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He slid his hand across Sky’s long back, caressing the firm warmth of her flesh that felt like velvet beneath his exploring fingertips. Cal smiled and closed his eyes as she nestled her head in the hollow of his shoulder. Moonlight slipped silently through the gauzy drapes from windows on the west side of their large bedroom. “It was. Sex was good too,” and Cal grinned, lifting his head to see her response. He heard that soft sound he loved so much in Sky’s throat as she looked up, smiling into his half-opened eyes.
“Sex? It’s making love, Sinclair. Anyone can have sex. What we have transcends that by a mile. It’s about loving one another.”
“Okay,” he murmured apologetically, feeling the strength in her small shoulder, “you’re right.”
She laughed softly and caressed his jaw. “You guys are NEVER going to change.”
“But you love us anyway?”
“Well,” she murmured, feeling sated and drowsy, “I love YOU, that’s for sure.”
“Did you girls have fun today while we were out on the dive boat?”
“Yes, we had a lot of fun.”
“Damn good dinner tonight, too,” Cal said, pride in his tone. “You three girls seemed to really like the way Alex fixed that sea bass he caught for all of you.”
“It was delicious,” Sky agreed. She absorbed Cal’s touch, his calloused fingers sliding in a grazing motion slowly up and down her spine. No one would ever guess how gentle a man he really was except for her. She was privileged to share this side with him. If she had known this when she’d first met him, she would never have run away from Cal.
“And, were my eyes deceiving me?”
“About what?”
“Lauren? She wasn’t her grumpy old self tonight at the dinner table with Alex present.”
“I know. I thought that was an amazing turn-around from her snarky looks she always gave Alex before.” Sky lifted her head. “What did you say to Alex?”
Laughing a little, Cal shook his head. “I told him to ignore her. Make as little eye contact as possible.”
Sky laughed with him. “Well, it must have worked. Alex was sitting as far away from Lauren as he could get.”
“Yeah, with us,” Cal murmured, sliding his fingers through her silky hair. “I wasn’t sure Lauren would eat the sea bass because Alex had made it.”
“Me either, to tell you the truth.”
“Well, who knows?” Cal said, “maybe there’s a truce of sorts developing between them?”
“That would be nice. I was worried Lauren’s attitude would spill over into our wedding day.”
“Naw,” Cal murmured, lifting his head and pressing a kiss to her hair, “she’s a professional. She knows how to set her emotions aside and get a mission accomplished. Don’t worry about that. She’ll be fine.”
“You’re right,” Sky admitted, stroking his jaw and outlining his strong, thick neck and shoulder. “But I think Alex’s thoughtfulness has given Lauren a different perspective of him.”
“Yeah? I gotta admit, none of us guys thought about going spear fishing. We all thought you three ladies would like abalone steaks. Alex wasn’t so sure, so I told him to go hunting. See if he could come up with some fish as a second choice.”
“I like his thoughtfulness,” Sky murmured. “It was a lovely surprise.”
“It was,” Cal admitted ruefully, “Alex showed us SEALs up tonight, for sure. The three of you ladies had nothing but praise for the fish and for him. I think it did his ego a lot of good.”
Laughing softly, Sky shook her head. “It wasn’t a test, Sinclair. It just shows us a side to Alex that no one knew was there until now. I think he’ll be a really good team member to whomever he’s sent out with on missions, don’t you?”
“Absolutely,” he said, inhaling the almond fragrance of her shampoo she’d used earlier on her hair. “But remember? He’s a combat medic. He’s got that nurturing, caring side to him or he wouldn’t be in the business of patching up people.”
Sky sat up, facing Cal, placing her arm across his narrow waist, smiling down at him. “I guess I should have expected that from Alex. He was the one who cared me for those hellish days while I went through the malaria cycles. Him and Nik Morozov, the other medic. Alex had him running all over the village trying to find a woman who had made chicken soup. Nik found some and brought it back to Alex. I remember how delicious it tasted. I was so thirsty and starved for anything salty tasting.”
Raising a brow, Cal appreciated the way the moonlight caressed her slender body, the light curving provocatively around her small breasts. It made him want Sky again. “Nik’s disappeared into the jungles of Peru from what Alex said. He doesn’t like being separated from his best friend. I guess they were close as brothers. He’s worried about him.”
“That’s so sad. I remember Nik helped Alex wrap me in as many blankets as they could find to keep me warm.” Sky smiled fondly. “You’re right. Alex has good traits an operator should have. It means he’s going to be there for his teammates. I think Jack saw those qualities in him, too.”
