Read Code Name: Kayla's Fire for Free Online Page B

her.
    “Either way, I’m
coming, Kayla. I’m worried about you.”
    “I’m fine.”
    “Yeah, yeah, you’re
always fine. You need to get out of there and take a breath. You love Kauai.
We’ll go there. Laze around. We both need some R&R.” He chuckled. “You can
burn your ass like you did last time snorkeling.”
    “Very funny.”
    “Seriously, Angel, I
know what being hunted by the Shark is doing to you, even if you won’t admit
it.”
    Greg had an eerie way
of tuning into her frequency. They always spent their vacation time together.
“Hawaii, huh?” A familiar sound of triumph, if not relief resonated through the
line. “All right, get your behind here and we’ll figure it out.”
    “See ya soon, Angel. I
love you.”
    “ Je vous aime aussi, au revoir .”
    The storm hadn’t moved
away from Thane’s expression, and the trough of angry creases intensified as
she disconnected the call. “He’s coming?” he rumbled.
    She sat the phone down
and shored up her defenses; she would not buckle under because of his expanding
chest, and an aura quickly turning white hot. “For a visit.”
    “On his way to Hawaii?”
    Over time, she’d
learned Thane’s anger meter. When he stilled, it meant he was peaking out. “To
pick me up on his way to Hawaii.”
    “What?” At a half-shout,
heads cranked around and stared at the man radiating anger at dangerous levels.
“Are you seriously considering this?” A flash of insecurity rose in his eyes.
“You’re going to get on a plane with a guy that loves you?”
    The couple next to them
darted glances their way, and she lowered her voice. “Thane,” She rubbed her
temples, and felt like screaming inside. “His CO wants him to use some leave,
and probably shake the war off his back. He’s reaching burnout, and his senior
officer sees it. It’s regular operating procedure in Canada. There’s only a
couple hundred JTF guys, and they’re overworked.” Thane’s biceps strained. If
he uncoiled, he was going to neutralize something or someone. “I think he’s
right. I need to get away for a little bit, and regroup.”
    Thane’s brow furrowed,
and he began to work his jaw. “You mean get away from me, is that it?”
    “Stop it, Captain. This
isn’t about you. We always take our holidays together, every year, a couple
times a year.”
    Thane leaned forward,
his eyes pinned to hers. “So for a couple weeks he can pretend he has what he
desires.”
    Sparks flared in his
eyes, and she looked away. “He’s as close to me as a brother.”
    “He wants to be your
lover. Again,” Thane shot back.
    “I’m—”
    “ Je vous aime aussi . I love you also,” he said wistfully. “And you
don’t think that gives him hope, Kayla?” His expression emptied, and he dropped
his gaze to the table then shook his head. “You’ve never said that to me.”
    “Said what? I love
you?” A small laugh jumped from her throat. “You’re kidding, right?”
    Thane’s Adam’s apple
bobbed. “You say it to Mace. You say it to Lapierre.”
    What
the hell? “Are you criticizing me? I say it because I mean
it, Captain, and I don’t say it to a lot of people.”
    Thane rolled the bottom
of his bottle, following the embossed tiles of the table. “I’ve noticed,” he
said, shifting in his chair.
    She reached for his
trident hanging around her neck, and his eyes rose to track her movement.
Countless months of restraint between them had finally broken when the Shark
turned all his attention on her. Fear kept her mind looking one way, while her
desires snuck under the fence and ran rampant. She had to herd those desires
back into the pen, or she’d be making the biggest fool out of herself, and
telling him the same thing, except it wasn’t the same kind of love. It was the
dangerous kind.
    “I need a break, and so
do you.” She swiped her purse from the back of the seat, digging for some bills
tossing them on the table, and sliding her glass over a corner, so they
wouldn’t