Touching Ghost (SEALs On Fire)
Thank you for purchasing this Wild Rose Press, Inc. publication.
Touching Ghost
by
Regina Carlysle
SEALs On Fire Series
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Touching Ghost
COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Regina Carlysle
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by
Diana Carlile
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
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Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewilderroses.com
Publishing History
First Scarlet Rose Edition, January 2013
Digital ISBN 978-1-61217-794-6
Published in the United States of America
Chapter One
His first thought upon seeing Sadie Ballew after all these years was that she looked like a blast of sunshine. A million memories, like fine wine, drifted through his mind. Intoxicating. Yeah, he could get drunk just watching her as the Key West sunset lit her curly ginger hair, framing her to perfection, as she fiddled with the stem of her glass, sipped her drink, and glanced nervously toward the boats docked along the Florida shoreline. Ren Ramsey stood at the perimeter of the picturesque outdoor restaurant on Sunset Pier and drank her in.
How many years had it been? Ten? Twelve? Recollecting back, Ren figured she’d been a sparkly-eyed twenty year old with her whole life stretching out for her like a romantic movie where the heroine always got the perfect life with the perfect man and two or three beautiful, well-adjusted kids. He’d been…well, best not go there. The bottom line was she’d been a friend when he’d most needed one. Steadfast, loyal, sweet, and funny. That was Sadie.
Unable to believe she was here in the flesh, Ren tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Truth to tell, Sadie had always represented light and happiness to him when the reality of his world, both present and past, was pretty much as dark as the pits of hell. Members of SEAL Team Arapahoe would shit a brick if they could see him now and could read his doubts and insecurities. Ghost—big, tough badass, linguist, spy, infiltrator—acting like a coward over a woman.
They’d arrived stateside after a bloody-as-hell mission in Afghanistan a day or so ago, and the whole team had hightailed their asses to Key West for a well-deserved break. Dane Gregory, code name Dagger, had an actor buddy who was filming in Spain and, lucky them, they’d been given carte blanche to stay at a top-notch mansion while they were catching a breather. The place was spectacular and way more than what this poor Oklahoma boy was accustomed to, but he wasn’t about to complain about that. Once the eight members of the team stowed their gear, each had headed off to parts unknown to spend their time in pursuit of great food, some booze, and off the charts sex in no particular order.
They were closer than brothers and overdue for a little hell raising.
He’d hitched a ride with a couple of the guys and now stood outside the driver’s door of a borrowed SUV. Jesus Rodrigo Calderon, aka Zeus, sat in the passenger seat and sent his intense gaze over the occupants of the outdoor café. As astute as it got, he’d no doubt spotted Sadie. A tiny smile pulled at his lips.
“That her?” Miguel Cruz, code name Coyote, slapped a massive hand on his shoulder. “Cute.”
“Yeah.”
“What the hell are you waiting for? Go get her.”
“She’s just a friend.”
Coyote grunted. “Whatever you say, Ghost. If this little reunion doesn’t pan out, look us up in the bar over there. I’m in the mood for a cold drink and a hot woman.”
“Okay. I’ll probably meet up with you later. Zeus, take it easy, man.”
Ren figured he and Sadie would have their reunion, relive a few stories from the ‘old days’ back in Oklahoma, and then he’d join the others for what was left of their R and R before they were called back to Afghanistan or wherever Uncle Sam chose to send them. When Coyote and Zeus took off, he returned his gaze to this sweet little blast from his past. Without warning, she saw him and her bluebonnet blue eyes widened. Her hand went to her throat just as her pink-tinted lips formed his name. That damn lump in his throat got tighter, but somehow he managed to put one foot in front of the other as he moved into the restaurant.
Sadie wasn’t so subtle.
She jumped to her feet, placed her hands over her heart, then wove through the cluster of tables and launched herself into his arms.
“Ren! Ren! Oh, my God!”
Ren wasn’t an idiot. He wrapped his arms around the softest, sweetest curves this side of heaven and breathed her in as her lips found his throat and jaw. “Hey, Beautiful.”
Sadie stepped back, took his face in her hands, and just stared at him. “You look good. No, no let me rephrase that. You look incredible. Different but incredible.”
“I’ve packed on a few pounds in the past ten years or so.”
“Pounds of solid muscle maybe,” she teased. But Ren noticed the slight darkening of her eyes when she sent her gaze down and then up his body. His cock twitched behind the fly of his jeans, and, no siree, that wasn’t a good thing. They were just friends. Right? Finally, she grinned and reached for his hand. “Come on. Let’s have wine and dinner and talk. Oh lordy, how I want to talk with you. You have to tell me everything.”
There was no way he could tell her
everything
because so much of what he did was clandestine but sit with her? Hell, yeah. Sudden curiosity about her life since he’d last seen her consumed him and he wondered if he’d get a peek at those deep dimples that popped out each time she grinned or if her laughter would be as he remembered. There had been many a lonely night, camped in the rocky hills of Afghanistan, when memories of her had kept him alive and hoping to regain the brightness he’d known so long ago.
Ren allowed her to lead the way to their table. He settled her into her chair, unable to miss the way the silky little skirt she wore clung to the perfect curves of her ass.
Hooyah.
Yep, that was his cock twitching again.
This might shape up to be an exercise in torture, but he was game to see it through. Once he’d taken his place across from her, he reached out to take her hands but was immediately interrupted when a young waiter approached with water, menus, and a welcoming smile. He ordered another glass of white for the lady and a cold beer for himself then pushed the menu aside. “So how are you, Doc?”
