“Where are you?” Navy Captain Aidan Sullivan asked in a groggy voice. The bedroom in the small French Quarter apartment that overlooked a secluded courtyard had the French doors open, letting in a breeze even though it was July. After eleven in the morning, the air conditioner came on, no matter how romantic the view was.
“I’m making coffee, and you’re supposed to still be sleeping,” Navy Commander Berkley Levine said from what sounded like the kitchen.
“I’m awake in an empty bed.” Aidan rolled over, stared at the ceiling, and combed her blond hair back as she yawned. “You know the rules, Levine.”
Berkley appeared in the doorway completely naked, so Aidan focused on her tall, fit body, hoping Berkley wasn’t too set on having coffee anytime soon. “Do you plan to get up, or do you need an incentive?” Her straight posture with her hands on her hips looked quintessentially naval aviator—a little cocky and a hell of a lot sexy.
“If you come over here you can incentivize me all you want, baby.” She tossed the sheet off and smiled at the thought of how long Berkley would hold out. “You can make up for not being here when I woke up.”
“I didn’t break any rules—I was here when you woke up.” Berkley knelt on the bed and fell forward, stopping herself at the last moment before she completely collapsed on her. “And we don’t have time for any kind of incentives.” Aidan frowned when Berkley kissed her nose and started to get up. “Your parents arrive today, and I don’t want to be late picking them up.”
She wrapped her legs around Berkley to keep her in place, amazed that Berkley lifted her off the bed and held her while she kissed her on the lips this time. She should be used to the instant arousal by now, but it still stole her reason and had from the beginning.
They’d met in Hawaii nine years prior, and she’d tossed her carefully held caution in all things overboard and gone out with the young, good-looking aviator, only to sleep with her on their first date. That, she still couldn’t believe, but Berkley did things to the rational part of her brain, as in turning it off so her primal desires could take over.
“Do you remember our first date?” she asked when Berkley ended their kiss so she could lay her back down.
“I do,” Berkley said, lowering her head to suck on her nipple until it puckered steel hard. “That Chinese place you ordered from had fantastic egg rolls.”
“You suck,” she deadpanned.
“I sure do.” Berkley laughed as she made her way down Aidan’s body and spread her legs. All she could do was buck up into Berkley’s mouth when she sucked her clit in and ran her tongue over it. She’d wanted it to last, but she couldn’t possibly curb her need to come.
“Baby, please.” She grabbed Berkley’s head and tugged her closer. “Put your fingers in,” she said before groaning loud enough to feel a reverberation in her chest. Berkley slowed down, which was maddening. “I need you,” she said, sounding way out of breath and desperate, but Berkley gave her what she wanted. She slid two fingers in and sucked harder until she came with another loud moan.
“You’d better pray Mr. Comeaux isn’t out there watering his lilies,” Berkley said as she came up and held her as her heart rate slowed down.
They’d rented the place for a month enjoying the first vacation either of them had taken in years. Granted, they’d met years before, but Aidan had made the worst mistake of her life by choosing the navy over Berkley, leading them to four years apart. Thankfully, Berkley had forgiven her and not only taken her back, but volunteered to join her on the carrier Aidan had been given the helm of.
Their first mission together had almost ended in disaster when Berkley had been shot down over North Korea because of David “Blazer” Morris, a traitorous little shit who was part of her flight team, but she’d miraculously made it out, her backseat, Lieutenant Harvey “Junior” Whittle, in tow with a broken leg. It had been a wake-up call for both of them, so they’d stopped wasting time and admitted what they both wanted in a future together.
“I love you,” she said as she threw her leg over Berkley’s thighs.
“I love you too, and I was kidding before,” Berkley said, holding her tight enough that she moved to lie on her. “Our first date is one of my favorite memories.”
“Really?” When Berkley looked at her so adoringly, she felt like she was falling in love all over again.
“Why in the world would you doubt that?” Berkley asked as she wiped her tears, surprising her that she was crying. “You were the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on, and I didn’t figure I had a chance no matter what I tried. You threw me by saying yes.”
“You were pretty dashing, stud, so it wasn’t a hardship.” She leaned down and kissed Berkley until she held her tighter.
“What brought on your question?”
She put her head on Berkley’s chest and closed her eyes. “This last year has been completely different from what I thought it’d be, and I’m incredibly lucky you let me back in.”
“Now that wasn’t a hardship at all, baby.” Berkley repeated what she’d said. “Besides, you can’t really ever lose what’s yours for life.”
