Running Fire

CHAPTER FIVE

KELL MOVED SILENTLY down the long tunnel enclosed in complete darkness. He’d made this trip so many times, he didn’t need any light. His hearing was keyed for any slight change of sounds from what he knew to be normal.

His heart was pounding hard. He’d been jogging for two miles from his hide back to the cave complex. His heart yearned for Leah. No matter what he tried to do, Kell couldn’t get her out of his mind, his heart or his body. Damn, but the woman attracted him.

He held the Win-Mag easily in his right hand, beginning the ascent that would take him home. To her. He was late by two hours and he hoped Leah hadn’t worried. Being a sniper wasn’t a nine-to-five job.

As he approached the cave, he saw a very faint light, indicating she had a penlight on. His nostrils flared and he could smell an MRE that she was eating. Spaghetti. Grinning to himself, he rounded the entrance and found her standing, alert, watchful. Had she heard him? And then, with a jolt, he realized she was dressed in one of his clean, tan T-shirts and a pair of his cammie trousers. The long legs of his trousers had been rolled up to her ankles. Halting, Kell took off his damp boonie cap.

“Looks like you raided my fashionable-clothes closet,” he teased, coming forward. Kell saw that Leah had bathed. His gaze missed nothing. She had taken the sling off, too. Even in the shadows, he could tell she was stronger, a confident look gleaming in her eyes.

“Guilty.” She pointed to her flight suit that she’d washed and was drying on a rock near the pool. “It should be dry by tomorrow morning.” Leah felt her pulse rise as Kell moved like a silent shadow toward the rear of the cave where she stood. “Is everything okay?”

Hearing the worry in her tone, he set the sniper rifle against the wall, got out of his H-gear and set everything near his sleeping bag. “Yes. Sorry I’m late. No way to contact you.” Kell glanced over at her, his gaze automatically falling on her lips. What would it be like to touch that mouth of hers? If he kissed Leah, would she respond? Or push him away? His gaze went to her eyes. He could see she looked much better.

“I was worried,” Leah admitted. “I got out an MRE for you. Are you hungry?”

Kell straightened, rolling his shoulders, getting rid of the tension in them. “Yeah, I’m a starving cow brute. You’ve been busy,” he commented, giving her a grin. “Place looks clean as a whistle.” He gestured around the area.

Pleased he’d noticed, Leah stepped forward, handing him the MRE. When their fingers briefly touched, she felt a powerful yearning radiate outward within her heart. A burning in her lower body went from simmer to boil.

The look in his eyes changed, grew turbulent as their fingers met. Kell felt it, too—an invisible magic that seemed to exist between them. Shaken, Leah stepped back, unsure of herself, not him.

She sat back down on her sleeping bag, drawing up her knees and placing her arms around them. “I feel pretty much back to normal,” she told him as he sat down. Kell looked tired. Leah could see the strain by the way his skin stretched across his cheekbones. “Wish I could do more. You look whipped.” And of course, she’d awakened him last night, causing him more loss of sleep. It wasn’t a good thing and Leah knew it.

“Tough day at the office,” he said, eating hungrily. “The assault’s underway. I was on the sat phone with the master chief just before dark, giving him more intel on what’s coming over the border. There’s been nothing but clashes going on down in the valley area all day long.”

“So, you were very busy.” She knew snipers often were the eyes and ears for high command, so that timely decisions could be made. They were a very important force multiplier tool out in a constantly changing war like this.

“Very. I wasn’t bored.” Kell lifted his head and grinned over at her. “Did you get the note I left you?”

“I did. That was so sweet to leave me candy.” Leah smiled into his dark eyes that burned with a look that sent fire streaking through her. “I loved the M&M’s. Thank you.”

Shrugging, he said between bites, “I figured you could use a lift. Chocolate does it for me and I was hoping it would do it for you, too.” Well, it did only so much for him. Kell’s desire for Leah was so damned urgent and constant, no amount of chocolate would douse the fire in his groin or the need for her growing in his heart.

“It was wonderful,” she admitted softly. “And thoughtful of you.” She saw him nod, those stormy gray eyes of his making her feel desired. Leah forced herself to quit watching his lips move as he ate. Kell’s mouth was chiseled and somehow, Leah sensed he’d be an incredible kisser. Groaning to herself, she felt sensitized to his gaze. Even her breasts were tightening beneath his too-large T-shirt. She’d washed her cotton bra, too, but it was still damp.

