Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge) (5 page)

“So, y
a made your flight arrangements yet?” Tony asked, reading
his mind like only a swim buddy could.

“I’m thinking about
it.”

Tony nudged him. “What
could it hurt, man?”

“Smart move,” Stitch
said, sitting on the edge of the tub. Nathan’s feet were hogtied to t
he faucet so he couldn’t maneuver much.

“It’s gonna be
awkward.”

“How
so?”
Tony asked, taking up a position beside him.

Mace took a long swig
of his beer. “Hey Doc, think you can get my junk to work so I can screw your
daughter against the wall and every s
urface I can
think of?”

“Oh, yeah, see what ya
mean,” Tony said, with a mischievous grin.

“Ninja Grass…I mean
Nina, isn’t gonna get off your case until you go, so saddle up and do it,” Ditz
said, as he drizzled a bottle of red dye over Nathan’s chest in th
e shape of a heart.

Nathan grunted, but
they all ignored him.

“Yeah,
maybe.”
He didn’t have a good excuse not to go. Before the mission he’d promised Nina
he wanted to meet her daughter Gabriella. Nina pulled her pictures up on the
computer and looked at t
hem every night. She was the
image of her mother, with beautiful red locks and an impish smile. Gabbs’
father seemed to be a “no fly zone.” Nina didn’t bring him up, so he didn’t
either. He worried that he was giving Nina false hope by meeting her family.
He hadn’t seen his own since he’d got back. They’d called
him non-stop, but he’d told them he’d come around when he was ready.

Tadpole grunted loudly
and flopped like a fish in the tub. Mace leaned over and turned on the cold
water. “Cool off, kid.” The fi
re hadn’t left Nathan’s
eyes yet. He was still humming mad.

“Oh,
hey, Tadpole, how ya doing, buddy?”
Stitch gave him a toothy grin. “You know this is for your
own good, right?” He glared back at him. “Not yet, huh?” Stitch cocked his
head, “Well, boys, loo
ks like we gotta pull out the
big guns. Tony, pictures.”

Tadpole’s eyes grew,
shaking his head, not that he could move it much. “Tony, you got his
girlfriend’s Facebook page?” Mace asked.

“Yup.”

“I hear she’s into our
superhero here.
Thinks he’s ‘the
man.’”

Tadpole gurgled and
bucked his body.

“Got that lipstick
handy, Mace?” Tony asked,
zooming
the camera for a clear close-up.

Mace stretched and
pulled out the bright red garish color he’d picked up on the way over. “Don’t
worry
Tadpole,
I made sure it
matched your complexion.”

Tadpole tried his
damnedest to free himself, but the faucet and knobs held tight. Lying in the
pool of ice water in his skivvies, he shivered. Mace leaned over him. “Here’s
the deal, T-pole. You’re gonna stop smoking for good, an
d if you ever lie to one of us again, we’ll crazy glue a pink tutu on you
and tie you up on the Strand outside of Breakers, on Friday night. Got it?”

Tadpole nodded slowly,
the fire dying in his eyes. “Consider
yourself
getting off easy this time,” Mace ad
ded, covering his cheek with a big lipstick kiss. “Mmm,
does look kinda pretty.” He finished his handiwork and the guys all chuckled.
“Tinman, time to roll the pictures.”

“Anyone
here?”
The call came from the direction of the patio doors in Tony’s living r
oom.

“Back here, Master
Chief,” Tony answered.

Fox filled the doorway
and barked with laughter at the sight of all of them jammed in the small
bathroom.
“Nathan, my young
friend.”
He stepped forward to get a better look, grinning.

“What ya got there,
Master Chief?” Mace piped up, seeing something hidden
behind Fox’s back. Fox revealed the tattoo gun he’d been concealing.

“Oh, shit,” Ditz
murmured.

Nathan thrashed, his
eyes rounding with horror.

“Don’t worry kid, only
your girlfriend is gonna see it.” F
ox plugged in the
tattoo gun and pulled red and black ink out of his pocket, along with some
antiseptic swabs and dumped them on the counter.

“What ya got in mind?”
Mace asked,
then
barked out a laugh seeing Tadpole
squirming for his life.

Fox slowly slid
a look at each of them. “A no smoking sign, of course.”

Tadpole groaned long
and low.

“Beer?”
Tony asked, presenting one from the
sink.

“Thanks, Tinman.
Cheers, boys.”