* * *
Hawaii, Nine Years Earlier
“Are you asking me out?” Aidan asked, shielding her eyes from the sun. The sweat from her run was dripping down her back and pooling in the waistband of her shorts. The tall pilot she’d shot down in yesterday’s exercise had stopped her, and she almost kept going because of the woman’s teasing last night about her height. It was a bad idea, but the fly god was trying extra hard to be charming.
“Are you going to report me if I say yes?”
Aidan definitely remembered the woman’s smile from the night before, and she deserved some if not all of that swagger. The woman was truly stunning. “Okay, but it’s too late in the day for coffee, so it’s either dinner or wait until morning, when I’m ready to drink coffee again.”
“Dinner it is.”
“Are you going to introduce yourself, or were you raised by wolves?”
“No wolves in my family tree that I know of, and I apologize, but maybe I was trying to wait on the chance you’d turn me in. Berkley Levine.” Berkley held her hand out.
“Aidan Sullivan.” She took Berkley’s hand, not lowering her other one since the sun was still in her eyes. “Do you know where the Beach Grove complex is?”
“No. I don’t. I got here yesterday.” Berkley moved her around before letting go of her so she’d be standing in her shadow. “Seven sound okay?”
“I get off duty at six, so seven sounds great.” The easy smile on Berkley’s face made her not only more attractive, but also kind of roguish as she took her hand and wrote her address on her palm with the pen hanging off her ID badge. “I’m in 5B.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Berkley said and saluted, which seemed strange until she saw the two officers close by. The salute was sharp, and then Berkley continued her run with a stride that made Aidan think she could keep it up for miles.
“That’s trouble all wrapped up in a gorgeous package,” she whispered as she kept to the path she was on.
That thought grew exponentially throughout the day until she drove herself nearly insane enough to call Berkley and cancel, only she didn’t have her number or any way of contacting her. She was in her underwear, trying not to freak out, when she heard a knock at the door. It was only six thirty, so no way was it Berkley, but she needed to get rid of whoever it was, not wanting company when she ditched her date soon.
“Shit,” she whispered when she looked through the peephole, finding an even better-appearing Berkley in a white shirt and jeans. She took a deep breath and pulled her robe tie before opening the door. “Hi. You’re way early.”
“I wanted to make a good impression, and these are for you.” The bouquet of tropical flowers and orchids was beautiful, and that Berkley had thought to bring them made her waver about cutting this short.
“Thank you, and please come in. I got stuck with some last-minute things today and was late getting home.” Her one and only vase was in the cabinet over the refrigerator, and Berkley got it down for her when she followed her in there. “Do you mind waiting for me a few minutes?”
“Take your time,” Berkley said, watching her deal with the flowers.
“There’s wine and beer in the fridge if you want either.” She tried to be a good hostess but quickly made it to her bedroom and closed the door before Berkley decided to follow her in there as well.
Since Berkley wasn’t in uniform, she put on a pair of shorts and a peasant blouse she’d bought in Mexico, figuring they were going somewhere casual. Berkley was sitting on one of her stools at the kitchen counter when she came back out in her bare feet, but stood and slid her hands into her pockets when she saw her.
“Do you want me to go?” Berkley asked, having lost her smile somewhere between the door and her getting dressed. She just needed to say yes, and the rest of the night would be hers problem free.
“Why do you ask?” Curiosity postponed the smart play.
“You look either nervous or apprehensive,” Berkley said softly, “and you’re probably not the type to be either. If you are, it’s me making you that way, and if I am, I’ll go.”
Anyone who thought to say something like that was someone who deserved her time and attention. “I’m nervous because I’ve never done this before.”
“You’ve never gone out on a date?” Berkley went from resigned to incredulous in a flash, which made her laugh.
“I’m not that hideous, am I?” She dropped her shoes and sat on the sofa, patting the spot next to her. “I’ve been on plenty of dates—just not many where I could get court-martialed if anyone found out.”
“No one’s getting court-martialed.” Berkley sat and leaned back, getting comfortable. “It’s only dinner, maybe a movie, and maybe…maybe a good-night kiss on the cheek like I’m your sister, if I’m lucky.”
“Are you usually lucky?” Berkley Levine was lucky in probably everything she tried, from girls to planes.
“I’m out of practice when it comes to lucky,” Berkley said, her smile back. “The military puts you through all kinds of hell before they let you take a really expensive plane out for a spin. I’ve concentrated on flying for what seems like forever, since Commander Corbin Levine would’ve been mighty disappointed if I’d failed to make the cut.”
