“Make no mistake. She’s mine. Now, before we end up in a pissing contest, I’d like for you to tell me what exactly is going on. And why wasn’t I informed you’d be visiting her?”
“I was the one who got her in the NEST program,” Porter said frostily. “I don’t answer to you, Blake. Dr. Lester is under my command. If you don’t like how I run things, say the word and we’ll stop giving her the help she needs.”
“I don’t respond well to threats, Admiral.”
There was a long stretch of silence between them. Finally, Porter said, “I think you’re overreacting. Caitlin is in no danger from me. The sooner I get the mob off your back, the better.”
A normal person would feel castigated by Porter’s statement. But Travis had been honed by years of looking at things beyond what they seemed. The admiral was desperate to get Caitlin back into fighting form with her tradecraft. Why?
“No way am I having her work for the CIA again,” Travis said. “The agency was the reason she was taken from me in the first place. I’ll come up with that hundred million to pay off the mob if that’s the price to keep the CIA’s fucking hands off her.” Travis paused, before he added, “Sir.”
“That’s not what’s happening here, Blake.” Porter sighedheavily. “First your wife and now you? I just want to get Komarov to leave your wife alone.”
“Caitlin asked you your reasons for helping, too?” Travis asked, strangely pleased that she wasn’t blindly following Porter’s orders.
“Your woman’s got a mouth on her. She’s going to be a handful.”
Oh, he looked forward to that, but not in the way Porter thought.
“I’ll let you go. I just wanted you to know where I stand regarding Caitlin’s treatment at the NEST. I don’t want any surprises. I hope you understand why I’m cautious about everything that has to do with her well-being.”
“She’s not going to break when a memory hits her, Blake.”
“Nonetheless, I’m not taking any chances.”
“Smothering her will only push her away.”
There was that damned word again.
“We play this my way,” Travis said shortly, leaving the “or else” hanging between them.
The call ended on a tense note. Though not the first time they had butted heads, this was the first time Travis had issued something like a threat. He’d always deferred to Porter because years in the Navy had ingrained in Travis the importance of the chain of command. It had taken a while for him to shake out of Porter’s rank as an admiral and start questioning some of his ideas. Loosening his tie, he made his way up the stairs to prepare for his date with Caitlin.
6
It wasn’teasy to hide the thin, jagged scar that ran along the side of her jaw. Concealer might do the trick under some lighting conditions, but right now, the raised flesh was taunting her like a wart on a witch’s nose. Caitlin exhaled in resignation as she lowered her blonde mane to frame the right side of her face.
In some ways, amnesia was a blessing in that she didn’t remember what she looked like pre-scarface. And she normally wasn’t conscious about the blemish. But going out with Travis? That man was perfection. He could have any woman he wanted. Clichéd as that sounded, it was true.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Caitlin would admit, her eyes were her best feature. They changed color from a hazel brown to green, and at times, there were golden rings around her dark irises. She got up from her chair to slip on a selection from her new wardrobe. She opted for the ivory-tiered top with a waist-cinching ruffle. She paired this with a simple black pencil skirt. The look was very feminine. Lord knows, after wearing nothing but jeans and t-shirts, she was excited to primp again. She strapped on silver rhinestone sandals to complete her look, leveraging the extra three inchesso her five-three height wouldn’t look too diminutive beside Travis’s towering frame.
She took a couple of tentative steps. Yes, she could do this without breaking her neck. She hoped.
After swiping a layer of pink gloss on her lips, she brushed imaginary lint from her skirt and stared at herself in the mirror once more. Heavens, she was nervous. Like she was the class geek going out with the star quarterback.
This is not high school. She didn’t remember high school anyway.
She was thirty years old. A bit screwed in the head, but she was told she was smart. Travis seemed blind to her scar anyway. Not once had she seen him look at it. He stared at her eyes or her lips. The thought made her quiver, and feel a tad warm.
When she finally had the guts to make her way downstairs, Travis was already waiting for her. He had showered, and his dark hair was damp and curling sexily under his ear. He was wearing a blue dress shirt and dark grey trousers. His five-o-clock shadow defined his strong jaw even more.
She wanted nothing more than to jump his bones.
His eyes widened as he took in her appearance; his jaw slackened and snapped shut. Caitlin was oddly pleased for it seemed she had rendered him speechless.
“Holy fuck,” his voice was raspy. He snapped out of his trance a few seconds later and cleared his throat. “You. Look. Exquisite.”
He walked purposefully toward her, and she actually took a step back from the scorching look in his eyes. But before she could take a second step back, he had reached her. He hauled her against him and his lips were on hers, his tongue demanding immediate entry into her mouth. His kiss was bruising, forcing her jaws open so wide, she had trouble breathing. But breathing seemed inconsequential compared to the feelings he was evoking deep within her. The growlvibrating from his throat excited her beyond measure. Somehow his hand had gone under her skirt; she could feel its hot imprint on her ass. The hand slipped over her hip and moved between her legs, his fingers sliding over the crotch of her panties.
