Page 34 of Kidnapped By a SEAL

She heard the huff of his laugh. “That’s a negative, sweetheart. Coffee? Yes. But you’ll have to make do with a regular old coffeemaker. Plus whatever canned goods and rations are stocked here.”

“Hey, after being held captive for a month? I can work with a regular old coffeemaker.”

Ryker growled beside her. “Jesus Christ, I want to make those bastards pay for ever touching you.”

“You rescued me,” she said. “That was the best revenge. They never got what they wanted—me as one of Izallah’s wives.”

“It wasn’t enough,” he grumbled.

“It was more than enough,” she countered, “because now I’m here with you and not locked in a damn dark room. I’m not being beaten or raped.”

Ryker muttered a curse, parking in front of the house.

“He doesn’t have this place booby trapped or something, does he?” Emily asked.

Ryker barked out a short burst of laughter. “No, he’s military like me. He’s got weapons here, I’m sure, but he’s not some survivalist nut. He just likes his peace and quiet out here.”

Emily opened her door and climbed out, meeting Ryker at the back of the Jeep. He’d produced a large flashlight, which he handed over to her. She held it as he grabbed their bags. “It’s kind of eerily quiet out here,” she said. “It’s still better than the damn desert though.”

Chapter 15

Ryker opened the door to his buddy’s cabin, carrying their bags in as Emily followed behind him. He flipped on a light switch, bathing the rustic living room in light.

“Wow. It’s actually kind of beautiful in here,” she said from beside him as she shut the door. He glanced over, watching her as she took in the room. She was significantly smaller than him, coming up only to his shoulder. The fact that he was so much bigger than her made his protective instincts soar.

She stood straight though and carried herself with a confidence that he liked. Despite being wounded and captured, she hadn’t lost whatever fighting spirit she had.

Her dark hair swished around her face as she looked up at him.

“Yep,” he agreed. “After long deployments, my buddy wanted a quiet place to retreat. I’ve got the spare key because he needs someone to keep an eye on it while he’s gone.”

“But you’re all the way down in Virginia Beach,” she said.

He lifted a shoulder. “Just helping him out. Some guys can be gone for eighteen months. It’s not like I need to drop by every weekend or something.” His gaze slid to her sweatshirt. “You’re a Nats fan?” he asked, referring to the Washington Nationals baseball team.

“I almost bought season tickets, but I travel a lot for work. It seemed like a waste.”

“I get it,” he said, setting their bags down. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a text to Hunter. “Just letting the team know where we are,” he told her.

“You should get some sleep,” Emily said. “You look totally exhausted.”

He nodded, not completely surprised that she’d noticed. He’d been up since oh-five-hundred. After drills on base, basketball, and then driving up to Georgetown and out to the Shenandoah mountains, he was wiped. That didn’t mean he’d crash before making sure the cabin was safe for them. “Yeah. Let me just walk around and make sure everything looks secure first. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, but it’s better to check. I haven’t been by in a few months.”

“Bedrooms are down here?” she asked, looking toward the hallway.

“Yep. There’s just one, but I’ll crash out here on the sofa.”

She nodded. “I’m exhausted, too. I guess I’ll call my parents in the morning to let them know I’m gone—I’m sure they’ll totally freak out if I call them right now in the middle of the night. They’ve had enough to worry about lately.”

“It’s better that you’re safe,” he said, meeting her gaze. A beat passed, and he had the strange urge to go down the hallway with her, to take her into his arms and hold her close all night. Not that he was about to let that happen.

“True,” she agreed, pulling the handle up from her suitcase. She wheeled it down the hallway before he could protest.

Ryker walked to the windows, making sure they were each locked, and then went to look around the kitchen. The window there was secure and nothing looked disturbed from the last time he’d checked in on the place.

He stashed his bag beside the sofa and walked down the hallway. He didn’t want to bother Emily but needed to hit the head before bed. They’d deal with food and scoping out supplies and whatnot in the morning. He’d brought some stuff along from Emily’s condo, and he knew his buddy kept a ton of canned goods and other nonperishables.

Glancing into the bedroom as he passed by, he saw Emily standing beside the bed, pulling off her sweatshirt. Her breasts pushed against the tee shirt she still had on, and he swore he’d never seen anything sexier in his life.

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