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TWO DAYS LATER, HAILEY woke up in her hospital bed in Landstuhl. Amazingly, some of her smoke-damaged belongings had been recovered and were being shipped back to the States. Although her clothing and such had to be trashed, her purse, wallet, and identification had been boxed up, according to the nurse who’d updated her.
Blowing out a sigh, she looked around her hospital room. She’d spoken with her family and a friend back home in the U.S. They’d all been horrified and had wanted to rush to Germany ASAP. She’d assured them she’d be home within a matter of days though.
It made no sense for her parents to rush here when they could get things ready at home for her.
Hailey’s ribs still ached, and she looked positively ghastly. The black stiches in her wound stood out against her pale skin. She’d have another surgery later this afternoon, where they’d remove the original stitches and put in a dissolvable kind. Hopefully her wound would heal nicely after that, but Hailey had the feeling she’d have a scar as a reminder of her time in Bagram.
She’d been able to shower that morning and carefully wash her hair. It had been painful with her ribs, but she’d managed. It was hard to even imagine another long flight just to get home and then eventually to move across the country.
How could she move into her new apartment when it hurt just to comb her own hair?
Sighing, she looked down at the magazines piled around her. Someone had loaned her an iPad, but she wished she had her own cell phone and belongings. The U.S. embassy was issuing her a new passport before she returned home to the States. And despite several emails and calls, she still hadn’t been able to find any word on what had happened to Kim.
“Knock, knock!” the nurse said, walking into the room. She looked excited about something, and Hailey looked at her in confusion. “You have a guest downstairs. A very attractive guest, I might add.”
“A guest?” Hailey asked, baffled. Who on Earth would come see her here? The military men and women assigned to her office in Bagram certainly would still be at work. They wouldn’t fly here just to pop in and chat. Her friends and family were at home—not that any of them would necessarily be described as “very attractive” by the young nurse.
“Yes, ma’am. Can I send him up?”
“Him? Do I know this person?” Hailey asked, mystified.
“Well, he seems to know you. And if not, let him up anyway. He’s hotter than sin.”
Hailey flushed, suddenly wondering if Grayson had shown up here. That was crazy though—he’d been in Afghanistan with his buddies and would fly back home to California, wouldn’t he? He couldn’t just leave his mission to check on her. It’s not like they were married or something. They weren’t even dating.
She couldn’t imagine who else would come see her though.
Suddenly, her stomach was filled with butterflies. She looked and felt awful. Her stitches were scary-looking, and she was in a hospital gown. The only thing going for her was that she’d showered and washed her hair earlier. But she had no makeup on, and everyone knew hospital gowns were about as unflattering as you could get.
Before she had time to worry even more though, Grayson was standing at her door, a grin on his face and bouquet of flowers in his hand.
Her blood pressure spiked just seeing him, and she hoped he wouldn’t notice since she was hooked up to a million different monitors.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he said in a deep voice.
“Grayson,” she said, a flush spreading over her cheeks.
“Can I come in?” he asked, his voice husky. He was in a desert camo uniform, but she could still see his muscular physique. No wonder the nurse had said he was hotter than sin. There were plenty of military men around here, but goodness. Grayson put them all to shame. His beard was slightly longer than before, but she could still see his chiseled features and raw masculinity. It was those hazel eyes that did her in though. They practically smoldered when they locked with hers.
“Yes, of course,” she said, gesturing for him to step inside. He smiled, and his gaze tracked over her. She knew he was taking in everything. Her stitches. The hospital bed. Her entire appearance.
Grayson always seemed alert and attuned to his surroundings, but right now, that intense focus was solely on her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked happily, heat blooming across her skin. Despite being injured, lying in a hospital bed, having Grayson cross the room toward her was somehow still sexy as hell.
He set the flowers down on her bedside table and sank down into a chair beside her. “I take it the blush spreading across your cheeks means this a good surprise?” he asked, smiling.
“Yeah, absolutely. Wow. I’m just in shock,” she said with a laugh. “And I look awful.”
“No,” he countered. “You look beautiful.”
“I do not,” she scoffed.
He leaned over and took her hand, his thumb lightly caressing her skin. His hands were muscular and calloused, but he held hers so carefully, she didn’t want him to let go. Ever. He smelled faintly of soap and the woodsy scent she’d noticed a few days ago. Pure Grayson. It was masculine and arousing as hell.
