SEAL's RESOLVE - Rebecca Deel Page 0,49
to look hard to find you.” His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “The person who planted the tracker also knows that I’m with you now.”
“That wouldn’t have been a secret for long.”
True. They still didn’t know about the rest of Wolf Pack. That gave Rafe an advantage if the kidnappers planned to attack him to clear a path to Kristi.
“We have another point in our favor,” Kristi continued. “They don’t know your background.”
“Won’t take long for word to circulate that I work for Fortress. Your father won’t be shy about sharing that information now.”
“Mercenaries aren’t viewed as scary smart, and you are.”
He smiled. “Scary smart, huh?”
“Oh, come on. You’re a Navy SEAL, a reformed FBI agent, and now work for an elite black ops security firm. You’re intelligent.” She grinned. “And you’re seriously ripped.”
Rafe couldn’t help it. He cupped her nape and kissed her. With those few words, Kristi reconfirmed that she wanted to be with him. She might change her mind, but for now she was his.
When he broke the kiss, her cheeks were pink and her breath short. “Thank you,” he murmured.
“I should be thanking you.” She laid her hand against his cheek. “I apologize for my father’s insensitive remarks. On a better day, he wouldn’t have said those things about you.”
“He’s right.”
“About what?”
“I’ve lost count of the number of people who called me an assassin.” Callie had been one of those accusers. That was one reason why she had been pushing him to leave the Teams before she was killed.
Kristi scowled. “You’re not an assassin. You’re a protector, Rafe. You tangle with the worst of humanity. You kill to protect innocents.”
He stared. Was it possible he’d finally found a woman, a society princess at that, who understood him and his job, and could accept both?
Rafe skimmed his thumb over Kristi’s kiss-swollen bottom lip. “We should go inside. Wolf Pack will be waiting for an update.”
“Why did we come here instead of going to my home?”
“You’ve seen how much we eat. I doubt you have that much food on hand.”
She grimaced. “Not unless they can make do with blueberry muffins. That’s about all I have in the kitchen.”
His eyebrow rose. “Do you cook?”
“Do you?”
“I get by.” His cheeks burned as he divulged a secret that his Wolf Pack teammates didn’t know. “I like to watch cooking shows in my downtime.”
Kristi’s mouth gaped. “Really?”
Rafe stiffened. “Hey, many famous chefs are men, and you didn’t complain about Nate’s cooking. He’s a professional chef. Cooking shows are relaxing.”
“I wasn’t making fun of you, Rafe. I’m glad you can cook. I can, too. I also love to watch cooking shows. I enjoy trying out recipes I see on those shows. Some have turned out to be winners. Others have been fodder for the garbage disposal. I don’t have much food in the kitchen because I’ve been working long hours for several weeks. Going to the grocery store was on top of the list of things to do when I returned to Bakerhill.”
He relaxed. Something else they had in common. “Once the kidnappers are behind bars, we’ll plan a cookout with Wolf Pack and their families.” He grinned. “And Oliver. We’ll use our successful recipes.”
“Sounds like fun.” She sighed. “I miss Oliver already.”
“I know. He’ll be with you soon. Come on. Let’s grab food and coffee for everyone, and tea for you.”
Ten minutes later, they were back in the SUV and on the way to her home. Rafe followed her directions to the outskirts of Bakerhill where her shop and home were located.
“Nice area,” he said as he parked behind her SUV. His teammates were parked in front of her home, leaving the main driveway and parking spaces in the lot at the side of her home and business for her clients. “I’m surprised the town council allowed you to operate a business out of your home.”
“Normally, they wouldn’t consider an exception like that. This time, though, I happily used my father’s name and influence with the town council to sway their opinions. The fact that Kristi’s Bridal is a bridal shop also helped. My clients don’t block the street when they park, and they have to make an appointment. They can’t just show up and bring twenty of their friends with them. I also don’t make a habit of using Dad’s influence, but this house and neighborhood are the perfect atmosphere for the shop.”
“Definitely has curb appeal.” He came around to open her door, then handed her the bags of food