SEAL’s Love by Leslie North

2

The next morning, Colin was up early as usual and packing quickly and efficiently—also as usual—for the trip with Harper. In all honesty, he was still kind of shocked he’d gotten himself into this one, but he couldn’t ignore the desperation he’d seen in her eyes. She needed to get to the island, needed to find her sister, and him going with her was just about the only way that made sense.

Of course, he wasn’t thrilled about going back to Crystal Cay, but hopefully he’d be able to avoid his family. Hell, they might not even be on the island at the moment. His parents had a couple of homes, and he didn’t bother to keep track of which one they were using when. But even if they were on Crystal Cay, they would be staying at their private estate rather than at the resort, so they might be able to miss each other, as long as he was careful and discreet—and as long as no one from the resort called his mother to let her know that he’d reserved one of the rooms the resort kept available for the family.

Of course, no sooner had he had that thought than his phone buzzed on the bed next to his bag. A quick glance at the screen made his gut crater out. His mother’s face shone back at him on the caller ID.

Shit. Jinxed it.

Colin picked up the phone, his thumb hesitating over the green answer button on the screen while his analytical mind ticked through the best way to handle the call. If he told his mom the truth—that he was working on a case and not there to socialize—then chances were high that everyone would know he was looking for Harper’s sister before their plane even landed. And if there really was some kind of foul play involved, then letting word spread would sacrifice the element of surprise, and that wasn’t an advantage he was willing to lose.

So, he needed to lie.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzzzzzzzz.

Dammit. This was ridiculous. He checked the time—three hours to departure—then answered. He still had to pick up Harper and get them to the airport to check in.

“Hello?” he said, more impatiently than he’d intended.

“Colin, sweetie! I heard you’re coming to the island! I’m so excited!” his mom said.

He sighed. “Hi, Mom. Yep.”

His mom’s squeal was so loud in the phone that Colin had to hold it away from his ear for a moment.

“Oh sweetie, it’s been years since you were here for the family reunion. I’m so happy. Josephine will be here, of course, with her wife. And Grandfather Parks, of course. Oh, and your dad. It’s going to be so much fun. We haven’t seen you in ages. Now, you must stay with us at the house and—”

Fuck. How had he forgotten that this was the same weekend as the annual family reunion? On the up side, it gave him an excuse for why he was coming to the island out of the blue. But on the downside, how could he explain that coming and staying at the estate was the last thing he wanted to do? “Mom,” he cut in. “I made a reservation at the resort because…” He bit his lip, then came out with the lie. “I’m bringing someone. A girlfriend. And I didn’t want to spring an extra guest on you at the last minute.”

While his mother gushed with excitement all over again, Colin sat on the edge of the bed and raked a hand through his short, blond hair. “That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you found someone. I know how hard it’s been for you since Abby passed.”

He grunted in response, ignoring the tightness in his chest at the mention of his girlfriend. He’d met Abigail Harrington five years ago on a naval base overseas. They’d hit it off almost immediately. Relationships weren’t easy to manage between two active-duty service people, but they’d made it work for two years before she was killed in a plane crash. Colin took it hard, of course. It was part of the reason he’d chosen not to re-enlist a year and a half later, at the end of his tour of duty. There was just too much about the military life that reminded him of her, of the plans they’d made together and the shared purpose that had driven them both. He’d thought leaving all of that behind would help him move on, but it had been two years since he’d left the Navy, and he still hadn’t dated anyone else seriously.

“…and I promise your father will be on his best behavior and won’t start any arguments,” his mom said, catching Colin’s attention again.

Colin damned near snorted but bit it back at the last second. His dad? Not argue? Not likely. The man could make the Pope curse a blue streak with frustration. Before he could say anything in response, though, his mom was off and running with the questions again.

“So, tell me about this new lady in your life. What’s her name? What’s she like?”

