The Darkest Hour(31)

       
           



       

The thought shook her to the bone. How could he love her when she'd  forgotten their past? How could he love her when he'd thought her dead  for the last year? And how could she hope to love him when all she had  were bits and pieces of their life together?

Why couldn't she remember?

Ethan drew away and moved his hand from her nape down her back to cradle her behind.

"What are you thinking?"

She smiled tremulously, her lips swollen from his kisses. "I wish I  could remember. I want to remember how it was. Was it always like this?  Was it as sweet? Was it better?"

"I think it gets better each day we spend together," he said. "I think  twenty years from now, we'll look back and laugh at the idea that it  couldn't get better or that somehow we'd reached a standstill. Isn't  that the way it should be?"

She nestled back into his arms and laid her cheek against his broad chest. "I hope you're right."

"I am this time," he murmured.

She leaned back, puzzled by his response, but he kissed her again, and  she forgot about everything but the heat of his lips on hers.

"I had an idea for something to do today," he said when he drew away again.

She raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"I thought we could go to Sam's to swim off the dock. You've remembered  several instances of being there, and I thought it might help to be in a  place you remember being happy."

Excitement bubbled up. Random snippets peppered her mind, crowding in until they overwhelmed her.

"I'd love that. When can we go?"

He smiled at her enthusiasm. "As soon as we get our lazy butts up and get out there."

"Sam won't mind?" she asked anxiously.

Ethan laughed. "You, my darling wife, have all my brothers wrapped  around your little finger. You may not remember it, but that doesn't  change the fact. They won't mind a bit if we come over."

Her brow crinkled. "Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten you told me that Garrett and Donovan live there too."

"Don't get all worried on me. It'll be fine. You'll be fine."

He squeezed her hand for emphasis, and she leaned forward to give him a  quick kiss, delighted that she could be spontaneously affectionate with  him without awkwardness. It was a start.





RACHEL looked eagerly out of her window when they pulled into Sam's  gravel drive. The house was beautiful, and the lot was huge. A separate  building, larger than the house, was situated to the right, and she  focused on it intensely, but there was no flash of recognition.

"What's there?" she asked, pointing at the building.

It was odd in that it didn't look like a house. It couldn't remotely be  considered home-like. It was a square, gray stone building with what  looked like steel doors. It reminded her of a bomb shelter or what she'd  assume they looked like.

"That is the current KGI headquarters. Sam's working on a much bigger  place. He has this idea in his head that the entire Kelly family will  live under lockdown in a compound that serves as the headquarters.  Whatever you do, don't ask him about it. He'll talk your head off about  it."

She laughed. "Really? The entire family?"

Ethan sighed. "Yeah. He makes a good argument, don't get me wrong. KGI  has made enemies, and that won't stop. It'll only get worse. He wants  several hundred acres so that he doesn't have to rely on any outside  sources for transportation or supplies. If and when he gets it up and  running, it'll have its own landing strip, helicopter pad and training  camp for the teams."

Her eyes widened. "I knew . . . I mean I saw the soldiers who were with  you when you came for me, but . . . Well I don't know what I thought.  Are all those KGI?"

He nodded. "And more. I don't think you saw Rio or his team. Sam's  looking to add more teams, but it takes time and training. He's very  selective, and he wants the recruits trained by Steele or Rio. In order  for that to happen, he needs more manpower and more assets."

It was growing warm now that Ethan had cut the engine, so Rachel opened  her door to let in the breeze. Still, she was curious about KGI and why  Ethan didn't work with them. What had he done when he quit the SEALs?  For that matter, why had he quit?

"Seems like all that would take a lot of money," she said doubtfully when Ethan came around to get her.

The corner of Ethan's mouth lifted. "Sam's made a lot of money since he  got out of the army. He's worked like a dog for it, and it all goes back  into KGI. Garrett and Donovan are equal partners, and they pour all  their take back into the company too, hence the reason they're all still  living together in the same house."                       
       
           



       

He took her hand and pulled her into the hot sun. She'd sworn that if  she ever had the chance she'd never live where it was hot. It was a vow  she'd made during the long, unbearable days in the hot box in her  prison. But this was different. She wasn't baking in a dark hole. She  was in the sunshine, the golden rays spreading as far as the eye could  see. She was free.

For a moment she stood there, pulling taut against his hold as she  turned her face into the sun and closed her eyes. Never had freedom felt  as sweet as it did right now.

When she opened her eyes, she looked down at the bikini top, cutoff  shorts with strings hanging from the hem and the pair of flip-flops. She  was barely wearing more than she had during captivity, but this was her  own life and it brought her comfort. How many times must she have worn  these clothes to swim from Sam's dock?

If she closed her eyes again, she knew she could recall the horseplay.  Garrett throwing her into the water. Her coming up with a mouth full of  lake water and shrieking in indignation and finally helpless laughter.

Ethan diving in after her. Them racing from the dock toward the middle  of the lake, where the current was stronger. The many barbeques on the  worn wooden deck. Watching the sun go down after long summer days.

"Rachel, are you all right?"

Ethan's voice drifted through the hazy memories, and for a moment she resented the intrusion. Then she smiled and looked at him.

"I was remembering. This place makes me happy. There are a lot of happy  memories here. It's nice to be able to grab onto a few of them, to know  they're real and not some fantasy I've conjured in a hallucinogenic  state."

He drew her to him, cupping his hand behind her neck as he tilted her up  to meet his kiss. He didn't act as reserved as he had before. Not since  she'd kissed him this morning in bed. Maybe he'd been waiting for her  to make the first move.

"I'm glad you have happy memories. How about let's go make some new ones? I'll even let you throw me in."

She grinned and then darted around him, instinctively going down the  stone path that led around the house to the back. She'd wanted to ask  him why he'd quit the SEALs and why he wasn't working for KGI, but now  she was loath to ruin the lighthearted mood they found themselves in.

When she rounded the corner and bounded onto the deck, she stopped in  her tracks at the gorgeous sight before her. No wonder she'd loved it  here so much. The water sparkled like a million diamonds under the veil  of sunshine. Rich blue with a fringe of white on the tops of the gentle  swells. It looked inviting, and suddenly she couldn't wait to get in.

She glanced over at Ethan and bit her lip to keep the mischievous smile  at bay. She eased from her flip-flops and then bolted down the ramp  toward the dock.

"Last one in is a rotten egg!"

She couldn't remember the exact depth of the water from the dock, only  that she'd been thrown in more times than she could count, so she sailed  off the end feet first and landed with a splash several feet away.

The cold exhilarated her and stunned her. She came up gasping for air and shrieked at the chill.

"Serves you right," Ethan called from the dock.

She looked up to see him removing his tennis shoes. She gave a little  shiver and then started back to the dock. He stripped off his shirt, and  she caught a glimpse of his chest silhouetted against the sunlight.

He was, in a word, magnificent.

Then he executed a perfect dive into the water beside her. Barely a  ripple disturbed the surface. He came up several yards away and shook  the droplets from his short hair. White teeth flashed in a broad grin.  He ducked underneath again, and the next thing she knew, she was being  lifted in the air.

She laughed as he held her high out of the water while treading water.

"How on earth are you able to do that?"

He dropped her with a splash, and when she came up, he gathered her close.

"I'm a SEAL, remember? We do the impossible, and we do it in the water."

She rolled her eyes and then her question came back to her. Cocking her  head to the side to let the water drain out of her ear, she peeked at  him from under her lashes. "Why did you quit the SEALs? I don't think  you've ever said. I mean I'm sure you did," she added hastily. "I just  can't remember."