“Your mom told you that I finished med school and started a practice, huh?”
Clair Ramsey lived in Arizona now but kept up with the gossip network, and she’d wasted no time in telling him that Sadie had opened a pediatric practice with several other doctors. It hadn’t surprised him she’d chosen that field, and he knew she loved kids. Damn, he was proud of her. “I’m happy for you, Sadie. You’re living the dream. From the time you were just a little squirt you’ve wanted to be a doctor. Do you like it?”
He knew that her affluent parents had expected no less than for their only child to excel in all aspects of her life and, being a dutiful daughter, she had accommodated them and then some. Ever the realist, Ren never planned to have kids of his own but suspected that, if he’d ever had a daughter, he would want the same as Mr. and Mrs. Ballew.
She nodded, smiling. “Yes, I love it. The practice is small but growing.”
“Heard you got married.”
“And divorced.”
“He’s a damn fool.”
Sadie shook her head. “Naw, he’s not. Not really. Tom and I are still the best of friends. It wasn’t his fault that I lacked a particular body part that he happened to need.”
Ren’s brows shot up. Thanks to his mom, he was aware of the marriage, but this was a new twist. “Too bad he didn’t tell you about that before the wedding.”
She laughed. “No truer words, Ren. For a few years after the divorce, I found myself asking every guy I went out with if he was gay. Not a positive thing in the dating world. Good way to find yourself labeled a little nuts.” Sadie shrugged. “Stuff happens, and if nothing else, I’ve learned that things aren’t always what they seem. I’m more careful, sure, but I’m happy.”
Once dinner was served and they dug into their meal of grilled shrimp with all the trimmings, Ren continued to ply her with more wine and some questions, too. As always, what you saw with Sadie was what you got. She was honest and endearing in every way, and he couldn’t help thinking that it would forever be this way between them. Honest. Open. Real.
By the time dessert rolled around, Ren ordered another beer as she bit into a fat slice of Key lime pie. A spot of whipped cream dotted her bottom lip, and he paused, his glass halting halfway to his mouth, as he watched her slowly lick it clean. Instincts long denied rolled sharply through his veins as he imagined the tart yet sweet taste of her. They’d never kissed, never touched, at least in a sexual way, and Ren wasn’t dumb enough to want to ruin a perfectly good friendship despite what his testosterone screamed at him.
Long ago, he’d given up on dreaming. Dreams were for fools, but that didn’t prevent him from wanting to haul her beautiful body close and lay her down on the nearest bed. But Sadie was a forever kind of woman. In his line of work, a guy didn’t mess around with someone like her.
“Mmm. Key lime pie in Key West.” Sadie wore a satisfied smile on her lips as she briefly closed her eyes and dabbed at her lips with a white linen napkin. “I’m so glad Clair told me you’d be here and that you agreed to meet me. A vacation and
you
all at once. I’m a lucky lady. How long do you have here, Ren?”
Ren tried his hardest to concentrate, but her innocently seductive ways were killing him. He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair as he studied her. The freckles she’d always hated were still there. Thank God. Like small soldiers, they marched enticingly across the bridge of her pert nose and decorated her cheeks. Most folks would describe her as cute, but she was so much more than that.
Sadie was vibrant. She was all light and energy. In a word, she was special and he’d always known it.
When she smiled, Ren focused on her lips. Big mistake for a man who needed to remain firmly in the
friend zone.
The image of that lush mouth devouring his cock swam through his mind. Now wasn’t that just downright poetic?
Feeling like the worst kind of lech, he forced himself to return to the conversation. “Only a few days. SEAL Team Arapaho is stationed in Little Creek, Virginia. We just finished a mission and the powers that be gave us a few days to rest up. The group of us flew into NAS Key West and they were kind enough to loan us a couple of vehicles as a courtesy. We’re all staying at a big mansion near here. The place belongs to a movie star who is filming in Spain so the place is ours for as long as we’re here.”
She waggled her brows. “A mansion. Ooh. Impressive.”
He shrugged. “It’s a place to crash, and as long as nobody is shooting at us, it’s all good.” Sadie blanched white, and Ren wanted to rip his tongue out. “I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, no. Don’t apologize, Ren. I’m not stupid. I know that you put your life on the line every day. I always knew you’d do something amazing.”
Ren looked at her, hoping his disbelief didn’t show in his eyes. “What the fuck, Sadie? I was the son of the town drunk who thought nothing of using his fists on his wife and kid. I had loser written all over me.”
Sadie looked appalled. “Don’t say that! You were never a loser. You just had a hell of a lot of bad breaks, Ren. But I saw through that big, fat chip you wore on your shoulder. You were smart, too. Just look at what you’ve done with yourself and with no help, mind you.”
Going silent, he studied his scarred hands, just another bit of evidence of the violence of his life then looked at the one person on the planet who had ever seen through him. To most folks in town he’d been poor white trash. But not to Sadie. His heart squeezed at the love he felt for her, and he mourned the fact that he couldn’t have been man enough to deserve her. “You were the only person who believed that, honey. That’s the plain, unvarnished truth. Have I ever said thanks for that?”
Instantly, her eyes filled and Ren sharply regretted his words. Taking things into such heavy territory probably wasn’t the best idea. It might be best to just joint the others in the nearest bar and find a willing woman who didn’t know quite so much about his awful past.