Stitch gave the big
dildo a flick. “I wouldn’t move either, kid, could end up looking li
ke the ladies sign on a bathroom door.”

* * * *

Tony dropped Mace off
at the front door after Operation Tadpole’s mission was complete. Their junior
SEAL was going to be doing a lot of standing for the next while.

“Ya gonna tell her
you’re going to visit
her family?” Tony asked,
throwing the car into park.

Mace gritted his teeth
stepping out. The ligaments were healing, but they ached like hell.
“Yup.”

“Good man.
Doesn’t hurt to get some new scenery.
I’ll pick ya up tomorrow at ten for
your physio.”

Mace
fisted his buddy. “Thanks T-man.”

“Hey, what are
brothers for? Say ‘hi’ to Ninja Grasshopper for me.”

“You still got
something going on for my girl?”

Tinman grinned at him.
“Hey, I gave it my best shot. She was all crazy-eyed over you from the get-go.
She’s a good woman, Mace.” A wicked smile cracked his lips.
“But the offer’s still open to entice you to get moving.”

Leaning a hand on the
roof, he shook his head. “Buddy, you’re gonna find Mrs. Bale one day.”

Tinman gripped the
wheel and nodded.
“Maybe.
You know what
it’s like living in our boots.” He paused, and then gave him a wink. “Nina gets
it. She’s going to be Mrs. Callahan, isn’t she?”

Mace had known that
about a minute after they met. At least until he got his nuts shot to pieces.
“Wouldn’t do he
r much good with a husband that can’t
perform. Nina is…” He hesitated not knowing if he should share. “She’s taught
me a few things. I don’t think I’m the only one going crazy with need.”

Tinman shrugged. “That
means what? She’s not broken, and you’re only
temporarily out of commission.”

“Later.”

He watched the car
disappear at the end of the street then sighed as he looked up the walkway into
his apartment. Doubt poked its head up, and he slammed it with a hundred pound
sledge hammer.

Pushing open the apar
tment door, he felt the quiver in his legs from
overexertion, but that quiver got lost in the sight before him. Nina was bent
over, fiddling with something in the oven. A towel wrapped around her sleek
figure barely covered the teardrop ends of her gorgeou
s
ass, and her hair dripped from just getting out of the shower.

She bolted upright
hearing him.
“Mace!”

They stared at each
other and it felt like a zip-line of electricity connected them.

“The timer went off
when I was in the shower. I’ll get dressed. Ju
st be a
second.”

She scurried around
the counter, and something twitched inside him. Was it his imagination? “Stop,”
he commanded. She did, right where he wanted her, in front of the kitchen
table. Fuck, it wasn’t his imagination. Although painful as hell,
the excitement coiling in his gut was talking to his other
body parts and it swelled. Not a lot, but enough to make him want to shout it
out. “Lose the towel, Nina,” he growled at her. She hesitated for a second, but
her lids were already half-closed over
a simmering
look.
“Now.”

Chapter Four

Nina released the
towel, and it pooled at the base of her elegant long legs. His eyes skimmed up
the high-rise of gorgeous flesh to slender, curvy hips. Her breasts perked out,
calling his name and his name
only.

Before the mission
they’d spent three days at Cobbs’ ranch with the rest of the teams. It was then
he learned what really turned Nina on. Being a strong woman, it didn’t compute
why she wanted to be commanded in the bedroom, but he’d taken to it natu
rally and their lovemaking went from hot to Napalm in
seconds.

“Table.”
He took a step toward her, and leaned
the cane against the wall.

“Mace, no, we said
we’d—”

“Did I tell you to
talk?”

Her full lips closed,
and she slowly slid onto the table.

“Farther,
” he commanded, taking another step. Holy shit, he was
getting stiffer by the second. Maybe only a quarter
way
there, but it was there. Tony might
have been on to something. He reached the end of the table, and he could see
her chest rising and falling wit
h deep breaths,
almost as deep as his own. With one finger, he grazed a trail around her ankle,
up her shin and stopped where her knees rested together. “Relax.” Pressing
gently with one finger, her knees spread and his parts exploded with feeling.
“Baby?”

Nina expression filled
with heat, but a scattering of worry crinkled her brow.

“You are beautiful.
Too beautiful to ignore.”
He licked his lips and leaned over her,
powering a kiss on her lips, tempting her to open to his tongue. His hands
tracked a slow course from the bottom of her ass to meet his thumbs at her
tense little nub. It was perfect. Nina was perfect. She moaned wh
en he circled her nerves, moisture covering his fingers. He
pulled back, and their eyes locked in a connection neither of them could run
from. “I’m hungry baby, and so are you.”

