CHAPTER NINE
Joel leaned over and laced his running shoes and felt perspiration run down his back. The humidity was already high at seven in the morning. The back door scraped open, and he heard Vivi’s footsteps as she approached. Her pink running shoes came into view as she stood before him. Rising slowly, he let his eyes travel up her long sexy legs, across her round hips, and up to her sports bra. Wait…she can’t run in that. “Morning, honey. It seems you forgot to put on a T-shirt.” When his gaze met her flashing eyes, he knew that he should’ve kept that last thought to himself. Adjusting his cap, he quickly tried to come up with something that would head off the blast that he was about to receive. When her hand moved to the top of his shorts and started a slow ascent up the front of his chest, he lost his cognitive functions and wondered if he was going to survive whatever she had in mind.
“I’m not going to wear a shirt if you don’t.” Letting her hand rest against his chest, she smiled innocently into his eyes. “It’s hotter than blazes out, and I have no desire to become…hotter.”
Swearing under his breath, he counted to ten slowly in his head. Having Vivi half-naked with her hand resting against his skin was about to make him combust. “Have mercy on me, please. How do you expect me to run next to you when you have all that skin showing?”
“I can say the same thing about you, Joel. I don’t think the women of New Orleans are ready to behold all your naked glory before they’ve had their morning coffee.”
“I don’t have any naked glory, Vivi.”
Stepping back and lifting her hand away from his chest, she studied him from the top of his light brown hair right down to his running shoes. He swore she let her eyes linger when she hit the middle, but he was too polite to point that out. “I’m just a beat-up old sailor.”
“You’re full of it, and we both know it.” She tightened her ponytail and spun around. “I’m not going to waste any more time discussing it.”
Pulling a T-shirt off the back of the chair, he then threw it at her head. “Wear mine if you don’t feel like running upstairs to get one of yours.”
He watched her take it off her head and bring it to her nose. She inhaled the scent and then smiled. “I’ll go find one.” She threw his shirt back in his face as she passed him. “Thanks for the offer, though.”
Grinning, he watched her saunter away. Their time was coming, and all he had to do was be a patient man. He slipped his T-shirt over his head and stretched his legs as he waited for her to return. His head spun with ideas about the many ways he was going to seduce her. Smiling to himself, he watched her saunter out to the patio and twirl around.
“All covered up.”
“Thanks, honey, for showing a little mercy.”
“Let’s go and get this over with. We have to be down at St. Charles Ave. early if we expect to find a good spot. We’re meeting everyone down there at ten, and I don’t want to miss anything,” Vivi said, as she came toward him.
Following on her heels, they walked out the back gate and moved along the sidewalk. “Are we going to ignore the threats against the clinic?”
“Yes. I want to enjoy Fat Tuesday, and then I’ll face reality tomorrow.”
“Works for me.” Grabbing her hand as they walked made him feel better. “Thanks for putting a T-shirt on.” The idea of men looking at Vivi had him half-nuts, as the caveman part of his personality revealed itself. He was going to keep it to himself for as long as he could, because it probably wasn’t something that she would appreciate.
“Men don’t ogle me anymore. I’m no longer a sweet young thing ripe for the picking. I’m practically past my prime.”
Abruptly, he stopped on the sidewalk and tugged her into him. “Vivi, you’re a grown woman through and through, and I can assure you that nothing is more desirable than that.” Dropping his mouth, he kissed her with all the desire that had been running through his body. So much for patience. When her hand came up to his face and lay gently against his skin, he almost hummed with pleasure. Before the condition in his shorts became indecent, he released her lips and stepped away. “You are fucking irresistible.”
“Well…” Lifting her ponytail, she twirled it in her hand. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. I’m acting crazy, and we should start our run.”
“Good idea.”
Starting out slowly, he made sure that she kept pace with him. He had no idea how much she exercised and what she was up for. “How far do you want to go?”
“We can run over to Tulane and I can give you a mini tour. I’m probably good for a forty-minute run.”
“Okay, you lead, honey, and I’ll follow.”
Laughing, she ran alongside him. “You just want to stare at my ass.”
“Nothing wrong with that. I’m a man who knows what he likes, and I happen to like what you’ve got.” Winking, he dropped back and whistled. “Damn, woman. I like my view.”
Vivi sped up a little and grinned. “I like the new you. Now that you’re not snarling at me, you’re fun to be around.”