And with the way he was currently looking at her? Heat coiled in her belly.
She flushed, knowing she was barely covered in her hospital gown. Her body instantly responded to his presence, and she hoped he couldn’t see her nipples pebbling through the thin material. What would it feel like having a man like Grayson kissing her, moving over her? She could barely even imagine a guy like him caressing her body, kissing her everywhere, and then making love to her.
This was crazy.
She never fantasized about men she didn’t even know. She was the type of woman who didn’t even sleep with a guy until they were seriously involved with one another and had been dating at least a month or two.
But Grayson?
She had thoughts racing through her head that she’d never entertained before.
“You do look beautiful,” he said, his voice gruff. “Your eyes are sparkling, your cheeks are pink—you’re alive and well, sweetheart. I was scared as hell when I heard that explosion, and then when we ran across base and saw your building on fire? Jesus,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I go into dangerous situations all the time with my teammates, but I was fucking terrified that something had happened to you.”
“Thank you for finding me,” she whispered.
He lifted her hand to his lips, lightly brushing his mouth over her as shivers raced down her spine. His short beard tickled her skin, and she wondered what it would feel like moving over other areas of her body.
“I wouldn’t have rested until I did,” he assured her. “Nothing would’ve stopped me.”
He lowered their hands back down but held onto hers, leaning close. “You ran into a burning building to save me,” she said in disbelief. “I still can’t believe you did that—we’d just met.”
“You thought I would leave you there?”
“No,” she countered, shaking her head. “Not leave me, exactly. But I never would’ve expected you to come looking for me. To find me in that mayhem. You didn’t even know where my room was.”
He stared at her a beat, an unreadable expression on his face. She couldn’t deny the chemistry and connection she felt with Grayson. Goodness, she’d noticed him and his team coming in her office the afternoon of the explosion. But it seemed crazy to be so attracted to a man she didn’t know. Judging from the way he was looking at her right now though? He seemed to be feeling the exact same thing.
She sobered, thinking about all the implications of that night. “Did you get my note?”
He nodded. “I did. I came to check on you the next day at the hospital, but you’d already been transferred out. I wish I’d gotten a chance to see you before you had to go,” he said softly. “I would’ve come first thing that morning, but we had to work.”
She smiled as he gazed down at her. “How did you even get here?” she asked, unable to take her eyes away from his face.
His lips quirked. “The same way as you. I flew.”
She shook her head. “No, really. And don’t tell me you went AWOL or something.”
“No, nothing like that,” he assured her. “We finished our mission and were on our way home. Sometimes we fly through Germany, like we did today. I convinced our commander I needed to see a special patient in the hospital though before we headed back to the States.”
“You did not!” she said, looking at him in bewilderment.
His lips pressed together, and she frowned. “Wait, what’s wrong? Why did you need to see me?”
She tried to pull her hand away, but he resisted, still gently holding it as he sat at her bedside.
“I needed to make sure you were okay, but I did want to discuss something that happened back in Bagram. You already guessed my buddies and I are Special Forces,” he said in a low voice. His thumb lightly rubbed back and forth over the back of her hand, sending electricity coursing straight through her. “I came because I wanted to see you, but there is something else. We were there in Bagram for a mission, and let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.”
“I’m not surprised, what with the suicide bomber and explosion at my building. Was that a suicide bomber, too?”
Grayson shook his head. “No. They found traces of explosives that had been planted there.”
She gasped. “What? How is that even possible? Was it someone on base? You can’t just sneak in....”
He met her gaze, not saying a word. Doctors and nurses continued moving in the hallway, machines beeped around them, and she had a feeling there was a lot he wasn’t telling her. He probably couldn’t, but that didn’t make her feel any better.
“This stays between us, all right?”
“Of course,” she assured him.
“We’re concerned there is a mole on base. A traitor. The enemy knew we were coming, what my team and I were there for. And with the two bombings—it’s too much to be a coincidence. The enemy isn’t that damn lucky.”
“So how does this involve me?” she asked in confusion. “You said you told your commander it was important for you to see me?”
He frowned. “We’re concerned that the traitor might be someone in the general’s office. The high level of information they seemed to know about our operations narrows down the field quite a bit. When you’re home and recovering, you’ll probably be questioned. Not that you’re suspected in anything,” he assured her. “But you see a lot of people coming through that office. You know the people who work there. They’ll be questioning everyone who worked for the general.”