“Mace, I can wait.”

“I don’t want you to
wait.” His tongue found that beautifu
l pink nub, and
sucked it between his lips.
Her
smell.
How could he have forgotten how much he loved it? The
scent of her skin reminded him of vanilla beans. Nina’s hips rose off the table
when he inserted two fingers, and licked her at the same time. She
cried out.
“Not
yet, Nina.
I haven’t nearly finished tasting you.” He rimmed the
opening to her channel with his tongue, and she released a moan of pleasure.

Her fingers turned
white clenching the corners of the table. Pulling her thighs over his shoulders
, and running a hand down the length, he breathed in her
perfection, and kissed the smooth skin. Her legs flexed around his neck, and he
loved it. Being in control of her pleasure did things to him no other woman
could elicit. She’d given him that right th
e first
time they’d made love, and he couldn’t get enough.

Her mild kink excited
him, and he wanted more. He would have more. His determination voiced itself as
his mouth made love to her, tasting, teasing. A bundle of passion, her long
body writhed under
him. She needed release. Maybe he
couldn’t find his yet, but because of Nina, he would keep trying. “Now, baby.”
Flattening his tongue, he lapped at her, feeling the squeeze of her legs around
his neck. She liked it hard and he ravished her, sucking her fi
rmly and pinching her nipples at the same time.

Nina exploded in
tremors, and it felt so good, even though he couldn’t join her. He gathered her
in his arms and carried her to the couch. It was only a few steps. He could do
it. Laying her out like a model
in some exotic pose
she stared up at him, her hand gripping his.

He knelt down
carefully beside her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Don’t give up on
me, Nina. You’ve turned me into a needy man, and I need you.”

She thrust up,
wrapping her long arms
around his neck and peppered
him with kisses. “Mace,” she stuttered, and when he pulled away he saw tears in
her eyes.

“Hey, baby, tears?”

She swiped them away
quickly. “No,” she said, but it came out sounding like a little girl lying
about
sniping
a cooki
e.
More rained down her cheeks and he kissed them away. This was a Nina he hadn’t
seen before. Normally she was all about spunk and fiery responses.

“Nina, I think it’s
time I met Gabriella, don’t you?”

“Really?”
Her face lit up and she grabbed his
shoulde
r. “Are you serious?”

She’d put up with all
his moods since he’d gotten home, and she’d ridden them out like a professional
surfer, never letting his waves of defeat pull her under. Nina was one of those
rare optimistic women whose inner strength could hol
d
back an army by sheer determination. Even if he couldn’t make love to her the
way he wanted, he still needed to touch her, and to feel her touch him. “I’m
kinda crazy infatuated with her mother.”

Nina cupped his jaw in
her palms. “You make me crazy too,
hotstuff.” Her
green eyes glistened with tears. “I care about you so much. I was going out of
my mind thinking you would shut me out.” She worried the corner of her lip.

With a firm caress, he
circled her breast. “Today proved something to me.” Her gaze po
pped back and forth between his eyes. “I felt something,
Nina.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, I felt something down there.”

Nina’s grin broke into
a full out smile.
“Soon, hotstuff.
Soon.”

He couldn’t hold back
the huge smile that grew in his heart, and
they held
onto to each other. “I’m a lucky man,” he whispered in her ear.

She squeezed him even
tighter. “You’re gonna get lucky, that’s for sure,” she growled back and they
both laughed.
“Now, dinner.”

He gently pushed her
bare shoulders against the pillo
w. “I’m still hungry,
baby.”

“Oh,” she breathed.

He spread his palm
across her tight, flat stomach, reveling in the sight. His swarthy skin against
the creamy white of hers made him wild and senseless. The pulse below deck gave
him hope. A sure sign Nina w
as exactly what the
doctor would order.

Sliding his hand down
her leg, he stopped on her calf, and draped it over his shoulder, opening the
moist invitation for his pleasure as much as hers.
“Very hungry.”
His tongue left a wet trail along her
inner thigh
stopping just short of her sexy offering.
His eyes strayed up her body, across her breasts and locked on her gaze. “I
can’t wait to be inside you again, Nina. Everything about you makes me want
that.”