“I’m done snarling, honey. I’m ready to start seducing.” He watched her almost stumble when he said the word seduce. Closing in, he was ready to catch her, but she righted herself and continued moving. Shaking his head, he laughed quietly. It seemed that Dr. Vivi DuMond wasn’t quite as confident as she made out. Which made sense. Because neither was he.
It had been a long time since he thought about having someone in his life, and honestly, the whole idea scared the shit out of him. But not doing anything about his growing feelings for Vivi wasn’t an option anymore. The door had been opened, and there was no way to close it. He was going to see this thing through…no matter what. All he could hope for was they both ended up with what they wanted in the end.
***
They jogged through the beautiful campus at a leisurely pace, and Vivi pointed out different points of interest as they moved along the path. “Where did you go for your undergraduate degree, Vivi?”
“I went to Vanderbilt and then came back here and attended Tulane Medical and then went back to Vanderbilt for residency and then came back and did a general surgery residency. I never escaped the South until I joined MSF.”
He noticed that she slowed her pace as she got into her story and almost stopped when she spoke about going abroad. “Do you want to take a break and walk for a while?”
Glancing over, she grinned. “Sure. I was trying to keep up with you, but I can’t.”
“I’m still in pretty good shape for an old man.” He walked next to her along the leafy path that led around the old stone buildings. “Were you wild in college, or did you always have your nose to the grindstone?”
“I was a little wild the first three years. But when I decided that I wanted to try and get into medical school, I buckled down.”
Vivi stopped and bent over to retie her shoe, and he tried to keep his eyes averted. And he did for the first ten seconds. After that, he was a lost man. Why did he even try?
“I can feel you staring at me.” Standing up straight, she slid her hands on her hips and studied him. “How wild were you in college?”
“I went to U-Dub and had a good time. But I also played baseball while I was there, so I had to keep myself in check during the season.”
“I wonder if we would’ve become friends back then. Probably not…”
“It took me a long time to mature, so I’m guessing that I never would’ve had the guts to go after a girl like you. You probably came out of the womb knowing what you wanted and how to obtain it.”
Laughing, she let out a loud snort. “Next time you see Gideon, ask him about college. I was a geeky girl trying to become a butterfly, and there wasn’t a thing about the process that was pretty. The way you see me now is a result of the time I spent abroad and seeing my husband killed.”
Wiping her hand across her face, she almost choked. “I tried to save him, and I couldn’t. Had I been a better surgeon, or had more supplies, or been in a hospital, I might’ve been able to do it. But I wasn’t good enough, and he died in my arms.” Laughing roughly, she kicked her shoe against the ground. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to share that.” Looking around wildly, she pasted a fake smile on her face. “It’s Fat Tuesday, and we’re supposed to be celebrating.”
Watching her wipe her face and stare sightlessly almost undid him. That was a hell of a burden she was carrying around, and he was impressed that she held it together as well as she did. Looping his arm around her shoulders, he kissed her head. “I know that you did everything you could, and if anyone was going to save him, it would’ve been you.”
Their sweat-slicked bodies brushed against each other as they moved along the path, and he knew he was an ass for even enjoying it. She had just shared something incredibly painful and personal, and he was thinking about rubbing up against her naked body. This woman stirred up something in him that made him lose his good sense and manners, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. He’d spent fifteen disciplined years on the Teams, and this was a crappy time to lose his self-control. Breathing in deeply, he willed his body to obey. “Tell me about Fat Tuesday.”
“Thank you,” Vivi mumbled.
“For what, honey?”
“For not making feel like a fool for oversharing. I never do that, and I’m sorry I ruined our perfectly nice morning with tales from my past. I usually hold it in a lot better than that.”
“Jeez, Vivi. I’m not that much of a jerk. Nobody knows better than me what the cost is of holding shit in. I’ve struggled with some PTSD. A couple of missions over the years have left some baggage that I had to work through. The one thing I took away from the navy docs was that it was never a good idea to pretend like things didn’t matter. When you do that, it comes back to bite you twice as hard. It’s better just to face it up front.”
“I’ve dealt with it for the most part, but sometimes the pain surfaces, and I’m surprised by it. Just when I think I’m moving past it, something happens, and it’s like it happened just yesterday.” Shrugging, she took his hand and held it. “That’s why I stayed abroad for so long. I tried saving as many people as I could to make up for the life that I couldn’t.”