“Holy crap,” she muttered.
Grayson released her hand, clasping his own together as he leaned closer. The intensity on his face scared her a little. He’d come to see her because he liked her—that much was obvious. But he’d come because of work, too. This entire afternoon was starting to feel surreal—like she was stuck in a movie or something.
She inhaled his woodsy scent, wishing that he could pull her close and keep her safe. She couldn’t ask him to hold her—Grayson wasn’t her boyfriend. Maybe they did both like one another, but this was the very beginning of their relationship, if she could even call it that.
“I just wanted to tell you to be careful. We don’t know who was behind this or even if there is in fact a traitor. It’s all being investigated as we speak.”
“But it could be someone I know,” she whispered.
Grayson nodded. “You’ll be off for the next month as I understand, which is a good thing. Whoever it is, most likely is still at Bagram. You’ll be across the ocean.”
“But what if they were hurt, too?” she asked. “Couldn’t they be here in the hospital?”
“Shit,” Grayson muttered. “Yo, K-Bar!” he called out.
Hailey nearly gasped in surprise as a huge man strode into her room a beat later. She recognized him from the cafeteria on base. He seemed to be big and brooding and was pretty much just scary looking. Attractive, she supposed, but too intimidating for most women to immediately gravitate to.
“What’s wrong, Ghost?” he asked, eyeing Grayson.
“Get with Raptor. Hailey just suggested the bomber could’ve been injured and brought here.”
The other man’s eyes narrowed, looking between Grayson and Hailey. He pressed his lips together and nodded, looking somewhat impressed with her assessment.
“Oh, and Hailey, this is Jackson, one of my teammates.”
“Hi,” she said weakly, still a little intimidated by the large man standing in her hospital room.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said in a deep voice. “Gray’s a good guy.” His gaze landed back on Grayson. “I’ll find a phone and call Raptor.”
Grayson nodded, signaling him about something, and then Jackson left the room.
“What was that about?” Hailey asked.
“We don’t know who could be listening to our conversation,” he said in a low voice.
“I don’t like this,” she said, shivering.
Grayson reached down and pulled a blanket up over her. It felt intimate and sweet. For such a macho guy, he definitely had a softer side. “The other thing I wanted to talk about is your friend.”
“I still haven’t heard anything about her,” Hailey said, sitting and wincing slightly as she held her ribs.
“Shit, just lean back,” Grayson said, helping her to get settled again. It was weird how safe she felt with him tending to her. He seemed completely attuned to her emotions. He adjusted her blanket again and waited for her to continue.
“Was she killed in the explosion? She couldn’t just disappear. The hospitals were checking for me, and the nurse promised she’d let me know if they had any updates, but it’s been completely pointless. No one knows anything.”
“I don’t know, sweetheart. I wasn’t able to find anything either, which is concerning. All patients should have been accounted for by now. She’s listed among the missing, but most victims were already recovered from the rubble. There are very few that are gone without a trace.”
Tears filled Hailey’s eyes, and Grayson reached out, his large hand stroking her hair. He was careful to avoid the area of her stitches when his hand moved near her forehead, and Hailey looked up at him helplessly.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. We don’t know anything for certain yet. I know it’s scary not knowing what happened to her, or if she’s trapped in the building injured somewhere, but it’s too early to give up.”
“I know, I just—I can’t believe any of this is happening. None of it feels real.” A few tears slipped down her cheeks, and Grayson leaned closer, gently wiping them away. She felt silly, crying here in her hospital bed. He’d come to see her, and she was losing it.
“I wish I could stay here with you, Hailey. I convinced my commander to let me visit you while we were in Germany, but we’ll be flying out soon. We have to go home and debrief. I hate that you don’t know where your friend is. And I hate that you were hurt and are here all alone in the hospital.”
She nodded her head shakily. “I’m okay. I’ll be okay,” she amended. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered. “I couldn’t believe it when you suddenly appeared in my doorway. And thank you for the flowers.”
“You’re welcome. And don’t forget I still owe you dinner,” he said, his smile tender as he looked down at her. “Tell me your cell number. I did look up your work email, but I want you to call or text when you’re back home. I’ll write down my number for you, too, so you have it.”
“But you don’t have your phone with you.”
“No, but we’re leaving. I’ll be back in the States before you.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “I need to get a replacement phone, but I’ll write down my number. Hopefully I can keep the same one since my phone was ruined.” She sniffed again, her hand moving to her forehead.