Keeping her arms across her breasts stopped her nipples from standing out from the fabric. Now, she wished she’d put on the damp bra.

Kell put the MRE aside, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “What else did you do today?” He saw she was protecting her breasts, understanding her only bra was hanging off another rock near the pool. Forcing himself to keep his eyes above her neck, he had no desire to make her feel uncomfortable.

Leah gestured toward the other cave. “After I got clean in the pool, I went looking for something to wear,” she admitted. “I found your clothes thrown all over the place. That cave was a mess, so I spent part of the day just folding clothes and organizing a few things.”

“Bored, eh?” Kell chuckled. Getting up, he said, “Let’s go take a look.” Leah stood and joined him. He watched her walk. “No more dizziness?”

“None, thank goodness,” she murmured, walking at his side. He was so tall she felt somewhat dwarfed by his size, the breadth of his shoulders and chest. He moved without a sound and she was always impressed by his silence.

“And your left arm?” he asked, rounding the corner.

“Okay. Sore and tender. I really missed using my arm.” She held it up, moving her fingers. “It feels pretty good today, thanks to you.”

Kell halted inside the cave and flashed the penlight around. “Amazing,” he murmured. “You moved a lot of stuff around.” He had used this cave off and on over the years and he had to admit he wasn’t exactly organized. At least, not like now. The woman knew how to get things done and done right.

“You okay with it?” Leah asked, feeling trepidation. Hayden hated her moving anything around. He wanted everything in a very specific place. If she moved it, he flew into a rage. He was a total control freak. A fanatic.

“Sure ’nuff,” Kell murmured. “I like what you’ve done. I can see the MREs are all in one place, the boxes of water in another. Makes it easier to find them than in the mess I had.” He chuckled. Looking down at her, Kell said, “Makes me wonder what you’ll do for an encore tomorrow while I’m gone.”

“Not much,” Leah said wryly, following him to the other cave.

“Uh-oh,” Kell teased, placing the penlight between their beds, “I can tell you’re getting restless.”

She sat down, legs crossed, facing him. Kell joined her and took off his boots. “For sure. Are you going to get washed up?”

“Yes, my skin’s crawling with that fine dirt. Drives me up a wall.” He pulled off his sweat-soaked socks and put each one on a small rock outcropping to dry. “I’ve gotten spoiled having this place to land. Sometimes, I’d be out on a sniper op for two or three weeks, never getting a chance to get one shower. That’s when the baby wipes I always carry in my ruck come in handy.”

Leah watched him unwind. His male grace was breathtaking. She got to her feet. “I’ll head to the next cave while you get cleaned up,” she told him.

Kell nodded, thinking that he’d like to slowly undress Leah and go to that pool so they could wash one another. It was a lost cause, but he couldn’t stop his heated thoughts. “Sounds good. I won’t be long,” he promised.

Leah grabbed the other penlight he handed her and made her way to the other cave. He followed her and found a clean T-shirt and trousers sitting on top of one box, waiting for him. If nothing else, Kell knew she was thoughtful. She sat on a box, turned off the light, probably not wanting to waste the batteries.

Leah could hear the splash of water and closed her eyes, imagining what Kell looked like naked. Licking her lower lip, she swung sharply from wanting Kell in every way to abject fear of ever having any kind of relationship with a man again. But Kell made her want to jump back in and take a chance.

Shaking her head, Leah knew she was still working out the shock of the crash. And the tragic loss of Brian, Liam and Ted. Leah figured that by now, their families had been notified. She wasn’t even sure if there would be any evidence of their bodies being found at the wreckage site; no doubt they’d been burned into oblivion. She couldn’t imagine how Brian’s wife would take it, not even being able to have closure because he’d probably been burned up in the fire.

Sadness cloaked her. There was nothing good about war. All it did was take, not give. Except, she thought, hearing the splashing of water as Kell washed himself, it had given her him. What would it feel like to have Kell touch her? Really touch her, like a lover would his woman?

She was a mess and she knew it. Leah had felt enclosed and safe since the divorce from Hayden. She never saw him; they were never in the same country at the same time. Now, he’d returned. And in her backyard.

“It’s safe to come out now,” Kell called in a quiet voice.