“Sounds familiar, Vivi. I could tell you a similar story about the near-maniacal need I had to do good. After I lost two men from my Team, I became possessed. Maybe in some ways, I still am.”
“We are some kind of pair…you and I. I bet a psychologist would have a field day with us. I wonder how many issues we have between the two of us?”
“I doubt we have that many. SEALs don’t even have issues, so I doubt we’d even make one of those afternoon talk shows.”
“I don’t think that should be a measure of sanity, but what do I know? Being from the South allows me all kinds of latitude. You hardly qualify as interesting until you do something really spectacular. And when I say spectacular, I mean something that makes you infamous.”
“Well, we have that to look forward to.”
“Yes, we do. I could have a breakdown at any minute. Lord knows what that’s going to look like.”
“Is it going to be anything like the time that Ronnie, Ella, and Ana went to Walmart and started drinking in the booze aisle?”
“It wasn’t the booze aisle, it was the aisle where they sell wine and beer. I don’t think opening a screw-top bottle of wine as you shop qualifies as ‘losing your shit.’ It’s more like…testing the product to see if you want more. They poured the wine into regular glasses. It’s not like they had bad manners.” Waving her hand in front of her face, she clearly dismissed that as anything truly unusual.
“Good to know.” When he’d met her a year ago, he assumed she was the most controlled, put-together woman on the planet. She appeared perfect, without a flaw in sight, and he’d instantly disliked her. Or, to be more accurate…he was attracted to her and assumed she would never return his feelings. What a relief to know that she was human just like him. In fact, she could be a skosh crazier, which filled his heart with joy. Crazy he could handle…perfect he couldn’t.
“Let’s run home. That way I can justify all the things that I plan on eating and drinking today,” Vivi announced.
“Are you sure?”
Taking off slowly, she called behind her, “Absolutely.”
He followed her and caught up quickly. “We can walk if you want.”
“No, we’re exercising.”
“If you say so.” Jogging next to her, he couldn’t help but admire her gumption. She went after what she wanted, and it didn’t seem to matter what the end result was going to be. They were leaving the campus and about to hit a main street when Vivi slowed down. “Do you want to take the shortcut home?”
“Whatever you want, honey. I’ll follow you.” He was rewarded with a wink and a smile and felt pretty damn good.
The light changed, and Vivi was about to step off the curb when the roar of a car engine filled the air. Glancing to his left, he saw a late-model SUV move through the intersection. It came toward them with tires screeching. The smell of burning rubber filled the air as the front bumper clipped Vivi’s hip just as he pulled her back.
They flew backward against the sidewalk as the impact of the car and Joel’s arms pulled them out of danger. He kept her against his frame as he tucked his body and kept her on top of him. Instincts took over as he rolled her underneath him and quartered the surrounding area. Catching the last four numbers of the license plate, he committed them to memory. His hand flew to the back of his shorts as he searched for his gun. Fuck. He wasn’t armed.
***
When he looked down into Vivi’s frightened eyes, he instantly felt ashamed. How could he have let this happen? He’d been so wrapped up in what was transpiring between them, that he lost his situational awareness. “How are you doing?” Running his hands over her body, he checked for any immediate wounds that would need his attention. Granted, he wasn’t a doctor, but he was a trained SOF medic and he had a ton of field experience.
“Nothing’s broken, and no one shot at us,” she replied shakily.
Lifting himself off her body, he helped her up. “Take it slowly.” A crowd had assembled, and Joel scanned the group to determine if anyone seemed overly interested in them. It was possible that whoever orchestrated this had left someone behind. Nothing jumped out at him as suspicious, so he waved to the crowd. “If anyone has video of the car coming after my girlfriend, I would appreciate a copy of it.” Several people checked their phone, and Joel kept quartering the surrounding area.
Slipping his tiny phone out of his pocket, he then called Ben and gave him their location and asked for a pickup. There was no way that Vivi was going to be able to make it home. Or him, for that matter. All those years in combat had not prepared him for seeing the woman he was falling for have a car speed straight at her. His heart was beating rapidly against his chest, and his hands were shaking. At least this time, he was there. He’d pulled her away from danger and saved her. It wasn’t like what happened to Francie.
Breathing deeply, he tried to get himself together. A few people came up and said that they had caught something, so he gave them his number and asked them to send it to him. It was a long shot, but any information they could gather would be helpful.
“How are you doing, Vivi? Ben is going to be here shortly, and he’ll give us a ride home.”