“Well.” He took a deep breath. Obviously, he didn’t know Harper well. They’d just met the day before. But he’d need to keep the cover story as close to the truth as possible—that would make it less likely that he or Harper would slip up. So what could he say that he knew was true? “Her name’s Harper. She works as an administrative assistant at a security agency some friends of mine run. I came into the office when I was meeting them for lunch, and we connected right away.” All true, even if he was leaving out that the connection came from the fact that she needed his help to get on the island. “She’s smart and sweet and beautiful.” At that last word an odd tingle of awareness went through him, and he put the brakes on fast.

Whoa, cowboy.

This was all pretend. This was just for a case.

And sure, she was pretty, in a quirky, edgy sort of way, he supposed, with her funky earrings and that nose piercing. So that part was true.

“She sounds great,” his mother said. “What’s her personality like?”

He thought of how doggedly Harper was pursuing her sister’s case on her own, refusing to back down even when the police had declined to help her. That took gumption and Colin respected her for it. Plus, she’d convinced him to help her, so that was something too. “I’d say she’s determined and persuasive. And she’ll do anything for the people she loves.”

“Seems like you really like her.”

Colin blinked at the apartment wall across from him and realized, yeah. He kind of did. For a civilian, she was okay. He checked his watch again, then stood, glad for an out on this awkward conversation. “I need to go, Mom, or we’ll miss our flight.” He forced as much faux joy as possible. “See you soon.”

“See you, sweetie. Can’t wait!”

He could, but it was too late to back out now.

* * *

Three hours later, he and Harper had boarded their plane for Crystal Cay and were waiting for takeoff. They hadn’t said much during check-in or during the wait at the airport. He’d bought her lunch, and they’d both stared at their phones far more than normal.

Now, he squirmed a little in his economy seat, wishing he’d tried harder to talk her into letting him upgrade them to first class. Harper had insisted on buying the tickets herself, which was a sweet gesture in theory. In practice, Colin’s long legs and broad shoulders just didn’t fit in an economy seat, and while he was still too much of a military man to whine about it, he couldn’t stop himself from inwardly grumbling. Money for the upgrade certainly wouldn’t have been a problem for him, but he’d seen the stubborn tilt to Harper’s chin when he’d brought the idea up, so he’d let it go—and was living to regret it. He needed a distraction, ASAP, and starting a conversation with Harper seemed like the best bet. Besides, he really needed to fill her in on the new developments with his mom before they arrived, much as he dreaded it.

The plane’s communication system crackled to life, and the attendants began their pre-flight checklist and, well, Colin guessed now was a good a time as any to drop the bombshell on Harper. He cleared his throat.

“So, uh,” he started, staring past her out the small, smudged window at the tarmac. “There have been a few complications.”

“Complications?” She raised one dark brow at him, and he realized she had a piercing there too. One small diamond glinted back at him. “What kind of complications?”

He took a deep breath and came out with it. “My mother called this morning. It turns out the resort let her know that I’d booked a room, and she came to the conclusion that I was flying in for our family reunion.”

“You’re having a family reunion?”

“Yeah,” Colin said, feeling sheepish. “It’s an annual thing. I haven’t been in years, so I’d forgotten that it was this week.”

“But…why not just tell them the truth?” she said. “That you came as a favor to me to help me find my sister?”

He sighed. “Look, I know you’re hoping that we’ll get there and find out it’s all been a big misunderstanding and that your sister is totally fine. I’m hoping for that, too. But until we know for sure what we’re dealing with, the smart choice is to behave as if we’re walking into danger. We need to be alert and to stay on our guard. And that means playing our cards close to the chest. We can’t tell people why we’re really there.”

“Do you think someone in your family might have been behind my sister’s disappearance?” Her hands were clenched together like she was praying, and her knuckles were white. “Is that why you’re estranged from them—because they’re the kind of people who would—”

“No!” Colin exclaimed instinctively, then took a deep breath and repeated himself more calmly. “No, definitely not. I’ve clashed with my family for plenty of reasons, but I know that they’re good people. They wouldn’t hurt Serenity. I’m absolutely certain of that. But keeping an operation secure means keeping it as secret as possible. If we tell my family, there’s the risk that someone might let the wrong thing slip to a person who really is involved with Serenity’s disappearance. I think we should keep the truth just between us. Frankly, the family reunion is a good cover story. It’s a reason for us to be there that no one will question.”