She curled up and
slung her arms around his neck. “I do
too, Mace, but
don’t try so hard. I’m not going anywhere.” He trailed his finger over her
lower lip, following the fullness, but quickly retreated when she tried to bite
it. The playfulness put a mischievous smile on her expression. “I like having
you her
e with me, but I know it won’t be forever.”

He brushed her nose
with his. “Don’t be scared of that, babe. If you build that bridge it can only
connect with fear. The squad had a close call. It’s behind us. Don’t even think
about it.”

“I can’t help it.” She
leaned her forehead against his. “Kayla tried to explain
it to me.” Her gaze popped to his. “The life of a SEAL, I mean. I never dated
anyone at work. After Gabriella, that is.”

Nina hadn’t talked
about Gabbs’ father. “Where is he?” He’d keep it simple. I
f she wanted to tell him she’d answer. If she avoided his
question, he’d let it rest, but he wanted to know who he was. Mace didn’t like
the unknowns. They could pose trouble. He needed the whole picture.

Nina shook her head.
“I don’t know.” She paused. “H
e’s American. He
doesn’t know he has a daughter.” Mace leaned back on his haunches, and Nina
curled up on the couch. “Gabbs has asked me about him from time to time, now
that she’s getting old enough to understand. I’ve avoided answering the
question becau
se I don’t know the answer.”

A tingle of doubt
niggled in his gut. “Do you want to know?” He swallowed thickly with a thought
dropping into his mind. “Is that why you came here?”

“No. I came because of
Kayla, Gord and Barry, and because I wanted a new
start.
Kayla is more of a sister to me than my own. I knew if she was here, I’d have a
friend, and Gabbs loves her to pieces. I thought we’d always have her in our
lives.” Nina’s hands twisted into a tight ball. “What if she’s dea—
”

He slid his knuckles
ge
ntly down her cheek. Nina’s eyes glistened. “Kayla
is not dead. I’d know it, and so would the captain. She’ll surface.”

Nina shook her head.
“She might not. If she does, it won’t be here. I don’t understand why she
hasn’t called me. Even if she’s lying low
, she’d call
me if she could.” Nina blew out a long breath. “I’ve trusted her instincts from
day one. She taught me everything. She was even in the delivery room with me
when Gabbs was born.”

“What about your
family?”

“My parents are
wonderful people. My mom helped too, when Gabbs was a baby, but she’s involved
with charity organizations and clubs. Mom and Dad are full-time parents again
having Gabbs with them, but it’s time for them to enjoy being grandparents. Mom
was
always there if I asked, but I never had to ask
Kayla, she was just there.” The tears began to rain down her cheeks. “I’m so
scared.”

He folded Nina in his
arms, and they held each other tight. “I am too, babe, but I have faith in the
captain. He’ll find
her.”

“I wish I could think
of something to help. Maybe I should go see Lieutenant Manchester and talk to
him.”

“We’ll go tomorrow,
okay?”
Time to distract his lady.
Ghost was doing enough worrying for all
of them. “You said Gabbs’ father is American.”

“Am
erican Navy.
At least he was.”

Concern twisted his
guts.
Navy.
If Nina said she wasn’t here to find
Gabbs’ father then he believed her—almost. “If I was a father, I’d want to
know,” he whispered on her cheek. “Gabriella should know who he is. If you want
t
o find him, I’ll help you.”

Nina kissed him softly
on the lips. “Not today.”

Mace swallowed deeply.
Not today, but maybe one day. Half of him didn’t want that day to come, because
it might mean he would have to step back. His own family had a tight bond, o
ne he’d broken since he’d come home. Three of his sisters
had called at least once a day driving him nuts. Of course his mother was
behind it. They respected his space, but they were chomping at the bit to see
him. Should he take Nina with him? “Do you lik
e
Mexican food?”

“You know I do.”

“How
about homemade Mexican, the best in San Diego?”

Nina’s gaze narrowed.
“Homemade?”

“I think it’s time you
know what you’re in for. If you think I’m worth hanging around.”

Nina’s brow rose.
“As in?”

He cemented a broad
grin on his mouth.
“As in my family.
The pressure is getting hard to take,
and I may have mentioned you…once or twice.”

“Really,” she purred.
“You want me to meet your family?”

“Does that make you
nervous?”

“I don’t know. Is your
mom going to give me a bad
time for stealing her
favorite son?”

“Probably.”
He grinned at her. “But my dad will
think I hit the jackpot.”