Dusted Star

Pushing aside thoughts of anything but the woman in the oversized tub between his legs with her back pressed against his chest, Juan watched Trac use his hands to spread shower gel over her arms and legs. The lifejacket she’d been wearing might have felt like overkill to Lakyn,but it had offered her chest and back some measure of protection.

Trac lovingly squirted the floral smelling gel into his hands and rubbed them together until they were covered with bubbles before smoothing the frothy suds over her breasts. Rolling her peaked nipples between his slick fingers, Trac grinned when she groaned and arched into his touch.

“Not yet, Princess. We’re going to use thisas a lesson. You need to be more careful—your safety is and always will be our priority. Sam said you’d drifted away from the others, and that’s how the driver of the boat was able to skim over the rope.” The outboard motor had easily snapped the rope and wrapped it tight enough to pull her the mile she’d traveled downstream.

“I think you are looking at this all wrong. If we’d all been groupedtogether, he probably would have run over one of my new friends to get to me. I think I deserve a reward for looking out for the safety of the group. There’s probably some sort of civic recognition in my future. Heck, I’ll bet the Governor shows up to present me with a plaque, after all, I saved two citizens from disaster.” Juan had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. Lakyn was quick-wittedeven through the fog of a steep fall into an adrenaline crash.

By the time they all got dressed and drove back to the main house, Kent and Kyle’s office was overflowing with people. Micah waved them up closer to Kyle’s desk and motioned for them to take the two chairs closest to a large monitor. When Lakyn looked confused, Juan smiled and pulled her down onto his lap.

“Subs often sit on cushionsat their Master’s feet at the club, but you’ll find Trac and I prefer having you on our lap.”

Micah leaned close and grinned, “And I want you to be able to see the spliced footage between the three security systems, sweetness. You did us proud.” By this time, Kent West had joined them, and his eyes were practically dancing with mirth.

“Damn, Lakyn, do you perform your own stunts? Because I haveto tell you, I was damned impressed. What are you doing traveling all over the world letting those fashion yo-yos take your picture when we could use you on the teams?”

“Oh, fuck no.” Juan felt his usual charm evaporate in a heated mist. “She is not joining the teams. No. Just. Fucking. No.” For the first time since this whole disaster started two hours ago, he heard laughter all around him andrealized how close to the edge of imploding he sounded.

*

Lakyn watched thevideo play on the enormous monitor and felt the strangest sense of detachment until she looked at the stricken look on Juan and Trac’s faces. Sam McCall had stepped to the side of the large screen to point out various points, and when he finished, she was surprised when the entire process startedagain, this time with Cameron Barnes adding his analysis. Jen McCall took the third round and when she’d finished, Kyle turned to her.

“Lakyn, we’re going to run it through again at half-time, and I’d like you to walk us through it from your point of view.” She must have looked confused because his expression softened, and he added, “We want to know what you were thinking before you realizedthe boat was bearing down on you and every moment thereafter. Consider it a “thought map.” We’ll probably hear things you don’t even realize you’re saying—I know it sounds strange, but you’re going to have to trust me just this once.”

This once? Was he delusional? She instinctively trusted every former soldier in the room because they all reminded her of Cooper. Just thinking about her olderbrother made her eyes fill with tears, but she blinked them back, refusing to give in to emotion. The team needed her perspective and from the way they were acting, the whole situation was more serious than she’d first believed.

Damn it, Cooper, where the hell are you?