“It’s a reason for you to be there,” she pointed out. “But how will we explain me coming along?”

And here was the sticking point. “I…might’ve told my mom that we’re dating.” When Harper’s eyes went wide, he hastened to reassure her. “I promise it won’t be that bad. We’ll have to attend a couple of events for the reunion, sure, and we’ll have to pretend to be a couple while we’re there, but that’s it. And it helps keep our secret, which is the most important thing.”

“I…right, yes. Okay,” she said. She still looked a little startled, but at least she didn’t seem like she was angry with him.

“Okay?” he repeated. “You’re on board with this?”

She shrugged. “You’re the expert. If you say this is the best way to handle the investigation, then I believe you. Besides,” she managed a wry smile as they taxied away from the gate and toward the runway, “I was willing to scrub toilets to get on the island. Compared to that, I think I can live with pretending to date you.”

He laughed, relieved that she was taking this so well. If she were military, he’d have known that she’d follow his lead and focus on the mission, but he could never be sure how civilians would react to things. Her positive attitude was a pleasant surprise.

“And thank you,” she said next, surprising him again. “I know you’ve got issues with your family. Going to this reunion must feel like throwing yourself into the lion’s den. So thank you, truly, for doing this.”

“I’m glad to help,” he replied, and when she beamed at him, he was surprised to find that he really meant it. He was glad to be helping her. He’d just have to remind himself of that when his father inevitably started driving him up the wall.

“So, if we’re going to make this couple’s thing believable, then we need to know details about each other, right?” she said a moment later. “Like birthdays and favorite colors and foods and songs.”

“Fair enough.” He gripped his armrests as the plane gained speed and forced him back into his seat. The perfectionist in him hated this part the most. The loss of control. The not being grounded. He swallowed hard and stared at the ceiling and focused on filling her in, telling her all the details that his family would expect her to know. By the time he was done, and she’d told him her information in turn, they’d leveled out to a cruising altitude. “Anything else?” he asked.

“Not that I can think of at the moment. This is all new to me.” He could practically hear Harper smiling. “Honestly, I’m worried I’m going to screw it all up for you. You might be used to secret missions, but I’m not, and I’ve never been very good at faking how I feel.”

“So it’ll be that much of a struggle to pretend to be into me?”

He’d been joking, but still…did she really have to laugh that hard?

“Let’s just say it’s a good thing we’ll be with your family and not mine,” she said with a smile, “because my sister and my mom would call me out in a heartbeat on the fact that you’re definitely not my type.”

That got him to look at her. Not that he cared if she found him attractive or not, but dammit. “Why am I not your type?”

“For starters?” She looked him up and down. “You look like the kind of guy who likes things in neat boxes.”

“I do not.”

She snorted. “You’re wearing business causal to go to a vacation resort.”

He stared down at the crisp creases in his khakis and his new dark blue polo shirt. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing. It’s just not what I go for.” Harper shook her head, chuckling. “Plus, I’m not really looking to settle down, and you seem like the white-picket fence type.”

“What’s wrong with settling down?” he grumbled, uncomfortable with how accurate she was. “If you find the right person?”

“And have you? Found the right person, I mean.”

Colin inhaled deep and closed his eyes, grief pinching his chest even after all this time. “Once, I did. Her name was Abby. We were going to get married, but she died.”

Finally, that shut Harper up.

A small eternity of seconds passed with his words hanging heavy between them before she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Shit.

He tried to change the subject by shining the spotlight back on her.

“What about you?” he asked, rolling his head to the side to look at her. “I suppose you’re the kind of woman who refuses to think about being tied down in any way because marriage is nothing but a social construct, right?”

“I don’t have anything against commitment,” she said, lifting one shoulder, her gaze focused on the stretch of blue sky out the window. Nearly the same shade as her eyes, Colin thought absently. “I think it’s fine for other people. Just not for me.”

“Hmm.” Colin turned away, far more intrigued by her than he should be, and closed his eyes again. “Well, then. I guess you’re right. It is good we’re not interested in each other. We can just focus on the mission and that’s that.”