Rising, Leah turned on the penlight and walked slowly from the cave and into the larger one. When she entered, she saw Kell pulling a tan T-shirt over his broad, dark-haired chest. The man was an incredible specimen. He was in top shape, but not heavily muscled. Most SEALs she’d met were lean, not bulked-up muscle mass. Their work was so damned demanding that their bodies never had an ounce of extra fat anywhere on them.

Leah sat down on her sleeping bag, watching Kell pull on a pair of clean socks. He had such large feet, but then, he was really tall. She enjoyed watching his hands as he tugged on the socks. “Do you feel better?”

He lifted his head, smiling. “A hundred percent.” He saw the emotion in her eyes, his senses open to her. Kell wanted Leah. All of her. Yet so much stood in the way. It seemed insurmountable to him at present. Leah’s hair was combed and formed a soft frame around her face. She was peaceful and that was good. “I’m going to need to change that dressing on your arm.”

Looking at it, she nodded. “Okay.”

He stood, opened his ruck, taking out a number of medical items. “Do you feel any more pain from it?”

Leah leaned against the cave wall, leaving him room to sit down on her bag. “No. Just tender if I twist and turn it too much.” She managed a slight smile.

Kell knelt near her left side, his knees almost contacting her hip. “That’s good to know.” Pulling on a pair of latex gloves, he lifted her arm and placed it across his thighs. He tried to ignore her nearness, but that was impossible. Taking a pair of blunt-nosed scissors, he quickly cut away the old dressing. “Things are heating up out there,” he told her, removing the dressing.

Sliding his fingers beneath her arm, he held it closer, carefully examining the long gash. The flesh was healing fine and he was pleased with his small, careful sutures. Leah might have a slight scar, but over time, it would disappear.

“How bad?” Leah asked, trying to concentrate on his words, not his touch. His fingers were gentle and her skin ignited with wild tingles beneath the roughness of his pads. She tried not to imagine those hands all over her body, eliciting all kinds of reactions from her. But she did. Closing her eyes, Leah felt her breasts tightening. And her nipples hardening. Groaning inwardly, she hoped it didn’t show through his T-shirt. She couldn’t put her arms across them right now. Oh, no...

“The Taliban are hanging around in our area. That’s why I was late. I was watching to see where they were going to make camp for tonight.”

Kell felt her breath hitch for just a moment as he moved his fingers along the line of her forearm. And as he glanced momentarily in her direction, he saw her nipples standing out against his T-shirt. His body instantly tightened. Damn. She liked his touch as much as he liked touching her. And he saw she’d closed her eyes, her head tipped back against the wall, that long, slender throat of hers exposed to him.

He fantasized about kissing Leah’s skin, licking it, nipping it here and there, creating pleasure within her. He felt her tremble inwardly as he worked over her arm. Kell swallowed hard, trying to control his body, his erection. Leah had given him no outward sign that she wanted anything from him except medical help.

Kell swore softly to himself, feeling trapped in a new and different way. He quickly applied more antibiotic to the healing gash and placed a new, waterproof dressing over it.

Leah opened her eyes as he laid her arm against her belly. “How close are they, Kell?”

He leaned back on his heels, pulling off the gloves. “Very close. They’re about two caves down from us. Maybe one tenth of a mile as the crow flies.” He saw her eyes go wide with fear.

“It’s close enough. There’s a group of about two hundred Taliban, all on horseback, taking up that group of caves,” he explained.

“Then let me help you,” she said, her voice becoming firm. “I want to leave with you tomorrow and do something to support your efforts.”

Kell heard the sincerity in her voice. “It’s mountain-goat work,” he explained.

“I’m in very good shape.”

He had to agree, but for different reasons. “You can stay here and rest. Just because you’re not dizzy today doesn’t mean you’re completely recovered, Leah. Head trauma takes time to clear.”

“You’re used to having a spotter. Right?” Leah didn’t want to spend one more day in this cave if she could help it. She’d go crazy with nothing to do.

“SEALs sometimes work without them, but I do work with a spotter when I can,” he agreed. Kell searched her face. Her chin was stubborn for a reason.

A part of him felt uneasy about leaving her alone and unprotected with the Taliban so close. He knew Leah was trained and could shoot, but with so many enemies gathering a short distance away, he weighed the options.

There was a side to him that was damned protective of women and children in general. Yes, Leah was military, and she sure as hell could kick ass when it came to flying. But on the ground? Ballard wasn’t so sure about leaving her alone, open to possible attack. She’d be outgunned.

