like you, who sense other people’s energies. ”

“But I’m glowing, Kai, and the colors are beautiful!”

“Like you.” He kissed the top of her head. “I bet that the silver-blue light that shines in your eyes edges each color in your rainbow energy. The whole thing glows like a high-wattage lantern. And I bet it sparkles. Am I right?”

“Wow.” He’d described it perfectly. “Can you see it?”

“No,” he admitted. “But I can imagine it, and it’s as gorgeous and luminous as you are.”

“Oh, Kai.” My grin hurt my face as my life energy caressed me softly, illuminating me from the inside out.

“After a life of denying that love exists, turns out I’m crazy about you.

Shame I can’t speak pretty words like you do.

Or sing you a sweet Hawaiian love song to the music of the ukulele you don’t play. ”

He laughed at that. “I can always learn, you know.”

“You could.” I gave him a little shrug. “Or perhaps you can teach me a hula dance, loincloth optional?”

“You little minx.”

He lowered his face until we were nose to nose.

Our eyes locked, and he nuzzled me with a gentleness that warmed my bones.

Despite the clinical smells of antiseptic, his scent enveloped me—ocean breeze, fresh grass, and tropical hibiscus.

Our lips drifted closer together until they merged.

Lowering my eyelids, I shut out the rest of the world and allowed myself to feel him, only him.

His mouth was both commanding and gentle. His tongue rolled in and out, driving me wild. My skin tingled in all the right places. Moisture pooled between my legs. I went from being bone-tired to feeling alert and alive. I yearned to be filled, to love and be loved.

“Beware, Marine.” I brushed my lips over the corner of his mouth. “You’re reducing the probability of napping for both of us to zero percent.”

“Wanna join the mile low club with me?” he asked as his mouth slid down my neck.

“You mean like the mile-high club, but in reverse?”

“Precisely.”

“You’re hurt,” I reminded him.

“This is a unique opportunity.” He slid his hands up and down my arms, then dipped his fingers beneath my T-shirt and traced a lazy trail on my skin. “When is the next time we’ll get the chance to do it in a sub?”

“It’s probably against Navy rules,” I mumbled between kisses.

“Are you in the Navy?” He slid his hand up to cup my breast.

“No.” I gasped and arched into his hold.

“Me neither, not officially anyway.” He strummed my nipple with his thumb. “So…?”

As long as he continued to stroke me, I could only answer one way. “Yes.”

When his mouth returned to mine, we were well on the way to breaking the rules and getting no rest.

“Wait,” I whispered when we came up for breath. “You gave me your pledge. Can I give you mine?”

His aura ignited with the deepest indigo and the brightest golds of a Hawaiian sunset. “Yes.”

“Okay.” Enveloped in the light and warmth of our combined auras, I took a leveling breath and found my words.

“Kai King. You are my improbable, impossible love, the one that wasn’t in the cards until my sisters talked to you about an odd connection, and you fought to give us a shot.

You bring joy to my heart, peace to my soul, and wisdom to my hothead.

You’re my ocean, my fate, and my destiny.

I give my love to you, you give your love to me. Mau loa .”

“Mau loa?” Kai’s eyebrows spiked on his forehead. “You know the words?”

“There are a couple of Hawaiian subbies on this thing. I had a talk with one of them.”

“So, you know what it means?”

I nodded. “It means forever.”

“ Mau loa it is.” He kissed me.

My aura surged, singing in my head, a music so sweet that the universe felt like an immense orchestra radiating with light and melody.

Kai’s energy also flared and joined mine until we were a union of swirling energy.

Entwined in each other’s arms, we lit up the little room, shining in the depths of the sea like a supernova blazing in the night.

To think we hadn’t even had sex yet.

“I’m impressed, Sorceress.” Kai’s smile dazzled my world. “And here I thought you didn’t speak romance.”

Returning his smile, I stripped off my shirt and murmured between kisses. “I do now.”