“I’m sorry you had to go through any of that. How are you feeling?” he asked, looking at her with concern. “I should’ve asked you that first thing.”
“Sore. Tired. I’m ready to get out of here and go home at this point. I haven’t slept very well since everything happened, and honestly? The hospital food sucks.”
He chuckled. “Where will you stay when you fly back? You said your things are in storage.”
“They are. I’ll stay with my parents for a couple of weeks and then soon after that I’ll be moving. My things in storage will be shipped out—well, trucked across the country most likely. My job recommended some apartment complexes out there, and I already signed a lease. I’ll start my new position in a month I guess. I was supposed to be here until then, but....”
“Hell, I can’t wait,” he said with a grin. “I want us to get to know each other. Let me know when you’re coming. The guys and I will help you move everything in.”
“I’ll have movers,” she protested.
“Yeah, but you’re still recovering. I don’t want you to worry about moving stuff around your apartment. I can haul boxes and stuff to make it easier for you to unpack. It’s the least we can do.”
“The least?” she asked with a laugh. “You saved my life. If anything, I should be doing something for you, not the other way around.”
“You can have dinner with me,” he quipped, his eyes sparkling.
“That’s the thanks that you want?” she teased.
“Well, maybe a goodnight kiss,” he said with a wink. “But we’ll get you moved in and settled first. Then I’ll finally get to take you out on a proper date. Hell, who would’ve thought I’d meet a woman halfway around the world who was moving to San Diego?”
“Not me,” she said.
He eyed her, and she looked at him curiously. “I want you to be careful back home, Hailey. We don’t know who might have been behind this, so don’t let your guard down.”
“I won’t,” she assured him.
“I’ll feel better when you’re out in California. Then at least I’ll be close by.”
“Grayson, we barely know each other. I’m thrilled that you came to see me, and I can’t thank you enough for saving me, but you’re not responsible for me.”
“Maybe I want to be,” he said, an intense look in his eyes. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we met. Yeah, it’s fast and crazy, but hell. I’m old enough to know what I want. To recognize something good when I see it.”
“But we barely know each other,” she said again.
“That’s easily enough remedied. I’m looking forward to our date, sweetheart. We’ll take things slowly—I know you’re recovering and moving and starting a new job. I want to get to know you though. And I want you to get to know me. I like everything I’ve seen so far.”
“Me too,” she admitted.
He flashed her a grin before standing. “Write down your number so I can text you. And get better. I know it’s hard now, but you’ll get stronger every day. I’m glad that you’ll be able to recover at your parents’ house—I won’t have to worry about you being all alone. And then I’ll see you in a few short weeks.”
She nodded, smiling despite the fact that her eyes were watering again.
Grayson took the slip of paper where she’d written her number and then brought her hand to his lips, kissing it softly. It was gentle and sweet, and she felt right there and then that he’d stolen a piece of her heart.
“I wish I didn’t have to go. We’ve got to fly home and debrief with our commander.”
She looked at him questioningly.
“I forget that you’re DOD. I know you pretty much already guessed, but my friends and I are Navy SEALs. We’re based out of Coronado.”
“I figured it was something like that.”
He nodded. “I don’t usually tell women I’ve just met what I do, but considering you work for the general and were injured in the bombing? I want you to be safe. I want you to know that you can trust me.”
“And you really think the mole or traitor or whatnot could be a threat to me?”
He looked at her seriously. “I don’t know. You may know something you don’t realize. The fact that you work in the general’s office means you could know this person. They’ll be interviewing you and your colleagues.”
“That’s so messed up,” she muttered.
“It is. So I want you to be careful.”
“Right. Better safe than sorry.”
“I just met you, sweetheart. I don’t want you to be in harm’s way. It kills me that you were already hurt in the bombing. I wish you never had to go through any of that.”
“You’re sweet,” she said softly.
Grayson smiled. “Don’t tell my buddies that, okay? I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Your secret’s safe with me,” she joked.
“And you’re safe with me, Hailey. I’ll text you when I get home. Whenever you get a new cell, you can call or text me back. And I’m serious—let me know when you’re moving, because we’ll be there to help. I can’t wait to see you again.”
She nodded, feeling uncertain, and Grayson ducked down and softly brushed his lips over her forehead. Sparks shot straight through her at his touch, and as he stood up and said goodbye, she knew she’d never be the same again.