“Okay,” he said, “I’ll let you go with me. We’ll be getting up before dawn, though. I have to find a hide on a ridge that looks down on those caves. I have to get a count of men, weapons, and try to look for their leader, Khogani. A lot of what snipers do is recon and that’s what we’ll be doing. I’m not about to shoot and give away our position. Are you up for that?”

“Anything is better than staying here alone,” Leah said, relieved. “I’m a fast learner, Kell. If you tell me to do something, I will.”

He rubbed his palms slowly up and down his thighs, thinking about her flight suit. “We’re going to have to fix you up a set of my cammies to wear.”

Leah got up. “Okay,” she said, “give me those scissors. I’ll alter the pant-leg length. If you can get me a cammie blouse, I’ll do the same for the arm length.”

He liked her attitude. The Shadow pilot was emerging, in charge, confident and assertive. He liked it a whole hell of a lot. “I have a second ruck in the other cave. While you’re cutting a pair of my trouser legs off, I’ll get it, stock it and bring the shirt back with me.”

Her spirits rose as she sat down and began to cut the thick fabric, making the trouser length shorter for her legs. Kell’s T-shirt was huge on her, but she wasn’t going to cut it.

Kell came back about ten minutes later. In one hand, he had a ruck just like the one he wore. In the other, his blouse. He handed it to her.

“Put it on and I’ll shorten the sleeves for you with the scissors,” he told her.

Getting up, Leah saw the trousers length was fine. She’d taken dark green nylon rope this morning and fashioned a makeshift belt out of it, the trousers staying around her waist instead of sliding down to her hips. She shrugged into his blouse. It was huge on her, his shoulders were so broad.

Kell grinned, taking the sleeve that hung below her long, beautiful fingers. “You’re a little thing, aren’t you?” he murmured, quickly cutting away the extra fabric. She turned, holding out the other sleeve.

“Little but mighty,” Leah said, smiling up at him. If Kell was upset with her going along, he didn’t show it.

“That you are,” he agreed gruffly, the cuff material falling away.

“This is fine,” Leah said, her hands visible now. She turned and looked at the ruck. “What’s in it?”

Kell put the scissors away and walked over to the ruck, opening it up. Kneeling down, he said, “It’s an identical copy to the one I wear. SEALs believe one is bad and two is good. Your ruck is going to weigh around fifty pounds. I’ll transfer most of the mags out of it and into mine. I don’t want you humping sixty or seventy pounds. It will really throw you off your stride and quickly tire you out.” His eyes narrowed. “And you need to remind yourself that you’re not fully recovered yet, Leah. We don’t need to go far tomorrow, which is good, but the heat out there is a killer, too.”

“As long as I have water and a hat, I’ll be fine.”

“Ever done any covert intelligence work?”

“No.”

Kell double-checked the ruck, took out a boonie hat and then closed it up. “You’re going to have to stay close to me, Leah. There’s a lot to stalking and you’re going to have to learn it on the fly.”

“I’ll learn, Kell. And I won’t be a pain in the ass.”

Shaking his head, his lips curved. “You would never be that to me, Leah. Come on, let’s get all your gear ready now before we bed down for the night. Tomorrow, when we get up, we’re going roll fairly quickly, then eat a protein bar once we get set up for the recon.”

For the next half hour, Leah felt as if she contributed. Used to working as a team, pilot and copilot, she felt excited about being Kell’s partner. An ignorant one, for sure, but she promised herself she’d catch on fast so she wouldn’t be a distraction.

Finally, she sat down on her bag after everything she needed was nearby. Surprised, Kell came over and knelt down beside her, his face unreadable

Resting his hands on his thighs, he frowned. “I’m worried because you’ve had a nightmare every night you’ve been here.”

Leah nodded, feeling guilty. “And that’s not good,” she agreed, apologetic. Voices carried. And in a cave system like this, Leah realized she could possibly alert the enemy to their whereabouts. “What can I do? I know I’m a liability.” Feeling bad, there was no way she wanted to put them at risk. Maybe stuff a sock in her mouth? She cast around for solutions and found none. “Maybe I could go sleep in the other cave?”

He shook his head. “No. If you screamed like you did last night, Leah, we’ll be in trouble no matter where you’re sleeping.”

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