“Your father?” Berkley nodded. “I totally understand that.”
“I doubt yours is as demanding,” Berkley said, making Aidan snort. Her date obviously didn’t know who her father was, which was refreshing. “How about some food, we skip the movie and the kiss, and you decide if we do this again?”
“Are you open to negotiation?” She folded her legs under her and smiled, deciding to gamble.
“What are your terms?”
“We order in and watch a movie here.” If they stayed in she could enjoy Berkley’s undivided attention all night.
“And the good-night kiss?” Berkley leaned toward her but stopped, leaving plenty of room between them to decide the next move without feeling pressured.
“We should get that out of the way.” She leaned in as well and knew she’d made the right decision when Berkley kissed her softly at first. Then somehow she ended up straddling Berkley when things got heated. “Are you hungry right this minute?” The question came out of her mouth, and she wondered what the hell was happening to her, but at that moment she had to be naked.
“Famished,” Berkley said and carried her into the bedroom.
* * *
“You were going to cancel on me?” Berkley picked Aiden up and carried her to the shower. The place they’d rented was small, but it had a surprisingly large bathroom, with a claw-foot tub and a rain shower coming from the ceiling.
“I thought you were a bad idea, and then I saw you.” Aidan sat on the counter while Berkley adjusted the water, and the sight of her made Berkley forget about her self-imposed timeline. “You proved my point, but you were so gorgeous I couldn’t help myself.”
“I’m happy you decided to chance it, and after we make some headway on this crap we’ve been working on, it’s time to retire.” She went back for Aidan and kissed her when she wrapped her legs around her waist. “It doesn’t matter where we live, but it’s time we get a place for our dog and the couple of kids I’m putting in an order for.”
“Really?” The way Aidan pulled her hair made her stop before getting under the spray. “You really want that?”
They’d talked vaguely about the future but hadn’t made plans other than enjoying their time together and rebuilding their relationship. Aidan might’ve left her in Hawaii to pursue her career as a naval officer, but Berkley’s heart hadn’t flinched when she’d completely forgiven her. The only way to heal the heartbreak of Aidan’s loss was to believe she was back for good.
“What, the house or the kids?” She turned the water off. “I want both, and I don’t want to wait much longer.”
“Why?” Aidan asked, squeezing her legs tighter around her.
“Because I want to experience the wonder of seeing you pregnant with our baby, and I want to have a place where I don’t have to hide who you are to me.” Honesty was best, her father always said, but it was a scary notion if the person you were with didn’t want the same things.
“God, yes,” Aidan said before kissing her. “We talked about it years ago, but I thought you might’ve changed your mind.”
“Let’s make a deal that we’ll talk about all this stuff from now on, instead of trying to guess what we want.” She headed back to the bedroom and sat on the bed with Aidan on her lap. “No matter our mistakes, going forward, we’ll make them together no matter what.”
“I’ll gladly agree to that deal, and I’m tired of putting my biological clock on snooze.”
She laughed and ran her hands up Aidan’s back. “Anything else on your mind?”
“We haven’t gotten anywhere with our investigation,” Aidan said, resting her head on her shoulder and sighing.
“The cockroaches have done a good job of scattering and hiding, for sure, but they’ll surface. They have too much invested to back down now.”
The initial voyage of the USS Jefferson, Aidan’s first command, had been a mission to destroy two nuclear sites in North Korea. It had also been the beginning of a mutiny by some supposed patriots, who’d formed a militia group called New Horizons, led by former Vice President Dick Chandler. The men who’d joined Chandler, and were willing to die for his cause, had stolen millions from the defense budget to finance their war to bring down the current government, and they’d recruited both retired and active military to do the job.
New Horizons and its leaders had a problem with the election of the current president, Peter Khalid, and his choice for vice president, Olivia Michaels. The changes they’d instituted, like placing Aidan at the helm of the Jefferson and her in command of the flight crew, were in their opinion the death of the America they loved.
“If NSA, the CIA, and the FBI can’t find Chandler, how the hell are we going to? We’ve given enough, honey, and I’m ready to be happy and pregnant.” Aidan was hard to argue with, but so was her dedication to duty, and Berkley hated leaving something undone.
“We have a couple of weeks off, with plenty of family time planned, so let’s talk about it.”
“You promise?”
“I do as long as you promise not to believe everything my sisters say about me.”