Pulling her body away from him, she lifted his T-shirt and checked his side and back. She touched the gashes gently. “I need to treat your scrapes.”
Glancing down, he noticed that he had road rash along his side and back where he hit the gravel when they landed. “I’m fine.”
“Yes, you will be after I take care of you.” Nodding firmly, she glanced around at the people gathered, and tried to smile.
He could see how hard she was working not to fall apart, and he wished that she would just let it go. The adrenaline dump was going to be awful when it happened. The sooner she let it out, the better. Her bright eyes and tense face told him that she was operating especially close to the edge. “You can let it out, Viv.”
Turning her face into his neck, she whispered, “No, I can’t. If I do, then I may never stop. I would prefer not to do that while on campus.”
Holding her as close as he could, he pressed his face into her hair. “Okay. We’ll just hold on tight to one another, and when we arrive home, we’ll let it out. I have a few emotions about seeing a car come at you that might need to be expressed.” Her loud gulp and intake of breath told him that she understood. His phone buzzed, and he answered it. “Got it, man, thanks.”
“Is Ben close?”
“Yes, sweetheart. He’s five minutes out.”
“Okay, I can last five minutes.”
Maybe it was time to distract them both. “Sometimes it takes me that long to decide what I want to eat for breakfast. I don’t know about you, but I can never decide if I want sweet or salty. What about you?” Looking down Broadway, he saw Ben coming down the street. It was a good thing, because he didn’t think that Vivi had three minutes left in her, much less five. “Here comes Ben. Hold on, sweetheart.”
Flattening her body against his, she nodded into his shoulder. “To answer your question…I always prefer sweet for breakfast.”
“I guess that means we have to eat the cake you made for breakfast.”
“King’s cake for breakfast on Fat Tuesday seems like a good idea.”
“I agree,” Joel said quietly against her head. Letting out a breath, he waited for relief to wash over his bones. The horn of a car interrupted his thoughts, and he saw Ben signaling. Vivi was in real danger, and until he was confident that she was safe, there was no relief in sight. “Let’s go.”
Opening the back door of the SUV, he helped Vivi in and followed behind her. “Clear,” Joel called to Ben. “Sitrep.”
“Gideon is pulling all the footage from the security cameras in a five-mile radius. The FBI is going to analyze it, and hopefully we’ll get a hit before the end of the day. They’re going to see if anything pops with the gangs in Algiers and the crews from out of state. The best thing we can do is figure out what they believe that Vivi knows. We can neutralize from there. It might be time to take her back to Florida. We can secure the women there until we determine where the threats are coming from. Let the Feds and DEA handle the prescription drug theft. All I care about is keeping the women safe and sound.”
“Agreed,” Joel barked. He felt Vivi jump when he raised his voice. “Sorry, honey.”
“Is that your commander voice?”
Ben answered from the front. “It sure is. When we were on ops, Joel had the unenviable job of trying to get fifteen to twenty adrenaline-fueled special operators on common ground. We’re talking snipers, breachers, communicators, and translators all on the same page. Every single one of us was coiled and ready to strike, and we all had strong notions about how to accomplish the next assault. Joel corralled our crazy and listened to every single idea and eventually forged a battle plan. That loud voice of his was used several times a day, and it was guaranteed to secure everyone’s attention.”
“Good to know,” Vivi replied.
“Is the house cleared?” Joel asked.
“Dane cleared it a couple of minutes ago. No activity on any cameras, and nothing is coming in on the street cameras as well. You guys are good to go.”
Ben pulled up to the back of the house and parked the truck. “I’ll keep you posted on any developments.”
Opening the door, Joel quartered the area before helping Vivi out. “Thanks, man.” Ben saluted him, and Joel led Vivi to the door.
Releasing the security system, he opened the door and felt the air-conditioning cool his body. He reset the system and led Vivi toward the stairs. “Let’s get cleaned up, and then I’ll feed you.”
When her shoulders started to shake, he knew she was about to fall apart. Lifting her, he took her up the stairs and into her room. Collapsing on her bed, he held her tightly as she began to cry. “Let it out, Viv.” Holding her, he felt a swell of pain and fear fill his chest. Seeing a car come at Vivi brought back the pain of losing Francie. Swallowing loudly, he buried his face in her hair and willed himself not to fall apart. He could deal with it later. Right now he needed to take care of Vivi. That was a much better thing to focus on. And his best choice.